» Wed May 30, 2012 5:08 pm by Prisoner #2137840
I once had a name but the Thalmor took it from me, amongst many other names. Now I am only Prisoner #2137840 until such time as the resistance finds a new way to speak me into myself. My crime: seeking the self that intersects with oneself. I do not know if I have actually committed this crime, or indeed if it is a crime at all, but it is unlikely that I should ever desire the self that intersects with Thalmor torture implements, and so I dwell amongst the resistance, seeking the means by which the enemy may achieve union with the enemy.
One figure who creates an ally and an enemy is Pelin-El, also Pelinal, also Palnol, also Swathe-Whiter, also the Man Voice, also Pol-Nalla. Yet it is clear he is only thus because some men speak him to be this. The resistance found the dragon-broken star-struck heart, such that it was now two hearts of which we merely possessed three, and I enacted the Akaviri ritual to eat it and become it. And verily, I became able to sing to all of the halves of him and the wholes of him.
---
(Resistance scribe's note: after eating the heart, the High Elf's breath became for a time a vivid display of moving imagery, which I tried to transcribe as best as possible here)
"What's wrong?" asked Huna as she tried to hold Pelinal's hand and keep him in bed. Her golden skin gleamed faintly of sweat in the starlight.
But he was in one of those moods, and now he stood stark-naked in the moonlight, his hands stretched out to receive the wind. "I have killed you!" he lamented.
"There you go again," she muttered, "always with the two-headed logic." She played with a green-glass comb to work out her feeling of unsatisfaction.
Pelinal turned back to her, and his tears were dripping on the floor, his face twisted in anguish. "You watch me watching you, but you do not watch me. You cannot possibly know the burden I bear."
"I might understand it if you told me what it is, Pelinal."
He sat on the bed again and wiped tears and sweat off his brow. "It's nothing. Nothing at all. The negotiations tomorrow will go exactly as they need to go." He then petted Huna's head and tried to smile.
She pulled his head into her bosom, whispered "Shush," and let the bed speak for itself.
---
Alessia put the finishing touches on a big red ribbon bow as she noticed, "You look positively stunning, Huna! Your dress truly compliments your golden skin."
"Oh, you are too kind, as always," replied Huna as she adjusted the feathers in her hair.
"And Pelinal seems to be holding up better these days," Alessia noted while straightening out Huna's dress.
"We've never been happier," Huna sighed, "but that is a low standard to meet."
"Well..." she held up a mirror to Huna to keep her self-aware, "I suppose there is a cost to being Star-Made such as he is."
"There is also a cost to being a bull-man such as Morihaus is, too, is there not?"
They giggled in unison.
"Listen to those ladies laugh," declared Morihaus' thundering voice from afar, "Always being silly and lacking in understanding of the seriousness of the situation."
Alessia announced, "We're ready now. Are you?"
Morihaus snorted and shuffled. "As ready as I need to be. I got me a new nose hoop with a diamond in it, the Ayleids will respect it."
Pelinal stood silently, fully arrayed in his Crusader's Armor, although with a different tabard showing the symbol of a dragon with two heads. His mace hung at his side as always, this time with a more ceremonial belt to show that he was not planning to do battle today.
Alessia clapped her hand on Pelinal's helmet. "Enough with words, now for action."
Pelinal nodded and took Huna's golden hand. It seemed almost childlike in comparison to his massive gauntlets. Together, they ascended the steps of the Tel-Mound towards the waiting Ayleid party. Unlike their usual celebrations, there were no flayed or eviscerated bodies on display, and Nord mead was arrayed on tables. The wrong culture, but the thought behind the act showed a desire for peace on their end too. They approached one clothed in plain white robes but with a horned and feathered helm, so great were the horns that they reached as far as a man might stretch his arms.
Pelinal cleared his throat and announced, "Ae Altais Seyladoon! I humbly ask for the hand of Huna, daughter of Il-Ikar, clan of Suli-El, that there may be peace between us!"
An arrow knocked Huna flat on her back, blood spurting and spreading quickly.
An Ayleid of a different clan stood up brandishing his bow proudly. "So shall it be done for any Ayleid who consorts with Men!"
Pelinal's hand quivered as he reached for his mace and everyone present drew their weapons, uncertain what would come next.
The ceremonial Ayleid turned to the archer, cast down his horned helm, and screamed, "You dare ruin the truce! Do you know what you have done? Do you have any idea who Pelin-El is?"
Pelinal's gauntlet was now clenching the handle of the mace so tightly that the metal screeching was audible to everyone on the Tel-Mount. Alessia and Morihaus snatched shields and swords and hurried up the steps.
".......uggghhh.... uh......" came a guttural noise from inside Pelinal's helmet.
The Ayleid archer triumphantly marched up and slammed his foot down on Huna's corpse. "Know you, Pelin-El, that this arrow which has slain your bride-to-be is made from the beak of Celethelel the Singer, servant of Uram-El, who speaks for all Ayleids when he says that Men shall always be slaves!"
Another Ayleid in the audience raised a sword into the air and agreed, "Yea, hark the wise words, for any union between our peoples is folly!"
Pelinal clapped his hands onto the head of the archer, sending his thought-mass flying in all directions and splattering red colors onto everyone's clothes.
"....grrrr... agggh....... you watched me.... uhh.... you watched me watch you plan this..... all because Ulfric Stormcloak let himself be spoken to....."
The priestly Ayleid dropped to his knees. "We can save the truce... we can..."
Pelinal brought one hand back down to his mace and slowly lifted it from his belt. "...the things that will be done in Talos' name.... the love that is arranged to destroy love...."
As Alessia came to the top of the stairs, she shouted, "Nah Drem Dun! Pelinal, don't!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaHHH!!!!!"
---
(Resistance propagandist's note: we haven't the faintest clue how reliable this whole ritual is, or if anything we saw at the event was remotely true. But, it's done its job and we hope we don't need to go poking through any more ancient Ayleid organ cloning vats anytime soon)
