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]

Chapter 16. Failure?

Arriana was troubled. She was pacing back and forth in her great hall inside the Chorrol castle. She should have heard back from the Argonians by now. She had sent word to them yesterday telling them when and where the false heir and his party were coming into Cyrodiil. An unexpected ally inside the Imperial Palace itself had provided Arriana with the exact details, but not just that; she now knew Ocato had not stayed at the Palace as he had told the Elder Council, but instead had gone with Jauffre into Morrowind to collect the impostor personally.

Arriana assumed it likely that while there, Ocato had made evil dealings with the Dunmer and their leaders, this so-called lord Nerevar and Lady Barenziah. Bah, just what the Empire needed, Dunmer stirring up things as well. This was just one more piece of evidence that Arriana had done well in setting forth the plans the Divines had inspired.

Still, some word should have come by now. Ocato being there with the false heir was all the better; one less agent for the evil powers, or could he be strong enough to tip the balance? No. He alone could not the tip the scales that much, and the rest of the caravan that they traveled with hadn’t reached the border of Cyrodiil yet. No she could rest assured that the false heir, Ocato and that meddlesome Jauffre were dead by now; word just hadn’t reached her yet.

Word reaching her. She paced more furiously just thinking about the word that had reached her. Just this morning, she received word from Janus Hassildor that he had evidence proving Mannimarco, King of Worms had risen again and was threatening the Empire. Apparently the King of Worms was located in Echo Cave, to the north of Chorrol. This was awful, just considering the idea that Mannimarco might be the one influencing the Elder Council.

“Oh Stendarr, why me? I’m but a humble servant, please show mercy on me and send me a champion to fight Mannimarco in my stead.”

Turning at the sound of a door, Arriana saw Verata-Ves entering the room. “Ah Verata-Ves, have you received word?”

“I’m sssorry Countesss, word isss bad. The mercenariesss were outmatched. Apparently Ocato and the ressst were accompanied by Redoran warriorsss. The Argoniansss were held back, and later driven away when reinforcementsss of the Redoran arrived.”

“No! This cannot be. How could the Divines let them be defeated?”

“I do not have the anssswer, Countesss, but I fear it getsss worssse. The Redoran captured one Argonian, and after quessstioning in Cheydinhal, he confesssed everything. Count Indarysss betrayed you as well; he confesssed his role during the Oblivion crisisss to the falssse heir, who allowed him to live. He told them of how you blackmailed him to vote your way, and the Argonian told them of how you were behind the deathsss of Countsss Terentius and Caro.”

Arriana for once in her life was speechless.

“Countesss, they will sssurely come for you. Now that the evil forcesss know of you, they will want to end you, thusss dessstroying the Divinesss’ agent on thisss plane.”

“We cannot let that happen, Verata-Ves, but where can we go? No place is safe; I can’t hide in Leyawiin or Bravil; they would expect that.”

“Countesss, why not hide in Bruma? Sssurely anytime now the young Indarysss will return with the Madssstone, and onssse in her posssesssion, Countesss Carvain will no longer fear the evil men.”

“Yes, what a splendid idea, and while we’re there, we’ll tell the young Indarys what sort of a father he has. He too shall prove a loyal ally I don’t doubt. He is still young, and surely ready to devote himself to the Divines. But, Verata-Ves, if we hide in Bruma, we’ll be ever closer to Echo Cave where Mannimarco is hidden.”

“Sssurely Countesss, you have nothing to fear from the King of Wormsss. Arkay himself would come to Nirn and take Mannimarco’sss life himssself before he would allow you to be hurt.”

“Of course you’re right Verata-Ves; even one such as Mannimarco would not dare to lay a hand on an agent of the Divines. It’s settled then; have my carriage readied Verata-Ves; we travel to Bruma this very night.”

As the Tsaesci was exiting the room though, almost as an afterthought Arriana added, “Verata-Ves, what should we do about the Argonian mercenaries who failed me?”

“Countesss, I’m sssure the Divinesss will punisssh thossse who fail them, as they ssshould.”












Walks-in-shades was wondering how it had ever come this far. It had all started with an opportunity, an opportunity given to them by that strange man with the lisp, the one who refused to show them as much as his face, let alone anything else. He’d come to Black Marsh one day and recruited Walks-in-shades and his band of mercenaries for what was supposed to be the easiest job they had ever done.

Well it had started out easy, sure enough; killing four Imperials when you outnumbered them twelve to one was easy. But this last assignment had not gone the way it was planned. The messenger came to them and told them where to find their next target, and once again it would consist of only four men, sure one would be a mage, but still it was easily doable.

But when they got there, they found not four, but fifteen, and not just any fifteen, but elite Redoran at that. And no matter how Walks-in-shades and his band pressed them, they simply wouldn’t retreat, nor back down or die easily. They fought like Ansei and made the mercenaries pay a heavy price for each Redoran they killed.

And then at the moment of triumph, when the Argonians were ready to come in for the final kill, reinforcements of the Redoran appeared out of nowhere. Too many for the battered mercenaries to contend with, they did what any self- respecting mercenary would do when faced with overwhelming odds, flee.

Walks-in-shades still wondered where it had gone wrong though; so far his superior, the Countess Valga, had excellent intelligence. The band had gotten into Cyrodiil easily, dodging the Imperial patrols that crossed the land. And again getting to Reedstand Cave undetected had been easy to do.

Somehow though something must have gone wrong for the Countess; someone might have betrayed her, or been one step ahead of her. Whatever the reason, Walks-in-shades did not think it likely that the Countess would be pleased with them.

Walking through the resting Argonians, some of them treating their wounds, some even dying, a sentry came up to him. “Marshbrother, creatures are approaching.”

Looking to where the sentry was pointing, Walks-in-shade saw the first of a band of riders enter the camp. He couldn’t see the face of the man riding the horse, but noticed that the hands were strangely clawed.

“Greetings. What brings you here?”

Getting up off his horse, the large man came to stand before Walks-in-shade, and slowly pulled back his hood. Walks-in-shades’ eyes suddenly became large as he exclaimed, “Tsaesci!”

It was the last thing he ever said as, with a mighty swing of his sword, the Tsaesci sent Walks-in-shades’ head flying from his shoulders and into the camp.