Spoiler The Bane of Reason

[Madrar]

Hey guys, just another fan-fic by me. feel free to comment. WARNING: Spoilers for those of you that read my other stories.
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An Invitation​

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4E 216​

Bloodlet Throne ​

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" I trust you'll take care of things in my absence?" Salthar Vivarian asked of the other vampire standing in the courtyard of the renewed Bloodlet Throne. His brother nodded "I always do, don't I?" A chill wind blew across the snow covered ground, whipping hair and robes around in a flurry. Salthar's horse, a black creature with pure red eyes ,and a fiery mane stood, ready to depart. "I should be back well within a month, if not..well, I'm sure you've been itching for an opportunity to lead" chuckled the black haired vampire. He swung up into the saddle of his nightmare steed and tapped it's sides, sending the beast into a gallop.​

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It had been two years since Salthar's return to Skyrim. The destruction of the Dawnguard and restoration of his coven had taken place shortly after. During those two years he'd met Selena Defleur, a young Breton mercenary. She'd been hired to clear out a rather large bandit camp, along with several other mercenaries. The battle hadn't gone well, and she'd been captured by the bandits. As they'd been about to defile her, Salthar had arrived, drawn by the sounds of the fight. He'd killed the bandits, rescued Selena and turned her. Whether it had been the severity of her injuries, or simply a small measure of mercy on Salthar's part, it had happened.​

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The two of them had grown closer together, until eventually,the inevitable occurred. Afterwards, the pair had gone their separate ways...leaving Salthar with a feeling of...well, he didn't know what. If he was honest with himself, he really didn't want to feel anything, not so soon after it had ended. And, of course, the death of his wife was always haunting him. Shaking himself out of his gloomy musings, he laughed suddenly and removed his hood, allowing the cold night air to whip through his long black hair. The reason for his journey was a one line letter he'd received two days before. It instructed Salthar to travel to the Windpeak inn in the city of Dawnstar. The road was abandoned, and the night air fresh, but even so, it still took the vampire two days to make his way to the city.​

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The port city had boomed in the twelve years since its' destruction by the undead. Although Ulfric was strongly against having non-Nords in the country, the frozen tundra needed trade to thrive. Dawnstar was one of those trade hubs, with spices, foods, and other goods coming in from HammerFell, Morrowind, and Black Marsh. Of course, that was when those ships weren't sunk by the Thalmor naval vessels that waited to intercept such ships.​

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The Windpeak inn had been burnt down by the dragons in the last war, but over the past twelve years, it had been rebuilt, roughly three times larger than last time. It now had two floors, although the sign with the establishment's name, was much older than the newer building. A storm was beginning to whip up from the sea. Salthar couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for the fools attempting to dock, as the waves began to crash against the dock threateningly.​

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As he stepped into the tavern, he immediately felt a familiar presence, and his gaze was drawn to a woman sitting across from the door, with long auburn hair, and bright green eyes. Salthar recognized her immediately, Smiling lightly, but also more than a little curious, the Altmer vampire took a seat in the chair across from her. " Well, well...fancy seeing you here again, Selena" The Breton vampire smiled " Salthar! It's a pleasure to see you again" the Altmer vampire nodded, before holding up the piece of parchment " I trust this isn't yours?" His female companion frowned and shook her head, holding up a similar letter. " I received a letter by courier two days ago, telling me to come here" Now both vampire looked more than a little perturbed by the turn of events, although neither of them commented on it further.​

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After an awkward silence, Salthar ordered the best vintages of wine for the two of them before asking "So...I have you been well?"​

" Yes, fine...yourself?"​

" I've been...good" they continued this back and forth conversation, over their goblets' of wine. Which gradually increased over as the time crawled by. However, as much as Salthar might have denied it to any others, he found himself enjoying the company of the red haired vampire. He'd missed her laugh, and her intelligent remarks. Perhaps meeting her in the Windpeak was a good thing.​

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The Ghost Sea, Near DawnStar, aboard the Ice Hammer​

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Veridas Ashhart absolutely hated boats. The way they swayed underfoot, and seemed to leap forward when they hit the waves. His companion, the Dunmer, Dorvath Shadowrune, stood at the prow of the ship, a wide smile on his dark features. The dark elf's mane of white hair whipped around in the cold breeze. A mixture of snow and rain pelted the mixed crew of Redguard and Nord sailors. The storm had started several days ago, shortly after they had departed from Chasetown. The captain, Hrommar Icemaul had wanted to turn around and wait for the storm to pass, but Dorvath and Veridas had managed to convince him to continue at full speed for Dawnstar.​

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It had helped that the Ice Hammers' cargo of goods would spoil if it was delayed for much longer. As the Breton assassin's stomach lurched once more, he regretted, not for the first time, having argued quite so forcefully for the trip. Dorvath suddenly called him over "look my friend! We've arrived!" Peering through the blowing wind and rain, Veridas could see the docks of Dawnstar, and masts of other ships. He slumped on the rail, part relief, and part exhaustion. Then from beside him, Dorvath remarked thoughtfully, " I wonder what the return journey will be like?"​

Veridas turned a venomous glare on his companion, and spat "damn you to Oblivion" before retching overboard.​

***​

The Dunmer's laugh was genuine and devoid of fear. The clever dark elf mercenary knew the assassin wouldn't actually take any action against him. After all, he'd helped Veridas escape the wrath of a furious vampire lord several years ago. Dorvath assumed that was a reason for his friends aggravated behavior.Well, that and the sea sickness of course. As the cargo ship docked, the crew lowered ramps, and proceeded to unload their cargo, while the captain turned to the two companions. " You know, you could always stay on 'til we get back to Hammerfell...or I could drop you anywhere between here and there.." Hrommar said, the tough sea captain showing an uncommon friendliness in his gruff way.​

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Dorvath was seriously considering the captains offer. On their journey, they'd helped the crew fight off several attacks by raiders and pirates, and made a good amount of gold doing so. When he looked to inquire of his companion however, he saw Veridas already on the dock, seeming greatly relieved to be back on solid ground. Smiling, he turned back to the captain "Truly, a tempting offer" he admitted, " but I fear my friend would not enjoy another journey...he hasn't taken to the sea as I have" Hrommar nodded in understanding​

"Aye...mighty handy in a battle, that one, but I wouldn't want him to turn those deadly blades my way" he said, handing over two medium sized coin purses. " For yer services" as the Dunmer shook his hand and headed back down the ramp, the captain called after him: " Watch yourself, and your friend while here....these are tough times for non Nords in Skyrim" the captain said, as he waved farewell.​

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The Dark Elf mercenary bowed low in thanks, and turned to catch up to the assassin, who was already heading for the city. He jogged over to his friend, tossing him his pay, and pulling his hood up to protect against the harsh wind, snow and rain that was assaulting the city. "Do you know where the Windpeak inn actually is?" Veridas gave his dark skinned travelling companion a look that said​

'are you really questioning me?' Before answering " of course I know where it is, it's just.. been a while" as the assassin scanned the buildings for the sign he remembered from several years before, Dorvath removed the invitation from his belt pouch.​

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Reading aloud, as he had the first time the invitation had found them in Hammerfell.​

" Dear sirs, you are invited to an occasion of grand importance", he read, "should you choose to attend, make all speed to the city of Dawnstar, and wait at the Windpeak Inn. Thank you in advance, a friend" the Dunmer found the invitation more than a little strange, but his friend had been willing to go, and hence, so was he.​

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***​

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Veridas had his own hood up against the wet and cold that was whipping against his body. " It must be summer in Skyrim" the Breton muttered to himself. They'd made their way perhaps halfway through the city (which was much larger than Veridas remembered) when they found the inn. That too was much larger than Veridas' remembered. From beside him, Dorvath stated " you know, it occurs to me that this may be a trap" the assassin froze, his hand inches away from the door, and turned to glare at the dark elf. Although the elf looked as if he'd only just thought of it, Veridas knew that the clever mercenary had brought the subject up only to irritate him.​

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"The Ice Hammer is staying at the docks for another day or two, we could always-"​

Veridas' stern glare killed that line of thinking before it even began. "We can fight our way out of any trap these Nords can set" once again he reached for the door, only to hear his companion smugly comment; " It isn't Nords I'm thinking about" Veridas spun around and hissed​

"You do realize I'm going to kill you some day, correct?" Dorvath simply chuckled and brought his hands up in mock surrender. " Don't say I didn't warn you.." he said, as the assassin, shaking his head, turned and opened the door to the inn. When he saw the tall, robed and hooded figure, he swore under his breath, his hands going to his weapons. "I warned you" quipped Dorvath from behind him.​

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[Madrar]

The Arrivals​

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The Windpeak Inn, Dawnstar​

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Salthar had been truly enjoying the evening, when the door opened, letting in a fair amount of howling wind and cold. Turning, Salthar cursed to himself, and stood, his hand going to his ebony sword, Blood Letter. In High Elven, the blade was named Serke ai Tenwa , literally translated it meant to drink of blood.he heard a chair fall to the ground as Selena leapt to her feet as well, her two elven daggers appearing in her hands.​

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The man that had entered the tavern was none other than a Paladin of Arkay. The man wore what looked like steel plate, but the armour was a gold-white color, rather than the dull grey of steel. Also, instead of a closed helmet, his helm was open, with only a nose guard. He drew a silver sword, and un-slung a shield, that was the diamond shape of most Imperial shields, except that it sported the symbol of Arkay in the center.​

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The Paladins of Arkay were a religious-military faction in Skyrim, and were rapidly spreading. They'd been formed in the last year of the Vampire War, armed with blessed armour and weaponry. Although they had seen little to no action in the war, they'd been instrumental in forcing the undead out of their last redoubts in the open areas' of Skyrim. One paladin was no match for a vampire, but they usually fought in groups of five, alongside a priest or priestess of Arkay. Salthar had fought dozens of paladins, and knew to not underestimate them. However, this specific paladin was on his own, and with two experienced vampires in the tavern, the odds were not in the man's favor.​

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Then the doors opened, and Salthar recognized the first man, a Breton assassin by the name of Veridas Ashhart. The man also had no love for vampires, and if he decided to join the fight, the two vampires might have to struggle. However, the assassins' Dunmer friend walked over to the paladin and said a few calming words. The man seemed to deflate a little, and sheathed the blessed silver sword, although he didn't remove his hateful glare from the two vampires. Salthar moved his seat to beside Selena, knowing full well that they'd have a better chance if their backs were to a wall.​

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As the night wore on, more adventurers arrived, all having received the mysterious invitation. Finally, the table that has started out with only two vampires at it, ended up with eleven mix and match characters in the tavern. A Khajiit knight, wearing steel plate minus the helmet with a great sword, a Breton mage, a wood elf archer, two Nords, a ranger and a warrior, an assassin,a Bosmer, a Dunmer, and two vampires. Salthar was skeptical about the group, thinking that if anything were to be expected from the besides sitting at a table and swapping looks that ranged from mildly interested to furious, they'd fall apart.​

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The Dunmer seemed to be delighted. He glanced around the table, taking in faces, and smiling benignly before asking " so...names?" Salthar sighed, as the group glanced at each other each wondering who would go first. No one seemed willing to volunteer, although the dark elf didn't seem to care either way. Shrugging, he rose from the table " My name, then, dear friends, is Dorvath Shadowrune" and so it went. The Breton mage introduced himself as Marcus, his Nord warrior companion that he'd arrived with, was Arnjon, a tough, mercenary looking character, in the typical fur lined steel armor and cuffed boots, the blonde haired Nord, and brown haired Breton were obviously a team. The ranger, Salthar already knew as Delbar Longstride, a renowned warrior and his glass great sword Silvershard was already legend among the people of Skyrim. The assassin, Veridas, only grunted his first name, and the others didn't press him for a sur-name. The Khajiit was Kar'Zharo, the Wood elf, Alana Snowdust, the Imperial paladin, Tiberius Decimus, and finally, Salthar and Selena introduced themselves last.​

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The group exchanged other pleasantries, before Salthar raised his voice to be heard over the noise of the tavern. " Does anyone have any idea as to the origins of these letters?" Salthar surveyed the table with his gaze, but all of the group simply looked perplexed. A nagging feeling in the back of Salthar's mind told him that this had happened before, nearly twenty years before...an assembled group of warriors, had met in this very tavern, in fact. Sighing, he nodded to himself, he'd hoped that someone knew the person sending out the letters, then it wouldn't seem so.... ominous. After a few more rounds of wine and ale, Dorvath, Veridas' travelling companion, it seemed, came up with a suggestion: " Why not, tomorrow morning, we split into teams of two, and scout around the city?" When he was sure he had the attention of the entire table, although Arnjon looked as if he'd had more than a little too much to drink.​

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Once all had agreed to the plan, the group rented rooms. The innkeeper, who'd been staring at the mixed bag of adventurers as if he expected them to come over and tell him that they were actually Thalmor spies come to interrogate his patrons and burn down the inn. He looked more than a little surprised when they came to rent rooms, and by the look on his face, he hadn't seen the amount of coin in some time. Or at least, not all at once, by the time Salthar had paid for his own room and was heading up the stairs to the second floor, the man was wishing them a good night, and thanking them for their custom. Salthar decided that the innkeeper was one of the few Nords that he wouldn't murder.​

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Veridas waited until they were well out of earshot of Salthar, before glaring at his companion. "Why don't we split into teams of two and scout around the city?" The assassin mocked " Are you trying to get me killed!?" Dorvath, as usual, didn't look even remotely phased by his friends outburst. Over the last three years of adventuring alongside the Breton, he'd come to expect them. "Calm down, Veridas, he didn't even look that upset when he saw you" the dark elf responded in an even tone.​

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The assassin snorted " Yeah, he didn't look that upset when he sent his brother and a small army of bloodsuckers after last time either!" Exclaimed the thoroughly annoyed Veridas. Dorvath glanced at him, clearly interested " I thought his brother went after you because you tried to kill him?" The Breton waved the question away " That's the main reason, but I think both the blood sucking elf brothers wanted me dead, after all, as Vegan, or Vengar, or whatever his name was said 'I'm only an inferior mortal" Dorvath snorted in laughter, earning him another dangerous look.​

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"Whatever the reason may be, I'm certain that his lordship has lost interest in you, after all , you are just an inferior mortal" grinned the Dunmer. The look that Veridas turned on him this time was purely murderous " well, goodnight, then, my friend!" Dorvath said quickly, retreating into his own room and closing and locking the door. He then went about preparing for bed, although he couldn't suppress the occasional laugh from escaping, as he though about his friends parting expression.​

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***​

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As the wooden door slammed in his face, Veridas thought furiously, 'some day, I'm going to kill that elf' . He doubted that day would ever arrive, however. As much as the assassin professed that he had and needed no friends, the less he believed it himself. Dorvath Shadowrune had rescued him from certain death only three years ago, and while adventuring the deserts of Hammerfell, the two had established a strong friendship. The dark elf was the only one that Veridas trusted with the story of his past, and although the Dunmer was constantly playing tricks and joking about very serious matters, he would never betray Veridas. Although, if someone offered enough gold, Dorvath might just spill his guts, or stab Veridas in the back, if the price was right.​

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He strolled down the corridor, searching for his room number. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice the cloaked man walking up behind him, nor the outstretched hand. He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone grabbed his shoulder, and spun around, bringing his dagger halfway out of its' sheathe. He relaxed only slightly when he realized he now faced the ranger, Delbar, who stood with a slightly puzzled expression on his face. " Are you alright?" The man asked, and when Veridas nodded, he grinned and explained " I only wanted to inquire as to whether you would go scouting with me on the morn"​

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Glad that more was not required of him, he nodded, " certainly" the ranger turned and strolled back down the hallway, as Veridas unlocked the door of his room.He felt a slight uneasiness, but still, at least he didn't have to partner with Salthar. That would have been a nightmare.​

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[Madrar]

Disturbing Discoveries​

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DawnStar​

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The group met downstairs once again for break fast. Of course ,the vampires didn't eat, as they were far behind the need for mortal foods. Salthar kept to himself, answering a question when it was asked of him, but mostly keeping silent. After the group had finished eating, Dorvath cleared his throat. " So, groups of two I was thinking, so that we may cover more ground and gather further information about who our mysterious host is" the group agreed, and were paired off by experience. Salthar was paired with Kar'Zharo, Selena with Dorvath, Delbar with Veridas, and so on.​

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" We will meet here at dusk to discuss our findings" announced Delbar, wrapping his cloak around him. The storm had mostly passed, leaving a beautiful plain of ice covered snow, but it was still bitterly cold outside. Even the hold guards wore heavy woolen clothes under their armour to prevent the dreadful frostbite. citizens were splashing hot water onto the streets, in an attempt to melt the worst of the ice, which would make travel by horse or on foot a nightmare.​

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The Khajiit stood beside him and surveyed the landscape of houses, warehouses, and the occasional manor. Dawnstar really had done well in terms of population, income and trade. "Where do we start?" Kar'Zharo asked, regarding his vampiric companion with curiosity. Salthar considered for a few moments before deciding "we should start on the edge of the city, and work our way in to the center" the Khajiit knight nodded in agreement, and began trudging off through the knee high snow. The reason, Salthar didn't want to start in the more heavily populated area's of the town were obvious. Neither of the two were Nords, which would attract attention and possibly lead to violence.​

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They made their way to Dawnstar's main gate, and were informed by the guards that the gates closed at sunset. The pair made their way along the walls, searching for anything out of the ordinary. As they searched, they made small talk. "So, you have been in Skyrim long?" Asked the Khajiit as they made their way around the stone wall that blocked easy land access to the city. Salthar nodded " About twenty years, I've lived here, although, mainly out of the way of the Nords" he explained then regarded his companion curiously "And what of you?" He inquired, " Have you been in this land very long?" Kar'Zharo was already shaking his head " Not long at all, actually. I only arrived two days ago, on a ship from Elsweyr, before the storm hit"​

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As the day wore on, they managed to survey the majority of the area near the walls, until the Khajiit knight mentioned searching farther out. The vampire was agreeable, and so they headed out into the hills around the city, searching for anything out of the ordinary. "So,why become a knight?" Salthar asked ,after having seen nothing of interest at the third area they'd checked. Kar'Zharo glanced up from a boot track he was examining to respond " I know why you ask. Khajiit are not known for their..how do the humans say? Honourable tactics?" The Khajiit's lips stumbled over the unfamiliar words. " Our leaders decided we needed to be able to defend ourselves against more than those tree-huggers, so they decided to create the Knights of the Moons" he explained " I am Cathay-Raht, the strongest breed of our people, born of the waxing moons.Only Cathay-Raht may join the knighthood"​

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Salthar listened in interest to the Khajiit's explanations. It had a been nearly three decades since he'd been to the Khajiiti homeland, and apparently, much had changed. His only information had come from the Thalmor ambassador, Ilmion Umanrin, who sent him the occasional status update. "have you been in many battles?" The Knight hesitated, before answering​

" I have been, but this one is still...how do you say..Ma'Do'Khajiit?" Salthar frowned. he'd once been able to translate the most common form of Khajiiti dialect, but that had been when he was in Elsweyr studying their ways with his father. However, the experienced could guess at what the knight meant " Inexperienced?" Relieved the furred warrior nodded.​

"No in normal battles, you understand, only...in this armour"​

"I understand"​

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An hour later, they finally found something. Or rather, Kar'Zharo found something and called Salthar over to his location. A corpse, it's nose and ears blackened by frost, lay perfectly flat on its' back, with eerie, clouded over eyes staring up into the waning sunlight. Something, seemed not right about the corpse, as though it had been placed deliberately, to attract attention. But then, who would waste their time and energy lugging a frozen corpse all the way to Dawnstar on the off chance someone might stumble across it? "Don't touch it!" The vampire ordered on impulse. Kar'Zharo, who'd been about to do that very thing, looked up, a startled expression on his face " Why? What is wrong?" In response, Salthar gestured to the body, having finally realized what was off about this situation "no tracks, no sign that anyone else was ever here.So either the people dumping corpses are extremely good at covering their tracks or they used-​

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"Magic" the Khajiit knight finished his line of thought for him. "I see, I will not touch the bodies"​

Salthar glanced up at the plural form, and then swore silently when he saw the other ten corpses, all face up, all without any tracks about them. "Come on, we'll head back to the Windpeak Inn, and report this to the guards in the morning" instructed the Altmer sorcerer.​

"Should we not inform the guards now?" Inquired his companion. Salthar chuckled with morbid humor​

"Why? They aren't going anywhere" The two companions headed back to the Windpeak Inn and discuss their disturbing findings with the others. They would have been much more disturbed if they had looked just over the next set of hills, and seen the hundred corpses beyond that.​

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While the Khajiit and Altmer were searching for clues outside the walls, Veridas and Delbar were doing the same inside the walls. " We should ask around in the market area first, and make our way out towards the walls" the assassin nodded in agreement, and the two men wandered out from the inn. They went down the frozen, ice-slick roads, questioning merchants and traders. The ranger, Delbar, asked idly, " I have a feeling that you and Salthar know each other" the assassin snorted derisively " I tried to kill his younger brother...it didn't go as planned" the ranger glanced at him, considerably more impressed than he'd been a moment ago. " You fought a vampire and survived?"​

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"I barely survived...if Vengar hadn't been distracted.." Veridas trailed off, leaving the unsavory thought unfinished. Delbar understood apparently, because he only nodded, and left the matter alone. Veridas, however, remembered the incident as if it was happening. The vampires horrible scream of rage and betrayal, the countless nights that he'd spent in fear, running for his life, the undead always a step behind him...Roughly, he shook his head to clear the memories. Being helpless was not one of Veridas' most cherished memories. " Let's check one more place before we call it a day" he suggested.​

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They found a single merchant, selling his wares in a side street, although the townsfolk, and even the guards gave this strange man a wide berth. Delbar nodded towards the man, and the two companions headed for his stall. The merchant was old and withered, his hands little more than bony claws, and his face hard and lined. " Come to browse my wares, sirs?" He wheezed. Upon closer inspection, Veridas learned why everyone was keeping away from the wizened old man. His 'wares' were various alchemical ingredients, and even stranger things: a jar full of eyeballs, floating in a clear liquid, a severed hand, a necklace that glowed eerily in the fading sunlight, and several human skulls. "What manner of wares are these?" Growled the assassin, suspecting necromancy. Delbar grabbed his shoulder, a dangerous thing to do, and shook his head.​

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"He's a seer. He tells peoples fortunes" explained the tall Nord. The seer, apparently not as deaf as he seemed, cackled and nodded "yes, yes, I 'll tell your future for nought but a few septims, my son!" Veridas felt a tinge of pity, as he looked upon the old man. He clearly wasn't starving, but he did have an air of desperation about him. Delbar rescued him from emptying his coin purse into the mans' wrinkled, bony, hands. " No fortunes today, father" he declined politely, " today we are hunting for information" at the mans' intrigued expression, the ranger continued: " We're looking for a stranger, in town, perhaps a group of strangers, they would have arrived about a week ago, perhaps earlier"​

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The old mans' face lit up. " Now that you mention it, I have seen someone like that. Clothed all in black robes, and with a voice like death, I thought" the man trembled, and his hand strayed to the amulet of Talos around his throat " chilled me to my soul, that one did...came to purchase some of my more-eh..exotic wares" Delbar and Veridas shared an excited glance. This information was more than they'd gotten all day, in fact. "When was this man here?" The old man appeared to consider, even thinking on his fingers, and muttering to himself " Well, let's see now, ehh...the day before yesterday, of last week...what was the day before yesterday?"​

"Turdas" supplied Delbar.​

" Yes, that's right, so, Middas of last week, they arrived I don't know if-" the old man stopped, his face draining of blood, and pointed a gnarled finger " By Talos, there he is now!" The two companions turned to see a man in black robes, his hood turned towards them. "You there, hold a moment!" Shouted Delbar, and the man turned and ran, the ranger and assassin charging after him. The man's robes were clearly too tight for him, as his muscles bulged clearly in the fabric, although he didn't seem to have any problems with maneuverability.​

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They chased the man down the ice- slick streets, and although their quarry had no problems turning the corners, Veridas was not so lucky. He slipped on a particularly icy patch of road, and crashed into the far wall of a building. Delbar sprinted past him, his green cloak flapping in the wind, and long legs working to keep up his momentum . Snarling in annoyance, Veridas leapt up and re-joined the chase. The robed and hooded man turned another corner, and the assassin yelled " Take the parallel street, try to cut him off!" Delbar kept running straight, to find another street, while he sprinted after their mysterious target.​

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Whoever he was, he was fit. It had almost been five minutes of full out sprinting for the three of them, and the man showed no signs of weariness. Delbar charged in from a side street, in a desperate bid to cut him off, but the man deftly turned, completing a whole circle before continuing to flee. Cursing, Veridas drew his Daedric dagger, deftly flipping it into the air and catching it by the point. With a few more strides, he was in range, and whipped his arm straight, sending it tip over hilt to lodge itself into the robed mans' shoulder.​

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To his astonishment, their prey didn't so much as grunt when the jagged, vicious dagger dug into the flesh and cartilage of the mans' shoulder. Usually, a target would be on the ground in pain by now, but this man simply seemed to shrug it off. He turned a corner, and, desperate not to lose him, the two companions sped around the same corner, only to find Veridas' dagger on the ground. The assassin stooped and picked it up, examining the blade. "No blood...it's not even wet!" He exclaimed. Delbar, breathing heavily, wandered over from where he'd been checking dark corners, to take a look himself. He too seemed disturbed " We both saw your weapon strike him..but it's as if he was never even here"​

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The ranger then proceeded to walk towards the guards, and Veridas realized with a shock that they'd chased the man over half the city. The guards, upon seeing Delbar Longstrider, the legendary Nord ranger, approaching, seemed more than a little awed. "Sir! What can I do for you?"​

"I was wondering, have you seen anyone enter or leave through this gate recently?" The guard frowned, and rubbed his face, which was a ruddy red from the freezing cold weather. "No, sir, I don't thinks so...the last I saw was a merchant group heading to Hollen" the man said, referring to a small village two days march out of Dawnstar.​

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Delbar thanked the guard for his help, before returning to Veridas, who had waited against the wall of a nearby building. "Well?" The assassin inquired, but Delbar was already shaking his head "he didn't see anything" Veridas cursed, and sheathed his dagger.​

" I suppose we'd better head back, it's getting dark" he sighed, irritated by their lack of progress. However, his ranger companion was staring at the sky, a frown on his face. "Are you listening?" Growled the footsore and irritated assassin. "These are strange birds" the ranger muttered, pointing at the cloud of crows circling above them. While Veridas was no expert on the behavior of animals, it seemed that those birds were mocking them, teasing them by being so far out of reach. "C'mon, let's go" Veridas repeated, disturbed by the silent,circling carrion eaters.​

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After an hour of walking, they arrived back at the Windpeak inn, footsore, irritated, and tired. Dorvath and the others looked up as they entered, and a slight smile pulled at the corners of the Dunmer's lips "Well what happened to you?"​

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[Kir the Silent]

Good work Madrar! Keep up the good work, I look forward to reading more.

 

[Madrar]

Blades In The Dark​

Dawnstar, The Windpeak Inn​

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Long after the others had gone to sleep, Salthar stayed awake, outside on the second floor balcony. He stared out across the city and beyond to the snow covered hills and fields. However, as much as he would have enjoyed marveling at the unbroken field of white, and the wisps of smoke rising from the houses, his mind was elsewhere. Namely, those mysterious corpses and the robed man that Veridas and Delbar had pursued. The man that seemed to feel no pain, and had no blood, according to the assassin. The Altmer vampire knew that there was some connection between the man and the dozen or so corpses outside the walls, but he didn't know what. Twelve zombies and a single necromancer would be unable to do any significant damage to the city, unless the man was a spell caster of enormous power. The question was, now that the man had been discovered, would he even bother staying around? Perhaps his whole purpose was to watch the companions, and then kill them in their sleep?​

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Unfortunately, the more Salthar thought about the man's motives, the more questions it brought up. Frustrated, he knocked the knuckles of his right hand against the wood of the railing, before leaning against it, letting out an irritated sigh. For several moments he remained like that, simply observing the houses and streets, the guards making their rounds in groups of two and three. Then he noticed the gates opening, although he couldn't make out who, or what entered, he was merely intrigued, not overly worried.​

Perhaps the guards on the wall had seen something, and gone out to investigate. Or a patrol may be returning. Shrugging off the sneaking feeling of paranoia, he moved his gaze deliberately away from the gate area, and surveyed the rest of the landscape.​

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He sensed, rather than heard, the door open behind him, and the woman step out onto the balcony. He had no need to turn to see who it was. Only one woman would dare to seek him out. "Hello, Selena" the Breton woman walked to his side, and stared out at the snow and ice covering the land as far as the eye could see. " It is beautiful, isn't it" she sighed, almost wistfully. Salthar wouldn't lie, he did honestly and truly find the land of Skyrim beautiful. Particularly the snow. "It is indeed" he agreed, "truly, the Nords do not deserve a land such as this" the two immortals silently watched the night activity of the land. "Salthar...I'm glad I had a chance to see you again" the woman announced, receiving a surprised glance in return. "You knew where to find me" he answered, although he had a feeling that the vampiress had more than a casual conversation in mind.​

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True to his suspicions, she gave him a look that told him as much, her green eyes brimming with a jumble of emotions. As if that didn't make matters clear enough, she said in exasperated tones " you know that isn't what I meant" Salthar sighed, and stood to his full height, keeping a respectable distance between the two of them. " And you know that I can't feel the way you do...it's complicated" the Breton woman swelled with injured pride and other emotions, and Salthar, although immensely more powerful, and at least a good foot taller than her, found himself taking a cautionary step backwards. "I should have known you wouldn't change, always the cold, distant Altmer, huh?" She retorted, biting off each word angrily. " Well, despite what you think I'm not just making an impulsive decision because I find you attractive, nor do I have some twisted sense of loyalty towards you just because you happened to sink your teeth in me!" Her voice carried quite well, although Salthar knew better than to try to silence her.​

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Whether she was about to insult, or throw herself at him, Salthar never found out. As she prepared another stream of caustic words, the house to their right exploded into flames. Screams rang out from below, as a column of the undead marched into the city, hacking and slashing indiscriminately. However, they did seem to have the inn as their primary target, and were making all speed towards it, weapons out and ready. "This" he announced " may be a problem" the guards attempted to stop the marching abominations, only to be brought down by sheer numbers. He glanced Selena "shall we?" He inquired, offering his forearm, like one might ask a lady out to a dance. Although looking none to happy about coming in contact with him, she clamped her hand onto his arm and nodded.​

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In a single motion, he placed his free hand on the railing, and swung the pair of them over the edge, both of them hitting the ground twenty feet below. Salthar felt the female vampire launch herself away from him, spinning through the air, and landing gracefully. The Altmer vampire however, simply bent his knees to absorb the force. Then he sprang forward, his first blow cutting down one of the undead, whom he vaguely recognized as one of the corpses he and the Khajiit knight had discovered. There must have been more hidden elsewhere he thought, parrying another surprisingly skilled blow. The dead continued their relentless march, blades swinging, and the two vampire laid into them, with spell, sword and limbs.​

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While Salthar preferred to stand in a central location, forcing the dead to come to him, which conserved his energies for killing blows, and launching spells. Selena was the exact opposite, leaping around, her two elven daggers, heavily enchanted, slicing muscles and flesh apart. Her acrobatic maneuvers kept her out of reach of the mass of undead, forcing them to come at her one at a time, and easily evading the sword blows and spear thrusts of the zombies. Strangely, the undead weren't simply converging on the two vampires, they were also headed for the main doors of the inn, cutting down the few guards that tried to stop them. Salthar, having had extensive experience with the undead, knew they had to have been instructed to attack the inn. Corpses that are brought into un-life could only handle the simplest tasks on their own, not something as complex as selecting a building to assault.​

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He was shaken out of his musings by the splintering pain of a war hammer crashing into his fore arm. Snarling in pain and fury, he slashed his ebony blade down on the shaft of the weapon, snapping it in half. Before the creature could recover, he had it by the throat and squeezed, snapping it's neck as easily as a man would snap a twig. Unfortunately, three more of the zombies swarmed towards him, weapons swinging. A blade sliced through the area he'd occupied seconds before, and as the undead beasts closed in, Salthar released a blast of fire, incinerating the lead zombie, and staggering it's followers. The vampire fried the second beasts' brain with a barrage of lightning that sprang from the center of his palm. The final creature, instead of fleeing, like any rational being would, when faced with an infuriated vampire lord, chose to charge, swinging a rusted iron war axe. It promptly lost it's head.​

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Now a new type of the undead had entered the fray, or rather, old type. They were mostly bones, with rotting clothes hanging off their thin frames. Almost all of them were burnt, their bones blackened. He realized with a start that these were the corpses from twelve years ago, during the battle of Dawnstar. If anything, it proved that a necromancer was somewhere on the battlefield, or was using an immensely powerful spell from a remote location. The amount of magical power in the fight was immense, and only a small amount of it came from the Altmer sorcerer. A roar from behind him announced the arrival of the Khajiit knight, Kar'Zharo. He charged into the battle, his steel great sword chopping apart the undead as they charged the new target.​

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As he surveyed the battle, Salthar saw several more skeletons clawing their way out of the frozen ground. Sighing, he prepared himself for another wave of the silent, vicious attackers.​

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Veridas thought he heard something resembling a scream of terror from outside his room. Frowning, the assassin got up, out of bed. When the scream repeated itself, followed by the smell of something burning, he dressed, and buckled on his weapon belt. He opened his door, and stepped out into the hallway, where a man was staggering towards him. At first glance, the assassin assumed the man to be drunk, until he stepped into the light, anyways. Veridas cursed, and took a quick step backwards, as the zombie swung a rusted sword at him. With no time to draw his sword, he whipped his dagger out and knocked the blade aside. The creature, half it's face scorched off, stumbled forwards , ad swung horizontally, aiming to chop the assassin in half.​

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He leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding another wound. Finally, he had enough space to draw his sword, and he closed in, sword slapping aside his opponents weapon, before jamming his Daedric dagger up, through the jaw, into it's brain. It collapsed,revealing the two other walking corpses behind it. Luck was with Veridas, it seemed, as Dorvath flung open the door to his room, cutting down both creatures from behind. "You took your sweet time!" barked Veridas, hurrying down the corridor. Behind him, Dorvath laughed out loud, and sent a dagger whizzing past his ear, to thud home, in the right eye of a zombie. The sound of fighting drew both companions' attention. " Sounds like our new friends need assistance" declared Dorvath. "By all means, lead the way" the dark elf laughed again, before tearing down the stairs, with another dagger ready to throw, and his scimitar ready to defend or attack, as was needed.​

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The common room was a mess, with corpses strewn everywhere. The companions had arranged themselves all over the room, with the wood elf, Alana was firing arrows at an amazing speed, while the mage, Marcus, fired a variety of spells that incinerated, crushed, froze, and threw the undead. He couldn't help but notice that the mace and shield wielding mercenary, Arnjon, stayed close to the mage, crushing limbs and skulls with his steel mace. The others were scattered throughout the room, with the paladin, Tiberius, slashing apart the abominations with what the assassin could only call religious fury. The tow newcomers threw themselves into the fray, Dorvath removing heads, and providing support in the form of thrown daggers, while Veridas isolated and cut apart several skeletons and zombies.​

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The fighting began to die down, and soon, the flow of walking dead stopped completely. Exhausted, Veridas let his arms fall to his sides,trying desperately to look like he still had some fight left in him. The door to the inn opened, revealing Salthar, Selena, and Kar'Zharo, all three of them had minor wounds and scrapes, and an air of weariness hung about them as well. "I think we should discuss what just happened" the ranger, Delbar Longstrider said in a firm voice that would harbor no argument. Sighing, the assassin took a seat, and prepared to suffer through the rest of night. While the others took their own seats, Dawnstar city guards entered and began dragging corpses out to be burned.​