Open Reforging an Empire

[Simus]

Simus went upstairs to his room, now unoccupied, and went to bed. He knew Dabiene and Soldin wanted to talk amongst themselves and there was no need to check on Alice. Dabiene had gotten her back into bed and would take good care of her. One would think he would be worried that Jen was gone but in truith Simus knew exactly where he was. One of his men, Silivus, was an undercover operative in the bandit fort they were going to raid tomorrow. He had captured Jen and brought him back to the fort, probably roughing him up along the way. The idea was to see how well Simus' new soldiers dealt with the sudden disappearence of a comrade and how they dealt with liberated prisoners. Plus, Simus wanted to see how well Jen handled being bagged and dragged. They could all be captured and would need to know what to do. Some, like Jen, Simus wasn't sure about and would arrang a series of test for them. Nothing to kill them of course, but the tests needed to be as dangerous as possible.

Alice, meanwhile, had convinced Dabiene to stay the night with her. It wasn't too difficult considering all it took was asking for a glass of water and a pair of sad eyes. Dabiene got into bed with Alice and brought her into her usual protective embrace which Alice returned. Dabiene had also told Alice that she had accepted her request to be her new mother. The argument being that she and Soldin could keep her stable and she was willing to commit to Alice's care and safety with that insurance. Soldin took up Simus' offer of sleeping in a spare bed in the basement. Simus had a workbench and grindstone with a little forge down there so he could smith if his neighbor Adrianne Avanichi was too busy to let him use her forge. This was also where Simus built and tinkered with more esoteric and strange items, including several dwemer inventions that did wonderous and wacky things. Soldin was, of course asked not to touch anyting and Soldin, being the puppy he was, couldn't resist. Before going to bed, Simus instructed everyone that they were to use imperial armor and gear for the attack tomorrow. No enchanted items of any kind were allowed. He had procured a set of heavy imperial armor for Dabiene to change into for the morning, remembering her saying that was he preference. He also laid out a variaty of basic steel weapons and shields for her to choose from as well as an enlistment for for her to fill out in the morning. Everyone went to sleep and had an uneventful night.

When morning came they all rose early except for Alice, who Simus let sleep in until she woke up on her own. She needed as much rest as possible before going into action again. Simus' plan was to attack the bandits around noon anyway, to make the bandits alert and ready and thust make for a harder fight. This was a training exercise after all. At about nine o'clock, a Stormcloak soldier knocked on Simus' door.

"General Psyrakon? I have news from the Western Watchtower."

"Let's here it then." Simus said, dressed in his heavy imperial armor for a couple of hours now and ready to fight.

"Well sir...I'm not sure how to say this but Ulfric is on his way. Twenty minutes at most. Do you think he's onto us?"

"I'm not sure but let's not give him any reason to suspect anything's wrong. What's his detail?"

"Ten Chosen. Steel Plate armor and helmets in Stormcloak colors, skyforge steel weapons all. Half with warhammers, half with swords and shields. Galmar is also with him along with a strange wizerd I've never seen before. Sort of an evil looking man. Small and wicked."

"Thank you soldier. Spread the word to Friga and her squad. I want the entire guard force mustered and ready to great our High King. Until he says otherwise that's what he is and we're going to gibe him a High King's welcome. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The soldier said, saluting Simus then running off to the barraks. Simus turned to Dabiene and Soldin, both at the kitchen table. Alice was still asleep.

"I hope you two washed your teeth this morning because you're about to kiss Ulfric's ass. I wish Alice could sleep some more but we need to wake her. Dabiene, get her up and tell her what's going on. Soldin, find the rest of the squad and do the same. Full imperial gear, no custom equipment. No, we're not going to hang for it. Ulfric's expcting such a greeeting in fact. I'll explain later. Right now, get moving."

 

[Andre Marek]

Marek was already up when the General came down the stairs and answered the knocking at the door. He'd been sitting quietly for the better part of an hour now, thinking about the assassin, and he doubted anyone had noticed him. He kept to himself for the duration of Psyrakons talk with the stormcloak soldier who was waiting outside. As soon as he closed the door and turned to the table where Dabiene and the white haired man named Soldin sat, Marek stood and stepped into the dim light near the fire.

"Psyrakon. Glad your finally awake, you need to hear something." He paused and looked over at the pair at the table for a second, "You two should hear it as well. There might be a certain khajiit... assassin, seeking your attention soon. She was at the inn last night meeting with an informant from Riften. She had already discovered your location and seemed to be observing this house." As he talked Marek spotted a loaf of bread on the table and made his way towards it, "I don't think she means anyone here harm though. In fact she expressed an interest in joining so that she could have a shot at some mage traveling with Ulfric. His name is Blackstone, do you know of him?"

Marek grabbed the piece of bread off the table and, slathering it in both honey and butter, took a bite before continuing. "I'll warn you that she has a rather... hmm... different, way of introducing herself," He thought of how the girl had been when he had entered her room and hoped that she wouldn't try the same method on the General. "She's not exactly modest to say the least. And I don't think she's Dark Brotherhood either. Probably freelance, though I've never heard of her, goes by the name Shadari."

Grimacing suddenly as he recalled the generals words about uniform, Marek said, "And I suppose you'll want me to wear that legion gear as well won't you? Huh, well if I'm going to take part in this then I guess I better do what I can to make sure we pull it off eh? I'll tell you now though, I won't sign any forms. I won't be tied to any of this should it fail. I accepted your money. That's contract enough. So long as you pay me, I'm yours. Stop paying and I'll leave, simply as that."

Marek was a man of his word. Most would have laughed at the thought of a mercenary with any sense of honor and truthfully, he had rarely met any who did. As far as Marek was concerned, those men were no better than bandits. Loyal only to money and the highest bider and would quit as soon as things got tough. Marek would never go back on his word so long as his employer honored their end of the bargain. The General didn't strike Marek as dishonorable but if he tried in any way to take advantage of him then he would find out the hard way what Marek did to people who skipped on their payments. He hoped it didn't come to that.

 

[TheShadedOne]

Shadari woke with the dawns' first light, and spent the first half hour of her day meditating. Another half hour, she spent stretching and doing small exercises, readying her muscles for the day ahead. Then she dressed in her dark grey leather, buckled her knife belt, slid her falchion into her belt loop, and undid the laces at the top of her armour. Now her breasts were revealed enough to get the attention of any man with a pulse, but didn't reveal all of them. Heading downstairs and outside the inn, down the street a ways, and to the little house that seemed to be hosting the majority of the rebels. Lifting a lightly furred fist, she knocked firmly on the wooden door.

 

[Hale Loneshadow]

The lightly sleeping, half-conscious Ranger awoke with a terrified start when the Stormcloak (who had so rudely awakened him with his impetuous knocking!) mentioned the description that could only be of Garumn. Hale felt his heart fluttering. Not in that "I've-just-seen-the-woman-of-my-dreams" type of flutter, but leaning heavily towards that "I'm-about-to-die-a-horrible-and-vicious-death" type of flutter. Yes, definitely the latter!

So full of paranoia was the Ranger, that when he was scurrying down the trellis from Simus' roof, the impeccably agile Ranger slipped and tumbled the remaining five feet to the ground, landing with a dull thud.
"Ow...blast it. That'll leave a nice bruise.." sputtered the nervous Ranger.

Pulling himself up from that embarrassing fall, Hale darted in the front door of Breezehome, to find Simus barking orders, keeping calm despite the tremendous situation about to fall upon all of their heads...and, if they were unfortunate, their necks.
"Soldin, find the rest of the squad and do the same. Full imperial gear, no custom equipment. No, we're not going to hang for it. Ulfric's expcting such a greeeting in fact. I'll explain later. Right now, get moving."

Slinking up to Simus, Hale pulled his thoughts together to say his piece.

"Er, Simus? While your plan is undoubtedly a wonderfully deceitful one, not to mention extremely clever, as Garumn is indeed among Ulfric's posse, then there is not a disguise in the world that would shield me from that vile bastard's instant recognition. Me being anywhere near you all while they are here is a severe danger to you and the rest of our friends and allies. However, I have a solution. Jen is still missing, yes? Probably in that bandit fort, in the main jail area. If you'd like, I could sneak my way in the fort, worm my way through, and free our captured Bosmer friend, taking out a few bandits along the way."

Throwing a wicked smile at Simus, Hale finished by saying with a sly tone, "I have been adeptly trained in other areas of battle operations aside from ranged support, you know. It would give me a chance to prove how truly useful I am, whilst both saving a friend and keeping us all out of danger from our ruse being discovered. What say you, old friend?"


As the Ranger talked, his sensitive ears picked up on a brusque knock on the front door.

 

[Simus]

Simus listened to Hale's concerns and while they were certainly valid, they had to keep up appearences. If Ulfric knew as much as Simus feared he did, then he would notice anything out of place. They had to be good Skyrim citizens today. All of them.

"I'm sorry Hale but I have to deny your request. If Ulfric knows about you, and I'm sure he does, then he'll expect you in attendence. Alice too. I know what you said about this Garumn is destressing, but Ulfric will probably keep him on a short leash. He's never been one to embrace magic or those that practice them. Ulfric has no hard evidance of our rebellion yet and that means he won't let any harm come to me or my men. I gurentee you that: Ulfric's a pompous ass but he's a man of his word. As for Jen, he'll have to wait until we get to the fort."

Simus turned to Hale and gave him a commander's look.

"Now soldier, I expect you to do your duty and participate in the welcome of the High King in a manner that suits a soldier of the Imperial Legion. So long as you are under my command you will follow my orders without question and without hesitation. Do I make myself clear Auxiliary Loneshadow?"

Then taking notice of the knocking on his door, Simus opened it to reveal a young female Khajiit. This must be the one Marek had told him about.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

 

[Dabiene Caristiana]

Dabiene was sitting and listening to the whole thing. When the soldier came knocking at the door and telling that Ulfric was coming, Soldin was startled when she broke her glass of wine with her bare hand. He rubbed her back while hearing the commanders orders. He was right, not matter Hale's concerns the High King was definately going to expect them all. And who knew, maybe Ulfric would think Dabiene finally did join his side. He snorted quietly at the thought, oh how wrong Ulfric would be.

Dabiene grounded out, "Then I guess this will be the most... Interesting day of my life." Standing up she added, "I'll go get the little dumpling," And proceeded to walk up stairs. Soldin got up too but snickered at her back, "Dumpling? Is that a... Werewolf endearment? Cute one if I say so myself.." He heard a warning growl from upstairs and he chuckled outright.

"Twenty minutes... That doesn't give much time does it? And sir, if I may, Dabs told me she is a battlemage of some sort, capable of sword handling to a point along with shooting spells at the same time, but isn't too savvy with Shields. She'd probably fumble with it. I'd have given her the basics but I'm not to gifted with the Shield myself. Although ironically, I could block several blows with a big chunk of blade." Chuckling he saluted, years of military protocal with the Dawnguard went back into gear, "Right, I'll get to informing the others, I just hope all goes well." And as such he marched out the door with Dabiene to wake up Alice.

(OOC: Sorry it's short, I'll post Dabienes part in a bit.)

 

[Hale Loneshadow]

As he heard Simus' words, Hale's anxiety rose to almost insurmountable levels. He felt his heart pumping five times faster than it should. His stomach fluttered. His pulse rose. His blood boiled, both from fear and anger. Hale could feel the sweat beading throughout his whole body, could feel it dripping down his skin. He felt himself turn the whitest shade of pale that he could. He felt like his mind was going through a thousand thoughts in the span of a few seconds.

This was not how the Ranger was used to feeling, but that damnable wizard had stolen Hale's sense of reason, as well as leaving him with incredible amounts of mental scarring, when he had sent the Ranger to his apparent eternal torture.

On another note, there were only two people who had ever been allowed to talk to him like that in his long-lived life. One, his father, was missing. Presumed dead, thanks to the vile wizard. The other, well...the other was in another land. Another kingdom.

Shaking his head, Hale persisted, his voice shaken, his speech broken.

"S-Simus. I just...I just. I just don't think you...fully understand. If Garumn sees me...nay, if he even senses me. Wh-wha-...what could Ulfric possibly do to put a DAMNABLE LEASH ON THAT BASTARD!"

In the matter of a few seconds, the invasive thoughts of Garumn blasted through Hale's mental barriers. All the pain, the agony, the blasted torture (both mental and physical), all the horrid memories came flooding back to the Ranger. Hale's eyes rolled to the back of his skull, only his whites showing as he let out a horrid yell. All of a sudden, he was no longer standing in Simus' living room.

He was back in Hell.

Oblivion. The Abyss. One hundred years of torture, bloodshed, and eternal fighting against the hellish hordes in six damned months.

Hale looked around, the all consuming fire licking at his frame, the wooden kitchen table, no longer a table, but a rack curved, poisoned spikes. The utensils, not utensils, but various tools of bloodwork and torture.

And worst of all, in place of Simus, one of his oldest friends, there was the Archduke of the Hells himself. Bael. The towering devil-demon had caused the Ranger infinite amounts of anguish! The mental attack of Garumn taking full hold in Hale's mind, the Ranger did not fathom that he was anywhere but damnation itself, once more.

The "sight" of Bael sent the usually logical Ranger into a whirlwind of motion, lashing out with blind fury, driven by one emotion: to KILL the fiend that stood in front of him!

Of course, though, it was not Bael, but Simus.

(ooc: don't worry, Simus, I'm not trying to write it so Hale kills you, but you probably got that )

 

[Simus]

Hale had vehemently rejected Simus' orders but he did not do it as an insubordinate soldier. He did it as one filled with fear. Before Hale even opened his mouth to object, Simus saw the faer in his eyes. He had seen the fear in hundreds of men before, men who had come face to face with old demons and were at a loss for reason. He let out a roar of fear and fury as he lunged at Simus with a drawn dagger. Simus knew he couldn't reach him, the poor man was lost in a flashback of some horror he had witnessed and was no longer in this house. Simus dodged Hale's dagger and watched as it was rammed into a wall by its own momentum. Hale was disarmed for a few precious moments and Simus used this oppertunity to twist Hale's arm behind his back and tackle him to the ground. He was strong and slightly taller than Simus but Simus was slightly wider and managed to bring Hale down. It took extrieme effor for the older man though and Hale was in danger of breaking free and harming himself or someone else. Hale very well may kill Simus if left in the state he was in and Simus had to act fast. Grabbing his head with both hands, he channeled a calm spell into Hale's mind, coupled with a weak shock spell to short his muscles. Still struggling to hold him down, Simus spoke into Hale's ear as calmly as he could.

"Hale, it's Simus. You're in Whiterun, you're in my house. You're safe. Wherever you think you are it's not real. You can fight this. You're strong enough and I will help you. We will all help you. Come back to us Hale. Listen to my voice and come back to us."

(OOC: Sorry if I overdid it on the scripting Hale but I feel like it all makes sense given the situation. I can edit if you wish of course.)

 

[fellowknight]

The morning light shone in through the window and rested upon Baroth's sleeping face. He had fallen asleep by the wash basin with a bowl and rage in his hand. He yawned and stood up, placing the bowl and rag in the basin as he turned around and looked for his comrades.

Most of them were already up, Simus seemed troubled, Hale was talking with him, Dabiene was not near, nor was Soldin, Alice was most likely asleep, and the Mer had not returned ever since his wild goose hunt. He was worried somewhat for the Elf's saftey, so he decided to ask Simus what was happening.

He approached the commander, saluting and speaking to him. "Sir. Where's Jen?" He asked, keeping the same stone faced look as before, but feeling a sudden concern for the Mer's absence. Surely the consequences were to be harsh. (OOC: I'm srry for the short post for Baroth it's just, i really have no idea how ELSE to say stuff so it comes out short. Srry Simus, but when ulfric arrives, it's gonna go down)
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The sounds of smacking echoed through the halls of the fortress. Again they came, this time, a faint grunt could be heard, and a low growl. Once more they came, and the creaking of a would chair could be heard. There, in front of an iron gate door, stood a hefty nord bandit, smile clear on his lips, as he heard the next punch into the Mer's face.

Jen sat up once again, spitting blood on the cold, stone floor. Silivus had taken off his helmet and set it on a side table, along with other torture tools he planned to use. His face was that of any nord's, fair, hardy, strong, though it was haunted by a scar over his eye. He shook his open hand, still aching from the many hard punches to the Mer's face. Then he chuckled and looked down at the Mer.

"This interrigation is making me tired. Mayhaps we should stop......" His voice trailing off,as he raised his index finger and thumb to the bottom of his chin, so he appeared to be thinking.

"Nah." He said, punching Jen square in the face again. Jen's head leaned to the side as he felt the throbbing pain and saw the crimson liquid leaving his nose and mouth. Then he heard Silivus crouch and whisper in his ear, "All of this pain, suffering, madness, can stop. All you have to do, is tell me," He said, leaning in close to his ear, "Who is leader of the rebellion?" He asked, leaning back and waiting.

Jen gave a smile, blood still dripping from his lips and the ends of his mouth, as he spoke up. "Your.....mother.......might know." He said, grinning and chuckling. Silivus raised his fist and punched him hard again, but this time, Jen felt his leather bonds loosen some. He sat his head back up and smiled as he spat blood on the Nord's armor. This angered Silivus to say the very very least, as he pushed a guard aside and grabbed a dagger from the table. Meanwhile, Jen was working on his bonds, desperately trying to get himself free, as the bonds loosened a little bit more.

Silivus brought the dagger up to Jen neck, anger clear in his eyes, as he spoke in a harsh tone. "Fool! You have no idea who you are messing wi-" He was cut off, as Jen grabbed the dagger, flipped it around and stabbed it into his throat. The other guards were baffled as he blurred towards them, dagger going straight into the unprotected eye of a guard. Now remember, his goal was his bow and armor and weapons in the corner of the room.

All of this happened as the door guard fumbled and even DROPPED his keys. Sweating and even shaking, the guard reached down and grabbed his keys, searching for the right one. Jen ripped the dagger from the dead Bandit's eye and rammed it, and himself into the others stomach and to the ground. He stabbed him repeatedly, over and over until he heard the iron gate open. He stood and threw the dagger straight into his forehead, walking over to the corner where his equipment lay.

He armored up with relative ease and speed, grabbing his bow and walking in front of the open iron gate. He faced Silivus, whom was struggling to breath and sit up in the wooden chair he lay on. He gasped for air and watched, as the Mer stringed an arrow and aimed at him. He fired once, as the arrow stuck itself in the man's stomach. Then he stringed an arrow and fired again, as it zipped into his chest, just below the bottom of his neck. Then he stringed an arrow, pulled the string back, and released, as the arrow quickly landed in between his eyes.

He sighed and popped his neck, putting away the bow and heading out into the middle of the prison area.

 

[Andre Marek]

Mareks eyes widened in disbelief as Hale suddenly luanched himself at Simus wielding a dagger and shouting incoherently. He was like a man possessed, out to kill anything in his path. This was no the cool headed and calculated man Marek had seen face a demon just the day before. It was obvious that he wasn't quiet with the here and now. Whatever the case, Marek immediately started across the room on a course to intercept the ranger.

However, before he had taken more than four steps, Simus had dodged Hales dagger and tackled him to the ground where he proceeded to twist his arm behind his back. Still, Marek wasn't about to take any chances. He reached into a pouch hanging from the back of his belt and procured a length of leather cord which he frequently used to truss up un-cooperating bounties. When he was just a few feet from the two struggling men he noticed Simus' hands start to glow slightly as he whispered in Hales ear. Marek sucked in a breath between clenched teeth and paused for a heartbeat. Magic. Damnit but I've had enough of magic for a lifetime, he tought as he recalled the day he had been captured by the Thalmor. It was almost thirty years ago now but he still felt the searing pain throughout his body as if he was still being subjected to their evil machinations.

Despite his hatred for magic, Marek could see that Simus was still having a hard go at holding down the slightly stronger man. He couldn't let Hale harm the General or anyone else while Ulfric Stormcloak was bearing down on them. It would spell disaster for the rebellion if the King arrived only to find his General injured or killed by a mad ranger. Kneeling, Marek pushed thoughts of magic from his mind and proceeded to tie Hale flailing legs together. He then pushed one knee down on Hales shoulder and pinned his free arm with his boot.

Marek suddenly remembered the assassin standing at the door. Looking up at her he said, "As amusing as this must be I would appreciate it if you would come in and shut the door. There's no need for every passerby to see this."

 

[Dabiene Caristiana]

Dabiene had woken up Alice by stroking her hair, "Alice... Wake up. The General is coming, we only have 20 minutes at best." She kept shaking her shoulder gently until the girl woke up. "I'll leave you to get changed, I don't know if you heard but the General is coming, and you need to hurry."

Then she heard yelling and immediately lit up lightning spells in both hands. She moved swiftly down the hallway and looked down the stairs as she trotted down, "WHAT IN DIVINES SAKES--" She stopped dead, the shock spells forgotten, "Simus! What are you doing to Hale?" She stood there gobsmacked, not heard but she could clearly hear Simus' whispering as he talked the man down.

"Hale, it's Simus. You're in Whiterun, you're in my house. You're safe. Wherever you think you are it's not real. You can fight this. You're strong enough and I will help you. We will all help you. Come back to us Hale. Listen to my voice and come back to us."
Dabiene broke off the spells and walked forward slowly. She noticed then a Khajiit girl in doorway with Merak urging her to shut the blasted door. No need for the public eye to get in the way.

"Will he be fine?"

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Soldin ran to the Hall of the Dead and when he entered it he looked around all the rooms to see if there were any people that may be suspicious. There were only a few there. Some were most likely at the Inn, but he shouted out orders from Simus, "Attention everyone!" His voice bellowed, "The High King is coming! At twenty minutes time, more likely fifteen at least or most, he shall arrive! Orders are to put on Legion gear with no enchantments on either armor nor weaponry! Move it!"

Soldin ran over to the armory section and stripped down again fast. Dawnguard training was drilled into him, and he'd be damned if he lolligaged. Really, if you dilly dallied you would have your behind whipped. Literally. And do everyones chores for that night.

He hung up his old gear and put away his Skyforged Steel Enchanted Greatsword. Looking around he saw another Steel Greatsword but not enchanted. Picking it up he felt for the balance. It was decent so he nodded and being in full armor besides the helm, he looked around then picked up a helm on one of the shelves. Putting the Claymore on his back he ran back out before throwing over his shoulder, "By the way, just meet him at his house! It's by Warmaidens!" He dashed out of the Hall and ran through town. He opened up the Inn, hoping to find some of the others. Once he did, he told them in hushed tones to get their legion armor gear on and meet everyone by the house next to Warmaidens for further orders.

Dashing out of Inn. He thought of other places the Soldiers could be. He shrugged when he couldn't find any. It was true they might be a Jorvvaskr but he doubted it since most soldiers went to the Inn.

He ran down back to Simus' house then knocked again, he was hoping he did his job up to standards. He didn't like disappointing his superiors. And he seriously hoped he didn't forget anyone. That would have been awful. Especially for Simus when High King Bastard got here.

 

[TheShadedOne]

The door opened to reveal a older man, obviously this 'general Psyrakon' that everyone around Whiterun seemed to love so much. Personally, Shadari didn't see what was so special about him: He looked like every other general that she'd seen, and she'd been to most of Tamriel. "Can I help you?" Before the assassin could say anything, a man, handsome, young looking, suddenly spoke up, and was soon in hysterics. Then the man, presumably a ranger, attacked the general. Watching she thought ' Great...I've stumbled into a house full of mentally unstable people' She watched the general take down his ranger friend, and the merc, that she'd spoken to at the inn, told her to close the door. Shrugging, she obeyed, slamming the door, and taking a seat, since it appeared none of them were about to offer her one. "General. When you're done with your pal, I've got a proposition for you" she stated, quickly glancing at the others in the room and dismissing them as threats, for the most part.

 

[Simus]

Alice woke groggily to Dabiene's gentle stroking of her hair. The news of Ulfric's arrival suprised her a bit but she had expected this. She had written up a bogus proposal for a special combat unit against the Empire that was to train with Legion equipment and tactics. The idea being a group of men who could blend in with Imperial Soldiers, travel across the Empire unmolested and gather information on both Imperial and Dominion war plans. Whether the unit would weaken the Domion or compromise Imperial defenses was, unfortunately, at Ulfric's descretion. Alice had written contingencies for both. All in all it was a very well-written document and could easily be carried out if she and Simus actually had any real inclination to do so.

She was up soon after Dabiene left and headed to the washroom to make herself presentable. She was tired and had a headache and she really wanted to go back to bed but she knew this was importaint. She could rest later, after their secret was secured. Within ten minutes she was washed, groomed and in her light Imperial armor, boots and bracers. Despite her sub-optimal energy level she was able to stand on her own two feet today and otherwise ready for action. She was also armed to the teeth with an imperial sword, steel dagger and an imperial bow with a full quiver. She had to use mundane arrows today as per her dad's orders, but there was nothing against pouring a little magika into her shots for an extra bang.

"Morning." She said to Simus after coming downstairs. She felt like she had a massive hangover thanks to having not quite licked her magika sickness from yesterday. She looked that way too despite a liberal amount of pink lipstick and blue eyeshadow to try and cover it up. She looked at Hale against the wall and remembered hearing a struggle. "What's wrong with him?"

"It's a long story." Simus said, happy to see her on her feet again. "He'll be okay. How do you feel today?"

"Like I spent a night at Jorvaaskr, then challanged Farkas to a weight lifting contest. Otherwise I feel great."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Simus said. "You can sleep later today if you like but you might feel better after some exercise."

"Let's hope so. I don't think I'll share any more memories though." Alice said, trying to add a bit of humor if only to lighten her own mood. She went over to the kitchen table where Dabiene was and hugged her good morning.

"Hi there." She said. "So do I call you mama now?"

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Nachael woke up early enough to give him ample time to shave and wash, gear up in his Legion gear, and eat a light breakfast of some food he had taken with him from Windhelm. When he came downstairs, he found Amren and his family at breakfast. Amren smiled and nodded, and Nachael returned the gesture before heading out the door for Breezehome. Upon arriving, he spotted a Khajiit woman entering, and he decided he should follow her in. Inside he found a startling scene; Simus wrestling Hale to the ground and trying to calm him down. Nachael edged away from the door and stood, watching.

~~~

Jailani awoke when the sun peeked through her window. She had slipped down to her undergarments to sleep the night before, so she had to put on her clothes and Imperial armor. "Doesn't fit so well after being out of it for a night. Hmph." Once dressed, she went downstairs and bought a fresh sweetroll and some cheese, which she munched on elegantly until she decided it was a good time to meet with the group. When Breezehome was in sight, she saw Nachael entering behind a Khajiit. Jailani decided she would have some fun.

The mischievous Redguard entered the house as quietly as possible, glancing at the spectacle going on in the living area, then back to her mark, who was too busy watching Simus wrestle a ranger. Jailani came up behind Nachael, waited until he was still, then put her right arm around him to his chest, using her left to turn him around and pull him onto her, up against the wall. His face would not have looked more shocked had a mage casted a thunderbolt spell onto him. "Hey!" he exclaimed as quietly as possible, not wanting to draw the others' attention.

"Ooh, Morning sunshine," Jailani said, a playfully seductive and absolutely devilish countenance on her face. Nachael pushed her arms off of him and turned to face Simus and Hale, trying to act as though nothing had happened, but feeling like everyone had turned to watch. Jailani was laughing quietly by Nachael's side.

Once the ordeal with Hale was cleared up, Nachael and Jailani both decided they would mill about where they were. Jailani was not done with her torture. "So, I've heard you're staying with Amren and his family in their guest room." She leaned on an arm up against the wall. "My bed at the inn would be much more comfortable, I think." Nachael rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "Was the real Ragnar the Red a woman?"

 

[Andre Marek]

Marek shrugged self consciously and ran a calloused hand over his face. He was now wearing a set of studded legion armor and he simply couldn't get comfortable in the foreign uniform. He also couldn't help but notice the places that it didn't cover; namely his knees and arms. It was far lighter than his own custom made armor but it provided nowheres near the same amount of protection and it somehow even managed to lower his mobility despite its light weight. He found that... odd. Marek had also replaced his own sword with as close to an equivalent as he was able to find in the armory at the Hall of the Dead. It was slightly off balance compared to his own weapon but he didn't plan on using much anyway during this fight.

After Simus had managed to talk Hale down and they had moved him to a chair by the wall of Breezehome, Marek had left in order to acquire the legion gear that was required for this presentation to Ulfric and his inner circle. He'd left the general to deal with the Khajiit by himself, figuring that if he could not get a handle on her with Dabiene, Alice, the two redguards, and Hale all sitting in the same room then Marek would loose all faith in his little rebellion.

Once he was properly outfitted Marek left the Hall of the Dead an walked around Whiteruns perimeter until he came to the guard house near the front gate. There were almost two dozen guardsmen lined up on either side of the cobblestone street in preparation for the Kings arrival. Marek smirked to himself as he watched the men mill about. If it had been up to him he would most likely have devised a plan to eliminate the prestigious ruler of Skyrim whilst he traveled between the cities as soon as possible. However it wasn't up to him and all he could do was trust that the General did indeed have a plan in mind. Marek figured that whatever the case was, Simus' plan would likely involve severely damaging the Stormcloak army before they lopped the head off the snake so that they would not succeed in killing the King only to be slain by his loyal warriors.

Marek stayed where he was as the guards milled about in preparation for the Kings visit. He was content to wait here until the others joined him. He leaned casually against the wall of the guard house and crossed his arms in an attempt to find some position which was slightly comfortable in the pathetic excuse for armor he wore.

 

[Hale Loneshadow]

Hale snapped out of the living nightmare with a start, his breath heaving, chest rising and falling as he came back to his senses. His head burned, like coming off a hangover after a night of revelry. Scanning the room, he blinked about a dozen times in quick succession, his glazed eyes taking in where he was.

Breezehome. Whiterun. With his friends. "Ugh...what..what have I done??" he groggily asked to no one in particular. Scanning the room again before standing up, he saw Alice and Simus talking in the kitchen, and made his way over to them, with much embarrassment.

"Eh, good morning, both of you. Simus...I, uh...well, I don't know what to say, other then I am so very sorry for what I did last night. I was not myself. Garumn knows I am here, he entered my mind and nearly broke me. I fought him off, but I am sorry for attempting to strike you. He threw my thoughts and my mind back to the Abyss, and I did not see you as you are, but as a demon who once tortured me. But don't worry, I am back to normal, for the time being."

 

[Simus]

Simus saw that Hale was regaining his wits. His eyes had their usual clarity and he recognized he was back in the real world.

"Ugh...what..what have I done??" He asked, trying to raise on his own but having a hard time of it.

"Easy Hale." Simus said, helping the man off the floor and letting go once he was solidly on his feet. He looked pretty emberrassed with himself.

"Eh, good morning, both of you. Simus...I, uh...well, I don't know what to say, other then I am so very sorry for what I did last night. I was not myself. Garumn knows I am here, he entered my mind and nearly broke me. I fought him off, but I am sorry for attempting to strike you. He threw my thoughts and my mind back to the Abyss, and I did not see you as you are, but as a demon who once tortured me. But don't worry, I am back to normal, for the time being."

"Don't worry about it." Simus said, grateful that his old friend was allright. "I've know plenty of men who have gone mad over less. Many others I've had to restrain and help them get their wits back, just like I did with you. Back in the Legion we called it seeing red. Happens to everybody who's lived through war or great trauma, myself included. You might think you're alone in this because of what happened to you but I gurantee you Hale you are not."

"Dad's right Hale." Alice said. Dabs hadn't answered her question yet but Hale needed comfort right now and she wasn't about to let him twisting in the wind. She hugged him tightly across the shoulders and rubbed his back soothingly. "Whenver I sleep, I don't dream like normal people. My mind leaves my body and wanders Aetherius, letting me go wherever I want. I've seen good and bad, wonderous and terrible and it's hard to put any of it into words. I know what it's like to feel like no one else understand you, believe me. But I promse we are all here for you and we all love you. You're not alone anymore. We will all face Garumn and Ulfric and anyone else who tries to hurt us, together, as a team, a family. That's what a group of soldiers is, a family."

Alice paused for a second, still holding Hale.

"And hey, look on the bright side. Garumn just attacked your mind, you'll see him in about ten minutes and then you can tell him to shove it." She ended her sentine with a beaming smile.