Skyrim: Band of Thieves

After ensuring that everything of value was taken from Driftshade Refuge, thus giving the three werewolves to rest and let go of their anger, which wasn't an easy thing despite having wrecked the Silver Hand, Capper brought them back to the carriage and they set out for Whiterun. Vilkas remained on the roof of the vessel, so he could think about what they had done and what he had seen, especially since he now had confirmation that Capper's group was full of strange people and had seen all of the kobolds during the assault. Each of them had their own strengths and abilities, covering every aspect as far as he could tell, and they worked well as a team, even though they seemed to divide themselves into smaller groups and let one or two of them do something at any given moment. And then there was Capper himself, someone who didn't fight much yet seemed to be the authority of the group, causing Vilkas to wonder what in the world was going on with them right now, even though his focus returned to Kodlak, the Silver Hand, and their vengeance filled hearts.

Capper, on the other hand, continued to allow La'nari to get them back to Whiterun, all while knowing that the residents of the Opulent Lands were growing stronger with each passing day, because each new class brought more knowledge to the realm and made Mora happy. This was especially true as time went on, because Capper was finding more and more classes for a kobold to be, thus adding to the knowledge that Mora was constructing on the Opulent Lands, since she loved having tomes on each of the Planes of Oblivion and Capper's was a source of endless possibilities for her. That also didn't take into account everything Mora was teaching the kobolds that had formed her group, due to the fact that Capper was sure she would make scholars and even other classes with the mages that were following Mora. He was even sure that Ithelia was doing the same thing, she took some of the others under her wings to teach them, though since she was the Chamberlain of the Opulent Lands he suspected her followers were going to be more akin to caretakers for the castle and other points that were important to him.

All of that wasn't counting the other classes that had sprung to mind in his mind, he just needed certain souls to bring about the first of a new class, that much he knew for a fact, it was just a matter of finding them and collecting a golden soul gem in the event of a death, something he was looking forward to since it provided a bit of a challenge.

Other than everyone thinking about various things the journey back to Whiterun was calm and relaxing, just like the group was used to, and along the way Vilkas removed his helmet to show that he was finally over the emotions he had felt during the assault on the Silver Hand, or at least enough to be far calmer than before. When they finally returned to the city Vilkas told them that all of the other members of the Companions had likely prepared Kodlak's funeral by now, and had no doubt drawn some important people to the event, given how loved the late Harbinger had been. Based on what Capper could see it was like all of Whiterun was in mourning, that everyone, be it the guards or the citizens, felt the death of Kodlak like he had been a friend to each and every single person in the city, even to the annoying well dressed redguard. They were even able to confirm Vilkas' statement as they reached Jorrvaskr, where they found that Kodlak had been laid on top of a funeral pyre that rested on the Skyforge, and all sorts of people were present, like the Jarl and his Court, the Companions, and a couple of other people.

Capper had been a little worried that they weren't even allowed here, since he and most of the others didn't know Kodlak at all, but it seemed like the Companions had opened this up so anyone and everyone could attend, whether they wanted to or not, causing them to stand at the back and focus on the pyre.

Following that they bore witness to what appeared to be an ancient Companion custom for a Harbinger that fell in battle, as Aela used a torch to set the pyre on fire before she and the other members of the Circle, save for Azure and Tuk Ur since the pair wouldn't know the words, recited a couple of lines. Those included that they 'grieved before the ancient flame', that they 'wept at the loss before them', they 'shouted for the fallen', and that they 'took their leave', though Capper had no idea what the lines meant and really didn't care too much, but since the lines were soothing for the Companions he decided to let this pass. After a few minutes of observing the flames Aela announced that Kodlak's spirit had departed at last and that she and the members of the Circle would be meeting up in the Circle's 'special spot' to grieve their last together, code for meeting in the Underforge to talk about Kodlak no doubt. As people departed, that seemed to be how they knew the service was over, Eorlund, the smith for the Companions, talked with Azure for a few moments and that was when he handed over the pieces of Wuuthrad they had recovered, before learning that Kodlak had a piece in his private quarters and that Eorlund wanted all of them for mounting.

With that in mind Azure and Tuk Ur headed back into the mead hall while the rest of the Companions, those that weren't part of the Circle, just headed out into Whiterun, like they needed some time to think about things before returning to their guild and their responsibilities.

"I guess they'll be holding tryouts of some kind to determine who the new Harbinger will be... in the near future, anyway." Rarity commented, speaking while she and the others stood on the stairs leading up to Jorrvaskr, since this allowed them to be out of the way while everyone else departed for their homes and jobs, though she felt sorry for the Companions since the guild had just lost two of their highest ranking members in quick succession.

"For now, their focus will be on mourning their Harbinger. It will be some time before they seek a new leader." Capper said, all while noticing that Azure and Tuk Ur emerged from the mead hall for a time, enough to hand over the final shard of the weapon to the smith before heading down into the Underforge, to meet up with the rest of the Circle, before he considered something that was only now coming to him, "Though it would be funny if the four of us took the highest ranking positions in the four main guilds."

La'nari wasn't sure if Capper was joking or if he was being serious, because if it was the latter she knew that he and all of her friends would really gain a foothold in Skyrim, beyond the Thieves Guild, and possibly beyond the boarders of this province once the news of Midas' existence reached the other provinces. She had a feeling that such a thing was Capper's goal, first to spread his name to the rest of Tamriel, so all knew of the new Prince, and then move out into Cyrodiil once he was done with Skyrim, it made the most sense for a traveling Daedric Prince. Such a thing meant he might create his own guild, or even a branch of the one he would be in control of once they returned to Riften, that much she was sure of, but it made her simply wonder how much Capper wanted to do before he retired to the Opulent Lands. With that in mind she decided to just go with the flow like usual, it was the best way when one was dealing with a Prince of Oblivion, especially one that had tamed two others, which did make her eager to see what might happen next.

Eventually, however, their rest was interrupted as Aela came charging out of the Underforge with the twins, who rushed into Whiterun and headed for the gate, though at the same time Azure and Tuk Ur stopped by the group, now carrying a brand new weapon, the reforged and freshly sharpened Wuuthrad.

"We're heading to the Tomb of Ysgramor, the legendary figure for the Companions, and we need Wuuthrad to unlock it, so it was given to me before they ran off." Azure said, where he slipped the elegant battleaxe into his pack before Capper pulled out his map, so he could show him where the tomb was supposed to be located so they knew where to go from here, even if there were other things to do right now, causing him to point at an area near Winterhold, "It's right there, to the west of the College's location."

"Good, then we'll swing by Labyrinthian to grab the Staff. By the time we're done they should be at the tomb." Capper stated, because it looked like the Circle was either going to catch a carriage to Winterhold or they were going to beast out and then run there, to calm them down before Azure and Tuk Ur arrived to unlock the tomb, but to him that didn't matter, because they would arrive to help the Circle out in due time.

Rarity nodded as they walked over to Whiterun's gate to the Opulent Lands and crossed over for a moment, before using the one for Morthal to appear in the outskirts of the small village that was had to justify as a Hold, but once everyone was ready they headed up the hill and headed to the east. From there it was easy to track down Labyrinthian, it was a massive place in the middle of a mountain range, with tall stone walls that had been used to help guard it in the past, though right now it was guarded by trolls, frost ones to be exact. Capper let Rarity and Mah Oh do what they did best as they used magic to bring the group of enemies down, as both used fire spells to burn the trolls until they stopped moving, allowing them to collect each golden soul gem that was dropped. While they secured the surrounding area, making sure they were alone while most of the group was planning on staying out here, since this was more Rarity and Mah Oh's area of expertise, Capper found a wooden mask that had time magic attached to it, which Mora identified as a dragon priest mask.

This one, as they discovered, allowed the wielder to travel back in time while in the circular stone area it had been found in, as Capper vanished into thin air and then reappeared a few moments later, but he confirmed that there were eight masks they had to collect for something that was in the past.

"Another collection to complete... seems like a trend, doesn't it?" Capper commented, which was fine with him, because it meant there was more for him to do and he was sure that the map held the locations of the majority of the masks, though in the next moment he found that Azure, along with those that weren't going into the depths of Labyrinthian, were setting up a camp on the edge of a structure that allowed them to see everything in the area, "Knowing Ancano, I would recommend that you guys keep an eye out for him... he's already lost the Eye and he no doubt saw Savos hand over the key to this place, so it stands to reason he'll come here to steal the Staff."

"Don't worry, we'll hold down the area while you explore the depths." Azure replied, though at the same time he smiled at the rest of the group, because he had offered the idea of bringing out some additional kobolds and Capper had agreed, so they had ten warriors, ten archers, and ten mage kobolds in the area, a force that needed some actual training in the field and this was perfect for them.

"Good. And, just to make sure we don't miss anything, I'll enshroud the entire area with my aura." Capper said, meaning that if someone or something died in the area that made up Labyrinthian they would produce a golden soul gem for them to pick up later, just in case they found enemies while he, Rarity, and Mah Oh were in the ruin, and it wasn't long before he did just that.

With that done the trio walked over to where the entrance was located, it was hard to miss the large round door, where he produced the knocker and allowed Rarity to handle it, attaching it to the door before using it to knock on the door and open it, even though they did pass by phantoms of six mages, Savos and his old friends no doubt. It seemed like they had come here seeking secrets that had yet to be claimed and were arrogant, it was easy to see in how they acted, and Rarity found a new tome on the stone table to their right that she claimed, as it contained the Ironflesh spell for her and Mah Oh to learn while they descended. Beyond that they found a curved path that was dug into the mountain itself, leading to a large area with a number of skeletons, of both warriors and mages alike, before a skeletal dragon rose out of the center of the arena and roared at them. Capper stood at the back as Rarity and Mah Oh did what they did best, they hurled fireballs, spears of ice, and lightning bolts at their enemies, blasting the undead into the walls before combining their powers to tear down the skeletal dragon.

Capper stood there as the pair dismantled the undead, allowing the collector kobolds to collect the loot and the golden soul gems that were dropped from the skeletons, though the skeletal dragon didn't have one, before he found a larger soul gem resting in the core of the skeleton, almost as if Akatosh was watching them and gave it to him for some reason, or maybe it had been lingering in the air and his power caught it.

In the end Capper decided not to question it, there were things that were better left unanswered, before collecting the body of the skeletal dragon as well, as it's bones would be useful in some manner, and once the chamber was clear they crossed over to the other side and continued their descent. The phantoms appeared again, remarking that one of their own had been taken out by the cluster of enemies, and they decided to press on since they didn't want to be caught by the undead, though Rarity found an icy wall blocking the way forward. Capper found that it tried to sap them of their mana and simply brushed off the power with ease, while ensuring that the three of them were safe from the danger, allowing the magical pair to just burn away both the wall and an icy specter that was hiding inside it. That was when they found carved paths that had deathlords guarding each one, though while Capper smiled, as this was a free source of ebony weapons, Rarity and Mah Oh lashed out with their magic without wasting time, knocking their foes from their posts and damaging them before they had a chance to retaliate.

The other fortunate thing was that the collector kobolds pointed out areas for the trio to investigate, mostly allowing them to blast more draugr deathlords while Rarity collected a few more tomes, a few basic spells and a rare tome that she was sure no other mage had in their possession. In addition to that they found veins of ore that the miner kobolds dug into as soon as the coast was clear, allowing them to haul chunks of ore into the Opulent Lands so they could be processed like everything else they were collecting. He even found a number of gems scattered here and there, no doubt from when this place had been busy, plus rings, necklaces, and even circlets, plus there were soul gems scattered around the place, some full while the rest were empty, which he added to the loot to sort. Capper had to admit that this place was a treasure trove of artifacts and loot, as there were even ancient coins and modern coins, the latter from the unfortunate ones who found a hole in the face of the mountain and were slaughtered by the undead, all of which he gladly looted.

At the same time there were moments where the darkness inside this place seemed to speak with them, or tried to, since he could feel the same magical figure trying to connect with them multiple times, though he hardly paid attention to it as they continued deeper into the ruin, which seemed to be quite massive.

"Sounds like we have a persistent spirit." Rarity commented, as she knew about it thanks to Capper telling her and Mah Oh about the thing that tried to steal their magic, where she was thankful for him being with them to stop the process so they could stand against the draugr that were down here, especially with the amount of deathlords they were seeing.

"Indeed. We might have a dragon priest down here." Capper said, as Mora had told them that the dragon priests were some of the strongest magical users in the past, the Dragon Cult had been responsible for much before Alduin's fall, and each of the priests had been the highest ranking officers in the entire force, and according to the map at least one was somewhere in this area.

Rarity nodded as she summoned a lightning bolt and hurled it into one of the skeletons, blasting it apart before it could do anything to them, while Mah Oh did the same with a frost troll, only she used fire instead of lightning, before finding their way to what appeared to be an old large gate. Opening it was easy thanks to the lever that was on the side, and the enemies in front of them happened to be more of the skeletons that were brittle and easy to wipe out, though there was one of the phantom wispmothers hanging out in a graveyard area. The pair burned the foe down before she could hurt them and then iced a fiery wall that was blocking the way forward, even a fiery spirit that was guarding it, adding more and more items to the loot that Capper was collecting, and they even found Savos' phantom group again in due time. By that point there were missing a second member of their group, leaving only four, and yet they continued to press onward, knowing that they might die if they tried to retrace the path they took to reach this point.

Following that they discovered more undead, though these ones were glowing blue and looked like they were nerves, not bones like the group was used to, but there was no difference between them and their bony counterparts, they died in no time as Rarity and Mah Oh struck them with magic. Capper found that these ones had interesting weapons, ancient nordic with a blue glow, where some where swords, some bows, and some battleaxes, and they were enchanted to drain stamina, mana, and health respectively, so he claimed a few of each for his collection. By this point even he knew they were far down in the depths of the ruins of Labyrinthian, it was far larger than they were expecting it to be, yet Rarity was okay with what they were doing since her vampiric nature allowed her advantages over mortal mages and Mah Oh had been trained by Mora in their spare time to keep pace with Rarity. With them at the head of the trio Capper wasn't even too surprised when they used wards to block incoming spells so he could snag the soul gems that were powering some defenses, and they also opened the way for him to claim a unique looking helmet and greatsword, which he claimed as well.

"Should have brought Sharva with us, due to that Word Wall." Mah Oh commented, referring to the stone wall with dragon lettering on it that they eventually made their way to, even though she froze a deathlord as Rarity shocked it to death, which showed Capper that the pair were more focused than some of the others they had seen so far.

"We'll bring her back once the way is open." Capper said, as that was the truth of the matter, once they found the exit they would be able to bring the ashen khajiit back down here to gain more knowledge, since Sharva was the Dragonborn and this was something only she could tap into, before he focused on the path that was beyond it.

Rarity and Mah Oh used magic to tear through the rest of the undead that were in their way, a pair of deathlords and a few skeletons, where the collector kobolds gathered a few ebony bars and a few other pieces of loot, before entering what had to be the final area of the ruin. There was a small side area where Savos and two of his friends appeared, another had died before this point, and they agreed to die together or help each other to survive the dragon priest, where Capper realized that Savos had betrayed his friends to escape this place. In fact that was the truth, there were two spectral mages channeling beams at what appeared to be a dragon priest, a floating undead in special looking robes that mimicked scales, with a mask that completed the set, almost like a lich as Capper thought about it. In it's right hand was a staff of pure magical power, he could feel the power of the Eye inside it, like it had been carved from an important tree and affixed with crystals, a shard on the bottom and a small orb on top, likely small fragments from when Nirn was created.

It was an artifact of power, just like the Eye, and with it in the lich's possession Capper knew it would be a strong foe, though Rarity and Mah Oh did not stand down, rather they crushed the spectral mages and freed the dragon priest, who floated in the air for a moment before casting a bolt of faint blue lightning at them. The pair leapt into action as they summoned wards to protect themselves, causing the bolt to strike the ground with force as it was redirected, yet at the same time the lich just stared at them before summoning fireballs that it hurled at them. Rarity thrust her hand out and froze the ones that came at her, allowing her to shatter them before they hit her, while at the same time Mah Oh just rolled to the side and avoided the ones coming towards her before hurling lightning at the lich. Such a thing was followed by them discovering that the lich had a barrier around it, which it could now use since the spectral mages weren't blocking it's power, yet the mages didn't seem annoyed by this, rather they seemed up to the challenge.

What interested Capper was that Rarity loosed a beam of magical energy at the lich, who blocked it with it's own beam, no doubt intending on blowing her away in an instant, and yet Mah Oh fired a few fireballs at their foe, forcing it to divert it's attention for a moment, which was when Rarity appeared behind it and removed it's head with the Ebony Blade, causing the lich to collapse instantly.

"And there you have it. I didn't want to take our chances with this thing." Rarity said, gently removing the Staff from the hand of the lich before handing it over to Capper, who smiled for a moment before safely securing it inside his collection, which was ever growing, before she and Mah Oh let out a pair of sighs, "Shall we get out of here?"

"Not yet." Capper replied, where he collected the golden soul gem that came from the lich, he could sense it's power and had to wonder what form the dragon priest would take when he gave it life, before adding the robes the lich wore to his loot, and that included the mask to make the complete set, and once everything was gathered he turned to face Rarity, "Now we can leave this place."

Such a thing was followed by them tracking down the exit, where they found one last phantom of Savos as he apologized to his friends as he trapped them in a seal to keep the lich contained, while the collector kobolds finished looting the place with the pair of chests that were near the exit, allowing them to haul the loot back to the Opulent Lands. With that done the trio found their way to what appeared to be a door leading to an exit, one that someone had tried to use at some point recently, and by using it they were able to leave the ruin, coming out in the upper region of Labyrinthian. After tracking down where they were the trio climbed down the path to their right and headed into the center of the ruin, where they found that Azure and Tuk Ur had fought a few enemies while they were gone, due to the pile of ebony weapons and golden soul gems, plus a chest some kobolds had hauled out of the near ruin. Resting nearby was a dead Thalmor agent, not Ancano based on what they were seeing, though it confirmed that Ancano was interested in this place and was likely expecting this one to report to him at some point, meaning the elf would be in the dark for a time.

Capper lifted the Thalmor's golden soul gem and found that it took on the form of a kobold mage when reborn, while the one for the dragon priest created a powerful mage class kobold who was slightly taller than the other kobolds and floated like he did when he was alive, yet the reborn lich also wore the robes he wore while alive, minus the mask.

"Fascinating. And now for the big one." Capper said, holding out the gem that came from the skeletal dragon, where the rest of the group watched as it disappeared before the area in front of them shook for a second as a male humanoid dragon, like Ithelia's new form, materialized in front of them, kneeling with his head bowed, and he could see that the newcomer's scales were bronze colored, "Rise, it is time for the kobolds and reborn to return to the Opulent Lands."

This was good for Capper, as it meant he could make his elite force from the humanoid dragons, which needed their own species name when he thought about it, but all of this was good information for him to gain as they set their sights on the College and the Tomb of Ysgramor, as he was eager to see what the future held in store for him and his companions.