Private The Black Reach Expedition

[Mini Mongo]

Geran finished the final swipe on the Dwemer Sphere, and all power left it's metal body.
The Sphere fell onto the floor, and Geran scanned the room making sure there was no more Dwemer creations ready to attack him unguarded.
There was not.
Geran knelt down, putting his heavy greatsword down next to him as he began to research, and scavenge from the Dwemer Sphere.
See Geran had gained and totally random fascination into Dwemer, and as soon as this fascination started, it was almost needed for him to travel to Blackreach.

He scanned the Sphere, making sure only to take what he needed. The Core that powered it, some of the Dwemer metal and that was it, the rest he would leave. No need to destroy a machine that questioned even the Gods.
That's what Geran truly admired about the Dwemer, not only the lore and mystery that surrounded them, and all the rivalry and battles going around them, but their machinery and knowledge, so great and ahead of time that they even questioned the Gods powered to them.
The Dwemer was a fascinating and powerful race, and now Geran sat in the middle of one of their greatest cities ever to be built, infested by their machinery, and the Falmer scum.

Finished looking over the Sphere Geran took a few steps back, as he began to walk back to the entrance of Blackreach to return to his camp he heard voices, and they didn't sound happy.
By instinct Geran ran to his Greatswords, putting them back into position.
He did not unsheath them though, people could take that as an act of hostility, but Geran realised the voices were but echoes, whoever was entering, or in the ruin was certainly quite far away.
Geran exist was blocked, and he had no idea what faced him behind that door.
Best bet, wait and see, fight or die.

Geran began to climb the Dwemer scaling, getting on a pipe that overlooked the floor of the room where he had killed the sphere.
Pure adrenaline, and the help by the incredibly amount of quite conveniently placed shrapnel aided him here, otherwise the man probably would have dropped to his death, besides, it wasn't to far up, just enough not to be instantly noticed, and give him enough time to decide what to do about the visitors.
They could be anything from bandits to Scholars, it was the in between that made him on guard.
Bandits he could handle, essentially he is one, scholars.........well they are men of piece.
Anything in between was not as easy, and it is best for one to remain cautious.

 

[Rekamennos]

"I'm here...and I can feel you. Where are you Danacia? Come to sight..." Leilani boomed into her sister's mind, and, then Danacia's eyes widened feeling the shiver of her overpowering energy creep down her spine. She watched Edwin take the lead for now, and she kept quiet for the moment becoming preoccupied by the very strong energy presence of her sister. It was masked, however, no matter how abundant the powerful Wolf Queen could seem. She did this in order to hide herself from Circe, for, she wasn't ready to make it known to her just yet. "You always pick terrible timing, Lei, seriously..." Danacia boomed right back into her sister's mind.

"What do you expect from me? Had I known you were in Winterhold when all of this was going down, and in general knowing that the newest member was going to meet my exiled sister--I would have been there in seconds. I just got back from a trip to the Imperial Gardens. Sorry. Royal stuff keeps you busy. Traveling from Riften up to Winterhold takes a few days, might I add you..." She snapped back, and then, felt as Danacia began to cast an extremely heavy protection barrier over her mind as well as double coating her sister's mental call with more stealth. There would be absolutely no way Circe would know unless she literally showed her physical presence to the group. Danacia began to look around, lime green eyes scanning the horizon, then, far on a cliff up high she caught wind of a pair of lime green eyes treading away from the edge and back to where her physical body couldn't be seen meet with her own for a flash second. She smirked, quickly looking away, and then back to focus upon Edwin and the others. She kept her mouth shut and decided that she would let them figure out how to lead through the entrance and instead this time just follow.

 

[Minstrel]

Circe had been sitting on the edge of the cliff face and admiring the beauty of the area when she turned to see the commotion going on between Arith and Danacia. The Elf strode confidently forward, talking to Danacia as he did so, but not once did his eyes leave the fissure in front of him. He continued to talk despite the Nord woman's warnings, and made his way ever closer the ledge that the Circe sat on.

"I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to go first. I have a bad feeling about this..."

Circe had began to stand from her position now, moving closer to where Danacia was. It was too late though. A couple of words later and the Elf had lost his footing. It had all happened so quick. Even with her immortal speed Circe could not stop what happened next. Arith called out to Danacia from a ledge, and Danacia called back, telling him that she wouldn't leave. It was useless. The last words that were uttered before Arith disappeared into the fog, came from Danacia's lips.

"ARITH!"

Circe flinched as the man was lost in the depths of the fissure. Her heart skipped a beat and she was forced to step backwards to lean against Tie. Arith... pl*ps... he can't be gone. She watched as a mixture of disbelief and anger passed over Danacia's face, and she believed that her own face posses the same qualities at this moment.

"Let's make him proud on this Adventure!" She heard Azaeila say from behind her, but she didn't look at the woman. Instead she leant down to Tie's ears and whispered something to him.

"I'm going to be climbing down the cliff in a minute boy, Ok? I want you to go back to the Monks and I will come and get you when I am finished here."

Tie rubbed his head against Circe and signalled that he understood. After running her hands through his fur for a moment she made her way back to the fissure, ready to climb when she needed to. It appeared that the order she had earlier aranged had been disregarded so instead she waited for someone else to make the next move, all the while grieving in her own way for the loss of someone she could have seen herself becoming close with.

(OOC: I know this was rubbish, but I felt I needed to post something. I am really tired at the moment.)

 

[Kir the Silent]

"Well...that's big, damn door huh?" Kir studied the massive dwemer door impeding his path. Here he was deep in an unexplored ruin and so far the adventure did little to impress him. He had acquired it's location from an ancient map he had discovered far to the south. He had been estatic. A ruin that was virtually unknown and untouched? Most likely filled with deadly and complex dwemer machinery? He was in his element. So far all he had found were the normal automatons and defenses he normally did, but...still he couldn't shake the feeling there was something he must find here. Some secret waiting to be uncovered. And so he continued onward through the halls of the ancients, leaving his campsite near the entrance of the ruins. Until he ran into this rather large roadblock however.

"Hmm," Kir turned away from the door to survey the large room he was in. Broken and smoking parts of dozens of dwemer automatons were scattered around. The room itself was relatively empty save for a long table in the center. "A communal meeting area perhaps? A feast hall?"

Taking his leather bound journal from his side he made a quick sketch and took some notes. Kir's satchel held anything he could ever need, enchanted to hold anything he needed regardless of size. He had a great deal of journals filled to the brim with research, notes, and schematics. Three-hundred and twenty-four journals of material to be exact. After scribbling down the notes and his thoughts, he sat down and pulled a bottle of Stros M'kia Rum from his satchel. After a relaxing drink and a bite of venison chop, he turned his attentions back on the large door. When it hit him.

"A Dwemer Seige Door! Ha, I knew it seemed familiar. I've only seen one other in all my years of research." He smiled his sarcastic smile. A Seige Door only confirmed his suspicions. There was indeed something of importance hidden in the depths of this place. Rummaging through his satchel he found his feild journal, number one-hundred and three. He turned to the chapter he remembered and his smile grew.

'Dwemer Seige Doors are very uncommon. I have only encountered one in all my travels, fortunantly it was open upon arrival. Unfortunantly whatever it was protecting was long since gone. Perhaps gone for hundreds of years. Dwemer texts suggest it may have actually held the Heart of Lorkhan! But I digress. Back to the Seige Door, it seems they are designed to only be opened from the interior side. Most likely it's used in the event of an attack or to act as a vault door. Virtually impenetrable from the exterior side, but; like all dwemer mechanations it had a secret. I have discovered a very well hidden device on the exterior side. It is so well hidden that I doubt anyone with out as much knowledge as myself would have discovered it. Most likely this was used in a emergency and was only known by a select few of the Dwemer present here so long ago. Also, it was protected by one of the most devious dwarven traps I have ever encountered. I mean Mikar's skin just melted away until only the bone remained. Then it too became dust and scattered, like he never existed. Approach Dwemer Seige Doors with extreme caution.'

"Oh yes..." Kir shuddered, that had given him terrible dreams for several days. He had barely known the man but still was saddened by his death. "But there's next to nothing in this room, where could the switch be hidden? Oh well, by my calculations it's nearly dawn which means I've been up for thirteen straight days. Might as well get some rest, but...first I'll just catalouge these scraps and record some more data."

Kir spread his books, notes, schematics, tools, and samples across the large table. He didn't go to sleep for the next three days.

 

[.ol0w0lo.]

('Dun goof'd once.)
Crystals of ice landed lightly on the ground, collectively forming the mounds of snow that amassed on the ground before the traveling scholar. It had been months since the nord had seen this much snow, and honestly, she had not missed it. It was a cold, harsh reminder of what once was. The scholar smiled to herself. Was that not what she intended to do; show people the significance of things that had once been? Was that not her duty as a historian?

She continued to aimlessly trek through the snowy hills of Eastmarch. She was much farther north than she had ever been before, and began to wonder whether she was still in Eastmarch at all. Her feet ached, and her stomach roared, but there was no time for rest. She had a duty to fulfill, and she intended to do so with the utmost haste. She slowed her pace for a moment to rummage through her bag, brushing through bottles of ink, phials of potions, bits of paper, and quills. After a few seconds of searching, she managed to procure a handful of juniper berries, and while this was far from the meal she had hoped for, she was more than satisfied. The berries exploded as she bit into them, their sweet juices tickling her cheeks. She finished her handful of berries and continued north.

Before long, her hunger had returned, this time accompanied by thirst and exhaustion. Despite her nord blood, she was freezing. She stopped to rest her feet. She opened her bag; no more berries, no water. She looked around for any source of food and water, but there was none. She’d have to settle for the snow at the base of the mountains. She continued to walk for a few hours, eating handfuls of snow as she pressed on.Her eyes were heavy, and her movements began to slow. The scholar walked on for a bit before seeing a large rundown structure unlike any that she had ever seen. She was now certain that she had left Eastmarch, and had entered a new area of the world, a place she had never been. Perhaps she had heard stories or sang songs about this place, but how could she be sure?

The scholar approached the cliffs where she could better see these building. The pale grey stone said it all—Dwarven Ruins. Ice covered the brass accents, giving the metal a purple tint. This was a place she had never before heard of or seen. She had supposedly learned about all of the province’s ruins, but had never once read of this place. She scanned the scenery for a bit before turning to walk away. Suddenly the scholar heard a scream.

"ARITH!" A woman’s voice. The scholar quickly trudged through the deep mounds of snow, looking down below her. Down on the cliffs were a few travelers, and in the ravine below them was the lifeless body of this “Arith”. The scholar stood by and watched as the group spoke to one another, some obviously upset, others less concerned with their comrade’s death. It was truly tragic that the young man’s life be cut short, but alas, there was no time for the scholar to mourn over men that she did not know. This could be her only chance to find what she had so desperately desired. She thumbed through the contents of her bag, removing a bit of parchment and some things to write with. She quickly sat in the snow, never once taking her sight from the group.

Day Twelve

After nearly two weeks of searching, it seems as if I may have possibly found a group of adventurers worth following. They trespass on unknown grounds, grounds that have quite possibly been hidden for hundreds of years. Already one has fallen victim to this place, an elf named Arith. I did not meet this man personally, but I am deeply sorry that his life has been cut short, and so closely to a possible ascension toward the highest echelon of adventurers and celebrities. Naytheless, His life is gone, and he can do no good to me now, so I must put my focus on the remaining members of the group. There appear to be six of them, and I can feel it in my heart that one of them is worthy of being eternized by my verse.

But to test their bravery, cunning and strength, I must venture into this unknown with them, placing my own life in danger. I know that my quest is not a simple one, but I did not intend for it to be this dangerous. Why, already I fear that I may suffer from Hypothermia, or at the very least dehydration. Oh, how I long to return to the warm corridors of the Bard’s College, my home. But I cannot; I will see this duty through to the end. I owe it to the people of Skyrim, as a Historian. I suppose this will have to be enough for now, though. If I wait much longer, this group may leave before I can make contact. They don’t seem to be too far off—I suppose I should attempt to approach them.

I really hope this is worth the risk.​

Brenda Soft-Voice.​

​

Brenda placed the parchment back into her bag, and looked once more to the group on the Cliffside. They were waiting on a cliff, not far from the entrance. They were only chatting, despite the death and the scream. No tears, no sobs. Just chatter. Perhaps they were waiting for something. Regardless, this was the only chance that the scholar had of reaching her prospect heroes. She quickly scurried along the edge of the cliff, and before long she had found a decent path to this group of prospects. As she approached, the others seemed to be absorbed in their conversations, unaware of her arrival. She scanned the crowd, in search of the ‘man in charge’. When one was not plainly visible, she approached the person nearest to her, a woman with hair the color of a torch’s flame, and eyes of lime green. The woman’s face was riddled with warpaints, and quite frankly, she seemed to be the manliest out of the bunch.

“Excuse me, miss?” Brenda cleared her throat, hoping to gain the woman’s full attention. “Excuse me, but I was wondering if you might have room for one more in your—“ The scholar looked around. What was the best word for these people? “—your team.”

 

[Mini Mongo]

Geran noticed that whoever it was that was coming was not rushing, in fact, they were indeed very much taking their time, and the height had began to make Geran feel a bit nauseous.
He climbed back down being less cautious than originally, and as he was just about down he ended up tripping, falling from about 7 foot.
The fall was heavy, his back thumped against the back heavily, and he let out a quick shout of pain, his ability of resisting pain was limited, and any short, quick and sudden 'shots' of pain would hurt him, thus his ability of resisting was faulty.

Gerans vision began to fade and he felt incredibly faint, he managed to move his eyes around to scan the room for any signs of danger, but he couldn't move whatsoever, he had lost all strength.
This worried him, what if the approaching people killed or kidnapped him while he was down?
Luckily Geran was getting better, he managed to move his hands slightly at first, then he lifted his body up and sat, body up, but still laying down.
He looked around, everything seemed blurred but he could see.
He stood up, he felt a lot better, but time had passed, now he could here yet another voice.
Perhaps these people were safe, Geran would see.

He stood up and ran to the corner, peeking around it seemed the coast was clear.
He unsheathed his sword as he went around the corner, after 1 minute of traversing the Dwemer ruin he got to the entrance.
A door was between him, and the voice, he would be the first to react.
Geran sheathed his sword, it was best to seem friendly, and if they weren't the same, he could easily unsheath his sword in enough time.
He walked to the door and used the lever, pushing it down the door opened.
But no one was there, it was just snow and more snow. This raised questions, where was the voice coming from and how?

 

[meben15]

Edwin quickly set about securing the rope for his climb down. He used the same trick he had before to go rescue Danacia to sink the piton into the ice once more. Before going over the edge the Breton made sure to tie the end of the rope around his waist so that he would have no chance of falling. Looking to the others he smiled, "I'll place some footholds for us, follow when I call back up to you." With that simple remark he slid over the edge.

Making sure to keep his footing on the slipery ice so he wouldn't slip and smash his face into the cliff, Edwin slowly inched his way down the wall, placing pitons at even intervals to act as foot holds for the others. As he worked he heard an unfamiliar voice echoing down to him, someone who was not part of the group. Who would be traveling in such a desolate location? He quickly forgot about it, figuring Danacia would handle the matter.

After a few more minutes he reached a point right next to the small platform by the door, indeed a person stepping on the last piton would be able to make a small hop of about three feet and get to safety. Well relative safety, the platform looked quite slippery, covered with ice and snow from the many blizzards it had likely gone through. Edwin braced himself against the rope, taking his arms off of it and relying only on his legs to hold him steady. He cupped his hands by his mouth and shouted up to the others, "READY! DON'T WORRY, IF YOU FALL I WILL CATCH YOU!" Edwin's mouth twitched as he said the words and muttered to himself, "Well, most of you that is." He then simply hung there at the bottom and waited for the others to descend.

 

[Znowcicle]

Azaelia watched as Edwin made his way down the face of the glacier. She really wanted to get on with the adventure and preoccupy her mind. She kept replaying what had happened in her mind and she winced a little every time that little undistinguished sentence was uttered by Arith as he fell. She looked over to Selia and Circe seeing as they had wanted to go first.

"I suppose it's one of you next..." She murmured halfheartedly as she rubbed her leather clad arm for want of something to do with her hand. She turned slightly when she heard a voice. They had addressed Danacia, and Azaelia thought that they looked rather bright. Perhaps a scholar? she thought to herself as her still numb mind somewhat forgot the new presence. It was hard for her to be interested when she was so crestfallen. First Adario, and now Arith...who would be next? Her?

She kept her ears open for the conversation between Danacia and the newcomer. The voice was feminine and cautious. She was asking about joining the team...Azaelia couldn't help but chuckle a little. Team? We're so divided...she closed her eyes as she tilted her head back slightly so she could feel the cold winds against her neck. It was calming.

 

[Rekamennos]

"Do you remember Geran, Dace? He's here, in the ruins, in fact...and I believe I am bored with this hiding in the shadows thing. When has that ever been my thing, really? Well, I guess it always has been my thing..." Leilani boomed into her sister's mind, her energy feeling closer, and now Danacia had realized the reason she moved away from sight upon the cliff was that she was coming down to make her presence known to Circe and herself. Danacia tried to keep composure across her face, and to release some stress about her sister's sudden awkward appearance she looked down to the ground letting out an uncomfortable sigh. Her moment of solitude, besides the buzzing voice of her sister, was soon then interrupted by the sound of an unfamiliar woman's soft voice.

“Excuse me, but I was wondering if you might have room for one more in your—“ The scholar looked around. What was the best word for these people? “—your team.”


Funny, that, joining her team. She heard the woman loud and clear, and at this point, she was even looking directly at her as though her body language portrayed full concentration. However, her mind was long gone caught up between the aftershock of first handedly witnessing Arith fall to his death, the impending doom and mystery of her sister's arrival, the fact that she has failed so far as captain (or so she thinks), and that there was yet another apparent arrival of an Ula member. "...I didn't know this was a family reunion, Lei, and boy do I appreciate you ever always making your mark to take over my glory moments in life by making your presence...don't think you're going to leave after you join us, now, are you?" Still having not responded to the woman, Danacia could hear the quite feminine giggles of her alpha sister ringing within her ears telepathically. Then, Leilani said, "...You know me too well, huh, little sis? I can't pass down a good adventure, though, we can talk in a few minutes I am sure--you have someone with a very soft voice prying for your attention. And by the way, that Edwin, he's a real looker!"

Danacia now came back to focus, and at this point, she realized she had been staring at the woman with a perplexing expression indicating her far off thoughts. She shook her head, lowered it back to the ground focusing on her feet, and she squinted her eyes letting out another sigh. Lifting her head, she brought a hand to her wrinkled forehead, and she said with yet another sigh, "Please forgive me, I, well we--we lost someone, and he was a good man, and I...it just happened quite literally a few moments ago. I am not in my normal place at the moment, so I do apologize for the silence..." Danacia extended a hand out to the woman, and then she formed a weak, troubled smile as her glowing lime green eyes held a mixture of stress and emotions that weren't quite interpretable.

"You want to--join us? Perhaps, well, first we should start with introductions, no?" She shrugged off the awkward silence, and the serious moment, by forcing out one of her casual charming laughs. She gave the woman a wink, and then continued, "My name is Danacia. I am Captain of the Winterhold Expedition of this dwemer ruin funded by Jarl Korir, and other wealthy nobles of the province. And you are?" Danacia did her best to hold a strong disposition again, because, all of this vulnerability seemed to be really getting under her skin.

All the while she was having this conversation, a short, petite, extremely tan blonde Nord began to make her way up from the mountainside and headed closer towards the small group of adventurers. "Two losses in two days, man, that's tough Dace..." The woman called out, and quickly, Danacia's head turned towards the sight of her sister Leilani. Danacia's eyes instantly lit up, and a wide smile crossed her face that she hadn't ever brought forth before. She quickly looked to Circe, and the two of them locked gaze speaking silently with one another for a few seconds. Then, she turned back to her sister, but quickly turned back to Brenda Soft Voice. "I do apologize again, but, that's my sister! I will be right back I promise!" Danacia then squealed in excitement as she turned away from the female scholar and ran off towards Leilani. This would truly be a treat for the exiled alpha princess.

The girls acted like little school kids, running towards one another, and as they got close quickly embracing each other tight. Danacia hadn't seen Leilani for months, as she had been around to the several different districts of the Ula doing important alpha things. Danacia didn't envy her sister's role whatsoever, for, she was never the one who wanted to take the royal seat and replace her parents for the crown. Too much glory, fake smiles, and too much responsibility. She preferred the quiet life, her small cottage in Whiterun, and she missed working for Hulda desperately. The adventuring thing was not one of her biggest pleasures in life, and she did this expedition to get rich quick just like she sure most were in it for, but, it was already turning into a disaster! Nonetheless, however, Danacia was one that was easily prone to flights of fancy, and she worried about every little thing. So, really, she just needed to reassure herself to hang in there and see what positives will come from the darkness that had already been spawned.

"So where's my Circe?" Leilani grinned, and her lime green eyes that reflected the exact same pair shared by her sister glowed with memories of her and the half vampire half werewolf's first encounter. Leilani was proud to carry out the will of Lady Dabney first hand, and she loved Circe every bit so much for being a part of the reason she first got to speak with their royal pack's goddess.

Danacia looked back, eyes lingering over to Brenda as she gave her a reassuring wink, and then she eyed Circe with the others that were beginning to make their way towards the entrance of the ruins. She looked back to Leilani, and she moved her eyes back and forth between her and Circe as if to point in her direction. In her mind, however, Leilani quickly spoke before Danacia had a chance, "Don't worry I already know Selia is bad news. I can handle myself, and I am sure you know that by now." She hugged her sister one last time, and then separated herself while heading off in the direction of Circe not having a care to the world if any of the other adventurers were surprised by her coming or not. "CIRCE MY LOVE!" Leilani squealed in excitement, tossing her slender petite tan arms in the air as she walked forward towards the werepire. Odd for Leilani to be so flamboyant, she had a wide, toothy, wolfish grin upon her face and her lime green eyes intensely shined with alpha power. She had her eyes locked into Circe's as she approached her, not once looking at Selia. Not that she was intentionally doing it, just that, she was more focused on her pack sister at the moment.

Leilani was dressed in a full set of daedric armor, and sheathed on her sides were two daedric daggers as well as a daedric shortsword. She had a thick footsman pack on her back, much like her sister's newly acquired brown leather footsman pack she gained at the longhouse, and her long golden blonde locks cascaded down at her sides freely. She had white warpaint across her face, much like her sister's, and she had a large claw scar mark on her right cheek that was smoothed over and aged with through healing. Leilani finally reached up to Circe, and at that point Danacia returned back to the newly arrived stranger. Danacia grinned, shrugging a bit apologetically, and then continued back to their conversation, "...but like I was saying, and you are?" She held out her hand once more for Brenda Soft Voice to take and shake.

 

[Kir the Silent]

"That's fantastic." Kir wiped the drool from his face and the table. He had literally passed out during some quick calculations that had only taken about three days. "Well, sixteen days seems to be how long I can go without sleep before my own body betrays me."

Kir went about cleaning off the long table of samples and his notes, but he got the feeling something wasn't right. Well, not exactly right per se. But he did have this feeling as if he soon wouldn't be alone for too much longer. He had learned to trust his gut, it had saved him so many times before. Most likely bandits looking for treasure or simply warmth, he thought to himself. Either way, I don't need to deal with this personally.
He traveled out from the Communal Hall, as he now called it, and started to re-activate the defenses he had disabled on his journey into the ruins. Like many of the Dwemer traps most were lethal and hard to spot, especially by ignorant bandits. It may or may not kill them all, but it would at least slow anyone down any who entered the ruins.

"Well, that should do it. But just in case I will have my own personal defences..." Kir turned to the piles of scrap and smiled slyly. He spent the next few hours repairing and building, before he simply turned his attention back to the impregnable Seige Door. With little in here save the table, benches, and throne it was becoming clear that this one's device was much more cleverly hidden. He suddenly slapped himself, "I'm an idiot...you clever little bastards. What better place to hide something then in plain sight?"

Kir took out his tools and notes, turning his attentions onto the throne at the head of the table. Unfortunantly, he hit a minor snag...and had to put opening the door on hold. He once again smiled his semi-sarcastic smile and set the table with a great deal of food. Sitting in the throne facing the only entrance, Kir bidded his time and played the waiting game.

"This...is so...boring. I hate waiting..."

 

[.ol0w0lo.]

"Please forgive me, I, well we--we lost someone, and he was a good man, and I...it just happened quite literally a few moments ago. I am not in my normal place at the moment, so I do apologize for the silence..." Brenda thought back to the man she had recently seen, and of the scream she had heard. The scholar looked to the woman as she extended her hand. The woman weakly smiled, her expression showing very little emotion. Brenda returned the weak smile with one of her own.

"You want to--join us? Perhaps, well, first we should start with introductions, no?" The woman laughed a bit, though the laugh was just as convincing as the forced smiles. Brenda could tell that the woman had been shaken by witnessing this death, and admired her for her refusal to show weakness. "My name is Danacia. I am Captain of the Winterhold Expedition of this dwemer ruin funded by Jarl Korir, and other wealthy nobles of the province. And you are?" Off in the distance another woman’s voice could be heard, screaming out about something. "I do apologize again, but, that's my sister! I will be right back I promise!" Brenda watched as Danacia scurried off to her sister at full speed. As the two met, their bodies became one, each one fully embracing the other as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages. Danacia glanced over toward Brenda once or twice, as if she were afraid of her running off. Before long, Danacia was on her way back to Brenda, and Brenda could hear the other woman squealing about some character named ‘Circe’.

"...but like I was saying, and you are?" The woman extended her hand once more, and this time Brenda gently grasped the woman’s hand before it was retracted again.

“My name is Brenda.”The scholar released her grip on Danacia’s hand, observing the woman. Something was not quite right about her. Perhaps it was her piercing lime green eyes.“I’m sorry if I’m intruding, but I felt as if my intrusion could be quite beneficial to you and your group. You see, I’m a bard and historian, off in search of a hero. You know, someone whose name and deeds are worthy of being eternized by written work? I believe that you and the others in your party are more than capable of being heroic. I mean, look at you all; You’re all here in an unknown land, venturing into an unknown ruin, purely for the sake of adventure. Even after one of your comrades has fallen victim to this place, you will press on into the unknown.

“Do you want to be rich? Famous? If you would allow for me to accompany you on this journey into the dark, I am more than positive that the whole of Skyrim, and perhaps even Tamriel will know the name ‘Danacia’. I am a part of the College in Solitude, you know. I often play for foreign diplomats, ambassadors and the like. Your name will heard! I only ask that you take a chance in allowing me to accompany you.”

Brenda looked around the cliff, seeing several others. This group showed much more promise now than it did as she watched from across the way. Some of these people would surely die if faced by some true challenges, and Brenda was no different. In fact, Brenda was in the worst position, having no weapon, armor, or knowledge of how to use any of the above. But again, she thought of the people of Skyrim, who had stopped living, and began to fear for their futures. Gone were the days of adventuring for the sake of adventure. Now, one would only adventure if there was a bounty involved. Yes, Brenda would travel with this group, for the sake of adventure, and for the sake of making history. That is, if they would have her.

 

[Skyrimosity]

Arith had fallen. It wasn't really that big of a deal to Rellian though he did hate to see the man go in such a way. He had grown tolerant, almost forgiving of Arith's ways and had kind of adjusted to the man's strange humor. But all that no longer mattered as he fell and likely died. Rellian descended the slope with ease, having done it many times previous.

From out of nowhere a person made themselves noticed, for one reason or another wanted to join the expedition. Rellian saw it as more less gold for me so he looked at the newcomer without happiness. For some reason though, before any of it happened and they had just set out, he accepted that new people would join the expedition as a sort of inevitability without knowing why he did so.

And of course Danacia's Sister was there... but that was a topic for another day. Even Rellian's mind refused to think about her.

Finally he made his opinion known "We still have a ruin to explore; the more time we waste the less supplies will hold up."

 

[Rekamennos]

Finally he made his opinion known "We still have a ruin to explore; the more time we waste the less supplies will hold up."

Danacia briefly moved her attention from Brenda's request to join the expedition, which she wasn't quite set on either due to deliberate lack of experience shown in her physical appearance nonetheless, and looked towards Rellian who finally decided to speak up. She nodded, and then replied, "I understand, Rellian, go ahead and join the others towards the way of the entrance. I won't be long. Everyone let's get moving we have no time to waste!" At the end, she raised her voice to indicate speaking towards the group that was remaining as a whole.

She then looked back to Brenda, moving her eyes up and down sizing her up as she crossed her arms. She kept a gentle demeanor, not wanting to impose her to feel like she had to challenge Danacia's disapproval, but the decline she had yet to favor was written across her face. She sighed, "To be honest I don't care for being famous throughout the lands, miss. I care for getting a job done, and getting it done well. The problem I have with you joining us is the fact that we will have to take care of you, because, it doesn't seem like you would be well with taking care of yourself. I would risking yet another life on my hands, and for that reason, I believe it is best if you make your way back towards civilization, or otherwise, where you will not be my responsibility...because this isn't a legendary story quest, it is a job that has to be done excellently, and we represent the entire province of Skyrim."

She then turned away from Brenda, dismissing the conversation on what seemed in the best way she felt could be a polite decline. She began to head towards the carriage of supplies in order to grab a hold of several things that she, and the others, could carry on foot to bring with them into the ruins. Not only would they have to carry themselves over the cliffside, but they would need to be able to make a few trips to gather necessary supplies from the wagon in order to survive the two month long projected expedition.

 

[Minstrel]

It was sad really, but Arith's death was already a dwindling memory in Circe's mind. Of course, she really had grown to like the man in the very short time she had known him, but seventy years of blood, gore and murder had somewhat dried out her emotions. The Vampires thoughts soon began to wander and she found herself thinking about blood. More specifically the blood of her team members. The personality of an individual is often reflected in their blood. Azeila immediately sprung to mind. Yes, she may have been a battle-hardened Nord, but Circe knew how calm and collect she was. Circe was sure that there was a pretty young woman under that helmet, but she pushed that thought from her mind. She had eaten some ugly bastards in her time and their taste was adequate. She tended to kill the ugly ones because - as horrible as it may seem - she never felt very bad about it. A pretty one such as Azeila may play on my conscience for second, perhaps minutes! Circe chuckled to herself as she thought about this, being and emotionless Vampire had its perks.


The woman had began to walk away from the group slightly when something stopped her in her tracks, but something so far away that she could not tell which one of her senses was picking up this disturbance. Her pupils were soon bathing in a dark crimson and immediately began to dart around the surrounding area. Her ears were reaching far out into the mountains, trying desperately to pick up the faintest sound and her nostrils began to sift through the smells that came flooding towards her. What is it, what is out there? Circe shook her head and turned sharply to Danacia who stood at ease a few meters away from her. Why hasn't Danacia noticed anything? Surely she should have noticed that something is wrong. Circe turned away from the Nord and let her eyes wander over the snow, but sure enough found nothing. She sighed gently and moved closer to the group once more, not surprised when a woman she had heard approaching a while ago came to Danacia and began to speak. “Excuse me, miss? Excuse me, but I was wondering if you might have room for one more in your — your team.” The Vampire soon lost interest and turned away as the two began to talk with each-other. She didn't have any interest in new members of their group at the moment.


A minute hadn't passed when Circe's wandering mind was pulled back to her, her ears were once again alert and her eyes were as sharp as ever. "So where's my Circe?" The Vampires eye widened suddenly and she turned with a wide grin to the familiar voice. "CIRCE MY LOVE!" Already moving towards her with outstretched arms was the comforting form of Leilani. Circe did the same and - as if they were young girls once more - they squealed in excitement and embraced each other tightly. "Leilani, I can't believe you're here!" The Vampire pulled away from the Nord and looked her in the eyes while she held her shoulders. "I've missed you so much, and you know how unusual that is for me. How have you been?!

 

[Rekamennos]

Danacia's attention grew interested with Circe and Leilani as she watched them converse and hug one another. Adalpha, her spirit wolf, growled from within. And at that moment, Adalpha, whom was Leilani's spirit wolf as well (they are clones) recognized the emergence of the other wolves' energy. Soon, the spirit wolves departed from their physical bodies and united at each other's sides in the astral realm. At that moment, Danacia and Leilani turned to look at each other always somehow finding it perplexing when this sort of thing happened despite how common it was for the two of them throughout their lives. It was a sister kind of thing.

Leilani moved her gaze from her sister and the spirit wolves back to Circe as she departed from the embrace. "How did you and my sister cross paths?" She asked, quite curious despite already knowing the answer. She yearned to delve into Circe's mind not having as much of a restraint on her curiousity quite like her sister, but, she still refrained. "And what do you know about this Edwin?" The second question she leaned in to say, looking over towards the group headed close towards the entrance and then watching as Danacia came to join them. Most of them were already by the front doors, but Danacia was helping send supplies down with the remaining crew members for all to carry while inside the ruins.

 

[Minstrel]

"How did you and my sister cross paths?" The Nord said as she quickly pulled her attention away from her sister and focused on Circe, perhaps a little too much. The woman had always had the tendancy to peer into the minds of other, but hopefully she knew that Circe's was a dark place and not one she cared to reveal to anyone at the moment. "And what do you know about this Edwin?"

"I'd heard about the discovery of a Dwemer ruin from one of my maids only a few days ago, and you know what I'm like, I crave a bit of action. I'm not getting any younger you see, but then again I'm not getting any older! I decided that I would come and see what was going on and before I knew it I was signed up on a team to go and explore a ruin." The Vampire began to move towards the cliff edge and ready herself to climb as she continued. "As for Edwin, he was just another mortal to keep me entertained, nothing that I wouldn't have eaten at some stage." Circe said this with a little wink, Leilani was one of the only people who understood her humour. She paused for a moment as she threw her legs over the edge and in one graceful movement, dropped down and dug her hands into the vertical surface of the ice, A manoeuvre than may have taken the average person a few minutes to preform even with climbing gear. "Feel free to join me!" She called up to Leilani as she slowed her descent to wait for her friend.

Circe was glad that Leilani had decided to tag along with the group for a bit, and she was certain that she knew why she had come. There were only a handful of people in the world that could make Circe smile without a thought of killing them going through her head, and this Nord was definitely one of them.

 

[Znowcicle]

Azaelia sighed and didn't bother to follow Circe's movements with her gaze. She passed Selia and began to climb down the face of the glacier. Her mind was still buzzing with the numbness of quick grief as she made her footholds precise and careful. It wasn't very long afterwards that Circe made her way down the glacier face too, making her holes in the ice quickly with her super human strength. Azaelia paid no mind as she made her way methodically down the ice. It was just another thing that stood in the way of her mission. Everything was black and white right now. Sadly, it was only herself and the new girl that appeared white in aura. Perhaps all her companions would turn their colors, but she didn't quite think that would be the case.

(sorry for the sucky post. I couldn't think of anything to really write. :/)