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namiraswriting · 2 years ago

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The inn is nothing special, a shabby wooden building tucked between the trees and stones, lost somewhere along the muddy roads leading up towards Wrothgar. It's known only to the travelers that pass by often, serving as a humble nook for those that know where to find it. The orc behind the counter is absent-mindedly sweeping dirt into a dark corner when she ducks in, her gloved hand reaching up to steady herself on the short doorframe. He gives her a weary greeting as it falls shut behind her.

"We've got cider and ale," he says, voice deep and booming in the small interior. Someone coughs from their seat by the hearth. Ulumb clears her throat, a nervous habit, and approaches the counter with a quick shake of her head. She feels guilty lying before she's even done it, despite it not being her own lie, and even with knowing that this innkeeper would never know or care. Her hands rub against the old, worn wood of the counter. Her thumb finds the letters of someone's name, carved deep and partially sanded away.

"No, thank you," speaking barely above a whisper, she fights the urge to look over her shoulder. She's not even sure if she should be worried that someone less kind might be searching for the same individual, that there might be people out there aware of their connection. The thought makes her feel cold and anxious.

Words stall in her mouth, the kind eyes of the innkeeper avert from her gaze, giving her an odd sense of privacy.

"Do you... is there an Erwan here? Erwan… uhm. Forgive me, I'm not sure of the full name.."

The innkeeper scratches his chin, let's out a long breath that smells of meat and tobacco. Ulumb's face burns with embarrassment, not a feeling she's accustomed to. This whole situation is out of her comfort zone, the secrecy of it all is a far cry from the lumber business.

With broom still in hand, the innkeeper taps the knobby handle against the ceiling, only a short distance from both of their heads. He ignores the thin cloud of dust that falls from the planks.

"Upstairs, first room to your left," he says. Behind her, the door swings open again, and the sound of chipper bretic fills the stuffy air as a small group of travelers enter the building. Immediately, the innkeeper's attention is gone from her, yelling out once again of cider and ale. She's left to stare at the few rickety wooden steps that had been so lovingly referred to as a staircase. Pacing across the room in a few short steps, her hands find the wall, gaze meeting the poorly lit second story.

The hallway atop the steps is claustrophobic, she ducks down and makes herself small to avoid the walls and short ceiling built without someone her size in mind. First room to her left isn't hard instructions to follow, especially when the inn itself only has three rooms to speak of. She places herself quietly before the scuffed wooden thing, eyes lingering on the doorknob, and stands for a long time. She finds herself feeling hesitant and uninvited, despite what the Argonian had told her a day prior. He'd given her the information willingly, told her the exact place to go to, the name to ask for.

Making up her mind, she knocks once, curt sounding even to her own ears. She worries for a moment that it won't be recognized as a knock, sounding instead like someone bumping against the wall. Before she can raise her hand to try again, there's a faint sound from within, a voice saying something she can't quite make out. It sounds enough like a welcome for her to reach for the doorknob, it squeaks miserably as she turns it, letting herself in.

The room is darker than the hallway, dark enough that the light she lets in illuminates a round wooden table in front of her, covered with trinkets spilling from a leather bag.

"Erwan?" she asks tentatively, not sure of what else to do. There's a laugh from somewhere in the room, warm and familiar sounding, and it's confirmation enough for her to close the door behind her. As her eyes adjust, she's able to make out the rest of the room. It's small and quaint, with only a table, a stool, and a lumpy looking bed. From the doorway, she can only barely make out the shape of him beneath the covers, a candle on the floor beside him nearly burning itself out.

"Will you be calling me that for the duration of your visit?" he asks.

"How did you know it was me at the door?" she asks in return. He moves slightly in bed, still out of her sight.

"It wouldn't be anyone else".

"You aren't worried about being followed..?"

He laughs again, and she hears the sound of a book snapping shut. There is a thin quality to his voice now, and it makes her frown. She tries to ignore the lingering acidic smell of herbs and metal still hanging heaving in the room. Or the way he doesn't move to greet her.

"No, I'm not," he puts shortly.

Her heavy footsteps make the floorboards groan as she approaches the table, eyeing his few scattered possessions, evidence of someone who'd arrived in a hurry.

"You knew Wih-jei would send for me?" she asks. She removes her gloves, one careful finger at a time, listening to him haphazardly drop something onto the floor beside his fading candle.

"I thought he might. Orsinium is the closest city."

She shrugs off her coat, still speckled with raindrops, and sets it down on the table. She's mindful to avoid his remaining bandages, left in a pile near his bag. It's disorderly, in a way so unlike him, that she finds herself wondering if the disarray might be Wih-Jei's doing. The alternative is slightly more worrying, the image of him alone and hurting, fumbling through his own things. She pushes it out of mind.

"How bad is it then?" She addresses the elephant in the room, the reason for her rushed departure from Orsinium. She looks towards the bed, sees the reflection in his eyes flicker back at her. He sighs long and heavy, a hand reaching up to muse with his own hair. She can make out the dark color of his shirt now, hanging loose on his frame.

"I don't think I'll be returning to Wayrest anytime soon," he jests. When he's met with nothing but her brooding silence, he complies with a proper response.

"It's nothing but a scratch," he says.

"You stink of blood"

There's a long pause at that. He rests back against his pillow, head lulling to the side, staring at her fully now. The light from the candle turns his face a pale yellow, the shadows around his eyes seeming deep and foreboding. She worries her hands, frowns at his lack of a response.

"It'll heal," he says, finally. There's no argument in it, no assertion that he isn't as hurt as she's worried he might be. His tone is defeated in a subtle kind of way, something that feels too honest coming from him. Still, it's an answer, as indirect as it might be, and she feels the weight on her shoulders finally giving away.

#daggerfall #kazara #ulumb #wih-jei #here's a little piece of something bigger that i wrote.. im trying to develop these characters more #featuring here the dangers of political intrigue.. lol

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scuttling-void · 2 years ago

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I want to list all my tes characters in one place on my profile so here it is.

I'm going to do this in chronological order

FIRST ERA

- Dessa: hunter from an isolated village deep within the green, chosen to become the next green lady when her predecessor is killed in the wild hunt.

- Aliir: training to become a spinner but is chosen to be Dessa's silvenar.

THIRD ERA, DAGGERFALL

- Kazara: ohmes-raht khajiit, agent for the emperor, high ranking member of the mages guild, served as a court wizard before joining the blades.

- Wih-Jei: argonian, shadowscale, was sent to kill Kazara but failed, fakes his own death to escape from the dark brotherhood.

- Ulumb: Orc, works for her uncle in the lumber industry, lives in the newly formed Orsinium.

- Duluk: Orc, Ulumb's uncle, was once a formidable mercenary in his youth but now runs a lumber company, huge supporter of king Gortwog and his vision for Orsinium.

THIRD ERA, MORROWIND

- Mindel: dunmer, nerevarine, raised in skyrim and worked as a mercenary before being framed for murder and shipped off to Morrowind.

- Denanu: dunmer, ordinator and outcast daughter of a redoran councilor, becomes an advisor to the nerevarine and eventually archmaster of house redoran.

- Yanabi: ashlander from the Urshilaku clan, sent to aid the nerevarine.

- Eran: dunmer, high ranking member of house telvanni, advisor to the nerevarine.

- Minammu: dunmer/orc, ashlander, and hunter for the Urshilaku clan.

THIRD ERA, OBLIVION

- Liliandra: altmer, necromancer with connections to Mannimarco.

- Cyndassa: bosmer/breton, Kazara's cringe fail lesbian daughter, hero of kvatch, in Cyrodiil investigating the mysterious circumstances of her father's death.

• FOURTH ERA, PRE SKYRIM

- Enna: redguard, was a member of the vigilants of stendarr in early adulthood and later joined the synod, was sent to skyrim to try to encourage an alliance with the college of winterhold, but ultimately left the synod to become archmage.

• FOURTH ERA, SKYRIM

- Ralkag: dragonborn, orc from a nomadic clan in the wrothgarian mountains, left after becoming a werebear, ends up in skyrim while running from the vigilants of stendarr.

- Nana: reachman from an isolated village in the western reach, champion of namira, sent to aid a group of namira worshippers caught in the middle of the forsworn conflict.

- Philo: imperial, retired thief with a specialization in robbing crypts and ruins.

- Cadoc: a minotaur from the same village as Nana, sent to protect her while she's on her journey to help the namira worshippers.

#my ocs

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