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- Morrowind really did the atmospherics in the tombs quite well, with the lighting and ambient sounds and etc. And also the Dwemer ruins and Daedric shrines- each of which have their own “feel.”

And describing the environment is one of the things it took me quite some time to recognize as being a common thread in the writing I liked the best. So- I wanted to do more with the “where” as well as the “who,” even as I tried to write character-driven stories. On the other hand- the world rather “is” a character in its own right.

Finally- yes, Morrowind actually does have a Feather spell (and Trey very well might have been carrying around a scroll or potion to create the effect- if he could have been bothered to dig it out). The spell version, he had yet to learn….

@hazmick- Even Trey’s stubbornness finds its limit! Books are one of his great weaknesses- a thing that I “knew” almost as soon as I began writing his story.

I suppose the skeletons read without eyes in the same way that they scream without lungs… A land of mystery, indeed.

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One of the side-effects of growing up with nothing was that I found it hard to throw anything away. Even if I had no immediate use for the item, I held on to it "just in case." By itself, that little quirk wouldn't be a problem. However, when I started lugging the stuff all over the countryside.... I was stuck in the Andrano Tomb with a pack I couldn't lift. I absolutely would not get rid of my armor or weapons, especially not the bow- did I tell you about the great shot I had just made with it? So what else did I have? There was a Dwemer table service for six; the Morrowind history books Hasphat and Caius had given me, which I had intended to read while traveling; and The Pilgrims Path; and the ingredients I had been collecting; and... look, let's just say I had a lot of stuff and leave it at that. There was nothing I wanted to leave behind- I had no intention of coming back to this place. I had the skull Sharn wanted and that was the only reason I had come in here in the first place. I could use Recall to get back to the Mages Guild, which would be perfect. If that failed, I had an Almsivi Intervention scroll that would take me to the nearest temple- probably in Vivec. The idea of appearing at the main temple with a dead Dunmer's skull and a bunch of illegal artifacts didn't really appeal to me, but I would have to do what I could.

Fortunately, my Recall worked and as soon as my stomach settled, I put all of my books and the 10 pound chunk of ebony I had been carrying into "my" cabinet. I had a buyer in mind for the Dwemer stuff, plus I needed to hang onto one bowl and one goblet for Sugar-Lips. Where I was going to come up with a Dwemer tube, I didn't know. I didn't even know what a Dwemer tube was. I might have to go confront Ra'Zhid, after all. But first, I wanted to give Sharn the skull of the long-dead enchanter. She seemed very pleased, but also acted somewhat odder than usual- as soon as she made sure it was the right skull, she looked around to see if anyone else had noticed and quickly put it out of sight. She then explained that the Ashland Dunmer believed that an ancient war-leader, named Nerevar, would be reincarnated some day to unite the tribes and drive the foreigners from Morrowind. This hero would also overthrow the Tribunal Temple, which worshiped false gods. Sharn's notes contained even more, including a version of a prophecy called The Stranger and a discussion of the so-called Lost Prophecies. I found all of this fascinating, and resolved that I would catch up on my reading once I delivered the notes to Caius. I also wanted to finish the mission for Sugar-Lips and maybe get in more practice with my weapons and magic. These Blades jobs seemed to be high-risk, low-reward affairs. As I left the Mages Guild, I was accosted by yet another wild-eyed Dunmer. This individual told me,

"Beneath Red Mountain, Lord Dagoth sleeps. But when he wakes, we all shall rise, and the dust will be blown away. Serve your Lord, Dagoth Ur. The Sixth House is risen and Dagoth is its glory."

Maybe it wasn't just a drinking or drug problem; maybe there was something in the water that made these dark elves act like so strangely.

Caius was so pleased with the report from Sharn that he promoted me to Blades Apprentice. That and a few drakes might get me a jug of sujamma. He did give me two scrolls as payment- Almsivi and Divine Intervention, so it wasn't a complete loss. Then he chased me out, saying he needed to read and think about how the information affected, "...the Emperor's plans for you." I really disliked that last phrase. I didn't want the Emperor to have any "plans" for me. I wanted him to forget I even existed. But in the meantime, Caius had given me permission to go out on my own for a while. That was a relief, even if it did sound suspiciously like, "Run along and play now. The adults have things to discuss." That was fine by me- I had some unfinished business of my own. The first thing I wanted to do was go to my buyer in Caldera and get rid of most of the excess baggage I had been carrying around. Having accomplished that goal, I decided to walk back to Balmora instead of using the guild guide. I could spend the trip practicing my skills and maybe gathering a few ingredients.

Near a fork in the road, I came across the end of a sad story. After I had defeated a couple of nix-hounds, I discovered the body of a man under a rock shelter above the road. From some things he was carrying, it appeared that his name was Ernil Omoran and that he had come from Balmora. He didn't have much, just a skooma pipe and a note to someone named "Tsiya." The note said, in part- "...it's not always a good idea for me to hang around...." The name Tsiya seemed familiar to me and I resolved to find her if I could, so she would know what had happened to Ernil. It seemed the least I could do, considering I was also likely to end up dead in some remote place someday.

Back in Balmora, I asked Hul if she knew of someone named Tsiya and she pointed me to a small house just behind the Council Club. That reminded me- I was going to have to sort that bunch out soon. Tsiya's door was locked and no one responded to my knock, but I could hear somebody moving around inside. Normally, that would be my cue to go on about my questionable business somewhere else. This time, though, the thought of Ernil's poor battered body out there beside the road really bothered me, so I decided to use my skills. The lock was fairly complex, so I used the Tower Key spell to get past it, and walked in. Needless to say, Tsiya was not very happy with me for breaking in, but when I mentioned that I had a note from Ernil, the Khajiit calmed down. I then explained about finding the body and the note, and she broke down for a moment. After she had composed herself, Tsiya asked if Ernil had been carrying anything. I handed over the skooma pipe and she seemed flustered, denying that it was hers. But she didn't try to give it back and, in fact, gave me 50 gold and 10 packets of moon sugar. There didn't seem to be anything else to say, so I left. On my way back to the Mages Guild, I swung by the Odai and dropped the moon sugar into the water; I had enough problems already.

One of those problems that continued to concern me was how to get a Dwemer tube for Sugar-Lips. I wanted to repair any damage I might have done by asking her about the dark elf religion and also to advance in the guild. I couldn't think of an alternative, so I set out for Hla Oad and a meeting with Ra'Zhid, the fellow who had been foolish enough to steal from the Thieves Guild. It looked like a simple jaunt down the Odai would get me there. The journey was uneventful; I again practiced my sneaking and Illusion skills as I went, and dealt with a few minor creatures that crossed my path. When I reached Hla Oad, I had to look twice to make sure the town wasn't just the debris of a large shipwreck. A few tumbledown shacks on stilts comprised the whole place. Interestingly, the docks were in good shape, a clue as to the priorities of the townspeople. I found an informant who told me a bit, after some financial persuasion. He explained that the town was Camonna Tong territory, but that Fatleg was associated with the Thieves Guild. He also said that Ra'Zhid was looking to move some Dwemer artifacts. My plan was to see if I could buy the items from the Khajiit and make everyone happy.

The only problem was, Ra'Zhid didn't want to deal, at least not with me. Apparently, some sixth sense told him I was Thieves Guild, and no amount of persuasion would make him admit to knowing anything about any Dwemer artifacts. Finally, I gave up and went to Plan B- steal. Actually, that's usually also Plans A through Y for me, but I was trying to expand my repertoire. A careful look around the room showed me a couple of locked chests and a trapdoor leading through the floor. Anyone who was gutsy enough to steal from the Thieves Guild would want to keep the goods nearby, so I ignored the trapdoor. One chest had a pretty fancy lock- I hoped that one belonged to the trader. The other was well within my capabilities though, so I decided to just sort of pretend to go to sleep in the corner. When it appeared that the Khajiit and the trader weren't looking, I downed an Invisibility potion I had picked up somewhere and went to work on the lock. Remember, a while back, when I explained why I preferred Chameleon to Invisibility? Because whenever you take an action besides moving, the Invisibility dispels? I got the lock open, flipped the lid of the chest up, and heard, "Hey, what do you think you're doing! Guards!" I just had time to grab the Dwemer artifacts and 100 drakes and Almsivi out. Imagine the nerve- a smuggler, calling the guards down on a thief who was retrieving stolen goods that were illegal for anyone to possess in the first place. I almost let the guards catch me just to hear how this would play out. Of course, the crooked Khajiit would probably claim I was trying to sell the goods and got mad when he wouldn't meet my price.

Using the intervention spell had bought me some time before the "crime" was reported, but I didn't want to fool around. If the guards caught me, I would lose any other stolen goods I was carrying and have to pay a fine. And who would decide what was “stolen? The guards would, of course. Not to mention that the fine would be based on the value of the items designated as stolen. There was more than one way to steal, and it was becoming clear to me that I had chosen the hardest one. With that thought lending speed to my steps, I jogged across the river to the South Wall and presented Sugar-Lips with the Dwemer goods. She purred over them, literally, and gave me some tools as a reward. After thanking her, I went downstairs to Phane Rielle and got my bounty cleared. Then, because I had lost money between the bribes and the bounty, I went back to Sugar-Lips for another job. Her next assignment sounded a little simpler; at least it was there in town. It seemed that Ralen Hlaalo had died suddenly and left behind a bottle of vintage brandy that one of Sugar-Lips' "clients" wanted. All I had to do was get into Hlaalo Manor, find the brandy, and get out. Oh, and not get caught.

Hlaalo Manor was an imposing multi-story place in the wealthy section of Balmora. I took a stroll around the place and immediately noticed that the front door was both well-locked and very public. I might be able to get through the lock, but I would almost certainly be seen and reported. A guard tower next door gave me a better idea. A set of steps ran up the outside of the guard tower adjacent to a second floor balcony of Hlaalo Manor. And I have to admit, it appealed to me to use the guard tower to assist my burglary. It was the work of a few seconds to climb the steps, mount the railing, and jump over to the balcony. Once there, I had complete privacy to work the lock, which succumbed to my ministrations. Inside, I turned and went up a flight of steps. The bedroom showed signs of a violent struggle or search. I started to wonder about Ralen Hlaalo's "sudden death." As I went through the house, I nearly suffered a sudden death of my own when I opened a door and surprised the housemaid, Lyrne Nirith. She seemed to think I was there to investigate the death of her employer and talked to me quite pleasantly. I decided to play along; she was really broken up about it and worried about her future. It turned out that Hlaalo had been murdered. She described the attacker as, "A young Dunmer, with red hair worn in a row, as is the fashion these days. He wore bonemold armor and used a Dwemer war axe."

I thanked her and left to check the rest of the house. On the ground floor lay Ralen Hlaalo, quite dead. He didn't appear to have been robbed, so I had to wonder about the motive. I also found the brandy that I had come for and, being a good thief, left by the front door. The brandy was a big hit with Sugar-Lips and she gave me 1000 drakes and a promotion to Blackcap. All that should have pleased me, but somehow it seemed rather hollow. I made my slow way back to the Mages Guild to mix potions and think. I thought about Ralen Hlaalo, dead in his fine mansion and Ernil Omoran, dead by the side of the road. The rich man mourned by his maid, the smuggler by his skooma-addicted Khajiit friend. For all that they had been or not been, for all that they had possessed or not possessed, they had ended up in the same place. I wondered where that place might be. I wondered what it all meant. Most of all, I wondered who would mourn for me.

Here Ends Chapter 3