The Story of Trey - Chapter 3 Options

[treydog]

Chapter 3

What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or in a marble tower on top of a high hill? You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep…. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of how you died or where you fell.

Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep


As I staggered out of the teleport area of the Caldera Mages Guild, waiting for my stomach to catch up, I looked the place over. The building's interior reminded me of High Rock- hardwood floors and plaster walls. Before I had gone five steps, an intense-looking Dunmer wizard named Folms Mirel stopped me and asked if I would be interested in doing some work for him. He looked like the sort who should be working in some underground laboratory, with electricity crackling, full of vapors and creatures in jars. But the word "work" was music to my ears. He had been researching something called "propylon indices" and believed he had discovered a way to create a "Master Index." That was all very interesting, but what in Oblivion was a "propylon index?" It seemed that the ancient Dunmer had created a means of traveling from one of their strongholds to another, using an artifact called a propylon index, keyed to the specific propylon chamber they wished to reach. There were ten of those strongholds still standing on the island of Morrowind and the Master Index would enable one to travel to any of the ten. Mirel was so certain of success that he was willing to pay 500 drakes for each index I brought him. Best of all, he was interested in the experiment for the pure science- once the Master Index was complete, he would give it to me and provide the magic required to power my travel from stronghold to stronghold. That sounded like a great bargain, which made me instantly suspicious. Although I figured there must be a catch, I needed the money so badly I agreed to the proposition.

Mirel was pleased by my agreement and told me that the first index, the Hlormaren, was right there in Caldera. Irgola the Pawnbroker had it. The indices did not display any sign of enchantment, so a Detection spell would not identify it. He described it as a small, grayish stone. After getting directions to Irgola's, I left the Mages Guild and took a look around Caldera. Like Pelegiad, it reminded me of home- stone and timber buildings with thatched roofs, a stone wall that was more decorative than protective, cobbled streets. And, like Pelegiad, it contained a large number of Imperial soldiers. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a good base, after all. Curious about the presence of so many guards in a town that didn't have a fort nearby, I asked an Argonian what made Caldera so important. He summed it up in one word, "Ebony." One of the richest ebony mines ever discovered was located just over the mountains south of town, and the Empire wanted to protect their interest. Ebony was heavy, used for making high-quality weapons and armor, and expensive. The guards were there to ensure that nobody got sticky fingers. Thus enlightened, I went to visit Irgola, hoping he wouldn't have any idea of the value of the propylon index. Another lesson for future reference- pawnbrokers almost always know exactly what something is worth. They wouldn't stay in business, otherwise. Worse yet, the shop had its very own Imperial guard. And worst of all, the index was on a windowsill right beside Irgola. If I wanted to "shop at a 100% discount," I would have to walk right past him and lift the item from under his nose. Getting caught would lose me the 500 gold and the dingus. No, I was going to have to negotiate.

I quickly concluded that Mirel himself must have attempted to get the index from Irgola. And if he had, he had managed to make the pawnbroker suspicious and aware that the item had value. He actually wanted more than 500 drakes for it. With no other choice, I trudged back to the Mages Guild, where I could get better prices, and converted some of my better potions into cash. I hated to part with them; they were mostly gifts from Ajira, but there didn't seem to be much choice. After paying Irgola's price, I brought the index back to Mirel, who paid me the promised 500. This moneymaking venture was going about as well as my others- I was down about 70 drakes. And the experience highlighted a weakness in my training and knowledge. My stealth skills were simply not good enough to lift an item while the owner was watching. What I needed was some sort of Illusion magic to improve my ability to remain unnoticed while going about my business. Although Illusion wasn't one of my better schools, my Breton heritage gave me some natural ability with all magic. Therefore, I needed to ask around and see if anyone in Caldera could teach me some concealment spells. There, my luck took a turn for the better. Eraamion could teach either Brevasa's Averted Eyes or Golanar's Eye-Maze. The first was a little cheaper, but was also an invisibility spell- it would dissipate as soon as I took an action other than movement. Golanar's was a Chameleon spell, just what I wanted.

My skills needed some work; maybe I could go just outside of Caldera and practice my new Illusion spell. If I combined the Chameleon spell with my natural stealth, I could stalk some scribs or something. It might look silly, but looking silly was better than what would happen if I failed attempting to sneak up on some dangerous beast. Besides, this close to a town, what could go wrong? Surely all those Imperial guards had kept the wildlife under control. Right there, I made two mistakes. First, never, never, never ask, "what could go wrong," unless you are anxious to find out; second, never assume that guards are good for anything except eating pastries and giving an honest thief a hard time. Oh, and a bonus third error, don't assume that "civilization" means the same thing on Morrowind as it does elsewhere in the Empire.

I wandered a hundred yards or so out of Caldera, working my way northeast. Once I got near the ridge, I cast Beggars Nose to identify likely targets for practicing my stealth. I expected to turn up a few scribs and maybe a kwama forager. As I got closer to the mountains, I began to hear an annoying "skreee-eee" sound. Whatever was making it, there seemed to be several of them- the sound was coming from all around me. "Oh well," I thought, "probably just some sort of carrion bird like a vulture. Nasty creatures, but hardly a threat." Just then something came flapping and screeching down the mountainside and began to batter me with wings, beak, and tail. I caught a glimpse of a 4-winged nightmare with leathery, scaly skin and a hammerhead. And the smell.... it was a terrible odor of some animal left dead for weeks in the sun. The stench almost gave me more trouble than the club-like appendage at the end of the tail. I finally got my shield and sword up and began to fight back. It was difficult to strike effectively, as the flying fiend swooped in and darted up and out of reach. Finally, I damaged the wings enough to bring it down and finish it. Able to examine the corpse, I recognized that this was the infamous cliff-racer, a disgusting pest that infested the mountainous areas of Vvardenfell. As I recovered from that battle, I heard the unmistakable growl of a nix-hound galloping up behind me. Then came another pair of cliff-racers. In spite of the seemingly endless attacks, I had the presence of mind to cast Soul Trap on a couple of the cliff-racers. The idea of using the life-essence of those loathsome beasts to power my enchantments gave me a deep satisfaction. It was almost with relief that I saw a doorway built into the cliff-face. The markings indicated that it was the Indalen Tomb. Whatever was in there couldn't be any worse than the constant attacks coming at me from all sides out here. I plunged into the welcoming darkness of the tomb.

Gathering my wits, I cast my detection spell to see what might be sharing the tomb with me. The spell indicated at least three enchantments, as well as three creatures. The otherworldly inhabitants of the tomb didn't seem to appreciate the intrusion of the living- they whispered and howled around me as I moved deeper. It was almost enough to drive me back outside to the cliff-racers, but the lure of those enchanted items drew me onward. The first chamber contained a number of ingredients, apparently left to nourish and placate the spirits of the ancestors. There was also a minor potion and a magic absorption scroll. The final enchantment was a ring called a Sparkbolt that allowed the user to do minor electrical damage to an opponent. I should have stopped there, happy with the ingredients and items, but I decided to push deeper into the tomb to discover what creatures inhabited the last few chambers. On the other side of a locked door was a Scamp- the least of the daedra that Tamrielic summoners conjured from the Plane of Oblivion. I managed to surprise this one and had no trouble dispatching him. The same was true of a second Scamp, resident of another chamber. The last creature nearly made me a permanent resident of the tomb, though. As I entered that final room, a monstrous shape shuffled toward me. It appeared roughly human, but grotesquely malformed, as if someone with no idea of anatomy had hastily stitched the parts together. Bones poked through flesh and openings gaped in the limbs and torso. I was so revolted; I almost didn't remember to defend myself. I have always been particularly afraid of undead; surely this was one of that cursed family of constructs. The beast hit me and I felt my strength and stamina drain away. I was going to have to win quickly or I would be unable to move. Fortunately, the Bonewalker, for such it was, moved slowly due to the way it was made. A rapid series of strokes with the sword caused the vile creature to disappear, leaving only a pile of bonemeal. I later learned that I had been fortunate to not catch a disease from the attack; my damaged attributes recovered in a short time. This expedition had not worked out at all as I had intended. It was time to get back to town and consider what I should do next.

Returning to Caldera, I asked Mirel about the next index. This time, it sounded a bit better; the Marandus index had been packed up with a lot of junk and stored in the St. Olms Temple at Vivec City. A trip to Vivec made sense; several of the pilgrimage shrines for the Tribunal Temple were located there. I might as well do the pilgrimages- I needed all the help I could get- even from gods I wasn't sure I believed in. Feeling that a city would be safer than the wilderness, I prepared for my foray to Vivec. It should be simple enough to find the Marandus index. After all, how big could the place be?

[treydog]

@McBadgere- Yes, when shaking hands with Trey, it’s always a good idea to count your fingers- as well as small valuables- afterwards…. One of the joys of going back to this is that Trey had no concept of what is actual future would be… he was just trying to make sure there would be one… Thank you, my friend.

@hazmick- Yep. Trey never learns to not ask those rhetorical questions… Vivec City nearly drove me to despair as a player. Since I was on PC, I often “cheated” by turning the clipping off, just so I could levitate to the place I needed to be. The thing about the Master Index quest line… it was actually an early add-on, when Bethesda was still getting the hang of the whole “plug-in” concept. But, given Trey’s aversion to the silt striders, a different mode of fast travel fit perfectly.

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Anxious to earn an easier 500 septims, I had the Caldera guild guide send me to the Vivec Mages Guild. While I waited for my stomach to settle, I introduced myself to the Vivec guild guide and asked about the city. She said her name was Flacassia Fauscius. I almost said, "I'm sorry, " but stopped in time. She mentioned that seven people had been murdered recently, including two "Ordinators," whatever those were. Wonderful- my first visit to the city and someone decides to go on a killing spree. She also warned me that Trebonius, the Archmage, wasn't exactly rowing with both oars in the water. He had recently asked her to do a complete inventory of all the plates and cups- in Vvardenfell. It sounded as if I would do well to avoid the old fellow if possible. The last thing I needed was to be sent chasing across the continent looking for Uriel Septim's lost pickle fork. She also tried to explain the size of the holy city to me, but I didn't grasp what she meant until I stepped outside the Foreign Quarter plaza. All the talk about "multi-level cantons" didn't begin to convey the sheer majesty of the city. I won't even attempt to describe the stonework or the magnificence of the architecture. If you haven't seen Vivec, no words of mine can paint an adequate picture. I wanted to be able to fly high above the city so I could take it all in. As I stood there, frankly gawking like a tourist from the backwoods, I found out what an Ordinator was. A Dunmer, wearing a set of purple and gold armor, complete with a gold-colored full-face mask, urged me to "move along" in a raspy voice. Ah, an Ordinator was a guard, then. Guards I understood, even if they did wrap themselves in religious trappings. Still, he had a point; I needed to get moving, and I didn't need to act like a tourist.

I decided that my first stop should be the St. Olms Temple, which was supposed to be somewhat south of the Foreign Quarter. After a few wrong turns, I got the hang of the city's system of covered ramps and walkways and made my way to the St. Olms canton in a short time. Now all I had to do was find the St. Olms Temple and its storage rooms. Logic and experience told me that, in a religious city, a temple would be as high up as possible. With that in mind, I began to look for ramps leading upward. I circled and climbed until my head was spinning and my legs were on fire, but I finally reached the top level, or "plaza," as it was called. If this province had any athletes, I was willing to bet they did their endurance training in Vivec. The interior of the plaza included some nice gardens, but I remembered my last experience with city gardens and kept my hands in my pockets. The temple was easy to identify and I walked in. There was the usual ceremonial ash pit and some wall hangings, which seemed to illustrate various important events in Dunmer religious history. No one was around, so I opened a door, which revealed a stairway leading down. A basement seemed like a probable place for the temple to store their odds and ends, so I descended. The hall at the foot of the steps had a locked door on the right, as well as left and right passages farther along. The locked door yielded to my ministrations and I found myself in a reading room. The books were largely copies of titles I already possessed and, to be honest, it would have felt odd to steal religious works from a temple.

I left the reading room as I had found it and moved down the central hall. A bedroom and a workroom opened off of the hall, which then ended in an alcove with two locked doors facing each other. My pick did its work and the doors were no longer locked. The left door opened onto a small storeroom, complete with a resident rat, which I quickly turned into rat sausage. I went through all the boxes, bags and barrels without finding anything resembling a propylon index. I did rescue the miscellaneous ingredients and the 5 drakes I discovered- fearing that they might fall prey to marauding rats. It didn't seem like too much for an extermination fee. And I earned the fee, for there were more rats. The opposite door opened to reveal a larger storeroom with two of the disgusting rodents. They quickly joined their defunct brother at the great cheese-fest in the sky, and I had the room to myself. I went through more boxes, bags, and barrels to no avail. There did not seem to be a propylon index here, either. Maybe I had misunderstood, and the whatsis was in the St. Olms canton storage, instead of Temple storage. But no, I checked my journal, and it clearly stated "St. Olms Temple." Just then, I spotted a small gray object carelessly tossed between two crates. Yes, it was the Marandus index, my 500-drake needle in a haystack. Leaving St. Olms as quietly as I entered, I pondered my next move.

I could rush back to Caldera and collect my fee, or I could explore Vivec. As I put the propylon index away, I encountered a square bulk in my pack. Curious, I pulled out a book- The Pilgrim's Path, given to me by the Tribunal Temple. Having just robbed one temple, I decided that atonement might be in order and so looked up the shrines and devotions that could be performed in Vivec. There were three, almost half of the seven total, so I resolved to complete all three before going back to Caldera. The first pilgrimage consisted of donating 100 drakes at the Shrine of Generosity, which was situated at the top of the steps of Vivec's Palace. I managed to find the palace without difficulty and read the inscription on the shrine. Although I didn't really want to part with 100 drakes, it seemed like a good idea to get whatever blessings I could. As the gold magically disappeared from in front of the shrine (a neat trick I would have loved to have figured out), I felt a momentary chill. As it passed, I realized that my luck was better and that my trading skills were improved. Although the effects might be temporary, they might also help me recover the expense. The next shrine was also supposed to be located somewhere in Vivec's Palace, but was not out in the open. It was called the Shrine of Courtesy and was in something called the Puzzle Canal.

According to The Pilgrim's Path, the shrine was "At the heart of the Puzzle Canal beneath Vivec's Palace." Apparently, this Puzzle Canal was a maze of some sort- the book even mentioned that it would be wise to carry an Almsivi scroll to get out. That was one possibility- but it wouldn't take me to the shrine. Before diving in, I decided to think about a faster way to find the place. The Palace sat atop a canton of some five stories, the highest being the actual Palace. The "heart of the Puzzle Canal...." Another word for "heart" might be "center," and it was likely that the shrine was located at the North-South and East-West center, but might it also be at the vertical center? If that were true, I should enter the third level of the canton. Each level was ringed by a shallow canal, with large vertical gratings from which water flowed. I climbed over the side of the stairway into the third level canal and examined the first grate. It appeared that a small, slippery person could get through, and so I did. I found myself under water and swam upward into an interior waterway about five paces across. A ramp had been provided to allow access to the walkways on either side. As I stood there dripping and considering what to do next, I was jumped by a rat. What was it with these temples and the rats? Didn't they ever clean the basements? The passage ran north and south, with an opening in the east wall. As there was nothing in this passage, I headed down the east opening.
Sure enough, there was a grating halfway down that led into the center of the canton. Again, I came out underwater, but this time in a large, high-ceiling chamber. In the center was a flat-topped structure with steps mounting three sides. Climbing the stairs, I discovered a walkway with a shrine at the end.

Congratulating myself on my cleverness at circumventing the tediousness of navigating the maze, I approached the triolith, which I had found out was the fancy name for the structure of the shrines.
The inscription read, "Breathe the Waters of His Glory and the Way is Made Clear." Well, that was cryptic enough. What was I supposed to donate- a potion of Water Breathing? I opened The Pilgrim's Path to see if it provided any clue. The book stated: "The Dremora Krazzt is found in the center of the Puzzle Canal, and will accept a plain silver longsword if spoken to with courtesy. After Krazzt accepts the sword, pilgrims must read the inscription on the triolith." I didn't see a Dremora anywhere, or anyone else, for that matter. I also didn't have a silver longsword. Maybe that was the problem; the Dremora only appeared if the pilgrim had the sword. I needed to learn to read more closely before rushing off in all directions. Still pondering what to do, I turned back the way I had come and noticed an opening in the wall opposite the walkway to the shrine. There was no bridge to the opening- it was some eight paces up the wall. I happened to have a weak levitation potion that I had concocted; it should be enough to get me over to the wall. There was an odd mist that seemed to swirl across the opening; I supposed it was there to enhance the "spiritual" feel of the place. When I floated up though, I found that the mist barrier could not be penetrated. I tried several times at different points; in fact, I became so engrossed in the problem that I forgot I was levitating- at least until the potion wore off and dumped me unceremoniously in several feet of water. As I surfaced, shaking my head and coughing, the words of the inscription came back to me- "Breathe the Waters of His Glory... Breathe the...." Surely not! They didn't honestly expect me to drown myself, did they? Oh, sure, I had threatened to drown myself when I was frustrated, but that was just a figure of speech.

On the other hand, these were religious types- they tended to place a high value on "tests of faith"- which generally meant doing something no sane person would do. Like walking through a fire, or jumping off a cliff, or...drowning yourself. I suppose I could have just cast my Recall spell and gone back to my little room in the Balmora Mages Guild. But I was stubborn. And maybe not always terribly smart. With an oath instead of a prayer, I expelled my breath and plunged my head under the water.