[COS] City of Shadows

[Star Gazer]

Isnar finally escaped from the ratways. He clung to the shadows, and was sure that they were looking for him. He walked over to the docks. He saw William and R'alle. "R'alle, your home is safe, but I don't know if the guards will return to it or not." Isnar said, unsure if the small house was really safe. "They didn't find the hold in the wall, but they attacked me on sight." Isnar said, warning R'alle.

 

[cazzer14]

Cyrus paused for a moment when he heard the words "Black-Briars" escape from the mouth of the man speaking to the Imperial. Cyrus knew of the Black-Briar family, and knew even more that they were not people to be trifled with, their merciless, relentless reputation to swiftly deal with those who caused them trouble, and the fact that many people who opposed them end up at the bottom of Lake Honrich had everyone in Riften, the whole of Skyrim in fact, terrified to provoke or aggravate them in any way.

Though Cyrus knew even the Black-Briars had their limitations, and that even the greatest empires have fallen, eventually, and he knew that the Black-Briars time would come. Perhaps Adrian's revoultion would be the tipping point, the overthrowing of the Black-Briars' long-ruling tyranny, and that is definitely something Cyrus wanted to be involved in.

It seemed the more Cyrus thought about Adrian's offer the more beneficial it became.

 

[Melee]

Veloca could not argue with the motives Adrian had mentioned. She despised Maven Black-Briar, and although she was an important ally for the Thieves Guild, that didn't change the way she felt toward the woman. Maven was like a manipulative leech who fed off the entire city of Riften, sucking it dry and leaving the citizens to waste away to nothing. Veloca was disgusted that the Thieves Guild was associated with her, but she couldn't do anything about it. All she could do was fume behind the bar anytime Maven's name was mentioned.

As Adrian finished speech, Veloca had already made up her mind. She wanted in, especially if it meant taking Maven down. The Dark Elf spoke to her then, asking about joining with her so that he could receive combat training, with both of them helping each other. Surprise was evident on Veloca's face; nobody had ever asked her something like that before, and she was unaccustomed to someone wanting to be with her, even if it was solely on a "training partners" level. She shrugged noncommittally and stood, looking down at the Elf. "Fine by me. I'm sure we'll receive some training once we all report back here as well."

Scanning the room quickly, Veloca noticed Caleb a short distance away, making his way out of the building with a Breton. She headed in his direction, wondering what they thought about Adrian. Something did not seem right about him. He had made it clear that he was not a man of morals, he had stated that much outright. But he seemed too cold and calculating to just want to restore some sense of equality back in Riften. Surely he had a bigger plan, and Veloca knew she had to be careful around him. Coming in between the men from behind, she glanced at each of them with a small smile. "So what do you two think of the ringleader of this little revolution?"

 

[solace84]

Dalious left as the crowd did, and he went a seperate way from them. He didn't want to head back to the Ratway, as it made him think of the boy that had just died in there. He wandered the streets, keeping to himself. The lights were dim as he walked by some beggars, begging for change. He pressed on.
The town smelt of smoke and pollution as dark clouds loomed overhead. He remembered that the boy was from the orphanage, so he decided to head there to at least notify someone.
When he arrived, the building looked old as if it were ready to collapse soon. He knocked with no answer. He grabbed the knob of the door and realized it was unlocked, so he entered. Lights were on and there were a bunch of orphans, staring blankly at him. An adult female came to him.
"Can I help you?" she asked as all the kids ran away except for one little girl.
"Yes," Dalious started. "I, umm. I saw one of your orphans today in the Ratways. He was...he was murdered by spineless men. Sadly, I did not know the child's name."
"You must mean Leo," she said. "He always snuck out to the Ratways. Well, thank you for telling us. You should be on your way then."

"Are you here to save us from the monster?" the little girl asked suddenly.
Dalious paused for a moment, as the woman said, "No Rose, he was just leaving."
"What monster?"
"Oh, she just has night dreams," the lady said. "There are no monsters, you know kids."
"That's not true," the young girl, Rose, said. "It is real! It comes at night and takes a kid. But many kids come in every day from all over, so no one cares!"
"What did I tell you about making up stories?" the lady told Rose in a stern voice. "No monsters exist and they do not take kids. The kids find new parents and they go home with them. Okay? So no more monster talk, young lady."
"Liar!" Rose screamed. "Please mister, you have to help us. You have to help us from the monster before it gets me...please!"
The girl started crying ecstatically as the lady tried to grab her hand, but Rose ran away. The lady then turned to Dalious.
"I'm sorry about that," she said. "Please, if you'll leave as you can tell we're busy here."
"My lady," Dalious said and nodded to her, then he left.
'That girl must really believe her story' he thought as he walked the streets again. 'hmm, just nonsense probably'. He continued on...

 

[Skyrimosity]

Savile was a bit surprised by the Redguards reaction. She didn't seem offended in anyway and Savile was sure that someone with such a fire in their eyes would join the Club. Savile thought of this and walked outside. He saw a pile of hay not far away from the house. Perfect bed for the night. So he pulled out a bottle of Skooma he had been carrying, sat on the hay, drank the Skooma, and went to sleep. He knew that he would likely have a busy morning.

 

[cazzer14]

Cyrus followed the Imperial and the Breton out of the door, shadowing only a few meters behind them. A Redguard woman brushed past him, and he quickly glanced at her, from head to toe and back again; he liked what he saw. Cyrus then watched silently, as usual, as she addressed the two men, squeezing herself between them, and gave each of them a warm smile.

'I need to get some friends, someone to talk to. Connections helped in a city like this', Cyrus thought to himself as he strolled behind the party of three.

In absence of any friends to socialise with, he decided he would spend the night conversing with a barkeeper, and the bottom of a mead mug, and figured the Bee and Bard was as good a place as any to drink before many days of sure-to-be hard work. With this idea in mind, he picked up a brisker pace as he headed from the docks back into the city walls, and passed the trio, nodding in a friendly manner to the Breton, who was the closest to Cyrus as he overtook.

 

[Star Gazer]

Isnar walked out of the room after the man had finished speaking. "One minute R'alle. I'll be right back." Isnar told him. Isnar had to use the restroom. Isnar knew guards were probably swarming around the ratway now. Isnar walked into an alley. He stopped halfway through the dark hall, and figured this would be a good place to stop and pee. Isnar was doing his business when two large hands were brought down on the back of Isnar's neck. The old man fell to the ground. He was in a fetal position with his hands behind his neck. He couldn't breathe. He looked up at his attacker. It was the nord who he had beaten in the ring. Before Isnar could get a word out, he was curbstomped in the right side of his lower back. Time slowed down as he was being kicked. Large man, powerful kicks. So far, I have taken two to the kidneys, one to the back of the neck, and one in the stomach. If the kicks are as damaging as they feel, I will have severe to permanent kidney damage, maybe a broken rib, and bruised neck. I cannot breathe, but that will return once the men are finished, unless this is where I die. It hurts. The pain is unbearable. If I was any younger, I might have a chance, but unless I get up soon, the damage will only increase. Try to stand. He thought, attempting to stand up. He was immediately kicked down. Chance of surviving, slim. Chance of winning this fight, increasingly negative to impossible. Stand again! He thought! He got to his knees, but was pulled by his legs. Isnar looked to where they were dragging him. The river, home to slaughterfish and alligators. Must get away from this man. Isnar kicked his feet and clawed at the ground in front of him. It was no use. He was already on the railing, overlooking the river. Isnar grabbed the collar of the man's shirt and tried to hang on for his life. The man grabbed Isnar's one arm, and let go. The fall was long, and Isnar knew where he was going. Down. He his the water with a splash. There was only one thing that ran through Isnar's mind. I never learned how to swim.

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

“So what do you make of all this? It seems like a good offer, then again from what I've heard crossing the Black-Briars could be a death sentence…” At first Caleb didn't realize that Crow was talking to him, he was too busy contemplating the whole situation. "Hmm..? Oh, right. But I'm definitely interested." Caleb replied as the two began heading out the door, for Caleb it really wasn't the potential wealth that interested him, it was more of the new life. He was just a broken orphan, a lonely, broken orphan that wanted to change his life, turn it around. Live on the spur of the moment.


"So what do you two think of the ringleader of this little revolution?" It was the barmaid from the Ragged Flagon, Caleb never got her name, either that or he'd forgotten it after a night of heavy drinking to dull the pain. "I'm definitely interested, I agree with what he's said so far." Caleb was hiding his excitement, he really couldn't wait to come back tomorrow morning and he silently groaned knowing that tonight would be a sleepless one.

 

[Duon]

Crow nodded in agreement with Caleb before he noticed the Redguard woman come over and address them "So what do you two think of the ringleader of this little revolution?" he thought about it for a moment before speaking. “He seemed a bit mad but also brilliant… then again what person has really ever changed anything significant without being a bit of both?” he said with a chuckle while reaching into his cloak and extracting his pipe relighting it.

“I’m not saying I’m ready to just follow the man blindly but for now it seems like the best opportunity this city has left to offer.” As he finished his sentence he began to sense a presence watching him, looking out of his peripheral he noticed another Redguard eavesdropping on their conversation from a short distance behind. “I’ll keep a eye on him and just stay on my guard for now” he thought knowing what types of people called this city home.

Maintaining his calm demeanor he turned to the first Redguard “I didn’t catch your name by the way, mines Crow.” He said smiling and offering her a hand.

 

[Star Gazer]

Instead of time slowing down, it sped up. Isnar felt fear and his mind was racing from the time he was dragged, to the time he was dropped. The old man hit the water with a splash. He fell face down, twenty feet into the water. It had hurt his chest when he fell. His whole body felt weak and numb. His pain sensors were all firing off at once, but felt only a few of them. He was underwater for about ten seconds, but it seemed like two. He didn't remember anything from that point on. Isnar woke up on the boardwalk, that runs along the river. Must have climbed up here before I was knocked out. Who were those men, the nord had with him? Why were they attacking me? Is it just because he was a sore loser? Is it because he lost to an old man?

 

[solace84]

Dalious bought some more dragongrass from a dealer he found looming around the alleyways. He loaded his pipe, which was pure white and hand-carved by himself, and it formed a dragon design. He walked back toward the center of town and toward the Bee and Barb Inn. There were no guards around he noticed, so he entered the tavern with a thirst. He thought of the fight club proposal, he thought of the boy that had died...then he thought of the little girl, Rose. He shook his head clean.
"I'm just going to drink," he said aloud.

 

[R'alle]

R'alle got up and entered the factory again.Isnar returned with warning of guards in the Ratway.R'alle nodded at Isnar as he left. R'alle then walked over to a group of people speaking. He stood and listened. He was looking around the house as he listened. The place was acceptable. It could easily fit 15 people.The place was romier than what R'alle was used too .He then decided it would be better to get away and learn whats going on.

R'alle grew bored with the group he was by, all they talked about was a legend about a secret group of agents who guarded the Night mistress's bounty. R'alle didn't believe that crap. He stayed far away from anything to do with gods. R'alle walked towards the door. He bumped into someone. More like ran into them. He was still on the floor when he looked up to see the redguard woman,from the ragged flagon. He quickly backed away behind a nearby crate. He crouched when he reached his destination. He peaked at the woman who was walking. He remembered what a guard said to him " Beware of redguards, they have curved swords."
R'alle didn't want to feel the steel of a curved sword. He hoped she didn't feel his collision. R'alle touched his cheek and felt his soft fur. She probably didn't feel it, I wasn't walking that fast was I? R'alle asked himself this wondering how he was knocked off his feet.

 

[cazzer14]

As Cyrus approached the Bee and Bard, he could hear casual laughter and banter filling the ambient noise inside of the tavern. He opened up the large, wooden door, the warmth of the fireplace instantly hitting Cyrus' cheeks, the welcome heat in severe contrast to the cold Skyrim night consuming the city outside. Cyrus stopped for a moment to view the room. There were several groups of people, everyone with a drink in their hand, all having a good time. A bearded behemoth of a man finished his joke, and the small crowd of rowdy men gathered around him all bellowed and guffawed at the punchline, clanking their mugs together and taking gulps from the warm mead inside.

Cyrus couldn't help but to get caught up in the positive mood in the air, and smiled as he made his way to the bar and sat next to an Imperial lent over the bar counter, hunched, quiet in thought. Cyrus gave the man a quick glare, before he turned to the barkeep.
"Your mead watered down?"
The Argonian put down the mug he was cleaning and looked over his potential customer before answering sharply, slightly perturbed to the apparently insulting question.
"No"
"Then I'll take a mug of it" Cyrus' hand flicked several gold coins onto the counter, and the Lizard's hand quickly scooped them up and slid them into his purse, before getting to serving Cyrus' drink. Whilst waiting for his mead, Cyrus turned to his Imperial neighbour, glanced him over another time, before saying:
"You look like plops, you got a story behind you looking so roughed up?"
Cyrus eagerly awaited his reply, he didn't know if the man would accept his remark and tell him his clearly interesting story, or try and smack him in the face with his mug in grumpy anger.

 

[solace84]

"You look like pl***, you got a story behind you looking so roughed up?"
Dalious looked up at the Redguard. He was blunt and to the point, and Dalious liked that. He cracked a smile.
"Thanks for the kind words," Dalious said. "We all have stories...mine is a bit too long. Perhaps another time I'll share it with you. For now, I just want to drink and stare at women."
Dalious catches sight of a young slender female perched by herself in the corner, drinking alone.
"Excuse me friend," Dalious told the Redguard as he walked away from him. "Duty calls."
Dalious went over to the female's table and shared a few words with her, then she smacked him hard across the face and he came back to sit where he was originally, next to the Redguard.
"So..." Dalious started. "What's your story?"

 

[cazzer14]

Cyrus was pleasantly surprised that the Imperial took his words well.
"For now, I just want to drink and stare at women" Cyrus greeted this statement with an amused smile, and glanced around the room searching for the women the man was on about, he saw a group of women chatting on a table, breasts bouncing as they laughed and messed around. Cyrus smirked at the sight.
"Can't blame you", Cyrus agreed as he received his mug of mead from the Argonian. The Imperial then excused himself as he headed towards a lone attractive female across the room, lingering in the corner, nursing a drink in her hand and staring at the mug as she swirled the alcohol inside. Like a fearsome predator, the Imperial swooped in and sat beside her, uttering words out of his mouth, whilst he stared into her eyes, then her breasts, then back up again.
His efforts were rewarded with a hard slap across his face, Cyrus could hear the echo of the contact from where he sat, a sound that made him chuckle loudly. Abruptly, the Imperial, the suave alpha-lion he clearly was, returned to his den in failure, and glanced at Cyrus' greatly amused grin before he sat back down next to Cyrus.

"Smooth" remarked Cyrus out loud, his gigantic smirk still on his face.
"So... What's your story?", the Imperial asked, clearly wanting to change the hilarious subject. Cyrus' smirk soon, slowly, died off, and he replied
"Nothing too interesting, born a bandit, raised a bandit, may or may not have killed the leader, ran off, ended up here." Cyrus paused to take a sip of his mead, it wasn't half bad, but he could tell that the Argonian was lying when he said the mead wasn't watered down."Went to that little show down at the docks earlier, were you there? Interesting stuff..."

 

[solace84]

"Went to that little show down at the docks earlier, were you there? Interesting stuff..."
"Yeah I was," Dalious said. "I'm not quite sure what to make of all that. I guess we'll find out tomorrow what that whole story was about. As for tonight, we get drunk!"
They tapped their drinks together and drank. Dalious began sharing stories with the Redguard as the night pressed on....

 

[Star Gazer]

Isnar crawled at first, but felt strong enough to stand up. First he was on his hands and knees, then knees, then one foot then two. He took his first step and fell to the ground. He rolled on his back, and looked down to his legs. He was horrified as he saw his leg, mangled and twisted. Break about four inches below knee. Weeks to heal, with about a month of therapy. Have to get to... bar. Get alcohol. He thought. He crawled his way up the stairs. Each step his leg touched, sent a strike of pain all the way up to his thigh. He had finally gotten to the top. He crawled into the Bee and Barb, and stood himself up on the bar. He slapped fifty septims on the table. "Ten bottles of your... strongest drink." He said, groaning in between words. "Something wrong?" The argonian lady asked. "I'm fine." Isnar assured. They gave him a crate with ten bottles of brownish liquid. Isnar got off of the bar, and crawled out of the bar, attracting many stares from anyone that passed by. He crawled down the stairs, which is much harder than it sounds. He went into the ratways, and started drinking. Five bottles down, considerably drunk. Procedure starts... now. He thought, slowly. He took the lower half of his broken leg, and repositioned it. There was much pain and much screaming. The pain was drowned out by the alcohol, but was consistent and it still hurt. He took his cloak and wrapped it around the break. Need professional cloth to make a working cast. This will do for now. He grabbed a nearby broom, and used it as a walking stick. He knew he couldn't fight in this condition.

 

[Star Gazer]

Isnar walked into the bar and sat across from the ugly argonian lady. "I'll need shome bandagesh and rope." He said. "Sure we got those. We get the usual barfight here, and we need to patch him up." She said. Isnar placed a few septims on the bar. He saw a few guys down the bar that looked like they were havin the time of their lives. Isnar came over to them and sat down. "Hey guys. I've got shome eshtra drinks here. Want to share 'em with me?" The drunk old man asked, trying to seem friendly.

 

[solace84]

At this point Dalious was incredibly drunk, as he had been downing beers and shots of whiskey the entire night. He spoke loudly to his new Redguard friend, telling him a bunch of nonsense.
"...and then they made me their chief," Dalious ended a story, as Isnar approached them. He had a box full of beer he gripped his one arm around.
"Hey guys. I've got shome eshtra drinks here. Want to share 'em with me?" the old man said.
"Absolutely!" Dalious said, grabbing one of them. He lit up some dragongrass and puffed on it.
"A giving drunk is the best kind."

 

[Star Gazer]

"I agree, friend." Isnar said. After a few drinks, Isnar left them. "I have shome things to attend to." He said, limped up to his room. He laid his leg out, straight when he got to his room. Fractured tibia. Shorter recovery than if it was completely broken. Wrap bandages around leg, secured to leg with rope. Still require wood splints and walking stick. Need to cut down tree. Better do it tonight. Tomorrow is the day we see what's up with the fight club. Isnar thought, as he got up and walked out of Riften. He went into the woods to find a tree with large branches to cut down. Chop two limbs. One for the splints, one for the walking stick. Might even be able to make a wooden pipe, if I have enough. He thought, as he started chopping. Should I make a design on the walking stick? How about intertwining vines? That would work nicely. He thought when he finally chopped down the two branches. He cut off two small rectangular boards off of the first branch, and took a chunk of wood for the pipe. He took the branch and carved into a decent walking stick with no designs. He could decorate when he got back to the inn. He walked back to Riften with his new walking stick. It worked well. He heard wolves howling as he walked through the gates of Riften. He looked up into the night sky and saw the constellations. He walked into the Bee and Barb and the fresh scent of firewood entered his nose. His eyes watered when he walked by the fire and up to the room. He laid on the bed and placed all of his belongings on the bedding in front of him. Twenty septims, a block of wood, a crudely made walking stick, my cloak... and a broken leg. He thought to himself. He pulled a hunting knife out of his satchel and started whittling away at the block of wood. It had been a few minutes before the block turned into an ugly pipe. He carved a smoke-like pattern into it and it looked much better. He pulled his walking stick over and began on it. A few minutes of carving and chopping lead to a nicely made walking stick. Isnar made a hold at the top of the walking stick. A space large enough to put a pipe, but small enough to hide it. Isnar untied the ropes around his leg and placed the wooden splints he had made. He tied them together, sandwiching his leg in-between. Got all my chores done. Isnar thought, as he walked down into the bar and sat down.