Fandom Elder Scrolls: Dragonborn

[BabyToby]

As the speech began, Edwore stood staring into the crowd, beginning to space out as his head throbbed from the heat and the tightly huddled crowd. He rubbed the small bruise on his chest, feeling anxious as he felt tightly packed into the people beside him..

"Dragonfire, Dragonborn, Dead..."

He froze up a bit hearing the last word, shaking the now intruding thoughts from his mind as he glanced back towards the exit. I could just sneak away, right now. No one would know or remember. Why am I even- He was cut off as the tall Nord backed into two quiet folk behind them, glancing up at the looks on their annoyed faces, not quiet registering their words. Have they even noticed me? Before he knew it, Alxallarien was motioning for him to follow the disbanded group member who had gone with the curious looking Half Mer and Breton.

Glancing at the building ahead, he raised his voice just loud enough for Alxallarien to hear him, "I hope we can get a drink in there, I could use one." He said, his cheeks started to let go of their rosy color from the heat as he escaped the vast crowd, glancing up at the setting sun and feeling a cold breeze. Tucking his hair back over his ears, he hurried after the Thalmer, staying close to him and keeping his eyes down.

 

[Locklaklazarii]

Frej looked very sternly at the barkeep, and he very well got the message pulling out his least watered down mead and sliding it over to the woman. Stubborn as she is, instead of taking the perceived kindness Frej tossed some coin upon the counter to pay for her admittedly over sweetened mead, the great brute of a woman had a time of it looking for a place to sit down, it wasn't until she found a decent enough looking booth that she finally sit in it. The chairs and tables were all made for people of a significantly smaller stature than herself, it could not be more apparent that she wasn't the right size as she looked like an adult in a wealthy child's room. Taking a drink and wincing a bit at it's sweetness, tasting like a Khajiit had made it not a Dunmer, She gave an exaggerated and forceful point to match her tone "You there elf." in her fingers path was Alxallarien, "You are by far most miserable, not in that you seem so, more because you are intolerable, that you would part your lips and crow, the fact you still bear your wealth, when all that comes from your dreaded lips, slowly chips away at everyone's mental health, making all wish you would take some tips, but your sensibility by all accounts pass, which is why you should take the stick right out of your ass."
Frej took a great sigh of relief with this and laid back in her booth, she knew it was not the custom in these lands, but taverns to her always signaled the place of greatest ease and stress relief especially in the form of flyting, but honestly she didn't care and wondered weather or not she'd actually receive any form of rebuttal. But it was nothing to her and she ushered all to come sit at the booth as company was always better than being alone.

 

[Khanmon]

The last drop of Colovian Brandy hit Elrich's throat like a cleansing fire, burning away the last of his immediate concerns—the debts, the heartbreak, the broken mop that his innkeeper boss would doubtless wring his neck for the next morning, it could all wait.

The Colovians were a bit too self-important for Elrich's taste, with all the "might makes right" posturing... but they made a damn fine drink. And speaking of self-important, Elrich could practically see the proverbial stick in the ass of the Altmer that just entered the tavern.

Moreover, it seemed an entire entourage of colorful characters arrived.

Having just endured his baptism by alcohol, Elrich thought he'd give them a try, mainly the two women who'd incidentally rendered him spellbound when they entered. There was also word of some speech from the Emperor, one that Elrich had missed during his traipse to the bar. Perhaps he could get caught up.

He procured another brandy from Dalos and made his way to the booth where the figures hung about.

Elrich was about to put the moves on the Nord when she suddenly unleashed an off-the-cuff poem at the Altmer. It came entirely out of nowhere.

I think I'm in love, the hopeless Imperial thought.

He approached, gingerly setting his flagon on the table.

"I hope I'm not intruding, but are you partaking in the festivities? I must confess, I've been longing for a bit of a distraction lately."

He extended a hand to the Nord woman first, "I'm Elrich."

 

[Faltasey]

"Honestly I'm not sure if you'd like their culmination of a "drink." Said Alxallarien while entering the bar with Edwore behind him. Snickering at the thought of anything of lesser quality compared to his favorite Alinor wine. He knew he was entering hostile territory where he was the outlier. Even the Breton behind him looked less out of place. Dunmer left and right, this place was just absolutely filled with Daedra-worshipping infidels. He kept his mouth shut though as he knew he would probably instigate if he didn't. He knew his place, however more so out of knowing he's outnumbered rather than being afraid. If he wanted to die fighting Dunmer, he would. But he'd get more use out of dying in other ways. This legacy seemed a bit dull to him.

Edwore was at the bar ordering a drink as Alxallarien trotted off on his way to the table with the Nord. He was feeling like he was getting out of the negativity until of course, he took a metaphorical hit with the outlandishly rude(but clever) insult. The entire room was cheering and laughing. They loved it. Though with his ego still intact, and with his calm demeanor he smiled smugly "For someone with no name you sure seem relatively relaxed. I thi--" he was cut off by a new stranger coming to sit with them. "I see." said this High Elf. Sitting down at the table right next to them.

He all of a sudden had a thought: "Let's see if this small bit of subtlety will show itself to you." he thought as he attempted to turn the Nord's mead into blood.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

"Ah relax, and have a drink. You're among some of the friendliest folk in the city, after a few pints" Soren said placing a couple jugs of sujamma on the table. Taking a seat beside the Dunmer woman, he began to pour himself and the Altmer a flagon of the strong Dunmeri brew. "Plus there's no need to be sour Serah, we're all fucked in a century anyway. Might as well celebrate and enjoy the time we have before things once more become interesting with Nirn." He added taking a long pull on his drink. It may not be Sedris' Sujamma, but it was still damn good. Setting his flagon down, he began pouring for the other Breton that was joining them and the Imperial currently trying to sweet talk the Nord woman. Turning his attention to the Dwemer garbed Dunmer, he poured her a drink as well. "Tell me ma'am, what province of morrowind did you come from if you don't mind my asking? I hail from Solstheim, Raven Rock to be precise." He said trying to strike up a conversation with his countrywoman.

@

 

[Karcen]

Lolrevl had been more than willing to listen to the others while she waited for the chance to slip out and actually do what she had came for. The altmer and the nord were doing what one might expect when two of their kinds met, to almost walking stereotypes of the stuck up altmer and the hot blooded warrior. Well that was not her problem in truth the altmer was likely to get himself beaten or killed with that attitude. The nord would, well dunmer were not exactly the biggest fans of those men, but well they beat their past obsessed cousins. Soon another man came in, but by then the one that had brought them here had come up to her. Lolrevl could tell her was berton, but did not seem to be of the highrock kind given his use of dunmer honorifics. That was explained not long after, from solsthiem, Lolrevl had been through there on her trips, and it has some interesting dwemer ruins but little else. Though last she knew Neloth was still there having grown his mushroom tower there for whatever reason. Lolrevl was more interested in the vanished elves than the ancient and oddly accurate beliefs of the skaal nords.

" vvardenfell " She said " I come from ashlanders that dwell in dwemer ruins that have no name in the shadow of a tower" She explained throwing in a little test to see how well educated the breton might be on her favored topics. Most would not know about the towers properly, they knew of white gold and how it had held reality in place, but few knew of the others.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Upon hearing the Dunmeri woman's response, Soren paused to think over her words. "A Fan of Vivec's works I see. As for your statement, All Dwemer cities and ruins reside in the shadow of the Tower. Tell me, what is it you do?" He replied now fully interested in the Ashlander's words. Taking a small pull on his flagon, the half breed released a pleased and relaxed sigh. I work in the imperial market district at the local forge and enchantery. While my works are above average, they are no where near the complexity of the dwemer." He added, hoping to strike up further conversation

 

[Karcen]

it seemed that not everyone was ignorant of the now secrets of the world. Still Lolrevl doubted that many had more than a glancing knowledge of such subjects as some supposedly learned men had tried to denounce things like dragon breaks and other topics that weren't mundane. Really if not for mages being the only ones that seemed to learn anything Lolrevl half suspected they would argue magic didn't exist because it wasn't normal. Well at least the common folk still had some imagination left in them.

" i want to understand music and what it is to be selfish" She said wanting to test how well read the breton really was as raven rock was hardly a center of learning, though more so than a ruin built into a volcano ever spewing forth ash. " I don't plan on being here long if i can i wish to visit the libraries and find what hasn't yet been declared fictional by learned men with no imagination" She explained an angry note in her voice as she spoke of those fake intellectuals. " Then i will go back north, hopefully skyrim will not be on fire when i return" She said with a sigh finally taking and sip and finding the drink lacking but decent.

 

[Locklaklazarii]

Seeing the man's outstretched hand and his general respect towards her, instead of general disdain and stereotyping, Frej's hand swung upwards missing his hand but confidently landing upon his forearm where she gave a firm squeeze and tug downwards. Letting go and nodding the Nord woman got up to introduce herself to the man as was customary, "I am Frej, Karl of..." She thought for a moment trying to remember under whose control Shor's Stone was last, "The Rift, and Daughter of Kyne, it is an honor to meet you-" She briefly looked him up and down to try to remember his name, "Lrrick." She said in a heavy Nordic Accent, almost butchering the word. Finally some decent company besides that of elves and milk drinkers she thought to herself before sitting down, grabbing her drink and downing it all. A dribble of blood came out the corner of her mouth before she gave an approving "Aaah" and looked to the Altmer. "You ought to think before casting a spell," she took two fingers and wiped up the blood only to draw two lines with it from the top of her left brow down her face, "next time pick something I dislike the taste of, perhaps a drink that tastes how you act." she gave a fulfilled smile.

Suddenly she tuned into the other two's conversation, "Not all Dwarven Cities are under a tower, I have heard Rumors of a Dwarf Ruin in the north so deep that it is without end," she thought on it a moment "Never-mind eh? You would never get there, and if you are looking for a time that Keizaal isn't ablaze you have a very short window... even if there was no war Skyrim will never be like Cyrodiil, always turmoil, always change." Frej waved for another drink from one of the wenches.

 

[Faltasey]

Alxallarien was well-acquainted with disgusting food but he couldn't help but gag after taking a sip of the Dunmeri beverage. A bit of the smell should've told him what to expect. "I don't know why I even bothered tasting that." he thought to himself.

"So finally, the nameless reveals their name to me. Much appreciated." he snarked as Frej and Elrick get acquainted with each other. "Oh no, please tell me I don't have to watch a Nord and an Imperial fall for each other." he thought for a moment before the Nord reacted to his spell. "Impressive, honestly. I'd think you'd be a little more squeamish about drinking the blood of your ancestors," he said with a smug. He would need to play a little harsher of a game if he wanted to get under her skin. He'll remember that for next time.

Not only did Frej tune into the Dunmer and Breton's conversation, but Alxallarien was listening as well. If not for the interest in knowledgeability he wanted to know the motive behind following an entire race that caused their own demise. "My theory is that most if not all of the Deep Elves succeeded in what you want, no?" he looked directly at the Dunmer.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

"There are a few theories on their disappearance. For all we know, the Dwemer had transplanted themselves onto one of the nigh-infinite planes of Oblivion. Another being they simply wrote themselves out of existence. But i believe what my countrywoman is speaking of, and correct me if I am wrong Serah; Is the Walking ways written by the living tribunal, and devourer of Azura, Vivec. In particular you speak of achieving Chim, yes?" Soren said addressing both elves. Taking another pull on his drink, and letting out a relaxed sigh. "As for music, might you be seeking out the secret of the Dwemer, and that of Sotha Sil and his clockwork creations. To bend the universe through song?" He asked, knowing he hit the nail on the head. He had to admit, he hadn't had this much fun, and such a engaging conversation in a while. "As for the library, good luck getting in. From what i remember, it is normally reserved for nobles and students of the arcane university. Now, i do know of a rare books store near my forge."

 

[Faltasey]

"I more mean that they failed to match their ego to their intellect, but managed to succeed in achieving their goal. I am not referring to CHIM, but they figured out tonal architecture at its very core. I think they still exist, but they are neither here nor there. I suspect they're not even in Oblivion. And they didn't erase themselves, because if they did, we wouldn't know they existed. I think we are asking the wrong question."

He looked at the Dunmer and back at the Breton "Actually, that's not entirely true. I have access to the library. A scribe has many connections."

 

[Khanmon]

Elrich had gotten pulled down as Frej sat, and landed more-or-less on the booth seat. It may has well have been a circus performance that he managed to do so while inebriated.

Then, he had to come to terms with the breadth of the conversation he'd joined; CHIM, tonal architecture, the Dwemer—the young swordsman had a bookish period earlier in his life, mainly as an escape from his day-to-day woes, and had even tried his hand at wading through Vivec's writings. He'd even secured a copy of the Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes with some effort several years ago, though he could hardly make heads or tails of any of these books. The writing was simply too dense, and the subject matter simply too complex.

But it had been about four or five years since then.

It might be worth revisiting these topics, Elrich thought. For now, he supposed he'd make do with the scraps of knowledge he yet retained.

He remembered that Tiber Septim was said to have used CHIM to level the endless jungles that once choked Cyrodiil, and the swordsman always had taken issue with the fable—surely if one had world-altering powers, they would use them for a higher purpose than making the weather nicer?

"The way I see it, if folks as clever as the Deep Elves wanted to vanish without a trace, there's nothing any of us can do to ever find them." he purred as he took a drink of his Colovian Brandy. "Then again, I suppose that's the crux of their disappearance—where and why and how. I suspect you'll find no consensus among the scholarly writings in any of the archives..." he looked to Alxallarien for a moment, "even in the fancy ones that scribes can get you into."

"Guess we need to just achieve CHIM ourselves, then, hmm? Write the books and then free everyone from their mortal coils on our own terms."

And if it keeps me from ever having to clean a chamberpot or mop a floor ever again, I'm game, he thought.

 

[Karcen]

Well this was odd, Lolrevl could travel the length and breath of the empire and other places and never find so many people actually knowing of such esoteric topics. Not even the followers of vivec had not all known of the end point of their struggles, yet here were several that knew what it was and some understanding of what it could do. While the new god of man had most likely gained apotheosis through Chim and manteling so few really knew that they just saw it as going from man to god without knowing why. Thus she was truly surprised to find basically everyone she had randomly met just know had some understanding. Still it seemed that not everyone really knew it and if Lolrevl was being honest not even she truly knew about it, yes she had some understanding but it was different to know something and truly completely know it and understand it. There was also some misunderstanding about her interest in the dwemer, as she didn't care about the dwemer vanishing they were smart but she felt they had the wrong approach and she also had her own answer to what happened to them and all answers were likely equally correct. The nord seemed the least knowledgeable as there could be an argument that even the cities in her homeland were in a tower's shadow, but that was a stretch.

"If it was as simple as reading a book then everyone would have done it" Lolrevl said about the idea that they could just write a book and teach , vivec had done that be he needed to weave it into poems and metaphor to make one understand. " Anyways while it is very surprising to find so many knowledgeable of esoteric topics what is it that brings you all here?"

 

[BabyToby]

Edwore sat back, gulping down his drink and listening, although he was only half paying attention as other thoughts swept through his mind. This wasn't the plan at all, I could have been far gone by now, out the gates and gone from this crowded place. He paused, What am I doing? I've got nothing to lose at this point.. Shaking the thoughts away, he ordered another drink and sat down next to Alxallarien. After he stopped talking he quietly whispered to him, "Is there some sort of nickname I can call you? I'm struggling to remember your name correctly."

When he heard the Dunmer ask why everyone was there he let out a quiet sigh. He held his head up with his tightly clenched fist as his elbow sat against the table, avoiding eye contact until someone else spoke up. Listening closely and tracing the rim of his mug with his index finger off the other hand, Edwore shut his eyes, blocking out the intruding bloody images of his brother in his head.

 

[Faltasey]

"Half-brain and half-breed aren't exactly the most survivable traits. Do you really need to ask me if you can call me a nickname?" He said in an annoyed tone, he felt almost disrespected.

"But I'll let it slide since I know not everyone is as literate. You can call me Master if that's more to your liking." as he grew a sharp-witted grin beneath his nose.

He turned to the Dunmer to answer her question.
"We're all here for the same reason I suspect. We all might as well be on the same carriage to Skyrim at this point, no? I'm here solely to work alongside the course of history. And to paint the correct picture that the so-called Empire refuses to paint. Their affinity for playing intellectual prowess is tiring, and quite frankly I don't stand for it. Pseudo-intellectual depictions and mythos, it's sickening. I'm here for many other reasons, but let's leave out all the rest."

 

[Khanmon]

"So, you're all traveling to Skyrim, then." Elrich breathed, at first as a question but ending as a statement.

It was a long way from here, from the troubles and trifles the young swordsman had faced since he was just a boy. On one hand, he couldn't just leave this place behind—he had debts, arrangements, promises to keep—not to mention, for better or for worse, Cyrodiil was his home.

On the other hand, Skyrim couldn't be any more different from Nibenay; it was a land of breathtaking vistas and adventure, he'd been told. Crossing the border to the Fatherland would be like passing some threshold of his own subconscious—once he placed that first foot down, maybe he could start to do something with his life. He imagined the trauma, the poisonous figures of his childhood, the heartache, all turning into mist and sweeping away as he turned his back on them.

He gently set an empty brandy bottle on the table.

"If you all don't mind, I'd like to join you and leave this place behind. There's nothing left for me, here." He then shot a glance to the Altmer, "Long as I don't have to hear you prattling on about... every... blade of grass paling in comparison to Summerset grass, or the like."

 

[Locklaklazarii]

"If we're going to Skyrim it's imperative we waste no time and get there as soon as possible, last thing we want to do is head through the pale pass in the dead of winter." Frej turned her cup upside down and began to gather her belongings, "I do however need to make a stop in Bruma for some things before I go back to my homeland, but we really should be going." With that she made her way to the door of the tavern opening it with a slow creak, but as she did a whip of lightning thrashed the air splitting the dark and calling down a light rain. Unbothered Frej moved out to get into Edwore's cart and start the journey.

 

[BabyToby]

Edwore got up quickly with Frej, gathering his belongings and walking out the door with her to his cart, motioning to the rude Thalmor to follow. He planned to avoid speaking to the elf for a while after the insults that were spat out. He secured his belongings in the back of the cart, and hopped up front. "Bruma it is then, Ill just wait a minute for the others to gather their things and we'll be off."

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Taking a final pull on his Sujamma, Soren slammed the tankard down on the table and left a few septims in the receptacle as a tip. "Well I have nothing better to do, other than dull work making the guards armaments. Funny too, as I had just come from Skyrim months ago." He said muttering the last part as he stood to leave. Turning towards the dunmer woman beside him, he motioned for her to follow. "If you would like, I could show you to the rare books store while i pack my things and a few supplies." And with that, bid the barkeep and patrons farewell and left towards the Market district once more. If he was to be completely honest with himself, he was actually happy for the move to skyrim. The Imperial city, while impressive, was just too drab for the hybrid.

 

[Locklaklazarii]

With the three newfound companions at the cart the sky tore apart once more and a bolt of lightning cracked down and hit the tavern easily setting it ablaze, "Well if that's not a sign to get moving I don't know what is." Frej said with an almost jovial and joking attitude. "Now who remembers the way out of this infernal city?"