Author's note: Darn, keep forgetting this. What belongs to Bethesda, render unto Bethesda.
Followers of Molag Bal, Mehrunes Dagon and Boethia
Do not make for good party guests
Sanguine followers have a tendency to crash the party
Malacath does not party
Archon Tacitus had a great many people on staff at his cathedral. That was just the people he had to work with inside the building. There were also messengers, city officials and a whole list of others who were not within the building itself he had to partner with. It was only inevitable that he would start to forget peoples' names. In fact, he was fairly certain that there were a number of others he corresponded with that he had never in fact met in person.
Nonetheless, the archon knew that people were important and had to be valued. Showing some common decency included at least making an effort to get to know people by name. Now, as Claudia's team was assembling in his office, he reflected on how he had not really studied any of them in great detail until now.
Claudia was the first to arrive. She looked like any other Imperial woman from Cyrodil who wore her dirty blonde hair tied back in a bun. Her almond eyes were sharp and piercing. He also noticed that the white of her eyes always had a hint of pink on them, barely noticeable. He wondered if she was allergic to something in the area or was not getting enough sleep. It would certainly make sense on how she was always bustling around making sure everything was in place at the cathedral.
Next to arrive was Do'Ravier. He was the shortest of the group, standing just barely over five feet and a half. His fur was a rather dull orange, nearly matching the mellow brown robes he wore. His fur was also marked with neat rows of black stripes while his faded blue eyes looked more humanoid rather than cat like. While the tip of his tail would sometimes reflect his mood, twitching energetically if agitated or excited, it also seemed to have a mind of its own and would flop around without Do'Ravier being aware of it.
Next was Sibylla, the tallest of the group who let her golden blonde locks fall just above her shoulders. The religious robes did little to hide that she was no stranger to hard work and physical labor. Her green eyes always had a hardness to them, as if daring someone to pick a fight with her. The only blemish she had on her face was a thin but distinct scar that cut a line diagonally across her lips, yet another reminder that she was just as much of a fighter as she was an advisor.
Lastly, right on Sibylla's heals was Bann-Je the Argonian. Bann-Je, had to repeat his stepping through the door ritual three time, walking in, back-peddling out and walking back in again before he was satisfied. His scaly skin was dark green, nearly a dull olive while his eyes were a bright yellow. His snout and brow had small, pointy protrusions like tiny horns though they were neatly lined, going along the boundaries of his snout and above his eye.
Tacitus also felt that he was the quietest of the four.
"So who are we killing?" Sibylla asked bluntly and unannounced.
"I...uh..." Tacitus blanched under the unexpected if earnest question.
"Sibylla!" Claudia scolded.
"Do'Ravier suggests we get back to the matter at hand." the Khajiit interjected.
"Yes, yes. There is a specific reason I asked for you all to come here." Tacitus asserted, recomposing himself.
"It better be about knocking some peoples' heads." Sibylla grumped.
"Sibylla, let the archon talk!" Claudia snapped.
Secretly, Bann-Je was becoming agitated with the perceived meeting starting and then abruptly stopping with all the interruptions.
"Yes, anyway, a pair of our Vigilants of Stendarr were investigating some reports of suspicious activity taking place on the road north to Jehanna." Tacitus started.
"What was this 'suspicious activity?'" Claudia inquired gently.
"Travelers and merchants were reporting strange lights, tormented screams and angry shouts coming from a certain area off into the woods. All of these reports pointed to something going on at night. Our Vigilants, suspecting paranormal activity or the work of a necromancer, went to investigate." Tacitus explained.
"I thinking it went bad from there." Sibylla interrupted.
"Unfortunately, you are correct. Two of our agents went there, and only one returned. He said that it happened so quickly. One moment he saw an encampment of people who appeared to be in the midst of some bloody ritual, I'm quoting them word for word by the way, and then before they knew it they were spotted. The survivor claimed that his partner was shot down and killed." Tacitus reported grimly.
"Where is the survivor now? Maybe they could help us get there." Do'Ravier offered.
"He is still recovering. He barely escaped with his life and he's still not quite in his right mind. You four will be on your own. Any questions?" Tacitus asked.
"No, sir. We will take care of it, Archon." Claudia answered.
"Very well. I leave it to you four then." Tacitus replied, dismissing them.
An hour later Claudia and her team were well outside the walls of Wayrest and were taking the road north the Jehanna. She felt strange wearing her leather armor for a change. That and also the weight of a quiver full of arrows on her waist as well as her composite bow on her shoulder. For now, it was protected in a special leather case with a sling to be easily carried, the case sealing it from moisture which would so easily denature the bow.
Beside her was Sibylla who was clad in steel armor stylized in the Nordic fashion. Her helmet was closed, shielding the entirety of her face save for her eyes. However, Sibylla greatly prized her weapon, a rare and beautiful glass battle ax. The green metal was well polished and despite it razor sharp edge, it was well used. Sibylla lovingly called her ax "Head Reaper." Claudia found Sibylla's attachment to the weapon a little disturbing.
Do'Ravier had a black traveling robe on but that was more deceptive than anything else. Under the robe, he wore a custom set of full scale armor made from Dwarven metal, an armor set that he claimed was given to him as a gift. The only hint of the protection he hid under the robes were the gauntlets and paw coverings of the dull, golden metal. In place of a staff, he carried what had once been a Dwarven spear. Claudia was uncomfortable with that weapon as well. She swore she could sometimes hear it humming of its own accord.
Lastly was Bann-Je who had a set of four daggers along with a composite of leather and steel armor. While Do'Ravier wanted his enemies to underestimate him, Claudia learned that Bann-Je preferred to remain unseen and unheard. The first time Claudia saw him in action, she felt that Bann-Je was woefully underarmed. She later learned that she was in fact wrong. Bann-Je was a skilled spellsword. The daggers he carried were laced with poison, weapons of a last but terrible resort. Instead, Bann-Je would initially go in camouflaged under an invisibility spell before summoning two bound swords, ethereal weapons that were light as a feather but still as deadly as any other weapon
Now they just needed to find their prey.
"Tell me again why we're not on the road." Bann-Je grumbled.
"Oh for the love of the Emperor, how many times do I have to explain this to you?" Claudia scowled irritably.
"Roads were made for a reason. We should follow them." Bann-Je muttered.
"We all know that's your compulsion talking. It's also why when we go off road, you still tend to keep to the left side of the path, just like a road. Still, no matter how much you complain, we do not follow the roads when we're on a mission." Claudia asserted.
In some places of Tamriel, High Rock included, traffic went on the left side of the roads instead of right. That way mounted knights would have their swords ready to be used to cut down enemies, having drawn their swords with their right hands which would then be in the center of the road.
Regardless, Claudia had a policy of, while loosely following the road on a mission, would still not use them unless circumstances required it. Following the road was too risky. Enemy sentries or agents would be watching them, as well as bandits and highwaymen. Following the path just off the road would put them out of the obvious spot but also gave them a point of reference just so they wouldn't get lost.
It did not make for the easiest traveling and it was anathema to Bann-Je's rigid and almost unpredictable compulsions. Nonetheless, the Argonian begrudgingly followed, the whip of Claudia's leadership the only thing keeping him in place.
"So why are you so obsessive compulsive anyway? Were you born with it or did something happen to you?" Sibylla asked, taking a swig of mead from a bottle she brought along.
"Something happened. I'd rather not talk about it." Bann-Je answered cryptically.
"Is that another compulsion, or would you really rather not talk about it?" Do'Ravier quipped.
"Some things are best left unanswered." Bann-Je asserted, the hint of a warning on his voice.
"Quiet. Focus on the task ahead. Eyes and ears open." Claudia reminded, steering their attention back to the the mission. The Imperial woman rolled her eyes with the thought that she felt she always had to carry the mantel of responsibility.
After awhile, Bann-Je's serpentine tongue was flicking more rapidly than usual, trying to track any wayward scents that would warn him of danger. The others were becoming far more alert as well. They recognized the landmarks that warned they were getting close to their objective. All of them were prepared for an unexpected and violent ambush at any moment.
"Do you hear something?" Sibylla asked all of a sudden, stopping short and bringing the group to a halt.
Do'Ravier's feline ears became erect, swivelling around on his head though they remained hidden under his black hood.
"That is the sound of many people running." Do'Ravier reported.
"Which direction?" Claudia demanded, her sharp eyes scanning the woods.
Do'Ravier's ears rigidly faced forward before suddenly falling flat against his head.
"Straight ahead." the Khajiit replied before bringing his spear to bear.
Claudia wasted no time notching an arrow and drawing the bow halfway, ready for anything that might be coming at them. Sibylla let herself fall into a comfortable fighting stance, her glass battle ax prepared to make wide sweeps into the enemy while Do'Ravier's spear was pointed straight ahead of him.
Bann-Je had inexplicably disappeared but everyone had learned that this was only to be expected.
Then with the noise of boots hitting the ground and leaves rustling underfoot, they spotted the figures of at least ten people, a mix group, coming upon them from the higher ground that slopped down to their position. A quick glanced told them that they were looking at a frightful mob of people, all of them had their weapons drawn and many of them were either marked with splashes of red paint or blood, possibly both.
What was most unnerving was that despite their greater numbers and wicked looking weapons, all of the invaders appeared to have fear etched on their faces.
Claudia violently drew her bow all the way back.
"On the authority of Stendarr, halt and drop your weapons or we will use deadly force!" Claudia shouted at the group.
The armed mob kept coming at them.
"Halt!" Claudia warned.
"Kill them!" one in the mob screamed maniacally.
"Are you just going to stand there, wizard? Do something to even the odds!" Sibylla hissed to Do'Ravier.
Claudia let loose an arrow which immediately impaled one of the berserkers .
Drawing on his telekinetic magics, Do'Ravier gathered the nearby stones and rocks from the ground and sent a cloud of the projectiles into their attackers, senselessly pelting them.
Do'Ravier could only sustain the spell for so long and those that were not stunned or knocked flat on the ground all focused on the Khajiit the moment the stones returned to the earth. They had little respite because while Claudia continued to take well aimed shots with her arrows, Sibylla let out a fearsome battle cry and leaped, diving deep into the midst of them with Head Reaper raised high.
The select few of their attackers that did not get caught in the red cloud of violence and flying, hacked limbs near Sibylla continued their vendetta on Do'Ravier and charged the otherwise defenseless looking Khajiit. One of them found himself flash fried from a lightning bolt spell but that left four more still charging at him.
The first one to reach Do'Ravier was violently knocked to the side from the flat of the spear blade. The next attacker, a towering Orc, sneered at the feline and raised his ferocious warhammer high to crush the mage into a pulp.
Agile, Do'Ravier leveled his spear once again and drove the blade deep into the Orc's exposed chest.
The mob suddenly found their numbers instantly vaporized. Sibylla had hacked and severed a whole group right before their very eyes, her sweeping glass battle ax savagely searching for more to slay. The Khajiit clearly should not have been underestimated and Claudia's archery skills was sniping off those that had initially hesitated to join the fray.
There were only three left and they had no intentions of joining their comrades. Fear burned brightly in their eyes once more and they desperately fought to get away. No sooner did they break to run did they find themselves abruptly knocked to the ground.
Seemingly materializing out of thin air, an Argonian appeared standing before them. Before any of them could resist, the lizard summoned two blades of swirling energy from the ether and pointed them at his prey.
"Resisting would be ill advised." Bann-Je warned.
The last three survivors were bound and made to wait under Sibylla and Bann-Je's intimidating gaze. All of them were in a sorry state. The armor they wore was poorly maintained, the metal had become corroded and dented. Even their blades had become rusted with ill maintenance. It was a pitiful sight to see, but Claudia was not sympathetic. She approached them, her countenance hard as she gazed at them for a moment before she decided to speak to them. Claudia's question was simple and to the point.
"What were you running from?" Claudia demanded, bending down to hear them better.
"From the shrine." one of them grunted, a sorry looking Dark Elf.
"Who is this shrine to?" Claudia drilled.
"Does it matter? The place is cursed. The daedra has forsaken us." A Redguard woman growled.
Sibylla, Claudia, Bann-Je and Do'Ravier all exchanged a knowing glance, now aware that they had found some daedra worshippers.
"Or punished us." an scrawny Imperial grumbled.
"You two, keep an eye on them. I don't want any of them escaping." Claudia ordered Sibylla and Bann-Je.
"Do'Ravier, you're with me. We're investigating that shrine."
"You'd do best to stay away from there." the captured Redguard said defeatedly.
"And why is that?" Claudia asked, stopping in her tracks.
"Sure, the shrine was originally meant to be a place of death but...not the way we expected it when we awoke today." the Dark Elf admitted.
Claudia glared at them for a moment before continuing her march towards the shrine, motioning for Do'Ravier to follow.
"So what do you think happened?" the Khajiit asked once they were out of earshot.
"You're the educated mage. That's why I'm bringing you along. I intended to ask you that question."
Do'Ravier could not help but give a sly smile as he let his accent become more heavy with the Khajiiti tongue.
"You make a mistake. This one is not so smart, just a very curious Khajiit in a very-"
Do'Ravier's jesting face, and jib, evaporated the moment they caught sight of the shrine area.
Like a demon gazing upon a broken kingdom, the statue and shrine to Boethiah stood starkly contrast to the piles of broken corpses surrounding the shrine. As Do'Ravier and Claudia neared the scene, they were surprised at the savagery that had cut down the cultist. Deep, gaping wounds criss-crossed the bodies. A severed head on a pike still had the hood that seemed standard for Imperial cult clergy. They assumed it belonged to the Vigilant that never made it back.
Still, that did not account for why the rest of the cultist were dead, or why their comrades were running away from the scene like all of Oblivion was after them. Do'Ravier knelt down among some of the bodies to closer inspect the scene of horrific carnage.
"Do you have any idea what happened here?" Claudia asked, mirroring the Khajiit's position.
Do'Ravier did not answer at first, his brows lowered in concentration.
"Or are you giving into your Khajiiti instinct to pilfer pockets?" Claudia jibbed.
"The wounds are deep, as if cut by a blade yet they are festering. The bodies seem to be in a state of decay of many hours, if not a few days." Do'Ravier suggested.
"That's what I thought too, but those cultist claim that they just started running now. Could they have just woken up from a long slumber? What knows what Daedra cultists get themselves into and what bizarre magic can possess them." Claudia speculated.
"It is late in the afternoon. It is unlikely they just woke up from a night's sleep. This one does not truly know." Do'Ravier replied before taking a gauntlet off his paw and placing his hand on the forehead of a nearby corpse.
"They are still warm. They died recently, just as the madmen said." Do'Ravier reported.
"Something very strange happened here." Claudia murmured.
"Nothing natural happened here. I suggest we burn it quickly." the mage offered.
"Very well. I assume you have that under control?" Claudia asked.
Do'Ravier summoned two orbs of flames from his paws while also gazing on a nearby barrel of oil.
"I may not be the strongest pyromancer but these guys aren't going anywhere." Do'Ravier replied.