Trey in Mournhold, Chapter 6 Options

[treydog]

Although I was summoned to see Queen Barenziah, I did not immediately go to her chambers. Instead, I made some preparations. The request for my presence was not formal, after all, and did not specify a day or time. Therefore, after securing my old room at the Winged Guar, I availed myself of a bath and also carefully cleaned my clothing and gear. Those who have followed my story this far may be surprised that I took such care over a meeting with a member of the nobility, a class which I despised. And there may have been some hypocrisy in my actions, considering my generally low opinion of so-called royalty. But it is in that phrase that the reason for my attitude toward Barenziah may be found. In my experience, most nobles were anything but noble. They were greedy, stupid, arrogant, and self-absorbed- and those were their good points. But Barenziah had been a queen in truth, not just as a title. She had been instrumental in exposing and thwarting the plot of Jagar Tharn, who had impersonated Emperor Uriel Septim VII. More than that, she had always been concerned for the welfare of the common people and had done much to ease their suffering. There were additional rumors about her adventurous youth, but confirmation was hard to come by. No one, however, questioned the fact that she was highly skilled in the art of magic and more than able to navigate the dangerous world of court intrigue with grace and wit. She had lived for over 500 years, many of them during a time that all the royal families of Tamriel were at grave risk. All of that being true, I would grant her the respect that her years and her actions had earned.

I also engaged in an additional bit of preparation- a search for knowledge. My reasoning was simple: if I was to meet this great lady, I would need all the information I could find. Therefore, once I had seen to my appearance, I made my way to the bookseller in the Great Bazaar. Sanaso Sarothran happily sold me the full set of the Biography of Barenziah, which was the version of the queen’s story authorized by the Tribunal Temple. When I inquired after The Real Barenziah, she told me that no copies of that work were available in Mournhold and that it was more than her life was worth to even own those books, let alone sell them. The Temple was quite serious about suppressing that particular work, and it was one of the few things about which they and King Helseth were in agreement. While the authorized biography made for interesting reading, it had clearly been heavily edited and probably bore only a passing resemblance to reality. Perhaps if I had sought more diligently for the volumes of The Real Barenziah, things would have turned out differently. But then again, perhaps not. There are some events that must happen, and all the preparation and knowledge in the world cannot change them. As I was about to discover, Barenziah was much more than a character in a story, or a queen, or a noble. She was a force of nature. And now, it was time to meet her. I returned to the Palace and approached the door to the queen’s chambers. Upon my knock, a pleasant voice bade me enter.

When I said that Barenziah was a “force of nature,” I suppose that, for many, the phrase conjures the image of a great storm or an avalanche. But there is another force, a force that works quietly to impose major changes on the world. Think of the slow, constant effect of water on stone. Consider how the water shapes the stone over time. Such was the effect of the former queen of Mournhold. Like all elves, she was long-lived. And she was therefore able to wait patiently, to work her will slowly, achieving results after decades of subtle effort. But I only realized that long after our first meeting. At the time, I was too caught up in her sheer presence to recognize her depth. In appearance, she was typical of the Dunmeri race, with gray skin and red eyes. Her features were pleasant, and the few lines of her face appeared to be those of someone who smiled and laughed often. As befit her station, she was richly dressed and her white hair was elaborately dressed and curled. I thought it interesting that she made no attempt to disguise her great age, but rather displayed its signs prominently. Perhaps only we short-lived humans turn our vanity toward seeking the appearance of perpetual youth, while the eternal elves understand that age and wisdom are more deserving of veneration. And there was wisdom in her eyes, of that there can be no doubt. Again and again, in my memories of Barenziah, I come back to her eyes. She was reputed to be skillful in magic; perhaps she cast a spell upon me in that first moment of meeting. If so, it was of a sort that I have never encountered in all the long years since that day, for, if spell it was, it influences me still. Along with wisdom, her eyes seemed to hold a sense of fun, as if there was still an elven child lurking within and peering out at the clumsy Breton and dancing with laughter. But the laughter was not directed at me, at least not in any mean-spirited way. Instead, it was an invitation to share in the great adventure that was life. Maybe none of those impressions were real; maybe she did ensorcel me. And maybe she made me think of my own magical mother, a woman who I never knew, and yet carried with me always.

I must have spent enough time staring for it to seem rude, for Barenziah’s attendant, a no-nonsense Redguard, finally said,

“Is that how you were taught to greet the Queen? I vow that I could teach you some manners and it is a lesson you’d not forget.”

The queen waved a calming hand and said,

“Peace, Alusannah. He is merely a young man who is not used to court ways and court manners. As well to berate a fish for being uncomfortable upon the land or a bird for disliking the burrow of a badger. We are each of us fit for our own element and more at home therein. So, peace.”

The gracious speech, delivered in an amused tone, brought me back to myself and I bowed low, muttering,

“I beg your pardon, great lady. How may I be of service?”

Overwhelmed by her presence though I was, I would kneel before no one, not even the Emperor himself. In that, at least, I was still my own man. Still smiling, Barenziah gestured me to a chair, where I perched uncomfortably. After studying me closely for a time, she again spoke.

“Greetings, Trey. I’ve wanted to speak with you. I understand that you’ve performed some tasks for Tienius and you’ve done well. I believe that there are other matters you should investigate.”

I should have known by then that even a careful question could be dangerous, but my curiosity over what the queen might want with me overcame my natural caution, so I asked,

”What ‘other matters’ do you think need investigation?”

“Mournhold is a town of two minds. On the one hand, there is the monarchy, led by Helseth, and on the other there is the Temple, and the goddess Almalexia. It is hard to know whom you may trust. While there has been no open hostility between the two, there are always undercurrents that bear watching. I would like you to make yourself known to the Temple. See what you can learn. Speak to Fedris Hler. He is a powerful man in the Temple, a confidant of Almalexia. See if you can get to know him a bit.”

Because the queen had been polite, I responded in kind, rather than stating my feelings about Fedris Hler more bluntly.

“My lady, I have met Fedris Hler and I do not believe he likes me very much.”

That news did not seem to concern Barenziah particularly, as she responded,

“There is more to Hler than one would think. He hides a brilliant mind behind that gruff exterior. It is fairly widely known that he is the leader of the Hands of Almalexia. He will not respond to a charming pair of blue eyes,” she paused to smile at me again, “but he is impressed by plain-speaking. It would be a great service to me if you could discover what concerns occupy Fedris Hler and the goddess.”

I had hoped to avoid further contact with the Temple, but that plan seemed destined to fail. It was clear that the path to Helseth was guarded by his mother. Her words in his ear would determine whether he ever spoke to me or not. Those thoughts reminded me of something else she had mentioned, and I inquired:

“Earlier, you spoke of the difficulty of knowing who to trust. I would value your views on that matter.”

Her expression grew more serious as she pondered my question. At last, she spoke slowly,

“A difficult question, especially in the company of gods and kings. I am always here to answer your questions. My time in the political arena is done, and I will not miss it. I do, however, like to know what is happening to my son, and to his monarchy. I stay interested. You should also take the time to speak with Plitinius Mero, a dear friend of mine. He is knowledgeable on a great many subjects, and is always interesting to speak with. Apart we two, it is up to you to decide who your friends are.”

I recognized that last as a dismissal, couched in polite terms though it was. Barenziah had given me much to think on. Of great interest to me was the fact that she had plainly stated that she was someone who I could trust. Most of the time, such a vow is a warning that you should check your pockets. But, in this case, I had the feeling that she was speaking the simple truth.

[treydog]

The Royal Guards wanted me to speak only to their captain and the Ordinators wanted me to speak only to the Temple Steward. I, as usual, had a different idea. I had already been working with both factions- not so much playing them against one another as refusing myself to be the pawn of either. Therefore, I would follow my usual practice of reporting to both Tienius Delitian and Fedris Hler. If either wanted to make an issue of it, I could always tell them to find another errand boy. When I entered the throne room, eyes swiveled to follow my progress and conversations ceased. My clothing was stained with the ichor of the creatures from the Plaza, and it was clear that I had been involved in the fighting. Delitian maintained his usual calm demeanor as I informed him that the city had been attacked by strange beasts, but they had been beaten back. He responded with a laconic,

“I have heard about the attack on the city and I’ve dispatched guards to take care of it. Thank you for your report. You can help in another way. I’d like you to investigate the disturbance.”

When I asked what precisely he wanted me to investigate, the captain gave one of his brief smiles and replied,

“Obviously, we can't allow these attacks to continue, but we need to know more about the source. It seems the attacks originated from some Dwemer ruins that have been buried deep beneath Mournhold. The Memorial statue has been destroyed, and we've cleared a passage below. My reports tell me that the creatures that attacked were at least partially mechanical, so perhaps they were of Dwemer origin. I want you to explore these ruins, find out where these creatures have come from, and report back to me.”

Taking my leave of Delitian, I stepped out the door and used my amulet of Almsivi Intervention to go directly to the Temple. Despite the speed of my arrival, word of my activities had traveled still faster and Fedris Hler was not totally happy with me. His first words were a mild reprimand:

“I understand you have already spoken to Tienius Delitian about the attack on the city. He is correct in having you investigate, but you should bring any information to me. This is a Temple city and it is a Temple matter. We will deal with it. Let me repeat- do just as Delitian suggested: investigate the ruins of the Dwemer city that have opened in the Plaza Brindisi Dorom. When you have learned anything about these creatures, these fabricants, return to me and report your findings. The Temple will deal with this.”

As I left the Temple, two seemingly unrelated events came into focus in my mind- Almalexia’s desire for the Mazed Band, a ring which was supposed to be able to summon creatures from other worlds; and, a mere 24 hours later, an attack on Mournhold by creatures no one had ever seen before. Was it just coincidence, or something more? And if the goddess was behind the attack, what was her motive? Or had it been an accident, a slip as she learned to control the ring? While I might not find answers to those questions, I would soon learn more about what lay beneath the Plaza- in that at least, Hler and Delitian were agreed. One other seemingly insignificant detail that stayed in my mind- even while he claimed ignorance of the creatures’ origins, Fedris Hler had given them a name- “fabricants.” If he had never heard of them before, how did he know what they were called? Some days, I felt as if I was simply a giant question mark and that answers were scarcer than diamonds- and more precious.

Since I did not know what I might find below the Plaza, I replenished my supply of arrows and made sure that I had plenty of restorative potions. Regretfully, I set aside the fabricant ichor for later study- there was not enough time for a careful analysis of its properties. When I reached the Plaza, the bodies of the creatures had been removed and a crude wooden ladder had been lowered into the gaping hole below the broken statue. While those preparations had been made, no one seemed terribly anxious to descend into the depths- they apparently hoped that some other fool- ah, brave adventurer- would take on that task. As I reached the top of the ladder and glanced around at the gathered Ordinators and Royal Guards, some of them made encouraging gestures, but they all stood well back from the opening and kept a tight grip on their weapons. Somehow, I could not avoid the feeling that I was being dangled above the waters of a dark lake as a way of seeing if anything was biting. Like- say, giant carnivorous frogs.