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> The Story of Trey- Chapter 5
treydog
post Nov 19 2018, 10:17 PM
Post #1


Master
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Joined: 13-February 05
From: The Smoky Mountains



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.


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The dreams down here aren't broken, nah, they're walkin' with a limp...

The best-dressed newt in Mournhold.
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treydog
post Mar 8 2023, 01:25 AM
Post #2


Master
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Joined: 13-February 05
From: The Smoky Mountains



Sugar-Lips was very happy to see me- the situation with the Camonna Tong was getting worse and she desperately needed someone to help improve the security at the South Wall Club. She knew that there was a security expert in Balmora and that the individual was an Altmer, but no more. Her people in Balmora would be recognized and harassed or worse by Camonna if they tried to go out- she needed me to find the right Altmer and convince that person to help with security. I knew of a couple of Altmer in Balmora; the closest one and the one most likely to talk to me was Tyermaillin, one of the Blades Trainers. His house was fairly near the South Wall, so I made my way there without delay. Tyermaillin confirmed my belief- the only Altmer in town were himself, Nalcarya, Estirdalin, Imare, Hecerinde, Culumaire. The first three I dismissed as possibilities- none of them were likely to associate with the Thieves Guild. Hecerinde's house was on the east side of the Odai- that was the poorer section of town and also closer to the club, so I made that my first stop. It was a fortunate choice- he was just the Altmer I needed. He admitted that he had been neglecting his duties to the Guild and promised to help secure the South Wall. I took the good news to Sugar-Lips and she promised that the Guild would take care of any bounty I might incur without charging their usual fee. Money would have been better; I prefer not to get caught in the first place. Still, the lack of funds to pay me was just one more indication of how hard Camonna was pushing. Sugar-Lips had a feeling that the Dunmer outfit was going to make a move soon. In spite of her worries, she promoted me to Operative. I had a feeling I was going to have to do something about the Camonna problem and soon. For now, though, I decided to go to the Temple in Ald'ruhn.

Feldrelo, the Temple Steward in Balmora, had told me that the Temples in Ald'ruhn and Molag Mar were the most likely to have duties for me. I had never been to Molag Mar, and besides, I could get to Ald'ruhn without riding a silt strider. Besides, I was in good standing with House Redoran, so working out of their Council seat made sense. And the silt strider thing was just a minor consideration. Really. At the Ald'ruhn Temple, I met Tuls Valen, who explained that one of the virtues the Temple promoted was compassion. Specifically, it was important to display compassion to the enemies of the Temple and the Tribunal gods. So far, so good- but I had a feeling he was leading up to something that I wasn't going to like. My powers of prediction proved accurate; I should have gone into business as a fortune-teller. In this particular instance, it seemed that there was an Orc who had a loathsome disease. It would be nice if someone representing the Temple was to cure her. Oh, and besides being an Orc, she was a Sheogorath-worshipper. Yes, right, THAT Sheogorath, the one who was one of the worst of the "bad Daedra." But wait, it got even better. This Sheogorath-worshipping Orc could be find in a Daedric shrine called Maelkashishi, which would probably have a number of other worshippers who might resent my presence. Just to be sporting, the Temple would gladly provide the victim, I mean volunteer, for this mission with a Cure Disease potion. But, uhm, well- they would really prefer that said vict-, volunteer use the spell called Rilm's Gift. After all, potions were so expensive and, oh, by the way- it just so happened that, purely by coincidence, Folvys Andalor could teach me the spell for a mere 200 or so gold. And Folvys just happened to be right upstairs. I had to wonder what the Temple's policy was on practicing compassion for its members. Still, if I wanted a test of my stealth, there couldn't be one much better than sneaking into a Daedric shrine unnoticed. And I even decided to trade Flovys some of my potions for the spell. All I had to do now was find the shrine. And find the Orc in the shrine. And convince her that I was there to cure her. And not get killed. Simple.

Tuls Valen's directions were based on starting in Ald Velothi, so I was going to have another chance to ride the giant flea, after all. If his smirk was any indication, the driver remembered my last trip just as well as I did. I kept reminding myself, "Deep breaths, take deep breaths." I don't know if it actually helped, but it gave me something to think about. Once I reached Gnisis, I promised myself that if any Breton woman asked me for ANYTHING, I would run the other way. Perhaps by now, Theldyn Virith at the outpost had something for me to do. Wanting to avoid the pond where I had encountered Synette, I set out cross-country from Gnisis to Ald Velothi. As I came around a curve in the hillside, a remarkably large kagouti rushed out of nowhere. Judging from the bones on the ground, I was not the first traveler to be ambushed here. Despite his large size, I was able to handle the creature fairly easily. Then I discovered a mystery. Concealed among the rocks was a battered chest, which was secured with a complex lock and a magical trap. Neither of those measures proved any obstacle for me, of course. Inside was 39 drakes and a silver staff that glowed with enchantment. Inscriptions indicated that it was called a "Silver Staff of Shaming." After studying the enchantment, I determined that it was designed as a weapon against magic-users, as it damaged the Intelligence and Willpower of the target. Named weapons are usually relatively rare, and I wondered how this staff came to be here. Still, mysteries could wait and standing around in the rain wasn't going to get any of my work accomplished. That was only the first odd encounter I had- the second one was even stranger.
As I made my way along a trail, I spotted a Redguard in Imperial Legion armor standing nearby. He seemed to be mumbling and occasionally even shouting to himself. Against my better judgment, I decided to see if I could help. At least he wasn't a woman. He said his name was Din and that all he wanted was to catch some slaughterfish. Then he seemed to undergo a transformation and became angry. Perhaps I should have left, but I had a feeling there was something going on here that needed to be dealt with. When I asked him about slaughterfish, it again seemed almost as if two different people were answering. First he said, "Are you a slaughterfish? I didn't think so."

Then he followed with an apology and explained that his mind had been muddled ever since he had been bitten by one of the fish. Perhaps the Temple's idea of compassion was already working on me or maybe I just thought that Din seemed to be a decent fellow, but I couldn't leave him in this state. In between outbursts of ranting and paranoid fantasies, he mentioned that he was stationed in Gnisis and that the healer there could probably help him. But then he violently argued that he didn't trust the Gnisis healer or anyone else there. I had a feeling that trying to convince him to follow me back to the town would set him off. Besides, I wasn't sure he would be able to keep up in his current state. Instead I asked if I might use a spell that should make him feel better. In a lucid moment, Din agreed. Rilm's Gift worked and he was so grateful that he gave me 30 drakes as a reward. Maybe all Legionnaires weren't so bad, after all. Of course, he was a Redguard, not an Imperial, so that might have explained it.

Although I didn't know it yet, I wasn't quite done with slaughterfish on this trip. I managed to reach Ald Velothi without encountering anything worse than a couple of nix-hounds, and checked in with Virith to see if he needed any assistance. He mentioned that something called "Old Blue Fin" was back and causing problems- "... up to his old tricks," was how he phrased it. As it turned out, Old Blue Fin was a slaughterfish who showed up off the docks every so often and disrupted the fishing. This time the creature was causing so much trouble that Virith had decided to deal with him permanently. Considering poor old Din's experience, I wasn't too sure about this job, but after all, it was just a fish, right? I should be able to filet him in no time, provided I could find him. I made my way down to the docks and waded into the water, then started splashing around. That is usually a guaranteed way to bring any slaughterfish in the area right to you. It worked this time; in fact, it almost worked too well. Soon I spotted a couple of the toothy critters arrowing toward me, maneuvering to come up from behind. They didn't seem to be any larger than the other fish I had seen.... Then I saw him. Rising from the depths as if he had all the time in the world was the biggest fish I had ever seen. He looked to be as long as I was tall and his teeth could have done service as daggers. His seeming laziness was deceptive- he was on me before I knew it. And that fish had a bite. When he opened his mouth, it looked big enough to swallow me whole. It got a little exciting with him and his friends there for a few minutes, and I still have some of the scars. I finally rendered the old devil into bait, though, and went to tell Virith. The reward was quite a pleasant surprise- 10 pieces of Dreugh wax. It seemed that the Dreughers in town had put it up as an incentive for whoever could stop Old Blue Fin's rampage. As I said, it was a handsome gift, worth 1000 gold at an alchemist's shop. While it had turned out to be a valuable diversion and would probably help my standing with Redoran, I needed to find Maelkashishi and take care of Bulfim, the afflicted Orc. Oh yes, and not get killed doing it. Of the three, I had a feeling the last would be the hardest.

I left Ald Velothi in the midst of a violent thunderstorm, almost as if Nature itself was conspiring with the Daedra to prevent me from completing my task. Besides the miserable weather, there seemed to be more rats and nix-hounds than usual. I wondered about the legends that some of the Daedra used vermin as earthly agents- seeing through their eyes and slipping into places unseen. The rain was actually helpful, as the lower visibility and the sounds of the storm allowed me to slip past some enemies unnoticed. As I was working my way through a patch of trees near the mountains, I encountered a Redguard named Sason. He begged me to help him, saying his wife had been kidnapped by cultists. They had been surprised near Ald Velothi and put into a magical sleep. He feared that the kidnappers had taken Malexa to a Daedric shrine called Ashalmawia for some blood ritual. He urged me to hurry and save her before it was too late. In addition to promising to pay me, Sason added that he was a member of House Redoran and would make sure the Council knew of my deeds. Although I had come here with the intention of entering a different shrine, I couldn't ignore Sason. Although he was clearly a powerful, proud man, he was nearly in tears from worry. Even if she had not been Redoran, I wouldn't have left Malexa to such a fate. There are some things no man will let pass, if he is a man. And so, I found myself returning to Ald Velothi and the shrine of Ashalmawia. Sometimes I wondered if I would have been better off sleeping in the stable back in High Rock.
Still, if I was going to have to sneak into a Daedric shrine to help someone, better it be someone of my own House. As I got closer to the shrine, I slowed down and moved with greater caution. These places usually had summoned guardians hanging around outside and sometimes even those who had done the summoning. I wanted to see them before they saw me. Sure enough, as soon as I was within sight of the ruin, a flame atronach appeared on the ramparts. Knowing that my steel bow couldn't harm the magical construct, I conjured a Bound Longbow, instead. I had purchased the spell to help my Marksmanship and to save weight. With the aid of the magical bow, I dropped the atronach with a single steel arrow. When I carefully approached the body, I surprised a Redguard in mage's robes patrolling the perimeter. As I couldn't be sure of his purpose or intent, I didn't fire until he saw me and began hurling insults and spells. Once he invited me to dance, I gladly shot him full of arrows. My final opponent before I could reach the entrance to the shrine was a Dremora. I again had reason to be grateful for my natural resistance to magic, as well as my improved sword skill. However, I knew that the hardest part was yet to come.


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The dreams down here aren't broken, nah, they're walkin' with a limp...

The best-dressed newt in Mournhold.
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