The Story of Trey- Chapter 5 Options

[treydog]

How do we forgive our Fathers?
Maybe in a dream
Do we forgive our Fathers for leaving us too often or forever
When we were little?
…
If we forgive our Fathers, what is left?

Dick Lourie, from How Do We Forgrive Our Fathers in Ghost Radio

The only reason I knew that I had been born during Frostfall was an entry at the local Temple of Kynareth having to do with my mother's burial. Under 3E 408, the chronicle stated: "Riassa, Breton hedge witch. Died in childbed, Frostfall. Male child, healthy. Father unknown. Child placed with Greldig and wife, at Foaming Flagon Inn." I only learned that much after I had learned to read and do simple sums. Then, when I turned 15 (as I was able to determine from the dates in the chronicle), the powers of my birthsign began to manifest themselves. I was able to open locked doors with a touch and to sense the locations of creatures, keys, and enchanted items. The alchemist who taught me my letters explained the significance of these abilities and confirmed that my sign was The Tower. There were no "official" celebrations of my birthdays, of course. After I learned the proper month, I would treat myself to a gift - usually a potion made from local plants, or a book if the peddler happened to have one I hadn't read- bartered for some of those same potions. It was not until much later that I was to find that the exact date of my birth, precise even to the hour, was known. In fact, it was known to none other than Uriel Septim VII, himself. As for information about my (probable) father, that came from the inn-keeper, usually when he referred to me as, "You bastard son of a thieving bard." Apparently, I was following in my father's footsteps when I took the contents of the cash-box and disappeared into the night.

Once I learned of my birth month, it became my habit to spend part of my "birthdays" planning, dreaming, considering my past and future. So, as the first day of Frostfall dawned, I considered the past year, particularly the last couple of months. I had come far since I took that nap in the park in the Imperial City- both geographically and in terms of professional advancement. I was in good standing in a couple of guilds; I had joined the Tribunal Temple; and had been "volunteered" into the Blades. Somehow, it wasn't enough. Even if I had friends in those factions, I was mostly just another worker. And with advancement in the guilds would come responsibility. If I advanced too far, I would rarely be able to get out in the world. Thieving was a game for a young man- I could continue for many years, but my reflexes and eyesight would betray me some day. It was also clear to me that I should expect to be in Morrowind for a long time to come. When I was first hustled off the boat in Seyda Neen, I had assumed that I would be able to go home in a few years. But where was home, now? Certainly not the inn in High Rock. Perhaps I could become one of those eccentric old alchemists who lived in a tower in the wilderness and blew things up about once a week. But that sounded awfully lonely. Home was supposed to be the place where you had family, where people were sorry to see you go and happy to see you return. As I reviewed all the bits and pieces I had heard about Morrowind, I remembered that the Great Houses sometime adopted "outlanders" and considered them the same as blood-kin. The idea of being part of a family brought a strange lump to my throat- I had been many things in my short life, but "family" had never been one of them.

If I were to join a Great House, I would need to think it through carefully. You could only ever have your name entered in the lists of one House; even if you were later expelled, the others were forever closed to you. Through conversations with Caius and others, I had gleaned this much- Hlaalu was the House most closely associated with the Empire. They valued many of the skills that I possessed. House Redoran was the most traditional and most honorable. They were considered a "warrior" house. House Telvanni was composed of ancient wizards, and was considered elitist. Only highly skilled mages should consider attempting membership or advancement. The first thing I decided to do was to narrow it down to two- it would be easier to decide. Although I enjoyed Alchemy, and my Illusion and Mysticism were improving; I was not really a wizard. Also, as I understood it, the Telvanni were mostly based on the eastern side of Morrowind. I had grown somewhat fond of the area around Balmora and Vivec. So- that left Hlaalu and Redoran. Besides their interest in commerce, Hlaalu was reputed to be highly corrupt. In fact, some whispered that House Hlaalu was the real power behind the Camonna Tong. Redoran took their ideas of honor very seriously and applied them rigorously- I had to wonder how an unreformed and unrepentant thief would fit in. As I understood it, to get very far in a Great House, an outlander needed the support of a councilor. The only answer was research- I would find the names of the councilors for the two Houses and talk to them.

The seat of House Hlaalu was Balmora; I had already spoken with Nileno Dorvayn after I had "avenged" Ralen Hlaalo's murder. With that in mind, I recalled back to Balmora and went to the Hlaalu Council Hall to ask about the Great House. Nileno gave me a copy of the Yellow Book of House Hlaalu, which listed the names of the councilors. She also offered to give me the "inside scoop" for a bribe of 50 drakes. I had sold a few excess ingredients to raise money after my book-buying spree, so I paid the graft. My 50 gold bought me the information that Crassius Curio was the councilor to see if I wanted anything. He was located in Vivec, with a manor house at the top of the Hlaalu enclave. House Redoran was based in Ald'ruhn, so I had Masilinie teleport me there. A Redoran guard explained that all the councilors maintained homes or quarters in the Manor District "under Skar." It turned out that Skar was the hollow shell of an absolutely huge "Emperor crab," and that it housed the Redoran Council Hall as well as most of the councilors' manors and the finer shops in Ald'ruhn. The person to talk to was someone named Neminda, who could be found in the Council Hall. She turned out to be a Redguard, who identified herself as a Drillmaster and Recruiter for Redoran. Her manner was somewhat abrupt until I complimented her eyes, after which she warmed up nicely. Perhaps those romance novels were good for something, after all. She gave me a copy of the Red Book of House Redoran, which listed the councilors and their residences. She didn't request a bribe, but did say that Athyn Sarethi would be the best person to talk to about House Redoran. I followed her advice and visited Sarethi Manor. The Redorans were a stiff-necked bunch, but polite and informative. I still wasn't sure how well I would get along with a bunch of warriors and crusaders, so I went to Vivec to see Crassius Curio.

He may have been a powerful councilor in a powerful House, but Crassius was a peculiar fellow. The first thing he said to me was,

"Call me Uncle Crassius."

Odd, but I supposed I could put up with odd. Then he called me "sweetie" and "dumpling." That went beyond odd, straight past peculiar, and over to the extreme side of weird. I had met a few people who I wished would call me pet names- this heavyset Imperial with a beard was not one of them. Although my skills were far more suited to Hlaalu, I just couldn't bring myself to join them. It went beyond Crassius- their association with the Camonna Tong also made me nervous. Then there was their attitude that it was acceptable to do anything to achieve an advantage or make money- including being involved in the slave trade. Even though I was a thief, I had some scruples. For one thing, I wouldn't steal from or plot against my own people. The same couldn't be said for House Hlaalu- I wondered which Hlaalu councilor Ralen Hlaalo had crossed. The avarice and backstabbing of Hlaalu reminded me painfully of the “foster family” I had abandoned in High Rock. After due consideration, I chose House Redoran, even though it would be the harder path. Their concept of honor made more sense to me and I would work to learn the skills they valued. I wanted a chance to prove that not all "outlanders" were Imperial oppressors. Most of all, I wanted a chance to become part of a family for the first time.

[treydog]

When I approached Neminda about joining House Redoran, she asked me if I was certain- once I was accepted, no other House would offer membership. Without explaining all of my reasoning, I replied that I understood and was willing to live with that restriction. She then asked me about my skills. She was pleased with my ability with long blades, and my athleticism and armorer skills were adequate. However, she recommended that I do some work with medium or heavy armor if I wanted to advance very far. The examination complete, I signed the book and was made a Hireling of House Redoran. Neminda then told me that I should come to her when I was ready to perform duties for the House. I had a feeling that the first few tasks would be more in the nature of tests than real services for Redoran. Still, I was willing to do some possibly mind-numbing and probably dangerous work before they accepted me. My powers of prediction proved accurate when the first job Neminda had for me was to go toward the coast to help a guar-herder name Drulene Falen deal with some mudcrabs that had been attacking the herd. It seemed that mudcrabs were normally scavengers, but if one ever got a taste of living flesh, it would become an aggressive hunter and even travel some distance inland in search of prey. Then she gave me directions to the herder's hut, which was apparently in the middle of nowhere. I had a feeling that the first test wouldn't be how I handled the mudcrabs, it would be whether or not I could find Drulene. I decided to take care of my business in Maar Gan before I went searching for the besieged guar herd; after my book-buying spree, I needed the 500 drakes Mirel would pay for the Falasmaryon index. And I also wanted to finish up the investigation for the Mage's guild.

Naturally, I chose to walk into a terrible ash storm, rather than take the nice, fast silt strider to Maar Gan. It gave me a chance to practice my marksmanship and soul-trapping on the few hundred cliff-racers that swooped down on me. The monotony of the screeching pests was broken by a couple of attacks by the zombie-like humanoids, which I had discovered were called "corprus stalkers," and one of which attacked me just north of Ald'ruhn. I had thought such creatures were confined inside the Ghostfence. And speaking of the Ghostfence, my wonderful map neglected to illustrate the fact that that rather prominent feature lay across the direct path from Ald'ruhn to Maar Gan. Finally, as I had nearly reached Maar Gan and while I was swatting at a couple of persistent cliff-racers with my sword, I was attacked by a two Dunmer who had a camp alongside the Ghostfence. That was the last straw- I made up my mind that if I survived, I would learn to ride on those gods-forsaken giant fleas. For the hundredth time, I bemoaned the lack of nice, normal, and above all, vegetarian horses in this place. I also resolved that I would search all of Tamriel for the ingredients to a potion that would repel cliff-racers. And even if it made me smell like a dung heap in the middle of Sun's Height, I would wear it.

It was small consolation that the first building to loom out of the swirling ash was Huleen's hut. Thoroughly irritated, I shouldered the door open and shouted, "Very well, who is disturbing the studies of Edwinna Elbert?"

My spectacular entrance was spoiled by the Scamp that leapt from behind the door and stabbed me with a short sword. The least of the Daedra, these vicious little beasts usually attacked with claws and teeth. It was odd to see one with a sword. It was even more odd to see one in a house, unconstrained by a summoner's circle. Fortunately, the little demon was no match for my swordsmanship and he died quickly. Besides the sword, the creature had a key in his possession. As I took a moment to catch my breath, I looked around and realized that the hut had been thoroughly ransacked. It didn't look like a search so much as destruction for its own sake. Furniture was overturned, and crockery was smashed on the floor and against the walls. There was no blood, so it didn't seem to have been a fight. No wonder Edwinna had been disturbed- if my demonic little friend had thrown this kind of frenzy, the psychic energy would have been tremendous. But how had the Scamp gotten into the hut? I found the answer to that question behind a locked door in the basement, in the form of a near-naked man. He was Huleen's apprentice and had gotten tired of his menial duties. So, to prove his abilities, he summoned a scamp, but did not correctly complete the ritual of binding. The Daedra waited for an opportune moment and then stole his clothes and began destroying the hut. Listien managed to get away by locking himself into the store room. He thanked me for killing the Scamp and promised to never summon another Daedra. Knowing mages, I imagined that his promise was sincere as he made it- and that it wouldn't be too long before he forgot all about it.

Now all I had to do was find the Falasmaryon index at the shrine and take it without being seen. When I entered the shrine, I saw that the theft wouldn't be easy. Actually, what I saw first was a Dremora Lord, which nearly necessitated a quick change of my armor before I realized that he was constrained in the same way as Krazzt. The index was lying on a silver plate just to the left of the boulder that apparently comprised the shrine. Besides the Dremora, there were two Dunmer in the room, either priests or pilgrims. And they did not seem inclined to leave. As a member of the Temple, I didn't think I could just grab the index and run- I might have to come back here someday. Also, since the item was valued at 500 septims, I would end up with a bounty in that amount. As I tried to decide how to get this job done, I remembered the Exclusive Potion of Shadow Edwinna had given me. Now was the perfect time to make use of that gift. I walked over to the door to the outside and then waited until both of the Dunmer had their backs turned. As they looked away, I opened the door, used the potion, and let the door close again. Now I was "hidden" and no one except perhaps the Dremora knew I was still there. He didn't look like he had anything to say, so I didn't worry about that. It pays to be cautious, so even though I was counting on the potion to conceal me, I used every bit of stealth I could manage as I approached the index. With a controlled movement, I scooped my trophy off of the plate and made my way to an empty hallway deeper in the shrine. No one raised an alarm, so I cast Recall and reached Balmora. From there, I had Masalinie send me to Caldera, where I collected the 500 drakes from Mirel. I have to admit, I felt much better with that money in my pocket. My next stop was the armorer's, where I replenished my supply of arrows. Then it was an easy jump to Ald'ruhn, where I was able to tell Edwinna that I had taken care of the disturbance at Huleen's hut. Apparently, that put the guild steward in a better frame of mind- she gave me two scrolls of the Fifth Barrier, a rather nice Shield spell. Of course, nothing good lasts for long- it seemed that the Chimarvamidium was of no use to her, and- you guessed it- she needed "someone" to sneak it back into Sirilonwe's closet.

I took the "useless" book from Edwinna and left the Guild shaking my head at the antics of Mages. Considering the trouble "we" had gone to, it would have been simpler to just give me some paper and quills and have me sneak in and make a copy of the book. But I knew scholars- "A copy could introduce errors," and "You might consider something a stray mark that is actually the key to the whole thing," and, my personal favorite, "It is important to see the original context." Also, let's assume I had made a copy and Edwinna had been disappointed in the content. She would have decided that there was something wrong with the copy and insisted on seeing the original, anyway. So I would have been forced to steal the book no matter what. In spite of my complaining, I have to admit it was kind of fun to practice my skills and I did feel better about using them to return the book. That would be for later; right now I wanted to find Drulene and see if I could solve her mudcrab problem. I didn't know if quick action on the mission would help my standing with House Redoran, but I decided it couldn't hurt. Also, the constant bickering and intrigue in the Mages Guild got on my nerves- I had joined to learn some spells and improve my skills, not to get drawn into guild politics.