Breton and Bosmer

Dare you venture further?

Just here for gold	14.3%	[ 1 ]
Is this about Skyrim?	14.3%	[ 1 ]
Cool RP - the characters look interesting	0.0%	[ 0 ]
I like the story!	28.6%	[ 2 ]
What happens next?	42.9%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 7 ]

[Purplish Space Rock]

She wasn't happy about the groaning, but it was quiet, at least. Listening to him speak didn't alleviate the feeling that he was a little off his rocker- it confirmed it. Arwen stared at him through narrow eyes, partially from the hangover, and glanced up when Thessaly wandered over. She continued to stare at the man before finally turning her attention back.

"The dead walk in the tombs of our ancestors!" she repeated, raising her hands and wiggling her fingers to denote a spooky tone. "Ow." She held her head, squinting a little. "I won't raise my voice again. He's not a friend, I guess, he's just...a crazy, I think." As the man continued to mutter, she kept her eyes on Thessaly, not at all looking disconcerted that a man was talking to himself about the dead, sitting right across from her.

"He's not my friend, anyway. It sounds like there's something cool, though." Arwen reached out and nudged the man's mug. "C'mon, talk to me. What's so haunted?"

[E is for Enigma]

When Arwen turned to answer Thessaly, the man reached out with surprising speed and grabbed Arwen's arm tight.

"I'm not crazy!" he rasped at her. "The dead are angry! A malicious spirit stands vigil, disturbing their peace and making them restless! I have seen it. I am not crazy."

His eyes were red and his breath reeked of booze, but his angry gaze was surprisingly focused. There was a determination about him that left no doubt--he had seen what he claimed.

"Alright, alright," Thessaly said consolingly, carefully removing the man's vice-like grip from Arwen's arm. "You're perfectly sane. We get it. Those damn dead not staying in their graves, and all. I'm sure it'll work out." She began pulling Arwen away.

"You think I'm crazy, too," the man said of Thessaly, then seemed to be hit with an idea. "You're those two who went up the mountain, aren't you? I'll tell you what. You go into the barrow, lay rest to those spirits, I'll make it worth your while."

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen jumped when he grabbed her arm and she tried to jerk away, but he was holding too tightly. She grimaced and leaned away, looking highly uncomfortable. Thessaly's presence was welcome, as she pulled the man's hand off her. When she started to pull her away, and the man made his offer, Arwen promptly sat back down and crossed her legs; she leaned on her hand on the table and smiled, more pleased.

"That's right, we went up the mountain," she said, nodding. "You'll make it worth our while, huh? How so, kind stranger? I take gold, jewels, and soul gems, but no weapons, please." She grinned as she pulled another chair close, and patted the seat, looking up at Thessaly. "Come sit, our new friend is making a business proposition."

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly gave Arwen a look, as if to ask her if she was crazy as well, then slowly took a seat, placing herself between the half-drunken man and her companion, in case he decided to get grabby again. The man looked around conspiratorially before continuing.

"I have a treasure," he told them, reaching into his shirt for something that hung around his neck on a leather cord. "It belonged to my ancestors, all of whom lie in the barrow now, restless with the presence of that spirit."

The 'treasure' was not, as Thessaly suspected, some homespun charm or worthless trinket, but a shining gold claw with gemstone talons. Their deep blue color betrayed their value and Thessaly, a long-time urchin and thief, couldn't help but gape--those were flawlessly cut sapphires. She forgot momentarily about the veritable fortune she still had back in Whiterun, mind flooded with various ways to take this incredible trinket from its current owner, not least among them actually accepting his request.

Then common sense kicked in. What on earth could they be getting themselves into if they did as this fellow asked? Best case scenario, they check out the barrow, find nothing wrong, and report back for their reward. Worst case, he was right, and they ended up having to dispatch what could easily be hordes of Ivarstead's walking dead--she'd seen them rise before. Vilkas had called them druagr, and had told her that they had begun rising at around the same time the dragons had appeared in Skyrim.

She gave herself a moment's pause to find that thinking of Vilkas didn't sting quite as much as it used to. She didn't know what to think about that.

She glanced at Arwen to gauge her companion's opinions of this idea, though she was quite sure she knew what her reply would be.

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen leaned in at the mention of treasure, eyebrows rising. She was also expecting something small and relatively worthless, but her expectations were blown away when the claw came out, dangling from its cord. Her fingers itched and her mouth dropped open a bit; she wanted to steal it, too, but thought better of it. He was a little crazed and out of sorts, but maybe he was just crazed enough to do something about it if she did.

"Go on," she said, eyes still on the claw. "Restless ancestors, presence of a spirit- you have my attention." It was just so shiny, Arwen didn't think she'd be able to stop looking at it. "And I apologize for calling you crazy," she said softly, nodding again. She'd realized how insensitive it had sounded to call him crazy, considering Thessaly thought she was a little crazy, after the entire Lore incident. "So what is it, exactly, that you want us to do? I gather it has to do with the barrow you mentioned. I hope it's something worth the time."

[E is for Enigma]

The man seemed to realize the captivating effect his treasure had on the two women, dangling it before them as he spoke.

"Dispatch the spirit from the shroud hearth barrow," he said, gravity in his voice. "Lay my ancestors to rest, and I will give you this treasure." He stowed it back beneath his shirt and out of sight. "For peace of mind is worth far more to me than gold and jewels."

Thessaly blinked at him a couple of times.

"You want us to... what? Get rid of a spirit?" she asked, then turned to Arwen, wondering if the mage had a better idea of what this might entail. "Can we do that?"

[Purplish Space Rock]

The claw still had her attention when it was stowed away, but Arwen finally looked up, almost glassy-eyed. It was quite a sight.

"That's easy," she said, nodding. She turned to Thessaly and clapped her hands on the table, jumping to her feet. "We can do that!" She kicked her chair back and put her hands on her hips, given wind by the idea of a fantastic spoil. "Absolutely no trouble. Let's go, that sounds like lots of fun!" Arwen turned and took a few steps toward her room to grab her things, but then she turned back for two things. She picked up the sweet roll and took a large bite out of it, and leaned on the table again, pointing at the man with it on the end of her fork.

"Can we have that before we set off?" She knew it wasn't going to happen, but it was always worth a try; if they didn't have to go cave diving for something like that, she didn't want to.

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly didn't know if Arwen meant what she said about 'dispatching a spirit' being easy, but she still gathered her armor and other equipment from her room before coming back into the common area. She packed lighter than she had for the mountain trip. If they were just heading down into some dark tomb, she wouldn't want to be terribly encumbered. Probably wouldn't have much use for a bedroll or rations, either. She wasn't even sure how much use her swords would be against 'spirits', but it never hurt to be cautious.

The man who had tasked them had returned to nursing his mug by the time they returned, though his expression was considerably less vacant than it had been before. He still looked harried by the situation, but there may have been a glimmer of hope in those dark eyes that hadn't been there before.

This didn't stop him from startling again when Arwen jabbed a fork at him. His look of startlement became one of sly knowing, as though he thought Arwen was trying to pull a fast one on him.

"You'll get your reward when the deed is done," the man told her. "And not before. Bring me proof the spirit is no more, that the dead are laid to rest, and my treasure is yours."

[Purplish Space Rock]

"Darn. I thought I would ask, it was worth a shot." Arwen smiled and took another bite out of her sweet roll before she dropped it on the table as unceremoniously as possible. She did the same as Thessaly, packing her things and leaving others behind. She strapped up and walked back out into the tavern, seeming much less hung over.

"Are you ready? I'm ready. This is going to be fun!" she said, bouncing as she approached Thessaly. "Getting our hands dirty, getting rid of some undead, sending a spirit along on its way to the other side, wherever it comes from.... Great fun! I'm looking forward to it, how about you? I guess the worst that could happen is a vampire having taken up residence in the barrow and one of us contracts vampirism, or both of us. That's always a possibility, vampires seem take to damp, dark places like that when they're outcast." Arwen nodded sagely, clicking her teeth. "I'm ready, how about you? Daylight is burning, I don't like walking out of caves into the darkness. It's extra creepy."

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly took directions from their tasker on how to reach the barrow--it was mercifully close to the town. Thessa's legs still ached from their trip, more the strain of careful steps downward than the climb itself, which required the use of entirely different muscles. The overwhelming fear of nearly meeting her demise might have had something to do with that, as well. She had aches in places that had nothing to do with the mountain or its many perils.

Arwen's enthusiasm for their upcoming 'adventure' wasn't quite infectious, but it was a little encouraging. Thessaly had taken journeys alone in the past, and though it was easier to keep a low profile in those situations, she enjoyed the security of a two-person job, knowing you had someone at your back. The fact that she was a ranged fighter was even better. Thessaly had a handful of throwing knives she could use in a pinch, but her magic was weak with barely any range, and she was a much stronger fighter with her double blades. Of course, she could always use her shouts if she got into too much trouble, but the ability was so new--she wasn't altogether sure she could rely on it. When she'd gone up the mountain, she had been prepared to rid herself of the alien ability; to make the Greybeards take back the gift she'd never asked for. But somehow, disappointing their expectations had become more fun than the idea of ridding herself of the title of 'Dragonborn'. With every new word she learned from them, she could sense their irritation and reluctance to teach her grow. She couldn't help but smirk at the memory of Arngeir grimacing, telling her how much work and meditation went into learning the words of power. He practically dripped with envy. To her, they came almost as naturally as singing--that is, she could carry a tune if she needed to, but she didn't think she'd get hired on as a bard. It may have taken no effort to learn the words she had, but she still hadn't perfected her use of the strange trigger at the back of her throat that called on the sleeping power.

Thessaly scratched the back of her neck self-consciously, considering giving that new sprinting one another go, now that they were on level ground, but before she could make up her mind, they had arrived at the entrance to the barrow.

It was an ancient structure of carved stone, as were many of the old ruins in the north, or so Thessa had found. There didn't seem to be anything particularly ominous about it--besides the idea that a bunch of dead bodies lay beneath their feet, restless or not.

"So," Thessa said. "Say we do find ourselves a restless spirit. How do you 'dispatch' such a thing? And what the hell are we supposed to bring him back as proof? I don't suppose ghosts leave convenient calling-cards behind, like little ghost hankies, or anything?"

[Purplish Space Rock]

The entrance to the barrow was, indeed, unremarkable, the stone covered in soft, crawling moss. A few odd bushes grew, but the land was mostly occupied by trees and mountain flower clumps, the occasional lavender plant. Arwen walked with a spring in her step, quite delighted to be doing something she enjoyed that was also potentially dangerous.

"Restless spirits, well.... Spirits take shape in many forms, sometimes in bodies of the dead, and sometimes they show up as shadows of their former selves, and sometimes they become a disembodied force. I've never seen a disembodied spirit, but as far as I've read, any disembodied spirit is simply a god or a daedra that contacts a mortal for some untoward purpose," said Arwen, again talking faster than the average person.

"Those that show up as their former selves are very easy to deal with, since you just let them do whatever it is they're doing, and they'll pass along. They spend their endless days walking the same path or doing the same activity." Arwen shut up briefly, catching her breath and looking slightly annoyed, if anything. "Those that take the bodies of the dead are...complicated and ugly. They're usually malevolent spirits that only want to cause harm. Sometimes they're accompanied by others of their own kind, other undead. It isn't to say that all undead are inhabited by their own spirit, necessarily. Many undead are spirits of one person inhabiting the body of another person, out of convenience, I think. I imagine we're going to find a bunch of angry undead here, probably no disembodied spirits or repetitive ones. Shall we?"

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly was a little distracted looking for the entrance to the tombs themselves as Arwen was speaking. Some of it only registered about halfway through the impromptu lesson on spirits. With all she knew already, Thessaly had to wonder what on earth the girl thought she could learn from a bunch of stuffy academy mages.

"Whoa, back up," she said. "Daedra? You're saying daedra could be involved here? Or gods?" She made a face. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. If a daedra wanted to spread its 'ill intent' here, Thessaly didn't want to be the one to stand in its way--golden claw or no golden claw.

[Purplish Space Rock]

"Daedra, gods, yes." Arwen pointed to a break in the rock, staying behind in Thessaly's footsteps. "Is that it?" she said, drawing her bow. There was no point in having a ranged weapon if it only got use in close quarters. "It's possible we're going to encounter a daedra in here, but I highly doubt it. Gods and daedra have better things to do than to mess with mortals. Except Sheogorath, really. Sheogorath is very interested in that, but I don't believe we'll cross paths in here."

She stomped her feet about, idly crushing crunchy brown leaves as they slowed down. She shrugged, sounding utterly unconcerned about the dangers they might face walking in.

"Gods, daedra, probably not. The worst you usually find in caves around her are cave bears, pit wolves, trolls, creatures like that."

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly didn't like the sound of any of it--gods, daedra, or the walking dead, either, when it came right down to it. It wasn't that she didn't know how to handle herself. Of most the other capable people she'd met, she'd always been able to hold her own. But every tale she'd ever heard about daedra or gods who got involved in mortal affairs had not had happy endings.

"'Probably not', huh?" she replied, drawing one sword but leaving her other hand free for now. "Guess we won't know how probably until we get a closer look, eh?"

She followed Arwen into the above-ground chamber of the tomb's entrance. At the opposite end of the chamber stood an ancient-looking iron door.

"Let me go in first," she said. "Range covers better from behind, and I don't think you'll do too well if something rushes us."

She put her free hand out to press lightly against the entrance to the barrow.

"You ready?" she asked rhetorically. She didn't think Arwen was ever not ready for this level of excitement.

[Purplish Space Rock]

"Oh, please, I can almost guarantee we won't come into contact with anything like that," Arwen said, waving a hand. "The undead, sure, but no daedra or gods. Although, I did see that god on top of the mountain, on top of High Hrothgar. I don't know if he counts as a god, though."

She stayed behind Thessaly, sure she was right; she wasn't one for combat up close. She got too nervous and her movements became clumsy whenever she came too close to something that might kill her, and she wasn't very strong to begin with.

"You're right," she said, nodding. "I'm no use unless I'm far away. I like to stay back and shoot things dead." Arwen mimicked firing an arrow, letting out a tiny "Pew!" She grinned and pulled several arrows from her quiver, waving at the door with them. "Please, after you."