Claudius sat on the bench for a few more minutes, pondering everything that had happened. So many things simply didn't add up to him. He looked up and watched the Arch-Mage and his guards go inside the Guild hall. He sat there for a few more moments, but he soon grew tired of waiting. He was impatient to learn the results of the meeting, and he had never been very good at sitting around doing nothing. He had even left all of his notes inside his room.

He rose from the bench and walked towards the Guild, wondering if he should go in. After all, he was a member of the Mage's Guild. Then, he heard a shout from the opposite side of the building, and he calmly walked around it, passing several guards until he came across Belland, who appeared to be rather paranoid.

"Do we have a visitor?" Claudius asked, an edge of interest entering his voice.

Belland glanced at Claudius then continued searching for the visitor as Claudius called the intruder.
"I know they are here" he said then turned in a circle trying to see the threat "get out here" he shouted. Belland had no clue if there was trurly someone was there, and if there was he did not know their intent but he was positive that it could not be good.

Ballerius looked up as he felt the gravel fall on the top of his head, seeing nothing on the roof. Is something up there? Probably just a raccoon or squirrel or something, but, then again, you can't be too cautious. He removed his right hand from its current hold, and began to chant a spell. The inquisitor fired off one of the few spells he knew: A ray of light, generally used to distract people. It would have a limited effect on a chameleon spell, which would distort the beam and reveal whoever was there, at least for a bit. However, the light wouldn't be helpful in the least against a fully invisible person.

Hearing Belland's shouts from the rear of the building recalled to Angel the last words she had spoken to him. She had called him a coward and yet here he was risking at least as much as she was. As remorse set in, she searched for the words she would use to express her regret. "It's like Poppi always said; 'A spoken word can never be taken back; only forgiven'. I will ask him to forgive me." Looking around once more she appended; "If we live throught this".

A momentary flash of light brought her out of her reveries completely and she realized how badly she had lost focus on what she was supposed to be doing. Once more she scanned the area; this time looking up in the direction she had seen the flash. For a moment it it seemed like something moved until she realized it was the clouds slowly drifting past the eave of the hall. Angel shifted the poison antidote in her hand for reassurance and resumed pacing and scanning.

"Hmm, interesting choice of spell. It does, of course, give away his position, but perhaps he knows something we don't. This should interesting to watch. A spy against a group of necromancers, mercenaries, a guild hall, and the Arch-Mage and his escort. This person is either extremely brave or extremely stupid. Perhaps both. I think I'll just stay and watch what happens," Claudius said with a note of amusemant in his voice.

Regardless, he took the dagger from his boot and charged his new spell in his free hand, before hiding them behind his back. As good a time as any to test my new spell I suppose. Under the circumstances though, I probably won't even get the chance to use it.

OOC: Damn. I'm still not mentioned....I think I should wait a little bit before I post. Any objections? Cause Imma post here.

IC: Erandur watched as Angel and the others talked. He was supremly bored, but he knew he needed to just sit back. Surely he didn't want to look like an idiot now. So he waited.

"Angel, what are you looking for?" he asked.

"I have an uneasy feeling." Angel answered. "And it's taking forever for the Arch Mage and Carahil to reach an agreement. That's not what's bothering me though. There's something else I can't put my finger on. Just a feeling like I'm being watched. I noticed you've been awfully quiet through this. What have you been thinking about so seriously?"

Belland nodded, "We need to find him, he is either an a thief, an assassin, or a fool, regardless he might be dangerous" he said. He instinctively released his shield spell, despite his magical abilities holding a spell for extended periods could sap his strength, particularly right before a possible fight.
Belland quickly leaned his head to one side and stretched for a few moments, loosing his arms and trying to touch his toes but only reaching his shins.
"I am too old for this" he complained before a string of foul words as the grip he tested on the side of the hall fell of at his touch. The second one tried held and he began his assent, all the time remembering his escape from castle skingrad.

"I really don't know. I just didn't want to look like an idiot. Surely Vladamus did already, and I don't want to relive that legacy." Erandur said, pacing around. "I just don't even know what all this is about." He didn't really care, to tell the truth, he just wanted to do something other than stand around.

"So, what are we gonna do?"

"Climbing? Physical exertion really isn't my forte. If only I had a spare piece of parchment and a quill, I could just write a spell to use. Levitation perhaps? I think I'll just stay down here and watch. Moral support and all that. Oh, and don't worry. If you happen to fall and break a few bones, I know bit about restoration," Claudius said, still smiling and watching the situation from below.

He couldn't help but wonder why anyone would want to interrupt a meeting between the Arch-Mage and Carahil. If he were to catch him in that position, he would just kill him and be done with it. Which led him to wonder what the Arch-Mage would do...

OOC: Sorry for my absence for some time. Things are getting pretty busy around here, with school stuff, and I have suddenly found it necessary to cut into my free time today and tomorrow.

Hannibal Traven looked back at Carahil with stern eyes, a mix of fear and hatred within them as he rotated the globe in his hand. "Is it right? Is it right that they spend a lifetime studying such an art? You've seen what it does, Carahil, first hand. You've witnessed the effects it has on the mind of the men and women who wield that power. They say Destruction is the dangerous school, but they are wrong." He set the globe back down on the desk, not removing his hand from it.

"The Greybeards, the Yokudans, the Psjiic, the People of the Root. They all wield magic, but look to their cultures. What is their view on necromancy? Contempt, disgust, aversion. Only the Dunmer accept it, and only on the condition of a form of Ancestor worship. It is universal, this knowledge; necromancy is a school of evil, immoral magicks. You are right, we are the guiding lights of this Empire in the use of magic. If we guide our people in the use of magic, is it right to guide them to a practice so vile and dangerous to the public? Is that in their best interests?"

He let the question hang in the air for some time, before answering it himself. "No, it is not."


The light flashed in a single ray past the hidden figure, and in the brief illumination the invisibility spell faltered. The effect was momentary, and near unnoticeable. If it were a strong Chameleon spell, this fact would have been different. The spell adjusted its power over the surface of the caster's body, shifting to emanate the flare of light in a manner similar to the world around it. The result was a brief ripple of light across the figure as the spell adjusted and corrected accordingly. And then it was gone.

There was another shifting and scraping of stones on the roof, and more gravel fell.

Carahil
The beginnings of anger starting to show through, Carahil responded; "Then the Mages guild will remain wrapped in ignorance, conforming to the superstitions of ancient cults or the dictates of clandestine groups. If you want to persecute anyone you will have to do it without me and the members of this hall. We will take no further hostile actions against our former colleagues unless they individually violate the laws of human decency."

Angel

"Show yourself!" Angel shouted to the roof of the Mages Guild hall. Casting a detect life spell she scanned the roof. "There! just a faint sign." Casting a flare spell at the spot, she shouted. "The next one won't be so benign."

Turning to her bodyguard she whispered; "Vla... uh... Erandur, can you
get up on that roof?"

Traven looked at Carahil for a moment, sorrow crossing his eyes as he let go of the orb and his hand moved back to his side. "What happened, Carahil? What happened to cause this change in you?"

-----------------------
The flare spell flashed through the air, but the target was already out of harm's way when it reached them, and there was not even a sign of perpetrator.

However, a muffled voice did resound in the air just above Angel's head, sounding like it came from the roof. "We have the same purposes, child. Ensuring nothing unfavorable happens during this meeting. Which brings me to another subject. You've got an intruder climbing up the back wall, and the two necromancers are looking for him."

The voice changed positions of origin, now coming from the left above them. "You might want to investigate. Having necromancers nearby might not bode well."

Belland reached onto the roof desperately trying to find a grip, a fall from the roof would not kill him but it would ruin his day for sure. He felt the small ledge his foot was on drop half an inch before breaking off and falling to the ground. He started to fall and pressed his hands into the roof and found a small grip and held himself over the edge.
"Are you sure you do not want to join me" he yelled down as he pulled himself up swinging his legs beneath him. He quickly dragged himself onto the roof and sat on his knees and glanced down on his hand, his second finger was twisted at an odd angle and had started to bleed. He was about to relocate it when he saw the bone protruding from the finger.
"That restoration magic would be useful right now" he said as he did his best attempt at healing the hand but it still stung and was at a strange angle however it was the best he could do at the moment.

Carahil
"What happened to me was a message from you saying that Angel had stolen an artifact from the University. Then I learned it was hers all along. That's when I started to question, and realized I had a responsibility to tell the truth even when it hurts.

That child once admired you above all living men; even the Emperor. It broke my heart to see her when I told her what you had done.

But, once the dam breaks it is quickly torn apart. You know that. Once lose trust in someone and it can never be wholly restored."

Angel
"I'm not leaving this entrance." Angel said, speaking in a normal voice as though someone was standing beside her. "if anyone gets in, there are four battlemages inside plus the Anvil staff; but I think I know who is here and they are not a threat."

"That is not the subject of the question, my dear." Traven said coldly, displeased. "Your answer does not show a reason to turn back on a philosophy you had followed for much of your life. It does not explain how your entire moral stand on a single issue could swing from one side to the other."

She'd changed the topic on him, and onto one that irked him to no end. Because the basic behind his approach towards the artifact was the same as his approach towards necromancy. Travern took a step forward, his staff tapping on the ground once. "I had the artifact taken and placed in the University for a reason, Carahil. It is too powerful, too dangerous, to be left in her hands. Anything could happen to her, and it could be taken. She is young, still easily swayed by others. I felt it was too risky."

He turned away from her and looked at the door, before leaning back on the desk. In that moment, his age truly shown, and he seemed to gain years. "If Angel did not take the Artifact from the University, than someone else did. This is even more troubling, because that means anyone could now have a hold of it." He sighed, shaking his head.

"But the artifact is not part of this discussion."

"You asked what happened to me and I answered. I agree it has nothing to do with the issue of Necromancy. It has everything to do with blind obedience. I will not deny my conscience. I will not hound these people whom I once considered friends. As far as that goes, there are mages aplenty who acts are as evilly intended as anything I saw a Necromancer do."
"Lack of morals can be found everywhere these days." Carahil ended her thought enigmatically.

"Of course. Everyone always asks for help when they're out of reach. How very typical. Hold on and I'll join you in a moment," Claudius muttered, shouting the last sentence so that Belland could hear.

He studied the wall for a few moments, focusing his mind on looking for handholds. After a while, he found a path up the wall. He replaced his dagger in it's sheath and let his spell dissipate before he began his climb. It took him almost a minute to reach the top, and he was rather pale by the end. He had never enjoyed heights, even small ones like this.

"You really should be more careful you know. There are limits to what you can heal," Claudius said as he studied the broken finger. It wasn't as bad as it could be, but he couldn't heal it completely. He reached out both hands and felt his energy leave him as a bright blue glow covered his finger.

Once he was done, he drew his dagger again, but didn't charge his spell, as healing always takes a large toll on his energy reserves. "There, that ought to do. It will take time for it to be as good as it was before, but it should be usable at least," Claudius said, slightly out of breath from the sudden loss of power.

OOC: Another posting rush I wasn't here for. I guess I have a lot of catching up to do. I'm assuming that the chameleon spell Ballerius uses in the post is OK, as it was used in the fanfic.

IC: Ballerius pulled himself up onto the roof, letting out his breath as his hard climb ended. Quickly, he cast his best camouflaging spell, and surveyed the roof. He was completely sure that there was an invisible intruder on the roof, hence the way his or her spell reacted to the flash of light. The spell on himself wasn't as strong as the one the intruder had, but it was enough to blur his movements and enhance any hiding that he attempted. Although Ballerius couldn't see the intruder, he could see a black-robed Belland lying atop the roof. The inquisitor approached the necromancer, noticing that one of his fingers was at an odd angle, probably dislocated from the effort. He's too old to be climbing roofs. Also, there seemed to be another figure near him, quite pale and looking tired, likely from levitating up.

"Do you have any way of thwarting invisibility? There's someone else up here. I know I'm not exactly supposed to be here, but I'll answer any questions you have after we deal with whoever else is here."

Ballerius was fully aware neither Belland or the newcomer wouldn't trust him, but he would save dealing with the old necromancer and the younger mage for later.

OOC: Umm...Can we slow down a little? Like Squidmasher said, it goes to fast.

IC: "Sure thing Angel." Erandur said, jumping onto a ledge. He wedged himself up slowly, making sure his armor didn't scratch the side. He progressed faster and faster, all the while gaining ground. He finally made it to the top.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

For some reason this got deep under Traven's skin, and it took him a lot of mental effort to keep this aggravation from showing on his face. He managed to keep himself contained and hold some of his poise, but he still looked like a tired old man ready to give in.

Which was exactly what it sounded like when he removed himself from his leaning on the desk and looked to Carahil. "What are your terms?"
-----------------------
"Well, this got interesting quickly." Came the muffled voice again, before a figure shimmered into existence. It was a lithe form clad in leathers, sitting on the top of the sloped roof as if nothing was happening of importance. A scarf was wrapped around the person's face, concealing everything below the nose.

"So, might I ask why you necromancers insist on climbing on the roof of this particular building?" The person asked, rising onto their feet and putting one hand to the hip, before looking to Belland and Claudius, ignoring the other two.

"Hey, don't include me in that, I'm just here to provide moral support. I don't even know why I'm up here. As for Belland, I imagine he's here to capture you. I think that this will make a very interesting debrief. I won't even inquire who you are and who you represent, I leave that to Belland and our new friends here," Claudius said, now very interested.

He looked across the scene briefly and thought of what he would do if this individual was dangerous. He was now completely ignoring the other intruder, as this one seemed to be more of a threat. He charged a very small amount of magicka into his right hand, even as he held his dagger. If the intruder was dangerous, he was confident that his new spell would put him down, though he couldn't put as much power into it as he wanted, having expended so much power already.

Seeing the tired expression on the Arch Mage's face brought sadness to Carahil. The last thing in the world she had wanted was to argue and yet here they were, like two old lovers; wanting one thing and saying another. Yet there were hopeful looks on the faces of the staff and she realized her responsibility was to them and not to her own feelings.

"I won't ask you to reinstate the Guild members who left because of the ban. I only want to end this persecution. Allow them to be seen in public without attacking them. If that's too much to ask, then at least give them a sanctuary where they won't be subject to harassment; Anvil for example. And of course, all of us here at the Anvil Guild hall wish to remain members of the guild in good standing."

ooc: I wont be able to post tomorrow, long weekend and all

IC:
Belland nodded to Claudias, and walked in front of him and quickly whispered "take him down". Before grabbing the blade at his waist and pointing it at the person who had made him climb the building. He felt his finger send a jolt of pain and tossed the blade in the air and caught it in his left hand. He was not as skilled with his left however he had no choice and spun the blade trying to entice an attack.
"Who are you" Belland demanded and took another step towards the leather clad figure. He quickly clenched his fist and called on his magical power to pull a daedra from oblivion.In a shower of sparks a small scamp appeared and stared blankly head. He had contemplated summoning a stronger daedra however he did not want to waste his strength only to have the results killed by a powerful spell or another invisible opponent.
"you have ten seconds" Belland said, "then you die" he chuckled and started his count down "Ten" ..."nine"...

Claudius laughed for a moment as Belland spoke, but flipped his dagger into the reverse position anyway. If he wants help, who am I to deny him.

He then pushed more magicka into his spell, making it glow a soft green. He kept most of his power in reserve, but he would need the extra strength for a direct confrontation, as the spell was designed for a surprise attack.

"Really now, why don't you just answer the question. You're outnumbered three to one. Or is it four to one? Ah whatever, the point is, you can't win," Claudius said, grinning at the stranger. He took a moment to look at Erandur and the other intruder, wondering what they would do in such a strange situation, before refocusing his attention on the person in front of him. If they don't side with us, things will get a lot more complicated. Erandur most likely won't, but the other one might. Best be prepared.