Morrowind Day 8 - Murder in Vivec

23 Last Seed

~~~

I woke up and went to the Hall of Justice to inquire about the murderer. The office I was directed to was a dual office shared by the Officer of the Watch and his second-in-command. The junior officer, Tarer Braryn, asked if I knew where the Mages Guild was as soon as I stepped in the door. Surprised, I answered that I had just left from there and he asked that I have a word with the Archmage about rescinding the curse of a rash he had bestowed upon Tarer when the latter had insulted him while drunk. I agreed and he handed me a book as a gift to smooth things over with the Archmage.

The Officer of the Watch, Elam Andas, was interested in my offer of assistance, but warned that nothing could be done for me officially, but he would be willing to reward me personally, off the books so to speak, should I be able to either capture or kill the murderer. There were no witnesses to any of the murders, but an outlander in the Hlaalu canton had been threatened by a Dunmer woman with a dagger and netch leather armor. The description seemed a bit generic to me, but I started my investigation at the Hlaalu canton.

No one in the Hlaalu canton could remember seeing a Dunmer woman that fit the murderer's description, but since all the successfully murdered victims seemed to have died without a fight, I gathered that the woman was some sort of rogue assassin perhaps and quite adept at not being seen. The Hlaalu sewers could certainly hide someone, but exploring it revealed no clues and one madman who babbled incoherently about Dagoth Ur's revival, stating that it was the Hour of Wakening for the Sixth House. He was crazy and spoke longingly of the day when Dagoth Ur would drive the foreigners out of Morrowind, but his actions seemed limited to speech, so I left him muttering in the sewers.

My investigation continued in the Foreign Quarter canton and bore fruit quickly. One of the residents recalled overhearing a sewer cleaner at a local cornerclub, talking about a young Dunmer woman slinking about the sewers. He had also complained about a gang that had set up there, but I was not nearly as interested in that, though that turned out to have bigger consequences than the murderer.

The Foreign Quarter's sewers are built much as the Hlaalu canton's are, with the exception of additional storage chambers. I found the body of a fully armored Orc laying in front of one of these chambers, his throat slit. I guessed that the Orc had been searching for the murderer as well, so when I cautiously stepped into the chamber I expected to be dealing with the woman. Instead, evidence suggested that the Orc was probably guarding the chamber and became a victim of opportunity. The chamber has been transformed into a Daedric shrine, complete with a giant statue of some sort of humanoid creature. I found the bodies of two more Orcs dead in their bedrolls, their throats having been slit unceremoniously while they slept.

This would not be a very noteworthy thing, other than the evidence of my drawing closer to the murderer, were it not for the fact that one of the sleepy Orcs had been in posession of a full suit of rare Orcish armor, which was laying next to him, polished and ready for the morning that never came. The armor is comprised of a thick soft leather backing, to which is attached expertly designed metal plates. The standards of the Orcish armorers is so high that most people mistake Orcish armor for plate armor, rather than the scale armor that it technically is. I could wear the armor comfortably, but I was carrying so much that I couldn't manage to sling the armor along as well. Hopefully it will remain there until tomorrow, when I can reclaim it.

I was a lot more nervous after encountering the murderer's latest victims. To kill two Orcs while they slept is a difficult thing itself, but the shrine's guard had been awake, but died without defending himself. Uneasy, I tried casting the few defensive spells I had, but they predictably failed until I could not draw any more energy. As it was, I had an entire minute of warning before she attacked me. I had just exited one of the giant canals that run between the sewers when I heard a shout. Incredulously, the murderer was charging at me with a dagger at least forty yards away from the far end of the sewer. I had time enough to fire two arrows, both of which missed, before she was close enough to stab me.

Every blow from the dagger, no matter how slight, made my armor feel heavier and my limbs more exhausted, while she gained vigor and strength with each strike. The dagger itself was only chitin and was not doing any damage to my armor. Trusting this, I bodily hurled myself at her, using the weight of my armored body to knock her off balance. Her dagger drove straight into my chest as I lunged, but skidded along the Imperial chain as she was hurled into the foul, drifting sewage. I'm sure that would have ultimately been fatal, as she swallowed a great deal of it in her effort to climb out, but I wasn't feeling patient at that point. A quick gulp of restorative had me feeling far more energetic and I have no shame in admitting I stabbed her to death while she clambered up the small staircase leading out of the water. Her body sank back into the muck of Vivec and I did not have the energy to pull the body out.

Elam Andas accepted my assurances and told me he'd dispatch Ordinators to fish the body out. He offered me either the helm and cuirass of the Ordinators, which I would not have been able to wear in Vivec, or a magical belt he called the "Belt of the Armor of God". Unwieldy name aside, the belt was legal to wear anywhere and far lighter, so I chose that. I'm not sure yet of its exact magical properties, but it does have some strong signatures on it.

Seeking to relax after the morning's ordeals, I wandered about Vivec for a few hours and stumbled into the Glassworker's Hall on the top floor of the Saint Delyn Canton after misinterpreting the symbol on the sign outside the door as being related to alchemy. All the employees turned to stare at me as I walked in and I was just about to apologize for intruding when one of the workers asked if I was interested in making some money. It seems I cannot walk around in peace without someone offloading a business proposition to me!

Alaryne Indalas is her full name and she handles the import/export side of the Glassworker's Guild. Her previous (illegal) source of Dwarven limewire had dried up and she asked that I "acquire" some simple cups and bowls out of an Imperial trading vessel docked nearby at Ebonheart. She offered me what seems like the massive sum of 1,500 Septims for five cup and five bowls and I told her I would see what I could do. Fifteen hundred Septims would go a long way towards paying for magical training and her proposition is definitely more attractive after reviewing my successful casting rate. I'll prowl around Ebonheart tomorrow and see if I can't manage to get inside the ship.

Before turning in for the night at the Mages Guild, I spoke briefly with the Archmage. He appreciated the "gift" Tarer had provided and gave me a potion for Tarer that would clear up his rash. He also handed me a potion of levitation, which will be useful in the broken terrian of the foyadas.

Tomorrow I'll deliver Tarer from his suffering and make a brief visit to Ebonheart. I also need to find a place to call my own, I am quickly outpacing my limited ability to carry my possessions everywhere. 

Morrowind Day 7 - Welcome to Vivec

22 Last Seed

~~~

Mornings seem to be the safest time of day in Morrowind, my walk from Pelagiad to Vivec, though time consuming, was without event. I've been told however that the east of Morrowind, especially the northeast, is far more dangerous than the relatively civilized area I've so far been restricting myself to.

I reached the city of Vivec by early morning and the view was certainly worth the walk. Vivec is an impressive collection of nine blunt, pyramid-shaped structures the Dunmer call "cantons", each one the size of Balmora. The cantons each serve a specific purpose, one as the "Foreign Quarter", one each for the Great Houses, one as a giant arena, and others owned by the Temple for administrative purposes. I wanted to return Piernette's bowl before I got distracted visiting the city, so I followed Ygfa's directions, crossing a small bridge just north of Vivec and following a dirt path which eventually wound its way past Piernette's farmstead. She was grateful to receive the bowl back and promised to put in a good word with the merchants of Vivec, hopefully netting me easier negotiations and better prices.

It is surprising how many farms there really are outside of the city. If you stay to the main roads, you barely see them, but once you start wandering the packed dirt roads they seem to occupy every square foot of the grassland, some farming Vvardenfell's plants, others herding netch or guar. The individual farms are very small and a close-knit community seems to have formed among them. I stopped to chat with a few farmers on the way back to Vivec and heard the latest rumors from the city. Apparently, the duke's daughter, Ilmeni Dren, is openly abolitionist, though the official Imperial policy, and therefore the Duke's, is more hands-off. She has been seen with Jobasha, a bookseller in Vivec who is a well-known abolitionist. While I have been and will be freeing all the slaves I encounter, I have no desire to entangle myself with Morrowind's politics.

Returning from Piernette's farm I met Teris and his guar, Rollie, loitering at a small crossroad. As I approached, he waved his arms, asking if I was interested in making some easy money. Always wary of "easy" money, I asked him what his terms were. He required an escort into the Foreign Quarter canton in Vivec, specifically to a clothing shop to make a delivery. Why he thought an escort was needed for the remainder of his very short trip was beyond me, but I was happy with the one hundred Septims he offered, so I agreed to escort the man and his guar into Vivec. Halfway to Vivec he commanded the pack animal to stay, stating that they were not allowed within the city limits. He shouldered his delivery of cloth and we continued onwards.The man was cordial, but seems to have a strange attachment to his guar.

The Foreign Quarter canton is organized in tiers and is very easy to navigate, despite its size. Teris's clothier had a shop on the lower level of the canton and I was paid not one hundred Septims, but two hundred, once he delivered his goods. I could hear him muttering to himself how much Rollie would have enjoyed sightseeing. An odd man, but one who pays well.

Among the rumors floating about the canton is one that there is a murderer or vampire loose somewhere in Vivec. Several outlanders have been killed, but two Ordinators have also been killed, both without being able to draw their weapons. The Office of the Watch is advertising a reward leading to the capture or death of the criminal or criminals involved. I may look into this later.

While in the Foreign Quarter canton I stopped at a Fletcher's shop to see about exchanging my crossbow for a lighter weapon. While it is easy to carry and use, the weight of the weapon and the bolts is a hindrance. I wound up trading the crossbow and ammunition for a standard, and much lighter, Imperial short bow with fifty arrows. The fletcher, a Bosmer named Aradraen, was kind enough to rig a special harness for the bow so as to not interfere with my spear. She also dabbles in enchantments and sells a very wide range of magical ranged ammunition, most of it out of my price range for now.

While on my way to the top of the canton to visit the Mages Guild I was approached by a man handing out leaflets which stated that there was an alchemist whose shoddy products were poisoning people. The alchemist is in the Foreign Quarter canton, but I don't feel any great need to investigate what is probably a childish attempt by a competitor to remove her.

Today seems to have gone on far longer than it actually has and I'm now in the Vivec Mages Guild's guest quarters, preparing for tomorrow. I may visit the Office of the Watch tomorrow and see what sort of reward they are offering. Otherwise, I plan on visiting a few more cantons tomorrow to see what can be found. I haven't forgotten that I have a greater responsibility on my shoulders, but I do not yet feel ready to start on that business. I need better equipment and more importantly, a lot of magical training, before I can be confident of fulfilling my duties.

Morrowind Day 6 - On the way to Vivec

21 Last Seed

~~~

I woke up at Shenk's Shovel earlier than usual, around 5am and performed what is becoming a ritual of mine: visiting the local Mages Guild of whatever city I'm in first thing in the morning. I bought a simple Locking spell to practice Alteration, but I still lack a spell for unlocking. Figuring that the easy road wasn't going to be doing me any favors I passed on using the Mages Guild Guide to teleport me to Vivec and walked out of Caldera before the sun rose.

The journey was uneventful and quiet, a few wild rats provided the only distraction from the morning's doldrums. I was just able to make out the walls of Balmora through the morning haze when I stumbled upon the body of a Dunmer, a note in his pocket identified him as Ernil Omoran. While it was impossible to tell, the presence of the skooma pipe on his person suggested an end from similarly unscrupulous individuals. The note was addressed to someone named "Tsiya" and I pocketed both the note and the pipe in case I ran into this person.

The best walking path between Caldera and Vivec passes through Balmora and I took the opportunity to purchase some minor supplies and ask about Tsiya. Ajira knew of her and she made her disapproval quite clear. Tsiya lives in Balmora, a Khajiit with a bit too much sugar in her head for Ajira's liking. She pointed me towards Tsiya's house along the river and asked that I remind Tsyia that Ajira was not a sugar-dealer.

Ranis, the Guildmaster of the Balmora Mages Guild, stopped me while I was leaving to suggest, quite pointedly, that it would be in both of our interests to join the Guild officially. Her demenor and tone made it seem almost a threat, but her reasoning was sound. The amount of time and money I've spent at the Guild so far does indicate I'm likely to return more than once and as a member I would get discounts on goods and training. For Ranis, increasing her Guild's headcount would bestow greater prestige and political power within the Mages Guild power structure on Vvardenfell. I agreed and am now an Associate of the Imperial Mages Guild. I have no aspirations for great rank, I joined because I know I'll be seeking the Guild's expensive magical training in the near future.

Tsiya's home was barely a minute away from the Guild. I knocked on the door and receiving no reply, walked in. Tsiya's was at the head of the stairs staring down at me and shakily asked me what I needed. She was clearly a bit out of her mind, so I walked up the stairs and handed her Ernil's note and the skooma pipe. Dulled by either sugar or skooma, she still managed to appear dismayed at the news of his death. No lost love though, he was her dealer, though an honest one. The return of her pipe resulted in a reward of 50 Septims and ten packets of her valuable Moon Sugar. I admit to forgetting to remind her that Ajira wasn't going to sell her any sugar.

I returned to Ajira with the sugar and asked her if she needed any help now that I was an official Guild member. She was quite excited to let me know that she needed various mushrooms collected for her experiments, if I could bring her some. I don't make a point of keeping clumps of fungus in my pack, but I told her I'd grab some if I came across any.

I left Balmora, walking past Fort Moonmoth and through the ashy foyada towards Pelagiad. Maurrie's glove was still occupying valuable space in my inventory of miscellaneous rubbish. I figured a quick detour into Pelagiad might net me the information I need to find the lady's bandit. En route to town I passed a small mine cut into the hillside along the road. I remembered passing it on the way to Balmora, but this time there were piles of refuse scattered about the entrance, molding sacks, discarded kitchenware, clothes. Miners would have been more discreet with their waste disposal, so I approached the mine warily, mindful of the last time I opened a door cut into a hillside.

No charging Orc greeted me at the door this time though and I took the opportunity to cast my Invisibility spell. Four times I tried and four times I failed. Joining the Mages Guild is seeming more like a wise financial move now.  While it would have been nice to succeed, it turned out to also be unnecessary. The cave was tiny and only occupied by a female Dunmer and a male Nord, only the latter which provided any challenge in dispatching. Neither fit Maurrie's description and the bandit couple evidently settled on pilfering the surrounding farms, only the Nord's belt, radiating magic, was seemingly of any value at all. A silver bowl was the only other noteworthy find, as it was engraved for a "Piernette Beluelle"  by the East Empire Company in gratitude for services rendered.

Inquiries made at Pelagiad about the bowl led me to Ygfa, the Imperial Cult Healer in Fort Pelagiad, who gave me some rather confusing directions to Piernette's farmstead. The farm is on the way toward Vivec, so I am planning on visiting tomorrow morning.

Before paying for a bed at the Halfway Tavern I asked around about Maurrie's bandit and a young Dunmer asked me why I was looking for him. When I replied that I had the lady's glove as a sign of her infatuation with the thief, he revealed himself as Nelos Onmar, Highway Bandit. He seemed touched by her gift and wrote me a note to give to her. It was getting dark, but I left the tavern and hunted down Maurrie, who was still standing under the giant mushroom, in the dark, seemingly oblivious to the dangers the night brings. She was overjoyed with Nelos's note and I escorted her back to the tavern. On the way she suggested I visit a friend of hers, Barnard Erelie, in Tel Branora, stating that the two of us would get along well. A name to make note of, but I'm not going to go out of my way to see this person without a better reason.

I did not make it to Vivec today like I had planned, but certainly will tomorrow. I would like to find more spells and start setting aside money for magical training as well. As for now, I can content myself with the joy Maurrie and Nelos seem to have found with one another and hope they enjoy a happy future together.

Morrowind Day 5 - Justice done

20 Last Seed

~~~~

I woke up this morning in Shenk's Shovel and wasted no time in finding out about the Khajiit bandit, Dro'Zhirr. After a quick breakfast I started asking around the Imperial guilds and shops and Ernand at the Mages Guild helpfully offered that he overheard someone saying that a group of bandits had been seen moving into a small, abandoned mine on the other side of the mountain ridge. I thanked him and decided to follow this lead.

Getting to the other side of the ridge proved far more difficult than it looked. I'm not much of a climber without armor, let alone a tunic of maille, so it was the long walk back into the ashy foyada for me. The weather was unusually clear and I could see the Ghostfence in the distance, ambling around the Red Mountain, which looked deceptively calm. I passed another Daedric ruin, likely also deceptively calm and cautiously skirted around it.

The bandit's cave was tucked into the mountains at the end of a small canyon off the main foyada. Mindful to make use of my magical abilities as often as possible, I wisely spoke the words of my invisibility spell and cracked open the cave's door. My intention was to sneak in and gather information, but when I had opened the door I found myself staring at a very eager looking, axe-wielding Orc. He must have assumed whomever opened the door was standing just outside, because he yelled some battle-cry and charged out the door...right at me.

Now, I've never had to fight Orcs in Cyrodiil. There were two Orcs in the Auxiliaries and several in the Legion and their strength and pure enthusiasm has always left me glad that I wasn't fighting against them. So when I found my invisible self in the way of an attacking Orc my first thought was to dive out of the way. I'm glad I didn't, my invisibility would have worn off by the time he had realized no one was outside and even if I could have sneaked in behind him I'd still be dealing with him on the way out.

Instead, I braced my spear, thankfully within the sphere of my spell, and thrust it right into his abdomen. I don't know why I expected that to slow him down. Instead, he kept running as the shock and pain hit him and collided into me, wrenching the spear out of my hands as he tumbled into the dry dust of the foyada. A sharp stab with my sword into the base of his unarmored skull mercifully ended his life. Fight smarter, not harder, right? A quick search of his body revealed nothing useful or valuable.

With the doorman safely deceased, I tried recasting the invisibility spell, but couldn't draw the magicka required. I elected to use my natural Khajiit stealth instead of using a potion, which didn't work out nearly as well. 

I crept along the stone walls and managed to catch snippets of a conversation between two women, a Dunmer and a Redguard. As I tried to quietly approach for a better view my foot caught on something and I wound up smashing my shield into the wall while I struggled not to fall over. Naturally, this alarmed the women and they showed the same lack of restraint and strategy as their Orc comrade, drawing weapons and charging down the corridor. They were poorly armed, the Dunmer with a dagger and the Redguard with a chitin spear. The ease at which both fell make me feel a little guilty.

I felt considerably less guilty when I turned the corner and found the first slave pen carved out of a recess in the wall. Inside were two Khajiit, a mated pair, both traders, who had been kidnapped while doing business on the mainland. When I freed them they told me they were heading for Vivec and hopefully back home and advised I visit Vivec if I hadn't already. On their way out, the female, whose name I never got, gave me a quick estimate of how many bandits were in the cave. Subtracting the three I had slain, I figured there were only two left, one of which would be Dro'Zhirr.

The not-Dro'Zhirr was a Bosmer woman, whom I successfully managed to approach without her noticing. Covered in blood as I was and she armed with only a wooden staff and no armor, I tried the honorable thing and announced myself, demanding her surrender. She laughed and said she didn't remain Dro'Zhirr's favorite through cowardice. I expected with her weak armament to have some control over magicka, but she simply swing the staff at me, which though iron-shod at the ends, lacked weight to do me serious damage. I was careful to ensure her end was quick and painless, the futility of her fight demanded it of me.

After the deaths of his gang, Dro'Zhirr's surrender seemed like cowardice rather than prudence. I told him I had come for Aeta's treasures when he asked why such a "great and powerful warrior" had bothered with his tiny band of thieves. He seemed surprised and offered to give me the jewels in exchange for half of the reward money. The notion that I would work with him after slaying five people to get to him was ridiculous and I counter-offered by suggesting it might be in his long-term interest to hand over Aeta's goods, which seemed to have sentimental value at best.

He refused, insisting he would need the money to enter into honest business, having seen the error of his ways. I'm not sure who he thought he was fooling, but I did not fail to notice his left hand dropping slowly to his belt. So when he suddenly lunged at me it came to no great surprise. His weapon of choice might have been one of Ra'Virr's "Devil" weapons, the simple iron dagger morphed into a wicked looking Daedric...dagger, for lack of a better term. The weapon cleaved through my shield with little difficulty, but Dro'Zhirr was a thug, not a warrior and he landed only superficial blows. I pressed my attack once his enchantment wore off and he joined his comrades in death, perhaps plundering the afterlife just as ineffectually as they did in life.

Just behind Dro'Zhirr's shabby living space was a second slave pen, this one with two Argonians. They weren't aware of other slaves in the cavern, so they were probably the earliest acquisition. Unlike the Khajiit they had no idea what to do with their freedom, so I revealed that I had freed other slaves and that they were headed to Vivec. They agreed to head there as well and both stopped to kick Dro'Zhirr's corpse on the way out.

The sun was already setting when I left the cave, having spent some time rifling through the group's inventory. The pickings were slim, Dro'Zhirr's enchanted weapon is probably the most valuable item I have taken. Aeta was thankful to receive her family's heirlooms back again and handed me a purse of three hundred Septims, probably more than what the total value of the gang's cheap goods and lives were worth. 

Before turning in at Shenk's Shovel I stopped by to see Irgola, a pawnbroker, to see what I could get for the meager items I brought from Dro'Zhirr's cave. I was surprised to sense a great deal of magicka from one of his rings. At my level of competency with spells, any magicka I can sense has to both be pretty strong and attuned to Illusion. I wound up trading a few mundane scrolls for the ring and was rewarded with a ring that would make me both harder to see and to hit. Definitely worth the price. 

I decided I didn't want the "Devil" weapon of Dro'Zhirr's and the armory was on the way to the inn, so I stopped there as well. I sold the enchanted dagger and traded in my trusty iron spear, plus quite a lot of money, for a silver-plated, lighter, spear. 

I guess today was productive, even though I spent almost all of it trying to find and kill bandits, shades of my previous life in Cyrodiil. Aeta got her family's heirlooms and I bought a better spear. Having met my final contact near Ald'Ruhn, I may travel to the city of Vivec tomorrow to seek training, it is going to be a long walk, but I'm going to have to endure many hardships if I'm going to further my skills in any meaningful way.

Morrowind Day 4 - Visions of Hell

19 Last Seed

~~~~

It has not even been a week since I first set foot on Vvardenfell, but I feel like I've been here for months. Events have moved far quicker than I anticipated and while I did write that I was excited about the possibilities that my assignment held, I can now honestly write that, only a few days later, I feel only dread.

The morning started simple enough. I woke early, well before the sunrise, but still was enveloped in another ash storm as soon as I left The Rat in the Pot. I was determined to find Falanu's husband, dead or alive and wound up wrapping strips of cloth on my face, mimicking the guards' full helms. The cloth, naturally, fell off quite quickly. 

I did find her husband, one Drerel Indaren, wedged in the middle of a rock formation, sound asleep. My failure to locate him last night was due to the large blanket he had secured around himself to keep the ash off. When I first spied the blanket, I thought to pick it up for a few septims, thinking it had blown there. As I approached to get a better look, I was surprised to see arms and legs sticking out from underneath it. Fearing the worst, I gave the blanket a gentle jab with my spear and was rewarded with a yelp and ineffectual flailing of limbs against the rocks. 

When he regained his composure, I asked if he was Falanu's husband and he became very excited, saying that he had crammed himself into the rocks to escape the nix-hounds and spent the night fearing his wife had been torn to shreds by the nix-hounds. I tactfully neglected to mention I was the one almost torn to shreds, but he implored me to lead him back to his wife, which I proudly did. Their reunion was emotional, for Dunmer, and Falanu gave me a copy of their favorite book, which they had been planning on reading before their ashland picnic had been brought to a sudden end. I didn't comment on their odd vacationing decision and left the two happily together. The book is the second chapter of "Dance in the Fire" and it seems interesting, but I'd like to find Chapter One first.

I was planning on resuming my small quest to find my last remaining Imperial contact, but then I met Viatrix.

Even thinking back on it now makes my hands shake and my fur stand on end, but I'll record what happened next to the best of my understanding...which isn't much.

Viatrix asked me, in the sort of tone that implies the question has a foregone conclusion, to escort her to an Imperial shrine by a place she called Ghostgate. I thought it harmless enough and still retain my pride as an Imperial Auxiliary to see escorting an Imperial citizen to her place of worship as a worthy task. So I agreed. She was very annoying, complaining every time she tripped or stumbled and whining that we were going too slow. I put up with it well enough I suppose and the trip was initially worth it when our path brought us past one of Morrowind's Daedric shrines, now all ruins. I have heard from several people here that the Daedric ruins are home to demonic creatures and crazed worshipers, but often hold treasure well worth the risk. This ruin seemed abandoned though, I couldn't see any creatures prowling about, save for Viatrix, whom I wanted to throw down the side of the hill we were plodding upwards on.

The cobblestone path wound into the side of the mountain and we walked into a still, dirty fog that tasted of copper. After a foggy, foul-tasting walk that only sounded like an eternity, we stood before the strangely majestic Ghostgate Fortress.

Holding back the horror

Viatrix didn't spare time to admire the view, insisting that we continue through the fortress and into the Red Mountain beyond. I remember thinking only of the joy I'd experience once I left her at the shrine. Too true.

The procedure for passing through the fortress is ridiculously simple. In front sits a button, which opens the first portcullis and allows access to a second button between the two gates, which opens the second portcullis, allowing access into the Red Mountain. Some mechanism automatically closes each gate after a few moments. It doesn't seem very secure and there is no way for the  garrison to engage enemies trapped between the two gates, should they have some way to disengage the buttons from within. I was later to learn that the gates only existed to allow pilgrims to the shrine, the true gate was the Ghostfence, a magical barrier that ran through the fortress and around the entire Red Mountain, jailing the abominations that resided within.

I remember standing just outside the interior gate, looking up the incline that branched off, one direction towards the shrine and the other, I assume now, to a horrible and certain death.

Immediately inside the Ghostfence

What happened next, I'm not even sure of, let alone how to explain by simple writing. Viatrix was behind me, impatient as always and insisted that we continue up the incline and to the right, where the shrine of Pride was. Eager to be rid of her, I started to walk upwards.

I remember walking past a cluster of rock spires when the air seemed to vibrate and thicken. My immediate thought was some sort of earthquake, but then the red haze descended and the sky...changed.

A howling scream rose up and it took me a few panicked seconds to realize it was the wind, whipping the black clouds around at incredible speed, sheets of red lightning coursing between them. The scariest part was that the air was completely still on the ground...a dead stillness. 

The haze, the screaming, probably the storm got even worse as we continued to walk up the slope. Viatrix seemed unaffected and unaware of the unnatural weather and responded to my glance with a haughty comment that she could be going faster, if it wasn't for me. Of the two of us, only I was experiencing a land turned to nightmare.

Aptly named

We did make it to the shrine, but by this time I had a terrible headache and could barely hear her for the tortured howling between my ears. She said something to me and I stared back at her, unsure as to what she said. An annoyed, or more annoyed than usual, expression crossed her face and she handed me a purse. She pushed past me and knelt at the shrine in prayer and I didn't wait to see if she wanted an escort back down. I took a few steps away and when she didn't turn around, I did and ran as fast as I could back down the slope towards Ghostgate, nearly tumbling down in my haste. By the time I exited through the exterior gate my headache had gone and the weather was the placid overcast haze I've been growing depressingly used to already.

It would have been better if she had shown some sign of noticing what had happened, but either she was used to what had happened or it was something else other than the weather...something that happened to me. 

I calmed myself down enough to visit the Ghostgate Fortress. The garrison consists half of the Temple's religious police, the Ordinators, whom reside in one tower, and the other half is of the Buoyant Armigers, a similar force, but answerable only to Vivec, one of the three God-Kings of the Tribunal Temple. The Armigers are much friendlier than the Ordinators and I bought several restorative potions from the apothecary in their tower.

There is an actual Tribunal Temple spanning the two organizations' towers and the priestess was rather chatty, selling me an Illusion spell that would help mask my movement in combat, disorientating my enemies. She spoke of a Dunmer who lived underneath the Red Mountain, calling himself Dagoth Ur. According to her, he tried to betray the Tribunal, but they fought against him until he was constricted from leaving Red Mountain. In a bid to conquer Morrowind, he conjured up the Blight through some unknown means and the Tribunal erected the Ghostfence to hold it back. She assured me that the Ghostfence was strong enough to withstand Dagoth Ur for thousands of years to come and after experiencing what I assume is Dagoth Ur's hospitality I am very glad to hear that and hope he eventually rots there.

I left Ghostgate later in the evening than I wanted, but I definitely am not staying at Ghostgate knowing one side of the fortress lies bare to the Blight and Red Mountain. The trip was nerve-wracking, I constantly had the sensation of something creeping up at me whenever my back was turned toward the Red Mountain. The sun had long set by the time I glimpsed the comforting Imperial walls of Caldera. It's my luck then, that a women should jump out of the darkness, nearly scaring me out of my wits. I almost skewered her, but she must have seen my expression and backed away quickly, hands in front of her. Her name was Aeta Wave-Breaker and she asked my help in tracking down a bandit who had stolen her family heirlooms. Dro'Zhirr was his name, obviously a Khajiit, though that doesn't matter. I told her I'd look into it tomorrow morning and walked through the naked gate of Caldera, seeking nothing but the bed I am sitting in now. 

The unguarded gate of Caldera

I should have taken the time to see my contact in Caldera to explain what I had experienced, but that can wait until the morning. Right now the candle is burning low and hopefully I'm tired enough that whatever dreams I suffer tonight will pass by with nary a trace. Tomorrow I should make an effort at recovering Aeta's heirlooms as I promised, but I really should be practicing my magicka skills. Whatever I do, I'm keeping my distance from the Red Mountain.

Morrowind Day 3 - The Ashlands

18 Last Seed

~~~~

I woke up early this morning, not sure in which direction I wanted to run off to first. I saw Caius Cosades before anyone else and he recommended that I join on of the Imperial-friendly guilds or find some employment to further my skills and gave me two hundred Septims for training and equipment. Nice of him. He provided me with a quick summary of the guilds and his mention of Ajira at the Mages Guild reminded me of the Alembic I meant to sell yesterday. I thanked Caius and reassured him that he'd be seeing me again soon. He simply smiled and nodded. Thinking back on it now, it sounds stupid. He probably has the resources to force me to see him if required.

Ajira gave me 150 Septims for the Alembic, more than I had expected. She explained happily that for her to earn an Alembic of that quality would take a lot of work and possibly setting "that Bosmer upstairs" on fire. Not wanting to be the one responsible for singed fur, I had Masalinie teleport me to the Mages Guild...elsewhere, in order to meet with a Blades trainer who lived nearby. I wound up purchasing the instructions for a weak Invisibility spell in so that I could to practice casting Illusionary spells. As cheap and weak as it is, I simply cannot get the hang of it. I fail very often and I can only cast the spell a few times before I'm too worn to draw more magicka. I guess I have a long way to go yet.

The Blades trainer in...where I went...told me about the "Sixth House", but she only had rumors to share. She said that a lot of people were nervous and refused to talk about it. I told her that if I found anything, she'd be the first to know, which surprised her. She then recommended I visit a friend of hers, a Nightblade, whom she said would be able to help me further. 

Honestly, he wasn't that big of a help, though I did buy another cheap Illusion spell from him, this one to blur my enemies' vision in a fight. In other words: a weak Blindness spell. Again however, my skill is not quite sufficient to cast it, so I'll have to practice the Invisibility spell until I've mastered the basic evocations for Illusion spells.

There wasn't much to do there, so I had the Guild Guide teleport me to Ald'ruhn so that I could speak with the last Blades trainer. I stepped outside of the Mages Guild and instantly got a face and lung full of my first Vvardenfell ash storm. 

The ash storm lives up to its name, windy, red, and choking everyone with chunks of ash blowing all about. I could barely see in front of me and the ash was already getting stuck in my ears after a few seconds. I had to shield my face while facing away from the storm and stumbled into an armorer's shop to get some reprieve. He was mostly selling a variation on the native Bonemold armor, but I was surprised to see an Imperial dragonscale helmet in his inventory. There aren't many helmets that will comfortably fit a Khajiit, so I bought it immediately. The dragonscale is, of course, not made from actual dragons, but refers to the method: overlapping small steel plates to create what many think of as a dragon's scales. If dragons existed, I'm not sure if they wouldn't be insulted by it.

I figured I'd stay inside until the storm blew over and sprinted into a local tavern, enticingly called "The Rat in the Pot". I lounged about a bit and spoke to an Argonian who warned me that the Ghostgate was the only thing preventing the blight from sweeping over all of Vvardenfell. It sounded interesting, but when I asked him where the Ghostgate was, he told me if I had to ask, I wasn't ready to journey there. That stung a bit.

The ash storms of Vvardenfell

The storm wasn't over, but I was growing tired of the tavern and walked around the town. The storms aren't bad so long as you keep your back to it, but that's not practical outside of town and I feel like I'll be washing grit out of my ears for weeks anyway. I managed to wander outside of town and ran into a woman pacing fretfully by the city's entrance. The woman introduced herself as Falanu and asked if I might be able to find her husband. The two of them were foraging outside of town for alchemy supplies but got separated when a pack of nix hounds attacked them. Her husband distracted the creatures long enough for her to get away, but he hadn't returned. The city guards were apparently uninterested, so I agreed to try to find her husband.

I ran into what may have been two of their nix hound adversaries almost immediately and suffered damage to both my armor and my health. The monsters are large and quick, delivering powerful blows with their legs and jaws. I hope to be able to look back on this journal entry in bemusement that I was almost bested by such base creatures, but as for today, they are a formidable foe, especially in packs. I killed both hounds and continued to search the barren land for the woman's husband, but the sun set before I could find him.

I plan on resuming the search for the poor man tomorrow, but it seems unlikely that an unarmed Dunmer could survive in such an environment overnight. I couldn't persuade Falanu to return to the tavern and she remains outside the gate even now in pitch darkness, waiting for him. Hopefully with more time tomorrow I'll be able to find him, as well as locate my final "contact", who I'm told is residing somewhere near Ald'ruhn.

Morrowind Day 2 - In the Emperor's service

17 Last Seed

~~~~

The reason for the secretive nature of my assignment is now quite clear to me, as is the foolishness of keeping this journal, though I will continue to do so anyway. I keep repeating my new rank over and over in my head and can hardly sleep for the anticipation of what tomorrow might bring. But if I'm going to be keeping this journal, best to be dutiful about it and start, as always, at the beginning.

I awoke in my room in the Halfway Tavern at about six in the morning, just as the sun was rising. My first stop after a quick breakfast were two shops nesting together across the street. Though I had nothing to sell, I was looking for some sort of shield I could use effectively. The first store had what I was looking for, the merchant was willing to let a shield made of native materials, known as Bonemold, go for a very good price, owing to the state of disrepair it was in. For a handful of Septims I was able to acquire a shield of similar weight to what I was used to, plus repair tools. After some trial and error I was able to repair the shield to a usable condition, saving myself quite a bit of money. I wound up returning to the same shop and purchasing Imperial chain for my shoulders and legs, but nearly depleted my funds in doing so. The chain vest, pauldrons, and leggings were a comfort, both in acquiring better protection and in wearing the standard issue of the Auxiliaries. Between my short sword, spear, and armor, I looked and felt every bit the Auxiliary. It is a comforting feeling.

Fort Pelagiad was a bit of a disappointment. A few vendors had set up tables inside, but nothing caught my interest. I spoke with Ygfa, a Nordic woman of the Imperial Cult, whom offered quite a selection of spells, but unfortunately nearly all from the college of Restoration, which I have no skill in. I wasn't planning on staying long anyway and left for Balmora with the dawn at my back.

Fort Pelagiad

I saw the woman pacing back and forth underneath a large mushroom long before she noticed me, such was the strength of her distraction. When I was close enough to greet her, I managed to startle her and she asked if I had come across a bandit preying on roadside travelers. The bandit had relieved her of her jewelry and I assumed she was asking if I could track down the bandit and retrieve her possessions, but the truth was far odder. The short exchange between the two had sparked the lady's passion and she insisted I track down the bandit if only to convince him to meet her at the Halfway Tavern. I agreed to help her, simply out of amusement of the whole thing, though I doubt the bandit will be as accommodating. Maurrie Aurmine, her name was, and she bade me good luck as I resumed my trip to Balmora. I have not come across this bandit, Nelos Onmar, yet.

The road between Pelagiad and Balmora was uneventful, save for the occasional rat that I dispatched with sword or spear. I passed Fort Moonmoth on my way to Balmora and decided to stop for a bit to get out of the rain which had fallen out of what had been a cloudless sky only half an hour before.

Fort Moonmoth

Moonmoth seems built to be Fort Pelagiad's older sibling. While Fort Pelagiad has a larger courtyard, Moonmoth is built compactly, while housing a much larger garrison. Perhaps the opposite was true in harsher days. Like Pelagiad, Fort Moonmoth had several merchants vying for space within the entrance chamber, but also in an adjacent room. I didn't have much money left after purchasing and repairing my shield, but I did trade my steel sword and the few Septims I had left for a silver-plated sword. The plating aids the wielder in delivering a blow to enemies of an ethereal nature, though I am not sure how or why this works. I do have to be more careful with it though, should the silver wear off, the sword won't be any more useful than the steel one I gave up. Fortunately, I haven't encountered any spirits or demons yet, but it never hurts to be prepared for as much as you reasonably can. 

Another Imperial Cult member and merchant, Peragon, gave me a copy of "For My Gods and Emperor" to read to aid me in making the decision to join the Imperial Cult. I'm still thinking about it, but more recent events will put that on hold.

As I was leaving the fort, I was stopped by an Imperial Legionnaire introducing himself as Larrius Varro. He said I looked like I could handle myself and I truthfully agreed that this was probably the case. He's asked me, unofficially, if I could "take care" of a bandit problem near the fishing village of Hla Old. I'm not sure where Hla Old is, but maybe this bandit is the one Maurrie was looking for.

It was a short walk from the fort into Balmora and I was looking for an inn when a shop's sign caught my eye. It simply said "Ra'virr: Trader", but I was curious to talk to what I assumed would be a long-time Khajiit resident of Morrowind. I was not far off. By the looks of it, Ra'virr ran a semi-legal trading business, with a surprising stash of magical weapons, which he called "Fiend" or "Devil" weapons. These would summon a demon-infused version of itself into the wielder's hand upon command and were advertised as quite powerful. He did carry a "Devil" spear, but it was out of my very narrow price range. Besides the price, the other downside of the weapons were that the enchantments would only last for a few summons, though the Devil spear was steel and would be more useful than what I have now, drained or no.

Just outside Balmora

As I suspected, Ra'virr was in the market for Moon Sugar and Skooma and when I revealed that I had a sizable stash I was looking to be rid of, he started excitably shouting prices at me. I wound up making a trip back to Seyda Neen on the back of a giant bug to grab the goods, then rode the bug back into Balmora with them stashed under my armor. Ra'virr was quite bemused when I expressed my guilt at selling the drugs that kept our people in slavery here on Morrowind. It turns out (if he was honest) that he sells the stuff to alchemists and mages on the black market, who manage to draw out properties of the vile substances to some good. He mentioned that Ajira at the local Mage's Guild also bought sugar and skooma for the same purpose. I left with a lighter conscience and a heavier purse, having decided to wait on the Devil Spear. My Imperial iron spear has served me well so far.

Iron and steel, I hope, since my wandering led me into the Razor Hole, a Nordic weaponsmith's shop, where I bought a steel Imperial crossbow and forty bolts. I admit I'm a rather poor shot, for it is far heavier and bulkier than the Imperial short bow the Auxiliaries were trained with. However, I can't strap a bow to my back with the spear there and the crossbow hangs at my waist. The crossbow's punch will prove an unpleasant surprise for any enemies, provided I manage to get adept enough to hit something farther than five feet away.

It was nearly 5pm when I walked out of the Razor Hole with the crossbow slapping against my maille, so I figured it best to locate Caius Cosades. The South Wall cornerclub was easy to find and the people inside were very friendly and helpful. The owner of the club, Bacola Closeius, gave me directions to Caius's home, stating that it had been a long time since someone was looking for Caius's bed-and-breakfast. I was a bit taken aback by this, wondering why my contact for the mission was a simple innkeeper. What transpired once I found him is a testament to the ingenuity of the Empire's agents.

I was expecting an inn, or at least a large house, but the single-dwelling home at the end of the street did not seem the bed-and-breakfast type of place. The old, disheveled man who answered the door (without a shirt, no less) also didn't seem the deliver-the-secret-package kind of guy. My suspicion heightened when he told me I'd "better come inside" after telling him I had a delivery for him, instead of a night's rent.

The inside of his home was little better and I had apparently woken him from a nap or something. At least, I hope I did, for the bed was unkempt and books lay scattered about the room. He was muttering and reading through a parchment he had unwrapped from the package, but he quickly put it down and spoke to me in a very different voice than he had greeted me with. He asked if I was willing to follow his orders, but refused to answer any questions until after I gave my answer. I had been picked out of the Auxiliaries, transported halfway across Tamriel, and told to deliver a specific package to this man. I remember thinking that whatever orders these were, they had to be in the Emperor's service somehow. How right I was!

I answered that I would follow his orders, provided they were in the Emperor's interests. He laughed and said they certainly were, since the package contained orders to induct me as a Novice in the Emperor's Blades, the secret intelligence service most people didn't even think existed. It occurs to me that writing this down in my journal isn't a good idea, but if anyone else is reading this, it will be because I'm dead and beyond such concerns.

He gave me a list of agents (whose names and locations I will not write down) and advised that I visit them when I could and make use of their training and skills. He then told me to come back once I felt prepared for my first "real" assignment and cautioned me that it would likely be more dangerous than anything I had faced in Cyrodiil, but this was a man who had never tasted Ghamul Loghash's home-made brew behind the archery buttes. Still, his advice was, and is, taken and I left with the intent to visit the names I was given as soon as possible.

Three of them (this should be safe to say) reside in Balmora and I called upon each one of them in order to introduce myself. They were all very helpful and gave me gifts to either sell or use. One told me more about corpus disease and the Blight, a volcanic ash that issues from a semi-active volcano in the center of Morrowind. This ash is either cursed or diseased in some way and exposure can afflict several diseases, one of them corpus. His job on Morrowind was to learn more about the volcano and the Blight and any help I can provide him will be much appreciated, though it sounds a bit too dangerous for me right now.

Similarly, another agent's job was mapping the coastline, which he thought would be for the landings of additional Legions in case of a revolt. Again I was not quite enlisted, but told that any help in this would be great. Curiously, his gift was Moon Sugar, which I was heavily encouraged to sell instead of ingest.

Mercifully, the third individual served as more of a weapons trainer and had no external responsibilities, but did give me steel armor that nearly caused me to topple down the stairs once I left her dwelling. Finished with my social calls, I sold what gifts I could not use (including the sugar!) and staggered into the Lucky Lockup at nine in the evening, had a quick dinner, and rented a room, where I am now. 

I feel worn to the bones and I haven't even done much today. The shock and realization that I am in the Emperor's secret Service hasn't quite hit me yet, but now I have no responsibilities for a while. I'm not sure what to do next or where to go, but it will certainly be interesting!