The Story of Trey, chapter 4

My mind swirling with thoughts of the "Emperor's plans for me" versus an anonymous death on a lonely road somewhere, I settled in to mix and measure and distill potions. As always, the concentration required to perform alchemy calmed me. I also took a quiet pride in the fact that my homemade concoctions were getting better- more effective and longer-lasting. I had become a thief through necessity; I was an alchemist by vocation. Relaxed by my labors, I went to sleep, only to be awakened by the crash of someone tripping over my equipment. Shaking off sleep, I thought,

"If one of those clumsy mages has damaged my alchemy apparatus wandering around in the dark..."

By then, I was awake enough to see that it was not a mage, but an assassin, whose dagger had a sticky yellowish substance coating the blade. Poison! With a shout, I rolled from the bed, pulling my sword from beneath the pillow. As I had feared, the Dark Brotherhood had sent a more competent killer for this second attempt. In addition, his poisoned blade needed only to make a small wound to cause damage. Although my sword was heavier and could do more physical damage with a successful blow, he was striking me two times for every one I managed. The assassin was quick as a striking serpent, darting inside my guard to stab or slice and then dancing away before I could counter. The poison was a fire in my veins, racing toward my heart, slowing my movements. I had left some of the healing potions I had made on the table; I managed to dodge behind it and down a couple in the moment that bought me. The blessed coolness of magical healing came over me, quenching the poison and closing the bleeding wounds. That made all the difference, for my opponent had no way of repairing the damage he had taken. The blood loss had finally weakened him, and I was able to strike more effectively. Sensing that he was about to launch a suicidal attack that would end both our lives, I distracted him by throwing an empty bottle at his face with my left hand. Even the best-trained fighter will try to duck, and he did, only to meet my blade. With that, it was done and I had time to consider.

First, I needed to think about who had sent the Dark Brotherhood after me. They were from "back home" on the main continent, which pointed to an Imperial client, rather than someone from Morrowind. Besides, it was my understanding that the Dunmer Great Houses would use the Morag Tong for this sort of thing. The fact that I had started working for Caius seemed to eliminate the Emperor as a suspect; I had initially thought the first attack was the unspoken "or else" in, "work for the Blades...." The Camonna Tong wouldn't use an "outlander" organization to do their killing- in fact, they would probably do it themselves. No one else whose toes I had trod on had the kind of money or influence to use the Dark Brotherhood. It was a mystery, and one I would have to solve eventually. But one thing was immediately clear- I was going to have to find somewhere more remote to sleep. The mages had not helped me or even come to see what the commotion was about. Maybe the assassin had cast a Silence spell just before he attacked. Regardless, both attempts had taken place in the Mages Guild, so I wouldn't be sleeping there anymore. The other thing I could do was convert the late assassin's gear into cash. My Caldera buyer wouldn't ask any questions, even if he was curious about where the armor came from. Better still, he paid full price. Between that and the 1000 drakes from Sugar-Lips, I could probably afford better alchemy apparatus. I still wouldn't be able to get Grandmaster quality, assuming I could even find it, but even Master level would improve my work significantly. If I starting making a few items for sale, I could even make back the money.

After taking care of those chores, I should probably talk to Caius or Sugar-Lips about a job or two that would get me out of Balmora. In fact, it might be a good idea to follow Ajira's advice and look up Edwinna Elbert at the Ald-ruhn Mages Guild. I could also consider finishing the pilgrimages for the Temple. Even though I wasn't going to run anymore, I wasn't going to paint a target on my back and just sit still. As sleep was no longer an option, I put my plan into effect immediately. With the dead assassin's gear in my pack, I had the guild guide transport me to Caldera. As I passed through the Caldera Mages Guild, Folms Mirel reminded me that there were still a number of propylon indices to find. In fact, he noted that he had just received word that apilgrim had left the Falasmaryon index as an offering at the Temple shrine in Maar Gan. He added, "That shouldn't present a problem for an enterprising adventurer like yourself." I might have resented the implication that I was a thief, except for the fact that it was true.

Finally, I settled on updating my alchemy equipment and working on a better Chameleon spell with Estirdalin- preferably one that might last 30 seconds. Next, I went to see Sugar-Lips, who had some disturbing news. She mentioned that the Camonna Tong had been making threats recently, which was nothing new. What was new was that some of the threats were about "that Breton n'wah who had the nerve to steal from Camonna Tong territory in Hla Oad." Apparently I hadn't gotten away from Fatleg's as cleanly as I thought. And even though Phane Rielle had gotten the official bounty removed, Camonna didn't care about "official." It looked like it was time to settle this issue permanently. I already had the Dark Brotherhood dogging me, someone or something sending me weird dreams, not to mention the Dunmer "Sleepers" who kept telling me to bow down to Dagoth Ur. And if I happened to do a favor for Captain Larrius Varro at the same time as I got Camonna Tong off my back, that was a price I was willing to pay. After all, I admired the Captain's show of intelligence and good taste in asking me to handle the problem for him. Before I dove in headfirst, it would be wise to think this thing through. There were at least five Camonna Tong in the Council Club. Regardless of my new skills and toughness, that was a lot to handle by myself. Then, too, there was the issue of the bounty. I really didn't want to have to pay blood price for all that Camonna scum, so I couldn't just walk up and start flailing around with my sword. If I played it carefully, I could cut a few of them out of the crowd one at a time and push them into attacking me first. It may be hard to imagine, but some people found me annoying. All I had to do was play on the Camonna's hatred of foreigners and what some perceived as my natural obnoxiousness. After that it would be, "I don't know why it happened, Officer. I was minding my own business, having a drink, and the guy attacked me. I had to defend myself."

With that in mind, I went to the Eight Plates and bought a bottle of shein. As I made my way to the Council Club, I uncorked the bottle and swished some of the liquor around in my mouth, then spit it out. Next, I splashed a liberal amount on my clothing and dumped about half of the rest onto the ground. With that, I staggered into the Council Club, singing at the top of my lungs. Just inside the door stood Thanelen Velas, the Camonna smith. And he was alone. Cutting off my song, I threw a friendly arm around the startled Dunmer and slurred,

"It's my birthday, pal. Have a drink."

As I breathed, "Here" into his face, I waved the jug wildly, "accidently" splashing him with some of the foul stuff. Already annoyed by my mere presence, Velas called me a series of rude names and wrenched out from under my arm.

"Aw, here now, Elfie," I protested, "that shein makes a nice cover for your usual smell."

With that, I ostentatiously held my nose. "You'd think some of your Camonna friends would tell you," I added helpfully.

That pushed the smith beyond rational thought. With an inarticulate scream, he pulled a Dwemer war axe and swung wildly. It took all my control to stand still and let him draw first blood, but I wanted as good a case for self-defense as I could get. After he hacked my raised left arm, I pulled my sword and soon found myself in a fight for my life. Partly, it was that Velas was tough. Then there was that axe, which did serious damage on every hit. He even managed to knock me down a couple of times. As I looked up from that perspective, I noticed something- he was a Dunmer with red hair, worn in a row, using a Dwemer war axe. Where had I heard that description before? Again, my healing potions literally saved my life; Velas had me in trouble several times before I could finish him. That fight showed me that I was going to need a better sword if I was to survive. Tarhiel's Sparksword was fine for rats and hounds, but it just didn't pack enough punch against a good opponent. After relieving him of the axe and a few gold, I got out of there. It was the first time I had deliberately set out to kill someone, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

As much to soothe my conscience as anything else, I decided to talk with Ralen Hlaalo's maid to confirm my suspicion that Velas was the murderer she had seen. She immediately recognized the axe and my description and told me I should see Nileno Dorvayn at the Hlaalu Council Hall. I had never been in the Council Hall before, even though Balmora was Hlaalu territory. It hadn't seemed like a good idea to draw the attention of a Great House. When I explained my presence to Nileno, she was impressed. She said, "Even though you are not a member of any House, you brought the murderer to justice." She gave me 1000 drakes as a reward and promised to make sure House Hlaalu knew of my deed. She even offered to put in a good word for me if I wanted to join the House. The reward was nice, but I somehow felt as though it were tainted. No matter how I tried to convince myself that the Camonna Tong was a threat, that it was them or me, I didn't like the way I had goaded Velas into the fight. Always before, I had been attacked directly; this time, I started it. Worst of all, I knew it wasn't over. There were four more Camonna Tong members left. Even if I managed to defeat them all, I didn't think I would feel like a winner. And I wasn't sure there was enough water in all Tamriel to make me feel clean again.

After the business with Thanelen Velas, the Camonna Tong smith, I felt a need for the sort of cleansing that soap and water cannot provide. As I looked over my library, seeking answers that would most likely have to come from within, my eye fell upon The Pilgrims Path. I had never completed the pilgrimage of the Seven Graces; other "opportunities" had distracted me. Although I still had my doubts about religion, I could use any help that was offered. Besides, the pilgrimage would get me out of Balmora for a time, and the uproar (if any) over Velas' death could die down. The fact that Velas had been revealed as the murderer of Ralen Hlaalo might help keep Camonna from making any direct attacks on me. On the other hand, I was now known as the person who had brought Hlaalo's killer "to justice." I was becoming a lot more conspicuous than I would have liked. A pilgrimage was just the thing to get me out of sight and let other events take people's attention away from "Trey, Instrument of Justice." Although I had a highly-developed- if warped- sense of honor, that particular title tasted like vinegar on my tongue.

As I sorted through my gear deciding what to take and what to leave behind (I really didn't want to repeat the tomb business), I realized that I had accumulated a number of charged soul-gems. At the time, I had merely soul-trapped the creatures with a vague idea that the charged gems could be another method of generating income. Now, the fights with the assassin and Velas prominent in my memory, I decided to try a little enchanting. The concept of enchanting is simple- success is not. The idea is that the mage will take a charged soul-gem and an item that can be enchanted and combine them along with a known spell to create an enchanted item. My plan was to take the silver sword from the Puzzle Canal and imbue it with fire damage. Although I only had weak souls, mostly cliff-racers, I could still perhaps double the effective damage of the sword. The other method would have been to give Galbedir the gem, the sword, the spell, and a pile of gold to do the enchantment for me. I didn't like the idea of paying someone to do something I could manage for myself; besides, a lack of money had gotten me into all this in the first place. Anyway, I decided that using the low-value soul-gems would be good practice. And practice was what it turned out to be; I used up five soul-gems before I got a cast-when-strikes fire damage enchantment onto the sword. Maybe I forgot to mention that an attempt at enchanting, even if it fails, uses up the soul-gem. That's why most people pay the steep price for guaranteed success by using an enchanter. Still, even though I wouldn't necessarily want to take my newly-enchanted blade up against a Dremora, I was pleased that I had managed it myself. That feeling of pride dictated my choice of pilgrimage- I would go to the Fields of Kummu and accomplish the Grace of Humility. That sort of perverse logic always made sense to me.

Perhaps more to the point was the fact that the shrine was on the shores of Lake Amaya, an area well-known for a plentiful supply of plants with alchemical properties. I was always a strong believer in making an excursion pay for itself if possible. Meanwhile, Tarhiel's sparksword went into the cabinet with my iron saber and books. Leaving Balmora, I turned south, planning to learn something of humility or at least to gather some ingredients. I am not sure the trip itself taught me anything, but it certainly decreased the rat population of the Ascadian Isles region of Vvardenfell considerably. I wasn't sure if "Trey, Rat-Catcher" was a better title than the other. I was able to locate the shrine without difficulty and donated the suggested portion of muck. In return, I received a blessing of Feather, which would have come in handy earlier when I was hauling half the Imperial Library around with me. With that much of my goal accomplished, I decided to explore the area around Lake Amaya.

During my exploration, I came across a Bosmer pilgrim named Thoronor who had become separated from his companion, Edras Oril. It seemed that Edras, who was somewhat of an amateur naturalist, had gone off to investigate some strange animal sounds. While I have been known to get overly focused on learning new things, I generally view "strange animals sounds" as a signal to build up the fire and sharpen my blade, NOT a cue to wander off into the night. Nevertheless, as we seemed to share a love of knowledge, I agreed to search for the missing dark elf. As I worked my way along the path in the direction indicated by Thoronor, I became aware of a series of grunts and other noises. Moving more cautiously, I came upon a book lying on the ground; the penmanship and the surrounding tracks indicated that whoever had lost the volume had been startled by several large animals. Closer examination proved that this was the journal of Edras, complete with observations on the mating habits of wild kagouti. I could have told the would-be scientist that the best way to observe kagouti was with a telescope or from a tall tree. All too soon, I had my own chance to observe the truth of the passage in Edras' journal that indicated that "Mating kagouti [are] increasingly territorial." I made short work of the three or so that attacked me and soon found Edras hiding among some trees. When I assured him that the kagouti were no longer a threat, he was happy to walk back to Thoronor with me. He expressed no interest in his journal, so I wondered if he had decided on a different career. As a reward for my assistance, the two pilgrims gave me an Amulet of Slowfalling, a valuable item for one in my line of work.

As darkness was falling, I sought out a campsite that would be difficult to approach unnoticed. I finally settled in a dry wash, filled with small stones that would roll underfoot. Having cleared the rocks from a space just sufficient for my body, I prepared to spend a fireless night in the wilderness. A campfire is a wonderful source of warmth and comfort, and it is also useful for keeping wild beasts at bay. Unfortunately, some wild beasts go about on two feet and carry swords. For that variety, a campfire is a beacon that says, "Come, kill me and take my gear." So, hunted man that I was, a fire was out of the question. Ultimately, I could have slept in greater comfort for all the difference my cold camp made. In fact, I might just as well have been in bed at the Mages Guild, for the third Dark Brotherhood assassin to attack me tripped over some stones at the edge of my hiding place, awakening me in a surge of adrenalin. My enchanted sword proved its effectiveness and I had collected another complete set of Dark Brotherhood armor. Although it was a way to make money, I couldn't really recommend it on a risk versus reward basis. One of these days, they were going to send two or three or a dozen at once, and it would be my head that got collected. This also told me that it wasn't the Mages Guild or even Balmora that was the problem. Anywhere I laid my head, they would find me. Among the more fantastic (or so they had seemed) stories about the Dark Brotherhood was one that claimed they could locate a target anywhere in Tamriel through the use of some dark ritual. Apparently it was more than just a story. With that in mind, I used Recall to go back to the Balmora Mages Guild. Caius hadn't been interested when I tried to tell him about the attacks before. This time, he would either come up with some advice or else tell the Emperor that they needed to find a new errand boy.

Determined to get some help with the ongoing attacks by the Dark Brotherhood, I went to Caius' house and entered without bothering to knock. Before he had a chance to say anything, I pulled a Dark Brotherhood helm out of my pack and shook it at him.

"This is serious," I snarled, "and you are going to treat it as serious or else tell the Emperor to let me go my own way. I'm either a member of the Blades or I'm not- you decide. But if I am, you owe me some help."

To his credit, Caius actually took some time to think the problem through. Finally he said,

"You probably won't like the answer, but it's the best I can do. You should probably go to Fort Moonmoth and talk to one of the guards. They work a different side of the street than the Blades. If they can't or won't help you, let me know. We have too much invested in you to let some assassins kill you."

I wondered about that last statement, but the spymaster wouldn't say anything more. He did ask me if I felt like doing something useful while I wasn't dodging assassins. He added that the job would get me out of Balmora. As he had actually made an effort to be helpful, I felt obliged to perform more duties for the Blades. Besides, I hated being indebted to anyone.

The job was more information-gathering regarding the Nerevarine Prophecies and the Sixth House. This time, there were three people to talk to, all in Vivec City. The first was a Khajiit thief named Addhiranirr, who could usually be found somewhere in St Olms canton. Next was Huleeya, an Argonian assassin who frequented the Black Shalk Corner Club in the Foreign Quarter. The final informant was a Tribunal Temple priestess named Mehra Milo, who worked in the library inside the Hall of Wisdom. Caius stressed that I needed to be really careful about talking to Mehra- the Temple didn't like to admit that those other cults even existed. In spite of the warning, he gave me written instructions on how to find the three subjects. I stifled the impulse to ask him what I was supposed to do with the written directions if an Ordinator started to question me; I had a feeling Caius' patience with me was a little thin and he would tell me exactly what I could do with the instructions. So instead, I mentioned that I had been having some odd dreams. That actually set him off more than my threatening to quit.

"Look," he said, "the Temple figures that if you are having strange dreams, you're crazy. So they lock you up. And if you BELIEVE the dreams, they figure you're a prophet, so they lock you up. DO NOT tell anyone you are having dreams. Keep it to yourself."

With that cheerful advice and 200 gold "for expenses," I took my leave and went to see if Sugar-Lips might have a paying job that would take me out of town, as well. My luck was better than usual- not only did she have a job, she had a job in Pelegiad, which was on the way to Vivec. Of course, my luck hadn't completely changed- what she needed was a jail-break. Before I could protest too much, she explained that there was a slick way to do it that would allow me to accomplish the mission without risking a bounty. It seemed that a Thieves Guild member named New-Shoes Bragor had gotten picked up in Pelegiad. One of his jailers, an Orc named Shadbak gra-Burbug, was known to take bribes from a local trader for ignoring the smuggling of Dwemer artifacts. All I needed to do was get an artifact from the trader and threaten to expose Shadbak. His other choice would be to drop the charges against New-Shoes and let him go. That sort of jail-break I could handle. Feeling that things were finally working out, I made my way up to Fort Moonmoth. It felt strange to actually seek out an Imperial Legion guard, but I had to do something about the attacks. The guard captain listened to my description of the assassins and cleverly deduced that they were Dark Brotherhood, which I knew already. He did have some useful advice though- the person to talk to was Apelles Matius, who had just arrived in Ebonheart to begin an inspection tour. That was more good news- Ebonheart was close to Vivec. When everything seems to be working out perfectly, get very nervous. Either you have overlooked something or else something bad is about to happen.

As I worked my way down the trail to Pelegiad, I decided to follow the shore of Lake Amaya, where I could find some marshmerrow for healing potions. The side trip also allowed me to practice my marksmanship on mudcrabs and do a little pearl-diving in the shallow water. As I reached a point just a little northeast of Pelegiad, I spotted a strange cave entrance facing the lake. The runes indicated it was called "Panat" in the Dunmer language. I decided to do a little exploring- after all, most of the better stuff was inside caves, not lying around on the ground outside.

"Besides," I thought, "it isn't a tomb. How bad can it be?"

It can be as bad as a cute little wood elf swinging a big ugly axe, who attacks while your eyes are still adjusting to the dim light in the cave entrance. She never even gave me a chance to say, "Sorry, wrong cave," and just back out. She rushed me and tried her best to take my head off, nearly succeeding before I got my sword out. The new flaming longsword and some healing potions allowed me to prevail. I did learn one of the limitations of enchanting with lower-value soul-gems- the enchantments don't last very long. Still, I had won the fight and decided to see what was in the cave that made it worth trying to murder me. I probably should have just turned around and gone on to Pelegiad, but the unprovoked attack had sent me into a fury. After all the time I had spent agonizing over the way I had killed the Camonna Tong smith, it was just too much to be nearly hacked to death because I happened to poke my nose in the wrong door. I pulled out my bow and proceeded to blend in with the shadows as well as I could. Across a suspension bridge, I spotted a couple of nix-hounds, which fell quickly to my arrows. It was hard to believe that one of these beasts had nearly killed me a few short weeks ago. Across the bridge and deeper inside the cave, I found a gate which appeared to be trapped. This time, I had the right tool for the job and was able to use a probe to disable the trap. That was much better than tripping it and taking the damage, as well as probably setting off an alarm. With the trap out of the way, I eased the gate open and slipped deeper into the cave. My stealth was getting better, because I managed to come up behind a Nord smuggler without being seen. Still unwilling to strike another human being without warning, I cleared my throat, preparatory to asking him to surrender. Instead, he tried to match his fists against my blade. That might have made sense to a Nord, but it was still a very bad strategy, as he discovered.

The next chamber of the cave held the usual assortment of containers, which in turn held the usual assortment of ingredients, liquor, weapons, and armor. There was also a small amount of moon-sugar, which perhaps explained the murderous reaction of the denizens of the cave. There was an upper platform which was reached by a rough wooden ladder. As I mounted the ladder, a wizard, who had either ignored the deaths of his partners or else was completely deaf, decided to attack me. He began by sending a number of attribute-draining spells at me, most of which I avoided or resisted. When his spells didn't seem to work, the mage pulled a huge axe from his robes and ran toward me. Having had enough of being smacked with axes for one day, I imbibed a Levitation potion, drew my bow and proceeded to make the few remaining minutes of his life as miserable as possible. Any regrets I might have felt were dispelled when I searched the corpse and found a now-familiar type of key. The key showed that there were slaves somewhere in this cavern. Now all I had to do was find them.

Besides the slave key, the wizard was carrying the axe with which he had tried to kill me. Although I didn't use axes, I recognized this as Orcish work- a valuable piece of weaponry. I should have pursued that thought to the end- that where there are Orc weapons, there are usually Orcs, but I was anxious to find and free the slaves. Beggars Nose had helped me last time I was in a cavern with slaves; the slave bracers showed up as enchanted items. This time the spell indicated three enchantments down a side passage off of the main tunnel. I picked the simple lock on the gate and made my way toward the enchantments. As I have mentioned before, the detection spell is great, except for the fact that it doesn't show human or humanoid enemies unless they are carrying magic items. This time it didn't reveal the Orc with a Nordic war-axe hiding around a bend in the passage. These guys must have belonged to a club that required an axe to get in; maybe they had jumped me because I wasn't carrying one. Orcs tend to be very strong and very tough, so I downed a jug of sujamma before wading into the fight. I figured the boost in strength and the reduction in intelligence would make it a fair fight. That plan worked and the final smuggler fell to my sword. At the end of the passage, I found a pit with three slaves- an Argonian and two Khajiit. I unlocked their bracers and told them to take whatever they needed and get out of there. After they had departed I collected the best of the remaining goods and got out myself.

I reached Pelegiad without making any more side trips and went straight to Mebestien Ence's shop. The overly-attentive Imperial Legion guard was still hanging around, so I made a show of looking over the merchandise until he moved to a different part of the store. With the watcher out of the way, I approached Ence and asked about any "special" items he might have. Sure enough, he showed me some kind of Dwemer device that looked vaguely like a piece of alchemy apparatus. I was able to purchase the artifact for around 60 drakes; whatever it was, it weighed a ton. To keep the trader from getting suspicious, I bought a few other items, as well. Then it was time to go up to the fort and find Shadbak. It seemed to me that I had been spending entirely too much time around Imperial Legion forts recently; entering the gate made the back of my neck itch.

Shadbak was standing in the common area of the fort near the main entry. As I approached, I let the Dwemer device slip into view from my pack. She immediately spotted it and accused me of stealing it from Ence's shop. When I asked her how she knew Ence had such an illegal item, the Orc blurted, "Because he pays me good money to keep it se-...." As I said before, Orcs are strong but not always very bright. Now that she had trapped herself with her own words, I put the proposition to Shadbak- she could release New-Shoes and we would forget the whole thing or I would denounce her for taking bribes. She wasn't happy with me, but didn't really have a choice. Just to make sure, I went down to the cells to talk to New-Shoes. He was glad to be getting out and gave me a really nice pair of shoes, saying they had only brought him bad luck. He also promised to let the Guild know that I had gotten him sprung. Having accomplished my goal, I left quickly. After my experience in Cyrodiil, I had no desire to stay around a jail any longer than necessary. Now it was time to go to Vivec and talk to Caius' informants about the Nerevarine cult and the Sixth House. If that expedition went well, maybe I could go on to Ebonheart and see Apelles Matius. In any event, I planned to go straight to Vivec without doing any more "exploring." I was happy to have freed the slaves from Panat, but I really didn't want to deal with any more smugglers just yet.

Upon reaching the holy city, I went to the Foreign Quarter to find Huleeya. The Black Shalk Corner Club was located at the eastern end of the lower waistworks. I walked in to find the Argonian assassin and also trouble. When I spoke to Huleeya, he warned me that several Dunmer in the club were trying to pick a fight; it seemed they had a powerful hatred for Argonians. He feared that they were working themselves up to a violent confrontation, which would cause him to dishonor his oath to the Morag Tong. Although Huleeya had no concern about being able to handle the idiots, he did not want to dishonor his weapons in a bar brawl. He asked me to try to persuade the thugs to allow us to leave in peace. With the help of some Telvanni Bug Musk I had found in Panat, I convinced the three that it wasn't worth the trouble a fight would bring. Huleeya and I were able to make our way to Jobasha's Rare Books without incident. Once there, the Argonian assassin, who was also an amateur historian, told me what he knew of the Nerevarine cult. He also assured me that the Morag Tong was nothing like the Dark Brotherhood, who he called a bunch of "murderers-for-hire."

The Nerevarine cult was largely made up of nomadic Ashland Dunmer, who believed that the Lord Nerevar had promised to treat the tribes fairly. They stated that it was Nerevar's promise, sworn on a ring called Moon-and-Stars, that united the Ashland tribes and the Great Houses to defeat the Deep Elves and the Nord invaders. He had sworn to uphold the traditional ancestor worship and to ensure that the nomads were treated equitably. However, following the victory at Red Mountain, Nerevar was murdered by the mortals who became the Tribunal. Following this deed, the Great Houses seized the best lands for themselves and pushed the tribes into the barren Ashlands. The tribes believed that Nerevar would be reincarnated and lead them to victory over the Great Houses and the "outlanders." He would also cast down the "false" Tribunal Temple. Needless to say, the Temple persecuted the cult and preached that their prophecies were blasphemous. The normally tolerant Empire also saw the cult as a threat and had outlawed it. There was also a dispute over what were called False or Failed Incarnates, people who had fulfilled some aspects of the prophecies, but not all. The Temple said this proved that the prophecies were in error; the Ashlanders said the failed Incarnates were proof that the "right" person had not yet come. Huleeya gave me a copy of the notes he had made during his study of the cult. He noted that he had not heard anything about a Sixth House cult- although the Sixth House was House Dagoth. I thanked him and sat down to read and consider his notes. I was beginning to understand why the Blades were working on these cults. Any group who could irritate the Temple and the Empire simultaneously definitely deserved close study. I wondered if my connection with the Blades would be enough to protect me. It sounded as if the Nerevarine cult was enough of a threat to cause the Temple to execute me first and ask questions later. Though I was willing to stick a thumb in the eye of the Empire, I wasn't willing to get killed over it.

This "Trey of High Rock, Imperial Spy" business was getting complicated, and I didn't like complexity. Without meaning to, I was getting involved in religion and politics, and worst of all, religious politics. Being a thief is simple: see the stuff, steal the stuff, sell the stuff. And don't get caught. Simple. I already had the Dark Brotherhood and the Camonna Tong after me- this business with the cults seemed likely to cause the Temple to take an unfriendly interest in me, too. All of these worries distracted me to the point that I managed to wander out of Jobasha's without even looking around, let alone buying anything. Let me repeat that, I walked out of what was probably the best bookshop in all of Vvardenfell without buying anything! It was probably just as well that I was distracted; otherwise, I would probably have spent every bit of the 2000 or so drakes I was carrying. Fortunately, I didn't. Even more fortunately, the bookshop wasn't going anywhere. While I made my way through the Foreign Quarter, I decided that I should go on over to St. Olms and find Addhiranirr. Even though the implications of this spy game were making me nervous, a deal was a deal. I had told Caius I would do this and I had to see it through.

Inside the St. Olms waistworks, I stopped a rough-looking Dunmer who struck me as the sort who would know something about the Thieves Guild. Idly tossing a coin, I asked him,

"Seen Addhiranirr lately?"

He licked his lips and stared at the gold piece. But he was a tough sell, just the same.

"Who? I don't think I know anyone by that name."

I pulled two more 10-septim coins from my pockets and started juggling them. Sweat broke out on the dark elf's forehead as he watched the display. I palmed the three coins and then made a show of pulling them out from behind his ear.

"I think you must have dropped these," I said, and pressed them into his hand.

"She's probably down in the underworks, dodging that Census and Excise Agent. Go downstairs and then through one of the trapdoors."

I thanked him and set out to explore the St. Olms underworks. If Addhiranirr was hiding from a Census and Excise Agent, I had a feeling we were going to get along just fine. The underworks proved to be a dark, smelly, rat-infested series of tunnels and canals. I couldn't do anything about the dark or the smell, but I thinned the rat population considerably. I really wished the city had a rat bounty- I would never have to steal again. Of course, if there was a bounty, every 12-year-old with a pointy stick would have been down there, falling into the canals and getting into trouble. As it stood there were no children- just a harassed-looking Khajiit. I had found my next contact; like everything else on this job, that was the easy part.

Addhiranirr wouldn't talk unless I could "get rid of" the Census and Excise Agent. She claimed his presence "distracted" her. Even when I mentioned Caius, she wouldn't budge- as long as the tax man was nosing around, she had nothing to say. Of course, "getting rid of" the guy didn't have to mean killing him. If he would just go away, that would serve. Besides, killing a Census and Excise Agent was a very bad idea. With no other choice, I climbed back up the stairs to see if I could find the man and make an arrangement. I didn't think a bribe would work- these guys were chosen because they had an unnatural ability to handle money without any of it sticking to their fingers. How do you even talk to somebody like that? The agent was easy to find, he was a stuffy Imperial wearing fancy robes and bothering anyone he could corner. Getting rid of him ought to be considered a public service. And I had an idea of how to accomplish that goal. I wandered past as if I hadn't even noticed him and he pounced.

"You look like a fellow who knows his way around," he said. "I'm new here and I'm trying to find my friend, Addhiranirr. Have you seen her?"

I had to admire his gall- claiming to be Addhiranirr's friend took some nerve. Of course, I knew better, so I said,

"Isn't she a Khajiit, about so high? I just saw her taking a boat to the mainland." After all, one lie deserves another.

He left so quickly, the breeze from his robes nearly knocked me down. That was much more satisfying than killing him. It was also a lot safer.

Back in the underworks, the Khajiit thief was in a better frame of mind. She was happy that the tax man was gone, but didn't want any details. She knew nothing of the Nerevarine cult, calling it "silly superstition for fuzzy kitties," but had some interesting information about the Sixth House. What she knew was that the Sixth House was deeply involved in smuggling- and they were moving a lot of something. They were moving enough material that most of the smugglers who usually handled regular contraband were tied up with Sixth House stuff. Even more disturbing was the fact that the smugglers weren't talking about what it was they were moving. Any outfit that could monopolize the smuggling network AND convince them to keep quiet was more than just disturbing- it was frightening. Not for the first time, I wondered what I had gotten into. Regardless, I had one more person to see, and I had a feeling she was going to be the most difficult. I was going to have to go right to the heart of the Temple's power base to see Mehra Milo. And I was going to have to ask her about subjects the Temple didn't want discussed.

The trick to getting into places where you aren't supposed to be is to ACT like you should be there. If you can come up with a legitimate reason, so much the better. I've mentioned before that skulking in the shadows near your target is the surest way to draw unwanted attention. It's far better to walk right up to the guard and ask for directions. What I needed now was a reason to go to the Temple library in the Hall of Wisdom. The proximity of the Hall of Justice made this a difficult proposition. There were going to be Ordinators all over the place, so I needed a cover story that would stand up to scrutiny. I didn't think "rat-catcher" would be enough. Then I overheard some gossip about the series of murders that had taken place in the city. They hadn't been solved yet, and the Office of the Watch was considering looking for some "outside help." That might be the opportunity I needed. Most of the people talking about the murders seemed to believe that anyone or anything that could take out two Ordinators must be big, bad, and scary. I had a different idea- whoever was doing this didn't appear threatening, so the Ordinators and other victims hadn't been expecting trouble. And Ordinators can be taken as easily as anyone else if they are caught flat-footed. The thing was, all the victims had had their throats cut. That meant that these killings weren't fights, they were ambushes- the killer was slipping up behind the victims and making a killing strike. The problem "elite" outfits like the Ordinators have is: they start to believe their own propaganda. "We are the best. We are invincible. We cannot be defeated." And other people believe it, too. So nobody challenges the image. Meanwhile, as the "elite" guards sit around polishing their armor and their egos, their actual skills get rusty. Give me the guy with the scars and the battered armor any day- he has seen combat and SURVIVED. That means he knows something about the reality. He may not be pretty, but he will know which end of his sword to use on the enemy. Anyway, this little problem would be my reason for showing up at the Temple. After all, I was a foreigner and five of the victims had been foreigners. So I would offer my valuable assistance in tracking down the "Vivec Slasher." And, while I was there, what would be more natural than paying a visit to the library? And if I happened to speak to Mehra Milo, it was just part of my investigation.

The Office of the Watch was in the Hall of Justice. I had to take a deep breath before opening the door; I just couldn't get used to the idea of going into jails or guard offices on purpose. There were two Dunmer in the room; both were dressed as Ordinators, except without the masks. Unsure who was who, I approached the Dunmer on the left and introduced myself. He was tall for a dark elf and had a nasty and painful-looking rash on his face. He said his name was Tarer Braryn and then asked if I was in the Mage Guild. When I said yes, he asked me if I would be willing to carry his apology to Arch-Mage Trebonius. It seemed that Braryn had gotten drunk and called the Arch-Mage a "flat-head." When he awoke, he was suffering from a rash that no potion or spell seemed able to cure. He would gladly pay me 50 drakes for delivering his apology, along with a book, to Trebonius. As it seemed to be a simple way to make a friend in the Office of the Watch, I readily agreed. Braryn gave me a copy of Aedra and Daedra as well as an expression of regret to pass along. I promised to handle the matter quickly and quietly, then turned to Elam Andas, the Chief of the Watch. As I had hoped, HE had a serious matter to discuss.

Andas explained that he couldn't hire me- officially. But he could tell me everything he knew about the murders and the one eye-witness account. And if I managed to solve the killings, he could give me a reward for my "volunteer" effort. I agreed to those terms and settled in to pay close attention to whatever he could tell me. First, he stated that he believed the killer was operating by stealth rather than brute force. His grasp of the situation impressed me; he was more than just another guard. Five of the victims had been foreigners, which seemed to point to someone with a grudge against "outlanders." Even the two dead Ordinators didn't rule that out- they were killed in the Hlaalu Compound shortly after finding the body of the most recent civilian victim. Three of the others had been killed in the Foreign Quarter. There was only one witness, a man who had reported being "threatened by a Dunmer woman with a dagger, wearing netch armor and a skirt." That intended victim had teleported out- he was in the Hlaalu Compound when the attack took place. The idea that a woman might be the killer didn't surprise me- such an attacker would be better able to get close to the victim without raising suspicion. I decided to start my search in the Foreign Quarter; that was the most likely hunting ground for someone stalking outlanders. Also, the Hlaalu Compound was close by, so it seemed probable that the killer was somewhere in or around the two cantons. First, though, I wanted to find Mehra Milo and ask her about cults.

Upon entering the library, I recognized Mehra immediately. She had, as Caius had said, "copper hair and copper eyes." I approached her and she asked me how she could assist me. When I mentioned Caius, she paled and said,

"I can't talk here. Follow me to the back of the library."

Now that she mentioned it, there were a number of Ordinators around, and they didn't seem to be reading books. When we reached the relative privacy of the back room, Mehra told me what she knew of the Nerevarine cult. Her information matched Huleeya's- although the Temple worshipped Nerevar as a saint and hero, they ruthlessly suppressed any talk of his reincarnation. A group of Temple priests known as the Dissident Priests disputed the Temple's teachings and had gone into hiding. A banned book called the Progress of Truth would provide more information. Although the library had a copy, it would be better if I obtained one from a bookseller. Finally, she asked me to warn Caius that she was being watched by the Ordinators. Some of the Dissident Priests had been her friends before they went into exile. If the worst happened and she was taken, Mehra would leave a message with the code word "amaya."

Although I had finished talking to Caius' informants, I wasn't ready to run back to Balmora just yet. For one thing, I had promised Braryn that I would deliver his message to Trebonius. More important was the fact that I had promised to look into the murders. Again, this was a case of having given my word; also, it was self-preservation. Someone was killing foreigners in Vivec, I was a foreigner in Vivec, so I was a potential target. As the Vivec Mage Guild was in the plaza atop the Foreign Quarter, it would be a simple matter to work my way down through the levels, asking people if they had seen anyone fitting the description of the suspected murderer. If I had no success in the Foreign Quarter, I would move over to Hlaalu and do the same.

Trebonius was pleased to accept the book and the apology; he seemed almost lucid when he harrumphed something about, "...Tarer learning his lesson." He gave me a special Potion of Cure for the afflicted officer and an Exclusive Potion of Rising Force for myself. Then I got away before the old fellow could think of some useless errand for me to run. The book reminded me- I was supposed to find a copy of the Progress of Truth. I decided to stop in at Jobasha's while searching for the murderer. That side-trip was one of the hardest I had undertaken; getting in was easy, getting out took every bit of my willpower. Besides the Progress of Truth, Jobasha had multiple volumes of A Dance in Fire, The Real Barenziah, and so many other titles my eyes crossed. I had to keep reminding myself that I was on a mission- I couldn't weigh myself down with books. I barely escaped with the Progress of Truth, and that only after I promised myself that I would come back soon. The simple errands were done; now I had to begin the harder task of tracking down a killer. Some might wonder at my seemingly ready acceptance of a "bounty hunter" job; hadn't I always said I didn't want to be a sword-for-hire? This case was different- whoever was doing this would not stop until they were caught. Maybe the victims weren't innocent- but they were being killed for just one reason- they were "outlanders." That was the same so-called "logic" that justified the enslavement of the Khajiit and Argonians- they weren't really "people." Maybe I didn't love the Empire, but I was still one of her citizens and I would defend my right to go where I would without fear of violence. If the killer got away with it, no foreigner would be safe anywhere in Vvardenfell- and that included me. And, simpler still, I had agreed to do the job. My honor may have been tarnished, but it was my own- I would keep my word at any cost. So it was that I found myself asking everyone I met if they had seen "a Dunmer woman with a dagger, wearing netch leather and a skirt."

The first few people I encountered didn't recognize the description, but I finally found a fellow in the lower waistworks who had heard about a Dunmer woman down in the underworks. That was an odd place for someone to go if they didn't work there- that was what had made the witness notice her. It certainly seemed an appropriate place for a crazed killer to be hiding out- she could quickly travel the length and breadth of the canton and pop out of a trapdoor to attack someone. Now that my theory seemed to be confirmed, I made up my mind to be careful- this was no time for misplaced chivalry. If she was down there, I couldn't afford to give her a chance. The two Ordinators had made that mistake and they were dead. I didn't much like the idea of being a killer, but I liked the idea of being a corpse even less. The Foreign Quarter underworks were similar to St. Olms- canals, tunnels, rats, and debris. I reminded myself that, although the shadows were my friends, they could conceal my enemy just as well. I found her in the second canal area I searched, or rather, she found me. I had just finished off a rat with my bow when I heard the sound of running feet coming up behind me. I turned to see, you guessed it- "a Dunmer woman with a dagger, wearing netch leather and a skirt." What the witnesses hadn't mentioned were her eyes- there was nothing sane about them. Almost as unnerving was the silence with which she attacked- most of the people who had tried to kill me had uttered some sort of curse or grunt- she just ran at me with the dagger raised high. I managed to get a couple of arrows into her, but she didn't slow down at all. And then it was blade to blade. Again, she was eerily silent, except for the rasp of her breathing. I did my best to use my favorite "thrust and retreat" method to keep her shorter weapon away from me. It mostly worked- the trouble was, her blade was enchanted to drain my fatigue- if she hit me a few more times, I would fall unconscious and that would be the end. Now I understood how the others had died- the enchantment knocked them out and then it was a simple matter to cut their throats. The difference was that I was prepared. I had my sword out and was carrying several Restore Fatigue potions that I had made. Ultimately, the greater reach of my sword prevailed and she fell to the canalside. Now I had a chance to get a better look and didn't like anything I saw.

This was certainly the killer- I didn't believe that there were two women matching the description running around down here. And she had saved me the dilemma of whether to shoot first- her clear intention had been to kill me. There was still the mystery of why, and another mystery, as well. Among her belongings were a bronze key and a hunk of something I really didn't want to touch. From what I could tell, it might once have been human flesh, but it was strangely changed and deformed. What purpose it served I truly did not want to know. There was something dangerous down there in the tunnels and canals below Vivec, and it wasn't rats. Every time I went down into the depths below one of the cantons, I got an itch between my shoulder blades. I decided that, before too many more weeks passed, I would investigate every inch of the underworks in every canton. The idea scared me, but I was even more afraid of leaving whatever was down here untended, waiting to boil over at any moment. There was something evil down here, something that had so twisted this woman that she attacked without reason. It had finally gotten through to me that I couldn't solve my problems by running away. Some dangers simply had to be met head-on. And some wounds had to be cauterised with fire if they were to heal.

But that was for later; for now, it was time to report back to the Office of the Watch. In the end, I took the dagger, the key, and the armor and used Almsivi Intervention to teleport back to the Temple. In the Office of the Watch, I gave Tarer Braryn the Potion of Cure. He was so pleased with the results that he gave me 100 drakes instead of the promised 50. Sometimes it paid to be nice to guards. Elam Andas looked over the items from the dead Dunmer woman and listened to my story about the attack in the underworks. He was sure that I had solved the case and dealt with the murderer; Ordinators would investigate, but he offered me a reward for my actions. As it turned out, I had a choice- I could have an Indoril helm and cuirass or a Belt of the Armor of God. The Indoril armor was of the medium variety- it had belonged to one of the murdered Ordinators. The only restriction was that I should not wear it in Vivec- the other Ordinators might not understand why someone not of "House" Indoril was wearing their armor. The belt provided Sanctuary and Shield spells as well as a temporary increase to Wisdom. For me, the choice was easy- I had little skill with medium armor; the belt would be far more useful. Now it was time to get back to Balmora and see what new scheme Caius had come up with to get me killed. I cast Recall and found myself back in the familiar surroundings of the Balmora Mage Guild. Before doing anything else, I sat down to read the Progress of Truth. Any book that the power structure wants to ban is worth reading, just to see what has them so upset.

That book nearly singed my fingers- basically it discussed a number of questions regarding the legitimacy of Tribunal Temple doctrine. More serious was the fact that the writers came from within the Temple itself. I won't repeat the whole thing here; two of the subjects covered were the divinity and the purity of the Tribunal. There were several others, but those two should have caused the book to burst into flames. I will not try to describe the arguments here, but I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of Morrowind. The questions it raised certainly made me think. I wasn't necessarily convinced that it contained the "truth," which is a slippery concept at best. For the moment, I would continue to work for the Temple, but I would keep my eyes and ears open. Now it was time to report to Caius.

The spymaster was pleased with my results- he gave me 200 drakes and promoted me to Journeyman. Then he told me to find something useful to do while he read the reports and decided what to do with the information. My next stop was the South Wall to let Sugar-Lips know that New-Shoes Bragor had been freed. The Thieves Guild Mastermind paid me 1000 gold for that mission, and I was well-pleased. It had been a busy couple of days and I could feel the lack of sleep catching up with me. Potions can keep you going for a long time, but if you don't rest occasionally, you find yourself making really dumb mistakes. A sleep-walking thief soon has lots of time to rest in a nice 10 x 10 room. I managed to make enough errors when I was wide awake; sleep would be a pleasure. For a wonder, no one attacked me- at least not physically. However, I did have two more dreams involving the figure in the golden mask. In the first one, I saw myself laid out upon a table as if I were dead. When I reached out to touch the body, it drew breath, opened its eyes, and arose. In the second dream, the golden masked figure was smiling and talking to me, though I couldn't understand the words. Even though the strange figure acted friendly, I was terrified. Worst of all, I couldn't move or speak. I would almost have preferred the Dark Brotherhood attacks- at least I knew how to deal with those.

When I awoke, I decided that it was important to do something to divert the Temple's suspicions about me- assuming they had any. I had been seen talking to a "person of interest" at the Hall of Wisdom library, as well as associating with others known to be interested in the REAL history of Morrowind. That being the case, it seemed like a good idea to go ahead with the pilgrimages and maybe even complete a couple of missions for the Temple. If I was lucky, my suspicious associations could be passed off as research by a new recruit. From The Pilgrims Path, it appeared that I should go to Gnisis next. One pilgrimage, the Shrine of Justice, was there; another, the Shrine of Valor, where Vivec fought the Ruddy Man, was just south, at Koal Cave. The closest I could get via guild guide was Ald'ruhn- perhaps I could ask Edwinna Elbert for some Mage Guild work when I got there. Besides giving me an excuse for my "research" into the Temple, the trip would keep me moving. If I had to be a target, better to be a moving target. I hadn't forgotten about the Camonna Tong and I was equally certain that they had not forgotten me. The time might come when I would have to send them a clear message, but that time was not now.

Once I reached the Ald'ruhn Mage Guild, I asked the guild guide about the town. She explained that it was the council seat of House Redoran and also had a Temple, Fighters Guild chapter, and Imperial fort. A number of services were available, including smiths, clothiers, and a bookseller. Before I did any exploring, I decided I would talk to Edwinna Elbert, the guild steward, about work. She turned out to be a Breton, and one after my own heart- the first thing she wanted me to do was to find her a book called the Chronicles of Nchuleft. Edwinna was studying the Dwemer or dwarves, and the book was supposed to be a translation of an actual dwarven text. None of the Mage Guild chapters had a copy; she wanted me to go to the booksellers and track one down. I nearly fell in love right then- this woman wanted me to go on a tour of all of Morrowind's book shops. I decided to start with Codus Callonus' place right there in Ald'ruhn. The town was a real change from Balmora- it was dry, dusty, and barren. There was something peculiar about the buildings that I couldn't quite figure out- it finally came to me that they were giant crab shells. As I thought back on all the mudcrabs I had used for target practice, I had to suppress a shudder. Some of these things could have swallowed a ship whole when they were alive. I wondered how they had gotten this far from the coast- then realized that they were probably land crabs. That really worried me. If they grew crabs that big around Ald'ruhn, what other kinds of critters might they have? Well, that was up to the Redoran guards to handle, at least here in town. Meanwhile, I had a book to find. Callonus didn't have a copy; a bit of monetary persuasion caused him to admit that one might be available in Vivec. I had wanted an excuse to go back to Jobasha's, but I needed to go to Gnisis and Koal Cave first.

I could have taken the silt strider to Gnisis, but I still wasn't comfortable with them. It's all very well to talk about how they don't attack people, but there could always be a first time. Maybe they just hadn't found anybody they felt like eating...yet. Besides, it was a lovely day for a walk in the barren, dusty desert between Ald'ruhn and Gnisis. Maybe I would get really lucky and find the relatives of the giant crabs the people lived in around here. Maybe I needed to re-think my phobia about the striders. Someday.

Gnisis was to the north, so I set out from Ald'ruhn and found the right path. The scenery certainly wasn't as pleasant as that around Balmora, but maybe there would be some desert plants with alchemical properties for me to study. As I got further outside of Ald'ruhn, I realized that the "desert" was actually an area of ash. And when it rained, the ash turned into a slippery, stinking, gray muck. There were some new plants; scathecraw, fire fern, and trama; mostly, though, there were familiar beasts, like cliff-racers, nix-hounds, and alit. There was something different about these particular beasts, something that seemed to come from the very barren and ash-covered ground itself . They were stronger and more vicious than their Bitter Coast cousins, yet sickly at the same time. There was some unnatural disease that affected many of these animals. I was glad of the Daydene's Panacea scrolls I carried, and hoped they would be enough if I caught whatever afflicted the beasts. Finally, when I judged I was close enough, I cast Almsivi Intervention to take me directly to the Gnisis Temple. I enjoy a walk in the wilderness as much as anyone, but not when I am in danger of getting infected or eaten every step of the way. The silt striders were looking better all the time.

Inside the Temple, I realized I did not have the required Cure Common Disease potion to complete the pilgrimage. By coincidence, one the priests on the first floor had the correct sort of potions for sale. With my new purchase in hand, I went upstairs to the shrine. The story accompanying the ash mask of Vivec was fascinating, even if it seemed too incredible to be true. The legend was that Dagoth Ur caused the ash storms to come out from Red Mountain and Vivec and a number of his followers were caught in the open during a storm. The ash covered all of them in a coating that suffocated the people and prevented Vivec from moving. Vivec's tears of despair over his people's plight caused the ash to loosen enough that he was able to break free. He then released the people, breathed life back into them, and cured them of the "blight." Whether it was true or not, there was an ash mask resting on an altar. I donated my potion and had completed the fifth of the Seven Graces. If I received a blessing, I didn't notice it; perhaps my skepticism prevented it from taking effect. One had to be careful with religious shrines, whether the gods themselves were real or not, their ability to affect the world of mortals certainly seemed tangible enough. I resolved to keep that in mind when I reached the shrine at Koal Cave. Whatever absurd story that shrine told, I would believe it just as hard as I could.

When I exited the Temple, I had my first look at Gnisis; it wasn't much of a town, but greener than Ald'ruhn. There were a few of the crab-shell buildings, the temple, a strider landing, an egg-mine, and a small Legion outpost. There was also an odd, half-buried tower on the northwest side of town which seemed to be in the Dwemer style, even though the entrance was like those of dark elf tombs. At the moment, I needed to find Koal Cave; exploring could wait. According to the map that accompanied the Pilgrims Path, Koal Cave and the Shrine of Valor were due south. I crossed the river, scaled the hills on the other side, and worked my way cross-country to the coast. I soon located the cave entrance beneath a natural stone arch created by wind and wave. The entrance faced the sea and I waded to the doorstep and prepared to enter. Before leaving Gnisis Temple, I had purchased a piece of Dreugh wax from the same priest who sold me the Cure Disease Potion, so I was prepared to make the donation to complete the pilgrimage. The Pilgrims Path said something about, "...only experienced adventurers should attempt to re-enact the epic battle." I wasn't sure what a "Dreugh" was or why they needed wax, so I didn't think I would go looking for a fight. Perhaps my belief was stronger this time- as I completed the donation, I felt the now-familiar wash of cold pass over me and knew that my armor skills had been enhanced by 10 points each. That fit with the legend that Vivec had asked the Ruddy Man to provide his "people's" hides as armor for Vivec's followers.

The blessing, plus the presence of a number of useful plants in the cave, caused me to consider doing a bit of exploring, after all. Besides, the shrine had said something about "...boldly facing danger." Of course, it didn't say anything about rushing toward danger like an idiot, but I didn't realize at the time that there was a difference. The cavern beyond the shrine was flooded, so I drank my only Potion of Water-Breathing and swam for 50 feet or so before reaching a chamber with a high ceiling. As I trod water, looking for anything of interest, I became aware of a disturbance below me. A strange reddish-brown, vaguely humanoid creature was coming toward me. As I watched, it put on a burst of speed and launched a sudden attack with a pair of crab-like pincers. I only had time for an impression of too many arms and tentacles instead of legs as the monster attempted to drag me under. I soon discovered that flaming swords don't flame underwater; the edges and point still worked, though. After I won the fight, I realized that this must be a Dreugh. I also realized that I didn't feel like fighting in the water without the proper spells or potions, so I used Almsivi Intervention to go back to the Gnisis Temple. From there, I was able to quickly reach Ald'ruhn, where I rested prior to making my pilgrimage to the Ghostgate.

I was anxious to see the Ghostfence, which was supposedly created from the bones and spirits of dead Dunmer heroes. I imagined some gruesome and rather simple construct consisting of a series of monuments, perhaps with bones scattered about. As I left Ald'ruhn, a hot wind began to blow, picking up the ash and swirling it up into the air. I now understood the full-face helms and scarves the Redoran guards wore. The ash got into my eyes, my nose, and my mouth. It sifted inside my armor and clothing and was a constant source of irritation as I walked. It also reduced the visibility to just a few feet as I followed the barely-discernable trail to the southeast. Almost before I knew it, I found myself stumbling into a peculiar ruin. It seemed to be a series of spiky towers and tumbled stones that glowed with strange inscriptions. As I stared around, a humanoid figure wreathed in flames rushed onto one of the towers above me with a coughing grunt and launched a stream of magical fire at me. That one attack drained half of my health, so I quickly drank a Restore Health potion and one the would allow me to resist fire. Thus protected, I fitted an electrical damage arrow to my bow and prepared to reply to the attack. Although shooting almost straight up was difficult, I feared closing with my fiery opponent. Trapped atop the tower, he wasted several more fire spells on me as I pumped arrow after arrow at him. At last the apparition fell, but I had no time to celebrate my success, for a screech sounded from behind me. I whirled to see a scaly green lizard-like creature with a fan-shaped crest on its head. It ran toward me on its hind legs, claws outstretched and beak open to rend my flesh. As I loosed my sword, I recognized the creature- it was a Clannfear, one of the lesser Daedra. I was thankful that I had enchanted the sword- lesser metals such as iron and steel could not harm these demonic beasts. My flaming silver longsword could, though, and I soon felled reptilian Daedra. Daedra? This was one of those Daedric ruins of which I had been warned to steer clear. Fast as I could, I drank a Potion of Levitation and flew over the ridge and away.

The area on the far side of that ridge must have been the breeding-ground for cliff-racers; I fought my way through at least ten of the foul flyers as I pressed on toward the place marked on my map as the Ghostgate. Slowly, I became aware of a low, pulsing hum. As I rounded the shoulder of a hill, I saw the Ghostfence for the first time. It was a misty, grayish wall that glowed with magical power. Somehow, it was suspended between great stone towers that stood 30 or 40 feet tall. Flailing at the last two persistent cliff-racers with my sword, I finally came within sight of the Ghostgate itself, between the Towers of Dawn and Dusk. A switch on a low pillar opened the outer portcullis and I entered the tunnel that led inside the Ghostfence. In the tunnel was a second switch which operated the inner portcullis. As I emerged into the wasteland inside the fence, a demented zombie of a creature shuffled toward me. It might once have been a man or elf, but no longer. Some disease had horribly deformed this "person" beyond recognition and I peppered it with arrows before it could reach me. Whatever illness the zombie carried, I had no desire to risk catching it. As the poor creature fell, I wondered if I really wanted to do this. But it had to be done. I had finished six of the seven pilgrimages; this was the last. I scrambled up a steep gully to the right of the gate and found the shrine. I donated a soul gem and felt the blessing wash over me. I had been imbued with a shield spell and my magicka was fortified. Not one to waste my good fortune, I cast Recall and teleported out, hoping I would never have to return to that piece of Oblivion.

So now I was a full-fledged member of a Temple I wasn't sure I believed in. Of course, I was also working for an Emperor who I would have cheerfully pummeled. What was one more contradiction, after all? Anyway, I had joined the Temple to get access to services and spells, not out of belief. And it seemed like a good way to blend into Morrowind culture. From the Balmora Mage Guild, I made my way to the Temple, where I told Feldrelo Sadri that I had completed the Seven Graces. I didn't add that I didn't feel any more graceful or that I was tempted to punch her in the nose for sending me off on that hell-ride inside the Ghostfence. It became even harder to restrain those impulses when she more or less said,

"Oh, that's nice. I don't have any duties for you- why don't you go to Ald'ruhn or Molag Mar for some work."

No, satisfying though it might have been, beating the Temple Steward of Balmora to a pulp would probably not further my career in the Temple. But I did add her name to a little list I was keeping, right under that of Emperor Uriel Septim. As I gritted my teeth and swallowed the words I desperately wanted to say, I remembered that I need to go back to Ald'ruhn anyway, once I had gotten the Chronicles of Nchuleft for Edwinna Elbert. Cheered by the thought of visiting Jobasha's Rare Books again, I returned to the Mage Guild and had Masalinie send me to Vivec. On my way to Jobasha's, I stopped in at Aurane Frernis' Apothecary shop. I had handled a small matter for her on my earlier trip to Vivec- someone was printing lies about her in an attempt to damage her business, and I discovered the culprit and put a stop to it. On this visit, she rewarded my assistance with a request for more help- she needed a special type of golden kanet flowers called "Roland's Tears." Never able to resist a Breton female in need, I made a bow and said,

"I am yours to command."

If you were at all well brought up, you were no doubt told not to talk with your mouth full. A second useful admonition would have been: "Don't talk with your head empty." I was shortly to wish that I had been well brought up.

The only known source of the type of golden kanet called Roland's Tear was a Daedric shrine called Ald Sotha, which lay to the east of Vivec. That's right, a Daedric shrine like the one I had run away from between Ald'ruhn and the Ghostgate. But I was young and foolish, and easily captivated by the eyes of a Breton woman who also practiced alchemy. I agreed to find the plant for Aurane, but before I could get myself any deeper into trouble, I went to Jobasha's. As I had expected, the Khajiit had a copy of the Chronicles of Nchuleft. So I could stay in the good graces of one Breton woman without fighting Daedra and Daedra-worshipers. Before returning to Ald'ruhn, I read the book carefully- it appeared to be an Altmer account of a falling out between two Dwemer councilors. One slew the other by treachery and the dead Dwemer was said to be buried at a place called "Leftunch." I filed that away for later- perhaps Hasphat would be able to locate the place on a modern map. Actually, I had never seen Hasphat about that key, either. I needed to start writing these things down- I was trying to do too many things at once, a sure way to make a mistake. So- time to take the book to Edwinna, then I could plan my next move.

I presented the Chronicles to Edwinna with a low bow and must admit that my heart fluttered a little when she smiled. Or else the combination of hound meat and choke weed I had eaten was acting up. Still anxious to please her, I asked Edwinna if I could do anything else to be of service. She responded that she needed a Detect Creatures Potion from someone called Skink-in-Tree's-Shade, who was at Wolverine Hall in Sadrith Mora. That seemed straight-forward enough- I could learn to like someone who didn't ask me to fight demons for her. There should be no complications, as long as I didn't let some Breton girl in Wolverine Hall bat her eyelashes at me and ask me to bring her some of Mehrunes Dagon's chin-whiskers. Erranil transported me to Sadrith Mora, where Skink was easily found. Even more amazing, he gave me the potion without sending me off to chase after some deadly object first. He simply handed over the potion with an apology for the delay and a promise of work if I was interested. Back in Ald'ruhn, Edwinna gave me an Exclusive Potion of Shadow in exchange. I kept forgetting the Mage Guild tended to pay in potions when they paid at all. Still, that was a useful potion for someone in my line of work. Wanting to get on better terms with the guild steward, I asked if I had performed enough work to advance in rank. Her response was that I needed to pay 200 septims before I could be promoted to Conjurer. I hoped that these "dues" weren't required for every promotion; I liked gaining rank and status, put I also liked maintaining a cash reserve. Still, I could afford 200 and it would almost be worth it if she would only smile at me again.

That reminded me of the other Breton lass whose smile had beguiled me- I still needed to find Roland's Tears for Aurane. Perhaps Edwinna had a task that would take me back to Vivec.... If you are thinking that I was foolish to think of using one lady to give me an excuse to see the other, you are right. But no more foolish than I was for believing that the Ald'ruhn guild steward saw me as anything more than a bumbling if lovable junior mage. Besides, I was 17 and only knew about romance what I had read in books. And I had seen too much death and ugliness and wanted to believe in romance and beauty for a time. Foolish, yes, but also human.

Amazingly, the first part of my plan worked perfectly- Edwinna needed to read a book called the Chimarvamidium- and the Vivec Mage Guild had the only known copy. Edwinna explained that it was "...the sixth volume of Marobar Sul's 'Ancient Tales of the Dwemer'." Supposedly, it was an actual Dwemer story as opposed to a historian's interpretation after the fact. The subject was the construction of some sort of golem or centurion. The book was in the possession of Sirilonwe of the Vivec chapter; I got the idea that professional jealousy made it impossible for Edwinna to simply ask for a look or for a copy to be made. After much circling around the subject, she finally admitted that she wanted me to "borrow" the book without Sirilonwe knowing. I began to wonder if the Exclusive Potion of Shadow was, in fact, a gift. I also wondered why everyone always assumed that I was a thief. Other than the fact that I wore black, preferred stealth, and was a member of the Thieves Guild. Oh, and the other fact- that I WAS a thief. But I mean, besides all that? Edwinna did provide me with two scrolls of Ondusi's Unhinging, for use if the book was in a locked container. She believed that Sirilonwe would keep the book close by her. Oh, and if I got caught, I would be expelled for stealing from another Guild member. Still, how could I pass up a chance to impress her with a demonstration of my stealth ability. Plus, it was another "book mission," one that would take me to Vivec, from whence I could go to Ald Sotha and try not to get killed picking some flowers for Aurane. I really needed to revise my concept of romance- so far it seemed to consist of nearly getting killed fetching gifts for women who said, "Thank you," and then, "Oh, there was just one other little thing...."

It was simplicity itself to have Erranil send me to Vivec, where I went to Sirilonwe's workroom. Once there, Trebonius' well-known habit of giving absurd assignments came to my aid. I simply told Sirilonwe that the Arch-Mage had asked me to measure all of the closets...in Vvardenfell. With that excuse, I ducked into her closet and closed the door. Inside was a locked chest, which I opened with my picks- spells are great, but I needed to practice the physical method of opening locks. Inside were two books, Breathing Water and The Chimarvamidium. I restrained myself and took only the one I had been asked to retrieve. Concealing the book beneath my cuirass, I stepped back out, thanked Sirilonwe for her time, and left the guild.

Ald Sotha was supposed to be to the east of Vivec, and the specific flowers I needed were said to be on the east side of the shrine. It wasn't difficult to find Ald Sotha; it was well-illuminated by the two Flame Atronachs patrolling the area. After a profligate expenditure of enchanted arrows (regular ones don't work) and a judicious use of water-walking (flame atronachs have the same problem in water as flaming swords), I defeated the guardians and could seek the flowers in relative peace. I was able to find seven samples of the blossom that Aurane had requested and used Recall to take me to Balmora. From there, I had Masalinie teleport me to Ald'ruhn, where I gave Edwinna the stolen book, which she took with minimal gratitude. She did promise to return the book as soon as she finished her studies- which simply meant was that I would have to sneak it back to where I had stolen it. Meanwhile, some sort of disturbance in Maar Gan was distracting her from her studies. The problem seemed to originate from the hut of Huleen, a Mage Guild member in that town. Maar Gan rang a bell- someone had asked me to do something there.... Then I remembered, Folms Mirel wanted me to "obtain" the Falasmaryon propylon index from the Temple there. You had to love the way mages managed to use somebody else to do their stealing for them. Perhaps I would take care of both requests, but first I had some flowers for a lady, so I teleported to Vivec and made my way down to Aurane's shop.

She wasn't at all as pleased to see me as I had hoped:

"Have you found the flowers yet? I don't like to be kept waiting."

It had been less than two days, and already she was tapping her foot with impatience. If it was that bloody urgent, she could have picked them herself. I didn't say any of that; I simply handed the plants over without expression. After all, she had promised to create some sort of special potion for me. I waited quietly while she went to her work table and measured, mixed, and heated various ingredients. In fact, I was even polite enough to stay on my side of the room and not try to see what she used- trade secrets and all that. Finally, she pronounced the process done and presented me with... an Exclusive Potion of Fortify Luck. Fortify Intelligence or Willpower would have been better; it was obvious that my brains had turned to mush. What was it about women that caused them to send a gullible man into terrible danger, only to say, "And don't you dare bring that into the house," when the poor sap got back? And what was it about men that caused them to continue to go and do stupid, dangerous things, and to try to bring back trophies of their exploits- trophies that ended up in a dusty chest or on a rubbish heap in short order? I was so depressed that I went to Jobasha's and bought the first four volumes of A Dance in Fire. I would have bought more, but I had run out of money. As I emerged into the new dawn outside of Vivec, I realized that it was the first day of Frostfall, the month of my birth.

(c)2005 Treydog