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    Rafen

    Well-Known Member
    Dren took a hold of Zarr's arm and pulled her to the rear of the group. He had no real desire to deal with any more guard captains. Especially not if all the guard captains' were like the one from Dragons Bridge. There was no proof-yet, to suggest the man who had introduced himself as Alfric would be quite so hostile. If anything, he seemed genuinely curious about why they had decided to stop in the village. Dren couldn't decide if that was better or worse. Once they reached the rear of the group, he looked over his shoulder. He didn't relish the idea of fleeing back into the swamps, but staying somewhere with a bunch of prying eyes on him appealed even less. Lowering his mouth to Zarr's ear, he muttered "look for exits."
     

    Thesius

    The Imperial Paladin
    Argus glanced at Lorkas, but it seemed the wizard had little interest in speaking up. Since Argus had nominated himself as group spokesperson, he supposed it was only fair he do the talking. "I know our appearance must be strange, especially with all that is happening out in the swamp, but we are tracking a group of villagers that we believe were taken this way. We were hoping to find shelter here for the night, then move on come morning." The truth, or at least the short version of it. He glanced at the group of guards, painfully aware that his companions were likely too tired to put up much of a fight if the people of Morthal decided they were bandits. "In exchange, we would be more than happy to get word of the undead to Whiterun for you."
     

    Madrar

    The Shadow in the Dark.
    The guard captain sighed, looking down and to the side. "I wish I had good news for you. But we have seen no one come through here. Not since," he nodded towards the corpses, "not since the dead started coming back to life." Alfric told them, "we've had to burn our own dead to stop them raising up and attacking us in our homes. It is...grim work." A few of the assembled guards and citizens nodded somberly, and the captain continued. "If your villagers came through the swamps or were brought through, against their will, it's likely they are part of the dead you've fought. You are of course welcome to stay the night. We would welcome the blades of any who fought their way through the swamp." As if that settled things, he looked past the group and whistled sharply.

    A quartet of guardsmen rushed to move chest high barricades across the entrance to Morthal, before falling inside the village. Two more guards swung the gates shut, setting a sturdy wooden bar across them. "You are welcome to explore Morthal, but I caution you not to wander too far from the walls if you feel the need to venture outside for whatever reason. Especially during the night." He turned his back to the group and waved his men away. A few of the guards looked at the strange assembly with new respect, but the suspicion was still there. The townsfolk dispersed and the guards returned to their patrols. "I will inform the jarl you've arrived." Alfric called over his shoulder as he walked away.

    Merric glanced up at the afternoon sky, then back to the others, now that they were left alone without the presence of the guards, the imperial said "we should look to get rooms and perhaps recover before we start investigating. If we run into trouble around town, being tired and sore would put us at a serious disadvantage."
     

    Harkatti

    Sorceress Supreme!
    She frowned at Dren as he suggested she look for exits. They were wanted fugitives of course, but running now would get them nowhere. She glanced over her shoulder, back out into the swamps, and shuddered. Besides, she didn't want to end up in the swamps with the dead and who knew what else lurking around out there. The choice was soon taken from them as their 'leader' negotiated with the guard captain. The man seemed more than willing to let them stay the night, even going so far as to warn them of the dangers outside. Not that a reminder was needed. The crowd around them dispersed as the guard closed and barred the gates.

    She grabbed her friends wrist, "we need to talk." She said in a tone that allowed for no arguments, leading him away from the main group. Perhaps not a good idea, but it was still better than fleeing, and she had questions she didn't want the others overhearing. She lead Dren to the backside of a building, well out of eyesight and earshot of the others. She let go of his hand and turned to face him. "Are you alright?" She asked, "I don't just mean about your nose thing earlier, but traveling with all these people...I think it's better we stay with them, but if you want to leave, I'll come with you. Just give the word."
     

    Rafen

    Well-Known Member
    Dren felt a sinking sensation in his chest as the gate was closed and locked behind them. The guards and townsfolk were no longer glaring at them, but the breton still felt more than a little uneasy. He felt a furred hand close around his own hand, and heard Zarr state that they needed to talk. He followed as she lead him away from the others. When they were safely away, she turned and bluntly asked if he was alright. "I'm fine. At least I think I am" he replied, though that was only a half truth. He had known there were risks with keeping his magic so tightly restrained, but he was no more certain what the consequences would be. Worrying Zarr more than was necessary seemed pointless. Her second question made him pause.

    He wasn't sure how he felt about the group. They had fought together, but that was more out of necessity than any sense of camaraderie. He was grateful to Sothas for stepping in between Zarr and the stormcloaks, but that didn't mean he owed them anything. Dren had no plans to warm up a group of cutthroat mercenaries any more than he had to. They were with the group because the stormcloaks were looking for a breton and a khajiit traveling together, not a pair of faceless mercenaries. Yet...could he just abandon them? Yes. Probably. Maybe. Instead of passing his doubts onto Zarr, he said "you know how I feel."
     

    Harkatti

    Sorceress Supreme!
    Zarr scowled at the bretons' non-committal responses. He had been the same when she'd found his sorry carcass in prison. Maybe a little worse. She liked to think she had managed to eke some of his personality out in the time they'd traveled together. "You think you are?" She repeated, ears tilting back in annoyance. She reached out and gave him a gentle shove in the chest. "What if you aren't? You should talk to that mage, that...Lorkas fellow. He might be able to help with...whatever caused your nose to start bleeding. More than I can." She huffed an annoyed sigh, "I know you think of them as just mercenaries, but I'm your friend, aren't I? Shut them out if you must, but don't do that to me."
     

    Rafen

    Well-Known Member
    Alarmed at the mention of the nord wizard, Dren risked a glance around the side of the building to see if any of the others had grown curious as to where they'd gone off to. As far as he could tell, they were still by the gate, discussing their next move. Still, he grabbed Zarr by the shoulders and shifted her a little further away. "No!" He hissed, "if anything, that could make things worse. We're still fugitives, Zarr." He knew the reminder was unnecessary and probably came off as more than a little condescending. "I only say you know how I feel because you should feel the same; these people are dangerous. We may be stuck traveling with them and fighting alongside them for now, but they'll turn on us the instant they realize who were are. We must be careful."
     

    Harkatti

    Sorceress Supreme!
    Zarr's ears tilted back further as her friend grabbed her shoulders and man-handled her further from the group. Irritated, she shrugged his hands off her and stepped back. "I'm only trying to help!" She insisted, "in case you haven't figured it out, if you drop dead because of some magic-induced problem, I'll be on my own." It was a selfish statement, but she felt a little gratification in admitting it. Dren might have reasons to avoid letting on that he was a mage, but Zarr had her own reasons for sticking to his side, and he'd do well not to forget that. "I know we have to be careful. But if we're too focused on watching the others, we're bound to get killed by something we should be watching for." She sighed, hoping her message was getting through to the stubborn man, before closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around him. "I just don't want something to happen to you because your mind is in the wrong place."
     

    Rafen

    Well-Known Member
    Dren stiffened as the khajiit woman closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him. He was unused to people touching him without malicious intent. Still, there was something pleasant about having her close. Her head only barely reached his shoulders, and he reached around to awkwardly pat her back. He was new to this hugging business. After a handful of heartbeats had passed, he broke the embrace. "We had better get back to the others" he said with more than a little reluctance. "I'll keep in mind what you've said, Zarr. But I don't plan on getting killed any time soon." He started moving towards the rest of the group, painting a neutral expression on his face as he did so.
     

    Morbidbread

    Fight for the lost
    Thoras glanced over as quiet and somewhat less than friendly khajiit and breton duo slunk off. He cocked an eyebrow, not having taken the pair for lovers...and he still wasn't convinced they were. The oddly aggressive way the breton had reacted when asked about his bleeding nose, and the concern the small khajiit had shown for him hinted that something was going on. He was badly tempted to follow them and eavesdrop on their conversation, but decided against it. He was well aware he wasn't the most liked of their group, and spying on some of his companions probably wouldn't engender warm feelings. Just the opposite in fact.

    So instead, he turned to the others, leaning his glaive against his shoulder. "So we've established that the villagers were at least headed toward Morthal, but they obviously didn't count on running into a horde of undead. The choice we have now, is to either comb the swamps and hope to find some sign of them, or assume they bypassed the swamp entirely." He looked from one member of the group to another, "thoughts?"
     

    TheShadedOne

    The Angry One
    Kaliir lowered her guard a little as the group of mixed guardsmen and civilians move away, their curiosity satisfied. The other khajiit of the group lead the grumpy looking breton away, and Thoras followed them with his gaze, just as she had. Before she could make some quip about him being prying in on others' business, he brought up the problem of the villagers.

    Kaliir shrugged, "the way I see it, if the villagers or whoever snatched them, bypassed the swamp, we're ahead of them, so we don't have much to worry about. If they've already passed through...well, we're not going to be much help if we're too tired to take down whatever it is that's taken them."
     

    Rell

    Champion of Malacath!
    Balgur relaxed a little as the suspicious knot of folk dispersed. It was odd to be suspected because he was a stranger instead of just his armour. The elf, Thoras, and the khajiit, Kaliir, started discussing options. "I agree with the khajiit" he said, nodding towards her. "One way or the other, we know we're on the right path. At the moment we can't do anything. We rest up here, ask around a bit," he shrugged "maybe someone less obvious than me does the asking, and then we head out. I don't recommend we overstay our welcome."
     

    Thesius

    The Imperial Paladin
    The group were told that they were welcome to stay in Morthal, and the guard captain went off to inform the jarl of their arrival. Thoras turned towards the bulk of the group, and ask about what they ought to do now. Kaliir and Balgur spoke up, indicating it was better to rest and ask around before they rushed off in pursuit. Argus remembered the imperial, Merric, mention something about getting rooms at the local inn as well. "Well, unless anyone objects" he glanced at Lorkas, Sothas, and the dunmer and altmer women who had thus far remained silent, "I will go with Merric and purchase lodgings for the group. I don't know what the rest of you wish to do, but we should meet up at the inn by nightfall" He turned his attention to the sky, judging it was heading into the later stage of the afternoon. "A couple hours to wander and ask questions, unless I miss my guess." He nodded towards Merric and began heading in the direction he assumed the inn was.
     

    TheArgonianDrell

    Well-Known Member
    It was not long before the guard captain arrived to question the group, but it went smoother than Sothas thought it would have. If anything, the people seemed a little impressed the fact Sothas and the others managed to fight their way through the undead. From what the captain said, he gathered that the dead had been besieging Morthal for the past while, though any real details were left out. The group was given leave to stay in Morthal, and the crowd dispersed, with the captain going off to tell the jarl of their arrival. The others started planning what they'd do during their stay in the village, but Sothas wasn't really listening. He watched a group of guards close and secure the wooden gates, setting a heavy locking bar in place before going about their duties. It was interesting they would keep the gates so securely barred during the middle of the day, but considering the ambush they'd walked into out in the swamps, he supposed there was no reason to take stupid chances.

    He turned to the pair of nords, just as Argus declared he was going to see about getting lodging set up for them, and telling them to meet at inn before nightfall. One other, Merric, Argus thought his name was, he headed deeper into Morthal. To Lorkas, he asked "are you from Morthal, or the surrounding area? It might be useful to have a local guide."

    Beside him, Aylira stirred restlessly, before murmuring "I'm going to take a look around." She didn't wait for her friends' confirmation, slipping away from the main group with the ease of years of practice. She stuck to the less populated streets, inspecting the buildings and defences. They seemed improvised, hinting that the sudden onset of walking corpses was a fairly new development. Though she tried to appear merely curious, a lone dark elf, clearly well armed and clearly from out of town, drew more than a few suspicious stares a raised eyebrows. She didn't question anyone, merely moving around and observing. Collecting information to pass on to the others.
     

    Aethalia

    Well-Known Member
    Ysane released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as the guard captain and the crowd of nords ambled away from the group. Her hands had clenched so tightly that it was almost a struggle to return them to some semblance of a casual position. She stood off to the side as the others discussed the best course of action. She was not familiar with the lay of the land and besides, she had little idea of what to suggest. Their path ahead seemed fairly straight forwards, and as the group began spreading out, she wandered off on her own. She kept her eyes and ears open, but spoke to none of the inhabitants of Morthal. Perhaps she should have, but every time she got close, the cold fist of fear clenched around her heart. She shied away from the guards, lowering her gaze as they approached, and getting more than a few strange looks for her behaviour.
     

    Rell

    Champion of Malacath!
    The others began splitting to find out what they could and Balgur decided to do the same, leaving the few that hadn't moved away from the gate to their own devices. He slung his shield over his shoulder and walked down the main road, using his spear as a walking stick. He wasn't wounded, but he was pretty sore. He found himself looking forwards to collapsing in one of the inns' rooms after a nice hot meal. A rest would do all of them some good, before they headed out to recover the villagers. If they could find them, that was. A swamp was a bad place to track anyone, and if the ones that had taken them were any kind of smart, they would have gone through the hardest path to follow.

    Which was, he supposed, the other reason they had stopped in Morthal. People saw things. People talked. The undead pyres had been a surprise, of course, but that didn't mean a group of prisoners being dragged through the swamps wouldn't get a few raised eyebrows. Looking up at the sky, the old soldier guessed it was getting near late afternoon, maybe evening. People were still out and about, though most looked armed and shot him suspicious glances as they passed. It seemed fighting their way through undead infested swamps only bought them so much trust.

    He looked around, spotting an older woman, well into her forties, he guessed, hanging some clothes out to dry. He stepped off the main road, onto the boardwalks that seemed to make up most of the pathways of the swamp town. His boots clunked heavily as he approached and she looked, hearing him. Now that he was closer, he could see streaks of grey in her black hair. She wore a plain tan dress and warm looking shoes. Balgur thought he saw the glint of fear in her eyes as she straightened up to face him.

    Trying his best to appear nonthreatening, he nodded politely. "Ma'am. Got a few questions for you, if you don't mind."

    The nord put her hands on her hips, "aye? What do you want to know?"

    "People seem on edge here. It always this tense?" He wanted to ease her into his questions and not scare her off.

    She snorted "You blind or stupid?" She demanded, nodding out towards the swamp. "Dead been coming back. Gotta keep a sharp eye out."

    "Of course," he said, noting that the hilt of a dagger protruded from her left hip. Her hand was not far from it. "How long about would you say the dead started coming back?"

    She shrugged, still eyeing him warily. "Not too long. Days kinda blend together when you don't get much sleep."

    "Right. One more question, if you don't mind."

    She didn't look thrilled, but she nodded shortly, "My companions and I are tracking some missing folks. Have an idea they may have passed through this way." Balgur watched as the expression on her face went from caution to full blown fear. She shook her head, backing towards one of the houses.

    "Don't know nothing about that!" She exclaimed, backing away as Balgur stepped forwards, confused.

    "Ma'am-"

    "Leave me be!" She stumbled, barely managing to catch herself. The orc was about to ask about her blatant overreaction, when he heard two pairs of armoured footsteps behind him.

    "Everything alright, Sigred?" An accented nord voice asked. Balgur turned to see a pair of guardsmen, one with a spear, the other with an axe tucked into his belt.

    "There's no problem" Balgur assured them, holding empty hands out in front of him. "I was just about to go on my way."

    The guards eyed him, taking in his weapons and legionnaires armor. "Aye" one said, "that's probably for the best." They parted to let him through, but he could feel their eyes on him as he made his way back onto the main street.
     

    Andre Marek

    You can run, but you'll only die tired...
    As the rest of the group began to wander off, alone or in pairs, Lorkas looked after a few of them, Argus included, before deciding to head for the inn. He figured that having their entire group wandering around Morthal would cause more suspicion among the residents than anything else. Besides that, he wanted to find a quiet area in order to further inspect the gem he had found at the farmhouse. Patting the place in his bag where the gem was safely stowed, he headed towards the large wooden building.

    Climbing the few steps and pushing open the door, Lorkas was greeted with a rush of warm air and the scent of bread cooking, both very welcome as he cast a quick look around the main room. Although the place had changed a bit since the last time he'd been there he noticed the same woman still stood behind the bar serving drinks and food to the few locals that occupied tables. A few of them turned to look at him as he entered but after a cursory look at his travel robes they all returned to their drinks. Lorkas had happy to see the owner of the Moorside, Jonna, was still in Morthal because it meant that her brother was likely still there as well. Although he was keen to examine the gem himself first, he had a feeling that what ever it was, he would have to seek out someone with more expertise in such items. Someone such as Jonnas brother, Falion.

    Lorkas chose a table situated in the corner opposite the door and sat with his back to the wall as he called for a pint of beer. Once Jonna was close enough he said, "Thank you Jonna. It's been a little while hasn't it?" He gave a slight smile as he pulled back his hood to reveal his face to her.

    Jonna didn't miss a step but was definitely caught off guard, given her expression and gave him a quizzical look,
    "I'm sorry sir but I'm not sure that we know each other" She set the pint down in front of him as she spoke.

    "Ahh perhaps not directly but I do know your brother." He placed a few coins on the table for the drink and proceeded to take a sip of the refreshing black liquid, "I'm actually hoping to speak with Falion. That is, if he's still in town?" Now it was his turn to give her a questioning look.

    After moments pause, Jonna nodded,
    "I see. You're a mage then." She said as she scooped up the coins, "My brother is still here. Still in the same house too if you know where that is. He's usually home at this tie of day."

    Lorkas nodded as Jonna spoke. He had purchased the odd tome from Falion on past visits to Morthal so he knew exactly where the man lived. Falion was extremely competent in conjuration magic as well as being quite knowledgeable about magicka in general and Lorkas felt that the redguard might be better equipped to discern the secrets the gem held.

     

    TheArgonianDrell

    Well-Known Member
    Sothas watched the wizard and several of the others wander off. With a shrug, he began to meander, keeping to the main street. It got him more looks from passing guards and citizens than lurking around the edges of Morthal, but he had Aylira for that. Besides, Sothas was too big to really lurk. Looming, he could pull off. More times than he could count he had intimidated others merely by standing a little too close. He'd always been embarrassed afterwards. His dunmer companion found it hilarious. For that reason, he didn't approach any of the people outside. He didn't need to. Years of travel and spending time among various peoples had taught him how to read the body language of those around him. The people of Morthal were on edge and not without reason. "So how do we find out what we need to know?" The argonian murmured to himself.
     

    TheShadedOne

    The Angry One
    Unnoticed by the others as they split into small groups or went off on their own, Kaliir trailed behind the big argonian, Sothas. She was happy to let him draw the attention of guards and townsfolk, while she listened and watched. Much to her annoyance, there was little that was revealed. Most folks kept to themselves, and even those that didn't shy away from Sothas clamped their jaws shut and eyed them warily. There wasn't much to hear, except what the guard captain had already told them, so she caught up to Sothas and tapped on his armoured forearm. "Where's your stealthy companion? You know, the one that might have a chance of finding something?"
     

    Morbidbread

    Fight for the lost
    Thoras let the others get on with their plans without objection. The others seemed determined to question the locals and learn what they could, which the dunmer had no real objections to. He set off as well, though not to speak with the villagers of Morthal. The masked woman who had joined them shortly before they had set out for the farmhouse back in Dragons bridge intrigued him. She was not like the other dunmer, Aylira, but then, altmer had always been somewhat aloof. Yet, something else drew his attention. The way she acted around the nord guards, even the townsfolk, hinted at an unpleasant history. Moving quickly, Thoras approached her and slowed to a stroll as he reached her side. "You have a very interesting way of questioning the locals. Flinching and avoiding them seems like a poor way to garner information."
     

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