Here's a wee project Iv'e been thinking up for some time now . Before "The Fodder Lad's" I had this idea after playing in Lycan's superb "The Cave" . Eager to get into some more sanity-bending action I give you a horrific tale at sea! . Yes indeed , included below is a whole bundle of information for those who would like to immerse themselves in this RP . You can skip most of it if your not a information buff like me

This will also serve as a sign up thread for those interested . You can find details and rules further down the page .

I would also like to thank Lycan for his creative input...and for letting me nick his dynamic "Sanity System" .... or maybe he didn't! heck , in it goes anyway!

WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE... ( Optional to read )

On the sixth of First Seed , 423 , in the Third Era , A man was found by Anvil Ranger's just east of the city's main port , washed up on the beach and unconcious . The man , of whom called himself "Zedrof Gregan" , became increasingly mentally unstable when he awoke , and was put in a dungeon cell for safe keeping until further notice .

On that very night , shriek's and cries resonated through the city dungeon . They were described as being so unearthily horrific that guard's refused to enter the building all night , and that more then one person screaming could be heard , despite the fact that Zedrof was the only person occupying a cell in the dungeon at that time . Guard's overheard Zedrof screaming of "the horror of the Zennica" and "The awoken demons from that massacre years ago"

The next morning , Guardsmen found him dead in his cell , his skull split . Guard's claimed that "The 'ol man musta popped his noggin an' beat his head against the bar's 'o the cell door and killed himself" yet the man's motive for such a unnerving and brutal suicide was unknown . The death became the talk of the town for many day's , and was grounds for much speculation . In the end however , it was dismissed that the elderly man was mentally unstable and had commited the act out of mental retardation .

2 week's later , a shrill scream rang out from the Countess of Anvil's chamber . Guardsmen rushed in to find the Countess curled into a ball in the rooms corner , tearing at her hair . She was brought down from her room and calmed down , whereupon she went into detail about "A cosmic and terrific apparation that drew forth from her mirrior like a fine mist with eyes of purest light"

She was disregarded as having had a nightmare , but when a loud howl-like shriek was heard from the room mere minutes after the Countess having vacated it , the Guards again rushed up into her quarter's .

They found the room ransacked and in a mess , and a worn and water-dampened diary placed gently upon her pillow . Upon hearing of this , The Countess ordered the chamber's to be bricked off , and she moved to a different wing of the castle entirely .

The leather bound diary was taken to the Captain of the Guard , Berros Elecstros . He retired to his home to read it in his study overnight . The next morning , he was found dead , slumped over his desk with the book still in his hand , the words "I CANNOT BARE THE TERROR'S" written in blood on his wall . His young daughter was found butchered in her crib , and his wife hanging from a high-beam in the kitchen .

But what story could of possibly drawn a man to do such an act? What horrific and dark tale could of triggered these haunting event's? To possibly comprehend these terror's , you must travel back . Journey back to this tale . It is your story . Your story of...

The Zennica .

THE PAST IS NOW ( Please read this )

3E , 98


You sit with your legs crossed , digging into a tasty meal . On the table lies a pamphlet and a ticket to what will soon be remembered as the greatest ship the empire has ever built . The Zennica is the pinnacle of ingenuity , celebrating the crowning of the new emperor Antochius . You look again at the pamphlet , marvelling at the image of the ship . Coloured blue and gold , it looks regal and luxurious . Tickets were not cheap , this is a rare oppurtunity .

It will be "The adventure of a lifetime" and "A fitting beginning to a new emperor's reign" as the pamphlet reads . You've never been on a cruise before...but the ship is planned to sail around all of Tamriel .

3 days later

There is cheering and happiness abound as you take the first step's onto the board walk . Its late at night and the Zennica is about to start it's voyage from the port of anvil . Lamp's litter the street and buildings behind you . A band play's melodic music as people sitting at tables outside pub's raise their glasses to you with a grin . Streamers fly through the air as you continue to cross the bridge over the water and onto the great ship . There are many people around , most of them bidding farewell to friends and family . The moon hangs ominously in the starless night sky , bathing the port in luminous white glow .

You take your first step onto the behemoth , and your hand is grabbed and firmly shook by a man in a luxurious looking blue burgundy outfit . He must be the Captain . "Welcome aboard , and enjoy your time here" he beams , giving you a light but well-meaning push so he can shake the hand of the others who are behind you .

You sign in at reception and head to your room .

3 day's later

Your looking out at open sea . It's early in the morning . The ship is even bigger than you had imagined...but you have seen some queer folk aboard . They are all dressed the same in deep red robes ... their faces hidden . They don't talk to anyone but themselves and walk with a strange limp . Could they be a religious group of sorts? maybe bodyguard's to a noble onboard... your unsure .

16 hours later

Not much has happened during the day...but you can't help but hear a strange thrumming from below decks , possibly in the hold . It had gotten louder and louder over the course of the last few hours , and you have also noticed the sea's are getting choppier . Despite this , the Captain has organised a formal gathering in the Ballroom so that everyone may mingle and get to know each other . There are many on the ship with you , 1950 including crew . The scale is truly massive .

You head to the Ballroom . The dance shall begin shortly and you think the prospect of perhaps mingling and making new friends could prove to your advantage...

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WORDS

Seeing as this is a sign up thread , the ballroom will act as a means for players who have been approved by me to start talking to each other and providing some possibilities for them to get to know each other . That way , when I have approved of everyone ( Im allowing 15 , and 15 only! ) , we can dive straight into the action in good knowledge of other peoples character's .

I will once again take ( or rather steal ) a page from Lycans book by narrating this RP without having a real character . I will control all major encounters and sanity...but the rest is down to you . I might post objectives from time to time but you dont exactly have to follow them . If your character's sanity gets too low I may PM you with a "target" within the group your character will try to kill , so stay sane!

All is normal now...but once I feel we have enough characters , all hell will break loose onboard the ship . An experience so hellish it is what caused the captain of the guard to kill himself based off what he read from the diary those many years later .

Beware that this is a "mature" RP . So the more "extreme" levels of romance are allowed , as is gratuitous violence , and swearing . Below are the rules and character sheet . Oh , also...here , have a map of the ship! Your all in that big room that say's "ballroom" . Have a drink! Have a dance! Err...that is after I have approved your sheet .

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww283/Aynonimous/Shipmap.jpg

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RULES

1. Post all character sheets to me , and do not post them before my approval .

2. Please use the character sheet provided .

3. No spam , flame , ect. Keep OOC's minimal

4. My word is law , obey it! Refuse to and you will be disembowled / drowned / beaten with a blunt stick / severley laughed at

5. Use grammar and spelling to the best of your capability . This shouldnt be too big a problem as I will only accept sheet's that have good spelling , so make a good first impression .

6.Have fun!

7. Any other common sense that I may of missed in my tiredness

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Character Sheet :

Name :
Age :
Race :
Sanity : ( Did Lycan give me permission to use this? I forgot..anyhoo! ) Put down 100 here . As you lay witness to certain traumatising or stressfull events during the course of the RP you will loose sanity points . Loose too much sanity , and it will have severe mental repercussions on your character . I will explain this in further depth below .

General Appearance : ( eyes , height , weight , overall "look" ect. )

Personality :

Clothing : ( "wat no amor!" you say? Thats right . This is a pleasure cruise , not a battleship . You may notice distinct lack of weapons too . You will have to use anything you find at hand in this RP , you dont board the ship in full daedric with a big longsword )

Miscellanious items :

Miscellanious Info : ( anything you want to add about your character )

Biography : ( just a short one...explain how/why your on the ship and stuff )

Feel free to add anything . Class info is welcome.

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CHARACTERS

Emperor Jim : Lucien Asturias is a cowardly and snobbish imperial , hailing from a noble family . He has joined the journey to see the world in relative safety .

Kinghobo : Andrea Veronique , a young woman with both imperial and redguard heritage , is the daughter of a count who owns a small town . She is rather spoilt and stuck-up , and has joined the journey because of the prospect of meeting new people .

Canzeri : Walter Beldingford III is a esteemed and important critic for the black horse courier . Rich and snobbish , he also shares a love for adventure and travel not seen in many other members of his high social status .

DarthRavanger : Sarel Saronyi is a hlaalu dunmer merchant who made his wealth in the fish industry . Slightly paranoid , but also attentive and patient towards other's , he is prone to coughing fit's .

The Bladeweaver : Uther Eldern is a stoic , military breton good with mysticism and destruction spells . He is now on temporary leave to rest up for any future missions in his career , and believed that a cruise on The Zennica would be ideal .

MAD MAX : Lord Thoris is a skilled Altmer with a thirst for adventure and gentle to the ladie's . He thought an cruise on the high-sea's would do him well as his parent's used to take him out on all kinds of voyages when he was young .

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THE SANITY SYSTEM ( read this too! ) (( "borrowed" from Lycan ))

As you lose sanity in this RP you will become more mentally unstable . Become too unstable and you may end up trying to kill everyone...or taking your own life . For example , lets say your character has 100 sanity and something happens to you.... I will write somehting along the lines of this .

Superspartan walks downed the blackened hallways of the ship , suddenly a half-eaten corpse drops from the ceiling and lands on him! he loses 10 sanity points

Obviously I will write more in depth , and I wont accept anyone with the name "Superspartan" . Anyhoo...now that your on 90 sanity points..you can consult the chart below to find out just how close to complete insanity is :

100 Fine . All is well , your just as you were when you boarded the ship

90 Slightly unnerved but otherwise unaffected . You might jump and be a bit edgy but your mostly cool

80 Your getting stressed out..maybe you should take a deep breath..

70 The ships taking its toll on you , your leaping at shadows

60 Your starting to shiver and the stress levels are rising quickly

50 Your teeth start pvssyring and you cant walk straight . The groups having its doubts about you .

40 You keep feeling things touch you that arent there and cant think straight...keep it together!

30 Are those voices real or in your head? You cant tell , but you cant stop twitching . Now your really losing it

20 You have little remaining strains of sanity left . The voices are telling you to kill and there are rats in the walls!

10 Your a gibbering lunatic , people have either left you behind or killed you at this point...if you havent killed them first!

0 Completely insane....you stalk the halls of the ship like a possessed monster! Or maybe you couldnt cope and killed yourself?

However! You can GAIN sanity by staying in light places , conversing with friends , or drinking yourself into a stupor . These things may be a rare occurence however . I will decide when to give someone a sanity boost or not .

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Righto I believe thats it . Post me those sheet's and we can get some converse between characters . Im too lazy and too tired to edit anything in now , but I may add and fix some stuff in the morning ( which is about 3 hours away anyway ) . besides , I think its all sussed .

enjoy!

I don't think they had cruise ships in this time period.

But they did have large merchant ships. Still, the setting isn't all that TES ish.

I think it's a cool idea, I would join.

nice idea. I'll get my character sheet done soon, hopefully.

I hope to counter this with some juicy TES lore-related back story to the ship . Maybe it isn't all that it seem's , maybe there are underlying motive's for such a voyage

Anyhoo its good to see some interest being formulated , Im adding a small "Character's" section to the original post that will detail in quick summary the characters of whom have been sent and approved .

So this rp isn't going to be about Cuthulu or some other creatures from the same mythos attacking the ship?

anyway, I'll pm you a char sheet in an hour or so.

Ill be sure to incoporate some cthulhu-tastic themes and ideals

More sheet's coming in . Remember that the ball room is a good place to start talking to other peoples characters too :goodjob:

OOC: Okay I've posted my Character Sheet and a short little opening. Oh and Atomic on your character list its Asturias, not Astaras

Name : Lucien Asturias
Age : 28
Race : Imperial (Traces of Breton blood)
Sanity : 100

General Appearance : Blue eyes, 5"7, 110ibs. A fairly averaged height and weight man with piercing blue eyes. He is generally good looking and has slick black hair tied into a small pony tail at the back. He has a small nose and small avergae cheeks. Basically just an average looking guy but with a pampered aura around him.

Personality : Very much a coward who is a total stranger to danger. Also very selfish and snobbish. Don't expect any couragouse acts from this guy.

Clothing : Full blue silk outfit and gold trimmed shoes (Oblivion outfit)

Miscellanious items : 1k Septims just in case.

Miscellanious Info : Comes from the noble family Asturias which originally originated in High Rock until a branch of the family tree split and moved to Cyrodiil many years ago until it became mostly Imperial Blood. Lucien is a descendant of this part of the family and the Asturias estate is next to the Niben in county Cheydinhal.

Biography : Lucien was very bored with the normal life of an Imperial Noble and wanted to do something different. He wanted to see the world yet doing this would usually mean danger and Lucien did not like danger one bit. When he learnt of a ship, a noble one no less, that was set to tour the seas of Tamriel he knew what it was he must do. With plenty of gold and a rich heritage it was not difficult to secure a place on the Zenica. Although there would be no body guards to guard him he was sure that no danger would befall him here and he was skilled enough with a blade to defend himself...although he has no actual combat experience.

IC:

Lucien headed down to the ball room with enthusiasm. He had never been on a cruise like this before, in fact he has never actually sailed on a ship in his entire life. This was all new to him and he decided that when it is over he is going to buy a private boat just for him and his own crew to sail the seas. He smiled at how he was getting ahead of himself with his ideas. The time for thinking was for when they hit land which as far as he knew wasn't for some time yet. As he entered a long corridor that led to the ballroom he spotted more of those strange men in robes walking in his direction. He panicked but kept his cool and just walked past them naturally, keeping his posture.

Who are these bizzare people? was all he could think to himself but these thoughts soon cleared his mind as he entered the most elegant and exquiste room he had seen in the whole ship yet, filled with all sorts of different people sat around tables and dancing in the central area. This was the ballroom. He stood there for a few seconds before deciding that he needed a drink and scanned the room for a bar which he spotted on the opposite side of the room. Calmly he walked over in that direction while looking around and still stunned by the beauty of the ballroom.

Name : Sarel Saronyi
Age :45
Race : Dunmer
Sanity :98

General Appearance : Sarel has a slightly darker then average ash-like complexion, with dull red eyes. He is 5'11'' and is of an average build. He has grey hair that extends midway down the neck. Usually, only the tips of his ears are visible.

Skills: He is of average skill with a saber, a capable diplomat and merchant, and is pretty decent at cooking seafood.

Personality: Sarel is slightly paranoid, and is very vocal about his beliefs. He is helpful when he wants to be, but can also be selfish, and won't risk his life without a good reason. Sarel is attentive, patient, and likes to talk to everyone when in a social setting.

Clothing : He is wearing a white shirt, with a very dark purple coat and black slacks. His shoes are also black.
Looks kinda like this:http://www.scharesoft.de/joomla/almanach/images/thumb/7/73/Janus_Hassildor,_Graf_von_Skingrad.jpg/180px-Janus_Hassildor,_Graf_von_Skingrad.jpg
Miscellanious items : A letter opener made out of a cliffracer claw. A silver necklace.

Miscellanious Info : suffering from coughing fits. May be infected with a more serious illness. He has yet to see a doctor.

Biography : Sarel Saronyi is a Hlaalu merchant who built his wealth through the fishing industry. Needing a selling point, Sarel decided that he would extol seafood recipes in order to sell his customers on his various products. In the process, He learned how to cook seafood from his grandmother, and has used his cooking skills to convince customers to regularly buy his products at above average prices. He has gone on this journey in order to take a vacation, and to see if he can find any new kinds of fish to add to his product line.

IC:The hacking sounds of a terrible cough echoed through the stairwell. Sarel Saronyi had only recently fallen ill with these terrible coughing fits, and he cursed his luck that it had to happen on his vacation. "Damn, this cough is svcking all the enjoyment out of my..." Sarel began to cough again, but manages to regain his composure. He unsteadily walked to the ballroom, but managed to return to his usual stride by the time he arrived at the door. As he entered the ballroom, He was quite impressed by its wood floors and grand chandeliers, and the strategically placed and beautiful candelabra's. Feeling the need for a drink or something else to relax his throat, he moves over to the bar, and sits next to a surprisingly pampered looking imperial of average characteristics. Looking towards the bartender he says "I'll have a glass of Cyrodillic brandy." The bartender silently complies, and brings Sarel his drink. Sarel then turns to the average looking Imperial and says "Good Evening Sera, Are you enjoying the festivities?"

Character Sheet :

Name : Uther Eldern
Age : 22
Race : Breton
Sanity : 100

General Appearance : Brown Eyes, Crimson shoulder-length hair, 5'9", 127 lbs, slim but still a bit muscular.

Personality : Stoic, commanding, very military.

Clothing : Black leather outfit with very slight padding on the inside. Looks middle-class Imperial.

Miscellanious items : Compass, map, and a pipe

Miscellanious Info : Uther is an imperial elite battlemage, called a Spellbreaker, so even weaponless, he is near-immune to magic, but he only can only perform basic mystcism and destruction spells.

Biography : Uther was born to a noble family of High Rock, the Elderns, and was distant from his parents. They ignored him, always preferring to go over funds and holdings. He was raised by numerous tutors and trainers, and learned the arts of a scholar-knight. His favored classes soon became his specialities, such as swordsplay and history. When he turned 13, a specialized tutor was brought in, an Altmer named Ithas. He trained Uther in many subjects, and when he turned 18, Uther was sent to the Imperial Province to train for a military career.

After rising through the ranks, he took a temporaryleave to rest up for any future missions, and bought a ticket aboard this cruiser...

IC:

Uther made his way queitly through the halls, stepping aside every now and then for another passenger, and curteously greeting any who bumped into him. He entered the ballroom, and was for a moment blinded by the light. As he rubbed his eyes to eliminate the blur, he heard a scraping sound behind him. He turned to see what it was.

Nothing.

Oh well, must have been another passenger... Uther stepped out of the hall and slowly made his way to the bar, where he saw several people, among them an popmous-looking imperial and a sickly dunmer. Noting these characters, he ordered a bottle of brandy and sat down in a quiet, lonely seat away from the others.

The grand sound of people dancing and conversing drowns out any trace's of that suspicious thrumming that could be heard earlier .

Suddenly , the room falls silent as a figure approaches from the grand second floor deck above the ballroom . It's the Captain . He's an elderly man , a white-bearded Imperial fully clothed in a lavish blue regalia and monocle . He walks up to the railing in gallant stride , looking down upon those below "My beloved passenger's..." he start's .

"I am pleased and excited to have you aboard on this simply superb example of grand design , but I know such a beautiful ship should only be controlled by a able and confident Captain , thus is my challenge . I do hope in the ensuing month's that I get to know each and every one of you , and that the journey we are about to undergo will stick with you for the rest of your day's . "

Civil-sounding light clapping rings out as the Captain takes a bow and returns to his post . The thrumming sound that could once be heard earlier has seemingly disappeared.....

Character Sheet :

Name : Lord Thoris
Age : 26
Race : Altmer
Sanity : 100

General Appearance : Hazel eyes, Gold Hair, 6' 6", 190lbs, muscular from all his adventures.

Personality : Kind gental man to the ladies. Talks politics and other current events with men.

Clothing : Lord type clothing. Large Silk Green coat w/ fur interior, blue silk pants, black button strap shoes, green velvet vest w/ green silk shirt.

Miscellanious items : some spell books and other reading material

Miscellanious Info : Adventurer at heart, a true Mage. He has travelled all over Tamriel learning to control his powers.

Biography : Thought that a nice sea voyage would do him some good. He has always loved the sea, ever since he was a young Altmer. His father and mother used to take him on all sorts of sea voyages. Once they were supposed to go to Akiviri, but had to turn back when the Po' Tun and Snake people began to fight each-other.


Lord Thoris looks to up to the captain as he finishes his speach. Thoris thought the captain would make this trip a trip to remember. He returns his attension to the imperial he had been talking to, "Where was I? Oh yes. The Militia's in Hammerfell, are nothing to the mighty armies of the Summerset Isle's I can assure you", the imperial looks up at the Altmer as he takes a sip from his glass, "But what of the armies of Morrowind or Valenwood? shurley they have the might to attack the Summerset Isle's?", Thoris looks at the imperial blatently, "My dear Mr. Webster, you must first see what an Altmer can do", thoris lays his glass of wine on the table, and suddenly two bursts of light erupt in front of the imperial.

"That is not the only trick I have in my sleeve's!", thoris rummages around in his sleeve and suddenly pulls out a daggar. Thoris hand's it to Mr. Webster, "Please take it, its a gift!", the imperial smiles and reaches for the daggar, but his hand slips right through the daggar's blade, "What!", the imperial gasp's. Lord Thoris laugh's at the trick, "Its not real, it just looks real. Let me show you something with it", Lord Thoris moves his wine glass and hold the daggar pointed down.... WHAM, the daggar sticks into the table perfectly straight.

"Go ahead and grab it know Mr. Webster!", the imperial looks at Lord Thoris for a moment thinking that its not real, "You shall not fool me twice Altmer?", lord thoris looks at the daggar and back to Mr. Webster, "Please take it!", Mr. Webster looks at the daggar and reache's for it, but this time, he accually grabs it.

"What!", Mr. Webster gasp's once more, "How did you do that?", the daggar quickly disapears from Mr. Websters hand, "Its a mage's trick, that only I can know!", Mr. Webster and Lord Thoris laugh together at the trick, "I must part ways with you Mr. Webster, be sure to give Mrs. Webster my regards", Lord Thoris bows his head and walks off to talk to others on the ship...

Lucien sat at the bar table and ordered a drink while he observed the other guests in the room. Of particular notice was a tall Altmer in extravagant clothing who was deep in conversation with another man, an Imperial. He was to far away to hear what they were talking about but he made a mental note to greet them later on as they looked important.

Another guest sat down next to him as the bartender arrived with Luciens drink. It was a Dunmer who was dressed in dark, dull clothing. To the Imperial he looked sickly and Lucien cursed at his luck to be sat next to this man and mearly ignored him and hoped he would go away. However there was no one else sat at the bar except other people already in deep coversation. After taking another sip of his drink the newcomer spoke "Good Evening Sera, Are you enjoying the festivities?". Lucien once again cursed his luck as he turned to the ill man and spoke with forced courtesy.
" Yes, yes I am Dunmer. It is beautiful is it not, the ship I mean. I was lucky enough to attain one of the first class luxury rooms here " he could not help himself to not boast to the man and decided to introduce himself " Oh, the names Lucien Asturias, you may have heard of my family. We are also well known in the upper class social circles ". Normally he would offer his hand to people he greets but he was wary of this man and did not dare to put himself at risk of catching whatever infection the Dunmer had.

Suddenly he heard a voice that spoke loudly acroos the ballroom which captivated everyones attention. It was the Captain of the ship, naturally well dressed and civil. " I am pleased and excited to have you aboard on this simply superb example of grand design , but I know such a beautiful ship should only be controlled by a able and confident Captain , thus is my challenge . I do hope in the ensuing month's that I get to know each and every one of you , and that the journey we are about to undergo will stick with you for the rest of your day's . " Everyone clapped and Lucien followed this example as the Captain bowed and disapeared, assumingly to take the ships helm. He once again made a mental to converse with this man when he had the time as he returned to his drink.

ooc:Please ignore any spelling issues in this post. I'm on my ps3
IC: "It is nice to meet you Mr.Asturias. I am Sarel Saronyi of house Hlaalu." After a slight pause, and a realization that he must have appeared old and sickly to the impetuous and young passengers, he said "And no, I've never heard of your family from any of my fellow merchants. Though it is nice to meet someone else who is enjoying the ships first class accommodations. " In truth, Sarel had heard of the man's family, but there was also no reason to play into this pampered yet powerless offspring's ego.

Taking another sip of his drink, he listened to the captain's announcement and found it to be rather eerie.

"You are Hlaalu? Interesting, that must mean you are a trader and a politician perhaps too?" he asked, suddenly intrigued by the man. At first he wasn't entirely sure about the man and although he did dress smartly, the chosen colours were quite extravagent to Lucien but that was mainly down to his own personal taste in clothing. Lucien carried on speaking, not given Saronyi a chance to answer his first question " I have heard Hlaalu is on the up lately, tell me Mr Saronyi, what's the latest news from Morrowind then. I have heard some grim tales from my uncle who frequents your homeland. He is an explorer you see..."

Luciens uncle was the primary reason that he wanted to go out and see the world. Although he didn't see him much, he would usually come back for special family occasions and he would always have a tale to tell about his exploits out in thw wider world. Lucien was always interested and listened attentively to the man, sometimes his stories would go on for hours about dangerous battles and expeditions to long lost ruins. Most stories would be about the mysterious Morrowind and the island of Vvardenfell, an island that his uncle called his second home. A place he had fallen in love with. Although he may not be as brave as his uncle, Lucien was still captivated by the exploits and wanted to at least see a few of these places he was told about instead of being stuck back in dull Cyrodiil.

ooc:just to clear up any confusion, sarel's clothing style is similar to that of the black and burgundy outfit from oblivion.

ic:"Currently House Hlaalu is trying to gain access to Vvardenfell, but the Temple refuses to budge. Indoril has failed to rebuild after that mass suicide, and Redoran is still stuck in the past with the ashlanders." After giving an overview of the situation Sarel asked "Is there anything in particular you would like to discuss?"

OOC: Oh right, sorry about that. I've edited my previous post now

IC:

"Well then I suppose we could discuss house politics, just to pass the time." To be honest Lucien did not want to spend anymore time with the man and the Altmer he spotted earlier had finished conversation with the Imperial and was now looking for other people to talk with. But he thought that he may aswell humour the sick man for now and to be honest, he hadn't had a political discussion with anyone for quite some time. "You seem like an avid supporter of the Hlaalu and by the way you talk about the other Great Houses, and the Temple, you don't seem to particularly think highly of them" He stopped for a minute and took a sip of his wine while deciding on something to discuss while thinking over what the Dunmer had said. He noticed that he missed one of the Houses out, House Dres. "What of the Dres? I have not heard much of them lately, I assume they are still relying much on the slave trade, nasty buisness that is but I must admit it is profitable and provides a large labour force to work plantations and stuff. Still if it was up to me they would be shut down immediatly and all those poor Khajiit and Argonians set free along with the rest of the slaves"

Most of Luciens knowledge of Morrowind was limited. A large proportion of what he knew was from rumours he heard from family, friends and strangers and also from his uncles tales and gossip. He knew the slave trade was a touchy subject to Morrowind politicians as throughout the rest of the Empire it was outlawed yet according to the terms of the Armistace, Morrowind was allowed to keep it, although not all houses did such as Hlaalu. This even Lucien knew and he was interested in what the Dunmer thought of such things.

ic: "You assume correctly. Dres is still responsible for a large percentage of the slave trade, and still uses them at their plantations." Noting lucien's repulsion to slavery, Sarel replied "As for slavery itself, I think it will only serve to retard Dres' advancement. Though I've heard that they keep slaves in order to feed their vampiric masters."

Lucien raised his eyebrows at the Dunmer. "Vampiric Masters? Surely you jest sir! I don't believe the Tribunal would allow one of the Great Houses of Morrowind be ruled by Vampire Lords right under their noses without a sufficient investigation. You know how many Dunmer follow their ideals and their hatred towards the living dead. I know the Dres' relations with some of the Great Houses is cold at best but I believe what you say is just propoganda by their rivals" When he said this he laughed and drained his glass and summoned the bartender over "Bartender another drink please, same again"

IC:"I wouldn't be so sure. The temple seems to be more concerned with suppressing dissent among the people rather than investigating the upper echelons for vampires and necromancers.Interestingly enough, the telvanni are suspected of the latter." Taking another sip of his drink, Sarel finished his brandy and ordered a glass of wine.

"Perhaps, but I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It seems every House has slanders against them, I hear that the Hlaalu council is corrupt and most members are under the influence of some seedy criminal types. Propoganda or not I'm not sure but this is slightly more believable than Vampire Lords in Dres." Luciens drink had arrived and he once again took a sip of it before resting it back on the bar. "So then, you say you are a Hlaalu yourself. If you don't mind me asking what is your rank and profession. By your clothing you are either a wealthy man or just dressed smartly for the party..." Lucien trailed off at that point as out of the corner of his eye he seen two of the strange robed figures walk side by side and out of the grand ballroom doors. He knew something was going on on the ship but he didn't know what and it was beginning to creep him out as his heart beat got steadily faster, causing him to drain almost half of his glass of wine. He knew that the Dunmer seen this but Lucien simply looked him in the eye again and waited for his answer, mearly acting like nothing happened but his features had surely betrayed him.

IC: Sarel laughs at the accusation of corruption in house hlaalu, and barely notices Lucien's reaction to the robed men. "Lucien, house Hlaalu runs the Cammona Tong, of course were corrupt!" After a slight pause to drink his wine Sarel continues. "I am a house brother, and I made my fortune in the fishing industry. It's proven quite profitable."

OOC: Where is everyone else? Only me and DarthRavenger seem to be posting at the moment.

IC:

Lucien was glad that the Dunmer didn't notice his concern and sipped his wine some more to calm himself down. "You say that the Hlaalu run the Cammona Tong? What would a Political Faction be doing running a huge criminal organisation like that. The Hlaalu publically buddy up to the Empire, more so than the other houses do and are the most understanding to other races. In fact the Hlaalu adopts non-Dunmer into their house, something the other houses don't do, or at least not often. Cammona Tong from what I hear are incredibly xenophobic and want to overthrow the Empires hold on Morrowind. The two just don't go together at all"

"You say you made your fortune of the fishing industry, I didn't think that would be the most profitable method. In Morrowind I thought that Kwama was the most popular buisness, theres meant to be mines everywhere. If it was me though, I would pick either Ebony or Glass but that would be difficult seeing as you need an Imperial sanction to do that, or be a member of the EEC"

IC: "Well, its a bit more complex then my previous statement let on. Several high ranking members of the house have a controlling interest in the Camonna Tong, and they use the organization's power to manipulate the house."

Sarel paused for a moment in order to consider the second question and drank some of his wine in the process. "Kwama mines are rather popular and the ebony and glass veins have already been claimed; except for Vvardenfell's deposits of course. However, the fishing industry is rather unexplored, and with the right marketing seafood sells at very high prices. Theres also a demand for dreugh body parts that is far greater than the supply. My fishing vessels might also have secret compartments, but thats a trade secret."