Memoirs of a Morag Tong Assassin: Vvardenfell, Chapter Six: An Old Friend to Kill... Options

[Black Hand]

Chapter One:..to the east, to Morrowind
Chapter Two: Rise of the Black Hand
Chapter Three: Azura's Portents
Chapter Four: An Assassin Amongst Us....
Chapter Five: History rewritten, and History Reborn



Ebonheart; Grand Council Chambers, Three Weeks Later

Duke Dren exited his office, wearing the polished ebony armor of the Duke, accompanied by two of his Imperial Guard. He had specifically asked for me to show up and hold the meetings of the preparation of war in the Grand Council, for all intents and purposes, I was the Dukes equal upon the Island of Vvardenfell.

“You know, Sethyas. As of right now, politically speaking, you are the most powerful Man on Vvardenfell. Even the tribes of the Ashlanders have chosen you as War Leader. A feat that has not been accomplished since the first era. And certainly not by an outlander, you truly must be the Nerevarine…” the Duke mused.

“I am. I know that now more then ever…but I wonder, if I am this child of fate and destiny, am I also destined to win, or fall? Dagoth Ur is a GOD for Azura’s sake!” I said with defeatist tone.

“Now, now! You must seem strong and confident to your people! You are the General of the Dunmer once more, Nerevar, and they will look to you for inspiration and leadership…besides, I would wish for you to return, and to play with my Grandchildren in a world that you have made safe…” he said subtly.

“Right…I…” I said blushing, while thinking of Ilmeni, safe in my Stronghold of Bal Isra.

“Relax, Sethyas. The time now calls for preparation of our assault upon Dagoth Ur. The Council awaits us now. Come.” He said motioning for the Chambers.

I sat down at my Central Chair, the Chair awarded to Generals and Kings. Not a chair that I deserved to sit in for long. The eyes of Dunmer that I did not recognize, save that of Llerar Mandas and Eno Hlaalu gazed upon me with a mixture of skepticism and wonder. And pride. The pride from the Morag Tong and House Redoran, my chosen families.

There were in fact representatives from every faction in the Grand Council, the Imperial Cult, the Imperial Legion, Fighters and Mages Guild. The Thieves Guild obviously did not take place in the proceedings, and my little surprise showed up amongst the beginnings of the proceedings.

Sul-Matuul showed up with three other Ashlanders, after receiving my correspondence to gather three Gulakhans from the other tribes and show up on this day. There were gasps of shock and surprise as they took a seat at the Grand Council Table, all of them with a satisfied smirks on their faces.

“Sethyas…what are they doing here?” Vedam Dren whispered to me.

I stood up and spoke in a loud, clear voice. “Representatives, may I present the Great and honorable Ashkhan of the Urshilaku, Sul-Matuul! The three other Mer are Gulakhans of the Erebanimsun, the Ahemmusa, and the Zainab Tribes. They will join us in counsel as equal representatives of the Army of Nerevar! I will not have any grumblings or dissentions to the contrary! They are brave and wise warriors whom are willing to lay down their very lives for the Honor of destroying Dagoth Ur! They have equal standing amongst all others here amongst the Council.” I said with a hand outstretched and a powerful gaze overlooking the room.

There were murmurs and looks of hate and curiosity towards the Ashlanders. But all seemed to come to the same conclusion: We needed all the troops we could get. Ashlanders might have been hated, but their skills in the Ashlands and hunting were undeniable.

“While the House Dunmer grow fat and lazy in their rooms of stone, we Ashlanders live in the Shadow of Red Mountain, we see our lands die from the Blight. This is the same fate that shall befall all you, unless we now act as one people under Nerevar once more.” Spoke Sul-Matuul.

“Thank You, my friend. As the Chosen Hortator, and Nerevarine. I will set forth a few rules that I need obeyed in my interim. Eno. There will be a cessation to all Writs, House Wars will not be waged while we assault the Mountain. House Representatives, no duels, no murders. Sul-Matuul, Gulakhans, no raids, no tribal disputes. We are one people.”

There were a few murmurs again, but all Representatives agreed eventually, Eno shook his head in agreement.

“How do you propose we begin this war, Nerevarine? Just gather as many heads as we can, and walk into Red Mountain? We’ll get killed!” asked the Telvanni Wizard Lady.

“Vivec has already given us his outlines for the War, and how to best proceed. I have had made copies for all…..” I said as parchments were handed out.

Phase 1: Raids inside the Ghostfence
The Tribunal, Ordinators, and Buoyant Armigers are familiar with the terrain, and will provide maps and current intelligence reports. The region inside the Ghostfence is dangerous, and the Nerevarine will need to be familiar with its particular challenges. After measuring skills and resources against Dagoth Ur's defenses, the Nerevarine will know better how to pace a campaign, alternating raids with improving skills, getting better equipment, and stockpiling resources.

Phase 2: Raids upon Ash Vampire Citadels
Dagoth Ur's kin have become markedly more powerful in recent decades, after remaining stable for thousands of years. If they can be individually isolated and destroyed, they will not be able to support Dagoth Ur in later stages of the war. It may also be that the dramatic increase in their power comes from items enchanted by Dagoth Ur. Salvage of such items might contribute to our resources.

Phase 3: Assault on Gate Citadel Vemynal
Essential to recover the artifact hammer Sunder for Phase 5. The Ash Vampire Dagoth Vemyn has possession of Sunder, and probably seeks to discover the secrets of its enchantments. He may also have access to notebooks and journals of Kagrenac that have survived in the Dwemer workshops of Vemynal.

Phase 4: Assault on Gate Citadel Odrosal
Essential to recover the artifact blade Keening for Phase 5. The Ash Vampire Dagoth Odros has possession of Keening, and probably seeks to discover the secrets of its enchantments. He may also have access to notebooks and journals of Kagrenac that have survived in the Dwemer workshops of Odrosal.

Phase 5: Assault on Citadel Dagoth
All the previous stages are preparations for this stage. Recent expeditions show that Citadel Dagoth has undergone extensive expansion; the location will need to be explored carefully. The known route to the Heart Chamber will be well-defended; alternative routes may exist. Dagoth Ur will have anticipated our plan to destroy him by attacking the Heart, and he will almost certainly personally oppose approach to the Heart Chamber. Together the Tribunal could not defeat him, and he has grown stronger since then. Admittedly, the Tribunal had the distraction of maintaining the Ghostfence simultaneous with fighting Dagoth Ur, but, even so, the challenge seems daunting.

The adoption of this phased campaign seems to offer the best chances for success. In retrospect, the Tribunal's decision to directly assault Citadel Dagoth rather than proceed step-by-step through lesser objectives must be seen to have been a serious error. The Tribunal did not feel it had the option of a slow-paced and deliberate campaign, given that they had many other competing priorities, not the least of which was the maintenance of the Ghostfence and the outer defenses surrounding Red Mountain. The Nerevarine, on the other hand, should be best served by a careful, step-by-step advance, with the additional advantage of building confidence along the way while successes would undermine Dagoth Ur's own assurance in his defenses.

“Interesting, and how do we find all these Ash Vampires…and more Importantly, how do we stop them from coming back? Every one knows that Dagoth Ur eventually resurrects them…” she asked once more.

“It is possible to prevent that through Soul Trapping magic…” I said.

“And how do you know that?” She asked flippantly.

I tossed her the Grand Soul Gem that housed the Spirit of the Ash Vampire I had encountered beneath Kogoruhn.

“Say hi to Dagoth Uthol. He won’t be coming back anytime soon…” I said as she examined the gem, and remarked in surprise: “This IS an Ash Vampires soul!”

“The one you faced when I sent you to Kogoruhn? You faced down an Ash Vampire and Lived to tell the tale? Impressive Sethyas. That is already one down out of seven…” said Sul-Matuul

The murmurs of the Council now had a different tone, one that of hope. If I could face down an Ash Vampire single-handedly, then there was hope that a Unified Dunmer could defeat Dagoth Ur.

“Then we will begin with the first phase immediately! Let the Sixth House know that the Dunmeri Wrath is swift and vengeful!” cried Llerar Mandas, the Redoran General.

“Not so fast.” I said, interjecting. “Read the parchment again. A full scale war is exactly what Dagoth Ur expects, and he is well prepared for such an occurrence.”

There was a silence. “Then what?” came the response.

“I will act largely alone. What the significance of the unification means, is that the Dunmer are working together to DEFEND themselves against Dagoth Ur. The towns, the villages, now more then ever, must have every available man to defend themselves against the Hosts of Dagoth Ur. Now that I have returned, there is a different feeling in the wind, Voryn Dagoth senses me, he knows that I have returned, he feels the time is nigh to set forth with his ambitions to conquer the land.”

“What hope do you have against an army? Can one man defeat an entire army?” asked Llerar.

“No…I’m not going after every single Ascended Sleeper and Corprus Monster. I’m going after the heads of the army. The Dunmeri society was built from small fractious clans that needed to use secret murder to defeat their enemies. Kill a General, and an Army is useless. My trade is that of an Assassin, and I shall employ all my skills to this end. Ending eventually in facing Dagoth Ur and severing his link to the Heart.”

”I am attacking the weak points, not the strongest. Dagoth Ur, believes himself to be invincible. He sees his armies as easily replaceable within the ranks. This is somewhat true. But in my experience, everything has a crippling weakness. I intend to exploit it once I find it…”

The council talked amongst themselves for a time. There was a feeling of anti-climatic ness, but this was war, not glory. Just as the Empire exploited the political weaknesses of the Dunmer to Conquer Morrowind, so could Dagoth Ur. The in-fighting and petty squabbles had to cease, at least for the time being.

The council departed, and my orders were relayed to the Clans, and the Tribes. Defense of settlements and towns were to begin immediately, if aid was needed, it would be given, without consideration to the others Clan.

I then joined the Duke in his chambers for a brandy after the meeting.

“Wise Choices, Sethyas. And foolish as well. But, I believe you will succeed. You will assassinate the brothers of Ur, and the Sixth House Army will shatter like a scrib, then it will simply be a matter of cleaning up the mess. But our people will have the War they desire. And you. I wonder whether you will live through all this…”

”If I don’t, you must pick up where I left off. Follow the phases, kill the Ash Vampires. Recover Wrathguard if you can, present it to another Champion, one who is capable of facing the Sixth House.”

He nodded grimly. “Do try and live, Sethyas. I have grown rather fond of you.” He said finishing his brandy.

Before I returned to Bal Isra, I made a stop by the Arena in Vivec for a contact with my Master, Eno Hlaalu. For company, and a bit of luck.

“Sethyas! Nerevarine, and Hortator. I am proud of you this day…even if you are cutting into my profits a bit!” Eno remarked on the Cessation of Writs.

“Well, I have two new threads for you, as well as a request.”

He took the threads and asked me my request.

“Well, I know I asked for you to stop the Writs. But I would like you to make me one…for luck.” I said telling him, and he laughed as he wrote out the parchment, and applied his Morag Tong Signet Ring to the red wax.


”Here you go.” He said handing me the finished writ.

I read it aloud.

Dagoth Ur

The afore-mentioned personage has been marked for honorable execution in accordance to the lawful tradition and practice of the Morag Tong Guild. The Bearer of this non-disputable document has official sanctioned license to kill the afore-mentioned personage.

This post has been edited by Black Hand: Aug 16 2011, 04:22 AM

[Black Hand]

All those questions are answered, Minque. And damn good questions too!

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I stepped in through the door. The gigantic construction of the Numidium looked at me from the distance of the enormous cavern, heat blasts from the lava below rose high into the air, and the smell of sulfur assaulted my nostrils.

Closer to me, Dagoth Ur was a bit more interesting, as he encased himself within a powerful shield. Emotion was gone, replaced by sheer ecstasy of power within proximity of the Heart of Lorkhan.

“Im a God, how do you hope to kill a god?! What a grand and intoxicating innocence! No Recall or Intervention can work in this place! Come, lay down your weapons!! There is still time for my mercy!” He taunted me, his power-lust-ecstasy rising into a frenzy as he threw his energy blasts at me.

I wouldn’t be caught like that a second time, and I jumped clear over the blasts, and landed in front of Voryn, I slashed him twice with Keening, the attacks having little effect, and I jumped off the ledge landing on the bridge leading to the Heart.

With either divine speed, or teleportation, Dagoth Ur appeared in front of me, blocking my path to the Heart. He likely suspected me to tap into its power, and would personally block my path.

“It ends here Nerevar! Surrender the Tools! And I promise that your death will be painless and swift! Else I shall torment you for eternity!”

I was between a rock and a hard place. More accurately between a Demigod and a Lava Pit, it took me a second to realize why Voryn wasn’t attacking. Here on this bridge, things were rather precarious, and if I were to fall into pit, the tools would be destroyed….

..I formulated a plan.

“HEY!! Voryn! You want the tools so bad?” I shouted, holding out Keening over the ledge, my eyes narrowing slightly, and I looked into his insane eyes beneath his Golden Mask.

“..come…get…them…” I said with a Sinister whisper, and I leaped off of the bridge into the Lava below.

“NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Came the scream from the Devil, and he followed suit, desperately lunging off the bridge after me, leaving it swinging wildly with his momentum.

For several tenths of a second, my perception slowed, and Voryn used his power to speed his fall, coming closer and closer to me at every beat of my heart. Then, suddenly, he was nearly upon me. I pulled out the scroll, and read the incantation.

“WHAT?!” His voice cried as I disappeared before his eyes.

Everything seemed frozen in place, Dagoth Ur’s Hand reached out for grasping me, but he barely moved. The wind of my fall had ceased. I looked around. I flew upwards, at speeds I had never experienced or felt. This was the power of the Scroll of Windform.

I was utterly invisible, and levitated at speeds five times that of the swiftest Khajiit, appropriately naming the scroll, as it seemed that I was mere thought, pure consciousness floating upwards to the Heart, and in less then one-tenth of a second, I was before it, Sunder in hand.

The Frozen world began to speed up, as the power of the scroll wore off, and I looked at Sunder, then at the Heart. My hand rose in a furious downswing.

But when Dagoth Ur, Lord of House Dagoth, and trusted as a friend by both Nerevar and the Dwemer, brought us proof that High Engineer Kagrenac of the Dwemer had discovered the Heart of Lorkhan, and that he had learned how to tap its powers, and was building a new god, a mockery of Chimer faith and a fearsome weapon, we all urged Nerevar to make war on the Dwarves and to destroy this threat to Chimer beliefs and security. Nerevar was troubled. He went to Dumac and asked if what Dagoth Ur said was true. But Kagrenac took great offense, and asked whom Nerevar thought he was, that he might presume to judge the affairs of the Dwemer.

Nerevar was further troubled, and made pilgrimage to Holamayan, the sacred temple of Azura, and Azura confirmed that all that Dagoth Ur said was indeed true and that the creation of a New God of the Dwemer should be prevented at all costs. When Nerevar came back and told us what the goddess had said, we felt our judgements confirmed, and again counseled him to war, chiding Nerevar for his naïve trust in friendship, and reminding Nerevar of his duty to protect the faith and security of the Chimer against the impiety and dangerous ambitious of the Dwemer.

Then Nerevar went back to Vvardenfell one last time, hoping that negotiations and compromise might once again preserve the peace. But this time the friends Nerevar and Dumac quarreled bitterly, and as a result, the Chimer and Dwemer went to war.

The tone shade rang in Resonance, a ghostly white light filled the Chamber rising and growing to the entire vast cavern.


”What are you doing?! Dagoth Ur sent his thought to me, and I could hear his painful splash into the Lava, far below.

I pulled out Keening next, and brought the crystal blade deep into the Godsheart.

And then, in that moment, all Chimer were changed into Dunmer, and our skins turned ashen and our eyes into fire. Of course, we only knew at that time that this had happened to us, but Azura said, "This is not my act, but your act. You have chosen your fate, and the fate of your people, and all the Dunmer shall share your fate, from now to the end of time. You think yourselves gods, but you are blind, and all is darkness." And Azura left us alone, in darkness, and we were all afraid, but we put on brave faces, and went forth from Red Mountain to build the new world of our dreams.

”WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” His next thought came, as I brought Keening down once more into the Godsheart, he was now grunting from the initial shock of landing in the lava, though I doubt that it did any lasting damage to the likes of him.

But beneath Red Mountain, Dagoth Ur had survived. And even as the light of our bold new world shined ever more brightly, beneath Red Mountain, the darkness gathered, a darkness that was close kin to the bright light that Sotha Sil coaxed from the Heart of Lorkhan with the Tools of Kagrenac. As the darkness grew, we fought it, and crafted walls to confine it, but we never could destroy it, for the source of the darkness was the same source as the source of our own divine inspiration.

FOOL! STOP!! He cried out with his mind trying desperately to fulfill my mind with nightmarish images or take over my body. Neither worked, and I brought Keening down into the final deathstroke.

And in these latter days of Morrowind, reduced to a subjugated province of the Western Empire, as the glory of the Temple fades, and the dark tide rises from Red Mountain, we are reminded of Azura and her promised champion's return. We have waited, blind, and in darkness, mere shadows, drained of our ardent vision, in shame of our folly, in fear of our judgement, and in hope of our deliverance. We do not know if the outlander claiming to fulfill the prophecies of the Nerevarine is our old companion Nerevar reborn, or a pawn of the Emperor, or a catspaw of Azura, or some simple twist of fate.

“This is the bitter, bitter end.” Said the Final form of Voryn Dagoth. As he used the last of his power to teleport up behind me, and we both gazed at the disappearing Heart of Lorkhan in a cloak of blinding white light.

“You could have had everything…you could have joined me in Divine Inspiration. You would have known what it was to have been a God. The concepts of life and death would hold no sway, even your Sister could have been returned to you…Goodbye, Sweet Nerevar, this is the bitter, bitter end.” And the fallen DemiGod lunged for his final attack upon me.

But like a balloon that had been popped, like the Corprus that had been taken from me, Dagoth Ur had spent Millenia used to his power, assured of his invincibility, now he was mortal…less then mortal it seemed, as Voryn fell in less then three swipes of Keening. He fell back upon the bridge, and his golden mask fell off, only to reveal perhaps the most shocking aspect of Dagoth Ur, one that I hardly expected.

Whereas the Heartwrights seemed to have deformed faces of the Divine Disease, Voryn did not. His face was strong and handsome, fatherly almost. He had kept or molded himself into a patron, not a demon. He was misguided, not evil it would seem, as with his dying breath, he repeated Bolvyn Venim’s final words.

“..nerevar..” he whispered and his lips curled into a smile, and I shed another tear.

“Sleep Now, Voryn. And dream the dreams of the Divine. Go with the Ancestors, I pray that Azura forgives you. And I pray that you forgive me. Let it go, let it all go…” I said, fighting the bitter tears of lost friends.

The sentimentality of the moment was broken by a powerful rumbling, and the Numidium, Akulakahn, began to fall apart. The head began to fall into a direct path for the bridge upon which I stood, and my desire to live grew more then my desire to bury Voryn.

With a mad scramble, and a leap that was fueled by adrenaline I cleared the bridge and the lower ledge to the upper, and the terrible roaring of the falling rocks of Akulakhan splashing into the lava sent a terrible screaming echoing throughout the vast cavern.

I spent several minutes staring into the vast lava pool below. Voryn, and most of Akulakhan was in there now. I..had won. It was too much, in spite of all the odds, in the face of certain death. And it wasn’t by getting into a boxing match with a God, nor summoning forth the Hordes of Oblivion. It was by assessing the situation, and using my resources to my advantage. I still had the Writ. Perhaps Mephala had been with me.

My attention then turned down to Wraithguard, holding Keening. The power still washing over me like Skooma. It would be a shame to see these tools used again for the wrong purposes. But, so much could be learned from them! Who was I to say?

“I am Nerevar. And I say that Power exists for it own sake, and corrupts those whom desire it, rather than those whom deserve it. I shall not make the mistake that was made last time. This ends here, once and for all. Rest in peace, Kagrenac.” I said to the empty air, holding out Keening over the Lava, far down below.

It took all of my willpower to let go, but when I finally did, it felt right. And I watched the tuning dagger explode in a furious blast of magicka. I repeated the same thing with Sunder, watching the lava eat the cursed tool. And finally, with Wraithguard, I slipped the heavy gauntlet off my grey Dunmer hand, took a moment to examine its intricacies, and wondered how such small three little things could affect so many people, in the worst way.

I let Wraithguard go, and with that final explosion of white-hot magicka being released sending splashes of the lava high into the air, it finally truly ended. I took a deep breath.

I slipped my gloves on over the Moon-and-Star, adorned myself with the ceremonial red robes of the Morag Tong, and slipped on my hood as I twisted the chamber crank, and exited into the Inner Caverns, I needed to see if Rayne was still there, and still okay.

Suddenly, the Vision of the Cavern of the Incarnate came before me, the Daedra Lady, Azura came to me materializing before my exit into the Inner Facility.

"You no longer bear the burden of prophecy.
You have achieved your destiny.
You are free.
The doomed Dwemer's folly, Lord Dagoth's temptation,
the Tribunal's seduction, the god's heart freed,
the prophecy fulfilled.
All fates sealed and sins redeemed.
If you have pity, mourn the loss, but let the weeping cease.
The Blight is gone, and the sun's golden honey gilds the land.
Hail savior, Hortator, and Nerevarine.
Your people look to you for protection.
Monster and villains great and small still threaten the people of Vvardenfell.
Enemies and evils abound, yet indomitable will might rid Morrowind of all its ills.
For you, our thanks and blessings; our gift and token given.
Come; take this thing from the hand of god.”

Her hands caressed mine, and she left a Signet Ring in them. With a passing kiss upon my cheek, she then faded and returned to her realm. I wanted to ask her so many things, but that was not my place, I would not make the folly of the Tribunal in questioning the Divine.

I exited the chambers, only to see that Rayne was not there. So she had escaped, good.

I emerged into the pit of Red Mountain, the Mount of Dagoth-Ur. I looked to the left, and I saw Rayne staring at the midday sun with a huge smile upon her face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Look.” She said pointing skyward. “The blight is gone…Dagoth Ur?”

“Is dead.”

“After living in that red sky for so long, that blue sky is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. And there is no doubt that you are the one I have to thank for it. What now Nerevar?”

“Call me Sethyas. Please. I am Nerevar, and I am Sethyas. But I am happy to be Sethyas Velas, Outlander Assassin.”

“Noones gonna see it that way. You’re the Nerevarine. People will start to praise you! And build shrines and stuff! Heck you may even be considered a God-hero in time! Besides, you didn’t answer my question. What now?”

I wrinkled my nose at the thought of being worshipped eventually. That was not me. “The first thing I am going to do, is go home, and make love. And then, I am going to propose marriage to Ilmeni. Then I will give this Sanguine glove to Eno Hlaalu, and claim the Grandmaster position of the Morag Tong. My life is far from over. I no longer have the strength of the Corprus beasts, but I still have the positive aspects of Corprus, I am immortal, immune to blight, disease and age.”

“Sounds like fun…am I invited to the Wedding?”

I smiled. “You’ll have your place. If Ilmeni accepts, I would have you as a Maid of Honor. And in the future, I would have you at my side, as the Exalted Master…should your talents develop.”

“Well then,..lets go home.”

“Yes. Home. Here on Vvardenfel, this is truly my home now. And, I have made a safe place for us now. But, I sense that there are other things that still loom in my horizon. There is still much to be done.”