4E 206: Last Seed 21st:
A rotten wind seemed to blow throughout the city as the noblewoman and her two knights made their way across the streets of Honavoth towards the palace. Everywhere they looked, undead were shambling along in the stone huts and taller structures that towered over them. The buildings were quite smooth in their design, graced with the architectural style developed by the Vakhaader. Outside some buildings were remnants of ancient firepits and firepots, and stone altars stained with blood and other unknown substances. Tools, ceramics, weapon and armor fragments, and even bits of old linen cloths were scattered all over the ground. Most of the materials Krisra could make out from brief periods of study were of Na-Totambu origin since she imagined much of the Vakhaader materials would have been discarded. Unless the materials proved useful to the Na-Totambu, like Honavoth's structures and its tomb. Stone benches, mostly carved in the Vakhaader style but some were of Na-Totambu design, sat broken or intact outside some buildings. A few that were created by the Nedic tribe had been improved upon by the Na-Totambu to better reflect their style. Stone walls up to the height of a person's chest were used as fencing, indicating where properties ended.
In some areas, Krisra and her knights observed the status of those treehouses the Vakhaader constructed. A bunch remained intact despite the rotting wood and dying ash trees that held them up. The majority they saw, sadly, had already fallen to the ground long ago with scant remains that still demonstrated how high the treehouses were built. Of the intact treehouses, stairs, ladders, and wedges in the trees were used to ascend. Occasionally none of those were present which suggested the Vakhaader who called those particular treehouses home used branches instead or managed to climb the trunk. The treehouses were mostly wooden shacks with walkways around the structures per tree, often connecting with other walkways. Though a few did not have the complete walkway, just a platform out front. As much as Krisra thought it would be interesting to investigate one, she knew otherwise. They could have collapsed underneath her and the knights and undead were using the platforms to look out from. All Vakhaader skeletons armed with bows, though not all of them had arrows. The lack of physical danger from them, though, didn't mean they wouldn't alert others.
Incredibly, Krisra found it difficult to contain her intrigue and excitement upon finding so many log cabins around the stone buildings and treehouses. She did not think the Na-Totambu had built those log cabins at first until she realized they might have followed the process developed by the Vakhaader. If the Nedic tribe was responsible for building those log cabins. It made sense due to their adoption of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle on Herne. While she may not have been familiar with Nedic architecture from an archaeological perspective, as an observer she was fascinated by the presence of log cabins in Honavoth. Something Aubra Lhortba had not mentioned in her book, likely for new visitors like her to discover. A part of her wanted to step inside one to look around, but again, Krisra knew better for the same reasons as with the treehouses. The logs were decaying and the roofs were already caving in, pieces of old shingles appearing still sharp enough to cut her.
It was something of a shame that Honavoth, like all ruined places, could not withstand the test of time. With many of its structures crumbling into debris, it seemed like the city-state would eventually disappear forever. Only the ground on which it resided would remain, but even then its memory was doomed to be forgotten if nobody else in the Kingdom of Hegathe, or maybe the rest of Hammerfell, took an interest. While it lasted and while she was walking through the city-state, Krisra made sure to enjoy the expedition that brought her deeper into the city itself. The destruction afforded her a glimpse into the buildings through holes in the walls. Rubble blanketed the ground inside, including structural damage and tools and ceramic shards scattered across the ground. Just looking at the architecture and inside the buildings made it feel like she was among the Vakhaader and the Na-Totambu in the Early First Era. For a bit it felt as if she herself was of the Na-Totambu.
But when it became prudent to take shelter to let undead pass by, Krisra took each of those opportunities to investigate. The Vakhaader structures were comprised of several rooms, large and small. Furniture was made from stone and wood with a lot of tools and ceramic shards littering the ground amongst debris. Even pieces of equipment the Vakhaader once used were still present, like potter's wheels, mortars and pestles, and sundials. In one particular building, Krisra found an entire forge and smelter built by the tribe. She'd been able to distinguish it from having seen images of Yokudan smithies while she was researching her ancestors. Though she could not be certain if Na-Totambu smithies were different from those created by the Ra Gada as their smithies were the only ones she'd seen. The forge the tribe had constructed was shaped like a square with coal enclosed in a section of carved stone with a stone stool in the middle for placing objects to be heated. The smelter was alike in design, except the stool was replaced by a short pillar on top of which stone bowls were put for containing liquid metal. No workbench was present, substituted by whetstones.
Another building they'd gone into was a larger homestead. It contained the kind of furniture she expected to find among the Vakhaader structures—stone counters and altars, chairs and tables made from wood, shelves and three beds made from either stone or wood. The beds being covered in animal furs and cloths, but a few of the rooms had ancient bedrolls. Evidence of ceramic pottery, like fragments and intact vases, pots, bowls, and even plates and stone tableware, could be found throughout the home. Shattered remains of statues were present, but they couldn't determine if the Yokudan gods or people from Honavoth were depicted. There was also evidence of wall hangings like tapestries and hooks for holdings objects or dead animals. Walking through the building with Endava while Coleus watched the entrance was an impressive experience Krisra commented upon in favor. The Dunmeri Knight Sister agreed somewhat, tempering the Redguard's excitement with a reminder that the palace was their true destination and they could not afford to stay sidetracked.
Combating the undead as they went proved relatively simple provided there were not many to deal with out in the open. On streets that were not as packed, Coleus and Endava were very able to make short work of Vakhaader skeletons approaching in small groups of three to seven at given moments. None of them got hurt and proceeded as planned, but for larger hordes which didn't see them yet it was of the utmost importance to take an alternate route or hide in one of the structures until the undead passed by. The hordes were quite large, most likely at a minimum of being around ten times the trio's number to over forty to fifty at best. Or even seventy to ninety in the large town squares, all shambling about their business of doing nothing. The fact they were not so aggressive unless approached or being spotted made Krisra feel sorry for them. Honavoth had once been quite a sprawling center for the Vakhaader and Na-Totambu cultures considering how many undead she could see around her. Their time was long past and they had to accept their deaths as a part of life.
Her religious beliefs regarding the honored dead kept her from getting closer, however, so she was forbidden from examining their remains whenever Endava and Coleus slew them. But she could formulate some speculation on an estimate of how many undead they and the others, as well as Rhovad, needed to worry about. From the numbers of mummies and skeletons she was looking at, Krisra's best guess was that the combined Vakhaader and Na-Totambu populations were totally high. In the thousands at best, ten thousands at worst. That many was enough to terrify anyone and make the most bravest of paladins and crusaders reconsider their options. Krisra had to admit she was a bit scared and suspected Coleus and Endava were just as worried despite making it this far.
But the mummies were a different story. Although they had slain a fair number of mummies while finding a suitable place to set up camp outside the walls, Krisra and Erasnlorn's teams found only a single mummy since. That one mummy had been encountered by the gate into the city and Coleus easily dispatched it with a few good slashes of his silver longsword and aid from the Knight Brothers. Ralenix and Strelis kept the mummy's attention on them while Coleus attacked, meaning it was all over for the mummy before it fully realized a third opponent was dealing the attacks. As a large horde that had not noticed them yet was approaching immediately after, the two teams did not waste any time in crossing through the gate once their minor skirmish concluded. Luckily, they were not spotted and made it into the city before splitting up towards their respective destinations. Time was not fully on their side, so Coleus determined it was best they forewent the examination of undead remains so as not to be caught out and to reach the palace and tomb. Erasnlorn and both of the Knight Brothers agreed as they parted ways, leaving Krisra and her bodyguards to their task.
Throughout their journey towards the palace, Endava never took her eyes off Krisra unless it was to maintain a firm watch for nearby undead straying too close for the noblewoman's liking. The Dunmeri Knight Sister was at her side at all times while Coleus led them through Honavoth's streets, plazas, and the few town squares. The only occasions when Endava permitted Krisra to be unsupervised was while the two of them were investigating the debris in buildings they took refuge in. Though that was only to the extent of being several feet by each other, and also within the same room of that one building with multiple rooms. Even if her eyes were on Krisra when outdoors or not fully when inside, Endava was listening for the sounds of undead getting closer just the same. The trio were lucky that not all of the undead noticed them whenever they were spotted, and it was very fortunate that the undead they did fight didn't alert undead a distance away. Coleus explained that undead normally didn't register people from far away due to limited eyesight, and the interest in living trespassers waned as a result of low attention spans. So while the undead were shambling in the streets, as long as they didn't have a reason to attack it was alright to quickly hurry by them.
Their rush for the palace, avoiding undead along the way and combating them if necessary, were both reasons why Krisra did not get to study what she wanted in depth. Apart from the times when they had to hide in buildings, of courses, but her findings came up empty in regards to what she expected. The noblewoman thought there would be something of importance to the expedition, as well as something of value to her personal goals. Nothing came up indicating anything critical, so both objectives went unfulfilled during their journey. Even hieroglyphics etched into stone by the Vakhaader and Na-Totambu were incomprehensible to her since she was unable to translate or understand the language. Fronteich would have, but she had no time to sketch any and had to save what little paper she had in her pack for more important writings. Plus, she believed the Vakhaader hieroglyphics and petroglyphs were probably of little significance. Anything she could find in the palace was more likely to have been of greater value to both her personal objectives and Rhovad.
Her inability to understand the Vakhaader writings notwithstanding, Krisra believed she'd been slightly successful in identifying a sample of the Vakhaader culture through their architecture. And a bit of their technology that, suffice it to say, was enough to demonstrate the tribe's domestic lifestyle. From there, she guessed the Na-Totambu made use of the same things the Vakhaader did after conquering the city-state. The lack of Na-Totambu technology and equipment seemed to back that assertion. Unless she was wrong if structures she had not been inside of did contain those very sorts of findings. Krisra had no time to explore the city itself, unfortunately, so she couldn't be too sure. But if Aubra Lhortba kept things out of her manuscript to encourage exploration of Honavoth, perhaps it was best she follow her example. Anyone who visited Herne following the incident and its conclusion could have discovered more she and Aubra Lhortba were unaware of or kept out of the public sphere. Such a decision could have led to an increase in the literature describing Herne.
Krisra smiled at the prospect of that increase if it could get the Kingdom of Hegathe to take its claim over Herne seriously. Or contribute to any claims made by Hammerfell's other kingdoms. Particularly her own Kingdom of Taneth as an addition to her marital claim. As much as that would have caused a political dispute with the Kingdom of Hegathe, Krisra did not believe the snafu was going to be as bad as she thought if Hegathe's royal court was uninterested in maintaining its claim. She felt prepared to compete against the other kingdoms if hers was not only claim to be put forth.
"You seem confident that we'll find something, Lady Krisra," Endava observed critically.
The Redguard noblewoman wasn't certain if the Knight Sister was being harsh about that. "I am," she retorted slightly, believing it was necessary to hope for the best in their situation. "We are heading for one of the most important buildings in Honavoth. The palace should contain some answers to explain why the honored dead have risen with a possible solution to make them return to their eternal rest. Or the tomb might, which is why Erasnlorn is going there. But even if there is nothing definitive regarding the situation in the palace, there might be something on my ancestry to improve my claim." The explanation was already quite obvious by now, so she did not need to elaborate further beyond reiteration. Her confidence didn't waver despite acknowledging realism.
"There is nothing wrong with a little confidence, Endava," Coleus maintained the neutrality between them. "Though one cannot be too confident, lest they take risks that will lead to their fall."
"I take no issue with her confidence," the Dunmer clarified. "Just that we don't know what we expect to find. And we don't know how to quickly translate any of the ancient hieroglyphics."
Krisra better knew what she was referring to. "I have brought my notes on the Na-Totambu hieroglyphics which do include the Ra Gada hieroglyphics for comparison. Although I memorized some, I must refer to my notes for those I have not. And I have spare parchment to record some of the Vakhaader writings, if any, should they appear to be important. Fronteich can translate those."
"So you don't know for certain if the Vakhaader hieroglyphics will be?" Endava critiqued.
"I do not to be honest," the noblewoman admitted. "But I can make educated guesses based on anything that looks to be of significance. Like a statue of their leader or Hircine, for example."
"Provided the Vakhaader hieroglyphics are still legible and have not faded," said Coleus.
"Of course," Krisra agreed when the Seneschal suddenly held a hand up for them to halt.
"Wait," he instructed quietly while quickly leading them into cover behind a wall that used to be part of a building. After making sure no undead were wandering around, he ushered them to the wall and looked out into what could only be described as Honavoth's forum. The place where its palace and other government buildings were established. The forum looked to be roughly twice the size of the one back in Taneth, filled with ruined Vakhaader structures once teeming with life. Even as the buildings towered above the forum, they were not as tall as the palace or city walls in spite of being capped by spires and wide bases at the bottom foundations. Around which the stairs curved at sharp corners up to platforms where doors awaited. Numerous windows were made out along the walls with just as many holes from crumbled sections. One building in particular, a large dome-shaped structure by the forum's opposite corner on their side, was mostly debris with only the curved walls that still stood to show for it. Interestingly, the buildings were drenched in a level of flora not seen across Honavoth apart from on the treehouses or log cabins that were not as caked.
It seemed like nature was reclaiming the ground on which Honavoth stood for itself since nobody was left to maintain it. Throughout the forum, gnarled ash trees grew with grass and some tiny patches of flower. The once babbling brook that led up to the palace was now a riverbed quite devoid of water apart from puddles formed by rainwater. Fountains connected to the brook which shot water out through the top were also empty, seated on either side as testament to the splendor lost. Around the fountains were curved benches carved from stone with armrests at certain points, mostly shattered into pieces scattered along the ground nearby. Bases of fallen statues were lining both sides of the riverbed too, the backsides of those once depicted facing the ground as their fronts looked out into the forum's sides. From the look of the one closest to them, Coleus knew the statue had been defaced by time and the weather. It no longer portrayed the man whose honor it had been erected in. The two nearest to it appeared similar as the one across bore only the legs whereas the face of the one on its right broke off. He supposed it was the same for each of the other statues too.
But the most incredible sight to behold was the palace itself which towered over the other buildings by several stories high. The palace was symmetrically designed with four towering spires on top, two at both of the front corners where one could gaze out at the forum from. Windows on the front wall were just as numerous as those on only one of the adjacent buildings, but less so due to being separated by two stories each. Leaving just three levels of windows to look out, each one of those on the bottom being too high for anyone to climb through. Battlements spread across the ramparts with machicolations between the corbels above the main gate into the palace and crenals where bowmen could shoot arrows onto invaders or a riot. Four castellated towers in the parapets up top afforded archers more height and space for further maneuverability on the higher parapets. Atop one of those towers and three of the spires were turrets for protection and indoor space. From the number of turrets that remained, Coleus got the impression there had been more that crumbled over time. At the foot of the palace were a set of steps leading up to a platform with two staircases curved up to the main entrance, a large pair of double doors that remained standing after centuries.
The seemingly impervious structure was so awe-inspiring it made Coleus momentarily not want to take his eyes off it. It was that grand a Nedic palace for the Vakhaader, such a prestigious advancement not expected of the tribe. Especially in light of them having established what Aubra Lhortba called a kingdom in Hammerfell's Dragontail Mountains as described in her book. He did not expect their palace to have closely resembled a modern Imperial fort of Cyrodiil. At least, that was the comparison he made based on its exterior, having seen portraits of a few on a few occasions in his lifetime. Honavoth's palace appeared to supersede those Imperial forts based on its exterior design alone. Which strongly indicated the interior would be just as incredible as it looked outside. Even in its ruined state, since chunks of its walls, spires, parapets, turrets, and battlements were no more. But that lack of certain sections did not take away from its beauty; rather, they improved it. If this kind of architectural amazement was what the Vakhaader were capable of on Herne, surely their ruins in the Dragontail Mountains were equally majestic. Maybe grander as the tribe's origins.
However, Coleus had a duty to perform which came first before his amazement. By tearing his eyes away from the palace and back onto the forum, the Seneschal began looking around it for undead blocking the path. A number of skeletons dotted the forum, wandering aimlessly with little to no objective reason for being there. At least two mummies were present, though Coleus saw no issue dealing with them. The mummies were far apart from one another and from the three of them. Plus, the closest was lying on its back, struggling to pick itself up. It was the Vakhaader skeletons he was concerned with, for he counted at least above fifty based on the size of the forum. Had the skeletons grouped together into a horde and attempted to make a run towards them, Coleus wasn't sure he and Endava could fight them off without drawing the attention of other undead in the area. They had no idea if another horde or two was approaching from one of the other streets or an alley leading to the forum. Although they both knew a few area of effect spells and had enough Magicka to cast them, the sound of combat was something he did not want to go off with that issue in mind.
Instead, the Breton plotted a safe route to the palace where they would not have to fight the undead or take on as few of them as possible without alerting the rest. Entering the buildings could have been an option, but more undead were likely shambling about inside. The majority of undead outside were wandering around on the forum's left side, consisting entirely of Vakhaader skeletons whereas the right side had less skeletons and the two mummies. It seemed safer, but Coleus wasn't sure how safe it would be. Until he noticed the shade up against the buildings, giving him an idea. "Come," he instructed Krisra and Endava to emerge from hiding when they all heard loud hissing from the other end of the street they came from. A horde of skeletons and mummies had just come from around one of the buildings, slowly shambling their way towards the trio. The undead hadn't spotted them from that distance, fortunately, so Coleus was able to lead the other two out into the forum. "Keep within the shade and be wary of the windows. There may be undead lurking inside."
"Certainly, Sir Coleus," their charge agreed and followed him, staying close to the wall of the building once they quickly crossed the street. Casting a quick glance back at the undead, Krisra breathed a quiet sigh of relief at having gotten away without them noticing. Turning around to see the forum in front of her and the palace on the other side nearly made her gasp aloud in such awe that her admiration would have alerted nearby undead. She was able to barely stifle her amazement, though, despite maintaining her gaze on the entire area around her. "Wow…" she murmured softly as they were sneaking along the wall, somewhat aware that Endava had to nudge her forward since she was taking moments to stop and look at it. Krisra couldn't help it since Coleus was looking in each of the windows for signs of undead. The Breton Seneschal caught no glimpses of mummies or skeletons, but ghostly apparitions could have materialized at a moment's notice. Even following his brief check. "This is so beautifully captivating and wonderfully breathtaking…" she whispered.
"Keep your eyes on where you're going and the undead," Endava scolded her with a hiss.
"A-ah," Krisra regained her senses as she recalled their situation. "S-sorry, I was just—"
"This is no time to be lost in thought, Milady," the Dunmeri woman interrupted her.
"As sharp as Endava is, which I must disapprove of," Coleus spoke up softly, "she is right. We have a mission to carry out and cannot afford to lose ourselves in fascination with Honavoth." He did not need to reiterate that the honored dead were walking, they could see that quite clearly.
"My apologies," Krisra apologized again despite not needing to repeat it. "It is just that the forum and palace are so magnificent. I could not help but feel like I was drawn into admiring this place." As she said that, the noblewoman suddenly felt a strange familiarity overcome her. Though she did not know why exactly, she believed it was an illusion brought on by her sheer fascination.
"It is a shame the honored dead have risen to prevent you from enjoying it," said Coleus in understanding of her wonder. "Were they still dormant, you could have taken as much time as you would have liked. Within the time required until our return to Taneth." He took a quick look at the undead wandering around the forum and then into the street they were crossing towards the second building they needed to pass by. "I am afraid, though, that you might not be able to get that time."
The Redguard noblewoman would have sighed, choosing to stifle it instead partly because she did not want to draw attention and also as she knew the Seneschal had a point. "I do not think it matters anymore. The number of undead we have seen would have to be put down by an army."
"I was beginning to think the same," the Breton agreed, aware there were more undead in Honavoth than the number they had already encountered. "It may very well be that we must retreat to Rhovad and send word for reinforcements if any can be provided. Or wait for the war to finish so that the Kingdom of Hegathe can muster a sizable force to clear Honavoth. If one is established."
"It would be better to get her off the island entirely," Endava suggested bluntly.
"And leave Rhovad to fend for itself?" Krisra replied with a curt rhetorical question.
"The town is not part of Taneth's domain," Endava tried to explain her perspective as best she could, keeping her voice down. "Besides, the Kingdom of Hegathe doesn't really care for it at all. It could be destroyed and the kingdom would go on without it. So would the Crowns since they are no longer concerned with Herne's history." Her view was pessimistic, obviously given that she tended to take a more negative interpretation of the situation. But Krisra could understand that she was being realistic rather than optimistic. Which, considering the state of their current predicament on the island, was perhaps better than pursuing ideals. The noblewoman may not have liked it, and she was about to argue when the Dunmer, anticipating she would respond, cut her off before Krisra could get a word out. "You're the daughter of our kingdom's Crowns. Surely you should be more concerned with your own safety than that of some backwater citizens in a town not covered under Taneth's jurisdiction. A town, I need not reiterate it further, on an island far from the kingdom that does hold jurisdiction." This latter remark made sense too as much as Krisra didn't want to like it.
"Which means our helping its people should earn favor with Hegathe," she countered with a point in favor of getting a reward from the Kingdom of Hegathe for having aided the townsfolk.
"Not as much as you'd like," the Knight Sister had her own counterpoint. "Whatever favor you'd be looking to gain with the royal court wouldn't matter. It'd just be some minor reward for having done a minor service that benefited Rhovad, not the kingdom. They might just give thanks without anything material, short-term, or long-term since the town's that unimportant to the court."
"I agree with Endava," Coleus commented on their debate. "We are more likely to receive a reward for our services from Governor Feshi and his council than the kingdom's royal court. The reward, of course, will most likely be something insignificant due to Rhovad's miniscule status as a town. The situation, as grave as it now appears, is all the more reason why we preferred for you to stay behind in Rhovad, Lady Krisra. It is not something a proper lady of high standing and noble blood like yourself should be participating in. You should leave that to us as your loyal Knights of the Fifth Doctrine. Were you to perish your family would be devastated; they are worried for your safety. Especially with the Second Great War driving the Third Aldmeri Dominion into a state of panic. It is certainly going to make the Thalmor try just about anything to escape its demise." He paused there for a moment to let his argument sink in when Endava added something to the debate.
"Look Milady," the Dunmeri woman felt the need to drive the point home. "You've got a good heart in the right place and want to help Rhovad as a noblewoman, I get that. But nothing is ever ideal in this world. You've got the Thalmor and the Empire crumbling and those Stormcloaks of Skyrim trying to assert themselves as undisputed rulers. This war we're all in is taking too many troops and resources from our province to the Dominion's provinces. Even if the situation were to be ideal, it wouldn't get better easily. Sacrifices must be made whether its resources or people, and believe me, people will die. The world doesn't work as you expect it to nor just because you want it to. If you're going to make it through this situation, you should be letting us handle the undead."
Krisra sighed, aware of what they were saying. Taking a quick glance at the honored dead, she knew their argument was sound and more correct than her desire to help Rhovad and secure a political marriage in the High King's family. Her main objective though, was to learn more about her heritage so that political marriage could become more certain and definitive. She did not have entirely altruistic motives in the expedition even though her wanting the marriage to help her own kingdom could be considered more philanthropical. Which left Rhovad's safety at the very bottom of her priorities as she expected when taking all that, and her belief that time was running out, into consideration. "I know that, but…" she spoke up briefly and then paused, wondering how to phrase her thoughts properly. "Rhovad's safety will be secured despite its low significance in the political and social spheres. I may be a noblewoman of Taneth's royal family, true, but I need to learn how to perform the duties that will be expected of me in the future. When I achieve my marriage in the High King's family. Because Rhovad, despite being in the Kingdom of Hegathe and not Taneth's, will come under my authority as a member of Hammerfell's highest royal family. Even though my place may not be in the field itself, I must understand it to the best of my abilities for experience. If I did not lead by example, how can I ever gain their faith when I am not acting on their behalf?"
"You don't need to," Endava pointed out while making sure the undead did not notice their presence. She stepped closer to Krisra so she could put her arm around the noblewoman if needed. "The people do not care one way or the other so long as they get what they want. There's no such thing as altruism, or at least there isn't much of it. That's all you need to understand about society."
"Endava has the right of it," Coleus concurred again. "The trust of Rhovad's citizens is not something you necessarily need. To them, we are strangers coming to them as guests. And now as fighters whose one problem is shared by them. Though you may feel obligated to them, even were you to become High Queen, you are not required to. Worst case is if one of the citizens does perish, though it would not be your fault nor would it matter. Everybody dies eventually. In this case, the threat of undead is something we are now outnumbered by. Meaning that even if we try our best, it would not matter should we fall in battle." Krisra had to admit he had a point, and while he was not saying they should not have acted, she understood it would have made no difference. He made a sound argument that gave her pause to think more about Rhovad's backwater status and how that dramatically decreased its significance to Hammerfell's history. Whether she liked it or not started to become irrelevant to the situation at hand and reality itself. The outcome would have been what it would have been regardless, and her death may not have made as much of an impact as possible.
Still, if she wanted to guarantee it would and would last longer than possibly intended, she knew her survival was critical. "You are both correct," she admitted after hearing their conjoined arguments. "It would have been better for me to stay behind with Enjisha in Rhovad. But I cannot give up now; I feel I have come too far to not see this situation through to its conclusion. So while I am placing myself in danger and at risk of crossing my beliefs with regards to the honored dead, I do so willingly. Because as a noblewoman, I feel it is my duty even if I am under no obligation."
"Certainly," the Breton Seneschal accepted her logic. "And we shall follow you to the end."
Endava gave what came across as an exasperated sigh of annoyance, though as she spoke up it sounded otherwise. "As foolishly stubborn you may be and as uncertain your martyrdom may be, I am still dutybound to your command. Doesn't mean I agree with it, though, but I'll be here. Besides, perhaps it's better you're with us anyway; there's no guarantee you'll be safe in Rhovad."
Krisra could understand why. They could not be sure of how safe it would have been if the honored dead were as numerous as they have seen in Honavoth. So despite their present danger, it brought a smile to her face knowing she was with her knights. Especially when she thought about Endava calling her foolish and stubborn. As ridiculing that may have sounded and had come across as, intentionally or otherwise, Krisra chose to take it as a compliment instead. Because even nobles seeking a political marriage like her required that determination to see that dream succeed. Without it, she would not even be considered by the High King as an appropriate spouse for one of his sons.
A sudden sound from one of the windows they would quickly be passing by drew the trio's attention as Coleus held up a hand for the two women to stop. Quickly heading over to peer inside as carefully as he could without drawing attention, his eyes fell upon a headless skeleton standing upright. It was facing the window and made no motion indicating it knew the Seneschal was there. To test its awareness, Coleus raised a gauntleted hand up in front of the headless skeleton, bringing it closer to where the skull should have been. No reaction or response was given, so he believed it was safe to assume they could just walk past it without interruption. Despite gesturing for Endava to bring Krisra along, he did not fully trust that the headless skeleton would let them go so easily. It must have been a trap carefully situated to strike when their guard was done or alert all the other undead in the building and the forum. But even as the women slipped past it without the headless skeleton knowing, there was still no reaction or response to prove that concern true. Endava halted beside Coleus with Krisra in her grasp, waiting for the Seneschal to confirm it was not a threat and to check the subsequent gap of missing wall. He seemed satisfied for the moment despite the threat.
Unfortunately for them, his assumption was immediately proven correct once he moved to examine the gap. The moment he took his eyes off the window, the headless skeleton hurried ahead of him. Endava and Krisra had averted their eyes from the window to look at the undead throughout the forum. They were making sure the undead would not catch sight of them, so neither noticed it was gone until it was too late. The headless skeleton was so quiet that none of them were aware of its planned ambush. Its ploy paid off to some extent, but it didn't surprise Coleus upon charging out as the Breton merely shoved it, knocking its bones to the ground. That was all it took to garner immediate attention from two groups of honored dead that quickly moved to intercept the trio from two fronts. The Vakhaader skeletons and lone Na-Totambu mummy inside the building drew more attention from others around them as did the skeletons outside. The guttural hissing which erupted throughout the area reached a crescendo as a few skeletons pointed at them while the majority had begun charging. That was when Coleus and Endava quickly drew their silver longswords as Krisra got behind them, pressing her back up against the wall and hoping she'd not been seen from inside.
Not all of the honored dead throughout the forum had been paying attention, it seemed, and even some on their side of the forum did not appear to have been prompted into responding. Which made the situation a little less tense, but not by much. Even those two mummies remained right in the spots they had first been seen in, though the one walking could have become an issue. But only the skeletons and the one mummy from inside got in their way, so they just needed to take care of those particular undead. The skeletons were the most pressing concern since they were faster than the mummy, but none of them posed too much of a threat. They carried a bunch of spears, daggers, and axes, all of which were made from either wood or stone. The gleam of rubedite on the tips of several spears indicated the skeletal spearmen wielding them would have been more dangerous if they got any attacks in, however. Still, their being grouped together made them targets for a spell.
Raising one gauntleted hand to summon lightning at his fingertips, Coleus aimed at one of the two groups and cast the spell at the nearest skeleton. The lightning struck its target dead-on as the skeletal frame instantly fell to pieces. But the lightning had not stopped there, leaping onto the next closest skeleton and then the next. Each of the skeletons it touched exploded, sending bones and dirt flying all over the area before the Seneschal's spell finally landed upon the mummy. The mummy's body stopped suddenly, convulsing from the surge before falling backwards as streams of lightning kept emitting through its body. It had not been killed, unfortunately, though rendering it immobile helped. While it was down, Coleus turned to the next group and skeletons and cast the same spell at them. Like the first group, the second exploded into storms of bones every time the lightning made an impact. Though the spell should have ended, it leapt to a last skeleton a moderate distance away before fizzling out. That final skeleton blew up too, but the resulting explosion was spotted by another number of skeletons which in turn alerted a much larger force across the forum.
That was when Coleus knew it was time for them to make a break for it, turning to Krisra and Endava. "Run for the palace!" he commanded, quickly stepping towards the noblewoman and taking her arm. At the same time, another skeleton from inside tried to grab at the Redguard woman the moment she left the wall with him. In response, Endava slammed the flat end of her longsword upon its skull to make the skeleton fall apart before she too started withdrawing. "Do not talk," the Seneschal instructed, "just go." While the Dunmer would have retorted that she already knew that, she did not have to since there was no need. Still, she felt Coleus received the unspoken message.
"Should we not be running away from the palace?!" Krisra inquired worriedly, disobeying that instruction since she, and by extension the knights, expected undead would have been waiting for them inside. If not exactly waiting, just being there to find the three of them sprinting into the entrance. She thought it would have been smarter to withdraw outward, away from the forum until they lost the undead. But again, they had seen a lot of undead and thus expected more to be around every corner and inside of every structure throughout the city. Which made an outward withdrawal risky because they would not have known they'd be running into more undead until it was too late.
"Too risky." the Breton confirmed that suspicion of hers. "We might be able to lose them inside and make a barricade to keep them out if possible. I could cast that spell several more times if need be, though I would prefer to conserve my Magicka for whenever else we really require it."
"And when would that be?!" the Redguard noblewoman had not meant to sound impatient, though she felt it was only fair to get a few examples now that they were being pursued by undead.
"Whenever there is a group like the two I just put down," Coleus explained without sharing her sense of urgency. Despite their predicament, there was enough space between them and all the undead that with their pace, the skeletons would not have caught up easily. Even if several slowed them down, the Seneschal and Knight Sister would not have too much trouble. If anything, Coleus seemed to believe the situation was a minor inconvenience rather than a dire threat. From the look of Endava's expression, Krisra thought the Dunmer was of the same mind as him. They didn't stop running, though, needing to stay well ahead of the honored dead. After checking to make sure the honored dead were not throwing their weapons or anything else at them, Coleus turned his attention to the palace ahead. Climbing up the platform with the two women in tow, he knocked over a pair of skeletons which made it there before them and stopped to stand guard for a moment as two more ran up. With a quick swing of his sword, he dispatched those next while Endava ran forward with Krisra. "Do not stop!" the Breton yelled, knocking away a fifth skeleton that had run behind them.
"Coleus, you'd better catch up fast!" the Knight Sister yelled back without the formality.
"I am coming!" Coleus replied, turning to regroup once a sixth skeleton was knocked away. Upon having whirled around, however, he watched as Krisra shouted about more undead coming out of the palace gate. About seven skeletons in total, so he sprinted forward with the shock spell he used twice already at the ready. Immediately casting it, the spell struck the closest skeleton and began the process of leaping from one to the next. Like when he had used it the second time, it had moved from the last skeleton to another target inside the palace. No more undead emerged after it proceeded before them, so there was slight comfort in believing those were the only undead present in the entryway. Unless there was going to be an ambush Coleus' spell preemptively damaged by sheer luck. Even if there was, the fact his shock spell went into the palace could have meant there would not be as many in the entryway to fight off. But they'd worry about that once they escaped the more pressing concern of undead outside. And if possible, stop the undead from tailing them.
As they were getting closer to the palace, the trio was able to get a better look at its walls. There were some large gaps where the walls had crumbled long ago, including a couple that were on ground level. The honored dead could very easily infiltrate the palace from those points, making their exploration harder if Coleus and Endava had to slog through uncountable undead. Glancing up at the main gate while they were running up one of the stairs to it, Coleus realized the opening was actually not wide enough for more than one of them to pass through at once. They had to take turns going in. Bones from the collapsed skeletal frames crunched under their feet, and they needed to be careful so as not to slip on any. They were fortunate to have not slipped, though the skeletons were right behind them and gaining. Reaching the top as one more skeleton charged out the doors, Endava bashed its frame with her shield to make it fall apart. The Dunmeri Knight Sister stepped inside first, swinging her silver longsword to knock away two more as a mummy was approaching.
Although she was unable to aim for the head, the quick thrust of her blade embedded it into the mummy's chest. The mummy moaned in pain from the silver weapon burning its body, though it remained standing and slowly took the opportunity to grab the blade. Despite the silver burning through its bandages, causing more harm to its hands, the mummy was able to sluggishly pull itself further towards her. By this point, Krisra had already entered and gasped at the sight of the mummy trying to attack Endava. The Dunmer promptly pivoted, throwing it off balance while she yanked the blade free. Her reaction made the mummy stumble off to the side the moment Coleus entered, presenting the opportunity to thrust the blade through its head as she originally intended. Her attack was successful, destroying the mummy as its remains fell into a heap of dust and ash, the bandages being all that was left. Once it had been dispatched, Endava looked around the chamber to ensure the coast was clear as Coleus shut the doors moments before a skeleton slashed at him with its axe.