Private [TRoA] The Remnants of Akavir

[Gemini Sierra]

Antoine jumped as he heard the crash of gates and the scream of someone above the room as the floor rumbled and suddenly a pillar nearly half the size of the room shot up into the ceiling. The sounds of a trap above releasing and resetting was heard along with the final gasps of someone dying. The pillar retreated into the floor and the body of black robed man lay bleeding out in the center.

Sheathing his sword, Antoine stepped over to the man and nudged him with his foot. There was no movement. He crouched down next to the body and rolled it over. The man had pale skin, and dark, blood red eyes. Using his dagger he pushed the mans lips back and saw the fangs. "VAMPIRE!" He hissed.

Stepping back he drew his sword and with a swing that betrayed his strength, sheered the mans head from his body. There was no way this creature would come back to life and the body quickly disintegrated into dust. As if nothing had really happened, he casually stepped back to the body and searched the robes finding a pile of dust and a few gold pieces. He fished around in his satchel, finding a small phial he scooped up some of the dust to later make into a potion for invisibility or maybe potion to cure disease.

Standing he heard more noise coming from up the stairs and returned to the them. Ascending the stairs he found a small room with crypts and another set of stairs. "They'd gone farther than he'd thought, but then again, they'd have to in order to be above the room with the trap," he thought to himself.

Crouching and walking up the stairs he found Cleddau and Shade standing in the doorway. Cleddau had taken an arrow but was still standing, as they backed further from the occasional arrow that landed in the door. "Hey mate, you gonnabe a'right?" he said while pointing at the arrow as another rattled against the door frame near Shade. "What do we 'ave out there? Seems like they gotcha pin down, I can 'elp with some firebolts if there is a decent line o sight."

 

[Shew]

"I will be," struggles to catch is breath "s.s.six archers on th.three tiers, I recommend getting the cl.close ones and letting the others for..forget we are here." a small trickle of blood escapes his mouth. "I.i.i think they got my l.lung." and he collapses with labored breathing struggling to loosen his armor and reaching for his pack.

 

[Flint firestorm]

Seeing that Cleddau was wounded, Crow looked to Alphonse for help only to see that he was in shock. Crow grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shook him "Snap out of it! Cleddau needs your help!" he said before hurling him over to the injured khajiit "Heal him the best you can".
Crow turned to Shade and Antoine "Right, from where we are it will be difficult to defeat them, especially since we just lost are best archer but I think we can still do it if we work together."

He then stops for a minute and clears his mind, trying to formulate a plan. After about half a minute he had a plan. "Okay I got it, Antoine you said you could use fire ball spells right? Well what if you and Sabrina can lay down covering fire, Shade and I can run at them while their distracted. Once we clear them, you and the others advance. Shade and I have the best chance to do this due to are speed. What do you think?" this plan was risky, but he could see no other way forward. Crow waited for the others response.

 

[Ilya]

Shade took a minute to steady herself. Everything was happening so fast, which was the way she prefered it; normally! But she also usually worked alone in which case was only risking her own life. Now Cleddau lay helpless on the cold stone floor, bleeding profusly because of her! "That's fine with me Crow, but Cleddau needs help before we rush off doing anything!! It looks pretty bad, and I know there's bound to be a potion in here to help him!" she said as she frantically searched through her satchel. Finding two restore health potions, she quickly knelt down beside the heroic Khajjit, who so unselfishly risked his own life in exchange for her own safety. Blood was trickling down the side of his face, in addition to the blood pouring out of the entry site. "I'm no cleric, but I will try my best to fix you my friend!" as she spoke, she quickly pulled the arrow out of his side. Shade grimaced as he cried out in agony, but she knew the pain was only temporary and he would be fine. Gently lifting his head with one hand and the health potion in the other, she pulled the cork out with her teeth and put the bottle to his lips. Just to be sure he had been healed fully, she opened the second bottle and did the same. Shade sat there for a moment staring at Cleddau; replaying the recent events in her head. "To think I ever doubted your loyalty" she thought. "Are you going to be alright?" she asked him.

Shade looked to Crow with a determined stare, drawing her weapons. She winced as she gripped her dagger, for her arm was still sore, but not useless. "I think he will be fine, are you ready to shatter some skulls?" she asked with her typical devious stare. Seeing that this group was willing to sacrafice their own lives in place for one another; the impending battle was now personal.

 

[Shew]

Cleddau sat on the stone floor not sure which was worse the fact he took an arrow to the lung or the that he watched that arrow come in at the same time as his swing and decided to take it to not appear to powerful.

Good thing is it got everyone else into action, well except Alphonse must be his very first combat ever... he looks up as Shade beautiful Shade says "I'm no cleric, but I will try my best to fix you my friend!" as she spoke, she quickly pulled the arrow out of his side. "MEOWRRRRR ahhhh ahhh ahhh" ok that really hurt... his eyes watering up he is embarassed to have cried out. Then he feels a bottle put to his lips and drinks deeply. Feeling better almost instantly, he then takes a second bottle and while sore he can feel the wound knit itself back together and knows if given a few minutes he'll be back to his full self again. "Are you going to be alright?" she asked him. "I will my dark skinned angel of mercy, i will umm sorry about that must be the pain talking." he practically whispers cause of his mending lung. "I think he will be fine, are you ready to shatter some skulls?" She is rather shapely, be like ebony to his ivory.... shakes his head and says to himself get your head back in the moment.

 

[Gemini Sierra]

Seeing Crow physically man-handle Alphonse out of the doorway and towards Cleddau, Antoine stepped up and stopped the young Breton from falling over the Khajiit and worsening his injuries. The lad was still in a fog, he propped him against a wall, took out his waterskin, tipped the boys head back and poured water all over his face in an attempt to wake him up buthe wasn't going to respond, he corked the waterskin and put it away, while retrieving a small flask steel flask. He uncorked it and took a small sip, looked at it and decided to take another sip before before pouring a small amount into the boys mouth forcing him to swallow. He noticed the others watching him have a drink and then his actions and so he tipped the flask towards the others said, "This flask was given to be by the queen of Cyrodiil, and is filled with ancient Dagoth Brandy. It's very tastey and calms the nerves." Seeing as noone wanted a sip, he recorked it and put it away.

Stepping over Cleddau and just before peering through the doorway he said, "You say six archers eh? Let me see what kind of layout we got to work with here." He leaned up against the door frame and leaned out to look at the room. He saw the top of the grate, now closed, apparently on some kind of spring mechanism. Directly across the grate was a podium and behind that a podium a fancy rug. A tree had grown up to the right. The room was cirular and rose nearly to the ceiling. An impressive display of workmanship.

An arrow clattered off the door frame and he ducked behind the door again. Waiting a moment he looked out again and found the culprit, another skeleton archer on the walkway almost directly opposite their door. There weren't any other doors on the level they were at, but there was a ramp he didn't spot on the first look to the left of the podium. It angled up to the walkway and would be thier only way forward. Looking up further he saw more doorways but no other ramps. He also spotted the other skeleton archers Cleddau mentioned. Each one in the doorways on the other tiers.

He stepped back from the door just as another arrow embedded itself in the door frame where his head would have been. Looking at the arrow, his eyes got wide with surprise, but then he turned and smiled.

Quickly describing what he'd seen he'd finished up with,"That plan should work just fine Crow, I'll step out and take out the skeleton directly across from us in the doorway, Sabrina, cover the tier up to the ramp. You two will have to move quickly to that doorway. Watch out though, the arch of the room gives the upper tiers perfect killing zones to rain arrows down on the lower tiers." He paused and looked around. "Use the archways for cover from the upper tiers and bust up any skeletons you find along the way. They appear to fall apart rather easily unlike ones I crossed pathes with out on the Abecean Sea." He shivered at that thought and looking back at the rest of the group, he suggested, "We'll throw more fire up as Mum-mra and Alphonse make their way up to the first level following you guys and then Sabrina and I can bring Cleddau along if he can't make it on his own. Those potions should have take care of the worst of the wound."
As he was talking he noticed Cleddau barely paid attention and seemed to be staring rather intently at Shade. "I think the cat is starting to get a fever he can't scratch." He chuckled to himself as the thought and said, "Alright, let's get this moving."
With that he sheathed his sword and rolled up his sleeves, rubbed his hands together and stepped out into the room...

 

[Shew]

"Antoine, you were below when that mage we dropped landed right, Cleddau had a weird feeling cause of the state of those bodies. Was he just a mage or something else?" starts to stand getting his bearings back. Feels the last of the potions do their work. "I think I can help. I know Cleddau can hit the second tier can try for the third." ... pauses and then quietly to Shade "Cleddau owes you his life, thank you for your care." He turns sheepishly away and pulls his newly acquired supple nordic bow out and tests its draw, then pulls some rosin from his pack and takes care of the bowstring. Then inspects his stock of nordic arrows and counts them, they are straight but only 7, have to be conservative with them.

 

[The_Deadliest_Troll]

Sabrina's head was spinning with everything that was going on around her. The voices of her companions seemed distant and blurred. She looked from Cleddau to Antoine as they exchanged words, but she couldn't make out any of it over the drumming of her racing heart and the claning of arrows against stone. Antoine turned to her and began to speak.

The sound of her name made her snap back into focus,"... Sabrina, cover the tier up to the ramp." Then he trailed away again as she gazed in the direction he was pointing. This was it; her chance to prove herself and her chance to finally bring honor to her family's name.

"Right, I got it." She finally got out as her blood began to boil, ready for battle. She was finally seeing the plan. Everyone seemed ready and Cleddau was saying something about helping with his bow, but it hardly mattered now.

"Enough standing around!" Sabrina turned the corner despite the constant barrage of arrows and lit a fire-ball in her armored hands. "Yaaaaaahhhh!!" She hurled fire-balls in the direction that Antoine had indicated to her, unsure if she was actually hitting something. "Time to move," she shouted over her shoulder.

 

[Flint firestorm]

As Sabrina and Antoine threw out a barrage of fire balls, Crow sprinted forward, darting left and right to avoid the volley of arrows. The first skeleton by the door was taken out by Antoine and another by Sabrina's barrage of fire. Crow ran up the ramp and beheaded the first skeleton in a flash before sprinting forward and chopping another at the spine. Crow ducks under an arch as the arrows rained down from above. "Shade levitate yourself up and take them out!" he shouted as she ducked under the arch next to him.

 

[Shew]

Readying himself for their charge he is almost taken by surprise as they head out.

Cleddau quickly moves up beside Antione. Instead of aiming at the first tier of skeletons he instead aims at the second tier. The far one just outside the next doorway stepped forward and was aiming at Crow. Cleddau took a deep breath letting time slow as he carefully took aim. Releasing and pulling another arrow he doesn't even continue to watch as his arrow finds its mark he is already aiming at the near archer on the second tier who is making a bead on Shade. Pulls into a overdraw and releases, and again pulls another arrow and relies on the sound of clattering bones to confirm his shot while he continues to scan and cover their advance.

He takes another breath and tries to aim for the third tier but every time he thinks he has them timed they move back out of his sight, he thinks out loud "We may have to wait to get that third tier til we are up there." down to four arrows he start retrieving the scattered arrows laying about that the skeletons have been firing upon them.

 

[Gemini Sierra]

... side stepping to the right as he left the door Antoine looked up at the first tier and the door way they needed to go through. The door was closed and there was one skeleton aiming a bow directly at him. Antoine fired his first firebolt but at the last minute he realized he was directly behind the tree, its tallest branches blocking his shot. The firebolt hit the branches and deflected off into the wall below the skeleton. "Sunofa... damned tree!" ZZzip... clatter... an arrow just missed his head as he ducked right more. "Again..." and he loosed another firebolt at the skeleton, this time between the branches and through the rib cage of the skeleton shattering it into pieces.

He looked left and saw Sabrina's fireball explode on the wall between the two archways, the flying, flaming bones of another skeleton were raining down on the ramp just ahead of Crow. He stopped at the archway and motion for Shade to come up.

Antoine sensed someone next to him as he heard the draw of a bow and in quick succession, two arrow were loosed and two more skeletons fell apart. "We may have to wait to get that third tier til we are up there." "Aye, the ones on the upper tiers seem to be a bit skittish." He started to turn for the door then remembered, "Oh, hey," he put an hand on the Khajiit's shoulder, "You asked as I stepped out the door about that mage that fell through the trap?" He looked at the others and quickly checked their surroundings, "Vampire," he spat out as if it left a foul taste in his mouth. Then just as quickly he stepped back into the door way and waved to Alphonse, "Come on you, it'd be clear enough now for us to make our way up to that there door without becoming a pin cushion." He pointed and then headed for the ramp. As he walked up the ramp he came across a quiver with a few arrows. "Hey Cat!, Here be a few more arrows for you" (( 6 )) he smiled and tossed the quiver to Cleddau who caught them with ease.

He caught up to the first two and smiled at Crow, gave a quick wink to Shade, both of whom were waiting by the second archway. "Aye mates, that was fun hey! 'ardly broke a sweat though. If'n these skeletons are going to be this easy I think I'll just walk up and punch 'em where a nose should be." He laughed and walked on to the door. He heard the creak of more skeletons on the tiers above but they didn't seem to want to engage the group. He looked at the group as they approached, smiling he said, "Who wants to go first?"

 

[Shew]

"Aye, the ones on the upper tiers seem to be a bit skittish." said Antione as he started to turn for the door then remembered, "Oh, hey," he put an hand on the Cleddau's shoulder, "You asked as I stepped out the door about that mage that fell through the trap?" He looked at the others and quickly checked their surroundings, "Vampire," he spat out as if it left a foul taste in his mouth. Then just as quickly he stepped back into the door way and waved Mum-mra and Alphonse to follow.

Cleddau thinks long and hard about the vampires of Akavir, and wonders if the ones here have the same weakness's. As he is thinking Antione "Hey Cat!, Here be a few more arrows for you" and tosses him another quiver and the 6 in it make for fourteen, should be good til town, or I find more, but the wood should do real damage to a vampire. If I catch him in the heart... He stretches a touch as he keeps a eye on the third tier. His side is stiff but a little more stretching and it should be good as new.

He looks back as the the others gather themselves to follow and then ascends the stairway and makes his way picking up arrows and looking over the dead while listening to the skeletons on high for alert. All told he gathered some bone meal, and enough arrows to reach 30.

Finally arriving at the others asks. "Do you need Cleddau to look over the door?" thinks for a sec and add's "We might have some big problems if the Cap'n is correct. Cleddau thinks he is, I trust him. Which means before anyone opens the door we all need to know what he found."

 

[The_Deadliest_Troll]

"And what did the captian find?" Sabrina came up behind the two eyeing them suspciously. She shiverred a bit as she brushed dust from her armor, "If it's something important I'm sure he should share with the group." She made eye-contact with Antoine, distrust filling her heart.

Her gaze drifted above her in the direction that she knew more archers were hiding, waiting for the right moment. She gripped the hilt of her blade with her left hand; partially in anticipation for thier assailants and partially to accent her aggressive posture toward Antoine. "Go on then captain we're listening." She leaned against a nearby wall, one eye still fixed on the ledges above.

 

[Ilya]

Shade listened intently to the game plan being formulated by Antione and Cleddau. Making a mental picture of how everything should play out and the role each one of the companions would fulfill. "Cleddau owes you his life, thank you for your care."He turns sheepishly away and pulls his newly acquired supple nordic bow out and tests its draw, then pulls some rosin from his pack and takes care of the bowstring. Shade turned and gave him a warm smile, then thinks to herself, "It was the least I could do after sheilding me from that arrow! You owe me nothing my friend! Strange how different this Khajjit is from any I have ever encountered.".

"Enough standing around!" Sabrina turned the corner despite the constant barrage of arrows and lit a fire-ball in her armored hands. "Yaaaaaahhhh!!" She hurled fire-balls in the direction that Antoine had indicated to her, unsure if she was actually hitting something. "Time to move," she shouted over her shoulder.

Shade burst into motion running behind Crow as they made their way up the first set of stairs. Arrows were coming in at them from every direction. She stayed close to the wall trying to seek as much shelter as she could. Crow made easy work of the first two skeletons that stood between them and the first archway. "Shade levitate yourself up and take them out!" Crow shouted as she ducked under the arch next to him. But as Shade is preparing to do just that two arrows hit their mark taking out the skeletons on the second tier.. Looking back she is relieved to see Cleddau in full form again, and that he was the one who took out her targets.

Shade continues to hug the wall following along behind Crow until they reach the door, where they turn and wait for the others to catch up.

The first to arrive was Antione closely followed by Cleddau who was looting the skeletons along the path. Antione gave her a quick wink, which she returned with a slightly sarcastic curtsey. "Aye mates, that was fun hey! 'ardly broke a sweat though. If'n these skeletons are going to be this easy I think I'll just walk up and punch 'em where a nose should be." He laughed and walked on to the door. "You already know I don't have a problem with that!" she said with a chuckle while directing her gaze to the grate where the mage lay.

Shade turned to Cleddau, eyeing him, with one hand on her hip and twirling her dagger in the other. "If you keep killing my targets I may get bored and have to try slipping a dagger in your side!" she called out playfully. Finally arriving at the others asks. "Do you need Cleddau to look over the door?" thinks for a sec and add's "We might have some big problems if the Cap'n is correct. Cleddau thinks he is, I trust him. Which means before anyone opens the door we all need to know what he found." Shade crinkled up her face in confusion as he spoke, looking to Antione for an explanation.

 

[Gemini Sierra]

[Back at the Bastion entranceway]
Mum-mra stood watching the group getting ready to move into the tombs. The light furred Khajiit being designated the scout, oiled the door hinges before opening the door. In a crouch, he disappeared into the next room. Following him was the Imperial woman they called Sabrina, the smell of fear coming from her was strong enought to make Mum-mra want to sneeze. The young wood elf followed her and then the young Breton alchemist. The sea-smell Breton, the one everyone took to calling "Captain", and the Dunmer where the last pair that went into the room.

Mum-mra realized at the moment that she had no reason to go any further. Most of that group had gotten some kind of invite to find some kind of artifact, and yet she had just been nosey and followed the Imperial from the Dead Man's Drink. She didn't feel her normal "eager to please" self and at that moment decided to not follow the group. She turned and left the entranceway of the Bastion. Once outside she sniffed the cold crisp air smelling the wood fires of Falkreath laced with aromas from the many meals being cooked and decided that she'd head north towards Solitude and maybe catch a ride on one of the ships to High Rock, the only province she hadn't been to yet. With that thought in mind she abandoned the group and started walking north.

 

[Gemini Sierra]

Captian Antoine StrongKnot, legendary pirate of the Abecean Sea, looked back over the group that had gathered by the door. The young Breton alchemist, Alphonse finally caught up to the group. He smiled remembering the comments the lad made earlier about dungeons and wondered why he hung back so much if he knew so much. He decided it didn't matter as long as the lad kept up, didn't get hurt or killed. He had digressed from his original thought though which was of being in charge, well sort of, because they were all looking to him for an answer. He missed the days standing on the deck shouting orders to a crew and leading the fight across the deck of another ship. He'd let the leadership mantle go to Sabrina though, as she seemed to be the leader before he showed up, not to mention her somewhat aggressive posture towards him as she leaned on the wall and said "Go on captain, we're listening."

He cleared his throught and began, "Well, two things really, one be something to know 'bout the enemies ahead, the other be this group." He paused and said, "The latter be this, di' anyone else notice the Argonian be missing? Ne'er followed us beyond the entranceway." He looked over at Sabrina to see her reaction before proceeding, "The other be the mage that was killed in that trap down there," pointing to the grates, "He be a vampire, pointy teeth an' all. He apparently weren't that strong so I'd be guessing there be more of them around here."

 

[Shew]

"Mum'Ra right?, Huh Cleddau got too busy up front to watch the back." tail swishes a touch. while thinking. What happened to her. Course she hardly said a word the whole time you two were scouting thought it was just proper sneaking, maybe she wanted something else. But back to the vampires. "Cleddau, has read up on vampires but that's different than experience. Any suggestions for this humble Khajiit?" Squats down and pulls his quiver around, to inspect his haul for defects and cracks. As he thinks, these are aged and brittle. He picks one out and the head snaps right off. "Cleddau, has great faith in these." In a low and hushed growl. But is inspired, "Do these vampires like wood to the heart? maybe a bit of garlic oil on it?" He spoke so suddenly he even surprised himself.

 

[The_Deadliest_Troll]

"I did notice Mum'Ra had left," Sabrina shook her head slightly, "But it didn't matter much to me. She didn't even seem to have a real reason for being here." She returned the captain's stare and continued, "As far as vampires go..." Sabrina shook a bit in her armor, but tried not to show it, "I've only ever heard stories of them."

She looked around at the group hopefully, straightening her shoulders, "I'm sure there is nothing that we as a team cannot overcome." Beginning to pace slightly, she searched her mind for information that could be of any help. She found none. "However," She said sheepishly, turning back toward Antoine, "Anything you know about these creatures that could help us overcome them would be valuable information, Captain." She gave a half-hearted grin in his direction, trying to seem more polite now.

 

[Flint firestorm]

Listening to the conversation Crow searched his mind for any info he had on vampires. He knew that vampires were different in every region but he remembered that most vampires had the same distinctive weakness. "If I remember correctly vampires in skyrim are vulnerable to fire correct? Well I think with Sabrina and the captains skills with destruction magike we could use that to are advantage"

 

[Ilya]

From the first time she laid eyes on the reserved Argonian, she had a funny feeling about her. Then again, Shade harboured trepidatious feelings about most people she didn't know or fully understand. It made her all the more uneasy that Mum Mra had been unaccounted for since they first set out on their journey through the bastion. Shade abruptly pulled herself from her thoughts and addressed the group, "Vampires, eh?? It looks as if we are going to have to be on our toes!" she didn't care too much for vampires for she had already contracted the disease once. Luckily, she was able to cure it before it fully consumed her. Looking to Alphonse she said, "Have you an abundant supply of cure disease potions, should we need them?"
She looked to Cleddau and Crow alternately and said, "Yes, from my experience with them fire is definitly one of their biggest weaknesses...and sunlight as well, but we won't be able to utilize that down here! As for the wooden arrows and garlic, I'm not quite sure.".