Morndas, 24^th Morning Star, 4E 202

to Middas, 26^th Morning Star, 4E 202

As we prepared for the day, I told my friends, “I want the Arch Bishop to sweat a little. However, I do not want him to get paranoid enough to harm any children currently in their custody.”

After breakfast, we teleported to the entrance of Evermore City and then walked to the temple.

We entered Evermore City’s temple and approached the Arch Bishop.

• Wulf: Good morning, Berlf.
• Berlf: Why did you take the children to Skyrim?
• Wulf: Because I believed that was the safer option. What would have happened to the children if brought here?
• Berlf: With every young batch this city receives, there is no higher priority than propagating our virtues to the next generation. And we priests are best fitted to carry out that education.
• Wulf: So, you do not have orphanages with trained teachers?
• Berlf: No.
• Wulf: Why have you offered refuge for children but not adults?
• Berlf: For reasons unclear, the pox ravishing this land leaves those in their prime unharmed. It rampages among the old and the young, reaping shortly after the disease’s initial signs. And I need not overstate the importance of coveting the kingdom’s children. It is an act that seeks to protect the future and engender favour from the gods so that this kingdom never wanes in strength.
• Wulf: Are their physicians to care for the children?
• Berlf: We have them washed down and deloused, meticulously seeking out any signs of plague through their bodies and souls. As the nature of this plague is not fully understood. Surgeons work on the temporal aspect of the affliction, and priests banish the spiritual ailments that burden them. We must be thorough. Otherwise, we risk having an outbreak within these walls.
• Wulf: Where are the children housed?
• Berlf: The children are sent to a few foster homes, which will shelter them until the plague subsides. Once it does, physical contact will be re-established between the parents and the child.
• Wulf: Divine Knight Vayu, does Peryite’s Affliction affect the young and old more than other ages?
• Vayu: No. All ages are equally at risk.
• Wulf: Are there spiritual ailments associated with the disease?
• Vayu: No.
• Wulf: You lied to us Berlf. Divine Knight Vayu and I are Master Restoration Mages. We know how the disease works and have developed a cure and preventive medicines. Within days, every Afflicted in Evermore will have access to those treatments. Afflicted in The Divide, Forlorn and Raven Spring need only visit the temples and be cured via activated Shrines of The Nine if they have reservations about the potions.
• Inigo: Lady Mara’s shrine in Solitude cured me of the plague.
• Wulf: The children in Raven Spring were afraid to come to this city. When asked why, they said children arrive here and are never seen again.
• Berlf: That is untrue!
• Wulf: Evidence of its truthfulness is substantial. The piles of skeletal remains of children eaten by the griffon are proof. The parents who have been beaten and threatened because they dare ask about their children are proof. The spirits of children haunting the streets of this city are proof.

I knew Sir Horustair had been listening to the conversation. He moved so I could see him. I did not stop the discussion. I wanted him to hear what I said.

• Wulf: This kingdom is unstable. Therefore, any children that need rehousing will be taken to Skyrim. I have four large orphanages with plenty of spare accommodation.
• Berlf: But you have the cure for the pox and have stopped Namira’s plans.
• Wulf: The Priest Circle has proven to be incapable of discretion. Therefore, I will not discuss the other dangers we are dealing with.
• Berlf: Are the necromancers one of those dangers?
• Wulf: Not any more. We eliminated the coven, and their leader, a Sload, returned to Thras.
• Berlf: Are you sure it was a Sload? Give me a description. I remember something about them from my studies.
• Rigmor: His Excellency has dealt with Sload before, Berlf. I witnessed him dispose of the coven’s leader, who was, without a doubt, a Sload.
• Wulf: I stopped another Sload from releasing a plague in Elsweyr. I am positive my knowledge of Nirn’s races far exceeds yours.
• Vayu: His Excellency has lived with Ka’Po’Tun, Tsaesci, Khajiiti, Argonian, Orsimer, Dunmer, Bosmer, Altmer, Breton, Tang Mo, and Dov. He has interacted with many other races.
• Rigmor: Should Berlf be informed of other threats we have ended?
• Wulf: Such as?
• Rigmor: The rogue dragon and the Direnni mage in Umbasir.
• Wulf: The dragon who has been terrorising Evermore was a devotee of Lord Hircine. We killed him.
• Berlf: What was a Direnni mage doing in Umbasir?
• Wulf: He was a member of the Hegemon kept alive by a stasis field. He wanted us to help him cheat in negotiations with Lord Hermaeus Mora. I refused to do so, and in return for my honesty, Mora provided me with information regarding previous crimes committed by the mage.
• Berlf: You aided a Daedric Prince?
• Vayu: His Excellency is not only Champion of The Divines.  Daedric Princes Azura, Boethiah, Hermaeus Mora, Malacath, Meridia and Sheogorath have also named him their champion.
• Berlf: You dare accuse me of blasphemy when you cavort with evil!
• Wulf: Tell me, Berlf, where in the Ten Commands of the Nine Divines is it forbidden to aid other gods?
• Berlf: Well…ah…
• Wulf: I was sent to aid Evermore by Lady Mara. Does your blasphemy extend to accusing her of cavorting with me, an evil person?
• Inigo: Are my people evil because we have Daedric Princes and Aedra in our pantheon?
• Vayu: His Imperial Majesty has not banned the worship of Daedric Princes. Are you going to accuse him of evil?
• Berlf: No, of course not.
• Rigmor: The Direnni mage was guilty of setting a trap that captured King Laloriaran Dynar. That trap wiped out the population of a large town and condemned The Last Ayleid King to Coldharbour for thousands of years.
• Wulf: The Direnni mage helped invent the fake histories you and The Priest Circle have used to remain in power. His crimes deserved death, and I was honoured to provide just punishment on behalf of all who died because of him.
• Rigmor: Why are we wasting time with this parasite, Your Excellency?
• Wulf: I wanted to ascertain how complicit he is in the disappearance of Evermore’s children. I know enough for now.
• Rigmor: You are dismissed, Berlf.

As I neared Sir Horustair, he turned to greet me.

• Wulf: Did you learn anything, Sir Horustair?
• Horustair: Thank the gods those necromancers are dealt with. We cannot thank you enough, friend. You have been a great service to this kingdom.
• Wulf: You have access to news sheets. You know what Lord Wulf Welkynd and Dragonguard have achieved over the last year. A change to Sir Wulf Welkynd and Divine Knights has not lessoned our tasks or commitment.
• Rigmor: The necromancers were not much of a threat to Evermore and a minor inconvenience on a global scale. The Oblivion Gate was a threat.
• Horustair: I stood mesmerised on several occasions as I watched your skill on the battlefield. When I asked, I was told you are Divine Knight Eisra. Is that correct?
• Rigmor: That is my name.
• Wulf: Are you married, Sir Horustair?
• Horustair: Yes. My wife and I have been blessed with a son who is now almost fully grown.
• Wulf: Is your property within Evermore City’s boundary?
• Horustair: No. This city has attracted nobility from every High Rock kingdom, and there has not been a vacant property for many years.
• Rigmor: It seems Evermore has become relatively prosperous.
• Horustair: Indeed, it has. With enough time, even Daggerfall may quake at the wealth Evermore covets. Yet our native fold will find themselves forever distant from that prosperity.
• Rigmor: Where is your property?
• Horustair: Our manor is deep within the Gavaudons and far from the bustle of this capital. A hamlet has grown around the manor. Other entrepreneurial types have used cuttings we donated from our vineyard to start their own.
• Rigmor: That sounds idyllic.
• Horustair: Indeed, it is, and I hope to see it again soon.
• Wulf: What led you to knighthood?
• Horustair: It is a family tradition earned by each father before me. I will encourage my son to continue this tradition.
• Wulf: And how did you earn your knighthood?
• Horustair: It was earned on the dawn of my 30^th birthday for my exploits against Wayrest. I commanded a revenue of men into their lands. We seized points of logistical importance and captured farmsteads for food. I was knighted for valour in the field.
• Wulf: Do you think knights are respected as highly as in the past?
• Horustair: No, and for good reason. Another knighted that day was the inscrutable figure who now leads the Ustase. We call him Predothor, though we doubt that is his real name.
• Wulf: What can you tell me about Predothor?
• Horustair: He is taller than Sek and Mek.
• Inigo: I was taller than Sek after His Excellency cut his head off!
• Rigmor: Mek was butchered and eaten by Mortifayne’s cook.
• Wulf: How did Predothor earn his knighthood?
• Horustair: He is a baffling case study. He has no history or motive for his service. He was bestowed knighthood for heinous acts dispensed upon the Kingdom of Wayrest. He left scenes of black carnage and displays of sadism so cruel we mistakenly thought the culprits were Witchmen.
• Wulf: Did you discover he was the perpetrator before he was knighted?
• Horustair: Briefings made us aware of who undertook the barbarity. On reflection, I realised that the sick art displayed was too fine a craft for savages. It took a particularly ghastly intelligence for what I saw.
• Wulf: Was this savagery before or during the sacking of Wayrest City?
• Horustair: Before. However, it did end in the countryside but changed slightly upon Wayrest’s walls. Infernal Hounds in the shape of men ejected incendiary venom upon everything in sight.
• Rigmor: Aventurier!
• Horustair: Yes, and you have undoubtedly come across them by now as they deal with our sick.
• Wulf: We killed the Aventurier at the front gate and many more. They were murdering innocents and refused to obey my commands to cease.
• Horustair: I was informed of their demise at the front gate but not who killed them.
• Rigmor: His Excellency did not hide the fact he did it and even left a written message declaring why.
• Horustair: I have not been informed of everything. King Sigmayne haphazardly dispenses information.
• Wulf: Do you think Evermore’s invasion of Wayrest was just?
• Horustair: I did as my liege commanded. My guilt is eased because we convinced King Sigmayne to spare King Barynia’s life.
• Rigmor: Evermore’s unjust invasion weakened Wayrest so much it could not defend itself against the Redguard corsairs.
• Wulf: Answer my question. Do you think Evermore’s invasion of Wayrest was just?
• Horustair: At the time, yes. Rumours since have made me question its purpose.
• Wulf: I asked if you learned anything while eavesdropping our conversation with Berlf. Did we add substance to those rumours?
• Horustair: I must be cautious. Knights who have boasted medals to fill halls have had their reputations dragged through the mud. All because they offended some nobles by asking questions or offering opinions.
• Rigmor: Do you deny there is corruption amongst Evermore’s nobility?
• Horustair: No, I am not denying the case for corruption. The problem pervades even the higher echelons of our society.
• Rigmor: How high?
• Horustair: That is a rabbit hole you should not descend, as you may find yourself collecting dirt against the royal family. And at that point, why bother serving this kingdom at all?
• Wulf: We do not serve this kingdom. We serve The Empire, The Nine and all Nirn’s mortals. We have found evidence of corruption at the highest level. No matter their noble status, the guilty will face justice.
• Rigmor: Do you object to that stance, Sir Horustair?
• Horustair: Not at all, Divine Knight Eisra.
• Wulf: Did you fight at Munstor?
• Horustair: Yes.
• Wulf: Do you have doubts that the massacre was just?
• Horustair: Yes.
• Wulf: I believe, Sir Horustair, that you know the truth and the depth of corruption. But you cannot speak out, so do what you can to mitigate the evil. That would not be possible if you were at home, tending your vineyard.
• Horustair: If that is so, it seems my efforts have been in vain.
• Wulf: Not so, for The Divines do not expect senseless martyrdom. If you recognise evil but do not participate, you have done your knightly duty well. However, when others with more influence combat evil, you are expected to aid them.
• Horustair: And what about my knight’s oath?
• Wulf: The one administered by King Sigmayne is different than ours. A line says, ‘Serve the King in valour and faith.’ The faith part releases you from blind obedience. If King Sigmayne is dishonest to you, then there is no faith.
• Lydia: The same applies to soldiers. They do not have to obey orders that necessitate breaking the law or disregarding religious beliefs.
• Wulf: Another part of your oath says, ‘Obey those placed in authority.’ You read my commission from His Imperial Majesty. Is there any higher authority besides The Divines than me in Evermore?
• Horustair: No, Your Excellency.
• Wulf: The corruption is deep, but we deal with more than mortal dishonesty and depravity.
• Vayu: Daedric Princes have used Evermore’s corruption to lay plans. Lady Namira relied on that corruption to keep part of her plan hidden in plain sight.
• Wulf: King Sigmayne and Governor Merosa did not act against Lord Mortifayne until profits were endangered.
• Vayu: Lady Mara knew we would uncover the plans of Daedric Lords. That is why she asked us to aid Evermore.
• Wulf: We suspect Lady Namira to have further plans. We also believe other Daedric Princes are taking advantage of Evermore’s corruption.
• Horustair: What do you want me to do?
• Wulf: Do not interfere with us. I allowed you to listen to our conversation with Berlf so you would understand some of the uncovered darkness. There is far more, but you would find it difficult to remain at your post if we divulged it. Therefore, I ask that you trust us to uncover and deal with the truth according to Imperial Law and The Ten Commands of the Nine Divines.
• Rigmor: Your presence was welcome in Raven Spring. If the corruption turns to chaos, your presence will be welcome throughout the kingdom as order is restored.
• Horustair: Will this kingdom survive?
• Wulf: Not without significant changes. His Imperial Majesty wants Evermore to thrive, as do we. But it must be done by observing both imperial and divine law. Lady Mara wanted me to try diplomacy. That is difficult when I want to kick down doors and drag the guilty in front of a jury so all can know their sordid tales.
• Vayu: You are doing what you can when surrounded by corruption. We recognise how difficult that is. In a way, you mirror the diplomacy we are currently pursuing.
• Wulf: But have no doubt, Sir Horustair, that when diplomacy has run its course, we shall act swiftly and cut away the canker that infects this kingdom.
• Horustair: Can I ask who knighted you, Your Excellency? There is nothing about you in The Lists.
• Wulf: It has not had time to be recorded in The Lists. The day before we left Skyrim for Evermore, I met with His Imperial Majesty. After discussing the problems in Evermore, His Imperial Majesty told me Lord Talos had visited and recommended his Order of the Dragon be resurrected. A knighthood helps in High Rock, where the rank is revered more than the title of Envoy. So, His Imperial Majesty knighted me and made me Grand Marshal of The Order of the Dragon. To be Grand Marshal, I had to be declared Champion of Cyrodiil. I am only the fourth person ever to hold that title and the first since the death of Emperor Tiber Septim.
• Horustair: Lord Talos visited our Emperor?
• Wulf: Lord Talos and other Divines have visited mortals far more than you know, Sir Horustair.
• Horustair: Has he ever visited you?
• Wulf: Lord Talos spent many hours teaching me martial and tactical skills. Saint Alessia taught me alchemy, history, geography, and other subjects. The Psijic Order taught me magic. Lady Kynareth taught me how to use The Voice.
• Horustair: Are you visiting Evermore City for a reason?
• Wulf: I wanted to fish for clues with Berlf but have nothing else planned. Why do you ask?
• Horustair: There are two issues you and Divine Knights might be better suited to resolving.
• Wulf: Tell us about these issues.
• Horustair: A noblewoman, Melize Alous, has been kidnapped by Exiles and is held for ransom. Her husband is a well-connected trader. Suffice it to say King Sigmayne does not want her harmed.
• Rigmor: Is he concerned about Melize’s health or his coffers?
• Horustair: As mentioned, he did nothing about Lord Mortifayne until his coffers were affected. That should suffice for an answer without me speaking further ill of my King.
• Wulf: How many Exiles guard her, and is she inside an encampment?
• Horustair: Our scouts have located the Exile camp where she is being held. It is outside, and Melize is in a cage. They said half a dozen Exiles are guarding her.
• Wulf: Why do you think we could successfully rescue her without harm?
• Horustair: You displayed great skill in rescuing the hostages from Deepcrag when Orcs surrounded them.
• Wulf: Mark the Exile camp on my map, and we shall retrieve Melize for her sake and no other reason.

I handed Horustair my map. He marked the camp’s location and handed it back.

• Horustair: There is another problem where you will likely have more success than me.
• Wulf: What is it?
• Horustair: This matter pertains to Azra’s Crossing, just west of this city.
• Vayu: Divine Knight Celestine mentioned Azra’s Crossing when discussing the distribution of the plague prevention and cure. It is home to many Afflicted but is also covered in Peryite’s plants. They will visit it sometime today, hoping the cure’s news precedes them.
• Wulf: The villagers might be devotees of Lord Peryite.
• Vayu: They may also be wary since King Sigmayne’s solution is to have Aventurier incinerate Afflicted.
• Wulf: What are your concerns about Azra’s Crossing, Sir Horustair?
• Horustair: Our scouts have reported nefarious dealings seem to be taking place within the mine there. I would like to see these rumours put to rest. Would you mind lending your aid?
• Wulf: As mentioned, the people of Azra’s Crossing might be devotees of Lord Peryite. Therefore, they may refuse the cure. They have every right to do so but must be told of the consequences, which do not include being murdered by Aventurier.
• Horustair: What will be the consequences under Imperial Law?
• Wulf: All Afflicted refusing the cure will be housed in a walled town and not allowed to leave. The preventative potion is not one hundred per cent effective, so if Afflicted were allowed to roam freely, innocents may be impacted.
• Lydia: We know that is not a solution King Sigmayne would support.
• Rigmor: He would say that the solution still puts innocents at risk. That would justify the massacre of the Afflicted.
• Vayu: But we know the motivation would be cost, not concern for Evermore’s citizens.
• Horustair: Once again, I need not say ill of my King.
• Wulf: After speaking to them and investigating the mine, we shall decide what to do with Azra’s Crossings population. However, rescuing Melize must take priority.
• Horustair: Then I suggest you rescue Melize while I head for the bridge leading to the village. I will not proceed to the village without you. Aventurier will be there to help if things go sour.
• Wulf: If the villagers become hostile, we shall deal with them. No Aventurier will approach the village under any circumstance. If they do, I will kill them.
• Horustair: I shall inform them, but I doubt they will obey me. They will, correctly, say King Sigmayne has ordered them to take care of troublesome Afflicted.
• Rigmor: His Excellency has countered that with a decree stating that the Aventurier have no legal right to kill Afflicted.
• Wulf: My decree supersedes the order issued by King Sigmayne.
• Inigo: Your Excellency, are all Aventurier members of The Ustase?
• Wulf: It seems so, Divine Knight Inigo.
• Horustair: Their master is Predothor, no matter their current uniform.
• Wulf: Azra’s Crossing is on my map. After we rescue Melize and take her to safety, we will meet you at the bridge.
• Horustair: I will head for the bridge immediately.
• Wulf: One other question before you go. Has Predothor aged since the invasion of Wayrest? What race is he?
• Horustair: He does not look a day older than when I first met him. I have no idea what race Predothor is. He does not have the ears of a Mer but does not look to be Nord or Imperial.
• Wulf: Thank you, Sir Horustair.

Horustair started his journey to the bridge. Part of that journey matched ours, and he showed good speed and endurance, considering the armour he wore. We let him get ahead, allowing us to talk as we trotted behind him.

• Vayu: You have a theory about Predothor.
• Wulf: The clues are in the questions about his age and race and what Horustair said about Predothor’s hidden past.
• Vayu: Do you think he is a minion of a Daedric Prince?
• Wulf: I think he is a Dremora. Whether or not he is a minion of a Daedric Prince is unknown.
• Rigmor: Is he like the Dremora that visits the inns of Skyrim?
• Wulf: After studying him and speaking to his victims, I have concluded that Sam Guevenne is an aspect of Lord Sanguine. He knows I have been snooping and has not objected.
• Vayu: Lord Sanguine does not use violence, nor does he encourage it. He delights in corrupting mortals, not killing them.
• Wulf: Evidence suggests Predothor relishes cruelty and murder. If he is a minion of a Daedric Prince who dislikes Lord Peryite, he may have been tasked with killing Afflicted.
• Inigo: My friend, you did not ask Sir Horustair where Predothor is.
• Wulf: I doubt he knows. We have not visited the quarries that Baggmar, the enslaved Orsimer, mentioned. There are several marked on my map, with Gavaudon Quarry being the most remote.
• Inigo: Do you think Predothor is based at one of those quarries, most likely Gavaudon Quarry?
• Wulf: Yes, but all of this is conjecture. He might not be a Dremora and could be living a life of luxury in some countryside manor.
• Lydia: You did not discuss missing children and King Sigmayne being a child rapist with Horustair.
• Wulf: He did not ask me about anything we discussed with Berlf. None of it was unknown to him.
• Lydia: I cannot imagine how I would deal with finding I killed somebody unjustly.
• Wulf: I carry a burden when I ask those I love to fight beside me. My logic would not help me cope if I misconstrued motive or guilt and we killed unjustly. The realisation I asked others to participate in that mistake would ensure eternal guilt.
• Inigo: My friend, you told me that Rados decided to help you after realising the attack on Wayrest was wrong.
• Wulf: Yes, and I hope he realises his bravery and assistance mitigate a sin that is not his own.
• Inigo: Sir Horustair has been trying to atone for what occurred in Munstor and Wayrest. But he would only have small victories to lessen the guilt he feels.
• Lydia: I think anger, more than shame, motivates him.
• Inigo: You might be right. Oops, did I say that?
• Lydia: Too late, fur brain. I have witnesses.

We turned off the road and crept towards the Exile’s camp.

Inigo whispered, “I can smell them as well as hear them. Why do bandits always smell like pee?”

We turned a corner with weapons sheathed. The Exiles saw us and attacked.

I said aloud, “Get them, Meeko!” Then I drew my katana and joined the slaughter.

A white flash flew past, leapt on an adversary, and tore his throat out.

We quickly dispatched the other five.

I walked to a cage and asked the captive, “Are you Melize Alous?”

The caged woman replied, “Yes, I am.”

“I am Sir Wulf Welkynd, Envoy to Evermore on behalf of His Imperial Majesty, and these are Divine Knights of The Order of the Dragon. I am relieved we have rescued you unharmed.”

Inigo searched the bodies and unlocked the cage with a key he recovered.

I asked, “Melize, where would you like to go?”

“To Evermore City. Will you guard me on the walk?”

“We shall do better than that. Place your hand on my shoulder, and I shall teleport you to the gates of Evermore City.”

“I have never used the Soul Stones because teleporting is dangerous.”

“We teleport dozens of times every week and have done so for years. It is far less dangerous than walking the wilderness of Evermore.”

“Okay. So, I just put my hand on your shoulder?”

“Yes. It will be dark and cold for a second, and then you will stand before Evermore City’s gates.”

Melize did not hesitate to put her hand on my shoulder and seemed unfazed when we exited the ether.

Vayu teleported the others a second later.

I told Melize, “Here you are.”

“That was amazing! Thank you for rescuing me. My husband would have paid the ransom, but it would have ruined us.”

“We are glad to have helped.”

Melize entered the city, and we retraced our steps towards Azra’s Crossing.

Close to the exit of Evermore City’s outskirts, an Orsimer approached at great speed. He stopped and stared at us.

We walked to him, and a couple of us recognised the who it was.

• Rigmor: What are you doing out here, Baggmar?
• Lydia: You are a long way from The Bog.
• Wulf: Vayu, Baggmar is the brave person who stayed with the enslaved Orsimer.
• Baggmar: Malacath, I thank you for this intervention.
• Wulf: It is just circumstance we are here, Baggmar. Who or what are you running from?
• Baggmar: There is no time to talk. The Black Dogs of Predothor, the Ustase, are after me. They will take me to him so he can carve me up!
• Wulf: Where are you planning to go?
• Baggmar: I am hoping to reach my Stronghold. I think our Chief has yet to run to New Orsinium.
• Wulf: Wait for us further up the road. Do not go too far, as a Witchmen’s camp is nearby.
• Baggmar: Okay.

 Baggmar ran, and we met the two Ustase hunting him.

“Halt. Baggmar is under my protection. The name is Sir Wulf Welkynd if Predothor asks.”

The rear Ustase said, “If you hand the Grock over, we shall give you half the gold we will be awarded for his delivery.”

“Do we look like we need paltry amounts of gold? Now, you would stand no hope of defeating any one of these knights, never mind all four of them! So, I advise you to run back home with your tail between your legs.”

“Are you daft? There are three knights and a mangy mutt.”

Meeko issued a growl that would weaken the knees of any sane opponent.

“You should not have called Divine Knight Meeko that name. He now wants to rip your throat out, disembowel you, or both. Why do you victimise Orsimer?”

“The stench of those filthy Grock animals is a good enough reason to oust them from our lands. That one killed our officer!”

“The Orsimer have lived in The Reach far longer than Breton. Most of them smell far better than mercenary scum. It is well known that Ustase must resort to rape because no woman, even a whore, will lay with them. No farm animal is safe from their lust!”

“Listen, be reasonable. We do not want that Greenskin to set an example to his degenerate kin. Predothor must make an example of him. Every runaway encourages others to rebel. He must pay for murder.”

“We will not let you harm Baggmar. He was unfairly imprisoned but will questioned by us to determine the murder charge. You have been warned.”

“Grock lovers, are we? We must rid ourselves of your kind. I am sure Predothor will pay handsomely for your scalps.”

“If you wish to die. Step forward and do so. I get bored talking to morons.”

The front Ustase was a dual wielder. He attacked and was dead seconds later.

The mouth tried to equip a crossbow. A pissed-off Meeko ended his life by crushing his skull in his jaws.

I said, “Well done, Sir Mangy Mutt!”

“Grrr!”

We quickly searched the corpses, but they had nothing useful on them.

We backtracked to find Baggmar. A Witchmen mage was trying to kill him.

My sword through her back and belly ended that rudeness.

I stood before Baggmar once more.

“How far is it to your Stronghold?”

“About five miles.”

“This bridge is the border of Witchmen territory. The area beyond it used to be patrolled by Aventurier, but I doubt you will encounter any. However, it would be wise to be armed, armoured, and without that head cage.”

“Unless you can conjure up such things, this is all I have. I do not think that woman’s furs would fit me. Besides, her guts have splattered all over the front of them.”

“Let me see what I have in storage in Oblivion.”

I wore the Ayleid Waystone around my neck and teleported into my Oblivion pocket plane. I appreciated its creator had projected an image of Aetherius around it. I had a growing dislike of the chaotic skies of Oblivion.

I had placed things in chests in what I hoped was a logical order. It did not take long to recover expensive and impressive scale armour created by an expert, Orsimer Smith. I also took a mean-looking Orsimer Battleaxe.

I removed the Ayleid Waystone and appeared before the stunned Baggmar.

I told him, “While we help you don the armour, tell us how you got into this situation.”

Vayu and Inigo helped Baggmar into the armour as we spoke.

• Baggmar: Three Ustase arrived at The Bog wanting to know if supplies needed replacing.
• Wulf: I assume they referred to Orsimer when discussing supplies.
• Baggmar: Yes. The Bog and other penal mines and quarries tend to have lots of accidents, such as swords gutting a slow Grock or ending the life of an injured Greenskin.
• Rigmor: Overseer Orreon blabbed, didn’t he?
• Baggmar: Yes. The Ustase had me dragged outside. They then asked Orreon to write a report on the incident. When that was done, Orreon’s head rolled. That is the way of the Ustase. Failure is not acceptable.
• Rigmor: It made no difference that Orreon was not Ustase.
• Baggmar: No, it did not. If you dealt with the Ustase hunting me, you would notice only one of them was Breton. Predothor absorbs other mercenary groups but culls those with ethics or doubts.
• Rigmor: How do you know this?
• Baggmar: The Ustase think they are unique and brag to enslaved Orsimer. Even though some of my Bloodkin cannot talk, they can hear, write, or otherwise communicate what is said.
• Wulf: How did you escape?
• Baggmar: I had an incentive. The three Ustase dragging me towards Gavaudon Quarry were careful not to injure me. Predothor prefers his opponents to be healthy and in their prime. They told me how he arms the healthiest Gronk and fights them in a pit before an audience of enslaved and Ustase. But he does not like to land a killing blow early, even though he can. No, he likes to slice and dice until his opponents beg for mercy. That is the ultimate humiliation for some Orsimer.
• Vayu: Those fights are another way of using fear to keep control of the enslaved.
• Baggmar: I could face Predothor with courage intact, but only if I knew I would be granted a warrior’s death. I was terrified by the thought of facing a monster who would deny me that sacred ideal of my race.
• Wulf: Because the Ustase treated you more gently, they left themselves vulnerable.
• Baggmar: Yes. They untied me when I needed to pee and crap. One thing about working in a mine was to my benefit. My upper body strength is vastly improved, and I throttled the group leader and ran.
• Wulf: You thanked Lord Malacath for our intervention. I assure you, Baggmar, it was a welcome but random happenstance.
• Baggmar: The Chiefs are starting to waver in their conviction. Soon, the only Orsimer left in Evermore will be the enslaved and Orsinium’s Sons.
• Wulf: We are not far from demanding and enforcing changes. Tell your Chief to be patient and let us resolve the issues.
• Baggmar: I shall try. I doubt the Chiefs will believe anything will change even if those in charge are replaced.
• Wulf: The same people who want to bring change to Evermore have helped build New Orsinium. If there is no chance of positive change, why go there? You can tell your Chief this. The Orsinium’s Sons are puppets of The Thalmor. The Dominion wants High Rock to join them or abandon The Empire. They tried the same tactics in Skyrim with The Stormcloaks.
• Baggmar: That explains much. We were baffled by their tactics. Deepcrag was of no military worth.
• Wulf: So now you know.

We continued talking to Baggmar as the buckles and so forth were adjusted.

When finished, I told him, “If an Orsimer from Daggerfall named Luther visits or has visited your Stronghold, I urge you and your Chief to listen to him. What he desires is possible if the leadership of Evermore is changed.”

“I will do so.”

“I wish you the best, Baggmar and hope to see you when the chaos is over.”

Baggmar trotted away, and we continued towards Azra’s Crossing.

When we arrived at the bridge, Horustair told an Aventurier, “Make sure to cover our rear in case things go awry. Do not be afraid to turn your hands against us if the worst comes to pass.”

I stood before the Aventurier.

• Wulf: What is your name?
• Deland: Deland Palrose, Your Excellency.
• Wulf: Sir Horustair must have taken a blow to the head. We have a cure for the plague, so the worst cannot happen.
• Vayu: If we became Afflicted, the external physical evidence would take days to manifest.
• Rigmor: You would not know we were Afflicted when we tried to cross back over.
• Lydia: Sir Horustair could also cure himself by visiting the Raven Spring or The Divide temple.
• Inigo: So, it seems a bit drastic suggesting you burn him to death.
• Wulf: As for myself and the Divine Knights. You could spit fire at us for days and not singe a hair.
• Deland: I do not want trouble, Your Excellency. Sir Horustair ordered me to come here.
• Wulf: I suggest you head back to your barracks, Deland. That is the best way of avoiding trouble.
• Rigmor: Deland’s plague mask is cool! Can I have one, Your Excellency?
• Wulf: They do not suit your armour, Divine Knight Eisra.
• Rigmor: I thought wearing one would ensure I got a table in a crowded inn or tavern.
• Lydia: Do not bathe for a while. That works for Divine Knight Inigo.
• Inigo: Or take Divine Knight Lydia with you. Her face clears an entire tavern in seconds.
• Wulf: Come then, Sir Horustair. Let me talk when we meet the villagers.

Horustair ran ahead. We walked at a leisurely pace.

Peryite’s plants adorned every building.

We halted in front of the village entrance. An Afflicted woman stared at us from above.

• Wulf: I am Sir Wulf Welkynd, Envoy to Evermore on behalf of His Imperial Majesty.
• Rochssa: I am Rochssa Vouch. What can we do for you, milord?
• Wulf: Sir Horustair is concerned about potentially illegal events inside your mine.
• Rochssa: Our hunters have seen his scouts watching Azra’s Crossing. They undoubtedly thought the comings and goings from a busy mine were suspicious. Who would have thought miners had to enter and leave the diggings?
• Horustair: As citizens under Evermore’s protection, you are subject to our laws. We will investigate the mine.
• Rochssa: Do you call bloated skin and boiled innards protection? Do you call the death of our children protection?
• Wulf: Sir Horustair, I instructed you to let me handle the situation. Be quiet!
• Rochssa: Evermore has only done us wrong. They keep the cures to themselves within their walls. They have always looked down on us, and murder is their solution to our condition.
• Wulf: They never had a cure, Rochssa. But we do, and it is being distributed to all Afflicted.
• Rochssa: Then the rumours are true.
• Wulf: I am surprised that the news of the cure has reached this remote village.
• Rochssa: Afflicted have their ways of communicating across Evermore.
• Wulf: I can hear them. Pigeons are good for that purpose but can only carry abbreviated messages.
• Rochssa: Any news we receive is a rumour until confirmed by multiple sources.
• Wulf: I am Champion of The Divines, and I swear on The Nine that a cure will be delivered sometime today.
• Rochssa: We have heard of the assistance you have provided Afflicted. We know you promised a cure was imminent. I believe you, Sir Wulf.
• Wulf: Is something other than mining occurring inside the mine?
• Rochssa: An Afflicted Redguard noble called Nathan sells potions he stole from Evermore City. The potions do not cure the plague but make it bearable. We still die but without the screaming.
• Wulf: How would Nathan gain access to the potions? Afflicted are not allowed within the city.
• Rochssa: That is a good point. I do not know.
• Wulf: This plague was created by Lord Peryite. Some of his devotees can create those potions using the strange plants that have engulfed much of this village. It seems that Nathan is a typical High Rock trader who has seen a way to profit from other people’s misery.
• Rochssa: But won’t he die from the plague?
• Wulf: Lord Peryite will spare his life if he is a valued devotee.
• Rochssa: What are you going to do?
• Wulf: I shall talk with Nathan and explain he is out of business. An airship will arrive sometime today and distribute the cure.
• Rochssa: We have seen the airship flying around.
• Wulf: A Priestess of Mara and an Acolyte of Mara will be aboard the airship. A Master Restoration Mage will also be attending. They will supervise the distribution and consumption of the cure. A small percentage of people have adverse reactions to the cure, but they will not die. Mages will remove the plants.
• Rochssa: I doubt anybody would be foolish enough to refuse the cure.
• Wulf: You would be surprised. We do not force people to use it.
• Horustair: Some plants look like those sprouting in Raven Spring.
• Wulf: There are similar plants in many Oblivion Planes. I have seen them in Scuttling Void, Attributions Share, Apocrypha, The Ashpit and The Shivering Isles. I even have some growing at my palace that Saint Alessia made.
• Horustair: You have you been to all those Oblivion Planes? And did you say Saint Alessia made your palace?
• Wulf: Yes, and yes, Sir Horustair. We can discuss details another time if you wish.
• Horustair: What do you want me to do?
• Wulf: Stand here and look knightly.
• Horustair: What if things turn nasty?
• Rochssa: Anybody would think the plague removes our ability to think. Attacking a knight would ensure Black Dogs descend upon this village and wipe us and it from the map.
• Wulf: This will not become a massacre. Unless attacked, your sword remains sheathed.
• Horustair: As you command, Your Excellency.
• Wulf: Divine Knights, come with me.

A lowered portcullis blocked the mine’s entrance.

We followed the pullies operating the portcullis to a cottage.

Rigmor commented, “There must be another entrance to the mine. Nobody has entered this way for months!”

“I cannot be bothered looking for it. So, you go first, Rigmor. That way, the rest of us will not have to worry about cobwebs in our hair.”

“Yeah, right, pfft! After you, Dragonbum.”

We entered the cottage, and Skeevers called it home. Peryite’s plants dominated the interior.

A pull chain released weights, and the pullies turned.

We exited the cottage and entered the mine.

Not far in, we halted so we could listen to a conversation.

• Naneline: Thank you, Nathan. Thank you so much. I promise to pay you soon.
• Nathan: These remedies are not cheap, Naneline. We shall have trouble if I do not see that gold in a week.
• Naneline: It is hard to earn gold when restricted to the village.
• Nathan: Do you know the trouble I must endure to get this?
• Naneline: Oh, yes. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I will make it up to you in any way you want. Just give me the potion, I beg you.
• Nathan: I will let it slide this time. You will not be so lucky if you come begging again, I assure you.

We headed for Nathan. Naneline looked startled as she rushed past us with her precious potion.

• Wulf: What is happening here, Nathan?
• Nathan: What business is it of yours?
• Rigmor: You are speaking to Envoy Sir Wulf Welkynd. He has the authority of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Titus Mede II. You will address him as Your Excellency.
• Vayu: Refusal to answer questions will earn you a lengthy period in a penal mine.
• Nathan: I see. Well, it was only a matter of time till they sent somebody to snoop. Do not worry. No blood is involved yet.
• Rigmor: That was a threat, Your Excellency. Should I cut this mongrel in two?
• Wulf: Let us educate Nathan and see if his manners improve.
• Rigmor: What are you doing here, Nathan?
• Nathan: I bring medicine for the plague. You probably overheard the conversation and now question my morals for charging Afflicted. Nothing in this world comes free.
• Wulf: You are simply recuperating costs and not making a profit.
• Nathan: Yes. The medicine is too expensive to pay for out of my pocket, so I need any compensation I can get.
• Wulf: Bullshit!
• Nathan: Beg your pardon?
• Wulf: I said bullshit. Or would you prefer bollocks, balderdash, codswallop, or another acronym for a lie?
• Nathan: How dare you!
• Rigmor: Why do they always say that?
• Vayu: They have an inflated opinion of their status compared to His Excellency.
• Wulf: I am Arch Mage of The College of Winterhold. Divine Knight Vayu and Restoration Mages across Nirn have developed prevention and cure for this plague. What you are peddling is a potion that only reduces suffering. It does not cure the imbiber.
• Vayu: And it costs you nothing to make. You harvest Lord Peryite’s plants and use an alchemical formula he provided.
• Wulf: Do you deny you are a devotee of Lord Peryite?
• Nathan: I am proud to worship The Lord of Pestilence!
• Wulf: You will leave Azra’s Crossing immediately. You shall not return or try to extort any money you think the villagers owe.
• Nathan: What if I chose not to obey this demand?
• Wulf: We are too busy to escort you to jail. Therefore, we shall kill you.
• Nathan: You would not dare!
• Vayu: Why do they always say that?
• Rigmor: They have an inflated opinion of their status compared to His Excellency.
• Lydia: I do not think an inflated opinion prevents decapitation.
• Rigmor: No, it does not. The smugness is replaced by a surprised expression when the offender’s head bounces on the floor.
• Wulf: What is it going to be, Nathan? Does Lord Peryite welcome martyrs?
• Nathan: You bastards!
• Wulf: We all know our parentage. Now, promise me like a good minion.
• Rigmor: No crossed fingers behind your back!
• Nathan: I promise not to return to this dump of a village or seek the compensation owed me.
• Wulf: Good boy. You can run off home and change your underpants now.

Nathan ran in the same direction as Naneline. We did not bother finding the back entrance to the mine.

We stopped just outside the mine while I used The Voice.

“RESIDENTS OF AZRA’S CROSSING, I AM SIR WULF WELKYND, DRAGONBORN AND CHAMPION OF THE DIVINES. A CURE FOR THE PLAGUE WILL BE DELIVERED TO THIS VILLAGE LATER TODAY. NATHAN WAS A CONMAN PREYING ON THE VULNERABLE. HE WILL NOT DEMAND PAYMENT FROM THOSE WHO OWE MONEY, AND HE HAS BEEN ORDERED TO STAY AWAY.”

I did not mention Nathan’s association with Peryite. Not everybody thinks Daedric worship should be allowed.

As my Thu’um echoed, we approached Horustair.

• Wulf: The problem is resolved.
• Horustair: What happened to Nathan? Nobody came out of the main entrance.
• Rigmor: His Excellency allowed Nathan to leave. He used the other entrance.
• Horustair: We have had run-ins with opportunists before. A person’s soul must be dark to exploit the meek for profit.
• Lydia: Nathan was no different than King Sigmayne in that regard.
• Horustair: I…ah…yes, well, my oath prevents me from verbally agreeing.
• Wulf: It does not. A lack of courage, even when standing before those sharing the sentiment, is the cause of your silence.
• Horustair: Yes, you are right. King Sigmayne and The Priest Circle are parasites no different than Nathan.
• Rigmor: Does that feel good, Sir Horustair? I find that speaking the truth improves my health and outlook.
• Horustair: Expressing my opinion without fear of retribution is good.
• Wulf: How much King Sigmayne would reward me if I told him of Sir Horustair’s traitorous words?
• Lydia: Not as much as if you delivered a young girl to him.
• Rigmor: You look disturbed by our confirmation of King Sigmayne’s sick predilections.
• Horustair: I fear you will confirm the rumoured reason for our invasion of Wayrest.
• Rigmor: King Sigmayne wanted to marry one of King Barynia Bacqure’s daughters.
• Wulf: Princess Ardine Severine Bacqure was only nine years of age. She had elder sisters of marriable age, but they were too old for your liege. King Barynia was incensed by King Sigmayne’s perversion and had him escorted out of Wayrest.
• Rigmor: King Sigmayne returned later and tried to rape Princess Ardine.
• Wulf: Instead of killing King Sigmayne, King Barynia jailed him while awaiting trial as Imperial Law demands.
• Rigmor: We know this is a fact, as Princess Ardine is now an Acolyte of Lady Mara and a Divine Knight. She told us what happened, and her honesty is beyond question.
• Wulf: King Sigmayne invaded Wayrest for revenge. How dare he be denied the object he lusted after?
• Rigmor: King Barynia feared King Sigmayne would seek vengeance. So Princess Ardine, her two sisters and her mother were sent to another High Rock kingdom. They never saw King Barynia again.
• Wulf: Sir Horustair, you fought for what you believed to be a just cause. King Sigmayne is to blame for the deaths of innocents. Not you.
• Horustair: You do not intend to leave him on the throne, do you?
• Wulf: I intend to gather more evidence and put King Sigmayne on trial.
• Horustair: What about Prince Damian?
• Wulf: He might have been a good king but is dead.
• Horustair: When did that happen? I saw him leave for Raven Spring yesterday.
• Wulf: He was killed some time ago by a demon. A Hedge-Witch grafted Damian’s body onto that of the demon.
• Horustair: What are you going to do about it?
• Wulf: I have befriended the demon. There is a bigger plan that needs uncovering. So, while we investigate, the demon will remain untouched.
• Rigmor: While the demon is in Raven Spring, and nobody tries to stop him, he is no danger to King Sigmayne.
• Wulf: You must trust us on this, Sir Horustair. We are adept at what we do.
• Rigmor: King Sigmayne is not to be told. The Arch Bishop is not to be told. Nobody is to be told.
• Wulf: We have told a few others this secret for their safety. If you do not try and stop the demon, you are safe. Anger him, and he shall tear you apart.
• Horustair: Let us hope it remains in Raven Spring. I do not know how I would react if confronted with its presence.
• Wulf: Like us, you would have to accept that he lives for now, knowing it is for the benefit of all.
• Horustair: You have given me much to think about. I will not dare speak of the demon to others.
• Wulf: King Sigmayne knows we will likely have him removed. Beware of any illegal demands he might make.
• Lydia: Your Knight’s Oath does not compel you to perform illegal acts or those inconsistent with your religious beliefs.
• Horustair: I can pretend to obey and speak mistruths about delays.
• Wulf: Do what your conscience allows. We will now visit the demon and discuss his plans.

We teleported to Raven Spring and then entered.

We passed many Legionnaires on the way to The Summit of the Lord. Most of them were the replacements sent by General Tullius.

All Daedric plants had been removed. There were no piles of burning Daedra or skeletons. It was as if a thirteen-hour battle had not occurred days before.

We entered Ambition’s new home. No guards were on duty, so we entered Maarin’s playroom without bothering to sneak.

All corpses had been removed except a new one. A key on the corpse identified it.

I quipped, “Ambition was not keen on Maarin keeping his cook position.”

I looked in the well and said, “The portal is still active. I have seen enough.”

When we exited the room, Rigmor remarked, “That place triggered memories you would rather forget.”

“Yes, my beloved. The image of the mother and child will haunt me forever. Seeing such a pair alive is often the brightest spectacle on Nirn. Therefore, when evil cast its shadow over them, it was darker than The Void.”

“But the dark was an illusion, for their love still shone in their moment of terror.”

“I said that, didn’t I?”

“Yes, and I will remind you of beauty and love whenever you allow despair to gain a foothold.”

My friends smiled at our exchange. They knew I would falter without their and Rigmor’s love.

We entered the throne room.

A Shrine of Akatosh had replaced the torture rack. It was not active.

Ambition was not sitting on the throne. Instead, the fake prince sat at a small table and seemed oblivious to our presence.

I walked close and coughed several times to attract his attention.

• Wulf: Prince Damian, is there anything that requires my assistance?
• Ambition: I have enough maids. I need you to be my sword, knight. Take initiative and seek out disorder in the far reaches of the realm and quell it. That is your duty.
• Wulf: Ahem.
• Ambition: Evermore must strive to be as immaculate as the marble art of our halls.
• Rigmor: Prince Damian, His Excellency does not take orders from you. Neither can you assign him duties. You are of a lower noble rank.
• Vayu: You may suggest a task to His Excellency. It is at his discretion whether the task is undertaken.
• Ambition: Oh, of course. I am still adjusting to the change of fortune experienced.
• Wulf: That is understandable, and I am available if you need guidance.
• Ambition: Were you witness to this Manor before my arrival? It was a ghastly scene with an odious stench. It is difficult to believe a lord lived here.
• Wulf: Putrescence often accompanies insanity.
• Rigmor: At least Lord Mortifayne’s carpets were never wonky!
• Wulf: The odour was added to by Maarin’s questionable cooking.
• Ambition: He was a very unlikeable character and had to be dismissed. I do not know why he thought I would be willing to retain him.
• Wulf: Well, I am impressed with the improvements. A Shrine of Akatosh is far more pleasant than a blood-covered torture rack.
• Ambition: I would not tolerate any less. No person of good standing can conduct themselves in filth. Our standards must be high so even The Divines can appreciate them.
• Wulf: The Divines are not impressed by where you live but how you conduct yourself.
• Ambition: There is a task befitting someone of your history. An excursion is planned beyond these walls. The objective is the reclamation of Grey Belmor.
• Wulf: Are you concerned about the curse?
• Ambition: Past scholars have either succumbed to the perils of Belmor’s Curse or returned with no more information than before their journey.
• Wulf: It is truly a place of mystery.
• Ambition: Capricious is that warped land. That was the opinion of many who have studied Grey Belmor. The deeper you tread, the fiercer the resistance.
• Wulf: What makes you think you would be successful?
• Ambition: The curse is not an aimless force. It thinks and it fears. The reason for that increasing danger as you delve further is defense.
• Wulf: The curse has a radius and, therefore, a centre. That is what the defenders of Grey Belmor protected.
• Ambition: Priest Matthew solved that riddle. The curse has a heart.
• Wulf: I think you misconstrued Priest Matthew’s message. We discovered the heart and destroyed it. The curse is no more.
• Vayu: When Orsimer Shaman enabled the curse, it was not meant to be eternal. Their use of Hedge Magic attracted Lady Namira’s attention.
• Wulf: Like she took advantage of the slaughter at Munstor, Lady Namira wove Grey Belmor’s curse into her plans. None of what remained was the work of Lord Malacath.
• Ambition: In his journal, Lord Mortifayne attributed the heart’s discovery to Priest Matthew. Perhaps in his state, he misquoted the priest.
• Wulf: Do not lay blame on Priest Matthew. He had nothing to do with that discovery and would not dare take credit for it.
• Ambition: I am yet to meet him. Do you think he is trustworthy?
• Wulf: He is well regarded within The Priest Circle.
• Ambition: The curse is lifted, so I shall turn Belmor’s surroundings green with new plants, grass, and trees. Its fecund soul will birth promising land. Such a vista will improve the morale of all the realm’s people.
• Wulf: That is a worthwhile and genius plan, Prince Damian.
• Ambition: I told you that I do not respect those who grovel.
• Wulf: Divine Knights Eisra and Vayu instruct Prince Damian. He seems to have forgotten his manners again.
• Rigmor: Prince Damian, it is uncouth to parley at a table and allow supplicants to tower over you. Thrones are placed high to enforce the relative ranks of those present.
• Vayu: However, in this instance, your relative height to His Excellency is accurate. Well, it would be if you were kneeling on the floor and looking up at him.
• Rigmor: Remember, Prince Damian, His Excellency should be shown the same reverence as His Imperial Majesty.
• Vayu: His Excellency was genuine in his praise. He need not grovel to those of lesser rank or martial prowess.
• Rigmor: Do not risk His Excellency’s willingness to guide you by forgetting basic protocol.
• Wulf: Prince Damian, I want your thoughts on the Orsimer.
• Ambition: Necessity will either destroy or bond them to the betterment of greater Bretonnia. These choices are the sentiment found amongst all high families.

Ambition stopped and stared into infinity. At a guess, the Demon was battling with his and Prince Damian’s memories.

Rigmor said, via Mara’s Rings, “This thing is delusional.”

“Remember, he is missing many checks and balances due to absent emotions. His logic will be flawed.”

“He will not stop trying to achieve his ambition.”

“And there lies the danger. Ambition must have allies even to contemplate what he proposes. They may believe his aims are possible. Then we will have another New Order on our hands.”

“They will start something that has no possibility of success but will cost many lives.”

“Exactly!”

“You cannot disillusion him with facts and reality. You do not want him thinking you oppose his plans.”

“For authenticity’s sake, I must gently correct him on occasion. He does not want a yes man but an advisor. We must play along and learn who his allies are and then put an end to them and his plans.”

“Vayu will understand what you are doing.”

“So will Lydia, Inigo and Meeko.”

“You are not bad at this political game, my Guardian.”

“I think I shall drag him back from wherever he has gone.”

“Only weird people sit and stare into infinity like that!”

“So says Countess Rigmor Ragnarsdottier, Nirn’s Champion Infinity Starer.”

• Wulf: What do you prefer, Prince Damian? Is it to be bondage or destruction?
• Ambition: My preference is to end them quickly. To delight in their suffering is not the way of civilised men. They have endured enough.
• Wulf: I thought you would detest them.
• Ambition: Such a degenerated race can only earn pity. Only a threat can earn hatred. Many need the Orcs to justify their squalor. They are the manifestation of fear to the serfs of this land.
• Wulf: Their existence prevents introspection.
• Ambition: I see you understand the balance. If it were not for Orcs, Evermore’s citizens may cast doubt on those who govern. The threat of the Orcs makes them more beholden to the lords and masters.
• Wulf: It is a difficult task that you propose.
• Ambition: The Orcs have been routed in the past. They retire to some black crevice and make up for their losses quickly. They then reemerge to exact a terrible vengeance.
• Wulf: You are advocating genocide.
• Ambition: The Orc cannot be stayed or contented. They seek blood wherever blades fail to stop them. History proves that only merciless persecution of your enemy makes peace.
• Wulf: We are better than this proposed slaughter. Committing to such a war should be avoided.
• Ambition: Ha! Mortals are born for games and nothing else. Every child knows that play is nobler than work. They also know the worth or merit of a game is not inherent in the game itself. Instead, the value lies in what is put at hazard. What is the cost of loss?
• Wulf: Not all games are measured in profit and loss. Participation is of paramount importance to many.
• Ambition: That is true, but games of chance require a wager to have any meaning.
• Wulf: You are correct. Your mind is nimble.
• Rigmor: You should be flattered, Prince Damian. His Excellency is not known for his compliments.
• Ambition: My vanity gladly accepts his compliment.
• Wulf: Please continue.
• Ambition: Games of sport involve the skill and strength of the opponents. The humiliation of defeat and the pride of victory are in themselves sufficient stake because they inhere in the worth of the principals and define them.
• Wulf: The loser’s ego is dented, and some people find that difficult to process. Are you equating the elimination of Orcs with sport?
• Ambition: Yes. Genocide is the testing of one’s will and the will of another within that greater will, which, because it binds them, is forced to select. War is the ultimate game because war is, at last, a force for unity of existence. War is god!
• Wulf: Such rationalisation leads to ultimate ruin. It is often the philosophy of the few against many.
• Ambition: The many forgo this line to make themselves equal to their superiors. The weak playing with morality is like a deer shrieking at the wolf. That is nonsense for survival and nothing more.

I could sense my friends becoming increasingly uncomfortable with Ambition’s rhetoric. I decided to press further and had no doubt worse was yet to be spoken.

• Wulf: You seem to be clear on the path forward. What are your plans for The Reach?
• Ambition: Trust me, you do not have the patience to hear them all. Disparate tasks that come with ease and with difficulty and seem wholly unrelated. Yet they are drawn together for the gestalt of Empire. To go beyond this Kingdom and claim even greater power.
• Wulf: The future sounds promising.
• Ambition: The west harbours ruin, with Wayrest offering no resistance to our ambition. That kingdom’s lands will be partitioned, with Daggerfall conceding to a smaller share.
• Wulf: Do you have allies in Daggerfall who have agreed to this concession?
• Ambition: Such grand plans require partners. To the north lies a waste barely worth governing. Jehanna would submit through threat alone, I am sure. We only need to obstruct potential paths from which our foes could attack.
• Wulf: Jehanna is governed by Nords. Their ties with Skyrim are entwined in blood, trade, and shared religion. You would need a large force to have any hope of stemming the tide of angry Nords. The Breton of Evermore have failed to do so in the past.
• Ambition: This time will be different! Daggerfall will fear an east unified under one banner. They will accept the new era we have made for them.
• Wulf: What about Witchmen and Exiles?
• Ambition: They are a trifling ordeal and only exist due to my father’s narrow interests. Were he to commit men beyond his walls, the dregs of the land would be made short work of.
• Wulf: Evermore does not have the troop numbers to achieve these goals.
• Ambition: The Breton of The Reach should suffice to combat the savage. There only needs to be the furious desire to fight. That is what I hope to inspire.
• Wulf: That will be impossible with the current inequalities.
• Ambition: I agree. For too long, the antagonisms of class have closed our eyes to our racial enemies. It is imperative to unify all Breton and to oust the rats who feed on our misery.
• Wulf: You suggest the equality espoused in Munstor. Fear of that equality led to the slaughter of many.
• Ambition: This will be different. No longer will the serf feel estranged from their society. A mutual drive will animate every Evermorin. Nobles and commoners will have the same agenda.
• Wulf: For clarity, explain this agenda that will somehow overcome noble fears.
• Ambition: We of the same blood will forge a new destiny outside the deliberations of the gods. We will crush those who sought to divide and assail us. There is nothing more unifying than a common enemy.
• Wulf: Such actions will not please those who are not Breton.
• Ambition: We will extend the privileges of our collective to those outside our blood. But only to those who have sacrificed their heritage to bolster ours.
• Wulf: You seem to have dismissed The Empire. They will not sit back and allow these plans to proceed unchallenged.
• Ambition: The Empire is a waning power. They are like an old dog that has expended all its vigour, never to run again. Their impotence is palpable. Innumerable failures and military disasters have undermined its authority.
• Wulf: They fought The Dominion to a standstill. They defeated The New Order and The Stormcloaks. I fail to see innumerable failures or military disasters. There are currently seven legions activated. Three reserve legions can be mobilised with little notice. It seems the old dog has far more vigour than any army you could muster.
• Ambition: Where was Mede’s army during the countless breaches of their constitution? Slavery and genocide were still practiced within their provinces, yet they seldom lifted a finger.
• Wulf: When such breaches were found, they acted swiftly and firmly. I advise you to reassess the power of The Empire. Underestimating them threatens your ambitious plans.
• Ambition: What remains of The Empire? A name? Is it the name of the thug who extorts a protection fee from its subjects? They display the same duplicity as a thug who never protects the investments for which the fee is paid.
• Wulf: If it were not for The Empire, The Dominion would be your ruler. Like all other races under their boots, Breton would be inferior and subjected to the same prejudice your race inflicts upon Orsimer. If High Rock secedes from The Empire, The Dominion will march in, and His Imperial Majesty will let them.
• Rigmor: If it were not for The Empire, Mehrunes Dagon would have conquered Nirn. Daedra would have enslaved you.
• Lydia: If it were not for The Empire, The New Order would have swept across High Rock after gaining the backing of The Dominion.
• Wulf: You are mistaken, Prince Damian, if you believe High Rock would prosper without The Empire’s protection.
• Ambition: I disagree with your assessment.
• Wulf: I am here to advise, not dictate your actions. What do you know of war? Have you experienced it?
• Ambition: In Daggerfall, a band of like-minded males was formed to search the land for high adventure.
• Lydia: We often find such bands of adventurers dead.
• Ambition: Well, it is apparent that I survived. Befitting my class, I was chosen to command. We staged mock battles involving small retinues of twenty-four on each side. We won for the most part, yet Daggerfall houses much talent. I still have much to learn.
• Wulf: Your games amount to naught when real battles involve thousands, and the fog of war creates confusion.
• Ambition: We were eager to shed the artifice and do away with wooden swords. So, we raided the criminal dens of Daggerfall. It is remarkable how swift we were in their undoing.
• Lydia: Eliminating bandits differs from thousands of well-armed and armoured enemies charging your defensive line. You talk of war without understanding what battle entails.
• Wulf: I am sure Prince Damian will rely on experienced field commanders. He needs to look the part of a warrior, not be one.
• Ambition: Haha. Like yourself, Your Excellency?
• Wulf: I have killed thousands in battle. In one recent encounter, over three hundred enemies fell to my blade, spells, and Thu’um.
• Rigmor: There is no finer mortal warrior than Sir Wulf Welkynd.
• Ambition: I am pleased he will be by my side to help achieve my plans.
• Wulf: Your first step must be to gain the support of Raven Spring’s and Forlorn’s citizens.
• Ambition: Yes, and I am formulating a speech to speak to their fears and promise a better future. Hopefully, I can publicly announce grand plans in a day or so.
• Wulf: I look forward to listening to your words and watching hope, fuelled by hatred, dominate the faces of serfs and soldiers.
• Ambition: Your Excellency understands me, as I knew he would when we first met.
• Wulf: We shall leave now and seek out disorder in the far reaches of the realm and quell it.
• Ambition: Good. Very good.

Ambition stared into infinity again as we left and headed for the temple.

• Vayu: That was well done, Wulf.
• Inigo: My friend, that thing thinks you are a friend.
• Lydia: You have not hidden who and what you are from Ambition. Yet he thinks you will aid him in genocide, the rejection of The Nine and the betrayal of The Empire.
• Wulf: I think he is ego as well as ambition. Ambition is the desire to achieve something. Ego is the belief it can be achieved. I fail to see logic or other deep analysis as part of Ambition’s personality.
• Rigmor: We spoke via Mara’s Rings, and Wulf compared Ambition’s plans to The New Order’s.
• Vayu: That is a valid comparison. The New Order’s aims were unachievable. However, Thalmor arrogance refused to accept that fact.
• Rigmor: Ambition, like The New Order, might cause death and destruction while pursuing an impossible goal.
• Lydia: His allies might be mindless sycophants, or he could have appealed to their base desires.
• Wulf: He seems to think he can convince serfs that his plans will benefit them. If he makes that public speech, he might be shocked by their scepticism and sympathy for the Orsimer.
• Rigmor: Would you silence any objectors like you did at Luther’s speech?
• Wulf: That depends on what they say and how it affects Ambition. However, I do not think there will be any vocal objections. Ambition is yet to prove he is a benevolent Lord of Raven Spring. The fear instilled by Mortifayne will prevent public displays of scepticism by serfs and guards.
• Meeko: Woof?
• Wulf: I have no idea how he balances his memories and those of Prince Damian.
• Vayu: Some subconscious things would not require delving into memory. For instance, whatever martial skills Prince Damian had, Ambition now has.
• Inigo: Any Khajiiti or Ka’Po’Tun near Ambition would know he is not a Breton. They may not realise what he is, just that he is not what he seems.
• Vayu: Domestic dogs and cats have that ability.
• Meeko: Woof!
• Inigo: Dogs do not have superior senses!
• Lydia: Do not fret, Inigo. Whatever deficiencies you have in senses are compensated for by superior flea infestation.
• Meeko: Woof.
• Lydia: Thank you, Meeko. I will accept that win graciously.

We entered the temple and approached Reamonn.

• Wulf: Have you had any success with your scrying?
• Reamonn: I am progressing but need to rest and eat before continuing.
• Wulf: We have just had a long conversation with Prince Damian.
• Reamonn: There could not be a bigger contrast between him and Lord Mortifayne or King Sigmayne.
• Wulf: Have you ever met him?
• Reamonn: I have not spoken to him since he was a young teen heading to Daggerfall with his mother. I saw him enter this city’s gates to much cheering and waving. He is a very handsome lad!
• Wulf: I must tell you something because your reaction could endanger you unless forewarned.
• Reamonn: That sounds dire.
• Wulf: That was not Prince Damian. You have met the being who entered Raven Spring.
• Reamonn: Being?
• Wulf: That was the short red demon you saw exit the Oblivion Gate.
• Reamonn: Ambition?
• Wulf: Yes. He killed Prince Damian. A Hedge-Witch grafted Damian’s body onto Ambition.
• Reamonn: So, the citizens of Forlorn and Raven Spring have a demon in charge instead of an insane Namira devotee. How lucky they are!
• Wulf: You will find that Ambition will prove to be a popular lord, and I think he cares, in a way, about the welfare of Evermore’s citizens. However, he is working with others on traitorous plans. They are guaranteed to fail when The Empire’s army intervenes. Many innocents would suffer.
• Reamonn: Do you have a plan on how to stop him?
• Wulf: Yes. He believes I am a friend and ally. I will leverage that misconception to uncover his schemes and allies. In the meantime, nothing must stand in his way. If you meet him, you must act normal. Do not contradict him or vocalise dissent.
• Reamonn: Do you think I would have recognised him and acted with fear or contempt?
• Wulf: If he came close to you, there is that chance because you have seen him in his demon form, even if only for a moment.
• Vayu: Your scrying ability increases that chance.
• Reamonn: Is Priest Matthew to be warned?
• Wulf: No.
• Rigmor: We do not trust him.
• Wulf: You are to tell nobody, Reamonn. Sister Jeanna and Oliver know of Damian’s identity.
• Rigmor: As do several others who have been told because they must deal with him.
• Wulf: I am his confidant. It will not take long to uncover enough information to make a move on him and his allies.
• Reamonn: Is there another Dark Lord involved?
• Wulf: We do not know. Ambition hates Lady Namira, so he is no longer her minion.
• Reamonn: Will Ambition enter this temple?
• Wulf: If he does, it will not be for long. He would not be frightened of The Divines, but the love that now permeates this temple may be uncomfortable.
• Reamonn: I will return to the scrying soon. Visit again tomorrow morning.
• Wulf: Will do.

As Reamonn wandered away, I told Rigmor via Mara’s Ring, “There are several hours till sundown, but we have no other leads to follow. I know you have been worried about your mother and Bruma.”

“They would have heard about the Oblivion Gate and battle by now. I could speak to Mother via Corb, but I prefer we speak with her and the others in person. I might be here for a while longer.”

“Inigo and Lydia look a bit frazzled.”

“They can relax in Mara’s Rest while we visit Bruma.”

“Then let us tell them the plan.”

After discussing our plan, Vayu teleported the others to Mara’s Rest while Rigmor and I teleported into her bedroom in Bruma’s palace.

Minutes later, Sigunn took a break from dealing with supplicants to talk with us in The Great Hall.

I was placed at the head of the table, as Sigunn insists every time I visit. I do not bother arguing. She is almost as stubborn as her daughter!

• Rigmor: Although I have spoken to Mother over Corb several times, we thought it best to visit and answer your questions.
• Sigunn: Wulf, I would like to give my condolences over the deaths of your friends.
• Wulf: Thank you, Sigunn. During my time in Akavir, I lost a few friends in battle. It is never easy, but they died for just causes, and that helps with the grief.
• Malesam: How much danger was there to Rigmor?
• Rigmor: How dangerous was it to everybody on Nirn, including Bruma’s citizens? I am not helping resolve a minor skirmish between nobles.
• Wulf: Lady Mara asked me to go to Evermore because she is concerned about the situation and its danger to everybody.
• Rigmor: The battle lasted thirteen hours, and Namira had unlimited troops. Most were far more powerful than the Daedra faced during The Oblivion Crises. Wulf almost died closing the Oblivion Gate.
• Malesam: I must question the need for Rigmor to be there. Was she essential to achieving victory in that battle? Lady Mara asked for Wulf’s assistance, not the Countess of Bruma’s.
• Rigmor: I will try to make this clear once more. However, this is the last time, Malesam. Wulf thrives in the light of this world, highlighted by things such as the laughter of children and the love of friends and family. He smiles when ordinary people go about their lives safely and comfortably. So bright is his love for these things that the shadow cast by evil seems darker. My beloved needs me close, or despair will overwhelm him.
• Cerys: Rigmor told me how despair is palpable in Evermore. Think of a stink that cannot be ignored.
• Wulf: My friends share my burdens. But I need more than their support. Lady Mara wants me to use diplomacy, not the sword, to resolve the problems in Evermore. I need the calmness that Rigmor’s presence allows. Without it, I will surrender to despair or allow my dragon half to absorb the pain and make the decisions.
• Rigmor: The connection between Wulf and I is unique and goes beyond the depth of our love. As described in the past, we are greater than our sum when together.
• Sigunn: Travelling with Wulf allows my daughter to contribute to the protection of all mortals. She has that right, Malesam.
• Freathof: Cerys told me how you can use your dragon soul to protect your sanity, Wulf.
• Wulf: In some ways, that is correct. Dragons do not have sympathy and little patience. I could let my dragon half take over if the darkness proved too much. The sword would replace diplomacy. It would not be the outcome Lady Mara desires.
• Freathof: What will be the result of your time in Evermore?
• Wulf: Justice will be served according to Imperial Law. No level of Evermore’s nobility will escape it.
• Rigmor: Do not ask for details, Freathof. We still do not know if any other Daedric Princes are involved.
• Freathof: No level tells me all I need to know.
• Sigunn: A few Orsimer from Evermore have sought refuge in Bruma. They all have family or friends here, so they have not gone to Skyrim or New Orsinium. They talk of Orsimer enslavement. Is that a rumour or fact?
• Wulf: They must remain rumours for now, so I urge you not to repeat what we tell you.
• Malesam: Rigmor is risking her life for whatever plan you have. We will not increase her peril with loose talk.
• Wulf: Orsimer are being bred into enslavement.
• Sigunn: Oh no!
• Rigmor: Innocent Orsimer are being arrested and enslaved.
• Wulf: Some of those we are dealing with want to eliminate all Orsimer.
• Freathof: They would never be successful!
• Rigmor: No, they would not. But can you imagine the death and destruction resulting from a large group trying such a thing?
• Wulf: The New Order could not defeat The Empire, but they tried.
• Cerys: Ulfric and his Stormcloaks stood no chance, but they tried.
• Sigunn: You must rescue them, Wulf!
• Wulf: We do not know where the bulk of the enslaved Orsimer are. If the enslavers think we are getting close to discovering their crimes and location, they are likely to kill the evidence.
• Rigmor: That is why we must be patient and cautious. Kicking in doors and causing a commotion is likely to result in more Orsimer losing their lives.
• Wulf: The same with the missing children.
• Cerys: They are enslaving children?
• Wulf: They are sexually abusing and murdering children.
• Freathof: Who is doing this, Wulf?
• Wulf: The abusers encompass all levels of nobility and not just from Evermore. We think access to children is a trading tool. However, that is speculation, for we have no proof.
• Rigmor: Normal citizens are also guilty and were sacrificing them.
• Wulf: They took children to a griffon who ate them. They thought this was the will of Lady Mara.
• Freathof: What could make sane people think that?
• Rigmor: When we have finished, Wulf will write a report to explain how all of this came to be.
• Wulf: As usual, most evil is mortal free will choosing that path. Lady Namira and possibly other Daedric Princes have taken advantage of Evermore’s environment to enable their plans or add to the chaos.
• Rigmor: So, Malesam, do you understand what Wulf and our friends are dealing with and why I cannot leave his side? Think of the contrast. Wulf runs four orphanages yet faces those who abuse and kill children.
• Malesam: Yes, Rigmor. I thank you two for outlining what is occurring in Evermore.
• Sigunn: When will you leave Evermore, Wulf?
• Wulf: I cannot say, Sigunn. I think it will be soon.
• Sigunn: We can deal with Bruma as long as necessary. You need Rigmor more than we do.
• Wulf: As always, the choice is Rigmor’s.
• Rigmor: I do not think you have faced the darkest Evermore has to offer. I cannot leave your side till you can go home.

Rigmor said goodbye to her mother and advisors. We then teleported into Aurane and summoned the rest of the squad.

It was decided that Meeko, Vayu, Lydia, and Inigo would swap for Ghorbash, Celestine and Borgakh.

Celestine told us they had delivered the cure to every Afflicted in Evermore. Plans were still being made to do the same for those in Wayrest. The Afflicted in Skyrim have been cured but will remain till Evermore and Wayrest are stabilised.

Vayu would update those remaining in Aurane. I teleported the new squad into Mara’s Rest.

Arrectus of Solitude Sausages had sold me some recipes. So, for dinner, I made Pigs in a Blanket. They turned out quite well.

We discussed the current situation over our meal. Rigmor retired to bed early and soon fell asleep.

The following day, we teleported to the entrance of Raven Spring.

I was pleased to see that guards had returned to duty. One of them looked horrified by the presence of Orsimer. Lucky for him, he kept his racism to himself.

I had decided that having Ghorbash and Borgakh with me would express my opinion of Orsimer and avoid having to listen to hatred spew from people’s mouths.

We entered and made our way to the temple.

Sister Jeanna decided to remain in Evermore till the crisis was over. More people were now seeking her advice than Priest Matthew’s, and she thought it her duty to stay.

Conner was preparing a stew when I spoke to Reamonn.

• Wulf: This place looks and feels like an actual temple!
• Reamonn: The visiting Priests of Arkay were not pleased with the blasphemous display of a corpse.
• Wulf: I can imagine. They would not have been polite with their opinion.
• Reamonn: Who knew men of religion could swear like a sailor?
• Rigmor: How goes the scrying?
• Reamonn: It was successful! This search was one of the more interesting deductions I have engaged in.
• Wulf: Where did it lead you?
• Reamonn: It led to a long-since abandoned facility up in the mountains, unfortunately bearing the recent moniker of ‘Rejects Respite,’ in light of the types of people brought there.
• Celestine: Brought there for compassionate care or more sinister purposes?
• Reamonn: I do not know. My scrying brought me to the bowels of that ruin, which I never thought would be that extensive.
• Wulf: It is already marked on my map. What impression did you get of the facility?
• Reamonn: That dark sanctum is better undisturbed.
• Wulf: Just a foreboding and nothing specific?
• Reamonn: No, but should there have been?
• Wulf: I told you who Prince Damian is. We did not want to bias your scrying by telling you who we suspect the murderer is.
• Reamonn: Ambition? Are you saying they have replaced Mortifayne with somebody just as evil?
• Wulf: As I suggested yesterday, he will appear to be the complete opposite.
• Reamonn: Perhaps you should take a staff that is rumoured to be from that facility. Let me retrieve it for you.

Reamonn retrieved the staff from a cupboard and handed it to me.

I inspected it and then handed it to Celestine.

• Reamonn: Arcanists figured that staff is for trapping souls, akin to most mages’ conventional method when weaving the same spell.
• Wulf: Yes, it has a Soul Trap dweomer on it, but there is another one. It uses the stored soul to power a beam of Magicka. I am unsure as to what the beam does. There is usually a frequency to such beams that trigger other items.
• Celestine: I can detect the Soul Trap and other dweomer, but I am also unsure what it is used for.
• Wulf: Significantly, the staff has the same symbol as was carved into the flesh.
• Rigmor: It seems a clue was left, but not by the same being.
• Wulf: Mmm…I have a theory I will discuss later.
• Celestine: Does this staff have a name?
• Reamonn: The name given by the Arcanists is ‘Staff of the Farseer.’
• Wulf: Farseer is the name given to Ashlander seers, devotees of Azura. I wonder if that has any relevance.
• Reamonn: I cannot say. The name was on a scroll that arrived with the staff. I have no idea where that scroll may be or who donated the staff. It has been in the collection of The Priest Circle for decades.
• Wulf: We will investigate Rejects Respite. Heed what I said, and beware of Damian.
• Celestine: Try not to react to his presence. Do not contradict him or oppose him.
• Reamonn: I will try my best.
• Wulf: Blessings of The Nine, Reamonn.

I teleported us to The Maw Soul Stone.

The trail to Rejects Respite was mainly uphill but not steep.

We only encountered a couple of Witchmen. We had previously killed most of them in the immediate area.

• Rigmor: What was your theory about the clue being left for us?
• Wulf: Ambition and Husk share a soul. I think they have some idea of what their other half is doing. I also think they might be able to influence each other’s actions.
• Celestine: So, Husk influenced Ambition to leave the clue.
• Wulf: That is my theory. It is also the only logical explanation.
• Borgakh: What do you think Rejects Respite is?
• Wulf: I think it was a facility for the care of the insane. But this is Evermore, so who knows what it turned into.
• Ghorbash: That sounds inviting!
• Rigmor: It will be full of new things trying to kill us.
• Celestine: That makes it exciting according to Wulf’s warped ways.
• Rigmor: But he is weird, so it is okay for regular people to be concerned.

We entered a gate and climbed a steeper path.

Rejects Respite came into view.

Rigmor said, “Wulf, this place just seems wrong.”

I replied, “It does have a sense of foreboding strong enough for Reamonn to sense with his scrying.”

“Let’s go somewhere nice after we have finished in Evermore.”

“Maybe a trip to the overlook. You can sing me another song!”

“Yeah, right, pfft!”

We entered Rejects Respite, but raised bars prevented further progress.

We climbed some stairs and found the lever to lower the bars.

There was also the beginning of a journal written by somebody called Mengrelle. There was only one entry, but that was enough to ensure he would die if I met him. I read it aloud to the group.

“We must look to the past for answers regarding this question of the ‘Perfect Slave.’ They must be content in their servitude and gracious to their master. Yet we have seen resentment of all enslaved races for their chains, no matter the year. The Ayleid made Falmer enslaved and obedient by using horror. They succeeded in subduing their cattle, but their enslaved were not how we want ours to be. Fear can affect function.

I hoped that Orcs would respond well to the most recent serums. Some do, but the rest became feral. They tore at themselves until blood loss took them. Yet we work with those who made it, a sort of survivorship bias. Now, they will be the foundation for the true enslaved.

Mengrelle”

• Ghorbash: Breeding my Bloodkin for enslavement is evil. This experimentation with serums is worse!
• Borgakh: I would gladly tear Mengrelle apart, limb by limb.
• Rigmor: The necromancers first tried spells to create better enslaved. I do not think the failure at Sabbat was their only setback before they turned to alchemy.
• Celestine: I wonder if they cooperated with Mengrelle on creating the serum.
• Wulf: The Dwemer enslaved the Falmer through fear. Blinding them helped that method. Eventually, the Falmer thought they were dependent on the Dwemer to survive. They disliked enslavement but feared the unknown.
• Celestine: I wonder how they coped when the Dwemer first vanished?
• Wulf: They must have been terrified.
• Rigmor: I cannot imagine what your mother endured, Wulf.
• Wulf: Like you, Mother did not surrender hope to her enslavers. The taste of injustice is enough to rile the supposed meek into a rage.
• Celestine: You were a skinny fourteen-year-old girl who fought with her only weapon, defiance.
• Rigmor: That defiance almost cost me my life.
• Wulf: Begging them to stop was a tactical withdrawal.
• Rigmor: Mom hardly ever mentions her enslavement. She dedicated herself to helping other enslaved people, which gave her purpose.
• Wulf: Sigunn is an extraordinary person.
• Rigmor: Yes, and she birthed an extraordinary daughter.
• Wulf: Where does your extraordinary sister live? Can I meet her?
• Rigmor: Get stuffed!

As my friends laughed, I pulled the lever, and we heard the bars lowering.

We then entered the rest of the ruins.

On a table, we found a journal written by Francis Kranton. I read it to the group.

“Entry 1:

By the time anybody finds this journal, I will likely be dead. It would be the fate I deserve for not fighting against the evil here. If I am dead, I beg you to offer aid to the Kranton family in Arnima.

Entry 2:

There are sights so wretched that even Witchmen would reel in awe. The surgeons are slipping further into madness, repeating twisted words under chapped lips. Their pale skin became almost ghost-like, see-through, against the fires of the common room – all of them remained silent as if a cemetery had upchucked its occupants.

Entry 3:

You never get used to the smell, which worsens daily. There is a source to it, I know it, but that area is accessed by the Master Surgeon and his trusted associates. If there were work outside, I would leave, but there is nothing, and If I fail to bring the coin, then the family stays within The Reach, within Mortifayne’s reach. Just a few more weeks, and we will be off to Daggerfall. But I fear the memories made here will not easily be left behind.

Entry 4:

I have been permitted to the lower ward. They said I am trusted, and now I realise it was a mistake to be so eager to please.

There is a screaming behind the walls, a wailing. It does not stop. The surgeons have all left the halls, and I am here to clean up after their mess, but I am not alone. There is a screaming at the end of the halls as I turn another corner. Just a few more days, and we will be off to Daggerfall. It is nothing, I am sure. The patients must have escaped, but I am supplied with a sword, and they are but famished victims of this tyranny. I feel these halls have become narrower.

Entry 5:

They have locked the gates and did not return. I cannot leave because the windows are barred. There is another way out, but it leaves atop the mountains, and I cannot survive that trek. Why did they leave me here? I was loyal, obliged them all and smiled through their butchery. If this journal is found, take the pouch beside me to my family, to the Kranton’s. Contact them via the Temple. If you cannot reach them, find the Halons, my cousins. Geffir will help you find my family. I will attempt to find another exit and make it home when I do.”

There was no body or bag of coins.

• Wulf: I wonder how many workers they left entombed?
• Celestine: Some may have risked the mountain and perished.
• Rigmor: I bet the bastards left patients behind as well.
• Celestine: And those they experimented on.
• Ghorbash: Wulf did say this was a fun place to visit.
• Wulf: It seems the surgeons were practicing necromancy as well.
• Rigmor: Some of the surgeons were probably from that coven we annihilated.
• Wulf: That is likely. Mind you, I do not think you would have much trouble finding depraved surgeons in Evermore.

It was apparent that Rejects Respite had been repurposed.

Unusual Skeletal Warriors enforced that idea.

The Skeletal Warriors did not collapse into a pile of bones or ash. They dissolved into ectoplasm.

Rigmor whined, “I thought you said this place would be fun. These skeletons cannot do that cool reassembly thing!”

“I am sure there are other odd enemies to amuse you.”

As we progressed, we got the impression nobody else had travelled through the ruins in centuries. However, we knew that was not the case. Perhaps something else was causing a rapid decline of all we saw.

We arrived at a door with a sign in several languages that said, ‘Mortal Ward.’

• Rigmor: So, in this part, we can expect insane people, not monsters?
• Wulf: Yeah, boring! I cannot wait to get to the Immortal Ward. Insane monsters are more interesting.
• Ghorbash: Go on, Rigmor, state the obvious.
• Rigmor: Wulf, you are weird!
• Wulf: Weird but loveable!
• Rigmor: Sometimes.

We had not stepped far into the Mortal Ward when a disembodied voice spoke to us.

• Spirit: You are real! I feel your warmth. Please, free us, release us from this prison.
• Wulf: Who are you, and how can we help?
• Spirit: That staff is the key. Whenever The Meat comes, use the key! The Meat will not find another soul to consume!
• Wulf: Who or what is The Meat? Who are you?

We waited for a few seconds but were met with silence.

• Rigmor: I do not think they are going to answer.
• Wulf: The Mortal Ward may not be as boring as I expected.
• Borgakh: What did I do wrong to be picked for this squad?
• Wulf: I thought you would enjoy the scenery.
• Borgakh: I have seen coffins, cobwebs, and ruined masonry before.

Patches of Scuttling Void soil were visible.

We looked in a cell. Some cabinets probably contained switches or levers and were probably locked.

The abundant cobwebs were a mystery. We had seen no spiders or evidence of there ever being any.

We found a journal belonging to Dambard Bantsier, Mortal Ward Surgeon. Its contents were bland, whining about conditions and coworkers, except for the first and last entries. I read them to the group.

“First entry:

Namira.

It is startling to know that one god has reigned throughout every age of The Reach. Other gods have attempted to influence this realm, but this god is chief among them, from the Ayleid to the Witchmen. Some say her influence penetrates deeper still. Those who speak such rumours know nothing of what we do here, for we know and have seen her. For all our crimes, we act as the bulwark against her to prevent her roots from spreading into this world.

Last entry:

When roots grow too deep, they become the very earth. Then, there is no course of action except the salt. Soon, they will know what to do. They will have to burn them to save them. Every thinking man and woman alike is but food. She will come to eat. I hear her speaking, but I resist. The weak among us were salted, and now only we remain to guard the gates.

The True King tasked us to attend this fissure, to await her arrival so we may salt those who submit. Come what may, his kingdom will return.”

• Celestine: Another group of egotists who think evil is justified when fighting evil.
• Borgakh: Opposing Namira is not fighting evil. They should have been dealing with the mortals who commit evil in Namira’s name.
• Celestine: Yes, you are correct.
• Rigmor: It seems this place was abandoned after the staff became devotees of Namira.
• Wulf: I think some may have left before then after seeing others succumb to her lies.
• Ghorbash: Why does their language become all flowery and hard to comprehend?
• Wulf: I do not know, but it seems to be a pattern amongst Namira devotees.
• Rigmor: What is this garbage about Namira being the preeminent god of this realm?
• Wulf: That claim is devoid of proof or logic. Lady Namira is one of many Daedric Princes who influence Mundus.
• Celestine: As do Aedra and other gods.
• Wulf: The et-Ada who became Daedric Princes did not create Nirn and Mundus. Therefore, any mortal living in this realm is influenced by Aedric creations from birth.
• Ghorbash: The people here knew about Namira’s connection to Witchmen but said nothing to the authorities.
• Rigmor: They would have to admit to how they know and what they had been doing.
• Wulf: Let us continue and see what clue Husk wants us to discover.
• Rigmor: You are eager to find the Immortal Ward.
• Wulf: Perhaps we shall find Lady Namira shackled in a cell!
• Borgakh: Weird!
• Ghorbash: Very weird!
• Celestine: Extremely weird!
• Rigmor: Infinitely weird!
• Wulf: Stop it. You will make me blush with such compliments.

We continued and arrived at a lecture hall. Most learning institutions have similar.

Rows of benches faced a stage upon which was a table. Upon the table was an emancipated corpse in the foetal position.

I told the others, “This is almost identical to the lecture hall at The College of Winterhold, where students attend anatomy classes. Bodies are dissected on a table like this.”

I put my hands on the wall behind the corpse and said, “Can you see how these bricks are arranged? This wall is a later addition. There is a portal behind it. Most likely, it is to Scuttling Void, but I cannot tell for certain through the masonry.”

I examined the corpse and noticed something odd about it. All except Celestine turned away as I cut it open. The insides showed no decay. The heart I saw was not that of a mortal.

I announced, “This is not a mortal but a Daedra. It shows no signs of decay.”

One exit, at the top and centre of the lecture seats, had an unpickable lock.

On the way to another exit, we saw signs of Scuttling Void protruding into the lecture hall.

When close to the other exit, the ruins shook violently as if in the epicenter of a strong earthquake.

• Rigmor: Wulf, what is happening?
• Wulf: I do not know, but the corpse on the table has changed into the skeleton of a long-armed minion.
• Rigmor: And I suppose you are just going to wander over and have a look?  After all, it is exciting and not mind-numbingly terrifying!
• Wulf: Well, it is exciting, but we should move on.
• Ghorbash: Rigmor, did something fall and hit Wulf on the head?
• Wulf: Not at all, but Rigmor wants to get out of this room, and I am but her humble servant.
• Rigmor: What do you think, Celestine?
• Celestine: Wulf has done something wrong that you are yet to discover.
• Rigmor: Yes, that is what I suspect.
• Wulf: Okay then, I shall inspect the long-armed minion’s skeleton.
• Rigmor: No, no need. Onward we go!

Another Farseer staff was on the floor in the hallway exiting the lecture room. It was fully charged, like the one Reamonn gave me. I handed it to Celestine.

The short corridor from the lecture room ended in an entrance to a stairway blocked by a lowered portcullis. A pull chain raised it.

At the bottom of the stairs was a long corridor.

At the end of the long corridor was a narrow continuation. Above the entrance to the narrow corridor was a sign in many languages that read ‘Immortal Ward.’ Two strange devices could be seen at either end of the narrow corridor. Grating along the length of the narrow corridor showed parallel corridors.

• Rigmor: Oh, goody, we will finally meet the never-dying insane!
• Wulf: Nobody else follows me into the narrow corridor until I reach the other side. I think it is only supposed to be traversed by somebody carrying Farseer.
• Rigmor: What are those thingies on the roof?
• Wulf: I have seen something similar in Dwemer ruins. They are alarms.
• Borgakh: Are you going to use the Whirly Wind Shout?
• Wulf: Whirlwind Sprint.
• Rigmor: I prefer Borgakh’s name. The Whirly Wind Shout!
• Wulf: That could get confused with the Cyclone Shout.
• Rigmor: The Whirlier Wind Shout.
• Ghorbash: Unrelenting Force could be Big Pushy!
• Rigmor: Slow Time could be Zippy!
• Celestine: I suggest you do a Whirly Wind Shout before this conversation gets stupider.
• Wulf: I do not think that is wise. I will enter and walk normally.

I equipped Farseer and entered the narrow corridor.

After a few steps, the ruins rocked once more as if another earthquake had struck.

Grates on both ends of the narrow corridor shot upwards and terrible scream came from the alarms.

My Lifeforce was being drained at a dramatic rate. An unprotected person would have died in seconds. As it was, I had less than thirty seconds to live even with the dweomer on my armour.

Rigmor yelled, “You are dying, Wulf. Get out of there! Please, get out!”

I aimed Farseer at one of the alarms and willed it to trigger. Nothing visible emanated from the staff, but the alarm turned blue.

I turned and did the same for the other alarm.

It, too, turned blue. The alarms ended, but I was still stuck in the corridor with raised gates at either end.

A gap in the grating enabled me to fire Farseer at a pull chain in a parallel corridor.

When I did so, the gates at both ends lowered.

I walked out of the narrow corridor and summoned my friends.

• Wulf: That narrow corridor is designed to prevent guests of Rejects Respite from leaving.
• Rigmor: What was happening to you?
• Wulf: My Lifeforce was being drained.
• Rigmor: Like happens when you enter The Void
• Wulf: Yes.
• Celestine: That is why there was another Farseer staff!
• Wulf: The wardens, or whatever they called those who looked after the incarcerated, would need them to survive the corridor.
• Ghorbash: This place is getting more amusing as we go.
• Wulf: I know! Thrilling!
• Borgakh: You need to practice your sarcasm, Ghorbash.

A list of the interred was too severely damaged to read.

We walked past a row of cells designed to host two patients each.

One of the cells had a thick Oblivion Vine thrusting out of the floor and through the roof.

I remarked, “The thicker the vine, the more important it is. Lady Namira’s influence was absent at the time of Rejects Respite’s construction.”

A Skeletal Warrior dripping blood was outside the last cell and standing on Scuttling Void soil.

I approached the Skeletal Warrior and asked, “Do you have a name? How about Drippy? Do you like that name?”

Drippy walked towards Celestine and Borgakh.

Drippy swung at Celestine a few times. She nimbly ducked and dodged the attack.

Borgakh pleaded, “Please, do not hit it till I move away. Blood is guaranteed to splatter all over.”

Walking towards the skeleton, I said, “That is very naughty, Drippy. Celestine does not warrant such rudeness.”

Drippy turned, then moved to attack me.

I cut Drippy down, and it turned into a puddle of ectoplasm.

We climbed some stairs to a higher level.

The thick Oblivion Vine continued its journey.

A lowered portcullis blocked progress.

A key I found earlier unlocked a cabinet containing a pull chain.

The pull chain raised the portcullis, giving us access to a room.

The room had several things of interest, including a large axe on a pivot.

• Wulf: If something pokes its head through the grating, it will get a splitting headache.
• Rigmor: I think your brain was sucked out, not your Lifeforce.
• Celestine: Come on, Rigmor, that was quite funny for a change!

 Dwemer equipment sat above an alchemy table.

• Rigmor: What does that Dwemer machine do?
• Wulf: It removes dangerous fumes.
• Rigmor: Then we will need one in every privy you use.
• Wulf: And, of course, Miss Countess leaves the privy smelling like roses.
• Ghorbash: Nothing compares to the latrines of an army camp’s stink power.
• Borgakh: I think Apple Cabbage Stew is a close second.
• Celestine: After eating Apple Cabbage Stew, Ghorbash melted the marble in one of  Aurane’s privies.

A ruined book sat next to the alchemy equipment.

A skeleton sat in a chair with a hand covering its face. Three spiked skulls were behind it.

• Ghorbash: This skeleton is embarrassed at the quality of the discussion it has heard.
• Wulf: It should say so if it has a bone to pick.
• Ghorbash: Wulf, would you stop with the puns if we begged for mercy?
• Rigmor: It does not look like a sculpture and has not come to life.
• Wulf: I will have a closer look.

I noticed a key embedded in one of the skeleton’s neck vertebrae.

When I retrieved it, the skeleton’s head dropped off.

I stood before the skeleton and saw the back wall rapidly vanishing under Scuttling Void soil.

Rigmor said, “The portcullis has lowered.”

Soon, no stonework could be seen.

Above was a round exit blocked by Oblivion Vines.

Blood poured from the ceiling.

We would soon be swimming in blood.

• Wulf: Oops!
• Rigmor: Oh, what fun! We are going to drown in blood.
• Wulf: The dweomer on our armour will prevent that.
• Borgakh: I suppose this is another exciting interlude?
• Wulf: Precisely!

When the blood rose above our heads, I was forced to use Night Vision to see anything.

Rigmor fixed me with one of her stares as if it were my fault the trap was triggered.

I looked up at the tangle of Oblivion Vines and said to Rigmor, via Mara’s Rings, “I will wriggle between the gaps of the vines as the blood lifts me higher.”

“I cannot see anything, so I have no idea what you are blabbering about.”

“You cannot see me, yet direct a disapproving stare my way.”

“I knew you would be able to see. I would stick my tongue out but dislike the taste of blood.”

“I am sure the key I retrieved from the skeleton will be crucial later.”

“It had better be, Dragonbum!”

As the blood rose, I made my way through the tangle of Oblivion Vines.

At the top, there was a heart with vines leading to it.

I climbed onto rocks near the heart and aimed Farseer at it.

When I willed Farseer to trigger, a red flash surrounded the heart and the blood started to drain rapidly.

I climbed down.

The portcullis had lifted, but there was no other exit to the room.

Celestine and I used Magicka to remove all traces of blood from the group.

Then I cheerily announced, “Well, we cannot go any further this way. Therefore, we must head back to the lecture hall.”

The blank stares I received were not indicators of shared enthusiasm.

We returned to the lecture hall without incident. The corpse on the table had changed once more. It was now in a subservient kneeling position with head bowed.

• Wulf: Cool! The corpse has changed again.
• Rigmor: That is not cool. It is disturbing.
• Wulf: I must inspect it. It may be a clue.
• Borgakh: Something terrible will happen when you get close to that corpse.
• Wulf: All the Sweetrolls in my Journal Case might vanish!
• Celestine: That is Rigmor’s worst nightmare!
• Rigmor: Do not joke about such horrible things! Besides, you probably have some in that pocket plane the Ayleid made.

I approached the corpse to have a closer look.

A one-way portal to Scuttling Void opened, and the corpse vanished.

There was a flash of red, and then a pair of long-armed minions attacked.

A red barrier circled the corpse, now kneeling before the portal.

Within ten seconds of eliminating two minions, another pair would leap from the portal.

When the portal appeared, so did two loops of thick Oblivion Vines.

I conducted experiments while the others took care of the minions.

If I cast fire on the vines, they would change shape but rapidly revert.

Lightening was the solution!

I quickly zapped both vines, and they permanently changed shape.

The shield around the corpse dissipated.

I hit the corpse with Lightning, but nothing happened.

I fired Farseer at the corpse.

A flash accompanied the closing of the portal. The corpse was now lying down.

We quickly eliminated two more long-armed minions.

Rigmor asked sarcastically, “Still having fun, Sir Weirdo?”

I answered with genuine enthusiasm, “It is far more interesting than cutting down bandits and Draugr and the like! We do not know what to expect next!”

The key I retrieved from the sitting skeleton opened the barred door to the middle exit.

I asked, “Am I forgiven for the bloody swim, Rigmor?”

“That depends on what else we encounter.”

A corridor led to a landing overlooking a room full of coffins. Three red spirits, two wearing execution hoods, were in the room.

I surmised, “I think one of them is the disembodied voice that spoke to us when we entered.”

Further exploration led to a small lock box near another hooded spirit. I picked the lock and retrieved a key.

I told the group, “This key is different. I assume it is a master key. They are common in places like this so guards or wardens do not have to waste time sorting through a key-chain in an emergency.”

We eventually entered the cage with the cabinets we saw when we heard the disembodied voice.

The master key unlocked the cabinets, and I operated the exposed pull chains. We could hear grinding but had no idea what was being opened or closed.

We then made our way to the spirits.

The disembodied voice we heard earlier belonged to the only unhooded spirit.

I asked, “Were you patients in this institution?”

“Yes. As the final destination calls, we do not have much time left here. You have freed us from the cage of hate. The Meat recedes, and the promise of a good sleep returns.”

“We are pleased to have ended your torment.”

“An opening has formed from your actions, large enough for us to escape. Yet we must thank our saviours and stay a moment longer.”

“We need to access the lower levels of this sanctum.”

“The path has been cleared, yet that path becomes ever steeper. It is a decent you may not climb. Do you wish to continue?”

“What dangers do we face?”

“The Meat only sleeps. It has not died. We will depart before it wakes up, and you should do the same. Let no other enter these halls.”

“What do we do if The Meat awakens?”

“Keep your determination. Do not let the terror stall your feet. Goodbye. Thank you all.”

The spirits faded.

• Wulf: I have no idea what is going on!
• Rigmor: And here we are, hoping you would tell us.
• Wulf: It is still fun, though. Am I right or what?
• Celestine: I am positive deep symbolism is hidden in the chaos.
• Borgakh: I prefer bad guys that I can understand and stab.
• Rigmor: Same here.
• Wulf: We cannot return the same way once we head down.
• Rigmor: If you dare suggest we do not have to accompany you, I will bite!
• Celestine: We can always teleport if we find ourselves trapped.
• Wulf: Okay, let us see what fun awaits!
• Ghorbash: Oh…goody!

The pull chains had opened an exit from the room.

It gave access to a steep stairway leading into the living quarters of Rejects Respite.

We explored several rooms, disposing of blue skeletons as we went.

The master key opened all doors and cabinets.

Eventually, we entered a descending ice corridor.

It led to a large cavern once part of a Quicksilver mine.

Rich deposits of ore suggested something severe must have occurred for the abandonment of such wealth.

The mine came to an apparent end. Three filled Black Soul Gems surrounded a large slab of rock.

I asked, “Celestine, please inspect this rock and give me your impression.”

Celestine did as I asked. After a few seconds, she said, “This boulder is an illusion. The Black Soul Gems are providing the energy needed to maintain it.”

“And what do you think will dissipate the illusion?”

“Farseer.”

“That is what I concluded. Let us see if we are correct.”

I pointed Farseer at the middle of the slab and triggered it.

The illusion faded to reveal a door.

A red flash startled the group.

I commented, “That flash unlocked the door. The door would remain locked if other means dissipated the illusion.”

We entered a short tunnel.

It led into a room containing a familiar symbol.

The symbol, what I have decided to call ‘The Eye’ was placed central to a round slab of rock, which was slightly off-centre from its base. Lighted candles surrounded the symbol. We have long given up trying to figure out who or what lights candles in old ruins.

• Wulf: This is what Reamonn scried. It is the symbol etched into the flesh.
• Rigmor: He did not scry the knife used to carve it.
• Wulf: The same symbol was in Grey Belmor above the entrance to the heart room.
• Celestine: It is also on Witchmen clothing and is etched on the Farseer staves.
• Ghorbash: Why would Husk lead us here?
• Wulf: We have yet to meet any immortal inmates. They might provide the information he wants to impart.
• Borgakh: The top slab slides to the side.
• Ghorbash: It would weigh many tonnes.
• Celestine: There could be some counterweight mechanism that moves it.
• Rigmor: It was probably a strong Daedra that needed no counterweight.
• Wulf: I think we can all agree the slab has been moved. That suggests a lower level that we must get to another way.
• Rigmor: What is that pong?
• Wulf: It smells like Scuttling Void.
• Borgakh: Your description of that place eliminated my desire to visit it.
• Wulf: It was more interesting than other Oblivion realms. The Ash Pit was all lava and sulfur fumes.
• Borgakh: So, it smelt like one of Ghorbash’s farts.
• Ghorbash: I am proud to maintain my family’s legacy.

A skeleton lay on the slab. In amongst the bones was a key.

I told my friends, “This is another master key.”

The room had four exits, including the one we came through.

Cobwebs obscured one exit. It was blocked by raised bars.

Another exit led to some fluorescent ice.

There was an exit that led to normal-looking corridors. We decided to go that way first. The key from the skeleton unlocked the door.

We found another journal. This one belonged to a surgeon who worked in the Immortal Ward. I read the only two relevant entries for the group.

“First entry:

We performed eleven surgeries today, and it has taken a significant toll on many of us. We are under strict command to find a serum soon, according to Master Mengrelle’s wishes.

The binding of animals to mortals only results in wild produce, but Mengrelle is convinced that they can be made docile and able to accept orders. He insists it only needs the correct beast or spell. The rest of us have discussed whether these ‘Witchmen’ are good candidates to use as the mortal to bind as they are too feral. But reservations about using civilians and The Exiles prevent our every effort to negotiate. They must have been told of our intentions.

The Orcs are viable. However, this kingdom has already set them to work. They would not risk the health of their enslaved for ours.

Second Entry:

We have been saddled with four more recruits for this month’s itinerary. Mengrelle inducted them.

One of them was retrieved from the siege of Wayrest. His tissues suggest this recruit is a combination of two distinct races.

We have attempted to do similar in the past, but the mixing of blood types has led to the imminent demise of the patients. There has been discussion that it is the result of the hedge-witch. The patient has not moved nor eaten since his arrival, but there is something indescribable in the room with him whenever observed through the door slit. Attempts at seeing this entity up close have failed every time.”

• Celestine: Mengrelle’s recruits were insane people sent here for help.
• Rigmor: They were used in experiments instead of receiving that help.
• Ghorbash: They also used kidnapped Witchmen.
• Wulf: A theory is taking shape. However, I need more evidence.
• Rigmor: We shall forgive speculation. We shall not forgive you for hinting at a theory without telling it.
• Celestine: Wulf, you have learnt that your intuition is a Divine gift. That is why your speculations based on little evidence have proven factual.
• Rigmor: In other words, spill the beans!
• Ghorbash: Is that another Roscrea saying?
• Rigmor: Yep.
• Wulf: An Immortal Patient puzzled the surgeons as it seemed to combine two races.
• Celestine: A half-breed, I hate that term, would not puzzle them. Therefore, something was unique about the flesh of this patient.
• Wulf: If they tested Ambition, they would find a similar puzzle. He has Bretonic flesh and that of a Daedra.
• Celestine: They thought Zenalata may have altered this person.
• Wulf: Here is my hunch: gut feeling, intuition, wild guess, stab in the dark. I think the person they captured in Wayrest was Husk and Ambition before he split into two demons.
• Celestine: And this is where Lady Namira found him!
• Rigmor: That makes sense, but…
• Wulf: But we need proof.
• Ghorbash: We were told that somebody had to be killed for Zenalata’s magic to disguise her client.
• Celestine: The client had to provide a fresh corpse for the hedge magic spell.
• Wulf: Vayu told me if the corpse was a bit old and decay had started, it could still be used if fresh blood and flesh were also provided.
• Ghorbash: In that case, two people would need to die.
• Wulf: Yes. One corpse would provide the client’s identity, and a fresher one would provide blood and flesh to make the decayed corpse viable.
• Rigmor: So, Ambition visited Zenalata when a mortal.
• Wulf: Yes. Clues that he led us to indicated he thought his looks thwarted his ambition. But he chose not to remain the race he was. That suggests he was a victimised and despised race and desired to become another.
• Celestine: So, he may have been an Orsimer or Native Reachman, and Zenelata made him a Breton, for instance.
• Wulf: Yes, and that choice would have required determination and courage. The drive to achieve his ambition was strong. At some stage, that strength resulted in the two demons.
• Rigmor: Do you think Zenelata knew Ambition was once that mortal?
• Wulf: I do not know.
• Rigmor: What is the thing they saw when peeping through the keyhole?
• Wulf: I have never been a voyeur, but I can guess.
• Rigmor: Through the keyhole here, you weirdo!
• Wulf: There is not enough information to hazard a guess.
• Celestine: Husk wants us to know his story.
• Wulf: It would be of more benefit for him to talk to us.
• Rigmor: It is difficult stringing all these clues together.
• Ghorbash: I hope revelation does not come too late.
• Borgakh: As you take your last breath, you declare, ‘Oh, now I get it!’
• Wulf: You two can be so morbid. I like it!

We continued and found a raised bridge blocking one direction.

In the opposite direction was a small room.

On a table was an unreadable book and yet another key. I had collected at least a dozen as we traversed Rejects Respite.

A pull chain lowered the bridge.

I commented, “Your armour is like looking at the back of dozens of spoons. When you move, the reflections change so much it is distracting!”

Ghorbash laughed, for that is why he chose that armour.

We crossed the bridge and entered another small room.

There was yet another key and ruined book.

Through a barred window, we could see the room with the symbol and the raised bars of one of the exits.

Next to the barred windows was a pull chain.

When I used the pull chain, the bars opposite lowered, and a heartbeat began, followed by a familiar roar.

I turned to my friends and said, “The immortal long-armed Daedra from Grey Belmor is here!”

Rigmor said, “The exit that opened in the other room might be where we must go.”

“We might as well head that way.”

We ran across the bridge, and our friend came roaring towards us.

I summoned four Dremora Lords. They and my friends battled the immortal as I searched for the heart.

The Daedra would teleport to where I was every thirty seconds or so.

It took some time to return to the room with the symbol.

I decided to investigate the icy corridor first.

It led to a small room with no other exit and nothing interesting.

I returned to the room with the symbol and summoned my friends when the Daedra appeared.

As they battled him, I entered the room once blocked by raised bars.

The Daedra was persistent. All the teleporting or it and my friends left the summoned Dremora scrambling to keep up.

I entered a corridor with locked cells on either side.

The heartbeat was coming from one of the cells on the right.

The sounds and sights of battle continued on the landing above as I ran down the corridor.

Each cell had a plaque. I stopped in front of the cell containing the heart.

The plaque read,

““Subject #3: The Halved

No protective equipment is required. The subject is fragile, so refrain from harsh treatment as the body will dismember upon trauma. If an arachnid subject is also in the room, exit immediately and use the alarm.”

I had no idea what the arachnid subject was. The cell door had unpickable locks. None of the many keys I carried, including the skeleton keys, would open it.

At the end of the corridor was a skeleton. Whomever it was seemed to have been trying to reach a cabinet when killed.

Next to the skeleton was a key that opened the cabinet.

Inside the cabinet was a twist handle and yet another damn key!

I operated the twist handle, which gave access to a small alcove.

Inside the alcove was another cabinet. The key I had just obtained opened it.

A warning plaque in several languages said, “Emergency Release. Caution: All cells will be opened.”

I summoned the group.

The Dremora Lords continued to battle the Daedra on the upper landing.

Celestine stood before one of the doors and asked, “Did you sense the malice behind this door, Wulf?”

“Yes, I did. We might discover the source of the malice when I open cell doors.”

I pulled the twist handle, and the cell doors flew open.

Celestine ran and joined us with a horrified expression on her face.

I stepped forward to see what had disturbed her.

A horizontal stream of blood shot across the corridor.

I caught a glimpse of a multi-limbed bone creature at the cell entrance. My mind blocks were overwhelmed, and images of death and desecration rapidly flickered before me. For the first time I can remember, I felt pure terror grip me.

I knelt, and darkness blocked all light, and I wept.

A familiar voice, Husk’s voice, whispered, “Rise and forget the ugly dreams that frighten you when all is dark.”

Sight and sanity slowly returned as I got to my feet and faced my friends with tears rolling.

Rigmor hugged me tight as I fought to forget the images and concentrate on reality. Eventually, Our Quiet and Rigmor’s love gave me victory.

• Rigmor: What happened?
• Wulf: Did anybody see anything?
• Ghorbash: Apart from blood gushing like a horizontal waterfall?
• Wulf: No, a creature of some sort.
• Celestine: When the cell door opened, I saw a skeletal creature. I cannot describe it now. My recollection is fading.
• Wulf: That skeletal thing barged through my mind blocks and filled me with visions that were so terrifying I was in danger of going insane. No god has managed to bypass my mind blocks! Husk spoke to me and dragged me back to reality.
• Rigmor: What were the visions, Wulf? I felt part of your terror but have no context for it.
• Wulf: I have been scared before. For instance, when travelling to rescue you from the sacrificial altar. But terror is something new.
• Rigmor: I want to know what brought you to your knees.
• Wulf: You, dead on that damn altar and Malacath laughing over it. Olette is being raped in front of me while I am shackled and can do nothing, despite her pitiful pleas. Aurane is piles of rubble with bloodied corpses littering the ground. Do you now know enough, Rigmor? I hope so because I will not repeat any more of the dozens that confronted me.

Rigmor held me tight again, and this time, we wept in harmony.

After a couple of minutes, we gained our composure. I then noticed our friends had also shed tears.

• Wulf: I am vulnerable. I must find out how to prevent the same from happening ever again.
• Celestine: Speak to Vayu. I do not think your mind block was bypassed. I think you are vulnerable to high-level Illusion spells. He is more knowledgeable than me on the Illusion School of Magicka.
• Wulf: You and I are Masters of Illusion yet amateurs compared to Vayu.
• Celestine: We have not immersed ourselves in ancient magics like him.
• Wulf: You have watched Rigmor, and I turn into blubbering messes. So, I assume our long-armed immortal friend is gone.
• Ghorbash: Yes, it has gone, as has the heartbeat.
• Celestine: The Dremora Lords were banished when you collapsed.
• Borgakh: There is no sign of the gushing blood.
• Celestine: That was also an illusion.

I looked inside the cell. The back wall contained a dormant portal.

I read the plaque out loud.

“Subject #1: Empty Eater

Only enter if the pertinent spell had been conducted on the warden. Tether warden so that subject does not pull warden deeper.”

Rigmor declared, “Despite what happened, you still find this interesting.”

“It is sad I will not get to meet Empty Eater. It might have been interesting to chat with it over wine and cheese.”

“And now you are going to investigate each of these cells.”

“Of course. There might be further clues. Let us have a look at cell two.”

I read the second plaque aloud,

“Subject #2: Supernal Custodian

Wardens must use protective equipment to prevent communication with the subject. Nullifier must be used before entering to negate subject’s magic.”

A hagraven, of the beaked variety, lay dead. It was surrounded by the usual paraphernalia associated with its kind.

I said, “I think this was a kidnapped Witchmen matron. Supernal means of the divine.”

We moved to the third cell.

I explained. “This is where Husk and Ambition were imprisoned when a single entity and where the beating heart was located.”

I read the plaque to the group.

““Subject #3: The Halved

No protective equipment is required. The subject is fragile, so refrain from harsh treatment as the body will dismember upon trauma. If an arachnid subject is also in the room, exit immediately and use the alarm.”

• Rigmor: Did The Halved share a room with a spider?
• Wulf: No. I think they saw an avatar of Lady Namira or one of her minions.
• Celestine: The ‘arachnid’ was not present all the time.
• Borgakh: I am intrigued by this individual’s story. Why did he seek Zenalata the first time?
• Ghorbash: How did he become so powerful he could deny Lady Namira?
• Wulf: Powerful enough to rescue me from Scuttling Void and Empty Eater.
• Rigmor: Using that thingy called logic, The Halved must eventually meet with you to explain all of this. He wants his story to be told.
• Wulf: It is natural to want a legacy and to be understood. You are better off dictating your history than letting biased accounts become accepted.
• Ghorbash: What does ‘dismember upon trauma’ mean?
• Wulf: If Ambition were severely injured, his disguise would fall away. His demon form would be revealed.
• Borgakh: That would be fun in front of a crowd waiting for their prince to talk.

I entered the cell and inspected the heart. It differed slightly from the one I had to destroy in Grey Belmor. This one had two distinct types of vines. One type was blood red, like arteries carrying blood, and the other was sickly green mixed with rust or dried blood.

• Wulf: I think Empty Eater killed the hagraven and stopped this heart.
• Rigmor: Why didn’t it affect us?
• Wulf: Because water is wet and the sky is blue.
• Rigmor: You could admit you do not know.
• Wulf: Albatross!
• Celestine: Wulf hates not knowing something.
• Rigmor: Yeah, he will worry about it for days.
• Wulf: I do not know Empty Eater or how its powers manifest. So, I cannot answer your question.
• Rigmor: You could have said that in the first place.
• Wulf: Perhaps.
• Borgakh: We had better continue before Rigmor throttles him.

I read Cell 4’s plaque aloud.

“Subject 4: Fallen

Do not stay longer than five minutes within the room. Use protective clothing before touching the subject.

WARNING: CRYING CAN RESULT IN FATALITY!”

We entered cell four, which had a child’s bed. On a table were different mountain flowers arranged in a row. A washbasin, chair and several high-quality paintings constituted the rest of the furnishings.

• Wulf: Rigmor, can you step outside for a minute?
• Rigmor: Why?
• Wulf: Please just exit the room for a few seconds.
• Rigmor: Okay.

Rigmor exited the room.

• Wulf: Borgakh, how do you feel right this second?
• Borgakh: Relaxed. Comforted. The unease I have felt since entering this facility is gone.
• Ghorbash: I feel the same.
• Celestine: As I do!
• Wulf: Rigmor, please join us again.

Rigmor returned.

• Wulf: Rigmor, I asked you to move away so I could be sure. This room mimics Our Quiet.
• Rigmor: What?!
• Borgakh: You have tried to explain this ‘quiet’ you share, and now I understand. What a wonderful thing it is!
• Wulf: This room is not as effective, but I am pleased it gives you some insight.
• Rigmor: Any guesses who was in this cell?
• Wulf: Either a child or a very short adult.
• Rigmor: Idiot!
• Wulf: A dweomer to produce calm was used to prevent Fallen from crying.
• Ghorbash: I wonder where Fallen went?
• Wulf: It may have been collected by Namira at the same time as The Halved.
• Rigmor: In a way, I am glad the cell was empty. We would have had a dilemma if the entity looked like a child.
• Wulf: I am quite capable of separating form from function. I might hesitate slightly, but I would still be capable of defending against and killing an enemy in child form.
• Rigmor: My darling Wulf, that is a load of bovine excrement.
• Wulf: Okay, you might be right. I have never been confronted with such a choice.
• Celestine: Studying how Fallen’s cry could kill would be interesting.
• Borgakh: It probably sounds like Inigo’s singing.
• Ghorbash: That is a terrifying thought!

Cell 5’s plaque read,

“Subject #5: Scuttle Man

Keep a minimum one-yard distance from the hole’s perimeter. Keep fed constantly.”

We entered cell number five. In the middle was a well. On either side of the well were pipes that used to drip blood into the well.

Mortals had been placed in what looked like ovens, and it was their blood that used to drip.

Everybody else looked at the well and then hurriedly left the room.

Senseless terror had gripped their hearts when they saw the black nothingness within the well.

I stood over the well and stared into the dark. I could hear faint scuttling, and the odour of Scuttling Void assailed my nose. Faint whispers echoed.

• Celestine: How come you are not terrified like we were?
• Wulf: I do not know the specifics of the dweomer. I can imagine many uses for it. My practical mind and curiosity overrode my urge to flee.
• Ghorbash: It is unpleasant for an Orsimer to run away like a milk drinker.
• Rigmor: Keeping a one-yard distance is the advice, but you are standing directly over the hole.
• Wulf: I am not going to dive in. Some creature lives below.
• Celestine: I wonder who Scuttle Man’s dinner used to be?
• Wulf: People who will not be missed. Maybe even Witchmen. It must have other food sources as nobody is feeding it.
• Celestine: Still having fun, Wulf?
• Wulf: Indubitably!
• Ghorbash: What could be more fun than playing catch me if you can with an immortal Daedra?
• Wulf: Playing catch me if you can with two immortal Daedra!
• Rigmor: Sorry to spoil your fun, but I do not think you can enter the last cell.

I wandered over, and Rigmor was correct. Oblivion Vines filled the entire cell, snaked along the floor and smashed through the far cavern wall.

I read the plaque out loud,

“Subject #6: Meat

ONLY OPEN IF SUBJECT BREACHES DOOR. IF GROWTH IS FOUND BEYOND DOOR, RESORT TO INCENDIARY PRECAUTION.”

• Borgakh: Now we know what Meat is!
• Rigmor: Wulf calls them Oblivion Vines, but it looks more like a root.
• Celestine: Is this root one gigantic organism?
• Wulf: That seems to be the case, and I find that extremely exciting!
• Rigmor: You are excited about a big root?
• Celestine: Umm, Rigmor?
• Rigmor: Oh, I forgot that root is now one of the many words colloquially used for fuck. It is hard to keep up with them all!
• Wulf: Screw, copulate, fornicate, procreate, shag, bonk, hump, boff, roger, tup etc.
• Celestine: We were once bored in Akavir and listed over two hundred synonyms for fuck.
• Wulf: Back onto the topic of this big, long, and exciting root.
• Rigmor: Now you are doing it deliberately.
• Wulf: Where is your mind wandering off to? I am talking about the big, red thing in front of you.
• Rigmor: Why use words like ‘incendiary precaution.’ Why not just say, “BURN IT!”
• Wulf: The plaque was probably written by one of those pompous nobles from Bruma.
• Celestine: Quickly changing the subject before violence erupts. What next?
• Wulf: I correct a misconception.
• Rigmor: Warning, Wulf is in full smartarse mode.
• Wulf: I think Meat is the long-armed immortal Daedra.
• Rigmor: Was this door open when you ran past it earlier?
• Wulf: No, it was heavily chained and padlocked. But what was Meat doing every thirty seconds?
• Rigmor: Oh, it teleported out of the cell and could probably do so whenever it wanted to.
• Wulf: I can detect no dweomer that would prevent Meat from teleporting from this cell. The Oblivion Vines proliferated after the cell door opened.
• Ghorbash: The long-armed immortal Daedra is all bones, sinew, and a single eye. Why would they call it Meat?
• Wulf: What did The Halved need if, when a mortal, he wanted Zenalata to transform him?
• Ghorbash: At least one body.
• Wulf: If he needed two because the body he wanted to use had started to decay, what would have been stripped from the other body?
• Ghorbash: Flesh.
• Wulf: Also known as meat, hence the name given to the Daedra. I surmise Meat was a sacrifice needed for Zenelata’s spell.
• Ghorbash: That makes sense.
• Rigmor: So, what now?
• Wulf: I will use incendiary precautions to see if I get any satisfaction from this long root.
• Rigmor: I hate you.
• Wulf: I know.

I used Flames spells to move the Oblivion Vines out of our way.

We eventually reached a steep and narrow downward tunnel.

We emerged into a vast cavern full of Ayleid and Direnni ruins.

I used Zoom Vision to study a transparent red being. It was an Ayleid Spirit.

At the other end of the cavern was an exit surrounded by a red glow. Witchmen huts were near it.

A long-armed Daedra stood atop a column.

Distant voices echoed. Zoom Vision showed the talkers to be Witchmen.

I told the group, “There is an Ayleid Spirit, a long-armed Daedra and several Witchmen. I want to use an exit at the far end of the cavern but do not want Witchmen sneaking up on us. So, I shall try and eliminate them with The Voice.”

Several Unrelenting Force Shouts eliminated half a dozen Witchmen.

We went to the cavern floor, where several more Witchmen met their doom.

A Hagraven Matron cackled, “I told you the pretty ones would visit!”

I told the group, “The hag is measuring us up for some flesh sculpting and does not realise all her sycophants are dead.”

Rigmor replied, “Over my dead body!”

“You would not want them to practice flesh sculpting with your live body.”

The Hagraven Matron joined the other dead.

We then examined the Witchmen camp.

We found a crude wooden representation of the eye symbol with a heart as the iris.

They had been dissecting an Undead Afflicted.

The tunnel the Hagraven Matron exited descended and led to more ruins, including the remnants of an Ayleid Well.

Another short tunnel led to a room with two ornate pools of blood and an inactive portal.

I turned to my friends.

• Wulf: This might be the remains of an Ayleid Embassy. Priest Matthew mentioned there was one.
• Rigmor: If we were above ground, where would we be?
• Wulf: I believe the door at the end of this cavern leads to the room with Lady Namira’s shrine and creepy eyes growing out of corpses.
• Rigmor: That ones that follow you?
• Wulf: Yeah.
• Celestine: Do we have to cross the cavern to get to it?
• Wulf: I do not know. There may be another way to reach it.
• Rigmor: I hope so. I am tired of those long-armed Daedra.
• Wulf: If we traverse the cavern floor, we will meet an Ayleid Spirit.
• Rigmor: Umm…let me think…would I like to meet an Ayleid Spirit? No, I would not!
• Celestine: Sorry, Wulf, but none of us wants to meet a possibly hostile Ayleid Spirit.
• Wulf: Such blatant xenophobia! He might be a charming and not hostile Ayleid Spirit.
• Ghorbash: You can do your ‘sheathed weapon, I mean you no harm, oh shit, they are attacking’ routine. We will just stand back and be ready to deliver wisdom in the form of, ‘I told you so!’
• Wulf: Okay, let us look for another way forward.
• Rigmor: Forward to where?
• Wulf: Forward to wherever we end up.
• Rigmor: Have you got us lost?
• Wulf: Not at all. If you go straight up, you will eventually reach Evermore.

A short set of stairs led further down.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, a metal wall behind us lowered. In front of us, a stone wall was also lowered.

The tunnel in front led to The Void.

I quickly entered the other tunnel without saying a word.

Cages of corpses lined both sides of the short tunnel.

I knew where we were.

We entered the chamber at the end of the tunnel, and I turned to my friends.

• Wulf: Mortifayne’s keep has a well with a portal. This cavern is where it teleports you.
• Rigmor: I can see the corpses with the creepy eyes.
• Wulf: Last time I was here, a grate blocked this exit. I could not penetrate the darkness behind the grate.
• Celestine: Is there any significance to the two shrines being back-to-back?
• Wulf: I do not know.
• Ghorbash: I wonder how long these shrines have been here?
• Celestine: I would think they were here when the Direnni and Ayleid built this place.
• Wulf: I assume the door at the back leads to the large cavern with the Ayleid spirit.
• Rigmor: There was a red glow around the area of the door.
• Wulf: In the other direction is The Void.
• Borgakh: How do you know that?
• Wulf: I am sensitive to it, and it has an attraction to me I find disturbing. You might have to travel a bit to enter The Void, but it is there.
• Ghorbash: Why have an entry into The Void?
• Wulf: It is a way to connect Mundus with Oblivion for entities that can survive the journey.
• Rigmor: Wulf, tell me you are not contemplating going down that passage!
• Wulf: We shall have a look at the cavern. If I do not see anything of use there, then yes, I shall step into The Void.
• Rigmor: You would die within seconds!
• Wulf: Remember, Special Child, I will help whenever I can, but my light is weak. However, even the faintest flame can act as a beacon against the background of a deep night. That flame will appear to you in a maze of darkness when you need it most.
• Celestine: This is what Lady Mara was preparing you for!
• Wulf: Intuition, logic and, most importantly, faith tells me that is so.
• Rigmor: Once again, you deliberately risk what can kill you without a second thought!
• Wulf: Not long ago, you promised not to cause me to doubt my decisions or try to stop me from doing what I must do. I hate that it makes you fret and worry, but this is why The Divines placed me on Nirn. I must walk into The Void for the good of others.
• Rigmor: I try! However, you can do nothing to protect yourself against The Void! In places like Apocrypha and Scuttling Void, you have skills to aid your survival. I shudder when I remember how close you came to death after closing Morthal’s Oblivion Gate!
• Wulf: I have faith. All gods can traverse The Void, and I think Lady Mara has a way of guiding and protecting me as I do the same.
• Celestine: It is easy to lose your way in The Void. Even regular users of it would construct pathways to their regular destinations.
• Wulf: But they would not make a straight path. Hence, the maze mentioned by Lady Mara.
• Rigmor: At least you are not leaping right in. Let us go and see where the Ayleid doorway leads.
• Wulf: Have a look around this place first. It is fascinating!

I asked Rigmor, “What do you think of the creepy eyes?”

“How come they are following you and nobody else?”

“Perhaps they cannot believe how handsome I am?”

“Yeah, right, pffft!”

“I wonder if we can grow the eyes in Aurane without the need for corpses?”

“Olette might find them fascinating, but they would traumatise the other children and most of your staff.”

We walked to the portals.

I explained, “This portal teleports you inside the hut the demon stood in front of.”

“And this portal teleports you close to the pit that Whisper emerged from.”

We exited into the large cavern.

Loud, pitiful sobbing echoed. Its point of origin was impossible to determine, but it was feminine.

An Ayleid Spirit had its back to us and seemed oblivious to our presence.

We moved in front of the spirit, but it still stared ahead.

In Ayleidoon, I said, “Ved, anya mel Wulf.”

The Ayleid Spirit attacked. It was swift and took some effort to dispose of.

• Ghorbash: We told you so!
• Rigmor: What a surprise! Who would have guessed the Ayleid Spirits are hostile?
• Borgakh: What did you say to it?
• Wulf: Hello, I am Wulf.
• Rigmor: Who is crying?
• Wulf: Nobody alive. It is a Wailing Spirit.
• Borgakh: Can you do something to help the spirit?
• Wulf: Their soul is in Scuttling Void. I would have to find them in that realm.
• Ghorbash: I can see a long-armed Daedra.
• Wulf: It is the one I first saw when we entered this cavern from Rejects Respite.
• Ghorbash: It will probably attack us if we move closer to it.
• Wulf: I think a single arrow to its head will solve that problem.

I aimed and released.

The arrow flew true and disposed of the Daedra.

We made our way to the cavern floor and saw another Ayleid Spirit.

I told my friends, “There is nothing else to see here. It is time for me to enter The Void.”

We climbed a different set of stairs than we had descended. The long-armed Daedra had been this way as dead Witchmen left a clear trail of evidence.

We entered Namira’s shrine and approached the entrance to The Void.

The others allowed Rigmor and me some space.

Rigmor asked, “How long will you be gone?”

“I have no idea. I do not know if I am entering Oblivion at the end and, if so, what part. I know I must do this.”

“Go and do what you need to do. I will be waiting.”

“I will tell you via Mara’s Rings before entering The Void. Then I want you to go to Aurane. Surround yourself with our friends and lean on them for support.”

“Okay, and I will know when you are back on Nirn. So do not yap to other people first!”

“Agreed.”

I quickly kissed Rigmor as if I was off on an errand, not walking into the unknown.

I hesitated at the boundary of The Void.

There was an exit to Oblivion in the distance.

I stepped a bit closer. A boardwalk vanished into the utter black.

I said to Rigmor, via Mara’s Rings, “I love you, my dear, sweet Rigmor Ragnarsdottir.”

“And I love you, my Guardian, Dragonborn and favourite weirdo.”

“There is an exit straight ahead that leads to an Oblivion plane and a boardwalk I am supposed to follow.”

“I detect no fear or doubt, my beloved.”

“Combine my intuition with logic, add a big dose of faith, and then stir vigorously. That is my balm against fear.”

 “Remember, you talk to nobody else before me when you return!”

“Yes, milady.”

“Now, off you go. I need to pee, and I would rather use one of the nice privies in Aurane than a dusty corner of this horrible place.”

“I wonder if the eyes would watch?”

“Idiot!”

I stepped forward. Everything ceased to exist! No light, warmth or sense of time assailed my senses. My connection to Rigmor was severed, and that sensory deprivation was the most disturbing. My Lifeforce drained quickly.

I hurried forward as rapidly as possible and was close to death when I reached Lady Mara’s avatar.

The Divine spoke, “Under my wing, Special Child. You have entered the darkest durance at the end of the world, which is the dominion of tragedy. Do not leave my light, or the black will swallow you.”

I approached Mara, and my Lifeforce was renewed.

I drew my sword and destroyed a barrier across the boardwalk. Several others needed removing as we travelled.

Mara continued to move and talk.

“The history of hate in Evermore traces its roots here. The seeds of mistruth about a heroic king were planted and have grown. The branches are tearing through the earth and perverting all life above.”

Even in The Void, the devotees of Namira left their arranged corpses.

“Witchmen, those misguided souls were stolen from my grace, then moulded in the shape of the foul and False King’s form. I did not reach them in time, so, in turn, another Mother took my place.”

I yearned to comfort Lady Mara, but I could not even speak to her with my mind. But I could cry and wept at the dismay the Goddess of Love and Compassion expressed. If the many Shrines of Mara dotted around Evermore were active, she could have influenced the Witchmen. She was not at fault.

“Where I had hoped to impart a will to live in them, that Dark Mother had brought an antithesis. Preying on their fears and animosity and exaggerating these insecurities to heights unforeseen.”

Lady Mara eloquently described a favourite recruiting method of Lady Namira and some other Daedric Princes. Greed and the promise of power are also common incentives.

“And so, the same tragedy that played the Witchmen is repeating with those behind their walls. A schism forms between those found wanting and those who are rich. Material beauty and status become tenets to the divide.”

Even though Lady Mara told me what I already knew, her motherly tone compelled me to listen to each idea as if it were a revelation.

“Extremes are tempting in dire times when the status quo had proven to have failed. However, it is often with these extremes that irrevocable damage occurs.”

We halted at the tunnel I saw from the other side.

“Pull the disenfranchised out of the muddy waters, mediate and save whatever you can. I am weak, Special Child, but you are strong. You have one thing that I lack.”

I found I could talk now that our momentum had halted.

I asked, “Mediation has proved futile so far. What could I possibly possess than my gods do not?”

“True empathy! Gods lacking the same fragility of mortals cannot grasp it.”

Long-lived Mer are often accused of a lack of empathy. I was surprised to hear a Divine express the same generalisation about herself.

“Those on the mortal plane who are swallowed by obsession, trauma or rage will find themselves a world which mimics that terrible, bloodied land you traversed and are soon to again.”

I stifled the curiosity that urged me to ask how Mara knew what Scuttling Void looked like.

“To have hope dim and hate simmer in these times is understandable, expected. So is pessimism when you look at history as a series of tragedies. However, you run the risk of looking through that wretched lens of despair until your passing.

Every moment of good is then ignored. Every small triumph and miracle is trivialised against some other atrocity. You avoid every opportunity, trepid to every chance, fearful of the risks. Subsequently, you cling to what you know.

This does not apply to you, Special Child. You still march on with a yearning to halt a disaster rather than letting it rampage and run its course, as the cynic inside us would do without hesitation.

I am burdened with the curse of prescience, the prescience of tragedy, and I weep.”

“Lady Mara, surely your prescience is more akin to foresight? If the tragedy you weep over was unavoidable, my actions are of no consequence, and free will cannot exist.”

“That is true.”

“All mortals must balance the dark and the light. Choosing the light is easier with a full stomach, freedom, and family. Recognizing and accepting this internal and eternal battle allows empathy and sympathy to flourish.”

“Your parents have taught you well.”

“Being mortal has taught me well. My parents taught by example, not rote. Mother never hated. She understood what drove some Ayleid to embrace the darker gods. She was willing to compromise for the sake of Tamriel’s citizens. Her actions required a level of empathy that has awed me since childhood and served as a role model. Her weapon was hope, which Lord Akatosh provided when Mother asked for Divine Intervention.”

“Saint Alessia displayed many remarkable qualities. Her ascension to godhood was earned.”

“Please continue, Lady Mara.”

“You will talk with a soul beholden to ultimate misfortune, and I was too late to help him.”

I replied, “My fate is amongst the wretched, as this vessel keeps me shackled to destiny. My face, ugly and untrustworthy, destroys my ambitions and hopes. No solace here. Mother, hear me.”

“Special Child, where did you hear his plea?”

“In the Dark Mother’s realm. It was written in Ayleidoon, and I believe it was a memory extracted by Dwemer machinery.”

“He names himself Wayward Husk. Feel sympathy for him, but do not let his spoiled tongue coerce you into committing evil.”

“Lady Mara, I ask with concern, have I ever committed evil or been tempted to do so?”

“No, it was unneeded advice. I just wish I could have saved him. If only I were stronger! Tell him I am sorry. Though I am afraid that any apology is too late.”

“You owe him no apology, but I will express your regret that aid was not forthcoming. Mortals cannot rely on Divine Intervention. We were given free will and the choice to help ourselves and ask other mortals for help. The so-called Priest Circle did not teach the people of Evermore that!”

“You are as outspoken as your parents. Keep the faith, Special Child, and become that indomitable effigy of hope that we, The Nine, know you are.”

Lady Mara’s avatar faded, and my Lifeforce was once again draining. I ran into a tunnel, and the Lifeforce drain ceased.

The tunnel was part of a pocket-plane of Scuttling Void created by Husk. Mortals have created pocket planes, but only one other had the power to carve one from a Daedric Prince’s realm. That was Miraak. All others were created in parts of Oblivion separate from Dark Lord territory.

I exited the tunnel, and the light was not ideal.

I used Night Vision, which helped with detail, but the contrast was headache-inducing.

The long-armed Daedra from Rejects Respite and Grey Belmor was bowing in subservience. I assume his head pointed towards Husk. The relationship between the two is a mystery.

I stood close and studied him. I found myself inexplicably pitying the wretched being.

Much art was spread throughout the pocket plane. I memorised each piece as I wanted to find meaning in them.

I turned and looked at the tunnel from which I exited. Dragon bones had been placed to make the cave represent the birth canal. I suddenly had a powerful desire to bathe.

The artwork was creative if abstract in places.

I looked back at the display Husk had arranged. Like the ‘artwork’ I saw on the way to the tower and the Sigil Stone, only a fraction of mortal experience was represented. Where are the children laughing, the lovers embracing, the joys of friendship and family?

I assumed Husk awaited me inside a large green head. It was vaguely Orsimer in shape with wagon wheels, perhaps to represent Aurbis, acting as eyes. In front was one of the more infamous Ayleid devices called Wailing Wheels, which were used for what they termed ‘Art Torture.’ Gut Gardens and other ‘art forms’ of the Ayleid used deceased enslaved people. Art Torture used living enslaved people. Sometimes, arenas would be full of Ayleid enjoying such torture for their entertainment. Wealthy Ayleid would invite guests to private viewings. The Thalmor invited Baa’Ren-Dar to view the whipping of Rigmor. The ‘Wailing Wheel’ was known throughout Tamriel and symbolised the savagery of that once majestic race. The Thalmor who enslaved and tortured Rigmor were no better.

I could see no cable or other devices attached to a prison cage. I entered it anyway, and as expected, it lifted me up and towards the green head, rotating as it went.

The cage turned one hundred and eighty degrees as it climbed. Husk stood and waited for me within the mouth of his creation.

A bridge, perhaps representing a tongue, rolled out when it stopped.

It was Husk I saw in Deepcrag, and that confirmed a theory I had. His fascination with Denize hinted at his parentage. He was born what most people term a Half-Orc. She was carrying one.

I approached and stopped. My hands were kept well away from weapons. Even in Oblivion, waiting to be invited into another’s home is good manners.

The familiar voice of my rescuer said, “Hither, the maw of my goliath. After many years, a soul navigated the black web to find us.”

“Greetings, Husk, or Wandering Husk if you prefer.”

“At last, an audience. Intrepid is your spirit. No harm will befall you here. Invulnerable is the flesh where I so will, and Husk will suffice.”

I explained, “I was seeking evidence of Ambition’s involvement in a murder. Instead, I find myself addressing you.”

“You have found your quarry’s past, absconded with another form in the present. The Ego willed itself from the vestiges of an identity, leaving its legacy and me. I know you intend me no harm. You must listen without fear of offence, misunderstanding or violence.”

“It calls itself Ambition, but Ego is an apt description. I understand why Ego discarded you. You are emotions and memories that would hinder its plans. Your essence threatens the very reason it willed itself into existence.”

“Yes, I am what remains of a desire to forget. Here, we recognise the fates of those within the original drama. Love, unrequited, and the desire to be remembered. Oh, they all scream the same demand. They demand to be actualised!”

I followed Husk further into his goliath and considered what he said. Was all the chaos a result of Lady Namira wanting to be actualised? Mortals and gods know her. From whom does she seek recognition? I would have to think about that question elsewhere, as will be needed with Husk’s artwork.

“To chaos, from stasis, between our story is told. The curtain unfurled, revealing the ever-still. Here is where we begin. In this perfect absence, two beings lived without knowledge of each other. No knowledge of themselves.”

Husk proceeded to dramatize a version of one of the more popular creation myths. The characters are the same in each version. However, their actions and motivations differ from race to race.

Three figures appeared from the gloom. The pure white statue represented Nir. A lighter mannequin represented Anu, and the darker mannequin represented Padomay. Padomay’s skin colour was chaotic, which is apt.

“Tranquil and definite was this peace, so tempting was its silence. And so, it was befallen. The third had come.”

There are several variations on how Nir came to be. Husk preferred the theory that Nir simply appeared.

“She appeared, shattering the nothing. She brought vision and sound. In a word, she brought a medium. In this sudden immediacy, recognition and the first want.”

An explosion of red denoted a scene change.

Anu and Nir were standing together. Padomay was on his knees with his head bowed.

“And so, the two inert beings from black awoke to her summoning. The original drama, the first impulse. They sought her heart.”

I followed Husk as he moved away from the first scene of his play. He spoke as we walked.

“Yet two, and only one. The dilemma! The contradiction! Child of this new conflict, firstborn: Scarcity. Twinned shortly with sister: Disparity.”

A large heart appeared, floating in the black, attached to nothing.

“Churned did this new world in the fresh tumult. Twisting was the new tension. The old stasis was dead. Gone was that peace, never to return.

For the medium made her choice of the two, and so the unloved sank into confusion: Why had I not been chosen? What was he compared to me? What am I?”

A mirror appeared for Padomay to contemplate his existence.

“Introspection. Sentient and alone. The woe of every mortal, all sourced to this bygone ancestor.

See thyself! Make clear the distinction between you and that. That which shares not your will, and you which submits to your want. Identity.”

Padomay’s actions and emotions may have been early examples, but they were not the source of such fundamentals of mortal existence. I resisted the urge to argue against Husk’s declaration and let him continue his performance uninterrupted. I hoped that by doing so, I could soon continue aiding the people of Evermore. I did not need a lecture on one version of one creation myth.

“So rapid is this moment, so fragile were you made to feel. Wishing not to be forgotten, it must adapt.

However, the loveless is sunken in something alien. Hatred and jealousy are born here and taken in full. The loveless gives way to reprisal, for it cannot stay idle with the knowledge that others enjoy.

Enjoy what he cannot!”

Spikes pierced the heart. Husk could probably fill entire arenas with such tragic re-enactments, but I was getting bored. I knew how the story ended.

My dragon has rarely bothered me for months. Now, he decided to force introspection. He asked, “What would Valdr Septim do if somebody took Rigmor from him? What if she found somebody she preferred? Would he calmly and logically figure out why and accept? Would he be content to walk away knowing she would be happy, and that was more important than his feelings? You like to think that you could do better than Padomay. But you are unsure because that scenario seems implausible and not worth contemplating. What time has passed in Mundus while you listen to this drivel?”

I had already started to feel an urgency to return without more encouragement. I pushed him to the back of my mind and concentrated on Husk.

“Ancestor, had you been humble, we would have peace.

Ancestor, had you been accepting, we would have unity.

You had but submit and waste away, content with your inferiority.

Your actions left us with the worst of delusions. Hope. Torture of ambition.”

Husk shuffled away for the next scene. I followed with growing impatience. Blaming gods for mortal imperfections is ignorant. Blaming Padomay is senseless. Calling hope delusional is ridiculous. Our emotions are a product of natural laws not controlled by these three primal beings or the gods that followed. Remove our free will, and we would have unity, like a hive of bees or a nest of ants. What would the god disguised as young Rigmor I met in The Void say? It has lived through multiple Kalpa and could confirm these emotions are as old as the Aurbis.

“So, with your ambition, you conspired. Plotting the undoing of the newly-wed.”

Anu and Mir appeared with their child, which was ‘creation’ or ‘change.’

Husk deviated from other versions of the myth by shuffling the order of events. Learned readers should already be familiar with this story from the books ‘The Annotated Anuad’ and ‘The Monomyth.’

“Above him, they embraced, so small did he feel in awe of their love. Down here, there was loathing. Up with them was the emotion of joy. That contrast burned deeper still.

Where there could have been content, it was replaced with murderous intent.

Its wordless ravings were silenced, aghast in its prowl. He stared upon the sacred birth, the world itself. The tyranny of their love broke him to kneel.”

Husk went into full overacting mode.

“Enough! I am! I exist! Exist! Exist! I am! You sought to forget ‘I!’

Suffer that of my invention! Hatred!”

Padomay now stood upon Mir.

“She could not be his, so she shall not be! She, the medium, is subject to his power. Dominion over all through force. Can you see it?”

Padomay now stood upon Mir.

Anu resorted to force and attacked Padomay.

“Violence unprecedented seared every shadow with red destruction. It truly begins! The mortal plight! Matter annihilating matter, entropy spiralling!”

Padomay lay defeated. Anu bent over Mir in grief.

“The loveless had reproduced, now these dichotomous gods battle – revenge in the hearts of both. The stars are gaining their flame!

Ultimately, it was not for the first pariah to win. His was a battle of spiteful suicide. The then-lover despairs, broken, and now trauma is all it is.

Holding closely, the medium cannot return. Permanence. Mortality. Death. He is pleading, his focus beyond the final act of the felled pariah.

Striking the back, trust absconds. The then-lover is soon to share in death. So much has transpired. Reality has been overwhelmed.” 

Husk started walking toward a portal to Mundus, and I followed. I had to suppress the urge to skip and clap. This load of bollocks was ending!

“Oh, ancestors, if only you could have solved your petty dispute peacefully.

If only it were so easy.

So now, he dreams. Our world is inflicted with the traumas he witnessed.

We hear echoes, making sense of a nightmare.

And thus, the play concludes, but hold your applause. Save it for what is to come. For art cannot be appreciated without knowing intent.”

Husk stopped before the portal and waited for me to join him.

“Intent can be discovered in your world, not here. Many plays await actors and audiences alike. I will not deprive them of you.

Lastly, take this – the choice of ideas you wish to nurture. It will soon be yours to make. Take care of it.”

I was enraged by Hulk’s blasphemous gift of free will. Perhaps his time as a Daedra has erased his memory of the gift The Divines gave us. I have not been an ant or a bee. Even without foresight or power of premonition, I know what the choice will entail. But I still have time to decide, and not all facts have been presented.

Before I could ask questions and confront Husk with an alternate viewpoint, I was teleported into Nirn.

I used my sense of time. I have been gone for ten hours!

I heard a familiar voice. Commander Drugo was speaking to somebody.

The relief was palpable when Rigmor contacted me via Mara’s Rings.

“Thank The Divines, you have returned!”

“Not with the answers we sought. I am overflowing with bits and pieces of Husk’s and Ambition’s stories. I have an inkling of what Lady Namira hoped to achieve. We must sit with Celestine and Vayu to sort through it all. A choice is approaching, and I need more information to choose correctly.”

“Where are you?”

“In a jail cell in Deepcrag. The one we rescued Denize from. Husk teleported me here. It is another clue.“

“So, he is the being you saw spying on Denize.”

“Yes, he is. I will summon the same squad in a minute. I want to eavesdrop on a conversation first.”

“Olette saw me smile, so she knows you have returned. Neither of us is good at the waiting game.”

“I will probably have to vanish for periods as we pursue that possible future we crave.”

“I know. Now, do your stickybeaking, and then summon us.”

I took a second to enjoy the fresh air and listen to a nearby river. Scuttling Void has a distinctive pong, and its noiseless rivers consist of blood.

What will be my choice? Will I accept some evil or force chaos? Some would think it easy as we have endeavored to avoid chaos enveloping Evermore. That was then.

Why is my dragon being so noisy? My Dovah half stated the obvious, “What will harm more mortals? That will decide your path, Valdr Septim.”

Talos is cursed with true empathy, for he was once a mortal. He could never measure success or failure based purely on mortal souls saved and suffering avoided. When mortal suffering comes to his attention, applying a formula and ignoring empathy is challenging. When empathy and logic clash, he struggles. His son, Valdr Septim, will struggle, and Talos is worried. He does not know the specifics of the choice to be made. He does know that Valdr will wrestle with whatever decision he makes. Collateral damage from either decision can potentially drag his son into darkness with no end.