Beeleez-Ra was impressed. "Ahh, three daedra.." When she jumped up and shouting the guards the argonian warrior laughed quietly to himself. "It's no use, shouting at those guards, my friend. They work with the Blackwood company. If you want to persuade them of anything, you have to take a blade to their throats. Hehe, and I may have a way to escape out of this place. (OOC: if this is not ok, just send me a pm and i'll edit..) IC: But, will you risk your life to get out of this forsaken place?" He stood up, walked over to window and stared outside. He was having a flashback.

All the hatch lings except Beeleez-Ra were swimming, developing their gills. Beeleez-Ra, however, was stuck on land, furthering his training with the blade. "Why am I the only one learning how to fight?" He complained to the knight training him. "It's because you are the only one who was born under the sign of the warrior, and we need strong troops if we are to stop our kin from being taken to Morrowind for Azura knows what. Now, parry, jab, slash!" Beeleez-Ra just followed the motions. His heart was not in it. He was curious to know what Morrowind was like. The knight told him to stop for the day. Beeleez-Ra was only to happy to comply. His only friend came running up to him. "Hey, Beeleez-Ra, how was sword training?"
"Boring.." grumbled Beeleez-Ra. Bimseel chuckled.
"Hey, we're going to explore the abandoned halls of Blackrose tonight, want in?" Beeleez-Ra thought it over. He nodded.
"Sure, but I'm bringing my sword." Bimseel nodded.
"Yeah, we may be attacked.." Later that night, four hatch lings arrived up at the gates of Blackrose. They snuck inside and explored the place. Beeleez-Ra gripped the hilt of his sword and stayed calm. He noticed a small hole that led to the sewers. He looked out the window of one of the cells and saw where the sewer escape hatch led to. He placed it in memory in case they needed a quick escape.

Beeleez-Ra looked out and saw the pipe and maybe the only chance to freedom. He just hoped the hole to the sewers wasn't covered, which, most likely, it was. He looked over to the wall, and sure enough, it was. He closed his eyes in concentration. If only I had a sword I could make us free

OOC: "Blackrose: why pay to leave when you can stay for free? Room and board available!"

IC:

Dolan, feeling that he had nothing better to do, sat down on the floor and began his midday brood. Just like every other inmate, he began to draw out plans for escape. He had never considered it until a few days ago, when Beeleez-Ra and his "buddy" from the tavern incident were jailed. His voice faded to a mumble.

"So let's see. Reassess the situation, right? Right. Right...

It's obvious that I can't get out without a key or a lockpick. I'm probably more than an hours walk from a lockpick, but the key is still a possibility. Guards come in, they have their morning routine, watching, sometimes entering the cells. Right? Right. So if I got one into my cell and swiped a key, I'd at least be able to take a few steps towards freedom before needing to plan out the actual escape. But the guards need to close the bars each time. If I could only get one careless enough, or distract him... Right...

And I can't distract him myself, could I? NO, no, that couldn't work at all, right? Right. If he lost the key while he was in my cell, he'd know that he used it to open it, and he'd instantly suspect me. So I have to do it when he's leaving and locked it up. Something to make him pause for a bit. Right. Something to make him turn around and expose the key chain for me to swipe. Something...

No, someONE, right? Someone. Like the neighbors? I'd have to talk it out. And what are their plans anyway? Right?"

Dolan stopped talking once he heard Ashina yell out through her bars at a passing chain gang of new prisoners. One of the guards paused to exchange pleasantries with her, but was reluctant to hurl insults. In another example of a dysfunctional flirt, the guard didn't beat her. "So either the guards have bad choice in women or they're extremely scared of her and trying to hide it," he thought to himself ("hold on, I'd usually talk to myself... An improvement!" he mumbled again). He quietly observed them getting dragged into the dungeons below, but had the fortune to have a new neighbor to the left of his "room"; a Khajiit. He noted the dark irony that was the claw marks on the left wall of his cell. Had the previous Khajiit lived long enough, he probably would have given up, realizing that it was just another chamber.

"So a Khajiit claws furiously to leave his cell, and another one takes his place and just GOES to the other cell instead of all that work digging. Hah! Ahah..."

Being the only person in his cell, the joke was lost on whoever was within earshot of Dolan. "And speaking of earshot..."

Dolan noticed the Argonian and the Dunmer were getting chummy. Ashina didn't talk much to him, but Beeleez-Ra was quite open. And the sound carried easily in the prison. And even the Argonian was a Daedric worshipper. "But in Morrowind, you could get them for a septim a dozen."

But Dolan quickly got a flash of inspiration and mumbled frantically again. "Why, the Dunmer's more mad than I am by the looks of it. She gets the guard's attention all the time and she's opposite to my cell. If she did it while a guard was getting ready to leave, I might get some progress here! Right. Of course, we're talking to spider girl here and she seems to be pretty entrenched in her little conversations. Hell, if I was a bit more delusional or if I knew how to talk to spiders, she might have her own plans on getting out of here. Right? And if I get caught stealing the keys, I'll probably be a dead man. Ah, forget it. I'll think about it tomorrow. Right?

RIGHT."

OOC:



It's fine. You can either wait until Ashina's plan is successful (read the next bit of her story for info), which is literally a get-out-of-jail card if you can't think of your own escape plan, or find your own way out beforehead. I don't mind, either way. Everyone's character is there own here.

IC: "Would I fight to get out of here?" Ashina asked, as she curled up into a niche in the wall which she had decorated like the rest of her prison - with spider silk. She had passed her time by making tapestries and by cultivating the spiders that provided her with the material she needed to make them. It had been a hobby of hers in the Ashlanders and through her guerrilla campaign, but now it had turned into an obsession. There was little else to do besides go mad, and she was halfway to complete madness already, further influenced by the fanaticism that was now stagnant.
The Argonian's question was an interesting one.
"Yes," she replied, after giving it much thought. "If there was an opportunity. And I would persuade the guards, if I had a blade. You can't make a blade out of silk. An opportunity will come, I'm sure. My trial is soon. I think. I have sent messages on my tapestries, in Daedric lettering. You are an Argonian. Do not follow me into the courtroom, in case my plan is successful."
Ashina looked at her companion, and found that he wasn't listening. Perfect. Reaching back, she tapped her knuckles on the stone. Not expecting that to be heard, she raised her voice.
"Stop talking to yourself, Imperial, you're confusing Mephala's little messengers."

OOC: Blackrose Keep: Only the best, for the best!

IC:

Zi'jar heard mutterings to his right, a human, by the sounds of it. He snarled. He had been assigned to kill a human...

And that's where it all went wrong. At the tavern... that wench! She must've told him! Such a well paying job... I would've been rich! She'll get hers, I swear it!

The response to his presence at the site was immense; 20 armed mercenaries stormed the inn, knocking over tables and patrons alike. It was all too vivid in his deprived mind...

He brought himself back to reality.

"Hey, human." He spat, "Keep your thoughts to yourself. I've done nothing to you."

He almost immediately regretted this, as it occured to him that teamwork might be his only real way out of here.

"How...how long have you been here?"

OOC: I've started something here with these Blackrose slogans. Oh, and the following post is about Ashina's plan and the people carrying it out. You lot can add in other characters under your control, if you like, but no more than three and each needs to have a reason for imprisonment (if they are imprisoned), but they don't need a separate character sheet.

IC: Nirabi batted at the buzzing clouds, as she held back one of the branches of a tree in a Blackwood forest for Gulakhan Assamma-Idan. The insects could not hurt her - her Dunmer skin was too dark from them, and they didn't recognise her as a meal - but they were swarming around her in their thousands. More appeared whenever she moved a branch.
When Assamma-Idan stepped past her, his excuse for a guidebook in hand, and called back that he could see the oily water of the river on the border, it was little consolation. The shimmering river was probably thick enough to walk on, and was a sign of just how disgusting Argonia really was. This, in Nirabi's opinion, was the only reason to stop slave-raids.
"That's the border? Where are the fortresses?" Nirabi asked. She hadn't expected to cross the border until she'd seen at least a tower or outpost, or any other sign of Imperial occupation. But there was nothing. Only Ayleid ruins, tangled amongst the jungle, and the whitewashed walls of farm houses that had been gnawed by the same swarms of flies that were bothering the two Ashlanders.
"Imperials couldn't be bothered to get stone up here," Assamma-Idan said, convincing himself that that was the truth with absolutely no evidence. "They've done a half-decent job at clearing the land, though." He nodded towards a clearing, with piles of charred wood around it, and no vegetation in the centre besides fireweed and the hist trees that the Argonian tribes who owned the land had not permitted the Imperials to cut down.
"A new settlement?" Nirabi asked. Assamma-Idan flicked to his notes at the back of the Argonian Account, and searched them for the answer whilst Nirabi lit a fire in her hands with a spell, hoping the smoke would drive off the flies.
"It was meant to be a chapel and farming community. But the hackwings stopped construction after a colonist was killed."
"Hackwings?"
"Think cliff-racers, but with longer beaks."
"Hmm," Nirabi grunted. "Cliff-racers who can smell you as well as see you. No wonder Argonians travel underground."
The pair of Ashlanders walked on, cutting away at the foliage, bows in hand, occasionally resorting to fire to burn a path through the jungle that became thicker and thicker, almost to the point where it was impossible to burn it because the branches were so tangled in leaves that there was no air around them. Assamma-Idan held his guidebook to his chest - it was nothing more than a single volume with each edition of the Argonian Account, together with the notes that Assamma-Idan had taken from the official records that a thief, sponsored by Azura's sister, Nocturnal, had stolen from various building commissions and cartographers' offices in the Imperial City.
The pleats of Nirabi's dress held shein and crab meat - hardly enough for a long trek. But it was still, according to Assamma-Idan's guide, a few hundred miles to Blackrose. Maybe the Argonians had the best of it...

ooc: You folks still taking sign ups on this?

OOC: Yep. We always will be.

OOC: This okay? The name WILL be revealed as the story goes on. Have a plan for it.

Name: Snowborn

Race: Nord Barbarian

Appearance: Stands just under seven feet tall, one of the largest, hairiest men you'll ever meet. His barbarian lifestyle shows, he's covered in scars.Shaggy blond hair, and a beard that hangs down almost to his chest.

Personality: Surly, easily frightened by large buildings and signs of Imperial Civilization. Tends to react to them in a rather hostile manner. If it can at all be avoided, he'll stay off the roads and favor tromping through the forests. Private, and cunning when he's in his element. Snowborn would not be his real name, that's private information. It's what the guards have called him, since every time they track him down he's up in the mountains camped out in the snow.

Expert/Master Skills: Unarmed, Agility

Novice/Journeymen Skills: Athletics, Light Armor, Blunt

Reason for Imprisonment: Murder, Stealing, Horse theft

OOC: It's okay - everyone's character is their own, as long as they're not invincible. Feel free to start your character's story.

Dolan noticed that his inmates were getting more annoyed than before at his talking-to-himselfiness, but the Khajiit appeared to be interested in helping him! This was a good chance. Dolan wasn't a good pickpocket, but maybe the Khajiit was!

Dolan held himself out to the bars and whispered.

"Uh, Khajiit, right? Hey, um, I... I think you can help me! This could work, uh...

Well, I figure that if I'm going get out of here, I might want to pilfer a key from the guard. During the mornings, they, um, tend to get a bit rowdy. They enter the cells and beat us. Now you're a Khajiit, right? Can you pickpocket the guard who goes to my cell? I'm no master at it, but I'm sure you could help... You see, after the guard comes in my cell, he roughs me up a bit, see? And then he'll probably walk by you in order to head back up. If I could get another prisoner to do something loud or crazy, he'd turn around while walking back, giving you, er, the chance to get the key! If it works, erm, we could maybe head for an armory and I could show you why they keep me in magic-absorbing shackles. What do you say?"

A plan? He thought to himself. He was curious as to what kind of plan the dunmer had. He looked at her for a moment, was going to say something, but didn't. He turned back towards the window. He noted that one of the bars were loose. He reached out, and grabbed the bar and shook it. After about thirty minutes of shaking the bar, it broke free. Beeleez-Ra roared in a fit of laughter as he realized what he has done. He held the bar like a sword. The door creaked open and Beeleez-Ra hid the bar. No sense in losing it. I'll just wait for a better opportunity. A heavily armored knight went up to him, and Beeleez-Ra recognized him. He was Beeleez-Ra's knight trainer as a hatch ling. This was also the Argonian that helped put him in jail. The knight laughed.
"How does it feel? Being put with a slave owning dunmer? Has she made you her pet yet?" He laughed. He pulled out a mace, and hit him in the ribs. Beeleez-Ra fell. You'll get yours...

As well as doing his exercise's, Ethrador had spent the last few day's thinking of the Arena the Argonian Guard mentioned, he was thinking the it could possibly be a chance for freedom or if he is cunning and stealthy enough, an escape. The thought of escape made Ethrador start thinking about seeing his wife again, he was in thought of it for the next 5 minutes but realized that realisticly he had no chance of winning a battle between god know's what in an enclosed arena. However Ethrador was finding it harder and harder each day coping with Blackrose because of missing his wife and also the annoying inmates who even though got in his nerves, he would feel if there is any chance of escape he would need their help. For the time being though Ethrador was mainly focused on getting in better shape than escaping, he would need to get in better shape anyway if he wanted to sneak out.

As Ethrador was drinking his water to Re-hydrate himself he caught a glimpse of a Khajit being kicked down the stairs and dragged along the floor, ''Poor guy, what could he of done to deserve this?'', Ethrador said to himself, he looked so weak and innocent. He couldn't of done anything that bad to be thrown here could he?, he thought to himself. The Khajit reminded Ethrador of himself in the way he was bullied by the Guards. But maybe the Khajit just looked weak as a disguise, it could be an act just to trick people.

Ethrador could hear the insane Dunmer to his right, who he now knew was called Ashina, having the daily insult hurling chat with the Guard. It annoyed Ethrador that Ashina could get away with insulting the Guard very harshly all day without any form of punishment, but Ethrador insult's him once and get's a possibly fatal beating and a threat to have to fight in an arena. ''Talk about favouritsm'', Ethrador said to himself quietly. After the two had finished having a go at each other he heard the Argonian in the cell with her, who Ethrador now knew as Beeleez-Ra, mention that these Guards are members of the Blackwood Company and they could only be persuaded with violence. Well that explains all the damn beatings then doesn't it, Oh how I would love to put a Blade to their throat!, Ethrador thought to himself. This new information gave Ethrador a possible idea for freedom or escape but it could not be pulled of by him just yet. The Bosmer also heard Beeleez-Ra mention an escape of his own but could not hear the details, Ethrador was starting to think maybe this Argonian isn't really that bad of a guy, he could be good for information on Blackmarsh and the prison, Ethrador wanted to befriend this man. When the time was right he would introduce himself to Beeleez-Ra.

Once again Ethrador could hear Dolan muttering to himself franticlly, it seemed this time he was talking to himself about an escape. By listening quite carefully Ethrador did find the escape quite a clever plan although he still thought the escape he a slim chance. How could anyone sneak of out Blackrose?, the Bosmer thought to himself. By now he could not comprehend what Dolan was saying and it was starting to irritate him, ''Hey Imperial may you please keep your thoughts in your head? Thankyou'', Ethrador said this to him in a kind manner but even so he got the feeling Dolan would keep talking to himself anyway, when you have been stuck in these prison's for so long it's hard to stop a habit.

The Argonian Guard had stopped by Ethador's cell to give him his dinner, the Argonian spat on the meat as he gave it to him. ''Thankyou'', Ethrador said to him with a pleasant smile. ''Shut your [censored] mouth you treehugger'', the Argonian replied turning away from him. Oh you have no Idea how much I want to slit your throat, and if that time comes, you will wish you never said anything insulting to me, Ethrador thought whilst shaking his head. He was going to ask the Argonian Guard about the arena but he seemed annoyed at him and Ethrador felt the same way, so he would do so another time. After he had eaten about half his meal, Ethrador started his exercise's again for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile Ethrador listened in on the conversation between the new Khajit and Dolan, they were discussing an escape. Ethrador actually felt that the plan was very impressive and well thought out, especially for someone who seemed quite bonkers. He thought the plan could have a chance of escape but Ethrador would most likely not get involved because even though he was quite good at sneaking, he doesn't like the chance of being caught by the Guards. He would actually prefer to combat them if anything.

After finishing his exercise's for the night, Ethrador spotted a hulking Argonian wearing Heavy Armor walking down the stairs. I feel sorry for anyone who is going to get beaten by that, Ethrador thought. He had no idea why the Huge Argonian did this, but Ethrador heard him mutter something then hit poor Beeleez-Ra with his Mace with sheer force. Ethrador was shocked and appauled at what just happened, obviously he couldn't see what happened but it must of done much damage, Ethrador really wanted to give these people a taste of what it is like. He wanted to possibly team up with Beeleez-Ra and fight them or escape with him, even if it did include Ashina. ''Hey buddy are you okay''? Ethrador asked through the wall to the poor Argonian, he was not sure if he was even concious so he awaited a reply.

OOC: This post is pretty brutal. Do not read if about to attempt DIY. I don't kill the Argonian, though. It just looks like it.

IC: "Well, that didn't work out the way you planned," Ashina smiled, amused. She kicked off of the wall she was leaning against, at the back of the prison, and walked towards the bars, stepping between the two Argonians. The armoured Argonian blinked, his eyes seen to glitter through the visor of his helmet. He readed his mace, as well. The Dunmer he saw was physically weak - stronger than most elves, but still not a match for him.
She strolled up to him, lighting a fire in her hand. It was a bizarre flame, with no heat. Although it flickered in the wind it had created, its shadow did not. The Argonian looked into it, trying to work out how the Dunmer had pulled off the illusion - it was illusion magic, that was for sure, as it did no damage when he placed his hand in the flame. He eventually laughed, having to admit that he was beaten, despite the Dunmer's amused grin.
"How did you produce that?" he asked, keeping a tight grip on his mace although he couldn't help but smile back.
"It's hist sap," Ashina replied. "I collected it from the samples the spiders brought me, and rubbed it in. And I just lit it. It's not magic, just the application of heat to a natural fuel."
"But there's no heat!" the Argonian protested.
"There is. You just can't feel it. Only people who aren't used to the gasses from hist on their skin can feel it." Ashina turned to Beeleez-Ra, but thought better of asking him to confirm that. The armoured Argonian was too intrigued by the fire to notice. "How hot do you think it is?" Ashina asked, drawing the Argonian's attention to her as she moved her free hand behind her back.
"I don't know how Dunmer measure temperature," he replied, not wanting to admit that he didn't have a clue even in the measurements that he used.
"Guess," Ashina demanded, waving the fire in front of the Argonian's face, partly to entrance him and partly to generate heat. The jumped when the bar that Beeleez-Ra had torn off was pressed into her hand, but no-one noticed. The Argonian did look up, however, which startled Ashina. She almost dropped the bar, but realised that her intentions had not been discovered when the Argonian smiled, as deluded as Ashina wanted him to be.
It was no surprise, really, him being stationed in a hot wilderness with flies and lizards. It was just circumstantial, but it was sufficient - he fell for Ashina's trap.
"Stop teasing," he grinned, stroking Ashina's hair with one of his scaly hands, wrapping his claws around the top of her stick twist.
"That feels like spider silk," she said, taking this as her cue to wrap her arms around him. Behind his back, both of her hands came together - the metal bar and the fire that became hot as she moved, giving it more air to help it burn. She didn't feel it, as she was used to walking across burning terrain, and she had the back of her hands pressed against the small of the Argonian's back, so he didn't feel it, either. But the metal bar became searing hot, almost to the point of melting.
"Hmm. Can you make beds out of spider silk?" he asked, with a low voice that Ashina found it hard to listen to without laughing. Ashina, still acting as though she was teasing, put her hand across his mouth.
"Ssh, we don't want the other guards to hear...or, rather, I don't."
The Argonian's eyes widened, and tears flooded the corners, as the shock at Ashina's change in demeanour was replaced by a hot explosion of pain that swept across his back, tearing through him and snowballing until it became an energetic attempt to break free. But the heat had paralysed him, and he lacked the strength to throw Ashina off. Before he could turn and try again, the metal bar had melted his armour to him, and the fire, as if encouraged by petrol, swept over him like a breaker on rocks.
Ashina pushed him away as soon as he dropped his mace to the floor, and activated a surge of energy which had been silent since she arrived in prison. Her fanaticism had been long caged, and it came out roaring. In a matter of seconds, she had picked up the mace, and had brought down a torrent of crushing blows on the screaming, flailing Argonian.
There was a sickening crack for each blow, so close together that it was almost a continuous crunch as if someone were walking across an ocean of eggshells, and the mace was swung so violently that the steel chipped against the Argonian's spikes. It lasted a few moments - despite her ferocity, Ashina was weak from her imprisonment. But the Argonian fell hard, followed by a relentless stream of blows. The bones were audibly shattered, and the body bounced on the granite, and Ashina broke into a run, tossing the bar which she was still holding to the ground, letting it clang into her former prison.

OOC: New Prisoner!

Name: Andi Grunhair

Race: Dunmer

Expert-Master Skills: Illusion, Mysticism, Alteration, Restoration.

Novice-Journeyman Skills: Security, Sneak, Blade.

Reason for Imprisonment: Trespassing, Assault, Mental Instability (thats an offense in the town he's from).

---------------------------

IC:

The Green haired Dunmer was dragged through the prison main doors and into the Cell block. A guard holding each of his arms, aggressively directing him down the line of cells.
He was mentally 'tweaked', so sometimes he was as smart as any scholar or historian, and other times his mind was gone. One moment he could be explaining the basis of time and what we know as 'teleportation', and the next moment he could be lying on a stone wall singing about a wolf stealing meat.

He was being walked down the line, as he looked around not knowing where he was. In his mind he was not aware of where he was.
He looked at each of the guards and said "you are not nice people, I can tell, I can tell by your ears" he said "are we going to the market now? I want to get some scrolls to write on, and a new quill"
They arrived at his new home, the guards laughed at him and pushed him into the cell, "welcome to the rest of your life you stupid Dunmer" they said, and they locked the cell door and marched out of the cell block. Little did they know that this Dunmer was no dummy, on a good day he was very intelligent indeed. He watched them walk away and sat on the floor, he looked up at the ceiling and smiled, he seemed comfortable in his new home.

--------------------

OOC: What sort of items do/can we have in our cells?

OOC: Welcome to Blackrose. You will find the toilet block outside, with a lovely view of the fast-flowing river. But the banks are steep, so mind you don't slip on what you unload

And it depends what you have in your prison. Cups and simple furniture, usually, and maybe a bedroll or a niche in the wall for sleeping, but as long as you don't decorate it like a palace and have a good reason for other items being there, provided they are semi-realistic for a prison in Black Marsh, then it's largely up to you.

Ethrador waited for a reply but there wasn't one for a while now so he assumed Beeleez-Ra was unconcious. Poor guy, I hope he isn't feeling to injured, Ethrador thought to himself proving that he still can be a loving and caring man at certain times.

The door leading to the prison cell's Ethrador was currently in screeched open which made him cringe. A few moments later Ethrador saw that there was a new inmate being dragged into the prison by two guards who were pulling him quite vigorously. The new prisoner was a Dunmer with green hair, he started saying ridiculous things to the guards about them ''not being very nice'' and ''are they taking him to the market. ''Oh great another [censored] lunatic to deal with, could this get any worse?'', Ethrador muttered to himself under his breath.

There seemed to be some sort of conversation between Ashina and the huge Argonian in the cell to Ethrador's right, the Bosmer put his ear to the wall to hear what was going on between them. He couldn't really understand what was going on but Ethrador could tell that Ashina was trying to lure the Argonian into some sort of trap, Ethrador was almost certain this was the Dunmer's escape plan. After they had exchanged a few words Ethrador could tell Ashina was trying to trick the Argonian with some sort of illusion. Ethrador noticed that the Argonian was try to flirt with Ashina which disgusted but also confused the Bosmer. Suddenly the Argonian shrieked in pain as if something had burnt him, next all Ethrador could hear was sound of bones breaking on contact with crushing blows from a mace which surely must of killed the Argonian. Ethrador was extremely happy that the Argonian was dead and that justice had been served. Ethrador heard the sound of Ashina's cell being opened, she must have the key! Ethrador thought with excitement. He rushed to the bar's of his cell and was but a few feet away from Ashina, she seemed capable of fighting and this could be his chance of escape and chance to see his wife. ''Hey Dunmer, is it possible that we may escape together? Please I need to see my wife again. I am capable of fighting with you if you need me'', Ethrador said to Ashina hoping that she may feel sorry for him. He looked at her with with an expression on his face that he made to make him seem trustworthy and awaited a reply.

IC: "It depends where you're headed. If it's Cyrodiil, then escape with me," Ashina said, lighting another fire, this time a real one, in her hands. "Help me out here. You push the bars, I burn them."

''Yes Cyrodill is where I plan to head to, Bravil to be exact.'' Ethrador pushed the bars with all his strength, which had improved slightly, and with the help of Ashina burning them the cell bars burnt a hole big enough for Ethrador to hop through. The Bosmer looked into Ashina's cell and saw the corspe of the Burnt and disfigured Argonian which made him feel a little weezy, he also spotted Beeleez-Ra on the floor stunned. Ethrador wanted to help him and everybody else escape but they did not have the time to rescue everyone, this made him feel a little guilty inside.

''I'm ready when you are Ashina, and thank you for giving me my freedom''.

OOC: Credits and praise for this post are due to Chriso123, for giving me permission to use his character.

IC: "You rent it, so long as we're not clear of the prison," was Ashina's cur reply, as Ethrader blew the charred ash from his hands. The sight gave Ashina a surge of inspiration, and as quickly at it had appeared the first time the purpose of her escape came pouring back down onto her like a great weight. Seeing as Ethrador had little choice but to follow her, she redoubled her efforts, and urged him onwards with a thinly-veiled threat. "Follow me, Bosmer, and quickly, or I'll use you to lure in hackwings."
"Where are we going first, then? Do we do much fighting?" the Bosmer demanded, determined to keep pace with Ashina's brisk march.
"Unless I can't help it, no," Ashina replied ambiguously, kicking the bar she had used to beat down the Argonian along the floor to Ethrador, forgetting it was hot. Without thinking, he grabbed it, only to drop it to the floor with a clang. Ashina cringed, and glimpsed around.
"Sorry," Ethrador said quietly, tending to his smoking hand. Ashina scowled, a look that brought out the sweat on him like running, although it made little difference - he was warm enough already. But she thought better of making a comment, as even the slightest reference to fire brought images of the Ashlanders back into her mind as if dumped there by a collapsing newsreel.
"Pschaw," she hissed, marching on. Ethrador followed her, and the two of them walked up the steps to the door without another word. Ashina tried to look behind her with her eyes, although her stay in prison had ruined her ability to see to her sides, and she couldn't see any further than the wall, until she turned her head. "Okay, then, there will be guards on the other side of here. We need to..."
Ashina was right, although she had made the assumption loud enough to be heard by the guards it mentioned, and there was a rustling on the other side of the door like a surge of shrapnel from some silent explosion had slammed into the heavy wood. Footsteps scrambled, steel scraqed on old wood, and whispers became intertwined in the flurry of activity. And in an instant, the climix, each of these sounds merged with the rest into one single-colour-key symphony of energy. The corridor rang with war cries, and the door burst from its hinges as if brought alive with necromancy, staggering forwards as if marching to a beat, before crumbling, broken into pieces as the Imperial guards, alerted of Ashina's escape, slashed and hacked their way through in a wild frenzy of grasping hands and swinging blades.
Silver longsword met summoned Daedric katana, and shield met a slap hard enough to stagger the warrior who held it up, and in a magnificent crash of ebony and iron the battle was birthed in a fiery explosion of anger and hatred.
The first Imperial to come at Ashina was sent skittering back, clutching entrails, grasping as his blade as it slipped from his hands to Ethrador's feet. He saw the Bosmer raise the blade, but did not hear the impact as he brought it back down again, on Ashina's command. The second Imperial was sent spinning away as a result of his own momentum, as his blade was knocked aside in a whirlwind of a parry, and his arm and the rest of his body went with it. He fell down the stairs, and did not get up.
The third and fourth Imperials fell together, a single slash cutting the throat of one and digging deep into the side of the other's neck as he turned his head to face Ethrador, now on Ashina's right flank. The fifth Imperial was Ethrador's kill, sent down beneath the whistling chant of the flailing blade, but the sixth Imperial reached Ashina at the same time as the seventh, and their shields knocked her from the step she was standing on. Her arm struck Ethrador, who was pushed to the side, and in desperately trying to regain his balance found himself in the path of and knocked down by an eighth Imperial Legion soldier, and the swarm of dogs that came howling in behind him.
The horde ignored him, trampling and kicking Ashina as she tried to stand. She rolled around in agony on the floor, her sword fruitlessly slashing at the guards as her feet lashed out at their shins - a fighting technique she'd been taught by Assamma-Idan. But Ethrador realised that, no matter how hard she tried, she was beaten, and it would not be long before the guards either came to their senses and beheaded her or the dogs ripped her apart.
Not wanting to leave her behind, as her fighting prowess was invaluable, although clearly not a guaranteed victory, Ethrador used the Imperials' dogs to his advantage. At last, his Bosmer capabilities had some use.
The dogs reconsidered their stance for less than a second and, falling back from the fray without being seen by the blood-mad Imperials, they in turn fell upon their masters in an almost cannibalistic and indiscriminate orgy of teeth and claws. They didn't make a dent on the armoured Imperials, doing more against each other, although they turned the tables on some of their masters and stunned the rest. Ashina rolled free, and shakily got to her feet, and, with a brief war cry to console her wounded pride and fighting spirit, she knocked one of the Imperials that still stood onto the pile of dog meat that was wriggling and squirming around beneath enthusiastic paws.
The other Imperial ran for it, but Ethrador, appearing from around the bend on the stairs, knocked him on the head with a stolen shield. With another command, he dismissed the dogs, tending to the winded Ashina, and let her take the lead again as they staggered through the open door, having completed the first step on the long walk to freedom.

OOC: Sorry for the long wait pokes, appears we're all in very different time zones and such.


IC:

The human was speaking to him. Finally! Maybe he wouldn't go insane after all.

"Yes... I've been known to have what some might call 'quick' fingers...That just might work."

Then Zi'jar got defensive.

"How do I know I can trust you, human? The only ones I've ever dealt with have been back-stabbing imperialistic pigs. I'm all for teamwork though, if we can agree to help each other, at least until we're out..."

Zi'jar considered the plan more. He was light on his feet, the human was hopefully capable of handling himself; maybe with the Imperial there was a chance of escaping this hell-hole. Dispatch a few guards here, nab weapons and supplies there... It was all coming together, very, very nicely.

"You have yourself a deal Imperial." Zi'jar stuck his hand out of his cell bars next to the human's own, in the act of a handshake.

"Although, names might be useful. Mine is Zi'jar, and yours?"

"Well, erm, I'm Dolan. But say, I think we have an easier answer to our problems?"

Dolan pointed at Ashina, who happened to be free from her call and getting out when a riot ensued in the hall. A great fight broke out and guards were everywhere. Blades met blades and spell beset spells, and the mess left more than a few corpses as everyone looked out of their bars in riotous cheer. A body conveniently fell between Dolan and Zi'Jar, and the two hurriedly fumbled for a key as others did the same. At last, they procured a key and opened the doors during the fight, dodging bodies and heading off into a small crevice where they hid during the ensuing chaos. Dolan quickly managed to get the magical shackles off of him and breathed a sigh of relief as he channeled energy into his arms once more. Bodies fell here and there, and the Ashlander almost seemed to be losing to a pack of dogs until Ethrador leaped into the fray.

"Hold on, there!" cried out Dolan to the pair as they walked off of the scene. "Do you have room for two more? Power in numbers and all that?" Dolan felt surprisingly more sure of himself exposed to a bunch of guards and with a sudden bounty on his head than he did when he was safely locked up. Perfect conditions.

"So? You up for it?"

OOC: Okay, time to catch up a little..


IC: Beeleez-Ra came to and had a difficulty time standing up. He saw the fallen argonian and grabbed the sword that Ashina must have missed in her haste to escape. He fell to one knee. Damn..I can't keep on like this.. But someone must have given him a bit of strength because he managed to stand again. He made sure he could still lift the sword and swung it around a couple times, pleased he did not lose his sense of swordsmanship. He ran out of the cell, noting the destruction. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, running through his mental map he made as a kid. He opened them and with intent, headed towards the staircase to the jailers room. When he got to the top of the staircase, he stopped and put his ear to the door. He heard breathing and feint whispering. He gulped and prepared for a conflict. He kicked open the door and held the blade up ready for trouble....

"Oh, well, this IS a bit more convenient..."

As guards dropped in the hall from blade and spell alike, Zi'jar and Dolan ducked into hiding. Zi'jar was in no shape for a fight with these shackles, and Dolan was working on getting his off. Finally, Dolan broke his shackles, and almost visible surge of energy returning to him. As Dolan moved out of the shadows and started talking to Ashina, Zi'jar set to work on his own.

15 years as a Morag Tong assassin better pay off, I know I have sufficient skills to pick these...

Zi'jar spotted a dagger on a downed guard. Thinking fast, he tip it so the blade rested in the keyhole to his shackles. The tip was just small enough to fit and be workable.

After some fidgeting, he heard a click, followed by the clang of the shackles hitting the ground. He stood and rushed to Dolan's side.

"I'd have to agree with my new friend here. While we're harder to spot alone... but we're much too easy to...dispatch, so to speak." He wanted to avoid saying 'kill' in any form relating to them. Morale was their biggest enemy at this point, and there was no reason to bring it down further.

Zi'jar picked up the dagger he had just used to pick his shackles. He gripped it. It gave him a sense of reassurance.

ooc: Jumping in as soon as I play catchup. Reading these posts, some of the wording is confusing. Whats going on in the prison at the present moment exactly?

OOC: Welcome!

And here's the breakdown of what's been goin down.

Much of us have been beaten and such, and Ashina and someone else (sorry, I didn't catch it all) managed to escape. This started a riot in the cell block, and a guard fell next to me character, Zi'jar, and pokes char. Dolan. We took the key from his body, and have made our way out of the cells and out of our shackles to confront Ashina and ? about journeying together to get out of Blackrose.

I believe Ethrador is about to barge in a room and whoop some, as well.


That's it I believe? Anyone else see anything, please post it!