|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Jun 22, 2009 21:22:00 GMT -5
"Bad employers?" Nalia asked casually, not seeming to be swayed at all by Vistha's tone or rantings. And right now she was really wishing they made shoes for beasties. The female Argonian had a feeling she didn't want to know what she was stepping in, although everything in a swamp felt unpleasant, even the air. Or perhaps it was because everything was wet. "Water should stick with water. Mixes with dirt makes sticky mud. Mixes with air, makes-" The Argonian hissed as she was forced to facepalm herself in attempts to kill a mosquito. "Bugs..." She finished the thought.
|
|
|
Post by Neravarine on Jun 22, 2009 21:34:02 GMT -5
Vistha wasn't really paying attention, as he was in an effort to swat at a rather large, mosquito-like creature... After many unsuccessful attempts at swatting it, the male argonian gave a small hissing noise, and lifted a finger, evil grin spreading across his face, reptilian eyes narrowed. A small burst of light and heat wave later, the large aerial parasite lay on the ground, half it's body charred and incinerated, it's long spindly legs twitching. "HA!" Vistha growled, then continued walking. "You don't know half of it... he shouldn't even be leading. The Council of mages at Cyrodil made him archmage of Morrowind as a favor. He is supposedly an extremely powerful battlemage, but he absolutely sucks at his job. Noone likes him in the guild. The dunmer don't like him, but then again they don't like anyone. The woodelves don't like him, the orcs don't like them, the bretons don't like him, the altmer don't like him, the redguards don't like him, the khajiits don't like him, the nords don't like him... Heck... Even his imperial kin don't like him. Does that answer your question?"
|
|
|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Jun 25, 2009 20:56:28 GMT -5
Nalia laughed when Vistha toasted a mosquito. It was things like that that made her almost want to learn magic... Almost.
"Yes, it does. And very thoroughly." The female Argonian said. "But hey, look at the bright side- at least you won't feel like the only one that hates him. Misery loves company."
|
|
|
Post by Neravarine on Jun 25, 2009 21:42:21 GMT -5
"Eh." Vistha grunted, though he himself was smiling. They traveled in silence for a while, and Vistha took this time to make a note of his female companion's appearance. She looked about his age, maybe younger about a year, and like Vistha saw earlier, was much taller then he was. She had vibrant light green scales with streaks of teal and blue overlapping, especially near her face. Her eyes were a gold yellow, and her horns were decorated with feathers. She wore basic leather clothing and a backpack, nothing special about it, but Vistha was still slightly wary of the long, wickedly sharp katanas strapped to her back and the longsword at her waist. The male argonian had to admit, this Nalia character fascinated him. He slowly turned his hooded scarlet head away, sage green eyes on the invisible path. He didn't want her to see him staring after all...
After a moment's more walking, they reached a thick area of vegetation. Holding out his hand, a flash of gold light erupted, and a glowing red and black blade appeared in the Warlock's clawed hand. Vistha then preceded to hack through the swampy vegetion. "It should be past here." Vistha hissed in concentration.
|
|
|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Jun 29, 2009 14:30:49 GMT -5
Nalia watched the other Argonian work for a bit before unsheathing her own longsword and helping him clear a path. Admittingly, her Dai Katana would've been more effective, but she didn't want to wear out the blades on overgrown plants. A longsword would do the work just fine.
|
|
|
Post by Neravarine on Jun 29, 2009 14:47:24 GMT -5
Vistha mumbled a "Thank you" as they both went to work at the vines. Eventually, it was Nalia who managed the form a path, parting the vines to show a large clearing... And Vistha's sage eyes sparkled when he saw Aleft. It was a large, bronze and gray looking ruin with two towers. It looked like Aleft was fighting against time, and losing. Even though dwarven metal was almost untarnishable, Years of rain and bad weather from the Bitter Coast had left it in rough shape. The bright bronze color was fading into an ugly gray, small chunks of the ruin were seperated from it's original place, long, green vines were scaling the the walls and over the towers of the ruin, and generations of storms had started to build up mud and dirt on Aleft's sides... Vistha glanced at Nalia, scaly ridge above his reptilian eyes raised. "There it is..."
|
|
|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Jul 8, 2009 22:14:33 GMT -5
Nalia stared at the ruined structure for a while, taking everything in. "It looks..." She started, "... Old..." She finished. "It looks old. That' all I can say on this matter... So! Do we knock on the front door or what?"
|
|
|
Post by Neravarine on Jul 9, 2009 7:45:52 GMT -5
"You barge in like a maniac more like it." Vistha replied with thoughtful sage eyes. "Or, if your stealthy, you sneak in... Some dwarven ruins still have their old security systems working, which is where your blades come in handy." The reptilian warlock went on. Vistha then preceded to take off his cloak, lay it down folded gently, and to wade through the mossy pool in front of the entrance, ignoring the feeling of pond scum and mud on his leather pants, or... Whatever that thing that brushed his scaly leg was. As he got to the door, dripping and muttering in a concentrated matter, with a mighty breath he dug his claw-like hands around the edges of the door. Steam slowly billowed from the cracks until a popping sound similar to opening a sealed jar, echoed through the marshy forest as the mechanical twin doors opened wide. Vistha peered into the dimly lit hallway with narrowed eyes. The floor was tiled with some kind of sandstone, the walls made with some kind of bronze metal found everywhere and near dwemer structures. The strange, semi magical devices that were attached to the walls were flickering or broken, their hardened glass shards still underneath the device from whence they were shattered. If Vistha remembered correctly, the dwarves were a very technologically advanced race, with their constructs, weapons and armors that never tarnished, and even the ability to make devices that held light without magic... Which is what those things attached to the wall once were. Vistha shook his head as he turned around from the doorway, and looked across the lake from Nalia, offering her a sharp toothed smile and waved her over.
|
|
|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Jul 10, 2009 20:20:52 GMT -5
"Personally I'm more of an explosion type of girl." Nalia muttered, wading through the water and repressing a shudder. "I hate still water..." She muttered before reaching Vistha. She peered into the ruins. "If these are ruins, why does it look sooooo... Not retro?..."
|
|
|
Post by Neravarine on Jul 10, 2009 20:36:33 GMT -5
The bare chested argonian rolled his sage eyes, crossing his scaly red arms. "Well... It's a library... Do libraries of any race look "retro?" And another thing," Vistha said with a skeptical gaze, waving a finger at Nalia, the end of said finger sporting really long nails painted an obsidian black, the same as the obsidian amulet that was now visible on his chest. "What kind of argonian gets lost in swamps and hates water? Those are like... What Blackmarsh is about. Our homeland... Dear Nalia, you seem to be more warmblood than your kin." The tone was teasing, not at all harsh as both of them entered deeper into the ruin. Vistha got bored easily, and now that they have reached the ruin and being in the company of Nalia, someone he could partially relate to after weeks of gruff talking(and threats...) with other races had put him in high spirits. Soon... It was almost as if Aleft changed as they continued to go deeper... the walls were a polished bronze where time didn't get to them... It even looked like it was cleaned recently... The tiles gleamed, and Vistha could clearly see the mysterious dwarven runes etched into the wall where time and the elements didn't fade them. Now they were starting to see the dwarven lights in working condition, the cylinder bulbs were whole and gave off a bright, gold glow, lighting up the hallway s they delved deeper. Vistha estimated they were at least 30 feet underground, maybe even under the water. Unknown to them... In the shadows... A small, mechanical ticking sound was heard as a strange entity and it's mechanical legs scurried on the ceiling behind them...
|
|
|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Aug 1, 2009 22:04:23 GMT -5
"Of course they look retro. Its a library. Everything in libraries are old. The books, the shelves, the people inside." Said the female Argonian. At Vistha's second commentary, Nalia huffed. "Well I didn't grow up in the swamps," She argued, "I grew up by rivers and oceans. You know, moving water? Not icky pond scum-covered, muck filled, fish-droppings infested still-water. And it is so not that hard to get lost in a swamp." The green Argonian followed Vistha into the ruins, shaking her feet to get the mud off of her feet. "I guess dwarves weren't that big on welcome mats at their doors..." She grumbled. "Oh well. Can't expect dead people to be the greatest hosts now can you? Unless they're zombies. But I assume zombies mean an entirely different thing when they say they want you over for dinner." She, unfortunately, talked and talked and talked more as they descended into the ruins. "If these guys are so advanced, how'd they die?" or "Why'd they make a library in a swamp with yuck-water all around them?" or "How do these bulbs work? Why does this place look so clean? Is it because there's no oxygen? I'm not gonna die of asphyxiation down here, right?" and many more questions and comments of the like. Nalia could be very chatty with her own kind; probably in compensation for all the talking she didn't do with anyone else.
|
|
|
Post by Neravarine on Aug 2, 2009 0:25:14 GMT -5
Vistha didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the questions. "They shouldn't have Nalia... In fact, it isn't so much as an entire race of beings becoming extinct, rather than them disappearing. Vanished... Without a trace... Which is why I am here on a little errand from the impossible archmage... There are many theories about the dwarves, but of course, they are only theories. What information we do have is from the dunmer... And I am skeptical to believe anything from them. The dwarves were supposed to be their enemy... They claim that the dwarves tried to "build" a god to take over Morrowind, and for their sins, the Tribunal exacted holy judgment, yadda yadda... I don't believe it... What research is gathered about them, the dwarves didn't believe in gods, not even deadra. So why would such an advanced race make something they don't believe in order to defeat a few scattered tribes of the most bad tempered, xenophobic, whiny group of elves Nirn ever knew? The dwarves were a huge nation, their ruins dot the landscape if you know where to find them. And those are just ruins... There are entire cities... Against what was once rival tribes of dark elves... It doesn't add up. And how would you "build" a god?... Ridiculousss."
At Nalia's second question, the argonian smiled as he glanced at one as they passed. "Fascinating aren't they? Believe it or not, they aren't any sort of magical device. They run on electicity... Using a special kind of wire inside those bulbs. This wire gets superheated, and it gives off that light. The electicity is produced from the steam powered generators you are sure to find in any dwarven ruin... You usually hear them as soon as you walk in... Strange... Perhaps they built it deeper to prevent disturbances among their readers... As for building it here in the Bittercoast, these ruins are very old... Perhaps the swamp didn't extend all the way here then. I suppose we will never know..."
The warlock stopped dead at the last question though... Sage eyes narrowed... "Indeed... These floors are very well polished... And the bulbs are still working..." The argonian gave a frustrated growl. "Of courssse... How I could be ssso stupid to ignore such a simple fact?... I took for granted excavated ruins I visited... SAFE ruins... And the fact this place is a library... I didn't think they would even have guardsss..." He stopped when he heard a slight metalic scraping sound behind him... Turning around, the male argonian extened his hand, and set off a glowing orb down the dimly lit corridors behind them. The hallway was filled with a bright, white light... Easily showing the dozen or so centurion spiders on the ceiling behind them, metalic pincers flashing, their bronze legs scraping quickly towards the two adventurers with a zeolous frenzy... Mechanical arachnids the size of small dogs... "Hope you can slash more than vines Nalia..." Vistha murmered as he clenched his fist, red glow seeping through his scaly fingers as he prepared a destructive spell.
|
|
|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Aug 2, 2009 0:48:03 GMT -5
Nalia growled and quickly drew her twin dai-katana from her back, getting in a battle-ready stance. "Well at least its good to know I wont die of suffocation down here..." She muttered. "Spiders. Of course its spiders- its always spiders." The green Argonian got ready to fight. "Hope you can zap more than bugs, Vistha." She retorted playfully.
|
|
|
Post by Neravarine on Aug 3, 2009 18:41:14 GMT -5
Vistha grinned, showing off a row of very thin and sharp teeth. "Oh please... If you thought that was impressive, the next bit should terrify you..." The mechanical screeching and clanging of mechanical limbs was nearly deafening now as the mechanical guardians clattered across the ceiling toward the two argonians, as well as some on the floor... Vistha closed his reptilian eyes for a second as he focused on his magika, his deep inner pools of immeasurable power...
Focus my ssson... You are gifted by the root. Our ancccessstorsss... Chossse you to be the savior of our people... Sssoon the dunmer elves will feel the might of Blackwood Company... Feel the might of Blackmarsh and her most powerful magic caster... Drive the warmbloods from our home... And slay Morrowind and it's treacherous inhabitants... FOREVER!!!
When Vistha opened his eyes, they had a blood red glow in them. Bringing his glowing palm back slowly, red tendrils of static and lightening occasionally sparking from the outstretched hand... Bringing it forward, Vistha stepped in front of Na'lia and unleashed an enormous wave of energy toward the spider centurions right about the same time they would have lunged. The hallway on their side was filled with so much red light, it temporarily blinded anyone who viewed the scene... When senses were returned, the spider centurions were... More or less scrunched together like a tin can at the end of the hallway... And scraps of their metal was everywhere... The bulbs were shattered and fliskering... In short... It looked bad...
Vistha grinned as the red light died from his sage eyes... "(huff) hahahaha!(gasp) Take that... Take that..." The reptilian humanoid then looked very pale, his red scales and leathery skin turning a deep shade of pink, and his form swayed constantly... In fact the warlock looked like he was about to pass out...
|
|
|
Post by +~*Snowy*~+ on Aug 3, 2009 18:58:35 GMT -5
"Whoa, steady there, Swampy!" Nalia sheathed her katana and put a hand on his shoulder to keep him on his feet. "Did you really have to go all out for that? You know it'd be perfectly fine if you'd just, you know, saved some for me. Maybe. But, y'know, no one's really complaining. Really- I'm being so sincere right now. Hey, you alright?" The female Argonian, a bit unwisely, lightly shook Vistha by the shoulders. "You alright?" She repeated. "You look a little, ah, a little... Out of breath... To say the least... You hung over? If you had some gin you could've at least shared some with me, ya know. Hey. Hey Swampy? Heeeey. Hey, hey, heeey. You alright?"
|
|