Cyrodiil Options

[Alexander]

Ok, so for the unavoidable introduction babble, as most of you know I was rather pleased with Morrowind. I thought it was far better then the dribble I wrote prior to that, and most people seemed to agree with me. After I finished Morrowind I already had an idea for a sequel, I actually wrote the very first chapter of said sequel while I was posting up parts of Morrowind. Unfortunately though, after that first chapter I kind of lost interest. I didn’t think the ideas I had back then were enough to weave an entire story together, and I was probably right.

But as these things have a habit of developing themselves, over the past months I kept thinking back to the sequel, and kept adding ideas to the pile I already had. Now it’s done. I once again enjoyed writing this, and I hope you’ll have similar fun reading it.

As I’ve explained in the past, I’m not very good at making up things like titles, Akatosh knows it took me about as long to come up with the various titles of the chapters as it did to write the entire thing, so I’ve named the story “Cyrodiil” (catchy wot? )

Before I end my babbling and get on with posting the story, I once again would like to thank Treydog for agreeing to help with my story as editor, and for fixing the many, many, many grammatical and spelling errors, and placing every comma, semicolon and whatchamacallit in the correct place. And thanks to everyone who ever read Morrowind, and commented. I really enjoy the comments.


Now, while you don’t have to have read Morrowind, I believe in order to get the most out of Cyrodiil, it would be recommended.


So, enough babbling and on to Cyrodiil.

[Alexander]

Baurus had no way to describe the journey he made. He wondered if this was how Varvur had felt each time he entered Oblivion when he was going to close another gate.

Walking through a small part of the Deadlands, Baurus found it the most inhospitable landscape he had ever seen. Small islands of black rock among a sea of lava and connected by other small strips of black rock. Screams all around him, and on all sides they were surrounded by a horde of Xivilai and Markynaz and Valkynaz Dremora. Baurus didn’t want to think about what would have happened to Relien and him had they gone here without Sheogorath. Apparently though, the mere presence of the Lord of Madness kept the creatures at bay.

The three of them appeared to be moving towards a large castle in the distance. Countless spires rose over a shapeless block of what appeared to be some metal. A short way before the entrance Sheogorath stopped and looked down at Relien; “Wait for me here; it will be easier to talk to Mehrunes if I’m not with you two. Whatever you do, though, don’t be mean to the Dremora. They’re all kind-hearted souls as you can see from the axes they’re carrying. I mean, if they meant you harm surely they would be carrying battleaxes.”

“I intend no offense, Lord Sheogorath, but the minute you’re gone, the hordes will wash over us and I wonder how long even I can hold off this many of them.”

“Do you really think so, Relien? But they seem harmless.” Looking around at all the bared teeth and bloodshot eyes, Baurus thought harmless was the last word that applied. “Yes, Lord Sheogorath, I really do think so.”

“Oh all right, all right.” Sheogorath raised his hand and snapped his fingers, “There, now they won’t even know you’re here.” Sure enough, looking around, Baurus saw the creatures’ expressions change, and slowly they started moving away again, apparently disappointed that their prey had gotten away.

“Right, now wait here, and whatever you do, don’t touch anything! You never know if it might touch you back.”

Baurus saw Relien turn to him, “We might as well get comfortable; I think we might be sitting here for a while.”




Mehrunes Dagon looked through the void at Varvur. He hadn’t even started the pain and torture; for now, having Varvur know he would be here forever and never have a chance to get out, never see any of the people he cared for again was torture enough for Mehrunes. There would be plenty of time for physical pain yet; he had all eternity for that.

A strange sound made him look away from the island where he kept Varvur, and at the doors of his throne room. What was that, whistling? Someone was whistling in the Deadlands? The nerve. The whistling seemed to increase in volume, getting closer to Mehrunes, who took up a spear from one of the walls and readied it for throwing.

A polite knock sounded, followed by a cheery voice, “Knock knock, who’s there? Are you asking me? Should I? Isn’t Mehrunes supposed to ask that? I don’t know. Shall we go ask him?”

Mehrunes sighed and lowered the spear as Sheogorath opened the door. “What do YOU want?”

“Excuse me, do you know where the bathroom is? Or wait, was that what I wanted to ask? I don’t know. Hm, let me think on this for a moment.”

With a roar Mehrunes threw the spear he was holding at Sheogorath, but he was not surprised when it stopped in midair just a millimeter before piercing Sheogorath’s skin.

“Now now, no need to be grouchy, Mehrunes. I’ve already remembered what I came for; I need you to release your prisoner so I can give him back to his two friends that came with me and are waiting outside, and return them all to Nirn. Yes, that’s what I came to ask.”

Mehrunes stared at Sheogorath in disbelief. Surely he had now gone completely insane, surely he hadn’t helped two mortals gain entry into the Deadlands, surely he wasn’t seriously asking him to give up the one thing that remained from his failed expedition into Nirn.

“Have you finally lost whatever was left of your senses, Sheogorath?”

“No no, this time I’m serious, or am I? Yes I am.”

Expanding his senses outward, Mehrunes sensed something odd just outside his palace gates, something that wasn’t supposed to be there, a bubble of insanity. Penetrating it, he was even more outraged than a moment ago. “You did WHAT? You actually brought MORTALS here, HERE! After everything that happened recently, you brought two mortals HERE? And you want me to release this pitiful Dunmer I hold? Are you INSANE?”

The irony of that last question didn’t really catch Mehrunes until much later. He turned around, picked up his entire throne and threw it across the room. “How dare you!”

“Now, now Mehrunes, calm down, calm down, there’s no need to get excited, or is excited the wrong word? We get excited when we watch our entertainment dance, or yellow, but that was only one time and an entirely different story. Enraged?”

Mehrunes cut him off before he could continue; “I don’t care WHAT you call it! Have you any idea of what’s been going on here the last few years, any idea what almost happened, any idea what could have happened had it not been for this one Dunmer, have you any grasp of the situation whatsoever?”

“Grasp? Yes, yes, I do grasp the situation, grasp the situation you ask? Ha! I grasp it all too well. Do you grasp the situation Mehrunes? Do YOU? This little invasion, this attempt at a coup, it’s nothing, nothing, I say, compared to my situation.”

“And what situation would that be, Sheogorath?

Sheogorath advanced towards Mehrunes until he was but a hair’s length away. “Two words Mehrunes” then he leaned even further towards Mehrunes and whispered in his ear-

“Jyggalag.”

Mehrunes stepped back, stared at Sheogorath unbelievingly. “Is it his time again? Already?”

“Yes, yes yes yes yes yes, HE is coming. So I need the Dunmer, because if I get them the Dunmer, one of the friends will help me, and if he helps me, he helps all of us. If I don’t get the Dunmer, and he doesn’t help me, then he won’t help any of us, and HE will become ME. I will be him, he will be me, and you will be in trouble.”

Mehrunes roared and punched several holes in the floor. Then he willed Varvur to appear in the throne room. “TAKE HIM, AND BEGONE FROM THIS PLACE!”



Outside, Baurus watched the door to the palace open, and saw Sheogorath walk out. For a moment he despaired, thinking it had failed, but then behind Sheogorath he saw Varvur walk out of the palace. “Varvur!” he exclaimed.

“Baurus!”

Baurus ran up to Varvur, and stared into his eyes. Varvur stared back. Finally they were back together. Both had thought they’d never see each other again. For now, just being together would suffice. There would be time for more later, after they’d gotten home.

“Touching as this may be, let me give you one more service, a glimpse if you will, of what is to come.”

Sounding so serious and normal, if anything, made Sheogorath sound more dangerous than when he was his insane incoherent self.

A flash of light, and Varvur, Baurus and Relien were looking at Cyrodiil, only it looked nothing like it had before. Short flashes of visions from different parts of the province, Cloud Ruler Temple sporting a large gateway through which thousands of Akavirii demons and Tsaesci- snake people- were coming. The Imperial city in ruins, men being driven together to be sold as slaves, un-Nirnly rituals.

“So that was what Azura was speaking of, wasn’t it, Sheogorath?”

“Yes Relien. It’s not too late though to prevent it, but in two days, the gateway will open and after that, you have almost no chance.”

“Why help us, why show us this?”

“Because dumpling, if you’re dead, you can’t honor our bargain now can you?”

“One last request. Can you teleport us to the Imperial city, Lord Sheogorath?”

“Of course, that’s easier said than done, no wait, actually it’s easier done than said.” And with a wink from the Lord of Madness, and a flash, the three were on their way to the Imperial city.