Private War of Jarls

[AndgerTheNord]

Fifteen minutes passed, and Zan'kir still stood there shaking as he held the dagger. It was obvious that the disturbed thane did not want to do this. Kendov leaned in and whispered in Zan'kir's ear taking a much different tone then before, "I knew you didn't have the stomach for it. If you disobey me again I will skin you alive and wear you as a cloak." Walking towards his housecarl he spoke aloud, "We ride to Solitude and meet this so called king. We will befriend him, assist him with what he needs...then kill him. Before that however we will do all we can to take down his operations, subtly." Kendov and Reez left Hjerm and the young thane. The king has his steward send a letter to Solitude along with a troop of his honor guard to protect the courier. Kendov spoke to the detachment of berserkers, savage wild men wearing bearskin cloaks, prone to rage and bloodlust. "Remember you must protect the courier at all cost, and when you get to your destination sent up camp. I want to have backup incase we must fight. Understand?" The honor guard nodded grimly, even for berserkers it would be dangerous, traveling the war torn holds is risky. Luckily the Pale has an alliance with Kendov, the elderly Jarl Skald was a proud supporter of Jarl Ulfric. After that to Morthal. Morthal was under pressure by the Reachman ruled Markarth, but luckily the main road was far away enough from the capitol to stay hidden. The Reach was ruled by the savage forsworn and their king Madanach, the only reason why it hadn't been invaded was because it was a crucial supplier of silver and iron. The only holds bordering the Reach didn't have the military power to pull it off, but Haafingar seemed to be gaining strength after the breton took over. Kendov turned to Reez and chuckled, "Up for a drink or two at Candlehearth?"

 

[Archer Drake]

Falcon-eye arrived at the Palace of Kings, finding it all but empty. So much for the "ever present" Jarl of the Hold. He searched through the more open areas of the palace and found no more than a strange wizard hunched over an enchanting table, engrossed in...well, whatever he was doing. He huffed and strode out of the Palace, his stomach rumbling and his muscles protesting from the long walk from Riften. His usual icy demeanor became laced with a volatile irritation, ready to blow at any moment. He shivered in the cold as he walked to the inn called "Candlehearth Hall." He strode in through the lower entrance and rented a room from the inn-keeper. Falcon-eye shut the door to his room and sighed. He pulled the small chair over to the back corner, next to the bed and perched Kohana atop the back rest. He shrugged off his weapons and stashed them under the bed. His stomach growled loudly again and he strode out of the room, quietly latching the door behind him. Falcon-eye ordered a bowl of hearty stew, a large hunk of bread, and a tankard of water. The barmaid shot him a strange look when he didn't order any mead or wine. He took his meal to one of the tables and chose the furthest one back, partly shrouded in darkness. It had a good view of the door and wasn't too far from a window if worst came to worst. He'd fed Kohana already, but he made a note to get a bit of meat for her anyway. Falcon-eye ate his food without a word and listened to any conversation that floated past his ears, maybe a clue to his cousin's whereabouts or an interesting rumor would find its way to him.

 

[DraconicPsycho]

"A drink? Sure thing, I could use a drink." Reez thought that, perhaps, all of this would go off without a hitch, but he worried too much. As they walked into candle hearth hall, he noticed an Argonian. He had never seen another Argonian on the inside walls. Reez looked over at Jarl Kendov, and spoke. "My jarl, I have not seen another egg brother In a long time. Do you recognize this one?" He sat down at the bar, as did Jarl Kendov. "I'll have an Argonian bloodwine and an apple dumpling." He said this to the innkeeper and handed her a thick purse of coins. "So my Jarl, isn't this the first time we've eaten here in quite a while?"

 

[Archer Drake]

Falcon-eye finished eating as a nobleman walked in, a blue Argonian in his stead. His tail twitched slightly in excitement, but he suppressed it quickly. These two were strangers and Falcon-eye did not have any weapons with him. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, watching the odd pair with growing curiousity. The Argonian spoke, "My jarl, I have not seen another egg brother in a long time. Do you recognize this one?" Oh, so that's the Jarl, and the Argonian would be...a Housecarl? Falcon-eye thought that odd, since when have his kind held such noble positions in Nord holds? Previously Stormcloak-controlled holds at that. The two sat down at the bar and Falcon-eye all but stopped paying attention to the man, he would bother the Jarl later with questions. He chuckled, provided he could find him, that is. The Argonian, however, had his attention, what are the chances the Housecarl is my cousin? He knew the idea was little more than idle musing, but on the other hand, there weren't many Argonians in Windhelm - not that he blamed them - as the Argonian had pointed out. Perhaps he would try and speak to this one, it had been a long time since he had spoken to another of his kind, the usual starter of archery and animals probably wouldn't work on him as it did Bosmer. He stood up slowly and walked over to the Argonian, "Excuse me brother, but I happen to be looking for another of our kind and haven't had much luck. Do you happen to know of someone under the name of Reez?" Falcon-eye felt like an idiot as soon as he stopped speaking, the greeting was egg brother, or marsh-friend. Has it been that long since I spoke to another Argonian?

 

[DraconicPsycho]

Reez chuckled. "I'm Reez...who wants to know?" He said, sternly but carefully. He picked up his glass and took a swig. Does the Argonian know him? A friend, or worse, foe? He was ready to spring into action if an assassination attempt would happen. Was he being took harsh on this egg-brother? He thought about it, but agreed with himself that no one can be trusted. He put down his glass and stood up. "Or better yet, how do you know my name?

 

[Archer Drake]

Falcon-eye relaxed momentarily when the Argonian laughed, "I'm Reez...who wants to know?" The Argonian took a sip of his drink and stood up, his voice carrying a hostile tone, "Or better yet, how do you know my name?" Falcon-eye reflexively stepped back, his arms already halfway to a fighting stance. If a fight broke out, he didn't want to be in range of the taller Argonian. He cursed at himself for his foolishness, he should have expected this. He was trained to see contingencies, but he overlooked this one. Falcon-eye darkened his tone, "Easy. My family is broken up or dead, and finding the living members is rather difficult. I was a slave." He took another step back, trying to give himself some room to maneuver. "I have been tracking down the remnants of my family and I found that my mother had a sister. This sister had a son named Reez, who I was told lives in Windhelm. You're my cousin."

 

[DraconicPsycho]

"C-Cousin? i thought all of my remaining family was dead..." Reez sighed and looked out the window of the candlehearth hall. "This wasnt exactly the best time to come to windhelm, egg-brother. We are in the middle of a war. If you didnt know my name, i might have had my axes half-way into your throat already." Reez thought that he probably shouldn't have mentioned the war, but it was no secret anymore. Skyrim was falling into a dystopia and everyone knew it. He regretted to call the conversation short, but they had to ride to Solitude. "I apologize for leaving on such short notice, but the jarl and i must be going."

 

[Archer Drake]

Reez responded strangely, stuttering a bit and losing any sign of hostility. Falcon-eye dropped his hands and relaxed his stance, curious as to how a single word could switch the blue Argonian's mood so dramatically. Reez idly mentioned something about axes down Falcon-eye's throat, but he focused more on whatever this was about war. Am I that out-of-sync with events? This was the first time even a rumor of war had passed his ears. But then again, his clients only spoke to him of their targets and his pay. He'd had a fair amount of jobs lately, but he hadn't given it much thought as to the reasons behind them. Reez pulled him from his thoughts, "I apologize for leaving on such short notice, but the Jarl and I must be going." Falcon-eye nodded, "Right, as should I. Come find me in Riften if you ever find yourself in need of a skilled assassin. Oh, and it's a pleasure to meet you Reez."

 

[wreckem_all]

[@all sorry for the late post...I was held up a little over the weekend]

Rolard's remark made Ugdul shudder a bit. Did he really gave an impression like this? He knew absolutely nothing of tactics and such and he was just complemented for his great idea? That was something the orc could be proud of. Although he hated all this complicated planning, he did like the idea of succeeding in something he is bad in. Intoxicated with pride the orismer held his head high...until someone just had to take the wind out of his sails, what a let down. The jarl's steward seemed to have a hard tome accepting Ugdul as someone more equal than the common folk. Her distasteful eyes locking on him. Rolard, torn between Ugdul's suggestion and Ellia's reasoning, tried to think of a solution to this. It did not take a while until the jarl exclaimed: "Hjaalmarch!" the orc and the rest of the participants looked puzzled until he explained himself. Ugdul, though, still did not get the idea entirely but it was clear to him that Morthal would be their next destination. "Well, I can think of none in particular in that region but I had a couple of clients there. It has certainly been a few years since I had crossed the swamps of Hjaalmarch."

 

[AndgerTheNord]

Kendov looked at Reez's supposed cousin with interest, "An assassin, not surprised Maven lets that swine roam her city. While I doubt you are Reez's cousin, perhaps you can be of service. I ordered a group of my honor guard to travel to Morthal, if you can survive the travel, maybe you can be of use to me. When you get there report what you see, and return to me. If not than you can crawl back to that sink hole." Kendov looked at the argonian with disdain and called over one of the maids. When she came over he gave her a supple bag of coins. "Maya is it? Or is it Mayra? Either way, my argonian friend here, along with my self are in need of some more refreshments." After a few rounds Kendov and Reez walked out of the hall and to the stables where they prepared to ride to Skrim's former capitol. Kendov wondered what to expect from this king of Solitude, "So Reez, I guess the Bear of Eastmarch meets the Wolf of Solitude. Lets see who wins.

 

[AndgerTheNord]

Madanach stood outside of Morthal, the wind flowing through his hair biting his skin. Beside him stood around 30 reachmen, in the center of their circle a single nord warrior stood surrounded by his fallen allies and the barbaric reachmen. "Why do you resist, don't you have the right mind to surrender. Has the blood of your brothers clogged your ears, because if it hasn't already I can fix that." Madanach drew his axe and walked toward the soldier and spoke "The nord dominion of Skyrim is over, your kind is over. Your life is over." Madanach held a dead body over an empty flask as as he cut open the neck and the blood flowed into the flask. Madanach pointed to the nord and spoke three words, "Open his mouth." It was obvious what was about to happen and the soldier resisted biting off several of the reachmen's fingers but it was no use. He soon found his force fend nordic blood. "Do you want to die now. I bet you do, but worry it won't be slow." Madanch grabbed the nord's hand and was about to chop off a finger when his arm lock up at the shoulder, and pain soared through his body. "SON OF A-" The king cried in anguish as he soon found himself knocked to the ground as his captive took the chance to escape. "What are you doing, shoot him!" Arrows flew over Madanach's head as the prisoner was shot down his body collapsing with a splash into the swamp. The king was getting old, he was in his fifties when the civil war ended, and now in a few years he will be 60. "By Hircine, I'm getting old." One of his soldiers walked up to him bowed and spoke, "My king, you must get back to the Reach, gods knows what might happen if you were to get killed." The elderly reachmen struggled to get up and with some assistance he stood and nodded as they made their way back to Markarth.

 

[Keidivh]

@wreckem_all no problem man, such is life!)

Rolard bristled with excitement at the thought of finally expanding his influence in Skyrim. It was Ugdul's voice that brought him back to reality, "Well, I can think of none in particular in that region but I had a couple of clients there. It has certainly been a few years since I had crossed the swamps of Hjaalmarch." Rolard gave a smiple nod in acknowledgement, even the smallest amount of prestige could help to influence Morthal's Jarl. As he prepared to head out, his sister interrupted once more.

"My king, before you depart, I feel it would be prudent to discuss another threat that we may soon be confronted with. Jarl Kendov of Windhelm. He has taken upon himself the title King of Atmora, and has favorable relations with the Pale. They could pose a serious threat." This admittedly stopped Rolard in his tracks. While he was surrounded by enemies, this one seemed to be much more... Ambitious. To claim oneself as High King was no mean feat, and with the backing of another major hold, he knew they presented a grave threat.

"Ambitious. Not a trait I like in a rival lord... Send him a missive, I wish to see this King of Atmora for myself. Send word to Lord Amerd as well. The Rangers are to be sent out, one division to watch Morthal, the other to head to Eastmarch. I would like a glimpse at his strength. If he has balls to meet us, let him know we shall be in Morthal." Rolard was curious to see how this meeting would go. He knew he would come, if he wasn't already coming towards him. Such a man would not simply ignore a rising power to threaten his. He would have to be cautious, and hide his hand well. He called out to his Housecarl and brother as they began to walk towards the stable and set off with a handful of knights.

"Have Lord Valtien assemble the men near Fort Snowhawk and stick close to the marshes. Have him watch for the Reachmen of Markarth. Above all he is to remain hidden away, we may have an unexpected guest."

With that said Rolard mounted his steed, a great warhorse from High Rock, white as freshly fallen snow. With a group of knights in tow and Ugdul at his side, he rode for Morthal. "This Kendov fellow intrigues me. He could very well be the greatest threat to Solitude's prosperity and dominance. If we encounter him or his ilk, be prepared. I doubt we will be given a warm welcome."

 

[Archer Drake]

Falcon-eye did not care for the Jarl any more than he wanted to hug a Dragur. He shook his head Windhelm hasn't changed at all. If he was honest, he was disheartened. He expected a new city where the old racism had been washed away and he would be welcome in the city. Instead he got a threatening Cousin and a rude, stuck-up Jarl that looked down at his nose at everyone. The Jarl could take his insults and shove 'em in his fat coin purse. Reez could stay away from him, he didn't want the connection to the Jarl or the War. He hadn't made up his mind about Reez yet, but he wanted nothing to do with this "Jarl's" so-called war. He paused, but wars brought good money to assassins. Nobody wanted to take care of their own dirty work. No, he would not work for this man. Not yet. He would travel to Morthal and scope out the situation. Wars had multiple sides. If he was to take part in it, he needed to figure out which side he was on.

Falcon-eye gathered his things and woke the slumbering Kohana, placing her on his shoulder. He left Candlehearth as the Jarl did, muttering something about the "Bear of Eastmarch and the Wolf of Solitude." Ah, so that's the other warrior in this game, the Jarl of Solitude. He'd heard of the man, a Breton in Nord lands. He set his mind to rest as he hired a carriage to Morthal and settled in for a short nap.

 

[wreckem_all]

"Jarl Kendov...I heard rumors about him." Is all Ugdul could say for now as he mounted his traditional Skyrim war horse. It was no secret that Solitude and Windhelm indirectly competed for military power and general influence in Skyrim but to think that it would come to a direct confontation, this would be the civil war all over again. If it were to come for the worst of course. As the group made their way towards Morthal Ugdul seemed buged by something. He eventually broke the silence: "My Jarl, if you'd allow, what did bring breton all the way to another country, deciding to aid a province and settle in as the ruler, especially one of a noble gender. Not that I am offended by your actions...I just can't form a correct picture out of that."

 

[Keidivh]

Rolard enjoyed the relative peace and tranquility of the ride to Morthal. Haafingar was a beautiful region, reminded him of his patrols through some of the northern kingdoms of High Rock. The citizenry of the hold were all quite friendly, offering blessings and praise to the small force as they made their way. Even with the Nords discomfort of having a foreigner rule over them, the peace he brought was sorely missed and needed. As they began to near the marshes of Hjaalmarch, his peace was interrupted when Ugdul spoke up.

"My Jarl, if you'd allow, what did bring breton all the way to another country, deciding to aid a province and settle in as the ruler, especially one of a noble gender. Not that I am offended by your actions...I just can't form a correct picture out of that."

It was a fair question... "Politics lad. In High Rock, it always comes down to the game of politics. My family simply had the misfortune of losing the game. I had a friend in the East Empire Company who told me about the situation here. So, we fled with those few still loyal, and reestablish ourselves away from the deadly intrigue of High Rock." While he tried to avoid some of the more painful details, there was still evident pain and sorrow in his voice as he spoke.

"So what's an Orsimer such as yourself doing adventuring around Haafingar? Seeing such a thing is a great rarity in High Rock."

 

[Archer Drake]

The trip to Morthal was long and uneventful. A few bandits attacked the cart, but Falcon-eye shot them before they got very close, providing him a small profit. The driver didn't talk to him much after that, making the trip even more dull. Falcon-eye left the driver on the fourth day, walking the last couple of miles to Morthal, arriving in the early evening. Morthal was a small, quiet town with not much in the way of buildings. It lacked a sprawling mansion like Dragonsreach, or a well-built city like that of Solitude. He didn't have much of a reason to come here, but it could serve as a place to lay low. Falcon-eye leaned against a tree at the edge of the city, what is the Jarl looking for? The answer hit him square in the face as a Breton on a stunning white stallion came into view, an Orc on a warhorse not far behind. Falcon-eye shifted, watching the pair with growing curiousity. "Kohana, circle." Falcon-eye kept his voice low, but the hawk bounced off his shoulder and disappeared overhead. Falcon-eye flipped up his hood and quickly scaled the nearest house, taking care to remain unseen. He was within earshot of the strange pair and less than four seconds from the Jarl's longhouse. He crawled to the edge of the small house, sliding along on his belly.

 

[AndgerTheNord]

Kendov sat in his throne, resting his hand on his chin, contemplating his thoughts. He wondered if his courier could make the travel to Solitude. "Morthal is dangerous trip but after that stop, Solitude will be an easy travel after that."


The courier marched along side the soldiers around him as they trudged in the swamps of Morthal. He was sent by High-King Kendov to deliver a message to Solitude, an important mission he could not fail. The ice cold water seeped into his boots and everything around him smelled like it was rotting. The captain of the honor guard motioned for the group to stop as they approached the hold. The courier nearly vomited at what they saw. Mutilated bodies, stuck on pikes arranged in a circle. As they searched the bodies they pulled out arrows forged in the fashion of the savage Reachmen. The courier ran to the edge of the swamp to vomit and saw a body surface. It was a guard, and in his back were several arrows. In the distance he saw the small town that was the capitol and saw two figures that usually don't travel together. What looked like a breton noble and an orc warrior.

 

[Keidivh]

Ugdul remained fairly quiet the rest of the ride. Not that Rolard minded at all, preferring not to talk anymore about his painful memories. As they rode into the Capital of Hjaalmarch, Rolard couldn't help but be taken aback by how deathly quiet it was. He saw a few children ushered wuickly home by their parents. The only ones outside were a handful of the Hold Guard, poorly equipped and terrified by the looks of it. He noticed a hawk fly through the sky above them, breaking the deathly silence.

@wreckem_all
"These people reek of despair... If I had known they were so desperate I would have come sooner. Come, let us talk to the Jarl." With that said he dismounted from his steed and approached the longhouse that served as the Jarls home.

"Hail good people, I am Rolard Seton, Lord of Solitude, and King of Haafingar. I seek an audience with your Jarl. We wish only to help."

 

[wreckem_all]

"Politics lad. In High Rock, it always comes down to the game of politics. My family simply had the misfortune of losing the game. I had a friend in the East Empire Company who told me about the situation here. So, we fled with those few still loyal, and reestablish ourselves away from the deadly intrigue of High Rock." Ugdul nodded sadly "I see..." "So what's an Orsimer such as yourself doing adventuring around Haafingar? Seeing such a thing is a great rarity in High Rock." The orc chuckled at that question and it wasn't the first time he heard that one. "Well, I was born in an stronghold, learned everything I had to and after my brother became the leader I wanted to traverse throughout Skyrim. I became a mercenary to afford my bread but I also enjoy battles so I saw it as a bit more than that." Ugdul decided to keep quiet for the rest of the trip. Upon losing in on Morthal Ugdul noticed the bodys pierced on wooden sticks and recogniced this kind of brandmarking. "These people reek of despair... If I had known they were so desperate I would have come sooner. Come, let us talk to the Jarl." "Yeah" Ugdul agreed as he surveyed the houses of that run down city

 

[AndgerTheNord]

Kendov and Reez traveled to Solitude, hoping to meet the so called King of Solitude. "Lets pick up the pace, shall we. I don't like swamps so I don't like Morthal." As Kendov reached the town he saw a few soldiers resting. They were wearing Windhelm uniforms and he recognized one of the soldiers as the messenger he sent a few days prior. "You there, the messenger. Glad to meet you again. What do you make of those two?" Kendov motioned in the direction of the noble and the orc, and the courier gave his input, "I think the breton-looking fellow is a noble, the orc maybe a sellsword of sorts." Kendov nodded and chuckled, "Of course, if I am correct, that "breton-looking fellow" is the king of Solitude. Reez, come on, lets meet this king. Soldiers follow behind us, stay in formation. Don't look to threatening though. Don't want to scare him off."