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]

“It is customary to pay the executioner of a Writ his gold. But I understand why you do not wish this payment. However, Sethyas, the Morag Tong is neutral, and this will likely be the first and last time that personal and guild matters overlap. If you are to be Grandmaster someday, you must remember that.” Said Eno noting that Orvas Dren was dead.

“I know Master. As I promised you long ago, the matters to which I have delayed my succession are now complete, as you well know. My love is dead, and my life as the Nerevarine exists in Tavern Songs and Bard’s tales now. While on Red Mountain, I discovered the final thread of the Sanguine Tokens. I present to you the Glove of Sanguine Safekeeping.” I said unfolding the glove, and placing it on his desk.

His eyes lit up with a wondrous look. A long time goal that he likely would have never seen complete glowed faintly before him. “Incredible, Sethyas! This is surely a sign! You, blessed by Mephala, have completed the most arduous and demanding of the tasks that have been set before you!”

“With this glove, you have completed the Sanguine Tokens Quest. And now, Mephala shall bless you with her skill. This is a power I bestow upon you, at will, without the aid of enchantment or scroll; you will be able to blend yourself with shadow, you will feel your skill with a blade grow, I grant you: ‘Mephala’s Skill’ a blessing that is bestowed only upon the greatest of Tong Assassins!” he said, and began a series of arcane mutterings, and held a knife over a candle for a moment, then raising my sleeve, he burned a small idol of a Velothi Mephala just below my shoulder.

I felt the energy associated with the ritual course through my system. It was like a spell, or a power associated with a birthsign, yet different somehow, I could cast it at will, as much as I wished, and no matter how tired I was, it would always cover me in shadow.

I practiced with it for a moment, and did indeed realize that I blended well with shadow, and did feel my skill increase with any weapon, not just a blade. And it was stronger then invisibility, it was chameleon. I did not need the Ring of Khajiit or the Bow of Shadows. I could now rely on skill alone.

“Now. The matter of Grandmaster is before you. Do you now wish to succeed me as the leader of the Guild? Will you accept the burden of leadership as the earthly representative of Mephala?”

“Yes, Eno. The time has come, and I, your Exalted Master, shall succeed your position as the Grandmaster. What would you ask of me?”

“Traditionally. The Grandmaster was succeeded when the next in line honorably executed him. This is the ritual that pleases Mephala, and proves that the successor is worthy and ruthless enough. If you wish to kill me now, that is your right, and you may claim it, none shall dare question you.”

I was surprised, yet not surprised. I was slightly shocked, yet not at all. I understood the importance of the ways of the Morag Tong, and sealing the pact with blood certainly sounded like something that Mephala would ask of her followers. But something about the way Eno spoke made me think that there was another option available.

“That is the tradition. But what is the alternative?” I asked him, and a weight lifted from his serious eyes.

“The alternative is that you allow me to retire. I am tired, and wish to spend the rest of my days in quiet and study, and to see this new world that you have created Nerevar. No one will question our word. What is your choice?” he asked me.

”I suppose if I were a traditional Dunmer, intent on proving my worth to lead the Guild to Mephala as you say. I would kill you. But, as I am so often reminded, I am an Outlander, and I confess that I have affection for you, Eno. Not good for an Assassin, but it is there nonetheless, I would not kill you friend. Retire. Rest. You well deserve it, but my mercy comes with one condition.”

“That is?...” Eno asked raising an eyebrow, his hand slipping slowly to the hilt of his glass dagger.

“That when I need advice, I can call upon you.”

Eno smirked. “That is if you can find me. But I accept. I will send out the message immediately, as there are a few loose ends I have to tie up. But otherwise, you now lead the Guild. You are Grandmaster Sethyas Velas. Lead well, good friend.”

We bowed to one another, and I prepared to leave, but Eno stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

“There is one last thing, Grandmaster.” Eno said softly.

“What is that?”

He held out the Ebony Dart that had my name carved on it, from the war with the Dark Brotherhood a year or so ago.

“I have held onto this because the time was not right for you to know. But the Dark Brotherhood Assassin whom visited you with this was not associated with our War. Someone put out a contract on you, that is the only time that they ever do something like this. I have tried to track down who would do it. But the Dark Brotherhood keeps their secrets well hidden, as do we. However, there may be a contingency that we have overlooked operating in Almalexia, or Mournhold, Morrowind’s Capitol.” He said with a slow informative tone. My reaction was mixed once more.

“There are recent events there that have passed since you have saved Vvardenfell. Events that may be a dark cloud forming once more. Remember, as a Morag Tong, you are neutral, you serve the stability of the politics, not aiding either side. You may wish to investigate this further. A man, by the name of Apelles Matius has recently arrived from Cyrodiil, an Imperial guard that served in a special unit that tracks and kills Dark Brotherhood Assassins. He may be one to speak with, in time.”

“But first, there is some Guild Business that you must finish. See any of the Masters when you are ready, there are some high profile writs that only the skill of the Grandmaster may complete, as we are well paid to insure their success. This may be the last time we speak for quite some time. I wish you well, Brother. And may you walk in Mephala’s Shadow always.” He said, as I prepared to leave, staring at the Ebony Dart, the tip between my thumb and forefinger.

This was disconcerting news, and I made my way to Bal Isra. Ilmeni’s death avenged. Vvardenfell saved. The promise to Eno fulfilled. But the emptiness of her passing was still lingering. A void that nothing would fill. But I could certainly try. And try with the stores of Brandy I had. I wondered at my temporary companion, the Argonian Assassin, Always-He-Lingers-In-the-Sun, and his apparent alcoholism. Would I end up like he? Drinking to get the images out of my mind? Trying to forget the loss.

I had lost two of the most important women in my life, first my sister, and now my wife. Was Mephala or some other entity determined to ensure that I never had any measure of happiness? I had taken my revenge on the one most directly responsible for Ilmenis death. A revenge that left me feeling raw and empty. But, perhaps it too was my fault for not taking Orvas’ life when I had the chance. What did I expect from a Crime Lord? That he would show the same compassion to his own kin as I had? Assassins don’t love, and they don’t feel compassion. There is a price for these things, and I have paid them.

I awoke to the early dawn light of the next morning. Despite the slight stagger from binge drinking, I could not sleep anymore, and I busied myself with cleaning the bottles and making the bed that only one slept in now. While my Redoran colleagues had heard the news, no one had approached me with anything, and Bal Isra served as a midway hostel and growing trade center in the paths between Maar Gan and Ald’Ruhn. I did not wont for anything as Lord of the Manor. But it did not take away the sadness.

Though I still found it strange that I had not yet shed a tear for Ilmeni. I felt her loss deeply, but the tears did not come. Perhaps I had shed the final one for my sister. Perhaps not. Or perhaps they would come at her funerary rites, which would be in three days time. As her husband and love, I was expected to be there in the main procession. And it would be important to letting her go. Get on with the grieving process as it were.

Then the Grandmastery. And this news that someone had hired the Dark Brotherhood to kill me. It never seemed to stop, and always, like a river flowing along, the current taking me with it. I needed to build a dam.