Chapter One
Marcus Crascius
Marcus Crascius, a legate in in the imperial legion stationed in Highrock, awoke on a calm beach. The water slowly rolled up the shore and he could hear birds and animals. Marcus looked around and found his boat ruined, beaten and broken down the shore.
He had been tasked with dealing with pirates attacking merchant ships sailing along Hammerfell and Highrock. He was given a ship and a hundred men by general Hadrian. They took the pirates ship and as soon as the fighting was done a huge object dropped from the sky and into the oceans, causing the water to overwhelm the ships.
It took all they had not to sink, Valens Uvanil a battle mage and lesser member of house Telvanni had used a telikenisis spell to keep the boat from sinking as best as he could. The sailors tried their best but at some point Marcus lost consciousness. He had to make sure his crew was alright.
He stumbled up from the sand and struggled towards the ruined boat. Marcus stepped through a hole made in the boat and to his horror saw that the water had risen up to ankle height and had taken a red color. He saw his men dead, laying all about the floors. He fell into the water and against a wall grabbing his hair almost pulling it out.
"Talos why. TALOS WHY!" He cried.
"Lega...te." a hoarse voice called out.
Marcus quickly looked up trying to find the voice. And when he found a hand raised across the room in a pile of bodies he stumbled up and forward, tripping causing him to crawl the rest of the way splashing through the blood stained water. He found him, a young lad named Connor from Daggerfall in Highrock.
"Come on boy, you'll be fine, just gotta get you out" he said beginning to pull until he noticed a splinter ended board piercing him through his stomache and out his back.
"It's not gonna happen Legate" he coughed and continued, "Is Talos watching? Are the gods here?"
"Yes why wouldn't they be. Boy please don't say such things." Marcus pleaded.
"Do you think my father would be proud of me?" he cried.
"I am proud of you boy, I see no reason for him not be." Marcus said trying his best to reassure him.
"Thank you Legate. I truly hope... the gods.. are watching." he said.
"How could they not watch a brave man like you." Marcus said.
"Am I brave? Gods I miss you father.. I need you please... I miss you so much" he sobbed asking," Will I see you again"
"You'll see him again I'm sure of it." He said holding his hand.
And with his last breathe he cried," Father?" leaving Marcus there alone among the bodies crying by himself.
Isulfr
Isulfr awoke covered in furs, a pain in his side, and a fire pit warmly lighting a room. He tried to look around but could barely move. He forced himself to roll out of the furs and bed, finding the floor rising quickly to meet him. His ribs flared in excruciating pain as they made contact with the floor.
" Gods, it hurts!" He roared.
Moments later a man with a long gray braided beard rushed through the doorway grabbing him by the arm and slowly helping him back to the bed,"Gods boy. We just got you patched up wanna let yerself go through it all over again."
"By Talos it hurts." he grunted through his teeth,"Where am I"
"Yer in my hall in my town, I am Jarl Wulf Gray-Hair." The man informed.
" Gods, where are my crewmates? Is the legate alive?" he groaned as the man let him fall into the bed.
"Do you want to know about yer crewmates or the legate." he asked pulling the furs over him,"Either way it is the same answer"
"Where are they!" he demanded.
"Now, now, don't go gettin yerself an attitude like that towards me youngin." He laughed,"Now as I was saying its the same answer. I don't know, only found ye washed up on some driftwood. I don't even know what a legate is. "
"I apologize. I hope you understand I'm in a worrying situation." He said.
"I understand, or maybe I don't, I'm not sure. Never had myself wake up on the beach stranded and I've woken up in strange places such as one time Sweyn and I both bet a hundred silvers we could-." he stopped, realizing there was more important things to tend to,"While this is my hall and my town it was my king that found ye, king Sweyn that is, sailing down with his raiding party heading south and he wants to talk to ye. Says a man that wound up like that has to have a story and he wants to hear."
"Fine I'll tell him my story but I want help finding my crew." Isulfr said.
"Hah! You keep making me laugh then I might consider making you the court fool. You think you have a choice in the matter." he laughed but then his mood died suddenly looking him in the eyes,"Ye also thought you could make demands. A word of advice when a King wants yer story you tell it and ye don't demand anything, you ask a favor. Though I'm sure Sweyn would help ye for a good story if its the helping kind, so you may be in luck."
"Advice, yes I'm sorry, I'll keep it in mind." He said, continuing he asked, "Jarl Wulf, may I ask where in Skyrim we are because I am a little more than confused. We were sailing west of Highrock and Hammerfell."
"Skyrim, Highrock, Hammerfell? Those names mean nothing to me, I've never been there or heard of em." he said.
"That can't be. Only place with jarls I know of is Skyrim, my birthplace." Isulfr said.
"I don't know and for that I'm sorry. Now ye get some rest and I go get the King." he said leaving the room.
Moments later a Wulf walked in with a taller man following behind. He had a forked blonde beard and hair with blue eyes, he wore a blue tunic with chain mail underneath and had an iron sword at his side made in what seemed to be in the style of Skyrim iron blades. His face seemed worn and he wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"So what's your story? Would you like some mead?" he asked while pouring said mead into tankards, holding one out to him,"Helps with stories."
"You remind me of the companions when I was with them, always a drink and a story in that hall." said Isulfr
"Now there's a starting point!" he boomed,"Now, who are the companions!"
"That's a tale as old and as long as the time nords have called Skyrim their home but I can start with Ysgramors five hundred." he said taking a gulp of mead," The Atmorans came from Atmora, they built homes in the land of the snow elves, Skyrim, but eventually the snow elves attacked the Atmoran settlement of Saarthal and Ysgramor and his sons were the only survivors. He returned to Atmora with news of the betrayal and came back to Skyrim with five hundred companions and conquered Skyrim, from then on Skyrim belonged to the nords. Now the companions of Jorvaskr are what remains and they're great warriors but basically mercenaries."
"Alright, but what's your story with em?" Sweyn asked.
"I grew up in Whiterun the home of the companions of today, heard how great they were for most of my life. So I joined like every young boy dreamed of. Just at some point I didn't like being a mercenary and their ehh.. um political neutrality" he said, "so I joined the legion, got stationed in Highrock, was ordered to take down some pirates, got caught in a storm and woke up here."
"The world got just got bigger and I fear it has gotten much to big to fast." the man said looking into his tankard, then he took a gulp, slammed it on a nearby table and said, "Anyway it's put of my control, and we have business to tend to. Jarl Gray Hair has told me you have a request. What would it be?"
"I need to find my crew mates and my commander, Legate Marcus Crack is, and I would appreciate your help." he said.
Sweyn leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in though before he said," Well, we sail south to raid soon. You could travel with us, as we sail you can watch and search the shores for signs of them."
"I'll have no part of your raid." Isulfr said.
"No but you look like a man who pays back debts. Go or don't, I do not care. I find you interesting, I'm not in love with you. You go and you'll have my help don't go and you can leave and search by yourself. You'll have a chance but you'll have no help from me." King Sweyn explained.
After what seemed like ages Isulfr answered, "Fine, I'll go. I pay my debts." he said.
"Good. Now I'm going to leave you here but I'll send you some company later eh." he said, " you know to help speed along the healing process."
Both Wulf and Sweyn left the room at that, ignoring Isulfr's protests. Moments later a beautiful blonde walked into his room, each step with confidence. She stopped before his bed shedding her clothes, her pink nipples perked up and she had goose bumps on her skin from recently being outside in the cold which Isulfr could feel as she rested a hand on his face. She bit her bottom lip and slowly slid under the furs, undressing him below with one hand.
"Who are you?" he asked nervously.
"I am Yvette." she said sliding him into her and as she began to grind her hips in a smooth rhythm she said,"And I am here to heal you."
Valens Uvanil
His head pounded with each new sound he heard. A few words there, an animalistic screech and call, children yelling at play and when he finally opened his eyes, that's when his heard hurt the worse. The unwelcome bright light of the sun hit his red eyes and further antagonize his pounding headache.
He noticed that he was on a horse cart or what seemed like one and it's rocking only further annoyed his headache. He tried to look around more without being obvious and saw he was in what seemed like a jungle. Hammerfell perhaps? He guessed that he would find out soon.
Valens positioned his head to look through a small opening in the treetops and found blue clear skies with something awe inspiring in the sky. It was large and seemed to be made of metal and was lined with a red light. After minutes of him looking at it the cart came to a stop and only then did he remember caution.
"Is he awake?" a female said.
"Yes the grey man awakes." a young man said.
"Good lets greet him" the female said climbing into the cart.
She pulled him forward and now he could no longer return to pretending he was asleep. She looked him in the eyes and seemed shocked by his completely bright red eyes staring back. She had red hair, green eyes, fair skin and she wore what looked like the Chiron armor of Morrowind just not of the same style.
"My name is Lillian. What is yours?" she said.
He replied, " My name is Valens Uvanil, wizard of the Great House Telvanni of Morrowind."