18+ The Expedition - Open

[Daryl Dixon]

"Now are you going to tell me before my aim remarkably improves?" Alex asks as he draws another arrow, having just shot one into the wooden panel behind the kneeling man who was tied by his hands and feet. "Yes, yes! Yes! Just please have mercy." the man weeped, his left eye bruised from the blow Alex had given him earlier. "He's gone, he went to Markarth. I don't know anything else!"
-
A few hours past, and Alex found himself leaning against a wall listening in on a conversation between a group. "So this is the master of coin?" Jason asks, the Nord sizing him up. "Aye, that's what I've been told."

"So if he's funding this, and can provide them with anything they'll need, we should join." The imperial said, Jason was always the more thoughtful one.

"Have you gone mad?" Alex asks, as he got up from leaning against the wall and turned toward his old first mate. "I thought we were just going to kidnap and rob the guy."

"I think we'll get more out of making friends, and he likely has powerful allies."

Alex thought for a few moments. Jason ran his fingers through his long brown hair, and continued his persuasion. "It can't be that bad, we can always back out ya know. Lets give it a try."

"Alright, let's go."

The pair approached the group as a conversation ended, and went introduced themselves. A few members noticed them approaching, and just as Alex went to open his mouth a voice boomed out from across Markarths Hall. "Cap'n Alex Brody!" as a large Nord man approached with his arms wide, before dropping them by his side. "Ya think ya can hide from me but ya can't, you tore my ship to pieces and now I'll do the same to you."

Jason unsheathed his elven blade, while Alex just stood there. "Mate, I don't know what you're talkin' about." he said, standing in a firm stance.

"Bloody pirates!" the man shouted as he went to rush forward. Three guards had been approaching and rushed forward, drawing their blades. "STOP!" one shouted, but the man continued firm on Alex. Alex gestured for Jason to back away and as the man drew near he went in for a huge swing, guards hot on his tail. Alex narrowly dodged it by leaning to his left, then with his right hand stabbed the man in the gut with a dagger he had drawn during the dodge. The guards grabbed the man and pulled him back, arresting him.

Alex slowly turned to the group, Jason was already facing them. "Well lads, not the best start." Alex approached the man he had heard of being 'the master of coin'. "If you're funding this, why don't ya fund me? You get me a decent blade, decent mead and decent pay I'm all yours mate." Jason was still a few meters away. "This group could use bit more muscle, and once I'm bought I'm bought. I'll stay with your crew until I either die or carry out my task. Offers on the table." Alex stepped back a bit still facing the man, and Jason approached Alex. "I don't drink, I got a decent blade, pay me and I'll join." Jason said, before introducing himself. "I'm Jason."

Alex pulled ah 'how-could-I-forget' face, before stepping towards the man once again. "Alex Brody," he said as he extended his arm for a handshake.

 

[shadowkitty]

Wyldfyre woke with a start, to the sound of someone pounding on the door. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and she cursed herself for over indulging the night before. She groaned when she remembered what she had got up to that night. Her clothing was scattered everywhere and she stumbled around the room, trying to dress as quickly as she could. She strapped on her sword and crossbow and was just pulling on her boots when someone banged on the door again.

“You in there!” they yelled from the other side “Time’s up, vacate this room. Now!” She scanned the room to make sure she had everything and found a note scrawled onto a piece of parchment on the bedside table.
Thanks for the good time it said in barely legible writing. Wyldfyre snatched up the note and scrunched it up in her hand. She flung open the door to find the Inn keeper of the Silverblood Inn, Kleppr, standing there with his fist raised, about to pound on the door again. He lowered his hand when he saw her face. Wyldfyre was in no mood this morning. She glared at him.

“There is no need to yell” she hissed through gritted teeth “I am out of your room, see?” as she stepped past him. Kleppr grunted and went back down to stand at the bar, taking up a rag and wiping the counter top. Wyldfyre followed him, scouring the room as she walked over to the counter. Beside from the bard, there was no one else in the Inn that morning. She sat on a stool, dumping her satchel at her feet.

“Your Orc friend has gone” Kleppr said, placing a tankard of mead in front of her. She shook her head, declining the mead.

“He is not my friend” she answered him “Nor do I care where he is”. Kleppr raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing her, but he dared not say anything. Wyldfyre sighed. She had come here to Markarth, in search of a warrior, and when she finally found one worthy of her quest what did she do? Sleep with him and then completely miss his departure. He had received that letter about some fighters’ event at High Rock. Wyldfyre guessed that was where he was headed. She really didn’t want to go after him.

She flattened out the note and stared at it angrily. Turning it over she found the Orc had written it on something official looking. It was a missive from the jarl of Markarth, Jarl Igmund calling for people who would be interested in an expedition into the Druadach Mountains. He was forming a group to explore a newly discovered ruin and needed mercenaries and the like to provide an escort of sorts. Wyldfyre sat up, and read the whole letter with a growing interest. This could be the opportunity she was looking for. She read it again and saw that the date and place for their first meeting was today, at Understone Keep. Wyldfyre slid off her chair, her excitement growing. She hoped she wasn’t too late. She asked for directions to the Keep and left the Inn.

It occurred to Wyldfyre, as she made her way through the twisted city of Markarth, that she wasn’t exactly a mercenary. Sure she could hold her own in a fight and had ended the lives of many people, but she didn’t really see herself as a killer for hire. Her skills as an archer surpassed many she had come across and she could hunt and track like no-one else, so she hoped that was enough to get her on the expedition team.

She reached the Keep and was directed inside and passed through winding corridors before she came to a door at the end of a hall. Just as she was about to open the door, it was flung open and Wyldfyre had to press herself against the wall as three soldiers pushed past her, dragging a man who was yelling and cursing between them. He was also bleeding profusely. Wyldfyre had wanted to slip quietly into the room, but the man’s dramatic exit disallowed that, so she entered the room with nearly everyone’s eyes on her. With her green eyes surveying the crowd of people inside, she stepped up and spoke to no one in particular.

“I see you already have an opening” she said.

 

[Andre Marek]

Kate blinked a few times as, all in the span of a few seconds, questions were asked, their beneficiary showed up, and another straggler got into a fight right outside the conference room doors. The straggler and his friend then proceeded to offer their blades to Lord Baenius, seemingly ignoring Kate who could only stand there and fume. The few questions posed by the others were all but forgotten as Kate glared at Skyrims Master of Coin. As much as they needed his money to get the expedition moving, Kate had hoped that he wouldn't insist on accompanying it. Lord baenius had a reputation that was somewhat less than saintly. She didn't know why he wanted to go traipsing off into the mountains with the expedition party but she wasn't about to argue with him about it.

"Lord Baenius... We weren't expecting you but now that you're here, please, take a seat." She motioned to a vacant spot at the table, "I was just taking some questions before you interrupted." She looked back at the gathered people and started to continue but the Legate nudged her. She frowned at him until he nodded towards the door where the two men that had been involved in the little fight were still standing. "Ah, yes. You two. You may as well have a seat as well. That is, if Lord Baenius doesn't have a problem with it; Being the master of coin and all." She raised an eyebrow at Baenius but didn't actually wait for him to respond. But before she actually say anything she was interrupted yet again by a voice at the door. “I see you already have an opening” Everybody turned in their seats to stare at the wild looking young girl standing in the doorway. Kate sighed and rubbed her eyes, "Ah, sure. Why not." She smiled at the girl and nodded towards another empty seat, "Grab yourself a chair then. You lot can explain who you are later." She eyed the two men who had just arrived as well.

"Alright. Guards, shut the doors. Nobody else comes in!" Legate Quintus hollered to the men standing outside the room. As the doors boomed closed, Kate finally turned back to the waiting group. "Ok... Now, barring any other interruptions, lets continue." She looked at the first man who had asked what was to be done with any discoveries they made, "As far as our findings go, just remember, this IS an archeological expedition, meaning that most of our findings will be cataloged and taken back to the Solitude museum or the Markarth scientific hall for further study. Now thats not to say that some of the more minor things, stuff that we've already seen before or don't need, won't be up for grabs. Finders keepers on the smaller stuff. Just don't expect to go home with a wagon load of ancient collectables." Then she turned to the woman, Avia she remembered. Kate smirked at the womans wording, "As for your question, the only ones that have been placed in tents with more than one person are the Legates squad and thats more to keep the size of our camp down than anything. If however any of you do feel the need to bunk in the same tent, I really couldn't care less."

"Now, back to why we're all here." She turned around and pointed to the map behind her which showed a high detail overview of the Druadach range, "As you all know, a small group of explorers recently discovered a previously unknown Akavirii village along with a rather large monastery on the cliffs above. According to the explorers, it was located around here," Kate pointed to a spot to the northwest of Markarth. The spot the explorers had claimed the village was was about as remote as it got. Completely surrounded by mountains, no roads leading in, only game trails. It would take at least a week maybe more for them to actually arrive at the vale the village was in. "The team couldn't actually get to the village due to a large chasm on the eastern side. The west side of the village is completely surrounded by the mountains and pretty near impossible to get at from that direction. We've got climbing gear and the Legates men have brought along some supplies to make a bridge across the chasm. Which reminds me; Legate, it's all yours."

At that Quintus stepped up beside her and surveyed the table, "Thanks Kate. As Kate mentioned, I's my job to keep you all alive on this expedition. Now, the Druadachs are a dangerous place so I won't go so far as to guarantee that I can bring you all back alive. If you want to survive this trip then you'll have to cultivate a strong mental aptitude, you've got to obey the rules. My rules." He paused and made sure he had everyones attention, "Rule number one; Don't go anywhere alone. The last thing I need is to have to go tracking down stragglers. Rule number two; Keep a weapon on you at all times. My men can't be everywhere and the mountains are home to more than just forsworn. Half the beasts out there want to kill you and eat your brains like a sweetroll. Rule number three," Kate smirked to herself as Quintus continued to list the various things he expected the group to do or not do. He was waaay too serious sometimes but he always got the job done so she didn't mind. When he finally finished she said, "Alright, thank you Legate. To the rest of you; We plan on leaving today shortly after noon. The Legates men are already busy prepping everything near the main gate. You each have a pack waiting for you down there so feel free to head down and collect it. We'll be down shortly and we can et this underway!"

 

[CapObvious]

Both Krisandra and Dolmas had kept quiet as the questions began to fly. They had been in situations like this before, and knew that any of their questions would more than likely be answered in the debriefing.

The only thing they weren't expecting were the randoms that seemed to all materialize into thin air. The Master of Coin, as well as the two ruffians at the conference room doors.

Kate, as well as her guard, didn't seem like they expected this Lord Baenius to be here.

In fact, it almost seemed like she would rather he didn't.

"Lord Baenius... We weren't expecting you but now that you're here, please, take a seat. I was just taking some questions before you interrupted." Then she turned to the men at the door and motioned for them to enter. "Ah, yes. You two. You may as well have a seat as well. That is, if Lord Baenius doesn't have a problem with it; Being the master of coin and all."

Krisandra could almost sense an edge to Kate's tone, and it made her smirk. She might grow to like this woman. Kate was about to speak again, when yet another voice came from the entrance.

“I see you already have an opening” Everyone seemed to turn at once, all looking at the girl who stared back at them from the door. Kate sighed and rubbed her eyes, showing a slight frustration with all of these interruptions. "Ah, sure. Why not. Grab yourself a chair then. You lot can explain who you are later."


Thankfully, the head guard, Quintus if Dolmas had recalled correctly, started for the doors.

"Alright. Guards, shut the doors. Nobody else comes in!"

The doors finally slammed shut, bringing the meeting to a much needed start.

Kate finally turned back to the waiting group. "Ok... Now, barring any other interruptions, lets continue. As far as our findings go, just remember, this IS an archaeological expedition, meaning that most of our findings will be cataloged and taken back to the Solitude museum or the Markarth scientific hall for further study. Now thats not to say that some of the more minor things, stuff that we've already seen before or don't need, won't be up for grabs. Finders keepers on the smaller stuff. Just don't expect to go home with a wagon load of ancient collectables." Then she turned to Avia, no doubt going to answer her...oddly worded question. "As for your question, the only ones that have been placed in tents with more than one person are the Legates squad and thats more to keep the size of our camp down than anything. If however any of you do feel the need to bunk in the same tent, I really couldn't care less."

"Now, back to why we're all here."

As she began to go through the run down of the current situation, Krisandra's eyes began to wander. Mostly to Garret and Avia. They both came alone, if she remembered right, but the two of them seemed to almost be cut from the same cloth. How Garret responded to Avia seemed like harmless japing, but there was the way she smiled back at him that sparked Kris's curious mind.

Not only that, but she...found the both of them rather alluring. Garret for his voice, Avia for her eyes.

It was then that something seemed to happen that could only be read about. As Kris was studying the eyes, Avia looked up, causing her to shift uncomfortably as she looked down quickly. But at that same time, Dolmas kicked her under the table, jarring her back into reality. Dolmas nodded toward the legate, who seemed to have been talking for a good fifteen minutes while she was dazing off. She glanced over quickly to see the girl still looking at her, probably confused. She coughed uncomfortably and looked ahead, noticing the legate was done, and Kate had begun to speak again.

"Alright, thank you Legate. To the rest of you; We plan on leaving today shortly after noon. The Legates men are already busy prepping everything near the main gate. You each have a pack waiting for you down there so feel free to head down and collect it. We'll be down shortly and we can et this underway!"

Dolmas stood and patted Kris on the back, motioning for her to rise and join him.

"I think it would be best if you focused on the job, Krisandra. Not a good first impression." Dolmas scolded, heading toward the doors. Kris sighed, ashamed, as she followed him out.

"Yes sir." She replied.

 

[Wolfbane]

"Lord Baenius... We weren't expecting you but now that you're here, please, take a seat. I was just taking some questions before you interrupted." Then she turned to the three men at the door and allowed them enterance. "Ah, yes. You two. You may as well have a seat as well. That is, if Lord Baenius doesn't have a problem with it; Being the master of coin and all." There was a tone of sarcasm in Kate's voice that Avia could sense. She was starting to like her even more.
"Alright. Guards, shut the doors. Nobody else comes in!" When the doors were about to close, another person came in. Everybody shifted in their seats to get a look at their new guest

“I see you already have an opening” The words and voice came from a young girl. Kate rubbed her eyes and sighed out of frustration due to the interruptions. "Ah, sure. Why not. Grab yourself a chair then. You lot can explain who you are later."

The doors finally slammed shut with finality, bringing the meeting to a much needed start.

Kate finally turned back to the waiting group. "Ok... Now, barring any other interruptions, lets continue. As far as our findings go, just remember, this IS an archaeological expedition, meaning that most of our findings will be cataloged and taken back to the Solitude museum or the Markarth scientific hall for further study. Now thats not to say that some of the more minor things, stuff that we've already seen before or don't need, won't be up for grabs. Finders keepers on the smaller stuff. Just don't expect to go home with a wagon load of ancient collectables." Then Kate turned to Avia, and then tried to answer her mistakenly awkward phrased question . "As for your question, the only ones that have been placed in tents with more than one person are the Legates squad and thats more to keep the size of our camp down than anything. If however any of you do feel the need to bunk in the same tent, I really couldn't care less." Avia was still paying attention to Kate's words. The question obviously made her smirk, so Avia gave a sly smile back, "Good." She then went back to listening.

"Now, back to why we're all here." She then got back to her main point. "As you all know, a small group of explorers recently discovered a previously unknown Akavirii village along with a rather large monastery on the cliffs above. According to the explorers, it was located around here," Avia got the feeling that this village was remote, probably surrounded by mountains, and filled to the brim with Forsworn who would gladly dismember each person, maybe use them as test subjects, violate them if they weren't dead already, or eat them. As the Legate took over and was stating the conditions, Avia faded from listening and caught the Nord, Krisandra staring at her. She gave her a warm and inviting look back, almost smiling with her eyes. Krisandra then quickly shifted her sight. Avia was curious about this woman. After this moment, the Legate was done and Kate picked up the dialogue. "Alright, thank you Legate. To the rest of you; We plan on leaving today shortly after noon. The Legates men are already busy prepping everything near the main gate. You each have a pack waiting for you down there so feel free to head down and collect it. We'll be down shortly and we can et this underway!" As soon as Kate was done, Avia got up to get the pack from the main gate. 'Garret can catch up if he wants to talk. Besides, we'll have plenty of time to talk and catch up. I'm quite curious about, Krisandra, wasn't it? Looking forward to getting to know her better.' She then walked off and towards the main gate to retrieve the things for the expedition.

 

[shadowkitty]

Wyldfyre was suddenly greeted by a dozen pairs of eyes. Her usual reaction to starting was to glare back, but she thought that wouldn’t really make a great first impression. She already felt a little out of place in the room. A woman at the head of the table sighed and rubbed her eyes, "Ah, sure. Why not." She smiled at Wyldfyre and nodded towards an empty seat, "Grab yourself a chair then. You lot can explain who you are later” As Wyldfyre made her way to the empty seat, a man in a legate uniform, standing next to the woman who had spoke to her, hollered "Alright. Guards, shut the doors. Nobody else comes in!"

Wyldfyre slid into the seat next to an Imperial man in a simple burgundy tunic. She smiled to him as he nodded in response and turned his attention back to the meeting. Wyldfyre only half listened to what was being said, instead studying the people gathered in the room. There was a mix of races as well as scholarly types and the usual rough and tough mercenaries. A couple of them puzzled her. Wyldfyre turned her attention back to the woman who appeared to be in charge just as she was explaining sleeping arrangements on the expedition.

“…….If however any of you do feel the need to bunk in the same tent, I really couldn't care less." Wyldfyres interest piqued at that. Maybe this thing she had got herself into wasn’t going to be so boring after all. The woman was pointing to a map showing where the village was located. It seemed to be surrounded by mountains and was only accessible by climbing down into it. Wyldfyre’s heart grew cold as she studied the map. The location of the village was eerily like her own small valley she had escaped from. She shook her head don’t be silly, this is nowhere near my village. She shifted in her seat.

Then the man next to the woman stood up and rattled off a number of rules that he expected everyone to follow. Wyldfyre drifted off again and noticed the looks two of the group were exchanging. Defiantly something going on there she mused. The legate finished his lecture and the woman spoke again.

"Alright, thank you Legate. To the rest of you; We plan on leaving today shortly after noon. The Legates men are already busy prepping everything near the main gate. You each have a pack waiting for you down there so feel free to head down and collect it. We'll be down shortly and we can get this underway!" Wyldfyre stood with everyone else and turned to the man she had been sitting next to. She offered him her hand.

“Wyldfyre” she introduced herself “So what did I miss?”


(OCC Jared^)

 

[Blackdoom59]

In order to respond to Garret's joke, Avia winked and nodded, giving Garret half a smile before she responded. "Of course!" Garret was pleased by the way Avia behaved, as she was expecting her to have changed in the past years. He smiled at her and then turned his head to Kate, awaiting his question to be answered. Before she could even open speak, another figure entered the conference room. A slim man in fine clothes, had the posture and look of a noble. He was accompanied by a shady character, a dark elf, by the looks of it. As he entered the room, the onslaught of questions stopped, and silence downed upon the expedition party.

"Fondest greetings to you all. I am Lord Pinarus Baenius, Master of Coin of Skyrim and patron of this great exhibition. This..." He said, gesturing to the dark elf"...is my bodyguard, Movere Sylvare. I will be providing almost limitless funding for this expedition, anything you want, I can get it." Upon the last sentence he gave a forced smile. "But know that the reason I am attending this is to see if this was a good investment. I don't like bad investments. Just remember who I am. I'm the guy with the money!"

"So the big guy shows himself... That's unusual, usually they are to afraid to get out of their big, protective manor. Keep your hands on the purse, Master of Coin, for if I don't get to it, I'm sure Avia will."


Garret thought to himself looking at the man with a half a smile on his face. Kate was surprised to see The Master of Coin, but she still offered him a sit. A ruckus could be heard in the Understone Keep, as a man was shouting at another "Bloody pirates!" Garret's turned his head to the scene, just to see someone pull the dagger out of someone else, as the guards cleaned everything up. The winning team approached Pinarus, offering their swords to him. When Garret thought things couldn't get more interesting, a red haired woman entered the conference room, analyzing her surroundings. “I see you already have an opening” she spoke out loud, for everyone to hear. Upon so many events following one another, Garret silently sighed. Kate offered both the woman and the two men seats at the conference table. The legate ordered his men to close the doors, seeing as how many people entered the room in such a short span of time.

Kate faced Garret and answered his question. He placed his elbow on the table as he rested his head on his hand, carefully listening to the answers. "As far as our findings go, just remember, this IS an archeological expedition, meaning that most of our findings will be cataloged and taken back to the Solitude museum or the Markarth scientific hall for further study. Now thats not to say that some of the more minor things, stuff that we've already seen before or don't need, won't be up for grabs. Finders keepers on the smaller stuff. Just don't expect to go home with a wagon load of ancient collectables."

The answer somewhat saddened Garret. If there was a slight chance of the Akavir to grow ingredients, never seen to man or mer before, they would be taken away to rest in a dusty museum. He wouldn't let that happen, and so if the situation was demanding, he would take the said ingredient for his own study, without anybody to take notice. Kate proceeded answering Avia's question, saying that each person will have his own tent, however she wouldn't care if people wanted to "share". Kate said about the monastery, and how the party will get to it, and the legate started listing obvious rules. Garret could feel that eyes were upon him. One of the mercenaries, Krissandra, seemed to shift her eyes between him and Avia. Garret noticed and tracked her eyes, without being noticed, as he had his hood covering his face. That raised some suspicion to garret, however he could see it in Kissandra's eyes that she was friendly, and didn't mean any harm. Kate told everyone that they should get packed up before noon at the main gate. Avia was the first to raise from her chair and head to the main gate. Garret wanted to follow her, but instead he headed to the two mercenaries, Dolmas and Krissandra. He walked fast and catched them before getting to the gate. Garret gave Dolmas a slight pat on the shoulder, as he slowed up to walk along them.

"So...How much are you two getting paid to defend the expedition party?"

 

[Wolfbane]

She walked out the door and began to make her way towards the main gate to retrieve her pack, all while thinking of the task at hand. 'I'm guessing that all of the good stuff will go to some museum or a private collector. If it goes to a museum then at least people will admire it. I'm not too big on private collectors. Not to mention their huge targets for people like Garret and I. I know I'm going to try my best to 'Acquire' some of the better stuff. Whether it be an old book, jewelry, or even a dagger. Anything small enough to hide and of value.' As she was thinking to herself, she decided to slow down to a slower walk so Dolmas, Krisandra, and Garret could catch up. She then leaned against the nearest wall, pulled out her Arrowhead that was a gift from a special time, and began to trace the edges and cracks with her fingers. She was at first thinking about the expedition and what the weather conditions, the terrain, and how many Forsworn she's going have to put down, but then something interrupted her thought. The picture of Krisandra staring right at her eyes, and how beautiful she was, the thought of being able to share the same tent, then Garret's funny pass at what she said about sharing a tent made Avia bite her lip and to press her thumb on the arrowhead harder. Before she knew it, she drew her blood. 'I just need some sleep or a release. I'm going to try my best to be professional. I'm just making it out as more than it is. But it doesn't hurt to hope and fantasize, right? There is just too many beautiful people here! Oh, I drew blood, whoops.' She sighed at her dilemma, and continued to wait for the three.