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Sheogorath Stops By

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Prize for LadyRedDarkness



The sun was drawing closer to the horizon, sending a mist over the small group and casting a chill down their spines.

"We should not be here," peeped Merrill from under her hood.

Hawke looked down at her, silently agreeing. Varric walked just ahead with Bianca before him. They had stumbled upon the ancient ruins as they explored Sundermount. Hawke had become intrigued because he had never seen something so ancient as the stone walls that now surrounded them. There were symbols etched into the walls that Merrill didn't recognise, and the chance to explore had overpowered him.

He was curious by nature, but now he wished he had gone and come back. They had wondered way too far into the ruins and now the light above the broken ceiling was breaking, which would mean if they couldn't find their way out then they would have to camp there. But the twilight was brining an unnerving feeling over the three of them, and Hawke was starting to curse his curiosity.

"We should start heading back, Hawke," advised Varric. Hawke nodded and took one last sweep around the room.  

And then the group froze.

Standing just before them, in a pool of fading light, was a chair. Hawke frowned and tried to make his brain understand. It wasn't a chair, he thought. Now, it was a throne.

The back and legs were made of a brilliant gold which shimmered with an ethereal glow. The padding was made of the finest purple silks. It was the most expensive looking chair he had ever seen and it looked completely out of place in the desolated ruins around them. The chair looked completely unscathed and Hawke turned to Varric uncertainly.

"Oh look! Poor thing!"

In his confusion, Hawke didn't see Merrill rushing forward until she was kneeling at the base of the throne, examining a small lump that was atop it. He stepped forward slowly, seeing Varric sweeping the area from the corner of his eye.

"Merrill. Get away from it."

The elvhen beauty looked up from under her thick lashes, giving him the biggest pair of eyes he had ever seen. They glowed with green brilliance and there was even a tearful shimmer to them. Now he was really confused. It wasn't until he looked down again at the lump on the padding and flinched.

Splayed on the throne was one of the biggest, hairiest spiders he had ever seen in his life. Its legs were long and he could visibly see its huge fangs sticking from its mouth. It's back had a blue tiny to it and it was hardly moving. That was when  he saw one of the legs were twisted horribly into a knarled mess. Merrill gently ran her finger over the back of it and Hawke openly shuddered.

"Get away from it, Daisy. It might be poisonous."

Merrill frowned at the Dwarf before looking back down at the creepy creature.

"He's not poisonous, are you?" she cooed, gently reaching down and scooping the spider into her hands. It was so big that its legs dangled over her dainty fingers. She moved it towards the men and they stepped backwards in sync. The blood mage laughed before looking back down at the creature, and her face once again bore the innocent look of sadness like a mask.

"Who would do this to you? Poor thing. Here, this might help."

Hawke watched as Merrill balanced the spider in her left hand. She then put her right index finger into her mouth and bit down. She winced with her finger still in her mouth before pulling it away. He saw a drop of blood at the tip of her finger. It began to glow a crimson red as she called on her magic. She then ran her finger over the spider's broken leg ever so slowly. The crimson lined it's black leg before it glowed brightly, making the spider jerk. Merrill gently put her hand over the spider to stop it from falling.

The glow stopped and they all watched as Merrill moved her hand. The spider moved each of its legs slowly, and it seemed surprised when it could move all of them. Merrill smiled and stroked its back again. Its fangs twitched and Hawke found himself grimacing.

Suddenly it sprang from her hand and landed on the floor with a small thump. Hawke watched and supressed another shudder as it scuttled across the stone floor. It ran over to the throne and with so much speed that it became a black blur, the spider jumped back onto the throne.

"Merrill, come away…"

The elf's eyes went wider as the spider began to contort and expand, somehow being covered in some kind of smoky mist. Hawke grabbed Merrill and yanked her back just as the throne was completely covered.

The smoke swirled and Hawke saw something moved within in. He pulled his greatsword from his back and Varric pointed Bianca in the same direction as Merrill looked on helplessly.
Suddenly, the mist cleared and Hawke felt his draw drop.

On the throne there was no longer a spider. Instead, a man sat there. He was handsome, perhaps around the same age as Hawke. His hair had silvers tints to it and was brushed back neatly. He had a neatly trimmed beard and a strong jaw. He wore expensive clothes, and incredibly bright colours. But it was his eyes that Hawke was drawn to. Instead of a pupil and iris, his whole eye consisted of what looked like liquid gold. They swirled and danced within the sockets and Hawke found himself mesmerized.

"So what have we here, then?"

The spell was broken as the man's voice filled the air. It was thick with an unfamiliar accent and yet sultry and powerful. Hawke felt something shift to his side and looked over to see Merrill on her knees. She had her hands folded in her lap and head down as she muttered what sounded like Dalish under her breath.

The man looked at her too, focusing those confusing eyes her way. Hawke found himself stepping in front of her protectively. The man looked at him, his face twisted with rage. And then, he smiled.

"Protective, are ye? Ha! What would wormwood like you do to a tremor like me? Hm?"
Hawke blinked, unsure how to answer. His voice seemed to range from high to low, to angry and then happy. It was the strangest thing he had ever heard.

The man waved him away before getting to his feet. Hawke kept his stance as the man walked closer, his aims obviously Merrill. Hawke jutted out his chin, like he always did when he was being defiant. The man stopped just before him, his eyes shifting and changing until they took a dangerous red tint to them.

"You'll move lad, lest the bats come and take you away."

Hawke gave him a questioning glance before there was a screech somewhere behind them. Hawke turned in time to see a cloud of blackness speeding towards them. Before he could so much as yelp, Hawke and Varric were in the midst of the cloud, which became very clear were bats. He felt the pinching on every bare bit of his skin.



The dwarf and the human raised their hands above their hands and danced as the bats swirled around them, keeping them preoccupied. He looked down the girl at his feet. She continued to speak the Language of the Ancients and he couldn't help but smile as she got her pronunciations wrong.

"Rise Little One," he said in the Ancient Tongue.

The girl raised her head and he felt his breath hitch at the look in her sea green eyes. She looked so much like…

"Estra veno'a Jaggr'len."

He smiled. You are the Madgod.

"Yes, Sea Green. I am the motherfather of madness! And you are the saviour of the Tangled Legs! And for offering him lifeblood, you in turn shall life blood be given! What does the Blood Mother desire…?"

He put one arm behind his back and offered the other to the girl. She blushed crimson and took his hand. As soon as her skin touched his, her memories flooded his mind, calming the madness that went around inside so he could live her life.

When he opened his eyes, Sea Green was watching him with… concern?

Oh, Green One. Why did you not save the spider a hundred years ago?

Her deepest desires ran deep, and Sheogorath found himself looking over to the man now swinging a greatsword wildly at the swarm of bats. The dwarf had taken cover behind a rock and was firing bolts dangerously. The man he knew now as Hawke was a human of some worth. But jealously still stabbed at him. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what he would look like as a pig.

Suddenly, he felt the small hand in his tighten momentarily. He turned and saw the elf was still watching him. He could see the questions behind her eyes. Finally, he felt his face ease.

"A feather is soft and a feather is sweet. But what feather would you like at your feet?"

The Green One frowned and he smiled. Releasing her hand reluctantly, he clapped them together. There was a puff of smoke and Sea Green coughed lightly until it cleared. He felt his heart start to beat again as he saw the expression on her face.

In his hand, slowly opening its eyes, was Feathers.

It's small beak opened and yawned while its tail wagged playfully. He had always been fond of the griffon breed. Sad it was dying in this world. The baby griffon blinked it's amber eyes and turned to Sea Green. The girl opened her shaking arms and the griffon stood up unsteadily on his open palms. It make some kind of squawk to him and he nodded. The it opened its small wings and jumped into the girl's open arms, letting it's small tongue touch her cheek and she help it close to her with a smile or pure joy.

The Madgod sighed.

Reaching out, he touched her arm, flinching as her memories bombarded him once more. Again he saw how she felt for the bearded greatsword-weilding, spider-fearing pig and he swallowed down the jealousy.

"Madness is with you, Merrill. You are Touched by it. Madness is your future and your beginning. Do not succumb to it."

Sea Green blinked before nodding. He saw she didn't understand, but she had listened. With a cackle, Sheogorath clapped his hands again and the ruins became still once more.

Hawke breathed heavily and felt his cheeks burning as the cloud of bats just disappeared. He looked around to see Varric looking just as ragged as he felt. He then turned to Merrill and frowned when he noticed both the strange man and the throne were gone.

There was a small sound and Hawke was drawn to the squirming thing in Merrill's arms. He stared at it openly for a while before he realised what it was.

"Merrill? What… what? Who was that?"

Merrill smiled and stroked the… griffon. Then she shrugged. "The Madgod. He was nice."
This is a Prize for :iconladyreddarkness: who can second in :icondragonagechallenges: Winter Challenge!

Sorry it took so long dear! She didn't know what she wanted me to write, so instead she gave me three pieces of her work and let me choose one to write about. I picked this one.


Cos I freakin' LOVED the madgod. That must have been one of my favorite expansions - ever!! Woo for Oblivion and the Shivering Isles!!! YEAH!!!

Ahem. So, yes. In the picture Sheogorath comes out of the mirror, but I started writing before I read the descritions and then I thought, meh. I hope its OK my dear.

And if any of you haven't played Oblivion and the Shivering Isles, you seriously need to! Sheogorath is so funny! And he never make's sense. He would probably be good in Wonderland. Hell - he probably MADE Wonderland. Anyways!! Enjoy everyone!

:hug: ~X~
© 2012 - 2024 Fyrefly12
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Mathota's avatar
One mistake. His eyes weren't the color of gold, but the colour of cheese!