Dagoth Araynys ash vampire located in Mamaea east of Gnisis. I pwnz0r j'411! Enough of that, now. Oo;;
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Thin snowflakes fell from the overcast sky and tangled themselves into the dense pines, and the brush and holly plants swayed gently in the frigid breeze. The grizzlies, wolves and irritating reiklings prowled the landscape searching out unwary explorers or wanderers as prey. The Imperials hadn't yet established a central highway system across the island, so the snow was knee-deep and unpacked on nearly the entire island.
"You know, Dagoth Isa, your pet would really like this image of you." Dagoth Ur mocked inside of Isa's mind as she trudged north.
"Pressing ever-onward with your arms folded across your chest and snow trapped in your hair. It is very symbolic, this image of you. Dagoth Mstislav is a very poetic soul, he eats this sap up."
Isa shook the blows from her mind, clearly focusing on the mission at hand. She had planned on visiting Balabhas at the Corprusarium, but just as she was boarding the ship to Tel Fyr she had been given orders to go north to Solstheim. There, she would travel to the Skaal Village, recover Hircine's Ring and Korst Wind-Eye at all costs, and then teleport back to Citadel Dagoth. It was a pretty simple plan, and it made her wonder why she was suddenly going on sorcerer gathering missions.
Thirsk began to loom on Isa's right when she reached Lake Fjalding. A warm fire and a tankard of mead were tempting her, and, deciding that the Skaal weren't going anywhere, she climbed the hill and walked through the heavy mead hall doors. Immediately she began to feel the warmth of the fire in the center of the room. The Nords standing about looked at her only briefly, and then turned their attention back to their own affairs. She walked up to Skjoldr Wolf-Runner, who pleasantly greeted her with a long speech, and she took her mead and sat on one of the benches in front of the fire.
No sooner had Isa taken a few sips of her mead, a Nord clad in mismatched bear and wolf pelt armor took a seat uncomfortably close to her.
"Can I help you?" she asked, leery of the man's motives.
"I'm just wondering what such a thin wisp of an Elf like yourself is doing here in the bitter cold of Solstheim." The Nord said with a hint of suggestiveness in his voice.
"I believe that's none of your business... Um..."
"You can call me Erich. So, you say you've got business, huh? Well, how about you put off that business and spend a little time getting to know me better?"
Isa stared nonplussed at Erich, and then in an instant she was standing over him with her fists raised. The clamor of the denizens of Thirsk swirled around her, but the one noise that stood above the yelling in Nordic was the heavy clunking of metal boots coming from the stairs above her. Isa looked up and saw a small troupe of Imperial soldiers come into view. Her eyes widened in surprise and she dashed out of the tavern. Once outside she climbed up the main support beam and silently made her way out of sight on the roof.
Isa could hear several people come from inside the tavern, and moments later she could see torchlight fanning out south and westward. She cursed her sour temperament while she waited for the torches to fade from view. Just then, her right arm began to tingle slightly, and almost immediately her shoulder began to sear with pain. She reached up to touch the source of the pain, but pulled her hand back when it came into contact with warm blood.
"You think you can procrastinate when you've been given an order?" came Dagoth Gilvoth's voice, "You should know by now not to take lightly your duties. Now, as punishment you will be denied the use of your right arm."
Isa snorted, slightly irritated at her lack of privacy. Although, she was slightly surprised at the sudden attack on her arm. Up until that point Isa had forgotten completely about the beetle tattoo she had been given, but the blood exuding from her arm was a solid reminder of how she could be handled at a distance.
The light having abated, Isa slid off of the roof. She landed with a yelp of pain when her arm jerked. Her right arm wasn't numb or immobile, but at the slightest provocation her eyes would tear up in pain. The climb, or rather limp up the hill above Lake Fjalding was arduous at best, and by the time Isa was past it her arm was dully throbbing with pain.
The Skaal eyed her with misgiving as she limped toward the Great Hall holding her arm. While they didn't trust her they also didn't see the petite, wounded Elf as much of a threat.
Isa walked through the doors of the Great Hall and saw an aged Nord sitting on a throne-esque chair. He had shoulder-length graying hair and wore a serious countenance as he surveyed Isa through smoldering eyes. Gilvoth told her that the man was Tharsten Heart-Fang, the current bearer of Hircine's Ring. That's who she would need to kill in order to complete her mission, but the Honor Guard standing to her left presented a slight problem.
"What brings you to my village?" Heart-Fang asked her in a clear voice.
Instead of replying Isa unsheathed Herreslakter and held it unsteadily at her side. She charged Heart-Fang, but was tackled in the process by the Honor Guard. The pair flew into a bench and then landed with a thud on the floor. Isa winced as she felt her arm twisted underneath her, knowing that that would be painful a few hours later. She twisted underneath the guard and swung Herreslakter blindly. Isa could hear the guards' blood splatter on the wooden floor, and with a few more swings the man went limp. She stood with some difficulty, throwing the corpse from her torso and letting it fall into the burning fire.
"So you've come after me, then." Heart-Fang sneered, "I'm afraid you'll have a bit of trouble, lass."
Heart-Fang brandished a toothy grin. Coarse, black fur began to sprout from his face and hands, and his eyes turned a yellow hue. His face slowly transformed itself into a muzzle and sharp fangs replaced the incisors and molars of his human mouth. Isa watched the transformation with morbid interest as Heart-Fang's chest and limbs grew and twisted themselves into a more canine appearance. The armor he had been wearing had splintered and fell from his form in pieces, and when the transformation appeared complete he turned to Isa and growled.
Isa had to admit, in werewolf form Heart-Fang was nearly too much for her. In a matter of seconds he had her pinned to the ground. With a snarl, he flexed his arm and took a swipe at her face. The skin tore in deep gashes, but healed over the moment it had separated. Frustrated, Heart-Fang opened his mouth and brought his jaws to clamp over Isa's throat, but before he could follow through Isa had impaled him with Herreslakter.
Heart-Fang howled and lurched back in pain. Given a small opportunity, Isa struggled to her feet and hobbled over to Heart-Fang. Dagoth Ur had seemed to enjoy watching Isa suffer, because at that moment her tattoo crept. Isa yawned widely as her eyes threatened to close on her. She stumbled toward Heart-Fang and swung her sword weakly, just barely grazing his arm. She could feel him grip her coat and throw her several feet back, but couldn't retaliate as sleep began overtake her.
'I'm going to die here,' Isa thought to herself as the world around her faded, 'and if I do somehow manage to survive I'll have Ur to deal with. Well, forget this...'
Isa sat up seconds later as electricity coursed through her body. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, the smell of blood and charred flesh wafting in her nostrils. She blinked away the duct meat and saw the fruits of her labor. The Honor Guard's corpse lay half-blackened in the grate, and Heart-Fang lay in two pieces by the stairs of the Great Hall. Isa pondered on the battle and wondered how Heart-Fang had been defeated, and then it dawned on her: before she blacked out she had thrown Herreslakter. Not because she wanted to continue fighting, but because she had wanted to sleep, and she realized she couldn't do that with a sword in her hand.
Hircine's Ring sat coolly on her right index finger. Isa looked down at it and grinned; half of her mission was complete. After she retrieved Herreslakter she made her way from the Great Hall, and was bombarded by the rest of the Honor Guard. They asked her several run-together questions, addressing why she was covered in blood and why she was injured. She told them that the Honor Guard had attacked Heart-Fang, and that she mediated.
"May I speak with Korst Wind-Eye?" Isa asked the crowd.
A man wearing shabby brown robes stepped forward. Isa reached out with her good arm and clasped his wrist, casting recall to Citadel Dagoth.
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Should I make her a werewolf?