Hector the Hooded

"Allow me to start by saying I do not repeat myself. Pay attention, my young pupil, or you may find your knowledge lacking in the days to come."
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"267 years ago I signed up for the Imperial Legion. I dreamt of being a solider since I was a small boy, and I was overjoyed once I was enlisted. I assure you, things are not always as they seem. Corruption, bribery, extortion, murder, cover ups - these are just a few things that the "Noble" Imperial Legion loved to whet its beak in. By Dagon's third Arm, my superior owned and ran a legalized brothel!"

"Now, the assignments....those I enjoyed. Brutality was not frowned upon, nor excessive force. I excelled in those categories. Promotion after promotion, raise after raise. My lust for power was above all..... insatiable. Citizen after citizen learned my name and knew to hide once the saw my heavily decorate cape, my war axe and battered armor."

"My superior officer had arranged a hit on me by the Brotherhood. He feared my lust for power would eventually make me set my sights on his position. He was right. However, years in the legion and even more training for the legion gave me skills needed to prevail. However, I was not prepared to kill a female. Even an assassin. Metal clung, curses flew, blood spilled. I was, of course, eventually victorious....however as I prepared do make a final blow she muttered but a single phrase over and over. To the void we all shall go. Bone chilling. In a moment of hesitation and comprehsion of what she was saying I neglected to see her Stiletto. She drove it into my knee. This sent me into a enraged state, in which I not I only killed her, I mutilated her. The eyes. Chest. Fingers. Toes. When I was done... she couldn't even be distingushed as a human anymore."

"I pulled the stiletto out of my knee and manage to climb into a chair. Using the remains of my shirt, I fashioned a bandage and with some basic healing knowledge I disinfected the wound. I wasn't done. I climbed up the ladder in the hallway to my so called "superior's" room and found him sound asleep. I whispered into his ear, "No one fucks with me" and drove the stiletto through his jaw, upwards into his brain."

More to come.....

Chapter One - The component

"Guard, I demand free passage into the Library" Hector Said. "I'm sorry, I am not allowed to give authorization, you will have to take this up with the guard who watches the door" The guard replied with a grimace. "Fine, I shall see him myself." Hector said.

They silent echos off footsteps where the only thing to be heard this early morning.

"Guard, I demand passage! Let me through or I will go through you!" Hector stated. "Do not demand anything of the watch, or you shall be struck down or arrested." "I will ask you once more, and that is all. I am a neutral in my disposition, really, but frankly you are preventing in reaching the Elder Scrolls library, so, Let me in!" Hector boomed. "Hmm.... No. No way. Not now, not ever." The guard said with a smirk. "I walk the path of Grey, I'm not a violent person...... however, in this case, you are preventing me from reaching my goal, so I will have to be." Hector said, with resignation, "No-..........................." "Sorry. Enjoy your stay in the Void." Hector said with a voice so cold it could freeze the Dragon Fires.

After three days of constant searching, no records of the birth of this Usurper or her blood relatives, only of her recently deceased adoptive parents.

"Nothing! Not a Damn thing! Akatosh be damned!" Hector yelled. "Ah, wait what is this? "Documentation of Castle Dunkerlore? Hector pondered. "Ahh... we have a name, Sia, now all we need is a face....." Hector thought. "Perfect now I just...... whats this? A daughter? "I may have to locate her to, Sithis willing, I won't have to kill her..." Hector pondered.

"I had better write this down, oh? What this? That is intresting, very intresting......" Hector began to write.

"Hmmm......" Hector thought, as the wind blew a silouhuette that carried an unnatrual essence of Magicka. "It smells like it is coming from the north...." The wind blew a unique scent that most would not notice. "Ah.....Fort Homestead. An odd name for a place filed with rats and bandits. And what I'm looking for." Hector said aloud, to himself. "I suppose I'm off to the gray brick road." Speaking to the birds.

A dectant place, full of bandits and other creatures just as foul. It would have been nice to see the Fort Homestead, when it was homey.

"The lingering scent of your undeath is foul and unique, ghost." Hector said to the specter. "Stay there, and I will rid you of your unlife and send you to the void." Hector said with a voice so cold it would freeze over Vvardenfell. "You can't kill what doesn't bleed, ghost!" Hector boomed! "Foooolllisshhhh waaarrrmmmmmmm bloooooodddd!" Replied the Ghostly warrior. "Have it your way, f'lah." Hector said.

The ghost struggled to pull its sword from Hectors body.

"Farewell, specter!" Hector said. And with that, the Ghost was sent to the void.

Now, to enter the halls of Homestead.

"No point in talking to half a man....." Hector chuckled. "I'm ass-uming that was your better half?" Hector voice echoed through the stone halls. "Well, you left quite a mess." Hector thought.

Further through the halls Hector marched, cutting down those who struck him, leaving those who didn't alone, always walk the path of Grey.

"Care to dance?" Hector laughed.

The halls grew silent, as did its inhabitants.

"Yahhh!" Bellowed from the Argonian, trying to the jump on hector. "Turn around!" Screamed the Argonian., "Why? So you can threaten me with your almighty Dwemer knife?" Hector said cold as can be. "How did you- bah nevermind, you won't see this one!" The Argonian drew his bow. "Bah. An arrow? And a Dagger? Come now, surely you can do better than that Hatchling." "What did you call me? Wa- why are you still standing! You should be dead!" The Argonian cried. "That which does not bleed cannot die. Please, surrender and I will leave, or fight and you will sleep in the Void." "No! Die!" the Argonian cried.

Hector broke his neck.

"May you sleep well, in the Void." Hector said, walking away.

Things were far to silent for the unatural aura of Homestead.

"Where could you be?" Hector thought. "Looking for something?" A large nord woman said. "Actually yes, could you help me find it?" Hector said, already knowing there would be a large amount of bloodshed. "No, but we can help loot your corpse!" As she said this, the mage droped the invisibilty spell, over the group of greed consumed bandits. "I already know where this is going to lead, but I will give you a chance. Surrender." Hector said. "A nord male replied with "Ha! Ye will be buried here! If you ask nice, we may keep you away from the rats. Maybe." And with that the nord advanced. "

Hector cut him down with one swift movement.

"Enjoy the fall." Hector said.

Hector cut down the mob, one, by one.

"Come on, I smell you Hatchling! Come now, surrender and meet my mercy." Hector said. "No-ver. You....You monster! You...You've killed them all! You.....must fall" The Argonian charged. "They struck first, as did you." Hector said as the Argonians lifeless corpse slumped to the ground, with its head astray.

With the mob dead, Hector was free to find what he seeked.

"Where in the Void could this thing be?!" Hector yelled. "Why, nowhere its.......what is......ah.....the Hatchling's Dwemer dagger did have a unique piece! Bah. He probably though this was a soulgem!"Said Hector, only the rats could hear him.

The process began.

"Ah, I enjoy the scent of the Arboretum! Smells....so diffrent than the void, smells of life." Hector thought. Taking the component in hand, casting a heat spell on it and placing the neccesary ingredints beside the component, Hector placed his sword on the old Ayleid stone and got to work.

Should the forging of the component go as planned, the magicka essence of the mushroom and potion should be siphoned into the newly forged blade.

"Now, I must wait. Wait for Sithis to inform me of what to do next ."
Hector thought as the fog settled in.

Both Screenshooting Guides from Shadow' and Divine Avenger, along with Other Useful Tips and Tricks with contributions from Floydian1, trollf, Badmagic, Gadar, Spike, and an ever-growing list of others, have been moved to a separate thread:

Click Here for Screenshooting Guides and Other Useful Tips and Tricks

Click Here for Generating Faces in Oblivion: A Compilation of Guides, Tips and Tricks from the Community

Some Specific Posting Guidelines (in "addition" to all the ones Spellhold Studios already require)
Welcome! This thread encourages people's feedback about whatever is posted here. However, any criticism of presented screenies, character ideas, stories, etc., should be very specific and constructive. This kind of criticism is a great way for us to learn and improve our skills.

However, due to some extreme and abusive criticism around the time of our 50th (original) thread (which was thankfully cleared out by a moderator), it became necessary to post the following:

NO criticism should be directed at the PERSON - only at his or her WORK.

Also, whatever criticism is presented, it should NOT be negative in general terms - such as, "That screenie is really lame." This type of non-specific criticism only insults and does not provide any help whatsoever. Or even worse, this kind of criticism: "You are a silly man with a silly idea." If you really must say something negative to someone outside of this simple "code", keep it off this thread!

Another bottom line rule on this thread we have learned over time: If you find a post really offensive, REPORT IT AND IGNORE IT! The moderators know how to quickly deal with any such situation, and will remove any offensive posts, if they are actually offensive. Arguing or making demands regarding the post, invariably ends up worsening the situation, and can even result in all involved parties getting a warning.

Also, some posts can be too vague and subject to interpretation - so please word your posts very clearly to avoid any misunderstandings, especially if they are critical in nature.

Regarding receiving comments or not receiving comments to your post:
Comments are hit or miss on this very fast moving thread. This thread moves so FAST that it is hard for lots of us to comment on peeps' screenies. So many, if not most screenies may appear to go unnoticed, because no comments occur. I am sure many of us have worked hard on something, and it appears to just fly by the pages, because of this very popular thread. Many of us try to take time to comment because it is fun to give others feedback and generally seems appreciated. But often no one does. If you really feel like it always happens that your post is ignored, ask a question about it. Whenever you directly ask about something, it is almost always answered by someone. Or even repost it - and point something out about it that you like or want feedback on.

And the best way to get comments? Positively, constructively/specifically comment on others work too!

Alright! Glad that is out of the way. Have fun and thanks for your contribution to this thread!

(Written by greatfool1 with direction from other contributors to this thread. Please PM greatfool1 if you do not agree with any part(s) of this.)

P.S. Winner of the most frequently given tip to new screenshooters, and deserving to be mentioned in the op:
To get rid of the HUD (Menu), use the console command "~", then "TM" to Toggle Menu Off/On.

And the runner up may be: How to add a caption and get rid of ImageShack Ads/the Golden Frog, etc. Also, may be applicable for ridding other sites' ads.
One more: A short summary post of how to do an action screenshot.

New as of SHS Thread #1

A new feature, to the POOC Thread, is the attachment function for posting. Images up to 512kb can be attached in your post =)

Prior thread (#5) here

Both Screenshooting Guides from Shadow' and Divine Avenger, along with Other Useful Tips and Tricks with contributions from Floydian1, trollf, Badmagic, Gadar, Spike, and an ever-growing list of others, have been moved to a separate thread:

Click Here for Screenshooting Guides and Other Useful Tips and Tricks

Click Here for Generating Faces in Oblivion: A Compilation of Guides, Tips and Tricks from the Community

Some Specific Posting Guidelines (in "addition" to all the ones Spellhold Studios already require)
Welcome! This thread encourages people's feedback about whatever is posted here. However, any criticism of presented screenies, character ideas, stories, etc., should be very specific and constructive. This kind of criticism is a great way for us to learn and improve our skills.

However, due to some extreme and abusive criticism around the time of our 50th (original) thread (which was thankfully cleared out by a moderator), it became necessary to post the following:

NO criticism should be directed at the PERSON - only at his or her WORK.

Also, whatever criticism is presented, it should NOT be negative in general terms - such as, "That screenie is really lame." This type of non-specific criticism only insults and does not provide any help whatsoever. Or even worse, this kind of criticism: "You are a silly man with a silly idea." If you really must say something negative to someone outside of this simple "code", keep it off this thread!

Another bottom line rule on this thread we have learned over time: If you find a post really offensive, REPORT IT AND IGNORE IT! The moderators know how to quickly deal with any such situation, and will remove any offensive posts, if they are actually offensive. Arguing or making demands regarding the post, invariably ends up worsening the situation, and can even result in all involved parties getting a warning.

Also, some posts can be too vague and subject to interpretation - so please word your posts very clearly to avoid any misunderstandings, especially if they are critical in nature.

Regarding receiving comments or not receiving comments to your post:
Comments are hit or miss on this very fast moving thread. This thread moves so FAST that it is hard for lots of us to comment on peeps' screenies. So many, if not most screenies may appear to go unnoticed, because no comments occur. I am sure many of us have worked hard on something, and it appears to just fly by the pages, because of this very popular thread. Many of us try to take time to comment because it is fun to give others feedback and generally seems appreciated. But often no one does. If you really feel like it always happens that your post is ignored, ask a question about it. Whenever you directly ask about something, it is almost always answered by someone. Or even repost it - and point something out about it that you like or want feedback on.

And the best way to get comments? Positively, constructively/specifically comment on others work too!

Alright! Glad that is out of the way. Have fun and thanks for your contribution to this thread!

(Written by greatfool1 with direction from other contributors to this thread. Please PM greatfool1 if you do not agree with any part(s) of this.)

P.S. Winner of the most frequently given tip to new screenshooters, and deserving to be mentioned in the op:
To get rid of the HUD (Menu), use the console command "~", then "TM" to Toggle Menu Off/On.

And the runner up may be: How to add a caption and get rid of ImageShack Ads/the Golden Frog, etc. Also, may be applicable for ridding other sites' ads.
One more: A short summary post of how to do an action screenshot.

New as of SHS Thread #1

A new feature, to the POOC Thread, is the attachment function for posting. Images up to 512kb can be attached in your post =)

Prior thread (#4) here

Both Screenshooting Guides from Shadow' and Divine Avenger, along with Other Useful Tips and Tricks with contributions from Floydian1, trollf, Badmagic, Gadar, Spike, and an ever-growing list of others, have been moved to a separate thread:

Click Here for Screenshooting Guides and Other Useful Tips and Tricks

Click Here for Generating Faces in Oblivion: A Compilation of Guides, Tips and Tricks from the Community

Some Specific Posting Guidelines (in "addition" to all the ones Spellhold Studios already require)
Welcome! This thread encourages people's feedback about whatever is posted here. However, any criticism of presented screenies, character ideas, stories, etc., should be very specific and constructive. This kind of criticism is a great way for us to learn and improve our skills.

However, due to some extreme and abusive criticism around the time of our 50th (original) thread (which was thankfully cleared out by a moderator), it became necessary to post the following:

NO criticism should be directed at the PERSON - only at his or her WORK.

Also, whatever criticism is presented, it should NOT be negative in general terms - such as, "That screenie is really lame." This type of non-specific criticism only insults and does not provide any help whatsoever. Or even worse, this kind of criticism: "You are a silly man with a silly idea." If you really must say something negative to someone outside of this simple "code", keep it off this thread!

Another bottom line rule on this thread we have learned over time: If you find a post really offensive, REPORT IT AND IGNORE IT! The moderators know how to quickly deal with any such situation, and will remove any offensive posts, if they are actually offensive. Arguing or making demands regarding the post, invariably ends up worsening the situation, and can even result in all involved parties getting a warning.

Also, some posts can be too vague and subject to interpretation - so please word your posts very clearly to avoid any misunderstandings, especially if they are critical in nature.

Regarding receiving comments or not receiving comments to your post:
Comments are hit or miss on this very fast moving thread. This thread moves so FAST that it is hard for lots of us to comment on peeps' screenies. So many, if not most screenies may appear to go unnoticed, because no comments occur. I am sure many of us have worked hard on something, and it appears to just fly by the pages, because of this very popular thread. Many of us try to take time to comment because it is fun to give others feedback and generally seems appreciated. But often no one does. If you really feel like it always happens that your post is ignored, ask a question about it. Whenever you directly ask about something, it is almost always answered by someone. Or even repost it - and point something out about it that you like or want feedback on.

And the best way to get comments? Positively, constructively/specifically comment on others work too!

Alright! Glad that is out of the way. Have fun and thanks for your contribution to this thread!

(Written by greatfool1 with direction from other contributors to this thread. Please PM greatfool1 if you do not agree with any part(s) of this.)

P.S. Winner of the most frequently given tip to new screenshooters, and deserving to be mentioned in the op:
To get rid of the HUD (Menu), use the console command "~", then "TM" to Toggle Menu Off/On.

And the runner up may be: How to add a caption and get rid of ImageShack Ads/the Golden Frog, etc. Also, may be applicable for ridding other sites' ads.
One more: A short summary post of how to do an action screenshot.

New as of SHS Thread #1

A new feature, to the POOC Thread, is the attachment function for posting. Images up to 512kb can be attached in your post =)
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Welcome, one and all, to a new beginning for the picture thread, welcome, and may you enjoy your stay!