The Story of Trey Chapter 10 Options

[treydog]

Thanks to the efforts of Stargelman and Alexander, Chapters 1-8 are available in the Fan Forge section of the main page. So rather than clutter things with reposting all that, I will start with the current "live" chapter.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke

Chapter 10

Before I relate the next phase of my adventurers in Vvardenfell, I find it necessary to talk for a moment about time. As I have written it, this story seems to be a continuous description of events, one following swiftly on the heels of another. That is not completely accurate, for several reasons. First, there were periods of several weeks that I spent recovering from wounds or from the strain of the many missions I undertook. I have not felt the need to burden the reader with a recounting of all those “slack” periods. Second, certain things occurred during the time of this story that I am not yet ready to reveal. There may come I time when I feel able to relate those other stories, but that time is not now. When I left “home” and made my way to the Imperial City, I was 17. And I celebrated my 18th “birthday” in Vivec. So it may seem strange that such powerful figures as Athyn Sarethi and Sul-Matuul entrusted one so young with the difficult and dangerous tasks that they gave to me. The reason they did so is this- by the time I set my reluctant feet upon the Path of the Nerevarine, when I went into Kogoruhn and came out again, I was 23. Often, in those difficult days, I felt much older, despite the “immunity” to aging that corprus had granted me. Those years had given me a fair number of scars, physical and emotional, and the wisdom that went with them.

While I recovered from my exertions in the ancient House Dagoth stronghold and contemplated my quest to find the Cavern of the Incarnate, I decided that I needed to do two or three other things first. For one, I needed to find out as much as I could about the House Dagoth creatures I had encountered. If I was destined to fight those foul beasts, it would be well to understand the nature of my enemies. The best place to gain such knowledge would be the Ghostgate, where Ordinators and Buoyant Armigers daily fought against the creatures of the Blight. If they would share their wisdom, I might have a better chance of survival. The second task I wished to accomplish was the creation of a better weapon- a sword for preference. In my many battles, I had managed to soul-trap several fairly powerful creatures, and one those soul-gems could be used to enchant a long sword with useful spells. My struggle against Dagoth Uthol was fresh in my mind as I considered this. Because my own skill at enchanting was marginal, I would need to seek the services of a Mages Guild enchanter. The sort of enchantments I had in mind would cost considerably, so I would need to find a way to raise the necessary gold. Such were the mundane thoughts with which I occupied my mind- mostly to avoid thinking too deeply about what would happen when I found the Cavern of the Incarnate.

After frankly moping around Ald’ruhn for two or three days, I decided that it was time to put my plans into effect. My first task would be to have a sword enchanted by Galbedir in Balmora. Here I ran into my first problem- although I had appropriate soul-gems for the sort of enchantments I had in mind, I did not have a good enough sword to take the enchantments. It seemed that an item’s capacity for enchantment was related to the material from which it was made. The best weapons for enchantment were Daedric or ebony, followed by Imperial and Dwemer. Due to its nature, glass was among the worst materials for enchanting- Galbedir tried to explain the reasons, but I fear I quickly got lost in the arcana of her explanation. What it came down to was this- if I wished to have major enchantments placed on a weapon, it would have to be Daedric or ebony. And the best place to find a Daedric weapon was the sort of place I had scrupulously avoided- a Daedric shrine. The items were so rare and so difficult to find that no merchants carried them. Some ebony weapons were rumored to be stored in the Great House vaults in Vivec, but even I didn’t want to think about burglarizing those. And even if I did raid one or a dozen Daedric shrines, there was no guarantee of finding a long blade- it was merely a possibility. Even better, the likelihood of finding such a weapon was directly proportional to the likelihood that said weapon would be guarded or even wielded by some particularly powerful summoned creature. The irony was almost too much for me to bear- in order to create a weapon that would give me a decent chance against the creatures of Dagoth Ur, I would have to face the almost equally nasty summoned creatures of Oblivion. Unfortunately, there was nothing else for it- I simply HAD to have a better sword. And I knew of at least two Daedric shrines that were fairly close to Balmora- Shurinbaal, near Gnaar Mok and Ald Sotha, near Vivec. As I set off for Gnaar Mok, I wondered at the ultimate irony- the cruel twist of fate that had turned me from a thief into a crusader.

This post has been edited by treydog: Oct 22 2009, 05:43 PM

[treydog]

It was clear that he would say no more of this “other,” who seemed so well-qualified to lead Redoran. An outlander, he had said. Even though I was relieved that he did not expect me to take on the leadership of the House, I wondered who this other fellow was. I trusted Athyn, to be sure, but still… it was MY House, too. Although I said nothing, I resolved that I would meet this outlander and form my own opinion. Shaking off my momentary jealousy, I explained to Athyn that I wished to speak with someone who had knowledge of the creatures I had faced in Kogoruhn. Athyn told me,

“As it happens, my son, Salyn Sarethi, is a Buoyant Armiger. You can find him at the Ghostgate, in the Tower of Dusk. Please take with you my greetings. Salyn should be able to tell you all you need to know. Fighting the creatures of the Blight is a noble tradition in House Redoran and I am pleased to see you take up the fight. Do be careful, though- it is a dangerous undertaking.”

Following Athyn’s guidance, I made my way to the Ghostgate and the Tower of Dusk. In spite of the time I had spent in Morrowind, the Ghostfence still caused me to shudder. The idea of so many ancestral spirits dedicated to holding back the Blight was … intimidating. Particularly so when I considered that the Ghostfence was failing and that I seemed to be on a collision course with the power behind the Blight. How could I possibly hope to succeed where untold thousands of Dunmer heroes had failed? Perhaps there was no chance of success, but that did not change what I must do. More than anything else, I must keep putting one foot in front of the other, following the path that had been marked for me. I could do no other.

With that cheerful thought, I reached the Ghostgate and the Towers of Dusk and Dawn. Having seen a few Telvanni towers, it seemed to me that the Ghostgate “towers” were really more on the order of domes. I suppose the Temple didn’t feel that the “Domes of Dawn and Dusk” sounded impressive enough. Strange, how my mind took refuge in trivialities when I felt most threatened. Athyn had told me that Salyn would be in the Tower of Dusk, so I entered that structure and asked the smith for guidance. He told me that Salyn was probably in the barracks on the lower level and gave me directions. Upon entering the barracks, I was startled by a figure that appeared to be a snarling, bipedal demon dressed in glass armor. I had almost drawn my sword before I realized that the “demon’s” face was actually a fully enclosed Daedric helm worn by a Dunmer. I released the breath I had drawn preparatory to combat and moved deeper into the barracks. If I got any jumpier, I wasn’t going to be able to go out in public- my nerves were drawn so tight, I was surprised they didn’t “twang” when I walked. Fortunately, I saw another glass-armored Dunmer, one whose face bore an unmistakable resemblance to Athyn Sarethi. I ascertained that he was, indeed, Salyn Sarethi and introduced myself and passed on his father’s greetings. With the formalities taken care of, young Salyn took my hand in a warrior’s grip and grinned broadly.

“Of course I know who you are, Trey! Father has spoken and written of you and your service to the family quite often. I am also aware of how you helped Varvur. So what assistance can I provide?”

Without going into the exact reasons, I explained that I had recently confronted some Blight creatures and expected to do so again. Therefore, I needed a better understanding of their powers and weaknesses. As I finished speaking, Salyn nodded vigorously.

“You have come to the right place. We Buoyant Armigers spend a good deal of our time on patrol inside the Ghostfence, and we have studied the creatures for many years. I will tell you all that I know and all that the scholars believe concerning these creatures. The fact that you have encountered some of them well beyond Red Mountain is extremely worrisome. Some of us believe that these beasts are using hidden ways to escape into the lands outside. This seems to confirm that belief.”

He then looked around carefully before continuing,

“It doesn’t do to speak too loudly of some things, these days. The Temple hierarchy seems to have become more and more sensitive to ‘heresy’ and ‘defeatist attitudes,’ so let’s find a quiet corner where we won’t be disturbed.”

What Salyn told me amounted to this- what appeared to be different Blight creatures were actually different stages of “growth” or “change” that affected those who had been infected with corprus. Some creatures simply grew more and more malformed and eventually became mindless, shambling beasts. These were the ones known as the “lame corprus” and “corprus stalkers.” It seemed that the “stalkers” were originally Dunmer and the “lame corprus” were other races of man or mer. Both of these types were extremely slow-moving and possessed no magical ability, although they could regenerate damage over time. Far more dangerous were those who seemed to be able to somehow harness the changes wrought by corprus and to maintain their mental ability. It was possible that these creatures did not actually have minds of their own, but were controlled by Dagoth Ur, himself. Although the Armigers’ understanding of the “life-cycle” of these creatures was incomplete, it seemed to follow this pattern- the “special” Dunmer who were susceptible to Dagoth Ur’s mental control, known as “Sleepers,” would go to the slopes of Red Mountain and bury themselves in ash. They would lie dormant for some indeterminate period and then rise as “Ash Slaves.” These Ash Slaves were fairly weak and were able to channel minor fire and shield spells. Next were the Ash Zombies, which were physically stronger, but had lost any magical ability. The heads and faces of these creatures were clearly marked by the preliminary changes in physiology- the faces seemed to collapse inward. This stage was followed by that called “Ash Ghoul,” which had developed a single tentacle-like growth from the center of the face. These creatures had magical ability- apparently, Dagoth Gares had been one such. The final and most dangerous form was that known as the “Ascended Sleeper.” These creatures had lost almost all semblance of their original form, with flipper-like hands and a head that consisted of tentacles and sensory organs. These last were extremely tough and possessed powerful spell-casting abilities. Clearly, I had encountered an Ascended Sleeper in Kogoruhn. Before continuing, Salyn again looked around to make sure no one was paying any attention to our conversation. Leaning closer to me, he lowered his voice and said,

“What I am about to say is not accepted by all in the Temple, but those who have spent much time around Ghostgate and in the Blight know it is true. There is one final creature of Dagoth Ur- the sort known to us as an ‘Ash Vampire.’ They are not true vampires in the usual sense- they do not survive on the blood of their victims. However, they are akin to vampires in this way- even when they have been apparently killed, they rise up again. Our best information is that the Ash Vampires are all close kin and advisers of Dagoth Ur. If they are truly the beings whose names they bear, they were House Dagoth councilors at the time of the Battle of Red Mountain. They move very slowly, but are almost impossible to harm. And even if one is defeated in battle, the ‘corpse’ rises up again. We do not understand what power animates them, but it is clearly very great if it can defeat death itself.”

Now that I knew what I was facing, I almost wished I had remained ignorant. Creatures that buried themselves in ash and rose again, vampires thousands of years old that couldn’t be killed- and these were the servants of Dagoth Ur. As Salyn fell silent, I turned my face in the direction where I somehow knew Red Mountain stood, a bleeding wound in the heart of Morrowind. In my bones, in knew that there lay my fate, for good or ill. And I also knew that I would no longer run from it. It didn’t matter whether it was Redoran honor, Breton stubbornness, or simple resignation- I would do what I must, what fate and Azura had decreed, even though I would likely die in the attempt.