Heartland Blogs

Just a couple hundred feet from where the Khajiit landed, he had watched as the two sides approached. Unable to hear from afar, it appeared to him they were discussing a bit of strategy, or at least that was what it seemed before the red clad army had attacked. Normally, Ja'vassa would jump in without thinking; he was never officially a part of the Stormcloaks, though since his sister passed, he always seemed to align himself with them whenever he encountered their skirmishes with the Imperial Soldiers. Since he didn't know which side was the 'right' side and which one wasn't, he pressed himself against a small, broken down structure; his outfit providing for perfect camouflage. He was perfectly content with watching the skirmish, but that was until he noticed a strange pair running into the scene. A young girl and elderly man; from what he could see, the girl seemed absolutely terrified of everyone around her.

"Just... just leave me alone!" The girl shouted, cowering from the man chasing her. Their sudden appearance seemed to have disrupted the skirmish between the red and blue armies. The elderly man's eyes widened after she yelled, "Oy! Quit with the yelling! Giving away our position would be bad, no?" He said, seemingly concerned with both armies at this point.

"Hey! Leave her be!" The leader of the northern army shouted, aiming a strange looking sword his way. "Ah, there she is.. consider this punishment for fleeing!" The red leader shouted in return. It seemed this was enough to convince which army the Khajiit should support, though he would remain behind just to see what would happen. After their sudden appearance and the brief timeout, the battle would resume; sword and spell clashed with much ferocity from both sides, it seemed the girl was slowly growing used to the man as he was genuinely trying to protect her. What was more surprising was the fact that the girl was able to transform into a dragon; it didn't seem that she really needed any help, but even with all that power, they were doomed to fall back. Without help from the other army, they were slowly being overwhelmed. The mercenary's sword had been knocked away while the girl had been separated from him, growing exhausted from the seemingly endless battle. She had been cornered by a pair of mages, both preparing lightning spells in the hopes of incapacitating her.

Before they could fire off the magic, Ja'vassa had made himself known to both sides. "Wuld... Nah Kest!" He shouted, using the Whirlwind Sprint to grab and move the dragon to safety, staring at the would-be attackers from behind his mask. The girl in his arms looked more surprised than afraid, as did the warriors watching the spectacle. "Who in the blazes are you?" The blue haired prince asked, staring in confusion. "I'll explain later, just worry about getting rid of the red guys!" Ja'vassa shouted in return, setting the girl back down. "You stay close to me... you should do the same." He said to the mercenary. In one hand, he wielded his signature war axe and in the other, had an Icy Spear spell at the ready. Once the confusion and surprise of yet another newcomer had died down, the battle resumed, but this time it was going in the favor of the prince's army. Ja'vassa's combination of speed, magic, and his shouts proved to be too much for the opposing army.

Trading magical attack for magical attack, and physical blow for physical blow, the opposing army would slowly be whittled down to just the leader and a few grunts. "Damn you.. this.. this wasn't supposed to turn out like this." Chalard growled, glaring at the Khajiit and the Prince. "Prince Chrom and this... stranger. My army may fall here, but soon you will suffer at the hands of Grima." He added, making a fruitless attempt to fight Ja'vassa's unplanned allies; this as one would expect turned out poorly for him. Being outnumbered nearly three to one, him and the remaining were quickly cut down, and those who chose not to fight have since fled from the battlefield. After what seemed to be an eternity, the battle between the two armies had finally come to an end, much to the relief of many of the combatants.

As one would expect, some introductions were needed. The girl had approached Ja'vassa smiling slightly. "Thank you for saving me.." She said to him before turning to the mercenary. "And.. thanks for helping me back there, I'm sorry for being so rude to you."

Ja'vassa shrugged, "Don't mention, I wasn't about to sit back and watch a child get hurt like that." He responded, soon being cut off by the girl. "I'm not as young as you might think.." She said, a slight giggle escaping her lips; though her statement was met with a confused look. "My people age pretty well, I'm probably around a thousand years old, but look! No wrinkles."

"I.. see. It seems I'll have plenty to learn here." Once again, Ja'vassa had been cut off again, this time by the leader of his unplanned allies. "You're quite the warrior, friend. I'm not sure where you came from, but.. I've never seen anyone with skills like yours. If you hadn't shown up, we might've lost this battle. Thank you." He said, extending his hand out to him. "My name is Chrom, leader of the Shepherds. Mind if we get yours?"

The Khajiit nodded, shaking his hand before he'd remove the mask to reveal his feline-features to a surprised Prince. "I am Ja'vassa, a wanderer from Tamriel." His own introduction only led to more confusion. Before he'd respond to the Khajiit, Chrom had turned to one of his allies. "Robin.. have you ever heard of that place?" He asked, whispering slightly. This question was met by a shake of the head, "No.. I haven't. Judging by his appearance, I'd assume maybe he's a Taguel like Panne?" Robin suggested, though it was clear he was rather confused. "I don't intend to offend you, but we've never heard of Tamriel before." He said to Ja'vassa, rubbing the back of his head in an awkward manner.

A soft laugh escaped the Dragonborn's lips as he listened to the pair, "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it, Tamriel is beyond this realm. It's the land of my birth and depending on how my task here goes, it'll likely be the land of my death too." He explained, though before either the prince or tactician could respond, he had been met with an all too suspicious gaze. "Are you here to bring home to Ylisse or her people?" A tall, blue armored fellow asked, keeping a lance in hand. "What exactly is this task of yours?" Depending on Ja'vassa's answer, it seemed the knight was ready to strike.

This suspicion from the knight received a glare from the Dragonborn. "I assure you, I have no interest in harming anyone. I've been sent to do some studies of this world for my Lord. I cannot say for sure what his intentions are, but I simply intend to do as I was tasked. I do not know if he'll bring me back tomorrow or in a thousand years." This explanation seemed to be sufficient for the knight as he lowered his lance and stepped back. Chrom would be the next to speak up. "I apologize for Frederick.. he's a bit protective of the group, he means well, but he take some getting used to." He said, grinning as Frederick rolled his eyes, though the knight did nothing to argue that.

Like it would most any other morning, the sun had slowly risen over the ashen streets of Raven Rock. For the most part, the settlement was fairly quiet; with the exception of the Redoran Guard wandering the streets, it was silent. No one had yet left their homes or their beds in the Retching Netch Cornerclub, though in the Severin Manor not far from the center of town, the owner had been wide awake doing his usual studies. Ja'vassa, the Khajiiti Dragonborn famed for his skills as a mage and mercenary was preparing to do some field research on the island. His aim was to learn more about Miraak, his uprising, and to see if his uprising had anything to do with the way the other Dragon Priests treated their subjects. After gathering a few journals, along with stocking up his satchel with a number of potions, poisons, food, emergency clothes, soul gems, and a few coin purses; once everything was together, he would focus on getting dressed; throwing off his old robes and throwing his travel robes on along with his ebony gauntlets, boots, and of course, the mask of Nahkriin. Throwing the mask on along with his dual ebony war axes, he was about to head outside, though was interrupted by an unexpected force.

Out of nowhere, slimy tentacles and disembodied eyes began to materialize around the Khajiit, though it was unexpected, Ja'vassa kept his composure as he realized it was the Daedric Lord he called master; Hermaeus Mora himself. It was a bit surprising that Ja'vassa would be contacted before he even left town, though he figured it had to be important. After several moments of the disturbing materialization, the Daedra had spoken. "Come closer, my Champion... bask in my presence." He spoke in a disembodied, metallic sounding voice. "I've got a new task for you, one I believe you'll find comparable to your skills. Return to the Summit of Apocrypha where you defeated Miraak and the path shall be revealed. Complete this task for me and you will be richly rewarded, Dragonborn..." As quickly as the Prince appeared, it had disappeared, leaving Ja'vassa confused, but curious at what his new task would be.

Fortunately for him, he already had his things ready and all that was left was reading the Black Book he kept hidden in the Manor. After reading the book, he had been transported to the tower where that fateful battle with the First Dragonborn occured, though that ordeal was long behind him and now it was time to focus on the new task. Moments after dropping into Apocrypha, his Master had shown up. "What is it that you need me to do, my Lord?" Ja'vassa asked, keeping his usual monotonous, serious tone. Usually, Hermaeus Mora's work often led the Khajiit into exciting, but dangerous adventures; the life risking ventures with amazing rewards... the first encounter led him to visiting his first Dwemer ruin in the pursuit of the Falmer Blood and more importantly, the Elder Scroll. Eventually, that expedition in Blackreach not only rewarded him with an Elder Scroll, but with the Oghma Infinium as well. Months later, Ja'vassa found himself on Solstheim, again in the presence of the Daedric Prince of Fate and Knowledge, that time in pursuit of the First Dragonborn.

"As you are no doubt aware, the planes of Oblivion are infinite.. Mundus is infinite.. Aetherius is infinite. Not many are aware that more hide beyond these realms, though difficult to access, it is not completely impossible. Being an immortal Prince has its perks and I've had plenty of time to figure out how to access it." Hermaeus Mora started; while the Dragonborn was an incredibly intelligent Khajiit, the stuff being explained to him was effectively flying over his head. He mostly, or at least he assumes he understands the realms of Mundus, Oblivion, and Aetherius, but this was new. Despite his lack of understanding as to what was being said, he nodded anyways, interested in this realm beyond Aetherius. "I will be sending you to this realm, I cannot tell you what you'll find, but I can assure you that you'll arrive there alive. You are to go and collect any form of knowledge you can find... books, scrolls, journals, anything you can find. Study it and return it to Apocrypha through the Daedric servant you obtain prior to Miraak's defeat. Do this for me and I shall see to it that you're richly rewarded."

Thinking about it for a moment, Ja'vassa weighed his potential options. It usually isn't a good idea to argue with a Daedric Prince, especially in their own realm. If Miraak was to be an example, arguments or rebellions would likely end in a painful death. There was also the idea of him leaving behind every single person he's ever known; his fellow mages in the College of Winterhold, his Family in the Dark Brotherhood, his Volkihar Vampires, and the many others he's formed bonds with. The fact that his Lord hadn't a clue about what waited for him was a bit alarming, but that was likely the least of his concerns. On the upside, this new world would likely be more accepting of his kind, and maybe he'd be able to start over. Since losing his little sister all those years ago, Ja'vassa has gone down a less than favorable path, with his connections to the Dark Brotherhood, Clan Volkihar, and the Thieves Guild putting a huge stain on his reputation. This new world might give him what he needs to start fresh, to be the hero his sister would want him to be. Not to mention, his curiosity was getting the better of him; it wasn't everyday someone got to explore beyond Oblivion and he wasn't about to let this opportunity slide away. Weighing his options, thinking of the risks involved and the potential rewards that come with it, Ja'vassa nodded in confirmation. "I'll.. I'll do it." He said, wondering if he made a mistake with that. His response seemed to have been favorable with his Master as a strange, violet portal had slowly opened up.