The Tale of Sudhendra Vahl: Part 2 Options

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The Tale of Sudhendra Vahl : Part Two
The Dunmer at the next table were discussing the haunting at the Gateway Inn, and complaining that they were being forced to curtail their business in Sadrith Mora since there was nowhere for them to stay. I remembered Prefect Angaredhel saying something about one of the Telvanni representatives looking into the problem. Perhaps I should look into it myself ~ and this Arara Uvulas seemed like a good place to start. I finished up my drink and headed down to the slave-market. Nodding to a couple of very muscular House Telvanni guards, I crossed the bridge towards the Council House. I say “bridge”, actually, it looked more like a root that had been flattened out on top and had coincidentally joined the Council Hall to the side of the cliff. (It would take quite a while before I got used to Telvanni “architecture”).

Inside the cool and dark building, a well-dressed Dunmer woman directed me to the council chamber. Behind the round wooden door was a large, circular chamber. The centre of the chamber was dominated by a massive crystal growth ~ from which a strange bluish-green light and a faint humming noise emanated. Around the outer radius of the chamber were a number of platforms, raised about head-height from the floor. On all but two of these stood well-dressed and aloof-looking Dunmer: the representatives of the Telvanni Council. Actually, it’s a little more complex than that, but I’ll try to clarify the status quo as I go on).

“Yes, I investigated the haunting at the Gateway,” the dark-haired Arara Uvulas said in response to my question. “At first it seemed like a traditional manifestation, even though the Gateway is a relatively new building and has no history of foul murder or dirty deeds. Nor, indeed, is it built on any known burial ground or religious site. I performed the standard exorcism, which seemed to work at the time. However, I’d barely left the chamber when the ghost came back again.

“I’ve tried several rituals and incantations since, but none of them work for more than a moment or two. I am, quite frankly, at a loss to explain why this spirit keeps reappearing and am beginning to suspect that there is some malicious intent behind it. A conjuration expert perhaps? However, I’m interested in why you’re interested.”

I couldn’t really explain why I was interested, and mumbled something about studying the application of magic. That seemed to arouse her interest in me even more, and she asked me to stay right where I was while she conferred with her fellow representatives. I didn’t see the harm in that, and stood there while they all closed their eyes and somehow spoke to each other. Don’t ask me how, because I won’t be telling you. Anyway, after a few moments silent communion, Arara Uvulas turned to me and asked, “Would you be interested in joining Great House Telvanni?”

“Let me tell you the rules of the house,” she went on, seeing that I was having some trouble framing a reply. “Then, perhaps, you’ll be able to make a decision.

“If you steal from another Telvanni, but still live, then clearly you deserve whatever you stole. Murdering your opponents by magic or treachery is the traditional way of settling disputes. If you win, then clearly your argument has more merit. You may be expelled as in any other Great House, but most Telvanni will not care or even know about it. These are the principle rules of Great House Telvanni, do you think you can abide by them?”

“Are there no other rules?” I asked, intrigued. That ‘if you murder your opponent and get away with it, your argument has more merit’ clause probably explained the strange behaviour of the Telvanni in Tel Naga after I fulfilled the bounty on Engaer.

“Power,” Uvulas said. “The acquisition of and exercise of power be it financial, magical, physical, or some other form of power. That’s the only other rule of the House. Now, tell me, can you abide by our rules and do you wish to join Great House Telvanni?”

I was, to be honest, feeling a little numb. I’d always been a loner, both with those that called themselves my parents and in the intervening years. I’d joined the Fighters Guild out of self-interest and, while they’d shown some interest in me, it was purely a professional one. I’d been rewarded for jobs done well and given fresh jobs to do. However, I’d had to ask to join the Guild, they hadn’t asked me. Now here was one of the ruling houses of Morrowind province asking, actually asking, if I was interested in becoming a part of their House. With a lump in my throat, I said that I’d be honoured to be counted a member of Great House Telvanni.

“Then,” Arara Uvulas said, “let me be the first to welcome you Hireling Vahl. May your presence in the House reflect well on all of us. For the moment, you will take your instruction from us, the Mouths of the Councillors. Likewise, we will answer any questions you have and give you instruction in the ways of the House. Now, I have a small task for you.”

“May I ask you a question?” when she indicated that I could, I continued. “I don’t understand. I thought that you were the Telvanni Council, yet you say that you represent the Telvanni Council.”

“Yes Sudhendra,” she explained. “The people we represent, the Masters of Great House Telvanni, rarely meet. Yet it is important that members of the Great House can pass messages to them, or perform duties for them, without having to travel to isolated places. That’s where we come in. we each represent a Master and speak for them in this forum ~ hence the title ‘Mouth’. I represent Master Neloth of Tel Naga. And right now, Master Neloth has need of five portions of Sload Soap. Here are five hundred Septims ~ you may keep any change.”

Taking the money, I walked out of the Council Chamber into the cool, damp, darkness of the outer corridors. “Excuse me,” I asked the Dunmer female nearby, “but do you know where I might be able to get some Sload Soap?”

“Your best bet is Anis Seloth,” the woman said. “She usually has a large supply of the rarer alchemical ingredients.”

“Thank you…” I said.

“Dalyne Arvel, Hireling,” she introduced herself.

“Sudhendra Vahl, Hireling,” I said by way of a reply. She smiled and welcomed me to Great House Telvanni. She then gave me concise directions on how to find Seloth’s shop. I was to find that news spread quickly in Great House Telvanni and, even before I stepped out of the Council Hall, people in Sadrith Mora knew I was part of the Great House. Even the guards, who’d mostly addressed me as “outlander” or (more frequently) “scum” were more kindly disposed to me. One of the burly guards protecting the entrance to the Council Chambers even went so far as to say “Fair day to you Muthsera.”

I found Anis Seloth’s shop easily enough; it was a large mushroom perched on a steep ridge overlooking the slave-market. Anis, herself, was a petite Dunmer who always gave the impression of being rushed off her feet. However, she was well supplied with a variety of potions and ingredients, and she had more than enough Sload Soap to fulfil Arara Uvulas’ requirements: the only matter now was the price. Anis Seloth was more than willing to haggle over the price and I eventually got a good price on the five packets of white, waxy Soap: two hundred and forty-three Septims. This left me a healthy two hundred and fifty-seven Septims profit. Well pleased with myself, I returned to the Council Chamber and handed the packets to Neloth’s Mouth.

After thanking me, she asked if I was willing to undertake another task for her Master. “Master Neloth collects staves,” she said. “And he has heard that someone at the Mages Guild at Wolverine Hall has a staff of the Silver Dawn. He very much wishes to add it to his collection…”

“Say no more,” I interrupted. “It will be my pleasure to fetch the staff for Master Neloth’s collection.” I waited a moment, but it was obvious that no clink was forthcoming. That meant that the lovely profit I’d made would probably be spent on the staff. Remember what I said about the gods and their japes?

I walked over to Wolverine Hall and made my way up to the Mages Guild. As luck would have it, the first person I spoke to was a Mage by the name of Arielle Phiencel, and it was Arielle Phiencel who had the Staff of Silver Dawn in her possession. Unfortunately she wouldn’t accept less than three hundred Drakes for it. Rather begrudgingly I handed over the money and took possession of the staff. It sang with that sweet magical note that all ensorcelled items have (for me, at least) but it certainly didn’t look very prepossessing. The silver was badly tarnished, and there were areas that looked like they’d been scorched with something fairly acidic. Still, a Staff of the Silver Dawn was what was required, and this was one.

As I turned to leave, a thought struck me. “Tell me,” I asked Arielle Phiencel, “who is the best at conjuration here?”

“That would be Uleni Heleran,” the Breton replied. “She teaches a course here at the Guild. Why?” By dint of some careful questioning, I managed to draw out some useful information. Namely that Uleni Heleran has been teleporting in and out of the Guildhall quite frequently of late. I was also told that Heleran had some sort of grudge against ‘someone in town’.

“I know what you’re doing,” I said to Uleni Heleran. At first, she tried to deny it but soon admitted that it was she who was conjuring up the spectre at the Gateway Inn. I persuaded her that it might have been fun to start with, but that the “joke” was wearing thin. She postured a bit longer, claiming that Angaredhel had fined her for not applying for Hospitality Papers when she arrived here. However, she soon relented and gave me a note ~ which she called “ghost-free papers” (a sad joke on Hospitality Papers I suppose) ~ to give to Angaredhel, along with a promise that she would stop her conjurations at the Gateway.

I stopped off at the Gateway Inn on my way back to the Telvanni Council Chambers and spoke to Angaredhel. As I expected, he was bloody furious when he found out that Uleni Heleran was responsible. When he’d calmed down a bit, he fetched out a small tray and showed it to me. “You’ve done well Ser Vahl,” he said. “For stopping that wretch from ruining me, please choose a ring.” There, on the tray, sat three very traditional rings: the burnished bronze and topaz of a Thieves’ Ring; the mottled copper and turquoise of a Fighters’ Ring; and the polished silver and jadeite of a Mages’ Ring. Naturally, I chose the Mages’ Ring.

“This is exactly what Master Neloth is looking for,” Arara Uvulas said as I handed over the staff. “It’s not particularly potent, but its spells are useful in a pinch. Do you know any combat-magic Ser Vahl?” when I admitted that I only knew a few spells, Uvulas took the time to teach me a cantrip designed to blind an enemy. I thanked her profusely, knowing that I’d gained just a little more knowledge. And knowledge, as every Telvanni knows, is power.

“If you feel up to more tasks today Hireling,” a clear voice called across the chamber. “I have a small job for you to undertake.” The speaker was Felisa Ulessen, Mouth to a Mistress Therana. I went over to speak to her.

“I have a skirt here that needs to be delivered to my Mistress at Tel Branora.” Lowering her voice, she added, “My Mistress can be a little… eccentric at times. Please take these scrolls in case you need them.”

Looking at the scrolls of ALMSIVI Intervention, I asked the obvious question, “where is Tel Branora?” Ulessen showed me on my map, adding that a boat was probably the best way to get there. Perhaps, perhaps not, I thought as I looked at the tiny islet far to the south on my map. Taking the skirt, I stood and spoke in a clear, concise voice “Ex hic absum, ut Ald’ruhn.”

To my delight, Delas Mrania had a Void-Walk spell for Tel Branora, which I promptly purchased. Then I had the Guild-Guide service send me to Balmora so I could rest for the night.

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The cowering woman locked in the cell was Coryn, the sister of Ariene. She told me that there was one more robber in the shrine and that I would find her behind the iron doors at one end of the complex. She also warned me that the woman was a skilled warrior. Taking the proffered key, I walked to the massive doors. How, I wondered as I slipped the key into the lock, had this other woman managed to get inside if Coryn had the key?

Such thoughts were fleeting, the sound of the heavy doors grating back on their hinges had obviously alerted the female inside and it was only reflex that saved me from becoming shorter by a head. With strength I didn’t know I possessed, I shoved the armour-clad woman back a few steps and drew myself up to my full height. “Surrender or die,” I offered as I hefted my axe.

“Die then,” I advised as the woman screamed at me in the same language as the one upstairs and threw herself at me. Unlike the previous warrior-thief, this woman was more skilled and less impetuous. However, her vulnerability to the spells woven into my axe was no less pronounced. She was, however, still at a disadvantage, for that odd fey mood was still upon me. Her movements seemed slightly slower than they should have been, and I was easily able to dodge or block her blows. My first retaliatory blow surprised even me. There was a sonorous chiming sound as the blade struck her cuirass. A startled look crossed her face as the force of my blow drove her backwards helplessly.

Within moments, or so it seemed to me, I had struck another massive blow ~ sending her crashing against the door, while I had deftly deflected her strikes. The strange feeling that had come over me when I’d picked up the ebon sphere was growing stronger and I felt more and more… disconnected somehow ~ almost as though my actions were being guided and other eyes looked through mine. Almost without thought, I struck her down again, this time hearing something crack unpleasantly in her chest.

“Think you are winner,” she panted, blood flecks appearing on her lips as she spoke. “I am thinking not. My Lord Zumars your head will have for this.”

“Who is Lord Zumars?” The question seemed to be coming from a distance, and it was a moment before I realised it was me speaking. She snarled at me and raised her hand to her mouth and bit down on whatever was concealed there. Instantly, she went into convulsions and, before I’d taken the two steps necessary to cover the distance between us, she flopped back lifelessly.

Whatever force was driving me now spun me around and made me walk to the delicately carved podium at the end of the chamber. There, glowing with a soft inner light, was another sphere ~ this one pearl-white. As my fingers touched it, the strange mood I’d been in fell away, vanishing like a shadow at midday. I should have felt weary after such a prolonged series of fights but I felt light as a feather and oddly rejuvenated. Picking up the second sphere, I carried them carefully outside.

Coryn and Ariene were waiting for me, and the priestess soon took possession of the globes intending, she said, to return them to the mainland immediately. Coryn was slightly less distracted and thanked me repeatedly for recovering the relics.

“I have a present for you,” she said, motioning me to the side of the terrace. There stood a wooden crate. “I trust it will serve you better than it has served me,” Coryn said softly. “Please tell us where to have it delivered.” Once more thanking her, although I didn’t know just then what a princely gift she was making, I gave her the address in Labour Town.

I followed the main road further until I came to the turning for Pelagiad. The town itself was pleasant enough, and the people friendly. However, it was an odd thing. I’d set off this morning filled with the desire to see a town of the sort I used to live in but, now I was here, it seemed faintly alien and strange.

The ‘Halfway Inn’ served a nice enough meal and I ate heartily, musing as I did on the strange sensation of being driven that I’d felt earlier. While I put it down to Kynareth acting through me, I decided I really didn’t like it. After all, wasn’t I captain of my own fate?

Fate, or whatever Power it is that controls it, certainly has an odd sense of humour. I had just gone up to the bar to get another glass of Sujamma when I heard the proprietor address a customer, saying “I’d suspect Nelos Onmar of stealing the bowl if it wasn’t for the fact he rarely leaves Pelagiad.”

“Excuse me,” I asked him as he served me my drink, “do you know Nelos Onmar? And what’s this about a stolen bowl?”

He looked at me blankly, so I added ten Septims to the change on the bar and slid the money back towards him. He started to clean the bar with a cloth, making the money vanish in the process. “I heard, from the Ygfa the healer in the fort, that Piernette Beluelle has had a silver bowl stolen right from inside her farmhouse. As for Nelos, you’ll find him over there.”

“I might be, pretty lady,” the richly clad Dunmer said when I asked if he was Nelos Onmar. “It very much depends on who it is doing the asking, and why.”

I explained my presence to him, presenting him with the note and the glove the Breton had given me. He looked totally taken aback and sat down rather heavily. I sat opposite him and looked at him in some amusement as he stared into his ale. Then, like a dog emerging from a lake, he shook himself all over and stood up. “I have been a fool,” he said, bowing slightly in my direction. “I overlooked the greatest treasure of all.” Resolutely, he walked from the Inn as I sat there completely bemused. It was much later that I learned that they’d run off together and set up on the mainland together, in one of those little towns that dot the border.

Ygfa turned out to be one of the most profitable people I’d encountered in a long while. After she’d confirmed that the silver bowl I had back in Balmora was the one stolen from Piernette Beluelle and giving me directions on how to find her farm, we spoke for a good while. What we spoke of were the diseases of the island ~ many of them, she told me, unique to Vvardenfell. She told me the symptoms of the diseases and how to recognise them and also showed me how to mix up a potion that would cure both common diseases and the much worse Blights that I might be exposed to. The process wasn’t complicated, nor the ingredients particularly difficult to acquire and I resolved that I would at least dabble in this alchemy lark until I was good enough to make curative potions for myself.

Returning to Balmora, I found an Orc sitting outside my house. He had been given some coin to deliver a large crate to me. I gave him a few more to deposit the box inside and stood looking at it for a while. When it failed to do anything unpleasant, I levered it open.

“Sweet Stendarr’s mercy,” I gasped as I took out the pieces of armour. There was no mistaking the design or colour ~ they were the dark, sky-blue of the Order of the Air, edged in the traditional silver design of Kynareth’s ministry. In addition to the full suit of armour was a blue robe with the device of Kynareth on the front.