Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Awakening

Figgin awakes to the sound of horse hooves and clanking armor. His head is pounding and his eyesight is blurry. The constant yapping and whining of the pathetic Nord across from him is gnawing at the pit of his gut.

"We aren’t supposed to be here!" the whimper keeps crying.
"Shut up you fool. Show some shred of manhood" Figgin thought to himself.

The Nord in the front was named Ralof and he was trying to bring Figgin up to speed now that he had awakened. Something about a civil war and Stormcloaks vs Imperials. Figgin could care less, he hated both races, in fact he hated all humans. Can you really blame him after what they did to his family? All Figgin could think of was how the hell he got in the back of this cart and why is he tied up. The last memory had can recall was seeing the far off mountains of Skyrim as he approached the boarder and then a band of Imperials asking him what his business was in Skyrim. His refusal to answer was not taken too well as after that his world went dark and he awoke in this cart with Sister Sally Horse thief crying like the sister he never had a chance to know.

Figgin's eyesight was finally back to normal and he could see they were the mountains surrounded by trees. "Ahh, Skyrim at last." Figgin thought, "I made it." However, not in the manner he had envisioned it. His quest to find the man that sold his father out led him to this mountainous hellhole and he thought it would be a cakewalk. It was about this time that thoughts of Clavius last words entered his head and not only his ears for the first time. "Be careful of the roads in Skyrim. It is a different country there. Different rules and different people. Our kind is not so liked by others." Figgin felt like kicking himself if for the fact his hands being tied would surely end up falling off the cart and being trampled by the horses trailing. Figgin wondered where they were, what day is it?

"This is Helgen." Ralof said and some other blabbering about a girl he knew or something, Figgin tuned him out after Helgen and did not care anymore of the day.

The carriage came to a stop and when he was addressed as "Prisoner", a new terror came over him. "Why didn't I listen to that ugly Nord Ralof more? What have I gotten myself into?"Figgin's thoughts wrestled each other inside his head. Just then he caught sight of the chopping block used for beheadings. Instantly, Figgin was taken back to the waterfront of Cyrodiil and he as a 5 year old boy looking at his father's headless body slumped over the block and those Imperial bastards singing and dancing. Was he to suffer a similar fate? He thought about making a run for the gates, but that was short lived as the crybaby horse thief was just shot down by the archers on his attempt.

The Imperial Guard, named Hadvar called Figgin up.

"Wait, this one is not on the list?' Hadvar exclaimed.

Maybe this was Figgin's lucky day. Maybe he would get out of this after all. Another short life span for that sense of hope as the captain decided to have him added to the execution anyways.

Hadvar inquired "What is your name?"

Figgin debated whether or not to give his full name. He hadn't used his last name in 15 years in fear of imprisonment or death. Although, who cares now, death seemed inevitable in the current state of affairs? On second thought, why give them the satisfaction of knowing my identity, so they can dance and sing over my headless slumped body? Figgin felt as if he had let his Father and Mother down in his quest to avenge their deaths. There was also something eerily familiar about that General Tulius. Figgin could not place why he felt he knew him from somewhere.

It was now Figgin's turn to be executed and throughout this whole time he failed to hear the roaring in the skies above but when he laid his head on the block he saw what his ears failed to hear. A dragon! Was this a mirage? Could this be real? The dragon landed on the tower and shouted an unrelenting force that knocked Figgin over. Then came the fire. Figgin, being immune to fire realized he was no longer a priority and that he was unguarded. He made his way to his feet and to the adjacent tower in enough time before Ralof shut the door. Now to find a way out of her, thought Figgin. He bounded up the stairs but the dragon powered through the wall and blocked the access to the roof. the courtyard was strewn with Imperial soldiers so no chance of escape that way, ask that horse thief. The only chance was to jump to the house next to the tower and meet Hadvar at the bottom. Could he trust an Imperial, especially one who had just sentenced him to death? No time to mull over the specifics, he needed to act fast. He jumped to the house and down to the square.

Hadvar led him to the entrance to the keep and there was Ralof untied and making an escape of his own. Both men squared off and when they both realized there was budging on both sides, they decided to enter take different paths of escape. Figgin had a choice to make, does he follow the Imperial, a race he despises and man that almost killed him or the Nord who was to suffer the same fate but yet another race he despised? He chose the Nord, seemed like a lesser of two evils in Figgin's mind.

Once inside the keep, Ralof cut loose Figgin's hands and told him to take the armor and weapons from a fallen Stormcloak soldier, it seems a rescue attempt had gone south and Ralof knew a way out of Helgen and asked Figgin to follow him. They fought their way down the keep to the torture chamber where Figgin snuck up on the torturer's assistant and plunged his blade deep into his spine ending his miserable life instantly. The lone survivor was a female Nord Stormcloak soldier who joined the party. Figgin looted the dead prisoners and soldiers and came across a Mages Robe of Destruction and a Mages Hood of Destruction. Perfect, Figgin thought.

Their descent continued until they reached a Frost Spider's lair. Figgin and company quickly dispatched the spider and pressed on. The female Stormcloak would not make it out of the keep but Figgin seemed to care less. Upon making it out of the Keep, Ralof told Figgin it was Sundas the 17th day of the Last Seed  and judging by the sun, it must have been around 4:30pm. Ralof invited Figgin to his sister's house in Riverwood and told Figgin to join the Stormcloaks in the rebellion. Something Figgin had no interest in.

They split ways and Figgin went into the woods to find some shelter, he was accustomed to living in the woods, caves, mines and sewers. It is how he grew up. He happened upon a mine shaft and was attacked by a bandit. Figgin plunged a few arrows into his chest and that threat was nullified. He continued toward Riverwood realizing that he was a stranger in this land and that maybe he needed some friends here and since Ralof did save him in Helgen, maybe he could use a friend. Upon his descent Figgin found the Ancient Guardian Stones and chose to be blessed by, none other than, The Thief Stone, in honor of his Mother.

Figgin made his way to Riverwood and found Gerdur and got fresh supplies and a bed to sleep in . In the morning he would figure out his next course of action. For tonight he was tired and needed sleep.

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