31 Last Seed
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I woke at midnight this morning after having a disturbing dream. In it, a gaunt, tall figure wearing a large golden mask led me down an aisle, through a party of ghostly figures and apparitions all talking among themselves. The figure would pause to talk and laugh with the ghosts, but they ignored him, talking among themselves. My strange host did not seem bothered by this and continued to try and converse with various guests. I struggled to speak within the dream, but found I could neither speak, breathe, or break the man's hold on my arm as he led me towards a giant iron statue at the other end of the room. I woke up before we reached the statue, feeling sad and nostalgic for nothing in particular. My waking did not disturb the other sleeping members of the Mages Guild and I fell back asleep, untroubled by further dreams and waking up again in time for breakfast.
I intended to visit Vivec to search for the books Hasphat's notes referenced, so I wasted no time in delivering the notes to my friend, who then asked that I talk to Sharn gra-Muzgob at the Mages Guild about another task. Assuming that it would be a quick task (the last of such an assumption I'll be making!), I agreed to see what needed to be done. I mentioned my dream and my friend became more disturbed than I had been, cautioning me that the Temple locks people up when they have strange dreams. I find that interesting, as it sounds like other people are experiencing similar dreams as my own.
Sharn gra-Muzgob had a rather distasteful task for me: swipe an enchanted skull from a Dunmer tomb and bring it back to her. The reason for this is probably best left unknown. Sharn gave me directions to the tomb, just south of Pelagiad, as well as an enchanted iron short sword and four scrolls of offensive magic. The sword was for the tomb's undead guards, but my silver spear made her sword unnecessary and I sold it to Ra'Virr for a few Septims. The scrolls I kept, then forgot to use later on.
As usual, the walk from Balmora to Pelagiad was uneventful and I easily found the tomb dug into the hills just before the crossroad to Seyda Neen. The entrance was unassuming, but at the foot of the stairs just inside the tomb lay the body of a male Dunmer. A quick search of his body turned up nothing of interest and I could not determine what had killed him, though he had not been dead long.
The tomb's guardians were largely no threat, mostly ghosts and skeletons, both of which fell to my silver spear and sword. The skull, however, was guarded by a disgusting abomination the Dunmer call a Bonewalker. The name is somewhat inaccurate, as the creature is more meat than bone...slimy, foul-smelling, rotting meat. It is quick to close distance to its victim, but once engaged, strikes with weak magicka and slow, clumsy swipes of its arms. I made short work of the creature, but not before it got in a few hits that left me feeling drained and weak for a few minutes.
The skull was sitting on a small stool positioned before a large basin filled with bones and bonemeal, obviously used ritualistically by the Dunmer for some purpose. A large chest sat beside it, but oddly only contained a few spoons.
I was surprised to find it was already night when I stepped out of the tomb and into the warm, humid air of the Bitter Coast. Fighting always makes the time pass quicker somehow. Darkness can hide nothing from a Khajiit though, so I stopped in Pelagiad only to sell a few of the trinkets I had taken from the tomb. On my way out, I was accosted by a Dunmer babbling about Dagoth Ur and the Sixth House, stating that he had a message for me from the fallen lord. The message wasn't much, just more talk about driving out all the Outlanders and securing Morrowind for the Dunmer people. What was chilling, however, is that this insane man knew my name. I shook him off and continued to Balmora, he didn't follow me but I will be more cautious as I travel from now on.
I arrived at the Balmora Mages Guild at 10pm, a fact which was immediately pointed out by Ranis as I walked in, but she didn't seem displeased. The other guild members seem content to stay inside and study and I'm sure Ranis would have tasks for me if I asked, but I'm too busy right now with the mystery of Dagoth Ur and the Sixth House. As usual, today's original plans are going to have to be pushed off until tomorrow.
Before turning in for the night, I handed over the painted skull of Llevule Andrano to Sharn and she rewarded me with information. According to her, the cult of Nerevarine, which the Temple prosecutes, believes that the Nerevarine will be reborn to honor the ancient promises to the Ashlander tribes which are as follows: The Nervarine will destroy the Tribunnal Temple, restore the traditional practice of ancestor worship, and drive the Outlanders from Morrowind. Both the Temple and the Empire have outlawed overt worship of this cult, but the Temple actively stalks and "takes care" of its members in a most brutal fashion. I can't say I care much for anyone whose goal is to drive all of us Outlanders out of Morrowind either.
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