Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20140323001956/@comment-24449631-20140323154348

The bay of Iliac had always been quiet, but even more so now that the Adamantine war had seized all trade between High Rock and Hammerfell. Very literally so even. About three years ago, when the war broke out and Hammerfell refused to join High Rock to recreate the Daggerfall Covenant, High Rock was utterly disappointed, but not surprised for they know Hammerfell was pretty much against magic, especially after the oblivion crisis. So they took precautions and raised a giant magical veil over their coastline, and side of the bay. Capsuling the island of Balfiera and the entire south-coast of High Rock with a practically invisible but impenetrable barrier that reached high in the clouds, at night you could kind of see it through the reflection of the moonlight. From Hammerfell’s northern shores it looked as if High Rock had been covered under a soft silk veil. As If they spun it with all that they had received from Hammerfell itself,  the ‘numero uno’ of silk trade on Tamriel. However it matters not… The situation was pretty clear, no one gets in and no one gets out. High Rock wasn’t going to take risks and have their governing tower so close near the enemy’s lands. So having a magical shield was practically mandatory. It did create an odd situation. From Balfiera you could see Lainlyn in all its glory. The thriving port city of Hammerfell, and also the beaumanic cannons pointed at the tower from its shores… The first years on Balfiera were a bit harrowing, as you had giant cannons of death pointed at you at all times. But over time, like anything else, you got used to it. Sometimes the Imperial legion would test if the shields were still there and shoot one of those giant blue energy spheres at the tower only to see it being stopped by the Magical barrier. From the island it did present quite the spectacle. Seeing the blue energy enlarge on the other side of the barrier, lighting the entire island up in a blue-ish plasma hue. Nothing was going to get past the shield any time soon.

However, because of its vicinity to the Enemy’s capital, the imperial legion had chosen Lainlyn to be host of its secret weapon research. To see if it could penetrate the magical barrier and the like. All sorts of prototypes of new and interesting weapons could be found in the Imperial warehouses and hangars on the outskirts of the city. The City itself was pretty oblivious to it. Civilians weren’t allowed near any of the Depots or structures of the Imperial Legion. Not a single person from the city also worked there. It were all Imperials brought over from Cyrodiil. The only thing the population of Lainlyn knew was that it was something military and maybe had something to do with weapon research, though it was best to keep your nose out of their affairs. It was the Imperial Navy who owned the depots by the way. Lainlyn had gotten pretty insignificant as a city as well. Little industrialisation as all Imperial subsidising went to the Legion Base near the city. The city was still pretty old fashioned, because of that it was still pretty small. About the size of Cheydinhal maybe. But instead of the cozy purple roofs and lush greenery it was a typical Hammerfellian city with golden minareths, limestone and stucko housing and with silk and desert fruit markets or bazars. Nothing really that spectacular.

-

The Host of the Horn guard that still protected the city’s citizens had now mostly taken up the job as city guard instead of Milita, which they were known for in the earlier days.

Now scattered across the city in patrols and gatekeepers they watched out for unsettling behaviour around the town. And one of those guards at the south-east gate thought to have something.

“Kazan!” he shouted at the man on top of the city walls.

“You see that thing arriving in the distance?”

Kazan took the binoculars (courtesy of the imperial Legion) out of the box in which they were kept and looked in the general direction Magoush was pointing at.

Because of the sunlight and heat of Hammerfell the thing approaching danced in the distance like a mirage. Quite mysterious at first but eventually it appeared to be false alarm.

Kazan smiled and looked down from his binoculars.

“Don’t worry, brother! It only seems to be one of those Imperial cars”

“oh… OK!” Magoush, the other guard shouted back up at Kazan.

It was indeed an Imperial car. A T5 model desert build, which was light beige coloured and had thicker tires. Instead of those spoke wheels of the older models. It also had the red imperial long flag flying from its bonnet.

Because there were no other points of reference in the giant field the car stuck out like a sore thumb. Also, the guards looking at the car as it approached all probably thought the man driving that thing must have one hell of a time. Hammerfell’s grounds and roads were already hard to traverse with carriage, so one could imagine how a heavy imperial desert vehicle would handle.

“He should be happy Lainlyn isn’t situated in the Alik’r.” Mangoush said to himself.

The car had now come into clear vision for all at the city gates. And yes, it was indeed an Imperial car.

<p class="MsoNormal">In it sat Admiral Kristo Cervaine of the Imperial Navy, here for a check-up on the weapons depot.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ah, there it is… Good. I’ll be glad to get out of this sweatbox” he said angrily as he whipped his forehead with a napkin.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I mean, I get I can’t come here by boat, it being right between a warzone and all but at least I wouldn’t have to endure this agonising heat.” He said stomping the flooring of the car, making it wobble a bit on it’s quite springy suspension. As if it didn’t happen enough with the dune-like grounds they had traversed the since this morning. Luckily the admiral was a man of the see so wobbling from side to side wasn’t going to make him sick that easy. So there was that at least.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No, no… This is nothing for me.” He continued to his chauffeur.

<p class="MsoNormal">Who just listened to the old man whining, taking at all in but not paying attention to it. The road was already hard enough.

<p class="MsoNormal">“We’re here sir.” He then said in an effort to make the Admiral stop talking

<p class="MsoNormal">And they had in fact also arrived, more or less. They were still a few 100 metres away from the gates but the city and the Base were quite visible.

<p class="MsoNormal">However it was enough to make the admiral shut up and look outside.

<p class="MsoNormal">A small victory for the driver. As he smiled to himself.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Host of the Horn guard held his hand, signalling they had to stop before entering the city.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Halt, who goes there.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The chauffeur slowly stopped in front of the gate and showed his documentation, it had a blue stamp on it, meaning it was official Imperial Navy business.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I see…” The Horn guard said. Closely looking at the papers.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Imperial business… ok. You can drive on.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The guard gave back the papers to the chauffeur and made a gesture to the others that the car was ‘good to go’.

<p class="MsoNormal">The chauffeur pulled the lever of the engine again and the machine started again, awaking from its mechanical slumber with a cranking noise and drove through the city gates.

<p class="MsoNormal">From the car, the Admiral saw the typical Hammerfell-like city. Which he had always liked for some reason. It was all so exotic.

<p class="MsoNormal">The city wasn’t that big so it didn’t take long before they had reached the seaside. Which had also become a street for car traffic. It was quite a pretty sight. All the little boats in the marina down by the water and all sorts of wooden and steel crates stacked up each other with trading wares. Though a lot of them seemed to be hoisted on trucks instead of boats.

<p class="MsoNormal">The admiral looks up and saw the culprit, down in the bay. The outline of a hazy tower, The Derinni Tower. Which stood proud behind it’s veil of magic.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Look at it…” The admiral began again. Making his chauffeur cringe. Hoping he would soon arrive at the base. So he could have his night off in town.

<p class="MsoNormal">Away from this old man.

<p class="MsoNormal">And soon as they left the seaside road. Salvation seemed to be looming ahead. A giant army base, Imperial flags flying high and protected by a steel wall. The same metal that separated Morrowind from Cyrodiil.

<p class="MsoNormal">It didn’t take long before they reached the base gates.

<p class="MsoNormal">Again there was a mandatory check-up but since the Admiral practically owned this facility everything went by quite swiftly. Eventually he was able to get out.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ugh…” He sighed as he got out of his closed off frying pan.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Thank Akatosh that’s over with…”

<p class="MsoNormal">The chauffeur however just drove off to the parking lot. Where he’d stash the car for the night.

<p class="MsoNormal">It didn’t take long or Kristo was accompanied by the base commander.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sir.” He saluted

<p class="MsoNormal">“If I may ask. Why the surprise visit?”

<p class="MsoNormal">The admiral went to shake the man’s hand.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m sorry commander but that’s classified.” He sighed.

<p class="MsoNormal">“All you need to know is that we need to send twenty-five beaumanic RFM’s to the Imperial city asap.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I see.” The base commander continued walking along with the Admiral to the giant hangar. So as to stay out of the maddening sun of Hammerfell.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Anyways… How was your leave in Anvil? Sir?” He then asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">“It was… abrupt…” The admiral told him.

<p class="MsoNormal">They had now entered the hangar. The soft shadow was enough to lessen the warmth from outside.

<p class="MsoNormal">The admiral really liked that. He had driven through Hammerfell for quite a while, so it was nice to finally, cool off.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So… Are the RFM’s still in block D?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes sir.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“If the Imperial city needs them asap, they can be ready for delivery by tomorrow.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Excellent” The admiral ended.

<p class="MsoNormal">