Footprints in the Ash (Open RP)

It was a beautiful day in Suran. The sun shone and it was a warm but nobody was out on the streets except slaves and Dunmer only if necessary. The wind blew from the north and the air tasted bitter. Far, far in the north one could see the giant ash cloud of red mountain, like a grey pillar that held the sky.

Dresaya Hlaalu left the the small temple of the tribunal. Not much time ago this was the healers house. But Suran had lost its healer...

Sadly she walked home, holding a dank cloth before nose and mouth. She grew more and more disappointed of the tribunal, except Almalexia. At home she would ask her ancestors, her husband and her daughter for strenght. Then she looked up into the sky.

All that ash... That wasn´t normal for Sarun. That wasn´t good for trade, but she didn´t cared for something like that anymore. After the death of her daughter she sometimes felt already the chill of mortal. There was nothing left to cheer her up.

As she arrived at her home she lowered her hand disbelievingly, breathing the ash of Vvardenfels vulcano. The door was broken. Out of the rectengular it only hung at one hinge.

Footprints in the ash. They led into the north. Into Molag Amur.

Quickly she entered her house. Dresaya lived alone in there, so there would have been none to stop the Housebreaker. Not caring wether the thief was still there she ran through the house checking her treasures and her important documents. Relieved she noticed that nothing was missing. Probably it was just a wild animal or something she told herself to calm down. Then she walked into the ancestors room. After such excitement she wanted to talk to the ghosts. She squated down on a pillar and started to concentrate on the bounds that linked the living houses with the fallen souls, but suddenly she saw what was missing. Her face turned pale and her mouth fell open. Her outcry was heard all over Suran.

Remerea´s urn was stolen. Her daughters remains were gone.

The next and following days all over Vvardenfel, Morrowind the eastern half of Tamriel the news were spread:

The rich widow Dresaya Hlaalu was searching for adventurers to retrieve a highly valuable artefact: The urn with the ash of her daughter Remerea Hlaalu. One could expect best payment as Dresaya was well-known for her wealth. But the task was nothing for weak soldiers of fortune. The urn was assumed to be taken to Molag Amur, one of the most dangerous parts of Vvardenfel. A land of fire and ash, nearly as hot and dead as the Ashlands and Red Mountain itself. But the ones who were about to take the risk should travel to Surans new temple of the tribunal, where Dresaya spent most of her time.


And this is exactly where she awaits you.

Bludghul now traveled Tamriel in search for work. He was now in Morrowind which strangely had more ash than it usually did. Bludughul entered the town of Suran and a poster hit his eye. A dark elf noble of sorts had lost ashes of her daughter. Bludghul smiled at the words best payment due to this Dresaya woman being known for her wealth. He headed for the temple pushing dunmer who got in his path out of the way. He enters the temple.

After turning in Jorr's head for a bounty, Do'Shanji had spent some time in Whiterun at the bannered mare. One evening while he was there, a message came to the tavern telling of a job. Reacquisition for some well to do type in Morrowind. Sounded like some good coin to him, and an opportunity to leave Skyrim to boot. He rode for Suran the following day, arriving in the town in a week's time. He headed to the Inn to find out some more information about the job from the locals.

Dresaya Hlaalu sat on a bench in one of the darker corners of the temple. Her eyes were far more red than usual for a Dunmer. It was obvious that she shed tears. She looked up when the orc entered. Hopefully she stood up. Was he an adventurer who was about to help her?

---

Idriar and Fears-no-Fire climbed from the back of the Sylt-Stryder.

"I still don´t understand, why Dlesyddion refused to come here. I thought he hails from Vvardenfel, or am I wrong?", the Nord asked.

"Don´t know. The Dunmer never tells anything. He probably has his reasons", the Argonian answered.

Idriar looked into the sky. Snowflakes? It was far to warm. That was ash.

"You come from Morrowind, too. Is it ashen like this everyday?"

"I come from Morrowind, not Vvardenfel. There are dulcet green meadows and light forest. It´s like what you have seen around Vivec. But the major part of this island is dead."

They quickly walked through the streets, towards the inn. "The twice mug" was written on a shield, showing a mug coloured it blue and yellow.

They entered. Immediately Fears-no-Fire saw Do'Shanji.

"Greetings! Haven´t seen you in a while. Idriar, this Khajiit is Do'Shanji. He was one of the guys who snatched the bounty for Jorr away from me... Do'Shanji, this is Idriar Die-Faust!"

The Nord would make a gesture of greeting.

"Well met! People die of my Faust."

---

As the adventures met, a drunken or skoomaed Dunmer lied on a table in a corner. He was old, fat and bald, but his face was weathered as if he spent most of his life outside. Who knew what was his story?

"Hello Fears, Idriar." He welcomes them "Get these two an ale" he calls out to the barkeep. "What brings you two here?" Surely they must have heard the call for adventuring.

"Well, we have heard of an old Dunmer noble who´s daughter got abducted." Began Idriar.

"Not exactly. The urn with the ash of her daughter was stolen." Fears-no-Fire corrected him with a smile.

"Yes. However. Thank you for the ale. I guess we should wait in here till the ashen fall is over. If it ever ends... Anyway, Khajiit, do you know where to find this Dunmer lady?"

---

The old Dunmer woke up. He didn´t know where he was. Then he remembered. The twice mug. Seems like he had to much of the ale again. He stood up clumsyly and sat on a chair. At another table he saw a group of outlanders. A Nord, an Argonian and a Khajiit. He snorted. If he would have met them with his caravan like... fourty years ago, he would easily have catched and enslaved them... His head hurted.

A person in typical dunmer traveling apparel would walk up and pull down his scarf and take off his goggles. Requies would look with a smile his face now revealed and say to them. "I didn't expect to see you all here its been quite some time. How have you all been? Well I hope. You would never guess what has happened in the six months since I last saw you all."

((Sorry to set up a time frame just trying to keep everything neat and organized lol))

Isaakin wandered along the streets of Sarun, staring into the distance. She was rudely brought back to the present as she was pushed out of the way by a orc. "Hey!" She protested and started walking after him. She saw him enter a building and much annoyed she went after him. She was about to get his attention when she saw a dunmer with unusually red eyes. She had obviously been crying and, forgetting about the orc she hurried over to the dunmer. "Are you alright? Has something happened?" She stood there awkwardly, realising she had just rushed up to a random stranger who could be anyone, an assassin, a thief, it could be anyone. She took a small step back.

"Afraid not my friend, I seek her out as well. I got to the tavern not long before you two arrived." He said to Fears and Idriar. He hears some coughing and looks behind him, there is an old Dunmer at a table. "Wonder what his problem is, he looks half dead." He says.

"Oh come on you couldn't hear me this place is quiet enough." Requies would look at Do'Shanji and the people surrounding him. Happy to see a few familiar faces and a few new ones. "So how has everyone been?" He would look with an odd expression at the obviously distressed dunmer.

Do'Shanji orders another ale for him and Requies "I have been well friend, I hope the same is true for you." He beckons for Requies to have a seat. "What brings you to this part of Tamriel?"

"I had a hell of an adventure of that bounty we got, but I will tell you some other time. Just a few leads I had. What about you why are you in morrowind?" Requies would pick up his drink and began to gulp it down he seemed rather thirsty and excited to here the answer.

"I received word of a Dunmer paying good money for the return of her daughter's...uhh... ashes." He says pointing to Fears and Idriar "They have both come here on the same quest." He takes a drink of ale and thinks back to the last adventure he had with Fears and Requies. Perhaps they would be willing to join together once again.

"All dunmer cremate their dead it is a very time honored tradition. My master taught me all about it. If the ashes were kept in the house then it must mean the place had ill spirits or something wicked around it. Well I'm in. *Requies would smile almost stupidly at the thought* If her ashes are missing the house is most likely in great turmoil as are the family members...this kind of crime well in many respects equals the murder of a living person in their eyes and in fact in some cases could even be worse. So any leads on where we find her then?" Requies would finish his drink and lean back a little ready for another great adventure to start.

Do'Shanji shrugged, he did not know much of Dunmer culture. In fact before this journey he had never stepped foot into Morrowind. He had always heard stories of slavers here. 'I would like to see one try' he thought, he would tear him to pieces. "I have no leads my friends, which is why I cam to the Inn, surely there must be someone here who knows where to find this woman" He says it loud enough for most to hear, hoping someone would answer him.