The Story of Trey- Chapter 13 Options

[treydog]

Chapter 13

As I made the slow trek to the Urshilaku camp, I thought about trust. Nothing in my youth had made me believe in the honor or the honesty of others. Mostly, they seemed to be interested in what they could get from you. And, with that philosophy, I had become a thief. But then, I was accepted by House Redoran and made a member of a family. Even though they expected me to perform services for them, they repaid me with loyalty and honor. And then, despite all my worries about their reactions to my role as the Nerevarine, they had continued to support me. The fact was, they trusted me- knew that I shared their code of honor. So much so that they had even sided with me against their Archmaster. And that meant that I should have trusted them to be honorable and fair, as well. Though I didn’t realize it, my musings on trust would be tested much sooner than I had anticipated.

The camp was as I had remembered it- a small cluster of tents in the Ashlands, huddled on the coast of the Sea of Ghosts. These were the people to whom I owed the most, the people whose lives had been made harsh and savage by the constant scheming of the Empire, Dagoth Ur, the Temple, even the Great Houses. If I were to see the path of prophecy to its bitter end, it would be for the Ashlanders that I did so. After greeting the Urshilaku working among the tents, I approached Nibani Maesa’s tent and asked permission to enter. The wise woman smiled to see me, overcoming her usual reserve just a bit. When she asked me, “What news, outlander,” I showed her the tokens of the Great Houses that proved that I had fulfilled the Fourth Prophecy. Then I told her of the attempt by the Temple to lure me to Vivec City, where they no doubt planned to imprison or do away with me. A strange look passed over her face at that, and then she said,

“I have thought long upon the Sixth Trial, Trey. I was blind, but Azura's star has guided me through my dreams. Vivec's high priest, Saryoni, has asked to see you when you are Hortator and Nerevarine. Go to him, and demand to speak with the false god Vivec. Vivec has tried to keep Kagrenac's Tools secret, but you will need these tools when you stand before Dagoth Ur. Get Kagrenac's Tools from Vivec. They are the keys to the riddle of the Sixth and Seventh Trials.”

Completely stunned, I could only stare at her in amazement. How could Nibani, of all people, send me to the very stronghold of our enemies? When I caught my breath, I asked her what Kagrenac’s Tools had to do with anything. She quoted a verse from the Lost Prophecy that I had brought from the Dissident Priests,

“ ‘Star-blessed hand wields thrice-cursed blade.' Gilvas Barelo has told you of Kagrenac's Tools, the enchanted devices the Tribunal use to steal power from Lorkhan's heart. One of these tools is the blade Keening. Your star-blessed hand must wield Keening. If Vivec has this blade, it is your fate to take this blade from him.”

So quickly was my new understanding of trust to be tested- one of my closest advisers counseled me to rely on the honor of one of my greatest opponents. Though my mind rebelled, my heart knew that she was right. If all Azura had wanted was my death, she would have no need to go to so much trouble. Nibani was my guide, appointed to help me find my destiny. I had no choice but to follow her guidance.
Knowing that the ultimate struggle against Dagoth Ur was growing near, I decided to scout the approaches to Red Mountain before I went to Vivec. And, in truth, I was delaying the meeting with Saryoni, for I feared imprisonment and torture above all things. Although I knew that I must go to Vivec, must suffer whatever consequences were to come, still I put it off, with the excuse that I needed to know more about Red Mountain. What I discovered was the presence of evil, but I don’t think it stemmed from Dagoth Ur, at least, not directly. Near the foyada Bani-Dad, I came upon a Velothi dome, which seemed a good place to shelter from the ash-storm which had plagued me almost from the moment I left the Urshilaku. The runes on the entrance marked the ancient dwelling as “Shishi,” a peculiar name that I wish I had never heard. As I emerged into the entry, I nearly stripped over the body of a Dunmer sprawled across the floor. A quick examination revealed her to be a Telvanni servitor, and that she had been cut down by swords. Worse yet, she was unarmed, and the wounds showed that she had been running away from her killer. As I ventured deeper into the dwelling, I found more Telvanni cut down in their tracks. Then in the lower part of the dome, I found the greatest horror of all.

A person dressed in the bonemold armor of House Redoran, my House, stood with bared sword, surveying the carnage and searching the room. When I asked what passed, she turned with a snarl and attacked me. I blocked as best I could, while shouting,

“Cease this madness, Redoran! Do you not recognize one of your own House Fathers?”

My identification of myself as a ranking member of the House only seemed to redouble her fury, and it became clear that I was going to have to do more than block. Since her actions had shown her to be an outlaw, her execution was no more than simple justice. Even so, it went hard for me to be the purveyor of that justice. I heard a voice calling from above, asking,

“Anise? What are you playing at down there? Did you find another Telvanni?”

So there were others involved in this murderous rampage- perhaps they would be more reasonable about explaining their actions. When I reached the top of the stairs, that proved to be a vain hope, as two more Redoran guards set upon me. An icy rage overwhelmed me and I showed those rogues no more pity than they had shown the unarmed Telvanni retainers they had butchered. On the body of the leader, I found a partial explanation, a report that had been written in great haste. The document read,

CODE

As instructed, a party of five entered the Velothi tower of Shishi. Five Telvanni sorcerers fell and the tower is now ours, but we have suffered heavy losses. We will hold Shishi as long as we can and await your orders.



Brerama Selas

So, in addition to the crimes of murder and attacking a senior member of his House, this Selas added the venal sin of lying. Only three Redorans had been present, all hale and hearty. And the “five Telvanni sorcerers”? No more than simple unarmed servants, slaughtered when they were trying to escape. Unfortunately, the report was not addressed to anyone, but I vowed that I would find out who had ordered this atrocity. Whether the Telvanni had a legitimate claim to Shishi, I neither knew nor cared. Whatever the case, there was no excuse for this mindless brutality.

Sometimes, trust has to be paid for in blood. Although it horrified me that someone in my House could do such a thing, I was satisfied that I had been the instrument of justice. For good or ill, House Redoran would take care of its own.

[treydog]

After I had rested in Shishi, I continued south to Maar Gan and then used the silt-strider to carry me to Ald’Ruhn, Balmora, and finally, Vivec. I could have used the Mages Guild to instantly send me to my destination, but I wanted a chance to consider what was to come next. Although I had no love for the Ordinators or the Temple, I would prefer not to start a religious war in the middle of Vvardenfell’s largest city. Drawing on my experience as a thief, I knew that if I had to fight my way out, it meant that I had failed. The phrasing of Saryoni’s message added to my confusion. The signature showed that he had dictated the letter, so the contents weren’t precisely “secret.” Still, he had done a great deal of rhetorical tap-dancing to avoid committing himself one way or another regarding taking a position on the prophecies. What it had boiled down to was, “we don’t believe it, but we can’t ignore it, so why don’t you come by for a nice chat?” I was sure that the rack, the hot irons, and the pincers would just be there for the sake of atmosphere. Of course, things didn’t have to go the way the Temple expected. At the first sign of trouble, I would Recall out of there and figure out a different way to approach the Sixth Trial.

When I reached the High Fane, I immediately recognized my contact, Danso Indules. She was pacing about with the nervous energy of a cat in a dog kennel. My sudden appearance did nothing for her frayed nerves. She paled and looked around as if expecting to be struck by lightning just for standing near me. Gesturing urgently, she retreated into the shadowed passageway that ran through the High Fane and hissed,

“The archcanon is in his private quarters, and he very much wishes to speak with you, but I am to warn you... avoid confrontations with the Ordinators at all costs. The archcanon has spoken with the High Fane Ordinators, but if you are a wanted criminal, they may try to arrest you. If the blood of faithful servants of the Temple is spilled, it will make a reconciliation all that much more difficult.”

That was ironic, insisting that I come to Vivec, the base of the Ordinators’ power, and then warning me to avoid them. And on top of that, Saryoni had to know about the public notice that Berel Sala was circulating. If the archcanon was so concerned with secrecy and avoiding confrontations, why hadn’t he suggested a meeting at some out-of-the-way Temple? Just like his letter, this was a sign of a man who wanted to sit on the fence. He had to see me for himself, particularly if he really had read the Apographa, but he wanted to be able to whistle up a company of Ordinators if the conversation took a turn he didn’t like. He was a typical politician, trying to have things both ways, without making a decision. I decided to have mercy on Danso Indules before she died of nervous exhaustion, and asked her about the best way to reach Saryoni’s quarters. She rattled off a couple of different possible paths and then positively scurried away from me, casting fearful looks all about.

A Potion of Shadow got me past the Ordinator at the door to the High Fane, and a bit of creative sneaking carried me down the corridors to the outer door of the Archcanon’s quarters. Unable to resist a little enjoyment at the Temple’s expense, I renewed the Shadow effect and knocked loudly on the door, then stepped to one side. As soon as the door was flung open, I slipped inside, stifling a chuckle as the Temple bureaucrat peered up and down the corridor. Finally, he muttered a most un-priestly phrase and slammed the door. While he was thus occupied, I had made my way to the inner door, which I quickly saw was locked. With the room’s two occupants so close by, I didn’t want to risk trying to twiddle the lock with one of my picks or take the chance that they would sense the release of energy from an unlocking spell. Of course, my Shadow potion was going to wear off soon, so I had to do something…. The ruse I had used to get into the outer office suggested a possibility, so I imbibed a potion that gave me the power of Telekinesis. That allowed me to manipulate the door on the other side of the room, swinging it open without touching it. This time, both the Temple functionaries stormed over to see what was going on, and I quickly spelled open the inner door and slipped inside.

With a word, I dispelled the Shadow effect and made a mocking bow to Tholer Saryoni, adding,

“I believe you had requested my presence over a small matter concerning the source of the Tribunal’s power?”

My lack of respectful obeisance and my choice of an opening topic caused the already pinched lines of the Archcanon’s face to deepen still further. Perhaps I should have been more respectful, but I knew that this man had the power and the knowledge to have mitigated the worst excesses of the Ordinators- and had done nothing. If he expected me to throw myself on the Temple’s “mercy” he was in for a very long wait. Seeing that I was going to be stubborn, Saryoni heaved a great sigh and began, first with an attempt to justify his untenable position,

“The Temple must protect the people from false doctrines. And your association with Imperial intelligence makes your motivations and integrity suspect. But you have been chosen Hortator and Nerevarine by the Dunmer people. And we have reached a crisis with Dagoth Ur. We can no longer defend the people against the awakened Sixth House. You and your prophecies may represent our last hope. Perhaps it is time the Temple changed its doctrine regarding the Nerevarine. Lord Vivec wishes to meet with you.”

That was rather like a man whose leg was being gnawed off deciding it was time to “change his doctrine regarding wolves,” but it was at least a start. And I would believe in that change when I saw it; nothing in the Temple’s history made me feel much like trusting their sincerity. But I was here for one reason only- the “god” Vivec had something I needed. If things went well, he would give it to me voluntarily. If not- it might be time to test the “immortality” of the Tribunal. And that might be good practice before I faced Dagoth Ur, who had also gained his corrupt power from the Heart of Lorkhan. Of course, I did not mention any of those thoughts to Saryoni, but simply indicated my willingness to meet Vivec. Relieved, he straightened and removed some keys from his desk.

“Good. Here are two keys: one to the private back entrance to my quarters, the other to a locked entrance to Lord Vivec's palace. I regret that, at present, the Ordinators are not completely under my control, so, for now, I'll ask you to avoid confrontations with them. Lord Vivec is expecting you. His Lordship is remarkably patient, but perhaps it would be better not to keep him waiting.”

I did not bother to tell the priest that Vivec’s patience or lack thereof was of little concern to me.