Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25828117-20200201220132/@comment-5583506-20200204220402

As soon as morning had broken, Shaltaire made her way out of the garrison and made sure that she was well out hearing and the sight from the others. She then called upon the magical energies from her pendant. The very air around her seemed to spring to life until there suddenly was a stillness around her. A puft of smoke that formed around her, shifted and molded into a magical mirror of far-seeing through which she could see and hear whomever she sought to contact.

A young Khajiit man with pale fur appeared before her; his blurry shape fluttering as if she saw him through a stream of milky water.

He crossed his arms and observed her expectantly. "Shaltaire", he said. "It has been a while since you last reported in. What news do you bring?"

"Well, we believe that we found ... the group in question."

"Oh?" This seemed to intrigue the man and he leaned closer through the smoking mirror. "And have you figured them out yet? What is their purpose? Whom do they serve?"

"We ... do not know yet. They have been very secretive about their motives. Especially the priestess who leads them."

"Priestess?" the man inquired. "Hmm, yes. This one does believe that he heard of such rumors. We just need to confirm that it is truly them. A lot of missionaries skulking about in these troubled times. Do you know where you are headed next?"

"Narsis", the little Alfiq said.

"Hmm. This one might lend a paw. It depends on the political climate. The Laumer are not to be crossed." He looked up from his moment of reflection. "What became of your little inquiry in the north?"

"Oh, there were some ... complications", she lamented. "We could not remain. And what happened afterwards, we would rather not speak of. It is of little matter now."

"Understood. Then all you have to do is to keep a keen eye on this ... group of yours. If you can confirm that it is truly the same as was reported in Tenmaru, this one wants you to contact him immediately. Understood?"

"As soon as we are sure that we are all alone", Shaltaire nodded.

"Good."

"They may ... suspect something though. Well, some of them might. It is clear that they are suspicious of us."

"That's not good at all", the Khajiit man said and stroke his fuzzy cheek. "Can they be trusted?"

"Again, some of them might", Shaltaire offered. "Most of them seem to be of loyal and stabile personality. Then there are those whom we might consider to be of dubious nature."

"Oh?" the man crossed his arms again and looked at Shaltaire expectantly. "Anyone of particularly noteworthy identities?"

"Well, there is ... a shadow man who goes by the name of Midnight. A rather unpleasant and rowdy Altmer who goes by the name of Scaldor. A Khajiit fire mage who goes by the name of Shrava. While not suspicious per se, she is definitely too keen for her own good. She does not trust us. And then there is ... Kashya. Without a doubt an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood. We did not need to look into her thoughts to figure that much out. We believe that she might be the Mockingbird, but we have no solid proof yet."

"The Mockingbird of Corinthe and Senchal?" the pale Khajiit man said askinglyt and raised an eyebrow. "Are you pulling this one's tail? Whatever would she be doing with a group like that? That certainly brings this one to question their purpose and morality."

Shaltaire shrugged. "We do not know. While we could find out, it would be too great of a risk to use our powers to root the answers out by magic. We would rather they confide in us and share their secrets built upon bonds of trust."

"This one understands", the man said with a short nod. "This one trusts in your abilities, Shaltaire, as he always has. You have not let him down so far, so he has no doubt that you will be successful in our endeavour."

"Thank you", Shaltaire purred. "We always try our best."

"Narsis then?" he said. "It will certainly be disputed territory, but this one will see what he can do to aid you in your efforts. He hopes that you will have some straight answers for him before you reach your intended destination."

"There is more", Shaltaire said.

"Oh?"

"Before we met them, we were imprisoned by a circus and brought to Cyrodiil."

The man had a funny look on his face. "A circus? Why did you not just use your powers and escape?" he shrugged with a chuckle. "This one knows you are more powerful than you look."

Shaltaire did not appreciate the snarky comment, but merely hid it with a frown. "Enchanted chains with magic dampening abilites", she said sheepishly. "Seems like we might have used her powers a little too frivolously in Northpoint for them to figure us out. We couldn't free herself, but that is besides the point. It's what happened then that is important; on our way through Cyrodiil we were attacked."

The pale Khajiit cocked his head. "Attacked?"

"Yes. By a group of vampiric knights. We have never seen anything like their ilk before. They did not shrug away from the sunlight, even though plenty of them fell to it. And they were not affected by having their limbs cut off."

The man got a concerned look on his face. "Vampire knights? In broad Cyrodiilic sunlight?" He shook his head. "The world has gone mad this one says. It feels as if everything is just about to unravel. Foul times indeed."

"Indeed", Shaltaire lamented. "That is how we encountered them. We know that you set us up to the task beforehand, to locate them, but then we got a little sidetracked and ..."

The man smiled and motioned for her to be silent. "This one understands. So where were you off to this time? Before ending up in Northpoint?"

"Remember the day we returned from Alinor? And taught you that trick with the apple?" Shaltaire inquired.

The man cracked an even bigger smile. "No way", he chuckled. "You were ... you just came from here then?"

Shaltaire nodded.

The man just shook his head in disbelief. "So many years ago, Shaltaire. That gift of yours ... It's enough to mess with Khajiit's head." He looked at her, still smiling. "This one misses you, Shaltaire. As soon as your mission is over you may return to Torval. Ask this one of anything and it shall be yours, within reason of course."

Shaltaire slightly bowed with her head. "We have no need for gifts, but we will return the same. As soon as our mission is concluded."

"Until then, my friend", the man said, nodding with his head in reverance. "Report back as soon as you have confirmed their identity and purpose. Farewell."

The smoking mirror faded back into the puft from which it had formed and was swiftly scattered by the wind, leaving no trace of either the mirror or the man inside of it.

Shaltaire smiled slightly. "Farewell, Your Holiness."