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 ]

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly nodded back to her companion and gave the iron door a push, sword arm at the ready. An unusually warm breath of air drifted out of the tomb, washing over both women as they entered slowly on light feet. Thessaly kept her pace slow and careful, silent as she was able, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light within. A wooden staircase emerged in her vision, spiraling down into the dark. She gave Arwen one last glance back before beginning her descent.

Besides the drip of water, the busy crackle of the odd lit torch, and the dusty crumbling of old stone, there were no sounds other than their own as they emerged into the ruined caverns below. Thessaly kept her eyes sharp and her ears pricked for any signs of the walking dead or any similarly foul compatriots they might run into in this dank place, but nothing signaled to her the presence of anyone--or anything--other than themselves.

They came to a short set of stairs down into further tunnels, and that is where the apparition appeared.

"Leave this place."

Thessaly about jumped out of her skin as she caught the glowing blue presence out of the corner of her eye. Reflexively, she ripped her second saber from its sheath, but a closer look revealed she and the apparition were separated by the thick iron bars of a portcullis.

"Leave this place."

Its cold, ominous voice echoed through the tunnels, its request compelling as well as chilling. The face that Thessaly could make out between the iron bars was obscured by blue mist, but it appeared elven. She was overcome by the sudden oddity--what was an elven ghost doing in a Nordic tomb?

"Leave," it commanded them. "Leave!"

Thessaly stood there, swords drawn, as it turned away and walked off down the tunnel, out of sight.

"Leave," it breathed one last time before it vanished.

"Well," Thessaly said, after she'd recovered from her second heart attack in as many days. "I think it's safe to say we're dealing with a ghost."

[Purplish Space Rock]

The apparition added just a little bit of light to the dank, dark tunnel, highlighting the moist walls and the mushrooms and moss growing in its pits and corners. It might have been pretty, if it weren't a supernatural oddity. Arwen was fascinated, watching the ghost with wide eyes; she was wringing her bow in her hands, smiling as it walked away.

"I know, isn't it marvelous?" she said softly. She scooted past Thessaly and into a small stone room to the left, past what looked like desiccated corpses standing in insets along the walls, their arms crossed over their chests. Other bodies, looking about the same, were lying inside the walls, almost in stone beds, along with skeletons. The bodies lent to a very slight stench of rotting meat, made all the worse by the moisture in the air.

There were levers along the wall, but Arwen was more interested in the loot. She stuck the arrows in her other hand and used her free one to move things about; there were dirty, wet, damaged books on a tiny stone table jutting out from the wall, quills, an urn (which she promptly dug around in)- even a stripped human skull.

"Smells awful in here," she said, her voice still low. "I guess not awful- not as bad as troll fat, but still pretty bad. People dispose of their corpses in such weird ways- preserving them like this and sticking them up in the walls."

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly turned to follow Arwen in her inspection of the area--but had to give pause when she noticed the corpse standing in a niche in the wall. She had to nod as Arwen commented on the oddness of it. Thessa had never understood the layout of nord tombs. She hadn't been in many, but none of them had made sense. Why not just burn the bodies and save space?

She and Arwen may have been of a like mind on the issue of respect for the dead, but Thessa was far from thrilled with this ghostly entity they were probably going to have to deal with it. Whatever it wanted, it didn't seem happy about either of them being there. Part of her wondered what it would do if they defied its warning--but another part of her wondered what it was protecting, and how much it might be worth.

Where Arwen passed over the levers in the wall of the next room, Thessaly studied them. There were four--two on each side of the wall. A closer inspection revealed that each side showed signs of use, so she wasn't going to figure them out that way. She pulled on one experimentally--the portcullis that had separated them from the spirit opened, but a second gate fell at the entrance to the room with the levers with a resounding clang.

Thessa leapt back with a yelp, startled by the closeness of the gate, which now separated her and Arwen.

"Okay," she said to steady herself. "So that's what that lever does. What does this one do?"

She reached out and pulled the other lever, and only her gate opened, leaving the far gate in the open position.

"Alright," she said. "Gate control. Got it. But then what are these--"

Thessa reached out for one of the levers on the other side of the door, then paused when her eye caught something gleaming in the darkness. Tiny round metal fixtures in the ceiling. There were holes in them.

She quickly withdrew her hand.

"Don't touch these," she told Arwen, pointing out the latter two levers. "One of them is trapped."

[Purplish Space Rock]

When the gate closed between them, Arwen glanced around, but she was still more interested in the urn and what might be at the bottom of it. She got tired of sticking her hand in it and picked it up to dump it upside down; some dust and two pieces of gold tumbled out, which she quickly pocketed.

"So that closes one gate," she said, shaking the urn a little. Nothing else came out, so she set it down and picked up the skull, moving its jaw to make it 'talk.' "Each one must close and open a gate, then." She dug around in a pile of rubble to the right, digging through another sacred urn and coming up with another gold piece.

When the gate went back up, she came to stand next to Thessaly and look at the levers, finally clipping her bow back where it belonged. There was no point in holding it if they were just going to push and pull on levers for the time being.

"Just one of them?" Arwen looked at both of the levers, trying to decide which one to pull on. She knew she'd be yanking on at least one of them, just for the sake of it. "Which one is it?"

She looked at the levers on the right, then on the left, and chose the two on the right; of the two, she reached out and pulled on the left lever, expecting something fantastic to happen. Instead of anything dangerous or awesome happening, the gate closest to them simply closed, trapping them into the small room. Arwen huffed and reached for the other one, fully intent on pulling on it just to see what would happen.

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly had turned to inspect the table in the room as Arwen came in to look at the levers--she didn't realize that the mage hadn't taken her seriously until it was too late. She whipped around just as Arwen was pulling to first lever, heart seizing in her chest, and just about passed out from relief when all it did was close another portcullis.

She sighed aloud. "Arwen, why would you--NO DON'T!"

Before her companion could pull the second lever, Thessaly reached out and tugged hard on the girl's pack. Though Arwen was taller than Thessa, and weighed by her armor, she was barely more than a twig beneath, and Thessa had no trouble yanking her several paces away from the wall and bracing her bodily against the table. Face-to-face, she gave Arwen a withering look.

"You." She wagged a finger in Arwen's face. "No more levers."

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen yelped like a kicked puppy as she was pulled away, flailing her arms as she tired to grab onto the lever anyway. As Thessaly scolded her, she smiled sheepishly, fiddling with her fingers.

"But I like levers," she said, looking at her with her big eyes. "I like to pull them and see what happens, that's what they're there for, to pull on them and do something with them. I wanted to know what happens when you pull on the trapped lever, there's nothing wrong with that, really." Arwen turned and flipped through the books on the table, starting with the topmost one.

"Can I trip other things and see what they do? It doesn't matter whether you say yes or no, it's going to happen anyway." She grinned, pulling on her braids. She came to one book and gave a little gasp. "Lovely! This is worth something!" she said, hastily shoving it in her pack. "I love finding things like this! Spell tomes are just rife with information."

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly gaped at her companion, not sure if she was being intentionally thick or not.

"Hold on," she said, going over to grab Arwen's arm and guide her out of the room. "You want to see what happens? Stand here."

She positioned Arwen outside the room, in full view of the two levers Thessa had deemed trapped. Then, hugging the wall outside the room, she reached inside and tripped the lever, yanking her arm away as quickly as she could.

Something inside the wall clicked. The tiny holes she'd spotted in the ceiling began spitting little darts all over the floor, right where anyone in a normal position to pull the levers would have been standing--where Arwen had been just a few moments before.

When it was done, Thessa gave it a few cautious seconds, then crept in and plucked up one of the darts from the floor, turning it in the light and watching the tip glisten. She held it up for Arwen to inspect.

"See?" she said. "Poison."

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen went along with it, watching the darts spit out and shoot across the small room.

"Ooooh," she said, fascinated. "Let's do it again." She reached out with her handful of arrows and pushed the lever back and forth one more time, which made the darts shoot out again. After that, she put her hands on her hips, nodding. "I'm satisfied," she said. "So let's move on, yeah?"

With one lever out of the question, and three others deemed clear, Arwen moved back into the room, kicking darts out of the ground as she did. She reached up and started pulling on each of them in random order despite Thessaly's orders, and the gates rose and fell and rose and fell, until the last lever she pulled left all the gates open.

"Lovely. I don't think I could do that again, though, so maybe we should leave these be," she said, shrugging. "But look, see? I can touch levers without bad things happening."

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly blinked steadily, not entirely sure what she was taking in. She wondered if she would ever cease to be surpised by her companion's interests. The general fascination seemed to be with whatever could potentially get her killed. It was a marvel this girl was even still alive.

She darted forward as Arwen moved to enter the next room, putting an arm out and cutting ahead of her.

"Wait," she said. "I'm in front, remember? For combat purposes?"

She gestured with the one sword she still had out, the other one stowed when she had been testing the levers. She added a grin as an afterthought.

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen caught Thessaly's expression and lifted her shoulders in a shrug again, still holding her arrows.

"I know, I know, I shouldn't be alive," she said, shaking her head. "I just have incredible luck, and that includes other people saving my skin, somehow. I also use potions and am a little more than mediocre at healing spells. People tell me that a lot, that I shouldn't have reached my age."

She stopped suddenly when Thessaly cut in front of her, putting her hands up as if in surrender. With a nod, she fell back and stayed behind her, drawing her bow again.

"Right, yes, okay. I'll stay back here like a good archer."

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly lead the way through the previously blocked tunnel, one sword at the ready, other hand ready to draw if need be. She felt Arwen's presence at her back, and hoped the archer mage was keeping as careful vigil as she was.

Further on, the tunnel split in two--one headed down a few steps towards another portcullis, the other halting at a closed iron door.

"Check that out, would you?" Thessa said to Arwen, indicating the lower door, sure the girl couldn't get into too much trouble where she could see the passage beyond the gate, lit brightly by torches.

Another thought twinged at Thessaly--what would a ghost need with torches?

She went to inspect the iron door, but found it locked. No matter. She knelt before it, drawing a small leather case from her pocket, lock picking set stowed carefully inside. She withdrew her wrench and a couple picks to stow between her teeth in case this one broke, and set to work.

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen followed along, happy to be behind and keep a keen eye out. She kept her bow drawn just a little taut, at the ready and a little on edge. The further in they went, the louder the sound of dripping water became. Asked to look past the portcullis, she did so, moving toward it in a bouncy manner. The gate was a little wet, from the dripping water, and Arwen could see little beyond it but another gate.

She found this boring and turned about-face, walking over to see what Thessaly was up to; surely it was much more interesting than a bunch of gates and nasty cave water. She stood behind her and watched her pick the lock, intrigued.

"You're much more gentle than I am," she said, rocking back and forth on her feet. "I just dig in there and use as many picks as I need until it's open." Arwen looked over her shoulder until the lock clicked and the door swung open. Inside was a chest against the far wall, looking a little damp. She let out a quiet "ooooh," scooting past Thessaly. "Look at that," she said, sounding delighted. "I want it."

Stowing her bow, Arwen stepped into the room and briskly walked toward it, wiggling her fingers in anticipation. If there was a chest, there was something obviously good in it. She hardly even noticed the pressure plate she stepped on, but she caught the sinking sensation, just barely. From her right came a loud metal-on-metal noise, and she jumped back with a loud yelp as spears shot out from the wall, meant to impale a trespasser. She hugged the opposite wall, just barely out of the way. If she were any larger, she likely would have been speared, but they stopped just before her figure. There was a silent moment in which everything was frozen, before the spears finally retracted into the wall; she kept snuggling the wall, back against the stone, her breath held in her chest and her heart nearly stopped.

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly didn't reply to Arwen at first, keeping her concentration on the lock. The mage girl was right--Thessa had always had a softer touch than her fellows. She could pick a lock and leave virtually no trace she had ever been there, such was her skill. But it took precious time, and she didn't work terribly well under pressure. The work took a steady hand and a calm heart. She wasn't doing to well with the latter just now--she half expected that ghost to pop up again at any minute, and she wasn't looking forward to that. There was only so much stress a girl could take.

The lock clicked open smartly and the door opened. Arwen flounced inside, announcing its contents with much glee.

"Hey," Thessaly said wryly, beginning to stow her tools. "You gonna leave anything for me?"

She heard the telltale sound of a plate depression before she could do anything about it.

"Arwen!"

Her tools scattered to the floor as she darted forward, but it was too late. The scrape of rusty metal echoed through the stone room as several spears jutted out of the wall, pinning the mage girl against the wall.

Thessaly dashed around, desperate to do anything--only to find that Arwen was fine. She looked about as happy about the situation as Thessa was, but she was unharmed. The rusty spears slid back into their holes, and Thessa slumped against a wall. After a couple breathless moments, she let out a nervous chuckle.

"You are so gods-damned lucky you're such a beanpole!" she cackled. "If you'd been any thicker I'd be mopping you off the floor!"

Once she was sure she could stand on her own feet, Thessaly pushed back up off the wall.

"So hey, let's be a little more careful in here, alright?"

She hadn't been expecting that second trap. Who traps a locked room? Ivarstead must have had some seriously paranoid ancestors.

[Purplish Space Rock]

Pressed up against the wall, Arwen didn't move for a long while, not quite shaking, but still unsteady. She finally let out a breath and moved out of the way of the spears, a smile breaking across her face.

"I know! I told you I have incredible luck!" she said, laughing wildly. "I don't know about mopping me up- more like scraping me off a bunch of poles. That would be a fun story to tell your friends, 'Oh, yes, I had to pull my friend's corpse off some spears when she carelessly walked into a room without checking for booby traps.' I'd enjoy telling that story, I don't know about you." She fanned herself a little and moved over to the chest, dropping onto her knees in front of it.

She dropped her pack and dug around in it for her own set of picks, put it back on, and set to work. There was a lot of cursing and clicking, evidence of her rather violent approach to lock picking.

"Be more careful? Please. Where's the fun in being careful? Nothing really fun ever happens when you're careful." Arwen stood and bent over, the lock about to give. It finally made a finite click and she snapped back up, hands on her hips in triumph.

[E is for Enigma]

"Yes, well," said Thessaly, following Arwen over to the chest. "I'd much prefer you not tell that story about me."

Arwen's dismissal of caution had barely left her mouth before the chest creaked open. Underneath, Thessaly caught the distinct snap of a trip wire. Her blood went cold.

Reacting purely on reflex, Thessaly pushed Arwen towards the far wall with her sword arm, heedless of the blade's sharp edge--if Arwen got out of this with just a cut, that would be better than the alternative. Just as the click of the trap trigger sounded, she drove a hand into the chest and grabbed out a large hide shield. She got it up over her head just as the poison darts came spitting down out of the holes she'd missed above them, catching a majority of their poison tips on the thick leather.

Once it was over, and quiet had once more settled in the damp tunnels, Thessaly tossed the shield across the hall with a furious yell.

"Damn bloody ******** sons of nords!" she raged, giving the shield a kick for good measure. "Who in the seven hells puts this many traps in one room?!"