RyushiBlade on 7/5/2003 at 19:44

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Dishonor? How is that dishonorable? Ha, it's Tuco's fault if he gets surprised again. If you have a better idea Exile, go ahead and share. Just make sure both you and Tuco fall into the lava. I notice everyone failed to mention the little Clint Eastwood thing I put in there ;)

I am copying everything from the boards, but I'm going to have to read it all to make sure everything makes sense and the transitions are... smooth and what not. By the way, you spelled 'Hundred' wrong (Hundered) about 5 times so far Exile, lol.

Since Tuco spelled Lilacor wrong in the beginning, we've all been spelling it wrong (I spelled it right once because I swore it had another r... But I figured if you guys were spelling it Lilacor it must be right.) Jordana is the only one who actually spelled it right!

So replace 'Lilacor' with 'Lilarcor' in the entire story.

I've edited this thing like 50 times... I think after we're done we should delete all of our posts that aren't part of the story (like this one) so people can actually read it without getting confused.

And did you really think what I wrote is good Tuco?

Exile on 8/5/2003 at 00:51

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Okay, here's what I have so far... It should cover the first page or so... And yes, I fixed the "Hundred" thing and the word wrap. It's pretty large, so I've had to cut it into two parts.

Exile's Log
Weight: 12.5
Value: 340

[The book logs the events of Exile, an Orcish Knight and high-ranking member of both the Imperial Legion and House Redoran assigned to watch the Bitter Coast for signs of smuggling. Apparently, his post was just outside a Dwarven ruin and he had made a small base of operations at the Dark Elven stronghold of Valenvaryon, hiring fellow Orcs to keep a watchful eye on the region. Towards the latter pages of the log, he stops making clear notes of the smuggling activities and takes a whimsical, sometimes paranoid tone. Towards the end of the book, he starts referring to himself in the third person. The dates on his entries suddenly go into the far future, advancing hundreds of years in but two pages with absolutely no explanation. The last few pages of the log are called "Exile Saga" and are as follows:]

****
Day Ten of First Seed, Year of the Third Empire Four Hundered and Two

Like the prophesied Angel of Death, Tuco stood surrounded by the corpses of his opponents. As with all Battlemages, he had grown extremely arrogant over his lifetime, and he wanted to know why. With the bloodlust in his eyes that is common to all Nords, he took a step back and his sword, Lilarcor, acknowledged the fresh blood spread across the stone chamber with a cheery, "Come get some..."

He made a few steps into the next room of the seemingly abandoned Elven fortress of Hlormaren. There, he found Ryushi. Not a notable person at all, but quick as a cat and twice as brutal, Ryushi circled his opponent. He had all the mundane armor of an assassin, but he had in his possession a dagger of immense power. Before Tuco could sense the presence of his murderer, Ryushi had stabbed him in the back nearly a dozen times. With his dying breath, Tuco uttered a curse that failed miserably, making Tuco's last moments on this mortal plane even more gruesome.

Ryushi took a signpost and hanged Ryushi in the Antechamber of the fortress as a symbol to all that would oppose him. Ryushi fled the gruesome scene as the scent of death filled the air. Mysteriously, all that the assassin had taken from the corpse was a pathetic sum of 2000 gold.

****
Day Twenty of First Seed, Year of the Third Empire Four Hundred and Two

Exile, the Master Armorer, Knight of the Imperial Dragon and Archmaster of House Redoran, sat upon the top of a Dwemer ruin overlooking Gnaar Mok. An Orc levitated towards him, his shield bearing the mark of the Legion. he had brought the monthly report of smuggling operations in the region, including the coast from the town of Hla Oad to the Southern points of the West Gash. Exile started the conversation while still in a meditative stance, his eyes half-closed.

"What news do you bring to me?" Exile said, his tone steady.

"The caves you wanted excavated -- I cannot remember their specific names..." The messenger replied

"The names do not matter, for they will all be manors for our newly appointed House Brothers, am I correct?"

"Yes, they are perfect. The entrance and guard quarters for two of the three caverns are already completed. Ebony deposits were found close to the entrance. Rather strange, but I sent for a courier to send them to the Mage's Guild in Ald'Ruhn to be converted to alchemist's measures."

"I hope that they will make a good chain. What of the Cammona Tong?"

"Dead. There has been no activity to speak of. I think that you'll find the report pleasing enough. There is one thing to discuss, however."

"Has Sheogorath contacted you? Has something happened at Valenvaryon?"

"A battlemage and twelve others were found dead at the entrance to Hlormaren. It appears as if the battlemage entered the Antechamber and killed off a dozen of the stronghold's inhabitants. All are, as you would say, expendable."

"Quite. What happened to the foul stench that killed them?"

"The battlemage? It looks as if an assassin came in, wielding a poisoned dagger. He stripped the man of all his possessions and left them in a heap beside his body. The body had been bound to a wooden path spear."

"Doesn't seem to be an extraordinary occurrence, but worth a visit nonetheless. Prepare an armored elephant while I conduct some business with Sheogorath..."

"Do you never cease to annoy the Mad God?"

"We must stay firmly to the Plan, even if it does mean the annoyance of a Daedra."

Exile jumped off the tall Dwarven tower and proceeded through his grand armor room into the lower levels of the ruin. A huge statue of Sheogorath and the sweet mist of skooma filled the air. He summoned the Daedra using a diamond and the skull of a Hlaalu noble. Sheogorath spoke to Exile, saying, "The battlemage that your messenger found dead was one... one of few... Something that requires much thought, but you must sense his power... a dark one, filled with the terror of a skinned cat. Abandon this ruin and build a prison to contain him. The path will become clear, and the Plan will draw near. Your lord has spoken." Exile mounted the elephant and went southeast to the stronghold. Within a few hours, he was in sight of the towering fortification and he was about to open the doors to the Antechamber as a dark presence filled the air. He collapsed to the ground as if he had been knocked unconscious, and the voice of the Mad God filled his head, suddenly taking a serious tone for once, “The gravity of this situation must not be denied! Tuco must be contained, so that none may fall to his powers. Utter a curse upon the Shrine of Azura, Atanis Solothi Sheogorath. Travel west from the shrine and draw your axe. From there, you know what you must do...”

Exile further approached the death site of the battlemage in the Antechamber of Hlormaren and slowly uttered a curse. He picked up the wooden spear and walked out of the fortress, mounting on to his armored elephant. He tied down the spear, body and all, to one side, Daedric Battle Axe on the other and, almost without explanation to his men, traveled to the Shrine of Azura. After leaving his elephant to rest and heal after the ash storm hat had almost taken the creature's life, Exile went up the steep cliffs leading to the interior of the shrine. Upon entering, he caught a glance of a frightened Wood Elf that was sneaking around – probably just some lost thief looking for sacred artifacts – that quickly jumped out of the open door and into the water below. Exile uttered the curse of Sheogorath and, upon leaving the shrine, almost immediately recognized the scarred landscape. Just ten kilometers from where he was standing, dozens of volcanic mountains formed in less than an hour around a central point -- Venim Ancestral Tomb. He walked to the tomb on foot, drawing his elephant by a rope. He held his Daedric Battle Axe in hand. As an ash storm started in the region, he took shelter within the tomb and received the instructions of Sheogorath. Exile raised his axe and, time after time, sliced into the decayed flesh of the battlemage. Dozens of bits of Tuco's body laid in distinct piles, and a few piles held notable artifacts found near Tuco's body. He waited in the tomb until the storm passed.

****
Day Twenty Four of First Seed, Year of the Third Empire Four Hundred and Two

The storm passed and his elephant healed, Exile set off just outside the tomb to set up a makeshift shrine so that he could summon the Mad God. Sheogorath ordered Exile to make cages to refined ebony first -- then build a statue to the Daedra Lord. When confronted about the location of the staute, Sheogorath went into mad ramblings, "deep in the ravine of the poisoned metal of the mount under the place where ghosts lay and the whisperings of Veloth curse me." Exile, puzzled, followed the command of Sheogorath and had his men load tons of fine ebony and stone onto any beast of burden avaliable -- elephants, guar, kagouti, even rats -- and take them in caravan to a land that didn't even exist until but a few days ago. When the caravan arrived, he sent a courier to send notes to a dozen of his most trusted knights that bid them to come to the tomb and await orders from the Master Armorer.

Exile went to work making the ebony cages, 12 in all; binding them to the souls of the knights sent to protect the body of this foul beast known as Tuco; and stuffing the rotting, ever-bleeding organs and flesh of the battlemage into the cages. With the help of an old friend of the Ghorak clan, he crafted individual parts of the statue in Sheogorath's likeness. Exile then proceeded into the tomb, carrying an ebony cage in each hand, to unravel the mystery of where he was to put the body. Upon going but a few steps into the dungeon, Sheogorath teleported him into a cave. Almost blindly, he walked forth until the light of the lava gave him safe passage. He found a glass and daedric ebony passageway towards an ebony foundation in the center of the large circular part of the cavern. As what he needed to do became clear, he was teleported back to the enterance.

****
Day Twenty of Rain's Hand, Year of the Third Empire Four Hundred and Two

After being teleported again to the small cavern twenty kilometers below the Venim tomb, about to place the head atop the statue of Sheogorath, the Mad God spoke to Exile again and placed a door where he stood. The door, under a level 100 lock and most vicious trap, leads into an ancient Chimeri citadel. The citadel was buried with the curse of the High Daedra Azura. The undead Chimer warriors still walk the halls of the citadel -- not knowing who summoned them or why -- and seek blood. With the ending of Sheogorath's speech, Exile was teleported back to the entrance. He went back in the tomb to be teleported into the hidden shrine one more time. He surrounded the statue of Sheogorath with the ebony cages that held the body and posessions of the dead battlemage and told his most trusted knights what an honor and responsibility they now hold. "If but one of you dies," said Exile to his most loyal dozen, "the plague inside these cages will be spread forth to haunt the world again. The enchantment on these bars of ebony will be lifted and any that were to go into the cavern, perhaps even one of the Battlemage's kind, would be free to take the artifacts for themselves." His troops nodded, now knowing their burden. Sheogorath will sustain them, but for how long? The mountains around the complex were enchanted to erupt if but one thing fails in the plan to keep the remnants of the battlemage from the world, and nightblades were sent out from the Legion to keep a garrison in the tomb and patrol the area.

However, as Exile did not know, Tuco was breathing new life through the nostrils of Sul-Matuul, the Ashkan of the Urshilaku. Although Exile Was against all Ashlanders on the official plane, he allowed the Urshilaku and Erabenumsun to survive, as they had aided him in destroying the Temple's influence in Morrowind. He did not realize, hovever, that this had been the critical flaw that allowed the spirit of Tuco, teleporting with his last wit of mana to a random area in the ashlands, to inhabit the body of the ashkan while he was on the hunt, chasing a Kagouti. Ryushi had sensed the presence of the spirit of Tuco, the man that he had killed only a few months earlier. He knew that to contain the spirit of this battlemage, he would need Azura's Star. During these few long months, Tuco's spirit had been gaining potency within Sul-Matuul's weak body. Tuco sensed the artifacts he had left behind -- his helm, sword, and axe. He dove into the waters and acquired a Nordic Claymore, then continued on to Maar Gan, slaying whatever vile creature crossed his path.

****
Day Thirty of Last Seed, Year of the Third Empire Four Hundred and Two

Ryushi felt the breeze rush against him, almost blowing his fragile body off of the rocks high above the sea. He was at the entrance to the Shrine of Azura. He slowly walked towards the statue and summoned the Daedra. She spoke to Ryushi in his mind, "Brave warrior, you have journeyed far to seek the Star of Azura. But it is no longer in my possession. I gave it to another mortal, a Wood Elf named Jordana, many weeks ago now. If you would bind the dark spirit of Tuco, you must seek her out, and either kill her, or convince her to aid you in your quest." The last words of Azura resonated against the daedric ebony walls and pillars of the chamber. Ryushi, puzzled, asked where he might find this Wood Elf. Azura had no answer but the stirring of dust.

****
Day Sixteen of Frostfall, Year of the Third Empire Four Hundered and Two.

Exile makes a small tribute to the Mad God, allowing his unscathed access to the neglected ancestral tomb deep in the wastelands of Molag Amur, a land that not so long ago was a small piece of Azura's Coast. Even being so far above the complex, he feels the curse of Sheogorath making him turn slowly insane, much like the curse of Pelagius.

He looked back, watching the nightblades seal the tomb as fifteen knights of the Great House Redoran file into the final resting place of one Bolvyn Venim. Passing the ancient trioliths, his men each paid respect and asked for a blessing, realizing that nothing would happen. Long ago had the Tribunal faith been extinguished but a few followers, and long ago had their saints and champions been defiled.

He turned back to his Redoran brethren and said, "This is what we have been waiting for. The mystics sensed the presence of this horrible creature wandering through the ashlands, growing stronger with each day. If the one known as Tuco has any mind at all, he would attempt to find his way here. Even if he could escape the fresh lava streams and poisonous ash that his entry would create, more barriers face him. Below the Venim Ancestral Tomb is a citadel. Below that citadel lies a stronghold, and within that stronghold lies the remains of Tuco, enclosed in cages of refined ebony."

Exile on 8/5/2003 at 00:54

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****
Day Twenty of Sun's Dusk, Year of the Third Empire Four Hundred and Two

Exile's two mages, eager to keep their sanity, have been playing word games. Since about a day ago, they have been fixated on calling out names of different exotic foods. Obviously, they were running short on ideas when one of the mages calls out, "Octopus Testicle!" and the other responds with, "Jew's Ear!"

The tomb falls silent as Exile raises his hand, clad in daedric ebony on an ebony mail, covered in refined Dwemer iron. Suddenly, and inexplicably, Exile orders that the excavation of the shaft continues. Exile's men regain their senses and, after hours of additional excavation, ask what the raw glass should be used for. Exile decides to put an impenetrable barrier on the shaft, with the help of his mages. Ironically, this occurs when they are just meters away from the Inner Chamber. Sheogorath smiles upon this incident, and Exile decides to evacuate this portion of the tomb and go into the section of the tomb that holds Bolvyn Venim...

Swiftly, the men move and they meet dozens of undead warriors. The men rip through them in less than ten seconds, as Exile details out his plan to defeat Tuco...

"If Tuco should brave the Chimeri citadel, though, we should at least not have him fight us without the artifacts that he chooses to seek out. Once the Chimeri are dealt with, we will advance into the citadel and face Tuco as he emerges from the Inner Chamber. Until that time, take this opportunity to rest and meditate."

EDIT: Okay, so I'm about to put in Jordana's conversation at the Lucky Lockup after the whole Jordana - nod - I need a mage thing. I've fixed the whole "It's impressive. An impressive impressiveness and Tuco could sense it was impressive, reinforced with impressive ebony that had an impressive glow. It was impressive."

Exile on 8/5/2003 at 01:26

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It should be impressive, with an impressive impressiveness that you should all sense. An impressive retelling of an impressive tale, so impressive, in fact, that it spews forth with impressiveness, the sort of impressiveness that only a very impressive deity could come up with. Yep. Impressive.

Jordana on 8/5/2003 at 01:44

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OK, here's the latest (and probably last) bit from me:



Still moving toward the weakened Nord, Tuco waved his hand, and Ryushi found himself pinned against the floor, helpless, held immobile by the force of Tuco's thoughts. Noticing that Tuco had drawn Lilarcor from its sheath once more, Ryushi stared straight into the enemy's mad eyes as he awaited the death blow. At least he had the comfort of knowing that he would die a hero's death. He wondered if his father, a legendary warrior, would be waiting to greet him on the other side, as Nord mythology taught.

Through a kind of haze, he saw Lilarcor poised high above Tuco's head, the blade itself giggling with glee as it anticipated bloodshed.

"I, on the third hand......am most definitely not bluffing."

The voice, coming from behind Tuco, was almost a snarl.

Tuco's face crumpled in puzzlement as he spun round to face Jordana, whom he'd temporarily forgotten about. Like Tuco himself, she levitated above the cavern floor, her hair whipping around her head as though caught in a strong breeze. Her eyes shone with a strange white light, and she held her hands out to either side of her in what seemed a ritual gesture. Static began to crackle in her upturned palms.

"You're no match for the power of Tuco, wench," said Tuco thickly. His only reply was an ominous smile as Jordana began chanting words Ryushi had never heard before under her breath. Tuco paused, trying to figure out what she was up to. It proved to be his undoing. As he hesitated, Ryushi lashed out with a foot and kicked him directly in the groin, where even Tuco was vulnerable (:ebil: ) As he doubled over, groaning in agony, Jordana's spell hit him in the chest with the force of Stendarr's hammer.

Tuco was spun around several times and knocked flat on his back. As shock lightning ripped through Tuco's body, Ryushi turned over onto his front and heaved himself out of the way.

"You didn't really think I was just going to stand by and let you murder Ryushi, did you?" came Jordana's voice, heavy with contempt. "I've learned a few things since you threw me out, Tuco."

Unable to speak, Tuco convulsed feebly on the floor as the devastating spell continued to do its work. Jordana raised her hands once more and fired a draining spell at him, just for good measure.

As Tuco's strength ebbed away, Ryushi somehow managed to gather his, pulling himself slowly back to his feet. He staggered over to stand beside Jordana, and she handed him her own long dagger, scooping up the one Exile had dropped for herself. They hefted their blades as one, and advanced on the pathetic form of their enemy.

Ryushi glanced down at the blade Jordana had given him, noticing it properly for the first time. "Keening," he noted with surprise. "I had it altered by Qorwynn," whispered Jordana, smiling. "You don't need Wraithguard to handle it any more." Already, Ryushi could feel Keening's powerful enchantments revitalising his health and magicka, equipping him for the battle ahead.

How fitting, Ryushi thought. The legendary dagger which had helped to end Dagoth Ur's reign of terror was now going to play its part in the defeat of the most evil and powerful dark lord since the Sharmat himself.

Tuco rallied slightly as they approached, hauling himself upright and making a grab for Lilarcor, but Jordana kicked his hand aside as Ryushi swung Keening. Blood spattered the faces of both Wood Elf and Nord as they hacked steadily at the insane demi-god.

Finally Tuco was driven back to the very edge of the lava. Sulphurous fumes blasted up beside him as he teetered on the brink of the pit.

Blood bubbled out of Tuco's mouth as he spoke from behind his mask.
"I will not beg for mercy," he spat. "Do what you must."

"The Star, Jordana," said Ryushi, urgently. "I have it ready," she replied, holding it upright before her and preparing her Soul Trap spell. Ryushi raised Keening for the final stroke, wrapping his fingers firmly around the handle. As he did so, he noticed Tuco's eyes, previously dulled, gleaming with a new yellow fire through the eyeholes of the Mask of Clavicus Vile. Jordana saw it too, turning towards Ryushi in alarm.

"I do still have one trick up my sleeve, heroes...." whispered Tuco. As the two companions watched in horror, Tuco held out his left hand, starting to cackle, and they instantly recognised the jewel glinting from his finger as the Ring of Helseth. Jordana almost dropped Azura's Star in despair. Using the Ring, Tuco would not only regenerate his health and energy rapidly, but any spell they tried to cast against him would simply rebound back onto the pair of them. Ryushi lowered Keening, wondering if, after everything they had come through, Tuco was destined to rule all of Morrowind after all.

At that moment, a seared and blackened hand shot up out of the lava and clamped itself around Tuco's ankle; Exile, horribly burnt, but clinging onto life just long enough to see his foe defeated at last. "I would have fought you both for his soul," rasped the dying Orc, "but it was not meant for me. Use it wisely......" and with that he pulled Tuco down once more into the lava with him. Tuco's final wail of defeat was cut off abruptly as he sank underneath the molten surface for the last time, and in the same instant, the purplish-green rings of Jordana's soul trap spell radiated outwards in a blinding flash.

Jordana sank wearily to the ground, clutching the now-shimmering Star tightly to her chest. "Well, we did it." she said, breathing heavily. "And now we own the most powerful artifact in the mortal plane!" she added, holding the Star up. "Well, two of the most powerful artifacts, actually," grinned Ryushi, holding Lilarcor in the air. "I grabbed it just as Tuco fell...shame to waste it, don't you think? Although," he added, as Lilarcor complained furiously about the abrupt change of ownership, "you may have to practise your "silencing" spells."

Leaning heavily on each other's shoulders, the two warriors made their way slowly out of the cave. "Put me down, you s'wit!" hissed Lilarcor. "I was Tuco's sword....I categorically refuse to be wielded by a big dumb Nord for the next fifty years." "Shut up!" snapped Ryushi and Jordana in unison. "Muzzle it, Pointy, unless you want to be melted down and reforged as a muck shovel," added Jordana threateningly. Lilarcor subsided immediately.

"Tuco is definitely gone for good this time, but I suppose we should call in the Mages Guild to place protective enchantments on this place....there's still a lot of raw power floating about in there. Could be dangerous." said Ryushi. "And of course, we still have to decide what to do with ol' Tuco himself.....think the Mournhold Museum of Artifacts has any free shelf space?"

Jordana grinned, but then became serious. "We should use the soul to make a twin blade for Lilarcor here...that should keep him happy. And it seems like a fitting tribute to Tuco. He may have been evil and mad, but he was the most powerful warrior of our time."

"The only question is.....which one of us gets to wield it?" They raised their eyebrows at each other......


(Ryushi? Over to you :) )