A low growl escaped the troubled orcs lips as his fingers gripped the weathered edges of his sweat-slick visage. The exasperated sound rumbled in between ragged breaths, each growing less troublesome than the last. However the images that flashed before his mind’s eye lingered far longer than he anticipated. Was it only a dream? The details lingered far too long after his slumber had been broken, leaving that possibility to feel unlikely. Every image that flashed in his mind felt as if it were right before him still, every word uttered reverberating in his soul as he tried to decipher what it all meant. Or did it mean anything? Surely it was but a farce, an attempt at deception, coercion, perhaps even a trap. The divines did not speak to mortals in such a manner. Also, from discussions with his former mentor, this Talos was suspected of not being divine at all. Only a man revered so much through history his tale grew too large, the account too full of heroic deeds that could no doubt have been hearsay made flesh. History had a way of putting the victors on pedestals, turning men into legends and legends into gods. Surely this was no different. Which would leave that this had to have been done by someone who wanted to get in his head. The purpose of doing so was lost upon him, but the facts were there. What would be to gain from such a foolish trick? All this trouble for a laugh? Surely there had to be more to it than this. With that he began to ponder, his hands raking through the matted hair on his forehead absentmindedly. His mind raced as the vision itself was replaced with him tearing every inch of iit apart, analyzing every key point, in between every word for some hidden meaning, some sort of answer to the burning questions that racked his mind. If someone was attempting to play mind games with him, they would not avoid the cost of raising his ire for long.
Then there was the matter of this...amulet. He lifted his head for but a moment to glance at the “divine” talisman as it rested on the floor. The offending emblem had been tossed to the ground in a fit of frustration that had been accompanied by a guttural roar only moments earlier, one that had brought the usual traffic of the Dead Man’s Drink to a dulled murmur. His brow furrowed once more, teeth gritting as he tried to piece it all together. Were this but a trick the man who was responsible could not have gotten far? He had not been asleep long, he had only arrived in the town an hour prior, ready to find a port to wait out the coming storm. Whoever had placed the amulet in his hand could still be on the road, holding the answers he sought. If so, there was no time to lose. His stay would need to be cut short, as time was not on his side. However that would not deter him. Kaen would not let this slight pass. Had it been a simple prank it could have been overlooked, but this stranger had violated the sanctity of his mind. An offense they needed to answer for. In blood, if need be.
It wasn’t long after that he had gathered all his materials and placed them within his satchel, bundling once more in his suitably comfortable furs before departing. With his staff gripped firmly in calloused hand he marched out, avoiding the gazes of those who were seated about the tavern. With burdened breath he wrapped his cloak tighter about himself as the bitter chill of the wind rose to meet him on the porch, it along with the carefully layered furs he donned expelling the unwelcome cold. Taking a moment to remind himself of the lay of the land he marched to the stables, gathering his steed, preparing As he bound the saddle to the horse firmly, he felt himself grow still. He had planned on bringing his query to a local guard, gathering any information he could of this mysterious scoundrel. However, It seemed the necessary directions were important. He already knew the answer. As his mind lingered upon the invading thought from before, the sight of a rolling plain came into view, one that Kaen found quite familiar. On this plain stood a shrine of Talos, one that he had taken notice of in his travels but had never visited. It was not safe even to look upon monuments like it these days. Not with those that call themselves Thalmor championed the mandate to carry away even the innocent who wandered a hair too close with an almost disgusting piety. As his thoughts instead turned to them Kaen let out a disgusted noise, straightening himself and commanding his horse to go. He freed himself from the boundary of the town in a slow gallop, heading north toward Whiterun. As he did so his mind shifted once more to the perpetrator. He may not have known who was responsible for this, but he knew what was waiting for the bastard when he got his hands on him. He let a smirk creep up on his features,
The sun hung low as he raced to where the vision had led him, though it had not been a long ride before the sight of this statue soon came into view. His stallion slowing to a trot he reached in his satchel for the amulet, grasping at it with clumsy fingers as the symbol came into view. He wrapped the chain around his finger, letting the talisman drop, hanging from the strand before his eyes. It swayed from side to side slowly, his eyes following it’s movements while he contemplated. Whoever had done this had dragged him out of bed and up far further north then had wanted, which on top of the earlier misdeeds only allowed the fire within him to spread throughout his chest. He would have his answers. He had to know why at least before he found a creative way to impose upon the man’s head as he had done to him. Depending upon the response of course. He couldn’t afford to allow himself to pigeonhole his vengeance. It had to be spontaneous, otherwise where was the fun in it?
As the statue seemed to come closer into sight he picked up a few things of note, as he moved closer he could see figures posed about the shrine, but was not close enough to make them out for certain. The only one he could clearly make out was the one nearest his position, which was given away by a softly swinging tail. He deduced that it was indeed the tail of a khajiit, as it lacked the broadness one of an argonian would possess. However there was something else the orc noticed as he continued his approach, something the one who faced the other two figures held aloft from his hand. It was difficult to make out for certain, but as he drew closer it all began to click. From the elf’s fingers hung an amulet, not unlike the one he was graced with before he made his way here. As it all began to piece together his face returned to a snarl, tapping the horse with the back off his boot to pick up the pace, progressing to a gallop as he rode up to greet them.
As he finally made it to a respectable distance he began to dismount, amulet clenched tighter than anything he had ever been handed. He strode toward the one who he believed to be in charge, slowly gathering the physical details as he approached him. A bosmer, clad in furs like himself, wearing nothing something beneath that he could not place, but seemed somewhat familiar. However it did not matter, as he had a score to settle, and nothing would get in the way of that. However as he continued to charge them he took note that the makeup of this party, while it held a nord, was not one of a typical talos cult. However, that meant little to him at this point. He had to know what they did. He had to know. When he had come to a stop he raised the amulet and chucked it aggressively at the bosmer, hitting him square in the chest, the force of it dulled by the fur that rested upon it. He spoke lowly and gruffly, not mincing words or missing the chance to say exactly what was on his mind. As that wasn't how the game was played. Not now, not ever. Fists were clenched tight at his side, ready to call forth the fire of his ire to greet them at any moment. But not until he had his answers.
“Listen, elf. I don’t know what you or your milk-drinking cult are doing out here, and were it any other day, I wouldn’t care. However, one of you has made this my problem, and I intend to solve it.” He stepped forward menacingly, pointing downward upon the amulet that once more had found its home upon the floor beneath their feet. “One of you fools thought it was smart to use this thing to get into my head, to mess with my dreams. To invade my mind with your foolish ravings and hero worship. Tell me who it was.” He gave them a moment to come forth, but unsurprisingly they refused, only giving him questioning looks. Perhaps the looks on their faces were he in a better state of mind possibly could have emanated more of an odd understanding in their gazes than simple confusion, but he was too hot to truly care, seeing the lack of a response as yet another slight, that or cowardice. If so, they were right to fear him. They knew not what he was capable of, and while he may not be strong enough to take on three men at once, he was not afraid to try. “I won’t ask again, so think this through, gentlemen. We may be able to take care of things amicably, but you’ll need to work with me here.” The harshness of his tone betrayed the words he spoke, but he was truly at the end of his already limited patience. The time for games was over. “Who. Did. This?” He questioned once more, waiting silently for one of them to finally speak up.