Post by Armored Soul on Sept 12, 2012 13:41:19 GMT -7
Official Rules:
I think we all know how to work with each other by now. If not, I'll smack your butt. Got it? Yay~!
Whiterun of Whiterun Hold. It was the center of Tamriel's Skyrim and its hub for trading. But what kept it on the map was not its allegiance to the Empire; it was the Companions. The strongest-knit group of warriors had made Whiterun their home and erected Jorvaskrr as their living quarters. Most Companions shared rooms with others; but each member of the Circle, the highest ranked members of the Companions, had a room of their own. Forming the Circle were Aela the Huntress, Farkas and Vilkas, and the newly appointed Assiah the Cunning. The Khajiit had replaced Kodlak Whitemane as Harbinger of the Companions after the old man's murder. Some of the Companions, while they trusted in Kodlak, doubted an outsider's capabilities to lead. Assiah faced silent and verbal protests alike, but never faltered from her appointed position.
Assiah the Cunning hailed from Elsweyer like all other Khajiit. But unlike most others, she wanted more than a nomadic life trading moon sugar and skooma. The territorial civil war of Elsweyer hardened Assiah as she grew up, but she didn't want to stay, fight, and die with her people. She was taught the basics of war, gained experience on the battlefield, and without her family's knowledge, slipped away in the night to travel to Skyrim. It wasn't long before she discovered Skyrim was in a position much like her home. War between the Empire and a rebellion raged fiercely and had split the country nearly in half. Regardless, Assiah found a home in Whiterun. Living in a Hold occupied by the Empire brought propaganda, needless to say, but she was sure the same went for those who lived in Stormcloak territory. It didn't change day-to-day life in Whiterun for the Companions. People were still taken for ransom, bandits still occupied outlying caves and ruins, and the open terrain meant no end to problems with wild animals. The Companions were always busy with solving these troubles and always traveling, as their aid was enlisted all through Skyrim.
But when one Companion returned from the road claiming rumors of a dragon in Helgen, the Circle couldn't help but to doubt him. Dragons were things of old, monsters of stories told to younglings before bed. They didn't terrorize the skies of Tamriel now. Assiah wrote off the rumors as troublesome whispers started by children. She had much more real things to worry about. No day was ever laid-back for the Harbinger; this day was no exception. She'd received a letter from the Rift requesting aid with a bear problem at Sarethi Farm, north-east of Riften. Along with that, residents of the Pale were complaining of frostbite spiders and the Reach was plagued by emboldened bandits.
The sun was strong at its midday peak in the sky, but Assiah wasn't bothered by the heat. She needed fresh air to devise a strategy. She could not personally handle every request sent to the Companions -- she would if she could -- and so she needed to decide who would go to the Rift and who to the Pale while she traveled to the Reach. Unfortunately that decision would be more difficult than getting rid of a few bandits. There was no way to please all the Companions with whatever choice she made. But angering Njade Stonearm was something no one wanted to do. The Nord's temper was sharper than a war dog's bite, and forgiveness came slowly from her. she had yet to accept Assiah as the Companion's Harbinger.
"This one needs time to think," Assiah muttered under her breath, tail twitching with irritation. The day was slow and not yet over. If she was to keep herself calm, she needed time away from Jorvaskrr and the Companions. Perhaps a visit to the Drunken Huntsman would do her some good. The people of Whiterun politely greeted her as she passed by, but she could see the difference from how they treated Kodlak. Time was the only to tell if a Khajiit would be accepted as much as Nord. But the struggles she'd faced to get to where she was today assured her she never would be. It was no secret that Dark Elves, Wood Elves, and Khajiit were looked down upon by Nords; the natives of Skyrim didn't bother hiding their distaste.
"Good afternoon," Elrindir greeted when Assiah entered the Drunken Hunstman. She returned the Wood Elf's smile, whiskers flicking upwards with her lips. She and the brothers who ran the store and bar became fast friends in the city of Nords. "Looking for arrows?"
"Or a drink?" Anoriath came forward with a bottle of mead.
"Both, this one supposes," Assiah answered with her thick accent from Elsweyer, leaning on her forearms against the counter. She let out a sigh that sounded more like a disgruntled purr and accepted the mead from Anoriath.
"What's on your mind? More Nord troubles?" Elrindir's dark eyes narrowed, giving his face even more angles. Unlike his more laid-back brother, Elrindir's first solution to a problem was a fist; Anoriath preferred his words and quick wit.
"Aye. But nothing more than any other day. This one has thing to work out with the Companions. Three Holds to go to quickly and little time for a good decision." The Khajiit's ears drooped forward as she used her claws to pop the cork of the mead. Granted, it was Nordic mead, but the smell and taste were undeniably good. Elrindir brought out a few arrows for the Harbinger, who promptly took to looking them over.
"Sounds like a puzzle to me," Anoriath commented. "If you only need one person for each job, why not send Aela, Vilkas, and Farkas and you stay here? You can build a bond with the others over drinks and stories. What fighter doesn't enjoy that?"
"Or you could exert some force, use that mean face of yours, and tell them all you're the boss. Don't let them doubt you. And don't let them question you." Elrindir instantly provided a more forceful tactic.
"The Khajiit way is simple but Assiah has learned much in her travels and knows heartless solutions are not always best. But thinking also slows her down. This one wants to be a good Harbinger, just as Kodlak Whitemane was, but the Companions don't trust Assiah. They do not want this one. Self-doubt and self-reflection are not the Khajiit way. What is wrong with this one?" As she spoke, Assiah picked out fifty Dwarven arrows to fill her quiver, drank some of the mead, and handed Elrindir the gold for both. Her speech in the common tongue was rough compared to her fluency in the Khajiit tongue, but her question to her friends was honest. Khajiit were practically incapable of reflecting on their own actions, so getting someone else's opinion of her was her only choice. Anoriath and Elrindir knew this and were always honest with Assiah. This particular question, however, took them both my surprise. Neither one knew how to phrase the obvious answer.
"Well... Darling, look at us. We're outsiders in a Nord's city. No one likes us here. They're all just upset that you've proved them wrong and done what they thought you couldn't. Kodlak trusted you. He put you in charge, didn't he? And you've still got some friends in the Companions. We're your friends too."
"That's right," Elrindir spoke with vigor quickly after his brother. "And we've got all these weapons lying around if we ever need to remind these pople you're not to be taken lightly."
"You are good friends," Assiah smiled again, grateful for the kind words from both Wood Elves. Enjoying a bit more merriment with them wouldn't hurt before returning to Jorvaskrr and handing out jobs to the Companions.
I think we all know how to work with each other by now. If not, I'll smack your butt. Got it? Yay~!
Whiterun of Whiterun Hold. It was the center of Tamriel's Skyrim and its hub for trading. But what kept it on the map was not its allegiance to the Empire; it was the Companions. The strongest-knit group of warriors had made Whiterun their home and erected Jorvaskrr as their living quarters. Most Companions shared rooms with others; but each member of the Circle, the highest ranked members of the Companions, had a room of their own. Forming the Circle were Aela the Huntress, Farkas and Vilkas, and the newly appointed Assiah the Cunning. The Khajiit had replaced Kodlak Whitemane as Harbinger of the Companions after the old man's murder. Some of the Companions, while they trusted in Kodlak, doubted an outsider's capabilities to lead. Assiah faced silent and verbal protests alike, but never faltered from her appointed position.
Assiah the Cunning hailed from Elsweyer like all other Khajiit. But unlike most others, she wanted more than a nomadic life trading moon sugar and skooma. The territorial civil war of Elsweyer hardened Assiah as she grew up, but she didn't want to stay, fight, and die with her people. She was taught the basics of war, gained experience on the battlefield, and without her family's knowledge, slipped away in the night to travel to Skyrim. It wasn't long before she discovered Skyrim was in a position much like her home. War between the Empire and a rebellion raged fiercely and had split the country nearly in half. Regardless, Assiah found a home in Whiterun. Living in a Hold occupied by the Empire brought propaganda, needless to say, but she was sure the same went for those who lived in Stormcloak territory. It didn't change day-to-day life in Whiterun for the Companions. People were still taken for ransom, bandits still occupied outlying caves and ruins, and the open terrain meant no end to problems with wild animals. The Companions were always busy with solving these troubles and always traveling, as their aid was enlisted all through Skyrim.
But when one Companion returned from the road claiming rumors of a dragon in Helgen, the Circle couldn't help but to doubt him. Dragons were things of old, monsters of stories told to younglings before bed. They didn't terrorize the skies of Tamriel now. Assiah wrote off the rumors as troublesome whispers started by children. She had much more real things to worry about. No day was ever laid-back for the Harbinger; this day was no exception. She'd received a letter from the Rift requesting aid with a bear problem at Sarethi Farm, north-east of Riften. Along with that, residents of the Pale were complaining of frostbite spiders and the Reach was plagued by emboldened bandits.
The sun was strong at its midday peak in the sky, but Assiah wasn't bothered by the heat. She needed fresh air to devise a strategy. She could not personally handle every request sent to the Companions -- she would if she could -- and so she needed to decide who would go to the Rift and who to the Pale while she traveled to the Reach. Unfortunately that decision would be more difficult than getting rid of a few bandits. There was no way to please all the Companions with whatever choice she made. But angering Njade Stonearm was something no one wanted to do. The Nord's temper was sharper than a war dog's bite, and forgiveness came slowly from her. she had yet to accept Assiah as the Companion's Harbinger.
"This one needs time to think," Assiah muttered under her breath, tail twitching with irritation. The day was slow and not yet over. If she was to keep herself calm, she needed time away from Jorvaskrr and the Companions. Perhaps a visit to the Drunken Huntsman would do her some good. The people of Whiterun politely greeted her as she passed by, but she could see the difference from how they treated Kodlak. Time was the only to tell if a Khajiit would be accepted as much as Nord. But the struggles she'd faced to get to where she was today assured her she never would be. It was no secret that Dark Elves, Wood Elves, and Khajiit were looked down upon by Nords; the natives of Skyrim didn't bother hiding their distaste.
"Good afternoon," Elrindir greeted when Assiah entered the Drunken Hunstman. She returned the Wood Elf's smile, whiskers flicking upwards with her lips. She and the brothers who ran the store and bar became fast friends in the city of Nords. "Looking for arrows?"
"Or a drink?" Anoriath came forward with a bottle of mead.
"Both, this one supposes," Assiah answered with her thick accent from Elsweyer, leaning on her forearms against the counter. She let out a sigh that sounded more like a disgruntled purr and accepted the mead from Anoriath.
"What's on your mind? More Nord troubles?" Elrindir's dark eyes narrowed, giving his face even more angles. Unlike his more laid-back brother, Elrindir's first solution to a problem was a fist; Anoriath preferred his words and quick wit.
"Aye. But nothing more than any other day. This one has thing to work out with the Companions. Three Holds to go to quickly and little time for a good decision." The Khajiit's ears drooped forward as she used her claws to pop the cork of the mead. Granted, it was Nordic mead, but the smell and taste were undeniably good. Elrindir brought out a few arrows for the Harbinger, who promptly took to looking them over.
"Sounds like a puzzle to me," Anoriath commented. "If you only need one person for each job, why not send Aela, Vilkas, and Farkas and you stay here? You can build a bond with the others over drinks and stories. What fighter doesn't enjoy that?"
"Or you could exert some force, use that mean face of yours, and tell them all you're the boss. Don't let them doubt you. And don't let them question you." Elrindir instantly provided a more forceful tactic.
"The Khajiit way is simple but Assiah has learned much in her travels and knows heartless solutions are not always best. But thinking also slows her down. This one wants to be a good Harbinger, just as Kodlak Whitemane was, but the Companions don't trust Assiah. They do not want this one. Self-doubt and self-reflection are not the Khajiit way. What is wrong with this one?" As she spoke, Assiah picked out fifty Dwarven arrows to fill her quiver, drank some of the mead, and handed Elrindir the gold for both. Her speech in the common tongue was rough compared to her fluency in the Khajiit tongue, but her question to her friends was honest. Khajiit were practically incapable of reflecting on their own actions, so getting someone else's opinion of her was her only choice. Anoriath and Elrindir knew this and were always honest with Assiah. This particular question, however, took them both my surprise. Neither one knew how to phrase the obvious answer.
"Well... Darling, look at us. We're outsiders in a Nord's city. No one likes us here. They're all just upset that you've proved them wrong and done what they thought you couldn't. Kodlak trusted you. He put you in charge, didn't he? And you've still got some friends in the Companions. We're your friends too."
"That's right," Elrindir spoke with vigor quickly after his brother. "And we've got all these weapons lying around if we ever need to remind these pople you're not to be taken lightly."
"You are good friends," Assiah smiled again, grateful for the kind words from both Wood Elves. Enjoying a bit more merriment with them wouldn't hurt before returning to Jorvaskrr and handing out jobs to the Companions.