(Daedalus)

IC: K'Larn (Narsis - The Lucky Guar)

In a back corner of The Lucky Guar, a lone Khajiit sat slouched in a chair, his legs stretched out, his arms crossed on his chest, his head back, and his eyes closed. His race and his position in the establishment would probably lead many to assume he was of the less desirable sort, the kind who would either snatch you coin purse, mug you in a dark alley, or kill you. Maybe even all three. None of those were accurate, of course, but that was the nature of things... well, pretty much everywhere.

For his part, K'Larn didn't really care what others thought of him. Truth was, he had long ago accepted the fact that people would automatically assume he was a thief, which, sadly, wasn't exactly untrue. He was a member of the Thieves' Guild, and he stole things for a living. But at least with the guild, it was structured and he rarely stole from the "common man." Didn't really make it any less wrong, but it did make his stealing less detrimental.

The things you tell yourself to assuage your guilt, K'Larn thought with a barely perceptible smile.

"Sorry I'm late."

K'Larn had heard the Imperial approach, but he didn't open his eyes until Diron spoke. Diron was a fellow guild member and his superior. He made sure K'Larn was providing the Thieves' Guild with a steady supply of ill-gotten gains and occasionally gave him special tasks. He was normally a grim man; he didn't appear to have a sense of humor. Today was no different, though he did look a little pale.

"We didn't have a specific meeting time, Diron," K'Larn said, maintaining his slouched position. "We never do. Just specific days."

Diron rubbed his forehead. "Right. I know. Anyway."

He paused for a long moment and his eyes unfocused. What was wrong with him?

"Are you well?" K'Larn asked, straightening in his chair.

Diron blinked twice, refocusing his eyes.

"Yes," he said quickly. He licked his lips and rubbed his forehead again. "Sorry. I... I haven't slept well the last few days."

"Well, you look horrible."

Diron took a deep breath and waved his hand. "I'm sure I do, but that's not what we're here for. Look, I've got something I want you to look into. You know Hoarders' Retreat, about a day north of here?"

K'Larn nodded. "Popular with less-than-legal trade, from what I understand. Some group will set up there for a few days or weeks, and then they move on or are encouraged to do so by nearby authorities."

Diron nodded--impatiently, it seemed to K'Larn--and said, "Exactly. Well, it would seem a group has moved in just recently. Decent looking crew. Probably have something valuable. I want you to check it out, see if you can get anything interesting."

"How did you hear about this?" K'Larn asked.

"I saw the group moving in the last of their items. A big, long chest of some kind."

"So... why didn't you stick around and scout the place out yourself?"

The pause that followed led K'Larn to think that something weird was going on. Diron almost looked like he hadn't thought of such a question being asked.

Diron cleared his throat and blinked. "I... have my own task. Here in Narsis. I couldn't, I couldn't stay and do it, or... I would have."

K'Larn leaned forward. "Are you sure you are well? That it's not just sleep deprivation bothering you?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Diron snapped, standing up. "I expect to hear back from you a week from today. You better have something good, or a good reason if you don't."

And with that, Diron quickly left The Lucky Guar.

K'Larn didn't like the way Diron was acting, but he wasn't in a position to refuse an assignment, not after he'd come up empty the last time. Looked like he was on his way to Hoarders' Retreat.

Stealing from thieves. He could do that.

I wouldn't think they have a specific main HQ; back in Vvardenfell, they didn't have such a place, and operated without one. My presumption would be that a similar system exists on the mainland, with operatives contacting each other and cooperating with each other without a central main base, but favouring certain cornerclubs and such as meeting places.

-Dovydas

Got it. That makes sense.

IC: Von Worten (Host's Office)

I nodded at Maccha Yellow's words.

"I fear he is correct, though I would also be willing to accompany you."

I know the Thieves' Guild is weak--it says as much in the lore post--but if they are still strong enough to provide competition for the Camonna Tong, I don't think it's too far fetched to believe that they have an HQ, even if it's small.

Added "Magical Abilities: None."

Quick question: where is the Thieves' Guild headquartered? Does it even have a headquarters anymore?

IC: Von Worten (Host's Office)

"Increased involvement on your part would, I think, greatly help raise the general opinion of you. I... tend to get lost in here," I said tapping my head, "but even I could not miss the disdain directed toward you."

I think I managed to avoid doing anything too noobish simply because I was incredibly cautious when I joined. I was a lurker for some time, and when I finally did join, I took things slowly (and asked my brother a loooot of questions about how stuff worked). I do, however, remember double posting a short story once because I forgot that when you click "Post" and it goes to an error page, you're not supposed to go back and click "Post" again (is that even still a problem?). Well, I did, and I ended up with two topics. It was a simple matter to correct, thankfully.

IC: Daedalus Drachoren (Engineering Sector)

"For a few minutes at the least, I'm afraid," Daedalus said sincerely. "He wants to take care of something, or so I've gathered."

Hey look, I decided to stop being lazy and, you know, actually make a profile. I hammered this out and didn't bother to do any editing, so if there's something wrong with it, that's why.

Name: K'Larn

Age: 30

Appearance: K'Larn, a Suthay standing at 5 feet and 3 and a half inches, has a thin coat of reddish-brown fur that reveal the black stripes on the top of his head and down his back. He is muscular in a wiry sort of way; he doesn't look intimidating, but he can throw a mean punch. He bears no scars or any other indicators of a rough life. He is often seen wearing leather armor and he occasionally dons a hood.

Gender: Male.

Race: Khajiit (Suthay, to be specific).

Loyalties/Factions: Thieves' Guild.

Abilities and Skills: Decent at close range combat, in which he prefers to use his natural claws as weapons. He is also proficient with the short bow at short and medium ranges. He is also fast and flexible, which helps him stay alive in fights due to his limited armor. This also helps him use his bow in close range fights. He occasionally dabbles in alchemy.

Magical Abilities: None.

Weapons: Two long daggers, a short bow, and a twenty arrow quiver on his lower back.

Equipment: Simple black leather armor, with additional hardened leather vambraces K'Larn sometimes uses for extra protection when fighting with his claws. A black hood. A small pack for storage of his hood, vambraces, a broken pipe, and items he steals.

Personality: Fairly easygoing, K'Larn tries to think positively. Negativity annoys him. He is not particularly fond of his occupation--her never steals for fun, only for contracts--but he makes the best of it. He doesn't like violence, but neither is he afraid to employ it to protect himself or, in some cases, others. He is not assertive and would rather avoid difficult decisions. He likes to have fun but will not touch alcohol for any reason whatsoever. Some of his fellow guild members even tease him for refusing to steal a bottle of expensive wine for a client, though he will not deny or confirm the validity of this claim.

Weaknesses: While he is a decent fighter, he is not a great one, and he is easily outmatched. His lack of substantial armor could prove to be detrimental to his health. He has been accused several times of being apathetic, which is not entirely untrue.

Biography: K'Larn's parents were brought to Morrowind as slaves. An Imperial soldier living in Morrowind spent quite a bit of money to purchase them, only to turn around and offer them freedom. The grateful Khajiit offered to stay on as household help in exchange for room and board, as well as the freedom to take the odd day off for themselves. The Imperial family agreed. K'Larn's parents proved to be trustworthy and effective. K'Larn was the Khajiit couple's second child, and he was raised in the Imperial family's home until the Oblivion Crisis. The family decided to leave Morrowind, while K'Larn's parents decided to stay.

Unfortunately, both of his parents died during the Argonian invasion following the Red Year. K'Larn and his older sister staid together for some time afterward, but difficulties with the Dunmer drove his sister to leave Morrowind. K'Larn tried to earn an honest living, but this proved difficult. Eventually, his only option was to use his natural abilities for the Thieves' Guild. He hopes to one day leave the guild, but for now, he is respected as a good, if not great, thief.

IC: Von Worten

"Yes," I said, wiping at a tear that had settled on the corner of my mouth. "The Queen believed it to be one of those eight gems, a possibility I think likely. It was... odd to see one so powerful so afraid." I drummed my fingers on my book. "To be honest, I find it difficult to understand how such a gem could be used unless the gem itself allowed it, or, in this gem's case, if the Queen was able to dominate it."

I looked down at my book and my voice dropped nearly to a whisper. "I hope it was--is--the latter. I don't like the thought of her being subject to that gem's every whim."

Of course, that wasn't even considering the possibility that the Queen was dead. Truth was... I didn't want to consider that.

IC: Daedalus Drachoren

Daedalus nodded. "As you wish."

He stepped outside Dreisen's office and leaned against the doorjamb, his eyes fixed on the group.

IC: Von Worten

I glanced over at Maccha Yellow and the newcomer, and then back at the Host.

"Where would be most private?" I asked.

IC: Daedalus Drachoren

Upon entering Dreisen's office, Daedalus had taken up a position by the door, keeping his ears tuned to the activity outside. He figured that if Dreisen didn't want to be bothered by anyone else, the least he could do was warn Dreisen if anyone was coming. At the moment, no one was, but Daedalus did overhear Kale's words.

"Uh, just so you are aware, Dreisen," Daedalus said, "I think you may have a few people about ready to come talk to you. I'm pretty sure that guy in there just mentioned your name, and he knows you are in here."

 

 

My picture is one of the main characters from the movie El Dorado with a funny caption. I picked this because I honestly don't know what to have as an avatar and this picture made me chortle.

 

If anyone has a picture they think fits myself, then I might change it to that, because again i don't really know what to pick. 

 

That would explain why you change your avatar more than any other person I've ever encountered on BZPower. Personally, I like the busts you've used as avatars. They're unique and fit with your name.

IC: Daedalus Drachoren

Daedalus trailed behind Dreisen and the others, not sure why they were going to Engineering. He noticed Dreisen seemed to be trying to avoid attention. Probably had something to do with his not wanting a legion (odd word choice, now that he thought about it; most people would have said army). Daedalus thought about putting himself between Dreisen and the rest of the room, but that might have drawn more attention.

Nope. Best to just keep following.

IC: Von Worten

I let Xara pass and then stepped into the room. I waited a moment before responding to the Host.

"The Queen called it the Mind Gem, and it was incredibly powerful. In fact, it was sentient. It appeared to our group as a golden being. He was able to fool all of us with a remarkably realistic illusion without any of us, even the Queen, being aware of his presence. We did not defeat or subdue him, either. For some unknown reason, he let us defeat him. The Queen kept the gem in her possession, and I think it wore on her."

IC: Daedalus Drachoren

Daedalus squinted. "Uuuuhhh, weellll, let's see... I am a Toa of Sonics, so there's that. And I was just walking by. I overheard you talking, soooo... No, I guess I don't have an excuse. If this is secret and exclusive, just say so and I'll be on my merry way. Otherwise... Can you answer my question?"

IC: Daedalus Drachoren

Landfall. What an unpleasant situation. Resulted in a mildly twisted ankle and all kinds of weird stuff with a cult and other shenanigans. To be honest, Daedalus hadn't the foggiest idea what to do in this situation. He didn't want to risk his neck trying to figure out what in the Steltian shingle fronds was going on, but he also didn't want to sit around doing nothing. He didn't like responsibility, but he hated inactivity. He was uninspired, but not lazy. He had to do things. Helped him not to think about all the crazy, twisted stuff that could happen.

That did happen. Here. At Bionifight.

Daedalus shook his head. He was wandering the remains of the facility, trying to devise a way to keep himself occupied. He didn't want to go out by himself, but staying here was accomplishing little other than making him ponder the goings on. Not fun. Not pleasant.

Do.

"...decide where we want to hunt for gems first."

Daedalus jerked his head toward the door he had passed a few seconds ago. He had been zoned out, but that caught his attention. He turned around and walked back toward the door. Finding gems probably meant danger, but it certainly meant action. Action was good.

Stopping in the doorway, Daedalus leaned in and said, "Did someone say something about looking for gems? Actually, scratch that, I know somebody said something about gems. You in need of help?"

OOC: Daedalus talking to Dreisen and others.

IC: Von Worten

"Finding someone to blame does no one any good," I said quietly, my eyes lingering on the screen that had previously held an image of the Queen. "It does not help the situation."

OOC: Von Worten talking to Xara.

IC: Von Worten

I watched the proceedings with the same detachment I had felt since the facility had fallen. I almost interfered when Xara punched the Host, but I thought it best not to. I did not think I would win a fight with her, and I did not think it was a fight worth fighting. My interest was piqued and my worry grew as the Host spoke of the Queen. The possibility that she had been left behind was, on the one hand, comforting, but on the other hand, the idea that she had been left alone with the mind gem was worrying. Of course, the possibility that she was lost in this forsaken place was frightening.

I stood in the doorway waiting until Xara was finished with her tantrum. I wanted to press the Host further about the Queen.

I think he was jokingly referring to the fact that, at the time he made that post, he was the last person to have posted in the Ko-Wahi topic in at least a week.

IC: Von Worten

I suppose, in a sense, I could say that I had grown accustomed to destruction and change. It was horrible, all of it, but I found myself viewing it all rather distantly. Perhaps it was a strange coping mechanism, or maybe--and this is a frightening thought--I really didn't care, but I felt nothing at all of the changes. They were just more horrible things that had happened in my lifetime. That is not to say, however, that I was entirely unaffected. In fact, that would be a significant lie. I was affected by the changes, but only one in particular.

The Queen was missing.

I... I struggle to find the words to explain just why I was so perturbed by her absence, disappearance, whichever word fits the situation best. I just know that I needed to find her. Of course, I had no idea where she could possibly be, and after spending most of the previous two weeks getting accustomed to things and thinking it over, I was no closer to a reasonable answer.

I decided that, perhaps, the Host would be a good place to start. I made my way through the damaged facility to the Host's Office. I stopped short when I saw an angry Rahkshi at the door.

"Is... is all well?" I asked.

OOC: Von Worten interacting with Xara.

Mine is Daedalus' avatar from Deus Ex. Oddly enough, when I first chose this avatar and username, I had intended to eventually change both to Icarus and his avatar, and then later to Helios and his avatar. I never got around to doing it, though I suppose I still could; I'm pretty sure I still have both avatars on my computer somewhere.

BioShock 2 is more similar to the first game than Infinite is.

As for why Infinite bores you, I don't know. I think the gunplay is less awkward than BioShock (though still not perfect). The vigors are, like the plasmids, a mixed bag: some are good, some don't seem to be very useful. But plot wise, I think Infinite blows BioShock out of the water (I swear that pun was not intentional), and considering how much I like BioShock, that's saying something. Of course, not everyone agrees with that, but I think Infinite is incredible.

So basically, I don't know. It's just one of those things, i guess. For example, I think Morrowind is kind of boring and annoying. Different people like different things, and sometimes, a game just doesn't click with you.

IC: Von Worten - Royal Blindside Army

Trees began to appear. But these were not the nice, clean, beautiful trees of before. The fight with the golden being had had... other effects.

I did not like the sound of any of this. The look Kopen had given me told me a lot without telling me much at all. Something terrible had just happened; I knew that much. But why would we need to stay here?

The answer was simple: we had been attacked. Now Xaerax appeared to be in trouble. I stayed close to Kopen. Though perhaps not officially given to me, I felt my new position was to stay near her and keep her safe, at least for the time being. Of course, was not sure how exactly I could accomplish that--I was not and am not the best of fighters--but, at the very least, I hoped I could provide some comfort to her.

IC: Von Worten - Royal Blindside Army

I nodded slowly and looked out over the desert toward the center. I did not know exactly what dangers lay ahead, but I did not doubt that it would not be much longer before fighting began.

I prepared to move out with the rest of the force.

IC: Von Worten - Royal Blindside Army

I cannot explain why, but Kopen's smile made me smile.

"You are welcome."