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]

Mouth shut, Arwen nodded and pushed the door open, glancing back at Thessaly.

"Really, though, never call me 'lady mage' again. It makes me sound like a lady, and I'm no lady," she said lowly, smiling. She stepped inside and moved to allow the other two to enter as well, holding the door open. Once they were all in, she shut the door quietly and turned about, brow furrowed a little under her bangs.

"What's this about?" she muttered, fidgeting. "You don't actually want me to do that, do you? I can, but it's a little difficult and taxing. It makes me dizzy, gives me bad vertigo." She shook her head with her tongue sticking out, the ends of her braids flipping a little. "What do you need?"

[E is for Enigma]

Thessaly smirked at Arwen's objections.

"My mistake," she half grinned. "I'll never do it again."

Jonas glanced curiously at Arwen as she asked after Thessaly's plan. The elf shook her head with a grin, glad that her companion had caught on.

"You're not going to cast a spell?" Jonas wanted to know. "So you're not going to help me catch the thief? Fine and good, but you'll not get that claw now."

"Your idea was a good one," Thessaly told Arwen, ignoring Jonas. "If you'd like to test it, go ahead. I've got my own idea to test. Be right back."

Thessaly headed for the stairs that lead to the second story of the inn, darting into her room and heading for the window for which she'd chosen the room. With good balance and a little luck, she could shimmy her way out the window and onto the roof, where a little careful climbing would see her safely to its peak. She spied down into the village proper, where the inn's former inhabitants milled about, conversing among themselves. The two guards were also talking to one another. One of them nodded, seeming to agree to something, and the other split off from the group, patrolling south.

Thessaly climbed back down off the roof and back through the window to rejoin the others.

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen waited patiently with Jonas in the inn, trying not to spill the beans about the claw's possible use in the door that could reveal riches. It was a secret that was almost too good to keep to herself. She did her best to keep her mouth completely shut, despite the fact that he was trying to talk to her.

"D'you have any idea who stole it? Can you see it?" he said, eager to watch her perform a spell that had the potential to reveal a thief. Arwen swallowed hard, grinding her teeth, and shook her head, lips pursed. "What's wrong with you?" She snorted a little, biting her thumb.

She was on the verge of talking about it when Thessaly returned from the roof, providing relief. Arwen sighed as if she'd been holding her breath and brushed her hair back, messing up her ponytail.

"Oh, thank the Gods, you're back," she said, shaking her head. "Find anything good?" She almost said, "We did, in the cave, we just need the claw," but her throat closed a little and she shut up, teeth grinding together again.

[E is for Enigma]

"Our thief is on the move," said Thessaly, coming down the stairs.

"You found the thief?" Jonas wanted to know, and looked around as though he might be hidden by magic. "Where?"

"If my guess is right, your claw is headed south on the road," Thessa said to Jonas, then turned to Arwen. "He probably thinks we're well enough occupied in here that he's got a clear shot. We head out now, we can catch him without too much trouble."

Thessaly had located the second exit to the inn on the first night she'd arrived, through a cellar door in the basement. It would serve their purpose not to alert anyone to their leaving now.

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen clapped her hands together and pulled her cowl up, smiling.

"So, do we plan on hurting him, or killing him?" She rubbed her hands, looking a little sinister (as sinister as a silly little girl could look). "I'm alright with either, though I'd prefer the latter. Loot his body and sell his things, sell his armor.... It'd net a decent penny. Maybe not a pretty penny, but a few septims...." She trailed off and clicked her teeth together, thoughtful. She abruptly pulled out of her ideas and looked up, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "We don't have to do either, though...I guess."

[E is for Enigma]

"I don't tend to go about killing folk unless they've done something what deserves it," Thessa said, nonetheless loosening her blades in their sheathes as she headed for the inn's cellar. "Of course, if they attack first, that's another story."

"So, what do I do?" Jonas wanted to know as Thessaly approached the cellar stairs. "Just stand here and do nothing?"

"That's best," Thessaly said to him. "If you go outside and we're not with you, the others might get suspicious and alert the thief--particularly if I'm wrong and he's still among them."

"Perhaps I should go with you," Jonas suggested. "Help you to identify the thief!"

"You were asleep when you got burgled," Thessaly reminded him. "Besides, all the proof we'll need is if we find the claw on him. Stay here, old man. You'd only get in the way."

She hopped down the stairs before the bluster on his face could reach his tongue.

As she'd observed from outside the inn, the cellar had its own exit towards the back of the building, by the river. They wouldn't be seen this way, but she still opened it just a crack to be sure before signaling to Arwen that it was safe--but to move quietly.

There would have been less chance of being seen if they crossed the river, but so long as they kept low and traveled by its lower banks, they likely wouldn't be noticed by the villagers. Once they were far enough away, Thessaly lead them back out onto the road and hastened the pace. No doubt the thief thought he'd gotten away with his crime, but it was a poor thief who sacrificed his head start for swagger.

The further they got from the village, the more sure Thessaly was that this was their guy. As soon as she was sure she wouldn't be heard by the villagers, she decided to explain to Arwen her reasoning.

"Have you noticed, in our time in Ivarstead, there has only ever been one guard on duty?" she asked, only just loud enough for Arwen to hear her. There was no telling how far ahead--or how close--this fellow was. "Until today, in front of that inn. I think our thief found himself a uniform and decided, rather effectively, to blend in. I wasn't sure about this until I saw one of the guards head off down this road and not return. No doubt he believes he's made his escape. Let's change his mind, eh?"

[Purplish Space Rock]

Following along, Arwen reached back and felt the arrows in her quiver, unsure of how many she had- enough, for sure. She ducked as they exited the cellar, not particularly wanting to bump her head, and brought her hand up to pull her cowl a little further down.

"So have you actually got a good idea where this theif has gone, or are you tugging me along?" she said softly, scooting down the bank. As they made their way, she stepped a foot right into the water more than once, cursing quietly each time. By the time they made it back to the road, her boot was slightly wet on the inside, but not soaked, at least.

When asked of their time in Ivarstead, whether she'd noticed the single-guard aspect, she shrugged, shaking her foot out.

"I don't know. I was...drunk, most of the time," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sure you're right, but I have no idea how many guards there have been, or were, or whatever." Arwen shook her foot again and stomped, before she hopped to keep up with Thessaly, having fallen behind a bit by fiddling with her feet. "Yes, let's. I quite like altering the course of someone's day."

[E is for Enigma]

"I saw him go this way," Thessaly explained. "And unless he's got a hideaway somewhere, which I doubt, he's on his way south to whatever haven he has in mind."

The reason she doubted the thief was in hiding beside the road was simple--the forest was too thin to allow hiding places, and the caves were just too chancy for a lone thief to occupy. She just prayed they wouldn't hit a fork in the road before the found him again.

It wasn't long before her prayers were answered. They rounded a bend and saw a uniformed guard just ahead. Thessaly jumped to one side, out of sight, dragging Arwen with her. She searched around for a good place for an ambush, and spotted a hill rolling up through the trees, on the other side of the road. She locked eyes with Arwen, then silently nodded her head in that direction, and moved off towards it at a hastened crouch.

Once she'd crested the hill, she found that luck had been with her. Just below them, the man in guard's clothing rested on a large boulder, drinking from a waterskin. Once he'd drunk his fill, he reached into the tunic of his outfit and pulled out his golden prize, turning the claw to watch it glitter in the sun. More than satisfied they'd found their man, Thessaly scooted back out of sight before addressing Arwen in little more than a whisper.

"Do I remember right," she asked. "Or did you not tell me that you had a spell that would hold a body still?"

[Purplish Space Rock]

When she grabbed and pulled her, Arwen let out a little yelp and promptly shut up, wanting to keep their location secret. She gave Thessaly a slightly annoyed look as they crouched and shuffled along.

"You can just tell me to go, I am physically capable of such a thing," she said, trying not to snicker. All things considered, it was probably very comical, and she couldn't help but find it humorous.

She stayed just behind the top of the hill, waiting for Thessaly to come back, hopefully with good news. When she returned to the hidden spot on the hill, she smiled a little, bouncing in the grass.

"That's him?" she said, glad to be affirmed. "Well, I never told you I had one, but I sort of do." Arwen shrugged, hurried to reach into her pack. "It's a telekinesis spell," she said, digging about. She pulled out a worn book, which she flipped open and examined briefly, its pages bright and swaying slightly as if in wind, though the air was still. "Okay." She closed it sharply and put it back, nodding. "I've got it. I've used it sparingly, so I don't know how it'll go. I'm willing to give it a shot, though. What do you want me to do?"

[E is for Enigma]

"Just hold him, if you can," Thessaly asked of Arwen. "I have a mind we can take care of this without violence. This fellow went to an awful lot of trouble for that claw. And though it was no help to us, I don't think he deserves death for it, do you?"

In truth, Thessaly had been rather impressed by the thief's plan. Had he performed it in front of no one but the humble people of Ivarstead, he might have gotten away with it scott free. It was just his bad luck that she and Arwen had already laid claim to his treasure.

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen nodded and let out a hefty breath,trying to get ready. It was a spell she was not familiar with, but was capable of, and her results were likely to be shoddy. Nonetheless, she would give it a shot. She pulled her gloves off, hopped to sit on the top of the hill, and set them in her lap, clapping her hands together.

As she separated her hands, a golden mist spread between them, and from afar, the same substance wound itself around the thief's feet. She grimaced a little- this wasn't quite what she was going for, but it would be effective, regardless. The thief, oblivious, had just enough time to tuck his prize away before he abruptly flipped forward, hanging in the air by his ankles an inch or two above the ground. Other things fell from his body, like jewels, lock picks, and what looked like sabre cat teeth. Arwen raised her hands, having difficulty keeping the spell up, evidenced by the man bouncing a bit.

"I'd do what you're gonna do because I can't do this very long," she said quickly, sounding very strained. "Go do it, whatever it is."

[E is for Enigma]

For the thief Ennis, it had been a good day. A very good day. It was purely by chance that he had come by knowledge of the unique possession of the Ivarstead drunkard, and he still couldn't believe his luck. He had been grasping at straws, following leads here and there across Skyrim--but to have one of these miraculous trinkets fall into his lap! The gods must have been smiling on him.

The golden claw glittered delightfully in the sun, as he turned it this way and that to catch the light. Like the others he had come to acquire, it sported jeweled claws. These were blue stones, undoubtedly sapphire. Whomever had been responsible for their creation, he hadn't skimped on cost. Each jeweled trinket seemed to be worth more than the last.

He knew the others would call him crazy for his collection, and his refusal to sell any of them. But that's why he hadn't shared his treasures with the others. He knew he was taking a risk. If they ever found out what he was holding back, he could scarcely imagine what kind of trouble he would get into. But there was something about these claws that spoke to him. They were a mystery, and a delightful one at that. Others in the guild kept trophies and made collections--but they were of simple things. Stones and feathers, locks of hair or vials of blood, just to prove that they could. These claws weren't for show. They meant a great deal more to Ennis. They represented something great and ancient. He wasn't sure what, yet. But he was sure that they did.

To find such a trinket in the possession of an old nord didn't surprise Ennis much. The nords enjoyed their heirlooms. But the man had no heirs, that Ennis could tell. And then his treasure would be buried with him, left to gather dust in their cold, dark tombs. Ennis had found a large portion of his collection in just such states. An unworthy destiny for the fine pieces of history that they were. And he had acquired it for naught but the price of a solitary guard's uniform! That, and the quick trek he would need to make back to Riften. But with the village occupied by that mage and her friend's investigation, he should have plenty of time before anyone thought to follow him.

Still, it was probably best if he made a little more headway before suspicions arose. He stowed his waterskin and the claw, and was about to get to his feet when he realized he could not move him. A brief confusion was immediately replaced by full panic as he was lifted off his feet and into the air upside-down. His head struck the stone he had been sitting on, and for a while, he hung in a daze. When his vision cleared, he saw a woman standing before him, inverted. Her face was elfin, and her features were bemused.

"That was a clever trick," she said to him. "Might have worked, too, if you'd thought to replace the main guard instead of join him."

Ennis' head was swimming, but he caught her implication. He had thought a dead body might alert more suspicion than two guards. Perhaps he should have taken that chance after all.

"You've got something that belongs to me," she said, then stepped forward and reached for the golden claw dangling still from around his neck.

"No!" Ennis cried, thrashing to keep her away, but it was no use. The elf darted in and plucked it from him, breaking the thong on which it hung. "Give that back!"

"You came upon this dishonestly, friend," the elf said. "But I won it fair. And I don't take kindly to being stolen from."

"I didn't steal it from you," Ennis protested.

"Might as well have. And you'd best be getting used to the idea, lest you want to lose more today."

The elf drew Ennis' attention to the blades at her back. He had no doubt she knew how to use them. And if she held a spell on him with no visible effort, she must be some kind of powerful sorcerer indeed. It wouldn't be wise to trifle with this one. But he wouldn't lose that claw--not now.

"Now you stay there like a good boy," the elf told him, already backing away. "And pray we don't meet again."

[Purplish Space Rock]

The exchange kept Arwen's attention- so rapt, in fact, that she hardly noticed she was holding the spell for longer than she'd thought she could. She was very interested in what the thief had to say, though she could just barely hear.

Once Thessaly started backing away, she finally noticed that she was still keeping her spell up. Surprised, she finally stood and dropped it, scooting down the hill toward her friend. She had made it several yards before Ennis fell as solidly as the boulder he'd hit.

"That was easy," she said, hopping on both feet to stand next to Thessaly. He started to get to his feet and she held a hand up, fingers glowing bright, and clicked her tongue. "You sit still, like she said," she snapped, pointing a finger at him. "'Less you want to be back up there. Or flayed. You have three options, sit still, hang, or flay, pick one. Quick." She abruptly stopped moving, staring at him with her other hand on her hip.

[E is for Enigma]

Ennis didn't much like the idea of being flayed, nor the lump that was steadily growing on his head, but least of all did he like that these two lady thugs were getting away with his prize.

"Wait!" he called after them, though he kept his ground, as the mage had ordered. It was a relief to know that it was another mage that held him--better to deal with two adventurers than one warrior mage.

The elf turned to hear him.

"I can give you gold!" Ennis said to them. "More than you'd find from any merchant for that piece. No one knows its true value but me, and I'm willing to pay."

"Why didn't you offer to pay the man you stole it from?" the elf wanted to know.

"Why pay for what you can take?" Ennis replied. It was true enough--besides, he didn't want to draw attention to the claw.

The elf looked at her companion, as if to gauge the mage's response.

Thessaly doubted that this thief had the money that he said he did, and even less that he would give it to them if he did, but there was always the chance he was telling the truth. And if he was, why did he want this claw so much more than gold? Did it have something to do with that door in the barrow?

[Purplish Space Rock]

Arwen snorted at the thief's words, and she snorted even harder at Thessaly's. It was a good point, and she just couldn't stop the snickering.

When the thief spoke again, making his point, she continued to stare at him, eyes slowly becoming more and more narrow. Money? She liked money. Even better, she liked a lot of money. She gave the shortest glance to the claw in Thessaly's hands before she huffed, moving her other hand to her hip.

"How much money?" she said, still watching him suspiciously. She gave Thessaly a quick look as well, trying to gauge her reaction too. "I don't know. On one hand, we shouldn't trust a thief that just took our prize and wants it so bad. On the other, we were going to sell it anyway, but without getting it appraised we can't possibly know how much it's worth to any old vendor, much less a frantic thief." She tapped her foot and crossed her arms, fidgety as she thought. "I don't know." Arwen finally tore her eyes off Ennis and looked at her friend. "Why do you suppose this guy wants it so badly? It must be worth a pretty septim if he's this desperate for it. What do you think he'll do to get it back?"