Recent Entries

• A Taste, a Bite, a Morsel - Part 1

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 6, 2014
  The first day of her freedom was spent curled in the dark corner of a laboratory.  Faint shadow-shapes danced on the far edge of the room, and, terrified of what they might be, she hugged her knees and hissed continuously in warning and fear.  Before she found the corner, she crawled over a skeleto...

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 3 – 1: Where Even Death Can Die

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 1, 2013
  The afternoon sun glared brightly on the snow-covered walks and buildings, casting equally dark shadows across the city.  Whether by design or by chance, the eastern section, commonly called the Gray Quarter though previously it was the Stone Quarter that housed the city's working class, lay shroude...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 2 – 5: Lying Before a King

  by Kyrielle Atrinati July 17, 2013
  Eventually, he had to stop and rest.  The sun glared brightly off the snow, but the air still felt clean, which meant it was still morning.  The knight leaned against a rock outcropping under the shade of a copse of pines.  Earlier, he'd removed his cape from Ponks' face and washed it in the snow, l...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 2 – 4: Lying Before a King

  by Kyrielle Atrinati July 9, 2013
  "Hail!" Arnau called. When no one answered, he guided his horse through the pike barricades, where the road shot under the fort's walls.  To his left squatted a thatch building bearing an inn sign.  It was poorly constructed and featured a sloppy painting of some kind of animal holing a green shape....
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 2 – 3: Lying Before a King

  by Kyrielle Atrinati June 29, 2013
  The sun was setting.  The sun was setting and the inhabitants of Dragon Bridge were turning in for the night.  Merchants put their wares away, leaving their most valuable pieces out for the last-minute buyer.  Children hurried home at the calls of their mothers; those shrill cries cutting the air li...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 2 – 2: Lying Before a King

  by Kyrielle Atrinati June 22, 2013
  "Sir, I can't let you inside.  We're officially closed," said Sorex, shifting uneasily under the heavy presence of the noble. "Sorex.  Are we not friends of a kind?  My armor is inside and I am in need of it." "You're rich!  Just buy some new armor.  Isn't that what you people do?  Besides, can't it...

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 2 – 1: Lying Before a King

  by Kyrielle Atrinati June 16, 2013
  When Arnau next awoke, the light hadn't changed much.  It streamed in through the windows at a higher angle, filling the room with a diffuse, pale light.  From what he could recall, the window had never actually been cleaned--he could only make out the foggy, brownish shape of the adjacent building....
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 1 – 6: Blinded by the Light

  by Kyrielle Atrinati June 10, 2013
  Arnau sat in the hallway of the ship, listening to the waves slapping dully against the hull.  His arm and shoulder felt like they were on fire.  With his teeth, he uncorked a small bottle and downed the bitter contents with a grimace.  Eventually, the pain ebbed enough that he could remove his righ...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 1 – 5: Blinded by the Light

  by Kyrielle Atrinati June 5, 2013
  The swarthy Nords had already reached the wreck.  Half of the stranded crew was already injured or dead, and the remaining sailors had fled in a rowboat for Solitude in search of assistance--the captain included.  The remaining man overseeing the casualties was little more than a cabin boy.  As far...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 1 – 4: Blinded by the Light

  by Kyrielle Atrinati May 30, 2013
  Arnau waited in the gathering dark, listening to the lonely cries of gulls and steady rhythm of waves.  Wind gusted about him, and lightning continued to flash.  Freezing rain threatened to fall at any moment.  Idly, he watched the waves, squinting for some sign of a ship coming into port or heading...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 1 – 3: Blinded by the Light

  by Kyrielle Atrinati May 28, 2013
  "Sir, please!  Help me." The ground felt much colder than the bench.  His knees scraped against the stone, but it was an acceptable trade for a possible warm meal and some coin.  Ahead of him, the man stopped, but did not turn around. "Please." The noble stared at him, his face utterly devoid of emo...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 1 – 2: Blinded by the Light

  by Kyrielle Atrinati May 23, 2013
  In the dark of a cellar, two voices were whispering among the cobwebs and dry, white straw.  A door was opened, and a female figure stood silhouetted against the early evening light for a moment, then disappeared as the door closed.  Aquillius Aeresius put his clothes back on one at a time.  He'd be...
  comments

• Mercy for the Chosen – Ch. 1 – 1: Blinded by the Light

  by Kyrielle Atrinati May 21, 2013
  "I used to dream of fighting in battles like my Father. He had begun teaching me to fight the moment I was able to pick up a blade. Mother had argued that I was too young, but he paid her no mind. I can still remember the elation I felt the first time I bested Father in a match and the look of prid...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 9 – 5: Portals

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 27, 2013
  "Arkay, guide this soul to Aetherius, where it may rest in peace with the Aedra..." "Runil, you can't do this.  She's still alive!" "Let this body pass into Nirn, where it will become one with the earth..." "Runil!  Stop!" "For we who remain shall-- Oh for gods' sake, boy!  Unhand me!" "Quit trying ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 9 – 4: Portals

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 24, 2013
  Those eyes floated in the dark and became the only visible thing in the room.  From the walls, came the deep gurgle of the Reaper as it chanted in a foul tongue.  I felt myself being drawn upward and outward toward the eyes, which flashed stroboscopically in loud booms that filled my ears with a gia...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 9 – 3: Portals

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 22, 2013
  Overwhelmed by a strange calm, I gripped the tomb's doors and heaved.  They creaked and squealed, but held fast.  Around my head, the chattering voices clamored in fear, buzzing empty threats into my brain.  Again, I yanked.  Again, the charred, iron doors remained closed.  I tried forcing the doors...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 9 – 2: Portals

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 17, 2013
  The air growled like earth shifting in a landslide.  Derkeethus and I froze as the atmosphere crystallized into a moment of awful anticipation.  A deep, grumbling hiss escaped the bricks of the mausoleum, and to my surprise, the mortar crumbled away into dust that shot out at us in a spray of fine s...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 9 – 1: Portals

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 16, 2013
  Durak grabbed my hair, trying to throw me off his large form.  With a shriek, I thrashed and scrabbled at his face and arms.  If I could get his hands out of the way, I could seize the Elder Scroll, that had fallen out of our grappling hands as soon as I read it.  All I could see, however, was that ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 8 – 6: Jode's Wrath

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 13, 2013
  "Are you sure this is a good idea?"  I shivered in the thin, rumpled clothing that lay under my armor.  Said armor lay scattered about the entryway along with anything else I'd been wearing.  The snow melted into a cold slush under my feet.  I couldn't feel my toes.  Valindor stood next to me in a s...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 8 – 5: Jode's Wrath

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 11, 2013
  Endlessly, our feet crunched through a thick carpet of pine needles.  Above us, the mountains linking the Jeralls to the Hrothgar range loomed like an impassable wall.  I knew there was a pass to the north, where Helgen rotted in ruin, and briefly, I worried Durak turned in that direction.  Why woul...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 8 – 4: Jode's Wrath

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 10, 2013
  "Runil?  No, miss, ain't seen him for days." "Did he say where he might have gone?  A letter?  Note?  Message?"  I gripped the edge of the counter harder than strictly necessary, feeling at my wits end. "Maybe he went on a pilgrimage?" Valindor offered hopefully as he sipped from a goblet of wine. "...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 8 – 3: Jode's Wrath

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 8, 2013
  I followed the canid through the dense ferns and shrubs, pushing the sticky arms of pine saplings aside.  The path was a well-hidden track ribbed with roots and clustered trees that sloped gently downhill.  Wherever we were going, we were headed toward Falkreath in its shallow basin.  In a few minut...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 8 – 2: Jode's Wrath

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 6, 2013
  "Get back here wretch!" "Do you people ever give up?" A clash of swords.  Crashing through the brush.  The booming crack of a tree slowly falling to the ground. "What in the world..." Our heads turned in unison toward the cacophony, the moment between us popping like a bubble.  It was only a second ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 8 – 1: Jode's Wrath

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 5, 2013
  For some reason, the morning felt brighter and I felt lighter--as if a great weight had rolled off my shoulders.  I didn't recall any strange dreams or revelations that might have explained the pervading sensation of freedom.  As we packed and collapsed our small camp, I even found myself humming a ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 7 – 5: Jone's Shadow

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 2, 2013
  Valindor and I crouched at the opening of the tent, keeping our forms as far into the shadows as possible. At my command, Meeko trotted in a wide circle around the fire until he melted into the variegated stone blocks.  We waited until we saw his thin silhouette slinking atop a rocky outcropping nea...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 7 – 4: Jone's Shadow

  by Kyrielle Atrinati April 1, 2013
  A rhythmic thrumming like a heartbeat coursing through my veins.  Foggy impressions of birds soaring around a fire, crying in wild voices like the cackles of feral dogs.  Mother and I, sitting close to our wagon on the northern prairie of Anequina as the Khajiit of the plains danced in the distance...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 7 – 3: Jone's Shadow

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 28, 2013
  "Get a move on!'  Durak's heavy boot stamped on the planks, sending a shudder that traveled violently through the wood.  Val's balance wavered. "Either you jump of your own will or we throw you off.  Your choice," Celann called lightly from where I stood. His face lit in excitement and triumph, as i...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 7 – 2: Jone's Shadow

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 27, 2013
  "This is a dangerous game you're playing, Durak.  How do you know these people won't turn on you at a moment's notice?"  The Forsworn in our company glared at my accusation. "Clearly, I have an advantage you don't, Elf." "Yes, but how can you be sure?  I've seen this kind of alliance happen before. ...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 7 – 1: Jone's Shadow

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 26, 2013
  It happened while we stopped for water and lunch on the Karth River.  I agreed with Valindor to head home, at least for a while, and we decided to take the back route through the Reach to avoid suspicion.  The glimmering gold power of the Elder Scroll tended to attract unwanted attention, and I kne...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 8: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 19, 2013
  In a grove of trees lay a decadent scroll surrounded by butterflies of every color and size.  When I read the scroll, I saw only a mirror reflecting the trees behind me, which shifted into a dark, dank boneyard where voices wailed in despair.  A shadow was coming for me, trailing those voices behin...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 7: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 16, 2013
  Hands shook me gently, and I curled tighter to defend against the touch.  No more.  Please, no more.  I was shaken again, then a faint sigh drifted away from me.  For a moment I tensed, waiting for those horrible sensations and chattering voices to return, and when they didn't, I slowly crawled to m...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 6: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 14, 2013
  "Serana?" "Who is Serana?" "What is Serana?" "Is that you?  Where are you?" "Who are you?" "What are you?" "Serana!" Yet there was no answer other than the strangled voices that moaned questions on a breeze that didn't exist.  Slowly, I limped down the steps, regretting leaving all my possessions be...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 5: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 13, 2013
  We did stop for a while to rest, but it only lasted a few hours and neither Valindor nor I truly slept.  The winged beast had torn through the armor on my leggings, leaving a gaping slash that stung as if a burning brand had been placed there.  Something on the thing's claws seemed to prevent clotti...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 4: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 10, 2013
  Nightshade and deathbell bloomed profusely in stout pots placed strategically about the courtyard.  Bare trees and shrubs pointed their skeletal branches toward the sky, their leaves never again to grow in the perpetual winter of the northern sea.  Balconies opening before large doors that either la...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 3: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 9, 2013
  "Do you hear anything?" "No.  Just water dripping." "Something doesn't feel right about this place."  The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and sent shivers down my spine. "Like someone's watching us?" "Let us go, boiche."  I snapped my head to stare at the vampire striding nonchalantly down the...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 2: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 8, 2013
  Wind howled through the rocks and ice, muffling the sound of crashing waves and gurgling water over stones.  Our boots crunched on the gravel as we slid around the perimeter of the island.  The castle's windows peered over the tall cliffs, glaring at us with beady, hateful eyes.  Like the rest of th...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 6 – 1: The Wasteland

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 4, 2013
  The Solitude stable was owned and operated by a surly woman named Katla, whose face resembled worn leather and whose frame stood straight and flat like a board.  She charged a high price to keep horses in her stable, but the expense was fair enough for the care she showed them.  Since my last visit,...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 5 – 6: An Enthralling Presence

  by Kyrielle Atrinati March 3, 2013
  "We found your escort and carriage left to ruin," I said as we emerged from the cavern.  I heaved a deep breath of cold, clean air, and the thrumming pain that had been building in my head abated for a moment.  Something about this moth priest made my head pound and eyes ache. "I see, I suppose it w...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 5 – 5: An Enthralling Presence

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 27, 2013
  An unearthly howl cleaved the air in twain as another shadowy dog-like creature collapsed to the floor, the hawk fletching of my arrow shining eerily in the faint green light.  It twitched feebly, grunting and squealing like a hog before going still. "Maro?  What is it?"  A burly Imperial turned a c...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 5 – 4: An Enthralling Presence

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 26, 2013
  Thin rain fell in gauzy sheets, covering the world in a soft gloom.  We set out over the high bridge spanning the two sides of town.  It was on this south side that the paupers lived:  the millers, bakers, miners.  The houses were older and ramshackle compared to those around the Four Shields Inn on...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 5 – 3: An Enthralling Presence

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 25, 2013
  "Welcome, sir.  Divines bless you." Bells of Kynareth rang. "Welcome, m'am.  Divines bless you." Voices in the upper aisles chanted. "Welcome, Octieve.  Divines bless you." "Bless yourself.  Leave me be." The priestess at the entrance sighed and watched the elderly warrior limp stiffly up the centra...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 5 – 2: An Enthralling Presence

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 20, 2013
  Days passed in stony silence between us, while Meeko attempted to soothe each of us in turn.  I wasn't about to apologize for something I felt wasn't his business.  Why he continued to make it his business was beyond me.  The island remained shrouded in fog and snow, the chill eating away at us litt...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 5 – 1: An Enthralling Presence

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 19, 2013
  I leaned over the side of the boat and wretched, tears streaming from my eyes as my body revolted against the sharp slapping of the vessel on the waves.  The bottom of the hull once more became an uncomfortable bed as I curled up on the cold, damp wood.  Fighting another wave of nausea, I shut my ey...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 8: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 18, 2013
  A few hours of sleep and a watch spent idly stoking the fire, not moving much more than my eyes which darted about like fish, had me feeling refreshed as I stood and stretched in the dawn light.  It began golden and crisp across the snow, turning bright white as soon as Magnus completely opened his ...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 7: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 16, 2013
  Sarcophagi lined the walls, most cracked and leaking bone dust.  Braziers that were once cold and dead blazed to life as we approached them, and whether it was ancient magic or a presence waiting for us, I did not know.  Serana spent much of her time peering into these coffins, muttering in her stra...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 6: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 13, 2013
  Delicately pointed arches surrounded us in limestone lace that closed in on a small stand in the center of the island.  Silver braziers formed a ring around the stand, the metal shining bright in the faint daylight. "Soulgems."  Valindor scooped a handful of violently glowing gem fragments and let ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 5: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 12, 2013
  I lost track of the minutes and hours passing as we navigated the crypt.  We met some opposition, but it was either simple skeletons that blindly shuffled about they rooms or vampires so starved for blood they could scarcely concentrate on defending themselves.  Valindor's constant light perspective...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 4: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 10, 2013
  When I recovered, I felt washed out and tired as if I hadn't slept in days.  But, in spite of that, the terror of going into that crypt was less overwhelming and the thought of my late friend trapped somewhere helped clear my head.  Having Valindor at my side also gave me courage as I would need to ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 3: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 9, 2013
  Sometimes, life is like a recurring dream--a persistent déjà vu where time seems to loop back on itself in endless coils.  As we rode down the road toward the Hall of the Vigilants, the trees a riot of green, new growth even in the deep snows, I felt I was traveling on one of these loops.  The event...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 2: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 8, 2013
  "For the last time, I will not search the entrails of your decaying child to tell you what happened to her!  Now get out or I'll report you to the guard!" a hooded Redguard shouted over his tankard. "So nice to see you again, Falion," I replied dryly.  His head snapped to look at me with bloodshot, ...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 4 – 1: Blood in the Dark

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 7, 2013
  Celann, the welcoming committee stationed outside of the fort, huffed as he heaved the last of several small crates down the front steps and onto a handcart.  He wiped his brow with the back of his arm, smearing his red hair aside, then unconsciously wiped his hands on his trousers.  The sun had not...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 3 – 7: A Splinter in My Hand

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 6, 2013
  The walk to the fort took less than half an hour, for the canyon, though wide, was relatively shallow, terminating at a wall in the mountainside.  There, perched above the vapors and mists, loomed Fort Dawnguard, ever-watchful like a hawk on the hunt.  Its walls were a smooth, sanded stone that left...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 3 – 6: A Splinter in My Hand

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 5, 2013
  " 'Oh, you're looking for the Dahwnguard,eh?  Fancy yourself a vahmpiah huntah?' " Quiet laughter bounced off the trees. "And I say, 'Yah.  Thinking of pohunding ah stake into thaht mahn's haht ovah theah.' So I start sneaking up on his partner at the gate, who's looking at me like I'm actually goin...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 3 – 5: A Splinter in My Hand

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 3, 2013
  When I woke, the hunter was gone and the fire was cold.  Faint bootprints in the underbrush led away from my camp, along with the tell-tale s-shape of a robe being dragged across leaves.  A vague memory of that chilly, commanding voice echoed in my mind and I slapped my hand to my neck, searching fr...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 3 – 4: A Splinter in My Hand

  by Kyrielle Atrinati February 1, 2013
  Eastmarch steamed under the sun, and the pines shimmered in the heat.  The ground was a thick slush of mud, brilliant colors of varying minerals marbling the earth.  While the effect was interesting, my boots sucked in and out of the stuff with every step.  Maurice clutched his moss-covered branch p...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 3 – 3: A Splinter in My Hand

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 31, 2013
  Darkness overwhelmed us for several moments as we stood squinting into the gloom.  Outside, lightning flashed and thunder rolled, lighting the immediate vicinity in stroboscopic flickers.  I fumbled through my pack until I found my lantern and lit it with a tiny spark struck from a rock across my bl...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 3 – 2: A Splinter in My Hand

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 30, 2013
  A couple of the guards began to smile in greeting as I crossed the drawbridge, but I kept my head down and saw their expressions falter.  Dismounting, I led the deer along the bank of the Darkwater River to the copse of trees behind nearby shops.  The mist in the air thickened until it felt like a s...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 3 – 1: A Splinter in My Hand

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 29, 2013
  "And then he managed to proclaim that eating people is a perfectly valid form of burial!  Can you believe that?" ranted Maurice, continuing what was, thus far, an hour long diatribe detailing the many ways Valindor upbraided and offended him.  "Bloody ridiculous is what I say.  Surely, you're a sens...
  comments

• Mod List for the Longest Road

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 27, 2013
  Animals, Creatures, Mounts, Horses 101 Bugs Adds more insects with alchemical effects.  I used this because I'm playing with the Green Pact, so I needed a greater variety of non-plant ingredients. Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack Massive animal retexture mod. Birds of Skyrim Adds birds to the wo...

• The Longest Road – Ch. 2 – 6: In My Nature

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 25, 2013
  The inn rippled with a chorus of song in half-slurred voices.  I moved along the shadows, the lit areas heavily occupied by residents back from a day's work.  As such, the room smelled strongly of stale sweat and mead, while muddied tracks littered the entryway.  When the bard struck up a tune about...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 2 – 5: In My Nature

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 24, 2013
  Light.  All there was was light.  Then shadows.  Limitless space.  Then a dome--a ceiling.  Birds and voices called.  Then bells and a man groaning in pain.  I drifted as a seed on a breeze, then my feet touched the ground.  Some force shook me, thunder in my mind, and a pang of sorrow overtook me. ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 2 – 4: In My Nature

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 23, 2013
  "Val, why don't you think any of this is strange?" I asked, shifting for the hundredth time to keep the deer's spine from digging into my rear. "Think what's strange?" "That this creature, for whatever reason, has vowed to take me to 'complete my task'?"  We wound down a twisting trail that slowly ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 2 – 3: In My Nature

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 21, 2013
  Valindor and I slept in separate rooms, for I had coin enough to fund chastity.  Which was quite unlike the year before when in the cold of night, in the cheapest rooms, my bygone friend and I took shifts sleeping in the bed.  By morning, Val was gone, no doubt catching up with Faendal.  I knew he w...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 2 – 2: In My Nature

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 19, 2013
  "We can't just kill them!  They haven't done anything wrong!" "They've stolen and robbed half the residents of the valley!" "This one didn't.  Look, he was only standing guard." "Valindor, we have to pass through if we want to make it to Riverwood before full dark." "Isn't there a way around?" "No, ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 2 – 1: In My Nature

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 15, 2013
  Warmth seeped through the leather plates of my armor, only adding to the uncomfortably humid air of the late spring.  I made the armor some time ago as a fusion of collected dragon scales and tooled leather.  The result was a culmination of all my experience and training, and a far better reward for...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 1 – 6: These Dreams

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 14, 2013
  Our conversation turned to other topics for a time, and we enjoyed the comfortable ease of one outcast relating to another.  However, the topic eventually circled back to that of the metaphysical.  I sipped from the milk wine, not unlike jagga, brought by the innkeeper and plunged forth into a topic...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 1 – 5: These Dreams

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 12, 2013
  Our boots splashed in the mud as we strolled our way down the main street, rain pouring all the while.  Those few who lingered outdoors stared curiously as we passed.  With a tug, I pulled my hood down over my face, but one of the women, Tekla I think, caught the motion and glowered darkly from the ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 1 – 4: These Dreams

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 11, 2013
  Snatching my bow and quiver, along with a bundle I tied about my waist, I returned to Valindor and Meeko, who stood waiting on the path.  On my table, I left a note for Rayya should she come by.  We were only going to Falkreath, but for some reason, I felt the need to prepare as if I wouldn't return...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 1 – 3: These Dreams

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 8, 2013
  "Are you all right?" the young mer asked. "No, but I will be," I replied, shaking with adrenaline. "Are you sure?  You look very pale."  His grey eyes glanced down the path, nervously regarding the Dawnguard officer. "I'm not what those townsfolk keep saying I am," I grumbled through gritted teeth. ...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 1 – 2: These Dreams

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 5, 2013
  "We have you at last, blood-sucker," snarled a Nord woman covered in a strange, tiled, ceramic armor. "Blood-sucker?" I slurred in a daze.  The light from the sun was bright, and I squinted, my eyes sore as I moved them.  It had been some weeks since I'd left my home during the day as I spent most o...
  comments

• The Longest Road – Ch. 1 – 1: These Dreams

  by Kyrielle Atrinati January 3, 2013
  I woke up next to a man whose name I couldn't remember.  This wasn't the first occurrence of this particular event, but I did not wake up in this manner as often as rumors suggested.  Glancing over at him, I watched his scarred visage crumple and reform as he slept and dreamed his savage dreams--or ...
  comments

• Interlude – Dropping Eaves

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 21, 2012
  "Where you runnin' off to?" "Just goin' out.  I'll be back by supper." "Don't go up to that house on the lake, boy." "Why not, ma?" "'S' haunted.  'S' dangerous." "Tsh.  No, it's not.  Mathies says there's a woman living up there.  I want to meet her." "Aye.  A witch woman is what.  You stay 'way fr...
  comments

• Interlude – On a Dragon's Breath

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 20, 2012
  18th Rain's Hand I've found where Gwaihen called her home.  I say called, because it seems no one has lived here for months.  Spring is causing a riot among the stones, and I worry the hovel will collapse on me at any moment.  Some smudges in the layers of pollen suggest someone came back to retrie...
  comments

• Interlude – Traces in the Frost

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 19, 2012
  9th First Seed The shack with the dog was empty, but I slept there for a couple of nights to see if anyone would return.  Nothing has happened, but the knowledge of the body buried just beyond these walls is unsettling.  And there truly was a recent burial.  I checked the grounds outside and found ...
  comments

• Interlude – Following in My Footsteps

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 17, 2012
  15th Sun's Dawn The following is a text recovered from a friend of mine who couriers for the Solitude nobles.  He owed me a favor, I think, though now I owe him a drink.  The ink is recent.  It reads like a journal, but not quite and several pages were missing when I first received it.  I'm not sur...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Terminus

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 15, 2012
  23rd Morning Star Faendal, I'm grateful for the support you've offered a fellow Bosmer in pursuing this dream of mine.  I feel obliged to update you on the recent events that you've no doubt heard echoes of in the taverns, as well as set the record straight from the outlandish rumors circulating. Fi...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 8: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 14, 2012
  That Derkeethus was very likely dead had not yet sunk in.  For all the times he had been in mortal peril, he had come through alive and well.  We fell off Hrothgar!  How could a two hundred-foot tall tower end his life?  Yet the connection had closed, and I absorbed his memories an his power in the ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 7: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 13, 2012
  "Hand over the girl!" roared Derkeethus, my rage feeding his. "Let's see the Phial," the Legate replied, grinning lewdly at Tormir. "Give me my daughter, first," she growled, eyes wild, nostrils wide and blowing like a bear. "Now, I don't think you're in any position to negotiate," he said through ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 6: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 12, 2012
  Bone chimes dangled from the ceiling and they wove in and out in a doubling of perception.  Chills raced up my spine as memories of the Forsworn cave merged with the cages and empty braziers lining the stair.  On a far wall, the monstrous animal figurehead outside the cave superimposed itself over t...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 5: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 11, 2012
  The world around me froze and crystallized as I stared, wide-eyed, at Nael's empty, glassy eye and the reflections of electrical magicka and flames.  Fire from the makeshift torch roared near my ears until the sound faded and was replaced by a high-hitched keening.  I didn't know where the sound cam...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 4: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 7, 2012
  Nordic voices shook the air with their roar, and the guard at the northern gate scrambled to his feet.  A shield clanged as the bandit rapped a club against its iron surface, sounding an alarm.  Our charge continued, unheeded.  Hrollod drew a horn from his belt and blew a loud, trumpeting note that ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 3: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 7, 2012
  For the next few hours, we scouted the fort, counting forces and looking for entry points.  There were only two ways to enter the fort, and both involved travelling along the road.  The stone walls had been repaired and sealed with mortar, their sides too flush for climbing without attracting attent...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 2: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 5, 2012
  Derkeethus slumped in the saddle clutching his shoulder.  Wincing, I massaged my own, feeling the hot burn of his injury there.  Many of the ingredients in my pack had been used up already, but I stopped and pressed what I could find into my friend's injury.  During the skirmish, neither of us notic...

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 11 – 1: The Battle of Fort Dunstad

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 3, 2012
  The hills leveled out into a gently wavering taiga coated with soft snow and ice.  About us the pines shifted and creaked under the weight of their snowy branches.  Yawning, I rubbed my eyes and stretched, vaguely hoping we'd reach the fort before nightfall.  My senses continually blurred and sharpe...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 10 – 5: March over Marsh

  by Kyrielle Atrinati December 1, 2012
  The day proceeded much as the previous as we slogged through bogs, swatted midges, and eyed the Thalmor soldier distrustfully.  She forged the way across the swamp, maintaining a similar course to ours which pointed the way towards a set of low hills.  Only once did she look back to see if we were f...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 10 – 4: March over Marsh

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 30, 2012
  "Drop your weapon and put your hands where I can see them, Dragonborn!"  A sword point pressed into my back.  I made no move to obey.  Instead, I allowed my blade to hang loosely at my side while magicka eddied, ready, into my palm. "So good of you to join us," I muttered icily, remembering her will...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 10 – 3: March over Marsh

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 28, 2012
  Late afternoon found us on a wide strip of dry land covered in sparse trees.  We stopped near a trio of these, I leaning against a trunk with my legs stretched out in front of me.  Derkeethus removed his cloak and most of his armor, spreading it on a sun-drenched rock as he soaked up the sunlight.  ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 10 – 2: March over Marsh

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 26, 2012
  There was a small side road descending down the bluff towards the water.  It was this we followed, recalling Hrollod's map and directions to reach the Hjaalmarch camp.  The road itself was comprised of loose cobbles, eroded and tiltled at odd angles in the dark soil.  A poorly maintained gutter stag...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 10 – 1: March over Marsh

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 26, 2012
  For a long time  I wandered the city, doing everything I could think of to drown out the barrage of thoughts and suspicions swarming my mind.  Derkeethus did little to aid me in that endeavor.  Among my smattering of conflicting emotions, my friend continuously fed me images of his various meetings-...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 10: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 17, 2012
  Thoroughly shaken, I slowly crept out of the courtyard, keeping my eyes on the street and the shadows.  Nothing moved outside of what would be expected for a city towards the late afternoon.  Across the road something rustled in a nearby garden.  Alarmed, I readied my new spell.  With a stretch, an ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 9: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 16, 2012
  As soon as I was able, I escaped to the kitchens once more, feeling the chill of the Justicar's glare on my back as I left.  At the very least, I would avoid his presence for as long as I could.   Once in the sweltering heat of the kitchen, I skirted behind Odar, who stood shouting angrily at a serv...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 8: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 15, 2012
  Ondolemar led me out the door and down the hall to the left.  As we passed by the rotunda, I could hear the faint echo of voices from above, one of them was Derkeethus'.  Focusing inward, I beheld the small room filled with important figures.  My friend had adapted to his new role with ease and was ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 7: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 13, 2012
  Hazy air assaulted my nose, peppery scents burning the insides of my nostrils.  Reeling, I sneezed and my eyes began to water.  With blurry vision, I looked about.  The entry way was dimly lit and shrouded with thick smoke coming from the braziers.  Once my initial reaction abated, I recognized the ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 6: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 12, 2012
  "Stand up straighter," hissed the Argonian, "You don't look arrogant enough.  Come on, pretend you just stuck your bare foot in mammoth dung.  Yes!  That's it." "I don't think I can hold my face like this," I groaned, feeling the muscles in my face stiffen and begin to ache. We stood on the threshol...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 5: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 11, 2012
  "Wait!  Stop!  Stop her!" cried a stern voice as we darted out the door.  Outside, the two soldiers looked at us suspiciously, and in hearing their comrade's shout, drew their weapons.  I shuffled my feet, trying to look confused and bewildered, but they were advancing on us threateningly.  The band...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 4: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 10, 2012
  Smoky braziers illuminated the entry way, which was lined with blood red and shimmering gold banners bearing the Imperial insignia.  I felt Derk's anxiety coupling with my own as we entered this lion's den.  Massive pillars arched overhead.  Immediately the Imperials made their point as I felt thor...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 3: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 10, 2012
  Over the course of the next day and a half, the carriage bore us on a bumpy, ill-used side road to Solitude.  At several points, the four of us had to get out and heave the vehicle out of a rain-soaked mud hole, such that by the end of the first day, we could have lain on the ground and virtually di...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 2: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 9, 2012
  We gathered around the counter in the dim and flickering candlelight.  Shadows danced in the corners, and though I felt safe among the soldiers and Derkeethus, I couldn't help but imagine figures hiding in the dark shadows.  The sensation of being watched never quite left me. "Marcellus, escort the ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 9 – 1: Last Chance

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 8, 2012
  I got to my feet and paced the small stretch of carpet before the hearth.  My heart beat wildly in my chest as the image of my horse and my friend lying unmoving on the ground swamped my mind.  The carpet whispered under my shoes as I turned about, almost losing my balance, to face the fire.  Then t...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 8 – 7: Change of Hands

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 4, 2012
  Quintus scrambled back on the bed until his head hit the post behind him.  Grunting in pain, he clutched the back of his head momentarily, raising his other arm to shield his eyes. "Please!  Don't hurt me!" "What?  I'm not going to--" Derkeethus' voice rasped in a confusion we both shared. "Please! ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 8 – 6: Change of Hands

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 3, 2012
  Just before sleep took me, the footsteps retreated into the city, and a small figure slipped through the doors before Derkeethus could catch him on foot.  We stood before the gate, green scaled hands wiping down Nael in an effort to ease our boiling blood.  And then the heat and rage eased, and Nael...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 8 – 5: Change of Hands

  by Kyrielle Atrinati November 2, 2012
  The tundra reasserted its dominance over my vision and my stomach clenched in anxiety.  Someone's following Derkeethus.  I worried if he would be attacked in the twilight on a stale horse and with little to no sleep.  I hoped the pursuer only wanted to let him know someone was watching.  Glancing at...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 8 – 4: Change of Hands

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 31, 2012
  "Slow down, Tormir.  I can't keep up," I wheezed, hobbling along behind the woman.  My heart thundered in my chest from the effort of maintaining her long stride.  She turned with a huff and tapped her foot impatiently on the cobbles in the road.  When I reached her, I had to look up to meet her eye...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 8 – 3: Change of Hands

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 29, 2012
  Whiterun's main street stretched before me.  Heavy breathing chuffed through my ears, drowning out the steady beat of the smith's hammer and on-going repairs to the shop up the street.  For a moment, all I saw was the neat, carefully mortared bricks of the road, then the blue-slated houses whirred t...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 8 – 2: Change of Hands

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 28, 2012
  Images bombarded me as soon as my eyes closed.  Memories and thoughts--fragments of the world I barely recognized.  Sounds came to me in a garbled and indistinct dialect, as if I floated in deep water. And then I was floating in a tank filled with a low, red light.  Skin stretched over a candle. A ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 8 – 1: Change of Hands

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 14, 2012
  I trembled all over, shaking violently, tears coursing down my face and I collapsed with a splash into the stream.  My breath whistled in and out of me in a damp wheeze as I gasped for air, clutching the center of my chest as a dark greenish pus leaked between my fingers.  I was took terrified to lo...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 8: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 14, 2012
  I was pinned to a rock for several minutes, as the behemoths fought each other up above.  Breath rattled in my ear, drawn between teeth and the arm that held me in place carried the entire weight of the person behind me.  Eventually, the trumpeting of a mammoth followed by a stampede of heavy footst...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 7: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 14, 2012
  We followed the giant back to his camp, his feet shaking the earth with each step.  Our progress was painstakingly slow as we crawled across the plateau leveling the hills with the plains.  To the east, the land stretched for miles and miles of gold and brown grasses and shrubs. By the time we reach...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 6: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 14, 2012
  As the quiet of the gorge reasserted itself, followed by the sluggish rattling of chilly grasshoppers, we prowled the camp, recovering arrows and shifting the dead from the road over to the camp's bonfire.  There we laid the dead to be consumed by flame.  Our last corpse was a man Derkeethus pierced...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 5: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 13, 2012
  Half an hour later, the sun was higher and our weapons restrung, oiled, and sharpened.  We both felt that it would come to a fight, though I hoped we wouldn't have to risk our lives against a well-defended fortress.  With the brighter light, I scouted the area and found a slope in the rocks we could...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 4: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 13, 2012
  A voice drifted down to me from a very far distance.  "Henny..."  I looked through eyes which were no longer under my control, and watched the landscape slowly roll by as the stony hills of the Reach leveled and dwindled as they met the plains.  At present, the sun was setting, lighting the sky with...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 3: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 10, 2012
  When I awoke some hours later, the briarheart was gone.  As was my pack.  I searched the room frantically, trying to find any sign of where it had disappeared to or who had taken it.  There was nothing.  Scrambling into the main hall, I cast about, looking for Derkeethus, but he was also no where to...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 2: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 8, 2012
  Once inside the Four Shields Tavern, I eased into a chair with some difficulty.  My right arm had gone slack, and dangled as little more than a dead weight.  Dismally, I plucked it by the sleeve and laid it on my leg in some semblance of normalcy.  The skin was clammy and hot, while frost rode down ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 7 – 1: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 7, 2012
  We started down the street and had only gotten a few dozen paces before we saw the bridge.  It arched over a great chasm dropping hundreds of feet until it reached the water.  The bridge was ancient, crafted into the likeness of a massive dragon's spine with a stone sculpture of a dragon's head leer...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 6 – 7: Search and Seizure

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 7, 2012
  I woke up with my body burning in a constant blaze and squeezed into something breathing.  My right hand was pressed against soft beaded skin interrupted by a thin break.  For a moment I lay there, feeling quite comfortable, if not very feverish, until the toking of a raven reminded me that I was in...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 6 – 6: Search and Seizure

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 7, 2012
  As we trotted down the path, the burning in my hand increased into an unbearable fire.  The rushing of the river became tempting, and I plunged into the water, heedless of the temperature.  I dipped my burning hand into the swift current, sighing in relief as the chill numbed the skin and eased the ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 6 – 5: Search and Seizure

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 6, 2012
  I watched as the muscles under the skin rippled with each strike of the hammer, and when the man half-turned to quench the blazing metal, a gaping wound stared out of his chest.  The wound had been sloppily closed with leather thongs and something sat nestled in the flaming red cavity.  Dark veins s...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 6 – 4: Search and Seizure

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 6, 2012
  Inside the cave, my sense of foreboding only increased.  There was a strong, lingering odor of bodies, goats, blood, and waste.  My face contorted in disgust as on the tail of this wall of scent, I caught the faint musk of sex.  Animals.  That's all these men were.  Animals. Not even my people in ou...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 6 – 3: Search and Seizure

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 4, 2012
  After following the scattered, meandering tracks for the better part of an hour, we came at last to a well-worn footpath in the mud.  Here the tracks were fresher, cleaner, and made with less care.  For a moment I wished Jorin were here to sniff out the trail of strange humans, but seeing as he was ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 6 – 2: Search and Seizure

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 3, 2012
  Several miles further down the road I paused at a fork marked by a signpost.  The post was weathered and scratched with a shard of an arrowhead punctuating the plank marked "Karthwasten".  Following the direction of the sign, I looked up the narrow path climbing the ridge to a shallow valley somewhe...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 6 – 1: Search and Seizure

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 2, 2012
  Blue skies dominated the landscape as we trekked north of the city, passing the tiny farms nestled among the rocks as we followed the river.  The wind continued to bluster about even as the sun climbed into the sky and threw the environment into a study of deep contrast.  To our right, the river bur...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 5 – 6: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

  by Kyrielle Atrinati October 2, 2012
  Derkeethus stooped and picked up the ruby, examining it closely in the sunlight.  "This'll do," he said, and turning to me, "We'll need something to barter with, and I doubt you'll want it to be your body.  He's said to have a 'way with women'."  I shuddered at the thought.  "We'll also need to lure...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 5 – 5: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 30, 2012
  Leaping up the stairs two at a time, I left the stone palace and Ondolemar behind.  My mind was a maelstrom of thoughts and arguing voices as I loped through the city. "Your father was a fanatic."  No he wasn't.  Was he?  Whenever I had asked why we left Valenwood, the answer was always different.  ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 5 – 4: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 30, 2012
  Still feeling fairly querulous, I wandered the city for a while, following the stream downhill through the city. Eventually, the rill terminated in a large, contained pool shaded by wooden scaffolding.  The hot tang of molten metals hung in the air, and the sharp ring of pickaxes against stone rebou...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 5 – 3: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 29, 2012
  I awoke with the feeling of my brain sticking to the inside of my skull and a massive headache rolling all the way down to my stomach, which clenched and cramped disconcertingly.  With a groan, I turned over on the bed and lifted the thin sheet over my head.  I felt a hand tighten around my waist an...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 5 – 2: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 29, 2012
  With a heart of stone resting in my chest as a heavy weight, I left the Temple of Kynareth only to be greeted with the very symbol of my loss.  A great tree stood leafless and lifeless in the square, its grayed branches clawing at the sky in apparent agony.  I walked towards the tree, ignoring curio...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 5 – 1: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 29, 2012
  Thin light falling into my eyes.  Derkeethus muttering nonsensically.  The feeling of being pulled out of my body.  Cold snow inside my clothes.  The metallic smell of blood mixed with vomit.  Something has died in my mouth. "It's her!"  A voice, young and familiar. "Not the one you've been pining e...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 4 – 6: Riding High

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 27, 2012
  As we stood at the end of the path gazing across the white expanse, clouds formed and crystallized around us, shielding the world from our eyes.  Snow still fell, but I could barely tell as it blended so perfectly with the clean white of the sky.  Kneeling, I let Jorin out of my pack, knowing I woul...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 4 – 5: Riding High

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 26, 2012
  We followed Arngeir out of the cavernous hall and into a barren courtyard.  Snow still fell thickly around us as we marched our way across the slushy, frozen ground.  I was grateful the old monk walked with a slow, steady pace as I could feel exhaustion pulling at the corners of my consciousness.  T...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 4 – 4: Riding High

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 23, 2012
  A pale light filtered through the clouds when I next opened my eyes.  The fire had long since burned down to a fine, white ash which mingled indistinguishably with the snow.  Chilly air crawled up my spine and I turned to see Derkeethus huddled in his cloak several feet away, poking desultorily at t...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 4 – 3: Riding High

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 23, 2012
  "4387...4388...4389..." Our feet crunched thickly in the snow as we ascended the mountain.  Over the last hour the path had become less steep.  There were even places where the walk was completely level and the steps stretched out in rough-hewn flagstones. At this height, breathing became increasing...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 4 – 2: Riding High

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 22, 2012
  Azura dusted the dawn sky with her rosy blush and autumn's breath chilled us as we approached the Path of Seven Thousand Steps.  Shivering, I draped my hood lower over my face, but it did little to keep the bite away.  Derkeethus and I trotted over the stone bridge as the river coursed wildly below ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 4 – 1: Riding High

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 18, 2012
  Over the next week I roved Eastmarch hunting, replenishing our arrows, sharpening our weapons, stitching cloaks out of hides with the assistance of Tormir.  I still didn't know where we were going, but winter was coming and the journey would be harder; wherever we went. It was the beginning of the l...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 3 – 6: Playing the Ruse

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 16, 2012
  Derkeethus went ahead, checking each tent for Legate Hrollod.  After several minutes of wandering around the camp, he found him sitting on the edge of his bed, drinking hot mead from a copper mug.  We stood at the entrance, and I wondered how you knocked on a tent.  Did you tap the flap?  Or strike ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 3 – 5: Playing the Ruse

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 16, 2012
  Immediately, we mounted the horses once more and headed out across the plain.  As there was little time to lose, we passed out of the village behind the apothecary and went cross country over the rocks and through warm pools. Above Jode loomed behind Northwind as we passed an old fort whose tiny win...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 3 – 4: Playing the Ruse

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 15, 2012
  Smoke drifted from the communal fire, banked to over-sized proportions to aid the residents in their fight.  They wore only the clothes on their backs, and wielded pickaxes, daggers, or other farming implements.  The Imperials were donned with standard issue steel-capped leather armor and wielded sw...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 3 – 3: Playing the Ruse

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 15, 2012
  The dinghy reached the southern shore with a thump before sliding along an ice shelf.  Derkeethus scrambled onto shore, stretching and flinging water from his tail.  Still crouched, I whistled a nightbird's call.  Nael and Burrs came trotting up the road, the buckles of their tack jingling sharp and...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 3 – 2: Playing the Ruse

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 15, 2012
  Even in recognizing those truths, even though they were all that mattered at the moment, that still did not change that Derkeethus had lied to me.  Had gone into this knowing I would be working, albeit very indirectly, for the faction of men responsible for my father's death and my personal torment....
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 3 – 1: Playing the Ruse

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 13, 2012
  Bound as we were, we marched back across the landscape in single file.  A soldier was placed in front of us and behind, and any attempts to speak between us were quickly silenced with rough jerks on the line.  The cold air dampened the madness inside my head, and I found myself thinking and seeing a...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 8: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 12, 2012
  I turned to find Derkeethus kneeling before the stone wall, clutching his ears, rocking, and muttering unintelligibly.  On either side of him, the stone faces gaped, leaning forward as if to swallow him. "Derk?"  Placing a hand on his shoulder, I knelt beside my friend and shook him gently.  "Derk, ...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 7: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 11, 2012
  For some minutes, we wandered through an endless maze of chambers, each one lined with shelves holding the long dead.  I shuddered at the thought of such bodies lying around.  That they would be left to molder in these empty tombs instead of being committed flesh and blood and spirit to their famili...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 6: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 10, 2012
  Heading westward through the snow, we crossed the River Yorgrim.  Here the mists had frozen into strange shapes on the rocks and bridges, causing them to look as if they had been carved from ice.  In some places, we saw frozen clouds of mist sparkling in the sunlight.  Ephemeral gems of lost value....
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 5: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 8, 2012
  By mid Frostfall, I was able to walk for long periods of time.  My ankle still twinged when I attempted to do anything strenuous, but I could walk and that was enough.  I knew our time in Windhelm was coming to a close, though I still had no leads on the White Phial.  Nurelion had mentioned it in pa...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 4: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 8, 2012
  Heading down the hill, we came to the dike leading into Windhelm.  The ground was covered in thick, muddy slush and the grey stones did nothing to lift the cold feeling over my heart.  A passing guard regarded my friend with an expression of disdain.  "Leading this one to the market, eh?" she asked....
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 3: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 5, 2012
  Our hunt resulted in no success, though the hunters did not seem ready to give up just yet.  All they would say on the way back to camp was, "It's still out there." "What is?" I asked.  But they wouldn't answer while we were still looking.  Jorin seemed particularly on edge as we headed back to camp...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 2: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 4, 2012
  As the dragon's body erupted into flames, I, once again, removed the creature's heart.  I felt it still beating like a trapped bird and the power of that creature seeped out of its most vital of organs.  The thumping of the heart filled my head until I thought it would burst, and I felt compelled to...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 2 – 1: Hunting the Phial

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 4, 2012
  Dawn was just beginning to break when we mounted our horses and started down the path.  I had intended to go with Ahkari along the road to Windhelm, but when we passed their campsite it was gone.  The khajiits never ceased to amaze me with how seamlessly they could disappear from a place.  There was...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 – 10: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 3, 2012
  The day began to close and the fires of the city were lit when I walked up the steps to the Temple of Mara.  Maybe it was that encounter with the young Bosmer that put me in mind to visit this place.  It occurred to me that if there was any being that could assist me in controlling the strange shift...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 – 9: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 3, 2012
  "So none of these symptoms sounds familiar?  None of your clients reported feeling this way after they took the contaminated potions?" I asked, exasperated. "Oh, no, deary.  Those reactions were quite different. Oh, they would come in here moaning and groaning of stomach aches and all kinds of malad...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 – 8: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 3, 2012
  "Your cousin shouldn't be that hard to find.  He's probably the only Argonian here."  The market was milling with people of varying races, all jostling for positions around stalls.  Near at hand was a Dunmer selling rare trinkets, though most of them looked like knock-offs.  I spotted a couple of a...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 – 7: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 2, 2012
  Derkeethus ran ahead, firing arrows into the bodies of two bandits that came out to meet us.  Yet, as we were running in, a pack of wolves from the other side charged the same bandits.  For several moments, a three-sided melee opened up.  Teeth flashed, weapons slashed, armor clashed, it was a cacop...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 – 6: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 2, 2012
  I must admit to a considerable degree of relief upon seeing the watchtower standing tall and formidable on the hill.  Especially with the sun bright and the birds soaring overhead. "There must be a village ahead," I said, peering about. "Hmm, there's supposedly some place called Shor's something-or-...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 – 5: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati September 2, 2012
  Before we even crested the first slope, a misty, chilling rain sifted down into the creases of the world.  I shivered, and donned an oilskin hood.  Derkeethus, however, continued to hum some nameless tune with a smile on his face.  "Ah, nothing like cool water between the scales, hmm?"  I shivered a...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 – 4: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati August 31, 2012
  As the sun rose behind a veil of clouds and the day became hot, we reached the base of the hill.  Closer to the rocks, the air was unbearably stuffy.  A pervading stench of rot and sulfur stuck to the insides of my nostrils.  "I'll be smelling this for days," I grumbled. "No worse than that cave you...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind –Ch. 1 – 3: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati August 31, 2012
  A chill breeze crossed with the underlying heat boiling out of the pools.  Grey light slowly bloomed in the northeast.  Derk, Jorin, and I crept out onto the flatland, feeling for all the world like the first beings to walk upon the earth.  We were exhilarated, determined, bright, alive, and afraid....
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 - 2: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati August 30, 2012
  Evening fell about me as I traveled the road to Darkwater Crossing.  The air was thick with moisture, and as I passed out of the shade of the trees, a mist descended, obscuring distant plateaus and turning them into wavering mirages. I thought of the little girl and wondered if we could even help he...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind – Ch. 1 - 1: The Elixir

  by Kyrielle Atrinati August 15, 2012
  “And here you are.”  “Here I am.”  We sat with the pole sticking out of the ground like an antenna, unmoving.  Nary a twitch the entire morning.  The fish simply weren’t biting today.  We packed it in and went inside for lunch.  “Did you ever find that elixir?”  “No.  By the time I was able to trave...
  comments

• Eye of the Wind - Prologue

  by Kyrielle Atrinati August 14, 2012
  The last time I saw the trees of Valenwood, my father was able to carry me around on his shoulders and horses were still giants.  When the whispers of the Aldmeri Dominion became loud enough to hear in the streets, my family left our homeland.  We made our way north along the Niben until we took up ...
  comments