I agree with Remko, nicely done. You are building some suspense here.

Morrowind is a fascinating area for me, though I have never played the game.

The more I read about it, the more fascinating it is for me. Now I have your version of something called the Tribunal Questline, and I'm hooked already.

Good work!

I used Saint, because he was sainted. I thought Saint was more of an honored title, especially amongst the Tribunal. And do you guys like the secrecy of the Temple against Zalphon. In Morrowind if you had weird dreams you had "soul sickness" AKA "insanity" they locked you up or killed you. They're sending him on a crazy quest, and he has to find the artifacts. If he returns, he'll be assassinated. I can't wait for the next part

Chapter Two: The Ashlands

Zalphon walked to his Manor. There his slave sat in a chair with his shackles off and he wore worn, leather boots. Old, faded, blue pants, and a tattered, gray shirt. At his side was an ebony dagger. "Master, I know of your goal, I want to help," Quick-Strike stated. "I am a fine assassin."

The Dunmer smiled weakly and stated, "I'll be fine, Sl--Quick-Strike." He reached into his chest and pulled out a suit of shining steel plate mail. Next to it was a steel longsword and a steel towershield. He donned it slowly. It was heavy, very heavy.

"This is the end, old friend," Zalphon said to the Argonian. "I'll miss you, Quick-Strike, find a life for yourself in the Thieves' Guild or House Hlaalu..." He walked out the door, ready to experience life. With haste, the armored knight walked into the Mages' Guild and handed the breton woman in the back room several gold.

"Ald'Ruhn," The Dunmer coldly said. "And thank you." Suddenly he closed his eyes and appeared in the Ald'Ruhn Guild Hall. It was filled with mages of all races. Argonians, Khajiit, Orcs, Imperials, even a Redguard! Zalphon waded through the crowd and opened the door.

For what felt like hours he walked towards Ghostgate. "The item is most likely in one of those old strongholds," The Tribunalite told himself. The ash blew in his face. It pelted his exposed skin and felt like fire. Rushing out of the ash was a Dunmer in chitin armor. He hit Zalphon in the side of the head and knocked him into unconsciousness...

The blackness surrounded him. When he awoke, he was in an Ashlander Yurt. By him was Quick-Strike and the very strange khajiit. "You took quite a blow," Quick-Strike stated. "Lucky I was there to save you." Zalphon tried to speak, but Quick-Strike quieted him. They would talk in the morning... For now they needed their rest. The Ashlands were a harsh place, and they needed to be alert.

"Sleep," Quick-Strike said. With a sense of obedience, Zalphon did as commanded. Tomorrow would be a long day, and he knew it...

So Quick-Strike and J'Skooma followed Zalphon anyway? I wonder what their angle is. (ex)Slaves and addled Khajiit mages don't usually rouse themselves to hunt down Temple artifacts.

This post has been edited by Destri Melarg: Mar 19 2010, 01:34 AM

Long story that I intend to reveal. Zalphon and Quick-Strike are very close, by the way. Quick-Strike loves Zalphon like a son. And J'skooma is a very "insane" guy.

Everybody loves Zalphon! He is my fave of all your characters! (and Raven of course)

This post has been edited by mALX: Mar 19 2010, 04:35 AM

Chapter Three: The Ash Mask

Quick-Strike awoke before the sun rose. He awoke J'skooma and whispered, "What shall we do with him, J'skooma?" The khajiit was half-asleep. His orange-fur was like a beacon in the darkness.

"Cheese is good, I love cheese, I hate cheese, do you love cheese? I hate you! I love you," He responded. The Argonian let out a deep sigh and hugged J'skooma. Quick-Strike pulled out a journal and wrote in it, "Sir Zalphon is asleep as I write this, but I fear for the worst. What if the Temple is trying to kill him? I guess I'll find out soon enough, when we find the Ash Mask. I predict it'll be in Red Mountain or in one of the strongholds." He put it back into his nix-hound skin backpack and rubbed his scaley hand across Zalphon's cheek.

The sun rose as Quick-Strike stood watch over Zalphon. The Argonian thought blissfully, "Your father was a great man, Dunmer. He owned me when I was a hatchling. You may be an orphan, but I promised to him as he lay in his death bed I would watch over you, I will keep my vow." The Dunmer awoke and stared at the argonian. With haste he stood up and donned his armor.

"To Falasmaryon," he commanded. Suddenly a bright, blue light surrounded them. J'skooma smiled as his tattered, gray robes lit up in the brilliance of the light. Quick-Strike gazed at the Khajiit and frowned. Suddenly they appeared in the Stronghold.

Zalphon surprisedly asked, "What was that?" The Khajiit chuckled and raised his hand. The darkness of the Stronghold was lit only by ancient sconces. Blood stained the floors. As they walked, they sought the mask, but what they found was death... Lots of corpses...

They reached a door where they heard ritualistic chanting. They kicked it open and their stood a robed lich. She had long, silver hair. Rotted, gray skin. And pallid, sunken eyes. She asked curiously, "Who are you?"

The Dunmer responded, "Your end, Necromancer." Before Quick-Strike could stop him, the Knight rushed in. The door slammed shut. They had a small keyhole to look through and it provided little information. They relied on sound. Screams were heard, loud screams... Suddenly the door clicked and opened. Zalphon reached into the robes of the lich and pulled out an ash mask.

"Vivec's," Zalphon stated with glee. He wrapped it in fine velvet and put it in his pack. Quick-Strike frowned, knowing that he had to learn from experience...

Woo Hoo Zalphon! Reaching into a Lich's robes and pulling out an ash mask? All I can say is... Woo Hoo! I could have used him on that last quest I did, the Lich was at least 20 foot high, it took forever to kill it! (mod). I may reload an old save, and this time I will just reach inside his robes and pull out his...er...mask. Just teasing - I am loving having you back on the same board with me again and getting to keep up with Zalphon !!!!!!!

This sounds like it could have come straight from the mouth of Sheogorath.

J'skooma was cursed by Sheogorath hundreds of years ago when he was a young mage. He wanted immortality, so he went to the Shivering Isles trying to kill Sheogorath and rip him of his power and immortality. Sheogorath laughed in his face and gave him his wish. But there was also a bad-part too. He was permenantly mad.

I've done that, I'll bet he found himself in a very high place and falling fast, lol.

Chapter Four: Secrets of J'skooma

Zalphon walked into the city of Balmora with his armor weathered by the ash. J'skooma followed behind, while Quick-Strike was around, but nowhere to be seen. The people of Balmora nodded at him and smiled. A Dunmeri Knight was a respected member of society.

He walked into the Temple and saw the Master waiting with two ordinators. One on each side. Zalphon pulled out the mask and handed it to her, "Master, here is the ash mask, I am still getting the other artifacts." The Dunmer bowed deeply to the Priestess.

"Guards, this man has stolen an artifact from the Temple and hidden it, have him executed," She said. With haste she turned around and walked up the stairs. The Ordinators drew their ebony maces and charged. The Khajiit muttered under his breath for a second and a pile of ash lay where the ordinators were.

"J'skooma kill them for you, Friend," He said to Zalphon. His voice was laced with empathy, kindness, and innocence. Like a child. They walked up the stairs and saw Quick-Strike with a dagger to the throat of the Master of the Temple.

His left hand held her stomach, his right had the dagger to her throat. He whispered to her, "This is the end, Betrayer of the Chosen." Suddenly blood spurted from her neck as she fell to the floor.

"J'skooma, Quick-Strike, what are we going to do," Zalphon asked as he looked at the Hlaalu Guards that were rushing to the Temple. Fear laced the Knight's voice. He was only in his early twenties and already on his way to his execution.

Bright, blue light surrounded each of them. The Dunmeri Knight stood there in an Ancient Wizard's Tower. He noticed there were no doors or windows, just black, dismal stone. In the center of the round room was a pedestal and on it, a black book that glowed with bright, blue light. "J'skooma," Zalphon thought. "I have to read this, it may be important."

With haste he ran up to it and pulled the cover to one side. It was written in bright, glowing, blue letters.

"3E 411, Seventeenth of Last Seed,

Zalphon, he is my son. My only son. I must protect him at all costs. I have found an Ancient Hourglass made by Akatosh. I will use it to go back in time and be granted immortality and power by destroying the weakest daedric prince, Sheogorath. Then I'll protect my son, I will always watch over him. I write this before I go back, with my very blood. My blood is more magick, than actual blood. Due to my many experiments with magicka this has happened. I've evolved past just being a Dunmer, I am more. I am more magick than mer. This is the end of my life as a mere wizard-lord. I will be a god, if not stronger! All for him, my only son. For now he is only an infant, but one day he'll be as mighty as an ogre and as smart as a Telvanni.

Lord Alu'Kar Broodikus, Telvanni Wizard-Lord."

"J'skooma is my father, but he died when I was just a baby... The Temple took me in and made me a member, this can't be," Zalphon screamed in his mind. "What lies are these, they can't be true!"

Instantaneously, he appeared in a tavern. J'skooma drank bubbling elixirs of his own. Quick-Strike drank fine, red wine. Zalphon felt his pack feel heavier. He opened it up, and there was the Journal of Lord Alu'Kar Broodikus, AKA J'skooma. The Dunmeri Knight ordered some honey mead and drank it slowly.

"What do we do now, Quick-Strike?" Zalphon asked inquisitively. "Do we become mercenaries?"

"We'll talk in the morning, Zalphon," was all the response the Argonian would give. The Assassin put down a bag of over-flowing gold coins. And motioned J'skooma and Zalphon to follow to their rooms. They would each sleep, but what would they do for a career? Become a sword for hire? A gladiator? They were all unsure, except Quick-Strike who was going to tell them both everything in the morning.

Is this where Zalphon becomes a Lich?

No, this is why the insane khajiit we all know and love follows Zalphon. And Quick-Strike was a loyal servant and friend of Lord Alu'kar. J'skooma knows Zalphon is his son, but he doesn't want to tell him.

ARGH! I have to go back and read your email again (the birth of Zalphon) !!!!!! I'm sorry, I was ill this morning - see what happens when I try and think while sick? ROFL !!!!

That was a different character. It was a portion of my novel, not TES

Chapter Five: The Amulet

Zalphon had nightmares of watching his father try to fight Sheogorath. The Telvanni Wizard-Lord being defeated by the Mad-God. The wrath of a Daedric Prince. He had never known what it was like to be loved. It felt good to know somebody cared about him.

He awoke in cold sweat, after watching his father plummet from high in the sky to the ground and his body being crushed by the force. It was early in the morning and very few people were in the Tavern. Zalphon went down and saw Quick-Strike. He wore a suit of black-leather armor. He also wore a black cloak with the hood up. He stood in a corner of the Tavern, his eyes scanning the room.

J'skooma was gone. Where, Zalphon didn't know. Quick-Strike walked over to Zalphon and whispered, "I have met up with a few old collegues of mine, but none of them had any work for us. We're enlisting in the Imperial Legion. Meet me in the Temple of the One in an hour."

Suddenly, the argonian sprinted off into the city. The Dunmer walked out and headed towards the Market District. Swarms of people surrounded him from every angle. Peddlers and vendors lined the roads. There were more people in this one district than there were cliffracers in all of Morrowind. He managed to go into a shop and there stood a man in robes. Black robes with red patterns. "What do you want?" The Shopkeeper asked. "I carry items for wizard-folk. But I may have something to help you."

"Shelter, and what is this one thing?" Zalphon responded. "A sword or some armor?" He was inquistive.

"An amulet," The Black-Robed Altmer said. "Wear it proudly." He put a strange-looking amulet around Zalphon's neck and dissapeared instaneously. The Amulet had a long, ebony chain. In the middle of the chain was a violet gem in the shape of a circle. It was surrounded by ebony.

He walked out and shoved it beneath his breastplate. When he walked out of the building, he turned around and there was just a wall. A standard, stone wall. It sent chills down his spine to wonder what was really there. But he remembered to go to the Temple of the One. With haste, Zalphon sprinted towards the Temple District through all the people.

After an hour of going through people, he reached it. J'skooma stood there, as did Quick-Strike. "Ready to enlist, friends?" Quick-Strike asked.

They each nodded and walked towards the Prison District...

Now this is what I'm talkin' 'bout !!!!! Great Job Zalphon !!!!

Quite a tangled web you are weaving, Zalphon. J'Skooma is Zalphon's father? Quick-Strike was servant to Lord Alu'Kar/J'Skooma? In that case, did Quick-Strike know that J'Skooma was Zalphon's father? Or did J'Skooma's madness hide his identity, even from his loyal trusted servant? I'm sure these questions will be answered as the story progresses, lead on.