Aldis looked up, feeling both surprise and a hint of dread. Of all the people he'd expected to see or hear from today, Jarl Elisif in person wasn't one of them. Hadn't she just gone on some trip inspecting her Hold without even a housecarl for company? Mainly because the last housecarl that had gone out travelling with her had been killed by Stormcloaks, and Elisif had been dead set on no one else dying because of her ever again. Apparently she might have changed her mind.
“Jarl, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?”
“I need men,” Elisif said without any preamble. “Any you can spare. We've got a problem.”
Well yes, Skyrim had problems all over, but he couldn't just send men out after the Jarl without a bit of planning, not to mention the General's likely reaction.
“Jarl, we're very stretched thin because of the war, especially after you asked me to send extra men to Dragon Bridge...”
“Well call them back,” Elisif snapped. “I sorted out the problem at Wolfskull Cave, we don't need them guarding the town any more. We've got another problem. There's a necromancer at Kilkreath Ruins, desecrating the bodies of Skyrim's war dead and harvesting their souls to build an army. I'm going in there and I'm going to stop him, but I need soldiers, captain! So I need every true-hearted soldier in the Haafingar Guard who's capable of wielding a blade and...”
The soldiers who'd been practising out in the yard had all put down their weapons, turning to listen to their Jarl who everybody now knew was Dragonborn, and they'd all gone pale at the idea of Nord war dead being cheated of Sovngarde by some necromancer.
“We're with you, Jarl!” one cried.
“Ready when you are, Dragonborn!” shouted another.
“We'll teach him to mess with Nords!” called a third. By this time, an entire group had gathered, all waving their swords in the air and shouting approval of this plan, and Aldis realised that if he didn't take charge of this situation, they'd all be following Elisif out of Solitude wherever she led them.
Of course, Aldis was also a true Nord himself and the idea of some necromancer right here in Haafingar keeping his people from Sovngarde... no. So seeing as the Jarl herself was giving the orders...
“All right soldiers, gather your weapons,” Aldis roared. “We move in fifteen, go!”
Elisif watched them all mustering with commendable efficiency, turning to Erandur in amazement.
“They did it!” she whispered. “You were right! They're doing what I tell them, look!”
“See?” said Erandur, patting her shoulder and grinning. “It's all in the voice, Elisif. You just have to stay firm and sound like you know what you're talking about. And honestly, you've probably seen more necromancers than they have by this point.”
This was true, and Elisif still shuddered to think of what she'd seen going on in Wolfskull Cave and Vaermina's Temple. No more of this. She wasn't exactly a Meridia worshipper per se... but dealing with people who interfered with the natural order of life and death and stopped Nords who'd fought hard going to Sovngarde? That she was quite happy to do.
~~~~~~~~~~
“What in the name of the Eight were you thinking?” Tullius shouted across the Blue Palace's throne room. Two days since she'd got back from Kilkreath telling stories of necromancers and corpse desecration and commandeering a squad of troops to investigate, and the Legion were still clearing up the mess. There must have been about fifty bodies in there from both sides, all so badly mangled that it was likely they'd never be identified, and Styrr was still busy reconsecrating them and giving them an honourable burial in the Hall of the Dead. There was already talk of a memorial being erected at Kilkreath itself to those butchered by Malkoran. It was all very public-spirited, but Tullius was about ready to wring Elisif's neck.
“General, he was harvesting souls and desecrating bodies, he had a whole troop of corrupted shades at his command!” Elisif protested from her throne. “I can hardly let that go unchecked, not in my own Hold!”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 7.5
Aldis looked up, feeling both surprise and a hint of dread. Of all the people he'd expected to see or hear from today, Jarl Elisif in person wasn't one of them. Hadn't she just gone on some trip inspecting her Hold without even a housecarl for company? Mainly because the last housecarl that had gone out travelling with her had been killed by Stormcloaks, and Elisif had been dead set on no one else dying because of her ever again. Apparently she might have changed her mind.
“Jarl, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?”
“I need men,” Elisif said without any preamble. “Any you can spare. We've got a problem.”
Well yes, Skyrim had problems all over, but he couldn't just send men out after the Jarl without a bit of planning, not to mention the General's likely reaction.
“Jarl, we're very stretched thin because of the war, especially after you asked me to send extra men to Dragon Bridge...”
“Well call them back,” Elisif snapped. “I sorted out the problem at Wolfskull Cave, we don't need them guarding the town any more. We've got another problem. There's a necromancer at Kilkreath Ruins, desecrating the bodies of Skyrim's war dead and harvesting their souls to build an army. I'm going in there and I'm going to stop him, but I need soldiers, captain! So I need every true-hearted soldier in the Haafingar Guard who's capable of wielding a blade and...”
The soldiers who'd been practising out in the yard had all put down their weapons, turning to listen to their Jarl who everybody now knew was Dragonborn, and they'd all gone pale at the idea of Nord war dead being cheated of Sovngarde by some necromancer.
“We're with you, Jarl!” one cried.
“Ready when you are, Dragonborn!” shouted another.
“We'll teach him to mess with Nords!” called a third. By this time, an entire group had gathered, all waving their swords in the air and shouting approval of this plan, and Aldis realised that if he didn't take charge of this situation, they'd all be following Elisif out of Solitude wherever she led them.
Of course, Aldis was also a true Nord himself and the idea of some necromancer right here in Haafingar keeping his people from Sovngarde... no. So seeing as the Jarl herself was giving the orders...
“All right soldiers, gather your weapons,” Aldis roared. “We move in fifteen, go!”
Elisif watched them all mustering with commendable efficiency, turning to Erandur in amazement.
“They did it!” she whispered. “You were right! They're doing what I tell them, look!”
“See?” said Erandur, patting her shoulder and grinning. “It's all in the voice, Elisif. You just have to stay firm and sound like you know what you're talking about. And honestly, you've probably seen more necromancers than they have by this point.”
This was true, and Elisif still shuddered to think of what she'd seen going on in Wolfskull Cave and Vaermina's Temple. No more of this. She wasn't exactly a Meridia worshipper per se... but dealing with people who interfered with the natural order of life and death and stopped Nords who'd fought hard going to Sovngarde? That she was quite happy to do.
~~~~~~~~~~
“What in the name of the Eight were you thinking?” Tullius shouted across the Blue Palace's throne room. Two days since she'd got back from Kilkreath telling stories of necromancers and corpse desecration and commandeering a squad of troops to investigate, and the Legion were still clearing up the mess. There must have been about fifty bodies in there from both sides, all so badly mangled that it was likely they'd never be identified, and Styrr was still busy reconsecrating them and giving them an honourable burial in the Hall of the Dead. There was already talk of a memorial being erected at Kilkreath itself to those butchered by Malkoran. It was all very public-spirited, but Tullius was about ready to wring Elisif's neck.
“General, he was harvesting souls and desecrating bodies, he had a whole troop of corrupted shades at his command!” Elisif protested from her throne. “I can hardly let that go unchecked, not in my own Hold!”