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 [Fiction] The Necromancer, the Airship and the Devio |
The Old Ye Bard
Prince
Registration Date: 2006.05.25
Posts: 3,351
Location: CHIM
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 [Fiction] The Necromancer, the Airship and the Devio |
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The Necromancer, the Airship and the Devious Trader ? By Xeth-Ban
A long time ago, or perhaps it was yesterday, maybe even tomorrow, a
strange chain of events unfolded in the slave capital of Morrowind,
Tear.
It was an ordinary day, nothing out of the usual, traders trading,
guards guarding and slaves slaving. A Silt Strider was moaning in the
distance, a Sload airship had just arrived to buy new slaves, most
likely for their unholy rituals. As soon as the Sloads had left their
airship they were greeted by a Dunmeri trader that introduced himself
as Athys Hratri, nothing out of the usual there, the Sloads always pay
good money for their slaves.
But this is were the story twists and bends in a whole new direction,
every minute jumping further and further towards the conclusion of this
story, if a story ever ends that is.
Athys and the three Sloads that had arrived with the airship had been
haggling for the price of a quite large amount of slaves for some while
now, the amount of gold jumping up and down for what seemed like
several hours.
After a while Athys suggested that if the Sloads gave him their airship, he would give them all of his 30 slaves.
One of the Sloads responded ?But how would we get back to Thras??
The young Dunmeri trader answered ?Have the slaves carry you?
Another one of the Sloads, outraged by even the suggestion of such a
ridiculous thing said ?Thras is many miles away, the slaves will never
make it, and even if they did we wouldn?t be home for years!?
Young Athys laughed, in the sinister way common for Dunmer and said,
?With all your mighty magic would that be a problem? Make them run
faster and you will be home in no time!?
The first Sload considered this a good idea and the Sloads left with
their new slaves, they cast a powerful fortify speed and strength spell
on the poor slaves and they were ordered to carry them towards Thras.
One Sload, clad in a black cloak said he would stay behind and travel
to Thras later, the two other Sloads left for Thras, carried by ten
slaves each, for such is the weight of a Sload.
In the meantime Athys made his way to his new airship, he thought it
might fetch quite a price among certain people, either broken into
parts or as a whole airship.
But the young trader was tired after hours of haggling with the Sloads
and decided to return home and get some rest, after hiring a few loyal
warriors to guard his airship of course, he wouldn?t want to loose what
would make him a very rich man after all.
As the sacred hour of Azura passed, and day became night the black
cloaked Sload made his way to the home of the devious Dunmeri trader,
this Sload was the only one who had realized that Athys had tricked
them, and he wouldn?t let this deed go unavenged.
Athys was asleep in his bed, a bottle of high quality greef by his
hand. The black cloaked Sload walked up to Athys and whispered ?Your
love for alcoholic beverages will soon give back what?s mine young
Dunmer, and when that happens you will realize that you have nothing
left but your own greed?
After whispering these words the black cloaked Sload disappeared in a
puff of smoke, the next day, when the sacred hour of Azura had once
again passed, and night passed into day. Athys woke up, with a strange
urge for greef; he searched through his entire house finding no greef,
or any other alcoholic beverage.
He stumbled out on the streets, which strangely enough were empty, not a single living being walking the streets.
He walked around the streets of Tear for some while, pondering on where
all the people had gone, or perhaps on where he could get some greef,
as there were no greef to be found.
After a while he came upon his airship, unguarded. He made his way into
the airship, only to see the black-cloaked Sload that had arrived
yesterday sitting cross-legged on the floor of the airship.
Athys asked the Sload ?Where are all the people?! What have you done to the place!??
The Sload answered, ?That is not important, is it? For neither one of us?
?That is true?For some reason all I can think of now is greef, I can?t
think of anything else, no matter how hard I try? Athys responded
?That?s what I thought, I have with me 30 bottles of greef. What are
you willing to pay for them?? the black cloaked Sload answered with an
evil grin
Athys and the black cloaked Sload haggled over a price for the 30 bottles of greef for what seemed like hours upon hours.
After a while the Sload suggested that if Athys gave him his soul, he would give him all of his 30 bottles of greef.
Athys responded ?But how could I live without a soul??
The black-cloaked Sload answered ?Buy a new one?
Athys, outraged by even the suggestion of such a ridiculous thing said
?But it is impossible to buy a new soul! There is no way anyone will
give their soul to me!?
The Sload laughed in the strange way common for Sload and said ?With
all your skills in bargaining and trading would that be a problem??
Athys agreed, and gave his soul to the Sload in return for the 30 bottles of greef.
Now the black-cloaked Sload laughed, he disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Athys there with his 30 bottles of greef.
Athys woke up, it seemed like it all had been a dream, but why was he
laying on a small island in the middle of nowhere? The Sload
necromancer appeared in front of Athys, why did he seem so tall?
Suddenly, a mirror appeared next to the Sload, he put it in front of Athys.
And to the horror of Athys, it was not his own face that he saw staring back on him in the mirror, but a mudcrab!
The Sload laughed, ?You gave me your soul, and now the shell of a
mudcrab is what houses it. Your own greed, your own craving for wealth,
will now as always be your cause in life. Adventurers will flock to
this small island hearing the rumour of the wealthy talking mudcrab
trader?
Once again the Sload disappeared in a puff of smoke, and left poor
Athys on the small island, with no other company than a large amount of
gold.
Greed was his life, and greed was his doom. Athys is rumoured to still
be alive, buying alcoholic beverages from travellers passing by his
little island in southern Vvardenfell.
Editors Note:
This tale is believed to have originated somewhere in southern
Morrowind, and travelling with traders westwards, even as far as to
Hammerfell.
It is obviously nothing more than a fairy tale to scare young children
from the path of greed Athys took. Though there have been rumours of a
mudcrab trader somewhere in Vvardenfell.
Notes:
Greef is an alcoholic beverage common in Morrowind
__________________
"Call it what you like"
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2007.05.25 23:02 |
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