You might need to bring a lunch, this is long. To understand where this came from go here;

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1472589-is-the-mq-spoiling-rp-char/

Thorns mother died mysteriously, his father not waiting the usual period of mourning married a younger Imperial woman who moved into his home with a brother his age. When the brother made remarks about Thorns mother Thorn challenged him to a fight. Just before delivering the killing blow the guards jumped Thorn and took him to jail while his step brother was taken home. His father arranged for Thorn to be sent, under guard to Winterhold and released with a warning not to return to Solitude.

Thorn spent the winter courting a beautiful young Breton mage from the local mage hall until the group of mages she was with was ambushed and killed by a group of bandits that the local Jarl received bribes from to look the other way. When Thorn tried to get the Jarl to do something, the Jarl had him thrown out of the great hall.

Thorn found the bandits hide out in the west mountains and since there was to many of them for an all out fight he waited until the darkest hours before dawn to sneak into their stronghold and slit the leaders throat while the leader was sleeping. The next day Thorn was awakened from sleep in his room at the Inn by the Jarl's personal guards and thrown in Jail.

The future didn't look to good to Thorn, jailed, penniless, no family he could trust, and all the guards had divvied up what little belongings he had.

A commotion at the jails entrance attracted Thorn's attention, a Nord that Thorn recognized as the leader of a Nord raiding ship that his father dealt with was talking to the guards. Thorn saw something being pass between them then the Nord came to his cell as the guards left. The Nord looked at him with a frown shaking his head then said” You've already cost me more than your worth. Your father is having a great deal of trouble trying to keep his young wife from spending him into poverty. Her brother caught some disease from some skooma den and she spends every coin she can wring out of your father to find a cure.” the Nord pauses then says,”Your father asked me to check on you and make sure you stayed away from Solitude, finding you in jail was not expected.” “I have bribed the guards to let me take you out of here, but you must leave town so they don't suffer the Jarl's wrath.” “I'll let you out if you give me your word to work off this debt I've just incurred for your release by becoming a raider aboard my ship, What say you?”

Thorn didn't have to think long about his choice of prospects and agreed.

The next year passed by quicker than Thorn expected. Raiding along the coasts of, High Rock, Hammerfell, and Cyrodiil eventually ending up in Anvil of Cyrodiil. After selling off loot from the last raid the Nord leader (Rolf) told Thorn that his debt to him was paid in full and that Thorn would be getting a small cut of spoils from the return trip.

Rolf turned from talking to one of the other raiders on the ship and spotted Thorn on the dock by the gang plank. Thorn was staring intently towards the shop area landward. Rolf turned and saw a beautiful young Breton woman with shoulder length blond hair wearing a black dress that fit her admirably walking toward the Anvil gate apparently from one of the shops. No wonder Thorn was so distracted, 'if I was a bit younger and better looking?' thought Rolf, but than shook his head, 'no that's a young mans game'. Turning back to Thorn Rolf sees Thorn was looking at him with a confused look. Again shaking his head Rolf tosses Thorn a small pouch with a few coins and says,”your always costing me more than your worth” and then smiles. Thorn looks at the pouch then up at Rolf. Rolf says,”Be careful here the guards and patrols in Cyrodiil don't take kindly to the ways of the raider”. With that Thorn smiles, nods to Rolf, and heads for the Anvil gate. Rolf watches this young raider in polished mithril armor dented and scratched from many fights over the last year, remembering the fight where Thorn had killed the previous owner of the armor, Thorn in almost rags with so many cuts looked like he had wrestled a panther. Rolf had let Thorn keep the armor instead of adding it to the loot. Rolf smiles turning back to his ship, thinking ' ah youth'.

Thorn was standing on the dock next to his ship enjoying the suns warmth and the solid feel of the dock instead of the rolling deck of the ship. Glancing landward at the shops on the waterfront his attention was caught by a young woman exiting one of the shops. As she turned he caught a glimpse of a lovely face outline by shoulder length blond hair. She glanced around her then headed towards the Anvil gate at the north end of the wharf her fluid strides made the black dress she was wearing move in a very pleasant way. Something inside Thorn stirred that had been quiet since the young mage in Winterhold had been killed. Thorn felt he just had to talk to this young woman; he’d taken a step and stopped. His word to Rolf and the commitment to the raiders in his group came to the front of his thoughts. Confused as to what he could do before the woman got too far ahead of him he looked up at the ship and saw Rolf watching the young woman also. Thorn watched the woman pass through the gates and felt a sharp pang of panic then turned and looked at Rolf. Rolf turned to look at him then shaking his head tosses him a small pouch with a few coins in it and says “you’re always costing me more than your worth”. Thorn looks at the pouch and then up at Rolf. Rolf says, “Be careful here the guards and patrols in Cyrodiil don’t take kindly to the ways of the raider.” Thorn smiles, nods to Rolf, and heads for the Anvil gate at a trot.

At the gate the guard looking nervous knowing Thorn is from the raider tied at the dock asked “How can I help you”. Thorn asked “that young women in the black dress who just passed through this gate do you know who she is?” The guard responded with “that’s the Champion of Cryodiil she and Martin saved Cryodiil from the ……Thorn thinks’ champion of Cryodiil!’ He had always pictured a great knight in shining armor carving his way through the hoards of daedra, not a beautiful young woman. Not hearing the rest of what the guard was saying Thorn passed into Anvil strode quickly through town looking for this young woman. Not finding her he turns back to the wharf shops outside the gate and goes into the shop he saw her leaving earlier.

Approaching the proprietor of the shop Thorn asked about the young woman in the black dress and heard “That was the champion of Cryodiil”….Thorn distracted by his thoughts didn’t hear most of the speech until he heard “…all the merchants in Cryodiil have prospered well with all the things she brings in to sell from her adventures.” ‘Adventures!’ thinks Thorn ‘Who is this woman?’ “Can you tell me where I might find this woman” asked Thorn. The shop keeper eyed him suspiciously and said nothing. Thorn started mumbling like someone on skooma and felt his face turn very red. The shop keeper recognized someone who was smitten, been there himself once or twice, told Thorn that she keeps her Roan at the stables outside of Anvil when she’s here. “You can’t miss it; she has it dressed out in Elvin Armor.” According to the shop keeper it was the only thing she has that’s dress up fancy for she only wears her black dress in town and dresses like your average sell sword not even bothering to wear full armor while on the road.

Thorn arriving at the stables doesn’t see the horse in armor so turns to the stable building and enters.

Inside the proprietor ask if he wants to buy a horse. Thorn asks what the price of a horse was. Hearing the price and feeling the small number of coins in his pouch he said maybe at a later date, but did the proprietor know of the Lady who owns the horse with the Elvin armor. After the usual Champion of Cryodiil speech the proprietor said she thought the champion lived in Bravil. Seeing that he looked confused she brought out an old map of Cryodiil that had seen better days and showed him where Bravil was. Seeing the distance and knowing the young lady was on a horse he felt a touch of despair creep into his thoughts. Shaking the mood off he left the building and headed northeast up the road. Thorn was passing one of the many boulders about an hour into his journey when a bandit came out and tried to rob him. Thorn heading back to Anvil with his arms full of the bandits gear, laughed to himself and thought ‘I guess he (the bandit) had never met a raider before’.

Thorn ended up selling his good armor and weapons to get enough coin to buy a horse. He used the loot from the thief to outfit himself, after all it wasn’t the first time he’s had to use rusty weapons.

As he plodded along on the only horse he could afford; an old swayback that he couldn’t be sure if it was an off white or just graying with age. He thought about what he had heard about this Young woman and the mystery in his mind kept getting deeper.

He finally arrived outside of a town called Skingrad, left his swayback horse at the stables, and entered the town. After wandering around for a while he finally asked a guard where to find the shops. Going into one shop he asks about the young woman and got the same speech as before. After he bought a few items for the road the proprietor tells him that the champion was seen often at the mage hall across the street and maybe they might know something. Thorn crossed the street and entered the building with the mage sign out front. Inside he asked about the young woman with the black dress and horse with elvin armor, and was surprised that he didn’t get the same speech he’d been getting but equally surprised at hearing that this mysterious young woman was the arch mage of the mages guild. Thorn thinks ‘by the nine, who is this woman?’ and misses hearing the champion speech.

It took quite a while to work his way to Bravil it wasn’t overly exciting for a raider; a few bears, wolves, a couple of panthers (they call them mountain lions here) and a variety of bandits enough to keep in practice, upgrade his gear and make a little coin along the way.

Finally arriving at Bravil late in the morning he enters the town and asked the guards where the arch mage lived when the guard asked why he wanted to know Thorn looked him in the eye and said it was mage business, without further hesitation the guard pointed across the waterway to a house on the waterfront. “The lower door sir” said the guard, Thorn thanked him crossed the bridge and went to the door he was directed to. When he knocked the neighbor above leaned over the rail and asked “Who are you?” “I’m Thorn and need to see the arch mage on guild business” Thorn says. He found that using the mage guild as a reason for finding the young woman and calling her the arch mage got him more information than saying he was a smitten young man hunting down a woman he’d never met. And as usual it worked here too. “You’ve missed her she left early last evening on one of her adventures, seems like she’s always leaving more than staying. Doesn’t seem healthy for a young woman if you ask me.”

Thorn returned to the stables after picking up some supplies at the local shop, and asked the stable hand if he’d seen which way the champion had gone.”East” he replied. Thorn headed north along the road to a bridge he’d passed on the way to Bravil. He didn’t think the old horse would survive swimming across the channel. On the other side he headed south and met one of the guards patrolling the road. When asked if he had seen the young woman, champion, arch mage, the guard said that she had ridden with him for a ways before turning east and leaving the road. Thorn had the guard show him the part of the road where she had turned east on a worn map Thorn had gotten off one of the bandits earlier in his journey.

Thorn wound his way around the ends of water ways climbing ever higher in to the mountains until almost dark. By this time the old sway back was wheezing and having a hard time getting up the hillsides. Thorn found a little patch of trees on a flat spot with grass for the horse and made camp.

Thorn was awaken in the early hours of the morning by what sounded like the worst thunder storm he'd ever heard. Sitting up he looked east to the top of the ridge and he saw the trees lighting up with yellow and blue flashes. He packed up the sway back and started the climb up the ridge. He topped out about the same time the sun turned the tops of the trees a golden green. Looking down into the valley below still deep in shadow he could barely make out darker shadows around a large boulder at the bottom. Making sure he was alone he carefully made his way down the slope. As Thorn neared the boulder he could make out two bodies in armor in the grass.'Bandits' he thought. There bodies looked like rag dolls thrown to the ground. As Thorn starts around the boulder to his left he sees a patch of fur; a bear, a little further another bear, as he rounds to the east side of the boulder he stops in his tracks, thinking this must have been a great battle, as a Nord in his heart he wished he could have been with those who fought this battle for laid out in front of him were not two but three bears, two spriggans, then his eye caught a sheen to his right and followed the legs of a panther to to the underside of a dead horse in Elvin armor, and Thorn stopped breathing. The world went silent around him as he walked around the rear of the horse to find a young woman sitting propped against the saddle chin on her chest with her arms limp along the ground.

His body at this time reminded him he had to breath. Thorn took in a large shuddering breath, and the dizziness that had almost engulfed him started to clear. “I'm to late!” he cried out loud. He was overwhelmed with a deep sadness he didn't think he would ever be rid of. Looking around at the battle ground he was amazed. The ground was torn and rip up as if lightning from the gods had rained here, the grass was burnt in all directions and blood painted the ground that wasn't destroyed. By the nine! Any Nord warrior would have died with a smile on his face knowing that he'd won a battle with five bears, two spriggans(two of the bears were theirs), two armored bandits, and a panther in the dark.

Thorn turned to look at the young woman and could see her blond hair peeking out of an old iron helmet. The only real armor she had besides her greaves and her shield. Her bow was lying on the ground a little to her right her sword was at her feet as if dropped while backing away. The quiver on her back was empty and in her right hand was clutched a small dagger that would glow and then fade with a faint reddish light. She was covered in blood with cuts all over and three arrows; one in her thigh, another poking through her left shoulder from behind and a third half way through her left arm just below her shoulder. “By Talos I wish I could have known you” says Thorn.

Thorn realized that he hadn't paid attention around him for what seemed like an eternity but as he swept the area for enemies he saw that the sun had hardly moved. Then he heard a funny sound as he turned toward the young woman. Thorn looked around couldn't see anything that would make that noise, then as he watched the arrow in her shoulder moved up and than down slightly, and then again. By the nine, she lives!

Thorn looked around and sees another boulder with a tree growing next to it in the middle of the valley floor a hundred or so paces down hill. He pulls the bed roll from her horse and carefully lays her on her side on it, avoiding the dagger she held, it had a deadly look and he didn't want to find out what it did the hard way. Tucking her legs up so she wouldn't roll over onto the arrows sticking out of her he carefully drug her down hill to the boulder with the tree. The old sway back following like a dog. He cut and removed the arrows from her arm and shoulder but just cut off the long shaft of the arrow in her thigh it will have to be cut out when she was stronger. He cleaned and dressed the wounds and put some poultice around the shaft of the remaining arrow lightly wrapping it.

Thorn built a fire so the warmth would reflect off the boulders surface and keep the woman warm. He sat next to her and kept the fire going all the rest of that day and through the night. He didn't feel the least bit like sleeping and nothing was going to get past him to the woman. By mid day she was breathing a little better and by evening he boiled what little food he had to make a broth and let her svck what she wanted off the spoon (he'd learned that, helping to treat the wounded after battles, you could choke someone by pouring it down their throat).

Thorn sat another night and most of the day next to the young woman. She was breathing much better and seemed to just be asleep. She had taken all the broth he had made and he knew they needed more food especially when she would finally wake up. He was upset because he didn't want to leave her alone. It was then the Gods showed mercy, (he was sure it was for her because he wasn't sure the Gods were even aware of him) a deer was walking up the valley towards them. He grabbed his bow and quiver and shot the deer only a few yards from camp where he could see the camp as he was cleaning the deer. He spotted movement in the camp and got ready to race back when he realized it was the woman slowly standing up. As he stood there watching he saw swirling blue-white light flow over her four times than the young woman started toward him. Thorn stood as still as a rock as she approached more than a little nervous. She stopped a few steps from him and asks “who are you”. She looks back at the camp, down at her bandages then at the deer and looked straight at him with the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen and all he could croak out was,”Thorn.”

Jules woke slowly from a dream about the time her mother had tended her when as a child she came down with one of the many fevers that the waters around Bravil carried. When she opened her eyes she was looking at a tree over head wondering where she was. The memory of her desperate battle came back with a flash. She quickly looked around and everything seemed quiet the only movement came from an old swayback horse that seem to be watching her. Jules carefully sat up the waves of dizziness threatening to overcome her, ' ok, enough, get up girl' she thought. Standing she used all of her remaining magic for healing spells. Feeling much better she looked around and a little ways from camp stood a young Nord staring at her and at his feet was a dead deer.

Jules walked over to where he was standing and asked “who are you?”. The young Nord looking very nervous in a rough voice said “ Thorn”. Jules looked back at the camp, at her bandages, glancing at the deer he had been cleaning than looked him straight in the eye. “Can I help you?” and the Nord, Thorn, just stared at her. She looked back down at the deer then up at him and he seemed to have relaxed a little. “Yes chanpion er arch mage er....” Just Jules” she responded. Thorn thought 'yes a jewel who can look straight into your soul with those jewels for eyes' he knelt and they made quick work of the deer and had portions cooking on the fire within a short time. Jules looks at Thorn's muscled Nord body, blond hair, and blue eyes, then noticed the scars. 'This man has seen a lot of fighting' she thinks. As Jules poked the fire with a stick she says “ I want to thank you. If you hadn't happened along I would probably have died.” “What brings you so far out into the wilderness?” Thorn stares at the ground still as a statue then with what seems like a slight shrug and still looking down he says in a quiet voice “I was following you.” Jules asks “Why”. Thorn stared at the ground playing with a small rock with his toe his face turning beat red finally looks up and into her eyes. It was Jules turn to turn red and look anywhere but at Thorn. “Oh” she says. They both sat uncomfortable for a little while then Thorn says “I saw you in Anvil”. It was Jules turn again to be nervous. Poking the fire with the stick all she could say is “Oh.” The next day they decided to move the camp up on the ridge to get away from all the decaying bodies in the valley. Thorn leading the sway back and her following with her pack and the meat from the deer they passed by the battle scene and Jules couldn't look at her roan she just stared straight ahead.

While making camp the two took turns watching each other when they thought the other wouldn't notice. This awkwardness ended rather abruptly when a wolf came out of the brush and tried to attack the sway back. Two arrows brought the wolf down so fast it never knew what hit it. One was silver the other arrow was steel. Jules and Thorn turned to look at each other and started laughing. Jules thought 'two deadly killers and we are like nervous children at chapel for the first time.' Jules could see by his expression that Thorn was thinking something similar.

Later by the fire Thorn starts telling her about raid he was on that didn't turn out the way they expected. They needed food and water to restock the ship and pulled to shore near what looked like a small farm community nestled at the base of a hill that had a large manor almost at the top. Charging into the community yelling to put fear into whoever they met found themselves standing at the well in the center of the village with the people staring at them and showing no fear. At a closer look these people looked like they were starving and had given up on life. Rolf (his raiding leader he explained to Jules) ask a nearby group what happened and why were they starving. All of them pointed to the manor on the hill and never uttered a sound. Thorn told Jules that Rolf just stood looking at the ground deep in thought. Rolf looked up and singled out two of the party and said “grab that hand cart go back to the ship and gather half of what little food we have left and bring it here.” We all heard the horses at the same time coming down from the manor. There were probably a dozen riders with a peacock of a man in golden armor riding a white horse with golden armor. Rolf smiles at Jules and continues, with two of the party back at the boat and only five of us to face a dozen mounted men we figured it was a fair fight. But we were wrong, all the horses were riderless before we could break a sweat. The two men showed up with the food and handed out portions to whoever wanted it until it was gone. Rolf tasted the water in the well and set part of the raiders to fetching water for the ship.

Thorn continued; In the morning Rolf saw that the men rolling the last barrels of water towards the ship were laughing and looking over their shoulders and when Rolf looked toward the village he saw a long procession winding its way toward the ship from the manor. Every villager, man, woman, and child was carrying some valuable piece taken from the manor. Without a word they began piling everything on shore next to the ship. As the last village deposited his piece four elder villagers approached the ship. Rolf looked from the pile to the elders, and seeing the question on Rolf's face the elder closest to the pile pointed and said “We can't eat this. If we try to sell it we will be arrested as thieves. If we leave it in the manor it will attract others less honorable than yourselves.” With that all four elders bowed to Rolf, turned and left. It took over an hour to stow away all that loot aboard the ship.

Jules with a slight smile on her face watched this beautiful Nord telling his story. She couldn't remember any other men since martin that made her feel so safe and getting her to laugh so much. Martin was a saint, a hero for the masses, she had Idolized him. Thorn on the other hand was a rascal, and chose the time and place where to apply his honor and how.

Thorn indicated it was her turn to tell an adventure. The first thing that popped into her head was how she had closed that first oblivion gate. She told Thorn how she fought around to one tower, then having to fight to the top to open a large gate to be able to get to the big tower. How as she was fighting her way to the big tower she had taken a giant daedric claymore from a dremora she had killed and used it to fight her way to the top of the big tower and how she had plucked the sigil stone from its cradle which then closed the oblivion gate.

Seeing the look Thorn was giving her Jules blushed and quickly looked away. Thorn seeing her discomfort jumped up and began telling a story about how a cook from one of the shops at one of their stops along the coast had come up to the raiders and asked if there was any mud crab meat he could acquire. One of the raiders with a grin handed the cook one of the deck swords and pointed to a mud crab crawling on the beach.

As Thorn was jumping around intimating the antics of the cook with his sword he stopped. A silver arrow magically appeared sticking out of his forehead. As he was falling Jules whirled and in an instant had shoved her dagger to the hilt up through the chin of a guard still lowering his bow from the shot. Jules leaped back to Thorns side. Thorns eyes were staring at the heavens and he still had that stupid grin on his face from telling the story. He was gone. Jules fell to the ground blubbering obscenities at the gods and sobbing so hard she couldn't seem to catch her breath. She laid next to Thorn sobbing until she fell asleep. In her dreams she was trying to fight her way to Thorn across a great battle field but she kept breaking her sword. Jules was getting closer to Thorn but was delayed each time her sword would break and had to find another.

Jules awoke with the swayback nuzzling her side. She looked over at Thorn, reached over and closed his eyes. Jules wasn't well versed in proper Nord burials but she did know they didn’t like being put in the ground and they were buried with their weapons and things to be used in the after life. It took two days and working through the night But Jules managed to build a rock cairn and laid Thorn on it with his weapons, armor, and effects that he would need as if going on a journey in this world. As she was laying the last stone on top of the cairn covering Thorn she broke down again.

When she awoke the next morning with the sun in her eyes she looked around the ridge and saw the swayback lying on the ground close to the campsite. As Jules walked over to the horse it tried to lift it's head. The horse passed on to whatever heavens horses go to with his head in her lap. It had died of old age, which in itself would almost be a miracle in this world.

Jules gathered what she could fit in her pack and with one last look at Thorn's cairn started walking toward Bravil and her home.