Darkgenerallord
Makes shitty respect threads
- Location
- California
[X] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[X] Attack it immediately.
- [X] To subdue.
[X] Attack it immediately.
- [X] To subdue.
Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
- Start date
- Location
- A Place Miserably Bereft of Cats
Aww, Dragonbro. :3
[x] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
No need to be so immediately hostile, vampire friends! Also it is really interesting that dragons ping Flandre as 'kin.' That the blood of Dracul flowing through her veins, then? Can she learn the Shouts?
[x] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
No need to be so immediately hostile, vampire friends! Also it is really interesting that dragons ping Flandre as 'kin.' That the blood of Dracul flowing through her veins, then? Can she learn the Shouts?
Darkgenerallord
Makes shitty respect threads
- Location
- California
Imagine Flandre with Slow Time tho.
Qwaar
Jesus Christ how horrifying
I'm pretty sure its actually from the dragon she killed on the surface, I seem to recall Flandre feeding briefly from that. To be technical, I also have the feeling she was conversing in the shouts.
Now I'm wondering though if Flandre's perceptions of Meiling are going to be skewed by this.
[x] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
I am almost certain that nothing is really going to be affected by a minor delay in our pursuit, the only thing I could see even inconveniencing Vita and co is if they got marked by Hircine, as anything else that could happen seems a relatively quick fix. Also, I highly doubt that they would go around sipping werewolf blood or getting bitten, just doesn't seem like a thing that could happen.
[x] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
Yep, that sounds about right. Also, Vulthuryol = Dark Overlord Fire. Sounds like a cool dude.
Skyrim dragons are old, and this one seems to be especially so, so staying around to listen to all the stories he's accumulated over the years will probably take a fair while. We do know where the outsider will be going after this, though, so it's not game over if we miss them here.
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Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Flan can learn Shouts the way everyone else does - years and years of practice. (LOL)
Correct. Also, the fact that it's Vulthuryol you're talking to. What did Paarthurnax say about Numinex ...?
And yes, the whole conversation was in the Dragon language.
Yes, but what does Dark-Overlord-Fire mean? Does 'Dark' reference Vully himself in some way - his temperament or appearance - or does it reference his fire, or his methods? Is he an Overlord of Fire, or is he an Overlord who has a tendency to use fire? Is the fire in his name referring to something else? That's what Flan is trying to work out.
Qwaar
Jesus Christ how horrifying
Hora~
Considering that with Flandre, we instantly got a title that forwards and backwards is her character. I'm pretty sure you aren't breaking down Vully in any lesser way.
I mean, So-Idea-Does, we might view that as simply a broken sentence meaning a semi flighty character, or we can view it as Flandre is built around the concept of Doing, and conceptializing(Idealizing), for it is So. So far we have seen Flandre not show an aptitude for magic, even being from magic, and she seems to move to accomplish something that may move towards a larger goal but mostly because it seems in line with her current focus. We also have seen that she seems to consider because she has willed it, it WILL happen, with all the massive hangups that occur when that isn't the case. (Hello, targets of revenge escaping, ensueing shitfit. Hello potentially broken promis, ensueing shitfit)
Her nature in itself seems largely unchanging, outside the oddities of what we might have introduced via the quest, so there is also the interpretation that it simply is So, that she is So. If the word has been something like perhaps, or question, then there would be a bit more of an expected change, or perhaps aspects of her radically shifting from what they seemed to be. She is concrete because she is So. Then, there is also the point like most things from Gensokyo she almost seems to exist in the space of an Idea. We note she wasn't sired, she simply was at one point, a point in which vampires were a fact of life, an Idea in every mind. Then her final word isn't try, it simply is Does, she is absurdly powerful, and the idea of failure in a goal doesn't really sit well at all with her as we've seen. Perhaps this is meant as a reference to her relation to a vampire controlling Fate?
Regardless, considering EJ has obviously put a ton of thought into properly constructing and building this up considering the consistency of philosophical concepts, its safe to assume that Vully is probably going to be almost as in depth.
So here's my best bet.
Dark-Overlord-Fire, lets consider what each of these represents from what we see and can presume of his nature. Dark-Overlord, this seems like the most blatant connection, but what does that mean? Consider first off that he's in Blackreach, and has ostensibly been here for a very long time, to the point that the relative ease with which he could leave now hasn't occurred to him. He is an Overlord, he claims this domain, but it is this domain, this domain of DARK that he has claimed. We already know the sun here and by extension it's light is a much more powerful force, so perhaps the very concept of expanding his territory to that LIGHT is antithetical to him, or at least very very hard for him to pursue. Next, we are aware that he is a Overlord-Fire. Now, there is obvious low hanging fruit here in that he's a dragon, no shit he has fire, but beyond that what is fire? Fire is something that burns material traditionally and then goes out, but generally we call that the fire dieing. Considering the importance of word concepts in Elder Scrolls, the fact fires die means fires live.
There is a shitton of things living in Blackreach, perhaps Vully is the reason for that. By his presence, and by extension the presence of his fire based nature, there is a constant force of life and renewal, allowing for plants, fungi, and
I'd continue this philosophy of naming thing, but my basement appears to be backing up with sewage.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
I like your thoughts
Something to think on:Paarthurnax said:
Anyway, votes are not locked.
[X] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[X] Attack it immediately.
- [X] To subdue.
2
[x] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
4
[X] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[X] Observe it for a while.
1
[X] Attack it immediately.
- [X] To subdue.
2
[x] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
4
[X] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[X] Observe it for a while.
1
Edit: Votes are locked.
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Vulthuryol to Vita
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[x] See Vulthuryol's stories first.
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
You take a moment to think, then slowly nod. The outsider will probably not get out of reach unless you spend far too much time with Vulthuryol and his stories, and mad though he is, you may still be able to learn something useful. "Yes, Vulthuryol, I would like to see your stories." It sighs contentedly.
"Yes … fly with me, Fulaandreh!" The dragon launches itself into the air, further damaging the bridge below, and you take flight as well, easily keeping pace with it. You feel a reassuring brush against your mind - Headless is paying attention as well - and you relax. The worst that will happen is that you'll get to kill another dragon! You fly together for many long minutes, until you finally reach the ruins of the city, and Vulthuryol slows to land on the fire-wracked wall, inhaling deeply. "Hmm … this was … not so long ago. Just like so very long ago. I was unstoppable. Do you recall the feeling?" You nod, perfectly understanding.
"I do. To rend the mortals, to see fire take what they have and leave them ash. They have no hope to win, but some fight, and make good deaths for themselves; others flee or hide, and die all the same." You have no need of omission or bending of the truth - in this, you are in agreement, and Vulthuryol laughs.
"Ha! I was wrong, before - Alduin is a fool to have let you remain in that form. Come, it is but a short way!" It hurls itself into the air again, flying up to the roof of the cavern. High above the city is a small structure of stone and Dwemer gold-metal, and you can feel the power of the walls. "fus …." A whisper, barely a breath of a Shout, and the massive doors swing open - swing inward. "My stories are carved within. Come, see them with me." There used to be some sort of platform here, judging by the state of the stonework, but Vulthuryol simply lands inside the huge entrance, and you land beside it. There are no lights within that you can see, but that won't matter. Still, the dragon whispers another Word of power, and a large golden sphere bursts into harsh radiance, illuminating the massive, empty chamber. You look about you, trying to find the stories Vulthuryol claimed were here, but you see nothing until you look down. You kneel and brush your hand across the floor of the chamber - something was carved into the very rock at one point. And then something was carved over it, and something over that, and something over that. Maybe your sister could make sense of this, or Patchouli, but …. Your eyes narrow as you stare fixedly at the floor.
"Vulthuryol, where are the stories? I don't see them." The dragon ceases its humming.
"Hm? They are all around, carved into the very stone itself. See, it is here … and here …. And … here … and …." You hear it moving agitatedly, skittering and hopping across the room in search of some fragment of its stories, something that remains of its past. "No. No! No, NO, NO! NO! WHERE ARE MY STORIES?" Its voice rips at you, sheer pain and hatred coursing through the power of the words themselves. You wince as its volume increases, culminating in an ear-splitting shriek of multiple pitches. You shake your head slowly as the cry fades - and then you stand. Vulthuryol's head snaps around to glare ferociously at you, and you throw yourself backward as he Shouts, avoiding the burst of Force before zooming out of the building.
You call Laevateinn to your hand and activate Loki as you dive down, and when you turn after the coruscating sphere fades, you see Vulthuryol charging after you, the doors flying through the air as it careens madly against the walls. No mere wolfhound, this, but a packmaster. It will be fought as such, and your clones spring forth to distract it, to tear at it as your own wolfhounds. The dragon trembles, uttering a Word, and it catches one of your clones in its jaws, ripping it in two. You let it disperse, then charge forward, grinning. Fight, dragon, and make a good death for yourself. Your precious gift gouges across its neck, and you flip away and under its front, but this time, your attack fails. You strike its ethereal body, and you see the gash flicker ephemerally. Your clones line up beside you, in front and behind you, and as your prey lurches around you charge it.
Your puppets die in searing flames, and you spiral away, mindful of the pain as your body surges, restoring the left arm that is only bone. It shrieks again, another Word, and then swims through the air jerkily, seeming to flicker from position to position. Gift held with one and a half hands, you charge, sweeping the wand across, and you grin in satisfaction as it makes contact with something. You halt and reorient yourself to face your prey, and its tail is half shorn through. Another Shout of power, and you accept it, suffering the wracking of your body - and you squeeze your prey's Eye. It shrieks in pain, but does not die, and you squeeze again, feeling the Eye compress beneath your fingers, morphing and trying to flow away and escape. Your prey crashes to the ground, shivering, and you look down on it. You release its Eye.
It's still shrieking, mourning its stories, and you charge straight into it again. It tries to burn you, but it's too weak, suffered too much from your ravaging of its Eye, and Vulthuryol's flames aren't even enough to char Loki. You dive into its mouth and spin, Laevateinn shearing through tongue and throat and bone, and its head falls off. You stand beneath its blood-gushing neck-stump, swallowing the vile liquid to restore yourself. Somewhat sated, you step away from the corpse and dismiss Loki. As you fly away, toward the ruined elevator, you see the doors and hover over them. Letters, or symbols, crudely carved, on the inside. 'Vul Th.' You check the underside of the other door, and though you cannot read them anymore, you can guess what they say. He only remembered his name because it was shown in such a way that he couldn't forget it. You fly back to the elevator shaft.
"You didn't Break him." You stare up the shaft before replying.
"I didn't."
"… Why not?" You snort as you begin the ascent.
"No one will Break me. I will die, either before I go mad, or after I go mad, but there will be no one to give me the oblivion of complete destruction. I won't give that mad creature what I can't have." You get the feeling that Headless wants to continue talking, to argue that you're being arbitrary, petty, and so on. However, she simply assents and withdraws, leaving you to yourself.
You reach the top of the shaft and shake your head. Of course it's blocked, the elevator floor is keeping you from entering. It's not that big a problem, though, and you put your hands against the stone floor, set yourself, and push. It takes more energy than you're comfortable with, but after a few seconds there's a shriek of tortured metal and the platform snaps. You duck back and move up invisibly. You may have decided to introduce yourself and explain what's going to happen, but that doesn't mean you aren't going to make sure of what you're dealing with first. You dart swiftly through the gap and face toward the light source. Three humans stand near a blazing fire, crossbows leveled down the corridor toward the lift, and a fourth individual is running down a passageway across the room. Their armor matches, so … these are the Dawnguard. Vampire hunters. You drift up and back as one of them, a dark-haired male, stalks forward carefully, making sure to keep out of his companions' lines of fire. He carefully tests the platform, then edges closer to peer over the edge. Frowning, takes a closer look, then scrambles back, just as carefully.
"There's nothing down there," he calls back. His companions join him.
"Dwemer ruins don't collapse on their own. … Well, not usually, and when they do, they tend to lose a whole lot at once. But that? No, something did that." The bait shrugs.
"Well, you want to look down there, you go ahead." The second soldier actually seems to consider doing that, then shrugs and shakes his head.
"No, I believe you. It's just … something did that, so where is it?" All three look around, the bait even looking directly at you in his sweep, and you have to keep from giggling. "And Gretta went up because something happened, but we've got nothing to show. Just great."
"Could be worse." The third human, a female, shrugs at her companions' incredulous stares. "Sorine could be here." After a moment of silence, they nodded. "Anyway, what do we do here?" They're saved from answering that question - and you're saved from introducing yourself - by the arrival of the outsider. A small human, carrying a hammer, flying down the corridor toward you. You grin - it is Vita, wearing her red Barrier Jacket, and a red screen follows her until she reaches the room, where it stops, blocking the way forward. The Dawnguard soldiers look back at her as she approaches, probably at some telepathic signal, and Vita slows to a halt. "We … well, we don't know what happened. Something tore up the floor over there, but we haven't seen anything, and nothing's happened since then." Vita frowns and starts to move forward, but you can't hold yourself back anymore. You throw yourself forward, wrapping your arms around her and sending the two of you bouncing back into the room to careen into the wall.
"Vita! It's been so long since I last saw you!" You nuzzle her cheek and hold her up above you before fading back to visibility, and you note with satisfaction that the soldiers have their crossbows aimed at the two of you. Vita stiffens as she hears your voice, then relaxes a little when you appear - but only a little, and she's definitely glaring at you. You grin and let her go, and she rolls off of you, one hand to her forehead where she hit her head against yours. You gaze levelly at the Dawnguard as they point their crossbows at you. "And you're the Dawnguard, right? Vampire hunters?" You carefully float to an upright position, ignoring the weapons trained on you, and curtsy. "My name is Flandre Scarlet." Vita sighs.
"Gepard, Lami, Torbal, you might as well stand down. You'd have a better shot at killing me than you would her." They reluctantly lower their weapons and unready them. You pout at Vita. "So, just what are you doing here? Somehow I don't think even you would tear through the floor on a whim. Actually, scratch that - you know there's a dragon down there, right? Along with a whole lot of Falmer?" You eye her coldly and walk toward her red barrier. A few taps doesn't bring it down, of course, but it's weak enough that you could break through easily.
"The Falmer are less than a nuisance, and there's only still a dragon down there if there were two to begin with." You take a closer look at Vita; she doesn't look hurt, but she's holding herself a little awkwardly. And she did fight with Vulthuryol …. You grin and hop back, taking a sitting position in the air. "But that's irrelevant. I'm here, before you at this point in time, because you are in danger. Of course, I didn't know it was you, but that's irrelevant, too." She frowns at you, opens her mouth to reply - then closes it. She does it again, then shakes her head.
"Whatever. Right, you three, start getting things packed up. I'm gonna talk to her; the others think they figured out how to get that damned thing to work, so we should have the Scroll and be out of here soon." The screen deactivates as the three soldiers nod and begin striking the camp, and Vita leads you partway down the hall. "Okay, explain." You sigh as she leans against the wall, staring at you.
"So … do you know what a Daedric Prince is?" Her eyes narrow and she nods. "Okay, well, you've got their attention. At least one of them, anyway - Hermaeus Mora. It wants to you out of the picture. And either I can take care of you, or it can. If it takes care of you, it's going to eat your brain, or something, so it knows what you know. If I deal with you, so long as you don't interfere with things anymore, you're safe. Well, safe from it, anyway." She stares at you, silent, for a long time, then turns and starts heading up the stairs past the far door.
"Well, come on! I'm not going to make a decision like this by myself." Curiosity piqued, you follow her up the stairs. You look around the odd room as Vita follows it around to talk to one of the Dawnguard soldiers. Much of the center is taken up by some gold-metal and glass contraption. Patchouli has a few things like it in the library, but most are much smaller. Some kind of box or ark is in the middle, and two of the soldiers are carefully removing a huge scroll from it. You watch them for a bit, then Vita comes back with a dusky man. "This is Florentius." You blink at her, then turn to the man, who bows politely.
"Well met. I am Florentius, and Vita here tells me that you think she's in some sort of trouble." You sigh exasperatedly.
"I don't think she's in trouble. I know that she's in danger. Whether it's worth it to drag her out of it is something else." He gets a faraway look in his eyes.
"What? Yes, yes, Arkay, don't bother me." Your eyes narrow and your mouth sets in a hard line. "Sorry, sorry. Sometimes he just has to say something. Anyway, from what Vita said, Hermaeus Mora has her pegged as some sort of problem that needs to be dealt with, right?" You nod slowly. "And he ordered you to come here and deal with her?" You shake your head.
"No. I was at the College of Winterhold when I met it. It offered to make a deal with me, and I have the option of doing something. It also said I could look 'above Blackreach,' 'near a city of waste in the south,' or 'on an isle of the dead in the west.'" His eyes light up and he nods. "But tell me, who are you to be important?" You lean close, expressionless, and he keeps smiling so politely.
"Can't be sure, to be honest - I'd have figured her to spend more time with Gunmar, to be honest. You know, that man actually trained trolls and taught them to wear armor? Isn't that amazing? Or perhaps Isran - they're both very much alike, especially when they have a cause. Although, maybe that's why they avoid each other …." He takes a step back and squats on the floor, tracing lines with his finger. The College … the south … the west. So, south would be Fort Dawnguard itself. West would be - well, vampires are dead, so that must be where we're headed! But if the old demon of knowledge let you go that far, then anything up to that point must be fair game." He smiles at Vita, who looks relieved. You turn to her.
"Explain?"
"The Dawnguard aren't here just to fight vampires - there's a specific vampire family that's causing some sort of fuss, but all we know for sure is that they're organized, and they have an Elder Scroll." She gestures at the large scroll the soldiers are taking care of. "We don't know what they want with it, or what their plans are apart from 'take over the world,' but the Dawnguard are pledged to stop them. And I'm working with them." You sit on one of the gold-metal desks scattered around the room. Vita seems serious about fighting with the Dawnguard, for whatever reason. And if what the madman said is true, killing the vampires won't be a problem. He could be wrong, of course …. Maybe you shouldn't involve yourself? You glance at Vita, ignoring the soldiers moving about.
"If I leave now, you won't get another chance at leaving this place, and you'll die at someone's hands. What would you do if I said I was leaving?" Florentius stills as his hand drops to his sword, but Vita grins fiercely.
"I won't die easy." You cough out a single humorless laugh.
What do you do?
[ ] Attach yourself to the Dawnguard, follow Vita around.
[ ] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [ ] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
[ ] Take Vita to the portals by force.
- [ ] Chuck her through to Mid-Childa.
- [ ] Bring her with you.
- - [ ] Where do you go?
[ ] Go back to the portals and leave Skyrim.
- [ ] Where do you go?
[ ] Other?
[x] Introduce yourself and talk.
- [x] Explain the outsider's position to it.
You take a moment to think, then slowly nod. The outsider will probably not get out of reach unless you spend far too much time with Vulthuryol and his stories, and mad though he is, you may still be able to learn something useful. "Yes, Vulthuryol, I would like to see your stories." It sighs contentedly.
"Yes … fly with me, Fulaandreh!" The dragon launches itself into the air, further damaging the bridge below, and you take flight as well, easily keeping pace with it. You feel a reassuring brush against your mind - Headless is paying attention as well - and you relax. The worst that will happen is that you'll get to kill another dragon! You fly together for many long minutes, until you finally reach the ruins of the city, and Vulthuryol slows to land on the fire-wracked wall, inhaling deeply. "Hmm … this was … not so long ago. Just like so very long ago. I was unstoppable. Do you recall the feeling?" You nod, perfectly understanding.
"I do. To rend the mortals, to see fire take what they have and leave them ash. They have no hope to win, but some fight, and make good deaths for themselves; others flee or hide, and die all the same." You have no need of omission or bending of the truth - in this, you are in agreement, and Vulthuryol laughs.
"Ha! I was wrong, before - Alduin is a fool to have let you remain in that form. Come, it is but a short way!" It hurls itself into the air again, flying up to the roof of the cavern. High above the city is a small structure of stone and Dwemer gold-metal, and you can feel the power of the walls. "fus …." A whisper, barely a breath of a Shout, and the massive doors swing open - swing inward. "My stories are carved within. Come, see them with me." There used to be some sort of platform here, judging by the state of the stonework, but Vulthuryol simply lands inside the huge entrance, and you land beside it. There are no lights within that you can see, but that won't matter. Still, the dragon whispers another Word of power, and a large golden sphere bursts into harsh radiance, illuminating the massive, empty chamber. You look about you, trying to find the stories Vulthuryol claimed were here, but you see nothing until you look down. You kneel and brush your hand across the floor of the chamber - something was carved into the very rock at one point. And then something was carved over it, and something over that, and something over that. Maybe your sister could make sense of this, or Patchouli, but …. Your eyes narrow as you stare fixedly at the floor.
"Vulthuryol, where are the stories? I don't see them." The dragon ceases its humming.
"Hm? They are all around, carved into the very stone itself. See, it is here … and here …. And … here … and …." You hear it moving agitatedly, skittering and hopping across the room in search of some fragment of its stories, something that remains of its past. "No. No! No, NO, NO! NO! WHERE ARE MY STORIES?" Its voice rips at you, sheer pain and hatred coursing through the power of the words themselves. You wince as its volume increases, culminating in an ear-splitting shriek of multiple pitches. You shake your head slowly as the cry fades - and then you stand. Vulthuryol's head snaps around to glare ferociously at you, and you throw yourself backward as he Shouts, avoiding the burst of Force before zooming out of the building.
You call Laevateinn to your hand and activate Loki as you dive down, and when you turn after the coruscating sphere fades, you see Vulthuryol charging after you, the doors flying through the air as it careens madly against the walls. No mere wolfhound, this, but a packmaster. It will be fought as such, and your clones spring forth to distract it, to tear at it as your own wolfhounds. The dragon trembles, uttering a Word, and it catches one of your clones in its jaws, ripping it in two. You let it disperse, then charge forward, grinning. Fight, dragon, and make a good death for yourself. Your precious gift gouges across its neck, and you flip away and under its front, but this time, your attack fails. You strike its ethereal body, and you see the gash flicker ephemerally. Your clones line up beside you, in front and behind you, and as your prey lurches around you charge it.
Your puppets die in searing flames, and you spiral away, mindful of the pain as your body surges, restoring the left arm that is only bone. It shrieks again, another Word, and then swims through the air jerkily, seeming to flicker from position to position. Gift held with one and a half hands, you charge, sweeping the wand across, and you grin in satisfaction as it makes contact with something. You halt and reorient yourself to face your prey, and its tail is half shorn through. Another Shout of power, and you accept it, suffering the wracking of your body - and you squeeze your prey's Eye. It shrieks in pain, but does not die, and you squeeze again, feeling the Eye compress beneath your fingers, morphing and trying to flow away and escape. Your prey crashes to the ground, shivering, and you look down on it. You release its Eye.
It's still shrieking, mourning its stories, and you charge straight into it again. It tries to burn you, but it's too weak, suffered too much from your ravaging of its Eye, and Vulthuryol's flames aren't even enough to char Loki. You dive into its mouth and spin, Laevateinn shearing through tongue and throat and bone, and its head falls off. You stand beneath its blood-gushing neck-stump, swallowing the vile liquid to restore yourself. Somewhat sated, you step away from the corpse and dismiss Loki. As you fly away, toward the ruined elevator, you see the doors and hover over them. Letters, or symbols, crudely carved, on the inside. 'Vul Th.' You check the underside of the other door, and though you cannot read them anymore, you can guess what they say. He only remembered his name because it was shown in such a way that he couldn't forget it. You fly back to the elevator shaft.
"You didn't Break him." You stare up the shaft before replying.
"I didn't."
"… Why not?" You snort as you begin the ascent.
"No one will Break me. I will die, either before I go mad, or after I go mad, but there will be no one to give me the oblivion of complete destruction. I won't give that mad creature what I can't have." You get the feeling that Headless wants to continue talking, to argue that you're being arbitrary, petty, and so on. However, she simply assents and withdraws, leaving you to yourself.
You reach the top of the shaft and shake your head. Of course it's blocked, the elevator floor is keeping you from entering. It's not that big a problem, though, and you put your hands against the stone floor, set yourself, and push. It takes more energy than you're comfortable with, but after a few seconds there's a shriek of tortured metal and the platform snaps. You duck back and move up invisibly. You may have decided to introduce yourself and explain what's going to happen, but that doesn't mean you aren't going to make sure of what you're dealing with first. You dart swiftly through the gap and face toward the light source. Three humans stand near a blazing fire, crossbows leveled down the corridor toward the lift, and a fourth individual is running down a passageway across the room. Their armor matches, so … these are the Dawnguard. Vampire hunters. You drift up and back as one of them, a dark-haired male, stalks forward carefully, making sure to keep out of his companions' lines of fire. He carefully tests the platform, then edges closer to peer over the edge. Frowning, takes a closer look, then scrambles back, just as carefully.
"There's nothing down there," he calls back. His companions join him.
"Dwemer ruins don't collapse on their own. … Well, not usually, and when they do, they tend to lose a whole lot at once. But that? No, something did that." The bait shrugs.
"Well, you want to look down there, you go ahead." The second soldier actually seems to consider doing that, then shrugs and shakes his head.
"No, I believe you. It's just … something did that, so where is it?" All three look around, the bait even looking directly at you in his sweep, and you have to keep from giggling. "And Gretta went up because something happened, but we've got nothing to show. Just great."
"Could be worse." The third human, a female, shrugs at her companions' incredulous stares. "Sorine could be here." After a moment of silence, they nodded. "Anyway, what do we do here?" They're saved from answering that question - and you're saved from introducing yourself - by the arrival of the outsider. A small human, carrying a hammer, flying down the corridor toward you. You grin - it is Vita, wearing her red Barrier Jacket, and a red screen follows her until she reaches the room, where it stops, blocking the way forward. The Dawnguard soldiers look back at her as she approaches, probably at some telepathic signal, and Vita slows to a halt. "We … well, we don't know what happened. Something tore up the floor over there, but we haven't seen anything, and nothing's happened since then." Vita frowns and starts to move forward, but you can't hold yourself back anymore. You throw yourself forward, wrapping your arms around her and sending the two of you bouncing back into the room to careen into the wall.
"Vita! It's been so long since I last saw you!" You nuzzle her cheek and hold her up above you before fading back to visibility, and you note with satisfaction that the soldiers have their crossbows aimed at the two of you. Vita stiffens as she hears your voice, then relaxes a little when you appear - but only a little, and she's definitely glaring at you. You grin and let her go, and she rolls off of you, one hand to her forehead where she hit her head against yours. You gaze levelly at the Dawnguard as they point their crossbows at you. "And you're the Dawnguard, right? Vampire hunters?" You carefully float to an upright position, ignoring the weapons trained on you, and curtsy. "My name is Flandre Scarlet." Vita sighs.
"Gepard, Lami, Torbal, you might as well stand down. You'd have a better shot at killing me than you would her." They reluctantly lower their weapons and unready them. You pout at Vita. "So, just what are you doing here? Somehow I don't think even you would tear through the floor on a whim. Actually, scratch that - you know there's a dragon down there, right? Along with a whole lot of Falmer?" You eye her coldly and walk toward her red barrier. A few taps doesn't bring it down, of course, but it's weak enough that you could break through easily.
"The Falmer are less than a nuisance, and there's only still a dragon down there if there were two to begin with." You take a closer look at Vita; she doesn't look hurt, but she's holding herself a little awkwardly. And she did fight with Vulthuryol …. You grin and hop back, taking a sitting position in the air. "But that's irrelevant. I'm here, before you at this point in time, because you are in danger. Of course, I didn't know it was you, but that's irrelevant, too." She frowns at you, opens her mouth to reply - then closes it. She does it again, then shakes her head.
"Whatever. Right, you three, start getting things packed up. I'm gonna talk to her; the others think they figured out how to get that damned thing to work, so we should have the Scroll and be out of here soon." The screen deactivates as the three soldiers nod and begin striking the camp, and Vita leads you partway down the hall. "Okay, explain." You sigh as she leans against the wall, staring at you.
"So … do you know what a Daedric Prince is?" Her eyes narrow and she nods. "Okay, well, you've got their attention. At least one of them, anyway - Hermaeus Mora. It wants to you out of the picture. And either I can take care of you, or it can. If it takes care of you, it's going to eat your brain, or something, so it knows what you know. If I deal with you, so long as you don't interfere with things anymore, you're safe. Well, safe from it, anyway." She stares at you, silent, for a long time, then turns and starts heading up the stairs past the far door.
"Well, come on! I'm not going to make a decision like this by myself." Curiosity piqued, you follow her up the stairs. You look around the odd room as Vita follows it around to talk to one of the Dawnguard soldiers. Much of the center is taken up by some gold-metal and glass contraption. Patchouli has a few things like it in the library, but most are much smaller. Some kind of box or ark is in the middle, and two of the soldiers are carefully removing a huge scroll from it. You watch them for a bit, then Vita comes back with a dusky man. "This is Florentius." You blink at her, then turn to the man, who bows politely.
"Well met. I am Florentius, and Vita here tells me that you think she's in some sort of trouble." You sigh exasperatedly.
"I don't think she's in trouble. I know that she's in danger. Whether it's worth it to drag her out of it is something else." He gets a faraway look in his eyes.
"What? Yes, yes, Arkay, don't bother me." Your eyes narrow and your mouth sets in a hard line. "Sorry, sorry. Sometimes he just has to say something. Anyway, from what Vita said, Hermaeus Mora has her pegged as some sort of problem that needs to be dealt with, right?" You nod slowly. "And he ordered you to come here and deal with her?" You shake your head.
"No. I was at the College of Winterhold when I met it. It offered to make a deal with me, and I have the option of doing something. It also said I could look 'above Blackreach,' 'near a city of waste in the south,' or 'on an isle of the dead in the west.'" His eyes light up and he nods. "But tell me, who are you to be important?" You lean close, expressionless, and he keeps smiling so politely.
"Can't be sure, to be honest - I'd have figured her to spend more time with Gunmar, to be honest. You know, that man actually trained trolls and taught them to wear armor? Isn't that amazing? Or perhaps Isran - they're both very much alike, especially when they have a cause. Although, maybe that's why they avoid each other …." He takes a step back and squats on the floor, tracing lines with his finger. The College … the south … the west. So, south would be Fort Dawnguard itself. West would be - well, vampires are dead, so that must be where we're headed! But if the old demon of knowledge let you go that far, then anything up to that point must be fair game." He smiles at Vita, who looks relieved. You turn to her.
"Explain?"
"The Dawnguard aren't here just to fight vampires - there's a specific vampire family that's causing some sort of fuss, but all we know for sure is that they're organized, and they have an Elder Scroll." She gestures at the large scroll the soldiers are taking care of. "We don't know what they want with it, or what their plans are apart from 'take over the world,' but the Dawnguard are pledged to stop them. And I'm working with them." You sit on one of the gold-metal desks scattered around the room. Vita seems serious about fighting with the Dawnguard, for whatever reason. And if what the madman said is true, killing the vampires won't be a problem. He could be wrong, of course …. Maybe you shouldn't involve yourself? You glance at Vita, ignoring the soldiers moving about.
"If I leave now, you won't get another chance at leaving this place, and you'll die at someone's hands. What would you do if I said I was leaving?" Florentius stills as his hand drops to his sword, but Vita grins fiercely.
"I won't die easy." You cough out a single humorless laugh.
What do you do?
[ ] Attach yourself to the Dawnguard, follow Vita around.
[ ] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [ ] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
[ ] Take Vita to the portals by force.
- [ ] Chuck her through to Mid-Childa.
- [ ] Bring her with you.
- - [ ] Where do you go?
[ ] Go back to the portals and leave Skyrim.
- [ ] Where do you go?
[ ] Other?
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
I'm not very sure how long we can spend around the Dawnguard before we do something very Flan to them eventually. Will switch if someone can explain the situation a bit more though.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
I'm not very sure how long we can spend around the Dawnguard before we do something very Flan to them eventually. Will switch if someone can explain the situation a bit more though.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are not locked.
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
4
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
4
Frakir's brother
Goodbye.
- Location
- The Sea of Trees
Poor Vully...
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are locked.
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
5
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
- - [X] If she doesn't, steal her hat and run.
1
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
5
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
- - [X] If she doesn't, steal her hat and run.
1
To Castle Volkihar
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Try to find the Isle of the Dead and see what's happening there.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
Vita's ridiculous self-assurance aside, you're at something of an impasse. A token offer to help isn't going to be accepted by her friends when you get back to Mid-Childa, and you're pretty sure that forcibly moving her would also be taken poorly. And while you could go with her and keep her safe while she continues working alongside the Dawnguard, somewhere along the way you'll probably get bored or something and then you'll kill all the Dawnguard. You glower at the madman. So that leaves … you sigh.
"I guess that's that, then." You stretch your arms and back before turning to the madman. "I don't suppose you know where this 'Isle of the Dead' is, do you?" He blinks at you in confusion, then frowns in though.
"Not very well, no - it would probably be northwest of Solitude, but …." You shake your head in mock sadness. That doesn't really help you a whole lot. Vita clears her throat.
"You mind explaining why you're looking for a vampire den?" Her grip on her hammer is relaxed, but it's in a position for a quick strike. You smile and shrug.
"Well, if I do leave you here, that will make things more complicated for me when I go back to working for the Bureau, and you might not be alive when we get around to looking for you. So it's in my best interest to get you away from the youkai that are too powerful for me to fight when there's an explicit warrant for your death. And since I don't feel like staying near the Dawnguard, that means waiting for you someplace you'll come eventually." She stares flatly at you. "Besides, this'll give you time to make sure Verossa gets ready. Un-"
"Verossa's not here." Irritated at the interruption, it takes you a moment to figure out what she said, and you blink slowly.
"He's … not here? Why didn't you grab him? That's why I gave you that push before, so you would be able to! Stupid, stupid -!" You whirl and grab the gold-metal desk, hurling it across the room to shatter against the far wall. Half the Dawnguard in the room drop whatever they're holding to raise their crossbows, but you just float there, trembling.
"I was still sort of out of it. I'd have had trouble with the big guy alone, getting blindsided by the bug-thing didn't do me any favors." It's not an apology or an attempt to lessen her guilt; it's just an explanation. The tension drains out of you, and you turn to face her.
"… I suppose you're not going to want to come with me, then?" You try to make your voice as hopeful as possible, and you probably succeeded, because Vita's mouth twists and she looks away.
"I …." She starts to say something, thinks better of it, and finally just shakes her head. "No, I'll be staying with the Dawnguard." You nod and drift away. Humans stay with humans … and you're about to go stay with some other vampires. How fitting. Some of the soldiers are still keeping their crossbows trained on you, but you ignore them and float along the hallway. You push the door open, and the wind immediately cuts through the gap, swift and frigid. You look up at the two moons and sigh. Somehow you don't think the Bureau will forget about Verossa. And if Remilia couldn't find you despite her advantages, you doubt she'd be able to find someone completely unrelated. You'll have to hope you stumble upon him. A threatening growl distracts you, and you look down to see a huge white-furred wolf standing near an abandoned cook-fire. It leans a little, as if it's disoriented, and it looks like it's having trouble focusing - but when you turn to look more closely at it, it springs at you, snarling jaws opened wide. You casually dip under it, tumbling it as you disembowel it, then fly off, heading more north than west, following the mountains.
The mountains quickly drop in height, becoming hills, and then frozen wasteland. You see a few old ruins, and even a well-preserved Dwemer city - perhaps it's even connected to Blackreach! - but the land is, for the most part, empty. Solitude. Some game haunts the wilderness, some predators, but mostly, there's nothing of value to you, and you continue on. Eventually you reach the coast, and another ancient ruin. Walking corpses, wrinkled with age and carrying odd weapons, mill about the outside of this one, and you land on a high rock to try and communicate with them. Most are simply silent, although a few specimens do seem capable of communication. Unfortunately, while you recognize what they're saying as the dragons' language, you can't figure out what they're actually saying. You consider tearing them apart to ease your frustration, but without any blood, it would be a wasted effort. You might as well uproot trees.
Fortunately, you can see a magnificent city to the west! Well, mostly magnificent. For humans. You find several humans walking with a lizard-man (or a lizard-woman, you aren't sure) along a road underneath part of it. Even more fortunately, they are very rude and tell you to get out of their way, and before you tear them all to pieces, you learn that this is Solitude, and they're very sorry, and two of the humans even had good-tasting blood! You look above you at the rock-bridge; it's certainly natural rock, but you wonder if it emerged that way naturally. Maybe you could draw a picture later and ask Patchouli? But not now, though. You fly up to the city, admiring the quality of the stonework and buildings, then head northwest, again flying more north than west until you cross the mountains and reach the ocean.
Now you're looking for an island, and there are a fair few of those scattered about, you're sure, even without trekking too far north. Of course, finding the one that has vampires living on it … might be a bit harder. It really depends on what kind of vampires you're dealing with, their personalities and abilities. Of necessity, you slow down, spending more time checking the rocky crags and seemingly-barren flatlands that make up the nearby islands. Sighing frustratedly, you continue west, trying to entertain yourself by studying the wildlife and natural features … but it's the early morning, and nearly everything is still asleep. You do find a moderately-well-maintained fort in the mountains overlooking the ocean, with construction apparently underway to restore it, and consider asking for directions, but that would probably just slow you down, since you'd need to wake someone up, get them to pay attention to you, and then hope that they know something worthwhile. And you'd rather not go through that unless you can't find it on your own.
A bit farther west, on the coast instead of in the mountains, you find another fort, even smaller and more run-down, and occupied by silent watchers hiding in the shadows. They are, of course, still worse at it than you, so it's a simple matter to discern that they're all elves, and almost identically-equipped, with a greenish-bronze-colored armor and weapons. The whole place smells faintly of blood. More important, however, is that there are a few islands to the north - and on one of them, barely-visible even in the clear bright night, is a castle. Of course it would be the last place you look. You fly over to the island and admire the castle. It's actually quite nice, if a bit blocky and utilitarian. There are ornamental gargoyles disguised as guardians disguised as ordinary statuary adorning the bridge leading up to the gate, the eastern tower has been artfully collapsed, and all in all it looks like a properly-maintained 'old family' home. It's been so long since you've seen one, especially in such good condition! You float over the bridge and knock on the door - loudly, but politely. No one comes, however, and after waiting several minutes, you knock again, more loudly and forcefully.
This is … annoying. It is annoying and rude, and you have not had a particularly good night, between the insane dragon, the insane human, Vita being uncooperative, and just having to look for this place! You don't want to be polite, you want things that are in your way to not be in your way anymore, but Remilia did say that Patchouli would be watching, so …. You take a deep, calming breath. Maybe you're just approaching this the wrong way?
What do you do?
[ ] Keep knocking until someone answers.
[ ] Go back to the elven fort until tomorrow night.
- [ ] Stay hidden.
- [ ] Do what you want.
[ ] See if there's another entrance somewhere.
[ ] Break in through the front door.
- [ ] Be polite afterward.
- [ ] Be rude.
[ ] Break in through a wall.
- [ ] Be polite afterward.
- [ ] Be rude.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: "Rude," in this case, means casually insulting people if they need/deserve it and similar; Flan isn't quite irritated enough with the situation to attack people just because they say something stupid, much less kill them, although polite or rude, she will respond violently if violence is offered. Also, it is currently around 0100.
- [X] Ask Vita if she wants to come with you.
Vita's ridiculous self-assurance aside, you're at something of an impasse. A token offer to help isn't going to be accepted by her friends when you get back to Mid-Childa, and you're pretty sure that forcibly moving her would also be taken poorly. And while you could go with her and keep her safe while she continues working alongside the Dawnguard, somewhere along the way you'll probably get bored or something and then you'll kill all the Dawnguard. You glower at the madman. So that leaves … you sigh.
"I guess that's that, then." You stretch your arms and back before turning to the madman. "I don't suppose you know where this 'Isle of the Dead' is, do you?" He blinks at you in confusion, then frowns in though.
"Not very well, no - it would probably be northwest of Solitude, but …." You shake your head in mock sadness. That doesn't really help you a whole lot. Vita clears her throat.
"You mind explaining why you're looking for a vampire den?" Her grip on her hammer is relaxed, but it's in a position for a quick strike. You smile and shrug.
"Well, if I do leave you here, that will make things more complicated for me when I go back to working for the Bureau, and you might not be alive when we get around to looking for you. So it's in my best interest to get you away from the youkai that are too powerful for me to fight when there's an explicit warrant for your death. And since I don't feel like staying near the Dawnguard, that means waiting for you someplace you'll come eventually." She stares flatly at you. "Besides, this'll give you time to make sure Verossa gets ready. Un-"
"Verossa's not here." Irritated at the interruption, it takes you a moment to figure out what she said, and you blink slowly.
"He's … not here? Why didn't you grab him? That's why I gave you that push before, so you would be able to! Stupid, stupid -!" You whirl and grab the gold-metal desk, hurling it across the room to shatter against the far wall. Half the Dawnguard in the room drop whatever they're holding to raise their crossbows, but you just float there, trembling.
"I was still sort of out of it. I'd have had trouble with the big guy alone, getting blindsided by the bug-thing didn't do me any favors." It's not an apology or an attempt to lessen her guilt; it's just an explanation. The tension drains out of you, and you turn to face her.
"… I suppose you're not going to want to come with me, then?" You try to make your voice as hopeful as possible, and you probably succeeded, because Vita's mouth twists and she looks away.
"I …." She starts to say something, thinks better of it, and finally just shakes her head. "No, I'll be staying with the Dawnguard." You nod and drift away. Humans stay with humans … and you're about to go stay with some other vampires. How fitting. Some of the soldiers are still keeping their crossbows trained on you, but you ignore them and float along the hallway. You push the door open, and the wind immediately cuts through the gap, swift and frigid. You look up at the two moons and sigh. Somehow you don't think the Bureau will forget about Verossa. And if Remilia couldn't find you despite her advantages, you doubt she'd be able to find someone completely unrelated. You'll have to hope you stumble upon him. A threatening growl distracts you, and you look down to see a huge white-furred wolf standing near an abandoned cook-fire. It leans a little, as if it's disoriented, and it looks like it's having trouble focusing - but when you turn to look more closely at it, it springs at you, snarling jaws opened wide. You casually dip under it, tumbling it as you disembowel it, then fly off, heading more north than west, following the mountains.
The mountains quickly drop in height, becoming hills, and then frozen wasteland. You see a few old ruins, and even a well-preserved Dwemer city - perhaps it's even connected to Blackreach! - but the land is, for the most part, empty. Solitude. Some game haunts the wilderness, some predators, but mostly, there's nothing of value to you, and you continue on. Eventually you reach the coast, and another ancient ruin. Walking corpses, wrinkled with age and carrying odd weapons, mill about the outside of this one, and you land on a high rock to try and communicate with them. Most are simply silent, although a few specimens do seem capable of communication. Unfortunately, while you recognize what they're saying as the dragons' language, you can't figure out what they're actually saying. You consider tearing them apart to ease your frustration, but without any blood, it would be a wasted effort. You might as well uproot trees.
Fortunately, you can see a magnificent city to the west! Well, mostly magnificent. For humans. You find several humans walking with a lizard-man (or a lizard-woman, you aren't sure) along a road underneath part of it. Even more fortunately, they are very rude and tell you to get out of their way, and before you tear them all to pieces, you learn that this is Solitude, and they're very sorry, and two of the humans even had good-tasting blood! You look above you at the rock-bridge; it's certainly natural rock, but you wonder if it emerged that way naturally. Maybe you could draw a picture later and ask Patchouli? But not now, though. You fly up to the city, admiring the quality of the stonework and buildings, then head northwest, again flying more north than west until you cross the mountains and reach the ocean.
Now you're looking for an island, and there are a fair few of those scattered about, you're sure, even without trekking too far north. Of course, finding the one that has vampires living on it … might be a bit harder. It really depends on what kind of vampires you're dealing with, their personalities and abilities. Of necessity, you slow down, spending more time checking the rocky crags and seemingly-barren flatlands that make up the nearby islands. Sighing frustratedly, you continue west, trying to entertain yourself by studying the wildlife and natural features … but it's the early morning, and nearly everything is still asleep. You do find a moderately-well-maintained fort in the mountains overlooking the ocean, with construction apparently underway to restore it, and consider asking for directions, but that would probably just slow you down, since you'd need to wake someone up, get them to pay attention to you, and then hope that they know something worthwhile. And you'd rather not go through that unless you can't find it on your own.
A bit farther west, on the coast instead of in the mountains, you find another fort, even smaller and more run-down, and occupied by silent watchers hiding in the shadows. They are, of course, still worse at it than you, so it's a simple matter to discern that they're all elves, and almost identically-equipped, with a greenish-bronze-colored armor and weapons. The whole place smells faintly of blood. More important, however, is that there are a few islands to the north - and on one of them, barely-visible even in the clear bright night, is a castle. Of course it would be the last place you look. You fly over to the island and admire the castle. It's actually quite nice, if a bit blocky and utilitarian. There are ornamental gargoyles disguised as guardians disguised as ordinary statuary adorning the bridge leading up to the gate, the eastern tower has been artfully collapsed, and all in all it looks like a properly-maintained 'old family' home. It's been so long since you've seen one, especially in such good condition! You float over the bridge and knock on the door - loudly, but politely. No one comes, however, and after waiting several minutes, you knock again, more loudly and forcefully.
This is … annoying. It is annoying and rude, and you have not had a particularly good night, between the insane dragon, the insane human, Vita being uncooperative, and just having to look for this place! You don't want to be polite, you want things that are in your way to not be in your way anymore, but Remilia did say that Patchouli would be watching, so …. You take a deep, calming breath. Maybe you're just approaching this the wrong way?
What do you do?
[ ] Keep knocking until someone answers.
[ ] Go back to the elven fort until tomorrow night.
- [ ] Stay hidden.
- [ ] Do what you want.
[ ] See if there's another entrance somewhere.
[ ] Break in through the front door.
- [ ] Be polite afterward.
- [ ] Be rude.
[ ] Break in through a wall.
- [ ] Be polite afterward.
- [ ] Be rude.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: "Rude," in this case, means casually insulting people if they need/deserve it and similar; Flan isn't quite irritated enough with the situation to attack people just because they say something stupid, much less kill them, although polite or rude, she will respond violently if violence is offered. Also, it is currently around 0100.
Darkgenerallord
Makes shitty respect threads
- Location
- California
[X] Break in through the front door.
- [X] Be polite afterward.
- [X] Be polite afterward.