Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Ruins of Rielle [Open Elder Scrolls RP]

(( Hello! Another Elder Scrolls RP getting thrown up here. It's supposed to be a little spooky RP, so the plan is to have some adventurers dive into a ruin and fight off some ghosts and zombies and whatnot. An Aylied ruin, to be specific. Feel free to jump in, anyone, and let's have a great time. Happy Halloween. ))

4E194 Frostfall 31

The retrieval was always Gwyneira's least favorite part of Welkynd stones. It was, however, important, as nobody sold them anymore and even if they did, they'd be terribly expensive. It was this need that lead her to the north, to snowy Bruma and subsequently to the ruin that she was hoping remained unplundered. Her staff gripped tightly in her hand, braced against the wind and the cold, she eyed the door to the ruin, a scowl upon her shrouded face. But, nevertheless, she was not going to simply turn this up, not after preparing for it for the past few days. She strode forwards and through the grinding stone door.

As dark as it was, shadows were no match for the colorless blue vision that came with a Night-Eye spell. The place stank of death and magic, as did so many of these old, faded white tombs. This one was cooler than most but her blood shielded her from what might otherwise have been a very unpleasant climate. And so she descended, footfalls ringing in slight echoes through the narrow hallways. A vague sense of trepidation lingered with her, a feeling of something non-corporeally... wrong. It was this thought that tightened her grip on the humming wood of her staff and made more prominent the weight of her shortsword beneath her robe.

((I thought I could possibly drop by, as I was looking for an Elder scrolls rp to my liking, I hope that I am a valid candidate for your RP.))

J'o Rahe had managed to contact an associate of sorts, within the once great Capitol of the Imperial empire. A scholar of Daedric legends and artifacts, he had become intrigued with the supposed "Curse" that J'o Rahe claimed to have been suffering from. It was not the curse itself that Impressed the scholar, it was the idea that this curse may have been the work of a previously unknown Daedra, by the name of Jygallag who claims to be the Daedric prince of order, as well as the original Sheogorath, before he had become what he despised. The scholar was cynical. He had had warned Rahe that because the knowledge of this deity was so obscure, that a cure would be seemingly non-existent. However, Rahe was optimistic. He believed that because the Scholar knew of this being as well as him, that he could have some information to release him from his impending doom.

The scholar told J'o Rahe, that if he wished to lift the curse, it would require a material source of magicka, of which being welkynd stones. Hidden away in ancient Aylied ruins. Because of the amount of adventurers within cyrodiil, as well as welkynd stones not being a renewable resource of magicka, the number of them has plummeted dramatically, and are now very rare to find. J'o Rahe was told of a possible ancient welkynd deposit, that may have a possibility of harboring the aforementioned stones of magicka. This ancient ruin was to the north, within the jerall mountains, near the city of Bruma, and the ruins of Cloud Ruler Temple, a former home of the Blades. With no time to lose, J'o Rahe had no time to say his goodbyes. He could feel the grasp of Jygallag choking him, and had no intention of becoming a husk.

J'o Rahe journeyed hours up the frozen Jerall mountains, with such cold weather that J'o Rahe felt the need to disregard his journey and let his fate take hold, but he could not give up, unless he wished to be imprisoned in a body that he was unable to control. As he finally reached his destination, with hands seemingly full of snow and frostbite, that he came to the ruins that he so desired to find. His heart full of newfound vigor at the site of the ruin that his map called "Rielle", he now desired to venture forth, but perhaps the faith he now has was misplaced, the entrance was wide open. This could mean three things, that Rielle has been plucked empty, or that there is a traveller present within these ruins, or worst of all, the travellers that intruded this place had fallen to the notorious Aylied booby traps. Though J'o Rahe was now shaken, and pessimistic of the outcome, he could not let this be an ostacle, he must find the welkynd stones within the place, or he would spend eternity, in his own version of Hell.

Ignorant to the struggles above her head, Gwyneira looked at her options. Two short halls branched off, both of them leading to more small stairs. One looked to have a door, the other did not. Then, she sighed. To the left it was, then, simply because if the other one turned out a dead end she would not probably have to waste any more magicka to open it. This one was empty, totally and eerily empty, even of the rats that might normally have lingered in such a place. It was unsettling, she decided, but this was hardly the first haunted ruin she had delved into.

It also contained a fair-sized cask- of course, locked. No stones, regrettably, and she highly doubted that opening that thing was worth the strain on her dwindling pool of magicka. Pursing her lips at this waste, the adventuring elf tugged somewhat grouchily at the cowl of her hood, eyeing the stairs. This whole chamber was a waste. A strain on her nerves, yes, but more importantly a waste of her time and energy. She turned, climbing back up that short set of stairs and eyeing the open entrance. From this angle, the light made it impossible to discern much of anything. Not too troubling, of course, seeing as most of these ruins were deemed plundered anyways, long since picked clean and otherwise far too dangerous to bother with.

As J'o Rahe slowly entered into the eerie aylied caverns, he began to feel his night eye ability take effect. The ruined entrance into the short halls was eerily cold, a serene yet frightening touch, as if something was lurking within these ruins, waiting. He thought for a moment whilst looking at both halls. To him, one could lead to the stones that he so hoped for, whilst the other could lead to his certain death. After five minutes of quiet contemplation, J'o Rahe went with his gut, and took the right path. As he walked down the cracked stairs, he came to a door. What could be behind this door was unnerving, but Rahe felt that he had to endure, he slowly opened the glowing aylied door, coming to a foggy bridge.

What J'o Rahe saw was quite common and predictable of many aylied ruins. He knew that the mist probably hid the large blades that would come down upon the unwary adventurer. As he looked down, he saw a pit, but this pit was not full of spikes, or any sort of magic. This pit was full of poison gas. J'o Rahe looked around again, slowly creeping upon the bridge, wary of any cracks in the bridge, which was cause him to fall to his death. It would be here that he began to face his first obstacle within this unsettling ruin.

The mer hardly dared to breathe as this new arrival passed before her. Out of pure instinct, she shrank back to the shadows, hiding from him as well as she could. Luckily, he seemed preoccupied. She settled for following him through the surprisingly open door, hoping that she would be unheard. Just in case, a quick flick of her wrist muffled any sound she might otherwise make.

A deep intake of breath was hidden by this spell as she observed these new obstacles. Nervously she bit her lip, before shrugging philosophically and straightening, dismissing the magic that had silenced her movements. "Do-don't panic," she said as calmly as her stutter would allow. "I do no-not mean to alar, ah, alarm you. I would, ho-however, prefer not to have a bla-blade or a mace t-to my neck. I do no-not often encounter oth-others in these ruins, so this is... a sur-a surprise, to say th-the least. Might I kno-know your name?"

Though Khajiit in appearance he was not, he had many of the traits one would have. His Bosmer-like ears prickled up at the sound of the voice. He turned around, very surprised at what he saw. This Mer was unlike any Elf that he had ever come across. She was not a Bosmer, Dunmer, or Even an Altmer. Not even similar to the supposed appearance of fabled Aylied. The words were stolen from his frozen mouth. "..My name is J'o Rahe... I am a Khajiit of Orcrest..." His voice, not only emotionless due to Jygallag's curse, was also frozen with surprise of such a rare surprise.

J'o Rahe's blade was sheathed. He had no intention of releasing it unless he came across a being such as a wraith, or even a zombie. He kept it in it's place, where it would stay until he came across something truly hostile. Though speechless as he was, a question came to him. There could be little chance that this Elf was a member of the once civilized Falmer. Such beings were said to be like northern Goblins. Such an encounter would be so rare, but he had to ask. "I must ask... But are you a Falmer.. The fabled Elves of Skyrim..?"

Though his words were flat, they stole the breath from her. Still, she forced a laugh and once more tugged at her hood, hoping that it and the dim light were enough to hide her features. Then again, Khajiit could see in the darkness, though would such vision reveal color? Hers did not, but she was no Khajiit. Still, she forced a laugh, shaking her head and looking away. "That is a fu-funny idea," she murmured. "I am... so-somewhat flattered, Jo'Rahe. No, I am Aldme- A-Altmeri. I am just an Al-Altmer by the name of Gwyneira. I have he-heard that, in the race's prime, they looked like pale Aldmer, so I sup-suppose I am prou-proud that my breeding wou-would cause such confusion."

Then, she gave a slight bow, holding onto her staff like it was a lifeline. Hopefully, that would convince him of a lack of Falmeri blood. She was almost shocked by his ability to see past the shadows of her hood, until she once again reminded himself that this was a Khajiit, and Night Eye could pick out details pretty quickly. Perhaps more surprising was his ability to see the difference between modern and ancient elves.

"I have never seen an Altmer, with such a pale appearance. Do you hail from... Skyrim..?" J'o Rahe was very curious. Though she appeared very much like an Altmer, J'o Rahe had never seen one without such golden skin. She had to have hailed from the north, such as Skyrim, or even Solthsteim. He was aware that Solthsteim was now teeming with Mer. However they were Dunmer, but Dunmer have ancient ties to the Altmer was well. However, if this Mer was from Skyrim, now home to the Nords, wouldn't she have suffered through prejudice and racism? These questions poured through Rahe's head, but he was forced to stop for a moment, and let himself rest. Though his greatest thought was what was an "Altmer" doing within these ancient ruins?

He held his glass covered arm as he waited. It felt hard and almost inanimate, it felt the inevitable grasp of Jygallag was quickly approaching him. He did not wish to become a husk of Order.

Ah. So the Night Eye could discern the shadows that would normally have hidden her identity. "Yes," she replies simply, trying to keep defeat from leaking into her voice. "Win-Winterhold, in fact." Not technically a lie, if she wanted to sleep better at night. Her eyes were drawn to the glint that was his arm, and her sharp brows furrowed. She nearly reached forward to touch it, but thought better of the idea.

If she hadn't known ice so well, she might have assumed that was what it was, but this did not hold the same sort of call to her. It made her nervous. "Your arm," she said hastily, before he could continue to test her about what she was and was not beneath the thick, all-encompassing layers of clothing she wore. "Wha-what is... on it? What is tha-that? It is not nat-natural. It is..." She pursed her lips. "Not of Mun-Mundus, I can say that for certain."

J'o Rahe looked around for a moment. He chose be more open about why he was here "I do not know if it is of Mundus or not, but I know that what ever is taking hold of me is not natural." He confessed, hoping that if others knew of his plight, it could make him feel a little better, and not suffer alone.

"During my adventures, I came across a recent shrine, to a being that called itself.. Jygallag. It claimed to be the Daedric prince of Order." He breathed heavily for a moment, to allow himself to explain better in the eerie cold of the aylied ruins. "Foolishly, I took no notice. To proclaim one is a Daedra, let alone prince is quite the bold boast. However, I am now cursed because of my disbelief, he swore to make me one of the first of his "Knights of Order" in the mortal world because of my foolishness." The possible inevitability of becoming a lifeless husk unnerved him. Would he lose control of his body, and suffer through such torment of being unable to move, or would he just die?

"I came here, because I need a source of concentrated magic that can help lift the curse. I do not know how long I have left, or even how welkynd stones will even help to lift the curse, but I hope to press on." J'o Rahe hoped that he would not have to now contend for the possible welkynd stones within the ruin.

That tale astonished her, and she stood stunned in the wake of it. Still, she managed to speak, her voice little more than a whisper. "Jygallag..." she murmured, shaking her head. "Foolish in-indeed. No doubt he was-was enraged." She sighed. It looks like this trip was a bust for her. "My heal-healers oaths bind me t-to help you, then, as I cann-cannot simply leave this curse unchecked. Let's pr-press on, then, and find the star ch-children you need." With that, she makes to walk ahead of him, picking her path carefully.

The gas beneath her roils threateningly, though she tries instead to watch the ceiling for swinging blades and other dangerous traps. So far, none of those telltale gaps seem to be in this section of the ruin. Thankfully. There's a familiar gasping noise, the kind that signals ghosts, but she, at least, cannot see where it comes from. A spell leaps to mind and lurks under her fingers, and she remains ready. Just in case she needs to be and it turns out to be an actual threat.

J'o Rahe walked followed her along the bridge, wary of the poisonous gas below him. Instead of looking up to the ceiling incase of swinging blades, he looked to the floor, to check for any possible cracks within the surface of the bridge. A crack could possible guarantee a part of the bridge to give way, which would cause Rahe to fall, and his venture into these depths would end here. A question still ached his head however, what would an Altmer be doing here? Rahe knew that welkynd stones were both valuable, and a source of magic, their power only dwarfed by the now fabled varla stones. He did not allow the question to poison his perception however, he had to concentrate to find any cracks within bridge, of which he presently could not find.

He looked at his front, to take a long look at the next entrance before them both. He was unaware of the obstacles yet to come, or even if this place had been plundered and picked apart. He was optimistic that this journey was not a total waste. He held his head high as he prepared himself for the next obstacle.

Again, the path diverged- they could pass either through yet another door or turn and continue to follow the possibly dangerous bridge. Unless she was seeing things as he night eye faded, though, it looked like there were some shadowy figures that direction- zombies, perhaps, or skeletons. Perhaps even wraiths. r necromancers. One could never tell. Rather than making the choice, she stopped and turned to Jo'Rahe.

"What do you see down tha-that way?" she asked him quietly, eyeing that direction carefully. It might be moving. Or vanishing. Or not there at all. Her eyes were not made for the darkness, and even if they had, they were damaged to some extent- enough that seeing that far of a distance, though this much darkness was a challenge. "We ma-may have to g-go there either way, but... whatever is sa-safest for now, ye-yes?"

Rahe took a long look, not surprised at what he saw, but not ready to face what he saw either. "...Those are restless skeleton soldiers..." J'o Rahe alerted, keeping his voice as low as he could. "From what I can see, they wield powerful Aylied maces. I was not truly aware that we would have to face such a foe." J'o Rahe thought for a moment, having an idea to follow the alternate path. "I think it would be best to take the other path, but who knows what is beyond it? It could lead to the poisonous pit, or to a moving wall."

Rahe strained his head, thinking of which path to take, when he thought of an idea. "What if we were to use a Turn Undead spell to frighten them away?" Though he knew the other path was empty, what it lead to was questionable, and the undead may be hiding something possibly valuable.

Gwyneira purses her lips. Skeletons, then. A sidelong glance to her question reveals- or, perhaps ,does not reveal beneath her hood- a somewhat dubious expression. "How ca-can you tell Aylied wea-weaponry, and how is this unex-unexpected? It is well-well known that these depths are popula-populated with various awful creatures." Nevertheless, at his advice, she brings the spell he has requested to mind.

With the intent of using something far too powerful, just in case they should be stronger than expected, she focuses, even should he choose to speak. Doubtless, the golden light that she bathes the ruin in attracts the attention of their enemies, but her casting is not slow enough to put them in any real danger. It's easy for her to send that rush of energy towards them, sending them rattling and running in the opposite direction. She quickly moves that way, gesturing for Jo'Rahe to follow.

"I have been in many Aylied ruins dotted around Cyrodiil since I moved in Skingrad, six years ago. I had normally seen rusted, worn out Aylied weaponry, but these appear fine, and strong, as if they had been recently made..." J'o Rahe explained as he followed her. "It was as if these ruins had not yet been plundered... That is why I am surprised to find skeletons guarding this place."

J'o Rahe hoped that his explanation was satisfactory. He did not wish to be thought of as a fool who takes explains things wrongly, and out of context. He looked around for a moment at the now empty hall, what now disheartens him is that if beings such as skeletons were guarding this place, then obviously, there would be more terrible foes to face within this ancient ruin.

With a curious hum Gwyneira accepts his answer. "Po-possibly," she muses, keeping a brisk pace. "I have as we-well, I mean, be-been in a lot of ruin-ruins, though I would assume that tho-those kept so well because of special make, or en-enchantment." She did not mention that her knowledge of this was born of her ability to actually make it. However, she just shrugs and keeps a quick pace after the receding back-bones of their would-be antagonists. In the walls, high up on pillars of stone, the glowing blue Welkynds they seek glimmer.

It's another simple matter for Gwyneira to retrieve these, of course. A quick telekinetic spell, something of the vanished school of Mysticism. A few stones, three to be exact, were moved down, their usual cerulean blue dampened by a light lavender that accompanied the spell. All of them were offered to Jo'Rahe. "Shall we continue further in? I wi-will admit curiosity about the we-weapons of those undead. Re-rest assured, I am prof-proficient in combat!"

J'o Rahe nodded "Very well then, we shall venture on. I am unsure of how much welkynd stones I actually require in order to lift the curse." Of course, this was not the only reason. As an adventurer, Rahe was also curious of what he could find within the deep caverns of this ruin. Imagine what rewards awaited, perhaps even a fabled varla stone, of which would be a very rare find. Rahe remained behind Gwyneira, checking to see if there were any additional enemies or traps.

"I will remain behind you, in case we both encounter any newly found enemies." He was wary of the possibilities. If these Aylied weapons were infact enchanted, what traps could await them both within these caverns? If magic is present within this ruin, then perhaps a dreadful Gloom wraith, or a lich resides in the confines of these dark caverns.

"Probably a lot, if yo-your curse is indeed Dae-Daedric. Jygallag is no jo-joke." Taking a turn to follow the path of the skeletons, Gwyneira continued to keep a watchful eye on the ruins before her. Again, she heard the low breathing of a specter, but again her looking revealed nothing. She shuddered then frowned, feeling an unfamiliar chill. Cold was not something she was accustomed to suffering from, and that unnerved her somewhat. "Ver-very well, that would be wi-be wise. Shall I conj-conjure a light?" Her right hand slipped under her robes, grasping the hilt of her ancient blade.

It provided little comfort, but it was a reminder of her skill and resources. That was enough for her to push on. She turned left to ascend a set of stairs into another part of the ruin, ignoring the ghostly sounds that followed her. It had proven to be no threat so far, about as bad as the cobwebs in the ceiling or the slight fog that hung around these ruins- nothing too big. And besides, it was better for her to lead the way, what with Jo'Rahe being cursed as he was.

"I think it would be best to do so. Even with my night eye, natural light appears much more clearer." He wondered how dark this place would actually be to the common eyesight. Considering that the only probable light within an Aylied ruin was natural welkynd stone, J'o Rahe believed that this place would appear very dark to the natural eye, which only led to the possibility of hostile creatures lurking around every corner. Rahe kept his hand on his sword hilt to ready himself.

The air within the ruin was chilled at best. It did not help that the ruin was within the Jerall mountains. Which made him wonder, what state was Bruma in now? Have have the Thalmor dealt with the the Chapel of Talos? Have they had it denounced, replaced with Kynareth? He knew that Thalmor would probably not destroy the statue of Talos however. Though they may not Consider Talos to be a member of the once again called "Eight", He was probably still considered a great conqueror, to the disappointment of the Thalmor.