Chapter 14. Honor and the price of it.
Gulvan Drules was staring out over the walls of Necrom. An old Dunmer, even by the standards of his people, he had once been very tall and powerfully built, but in the last few years he’d begun walking a bit bent. His hair, which had once been black as the night, was now streaked with grey and his eyes, once the brightest red, were now dulled and cloudy. He who had once ruled the mighty house Indoril, now ruled no more than a city and the small surrounding area.
He thought back to how this had all come to be. Not 10 years hence, he’d been the Gahprovihn, the faction leader, of house Indoril, but things had changed since he first came into power. Most of his old allies had been long dead, their sons or sometimes even grandsons now ruling in their stead, and those young ones were so different than the old.
Far too many Indoril had found Hlaalu friends, far too many rumors of bribery swirled about the once honourable house. Bribed officials in house Indoril, it was unheard of and he would not tolerate it. Of course he had found some evidence, not much, but some, but before he could offer it to the council, he was summoned himself before that Indoril body. He remembered entering the room and seeing the two Alt Gahshaldmas and five Gahshaldmas sitting there, waiting for him. Some looked downcast, as if not wanting to be there, but others were almost beaming. He stood proudly before the council, and was told he had become too old to be the Gahprovihn. Too old, the thought of it still made his gall rise. It was certainly the very first time a Gahprovihn had ever been deemed too old.
Oh, they were nice about it; they bestowed upon him the rank of Alt Gahshaldmas, high army leader; only three of those were ever active at the same time, and they made him overlord of Necrom and the surrounding area, but he and everyone else knew it was but an excuse to get rid of him. Surely he could have gone against the will of the council, rebelled against it, but Gulvan was not the type to do so. His honor would not permit it.
Those years he’d been at Necrom now had seemed almost like centuries rather than years. He found himself aging more quickly then before, and he was unsure if it was due to the strange nature of the city or to being betrayed by his own house.
Oh he hadn’t wasted all of his time there, no most definitely not. He spent the first year doing his best to get all the people he trusted stationed either inside Necrom, or in the surrounding area. It made his sleep far easier. And of course when he’d been at Necrom for a while, there was the uproar; lord Nerevar coming back to life, back from the dead or reincarnated. Those first few months no one knew for certain. Gulvan had done his best to stay informed; he was greatly interested in the journeys of this man who would be a living god, and was tremendously impressed by him when he was able to defeat Dagoth Ur.
Then when he also performed a personal service to Gulvan, he pledged his life to lord Nerevar; he couldn’t care if it was really the reincarnated Nerevar or not; he had proven himself by doing what he did in the best interest of Morrowind and that was more than enough for Gulvan. And in return, Gulvan had been blessed enough to be called a friend by lord Nerevar.
But sadly, that too had come to an end. A week ago lord Nerevar had been buried. Ten days, ten days ago he’d still been alive; it seemed like so much longer. And now with lord Nerevar gone, so had hope for Morrowind’s future. A future without corruption, where honor once again counted for something. Or so Gulvan was convinced anyway.
King Helseth certainly would not bring them order and peace; if anything, he would make it harder on Morrowind then Dagoth Ur ever had. At least against him Morrowind had stood united; with Helseth there it was a sure mix for a civil war. Gulvan had known it all along, but still felt his heart drop when the order had come to organise for battle. It was a direct order from the new Gahprovihn, but he had still been disappointed. Perhaps deep down he had hoped that Azura would take him before it all came to pass. Sadly, he was denied even that simple blessing.
War. Helseth and the Gahprovihn would have him mass all of his men, and march north on Velothi’s Haven and Firewatch, undoubtedly killing thousands of his men, but that was certainly no inconvenience to Helseth, who thought honor was simply a word someone had invented to get paid more.
He was roused from his thoughts by someone clearing his throat. He sighed, looked around and saw Endris Dilmyn, one of the brightest and most promising of Gulvan’s retainers. He had come to Necrom with him, and Gulvan had done what he could to promote him to Gahshaldmas the first chance he got. He was his right hand, his rock through troubled times, but now he himself looked a bit troubled.
“Yes Endris, what is it?”
“Could I ask what you were looking at my lord?”
“Ah nothing Endris, just trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of some spotted owls. But I’m sure that’s not why you’re here right?”
“My lord, there are two guests here to see you.”
“Really? Guests at Necrom, no that’s not an everyday picture. Who are they, Endris?”
“Master Divayth Fyr of house Telvanni, and a robed man who would not identify himself, but whom Master Fyr has told me is the Archmagister of house Telvanni.”
Well, that certainly explained the look of apprehension on Endris’ face. It’s not every day one gets to greet probably the oldest inhabitant of Morrowind, and likely the most powerful one as well.
“Where are they now Endris?”
“Pardon me, my lord, but I thought it a safe precaution to ask them to wait at the gate, and the guards there have arrows pointing at them.”
That made Gulvan chuckle. “Really, Endris, arrows will accomplish nothing against Master Fyr, and those gates could not keep someone a tenth as strong as he out; no they only wait there because they want to. Please Endris, show them inside and ask them to join me in my study. I shall go there and prepare drinks.”
Endris’ face had flushed; he knew a rebuke when he heard it. “Of course my lord, I will bring them to you immediately.”
Gulvan looked at the two men as they entered his study. Divayth Fyr had not changed a bit. Of course last time he saw him was but a week ago at the funeral, but even before that he hadn’t changed a bit since Gulvan was young. He’d first seen him when he was but a boy, just studying to be a warrior. His father had taken him along one time when he went to visit Divayth Fyr, and the old Wizard looked not a day older than on that day many centuries ago.
“Welcome Master Fyr, and welcome Archmagister.” He inclined his head towards the robed figure, who nodded in return. “May I get you something to drink?” He passed out two cups and indicated to the two visitors to take a seat. “Now then, what brings Master Fyr and the Archmagister to the city of the dead? Visiting an old relative perhaps?”
Gulvan had always had the habit of jesting when he was nervous. And he had to admit, the company of these two made him more nervous then he cared to consider.
“May we speak in private Gulvan?”
“Of course Master Fyr.” Gulvan indicated to Endris that he should leave.
“Thank you, Gulvan. I understand you’ve received orders to organize your forces and move on Velothi’s Haven, and then on to Firewatch. Am I correct?”
Well, there certainly seemed no sense in denying it, so Gulvan was equally direct: “Yes, you are correct, though I wonder if you’d care to explain how you came to know this.”
Divayth smiled, “That does not matter right now. Gulvan, you may have considered this already, but you’re being misled by king Helseth. We are not the ones who killed lord Nerevar, I assure you that.”
“Well master Fyr, you certainly don’t beat around the bush. I will admit I had my doubts, but of course without proof….” He held out his hands.
“Yes, well proof we do have. But first I’d like to tell you what Helseth is planning, then you can judge for yourself.”
“Helseth meant to have an Argonian member of the Camonna Tong testify against Varvur Sarethi, claiming he was the one who poisoned lord Nerevar, and then to combine the other four great houses to wage war on the Redoran and eventually eradicate them. Then he planned to move against the Telvanni, saying we were in league with the Redoran and wiping us out. As scattered as we were, they likely would have succeeded. And then, after a thorough cleansing of the three remaining houses, Helseth would be able to rule unopposed as a virtual dictator over all those who remained. Of course with our attack he was forced to change course so now he sends you to Velothi’s Haven and Firewatch, gaining two things. First, he hopes we will focus on this part of the land while he can roam free on Vvardenfall, and second, he will rid himself of you and yours.”
Gulvan considered that for a moment; it certainly seemed plausible and something Helseth could have come up with.
“Well, assuming for a moment that is true, I would still have no choice. My Gahprovihn has ordered me onwards and I cannot disobey.“
Divayth frowned, “Your Gahprovihn is a scoundrel, Gulvan. Surely you’ve come to the same conclusion by now.”
“Perhaps so, but there is no proof. If I cannot prove he is corrupt, I cannot disobey him.”
“Well, that offers a dilemma now, doesn’t it? What if we were to provide a witness, a witness that could testify to him being corrupt and someone you know would not lie?”
“I’d say you will have a hard time finding such a person Master Fyr. There are very few people who I would believe on nothing but their word.”
The robed man slowly stood, turned towards Gulvan and lowered his hood. Gulvan stared at him, not believing his eyes. “Lord Geles, but you’re…”
A deep and powerful voice answered, “I am the Archmagister of house Telvanni. And I promise you, the Telvanni were not responsible for the death of lord Nerevar.”
Gulvan thought about that; this changed everything. “So lord Nerevar really is dead then?”
“Yes he is.”
“And what about the rest of Master Fyr’s words? Is the Gahprovihn corrupt?”
“Yes, your Gahprovihn is corrupt, as are the other two Alt Gahshaldmas, most of house Hlaalu, some of house Dres and even some of house Redoran. And the Telvanni were also not responsible for the deaths of Dram Bero and Crassius Curio. Helseth was behind those murders as well.”
Gulvan had suspected this all along, but to hear this person say it, his word was proof enough.
“Well gentlemen, I fear that places me in a precarious position; I find myself between two superpowers, Helseth’s army to the south and you to the north. I cannot continue serving house Indoril, yet I have no intention of joining house Telvanni. I’m between a proverbial rock and a hard place, or in this case, between a mushroom and Mournhold.”
Again the robed man spoke, “A wise man once said, ‘When faced with two options, choose the third.’ ten years ago, when the council voted you out of office, it was already ruled by the corrupt. So Gulvan, I say you were never voted out of office. You are still the rightful Gahprovihn, and you are house Indoril. Knowing you, the people here and around Necrom are all loyal to you, and above all honourable. Put the question to them if you would, and ask them who they want as their Gahprovihn- that rat who was given the position by the king’s cronies, or you. I think you already know the answer.”
“Gulvan, house Telvanni supports you, and eventually others will, too. We will win this war, make no mistake about it, and I would not ask this of you if I did not think you were up to it. But rise once more Gulvan, become Gahprovihn once more, show Morrowind and all of Tamriel once more why you were the youngest Gahprovihn in history. And together, together we will usher in a new age. Are you with me?”
Gulvan did not have to think. As the Archmagister had been speaking, he’d felt power returning to his bones and muscles, where before he had bent over, he was standing upright again. The Archmagister was right; this might be the last chance he had to show the world what he could do, and his best chance to leave the world a far better place than when he had come into it.
“I’ll do it Archmagister. I don’t know if I’m making the right choice, but for better or worse, I’m yours.”
The formerly hooded Archmagister smiled. “Thank you Gulvan. Now, call in your Alt Gahshaldmas, for we have much to discuss, much to plan, and little time.”
On to the next chapter
Gulvan Drules was staring out over the walls of Necrom. An old Dunmer, even by the standards of his people, he had once been very tall and powerfully built, but in the last few years he’d begun walking a bit bent. His hair, which had once been black as the night, was now streaked with grey and his eyes, once the brightest red, were now dulled and cloudy. He who had once ruled the mighty house Indoril, now ruled no more than a city and the small surrounding area.
He thought back to how this had all come to be. Not 10 years hence, he’d been the Gahprovihn, the faction leader, of house Indoril, but things had changed since he first came into power. Most of his old allies had been long dead, their sons or sometimes even grandsons now ruling in their stead, and those young ones were so different than the old.
Far too many Indoril had found Hlaalu friends, far too many rumors of bribery swirled about the once honourable house. Bribed officials in house Indoril, it was unheard of and he would not tolerate it. Of course he had found some evidence, not much, but some, but before he could offer it to the council, he was summoned himself before that Indoril body. He remembered entering the room and seeing the two Alt Gahshaldmas and five Gahshaldmas sitting there, waiting for him. Some looked downcast, as if not wanting to be there, but others were almost beaming. He stood proudly before the council, and was told he had become too old to be the Gahprovihn. Too old, the thought of it still made his gall rise. It was certainly the very first time a Gahprovihn had ever been deemed too old.
Oh, they were nice about it; they bestowed upon him the rank of Alt Gahshaldmas, high army leader; only three of those were ever active at the same time, and they made him overlord of Necrom and the surrounding area, but he and everyone else knew it was but an excuse to get rid of him. Surely he could have gone against the will of the council, rebelled against it, but Gulvan was not the type to do so. His honor would not permit it.
Those years he’d been at Necrom now had seemed almost like centuries rather than years. He found himself aging more quickly then before, and he was unsure if it was due to the strange nature of the city or to being betrayed by his own house.
Oh he hadn’t wasted all of his time there, no most definitely not. He spent the first year doing his best to get all the people he trusted stationed either inside Necrom, or in the surrounding area. It made his sleep far easier. And of course when he’d been at Necrom for a while, there was the uproar; lord Nerevar coming back to life, back from the dead or reincarnated. Those first few months no one knew for certain. Gulvan had done his best to stay informed; he was greatly interested in the journeys of this man who would be a living god, and was tremendously impressed by him when he was able to defeat Dagoth Ur.
Then when he also performed a personal service to Gulvan, he pledged his life to lord Nerevar; he couldn’t care if it was really the reincarnated Nerevar or not; he had proven himself by doing what he did in the best interest of Morrowind and that was more than enough for Gulvan. And in return, Gulvan had been blessed enough to be called a friend by lord Nerevar.
But sadly, that too had come to an end. A week ago lord Nerevar had been buried. Ten days, ten days ago he’d still been alive; it seemed like so much longer. And now with lord Nerevar gone, so had hope for Morrowind’s future. A future without corruption, where honor once again counted for something. Or so Gulvan was convinced anyway.
King Helseth certainly would not bring them order and peace; if anything, he would make it harder on Morrowind then Dagoth Ur ever had. At least against him Morrowind had stood united; with Helseth there it was a sure mix for a civil war. Gulvan had known it all along, but still felt his heart drop when the order had come to organise for battle. It was a direct order from the new Gahprovihn, but he had still been disappointed. Perhaps deep down he had hoped that Azura would take him before it all came to pass. Sadly, he was denied even that simple blessing.
War. Helseth and the Gahprovihn would have him mass all of his men, and march north on Velothi’s Haven and Firewatch, undoubtedly killing thousands of his men, but that was certainly no inconvenience to Helseth, who thought honor was simply a word someone had invented to get paid more.
He was roused from his thoughts by someone clearing his throat. He sighed, looked around and saw Endris Dilmyn, one of the brightest and most promising of Gulvan’s retainers. He had come to Necrom with him, and Gulvan had done what he could to promote him to Gahshaldmas the first chance he got. He was his right hand, his rock through troubled times, but now he himself looked a bit troubled.
“Yes Endris, what is it?”
“Could I ask what you were looking at my lord?”
“Ah nothing Endris, just trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of some spotted owls. But I’m sure that’s not why you’re here right?”
“My lord, there are two guests here to see you.”
“Really? Guests at Necrom, no that’s not an everyday picture. Who are they, Endris?”
“Master Divayth Fyr of house Telvanni, and a robed man who would not identify himself, but whom Master Fyr has told me is the Archmagister of house Telvanni.”
Well, that certainly explained the look of apprehension on Endris’ face. It’s not every day one gets to greet probably the oldest inhabitant of Morrowind, and likely the most powerful one as well.
“Where are they now Endris?”
“Pardon me, my lord, but I thought it a safe precaution to ask them to wait at the gate, and the guards there have arrows pointing at them.”
That made Gulvan chuckle. “Really, Endris, arrows will accomplish nothing against Master Fyr, and those gates could not keep someone a tenth as strong as he out; no they only wait there because they want to. Please Endris, show them inside and ask them to join me in my study. I shall go there and prepare drinks.”
Endris’ face had flushed; he knew a rebuke when he heard it. “Of course my lord, I will bring them to you immediately.”
Gulvan looked at the two men as they entered his study. Divayth Fyr had not changed a bit. Of course last time he saw him was but a week ago at the funeral, but even before that he hadn’t changed a bit since Gulvan was young. He’d first seen him when he was but a boy, just studying to be a warrior. His father had taken him along one time when he went to visit Divayth Fyr, and the old Wizard looked not a day older than on that day many centuries ago.
“Welcome Master Fyr, and welcome Archmagister.” He inclined his head towards the robed figure, who nodded in return. “May I get you something to drink?” He passed out two cups and indicated to the two visitors to take a seat. “Now then, what brings Master Fyr and the Archmagister to the city of the dead? Visiting an old relative perhaps?”
Gulvan had always had the habit of jesting when he was nervous. And he had to admit, the company of these two made him more nervous then he cared to consider.
“May we speak in private Gulvan?”
“Of course Master Fyr.” Gulvan indicated to Endris that he should leave.
“Thank you, Gulvan. I understand you’ve received orders to organize your forces and move on Velothi’s Haven, and then on to Firewatch. Am I correct?”
Well, there certainly seemed no sense in denying it, so Gulvan was equally direct: “Yes, you are correct, though I wonder if you’d care to explain how you came to know this.”
Divayth smiled, “That does not matter right now. Gulvan, you may have considered this already, but you’re being misled by king Helseth. We are not the ones who killed lord Nerevar, I assure you that.”
“Well master Fyr, you certainly don’t beat around the bush. I will admit I had my doubts, but of course without proof….” He held out his hands.
“Yes, well proof we do have. But first I’d like to tell you what Helseth is planning, then you can judge for yourself.”
“Helseth meant to have an Argonian member of the Camonna Tong testify against Varvur Sarethi, claiming he was the one who poisoned lord Nerevar, and then to combine the other four great houses to wage war on the Redoran and eventually eradicate them. Then he planned to move against the Telvanni, saying we were in league with the Redoran and wiping us out. As scattered as we were, they likely would have succeeded. And then, after a thorough cleansing of the three remaining houses, Helseth would be able to rule unopposed as a virtual dictator over all those who remained. Of course with our attack he was forced to change course so now he sends you to Velothi’s Haven and Firewatch, gaining two things. First, he hopes we will focus on this part of the land while he can roam free on Vvardenfall, and second, he will rid himself of you and yours.”
Gulvan considered that for a moment; it certainly seemed plausible and something Helseth could have come up with.
“Well, assuming for a moment that is true, I would still have no choice. My Gahprovihn has ordered me onwards and I cannot disobey.“
Divayth frowned, “Your Gahprovihn is a scoundrel, Gulvan. Surely you’ve come to the same conclusion by now.”
“Perhaps so, but there is no proof. If I cannot prove he is corrupt, I cannot disobey him.”
“Well, that offers a dilemma now, doesn’t it? What if we were to provide a witness, a witness that could testify to him being corrupt and someone you know would not lie?”
“I’d say you will have a hard time finding such a person Master Fyr. There are very few people who I would believe on nothing but their word.”
The robed man slowly stood, turned towards Gulvan and lowered his hood. Gulvan stared at him, not believing his eyes. “Lord Geles, but you’re…”
A deep and powerful voice answered, “I am the Archmagister of house Telvanni. And I promise you, the Telvanni were not responsible for the death of lord Nerevar.”
Gulvan thought about that; this changed everything. “So lord Nerevar really is dead then?”
“Yes he is.”
“And what about the rest of Master Fyr’s words? Is the Gahprovihn corrupt?”
“Yes, your Gahprovihn is corrupt, as are the other two Alt Gahshaldmas, most of house Hlaalu, some of house Dres and even some of house Redoran. And the Telvanni were also not responsible for the deaths of Dram Bero and Crassius Curio. Helseth was behind those murders as well.”
Gulvan had suspected this all along, but to hear this person say it, his word was proof enough.
“Well gentlemen, I fear that places me in a precarious position; I find myself between two superpowers, Helseth’s army to the south and you to the north. I cannot continue serving house Indoril, yet I have no intention of joining house Telvanni. I’m between a proverbial rock and a hard place, or in this case, between a mushroom and Mournhold.”
Again the robed man spoke, “A wise man once said, ‘When faced with two options, choose the third.’ ten years ago, when the council voted you out of office, it was already ruled by the corrupt. So Gulvan, I say you were never voted out of office. You are still the rightful Gahprovihn, and you are house Indoril. Knowing you, the people here and around Necrom are all loyal to you, and above all honourable. Put the question to them if you would, and ask them who they want as their Gahprovihn- that rat who was given the position by the king’s cronies, or you. I think you already know the answer.”
“Gulvan, house Telvanni supports you, and eventually others will, too. We will win this war, make no mistake about it, and I would not ask this of you if I did not think you were up to it. But rise once more Gulvan, become Gahprovihn once more, show Morrowind and all of Tamriel once more why you were the youngest Gahprovihn in history. And together, together we will usher in a new age. Are you with me?”
Gulvan did not have to think. As the Archmagister had been speaking, he’d felt power returning to his bones and muscles, where before he had bent over, he was standing upright again. The Archmagister was right; this might be the last chance he had to show the world what he could do, and his best chance to leave the world a far better place than when he had come into it.
“I’ll do it Archmagister. I don’t know if I’m making the right choice, but for better or worse, I’m yours.”
The formerly hooded Archmagister smiled. “Thank you Gulvan. Now, call in your Alt Gahshaldmas, for we have much to discuss, much to plan, and little time.”
On to the next chapter