Private Pieces of a Heart

[Delusional]

Marcus had nearly fallen asleep at the bar counter when the noise of the heavy, brass tavern doors opening woke him from his halfway-unconscious state. The tired Imperial did not turn to look at the new patrons; he sat at the bar, slowly drinking his wine as a group of five diverse people sat before the bar, to Marcus' left. Without turning his head, the Imperial glimpsed at the new occupants, not recognizing any of them. It was strange to see travelers pass through Markarth, as it was situated deep within the mountains, and often times weary travelers did not want the danger of the Forsworn natives while they trekked.

The group was comprised of four men and one woman. One man had a cowl shrouding his face and a wool cloak draped over his shoulders, but Marcus could make out the vague shape of armor underneath his ragged cloak. Another man was clad in the recognizable armor of the Dawnguard. Marcus had seen plenty of Dawnguard when he was young and still living in Riften, as their base of operations did not lie very far outside the poverty-stricken city. He too, donned a hood. A third man, remarkably pale, wore heavy black robes, accompanied by a hood. Marcus could barely see the man's red, glowing eyes. The Imperial shivered at the sight. Vampires... I have no love for them...

The remaining man was very young from what Marcus could tell. He seemed much different from the others; it was most likely foolish confidence. I was once like that... Marcus thought grimly, his thoughts drifting to his father momentarily. The last member of the mismatch group was a woman; a small woman at that. The petite Nord also wore a hood, but Marcus could still see her brown hair tumbling out of the black cloth.

After analyzing the strange party that now lightly conversed with one another over drinks, Marcus started thinking. You don't see groups as odd as this very often... I bet they're on a mission. It wouldn't hurt to ask... right? If I get sidetracked, Red Eagle's sword isn't going anywhere, plus, things aren't really looking up... hmm... Marcus idly sipped his flagon while almost trying to convince himself to confront this party.

Suddenly, on a whim, the young Imperial turned to his left, facing the group. He cleared his throat, catching the attention of the group.

"Hey there, do you all happen to be on the way somewhere?" Marcus smiled, almost nervously. Vampires always unsettled him; he had no idea why. "Perhaps there's an artifact you're looking for?"

 

[Farthlion]

Kjan didn't lower her hood as she entered the inn. It Markarth wasn't exact the most welcome place for her, so she was attempting to remain faceless to most of the locals (several whom she had stolen goods from before). Upon Thor's agreement for a talk, the Nord reluctantly handed the man at the bar several coins in exchange for a drink. Each Septim was something she was terribly pained to part with, and the expression on her face showed it. Kjan sat down, waiting for the Dawnguard member to talk. She wasn't going to try to come off as suspiciously interested in information about the Chalice, so her strategy was to not seem eager about speaking to him.

The group sat among the bar, several conversations beginning about trivial matters that Kjan had no interest in. She hated mead. It was one of those things that she had grown up around, and had seen the resulting effects that it had on one's mind and judgement. Kjan despised the alcohol, but realized that she would actually have to drink it. It would seem quite odd if the one who suggested a round didn't actually drink anything. So she downed half of the bottle in one long sip, hoping that her Nord blood would cause her to not be easily swayed by the liquid.

It wasn't that easy. She began to laugh along with the others, not necessarily joining their conversation, but actually acknowledging it. Kjan was beginning to loosen up, the alcohol taking effect on the small Nord to the point where she wasn't quite sure what her objective was coming into the inn. Kjan wasn't near drunk, but she was a tad lightheaded at this point.

"So what's your story, hm? What brings you here?" Kjan blinked several times before realizing that Thor was talking to her.

"It's complicated. I made a bad decision and am now responsible for someone else's problem," the woman stated unevenly. Normally, she wouldn't even had said that much to a stranger, but the alcohol had caused her to let her guard down, "I'm pretty sure it's obvious by now that I'm not much of a thief. I just need money--"
"Hey there, do you all happen to be on the way somewhere?" a voice cut Kjan off. An Imperial who had been drifting off at the bar addressed the group, giving Kiyoshi a nervous glance, "Perhaps there's an artifact you're looking for?"

The Nord narrowed her eyes, feeling immediately uncomfortable. She remained silent, not feeling that it was appropriate for her to answer. Thor was the leader... he would make the decisions on whether to trust this man or not.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

"Hey there, do you all happen to be on the way somewhere? Perhaps there's an artifact you're looking for?"

Another recruit? Thor looked to the light-hearted man who slid onto a stool next to him and Kjan; he had an air of cockiness about him, with his unkempt black hair and wide smile - and Thor was not one for cocky people. The Nord's respect had to be earned, and while he had admittedly been quite open to recruits earlier in the evening, he had had a reason for all his previous acceptance. Kiyoshi had proved himself trustworthy, for the time being; he wanted to teach Kjan a lesson, and she agreed that she owed him for her attempted theft; Alden seemed to be quite bright and could prove an asset; and Logan was a fellow crusader of sorts, a foothold against the shadier ends of the group. Who was this man?


"We might be... and there might be... Before I say more, just who are you?"

 

[Delusional]

"We might be... and there might be... Before I say more, just who are you?"

Marcus smiled at hearing this. The hunt for Red Eagle was a discouraging search, and a different treasure sounded much more promising and enjoyable to the tired Imperial. He shifted around in his seat, almost excitedly.

"Well, my name is Marcus. I'm just a simple adventurer who spends his days hunting for treasure or rare artifacts." He took a quick drink of his wine before continuing. "The relic I have been trying to find as of late--the blade of Red Eagle--has been alluding me for months, and I am losing hope in ever finding it." His gaze floated to the stone floor for a moment before snapping back up to the man before him. "You and your companions are an odd-looking party, so I assumed you might be hunting for a certain artifact, and I just had to ask, given my recent failure to find any hint of where Red Eagle's blade is."

The Imperial took another drink of his wine, nearly emptying the bottle. His gaze returned to the man across from him, who appeared to be a Nord underneath the hood that shrouded his face. Perhaps Marcus had gotten too excited too quickly; at this point, he did not care at all. A new promise of an ancient relic would be a relief to the adventurer, who had spent Talos knows how long searching for this ancient Nordic artifact.

Marcus looked thoughtfully at the unknown man, hoping he would divulge the nature of his quest to the young explorer.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Thor was not incredibly encouraged by the Imperial's response; but he would probe a little further, offer the benefit of the doubt, and let that determine his actions. "Well, I'm not sure this is the expedition for you then. This is no glory search." Thor did divulge a little more detail, searching for a reading of whether this Marcus would be good to have along. "We're looking for a vampire artifact- but for the purpose of destroying it. If you haven't been living under a rock, you probably know about the epidemic of vampire attacks lately; the artifact will increase the strength of any vampire that uses it, and we aim to keep it from being used." Marcus looked a little disappointed that he wouldn't be finding fame or fortune if he tagged along for the search, but he still seemed optimistic. "Hm, I guess you don't mind as long as the journey is exciting, eh? Oh, what the hell. If you want to come along, you can; we set out in the morning." The Nord put down his hood and extended a hand. "Thor," he offered as his simple introduction.

 

[Delusional]

The Nord seemed reluctant at first, but in the end, he allowed Marcus to come along with the party in their search for this vampiric artifact. The Imperial beamed, glad to be able to embark on a fresh adventure.

The man pulled his hood down off of his head to finally reveal his previously shrouded face. He had vibrant strawberry blond hair--a rare hair color. "Thor," the Nord said simply as he extended his hand.

Marcus firmly grasped Thor's hand and shook it briefly. "Thank you for allowing me to accompany you. A new adventure is just what I need." The excitement of a new adventure and a new relic would provide a much needed break from the disappointing hunt for Red Eagle's blade.

"Though, I am not a fame seeker or a glory searcher. I explore and wander Skyrim not for prestige or fame. The lure of those wore off long ago." A look of remorse and sadness crossed the Imperial's face for a moment before he smiled again, his tired eyes shining.

"Anyway, that's enough of me. Who are you all?" Marcus asked while glancing over the others seated at the bar, inviting introductions from them.

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

Logan sat further down the bar counter, eager to drink something down. He knew that heavy drinking was the sort of debauchery that the Order used to look down upon, but frankly, he didn't care. He was far from the ideal and righteous knight, and certainly wasn't above drinking away his sorrows. "Ale," he grumbled to the innkeeper as he pulled off his ragged hood, revealing a rusted and battered metal helm. He took off his helmet and sat it down on the counter, revealing a rather rugged individual with defined, masculine features. A strong jawline covered in rough stubble complementing a set of cold blue eyes gave Logan the look of an experienced and seasoned warrior. He ran his fingers through his cropped brown hair, which was damp with sweat, as the innkeeper arrived with a pint of alcohol.

Logan nodded in thanks as he slid a few septims onto the counter. He scooped up the pint of foaming ale and took a swing, before setting the tankard down and glancing over at his compatriots. Thor was talking with an Imperial man sitting further along the bar, and after the two exchanged a handshake it became apparent to Logan that this individual would be accompanying them. "...Anyway, that's enough of me. Who are you all?" The Imperial suddenly asked, turning towards the rest of the party.

Logan took another swing from his pint, waiting for somebody to respond first.

 

[Farthlion]

"...Anyway, that's enough of me. Who are you all?"

Kjan looked down at the bottle in her hands before replying. She actually had to give it some thought. While this man wanted a name, he'd probably be expecting some type of title. Like 'Member of the Dawnguard' or 'Student of the College'. She wasn't necessarily open to talking about the fact that she was a bandit, and a thief would perhaps be frowned upon (no matter how obvious the fact was made by her current apparel). For that reason, it would be pretty stupid to announce herself as some type of saintly figure. Kjan glanced back up at Marcus, the newcomer, "I'm Kjan. I'm here for gold."

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

"I'm Kjan. I'm here for gold." Very friendly, she is, Thor thought to himself. Frankly, if it weren't for this Marcus, we might have talked more, and then the prospect of this journey would be a little better. I just hope Kjan is willing to talk after this guy is settled in. Thor down the bar at the rest of the gang; Logan, naturally, was tight-lipped; Kiyoshi seemed to want to avoid attention, after Logan's confrontation of his Vampirism; and Alden seemed to feel a bit more awkward than he had when he had, well, asked a group of complete strangers to join them on their quest.

I guess I can say a little more about myself. Thor started, "As you know, I'm Thor. I'm a member of the Dawnguard and I'm from Riften."

 

[Delusional]

"I'm Kjan. I'm here for gold," the one woman said simply, the words accompanied with a quick glance at the Imperial.

Hm, not much of a talker... she seems almost uncomfortable. Really, they all do. Hopefully they will warm up later on down the road, Marcus thought. He smiled warmly at the woman, Kjan. "Nice to meet you, Kjan. I'm Marcus," he said with a nod.

"As you know, I'm Thor. I'm a member of the Dawnguard and I'm from Riften." Marcus turned his attention back to the red-haired Nord who had introduced himself earlier.

"Really? I lived in Riften for several years before I set out to wander Skyrim. It's a nice city, if you don't mind the rampant poverty." Marcus drained the remaining wine in his flagon after he spoke. He had hopes for this expedition, even if his new companions didn't seem too conversational at the moment.

"What exactly is this vampiric artifact we will be looking for?"

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

After the rest of the group introduced themselves, Marcus asked, "What exactly is this vampiric artifact we will be looking for?"

Thor had had to answer this question a couple times now, but this would be the last time. "The Bloodstone Chalice," he said. "It's a chalice of course, a magical one made by ancient vampires; when drunk from, it makes the vampire who uses it more powerful. Naturally, it's not something we want the Vokihar clan to have."

 

[Rextoret]

Kiysohi watched in silence as the other members of the group introduced themselves to this 'Marcus'. The man was too talkative for Kiyoshi's liking. Then again, nearly everyone was too talkative for Kiyoshi. You come to hate speaking with others when the only words out of their mouths are often insults about your vampiric appearance.

Still, Kiyoshi knew he had to at least speak a little with this man, to gain his trust. He waited patiently for Thor to finish speaking, before he stood up from his seat and walked over to Marcus. "I'm Kiyoshi." He extended his thin hand out to the man. "I suppose you could say I'm searching for something. Something extremely important to me." Kiyoshi would have added more to his introduction, but he didn't feel in a position to do so with this man. He was just glad he hadn't been stabbed yet, seeing as this was the most social interaction he'd had in over 200 years.

 

[Farthlion]

"The Bloodstone Chalice," Thor spoke, addressing Marcus, "It's a chalice of course, a magical one made by ancient vampires; when drunk from, it makes the vampire who uses it more powerful. Naturally, it's not something we want the Vokihar clan to have."

Kjan supposed it was time to take advantage of the conversation to gain more information about who exactly she'd be bartering with when everything was said and done. Obviously, she knew the Dawnguard simply despised the vampires and wanted them eliminated from the face of Tamriel, but what was it that the vampires wanted? While Kjan wasn't concerned about the consequences of giving the Chalice to this clan (repaying the damned debt would be worth any amount of chaos), it didn't mean she wanted to be ignorant of said consequences.

"Why not just give them the Chalice? Seems like that's why they've been attacking. If you give them what they'll want, they won't attack anyone anymore," she looked at Thor while speaking, tapping her hands on the bar in front of her out of pure habit. The Nord pushed aside her bottle with a slight look of disgust. Mainly for the fact that she had actually drank some of the liquid. Alcohol was a disgusting drink. It tasted vile and could ruin one's judgement. Not that her judgement was much of a factor as of late... it was mainly greed that drove Kjan.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Appeasement went against everything that seemed obvious to Thor about any kind of strategy. Why give an enemy what they want and merely hope they, in this case a clan of murderous vampires, would simply abide by their word and be satisfied? Besides, Thor knew that the chalice was not the Volkihar's endgame.

Kjan was beginning to concern the Nord; first, her comment about being "in it for the gold" - she had previously said she was coming along to repay a debt, and he had presumed that she meant she wanted to make up for her attempted theft, but "a debt" now sounded like a more vague term than before. Could she be feeling out the chances of trying something?

"The Bloodstone Chalice is only a means to an end. They need its power in order to advance their main goal, which is, how do I put this, to extinguish the sun." Thor hoped that would dissuade any possible plans the other Nord might have been entertaining. "Naturally, this will be followed by death and destruction."

 

[Farthlion]

While death and destruction was quite a issue, Kjan simply didn't care. There was a part of her that concluded that any of this death and destruction could be eluded. Who was she to care if everyone else was subject to the mess that Thor was so sure would take place? They didn't do anything for her. She didn't care, and wasn't going to care. All that matter was the greedy tendency to want to get out of her debt, and then go on her merry way. But Thor didn't need to know this.

"I see. Sounds like we need to get this Chalice to a safe and well guarded place then," Kjan lied through her teeth. Feeling as if Marcus's question had been answered, the Nord decided to ask an unrelated question, "So what about you? You always hate vampires or something?" While her ulterior motive was to get to know the way Thor's mind worked, she was truly interested in what would make someone want to to join a group like the Dawnguard.

 

[Delusional]

"The Bloodstone Chalice," Thor replied. "It's a chalice of course, a magical one made by ancient vampires; when drunk from, it makes the vampire who uses it more powerful. Naturally, it's not something we want the Vokihar clan to have."

Marcus gave a curious grunt after hearing this. The Bloodstone Chalice? Somehow, Marcus had never heard of this magical vampiric relic--and he was intrigued, to say the least. However, he did not respond.

Suddenly, a man seemed to appear beside Marcus, hand outstretched. "I'm Kiyoshi." It was the vampire of the party, with the piercing red eyes. "I suppose you could say I'm searching for something. Something extremely important to me." Usually vampires set Marcus off. This man did unnerve him at first, but strangely enough, he did not feel nervous about this Kiyoshi.

"Kiyoshi, huh? Nice to meet you." Marcus firmly grasped the man's hand and shook it briefly. After the two had been introduced, Kiyoshi swiftly returned to his seat and Marcus gazed back down the bar. There were still two men who remained silent--the cloaked man, and the mage.

"How about you two?" Marcus inquired, beckoning for the unspoken to come forth and introduce themselves.

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

Logan downed another pint, feeling somewhat woozy as he slammed the empty tankard down on the counter. "More?" Asked the bartender with a raised eyebrow. "Keep it coming," Logan muttered as he glanced over at the group. "How about you two?" The newcomer had asked, and was looking right at Logan. Internally, he grumbled to himself, this felt trivial. What did it matter who he was? "I am Logan, a knight." He said, keeping somewhat bashful and not exactly willing to mention his specific affiliation with the Knights of the Nine. "As with my companions, I am looking for something as well."

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

"So what about you? You always hate vampires or something?"

"Not always," Thor said. "I don't hate all of them, anyways, otherwise Kiyoshi wouldn't be here." Thor thought to himself about Serana with this; she was responsible for his attitude of relative tolerance against the backdrop of the Dawnguard. "I never really liked them, but I guess I started to really wish I could do something about them after one killed my brother. What set me off was when vampires attacked my town again. They killed a few people I had known for a long time." Thor solemnly took a drink from his bottle of ale. He was not one to get emotional, but nor was it easy to speak of such things. "After that, I went looking for the Vigil of Stendarr, but found their Hall burned down; soon after, I heard of the Dawnguard and headed there."

 

[Farthlion]

Kjan was slightly surprised the man was opening up so easily. She had expected him to be guarding and untrustworthy of a thief such as herself, but then again, she hadn't exactly been around enough people to know what was normal. People might actually make a habit of spilling their guts to strangers. Perhaps she was the odd one here?

"Tell me about these vampires... never heard of them nor the Dawnguard while I was living in the Rift. They sound like they're pretty influential," in other words, this was Kjan's way of confirming that the Vokihar Clan was swimming in money. Hopefully it was subtle enough to not bring up any red flags for Thor.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

"Tell me about these vampires... never heard of them nor the Dawnguard while I was living in the Rift. They sound like they're pretty influential," Kjan asked. Thor wasn't sure, but she seemed to be taking some actual interest in the threat she was obligated to help stop.

"There not so much influential as they are just plain powerful. They're an ancient clan, with a very strong bloodline that allows them to put other vampires to shame. They hadn't been seen on the mainland in millenia - their castle is on an island - and it's only been a few months since they started attacking civilians here in Skyrim." Thor took another sip of his drink. He could hold his liquor, but he was beginning to feel the effects a bit more now, after an extended time spent at the bar. She's actually a bit pretty, y'know... Thor was really feeling a buzz now. He had to pull himself back; he didn't like to drink much, but having all these things to talk about and think of other than being temperate had distracted him. Yes, the thief didn't look bad; but he had Serana waiting for him at the other end of Skyrim. The Nord rubbed his temple, a little green glow swirling around as he used some Restoration to ease the effects of the drink. "You know, you never finished that thought about why you're not much of a thief," Thor said, changing the topic.