Private Rising at Dusk

[T. Rakinson]

(OOC: im happy to announce this Rp's 100th post! Such a shame that it had to fall on sorrowful times. As Jtlman has not posted for a while, he has a few more days before being removed, as their was no notifacation in the OOC.
Nachyochez and Jtlman still deserve a reaction, so i shall wait for 2 more days to give them a chance before giving off the announcments for the group.)

As she ran out the forest, quickly drawing her bow, Brendela spun round and fired a volley of arrows into the pack of undead hounds, taking out several with one draw of the bow. As Egil followed her out after several successful hits, the proper fight began.


Che'anni drew her own bow and began an attack from at range, but within moments a hound was upon her. Brendela tried to get to her, but the retreating wave of guards and mages blocked her path.
Egil had run out of arrows, and now he attacked the beasts with only a dagger. He seemed to be able to handle himself against the hounds, so Brendela looked on.
Something surprising happened to Amy. As a large group of the dogs closed in on her and tried to bite chunks out of her and her sword, her shape seemed to shift; within moments she had gone from a fairly young and yet wild-looking women into a... Spawn of Hircine. With a growl, the gigantic beast that was once a friendly young women tore into the opposing canines, ripping them apart and feasting on the carcasses. After another wave of opponents drew closer, the werewolf broke off into the woods, leading the small group away from the fight.
Ralyx had a blade out, and he was slicing through the hounds as if he had practised. Brendela couldent see some of the others, but after impaling a hostile deathhound with an arrow to the forehead she realised the oppositions plan.

Someone was co-ordinating the deathhounds attacks. Undoubtably it was a vampire, and as a terrifiying shriek pierced the air Brendela reckoned every malevolent undead force in the hold began honing in on the groups location. The new vampire now broke out of the shadows, seemingly running towards a member of the group. After a few moments she recognised the figure as Varian.

"LEAVE! NOW! There is no reason for us all to die here. I'll hold this... thing off."

Even there, Brendela knew the mans fate. The two beings; one a courageous warrior, hunter of the sun, the other a twisted, demented creature of the night, fought out in the center of the hill, both emanating an aura of pure power that made both mortal and beast continue their movements in a circle around them. At first they seemed evenly matched, but as the fight continued Varian seemed to weaken, while the undead grew only stronger. Turning in a backwards motion that left him completely exposed, Varian ran his Diamond coated sword straight through himself and the encroaching vampire, instantly ending both of them.

"VARIAN!!!"

Egil, who had seemingly won his own duel, now raced towards his falen comrad, but all those watching the scene knew it was too late. After several rage-powered stabs at the vampires crumpled form, Egil broke down, giving his friend a final goodbye and placing his sword in a ceremonial position on the mans chest.
With their leader gone, the pack of deathounds become clumsy & disoriented, and fell much quicker to their now rallying annviseries. Brendela knew that Varians sacrifice had saved the group, but the time for mourning was not now.
Gesturing at Ralyx to pick up Che'anni, who now lay dazed amidst a pile of hound corpses, she saw the now shriveled form of Amy clawing her way up the hill, screaming out for help. Running over to help the women up, she pulled her up past the last few jagged rocks and layed her down to rest.

Tears welled Brendela's eyes; sometimes the losses were overwhelming. If the attacks kept up like this, none of them would reach Falkreath in one piece. Turning Amy around and gently dragging her over to where everybody was assembled, she wiped away the tears streaking down her face and walked over to Varian corpse, where Egil still stood. He began to turn around as she approached, and after giving him a solemn nod he walked back into the crowd to assist the others.

She looked down at Varians still form, not sure how to feel. She had barely known the man, but leading this group was hard without any help, and she felt responsible for every loss.

'Divines smile on your kind heart and soul' she managed with a whisper.

 

[NachyoChez]

'DEATHHOUNDS!'

Brynne heard the shout over the noise of his own thoughts, and began the sprint back to camp. There had to be something he could do to help, he just needed to get back there in time. Assuming, of course, that he could make it back to camp without needing assistance himself. As if on cue, he heard the growling from the bushes just ahead.

Instinctively he smashed the small sapling against the nearest tree, snapping it in half, exposing a jagged and hopefully sharp edge. Luck was on his side, and the deathhound had come alone. Brynne hesitated as the creature came closer, eyeing him with fierce intent, as he felt his own heart beating faster and faster. Waiting for the right moment to strike paid off in the end, though, as the creature went for his ankles Brynne was able to slam his makeshift stake down through the beast's neck and kill it in one strike.

He then broke into a dead sprint once more. By the time he made it back to camp it was overrun with the beasts, and he knew there was no choice but to flee. Otherwise their rebellion would be short lived; those who managed to survive would just be thralled food for their masters. But he couldn't leave his books behind.

"LEAVE! NOW! There is no reason for us all to die here. I'll hold this... thing off."

Despite his initial desires to aide his comrade, Brynne knew that the sacrifice was needed. Instead he maintained his gait for the books, grabbing the back in one swoop, and put everything into trying to make it to where the rest of his group was escaping from.

A deathhound managed to cut him off, but rather than slow Brynne simple used his momentum to slam the book-heavy bag into its face. He felt as much as heard the snap of bone as the thing's neck twisted unnaturally backwards. It was his last obstacle, though, as he reunited with the group to mourn their lost savior.

 

[TheJtlman]

Leo eventually ran up, slashing at several hounds that were chasing him. He had gone deeper into the forest, and did not hear the commotion until it was to late. He finished off the beast who were after him, then sprinted for his armor. He quickly dove in the water, washing off the blood of the hounds and his own, he put on his armor. He finished equipping himself, then slashed at several more hounds. When the ones that were after him were slain, he ran across the field, trying to find the others.

 

[T. Rakinson]

After having finished paying her respects to Varian, Brendela slowly began her way back to the cluster of people. There was no way of telling when dawn came, but it seemed to get a little brighter as she began thinking of some instructions for the group. But nothing came. She couldent think of anything. The college members were trying to help, but no amount of their magicka could stop the depression which had fallen on the group.
Just as she was about to collapse on the ground from drowsiness Leo came running through the rapidly retreating darkness, a mildly panicked look on his face. Still too exhausted to attempt speech, Brendela pointed to the group and Leo walked over.

Turning to Amy, who was trying and failing to get back up, Brendela spoke in a unrecognisable tone.
'So... a werewolf. Anything else you'd like to tell me?'
Brendela wasnt sure to think of her fellow Nord. She had seemed to be a kind & sympathetic at first, but as the groups time toghether had progressed the wild-looking women had become a more and more suspicious character. Brendela had panicked slightly upon finding out that a werebeast was among the group, it showed how easily the vampires could have got in had Savos not been around. Now he was gone along with all his extreme undead-detecting skills, Brendela was sure to remember all the friendly faces so no new faces showed up.
As for the relatively new faces, after all they had done she doubted they were plotting against her.

'So... I dont suppose anyone else has got any plans?'.
Brendela knew one place, hidden from the vampire onslaught & sheltered from the cold, but she'd sworn not to go back there, there were too many ghosts. Deciding she would consider it if there were no more suggestions, she waited for a reply while staring at a small sapling resting by a large boulder.

 

[Khaotic3]

Brendela left to pay her respects to the man who had sacrificed himself. Amy would have followed if not for her leg. She sat down and took her boot off to examine her injury.

Deep gashes from the death hound's teeth were all over her leg. It had tried to shake her leg around like a dog would a toy, Amy recalled. She felt light-headed; she had lost quite a bit of blood. Luckily, the potion had managed to almost stop it. She tried to get up once again; she had another, larger potion in her bag. If only she could get to it.

As she was attempting to get up, Brendela approached her.
'So... a werewolf. Anything else you'd like to tell me?' Her voice was colder than Amy remembered. She looked up at Brendela with a rather bitter look. If Brendela was going to be that way, Amy was too.
"I don't really think I need to explain myself. I mean, it's not exactly like I could have just marched into that keep going 'Hey! don't mind me, just a werewolf coming through!' If I'm not mistaken, you would have killed me. And trust me, if I was planning on killing any of you, I would have done it already." Not waiting for a response, Amy grabbed her boot and managed to pitifully limp over to her bag.

As Amy sat down and drank the potion, Brendela began to address the group. 'So... I don't suppose anyone else has got any plans?' she said. Amy doubted anyone did, but she hoped someone would surprise her. After all, everyone's plan was to join some sort of rebellion, not lead it; well, as far as Amy knew anyway.

 

[tdatapina]

"Thanks Ralyx..." He said, pushing the mans hand off his shoulder. In times like these he liked to just be alone. A few meters away from the lake there was a large boulder and he went and sat there. We can't keep on like this. We are going to lose more than half our people before we make it to Oblivion. We need to go and not stop. But there's only one way we can really do that...

A plan was forming in his head. A ridiculously insane plan, but it would work. If only he could get the rest of his companions to agree. Egil began tracing circles in the wet dirt, contemplating a way out of the mess. It seemed impossible. Even after they got to Oblivion they'd need a force twice their size. And then stealing the Elder Scroll. He turned and looked at his comrades. Not all of them would be capable of such a stealthy mission. Either they'd have to limit more than half of their force sneaking in and stealing the Elder Scroll, or they'd have to fight it out. But could a battle be won with the little numbers they had? After all, and entire castle full of vampires, gargoyles, and Talos knows what else was a lot to handle.

Egil sighed and stood up. Seeing no way out of the situation he decided to let the others know of his plan. He kicked a rock into the water and headed toward the group.

"So... I don't suppose anyone has any plans?" Brendala stood speaking to the group. "I do. None of you are going to like the plan, but I have one." he turned to Amy and pointed. "We all saw it. One of our companions is a werewolf. And some of you are certainly questioning her loyalty to the group. Truth be told, she may be our best bet. First of all, she's immune to disease. She can't be turned into a vampire. Second, she's fast. She could get where she needs to three times faster than all of us. Which leads to my third point. Endurance. She can run longer than any of us could possibly hope to run. Not to mention her incredible strength." Egil looked down and closed his eyes tightly as he reconsidered telling them of his plan, but there was nothing more he could think of.

"I want Amy to turn us into werewolves."

 

[Tiaz Raydari]

Darkness was all Che'anni saw, slowly she opened her heavy crusted eyes and slowly shapes started to appear. Two men were over Che'anni and one was busy healing some minor wounds, while the other quickly grabbed a water bottle and held it to her mouth, "Drink," he said.
Che'anni opened and started to slowly take in the liquid before turning sideways and coughing it back up, she hadn't realized how thirsty she was until she forgot to breathe,"Should not have gulped it down too fast like that." he said again before handing a cure disease potion over to her.
"Take it, you don't want to get any infections or anything. Only if people knew how immortality can be a pain sometimes." The man walked off into the jungle, not once turning to look back. "Strange man," Che'anni thought before turning towards the other man that was healing her. "Who was that guy?" The medic looked at her and replied,"The guy in the black cloak? Well now that you mention it I don't think I've seen him before today, Took him as a new guy and he looks human enough. But you should be better now, just hold off on heavy lifting for a day and take one of these," The medic said while handing Che'anni two health potions then walking off.
Che'anni lifted her self up and walked towards the group, she heard Egil say"I want Amy to turn us into werewolves." as soon as she got near enough to hear.
Che'anni turned to Egil and said, "Nobodies forcing me into any of that, not too mention I could outrun any wolf provided they ain't in their wolf form. That's when their stamina comes in."
Che'anni swallowed a jot of pain that suddenly shot up her stomach, "Couldn't there be anything better?"

 

[Kimrisvik]

"I want Amy to turn us into werewolves."

Ralyx looked at Egil trying to spot anything that would show if he was joking or not. But unfortunately the man seemed to be dead serious. Che'anni was the first to deny Egils idea of becoming werewolfs. "I won't let her do that to me! I like to have control. So I don't want to change into a mindless beast in order to win." He looked down to the ground and shook his head. "I've seen a man change before. He lost his mind. Killed his own borther!" He looked over to Amy and forced a smile. "No offence to you, Amy. I've seen that you're different. But I won't take any chance. Sorry Egil."

 

[Khaotic3]

Amy was drinking her potion when someone spoke up. He went on about how Amy was stronger and faster than everyone else. I don't like where this is going.
"I want Amy to turn us into werewolves."
Amy almost choked on the last bit of her potion. A couple of people began to strongly object as Amy stopped coughing.

"Are you crazy?! As if we didn't already have a big enough target on our backs, they'd be able to smell that we weren't basic prey. And Ralyx is right, if the vampires didn't get us, we'd end up killing each other. Not to mention I'd probably bleed to death during a ceremony for that many people. And where would we even perform it? The only shrine I know of is under Whiterun, and I don't think we could get to it, or even have everyone even fit. Sorry, I'm not about to start a werewolf pack."

 

[T. Rakinson]

"I want Amy to turn us into werewolves."
If Brendela had been drinking anything at the time she would have spat it out. She quickly scanned around to see the owner of the idea after giving Amy a pitiful look. It turned out to be Varian.
Unsurprisingly, the groups replies were of shock, discomfort and repulse.

"Nobodies forcing me into any of that, not too mention I could outrun any wolf provided they ain't in their wolf form. That's when their stamina comes in."

"I won't let her do that to me! I like to have control. So I don't want to change into a mindless beast in order to win."

Several others gave him quizzical looks, and then finally Amy spoke up.

"Are you crazy?! As if we didn't already have a big enough target on our backs, they'd be able to smell that we weren't basic prey. And Ralyx is right, if the vampires didn't get us, we'd end up killing each other. Not to mention I'd probably bleed to death during a ceremony for that many people. And where would we even perform it? The only shrine I know of is under Whiterun, and I don't think we could get to it, or even have everyone even fit. Sorry, I'm not about to start a werewolf pack."

Brendela knew that if this conversation went on then most likely they would end up fighting one another. Ending it as quick as it began, Brendela shouted & gestured to the small crowd around her to quieten down, and to her surprise they did. It felt weird in a way, & anxiety crept up her throat as the eyes in the crowd turned to her.
'Everybody, how are we going to win this conflict if were going to have arguments over everything? Egil,-' She turned to the respective person '- the idea has its pro's and con's, but if you think it may work then it shall only be a last ditch resort. What I meant by ideas is either a new holdout or a plan for taking Falkreath'.


*************************************************

Athis looked on from a distance, watching the girls every word. He had arrived just a few minutes earlier, just after the deathound attack, and he had expected total Anhilalation of the group. Miraculously a good number had survived, & as the dunmer wistfully began thinking of finishing them off and draining them he noticed an old Friend in the crowd.
Amy?
Athis had not seen his fellow companion since the final battle of Jorrvaskr; he had presumed that all those who had not perished in the initial vampiric massacre had been hiding out in the wilderness, but to see one of them fighting to free Skyrim gave him a neutral feeling.
Knowing he could not stay any longer if he did not want to be noticed, He walked over to the dark, swirling vortex that lay on the forest floor. It was an entrance to the soul cairn, but in this case he was just using it as a shortcut.
'I hate this place' The vampire thought as he descended into the plane of Oblivion.

*************************************************

In just under half an hour he emerged from the other portal in The riften graveyard, taking note not to cause any noise. The Volkihar vampire ruling here had not caught on to their little appearing act yet, but if any survivors found a lone vampire in the streets they wouldent hesitate to slit his throat.
Turning to face the Cistern entrance, he pressed a hidden button into the wall of the entrance and a panel on the ground retreated back into the earth, leaving a small staircase. Athis walked in and, after shutting the panel back in place with the push of a another button, Pushed a nearby door open.
The Ratway Cistern, former headquarters of the Thieves Guild, was in a way a home for him, it had been his one sanctuary in this twisted world for the last few months. Here his fellow coven-mates carried out Anti-Volkihar movements; taking out hunting groups, raiding forts & other Rebellious activities.
The Sunscorched Movement had moved in here after the enemy vampires had let loose a few gargoyles into the Ratway to wipe out all the scumbags & madmen lurking here; the Volkihars may have been the enemy but they certainly did a better job removing crime than the Jarl ever did.
Just then a portal burst open and two figures came rushing out. One was his friend & "Partner in crime" Breylna Maryon, the other a Dunmer man dressed in strange robes, who collapsed to the floor upon the portal closing, Panting loudly so that it echoed through the spacious room.
'Is this the Arch-mage? He's a bit scrawnier than I imagined.'
Breylna wasnt looking too good herself and silently gave him a if-i -wasnt-so-tired-I'd-gut-you-right-here look.
A crowd had started to form around the crumpled form of Savos; To sustain Riftens population the members of the movement they tried to eat as little as possible, and food was often fought over.
'Slow down there everybody! This man is not food! I need to take him to Valeri-'
As if on cue the crowd seemed to shuffle as if a ghost had entered the room.
A ball of black mist lay levitating in the air at the back of the crowd, and it seemed to radiate power. As everybody watched, The floating gaseous orb pushed forward until it stood infront of the two vampires & collapsed mage.
'Bring him to my office. there are urgent things we must discuss' the voice of Valerica boomed.

 

[tdatapina]

Egil looked away in anger, and embarrassment. How could I have come up with such a stupid idea?... He hadn't even considered the effects it would have had on Amy. With a party this size, she'd have to drain herself of a lot of blood. Not only that, they didn't have a shrine to do it at. Traveling to Whiterun would take longer than reaching their destination and they had no idea of any other shrine locations. His plan wasn't going to happen.

"No Brendela. It's ok. The plan was stupid. Besides, almost everyone rejected it, and I'm sure everyone else is thinking the same."

Egil looked up at the sky. It really didn't look that ugly. If the vampires weren't present he really would not have minded it as a replacement for the nighttime sky. He stared for a few more moments and then realized his previous actions. Embarassment? What the hell is this? Am I going soft? Look at the way I've been acting since I met up with these people! The only reason I was here was to find a companion up to Solitude, then I could throw him aside and give my father what he deserved.

He scoffed at himself and kicked a small rock. It hit a tree and rolled into the forest. "Fools..." He whispered it quietly, not sure if anyone heard it, and he realized, he didn't want anyone to hear it.

 

[Khaotic3]

Egil seemed a bit angry after Brendela told him the plan wasn't going to happen. Sure, the plan to turn everyone into a werewolf was dumb, but if he was willing to take Hircine's gift, who was she to stop him? Hircine would always welcome more Hunters.
"Fools..." she thought she heard him mutter. No one else probably heard it. She stood up; her leg was feeling a great deal better. She approached him.

"Hey, if you really think it's the best idea for yourself, I might be willing to help you. But you have to how me I can trust you. And there are a few other risks involved, if you want all the details. The ceremony might be possible without a shrine, but I can't say for sure."

 

[tdatapina]

(OOC) I put all of Egil's thoughts in green, just for this post, just so you guys don't get confused.

"Hey, if you really think it's the best idea for yourself, I might be willing to help you. But you have to how me I can trust you. And there are a few other risks involved, if you want all the details. The ceremony might be possible without a shrine, but I can't say for sure."

Amy looked at Egil as she spoke. "You think I wanted this for ME? You think I wasn't thinking of all of us when I proposed this plan? How selfish do you think I am? I know it was a dangerous idea and I know it's also possible." Egil paused for a moment, but only for a moment. "I'm not stupid!" SHUT UP YOU FOOL! "I can handle the transformation. I'm not WEAK." DAMN IT EGIL STOP! "I suggested this plan to help ALL OF US. Not to put you on the spot, or to make myself stronger." STOP BEFORE YOU RUIN THINGS TO THE POINT THEY CAN'T BE FIXED. "I don't need your powers to make myself stronger! I can fend for myself. This was all for you guys! I didn't even want to be part of this stupid group! This was all for you guys!" STOP!!! Egil stared at Amy for a few seconds then stormed off into the woods.

He waited until he was a good distance from the group before cursing himself. "You damn fool! Look what you've done! How do you expect to get anywhere if you turn all of your companions away like this?! They liked you! They enjoyed having you! Then you just have to go and ruin things, and for what?! Because they don't like your idea?!" Egil drew his dagger and stabbed it into the tree. "AAAGH! He shouted, repeatedly stabbing the tree.

He turned his back to the tree and leaned against it. "What have I done?" He slumped to the ground and nodded off.

 

[Khaotic3]

"You think I wanted this for ME? You think I wasn't thinking of all of us when I proposed this plan? How selfish do you think I am? I know it was a dangerous idea and I know it's also possible." Egil paused for a moment. Amy was bout to speak, but he cut her off. "I'm not stupid! I can handle the transformation. I'm not WEAK. I suggested this plan to help ALL OF US. Not to put you on the spot, or to make myself stronger. I don't need your powers to make myself stronger! I can fend for myself. This was all for you guys! I didn't even want to be part of this stupid group! This was all for you guys!"

"I wasn't suggesting you were weak or selfish-" she began, but he stormed off. She wanted to scream right back at him, but decided to let him go. She knew anything she said now would only make it worse if he wasn't willing to listen. That didn't mean she wasn't angry.
Definitely NOT a good candidate for beast blood.

Amy stalked back to her bag and decided to change back into her armor, since it would be easier to travel in. She wasn't sure where they would be going, but she was sure they were probably leaving.

 

[Kimrisvik]

Ralyx stood silently and watched as Amy somehow offered to make Egil into a werewolf. At first he was sure that Egil would accept the offer, since it was he that had suggested it to the group. Egil however seemed to have a different meaning now.

After an outrage, in Ralyx' opinion, where Egil stated that he wanted the group to transform for their own safety, and not just because he wanted to become a werewolf himself, he stormed off into the woods. Ralyx turned to the rest of the group with a surprised face. But his gesture soon changed into an amused face before he said.

" At least he got an inner beast."

 

[Jo'rak Vandeni]

The rain was not heavy, but it had still managed to destroy most clues that would otherwise spoken the entire store of the place for him, now only a few clues laid intact in the wet dirt, blood stains and corpses.

Jokar rose from one of the dead Deathhounds, whose head had been bashed in with a club or mace of some sort it seemed, and he walked slowly over the petty battlefield, to get a better image of what had happened.
The remains of a campsite lay in front of him, a burnt out firepit, along with a ruined tent and some bloodied bedrolls, and litter around the camp were the now cold corpses of deathhounds, further off towards the forest he found what he had been searching for all along.

"Your passion for hunting finally got the better of you Julian." he whispered, smiling down at the (now human) carcass of the once renowned vampire lord Julian, one of the stronger members of the old vampire clan whom had taken Bloodlet Throne as their haven. Memories from a banquet in Castle Volkihar flashed through his head, and he was reminded how Julian had bragged about his prizd and beloved hunting party of Bloodhounds. The same pack whom would soon cover the forest with a scent of plague and decay rather than the smell of wet dirt and downpour.

He stopped philosophing about the battle and returned to inevstigating the body of Julian. The vampires' heart had been pierced and removed, and a large hole straight through his chest revealed the blood-covered grass beneath him. Julians claw-shaped hands were covered in bits of flesh and blood now mixed with the rain, but the blood still contained enough of it's original scent for Jorak to identify it. He dragged his fingers over Julians (truly) dead hands to smear his own fingers in the blood, and moved his hand to his nostrils and inhaled the scents.
The bearer was an Imperial, from the exotic southern smell of it, but something darker, more personal to him hid under the smell of Imperial. Jokar lowered his hand to his mouth, and licked the blood of the fingers. And chuckled lightly as enlightment shone upon him.
"A brother Dunmer. But Imperial as well! Shame that the corpse is not to be found, I've never heard of something like it before." He thought, and he felt sympathetic to whoever it was that Julian had catched in his claws, now that he knew it was a fellow Dunmer. He looked down at Julians unmoving face with disgust, he rose and kicked it harsh. He had never liked the man, it didn't just have to do with the fact Julian was a vampire, but the man had been a nuisance even before Jokars' hate of vampires has flourished, and Jokar did not pity Julians' fate one bit. Jokar wiped the last of the blood off of his fingers, as gentle as he could in some sort of personal way to show respect to the bearer. And then begun retracing his steps back towards his companion back at the fort. If a vampire lord was defeated by prey, then obviously calling them for prey was an understatement.

 

[Daryl Dixon]

OOC: This is a really shabby intro post, I know that, but I had other plans. This will have to suffice for now


Mercer travelled quickly, he needed what she had. He had just defeated a vampire of Harkons clan, by the skin of his teeth. Had the environment not worked with him he would be dead right now, his vampiric healing was healing him slower than usual. He had a nasty gash in his stomach. As he waded through the shrubbery he saw it, the city of Solitude. If the intel he received was correct, Harkon would be there. Mercer made his way to the gates, guarded by thralls, and was allowed entry.

As he proceeded through he saw the terrible conditions of the city, and watched as a young woman was taken away. They're making sacrifices? "They're going to lose if they lose their humanity... They'll be just like the vampires." He thought to himself as he saw the human giving up their own, he believed these rules didn't apply to him as he was not one of them. He believed he belonged to neither party, no matter what.

He made his way to the castle, and saw the current Jarl and Harkon communing with one another. It appeared however, their conversation was done as the woman who was snatched up earlier was hauled in. "Ah, put her in with the rest." A very aged looking vampire said, this one donned vampiric armor and stood by Harkons side. As Mercer approached their attention was drawn to him. "Lord Harkon." Alex said as he approached, "You're not too hard to track down." he said as he neared the vampire responsible for this crisis. "Ah, and who might you be?" Harkon said, seemingly curious at who this hooded man before him was. "My name is Alex Mercer, and I've been looking for you."

"And why's that?"

"To thank you, of course. These humans no longer have the false belief that our kind is lesser than theirs, the human race has been put in their place. But I would, however, ask a favor of you." Mercer spoke quickly and precisely, his lies would not last forever.

"And what might that be?" Harkon asked, he had not expected a stranger to appear before him like this.

"For you to give me your blood." Mercer said cooly, the Jarl of solitude looked at Alex with confusion. "To turn me into a true vampire, for I am just disease stricken. I long to revel in my true form, and to spread fear amongst the sheep." Alex was referring to the humans when he said sheep, and Harkon knew it.

"Very well, Alex, but I need a test of your loyalty to our cause."

"What would you have me do?" Mercer asked, he raised an eyebrow at the insinuation of himself working for Harkon so suddenly.

"Bring me my wife's head."

Alex froze, confused at the notion. Harkon continued. "My wife, Valerica, a daughter of coldharbour leads another clan against me. She betrayed me before, sealed away our daughter to stop the fulfilment of this prophecy and the prosperity of our kind. I want her head on a platter."

Mercer wasted no time to answer. "If I was to face someone such as this, I'd need to have more power." He stated. "Is that so?" Harkon inquired.

"Yes. But I swear to you I will bring you her head." Mercer was looking down a little, so Harkon could not see much of his face. Harkon felt this vampire had potential, but still believed he needed to prove himself. "Take this ring." The vampire said as he held out his hand and took off a ring, handing it over to Alex. "It will increase your vampiric powers. Now go forth, and bring me Valericas head."

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Some time later and Alex is working for Valerica. He quite likes her, but will kill her for his own power should the need arise. He doesn't believe he's powerful enough, but one day. She lost her daughter due to Harkon, their daughter. He sacrificed her for 'the good of all vampires'.

Two months into the fulfilment of the prophecy, and here Alex is. He sits in what used to be the den of the thieves guild, having just come back from doing yet another job for Valerica. He had become quite well known, doing more than his fair share of work. They had plans to kidnap Savos Aren, Alex was offered the job but turned it down.

Alex thought about his plans and thought 'why am I this way...'. Memories of his childhood flash by, memories of his entire life did. He knows why.

Alex cared little for how he was, it didn't bother him. Another month past. Right now, 3 months into the fulfilment of the prophecy, Alex was a vampire lord. The power overwhelmed him, he felt like all his life he had only seen bits and pieces of power and was now fully exposed to it. Valerica trusted him enough, he had officially become one of them ceremoniously.

He had also reunited with an old friend, a vampire he had turned. Alex had captured this man some time long ago and was going to use him as a possible thrall, or even cattle. But Alex saw the potential in him, he sympathised with him, he turned him.

While his companion was out, Alex scoped out the fort he was in. Alex had been there when these thralls were made, they are merely under a powerful vampiric spell. Alex walked through the halls, learning their patrol patterns and how they operated. They were quite believable, only they weren't dead yet. Alex made his way back to the highest point in the fort, where him and Jokar could talk privately. Alex waited for his return.

He noticed the door creak open as Jokar entered the room. "Jokar, I have something to discuss with you." Jokar approached Alex, and Alex began his offer. "Let me turn you." There was a small silence, Jokar may not know what Alex meant. "Let me unlock your full potential as a vampire. You merely have the disease, let me give you your true form." With the last sentence Alex stepped his way closer to Jokar. "You'd be of the same breed as Harkon, only you could use that power for your own agenda. To KILL Harkon. You'll need to grow, you won't just instantly be able to defeat him. Even with this power you'll need a lot of help, he's been at it for millennia. You'll need to drain the life out of your foes, bring their life force into you. Through bite or spell. Do this, and every living thing you kill makes you stronger." Alex looked into the Dunmers eyes. "You... I believe you hate Harkon more than I do." Alex said, trying to be as persuasive as he could. He knew Jokar would be a lot stronger if he let Alex give him the power. Alex used gestures and vocal tones to give his speech more impact.

Alex knew however Jokar hated vampires, and this might be denied due to that. Alex still kept an open mind about this, and was ready to convince and offer at a later time should this be rejected.

 

[Jo'rak Vandeni]

"Let me unlock your full potential as a vampire." Mercer said, he did not look at Jokar, but just gazed into the old ruined fireplace and the remains of ember still holding on to the small pieces of lumber left in the pit. Jokar felt the anger rise inside of him and he spoke back in anger.
"I. Will. Not. Become. Like Harkon." was all he managed to say for a start, without losing control of himself and let his hate for the Volkihars be aimed towards his only friend. Images of the torture chambers of Castle Volkihar, and of his beloved Jessaras' dead corpse flashed through his head as he remembered how he would have died for a chance to be utterly turned to a full-blood vampire, but that was before Jessara, before the scars he now carried, before he lost all he ever loved. Jokar turned around, inhaled the cold, damp air, and exhaled. The breath left smoke flying through the air in front of his lips, and he slowly lowered himself down upon an old wooden bench, one of the few pieces of furniture not utterly destroyed from age or moisture. He looked back towards Mercer, still seated by the fireplace, still staring into the ember. Jokar shut his eyelids, and slowly he returned his calm, and pushed away the memories that were so close to overcome him, and make him give up. He opened his eyes, and focused on Mercer. He took a few seconds to himself to gain the strength to speak, and so he did. "Mercer, I trust you, but in this, you are mistaken." Jokar swallowed and unsheathed his sword, placing it in his lap so he later could examine it for any damage. "There's a group of separatists somewhere in the woods, they took down a vampire lord, and a full pack of Deathhounds." He refrained from calling the Vampire by his name, Julian. "If they manage to take down a Vampire lord then they are dangerous and know what they're doing, however I think they lost one of them, a half-blood. And two others are injured, their blood littered the camp, but not enough for it to be fatal." He paused, he knew he had forgotten something... "Oh, also, I am not entirely sure, but I believe them to have some sort of tame wolf with them, the place smelled of dog, not Deathhound, but... Animal."

 

[Daryl Dixon]

Alex was disappointed, and couldn't help but correct the man (in Alex's eyes). "What makes Harkon the way he is isn't by the power he yields, it's the way he uses it. It would be foolish to deny power just because someone you despise wields it, that is like giving up water because your enemy drinks water. Giving up air, because he breathes it. "The offer is on the table... For now."" Alex moved over to a table he had placed a map on, with several marked areas of interest. "The intel you've recovered is good, a weak group is useless. The animal is concerning, it could sniff us out. But assuming the group is as good as you say they may have other methods of detecting vampires. We have to follow through with our plan, it's the only way."

 

[Jo'rak Vandeni]

Jokar had remained calm for this long, but now he snapped, and boiling rage filled him as he marched forwards to the table where Alex stood. He gripped the table and thrusted it over, screaming as he did so. He looked Alex straight into his eyes and walked until the two men were so close their breaths could be felt on each other.
"Excuse me, Mercer!" He roared at Alex. "But water didn't torture me for years! Air didn't trick me onto that cursed ship before!" He felt his wrath vent and instead he was filled with sorrow. He lowered his head before he continued. "But it was Harkon that took Her away from me..." Jokars' voice cracked as he uttered the words, and his eyes were waterish. He thought about Jessara a lot these days, and she was often the one thing he dreamed of at the few times he was able to sleep. He missed her a lot.
But this didn't affect Alex at all, they hadn't known each other at all, of course it wasn't the same for him as it was for Jokar. "He didn't know, Jokar, let it go." the voices whispered to him.
Jokar raised himself again, wiped his eyes with his right hand, and returned to his usual calm self.
He focused on Alex again, he was in shame. "Pardon me Mercer, I didn't mean it. And yes, the offer is on the table, enough of it now." Jokar sighed, and for a moment, the only sound heard was the rain hitting the badly damaged old roof, the same rain which had now soaked his black hair. He hoped the rain had hidden the tears.
Jokar put the table back up, as some sort of gesture of apology, and hoped it would do.
"So the plan, you think we're ready? If Valerica shows up we will be doomed, are you certain she is still in Riften?"