18+ Light of Divinity RP Thread

[Archer Drake]

Rydar had hundreds of questions racing through his terrified mind, some about the vampire he was sure to become, others about those passed, and others still aimed at what in Tamriel was going on!

Pirates, vampires, a ragtag group of men and Khajiit that would not have gathered without extraordinary reason, and some sea-sick freak who Rydar swore glowed.

By the Hist, what had him strangled within it's grasp?

Rydar was about to spill out the tempest of questions racing through his mind, but the longboat had reached the deck.

May the Hist guide my soul through the coming night.

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

(Just let me know if you don't want him to be a vampire and I'll weasel Rydar out of the deal. Two ways to do this, is either accepting the beast blood or lots of bartering from Zaraji.)

 

[Archer Drake]

(Did you get my post in the OOC thread?)

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

(Yeah, I just haven't been on lately.)

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

Kaz's remaining men haul the three prizes off the dinghy and onto the main ship. The cap'n in question moves right on over to the Argonian, Rydar. "So, this one is still willing to satisfy a long-standing curiosity of Kaz for passage to Solsthiem. How interesting, most of your kind leap for the waters first chance you get and swim off to places unknown. And with you is the de-facto Queen of Riften and her cub. Might I ask who precisely your once-living shipmates were? I like to know the names of my fallen foes so I can taunt any family or friends coming in for revenge by pretending I've forgotten. Really makes 'em squirm."

Zaraji just stares down Kaz, wanting nothing more than to smear this brat all over his own ship.

Kivuli gives Rydar an uncertain look, at the same time a look of 'last call'. Soon as Rydar backed down, she was gonna take him into the water once more while her mother let loose with the Blizzard Master Spell on the ship.

 

[Archer Drake]

Rydar drew a long breath and slowly blew it out, running a hand through his feathers, sea-water dripping from nearly every inch of his body.

As much as he loathed the thought of becoming a vampire, especially by the hand of the arrogant Capitan, fate had forced his hand. He no longer had the energy to fight, and he couldn't swim to Solsthiem from where he stood, the near glacial waters would certainly claim him. He could already feel the chill winding through his body, numbing his senses.

"Yes, Capitan. I no longer possess the energy, nor the will to fight you. My word is true, I offer my blood to you as payment for safe passage to Solsthiem."

Rydar shut his eyes and tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck to the vampire.

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

"Alright then. Better hope fate swings in your favor...that you don't go feral from the hunger." Kaz approaches Rydar with a smirk before grabbing hold of the Argonian by the shoulders and going in for a bite. Finding it particularly tasty, he decides to go ahead and get a good meal out of Rydar's body before letting the now likely woozy lizard boy go. "Huh. Like a cross between gator and human with a slight hint of fish. Slaughterfish maybe." He muses like a food critic, taking a step backwards.

Kivuli gently grabs hold of Rydar once the crazy Khajiit let him go, giving something to safely lean on from loosing so much blood to this fiend. The wolf inside her wanted nothing more than to tear into this freak...but she wasn't sure what a vampire bite would do to her.

 

[Archer Drake]

Rydar's heart threatened to burst from his chest as the Khajiit Vampire's hands wound around his shoulders. For a moment it was almost...friendly, as if the Capitan was coming in a for a hug. Then the fangs came out.

Rydar flinched at the prick of the Khajiit's fangs, an odd feeling of warmth spread across his body, extinguished a moment later as the Capitan excitedly gulped down his blood.

Rydar felt his senses go, his mind fog over, and his body go cold as the vampire fed. The world began to shift and twist unnaturally and sounds reached his ears as if through a storm.

The Vampire eargerly took more and more blood as Rydar's throat began to burn, he was screaming. Screaming, crying, and fighting against the fog threatening to overcome reality.

Tears slid down his terrified face as the Vampire kept feeding, and his screams of anguish turning into whimpers of terror.

The Vampire finally withdrew, and Rydar felt a hand on his back, steadying him. He couldn't make out the face, nor could he decipher the sounds that floated towards his ears.

Rydar lurched forward, fumbling for a rail, a plank, a mast, anything to orient himself. Instead, his body fell face-first to the deck, shaking.

Rydar lay on the deck for what seemed like an eternity in his mind before his body finally gave in and the caring embrace of sleep overtook him.

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

Kivuli gently scoops Rydar up into her arms, giving Kaz an angry growl. Soon he'd meet his end at her dagger...or teeth.

"They can rest in the brig during the trip. Mr. Arani, set a course for Solsthiem!" Kaz hollers to the Dunmer at the wheel of his ship before heading for the captain's quarters while another Argonian and an Orsimer start herding the three passengers to the brig. In there is a few half-decent sleeping rolls and some lanterns for light. Kivuli sets Rydar in the smooshiest one before casting Zaraji a glance. "What do we do now?"

"We wait...while we're in Solsthiem I'll look into a cure if he ends up a feral one."

(For some reason I prefer to use the -mer names of these Mer races rather than the -Elf names.)

 

[Archer Drake]

Rydar's eyes slowly fluttered open, their gaze slowly taking in the dimly lit room. He made to call for Kivuli, but a fit of coughing replaced his voice, a flurry of questions racing through the young Argonian's mind. How long has it been? Am I a vampire?

As much as he wanted to deny it, there was little doubt, he was a vampire. He could already feel the fangs portruding from his mouth. With a grunt, Rydar rolled himself off of the bedroll and onto his stomach. His body was still weak, and getting to his knees was an endeavour, leaving him panting from the effort.

Rydar struggled towards one of the lanterns located throughout the room, dragging his exhausted form across the floor. Eventually, he hauled himself up to a small end-table with a lantern and a plate of apples. He struggled to a sitting position, loudly knocking the plate off and scattering the apples.

Rydar picked up the shiny plate, his hands shaking. With a bit of positioning, the back of the plate reflected Rydar's new face. His eyes had shifted from their natural blue to a deep crimson red. His scales had turned white as freshly fallen snow, leaving absolutely no trace of their natural brown, further highlighting the rich blue feathers on his head, however filthy they were at the moment. Then there were the fangs, the trademark of vampires. Two long fangs stuck out of Rydar's mouth, accompanied by two shorter fangs on the inside edge of each tooth.

Rydar dropped the plate as his hands stifled a scream, it's silvery mass clattering against the floor. Rydar drew his knees to his chest and hugged them, trying to calm himself.

His reflection was shocking, it was like seeing a stranger staring back, but this stranger looked familiar. His face, his body, was different...but at the same time, it was still him.

"By the Hist, what have I done."

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

Someone gently pulls Rydar into a hug, not caring how cold he felt at the moment. "Easy now. Don't move around much, you might still be woozy from the blood loss." One would expect her to recoil in fear, like most do with vampires, but growing up being trained by one has her used to being around them. "Huh. You do look rather nice all pale like this. Works off the blue of your feathers quite nicely." Perhaps a compliment would cheer Rydar up a little bit, after he freaked out a bit here.

Zaraji tunes the group out, a bit preoccupied with keeping her own wolf side in check. Being a former Circle member, and older than Kivuli, had her better able to resist it than her daughter was. Just took some good ol' Greybeards-style meditation n' yoga to shut her beast blood up for a while.

 

[Archer Drake]

Rydar leaned into Kivuli like a small child, wrapping an arm around her back and pulling her closer. She was so warm, her embrace so comforting. Rydar didn't want to let go, it had been years since he felt the caring embrace of another. Rydar shut his eyes and leaned into Kivuli, his mind finally slowing and his body relaxing.

"Easy now. Don't move around much, you might still be woozy from the blood loss."

"I don't want to go anywhere, Kivuli. I don't want to go anywhere."

Rydar felt like a small child in the embrace of a Mother's arms, peaceful and content.

"Huh. You do look rather nice all pale like this. Works off the blue of your feathers quite nicely."

Rydar smiled, a somewhat awkward expression, considering his new facial features.

"I'll take your word for it."

Rydar was confused where his feelings suddenly came from, why he felt so comfortable locked in Kivuli's embrace. Instead of thinking about it, he shoved the thought from his mind and stayed where he was, wrapped in Kivuli's arms.

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

Kivuli starts purring quietly, enjoying this as well. Nobody was really this touchy-feely in her life, not even in her own blood family, so having Rydar be so chill with the snuggling was quite the nice surprise. "Are you up for a conversation? Something to do while we're stuck down here. Kivuli does not mind questions or talking in general...even though first meeting she's usually barraged with questions."

 

[Archer Drake]

"A conversation? I would like that, it would keep my mind occupied. Besides, I hardly know you."

Rydar drew a breath and gently removed himself from Kivuli's embrace, slowly sitting up and crossing his legs underneath him. He opted to keep his eyes closed, he wasn't sure what Kivuli could read from them if they opened. He didn't want her to see how truly vulnerable he was in this moment, how her embrace felt...different, how he couldn't place the emotions running through his head. Rydar drew another breath and slowly blew it out, running a hand through his filthy feathers.

Rydar chuckled to himself, at least one thing hasn't changed. He needed a bath.

By the Hist, the first time I hug somebody and I don't even have the decency to clean up?

Rydar paused, his joking mood squashed by his situation.

I have been turned into a Vampire, it's not like I planned any of this.

The thought sent a shiver down Rydar's spine, threatening to ignite his terror once again. He shoved the thought from his mind and blindly fiddled with his gloves, still keeping his eyes shut.

"What's your story, Kivuli?"

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

"Kivuli...is a hybrid. Khajiit and Argonian. Normally the child of a mixed race completely takes after the mother in species and powers but somehow Kivuli does not. The biggest drawback is breathing. Underwater I have no troubles, but sometimes breathing on land becomes a difficult task. The Brotherhood has been family since Kivuli was a little cub, as her father still upheld the Shadowscale traditions of his own youth, but during those days there was no Night Mother, or Tenants. Astrid rejected them after no listener had been located for years.

That is until Kivuli was around 16. That's when the Night Mother finally spoke to her. A whispy voice, deep in the mind. With her guidance she could get the Brotherhood back on track...until Astrid's ultimate betrayal. She led the Penitus right to us, Rydar. Foolish Nord thought Maro would be an honest man and upkeep his side of the bargain. Unfortunately the Listener got home too late, and found her home and family up in flames. She could only save two of them...but the rest would not have died in vain. With the help of her remaining Brotherhood Family, and her mother's connections in Riften, she found Maro. Oh but no, a quick clean dagger up the spine was too humane for this monster. Spells would end it much too quickly. So the Listener decided to let loose her secret weapon upon the hapless Imperial. Her beast blood." Kivuli chuckles in dark amusement, as she always enjoyed telling this tale. "The last thing that vile Imperial saw, was hunnerds of pounds of wolfish-lizard flesh descending upon him in a feral rage. Ripping, tearing, biting, intent on absolutely destroying him. Revenge consumed Maro, leading to him trying to destroy us all, then it was my revenge that literally consumed him. Now she hopes you see why she was so distrustful of Caesar. Does not help that he tried to attack her in her wolf form when she didn't even DO anything yet" This tale did serve well to show why anyone aligned with the Penitus Occulatus was always immediately on her plops list...and why betraying her is a terrible idea. "With the beast blood, it's wise to not make any sudden movements or attack first. You'll be left unharmed if you take that advice."

 

[Archer Drake]

Rydar listened quietly as Kivuli spoke, keeping his eyes shut. He was surprised that she decided to share as much as she did, especially the part about her hybrid lineage. Huh, I guess that explains the horns on her head. She poured out her story to a total stranger, an Argonian she didn't even know by his true name.

Rydar flinched as Kivuli eagerly re-told the story of Commander Maro's death. He'd met the man once before, in Cyrodiil perhaps. Apparently he messed with the wrong family, even if it was a family of assassins. Rydar made a mental note of KIvuli's abilities. In case...well, he hoped that he would never cross blades with her.

"I'll do my best to avoid presenting myself as an enemy, Kivuli."

Rydar paused, finally opeing his eyes again,

"Since we're putting everything on the table, I guess I should apologize for lying to you. My name is not Rydar. I travel Tamriel as a sell-sword of sorts, and I use the alias to keep myself and my family safe from those who would like to see me in the ground. The name given to me at my birth is Tiberius. Tiberius Xerssius. I was born in the Black Marsh to a fishing family. From a young age I worked on fishing ships, climbing the masts and tending to the sails. When I was 13, I fell from the top of the main mast during a rough storm. I smashed through a half-deployed lifeboat and fell to the sea, unconscious. I was found on a nearby shore two days later, still alive thankfully. A few years later, I took up the sword and offered my services to whomever may have need of them. I've traveled across most of Tamriel and I've only recently arrived in Skyrim."

"Unlike many of my counter-parts, I play the lute, but I'm no bard. I arrived in WIndhelm a number of days ago to finish a contract and move on to Solsthiem, but...well you know the rest."

"I do hope you forgive me for lying, Kivuli."

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

"Eh, it's fine. Lying about one's own name isn't a big problem. Can't say the best experiences have been had with sellswords, most of them are hired to go kill Kivuli. Not that they have a hope of succeeding. Though she always wonders how her larceny victims know it was her when they were not even there when she stole from them. Tiberius is an odd name for an Argonian...going by those she knows. It's either wierd names like Brand-Shei or title-sounding names like Deep-In-His-Cups. Tiberius...sounds like an Imperial type name." She muses for a minute over his name, before eyeing Rydar. "Despite being related to the de-facto leader of Riften, Kivuli has preferred to make her own money. Something is just more satisfying in filching septims from strangers than family members."

 

[Archer Drake]

"I don't suppose your line of work would have granted you great favor among sell-swords. While assassins and sell-swords often work along similar lines, we never seem get along very well." Tiberius chuckled, "I'm glad l haven't seen you before, as I would proabably have ended up one of the poor fools that though they could best you."

Tiberius smiled when Kivuli mentioned how strange his name was for an Argonian, "Tiberius is odd for an Argonian but Rydar isn't?" Tiberius chuckled, "I suppose it does sound more Imperial than many other Argonian names. I'm not sure where or when my parents decided to name me Tiberius, apparently they didn't care for tradition in that sense."

Tiberius nodded in agreement as Kivuli mentioned her choice to gather her own funds instead of leeching off of her mother.

"I completely understand wanting to make your own name and your own gold, it's part of the reason I'm here."

A long and awkward silence fell between the two, until Tiberius decided to ask the question that had been bothering him since he set foot on the Northern Madien.

"Kivuli, what was going on earlier? When you and your mother boarded the Northern Maiden, you didn't come alone. I've been trying to figure out what drove three Khajiit, and three men to group up. None of you looked like you normally team up with others, and you obviously didn't trust one another, judging from what you said earlier about Ceasar."

"If that wasn't strange enough, I swear one of you glowed. Something about passion and fire, I think. Is there something I'm missing? Because none of this makes any sense."

 

[Kivuli_The_Khajit]

"Kivuli bumped into the two Man and Khajiit after dealing with a vampire ambush. When it was revealed we were of a similar group, the Listener offered to let them hole up in the Dawnstar sanctuary. However the Imperial known as Caesar followed us. He was told to clear off as this one is not very fond of those who belong to the Penitus Occulatus. Then...the wolf inside took over for a bit. We reunited at the Sanctuary just to hear that it may have been compromised thanks to SHeogorath possessing Caesar. So we abided and were about to take Caesar to Solsthiem to meet up with this Jyggalag fellow. Although now that is kinda impossible to do with Caesar having died. Glowing is not recalled, then again Kivuli was a bit buisy fending off pirates to notice.

 

[Archer Drake]

Tiberius listened carefully to Kivuli, but it seemed like she dodged the question, and what did she mean by "a similar group?"

Was it some kind of organization? The Dark Brotherhood? No, because of the Penitus fellow. The Thieves Guild? No, there was not any mention of gold, or loot. The Dawnguard? No, she would have killed Tiberius if that were the case, that and she wouldn't have surrendered to the Capitan. Then what was all this about Deadra? Could it be something with the College? No, none of them really screamed mage.

"What group are we talking about? None of the groups I can think of..." Tiberius' voice trailed off. Could those rumors be true? Those specially gifted by the Divines themselves? The Godcursed? That would explain the glow!

Tiberius kept his voice calm, trying not to raise any alarms. Maybe it was nothing, but if he was right, he was in deeper than he thought.

"Kivuli, have you ever heard the term Godcurse?"