This is my first time Im writing a story (I have all stories in my mind)
Most of pictures I took specially for this story, but some are old.
Im sorry there are not enough pics.
Anyway, since this is my first time I doing something like that and my english is not the best in the world, please don't kick me too hard in the head
Sapphire's Wake
Part I: The expedition
..A few months has passed since Angelus Gladius and Martin Septim ended the threat of Mehrunes Dagon.
Life in Cyrodill were slowly restoring back to normal.
People of Kvatch worked hard to rebuld their ruined town with the help of Angelus Gladius, the Hero Of Kvatch himself. Unfortunately Angelus dissapeared without saying a word to anyone.
Mages Guild, with the new Archmage Ivius Terrius in the throne, became ever more powerfull than before.
Bruma guild was rebuild and necromancers, after Mannimarco's defeat went into hiding.
Many new members has joined the Mages Guild.
One of these new associates, were promising young sorceress named Adel
Ivius himself has sensed an incredible magical power, which Adel, unknowingly possesed.
Boring days of hard study has begun for Adel. Everyday, spent with dusty books and alchemical apparatus, Adel dreamed, that someday, she will become as great as Archmage Ivius.
* * * *
..It is so said, that every dream come true someday.
One day, Adel received an letter from new guild mistress of Bruma, Katarina Juliece.
Acording to the letter, Bruma guildhall has started an archaeological project for finding two legendary artifacts, known as Dreadweave Daes' Rakan swords.
Katarina and Archmage has found, that Adel's reputation as very intelligent, aswell as already quite powerfull wizard, could certainly join the honorable quest.
The Place is known to be located somewhere near Pilverfish River, close to the shore. Katarina said, its a Ayleid Ruins, non less!
Adel were shining! Thats quite an adventure!
Quickly packing some of her belongings, Adel, traveled to the Bruma.
* * * *
The cold, nordic town, despite Nord's reputation of beeing all brawlers and drunkards, were very quite and pleasant little town, with friendly folk.
New Guildhall, were much bigger and even had enchanting and spellmaking machines.
Adel opened the big door and stepped in..
-"Ah, you must be Adel Delierre?" -Said rather ugly and old breton woman, right after Adel stepped to the hall.
-"Yes, and you must be..guild mistress Katarina?" - Adel asked carefully.
-"That I am my dear, but..you must be really tired after such a trip!, why don't you take sleep and we will discuss everything tomorrow" - Katarina was very pleasant, caring woman.
Adel was really tired and couldn't say no to the healthy nap.
* * * *
Katarina showed Adel to her very own private room (such a honor!)
Adel dropped to the big bed like dead, so tired she was..
* * * *
"..The Messer and Secunda were big like never before in the night sky.
A cold, sharp wind, threatened to destroy even the mightiest of ancient forest trees.
A cold rain were like thousands of biting flies.
Adel were floating in the air, trying to cover from the evil rain and wind
She had no clothing.
Far in the west, Adel noticed a Dark Town
She tryed to float toward that town.
Adel could swear, that she didn't move a inch, rather Town itself has moved toward Adel.
Soon, Adel could see the town church and a castle.
The Town were dark and empty, but Adel heard screams and sounds of battle.
Adel was scared, she tryed to escape, but she couldn't move
She tryed to pray to the Nine, but god were silent.
Suddenly, the Town, the earth and the very atmosphere begun to shake.
Adel closed her eyes. She heard many whispers crying for help, but she couldn't help them..."
* * * *
Adel woke up in a warm and soft bed , cowered with cold sweat.. It was early morning in Bruma.
- "I was having a nightmares" - She sighned. - "Better forget this mad dream and begin our preparation"
Everyone were already waiting for her.
- "Good morning dear" - Greeted Katarina as Adel came down to the meeting room, she was very busy this morning. - "So, let us begin our meeting immediately!"
- "First, let me indroduce Adel Delierre, the Magician from the Arcane Academy" - Katarina introduced Adel to several mages in the room. Adel noticed a young mage with golden hair and dress, smiling at her.
-"Adel is very tallented sorceress, who came to aid us in out little expedition, with the blessings of Archmage himself" -Katarina continued.
Meeting continued for an hour.
* * * *
- "So, what do you say dear? A fascinating trip ahead! we will recover a legendary artifact and explore ancient ruins!" - Katarina smiled at Adel - "we are ready to leave any time son, but before you leave, let me give you a present" - Katarina asked Adel to follow her to the basement.
-" Aren't you going with us too? - Adel asked
- "Oh no! Im too old for this!"
Guild mistress opened a heavy door with a silver key and they stepped in the room, full of many books, soulgems and other curious items.
Katarina showed Adel a large display case with some black clothing in it.
- "This is The Black Skeleton suit of armor, made by great dunmer sorcerer Veram Xarr in Morrowind about nine years ago, or so I heard, so nothing ancient and mysterious here actually" - Katarina smiled - "It was enchanted before, but looks like enchantments are discharged now." - She opened the case and gave strange armor pieces to Adel.
- "I want you to take this, maybe you could enchant it later as you like, may it protect you well."
- "Thank you, guild mistress, this is very precious and expensive gift, I don't know if I can accept it!"
- "no, no, no! It will be better with you in your glorious adventures, rather than here, collecting dust!"
- "Thank You guild mistress" - Adel smiled.
* * * *
And so Adel and five fellow wizards left the town of Bruma to the southeast, to the Pilverfish river.
A golden haired lady and Adel quickly became friends. Unlike other four boring bookworm mages, Rhianna (that was her name) was cheerful and talked alot.
With such fine company, long trip ended rather quickly.
A few days, after their departure from Bruma, wizards finally arrived to the large, Ayleid ruins. The Pilverfish river, were cheerfully running nearby.
- "So, this is Ondo, the great ruins, where great artifacts are sealed.." - Rhianna whistled - "I wonder what kind of creeps are now living there."
- "I rather not think about any creeps" - A nightmare, that Adel seen that night, now came to mind when she looked upon the ancient ruins.
- "Are you ok?"- Rhianna moked Adel playfully -"Don't tell you are scared!"
- "Im NOT scared Rhianna, not at all, let us proceed inside."
* * * *
Company stepped inside the dark and dusty ruins. Ruins were seemingly empty and uninhabited.
The most annoying of all four mages, the old high elf Fionello, studied the big, dusty hall-
- "Here, we can clearly see four closed small rooms and a long corridor, closed with massive door.." -Altmer smelled the air -"Oh, did I mentioned undead presence here?"
Dehior, the Bosmer battlemage, touched the big door - "There is no way to open this one from here, I think there are some levers inside the smaller rooms..typical Ayleid engine" - So said, Dehior walked toward one of the rooms and kicked door open.
The thousands of years old dust has covered the hall when door, soundly opened.
- "Be carefull Dehior!"- said Rhianna -"Who knows what kind of monsters may lurk there!"
- "Bah! there is noth..." -But Dehior never finished the line, as skeletal hands has ripped his head off.
- "Ambush! damn undeads! I told you all there's undeads here!" - yelled Fionello and trowed a fireball toward the room, full of skeletons.
A few skeletons were torn apart by a Fionello's Fireball, but suddenly, skeletons started to appear from nowhere. The battle has begun.
The mage Bardo Sitirelle, was first to fall, as large skeleton reflected his Frost Blast spell back to Bardo, freezing him.
Fionello, despite his old age, fought rather well, untill was overwhelmed by countless bone abominatins and torn apart.
Adel was injured, though Katarina's armor, under her dress protected her from severing off her leg. The large skeleton champion, which killed Bardo, raised his gigantic halberd and was about to finish Adel off, when a crossbow bolt has explloded the head of skeleton champion -behind was healer Savron, crawling without legs and left hand, holding a crossbow in his remaining hand..he saved Adel and departed to the another dimenssion...
Rhianna appeared to be very powerfull sorceress herself. She finished the remaining skeletons with her lighting bolts and jumped toward Adel to heal her wound.
- "This is just..terrible, Adel, they appeared from nowhere!" - Rhianna started to cry - "Curse the damn artifact, curse Katarina's plan, damn it all! my friends are now dead! ...We should get out of here, untill we can!"
- "No Rhianna, I..I want to recover these blades, no matter what.." - Adel's decision was unexpected
- "Are you crazy!? You lost your mind! You seen our friends teared apart and all you can think of.. is some artifact!?" - Rhianna couldn't believe her.
- "Please, Rhianna, We can't give up! lets honour their deaths by finding what we came here for.."
- "..."
- "Fine, I go alone then" - Adel walked toward the large button in one of the infamous rooms and pressed it. The big iron gate, easilly opened..
- "Wait! I can't leave You here alone, I go too." - Rhianna approached Adel -"But you owe me!"
- "Ofcourse" - Adel smiled.
* * * *
The corridor led them to the bright and very cold halls.
- "Did you heard something" - Rhianna asked -"I could swear I heard some strange noises coming from that door" -She pointed at the door ahead.
- "Yes, in fact..." -Adel walked toward door and pressed button nearby. large troll jumped toward Adel, only to be burned to ashes by her Burning Hands spell.
- "That was close, but there must be more of these"
- "And lets hope we don't meet a clan mother troll, that would be worst than all these skeletons we just fought.." - Rhianna said.
However, only a few weak trolls disturbed their trip so far. Adel's summoned Daedroth quickly dealt with the beasts.
- "why didn't you summoned this thing when we fought these skeletons!? - Rhianna asked.
- "Because I had no power left in me, Im sorry I failed you all.."
- "Don't blame yourself Adel.."
Suddenly, Adel noticed a big hole in the wall, sealed by large boulders.
- "Well, we searched the whole ruins already and found nothing, I guess only unexplored place is behind these stones" - Said Adel
- "Order your daedra to clear out these boulders then" -Rhianna suggested
Daedroth easilly trowed boulders left and right, untill passage to cavern was clear.
- "After you m'lady" - Rhinna nervously jested.
The cave was much warmer than ruins and strong troll stench threatened to drive sorceresses mad.
- "Guess this is where these trolls came from" - said Rhianna, while covering her nose.
- "I hope these stories about Clan Mother were not true" - Adel said
- "Ofcourse they are!"
- "Hey! these...these swords! over there! look at the piedestal on the ground!" -Adel yelled like crazy and quickly approached the short piedestal near a small natural fountain.
The legendary twin blades, the Daes' Rakan swords were simply laying there! Adel took a sit to examinate the blades. The swords were made by legendary Ayleid smith, even after thousands of years, they still remained their sharpness and never knew a rust.
But as soon as Adel tryed to touch them, some incredible, invisible force trowed Rhianna to the air and smashed her toward the cave wall.
- "Rhianna!" - Adel grabbed the swords and runned up toward Rhianna. But she was breathless.. - "..She was right..what have I done!" - Adel wanted to trow swords away, but found that she couldn't.
Realising, that she have no strength to give up cursed swords, she started to move toward exit. she felt temperature of cave rising up and some invisible force following her.
She made it to the main exit when something made her stop for a moment and take a look behind. Something was there. Standing there near Adel. It was laughing....
Part II: Sapphire
It was peacefull night. A lone female in black clothing slowly walked in the Imperial City. At this time, streets were sleeping.
Woman left the main gates and walked across the bridge toward small village of Weye. The local fisherman, Aelwin Merowald was returning home from the inn where she spent night drinking.
Adel clinched her fists and looked at the drunk fisherman. Her eyes were full of hatered. Aelwin, seeing that a beautiful woman looking at him, greeted her -
- "Ooh , hiccup, well looh at dish! A fine lookin' lass hiccup..no less...are you loohing for a bed? I could shhhertainly offer...."
Without saying a word, Adel unsheathed her swords and severed Aelwin's left hand. Crazed from pain and not clearly understanding what happened to him, Aelwin cryed for help and runned toward his house.
Adel slowly moved after him, with a single spell, she easilly broke a lock and stepped inside the house.
- "What..why!? what have I done to you? please, if i insulted you..forgive me..please, stop cutting to pieces! - Aelwin started to mumble.
But Adel ignored him and with a single blow, sent him to another dimenssion
She took one last look at mutilated corpse of fisherman, before sheating the blades and leaving the house..
* * * *
Adel stepped inside the Weye inn. A sleeping inn owner didn't even noticed the blood on Adel's clothing. She was having a rough drinking night too and now just wanted to rest.
- "Ugh..just go on upstare and take a room, pay tomorrow.."
Adel Walked to her room and dropped to the bed, immediately falling asleep.
* * * *
She was wakened up by mysterious man in black robe and hood.
- "You sleep rather soundly for a murderer, That's good You'll need a clear conscience for what I'm about to propose" - said the man.
The man, was a speaker for the Dark brotherhood, seeing how Adel slaughtered poor fisherman, The dark Brotherhood took interest in Adel..
Adel listened to man's speech wihout saying a word.
- "....so, what do you say, Adel? will you consider joining the Brotherhood?"
But Adel was no more, the woman, standing in front of Brotherhood speaker, who slaughtered fisherman in cold blood, was Adel no more.
The cursed blades of Daes' Rakan has tainted her sould and possesed her body with the ancient spirit, the spirit known as Sapphire. A very little is known about this powerfull beeing, it is not certain if its of Ayleid origin.
Sapphire wasn't interested in serving any mortals, not even Dark Brotherhood..
She killed the speaker and took his robes. After thousands of years, reunited with her blades again, Sapphire was born
* * * *
After leaving the Inn, Sapphire moved to the southeast, toward Bravil, slaughtering anything that stand in her way. she entered the lone houses, killing the sleeping folk.On her way to Bravil, she entered an old Fort, inhabited by daedra cultists and wreaked a havoc, that mad cultists couldn't even dream about. She goes on killing rampage. The bodies were flying all over for fort.she caused incredible explosions. She was invincible.
Not a single soul has survived Sapphire's rampage.
When her bloodthirst was satisfied, something made her change her mind and visit rebuilding Kvatch instead of Bravil.
Fast as storm, Sapphire reached Kvatch just in a few hours, immideatly starting to slaughter people, still living in a tents.
Just when she begun to explode corpses,she suddenly started to feel weak. She dropped on her knees, realising, that daylight has approached and she had to leave Adel's body...for now.
* * * *
Adel woke up in a cold, filthy Skingrad prison.
- "where am I?" - Asked Adel herself - "What happened to me?"
She looked around, realising, that she is indeed in a prison.
- "I have to get outta here.."
She tryed to cast spell, but prison locks are made specially to be almost impossible to unlock with spells.
Adel searched her cell and found a rusted nail. By twisting a nail, she made a lockpick. The lock was complex, but Adel received some training from her good friend, security expert Hecerinde.
Just when she opened a door, a large, angry-looking jailor attacked her without warning. Adel, had to defend herself..
Quickly paralyzing him, she she grabbed a key and rushed toward the exit. The jail corridor and Jailor's office were empty, she easilly found emergency exit from the castle.
Adel carefully sneaked to the castle garden. But she wasn't very good sneak and was soon caught. Adel has no other choices, than use force- A magical force.
She sent one of the guards to the sky with a fireball and started to run from another approaching guard. Fortunately, the castle gates were opened and Adel appeareed in the large bridge, leading from the castle to the town.
With a telekinetic punch, she knocked down two gate guards and jumped from the bridge
* * * *
Adel runned, runned toward the forest, not knowing where. She just kept running. And while she runned, she started to remember all the yerstoday's horrors...
She didn't knew how long she runned. She found herself in the middle of forest. Was raining hard. Cold, hungry and tired, she couldn't move anymore.
Adel crossed her arms in hope to cover from the wind and rain...
To Be Continued..(doubtfully..)
A Pic by Luis Royo. Adel and this story are inspired by this pic.
The Dreadweave Daes' Rakan sword are made by Nicoroshi. Awesome job!
Edited by DS Divine, 12 May 2007 - 10:11 PM.
