Chapter 17. The die is cast.
The past few weeks had seen little action, but much tension. The Redoran turning neutral meant almost a quarter of the Telvanni border had been secured with no man lost. Baladas was pleased with that, but knew the war wasn’t nearly over. While Helseth’s army had become smaller, it still outnumbered the Telvanni and their allies 3:1 or even more, not very good odds. Luckily, thanks to the help of Jim Stacey and Eno Hlaalu, the Telvanni leaders were very well informed. Any movement made by Helseth’s army was almost instantly reported to the Telvanni leaders, and so they knew Helseth was massing his army to the northwest of Mournhold. Every day, more men were arriving, heavily armed infantry from House Indoril, lightly armored but very fast and agile spearmen, and mounted giant wasps from house Dres, steel and iron clad infantry from house Hlaalu, cavalry mercenaries from the neighbouring provinces and members of the Fighters and Mages guilds. A mass of men whose numbers were swelling each day.
Divayth had asked Baladas to come to Necrom for a special council of war. They would determine their next course from there. Baladas found himself standing in front of the city, though Necropolis might have been a better description for it. The place was surrounded by very high and very thick walls, but as Baladas entered, what got to him most was the silence. Right behind the gates there was a lot of noise and movement as in any city, but toward the center of Necrom there was almost an absolute silence. This section contained the entrances to the underground tombs, and everyone respected that by keeping silent when they were there.
Unlike some cities, there was no luxurious and lavish looking palace or council hall in Necrom; instead there was a large citadel on the sea side of the city. The citadel was ringed with yet another tall wall and beyond it Baladas could hear the noise of movement. Many Indoril who had chosen the side of the Telvanni had come to Necrom and its villages just beyond, and many of them had looked for and found protection behind Necrom’s high walls. A Dunmer approached Baladas and bid him to follow to the study in the citadel.
Drulvan’s study was very plain- little more then a desk with some chairs in front of it and a conference table. On the table was a large map of Morrowind, and several people surrounded it. At the head of the table he saw the now well-known figure of the man in the black hooded robe; at his right sat Divayth Fyr and at his left the newly chosen Gahprovihn of House Indoril, well, the part that had chosen to side with the Telvanni anyway. Also seated at the table were Dhaunayne Aundae and Endris Dilmyn, the Alt Gahshaldmas of the Indoril.
Baladas was seated opposite the robed Archmagister, and Divayth called the council to order.
“Welcome Baladas., I trust the preparations are in place?”
“Yes Divayth, I’ve made sure a quarter of our Telvanni Wizards are stationed between Ghostgate and Suran, all along the mountains, together with the Vampires. And another quarter are divided over the area between Suran and Tel Branora. And I’ve ordered the remainder and the Ashlanders to come here. What I don’t understand, however, is why. Why here?”
Divayth smiled, “Then I shall explain, Baladas. Look at the map. Thanks to our Redoran friends, we can be sure none shall attack us north of Ghostgate. Now there are only a few possible options for Helseth to take.”
“He can try going at Ghostgate, but that would mean travelling the Foyada Mamaea, which is folly. Crossing into the Molag Amur region that way is folly as well, for it will leave Ghostgate and Suran free to attack his flanks, not to mention having to face Tel Uvirith and all the places where one can ambush someone in there. Moving on any other place on Vvardenfall, like Bal Fell or Tel Branora would require a massive fleet, which he neither has in that area, nor can he move one there. Magic would work, but the Dres and Mages Guild members simply couldn’t manage it even if they wanted to.”
“That leaves the mainland, and especially Necrom as a very likely target. And just to make sure Helseth does not become too creative, I’ve let some word slip of our plans for the Ghostfence. He’ll have no choice but to march on Necrom. And this is where we will crush him.”
“But Magister Divayth, how can we? After leaving our Vampires and most of the Telvanni at Vvardenfall we’ll be outnumbered many times, and the walls of Necrom won’t keep out the flying Dres. While we have divided our forces to cover a large area, Helseth can concentrate on crushing us here, and then defeat the other garrisons at his leisure.
“I realise that it appears that way, Baladas, but put your faith into the Telvanni and our new Archmagister, and I promise you everything will work out for the best.”
Baladas sighed; apparently there was no reasoning with Fyr or any of the others present. Either everyone knew something Baladas didn’t, or they were all willingly heading to their doom.
“Magister Fyr, what would you have me do now?”
Fyr pointed at a location on the map. “Dervon’s Watch, a small city north of Mournhold. That’s where Helseth’s army will likely cross the river. They can’t afford to leave any strong places at their backs if they wish to march on Necrom, so we predict they will start off by securing Dervon’s Watch. I want you to go there, and manage our retreat. Do your best to hold the city for a day at least, more if you can, but unnecessary deaths are to be avoided. Retreat to Salen Vulgate, between there and Dervon’s Watch we’ve constructed a number of defensive positions. Every position will buy us time, hours sometimes, days at other times. After Salen Vulgate falls, retreat back here. Buy us as much time as you can, with as few casualties as possible.”
“As you wish. I will go to Dervon’s Watch with all haste.”
“Good,” said Magister Fyr. “And when you’re once again back here, we will have one final council of war before the battle starts. Good luck to you, Baladas.”
The ensuing week was an exhausting one for Baladas. It was clear to him that stalling was the only thing he could do. Most of the land around Dervon’s Watch was flat- grassland, some farms and the like, sometimes a few hills, but never anything higher. It wasn’t easy to create ambushes in there. Divayth had ordered a number of trenches built straight across the road at several mile intervals. And he’d ordered a number of other surprises as well.
The first few times Helseth’s army came across a trench, they simply stormed it with their mercenary infantry, and sent cavalry to flank it, and after some heavy fighting, Baladas would retreat to the next trench. That continued until the third line of defence. As before, Helseth sent part of his cavalry to flank the line, but Divayth had prepared a number of traps. On the sides of the line, pits had been dug with spikes and snakes in them, and then covered with grass, wood and leaves so no one saw them. The cavalry stormed to the side of the line, and crashed down into the pits. Many of them died. And the infantry already at the trenches were unable to retreat because behind them, separating them from the main forces, a wall of fire suddenly rose up. None of those infantry men made it back alive.
When Baladas’ forces reached Salen Vulgate, he sent word to Necrom that he’d only be able to stall for another day. He’d already won almost a week, so his mission was more than a success. The entire town of Salen Vulgate had been prepared to be a trap. Pits of spikes and snakes were dug all around town, houses were trapped to fall down as soon as someone entered the door, and magical blasts were set to go off as soon as someone entered certain areas. Baladas hoped to kill as many of Helseth’s troops there as in the entire week before. But even then, it would not be enough. Several thousand would be dead, but many thousands more would survive to advance on Necrom. Still, Baladas had his troops provide a brisk defence before retreating from the town near dusk. He wanted Helseth’s army bloodied and weary, so that they would decide to enter Salen Vulgate rather than pursue.
Most of Baladas’ men were halfway to Necrom when he saw a large explosion on the horizon. That was the final surprise of Salen Vulgate; near the end of the city, a magical blast hammered the lead elements of Helseth’s force and also set off other magical traps throughout the city. When he saw it, Baladas knew he’d done everything he could, so he cast a levitation spell and flew onwards, over the heads of his men to Necrom.
Arriving in Necrom, he found Drulvan Vules and the robed Archmagister in conference in Drulvan’s study. “For better or worse, I’ve given us the week you sought. Now I hope you’re ready with some surprises, because otherwise we’re all doomed.”
Drulvan looked at him with a smile and said, “The Archmagister was just telling me that you haven’t been told everything that has been going on. Perhaps you should take the time now to ask those questions you want to ask, before the enemy gets here.”
Baladas thought about that, about how since the start of all of this there had been so many questions and so few answers. Of course, asking too many questions in house Telvanni had, in the past, been a sure way to die young. Even so, Baladas felt he’d had enough- better to die with answers, then live not knowing what was going on.
“I just don’t understand any of this, Drulvan. Why are there so many Indoril willing to join the Telvanni in what appears to be suicide? Why is no one worried about the coming battle? We can’t possibly win against such an army, so why are people choosing to let fully half of the Telvanni and all of the Vampires remain on Vvardenfall when we can use them here? And who is that man, if he even is a man? He’s supposed to be my Archmagister, but I’ve never even seen his face.”
“Many questions, Baladas. I can’t answer all of them, but I can answer some of them. Why did part of the Indoril join with Telvanni? Simple. Helseth would have blamed the death of Crassius Curio on the Telvanni, when we know it was he who was responsible instead. Helseth would also want to have us believe the Telvanni were behind the murder of lord Nerevar. As to that, let’s just say we’ve seen some very convincing evidence to the contrary. And Helseth has said the Telvanni are without honor, which simply isn’t so. You might not know this, but when he was younger, my son was found to be a magic user. Instead of entering house Indoril where the skill might be neglected, he instead choose to join house Telvanni. He entered service with Mistress Therana in Tel Branora, who sent him to Bal Fell to loot it. Things didn’t go exactly as planned as the Mages guild also went there. Just as my son was about to die, lord Nerevar appeared at Bal Fell as a favour to Divayth Fyr, and he sent the Mages guild fleeing. He saved my son’s life and won my service for the rest of my life. Divayth Fyr then went to Tel Branora, killed mistress Therana, and installed Felen Maryon as the new master. My son has been able to prosper. He is now a spellwright for your house and has said often that Master Maryon is one of the most honourable men around.”
“Another example- you’ve seen my Alt Gahshaldmas last time you were here, right? Endris Dilmyn. His brother is a commoner living in Khuul and was influenced by Dagoth Ur; in fact, he became a sleeper. Lord Nerevar killed Dagoth Ur influencing him, and freed him. When he heard it, Endris promised his life to lord Nerevar. Many of the Indoril here either have a similar experience, or believe those who’ve said the Telvanni had nothing to do with the death of lord Nerevar. As to how we know the Telvanni are innocent… well, we’ll come to that later. As to why we’re not as worried as you about the coming battle, let’s just say Helseth’s allies are not all as loyal as they would have him believe. In powerful circles, isn’t everything about connections? Let’s say we know some people, who know some people, who decide where the allegiance lies with some of Helseth’s people. I can’t really elaborate yet, but let’s just say there is truth to some rumors about a certain house’s allegiance.”
“And as to your other question,” Baladas turned to the robed Archmagister. It was a deep voice emanating from underneath the robe, A voice filled with undeniable power and charisma, making it very hard for people to listen and not agree with anything being said. And yet somehow he had a feeling he’d heard the voice before somewhere.
“As to how these men know lord Nerevar was not killed by house Telvanni, the answer is simple. I told them it is not true.”
The robed figure slowly lowered his hood and looked at Baladas. Baladas looked at him, seeing without a doubt the last face he would have expected to see.
“Come,” the Archmagister spoke again, “We have much to discuss, Baladas.”
Baladas left Drulvan’s study that night with a smile on his face and a renewed confidence.
On to the next chapter
The past few weeks had seen little action, but much tension. The Redoran turning neutral meant almost a quarter of the Telvanni border had been secured with no man lost. Baladas was pleased with that, but knew the war wasn’t nearly over. While Helseth’s army had become smaller, it still outnumbered the Telvanni and their allies 3:1 or even more, not very good odds. Luckily, thanks to the help of Jim Stacey and Eno Hlaalu, the Telvanni leaders were very well informed. Any movement made by Helseth’s army was almost instantly reported to the Telvanni leaders, and so they knew Helseth was massing his army to the northwest of Mournhold. Every day, more men were arriving, heavily armed infantry from House Indoril, lightly armored but very fast and agile spearmen, and mounted giant wasps from house Dres, steel and iron clad infantry from house Hlaalu, cavalry mercenaries from the neighbouring provinces and members of the Fighters and Mages guilds. A mass of men whose numbers were swelling each day.
Divayth had asked Baladas to come to Necrom for a special council of war. They would determine their next course from there. Baladas found himself standing in front of the city, though Necropolis might have been a better description for it. The place was surrounded by very high and very thick walls, but as Baladas entered, what got to him most was the silence. Right behind the gates there was a lot of noise and movement as in any city, but toward the center of Necrom there was almost an absolute silence. This section contained the entrances to the underground tombs, and everyone respected that by keeping silent when they were there.
Unlike some cities, there was no luxurious and lavish looking palace or council hall in Necrom; instead there was a large citadel on the sea side of the city. The citadel was ringed with yet another tall wall and beyond it Baladas could hear the noise of movement. Many Indoril who had chosen the side of the Telvanni had come to Necrom and its villages just beyond, and many of them had looked for and found protection behind Necrom’s high walls. A Dunmer approached Baladas and bid him to follow to the study in the citadel.
Drulvan’s study was very plain- little more then a desk with some chairs in front of it and a conference table. On the table was a large map of Morrowind, and several people surrounded it. At the head of the table he saw the now well-known figure of the man in the black hooded robe; at his right sat Divayth Fyr and at his left the newly chosen Gahprovihn of House Indoril, well, the part that had chosen to side with the Telvanni anyway. Also seated at the table were Dhaunayne Aundae and Endris Dilmyn, the Alt Gahshaldmas of the Indoril.
Baladas was seated opposite the robed Archmagister, and Divayth called the council to order.
“Welcome Baladas., I trust the preparations are in place?”
“Yes Divayth, I’ve made sure a quarter of our Telvanni Wizards are stationed between Ghostgate and Suran, all along the mountains, together with the Vampires. And another quarter are divided over the area between Suran and Tel Branora. And I’ve ordered the remainder and the Ashlanders to come here. What I don’t understand, however, is why. Why here?”
Divayth smiled, “Then I shall explain, Baladas. Look at the map. Thanks to our Redoran friends, we can be sure none shall attack us north of Ghostgate. Now there are only a few possible options for Helseth to take.”
“He can try going at Ghostgate, but that would mean travelling the Foyada Mamaea, which is folly. Crossing into the Molag Amur region that way is folly as well, for it will leave Ghostgate and Suran free to attack his flanks, not to mention having to face Tel Uvirith and all the places where one can ambush someone in there. Moving on any other place on Vvardenfall, like Bal Fell or Tel Branora would require a massive fleet, which he neither has in that area, nor can he move one there. Magic would work, but the Dres and Mages Guild members simply couldn’t manage it even if they wanted to.”
“That leaves the mainland, and especially Necrom as a very likely target. And just to make sure Helseth does not become too creative, I’ve let some word slip of our plans for the Ghostfence. He’ll have no choice but to march on Necrom. And this is where we will crush him.”
“But Magister Divayth, how can we? After leaving our Vampires and most of the Telvanni at Vvardenfall we’ll be outnumbered many times, and the walls of Necrom won’t keep out the flying Dres. While we have divided our forces to cover a large area, Helseth can concentrate on crushing us here, and then defeat the other garrisons at his leisure.
“I realise that it appears that way, Baladas, but put your faith into the Telvanni and our new Archmagister, and I promise you everything will work out for the best.”
Baladas sighed; apparently there was no reasoning with Fyr or any of the others present. Either everyone knew something Baladas didn’t, or they were all willingly heading to their doom.
“Magister Fyr, what would you have me do now?”
Fyr pointed at a location on the map. “Dervon’s Watch, a small city north of Mournhold. That’s where Helseth’s army will likely cross the river. They can’t afford to leave any strong places at their backs if they wish to march on Necrom, so we predict they will start off by securing Dervon’s Watch. I want you to go there, and manage our retreat. Do your best to hold the city for a day at least, more if you can, but unnecessary deaths are to be avoided. Retreat to Salen Vulgate, between there and Dervon’s Watch we’ve constructed a number of defensive positions. Every position will buy us time, hours sometimes, days at other times. After Salen Vulgate falls, retreat back here. Buy us as much time as you can, with as few casualties as possible.”
“As you wish. I will go to Dervon’s Watch with all haste.”
“Good,” said Magister Fyr. “And when you’re once again back here, we will have one final council of war before the battle starts. Good luck to you, Baladas.”
The ensuing week was an exhausting one for Baladas. It was clear to him that stalling was the only thing he could do. Most of the land around Dervon’s Watch was flat- grassland, some farms and the like, sometimes a few hills, but never anything higher. It wasn’t easy to create ambushes in there. Divayth had ordered a number of trenches built straight across the road at several mile intervals. And he’d ordered a number of other surprises as well.
The first few times Helseth’s army came across a trench, they simply stormed it with their mercenary infantry, and sent cavalry to flank it, and after some heavy fighting, Baladas would retreat to the next trench. That continued until the third line of defence. As before, Helseth sent part of his cavalry to flank the line, but Divayth had prepared a number of traps. On the sides of the line, pits had been dug with spikes and snakes in them, and then covered with grass, wood and leaves so no one saw them. The cavalry stormed to the side of the line, and crashed down into the pits. Many of them died. And the infantry already at the trenches were unable to retreat because behind them, separating them from the main forces, a wall of fire suddenly rose up. None of those infantry men made it back alive.
When Baladas’ forces reached Salen Vulgate, he sent word to Necrom that he’d only be able to stall for another day. He’d already won almost a week, so his mission was more than a success. The entire town of Salen Vulgate had been prepared to be a trap. Pits of spikes and snakes were dug all around town, houses were trapped to fall down as soon as someone entered the door, and magical blasts were set to go off as soon as someone entered certain areas. Baladas hoped to kill as many of Helseth’s troops there as in the entire week before. But even then, it would not be enough. Several thousand would be dead, but many thousands more would survive to advance on Necrom. Still, Baladas had his troops provide a brisk defence before retreating from the town near dusk. He wanted Helseth’s army bloodied and weary, so that they would decide to enter Salen Vulgate rather than pursue.
Most of Baladas’ men were halfway to Necrom when he saw a large explosion on the horizon. That was the final surprise of Salen Vulgate; near the end of the city, a magical blast hammered the lead elements of Helseth’s force and also set off other magical traps throughout the city. When he saw it, Baladas knew he’d done everything he could, so he cast a levitation spell and flew onwards, over the heads of his men to Necrom.
Arriving in Necrom, he found Drulvan Vules and the robed Archmagister in conference in Drulvan’s study. “For better or worse, I’ve given us the week you sought. Now I hope you’re ready with some surprises, because otherwise we’re all doomed.”
Drulvan looked at him with a smile and said, “The Archmagister was just telling me that you haven’t been told everything that has been going on. Perhaps you should take the time now to ask those questions you want to ask, before the enemy gets here.”
Baladas thought about that, about how since the start of all of this there had been so many questions and so few answers. Of course, asking too many questions in house Telvanni had, in the past, been a sure way to die young. Even so, Baladas felt he’d had enough- better to die with answers, then live not knowing what was going on.
“I just don’t understand any of this, Drulvan. Why are there so many Indoril willing to join the Telvanni in what appears to be suicide? Why is no one worried about the coming battle? We can’t possibly win against such an army, so why are people choosing to let fully half of the Telvanni and all of the Vampires remain on Vvardenfall when we can use them here? And who is that man, if he even is a man? He’s supposed to be my Archmagister, but I’ve never even seen his face.”
“Many questions, Baladas. I can’t answer all of them, but I can answer some of them. Why did part of the Indoril join with Telvanni? Simple. Helseth would have blamed the death of Crassius Curio on the Telvanni, when we know it was he who was responsible instead. Helseth would also want to have us believe the Telvanni were behind the murder of lord Nerevar. As to that, let’s just say we’ve seen some very convincing evidence to the contrary. And Helseth has said the Telvanni are without honor, which simply isn’t so. You might not know this, but when he was younger, my son was found to be a magic user. Instead of entering house Indoril where the skill might be neglected, he instead choose to join house Telvanni. He entered service with Mistress Therana in Tel Branora, who sent him to Bal Fell to loot it. Things didn’t go exactly as planned as the Mages guild also went there. Just as my son was about to die, lord Nerevar appeared at Bal Fell as a favour to Divayth Fyr, and he sent the Mages guild fleeing. He saved my son’s life and won my service for the rest of my life. Divayth Fyr then went to Tel Branora, killed mistress Therana, and installed Felen Maryon as the new master. My son has been able to prosper. He is now a spellwright for your house and has said often that Master Maryon is one of the most honourable men around.”
“Another example- you’ve seen my Alt Gahshaldmas last time you were here, right? Endris Dilmyn. His brother is a commoner living in Khuul and was influenced by Dagoth Ur; in fact, he became a sleeper. Lord Nerevar killed Dagoth Ur influencing him, and freed him. When he heard it, Endris promised his life to lord Nerevar. Many of the Indoril here either have a similar experience, or believe those who’ve said the Telvanni had nothing to do with the death of lord Nerevar. As to how we know the Telvanni are innocent… well, we’ll come to that later. As to why we’re not as worried as you about the coming battle, let’s just say Helseth’s allies are not all as loyal as they would have him believe. In powerful circles, isn’t everything about connections? Let’s say we know some people, who know some people, who decide where the allegiance lies with some of Helseth’s people. I can’t really elaborate yet, but let’s just say there is truth to some rumors about a certain house’s allegiance.”
“And as to your other question,” Baladas turned to the robed Archmagister. It was a deep voice emanating from underneath the robe, A voice filled with undeniable power and charisma, making it very hard for people to listen and not agree with anything being said. And yet somehow he had a feeling he’d heard the voice before somewhere.
“As to how these men know lord Nerevar was not killed by house Telvanni, the answer is simple. I told them it is not true.”
The robed figure slowly lowered his hood and looked at Baladas. Baladas looked at him, seeing without a doubt the last face he would have expected to see.
“Come,” the Archmagister spoke again, “We have much to discuss, Baladas.”
Baladas left Drulvan’s study that night with a smile on his face and a renewed confidence.
On to the next chapter