Author's note: Well, this is a story I am working on regarding two of my characters, seldom used in RP's. The two chapters will be a prologue to my story. This is a rough draft and is not to be considered the final work. The events depicted will be in the future, rather than the past where the story begins. What I seek is proper feedback and a reviews on what could be improved and what could be discarded. I did not put as much work into the scenes as I could of had, but it's the idea of a prologue that makes me wonder if it's good or not. Thanks guys! I will be posting just the three part intro.
　


“There was but one tribe in Cyrodiil, a powerful clan who had ousted all other competitors, much like the Imperials themselves had done. Their true name was unknown, lost in history, but they were experts at concealment. If they kept themselves well-fed, they were indistinguishable from living persons. They were cultured, more civilized than the vampires of the provinces.”-Immortal Blood.

"Know first that we are no simple tribe of savages, tearing throats with the orgiastic abandon of our scattered, tribal brethren. Ours is a civil fraternity, to which we are bound - every one - by our dual hunger for flesh and influence. By the virtue of Imperial structure and bureaucracy, Cyrodiil has become our stronghold in the Third Era, and we suffer no savage rivals within our boundries, reveal ourselves to none, and manipulate the hand of society to mete out our agendas. Maintain supple appearance through satisfaction of the thirst. Second, devote your pursuits to the procurement of influence, political and otherwise. Our strength is not in physical numbers, but in skillful manipulation of society. ”-Manifesto Cyrodiil Vampyrum.

　

Prologue: Part I

　
Imperial Palace, 3E 202.

　
The night sky proved itself to be an infinite void of shining stars that resembled a dark blanket dotted with glowing gnats. Beings watching from balconies of their buildings as the celebration for the coronation of Emperor Uriel Septim IV drew countless races from Cyrodiil to the main city itself. Anyone in the endless cityscape can find it beautiful. People gathered around the Imperial Palace, a building where the Empire’s finest rulers and authority dwelled. It was truly a sight to marvel at. From the inside, however, it's different. The conflict from within the palace was a tempest of panic and paranoia. From the inside, the problem is desperation and fear and the bone-chilling possibility that someone wants a political leader dead. With a single member of the High Council in place, the state of the Empire’s sanity threatened to crumble. And not all was as it had seemed.

Safe at last, the Chancellor Decius mused optimistically. His frantic eyes searched the chambers of the Imperial palace. He entered with his cadre of bodyguards, each Imperial soldier flanking him with mild caution, armed to the core with Imperial swords and shields. Decius was far from being harmed. He watched intently The door behind him shut closed, locked by his most trusted advisors.

“There, we are safe now. Any attempts against your life shall be futile. Your decoy is at the ceremony, in care of our finest guards. If the rumored assassin attacks, you shall be secure.” said a young female voice. Decius turned around to see Raven, his protégé, his pupil and his prodigy.

An Imperial of youthful stock, Raven stood of average height and lithe built, but was the symbol of authority. Even with her apparent age of being in the early twenties, time and time again she baffled those around her with her intelligence and cunning that would benefit the Empire. Black lustrous hair fell past her shoulders, matching her soft dark mages robes. Aside from her morbid attire, she was undeniably attractive to most, if not all men and women. Her face was without any faults and blemishes, her mouth was as soft as silk. Her skin was pink and flourishing, a sign of health and proper self-care.

Sulfuric colored eyes stared with sympathy at Decius. He responded with a similar expression. “Thank to your investigation, I can rest peacefully knowing I am in good hands.”

The confines in which he surrounded himself was familiar, a largely sparse room with thirty comfortable throne-like seats surround a large center. The center itself might have been a circle within a circle, bearing the symbol of the Nine within it. The atmosphere was cold and dreary, mimicking the feeling his guards must of felt when standing watch as security on such a night. Unlike Raven, however, Decius was pale and wrinkly, unfit to be branded chancellor. His face was a bedraggled and teeming with stress. Dark circles developed under his ageless eyes, giving him an animalistic and hungry look to them. A hooked nose was plastered in the middle of his regal face. The nails on his fingers were uncut and his hair untrimmed. By all means, he appeared as a walking corpse.

“You seem unwell today,” Raven said to him, adopting an expression of concern.He dismissed her with a raise of the hand. “I am but fine. Stress has taken hold of me and I have not been able to feast for many hours. The information on the conspiracy against the Emperor you have provided has left me awake in all these days.”
“I apologize,” she lowered her head in obedience.

“No need, my child. It is for a good cause. The sooner we can discover this villain, the better. None of this would of happened if not for your careful planning. I could have been dead, you know.”

“We are safe now, Decius. Please, sit and rest. Allow your mind some ease.” She said to him, resting a cold hand on his arm. Her voice was soothing and innocent, if she only knew what is at stake, Decius thought to himself.

Decius smiled. “One day, you will be granted authority to take my place once I breathe my last breath. I am certain you will be ready, by then. But do me a favor…stop worrying about an old man.” he chuckled.

“It is my duty to learn what I can from you.” She replied.

“Then do as I say, and be at peace with your mind.” He waved his hands sideways to her, dismissing her sans malice. Raven did as she was told, gingerly walking away to speak with Guard captain which stood himself against one of the many pillars that surrounded the chambers. Poor child. So innocent. So young. If she only understood what it means to be in power. One day she will learn, one day.

Prologue: Part II

Varinia was a woman of upstanding reputation and of boundless honor. Holding the title of Captain of the Imperial forces, she was no stranger to battle and war. Her appearance was unlike that of the young Raven, her face bore two scars; One on the corner of her forehead, one on the side of her mouth. She had chestnut colored eyes which seemed to be intense and almost paranoiac as she rested her hand over the sheathe of her blade. She was a bit physically imposing, bearing more muscle than the average Imperial woman. So much that some began to think if she was related to any Orcs.The captain saw Raven approached her, and immediately removed the helmet from her head, revealing a short cascade of unkempt brown hair that tumbled to her neck.

The seemingly younger woman, standing clad in a clandestine black robe that failed to hide her lithe, athletic body, approximated herself to Varinia. Her striking attributes bore a timeless and sensuality. Everything Varinina lacked.

“I have learned the terrible truth, captain.” Raven said to Varinia. “Decius is indeed a vampire.”

Varinia frowned “What confirms our suspicions?”

Raven sighed, rubbing her temple. “I inquired him on the negative state of his health. He told me it was due to stress and the lack of nutrition. That adds to the fact that he retreats to his chambers at day, that we only see him active at night. That he seldom is seen in Council Meetings.”

“It is true, then.” Varinia said with a hiss “We must act quickly and destroy him before he has a chance to escape or put any of us in danger.” Raven placed a hand on her shoulder, whispering with haste. “But what of yours guards? They will mistake you for the assassin and seek to impede our efforts. I perhaps can lend a hand as you carry out the task of destroying Decius.”

“You may have skill in the arts of negotiation and diplomacy, but you are no match for my men. They are well-trained and will overwhelm when they have the chance. And I shall not have them killed for their misunderstanding. If you can attempt to use your powers of illusion, then we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed and prove to them that Decius is a blood-svcking abomination.” Raven nodded obediently and simply stepped aside as Varinia unsheathed her sword. She marched to where Decius was, shouting loud so that her voice echoed throughout the Council Chambers. Scorn and malice tainting her sentence.

Confusion showed in Decius’ eyes as he rose from his seat. “I beg your pardon?”

The captain looked at Raven “Thanks, lass, for informing us of this vampire conspiracy against the Empire!”

Decius let his bafflement show to all “Vampire? I am no vampire!” The guards of the chamber were uneasy. Most rushed to the scene, standing behind Varinia and some even near Decius. Both sides not sure of what was transpiring. But when words failed, action succeeded. Negotiation died, when violence thrived.

An anonymous voice from one of the guards sounded off “She’s the assassin! She wants to kill the chancellor! To arms! To arms!” All of the guards unsheathed their blades in a symphonic unison. Each charged across the chamber to reach Varinia and Decius.


“Raven! Do as we planned! Calm them!” Varinia shouted as stabbed forth at Decius, who unsheathed his own blade and began to duel the captain.The black-haired Imperial was always obedient, always following orders. But tonight, the guise of servitude was discarded. The mask of loyalty destroyed and the cloak of deception was now in full display. She quickly unsheathed her twin sabers and jumped into the fray with inhuman speed. Raven descended on the first of five guards. She surprised the first guard by leaping from behind the pillar, impaling his neck with the thrust of her sword. The blade retreated back as quickly as it had entered.
　
As the first man toppled over, Raven jumped in the air toward her next opponent, instantly closing the six meters that stood between them both. As she came down beside her adversary, she swung her two sword simultaneously at his head. The powerful strike bisected the guard’s head, cleaving his skull in two.The ghastly deaths of the two guards gave the others time to recognize what was transpiring. They sought their attention to the Imperial woman, Raven.

Varinia heard a cry of pain, she heard the clamoring of swords behind her. What in Oblivion is she doing? I told her no one has to die! But her efforts to stop the girl would be for nothing. She had to destroy Decius once and for all. To ensure that purity was granted among the Empire’s finest. And she would do so with her blade.
　
The two combatants fought their way across the Council Chambers, swords swinging, bringing to life every attribute they had acquired over the years. But Varinia had the advantage. Decius was not a warrior, he was not battle-hardened as the others. There was only so much he could do to save himself. He knew that, and so did Varinia. She thrusts her weapon forward, but is countered by a sloppy side sweep from Decius. She pushes on with haste, whole Decius retreats with cowardice. The guards fighting Raven attempted to increase their attacks, and indeed, the Imperial woman was moving away from Varinia and Decius. But they recognized that while it might appear as if the Legion guards were forcing her back before them, it was Raven who was controlling the confrontation. Wheeling and twirling, parrying and blocking with amazing ease, their adversary was taking them with her, luring them on to a spot of her own choosing.

Her agility and prowess was more than enough to hold them both at bay, constantly on the offensive while at the same moment effectively dulling their counterattacks, mercilessly searching for an opening she could take advantage of. Three against one was more than she could handle, so they imagined. The battle seemed won when the Imperial girl dropped her blades and raised her hands in an act to surrender.

“Please…I am sorry. I yield! I yield!” Raven cried out loud. The voice of an innocent young woman caused the men to drop their guards. Would they be compelled to take the lift of a young girl who believed her superior was a vampire?

Prologue: Part III

Varinia was protecting more than just her life: each stab of the sword, and the blocking of was an action of defense of Imperial bureaucracy, of justice and peace, of the freedom and choice of ordinary races to live their own lives in their lives without the influence of a monster. She was fighting for the Empire that she adored. And as she thought about that love, she disarmed Decius with the flick of her blade, his shorts-word flying off and clattering to the floor.

“No escape, vampire.” she spat at Decius, holding the tip of her blade to his throat. She dared not look behind her to see if Raven was safe or not.

"What madness has claimed you? What fever grips your mind to make you believe I am such thing?" Varinia would not have it. Deceptive words falls on deaf ears, she told herself. There is no negotiation with a vampire.

“I…yield.” she said in a much soother voice. But her fingers betrayed her speech, her hands seemed like talon of a hawk preparing to catch it’s prey unaware. And in a way, it was exactly that.Without warning, a wave of blue electricity hissed from her cold fingers, catching the guards in a storm of crackling energy. A dark fire ignited in her vampiric eyes as she unleashed her power.


The guards danced as puppets before their dark ventriloquist, biting their tongues in the painful shower. Their limbs contorted and twisted and their blood began to boil. Her hands grew hotter with such an intensity, that she thought they would be set aflame. When she finally released her hands away, the Legion soldier’s smoking lifeless bodies dropped to the floor. Raven sighed with exasperation at such a moment, quickly taking her attention to the remaining duelists; Decius and Varinia.

Decius had fallen, as predicted. Varinia stood victor, still left to deliver the killing blow. Raven took herself to Varinia, slowly walking up behind her only to stand by her side. “Quickly, the others outside could of heard the commotion. End the life of the vampire!”

Decius wheezed and coughed, looking at Raven with a blank stare of bewilderment. There were no words to describe his emotion. She…betrayed me, he thought.

Varinia raised her blade high and quickly collapsed it down onto the helpless foe. The tip of the weapon striking his chest, drawing a crimson stain of blood that began to soak his regal robes. He gasped in pain, eyes full of sorrow and disbelief. He held himself up from the floor with one hand, but quickly tumbled to the cold floor of the chambers. He gazed up to see a frown in Varinia’s face and a sly smile on Ravens.

Moments passed, seconds to be exact, and the unexplainable happened. Decius’ body was still there. There was no dust, no ash, just the bloody remains of any mundane individual not cursed with vampirism. Uncertainty tainted Varinia’s eyes as she slowly opened her mouth in the shocking realization. Decius is no vampire…his lack of supple appearance was due to stress and old age…what have I done?

Decius gazed up once more, his mouth painted with blood. He looked at Raven and hissed his last words before passing onto death. “Treacherous snake.”

Varinia looked at Raven and shook her head in disgust. Her men was killed, the chancellor was murdered by her hand, but by Raven‘s poisonous words that have been fed for more than a few months. “Why?”

“The future of the Order no longer relies on physical prowess but on political cunning. I am here to take the reigns and establish Vampiric influence. The death of the chancellor shall secure my ascension to power...and my place over you.” Raven simply said with a casual ease.

The Order? Varinia recalled. So it is true! They do exist! And the one woman she trusted was among them. Varinia held her blade tightly, bracing herself. “You already failed, vampire. The body of the chancellor will prove your treachery.”

Raven tilted her head.. “Yet his blood stains your blade.”

“By your instruction, you vile serpent! The High Council shall hear about this. Your fell plan shall not succeed.”

Raven stepped back slightly, hands resting on her sides to not startle the angered Varinia. Her tone was now a menacing hiss. “It shall when the truth dies with you.” Unexpectadly, the Imperial captain saw in the corner of her eye a blue haze. She turned to see the chancellor rising up from his feet, levitating in the air. A sick and mindless moan escaped his crimson lips as he was given a corrupted version of the term “life”. What sorcery is this?

The chancellor, hanging by the will of a dark puppeteer, attacked Varinia with the strength and speed she never witnessed from an old man. Could she bring herself to kill him a second time knowing he was innocent? There was no hope for him anyways, he was already dead, just a shell of a man being defiled by the whims of a vampire.

Varinia backed away from the charging zombie-like Decius, not yet willing to kill him.

“No witnesses, Varinia. Your men will not bear tongue to the actions of today. And you shall find yourself among them. Tell me, how do you feel on such matter?”

Varinia tried to ignore the vampire’s words as she concentrated on Decius. He wielded two weapons now, one of the sabers and his imperial sword. He attacked relentlessly, black eyes staring at the living enemy ahead of him. “You…shall…die.” moaned the Chancellor.

“He is a form of undead, now. Go ahead, Varinia, take his life. You can justify your actions to the Council.” Raven added.

“Shut up!” Varinia cried dispersedly as she blocked an incoming blow from the thrall. Raven paced back and forth, hands behind her back, inspecting the battle with a cunning curiosity. Go ahead, woman, take end his miserable enthrallment. She watched intently, the odds going against Varinia. If she fell victim to Decius’ blade, she would no longer be a loose end. If he fell to hers, he would turn to ash, further supporting the rumor of him being a vampire, rendering Varinia’s death an unfortunate sacrifice. I win, either way, Raven boasted inwardly.

Varinia heard the heavy knocking of the doors that led into the chambers. She remembered it was locked from within and that the elite guards were outside in the halls, only now lured by the sound of battle. They kicked, pushed and struck at the door with growing aggression. “By the name of the Imperial Legion, open this door!”

Raven saw the opportunity. “Help!” she cried “Murder!”

The guards continued to barrage the door with an array of hostile attacks. Varinia glanced over her shoulder, distracted by the gates being flung open, revealing a heavy number of Imperial troops. Just as she turned around, she felt a stabbing pain on her chest. A blow dealt by the enthralled Decius. She clenched her teeth, trying to hold off the pain. But it was too much. She looked at her chest and stomach, seeing two blades lodged inside of her.

With her remaining strength, she raised her own sword and stabbed the enthralled Decius repeatedly. But the unthinkable happened; Decius whispered unintelligible words as he stepped back, his body sizzling and deteriorating. Before her very eyes, the thrall turned to ash, crumbling to the ground with dusty remains. No…that is not what I wanted, she thought as she dropped to her knees, life fading from her. She dropped on her side, blades still in her flesh. The last vision brought dread to her heart; Imperial soldiers barging into the room, led by Legatus Draken Decumus Vladmirius, the ashes of Decius would be false evidence to his status as a vampire. And Raven, the “victim”, cowering in the corner, an expression of craven fear written on her face. She would undoubtedly be given position of chancellor and a chance to share her own twisted perception of what transpired.

I was doomed the day I befriended that woman…thought Varinia as she died with eyes eternally staring into nothing.

Lots of great detail, I like it

Oh snap! I love your writing dude. I did, however, spot some mistakes here and there, but nothing irksome. And why does the font change all of the place? haha

Thanks. Please point out the mistakes, if you will. I need to practice

And the font changed because the forum layout svcks. I used word before I posted it here, so I gotta change it up a bit.

Thanks man.