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]

s quietly as I could, I eased the door open and found myself in the antechamber of the shrine. Hugging the shadows, I knelt down and peered into the central room. Two purple-robed figures were in view, and neither one of them looked like a Redoran female hostage. Easing back out of sight, I again conjured the Bound Longbow and fitted an arrow to the string. As I slowly worked down the stairs, I rehearsed the coming moves in my head- take the mage on the right first, then back up and let the other come to me. The plan worked- I'm not sure if either of the cultists ever saw me as they died. That didn't make me feel particularly proud, but I didn't lose any sleep over it either. They had made a mistake when they took a woman of House Redoran for their vile rituals That was MY House, now. With the wizards out of the way, I went deeper into the shrine and cast Beggars Nose. The spell showed me that there was a key in a room to the side of the main chamber. Unfortunately, it didn't show the Dunmer clad in Imperial silver and steel who was guarding the key. That individual objected quite strenuously to my presence and indeed, to my continued existence. I reasoned with him and he eventually got my point and stopped objecting. Or anything else. Now I had the place to myself and could look around. The huge statue of Molag Bal that dominated the room was not my idea of comforting or stylish dE9cor. Although I saw a sword and some gems at the front of the statue, I didn't touch anything. Those items had the look of ritual sacrifices, and I had a feeling that taking them might annoy something even more than my presence already did. Finally, I found a locked and trapped door on the east side of the chamber.

My superior skill and tools allowed me to laugh at their puny security. Of course, I also had the key. The door opened onto a long, partially-collapsed tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, I found Malexa, who seemed frightened but unhurt. When I assured her that the cultists were dead, she asked me to take her back to her husband. We were able to escape the shrine without encountering any more guardians and made it through the wilderness without incident. Fortunately, she was reasonable when I pointed out that avoiding fights was a better choice, particularly given that she had neither arms nor armor. Soon enough, we reached Sason and there was a tearful reunion. Not for the first time, I wondered if anyone would ever be so happy to see me return from danger. At last, Sason broke the embrace long enough to give me 200 drakes and renew his promise to inform the Redoran Council of my assistance. I tried to give the money back, but he wouldn't take it. As are all members of Redoran, he was proud. For practically the first time since I had arrived, I felt good about something. Now if I could just find Bulfim. And cure her. And not get killed.

The patch of trees where I had reunited Sason and Malexa was almost at the foot of the mountains, so I went the rest of the way to the east and then turned south, searching for the shrine of Maelkashishi. Previously I had only ascertained the locations of Daedric shrines to ensure that I could more efficiently avoid them. Now I found myself planning on entering the second one today. Something had gone seriously wrong with my plan to accumulate a reasonable amount of wealth, settle down in a nice house, and never have to shovel out another stall. I supposed to be a thief, not some starry-eyed crusader. All I knew about knights was that they rode big horses in order to carry the extra weight of their armor and their egos. What was worse, even though I didn't understand who I was becoming, I found that I rather liked it. Even though I was better than ever at lurking in the shadows, I was also able to walk into the Temple or the Redoran Council Hall with my head held high. That was disturbing- I had planned on staying unknown, a mystery. But now that people were beginning to respect me, I realized that I would have to live up to that respect. All this was making my head hurt. Fortunately, I reached Maelkashishi sooner than I would have preferred and trying to decide how to proceed drove all the other thoughts out of my head. The first thing I decided was that, as a respectable thief, I should attempt a stealthy approach, rather than just bulling right in. A convenient rock outcrop gave me a nice vantage from which to survey the shrine and its surroundings. Nothing I saw inspired any great confidence- there were several cliff-racers, rats, and at least one Clannfear visible. Worse, I couldn't see the entrance; it was probably guarded, as well.

My rocky perch seemed to be a good spot from which to practice my Marksmanship, so I conjured a Bound Longbow and was able to remove two cliff-racers, the Clannfear, and a rat from the equation. When I got closer, I discovered that there was at least one Dremora around, as well. I was able to defeat him, but doing so exhausted my arrows and I still hadn't found the entry. Turning a corner, I was confronted by a second Dremora and a mage, who decided to gang up on me. I managed to distract the mage with a Scroll of Elemental Burst: Fire and then prepared to trade conclusions with the Dremora. Before closing with him, I used one of my Scrolls of the Fifth Barrier. I mean, what's the point of hauling all that stuff around if you aren't going to use it? A Restore Health potion also came in handy, especially when I ran into another Clannfear and a blighted cliff-racer. This shrine sure did seem to be a popular spot, considering it was out in the middle of nowhere. When I finally gained the entrance, I was beginning to think the inside might be safer than the outside. I ducked inside and found Bulfim just beyond the entryway. Her less-than-reassuring greeting was, "I've killed far worse than you."

Maybe that was Orc-speak for "Pleased to meet you."

In any event, when I spoke to her, she asked to be left alone, crying out that she was diseased and preferred to suffer in solitude. When I inquired further, the Orc explained that she had contracted Ash-Chancre and that it was making her temper short. I explained that I was there to attempt a healing spell, and she expressed doubt, declaring that her Orcish nature made her resistant to magicka. Still, she was willing to let me try. Fortunately for us both, Rilm's Gift worked. Bulfim was grateful, but recommended that I leave quickly, as the other Sheogorath worshippers would attack me on sight. That was wise counsel, even if it was offered by an Orc, so I used the Amulet of Almsivi Intervention to get back to the Temple at Gnisis. It appeared that the reward for all my good works was going to be a chance to ride the giant flea back to Ald'ruhn. Joy.

Tuls Valen ascertained that I had cured Bulfim and better, had done so without using the Temple's potion. As a reward, he offered me a book, The Four Suitors of Benitah, which he said provided a lesson on the rewards of compassion. Now that was a decent compensation- a new book and a fairly rare one, at that. Valen asked if I was ready for more duties, but I wanted get some rest before venturing out again. I had seen enough Daedric shrines to last me for a while. I Recalled to Balmora and headed for my comfortable room in the Mages Guild to sleep. In the excitement of running all over Morrowind, I had forgotten one thing- I still hadn't talked to Apelles Matius about the Dark Brotherhood assassination attempts. And that had been a mistake.

Contemplating my future as a valued member of House Redoran was all well and good, and perhaps I had even earned the right to a little quiet pride in my accomplishments. That did not mean that I could forget that I was in a dangerous place. Even more, I could not forget that someone, maybe a number of someones, wanted me dead. With my recent focus on becoming a part of the local culture and gaining a place to call home, I had forgotten my primary goal- "Stay alive." So when I put my head down on that pillow in the Balmora Mages Guild, I didn't expect a Dark Brotherhood assassin to try to remove that head. But I should have. Of course, I had finally talked to a guard about my little problem of people trying to kill me. And I had promised myself that I would go talk to this Apelles Matius in Ebonheart real soon now. It is really important to keep those promises to yourself- it can literally save your life. What it was that saved me on that particular night, I don't know- perhaps I heard something, perhaps I twitched in my sleep just as the sword was falling for the killing stroke. However it was, I do know that I awoke to find an assassin standing over me and the feel of blood on my neck. Worse, I could tell that the wound was poisoned. The first thing to do was get out of the bed and into a more defensible position. What I intended as a smooth roll was more of a spastic lurch, but I did manage to grasp the hilt of the tanto I had taken to keeping nearby when I slept. Deciding to turn my graceless tumble into a decoy, I didn't try to stop myself, but continued bonelessly to the floor, with the blade hidden beneath me. If it had been my usual long sword, I couldn't have done it. With the amount of blood I had lost, I hoped the assassin wouldn't realize that he had missed. If he would just act as I expected him to, I might manage to survive. I only had one chance, though, and that depended on this fellow being someone who really liked his work. If he was simply efficient, I was done. I felt a hand grasp my left shoulder and forced myself to relax. He had to believe I was dead or unconscious. Then I got the signal I was waiting for- the hand tugged on my shoulder, preparing to roll me over. As I had hoped, he wanted to see my face when he delivered the final blow. So I completed the roll, bringing the tanto with me and speaking the word that invoked its power. Now I held not just a regular short blade, but a Daedric tanto. Better still, my skill with the blade was magically enhanced. If I lived through this, I would have to remember to thank Ra'Virr for insisting that I needed to learn to work with something besides long blades. I was able to strike the killer's abdomen with the blade while sweeping his legs out from under him with my left arm. Then, before he could recover, I got my knee onto his sword arm and launched a flurry of blows to the chest. If he had a heart, I was determined to find it.

Fortune or fate or the gods favored me, and the corpse that decorated the Mages Guild floor was not mine. Wasting no time, I cast Hearth Heal and then grabbed a few essential pieces of gear. I had Masilinie teleport me to Vivec, then used the Divine Intervention amulet to bring me to Ebonheart. Now all I had to do was find Apelles. I didn't know whether he could do anything about the attacks, but the last one had come too close. Outside the Imperial Cult Shrine, I found a guard who said Apelles had been walking on the ramparts earlier; he was probably still there. I went through the Council Chamber and out onto the battlements, where I saw a dark-haired Imperial in fancy armor. He admitted to being Apelles Matius and asked me what I needed. When I explained that I had been attacked repeatedly by the Dark Brotherhood, he was skeptical.

"You say you've been attacked by the Dark Brotherhood? The fact that you're standing here seems to suggest otherwise."

After all I had been through, I didn't appreciate being called a liar. Unfortunately, I had not thought to bring along any of the assassin's gear as proof. Everyone had told me this was the man to see, and now he just wanted me to go away. I told him, "You may be the new military governor, but no man calls me a liar. What possible reason would I have for making up a story like that? Besides, I am of House Redoran, and we take our word and our honor seriously. What about you, Imperial?"

Although my obvious and sincere anger made him back down a bit, his answer was still less than satisfying- "Maybe you have been attacked. I don't know who is behind it and I don't want to know. If you are feeling suicidal, you can try to track the dark Brotherhood on the mainland."

When I asked him what he meant about the mainland, Apelles explained that travel had been restricted due to the Blight, but that Asciene Rane in the Council Chamber could magically transport me to the city of Mournhold. Once I reached the royal city, I could investigate the Dark Brotherhood- assuming I planned on leading a short life. It was only the restraint I had been learning over the last weeks that prevented me from creating a sudden vacancy in the Imperial governorship; well, that and the fact that I didn't think a fall from the battlements would necessarily kill him.