Elsweyr: Thalmor.

I only managed a few hours sleep before being woken by Lydia for my turn at guard duty. We had all agreed not to ask Rigmor to do a shift. She was sleeping for two now.

Everybody was up and ready to go a few hours later.

I asked Ku’rana where we were headed and he said, “The Pahmar have invited you to their jungle. This is rare, but it seems they have been expecting you. We will bring you there to meet them before noon.”

I turned to Verina who added, “They are our children born in the strong moon. Some live with us, but many hear the call of the wild. The sun is coming so it is time to start moving and meet them.”

Rigmor was invited to sit next to Verina from the start of today’s journey and I was jogging next to them.

We had not gone far when we encountered a collapsed bridge. We offered to look for a wading point and Ku’rana said, “You are very useful my friends. We will wait here and offer to Riddle’Thar. We will speak with moons and the forest in Thar’s sweet dreams.”

Rigmor looked puzzled so I explained, “They will offer thanks to one of their deities. He is a God of guidance. I assume that it is still dark and that is what ‘Thar’s sweet dreams.’ refers to.”

Ku’rana laughed, “Ha, we forget sometimes Ta’agra does not make much sense to those who speak Tamrielic. This is especially so when we refer to our Gods and obscure concepts. Verina and I will sit here patiently and contemplate why our stomachs are still empty and eat some bread and cheese to solve that problem.”

“Why did the bridge collapse?”

Verina answered, “Khajiit no longer maintain their manes, their pride or the roads.”

“Why is this so?”

“Khajiit are servants to the Thalmor now. Verina can see brightly in the darkness and it seems these servants have gone on strike.”

“It is a form of protest?”

“It is a passive way of showing displeasure without risking Thalmor thuggery.”

Looking at the bridge it was obvious the damage was very recent. A large rock had fallen from an overhang and its impact had shattered some support beams. It would have been on the brink of falling for some time and all the Khajiit who passed this way ignored it rather than shore it up.

As we crossed the damaged bridge we were attacked by bipedal lizards. We soon dispatched them and I gathered specimens for alchemy testing.

As we stepped onto the other side we were attacked by a giant spider. It looked very much like the Frostbite spiders of Skyrim except green in colour to blend in with the jungle. After killing it I gathered parts of it flesh and its poison for more alchemy testing.

We had to kill several more of the spiders before we discovered a shallow enough crossing suitable for the mooncow and wagon.

I informed Ku’rana, “We have found a ford down the river a bit. It has strong currents but it should be fine.”

“Oh yes, no worries. Our mooncow is heavy. We feed him with Thalmor droppings.”

As comedians these two Khajiit made excellent Moonpath guides.

We arrived at what we were told was the “Tenmar Forest Hideout” at about 10AM.

Verina and Ku’rana said their farewells and promised to stop by in Bruma when the moon allowed it. None of their travels brought them near the Imperial City.

I asked Rigmor, “Did you get your plan worked out with Verina? When does my training start?”

“The training works best when the male is unaware of it happening. Who knows, I could be training you this very instant.”

“You already have your brown puppy dog eyes, batting eyelids and “Pleeeeeaaaase…’ down to perfection. I fear anything that may be more devastating than that!”

J’Zargo had just finished speaking to a Pahmar so I approached and said, “I am honoured to meet one of the Pahmar and am humbled by your Pride’s invitation to visit your home.”

“It is our honour to guard the Dovahkiin and his Clan Mother. Our Pride leader, Deepclaw, speaks highly of you both. Feel free to move around and introduce yourself to the others who dwell here.”

Rigmor and I headed down some stairs to start our exploration when a petite Khajiit blocked our way. She seemed to be of teenage years and eerily similar to Balin in enthusiasm level.

She was wearing traditional Siligonder armour made from the chitin of a large insect type creature. Not matching at all was the hood usually worn by members of the Psijic Order.

“Greetings. May I ask your name?””

“I’m Yura. I live here. We were expecting you so Ameir told me to come and welcome you.”

“Thank you. Where shall I find Ameir?”

“The Pahmar have given you this, Priderock, as your home in Elsweyr. Deeper down you’ll find a door to the waterways. Travel there to find Ameir.”

“Thank you Yura. Do you travel on the Moonpaths?”

“Not yet. You are so brave! If only I could come with you. I’d make a great dragon slayer.”

“Of that I have no doubt. It was not long ago Elsweyr was invaded by Dov and you defeated them without a Dovahkiin to assist. Khajiit are fine warriors.”

Yuma beamed at the compliment and we proceeded to have a look around Priderock.

Beds had been provided as well as crafting stations of magicka and non-magicka, bookshelves, chests, tables and other amenities. It truly was a home unique in being so exposed to the elements.

We made our way down into the water and came across another inhabitant of the area. Large orange crabs were numerous. Unlike the mudcrabs of Skyrim they were not violent towards us.

Many doors were to be found in the waterways. It appears the area has long been used for purposes requiring defence. I wondered if it was purely from cognitive enemies or wildlife or both.

Upon entering the waterway we were attacked by several of the large green spiders. They were more annoying than dangerous to us. The really disappointing part was the dull thud our weapons made on their soft bodies. There was no carapace to make the wonderful crunchy sounds you get when hitting their Frostbite cousins.

Rigmor asked, “Both you and Freathof have told me that much of Cyrodiil was once a hot, humid jungle with many waterways much like this. Why did it change?”

“Some et’Ada died during the creation of the mortal realm. They are now the forces of nature that govern Mundus. Many do not realise that Aedra not only gave up much of their powers but some also gave their lives to create all that we see before us. Daedra apparently can’t die but their power can be weakened enough to make them ineffectual.

Some histories say my father changed the climate of Cyrodiil using the power of his Thu’um or when he ascended. I do not believe that because the evidence for a jungle covered Cyrodiil dates to well before he was even born. I think the climate of a region changes to suit the predominant cognitive lifeforms that lives there. The early history of the region we call Cyrodiil shows that Khajiit inhabited it for millennia before the first man and mer arrived. When man and mer became the majority the climate changed to what it is today. Similarly the climate of Atmora changed to create a frozen wasteland once man had left its shores for Skyrim and other parts of Nirn. This implies that even such things as our weather have some intelligent design behind them. Many different pantheons of the peoples of Nirn have immortals responsible for such. To me they are the et’Ada who died but under various names and depictions.”

“Surely not all religions can be correct. Some have completely different creation myths for one thing.”

“I see no problems accepting them all being correct. I have felt and witnessed the power of Gods not of Aedra or Daedra such the All-Maker of the Skaal or even the use of Moonpaths. The Nine is a construct of my mother. She needed to combine the belief systems of man and mer to create a pantheon acceptable to both. Yet we believe in its teachings even though religions much older often have diametrically opposing views. What we call a God is actually a being whose nature is so incomprehensible to us that to view it in its real form leads to insanity.”

“I remember having a discussion with Freathof about this. Mortals need to create logic around the seemingly illogical powers of the various Gods. Khajiit will see their form in the Gods not through ego but to help give motives and logical reason for what they believe each immortal does.”

“Yes and that leads to seemingly strange Gods such as Riddle’Thar. He is not so much a physical deity but a set of beliefs. He may use an occasional messenger, an avatar, to instruct the Khajiit but you will not find pictures or statues depicting him as some form of physical being.”

“So when people believe in a pantheon they may actually believe an alternate reality?”

“Hard for us to accept or visualise but I think that is correct. Akatosh is the head of many pantheons that have very little else in common. He has many different names but being the ‘God of Time’ is a common thread that lets us recognise him. If he, as I strongly believe, wishes to increase the probability of his preferred timelines occurring then why not create different pantheon to help the odds amongst different peoples?”

“Philosophers love contemplating this stuff. I think you and I should let them get the headaches and talk about less complicated matters like how to stop these mosquitoes from eating us alive.”

We rounded a corner and found one of the lizard thingies with an ice spear through its head. Then we heard a terrible scream and rushed towards it.

We were attacked by spiders and lizards but soon dispatched them.

A little further on the body of a young mage was bobbing up and down in the water. There was nothing on him to identify who he was. A sack of ingredients indicated he had risked the jungle to collect such things for alchemy experiments.

We decided to leave him to crabs who were gathered around waiting for dinner. If you bury such deceased adventurers you feed worms. If you burn them you may be going against their belief. It is best to leave them to nature to sort out. We back tracked a bit and came upon his small campsite. There was still nothing to identify him so we left everything as it was and continued with our journey.

A few VERY LARGE spiders later we came upon the small settlement where Ameir was apparently expecting us.

Looking around I could see plenty of male Khajiit but only one female. I headed for her and introduced myself, “Are you Ameir?”

“Yes Dovahkiin, I am Ameir.”

“I am glad to meet you Ameir. Please call me Marcus. I must say the waterway provided an interesting walk!”

“You get used to it but it was not as interesting as the journey from Cyrodiil yes? We have been hearing many interesting tales of you and your mate and not just from our friend the emissary. I assume the name is due to playing his game of paranoia?”

“We may scoff at it sometimes but he has survived in that toxic environment of politics for many years so it wise to listen to him on such matters.”

“We do and he has helped us tremendously.”

“So what do you do here? Are you the leader?”

“The Pahmar that guard us are essential to the moon sugar my friend. And in a manner, we are the Mane’s emissaries for them.”

Surprise must have shown on my face and I heard Kharjo and J’Zargo gasp. Ameir simply smiled. I knew asking further questions about the Mane would only elicit silence. If there is a Mane and the Thalmor found out they would put maximum resources into finding and eliminating that reincarnated being. The only mortal who could possibly unite all of Elsweyr is a danger to the Dominion.

Ameir continued, “As for being the leader. Every Khajiit is their own pillar. We follow only the moon and the Mane. But in a sense, I command respect amongst the folk here.”

Rigmor said, “I am glad to meet you as well Ameir. My name is Jenny.”

“And Khajiit is very humbled to meet you Clan Mother.”

“The Pahmar speak to my mate and me almost as if we are their masters.”

“They feel great things in you both. The fact they speak to you in your own tongue and show deference is a tremendous honour.”

“I would like to learn more about the Pahmar. During my time amongst your people they were a mystery and fascination to me.”

“Alas Jenny I am not permitted to teach you. Aleyt may be able to tell you more. Speak to her. She is over there.”

We looked to where Ameir pointed and saw a Khajiit in Alik’r clothing. I had thought her male when looking for Ameir.

I said, “Thank you for the valuable information and perhaps we will meet again soon.”

I pulled our two Khajiit companions aside and told them, “The Khajiit here may be blasé about talking about the Mane but I strongly suggest we do not discuss it for now. Agreed?”

They both nodded their heads in agreement and we walked to where Aleyt was sitting.

Rigmor said to her, “Greetings Aleyt. I am Jenny.”

“I met you years ago but you probably do not remember this Khajiit amongst the many. Welcome to you Jenny and your friends.”

“Sorry I do not recall you but my father’s house was always full of people coming and going.”

“Do not fret. Just know this Khajiit was happy to make your acquaintance then and is truly blessed to meet you once more.”

“We feel humbled to have such trust shown us and to be invited here.”

“The Pahmar have accepted you amongst them. No one besides us has been allowed to wander these waterways in this age. They are a very secretive furstock and even we who live amongst them know little of their motivations. We do know of their absolute commitment to protecting not just these waterways but the whole of Elsweyr. I do believe seers of Azura and your father have spoken to them in length and have something to do with gaining such trust. Your mate will tell you that a champion of his mother did great damage to the relationship between our people and even millennia later distrust can be found.”

“I know of the champion of whom you speak. I know that in the afterlife he is remorseful for many things he did. Most were due to madness but he still takes responsibility. I also know that The Empire did not treat your country with due respect when it was part of it. Rest assured we would never ask you to be part of it again but would like to help any way we can with your current endeavours.”

“Such endeavours require coin. Currently that coin is made from moon sugar which is not in itself immoral but we all know what it is used for. Perhaps other goods from Elsweyr can be traded to Tamriel?”

Rigmor laughed and said, “Yes, and I am sure we will be robbed blind on the prices. We would have to do such dealings in a way as to seem legitimate. It will take much planning and will have to withstand the scrutiny of certain mer.”

“Talk to Qa’mel, he handles the trade.”

“We shall do that. Maybe one day we shall meet again Aleyt.”

“This Khajiit hopes so. Remember to always follow the moon. It always leads to your destination.”

As we headed for Qa’mel I spoke to Rigmor.

“I am sure we could make a convincing front for supplying funds to our friends. We could even buy their moon sugar and if no other use for it can be found, destroy it.”

“That might be more difficult as we would have to replace their current buyers who might object. That may cause issues and more scrutiny.”

“Yes my beloved, you are right as usual. It will take a lot of planning from people far more knowledgeable in these things than I.”

Kharjo said, “It can be done. I could help in such planning.”

Rigmor replied, “Of course Do’Kahar. It would be good to have somebody we unconditionally trust involved.”

We approached Qa’mel and Rigmor took the lead.

“Greetings Qa’mel, I believe you are the one to speak to about trade?”

“Yes. They call me Qa’mel the Wanderer as I have followed many moons to establish our current trading agreements.”

“This is crucial to the current undertakings?”

“Indeed Clan Mother. All the coin from the Moon Sugar is going straight into our new Mane’s coffers. Hence the extraordinary caution you will find amongst my colleagues. Thalmor spies are everywhere.”

“What is the main reason for this increase in rebel activity?”

“When the moons vanished for two years in what is called the Void Nights, no help came from The Empire. When the Aldmeri Dominion claimed to have restored them using Dawn Magic many influential Khajiit believed their lies. Eventually a coup occurred in 4E 115 and Elsweyr was once again divided into two states and voluntarily became a Dominion protectorate. Rumour is strong that our Dominion friends somehow caused the Void Nights as an experiment to see what would happen to our cubs when born. That they believed we would somehow have mer children. Our cubs did not survive as there were no moons to determine their furstock.”

“My husband does not believe they have any knowledge of Dawn Magic as they have never used it in battle. If somehow they are responsible for the Void Nights they have shown once again how their claim of racial superiority drives them to commit atrocity after atrocity.”

“Although they claim to be followers of The Divine you have knowledge of major plots between senior Thalmor and evil Gods.”

“Yes, ‘The Culling’ during the Great War and the recently the plans of the New Order to make Malacath a living God-King.”

“If they had some magicka that enabled the Void Nights they would know how to remove the magics and convince many Khajiit that it was Dawn Magic.”

I said, “In the histories I have read they proclaimed, ‘Watch and we will restore the moons!’ and they did so. That would be very convincing to most observers.”

“As you are aware, once The Dominion are invited into a country they are dismissive of native culture and religion. We are all of lesser species and therefore whatever they do is permitted and we should all be grateful. All of these things combined have resulted in the increase in rebel activity. Mostly passive as you would have observed but increasingly violence is a solution.”

Rigmor asked, “Do you know of the danger to all mortals that we are soon to face?”

“We are well aware of the times, including the recent one involving the immortal you call Molag Bal, where one or both of you have prevented the enslavement or destruction of all. We have been made aware of the threat from Akavir. We know you seek strong allies. A united Elsweyr free of Dominion interference would be far stronger that what you see now.”  

“Once again we are truly thankful of the trust you have placed in us. We will try and help and think legitimate trade would be the safest way to do so. History tells us that mysteriously appearing coin is not a good idea.”

“I can see your dilemma as Skooma is a curse on the people of Nirn. Currently we have no other goods in such demand and so easily distributed without too much risk. The Thalmor are busy trying to trace many sources of Moon Sugar and are paying no more attention to this region than others.”

“I am sure we will discover goods that suddenly become crucial to the citizens of Tamriel. Top coin will be paid for things of little cost to provide.”

“It will be strange to do such a back to front barter! Rarely do we have customers asking us to rob them blind!”

Rigmor was genuinely amused and said, “I am sure if we investigate the warehouses of Tamriel we would find much evidence of such deals in the past.”

“True. Let us all think about it and via our mutual friend we can perhaps get a plan in action quickly?”

“In the meantime is there other help we can provide while we are here?”

“We hesitate to ask as armed conflict will almost definitely be required. Some Dwemer technology we discovered and perfected has been stolen from us. Speak to Mervar Denfriend. You cannot miss him. He is the Tojay-raht guarding the doorway nearby.”

“We will investigate and if the risk of discovery is acceptable we will not hesitate to fight for your cause.”

As we walked toward the tall Khajiit Lydia said, “It is amazing watching you two work together. All of this secrecy makes it difficult for you to say what is needed but still you manage to negotiate and exchange crucial information. I am looking forward to more endless days standing guard in the throne room as you use such skills. Well, maybe not looking forward. Let us just say less inclined to scream and ask the Gods for mercy.”

We all laughed.

I stood before Mervar and he was at least four feet taller than me.

“Greetings Mervar, I am Marcus. Qa’mel says you may need our assistance.”

“Marcus? If that is what you wish to be called then so be it. Pahmar told me that Thalmor patrol is in the area. My twin Dervar is scouting near the Tenmar Den. We do not have the numbers here at the moment to investigate ourselves. Go and see if he is alright, yes?”

“I take it he is also Tojay-raht so we should be able to see him from miles away?”

Mervar laughed and replied, “It is so. Here is the key to the door behind me. Follow the waterway and it will lead you to the Tenmar Den.”

We opened the door and found ourselves in another waterway indistinguishable from the others.

After several miles we heard sounds of conflict and although eager to help we approached cautiously. We had to assess the situation in terms of danger to us and the chances of discovery.

We turned a corner and saw Thalmor engaged in battle with Pahmar. We could hear a deep voice of who we assumed was Dervar saying things in Ta’agra that did not seem complimentary.

I announced, “OK, the numbers are manageable and it looks like the battle is not going well for our friends. Let us go kill some Thalmor!”

We charged into the fray and quickly cut down the enemy and proceeded up several flights of stairs. We found Dervar fighting some Thalmor and an Imga.

Imga worship Altmer and are therefore a favourite of the Thalmor. They can be a refined people as they try and emulate their idols. The one fighting Dervar was an Imga Brute. A simple soldier of the Dominion who thinks it is an honour to die for them.

An Imga prophet called Marukh once claimed Saint Alessia came to him as a ghost and questioned the existence of any Elven rule in Tamriel. Although Alessia fought against the Ayleid many of her friends and allies were of that race. She never expressed anti mer sentiment in her lifetime. She created The Divine pantheon to help unite man and mer.

From this supposed visit Marukh formulated the Seventy-Seven Inflexible Doctrines later called the Alessian Doctrines. The racist elements of Tamriel seized upon this blatant lie and formed the Brothers of Marukh. Eventually it would become the Alessian Order.

In 1E 361 they staged a successful coup and seized control of the Alessian Empire. Worship of The Divine was abolished and Alessia became the single god of a theocracy that lasted almost two millennia.

It was a cruel and vicious empire that resulted in the annihilation of the Ayleid and Minotaur and forced nearly all mer and beast races from most of Tamriel.

A ten year conflict, the War of Righteousness, finally removed this stain on our history in 1E 2331. That is 1970 years of my mother’s name and legacy subjected to such blasphemy and lies! Such was the ferocity of the battles in that war more than half the citizens of High Rock were killed.

Worship of The Eight was restored and my mother remembered for the truth, not the lies of a semi-literate ape. There are still remnants of the Alessian Doctrines within the laws of The Empire. One that Rigmor and I are determined to reverse is the principle that in court a citizen is guilty unless proven innocent.

We soon slaughtered the enemy and I found myself staring at the Inga with a rage that almost reached what my Dovah self was capable of.

When I noticed dead Pahmar the rage subsided. We were here to help these people and I could not do that safely without controlling my anger.

I walked up to Dervar and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Never felt better. That was a good fight!  A pleasant day to spill some Thalmor blood, hahaha! Wait. Who are you again?”

A large Pahmar said, “He is the Dovahkiin and we welcome him, his mate and friends to these parts.”

Dervar bowed a little and said, “I am honoured to meet a Son of Akatosh.”

“We are honoured to be trusted by the Khajiit of these parts. Your brother sent us to see if you are all right.”

“Ah, only one breath older, and yet he feels like an old man already. Tell him he needs to stop napping near the fire and come help us out.”

“What were these Thalmor up to?”

“We are still investigating. It may be they are just looking for moon sugar sources. Be careful and tell us if you spot any more, yes?”

“Should we just kill them all or leave some for you?”

More laughter as I turned to the Pahmar who called me Dovahkiin.

“Do I have the honour of addressing Deepclaw, pride leader of these brave soldiers?”

“Yes Dovah, I am Deepclaw Denmaster, pride leader of the Tenmar Pride. I welcome you Emperor Wulf Septim, High Queen Rigmor Septim, J’Zargo, Kharjo and Lydia.”

“I suppose we are safe to talk here since all the ears of concern are attached to the many corpses scattered about. I am sorry for the loss of your brave pride members.”

“We are blessed to be born of this furstock and be able to fight for all Khajiit. They will be remembered for their bravery.”

“Did you just assume I was Dovahkiin because you were expecting us or had some other way of knowing?”

“You have been careful not to use your Thu’um which is wise at it would travel great distances along the waterways. As you know Khajiit have roamed Nirn long before man or mer came to Tamriel. Some of us are sensitive to the powers of Akatosh. I can sense it within you and upon your Queen.”

“You will find us formidable allies Deepclaw. This is not the empty promise of our past leaders.”

“So Azurah assures me. There are many reasons why we have chosen to trust you. That is not the least of them.”

“I know there is no distinction between the Aedra and Daedra amongst your people but Azurah is a very welcome but unusual ally to one who is Champion of The Divine.”

“You are also her Champion. The Gods who wish mortals to be alive and free are united in their efforts to defeat the evil that will come from Akavir. You and your Queen need strong allies. I think it is clear how to make Elsweyr stronger. We welcome any help you can provide to achieve that goal.”

“We will do what we can Deepclaw. We had better return to Mervar before he dies of old age.”

We made our way back to Mervar but the wading through water, even if shallow, required more effort than usual. Rigmor was still looking alert so I was not concerned about her endurance at that stage.

“Your brother is okay and so is pride leader Deepclaw.”

“Ah, so the Thalmor found Dervar, yes? Mervar take it they are no more? Good work. Keep the key. Perhaps you may need to use it in the future.”

“So what is next?”

“Cats will show their claws, that is next! We know where this Thalmor patrol came from. They landed our airship at Pillar Falls.”

“Your airship?”

“Yes, members of the New Elsweyr Movement discovered ancient Dwemer plans for ships that fly. Khajiit ingenuity, and many stolen components, allowed the construction of two such airships. The Thalmor noticed them one day and they were confiscated under some clause in the Protectorate Agreement. They just thought it was clever Khajiit who did all the work. Our existence was not compromised. They could not control them as our Khajiit mages could but have managed to set up crude controls to fly them.”

“Flying ships! That is something good people such as the Khajiit should have, not those thieves!”

“There is another passage door near the fireplace. Use this key and see if the airship is still there. If so they may have some orders or other information we can use. You will find travelling a lot easier as that waterway is currently dry. It is not far to Pillar Falls and the close proximity of Thalmor is also of concern to us.”

I took the key and we headed for the dry waterway. Mervar was correct that the Thalmor were close. If they scouted a bit further they may well have encountered the locked door and forced their way through. Not only that, a flying ship would make such doors redundant!

I said to Rigmor, “Use your crossbow but if we have to enter the airship you are not to follow.”

“Pfft, whatever you say Marcus.”

We crept up slowly to where the airship was tethered but the sentries were alert and soon spotted us.

The Thalmor attacked but a combination of spells and missiles soon reduced them to corpses. I was finding it difficult not to use my Thu’um.

We searched the bodies but found nothing of use.

I entered the airship but there was nobody inside and I found nothing useful in there either.

When I emerged back on deck Rigmor said, “I think this is what we needed.” She handed me a piece of paper she found it in a small lockbox on a nearby table.

It read,

“Captain,

You are now in command of the airship we have renamed “The Howling Banshee”. You are responsible for every soul aboard.

Your orders are to take it to the Tenmar Forest, set up a base of operations and locate the source the moon sugar flowing out of the area.

You have full jurisdiction to take any action you deem necessary. It is time the Khajiit paid for the curse that is Skooma.

Justiciar Lenial”

Rigmor said, “It is good they only think this area is a source of moon sugar. No mention of rebels.”

“Yes, Mervar will be relieved.”

We made our way back to Mervar and I handed him the letter.

“I take it you took care of all of them?”

“Yes and I think they have no idea of the brewing rebellion.”

He read the letter and said, “Interesting! It seems like their mission poses more danger than we thought, hmm?”

“How so, I thought you knew they would be looking for the source of moon sugar?”

“Thalmor scouts criss-cross Elsweyr constantly. This is first indication they suspect moon sugar is coming from Tenmar Forest. The whole New Elsweyr Movement is now in grave danger of being discovered!”

“What can we do?”

“We think they are headquartered in the khaj near a place called Dune. We will send spies and they will find this Justiciar. It may take some time. Meanwhile Pahmar have informed me that Erid’or, a priest of Baan Dar, needs urgent help. He is currently investigating something within the Cathedral. If you make your way back to the Den you can rest there overnight and he should be available to speak to you sometime tomorrow morning.”

“I would prefer it if we did not travel any further today. We will make camp here I think.”

“No need to make camp. You are honoured guests. We shall provide food and bedding aplenty. I will join you soon and we can talk over a good meal.”

“Is there any chance of Elsweyr Chowder perhaps?”

“Aha, so it is true some of you find it more addictive than Skooma. I will make you my special recipe.”

We enjoyed another evening of Khajiit hospitality. The tales told around the fire got taller and taller and then Deepclaw said, “The difference here is that the Khajiit exaggerate whilst Dovahkiin and his Queen play down their roles and the danger they were in. When you rest your head down to sleep and wake in the morning do not forget to thank Akatosh for he gave us these mortal champions who you all owe your continued existence to.”

I quickly wrote this journal entry and joined Rigmor in a large tent and bedroll provided by our hosts.

We were both exhausted and simply enjoyed the respite from destiny without words spoken.

I know not what time I fell asleep.

I know it was with determination to help these wonderful people remove the shackles of being a Dominion Protectorate.