Chapter 6: Spy
The throneroom was large, lit by torches and sparsely decorated. The eyecatcher was the throne at the far end of the hall. To get there, I had to pass between two lines of guards. The result was nice and intimidating, for a peasant. As I strode up towards the throne, for once I refused to let my eyes wander. It would be taken as a sign of weakness, of being unable to bear the sight of the guy on the throne. Speaking of that guy, I wasn’t sure what to think of him. All rulers I’d met so far had been wearing full armour, with the exception of any Telvanni, who were mages anyway. This one didn’t, instead opting for a comfortable and horribly expensive robe bespeckled with gemstones. He looked like a weakling compared to the likes of Dren and Sarethi. I began to count the stones and came to the conclusion that together they weighed as much as a decent suit of armour, as well as offering reasonable protection to light weapons. Perhaps not so much of a weakling.
Again a pair of halberds were lowered once I came close enough to the throne. I took this as my cue to keep standing. The lord looked at me and I looked back. After a few moments, he lost the staring contest and had to look away. As he did so, I could see the confusion upon his face. He wasn’t used to meeting people who weren’t in awe of him. Score one for the Redguard without a sword.
,,And what would bring you here, man?” He asked me in a dignified tone. This time, he kept his eyes levelled at my chest. While covered by a brownish fabric, the Lord’s Mail shone through the tattered threads. I made a mental note to do some sewing later. I’d learned that being a shining beacon is rarely healthy, especially on a battlefield and the like. It was one reason why generals in their shiny and overdecorated armour always stuck behind the lines. If they moved to the front, they would be cut down in moments.
,,Caius Cosades, serving under captain Lenos, milord.” I replied and snapped a salute which made me feel rather silly. Saluting people was so not me. People saluting me was more common, in the third era.
,,That is late captain Lenos. He unfortunately died during an ambush at the Argonian border.” I added.
The lord turned to the advisor standing to his left. I hadn’t noticed that Chimer yet, standing there in the shadows.
,,Is what he says true?” He asked at a loud enough tone to make me hear it. I swore inwardly. If that advisor had ridiculous knowledge on every detail of the Chimeri army, I was screwed. If he hadn’t and brought someone in who did, I was screwed. If he did neither of those, I had to keep bluffing and hope it worked out, or I was screwed. If I was screwed, they would likely order me arrested or executed. Sword or not, either arrest or execution would lead to a slaughter. Their slaughter.
Fortunately, the advisor gave an apologetic shake of the head.
,,I do not know a captain Lenos, sire. However, our detachment near Argonia has indeed been wiped out recently. There were no survivors. Perhaps he works for the enemy, although Lenos sounds Chimeri to me.” He said. Whew, actual facts backing up a lie. That was insane. The lord turned back to me.
,,You served captain Lenos. How exactly?” He inquired. This bit was easy. I’d studied it for five minutes now.
,,Intelligence.” Yeah, that was one word and it took me five minutes. But it is all about the tone. Too fast, and it is obvious it was a deliberately studied response. Too slow, and it would sound made up.
,,A spy.” It wasn’t a question, more like a confirmation. The lord let his eyes wander slowly. I resisted the urge to move and scratch my nose.
,,You don’t look like a spy. Heavy armour, a sword deposited at the entrance and you walk into my throneroom just like that. What is there to prove that you are one, and one good enough for my needs at that? Obviously you are here to be hired.” The man jumped to conclusions rather fast, but he was mostly right.
,,If I looked like a spy, I wouldn’t be one. Besides, how do you really prefer to meet me? Here, surrounded by your trusted men, or finding me standing beside your bed in the middle of the night?” I answered.
,,True, very true. I see. You are a traitor of your own kin. Tragic, very tragic. Still, I have need of one like you. Alright, I believe I can hire you.” He mumbled. I frowned, one motion that got past my guard. I didn’t correct it. My slip went unnoticed that way. But still, he went overboard too fast, just like the guard at the gate. Were the people here really that meek, or was there more to it? Maybe they were just too damn used to having gods make all the important decisions for them?
,,But what if you are a counter-spy? I must verify so I will send you out on a simple mission.” He continued and snapped his fingers. A test of loyalty, that was more like it. I’d been doing those kind of things dozens of times. Now however, I began to see why people had always insisted on giving me these things.
A page passed a scroll into my hands.
,,A permissal to remain at the Dancing Guar tavern at no cost. Go there, ask for room three and wait for further instructions which will come later tonight. Till then, you may go and prepare yourself with the supplies available in this city. The scroll also includes a letter which provides you a budget of a hundred mountains to fund your needs. Now go, I am a busy man.” I turned away instantly and walked back at a casual pace. At first my mind went over the word mountains, but then I decided it was simply the local currency. Obviously, without Septims on the throne having the Septim as currency would be a bit weird. I wondered if a hundred mountains would be a lot or spare change. I settled on spare change. At the door, I picked up my sword again and left the castle. First up on the list was the sewing. I had to repair a few things. But Velas’ cloak would remain how it was. A torn cloak was less suspicious during a war than one that looked new and fresh.
While the Chimer had been less than friendly and cooperative, I managed in the end to gain all the items on my list. And so it was with a mixture of satisfaction and anger that I walked into the Dancing Guar. The moment the door had swung closed behind me, all conversations hushed. I grimaced behind the green scarf and made my way to the tap without looking left or right. Damn racists. Lack of pointy ears didn’t gave them the right to be so hostile. The man at the counter looked up at me, then returned to cleaning mugs without a word. I waited for two minutes without making a sound. In those two minutes, he glanced at me five times before his eyes shot away again.
,,Ya know, I’m not leaving.” I casually remarked at the end of the third minute, having drawn my scarf down.
,,Go away. We don’t serve your kind here.” The barkeep hissed back, finally acknowledging my existence. I wondered if I was supposed to pull out the lord’s letter and wave it around in front of his nose. I had already begun to move a hand towards the parchment tucked behind my belt. Right then, a chair scraped over the floor as it was moved. I froze my movements and let out a slow sigh. I should have expected it.
,,What kind? Why won’t you give me a drink?” I asked while pretending I hadn’t heard a thing, not even the heavy footsteps drawing closer. I had to be practically deaf to not notice a thing.
,,Because I don’t want any filth to touch my mugs. That, and because you’re bothering the customers.” The Barkeep replied with gratuitous amounts of venom within his voice. My face was cast into a grim expression. The noise and violence these people were begging for would really not go well with the Chimer-loving spy I was playing. The barkeep misinterpreted this though and laughed me in the face.
,,Haha, what’s this? Think you can throw your muscle around here?” He asked.
,,You did realize I have a sword, right?” I answered with a quizzical frown. The footsteps stopped right behind me.
,,We realized. But a sword won’t help you against five axes.” A grunting voice said. From the direction, I took that the guy speaking was about two heads taller than me and nearly thrice as heavy. I turned around slowly and threw one of my grins at him. They’d kept pushing my buttons for too long. And as I thought, five overgrown Chimer with simple axes stood around me. They were probably the bouncers, specializing in intimidating anyone who caused trouble.
,,And who might you be? The local lumberjacks?” I asked and then darted to my right where I drove my fist into one Chimer’s stomach. With a loud oomph, the man released the air from his lungs and the grip on his axe. The amount of force I’d used was not enough to lift him of the floor and slam him against the wall at the far side of the room, which is what would have happened if I had shown my full Aedric and corprus-boosted strength. But still, it did what I’d wanted, making him take three steps back and dropping the damn axe.
I grasped the falling weapon with my left hand while drawing my sword with my right hand. Then I drove the axe into the counter till it stuck and at the same time I flung myself around and cleaved through the handles of the four remaining axes, just below the heads. Even before the four blades had loudly thunked onto the floor, I’d pressed my saber’s tip against the lead Chimer’s nose.
,,And you must have drunk so much you’re seeing double. I only see one axe, and that one is stuck into the counter.” I gloated, then became serious.
,,Alright, fellas. Listen carefully. I don’t care who you damn well think you are, but if you ever dare bother me again, I’m going to repaint the walls here in a nice shade of red. Now clear out and leave me alone.” I threatened. The five scurried away, one still clutching his stomach. Only after they’d retaken their seats did I turn back towards the barkeep.
,,Ahem, I’m a pilgrim travelling the world. You know how it goes. Walk around, do some sightseeing, scare the crap out of the locals. Anyway, my uncle wrote me a letter and said that this place was nice if I so happened to come to Mournhold.” I said and dropped the letter on the counter.
,,So despite the trouble of just then, I figure I’m going to show how easy I forgive. So, can I have a room here? My uncle said that the view from room three is especially breathtaking.” I continued. A simple iron key was slapped down on the counter.
,,Up the stairs, second room on your left.” I followed the directions without thanking him or giving him a tip. He would have gotten one if he’d been helpful before I scared the crap out of him.
But still, it could have been worse. Yes, I had just used violence and liberal amounts of intimidation. But I could have sent those fools flying or fried them with a fireball. If I’d done either of that and word came out, the lord would have me executed. He could handle a Redguard who was pretty good with a sword, he could not handle a semi-immortal battlemage, not without calling in the help of his precious Tribunal.
,,Geez, I so hope my first job doesn’t involve talking to Chimer and look for traitors within his own ranks.”
The view from room three was anything but breathtaking. The lack of a window was the biggest culprit. It did make sense though. If this was a regular rendezvous point for spies, it was best not to have anyone peek and lip-read. I raked my knuckles across the wall. Sturdy, dampens sound, hard to eavesdrop. Yup, this place was built for spies alright. I was a few hours early, so I spent the time pacing back and forth within the cramped confines. It was finally, long after my patience had worn thin, that an unsigned envelope was pushed through under my door. I slammed the door open and dove into the cramped corridor.
,,Was about damn time you….” I cut off mid-sentence and frowned. Where was the messenger? Invisibility? Maybe, though unlikely. I would have sensed its presence, even if I couldn’t deduce its exact location. Then what?
I shrugged. I wasn’t much of a spy, I’d already told myself that. Who was to say that a real spy didn’t know how to hide better than I did? What was to say he wouldn’t………cling to the ceiling, as he obviously did right now? I grinned and waved at the masked Chimer. Maybe I wasn’t such a bad spy after all. At least I managed to detect a real pro.
,,Oy, sorry I left you hanging. Anyway, could you tell the Duke to do something about what goes for hospitality here? It’s rather missing.” I told him and slammed the door closed behind me. That should teach him not to try to hide from me.
I opened the sealed envelope. If I had been expecting a long letter full of diplomatic terms for painful stuff, I would be disappointed. There was only one sentence, not even a hint towards who had written it, not even a single-letter mystery name.
Find out where the Imperial army will attack.
That was all it said. I burned the scrap of paper and sat down on the crude bed. Find out where the Imperial army will attack. Now that was helpful. I didn’t even know where to begin. I closed my eyes and began to think. How would the real Caius Cosades approach this problem?
,,So you are not the Nerevarine yet but you might become the Nerevarine? Strange, it would have been a lot easier if you got a simple yes or no. Whatever is the case, I need to find the Dissident priests. They’re not on my map, that’s for sure.” Caius commented and diverted all his attention back to the huge map he had stretched out over the floor.
A map! That was what he would do. He would take notes first of where he would attack and then apply it to an army and see where the army could actually approach before going out and checking out things in person. I had the bad luck of not owning a map that was current and no one would be willing to sell me one here. After all, I was the Outlander. But what I did have, was a map of the third era that showed quite a sizeable chunk of mainland Morrowind.
I spread it out on the floor and went to work. First, I began with the assumption that the largest settlements would already exist at this point. The smaller ones, I ignored them. Even if they did exist, their strategic value was minor. Every General I knew preferred the glory of sacking a city instead of burning a shed in the middle of nowhere.
I marked the possible cities, then moved on to my next point. Approach. Again I was forced to assume things, in this case that the landmarks hadn’t changed much since now, then. Bah, speaking with multiple time-frames is a nightmare. I went ahead and marked the possible angles of approach for a decently sized army. I ended up with nearly all of Morrowind’s eastern border.
I sighed and folded up the map. This wasn’t working. I had to find a better approach. But what? I chose to apply a Telvanni meditation to see if there was something in my memory that could give me the answer. I had used the technique before, during spell-practice and it had given me some good insights back then. Maybe it would work here as well, even though I wasn’t hunting for a particular pattern of Magicka here. My mind eased into a near slumber, with only a tiny voice remaining that probed. It probed for something, without knowing what or how. Then it quivered. It had found something.
19 First Seed, 2920
Bodrums, Morrowind
The quiet hamlet of Bodrum looked down on the meandering river, the Pryai. It was an idyllic site, lightly wooded where the water took the bend around a steep bluff to the east with a gorgeous wildflower meadow to the west. The strange flora of Morrowind met the strange flora of Cyrodiil on the border and commingled gloriously.
"There will be time to sleep when you've finished!"
The soldiers had been hearing that all morning. It was not enough that they had been marching all night, now they were chopping down trees on the bluff and damming the river so its waters spilled over. Most of them had reached the point where they were too tired to complain about being tired.
"Let me be certain I understand, my lord," said Vivec's lieutenant. "We take the bluff so we can fire arrows and spells down on them from above. That's why we need all the trees cleared out. Damming the river floods the plain below so they'll be trudging through mud, which should hamper their movement."
"That's exactly half of it," said Vivec approvingly. He grabbed a nearby soldier who was hauling off the trees. "Wait, I need you to break off the straightest, strongest branches of the trees and whittle them into spears. If you recruit a hundred or so others, it won't take you more than a few hours to make all we need."
The soldier wearily did as he was bade. The men and women got to work, fashioning spears from the trees.
"If you don't mind me asking," said the lieutenant. "The soldiers don't need any more weapons. They're too tired to hold the ones they've got."
"These spears aren't for holding," said Vivec and whispered, "If we tired them out today, they'll get a good night's sleep tonight" before he got to work supervising their work.
It was essential that they be sharp, of course, but equally important that they be well balanced and tapered proportionally. The perfect point for stability was a pyramid, not the conical point of some lances and spears. He had the men hurl the spears they had completed to test their strength, sharpness, and balance, forcing them to begin on a new one if they broke. Gradually, out of sheer exhaustion from doing it wrong, the men learned how to create the perfect wooden spears. Once they were through, he showed them how they were to be arranged and where.
That night, there was no drunken pre-battle carousing, and no nervous neophytes stayed up worrying about the battle to come. As soon as the sun sank beneath the wooded hills, the camp was at rest, but for the sentries.
I reopened my eyes. The book I’d thought about shortly earlier this same day. Now I remembered. Or at least, I remembered a single chapter. There was a large battle, fought near a place called Bodrum and a river called the Pryai. I didn’t know where to find either, nor did my map tell. I did also recall however, that the Imperials suffered a crushing defeat, thanks to the involvement of a Breton spy, one Cwynnen, or something. I wasn’t a Breton, but the book was still a load of fiction slapped onto a skeleton of facts. Besides, the Tribunal I know portrays Vivec as a wiseman who definitely doesn’t need any spies to figure out things. So the Vivec and by extension, the spy, in this book were manipulated for the sake of a better story. Who did what was not important, the outlines were what mattered. A battle as important as this one was likely to be recorded by the scribes.
I made up my mind. I couldn’t possibly go and search the entire border, but focussing on a single location was within my capabilities. I would start tomorrow by asking those lumberjack bouncers if they’d ever heard of a place called Bodrum. Or wait, I wouldn’t. Not directly anyway. If I could get someone to talk about the great outlines or perhaps find a map, I could cheat my way past and hide the fact that I got my information from a book that hadn’t even been written yet.
Once I had the information, I could go there and then trace my line further into the Empire till I came across an army at which point I could haul my behind back to Mournhold, at full speed. I grinned and laid down to rest. I might just pull this one off in the end.
I still had a habit of sleeping light, a leftover from the Nerevarine business. On top of that, I was always armed to the teeth as well. As such, it came as little surprise to me that I’d been able to react to the sudden intruder who had entered my room somewhere before dawn. By the time I’d actually woken up, we were already standing against a wall in the stinking corridor just outside my room, him with a dagger slotted between his ribs, me holding said dagger and grasping empty air with the other. A big axe fell out of the Chimer’s hand and bounced off of my armoured foot.
I let out a sigh after which I pulled back the dagger and lowered my empty hand at the same time. Without Chrysamere, my reflexes were all messed up. I still grasped for empty air all the time. This could have been a good thing perhaps. With how rickety these walls were and how far my reactions went, I would have cleaved the Chimer and the wall in two by the time I’d woken up. Explaining where I got the strength needed to do something like that, one handed of all things, would have been a bit of a nuisance. I pushed slightly and felt the wall give. Rickety indeed. It appeared as if only the walls of my spy-room had been given the proper treatment of money during their construction.
,,Ah, crap. The dagger broke. Meh, that’s what you get when you use Chitin, I guess.” I muttered and watched the downed Chimer, who was snoring loudly even as he gurgled from all the blood collecting in his lungs. That blade’s fatigue drain was as nasty as ever. No wonder the previous possessor had managed to kill several Ordinators with it. I sat down on the bed and kicked the door closed.
,,Brilliant, one of the lumberjacks. Must have felt the loss of his sense of manhood when I schooled him and his buddies. Bah, how could he possibly be so dumb to think that he would have better luck on his own than he had with all his buddies nearby? Blast them all. If I’m going to patch him up, he’s going to tell everyone about the Redguard mage and stuff. I haven’t seen any Redguards around in the city, so I’ll be the only one who fits the description. Azura’s big nose, why do these pointy-eared idiots insist on making it so hard for me to keep my cover?” I complained to myself.
I shrugged. I’d better focus on what I was going to do now. By now, the Chimer had taken his last breath. Guess patching him up was out of the question now whether I wanted to do it or not. Now what? I sighed and decided to focus on one thing at a time. I’d go through the standard routine of dealing with unplanned corpses. First step, loot the damn moron’s pockets. I didn’t find much. Some more of those Mountains, a toothpick and a brass key. I added the Mountains to my own and dumped the toothpick back where I’d found it. I then held up the brass key and examined the engraving on the shaft.
,,Almalexia’s plaza, southeast-23. Wonderful, they’re actually stupid enough to put the address on their keys? That’s just asking for thieves. Heh, thieves. Now that gives me an idea.” I snickered.
About an hour later and just before dawn, I unceremoniously dumped the dead lumberjack on the floor in his living room. This would have gone quicker if I’d just been allowed to walk in broad view with a dead Chimer. But that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe if I’d been perfectly disguised as a Chimer officer but as a Redguard? No, definitely no.
I looked about. The place was Spartan, which was no surprise given how the place’s late owner had to work part-time as a bouncer at a worthless inn. There was a table with a single stool, one cupboard, one improvised fireplace, a chest, a few racks with the tools of his trade and a bed. Oh, and there was a half-rotten rug made from a bear. Probably his prized hunting-trophy. I tried to open the chest and found that it had not been locked. Given the state of the lock, this wasn’t much of a surprise.
,,Now let’s see. What do we have here?” I whispered to myself and bent down.
,,Ooh, Moonsugar. So our friend was a drugaddict. Funny, this stuff gets blamed on the Khajiit later. Uhuh, booze, more booze. Wow, I must have done him a favour when I finished him off. No way his intestines were going to hold on much longer with that destructive life-style.” I opened a bottle and tried a sip.
,,Blegh, horrible stuff, better put it back before I get alcohol-poisoning. Ah, now that’s more like it. A map.”
I held up the parchment and unfolded it. It was a map, and a good one at that. Ok, so it was cheap and obviously mass-produced which resulted in vague and scribbly lines, but it did have all of Morrowind, or Resdayn as it was called here. There were some black crosses near Mournhold, made with Charcoal. I had no idea what they meant, but considering his job as a lumberjack, it had likely to do with where to find good wood or where he’d chopped everything down already.
And there was the Pryai. This would help me. I scratched my chin and thought hard. The map was good, but there was something missing. I smirked and dove back into the chest where I dug around till I’d found the piece of Charcoal he used to mark his map. I put down some more crosses, randomly yet mostly close to Mournhold. But some I placed along the river. After a minute or so, I was done. I held up the map again and admired my work. This would do, definitely. I looked at the corpse and at the room. People would start asking questions if they found him here with a single stabwound. Maybe I should add signs of a struggle. Or…
I drew my Ebony sword and stabbed him again, at exactly the same spot. I was in luck, the blood in his veins was still a liquid. I forced a few extra beats out of his heart with Telekinesis and watched the red liquid spill from the wound. This looked better. Death by sword instead of death by dagger. I rolled up the map and tucked it behind my belt. That was that. Now it was time for business.
This time around, the guards at the castle just scowled at me, sneered, crossed their halberds for a moment and then allowed me to pass without a word. Same thing in the halls. One day, and I had already become a regular. It probably had something to do with the fact that the lord didn’t ask for my head on a spear last time around. The guys with the basket where there again as well and I dropped my sword in it with little hesitation. I would get it back later and what I was going to do wouldn’t involve any form of violence, I hoped.
,,Oy, you might want to clean it while you’re at it. It got a bit wet.” I snickered and entered the throne room itself where I just marched right to the other side.
This time, there was no staring contest between us. Instead, the lord merely gazed in my general direction.
,,And what brings you here? I believe I gave you a mission. It would be most surprising if you had achieved it, even moreso if you would have achieved it this soon. Not even my best spies could do that, and they are Chimer, not man.” I rolled my eyes openly. Again with the racism. Did the guy ever bother to think that having your spy be a member of the race your enemy is actually at war with, does not make the job easier? The guards at the door came running in.
,,Halt! You are under arrest on the charge of murder!” One of them shouted. I smirked and jabbed a thumb in their direction.
,,Well, I merely came here to say…I caught a spy.”
The lord held up his hand and I could hear the guards behind me skid to a halt.
,,A spy? Hmmph, I find that hard to believe. There are no spies in this city, except those who are on my payroll.” He claimed. I looked over my shoulder to see what the guards had been doing. The one on the left was holding up my sword, out of its sheath. The dried blood still glistened a bit on the Ebony. Good.
I shrugged as I turned back to the lord.
,,Well, I’m sorry but I guess that means he never thought of telling you he worked for the enemy.” I said dryly. I dropped a hand into my pocket which made everyone in the room tense up. I brought up the brass key and flicked it onto the lord’s lap after which everyone relaxed slightly. Hah, as if an assassin would ever openly walk up to a noble. The only time that would happen was if the assassin was so good, no number of guards could possibly pose a threat. Which was pretty much the current situation, only I was not an assassin.
,,Almalexia’s plaza, southeast-23. Feel free to send a few Ordies over there.” One of the guards behind me just had to whisper: ,,Ordies? Must be some kind of Redguard title”
,,Silence!” The lord shouted. He then carefully picked up the key between two fingers and dropped it in the hands of his advisor who in turn gave it to a servant who in turn gave it to another servant who in turn scooted out of the room.
,,I know Almalexia’s plaza. It is a place inhabited by the common folk, yet all are Chimer. There could never have been a spy there.” He said venomously. Again I shrugged.
,,Perhaps I used the wrong term. I didn’t quite mean spy, cause the guy was obviously an amateur. Nah, traitor is a better word.”
,,CHIMER ARE NEVER TRAITORS! NEVER, IMPOSSIBLE!” The lord howled. I was actually surprised by this outburst.
,,Wow, this religion of ‘all serving under the great living gods, forget ambition, follow the three bozo’s who are addicted to a slimy heart’ really must have brainwashed them. Does he really think none of his people ever try to make career? Or does he believe that such things are limited to the nobles?” I thought.
,,Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re serious about this. Everyone turns traitor at some point. It’s just that some forms of betrayal are worse than forgetting to do groceries for mom as promised. Can you claim with a pure heart and on the honour of ALMSIVI, that you have never betrayed someone?” I asked. The lord fell dreadfully silent.
,,What did you say?” He asked after a long pause. I almost slapped myself.
,,By the honour of ALMNEVI, can you swear you never betrayed anyone, dude?” I answered. Whoa, that had been close. I’d actually used ALMSIVI instead of its current form.
The advisor chose to interrupt the conversation.
,,You will call our lord ‘Your Grace’, or ‘Your Highness’, or ‘Your Lordship’, or simply ‘Duke’. You will not however, refer to him as ‘Dude’. Also, your manners are sorely lacking. I advise you to improve on these points lest his Lordship shall strip you of the honour of serving him.” He warned. I dismissed the advice with a casual wave of my hand.
,,Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks for the tip, but no thanks. I’m going to call the pointy-eared fellow whatever I like. Because it is me who decides when to end this relationship between us. If he fires me because he feels insulted…” I shrugged. ,,then he fires me. I’ll simply go find someone else who is willing for quality without letting his need to have his ego satisfied get in the way. That’s the way things are. I’m in charge, not the other way around.”
When the Duke spoke again, his voice was icy-cold, but all business.
,,I will consider your claims, if you present me with some proof.” He declared. I cleared my throat. The intimidation had been easy, but now would come the tough part. Now I actually had to convince everyone of a clean lie.
,,First of all, the story begins at the tavern I’d been sent to. The suspect, together with some accomplices, attempted to assassinate me, both under the guise of a bar brawl and as a regular assassination later that night. I suggest you find a new rendez-vous point for your associates. Anyway, I disarmed them and sent them away, blaming their actions on simple racism. That, however, ended when I found this. It was in the pocket of a vest one of my assailants was forced to give up when I pinned it to the wall. It is also where I got the key from as well.” Again I dug my hands into my pockets, but this time I didn’t fish out a key. No, I fished out a coin which I threw at the lord.
,,Please take note the fact that this coin is not a member of the local currency. Observe the engraving on the coin’s sides, or rather, the missing engraving. It has been filed away, most likely to avoid easy identification.” I began and watched with hidden amusement as the Duke followed my directions without realizing he’d actually pushed himself into the role of inferior already. Telvanni attitude, no matter what the time-period, it gets the job done of making you look like the big man in town.
,,Most interesting is the creature engraved on one side. That is a Dragon, which you surely recognize as the symbol of the Empire.” I continued and waited while the Advisor took the coin and examined it himself. It was a regular third era Septim, with some annoying details filed away, such as the date it was made and the name of Uriel Septim.
,,I see. This is interesting, but it does not prove that the suspect was, indeed, a traitor. Perhaps it was a trophy claimed from a vanquished foe on the battlefield.” The Duke said slowly. I nodded. I’d been expecting this response.
,,That is what I assumed myself at first, so I went to investigate. The address on the key made it easy. Anyway, I came into his house and tried to interrogate him. Instead though, he attacked me and I was forced to run him through. Anyway, I gave his house a quick search and found a chest filled with moonsugar and alcohol, with signs that he used these goods regularly. That, combined with how clumsy he acted throughout all three of our encounters, I feel it safe to conclude that he was simply in no condition to fight anywhere, least of all on the battlefield. He would not even pass the medical examination. Being a lumberjack stretched his abilities to the limit, I’d say. He also lacked the money to buy it off of a veteran. If what I’ve seen is any indication, trophies like these are prized possessions of those who have acquired them.” I replied.
I now took out the map, my final ace.
,,Among the drugs and alcoholic beverages, I found this.” I unfolded the map and pointed out the crosses on it.
,,At first glance, it appears to be a simple map with markings to indicate places where good lumber can be found or where the wood has already been claimed, either of these two. But look at these here.” I tapped a finger at the group of crosses I’d put next to the Pryai.
,,All nice and stuff, but why would a lumberjack travel this far to chop down a tree? This place is a good day’s march away. Maybe he’s been there once or twice, but not with the intention of taking down a tree and bringing wood back home with him the next day. For work it is completely inefficient. Using three days to bring back one load of wood, one day for travelling, one for chopping and another one for travelling, is simply stupid compared to how easy it is to get three loads of wood in the same timespan by sticking to the other marked locations close to Mournhold.” I folded up the map and handed it over as well.
,,So in short, our suspect carried a coin he should not be able to possess, he attacked someone who made use of your ‘rendezvous point’, he holds a map that has some markings he should not have placed. And so, I believe he is not working for the best interests of the Chimer people. The marks near this river…the Pryai, may instead indicate a rendezvous with Imperial agents. It is just short of Resdayn’s borders. That, or it may indicate a path of approach for the Imperial army. Following the Pryai, Imperial troops could circumvent all fortifications and march right up to Mournhold. Only the local landmarks, such as the swamp, will impede their progress. Give them a squad of Battlemages though, and they’ll walk over the mud as if it’s a tiled street.” I finished. I’d played my bluff, now I would just have to see if they fell for it.
The Duke and his advisor whispered to each other for quite a while. In the end though, they seemed to reach an agreement.
,,Some of my other operatives will look into the information you have disclosed. Know however, that I do not pay for insults. If you desire to swim in riches, you will learn to treat me with the utmost respect. Fail, and you will learn that your trade has suddenly become less hospitable. In the meantime, I have another task for you. Perhaps this time you will take into account the proper etiquette and actually earn your pay.”
I fought the desire to roll my eyes. So he was going to hold back on his pay. I mentally shrugged. Pay had not been my goal when I begun this. It was unimportant. I could hunt, I could sew, I could take care of myself in the Morrowind wilderness just fine, money or no money. So I simply folded my arms and waited for the noble to continue.
,,There is an agent of mine, who you will assist in any and all endeavours till the time the agent frees you from this service at which point you will return here for further instructions.” My expectations sank considerably. What he’d just told me was that this assignment could potentially go on for years and he would try every chance he got to weasel himself out of my pay. Again, payment wasn’t my goal, but I wasn’t interested in these long missions either. If I were to claim the reputation as a spy worthy enough to work for a goddess, I needed short ones, risky ones if possible.
,,The agent awaits you in the main hall, wearing green. That is all, now go.” I snatched my sword and scabbard out of the guard’s hands before leaving.
There was only one person in green at the main hall, but not quite the type I’d been expecting. For one, she was female. Secondly, she was very very young, even for a Dunmer, err Chimer. And finally, she had none of the shifty eyes that revealed every single spy I knew. Even Caius had them, though he made a good effort of suppressing the motions. I leaned against a pillar and watched her from the corner of my eyes while keeping my pupils straight ahead, pointing at some big tapestry of something. Clenched fists, hanging her shoulders, head kept low. Not the happy type, if you asked me. The lack of age kept nagging me. Either she was very good, or she was a rookie, like me. The rookie theory deserved some more thought, but I soon dismissed it. Rookie meant unreliable, and the Duke would never put two unreliables in one team. If he wanted to get rid of me, he would team me up with someone better at slipping daggers between ribs. That was the only way he could get rid of me. Kill me…or embarrass me in such a way everyone will try to kill me.
She had her back to me and wasn’t looking at anything approaching a reflective surface, so I ditched all precautions and just looked at her directly. I suppose she was attractive, by the standards of her kind. Maybe her trick to get the job done was seduction? Oh boy, I was beginning to see the whole thing now bright and clear. But she wasn’t a spy, I could see that much. And even if she had been, she wasn’t my type. That, and I had better things to do than get close to the ladies. I squared my shoulders and crossed the hall.
,,Ok, you’re not much of a spy, missy.” I said once I got close. She didn’t react in any way I would have been able to predict. She just hung her shoulders even more and kept her back to me.
,,Go away with your weak jokes and leave me to my sorrow.” She sniffed. I rolled my eyes and sighed quite loud.
,,Oh, the drama. It’s a cold world and all that. Now just listen to me for one second. The big honcho here told me I was to go to this room and talk to the one wearing green, an ‘agent’ of his. The way he said it, it felt pretty damn as if I was to become that person’s trusty assistant, sidekick, lackey, pack-Guar and so on. Now you’re the only one wearing green here and you’re definitely not a spy, unless your secret ace up the sleeves are your charms.” I said sharply. This time, she did wheel around to face me.
,,Charms?! What do you know about…” She fell silent and I rolled my eyes again. Stranger in a strange country, people staring, mouths falling open. It was getting old by now.
I noticed that her eyes had the traditional Dunmeri red, but not because it was her natural colour. Rather, she’d been crying, and quite a lot. I forced a grin, though not a reassuring one. Comforting grieving girls was not what I’d be hired for.
,,Enough to know that I don’t have any and am not interested in getting any. I’m a Redguard and yes, my skin is a bit darker than what you’re used to and my ears are a bit less likely to stab someone’s eyes out. Now pick your jaw up off the floor and tell me what’s going on here.” I snapped and did my best to look intimidating. I only had to put my hand on the hilt of my sword, and she was ready to faint. Of course, all the guards in the room got their eyes on me so I moved my hand away just as fast.
The girl looked at me for an uncomfortably long time before she finally said something.
,,So he hired a barbarian to make sure I stayed out of his sight?” She said and then turned for the big door leading outside.
,,Fine, follow me around, hack my head off when I’m not watching. I don’t care.” She added and began to walk. I rolled my eyes again. Great, a suicidal ‘the world sucks and my heart’s broken’ type. What did I get myself into?
,,Now just wait a minute. I am not here to hack of your head or anyone else’s, for that matter. So don’t even start about it. What made you all so messed up anyway?” I said just before we got outside. I’d rather not have any misconceptions about me and swords, not while in a crowded city full of little Dunmer wannabes who wouldn’t mind seeing my head on the end of a very long, very sharp spear. Oh, and some Cliffracers, the scene just wouldn’t be complete without them.
,,What made me so messed up? Why, for months we were….IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSSINESS!” I actually burst out laughing right there, even though she was anything but joking.
,,Oh, I get it. You’re the Duke’s little secret plaything. Figures. Like a kid, nobles tend to get bored and like a kid, they trade in their old toys for something new.” I chuckled but it wasn’t long before I got serious.
,,And with that, the Scamp jumps out of the box. He wants to get rid of you, and he sends me along to look after you cause he doesn’t like a smartass either. Lovely, just lovely. There goes the whole master-plan, right down the drain into Vivec’s most elaborate and stinking sewer canals…So, what are you going to do now, girl? Plan anything?”
She didn’t answer, so I let myself fall behind a bit and busied myself with looking at everything and everyone we came across. More than once did I see a hidden dagger being grasped and released again as soon as I locked eyes with its owner.
,,What a peaceful city. Everyone here seems to want to slit my throat just because I’m so foreign. Morons.” I muttered to myself. The place was beginning to get on my nerves. Just after I’d taken upon myself the oath not to kill unless there was absolutely no other way, this happens. I get stuck in a place where I’ve got to intimidate every living soul one after another just to make sure I don’t get a dagger planted in my back. Granted, the chance that one of those rusty things could penetrate my cuirass was negligible, but that did little to ease my mind.
,,I think I’m going to my parents, tell them everything.” I my gaze shot from a carpenter with a nasty gleam in his eyes back to the girl I’d been following.
,,Your parents? What for?” I asked. Apparently, she’d decided it was my business after all. I flipped the scenario over in my mind, but I saw absolutely no reason why she would do that. What were her parents going to do? Take revenge for her? How where they thinking of doing that? Unless one of them was the high priest of the Tribunal, they just wouldn’t ever match the power of the Duke. Or what about hiring the Morag Tong? Did that gang of religious loonies already exist, for that matter?
,,You’re bound to get a spanking.” I warned. It was the only result I could see to her actions. The only thing her parents could do, really.
,,If a spanking was all I got, I would be the fourth living god.” The girl replied.
,,You’re awfully talkative, all of a sudden, girl.” I commented. I didn’t know what else to say. She was probably just trying to vent her heart and I was the perfect subject. Total stranger, not likely to tell anyone else and if I did, everyone would think I was a lying foreigner.
,,Know what, I’m going to have to follow you around anyway, since that’s what the big honcho told me. I like it as much as you do, but those are the facts. So how about we broke the ice a bit, tell each other our names? I’m Luper Alkad, born on the other side of the continent. I’m a…well, I would love to call it adventurer, gives a whole nice ring to it…but I’d be lying. It would be more accurate if I said that I’m a troublesolver for a certain goddess you should stay clear off.” I nearly got another laughing-fit from that. A troublesolver. Puppet, more likely.
,,Turala….of House Redoran. What I do isn’t important. I’m not robbing people on the roads of their hard-earned goods, like you.” I cringed. Redoran. It had to be Redoran.
,,Well, I can see why you’re about to get a lot more than a spanking. Redorans and their honour. And just for the record, I am not a robber. Why, I saved an old Chimer couple from a trio of robbers just the other day.” I said.
,,Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you just try to cover up things? Not tell them? The Duke sure as heck won’t. It would be an outrage. The Duke shows he’s just a petty noble like any other, inconceivable. There would be a riot! Oh, and you would probably end up killed by the pro-Dukes. So, don’t let out what happened.” I then advised.
,,You said it yourself, Redorans and their honour. Even if he wants to hide the matter, I can’t.” Turala answered. She clutched her stomach.
,,And covering it up would only be a delay.” I frowned.
,,And what is that supposed to mean….nevermind.” I cut myself off for two reasons. One, she had just given me the kind of glare you only give someone who is too stupid to live. Two, we were obviously getting close to wherever her folks lived. This place was Redoran territory to the extreme. Every guy here was walking not with a dagger, but with a full-blown longsword. If it wasn’t for the lack of variety, I would think I was back in Hammerfell and every Redguard had turned into Chimer. But there weren’t any more exotic swords, nor the uniques made by the local master, so no. Redoran were high on honour, and pretty high on swords, but not as much as Redguards.
On to the next chapter
The throneroom was large, lit by torches and sparsely decorated. The eyecatcher was the throne at the far end of the hall. To get there, I had to pass between two lines of guards. The result was nice and intimidating, for a peasant. As I strode up towards the throne, for once I refused to let my eyes wander. It would be taken as a sign of weakness, of being unable to bear the sight of the guy on the throne. Speaking of that guy, I wasn’t sure what to think of him. All rulers I’d met so far had been wearing full armour, with the exception of any Telvanni, who were mages anyway. This one didn’t, instead opting for a comfortable and horribly expensive robe bespeckled with gemstones. He looked like a weakling compared to the likes of Dren and Sarethi. I began to count the stones and came to the conclusion that together they weighed as much as a decent suit of armour, as well as offering reasonable protection to light weapons. Perhaps not so much of a weakling.
Again a pair of halberds were lowered once I came close enough to the throne. I took this as my cue to keep standing. The lord looked at me and I looked back. After a few moments, he lost the staring contest and had to look away. As he did so, I could see the confusion upon his face. He wasn’t used to meeting people who weren’t in awe of him. Score one for the Redguard without a sword.
,,And what would bring you here, man?” He asked me in a dignified tone. This time, he kept his eyes levelled at my chest. While covered by a brownish fabric, the Lord’s Mail shone through the tattered threads. I made a mental note to do some sewing later. I’d learned that being a shining beacon is rarely healthy, especially on a battlefield and the like. It was one reason why generals in their shiny and overdecorated armour always stuck behind the lines. If they moved to the front, they would be cut down in moments.
,,Caius Cosades, serving under captain Lenos, milord.” I replied and snapped a salute which made me feel rather silly. Saluting people was so not me. People saluting me was more common, in the third era.
,,That is late captain Lenos. He unfortunately died during an ambush at the Argonian border.” I added.
The lord turned to the advisor standing to his left. I hadn’t noticed that Chimer yet, standing there in the shadows.
,,Is what he says true?” He asked at a loud enough tone to make me hear it. I swore inwardly. If that advisor had ridiculous knowledge on every detail of the Chimeri army, I was screwed. If he hadn’t and brought someone in who did, I was screwed. If he did neither of those, I had to keep bluffing and hope it worked out, or I was screwed. If I was screwed, they would likely order me arrested or executed. Sword or not, either arrest or execution would lead to a slaughter. Their slaughter.
Fortunately, the advisor gave an apologetic shake of the head.
,,I do not know a captain Lenos, sire. However, our detachment near Argonia has indeed been wiped out recently. There were no survivors. Perhaps he works for the enemy, although Lenos sounds Chimeri to me.” He said. Whew, actual facts backing up a lie. That was insane. The lord turned back to me.
,,You served captain Lenos. How exactly?” He inquired. This bit was easy. I’d studied it for five minutes now.
,,Intelligence.” Yeah, that was one word and it took me five minutes. But it is all about the tone. Too fast, and it is obvious it was a deliberately studied response. Too slow, and it would sound made up.
,,A spy.” It wasn’t a question, more like a confirmation. The lord let his eyes wander slowly. I resisted the urge to move and scratch my nose.
,,You don’t look like a spy. Heavy armour, a sword deposited at the entrance and you walk into my throneroom just like that. What is there to prove that you are one, and one good enough for my needs at that? Obviously you are here to be hired.” The man jumped to conclusions rather fast, but he was mostly right.
,,If I looked like a spy, I wouldn’t be one. Besides, how do you really prefer to meet me? Here, surrounded by your trusted men, or finding me standing beside your bed in the middle of the night?” I answered.
,,True, very true. I see. You are a traitor of your own kin. Tragic, very tragic. Still, I have need of one like you. Alright, I believe I can hire you.” He mumbled. I frowned, one motion that got past my guard. I didn’t correct it. My slip went unnoticed that way. But still, he went overboard too fast, just like the guard at the gate. Were the people here really that meek, or was there more to it? Maybe they were just too damn used to having gods make all the important decisions for them?
,,But what if you are a counter-spy? I must verify so I will send you out on a simple mission.” He continued and snapped his fingers. A test of loyalty, that was more like it. I’d been doing those kind of things dozens of times. Now however, I began to see why people had always insisted on giving me these things.
A page passed a scroll into my hands.
,,A permissal to remain at the Dancing Guar tavern at no cost. Go there, ask for room three and wait for further instructions which will come later tonight. Till then, you may go and prepare yourself with the supplies available in this city. The scroll also includes a letter which provides you a budget of a hundred mountains to fund your needs. Now go, I am a busy man.” I turned away instantly and walked back at a casual pace. At first my mind went over the word mountains, but then I decided it was simply the local currency. Obviously, without Septims on the throne having the Septim as currency would be a bit weird. I wondered if a hundred mountains would be a lot or spare change. I settled on spare change. At the door, I picked up my sword again and left the castle. First up on the list was the sewing. I had to repair a few things. But Velas’ cloak would remain how it was. A torn cloak was less suspicious during a war than one that looked new and fresh.
While the Chimer had been less than friendly and cooperative, I managed in the end to gain all the items on my list. And so it was with a mixture of satisfaction and anger that I walked into the Dancing Guar. The moment the door had swung closed behind me, all conversations hushed. I grimaced behind the green scarf and made my way to the tap without looking left or right. Damn racists. Lack of pointy ears didn’t gave them the right to be so hostile. The man at the counter looked up at me, then returned to cleaning mugs without a word. I waited for two minutes without making a sound. In those two minutes, he glanced at me five times before his eyes shot away again.
,,Ya know, I’m not leaving.” I casually remarked at the end of the third minute, having drawn my scarf down.
,,Go away. We don’t serve your kind here.” The barkeep hissed back, finally acknowledging my existence. I wondered if I was supposed to pull out the lord’s letter and wave it around in front of his nose. I had already begun to move a hand towards the parchment tucked behind my belt. Right then, a chair scraped over the floor as it was moved. I froze my movements and let out a slow sigh. I should have expected it.
,,What kind? Why won’t you give me a drink?” I asked while pretending I hadn’t heard a thing, not even the heavy footsteps drawing closer. I had to be practically deaf to not notice a thing.
,,Because I don’t want any filth to touch my mugs. That, and because you’re bothering the customers.” The Barkeep replied with gratuitous amounts of venom within his voice. My face was cast into a grim expression. The noise and violence these people were begging for would really not go well with the Chimer-loving spy I was playing. The barkeep misinterpreted this though and laughed me in the face.
,,Haha, what’s this? Think you can throw your muscle around here?” He asked.
,,You did realize I have a sword, right?” I answered with a quizzical frown. The footsteps stopped right behind me.
,,We realized. But a sword won’t help you against five axes.” A grunting voice said. From the direction, I took that the guy speaking was about two heads taller than me and nearly thrice as heavy. I turned around slowly and threw one of my grins at him. They’d kept pushing my buttons for too long. And as I thought, five overgrown Chimer with simple axes stood around me. They were probably the bouncers, specializing in intimidating anyone who caused trouble.
,,And who might you be? The local lumberjacks?” I asked and then darted to my right where I drove my fist into one Chimer’s stomach. With a loud oomph, the man released the air from his lungs and the grip on his axe. The amount of force I’d used was not enough to lift him of the floor and slam him against the wall at the far side of the room, which is what would have happened if I had shown my full Aedric and corprus-boosted strength. But still, it did what I’d wanted, making him take three steps back and dropping the damn axe.
I grasped the falling weapon with my left hand while drawing my sword with my right hand. Then I drove the axe into the counter till it stuck and at the same time I flung myself around and cleaved through the handles of the four remaining axes, just below the heads. Even before the four blades had loudly thunked onto the floor, I’d pressed my saber’s tip against the lead Chimer’s nose.
,,And you must have drunk so much you’re seeing double. I only see one axe, and that one is stuck into the counter.” I gloated, then became serious.
,,Alright, fellas. Listen carefully. I don’t care who you damn well think you are, but if you ever dare bother me again, I’m going to repaint the walls here in a nice shade of red. Now clear out and leave me alone.” I threatened. The five scurried away, one still clutching his stomach. Only after they’d retaken their seats did I turn back towards the barkeep.
,,Ahem, I’m a pilgrim travelling the world. You know how it goes. Walk around, do some sightseeing, scare the crap out of the locals. Anyway, my uncle wrote me a letter and said that this place was nice if I so happened to come to Mournhold.” I said and dropped the letter on the counter.
,,So despite the trouble of just then, I figure I’m going to show how easy I forgive. So, can I have a room here? My uncle said that the view from room three is especially breathtaking.” I continued. A simple iron key was slapped down on the counter.
,,Up the stairs, second room on your left.” I followed the directions without thanking him or giving him a tip. He would have gotten one if he’d been helpful before I scared the crap out of him.
But still, it could have been worse. Yes, I had just used violence and liberal amounts of intimidation. But I could have sent those fools flying or fried them with a fireball. If I’d done either of that and word came out, the lord would have me executed. He could handle a Redguard who was pretty good with a sword, he could not handle a semi-immortal battlemage, not without calling in the help of his precious Tribunal.
,,Geez, I so hope my first job doesn’t involve talking to Chimer and look for traitors within his own ranks.”
The view from room three was anything but breathtaking. The lack of a window was the biggest culprit. It did make sense though. If this was a regular rendezvous point for spies, it was best not to have anyone peek and lip-read. I raked my knuckles across the wall. Sturdy, dampens sound, hard to eavesdrop. Yup, this place was built for spies alright. I was a few hours early, so I spent the time pacing back and forth within the cramped confines. It was finally, long after my patience had worn thin, that an unsigned envelope was pushed through under my door. I slammed the door open and dove into the cramped corridor.
,,Was about damn time you….” I cut off mid-sentence and frowned. Where was the messenger? Invisibility? Maybe, though unlikely. I would have sensed its presence, even if I couldn’t deduce its exact location. Then what?
I shrugged. I wasn’t much of a spy, I’d already told myself that. Who was to say that a real spy didn’t know how to hide better than I did? What was to say he wouldn’t………cling to the ceiling, as he obviously did right now? I grinned and waved at the masked Chimer. Maybe I wasn’t such a bad spy after all. At least I managed to detect a real pro.
,,Oy, sorry I left you hanging. Anyway, could you tell the Duke to do something about what goes for hospitality here? It’s rather missing.” I told him and slammed the door closed behind me. That should teach him not to try to hide from me.
I opened the sealed envelope. If I had been expecting a long letter full of diplomatic terms for painful stuff, I would be disappointed. There was only one sentence, not even a hint towards who had written it, not even a single-letter mystery name.
Find out where the Imperial army will attack.
That was all it said. I burned the scrap of paper and sat down on the crude bed. Find out where the Imperial army will attack. Now that was helpful. I didn’t even know where to begin. I closed my eyes and began to think. How would the real Caius Cosades approach this problem?
,,So you are not the Nerevarine yet but you might become the Nerevarine? Strange, it would have been a lot easier if you got a simple yes or no. Whatever is the case, I need to find the Dissident priests. They’re not on my map, that’s for sure.” Caius commented and diverted all his attention back to the huge map he had stretched out over the floor.
A map! That was what he would do. He would take notes first of where he would attack and then apply it to an army and see where the army could actually approach before going out and checking out things in person. I had the bad luck of not owning a map that was current and no one would be willing to sell me one here. After all, I was the Outlander. But what I did have, was a map of the third era that showed quite a sizeable chunk of mainland Morrowind.
I spread it out on the floor and went to work. First, I began with the assumption that the largest settlements would already exist at this point. The smaller ones, I ignored them. Even if they did exist, their strategic value was minor. Every General I knew preferred the glory of sacking a city instead of burning a shed in the middle of nowhere.
I marked the possible cities, then moved on to my next point. Approach. Again I was forced to assume things, in this case that the landmarks hadn’t changed much since now, then. Bah, speaking with multiple time-frames is a nightmare. I went ahead and marked the possible angles of approach for a decently sized army. I ended up with nearly all of Morrowind’s eastern border.
I sighed and folded up the map. This wasn’t working. I had to find a better approach. But what? I chose to apply a Telvanni meditation to see if there was something in my memory that could give me the answer. I had used the technique before, during spell-practice and it had given me some good insights back then. Maybe it would work here as well, even though I wasn’t hunting for a particular pattern of Magicka here. My mind eased into a near slumber, with only a tiny voice remaining that probed. It probed for something, without knowing what or how. Then it quivered. It had found something.
19 First Seed, 2920
Bodrums, Morrowind
The quiet hamlet of Bodrum looked down on the meandering river, the Pryai. It was an idyllic site, lightly wooded where the water took the bend around a steep bluff to the east with a gorgeous wildflower meadow to the west. The strange flora of Morrowind met the strange flora of Cyrodiil on the border and commingled gloriously.
"There will be time to sleep when you've finished!"
The soldiers had been hearing that all morning. It was not enough that they had been marching all night, now they were chopping down trees on the bluff and damming the river so its waters spilled over. Most of them had reached the point where they were too tired to complain about being tired.
"Let me be certain I understand, my lord," said Vivec's lieutenant. "We take the bluff so we can fire arrows and spells down on them from above. That's why we need all the trees cleared out. Damming the river floods the plain below so they'll be trudging through mud, which should hamper their movement."
"That's exactly half of it," said Vivec approvingly. He grabbed a nearby soldier who was hauling off the trees. "Wait, I need you to break off the straightest, strongest branches of the trees and whittle them into spears. If you recruit a hundred or so others, it won't take you more than a few hours to make all we need."
The soldier wearily did as he was bade. The men and women got to work, fashioning spears from the trees.
"If you don't mind me asking," said the lieutenant. "The soldiers don't need any more weapons. They're too tired to hold the ones they've got."
"These spears aren't for holding," said Vivec and whispered, "If we tired them out today, they'll get a good night's sleep tonight" before he got to work supervising their work.
It was essential that they be sharp, of course, but equally important that they be well balanced and tapered proportionally. The perfect point for stability was a pyramid, not the conical point of some lances and spears. He had the men hurl the spears they had completed to test their strength, sharpness, and balance, forcing them to begin on a new one if they broke. Gradually, out of sheer exhaustion from doing it wrong, the men learned how to create the perfect wooden spears. Once they were through, he showed them how they were to be arranged and where.
That night, there was no drunken pre-battle carousing, and no nervous neophytes stayed up worrying about the battle to come. As soon as the sun sank beneath the wooded hills, the camp was at rest, but for the sentries.
I reopened my eyes. The book I’d thought about shortly earlier this same day. Now I remembered. Or at least, I remembered a single chapter. There was a large battle, fought near a place called Bodrum and a river called the Pryai. I didn’t know where to find either, nor did my map tell. I did also recall however, that the Imperials suffered a crushing defeat, thanks to the involvement of a Breton spy, one Cwynnen, or something. I wasn’t a Breton, but the book was still a load of fiction slapped onto a skeleton of facts. Besides, the Tribunal I know portrays Vivec as a wiseman who definitely doesn’t need any spies to figure out things. So the Vivec and by extension, the spy, in this book were manipulated for the sake of a better story. Who did what was not important, the outlines were what mattered. A battle as important as this one was likely to be recorded by the scribes.
I made up my mind. I couldn’t possibly go and search the entire border, but focussing on a single location was within my capabilities. I would start tomorrow by asking those lumberjack bouncers if they’d ever heard of a place called Bodrum. Or wait, I wouldn’t. Not directly anyway. If I could get someone to talk about the great outlines or perhaps find a map, I could cheat my way past and hide the fact that I got my information from a book that hadn’t even been written yet.
Once I had the information, I could go there and then trace my line further into the Empire till I came across an army at which point I could haul my behind back to Mournhold, at full speed. I grinned and laid down to rest. I might just pull this one off in the end.
I still had a habit of sleeping light, a leftover from the Nerevarine business. On top of that, I was always armed to the teeth as well. As such, it came as little surprise to me that I’d been able to react to the sudden intruder who had entered my room somewhere before dawn. By the time I’d actually woken up, we were already standing against a wall in the stinking corridor just outside my room, him with a dagger slotted between his ribs, me holding said dagger and grasping empty air with the other. A big axe fell out of the Chimer’s hand and bounced off of my armoured foot.
I let out a sigh after which I pulled back the dagger and lowered my empty hand at the same time. Without Chrysamere, my reflexes were all messed up. I still grasped for empty air all the time. This could have been a good thing perhaps. With how rickety these walls were and how far my reactions went, I would have cleaved the Chimer and the wall in two by the time I’d woken up. Explaining where I got the strength needed to do something like that, one handed of all things, would have been a bit of a nuisance. I pushed slightly and felt the wall give. Rickety indeed. It appeared as if only the walls of my spy-room had been given the proper treatment of money during their construction.
,,Ah, crap. The dagger broke. Meh, that’s what you get when you use Chitin, I guess.” I muttered and watched the downed Chimer, who was snoring loudly even as he gurgled from all the blood collecting in his lungs. That blade’s fatigue drain was as nasty as ever. No wonder the previous possessor had managed to kill several Ordinators with it. I sat down on the bed and kicked the door closed.
,,Brilliant, one of the lumberjacks. Must have felt the loss of his sense of manhood when I schooled him and his buddies. Bah, how could he possibly be so dumb to think that he would have better luck on his own than he had with all his buddies nearby? Blast them all. If I’m going to patch him up, he’s going to tell everyone about the Redguard mage and stuff. I haven’t seen any Redguards around in the city, so I’ll be the only one who fits the description. Azura’s big nose, why do these pointy-eared idiots insist on making it so hard for me to keep my cover?” I complained to myself.
I shrugged. I’d better focus on what I was going to do now. By now, the Chimer had taken his last breath. Guess patching him up was out of the question now whether I wanted to do it or not. Now what? I sighed and decided to focus on one thing at a time. I’d go through the standard routine of dealing with unplanned corpses. First step, loot the damn moron’s pockets. I didn’t find much. Some more of those Mountains, a toothpick and a brass key. I added the Mountains to my own and dumped the toothpick back where I’d found it. I then held up the brass key and examined the engraving on the shaft.
,,Almalexia’s plaza, southeast-23. Wonderful, they’re actually stupid enough to put the address on their keys? That’s just asking for thieves. Heh, thieves. Now that gives me an idea.” I snickered.
About an hour later and just before dawn, I unceremoniously dumped the dead lumberjack on the floor in his living room. This would have gone quicker if I’d just been allowed to walk in broad view with a dead Chimer. But that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe if I’d been perfectly disguised as a Chimer officer but as a Redguard? No, definitely no.
I looked about. The place was Spartan, which was no surprise given how the place’s late owner had to work part-time as a bouncer at a worthless inn. There was a table with a single stool, one cupboard, one improvised fireplace, a chest, a few racks with the tools of his trade and a bed. Oh, and there was a half-rotten rug made from a bear. Probably his prized hunting-trophy. I tried to open the chest and found that it had not been locked. Given the state of the lock, this wasn’t much of a surprise.
,,Now let’s see. What do we have here?” I whispered to myself and bent down.
,,Ooh, Moonsugar. So our friend was a drugaddict. Funny, this stuff gets blamed on the Khajiit later. Uhuh, booze, more booze. Wow, I must have done him a favour when I finished him off. No way his intestines were going to hold on much longer with that destructive life-style.” I opened a bottle and tried a sip.
,,Blegh, horrible stuff, better put it back before I get alcohol-poisoning. Ah, now that’s more like it. A map.”
I held up the parchment and unfolded it. It was a map, and a good one at that. Ok, so it was cheap and obviously mass-produced which resulted in vague and scribbly lines, but it did have all of Morrowind, or Resdayn as it was called here. There were some black crosses near Mournhold, made with Charcoal. I had no idea what they meant, but considering his job as a lumberjack, it had likely to do with where to find good wood or where he’d chopped everything down already.
And there was the Pryai. This would help me. I scratched my chin and thought hard. The map was good, but there was something missing. I smirked and dove back into the chest where I dug around till I’d found the piece of Charcoal he used to mark his map. I put down some more crosses, randomly yet mostly close to Mournhold. But some I placed along the river. After a minute or so, I was done. I held up the map again and admired my work. This would do, definitely. I looked at the corpse and at the room. People would start asking questions if they found him here with a single stabwound. Maybe I should add signs of a struggle. Or…
I drew my Ebony sword and stabbed him again, at exactly the same spot. I was in luck, the blood in his veins was still a liquid. I forced a few extra beats out of his heart with Telekinesis and watched the red liquid spill from the wound. This looked better. Death by sword instead of death by dagger. I rolled up the map and tucked it behind my belt. That was that. Now it was time for business.
This time around, the guards at the castle just scowled at me, sneered, crossed their halberds for a moment and then allowed me to pass without a word. Same thing in the halls. One day, and I had already become a regular. It probably had something to do with the fact that the lord didn’t ask for my head on a spear last time around. The guys with the basket where there again as well and I dropped my sword in it with little hesitation. I would get it back later and what I was going to do wouldn’t involve any form of violence, I hoped.
,,Oy, you might want to clean it while you’re at it. It got a bit wet.” I snickered and entered the throne room itself where I just marched right to the other side.
This time, there was no staring contest between us. Instead, the lord merely gazed in my general direction.
,,And what brings you here? I believe I gave you a mission. It would be most surprising if you had achieved it, even moreso if you would have achieved it this soon. Not even my best spies could do that, and they are Chimer, not man.” I rolled my eyes openly. Again with the racism. Did the guy ever bother to think that having your spy be a member of the race your enemy is actually at war with, does not make the job easier? The guards at the door came running in.
,,Halt! You are under arrest on the charge of murder!” One of them shouted. I smirked and jabbed a thumb in their direction.
,,Well, I merely came here to say…I caught a spy.”
The lord held up his hand and I could hear the guards behind me skid to a halt.
,,A spy? Hmmph, I find that hard to believe. There are no spies in this city, except those who are on my payroll.” He claimed. I looked over my shoulder to see what the guards had been doing. The one on the left was holding up my sword, out of its sheath. The dried blood still glistened a bit on the Ebony. Good.
I shrugged as I turned back to the lord.
,,Well, I’m sorry but I guess that means he never thought of telling you he worked for the enemy.” I said dryly. I dropped a hand into my pocket which made everyone in the room tense up. I brought up the brass key and flicked it onto the lord’s lap after which everyone relaxed slightly. Hah, as if an assassin would ever openly walk up to a noble. The only time that would happen was if the assassin was so good, no number of guards could possibly pose a threat. Which was pretty much the current situation, only I was not an assassin.
,,Almalexia’s plaza, southeast-23. Feel free to send a few Ordies over there.” One of the guards behind me just had to whisper: ,,Ordies? Must be some kind of Redguard title”
,,Silence!” The lord shouted. He then carefully picked up the key between two fingers and dropped it in the hands of his advisor who in turn gave it to a servant who in turn gave it to another servant who in turn scooted out of the room.
,,I know Almalexia’s plaza. It is a place inhabited by the common folk, yet all are Chimer. There could never have been a spy there.” He said venomously. Again I shrugged.
,,Perhaps I used the wrong term. I didn’t quite mean spy, cause the guy was obviously an amateur. Nah, traitor is a better word.”
,,CHIMER ARE NEVER TRAITORS! NEVER, IMPOSSIBLE!” The lord howled. I was actually surprised by this outburst.
,,Wow, this religion of ‘all serving under the great living gods, forget ambition, follow the three bozo’s who are addicted to a slimy heart’ really must have brainwashed them. Does he really think none of his people ever try to make career? Or does he believe that such things are limited to the nobles?” I thought.
,,Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re serious about this. Everyone turns traitor at some point. It’s just that some forms of betrayal are worse than forgetting to do groceries for mom as promised. Can you claim with a pure heart and on the honour of ALMSIVI, that you have never betrayed someone?” I asked. The lord fell dreadfully silent.
,,What did you say?” He asked after a long pause. I almost slapped myself.
,,By the honour of ALMNEVI, can you swear you never betrayed anyone, dude?” I answered. Whoa, that had been close. I’d actually used ALMSIVI instead of its current form.
The advisor chose to interrupt the conversation.
,,You will call our lord ‘Your Grace’, or ‘Your Highness’, or ‘Your Lordship’, or simply ‘Duke’. You will not however, refer to him as ‘Dude’. Also, your manners are sorely lacking. I advise you to improve on these points lest his Lordship shall strip you of the honour of serving him.” He warned. I dismissed the advice with a casual wave of my hand.
,,Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks for the tip, but no thanks. I’m going to call the pointy-eared fellow whatever I like. Because it is me who decides when to end this relationship between us. If he fires me because he feels insulted…” I shrugged. ,,then he fires me. I’ll simply go find someone else who is willing for quality without letting his need to have his ego satisfied get in the way. That’s the way things are. I’m in charge, not the other way around.”
When the Duke spoke again, his voice was icy-cold, but all business.
,,I will consider your claims, if you present me with some proof.” He declared. I cleared my throat. The intimidation had been easy, but now would come the tough part. Now I actually had to convince everyone of a clean lie.
,,First of all, the story begins at the tavern I’d been sent to. The suspect, together with some accomplices, attempted to assassinate me, both under the guise of a bar brawl and as a regular assassination later that night. I suggest you find a new rendez-vous point for your associates. Anyway, I disarmed them and sent them away, blaming their actions on simple racism. That, however, ended when I found this. It was in the pocket of a vest one of my assailants was forced to give up when I pinned it to the wall. It is also where I got the key from as well.” Again I dug my hands into my pockets, but this time I didn’t fish out a key. No, I fished out a coin which I threw at the lord.
,,Please take note the fact that this coin is not a member of the local currency. Observe the engraving on the coin’s sides, or rather, the missing engraving. It has been filed away, most likely to avoid easy identification.” I began and watched with hidden amusement as the Duke followed my directions without realizing he’d actually pushed himself into the role of inferior already. Telvanni attitude, no matter what the time-period, it gets the job done of making you look like the big man in town.
,,Most interesting is the creature engraved on one side. That is a Dragon, which you surely recognize as the symbol of the Empire.” I continued and waited while the Advisor took the coin and examined it himself. It was a regular third era Septim, with some annoying details filed away, such as the date it was made and the name of Uriel Septim.
,,I see. This is interesting, but it does not prove that the suspect was, indeed, a traitor. Perhaps it was a trophy claimed from a vanquished foe on the battlefield.” The Duke said slowly. I nodded. I’d been expecting this response.
,,That is what I assumed myself at first, so I went to investigate. The address on the key made it easy. Anyway, I came into his house and tried to interrogate him. Instead though, he attacked me and I was forced to run him through. Anyway, I gave his house a quick search and found a chest filled with moonsugar and alcohol, with signs that he used these goods regularly. That, combined with how clumsy he acted throughout all three of our encounters, I feel it safe to conclude that he was simply in no condition to fight anywhere, least of all on the battlefield. He would not even pass the medical examination. Being a lumberjack stretched his abilities to the limit, I’d say. He also lacked the money to buy it off of a veteran. If what I’ve seen is any indication, trophies like these are prized possessions of those who have acquired them.” I replied.
I now took out the map, my final ace.
,,Among the drugs and alcoholic beverages, I found this.” I unfolded the map and pointed out the crosses on it.
,,At first glance, it appears to be a simple map with markings to indicate places where good lumber can be found or where the wood has already been claimed, either of these two. But look at these here.” I tapped a finger at the group of crosses I’d put next to the Pryai.
,,All nice and stuff, but why would a lumberjack travel this far to chop down a tree? This place is a good day’s march away. Maybe he’s been there once or twice, but not with the intention of taking down a tree and bringing wood back home with him the next day. For work it is completely inefficient. Using three days to bring back one load of wood, one day for travelling, one for chopping and another one for travelling, is simply stupid compared to how easy it is to get three loads of wood in the same timespan by sticking to the other marked locations close to Mournhold.” I folded up the map and handed it over as well.
,,So in short, our suspect carried a coin he should not be able to possess, he attacked someone who made use of your ‘rendezvous point’, he holds a map that has some markings he should not have placed. And so, I believe he is not working for the best interests of the Chimer people. The marks near this river…the Pryai, may instead indicate a rendezvous with Imperial agents. It is just short of Resdayn’s borders. That, or it may indicate a path of approach for the Imperial army. Following the Pryai, Imperial troops could circumvent all fortifications and march right up to Mournhold. Only the local landmarks, such as the swamp, will impede their progress. Give them a squad of Battlemages though, and they’ll walk over the mud as if it’s a tiled street.” I finished. I’d played my bluff, now I would just have to see if they fell for it.
The Duke and his advisor whispered to each other for quite a while. In the end though, they seemed to reach an agreement.
,,Some of my other operatives will look into the information you have disclosed. Know however, that I do not pay for insults. If you desire to swim in riches, you will learn to treat me with the utmost respect. Fail, and you will learn that your trade has suddenly become less hospitable. In the meantime, I have another task for you. Perhaps this time you will take into account the proper etiquette and actually earn your pay.”
I fought the desire to roll my eyes. So he was going to hold back on his pay. I mentally shrugged. Pay had not been my goal when I begun this. It was unimportant. I could hunt, I could sew, I could take care of myself in the Morrowind wilderness just fine, money or no money. So I simply folded my arms and waited for the noble to continue.
,,There is an agent of mine, who you will assist in any and all endeavours till the time the agent frees you from this service at which point you will return here for further instructions.” My expectations sank considerably. What he’d just told me was that this assignment could potentially go on for years and he would try every chance he got to weasel himself out of my pay. Again, payment wasn’t my goal, but I wasn’t interested in these long missions either. If I were to claim the reputation as a spy worthy enough to work for a goddess, I needed short ones, risky ones if possible.
,,The agent awaits you in the main hall, wearing green. That is all, now go.” I snatched my sword and scabbard out of the guard’s hands before leaving.
There was only one person in green at the main hall, but not quite the type I’d been expecting. For one, she was female. Secondly, she was very very young, even for a Dunmer, err Chimer. And finally, she had none of the shifty eyes that revealed every single spy I knew. Even Caius had them, though he made a good effort of suppressing the motions. I leaned against a pillar and watched her from the corner of my eyes while keeping my pupils straight ahead, pointing at some big tapestry of something. Clenched fists, hanging her shoulders, head kept low. Not the happy type, if you asked me. The lack of age kept nagging me. Either she was very good, or she was a rookie, like me. The rookie theory deserved some more thought, but I soon dismissed it. Rookie meant unreliable, and the Duke would never put two unreliables in one team. If he wanted to get rid of me, he would team me up with someone better at slipping daggers between ribs. That was the only way he could get rid of me. Kill me…or embarrass me in such a way everyone will try to kill me.
She had her back to me and wasn’t looking at anything approaching a reflective surface, so I ditched all precautions and just looked at her directly. I suppose she was attractive, by the standards of her kind. Maybe her trick to get the job done was seduction? Oh boy, I was beginning to see the whole thing now bright and clear. But she wasn’t a spy, I could see that much. And even if she had been, she wasn’t my type. That, and I had better things to do than get close to the ladies. I squared my shoulders and crossed the hall.
,,Ok, you’re not much of a spy, missy.” I said once I got close. She didn’t react in any way I would have been able to predict. She just hung her shoulders even more and kept her back to me.
,,Go away with your weak jokes and leave me to my sorrow.” She sniffed. I rolled my eyes and sighed quite loud.
,,Oh, the drama. It’s a cold world and all that. Now just listen to me for one second. The big honcho here told me I was to go to this room and talk to the one wearing green, an ‘agent’ of his. The way he said it, it felt pretty damn as if I was to become that person’s trusty assistant, sidekick, lackey, pack-Guar and so on. Now you’re the only one wearing green here and you’re definitely not a spy, unless your secret ace up the sleeves are your charms.” I said sharply. This time, she did wheel around to face me.
,,Charms?! What do you know about…” She fell silent and I rolled my eyes again. Stranger in a strange country, people staring, mouths falling open. It was getting old by now.
I noticed that her eyes had the traditional Dunmeri red, but not because it was her natural colour. Rather, she’d been crying, and quite a lot. I forced a grin, though not a reassuring one. Comforting grieving girls was not what I’d be hired for.
,,Enough to know that I don’t have any and am not interested in getting any. I’m a Redguard and yes, my skin is a bit darker than what you’re used to and my ears are a bit less likely to stab someone’s eyes out. Now pick your jaw up off the floor and tell me what’s going on here.” I snapped and did my best to look intimidating. I only had to put my hand on the hilt of my sword, and she was ready to faint. Of course, all the guards in the room got their eyes on me so I moved my hand away just as fast.
The girl looked at me for an uncomfortably long time before she finally said something.
,,So he hired a barbarian to make sure I stayed out of his sight?” She said and then turned for the big door leading outside.
,,Fine, follow me around, hack my head off when I’m not watching. I don’t care.” She added and began to walk. I rolled my eyes again. Great, a suicidal ‘the world sucks and my heart’s broken’ type. What did I get myself into?
,,Now just wait a minute. I am not here to hack of your head or anyone else’s, for that matter. So don’t even start about it. What made you all so messed up anyway?” I said just before we got outside. I’d rather not have any misconceptions about me and swords, not while in a crowded city full of little Dunmer wannabes who wouldn’t mind seeing my head on the end of a very long, very sharp spear. Oh, and some Cliffracers, the scene just wouldn’t be complete without them.
,,What made me so messed up? Why, for months we were….IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSSINESS!” I actually burst out laughing right there, even though she was anything but joking.
,,Oh, I get it. You’re the Duke’s little secret plaything. Figures. Like a kid, nobles tend to get bored and like a kid, they trade in their old toys for something new.” I chuckled but it wasn’t long before I got serious.
,,And with that, the Scamp jumps out of the box. He wants to get rid of you, and he sends me along to look after you cause he doesn’t like a smartass either. Lovely, just lovely. There goes the whole master-plan, right down the drain into Vivec’s most elaborate and stinking sewer canals…So, what are you going to do now, girl? Plan anything?”
She didn’t answer, so I let myself fall behind a bit and busied myself with looking at everything and everyone we came across. More than once did I see a hidden dagger being grasped and released again as soon as I locked eyes with its owner.
,,What a peaceful city. Everyone here seems to want to slit my throat just because I’m so foreign. Morons.” I muttered to myself. The place was beginning to get on my nerves. Just after I’d taken upon myself the oath not to kill unless there was absolutely no other way, this happens. I get stuck in a place where I’ve got to intimidate every living soul one after another just to make sure I don’t get a dagger planted in my back. Granted, the chance that one of those rusty things could penetrate my cuirass was negligible, but that did little to ease my mind.
,,I think I’m going to my parents, tell them everything.” I my gaze shot from a carpenter with a nasty gleam in his eyes back to the girl I’d been following.
,,Your parents? What for?” I asked. Apparently, she’d decided it was my business after all. I flipped the scenario over in my mind, but I saw absolutely no reason why she would do that. What were her parents going to do? Take revenge for her? How where they thinking of doing that? Unless one of them was the high priest of the Tribunal, they just wouldn’t ever match the power of the Duke. Or what about hiring the Morag Tong? Did that gang of religious loonies already exist, for that matter?
,,You’re bound to get a spanking.” I warned. It was the only result I could see to her actions. The only thing her parents could do, really.
,,If a spanking was all I got, I would be the fourth living god.” The girl replied.
,,You’re awfully talkative, all of a sudden, girl.” I commented. I didn’t know what else to say. She was probably just trying to vent her heart and I was the perfect subject. Total stranger, not likely to tell anyone else and if I did, everyone would think I was a lying foreigner.
,,Know what, I’m going to have to follow you around anyway, since that’s what the big honcho told me. I like it as much as you do, but those are the facts. So how about we broke the ice a bit, tell each other our names? I’m Luper Alkad, born on the other side of the continent. I’m a…well, I would love to call it adventurer, gives a whole nice ring to it…but I’d be lying. It would be more accurate if I said that I’m a troublesolver for a certain goddess you should stay clear off.” I nearly got another laughing-fit from that. A troublesolver. Puppet, more likely.
,,Turala….of House Redoran. What I do isn’t important. I’m not robbing people on the roads of their hard-earned goods, like you.” I cringed. Redoran. It had to be Redoran.
,,Well, I can see why you’re about to get a lot more than a spanking. Redorans and their honour. And just for the record, I am not a robber. Why, I saved an old Chimer couple from a trio of robbers just the other day.” I said.
,,Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you just try to cover up things? Not tell them? The Duke sure as heck won’t. It would be an outrage. The Duke shows he’s just a petty noble like any other, inconceivable. There would be a riot! Oh, and you would probably end up killed by the pro-Dukes. So, don’t let out what happened.” I then advised.
,,You said it yourself, Redorans and their honour. Even if he wants to hide the matter, I can’t.” Turala answered. She clutched her stomach.
,,And covering it up would only be a delay.” I frowned.
,,And what is that supposed to mean….nevermind.” I cut myself off for two reasons. One, she had just given me the kind of glare you only give someone who is too stupid to live. Two, we were obviously getting close to wherever her folks lived. This place was Redoran territory to the extreme. Every guy here was walking not with a dagger, but with a full-blown longsword. If it wasn’t for the lack of variety, I would think I was back in Hammerfell and every Redguard had turned into Chimer. But there weren’t any more exotic swords, nor the uniques made by the local master, so no. Redoran were high on honour, and pretty high on swords, but not as much as Redguards.
On to the next chapter