bakerstreet | Love on an Adventure

Love on an Adventure

LOVE ON AN ADVENTURE meme

Lucky you. For a while, you get to eschew a normal life and see life past your door; you're going on a quest! It could be for personal reasons, for fun, for profit, or to save the world as you know it. In all likelihood, it's the latter, given the natural order of things, but hopefully it's not. Whatever the case may be, you won't be going it alone, however. Whether it's just you and a partner or a true fellowship, you've got people to back you up. You may not all start out as the best of friends, that's true - still, the fires of potential life or death scenarios or the threat of losing your booty draw you closer together, and a friendship forms.

With one member of your party, more than friendship grows between you.

But wait, you have to defeat the dark lord, find the oldest wand, fight evil by moonlight, create a giant robot, or any other number of tasks. There's no time for this sort of nonsense! Actually, you may push them away because of the mission or due to past wounds that tie into said mission. Maybe, though, you can steal moments to get closer, let a romance blossom...or more.

HOW to PLAY

Comment with your character, preferences, and any other info - ie, keep it PG, etc.
Even though I used a fantasy picture, don't feel constrained! In Harry Potter, they have to find a wand, in Supernatural, the Colt, in Avatar, they have to fight the Fire Lord, etc.
Feel free to AU your character or include information about them.
Reply to others.

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The wide open space of the vaulted Nordic hall makes this an easier fight than the fraught battle in the cramped trophy room. From bow distance they make prime targets for Garyn and Vanyel, even with their elevation advantage. Frea waits patiently, closing in on any undead who draw too near.

They continue when the coast is clear - though Garyn teeters for a moment to get around a trip wire he barely manages to notice in time.

Garyn pulls the handle at the end of the great hall. It opens to a snaking, rough-hewn tunnel. As they enter, the air grows hazier. Sicklier. More unnatural.

Vanyel casts Clairvoyance, illuminating the correct path through the winding tunnels. That pervasive haze and sense of wrongness grow stronger the longer they walk, reaching a head when they arrive in a large circular room, unlike anything they've seen yet. In the middle on a slightly raised platform is a pedestal bearing yet another of the strange statues - and at the statue's feet rests a small, ordinary-looking black book.

"That book," Frea says softly. "It seems wrong, somehow. Here, yet... not. It may be what we seek."

"Only one way to find out," Vanyel replies, walking up to the pedestal. The energy surrounding the book feels oddly familiar, but it's only once the the thing falls open in his hands that he recalls - it's the same feeling he got when Septimus Signus handed him the Oghma Infinium. He tries to set the book down or at least close it, but too late. A tentacle emerges from the pages and latches onto him, binding his arms. And Vanyel abruptly finds himself... elsewhere.

He comes to on his knees, being held there by two creatures he can't identify. Standing before him is the man who stole the dragon's soul back in Raven Rock - Miraak. "Who are you to dare set foot here?" He demands.

But before Vanyel can even think of replying, he answers his own question. "Ahh... You are Dragonborn. I can feel it. You've even slain Alduin, well done. Yet you have no idea of the power a true Dragonborn can wield. Mul... Qah Diiv!" The main visual effect of the shout is that it cloaks Miraak in ethereal armor that looks like dragon scales.

"This realm is beyond you," Miraak continues. "You have no power here. And it is only a matter of time before Solstheim is also mine. I already control the minds of its people. Soon they will finish building my temple, and I can return home." Then, to the creatures holding Vanyel, he says, "Send him back where he came from. He can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel."

He sweeps away, and the creatures cast some sort of spell that sees him blacking out again.

In the temple, the tentacle retreats and the book drops from suddenly nerveless fingers. Vanyel backs toward Garyn and Frea, eyeing the thing warily.

Edited 2015-11-11 06:52 (UTC)

Garyn is already uneasy before Vanyel grabs hold of the book. There's something off about the thing, apart even from the ominous sigil of a tentacled mass on the front cover, or its jet black bindings. He can't put his finger on it, but he can't shake the feeling that he ought to be able to.

He lunges forward as Vanyel starts to open it. "Wait, don't -"

Too late. The page grabs him, and Vanyel fades - a ghost caught in a tangled mass, bound to the book that now seemed to be floating more than held. Then, after two minutes that go by like ten, it finally releases him.

Frea beats Garyn to the punch. "What happened to you? You read the book and then... It seemed as though you were not really here. I could see you, but also see through you!"

'I found myself... someplace else," he replies. Given the sigil on the cover and how similar the book felt to the Infinium, he wouldn't be surprised if it were Apocrypha. At this point, though, he can't be entirely sure.

"Miraak was there. He's still alive and trying to return to Solstheim. He said that... once the people he's enthralled finish rebuilding his temple, he'll 'return home.'"

He crosses his arms, trying to ward off a bone-deep chill that has little to do with physical temperature.

Frea's brow furrows. "This is a dangerous thing, then. We should return to my village, and show this to my father. Perhaps Storn can make sense of what is going on."

Garyn nods. "We should definitely bring the book with us. If that's the link to Miraak, we'll want it in our hands."

He leans over to collect the book, running his fingers over the strangely embossed cover.

"And we may learn something from it. I've some...suspicions about where it came from. But I don't want to say them out loud until I'm sure."

Garyn has encountered a lot of Daedric princes. Hermaeus Mora isn't one of them. But between the tentacles and the book, he seems the most obvious candidate.

Edited 2015-11-12 00:27 (UTC)

Garyn is welcome to collect it; Vanyel would rather not touch the thing again any time soon.

"If the construction here is anything like Nord standard, there should be some sort of..." He pauses, casting Clairvoyance once more. "Ah, there. A back door for the builders."

He leads the way to it, only too happy to get out of this place as soon as possible. If they can take these builders' shortcuts at least most of the way to the surface, he'll be happy.

It's a much shorter walk than Garyn would have expected. They're above ground in no time at all. A stone gate slides open, revealing the clear sky and sweeping snowscape of northern Solstheim.

Garyn stands for a moment as his eyes adjust to the light, and more importantly, as he tries to figure out where the hell they've emerged.

Frea points to a column of light beyond the crest of the hill. "You see that green light? That comes from the Wind Stone, where my people work against their will. They must be freed soon."

The biting northern wind is preferable to the musty air of the temple, the pervasive scent of death and the oppressive atmosphere of the black book's resting place.

Vanyel relaxes marginally once they're out in it, and turns to Frea. "Does your village lay in that direction as well?"

She nods. "The Wind Stone stands just to the northwest of it."

The way ahead seems clear enough - walk toward that light. Find the Wind Stone and they'll find the Skaal village.

They descend the slope of the hill to the site of the Wind Stone. Already another temple-in-minuature is being constructed. All around the stone and the scaffolding that surrounds it, a host of enthralled Skaal lift and carve hammer this structure into place. There are dozens of them at the least.

Garyn has been to Skaal Village, and remembers how big it was. Unless they've multiplied considerably in two centuries, to see such a large number is very bad news. "How many Skaal are even left in the village?"

"Too few," Frea says. "I fear our time may be growing short."

"All the more reason to hurry."

There are still some miles to go.

Those miles are, at least, over relatively clear (if hilly) terrain, and the worst they're likely to encounter are things like frost trolls or ice wraiths; they can be thankful for that much.

He gives the Wind Stone one last look before turning to follow Garyn and Frea - and all that time spent slogging through the snow in Skyrim means he's able to at least keep up.

As they walk, he retreats into his own thoughts. Pondering what sort of power enthralled Frea's people and all the rest, and what it might take to break that power...

It has been a long time indeed since Garyn ever walked on snow. But the endurance born from corprus and the unwearying enchantment on his belt lessens the fatigue from constant travel.

His thoughts turn toward the book resting in his satchel. Was another Daedric prince threatening Solstheim? He certainly hopes not - three gods are more than enough for one lifetime. The worry nags at him as they march silently through the snow.

Soon enough, a wall of swirling wind is visible in the distance.

Frea points out the Skaal settlement. "The village is just ahead. Storn has used his magic to raise a barrier around it, protecting the few of us left. That the barrier is still there is a good sign."

Edited 2015-11-14 09:46 (UTC)

Vanyel's thoughts remain on the black book as well, and the realm it transported him to. The creatures who held him captive bore a passing resemblance to the statues in the sanctum of Miraak's temples. But whether they're Miraak's creatures or... on loan, that's the question.

As they approach, there are very few people visible aside from the old man kneeling in the snow in a meditative pose - presumably, Frea's father Storn. Unless there are more indoors, it seems the few clustered around Storn represent the only remaining free Skaal.

Frea surges ahead of the other two as they close the distance, and once they've crossed into hearing distance she calls out. "Father, I have returned! There is yet hope!"

The aged man opens his eyes, but does not rise.

"Frea! What news do you bring? Is there a way to free our people?"

"No, but I have brought strangers who will help us." She gestures toward Vanyel. "This one has...seen things. He has confirmed that Miraak is indeed behind the suffering of our people."

Storn's expression does not change - yet the lines on his face deepen. "I feared that it would be so."

"But how is that possible? After all this time..."

"I fear there is too much we do not yet know."

Frea turns to Vanyel. "Please, tell Storn what has happened."

Edited 2015-11-15 06:35 (UTC)

Storn turns to Vanyel. "So, you have seen things, yes? My magic grows weak, and so does the barrier around our village. Time is short. Tell me what you know."

"We found a black book in Miraak's temple. I read it and... went somewhere. Miraak was there, and spoke of returning to Solstheim once his temple was rebuilt."

"The legends speak of that place. Terrible battles fought at the temple. The dragons burning it to the ground in rage. They speak also of something worse than dragons buried within. Difficult to imagine, but if true... it means what I feared has come to pass. Miraak was never truly gone, and has now returned. If you could go to this place and see him... are you like Miraak? Are you Dragonborn?"

Vanyel bows his head. "I am indeed Dragonborn."

"Then perhaps you are connected with him. The old tales say that he, too, was Dragonborn."

"What does it mean it mean, then? That we're both Dragonborn?"

"I am unsure. It may mean that you could save us, or it may mean that you could bring about our destruction."

Well, isn't that comforting.

Were this anyone else, Garyn might be inclined to make a sardonic remark about how very helpful and comforting he's being. But this is a shaman of the Skaal. If he doesn't know, it's because this is uncertain and unprecedented.

"How might we find that out?" he says. "What must he do next?"

"You must go to Saering's Watch, Dragonborn," Storn says. "Learn there the word that Miraak learned long ago, and use that knowledge on the Wind Stone. You may be able to break the hold on our people there, and free them from control."

"Can you spare one of your people to guide us?" Garyn says. "Neither of us know the way."

Storn shakes his head. "Our barrier grows weaker by the moment. We cannot spare any who maintain it."

"Saering's Watch lies on the slope of Frykte Peak," Frea says. "You have one of your maps, yes? I know how to mark one of these."

Vanyel offers up his own map, purchased shortly after his arrival in Raven Rock. "Thank you," he says, to both Frea and Storn.

Even if he's deeply unsettled by the old shaman's implication, that somehow his being here might spell doom for these people.

When Frea hands him the map back, he holds it at such an angle that Garyn can see too as he examines where the mark is in relation to the village - it's almost directly west, but given the mountainous terrain, odds that they'll find a straight path leading are vanishingly small.

Garyn gazes over Vanyel's shoulder. His brow furrows.

"I've never been to this place, but I know the Moesring Mountains," he says. "That's a much longer walk than it looks. We might not make it in time. Unless..."

Here Garyn rummages through his satchel, searching through its folds. After about a minute, he produces two ancient, yellowed scrolls. He unfurls the first, blowing the dust off to reveal the incantation in Daedric lettering:

AE GHARTOK KYNRT

Satisfied, he turns to Vanyel, offering him one of the scrolls.

"These scrolls can fly us there. Hope you're not afraid of heights."

Edited 2015-11-16 02:48 (UTC)

He's glad Garyn seems to have a solution - the trick he pulled in the temple, using Whirlwind Sprint, wouldn't work quite so well in this situation.

He studies the opened one; he can recognize the Daedric lettering for what it is, even if he can't tell what it says.

"I'm not," he confirms, beginning to unfurl the scroll in his hands. "They work like any other spell scroll, I take it?"

He's never even heard of spell that could do what Garyn is claiming these scrolls can, but he trusts him. And it's not as if they have many other options.

"It does," Garyn says. "Just pull it out and cast it. Though you're welcome to contemplate its Ehlnofex if you wish."

He pauses, then hands him another scroll.

"Hold on tight to this and cast it the moment you start to fall. Can you do that?"

As Garyn pointed out, time is short - he won't waste it contemplating script he can't read.

He accepts the second scroll and tucks it into one of the pouches at his belt.

"Yes," he answers, without hesitation. If nothing else, he figures, he knows the first word of Slow Time. That will buy him a few more seconds to cast, should he need them.

Garyn gazes into the sky, reckoning their launch trajectory. He points westward.

"We'll start out facing this way. Stick by me and don't let me leave your sight. On my signal."

He readies the scroll, glances back for a moment, and braces himself.

"Now."

"Right."

On Garyn's signal he casts - the initial push feels somewhat similar to Whirlwind Sprint, but in all other ways this is a completely new sort of magic.

He finds himself treading air, even if it's not strictly necessary, and splitting his attention between Garyn and the landscape below - it's a sort of view he's only ever seen once before, from Odahviing's back.

It's a good thing he's not afraid of heights.

The landscape has shrunk beneath their feet. From this height it is almost like looking down at a smaller relief map within the map they now carry. The wind whips Garyn's hair back as he squints into the distance.

Garyn sees the ridges of the mountains below and dives forward to ride as near the crest as possible.

There. That must be Saering's Watch. He points his finger toward it, knowing he won't be heard in flight. Not that he would need to point it out, given what's happening beneath them at this very moment.

No, the dragon fighting a dozen or so draugr is fairly noticeable. Rather than land in the middle of that, Vanyel looks around for a higher vantage point.

Fortunately, they have their pick of those. Saering's Watch still has several mostly intact towers and connecting bridges, to say nothing of the mountain itself.

He picks one of those bridges, and once he feels himself starting to fall casts from the second scroll as instructed. His landing isn't the most graceful, perhaps, but he manages.

From there, he summons a flame atronach. She glides into their midst and attacks indiscriminately, only adding to the chaos of the brawl.

Garyn reaches the ground first. His . He skips without accelerating down the slope of the mountain until he reaches a ledge just abreast of the aerie's altarpiece. It is large enough for Garyn to stand on, but too small for the dragon.

His bow is drawn the moment he lands. Shot by shot, he picks at the edges of the fiery melee. The ranks of the draugr are thinning.

And then there is a rush of wind behind him. It's not that he hadn't noticed when the dragon took to the air. But, he had reasoned, this ledge was far too small for a dragon to land on. The problem is, a dragon doesn't need to land...

Garyn crouches low and summons his shield barely in time.

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It was my turn to write a novel, apparently >.> Let me know if you'd rather I cut any of this

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Scaling up a little, if you don't mind.

Not at all!

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Sorry this is so late - RL is devouring me

No prob, this time of year is pretty busy irl for just about everyone

Got even busier after that. Sure would like to get this started again.