Clark - Second Era Options

[Acadian]

Clark manages to take care of the invisible/not invisible one and the Illuminated One as well.

Finally, back to hunting for those attuned Keepers. A little help from Raz and the first one is found – along with where to likely find the other.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Well, it was his intent to go find the other one...

-----

Previously: Clark found the first Keeper of the Resolute Diamonds, and set off to find the other.

Next a brief interlude that helps Clark understand non-linear time, ... or not.

------

Ebon Stadmont

I set off along the base of cliffs, looking for a cleft in the rock, maybe a set of steps, that would lead me to the pass. I didn't find one as soon as I'd expected, based on them telling me it was "close". Instead I came across a Mages Guild scholar standing outside the entrance to something surrounded by hedges. She introduced herself as Andewen, and told me that the mercenary she'd hired to protect her had just quit at the first sight of daedra. Now she had nobody to assist. "You're armed, and I presume also armoured, can you help?"

Before I agreed to anything, I asked about the King's Haven pass.

"You didn't see the door?, It's just outside the Academy."

Of course, I'd seen it, but assumed it led back into another part of the Academy, and kept going. It had a door, so it could be locked if needed, she informed me.

Since I'd come this far, I might as well assist her before turning back. I noted a staff on her back, and inquired why she couldn't handle the daedra herself.

"Because I'll be busy collecting notes, and won't want to be interrupted. I can't write and fight at the same time."

That seemed reasonable. We went in together.

---

The interior resembled a hedge-maze that had been abandoned long ago, and become overgrown. Paths no longer lead where they probably were intended to go, and it likely didn't have daedra wandering around before. She told me we were looking for a temple or similar building that was at the centre of the maze. That was her objective, to study whatever secrets it held. She had an account from a much earlier expedition, that had found the temple, but not explored that fully. There were ancient inscriptions that presumably explained how to get entry to the inner parts, but nobody on the earlier team was able to translate them. "I've studied Ayleid languages, so I believe I can succeed where they failed.

"That's assuming we can find our way to the building, of course. Adventurers are always getting lost in here. Most just find themselves coming back out the way the entered, without finding anything. Others never come out, possibly because the daedra got the, or maybe they never found the exit again. Apparently the path ... shifts, as you go. At least that's how the ones who came out described it."

I began to understand what they meant when we found that the only ways out of the first part were the entrance or a portal that we couldn't see through. We stepped through, and found ourselves in another section of the maze. That was promising, as it wasn't a desert, or a cave, so we hadn't gone far. But I had a suspicion, and told Andewen I'd like to check it. So we stepped back through the portal, and were not back where we just came from.

"I imagine these portals will all take us somewhere different each time we use them," I suggested. "So if we don't find the temple, we can just keep stepping through the nearest portal until we're back in the firat section."

"Could we do that to find the temple?" she asked.

"Perhaps, but only if it's visible from the nearest portal. To be certain of finding it, we'll have to search each new area we come to ... and fight the daedra," I added as some came up the path towards us.

---

It wasn't just daedra. We encountered welwa and other wild beasts, and because their bodies remain after they're killed, they proved useful in knowing where we'd been. If we saw a dead welwa when we stepped out of a portal, we'd just go back through to another part of the maze.

"Over there. There's an inscription on that rock!" she exclaimed.

Of course, as soon as she stooped to read it, more daedra spawned nearby.

"Hold them off while I take a rubbing, then I can translate it even if we have to get away from the daedra," she requested. She finished doing so in time to help me with the Ogrim that spawned at the end of the fight, and I was grateful for that.

The inscription apparently just told her to look for a second one, and implied that the temple was to the east. That latter part was of no real help, with the portals taking us every direction at random.

The daedra that spawned when we found the next inscription were different. No Ogrim this time, but several Mazken, including one 'Nikalia the Beguiling'. To me, at least, that suggested Sheogorath had something to do with this confounding maze. Andewen agreed. The Mages Guild and the Daedric Prince seemed to be having an ongoing battle and if she was paranoid, she'd think ...

But the second inscription had helped, and she knew the temple was nearby. We shouldn't need to go through any more portals. Just around the next bend, we could see it.

Andewen ran ahead. When I entered the Ebon Sanctum, I couldn't see her, but found a note she'd written, telling me to use the stone next to it to open the door.

I heard Andewen shriek from the top of the stairs "More daedra!" as she ran to hide. I was surprised to find the only daedra present was one of Nocturnal's shrikes, who just shrugged and disappeared when she saw me. I went up the stairs to find Andewen.

"Is it gone?" she asked, but ran back down the stairs before I could answer. I followed, and found her tending to a wounded man I hadn't noticed before, who had presumably fallen to the shrike.

The man, Fletch, was a member of the House of Revelries. His troupe were here with Maestro Forte, their leader, whose hobby was Ayleid studies. He needed to warn him about the presence of daedra. "They should be through there," he told us, struggling to his feet and leading us to a door to the Ebon Sanctum Garden.

---

"Fletch! what happened? The whole troupe has been looking for you." the tall mer exclaimed.

"Grand Maestro Forte? Why I had no idea you were in Ebon Stadmont," Andewen interjected.

"I'm simply Maestro Forte. Hardly worthy of Grand as yet."

I talked to the Maestro, and passed on Fletch's warning about daedra. I didn't understand why they hadn't encountered any on there way in, but perhaps they were luckier than we were with the portals, and bypassed the spawns Andewen and I encountered. That seemed likely as he hadn't needed to translate any inscriptions, either. Fortunate, as translation was beyond his knowledge. "Do you suppose Andewen could translate the Northern Stone?" he asked."It's at the end of that path, you can't miss it."

Well, he and his troupe might have avoided the daedra, but they showed up for us. As if they were attracted to us, in particular. Banekin, winged twilights and ogrim, but they didn't stop us reaching the stone.

"Future's door," Andewen read, translating the inscription on the stone. "It's starting to make some sense now. There were a few things that disturbed me back there that are falling into place.

"The room where we found Fletch was identical to the one where we came into the Ebon Sanctum, but without the cobwebs and broken pews. As if the door in between wasn't into a different room, but a different time. And with Grand Maestro Forte insisting he wasn't Grand yet, I'm thinking that's exactly what happened. We're in the past. The research I read to find this place was probably written by the Maestro, after they left."

"So the inscription is telling us that this door here will take us back to the future, our present?" I asked.

"Yes, and we'd better do so as quickly as possible, before we do anything more that could affect past events. I'm worried already that I might have so by healing Fletch. There was a skeleton the first room right where I found Fletch wounded in the second one. Perhaps he was supposed to die, and I've broken time!"

I opened the door and stepped through, expecting her to follow, but instead I heard her voice ahead of me in another room.

The Andewen I found looked very old, and Altmer live a very long time. More time had elapsed for her than just a return to her present. My head was spinning trying to work out what that meant for me, as I was more than an elf's lifetime into my own past.

"Finally you've arrived! The door wouldn't work for me. I tried to follow, but it wouldn't open. So I had to wait. I tried to find a way out through the portals, but they just lead me back here.

"For decades, I've been studying the language of the inscriptions, trying to find a way out, and I've finally managed it. I must stop myself from ever going back in time, and that means warning myself not to even enter the Ebon Sanctum. I can't do that, as I'm already there, but you can. Give me this diary, and make sure I read it.

"Go to the southern stone, and use the words "baneaweh tendell" to activate it. That should get you back to the right time and place."

---

The door by the southern stone took me into the room where we'd first entered the building, as I could tell by the cobwebs. Except that Fletch was there, and his skeleton wasn't. He told me to go out and talk to Andewen, who was waiting for me to catch up.

She seemed surprised that I wasn't behind her, but did as I asked, and read the diary. And then we went back through the maze, too.

"I suppose I did succeed here, after all," she said. "I have these notes, written in my own hand, that I can take back to the Mages Guild, and let them figure it all out."

"And it will tel them that this place is a trap. Baited for mages, and probably devised by Sheogorath, and most of the daedra seemed to be his," I replied.

With one exception, I thought to myself. After I watched Andewen walk away, and I was sure she wasn't about to change her mind and go in anyway, I asked Nocturnal.

"The shrike? Just backup in case you two didn't sort it out. Andewen could have gone in without you, after all."

"And how did I manage not to overlap with myself in all that?" I added. "After all, I did go in, so it all happened to me."

"You went back in time to a point before you'd arrived in Vvardenfell, so there would be no issue there anyway, even if it wasn't all happening in Sheo's realm, where he controls the time. And the same for the future part. You won't be in your past long enough for that.

"Besides, you're only here in your past to fix anomalies like this. Vile and Mephala's interventions could have much worse consequences than Andewen's mistakes."

"I'd better get back on track for the King's Haven pass, then," I responded.

[Acadian]

Great job capturing the confusion within Ebon Stadmont. A quest designed to make your head hurt methinks. Nice job saving Andewan.

Now back to finding that second Keeper of the Resolute Diamonds.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: the entire quest line is that confused. Not even the participants understand it, and if they do, it was an illusion induced by a Daedric Prince or their agent.

-----

Previously: Clark got a detour and a lesson in non-linear time.

-----

King's Haven

Since I had already found the door once, it wasn't hard to find again. And as soon as I'd gone through the short stretch of tunnel beyond it, I could understand why it was there. Instead of a long underground passage like I was expecting, there was a large area open to the sky. Judging by the number of cave entrances I could see, this part of the massif had been riddled with caves, and had collapsed a long time ago. The local wildlife had moved in, and there were a lot of creatures being blocked by that door.

The Reef Vipers and Welwa seemed to have divided the place among them. The Reef Vipers preferred the floor of the basin, near the river, presumably the same one that carved all the caves. The slopes were infested with Welwa, and there would probably be something else in the caves when I reached them.

The abundance of predators hadn't stopped someone from building walkways and ramps, so this area had been
inhabited by people (or at least goblins) in the past. If they were still here, they'd have kept the numbers of the critters down, wouldn't they? Presumably they'd left other signs of their past habitation in the caves, if Imredil found anything of interest here, it was likely to be in those ruins.

I followed the walkways as much as possible, on the assumption that they would be more likely to lead to places of interest than the other trails. I soon found myself going into caves at the higher levels, which is where I encountered the goblins. Now, did they build the walkways, or just take them over when they moverd in? And had they occupied the ruins as well (if there were some,)?

There didn't seem to be any of the outside creatures inside the caves, so apparently the same territorial agreements that I'd noted outside applied. I did at one point come out to an area with a Gryphon's nest, but went back inside and left it alone.

Finally, after a few encounters with hostile goblins, I started to see evidence of Elven construction. Old, and crumbling, but this was most likely where I'd find Imredil.

I did not expect to find daedra, however. Perhaps I should have, because this one was definitely one of Mephala's, a Spiderkith with her summoned spider cohorts.

When she went down, she gloated that she'd delayed me enough. "My mistress has already claimed her prize."

I hoped that didn't mean Imredil.

In the room beyond her, I found Imredil being dragged into a portal, and a knight in glowing golden armour trying to prevent it. He looked suspiciously like the one that had been trying to contact Valsirenn and myself earlier, but now he was actually here, and taking part.

I joined him in defending Imredil, and burning the webs, but the portal changed its focus, and captured him instead. I soon discovered why.

Imredil was no longer a valuable hostage. He'd been poisoned, and was dying fast. He gave me his Resolute Diamond, and another gem, which he didn't have time to explain before he passed.

As soon as I left the ruins, a projection of Valsirenn summoned me back to Artaeum, so I made my way there, hoping for some explanation. I especially wanted to know what use a Resolute Diamond was to us without its keeper.

---

Iachesis took one look at the gem Imredil had given me (not the Resolute Diamond, the other one), and told me it was a Dawnstar gem, associated with Meridia, and it was her Golden Knight that had probably dropped it, or given it to Imredil. He took me down to the Dreaming cave, where there was a portal to Oblivion, blocked by a glowing barrier of daedric origin (or so Iachesis informed me). He'd recovered some of his lost memory, and now recalled bringing the Heart of Transparent Law down here, and going through that portal. Of course, he couldn't retrace his path with that barrier in place.

"Hold the Dawnstar gem near the barrier, and see what it does," he requested.

I did so, and the barrier recoiled a little, but not all the way.

"We'll need to reunite the gem with Dawnbreaker before we can get through," Iachesis proclaimed. "And that means finding the Golden Knight who bears it. We will need Meridia's assistance in locating him, but using the Dreaming Cave to contact her is too dangerous with this barrier here. It will most likely relay everything to Mephala, Vile and Nocturnal."

I went outside to find Leythen and Valsirenn, to see if they had any idea how to contact Meridia. I'd already asked Nocturnal if she knew anything, but Mephala hadn't shared any information with her. Meridia was our only option.

Leythen informed me that Mephala's cultists had attacked Meridia's cultists wherever they could find them, and there were not likely to be many left to ask for directions to any of her shrines. He suspected that Vile's cultists and Nocturnal's had taken similar actions, including against the cults of any other Daedric Princes that had got involved in the conflict.

"The cultists are at war with each other?" I asked. "I always assumed they just ignored each other, as a lost cause."

Leythen responded that he'd been informed by Mephala that this was the case now, because the Daedric Princes themselves were in conflict. The Court of Bedlam, the direct agents of the the triad, had nothing to do with the cults, but were kept informed as the cultists could be dangerous in times like these.

I decided at this point to let Razum-Dar know of the cultist war, and at the same time, I could ask if he knew of any Meridian shrine on the island.

---

That was a good call. Not only did he know of a shrine, but one of Raz's personal friends was a member of her cult there. He'd like to make sure she was safe.

We travelled together to Eton Nir Grotto, which was the site of the shrine. We found Sadara-do (Raz's friend) outside. She fled from the attack, and was afraid to try and go back in, with all the daedra the Mephala cultists had summoned still in there.

"Raz and Sadara-do will try and enter through a side-entrance. You go in the regular entrance, and attract their attention away from us," Raz decided.

I didn't like to admit it, but that was actually the best plan. If we all tried to sneak in, we were more likely to give ourselves away as a larger group. Two could do so, while three might not. And a distraction would certainly make it easier for Sadara-do to get through. Nocturnal also reminded me that I was the only one here who was immortal, even if the others didn't know that.

I probably had her help fighting my way in. The daedra never attacked me as large groups, and seemed oblivious to battles that they should have been able to hear. And although I didn't know the way, I seemed to take the most direct route.

I reached the shrine as efficiently as I could, it seemed. As I approached, a light began to shine at the top of the statue of Meridia, between her upraised hands. It lit up her face, and also let me see that Raz and Sadara-do had made it here safely. Sadara was dismayed by the state of the shrine, with dead bodies strewn around, amd furniture broken everywhere, but the re-appearance of the light gave her hope.

"Meridia is still here, and wants to talk with us," she proclaimed.

"The statue wants to talk? To Raz?" Raz said, puzzled.

"My followers murdered. My shrine desecrated. The other Daedric Princes must answer for these insults. But I sense a question in your mind. Speak. Ask what you will of the Prince of Light."

"Your Golden Knight was captured and his sword damaged. We seek you guidance on how to repair it," I responded.

"They dare to steal my vessel? To hold prisoner the agent I put in place to foil their despicable plans? My light will not be snuffed out! You must set Darien Gautier free!"

"Darien is the Golden Knight's name?" I asked.

"He thinks of himself as the mortal Darien Gautier, but he is the vessel of my power in your realm. You and he will need to work together to end this. You must enter Mephala's realm and retrieve him."

"I have the Dawnstar gem from the sword. Will that help?" I added

"You can use it to locate Darien. Now return to the Ritemaster and tell him what I said."

[Acadian]

Too late to save Imredil so I guess that breaks the Resolute Diamond attuned pair. And who is this golden knight who keeps appearing?

It seems a chat with Iachesis, Raz and Meridia is in order – and fruitful. So the golden boy is actually the handsome but incorrigible skirt-chaser Darien Guatier. And Clark has instructions on how to repair Dawnbreaker.

Yup, time to update Iachesis.

Random but slightly related tidbit: Though she has explored the vast depths and breadths of ESO, Buffy can count on the fingers of one small hand the number of men she has been attracted to in the Second Era. One of those was Iachesis. If only he’d been a few centuries younger and not destined for. . . well, Clark will find out.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Yes, that Darien.

-----

Previously: Clark had visited Meridia's shrine, and talked to her statue.

-----

Finding Nemo Darien

Iachesis would have preferred that I return with the Dawnbreaker, but this was at least progress.

"I would rather have Meridia, Daedric Prince of Light, as an ally, so rescuing Darien for her would be a beneficial move. He'll no doubt want to assist in finding the sword, too. And she is correct about the gem. Its connection with Darien will allow me to use his awareness of his location to place a portal. Normally, I'd need to have visited the other end before, but just holding the Dawnstar gem should be enough."

Valsirenn and I stepped through the portal he opened, expecting to encounter Darien's guards. What we did not expect was to be separated. So my first task was to find her, rather than Darien. I could hear her, and the Dawnstar gem was guiding me, but whether that was towards her or Darien wasn't clear. Hopefully, it would be both.

When I found her, she had been captured, and cocooned in spider silk. Her guard was no tougher than the other daedra I'd had to deal with along the way, and she was soon free.
Now to find Darien.

---

That wasn't too hard, as he was a noisy prisoner, and we could just follow the sound of the cursing. The difficulty was the number of daedra we had to deal with on the path. And when we reached him, there were a couple of Ogrim, and a Spiderkith between us.

After we cut them down, we cut him down, from the webs. He seemed ungrateful fior the rescue, or at least annoyed that we'd taken so long. Valsirenn was not amused, and suggested leaving him here.

I spoke with Darien. "So you're the golden knight that's been trying to contact me?"

"Guilty as charged! Meridia was trying to send me earlier, but something prevented that. Look, we can talk about it later,. Right now we need to get out of here."

He continued anyway. "How did you find me, by the way? Mephala specifically told me she'd put me where nobody would ever look."

"I have the Dawnstar gem. It lead us right to you."

"Oh, right, the gem. That makes sense. You need Meridia's champion, so I can restore Dawnbreaker. But not right now. I'm in no condition to do much, especially not fighting. Let's get out first."

Valsireenn was looking for a safe spot to open a portal back, and she thought she'd found one. Of course, more daedra turned up while she was opening it, perhaps attracted by the magicka, and I had to deal with those myself. Valsirenn was busy opening the portal and Darien was too exhausted to help.

---

Back on Arteum, Valsirenn took Darien off to be healed, while I discussed progress with Iachesis. He'd made some of his own. A little more of his memory had returned. He could hear a woman's voice, repeating the same words, over and over, in a langage he did not understand. Just a whisper, but always there.

"What do you think it means?" I asked.

He didn't know, but he'd asked Oriandra to research the words, and see if she could translate them. He asked me to check with her, and see if she'd made any progress.

---

She had eliminated Ancient Ayleid, and found evidence of Daedric language patterns, but that was getting beyond her scope. She'd received help from Grand Master Forte, who had sent her his notes from Ebon Stadmont. The language of the inscriptions there seemed related.

"I just wish Leythen was still one of us," she told me."He's the expert on ancient languages."

I took her notes to Leythen.

---

As I expected, his curiosity got the better of his reluctance to help us. Still, he didn't know that particular language either. The Ebon Stadmont connection seemed to be our best hope, and of course, he couldn't go there to examine the inscriptions.

However, I could take a rune with me, and go there myself. He'd be able to see through the rune, and use the inscription to help decypher Iachesis' memory. The rock bearing the inscription was too large to bring back, so this was the only viable method.

Since the rock was outdoors, and the whole time-distorting issue was inside the Sanctum building, there shouldn't be any of those problems this time. But the portal maze was still going to be a nuisance.

"Refer to Forte's notes," Leythen told me. "He seems to have solved that problem for you."

---

When I got back there, it started to make sense. The stone archways surrounding the portals were distguishable by the number of crows carved into them, and the right sequence was in the notes.

Crows. That suggested someone I knew had created this maze, and I wondered what its purpose really was.

When I reached the inscribed rock, Leythen's image was projected by the rune, and he began to examine the inscription. But his image began to flicker, and the connection was being lost. Soon, it was replaced by one of Nocturnal's agent, Veya, or Lord Tundilwen, as she now prefers to be known.

"Nocturnal can't risk this information getting back to Mephala," she told me. "At this time, it is sufficient for Iachesis to know that the words are a spell. He'll know the right time to use the, and reveal the Heart."

And she disappeared again. Apparently, she hadn't remembered me from Morrowind, and also didn't know of my association with Nocturnal. The Daedric Princess was holding her cards close to her chest, and as one of them, that was a nice place to be.

---

When I returned to Ceporah Tower, Leythen was annoyed that he hadn't had time to finish his analysis of the inscription, but Iachesis was satisfied with the news. It meant that he probably didn't need any more information at this time, and could proceed with the next step. We would need Darien's help with that.

---

I found Darien outside, doing push-ups. He appeared to have made a very rapid recovery from his injuries. I knew that the damage could be repaired almost instantly with sufficient magic, but you still needed time to undo the other effects, like learning that doing that wouldn't hurt any more.

"This may seem like a strange question," he began, 'but do you know me? I'd never seen you before, but you seemed to be aware of who I am, as if you knew me before."

"That's probably because my Seryn knows you and Gabrielle, and she told me to look out for you," I replied, leaving out Nocturnal's part in it. "And that golden armour is rather unique, isn't it?"

"Fair enough," he replied. "I thought maybe we'd met in Coldharbor. That was a hectic, if short campaign, and it didn't end up the way I'd have liked. Meridia's all right, but she's not big on free will, so I don't get to choose my battles. She sent me here to help you, but hasn't explained much about how I 'm supposed to do that."

"I take it that you'd have preferred to return with Gabrielle," I told him."She'd have preferred that, too. But at least I can let her know, through Seryn, that you're safe."

"For now," he replied. "If Meridia doesn't consider me disposable. Who knows what we're about to get into."

We talked a bit more, and some things began to make more sense. Those times he'd appeared and gone away again, in Shimmerene, and near the sinkhole in Relenthil. Meridia had tried to send him here too soon, before he'd gone off to Coldharbor, and was still somewhere else in Tamriel. I knew that wouldn't work, but did Meridia not understand, or had she just got the timing wrong?

I made sure Nocturnal and Azura were aware of everything we discussed. Seryn needed to tell Gabrielle, and Nocturnal might not know of Meridia's limitations.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Apr 29 2026, 07:27 PM

[Acadian]

No surprise that none of the Daedric Princes trust each other one bit. Hopefully that will be their undoing.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: I don't think Daedric Princes know what trust is, especially if they're asking you to trust them.

-----

Previously; Clark brought Darien back from Mephala's Spiral Skein.

-----

Locating the Heart

Darien and I joined Iachesis and Valsirenn down in the Dreaming Cave. With Dawnbreaker reunited with its gem, we could now use it to open the portal, and see where it lead. Iachesis still didn't remember where that was.

Once we stepped through, it was obvious to all of us.

"Why are we in Evergloam?" Iachesis asked. "I don't understand why I'd have chosen to hide the Heart here, of
all places. But it's here somewhere, I'm sure of that. Perhaps I'll recall more as we travel."

"Which way?" I asked, "Do you remember anything from the last time you were here?"

"Follow the path, I presume. There seems to be only one," he remarked.

I was initially surprised that there was opposition to our passage, but of course that was for Darien's (and Meridia's) benefit. I didn't know any of the shrikes we encountered (and yes, I do look at their faces) but it was mostly gloom wolves, wraiths and the like anyway. Every so often, a crow would show up, and pass comment on our progress, and reminding Iachesis of his prior visit. Nocturnal wanted him to remember everything by the time we arrived at wherever we were going.

"I remember that portal!" Iachesis announced. "I remember going into it, carrying the crystal, and coming back out without it. I just don't recall what happened on the other side. But that must be where I hid the Heart."

We all went through the portal, weapons at the ready, but there was nothing waiting for us on the other side. Just a ruined building that looked familiar to Iachesis. We climbed to the top, and the Ritemaster walked to the middle of the platform. Crows had arrived, and perched all around the walls. "Recite the spell," they chanted.

That convinced Iachesis he'd found the right place. "My friends, prepare yourselves. The Heart will soon be back in our hands."

"Heart, reveal yourself! Gar Noro berri, vo rah Larow e javeel!"

The Ritemaster's chest began to glow, and a few additional spectators arrived.

"Look, Mephala, the mortal hid the Heart inside himself."

"Yes, Clavicus, but why did Nocturnal hide this from us? She must have known."

"No matter, we'll take the crystal now, Ritemaster."

That's when the troops arrived. We were attacked by Skaafin, Spiders, and all the usual light attack enemies in the first wave, with more, and heavier foes arriving later. Iachesis began to doubt he'd survive this onslaught, and told Valsirenn to take his place if he didn't.

Then Nocturnal arrived, and banished the "visitors" from her realm. "You are no longer welcome. The Heart belongs to me! We made a deal, didn't we, mortal?"

"Yes, and the only way to retrieve the Heart is to kill me."

"Very well, I accept those terms."

Everyone else was shocked at this, but Nocturnal had forewarned me, and I was expecting the charade. When the Ritemaster seemingly exploded, and disappeared, I knew what she'd actually done.

Before anybody could do anything about it we found ourselves transported back to the Ceporah Tower, and Oriandra.

"Where's the Ritemaster?" she asked.

"Where's my sword? I just fixed that!" asked Darien. It hadn't come with him.

Valsirenn explained to Oriandra that Nocturnal had killed Iachesis, and taken the Heart of Transparent Law for herself, betraying the other two Daedric Princes. A slight simplification, so I didn't correct anything. The Ritemaster was not coming back, so it didn't make a difference here.

I did repeat what he'd said about Valsirenn taking over, as Nocturnal and I both thought that was a good idea. She was the only one who had the right overview of the current situation to deal appropriately with it. No doubt internal Psijic politics would change things later, but what happened now was important. We still had the problem of the sealed Crystal Tower, and the Resolute Diamonds missing a Keeper. I knew that Nocturnal could access the interior, as she now had Iachesis' knowledge of it for a portal in, and Veya as a mortal agent to go there. I was sure she'd make a start on repairing it right away, but unsealing the entrance would still be a requirement.

---

When I had some time alone, I asked Nocturnal what the "deal" with Iachesis had been.

"Essentially, three more centuries of mortal life, in return for a new heart, to replace the damaged one he had. The Sload had done something that was gradually destroying it, and he didn't have much longer. With the Sload being necromancers, it didn't matter to K'tora whether Iachesis was alive or dead when he wanted the Heart of Transparent Law handed over. He'd still be able to search through his memories, and find it.

"So the simplest way to kill two birds with one stone was to replace his heart with the crystal one. The Sload had already primed him to forget the hiding place, so he'd done half the work for me. I did amplify that a bit, to make sure the Sload wouldn't be able to undo it, either. Iachesis gets to spend eternity in Evergloam, instead of wherever Altmer are supposed to end up, but the shrikes have made him welcome, and I don't think he minds.

"I'm glad you passed on his wishes about Val taking over. Iachesis had always felt a bit guilty that he'd kept the job she should have stepped into 300 years back, even if he didn't remember why."

"How's Veya getting on with the restoration in the Tower?" I asked.

"Not as well as could be achieved if she didn't have to use magic for everything," Nocturnal replied. "It really needs a whole crew of stonemasons and other physical trades working on it. Do your best with that entrance, please."

---

I went to the Crystal Tower to find out what progress had been made there. I found Razum-Dar staring up at the top, where a purple haze had formed around the pinnacle.

"This one is concerned," he told me. "The tower should not be glowing like that. This one suspects Nocturnal is already at work."

"What's happening at the bottom?" I asked. "Have the Sapiarchs made any progress opening the seal?"

We walked over to take a look. Two new Sapiarch Keepers were there, holding new Resolute Diamonds, but they weren't completely attuned.

"It's not working," one complained. "I start thinking it will work, and then it all goes wrong again."

"Keep trying," the other told her. "It's all we can do."

Nocturnal didn't think so. A squad of summoned daedra came in and broke up the party. We fought them off, but the will of the Sapiarchs had been broken. "It's no use. We're not going to get this open."

"Perhaps the Psijic Conclave would do better," Valsirenn suggested. "Let me take the Diamonds back to Artaeum, and see what can be done to attune them."

The Sapiarchs felt that you needed to be here at the Tower itself, to do that, but it was worth a try. They were getting nowhere.

"I'm glad they stopped trying," Nocturnal told me. "You can mess up a lock, trying to pick it, so badly the key won't work any more. This may be a magical lock, but the same principle applies."

She didn't think the Psijics had any better chance. What the Sapiarchs had said was unfortunately true. Attuning the Diamonds needed to be done at the seal itself.

---

I wasn't too surprised when a talking dog approached me not long after that. Barbas had a proposition. Clavicu Vile would give us access to the seal in his realm, so that Nocturnal wouldn't interfere. We could attune the Diamonds there.

Sotha Sil had explained to me that it was the same Tower in all the realms, and if any of the Princes got control of the interior, they could cause havoc. That would have to be mortal cultists on the inside, as it remained part of Mundus. It wasn't clear if that was why the Sapiarchs had sealed it off, but nothing they had done really made sense.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 30 2026, 10:14 AM

[Acadian]

"Yes, and the only way to retrieve the Heart is to kill me."
"Very well, I accept those terms."

Yikes! And sure enough, Iachesis is gone. Ahah, Nocturnal enlightens us quite a bit on the original deal she made with him and how/why it went the way it did. I’m also glad Valsirenn is now in charge – she’s a good psijic.

[Grits]

Darien! Whoop!

Jerric is my only character who has done this questline. He was confused throughout and went on a long vacation afterward. It's fun to see it through Clark's eyes, as he has some extra insight into the Daedric players.

Farewell, Iachesis. Congratulations, Ritemaster Valsirenn. Two of my favorite Altmer.

[ghastley]

@Acadian I'm on the fence with Valsirenn. She comes across as indoctrinated with standard Psijic dogma. There's a bit of independence (and willingness to act) there, but she thinks Psijic most of the time.

@Grits Most of the confusion arises from everybody deceiving and double-crossing everyone else. The truth may be in there somewhere, but maybe not.

-----

Previously: Clavicus Vile offered to let Clark use his realm to attempt entry to the Crystal Tower.

-----

Ulliceta

Without me knowing, Leythen got Darien to help him contact Mephala. I only got involved because they failed to get into her shrine at the Cathedral of Webs, and called for my help.

Mephala, naturally had a price for her assistance. She could attune a pair of Diamonds for us, but one would be attuned to Leythen, and the other to me. That meant she'd have her agent in the Tower interior, too. It wasn't clear if entering the Tower from Vile's realm gave him any advantage, but she'd take that risk. She was still working with him, at least until Nocturnal was dealt with.

So now I had to go back to Ceporah Tower and persuade the Psijics to give me the Diamonds. I was certain they'd regard themselves as the only safe custodians, so this would not be easy.

---

How many different sides were there now? Four Daedric Princes, each with their own agenda. The Psijics, the Sapiarchs, and the common people, whose interests seemed to be ignored ny everyone else. And of course, they had their own factions, as the three-way contention for the Ruby Throne was still ongoing. Queen Ayrenn apparently had internal opposition in Summerset, as there had been opposition to her decree. Seryn had suggested that the other two alliances were showing signs of internal dispute, too. Slave-holding was still an issue in Morrowind, and Hammerfell would always have remnants of the Crown/Forbear split.

I didn't know it, but I was about to learn of division in the Psijics. A mer approached me, and asked if I'd assist his colleague, Ulliceta. She was at a doorway just around the corner from where I'd arrived at the portal from the Keep of the Eleven Forces.

She had been inside, exploring. but had had to leave, as there were too many undead in there for her to handle alone. She wasn't carrying a staff, and had quickly run out of magicka doing everything by hand. I helped her out with a bit more healing.

"Exploring here?" I asked. "Isn't every part of this island well-known?"

"Well, yes, but this Traitor's Vault was sealed off not long ago, and I wanted to know why. Nobody would answer my questions, so when I found this memory stone in the grand reliquary, I came to find out for myself. It's called the Eye of Remembrance, and I gather it can be used at various places in the Vault to reveal what happened here."

"All right, if it will keep you out of harm's way. What do you need me to do?"

"What luck! I finally found a fellow trouble-maker on this stiff-necked isle! There will be pedestals around the place that will activate the Eye and show some of the events that took place there. I'll be able to join you via projection, and help you make sense of them."

I asked who she was, surprised to find an Orc studying here.

"Ulliceta, formerly of clan Kogg. The Psijics want you to renounce those old affiliations, you see? Don't want that sort of thing to interfere with your dedication to the Old Ways. I've been here something like three hundred and fifty years, and still just an apprentice. Long life comes with the robes. The Psijics don't think you can learn much in a normal lifetime."

"You say there are undead in there, " I continued.

"Yes, and banishing them isn't the most efficient method of dealing with them. Uses to much magicka. You'll do better, just hitting them with a sword."

---

I found the first location fairly quickly, only having to deal with a few undead along the way. There weren't a lot, but Ulliceta had come in here unarmored, and without a staff. The Eye glowed, and showed me a pair of young mages in conversation.

"That's Mannimarco, and Vanus Galerion, founder of the Mages Guild" Ulliceta informed me. I'd heard the name Mannimarco before, or possibly in future. It suggested trouble, and this little scene agreed.

Vanus Galerion: "Just look at this place. How in Syrabane's name did you get the Ritemaster to unlock it for you?"

Mannimarco: "He rightly acknowledged our superior skill. It's only natural that he'd let us work here."

Vanus Galerion: "Well, it's quite a privilege."

Mannimarco: "Privilege? It's our right, Vanus. You mustn't be so humble all the time."

Vanus Galerion: "Oh, not this again …. Come, let's explore further!"

"Mannimarco does seem to have an inflated opinion of himself," I remarked.

"Perhaps not inflated, considering what he's caused more recently. They say he's responsible for making Molag Bal's invasion of Tamriel possible, with the Soulburst. A villain is as 'important' as a hero, and Mannimarco did not care what anyone else thought of him."

I hadn't any experience of the Soulburst, which happened before I arrived, and it appeared that most of the subsequent events had happened on the continent, with islands, even ones as large as Vvardenfell, being ignored. Ulliceta informed me that Auridon had its dolmens, even if Summerset Isle itself didn't.

---

I found a second pedestal and another scene played out before me. The same two elves, and a raised guar.

Vanus Galerion: "What have you done? This is just … repugnant."

Mannimarco: "Oh, Vanus, I would have thought you less judgmental. It's just a bit of puppetry. Nothing but arcane lift and spirit-handling."

Vanus Galerion: "That was a living thing, Mannimarco. You're edging close to a dangerous line. Too close."

Mannimarco: "You sound like the Ritemaster. The only lines are those you draw in your mind."

Vanus Galerion: "I'm not going to …. Please, just find a new avenue of research. All right?"

Ulliceta cut in with her interpretation: "I'd always heard that Mannimarco and Vanus were friends, but this looks like something more complex. It's fascinating! Let's see what else you find."

"I assume that necromancy isn't allowed here, but Vanus seemed more appalled by Mannimarco using it than studying it. Do you think he had some sympathy for the research? If so, that's not quite how I'd pictured Vanus."

"Hard to say from just these glimpses, but I think Vanus' view was that no knowledge was off-limits. The rules should rather restrict how you used that knowledge. Mannimarco, it seems, just ignores rules anyway."

The third pedestal revealed more. In this scene, Mannimarco had Vanus by the throat, and lifted off the ground.

Mannimarco: "You tattled, didn't you? You're a greater fool than I thought."

Vanus Galerion: "You tainted the Ceporah Tower! You're worse than a murderer."

Mannimarco: "Pathetic. Do you expect Iachesis to bind me here? No, he'll simply banish me from the island."

Vanus Galerion: "That won't be enough. You're a beast, Mannimarco. A beast that needs to be caged."

Mannimarco dropped Vanus.

Mannimarco: "Of course you're right. And once I reach the mainland I'll show the world how right you are. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ritual to complete."

Mannimarco then hit Vanus with a blast of magic, flinging him backwards, and the projection of Vanus disappeared.
Mannimarco: "Now, to my masterwork. If Iachesis does not see the genius of my work, he can rot with the rest of them."

"So these are the events that lead to Mannimarco's exile," Ulliceta cut in. "let's keep exploring."

"Exile? That's all they did?" I asked. "It appears that Vanus would not be pleased with that outcome. I wonder if that started his falling out with the Psijic Order."

"I think there was more to it than that," she told me, "but it would certainly be a contributing factor."

I followed through the door the projection of Mannimarco had entered. Beyond it was a chamber containing a giant bone colossus. Nasty piece of work, presumably Mannimarco's. Maybe that was the reason this place was sealed? No, the Psijics could have dealt with this if they wanted to.

Ulliceta told me she hadn't been expecting that, and I should meet her outside to discuss events. When I got there, I found her arguing with an Altmer official.

"I'm tired of you hiding knowledge away, and punishing us when we discover it. Now I understand why Vanus Galerion left here. This isn't safeguarding knowledge, it's hoarding. Denying it to others so you can keep it for yourselves."

"Some knowledge is too dangerous, ..." the other began.

"And you're the exclusive ones with right to determine that? I doubt it."

He led her off to be punished, but I suspected she'd be leaving here soon. That part about hoarding was likely the same thing that Vanus Galerion would believe, and he'd left of his own accord, too.

---

Now I recalled why her name was familiar. I would read in a book, presumably in one of the Oblivion realms where my memory worked. Not very well, as I couldn't remember what the book was about.

[Acadian]

I really enjoyed the insights you presented as you showed us some of the formative time in the lives of Vanus and Mannimarco. Particularly some of the reason Vanus left the Psijic order. ‘Banishing’ Mannimarco simply tuned him loose on Tamriel. And Ulliceta makes a good case for questioning who appointed the Psijics as the arbiters of what should be forbidden knowledge? I can easily imagine the events you showed us planting the seeds in Vanus for the Mages Guild.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Most of that is quoted from the game, but I've added a bit of background for Ulliceta, to establish her thinking being in line with that of Vanus.

-----

Previously Clark had helped Ulliceta gra-Kogg find out why Traitor's Vault was sealed.

-----

Inside the Tower

When I arrived at the Ceporah Tower, I went to Sotha Sil, to inform him of the events in Evergloam. He explained to me why the Crystal Tower was the subject of so much conflict.

"With the Heart in place, it can amplify the energy of the mortals inside it, making it a weapon that any Daedric Prince could use against the others. It would also be a portal between realms that was completely controlled by one of them, so armies could travel in one direction only. The holder of the Crystal Tower could eliminate their rivals, one at a time, with impunity."

"And those rivals include us," I surmised.

"Exactly. I managed to strike a deal with the majority of the Princes that gave Mundus an equivalence to the other Realms. They can't manifest in our Realm with any of their extra powers, and then only by invitation. Similarly, we can't visit theirs without permission from someone already there, and even the Tribunal are subject to the same limits."

"But not all of them agreed?" I queried.

"No, but the majority did, and were able to jointly impose their decision on the dissenters. That must have rankled, and it seems the triad have been looking for a way around it ever since."

"Did the Crystal Tower exist back then?" I asked. "Or was constructing it part of an earlier plot?"

"It did exist. It may be as old as the Direnni Tower, or any of the others. It has probably been rebuilt from time to time, or repaired in a different style, so appearance is nothing to go by. The building is a shell, not part of the function. It just marks the boundary, not creates it."

"The part I'm having troubles getting my head around is unlocking the entrance. Does that need to be done in each Daedric Realm, or just once, and it's open everywhere?"

"The latter. The entrance is either open, or it's not. And because the interior is part of Mundus, daedra from another Realm can't just flood in without invitation. If you were a daedric cultist, however, you could permit passage from your Prince's realm into another."

That all left me feeling a bit easier about what Clavicus Vile and Mephala had proposed. Vile wouldn't get use of the tower, just because we unlocked it from his realm, and Mephala would only have Leythen on the inside. Although Veya and I were working independently, I felt we had Leythen covered adequately.

I didn't fully understand Meridia's motives, however. Nocturnal had told me she was vehemently against necromancy, and would probably get involved because of the Sload. They were out of the scene now, but Darien was still on-stage, and getting more involved all the time. Still, I couldn't see her being an ally of Mephala and Clavicus Vile, so perhaps she was just trying to prevent the same disaster independently.

---

We arrived in Vile's realm out of sight of the Tower, and he claimed that was so that Nocturnal wouldn't see us coming. And that's why he hadn't cleared his Skaafin from our path to the tower, or even bothered to let them know that we were his guests, not invaders. But the opportunity to cheat on an agreement is always too much, isn't it?

We did reach the tower, and the Diamiods unlocked the entrance for us. Before we entered, Mephala warned us that getting inside wasn't all the Diamonds were required for, and fused them into a Resolute Anchor that would ensure the stability of the Tower around us, otherwise we might get it pulled from beneath our feet, leaving us lost between Realms.

"So this will keep us connected to the Tower, if Nocturnal tries to move it?" I asked.

"Yes if you all stay together. The further you stray from the anchor, the weaker its grip."

I couldn't check this information with Nocturnal herself, and I hoped that Mephala couldn't sense me wanting to do so.

The inside of the Tower was not in bad condition, at least here at the bottom. I knew that Veya had made a start on restoring the place, and she'd logically have begun at the base, as everything else rests on it. So I was expecting more evidence of damage as we progressed up the Tower.

What did surprise me was resistance from undead, specifically Sapiarchs. Apparently this was left over from the Sload invasion three centuries earlier. Necromancers like to raise their foes as undead allies, and a lot of them were still here. Another possible reason they had sealed the Tower instead of clearing it and guarding it from within?

Our passage through the Tower was dealing with that problem, but as Nocturnal reminded me, we were also creating another. Leythen and Darien weren't on her side, and so they needed to be eliminated, or at least disconnected from their respective Princes, at some point. She found it promising that Leythen and Darien were prepared to work together against her, as two sides were easier to manage than three. Still, she'd be looking for opportunities to peel one of them off of the group when she could.

"I may have to use Veya for that," she told me. "I haven't told her the real reason we're taking control of the Tower. She just thinks I want it for myself. She's loyal enough that she'll go along with that, and take on my enemies for me. I need to make sure her focus is on one of you at a time."

---

So a little further along, we cam across a gate blocking our path. There was a pedestal on our side of it, and someone at the pedestal could open the gate, but it would close again if they left the pedestal to go through the gate themselves.

"No problem" Leythen told us. "I can work the gate, and once you're through, I can transport myself to you. I don't actually need to pass through the gate itself."

"But you need us on the other side to get there," I surmised.

"Yes, and I can't be the one that goes through, and transports you to me. It doesn't work that way round."

"Let's do that," Darien agreed.

As soon as Darien and I were through the gate, Veya appeared and tethered Leythen to herself, dragging him away from the gate.

"If that's the way you want it," Leythen declared, and he disappeared, taking Veya with him.

"Where'd he go?" Darien exclaimed "We need to stay together, near the Resolute Anchor, in case the Tower ..."

Leythen then re-appeared, without Veya, but with an ominous dark aura around him.

"Um, why are you glowing?" asked Darien.

"I attempted to dump Earl Tundilwen outside the Tower. And I did succeed in breaking her tether, but I may have taken longer than I should have."

"Is there anything we can do for you?" I asked.

"You can't save me, but you can complete our mission, and stop Nocturnal. And tell Valsirenn what happened, when you get back."

---

"That was not the way I'd have wanted, but it was his own choice," Nocturnal remarked. "Darien will be more of a problem, as Meridia doesn't give him that much free rein."

"And don't worry about Veya," she continued. "I can protect her against anything magical. So if there's a fight, just use spells, and you can't harm her."

---

Of course, I couldn't stop Darien from using his sword. I did, however, have an idea how to mitigate that. Nocturnal agreed, and and a confrontation was set up.

"That's my sword she's carrying!" Darien exclaimed.

"It's not yours any more, and Meridia's magic is gone from it," Veya/Earl Tundilwen replied. "If you want it, you'll have to come and get it."

"We'll see about that," Darien shouted and rushed at her.

I joined him, and managed to knock her back with my shield before his blow landed. Veya was apparently stunned, so I followed up with a nice opaque fireball, so Darien couldn't see what was really happening. A bit of careful choreography from Nocturnal had Darien thinking we were beating her down, although she wasn't taking any real damage at all.

She was, however, exhausting her stamina, so this had to come to an end. I knocked the sword from her hand, or maybe she dropped it, and Darien picked it up triumphantly.

At this point, everything went dark. Shadows flooded the room, and Veya disappeared in the gloom. Nocturnal laughed at us - she can do a really evil-sounding laugh when she tries.

"We're not finished yet!" Darien exclaimed. He started to glow, and Dawnbreaker started to glow with him. And then he began to fade again, while the sword continued glowing more brightly.

"Take Dawnbreaker, and finish this," Darien told me before he faded out completely.

---

"Is he gone?" I asked Nocturnal.

"Yes, Meridia has recalled him, and used his remaining power to recharge the sword. It would appear she thinks you and the sword will do better than you and Darien. And that's true, but not for the reason she thinks."

Through the next door, I encountered Veya again. armed with a staff, and ready to use it.

"That won't be necessary, Veya," Nocturnal told her. "It's all over."

"What do you mean? We may have dealt with Mephala, and Meridia, and their agents, but what about him?" She pointed at me with her staff.

"Oh he's mine, aren't you Clark?" Nocturnal laughed.

"Or will be," I agreed. "I do still get confused about how time works. But didn't Veya know that already?"

"I couldn't risk telling her before, or Mephala, and Clavicus Vile could have figured something out. Meridia too, although she was always a step away, and distracted by Molag Bal and his incursions."

"So now would be a good to explain it all," I suggested. "I'm sure there are parts I missed, too."

"If you hear it from her, you'll get a rather biased version," said a voice behind me, and Azura emerged to join us.

Introductions were made, as Veya didn't know her, and Azura picked up the story. And when she'd finished, I was still almost as confused as when she started.

"What happens next?" I asked, hoping that would give me a clue as to where this was all supposed to be going.

"Two things," Nocturnal replied. "The first is to have talks with the Summerset authorities, and get a new protection arrangement in place for the Crystal Tower. One that keeps it occupied with people who aren't in a cult, and will cooperate to keep those out. And I'm not just talking about daedric cults. The Psijics, the Altmer isolationists, and a lot of other exclusive factions are just as much cults to be avoided."

"We think the Guilds may be the key here," Azura added. "Their loyalties are much broader, and include the common people. And that includes the Thieves Guild, and the Morag Tong, and a few others you might not expect."

"The second thing," Nocturnal resumed, 'is to have a party! We need to celebrate, and there's a few loose ends that a good party can help tie up."

"It just so happens that this is a good time for Seryn to have a party, too," added Azura, 'but I won't spoil the surprise by telling you why."

[Acadian]

A very good reminder that no one can fathom the mind of a Daedric Prince.

What an opportune time for Leythan to become infected with a single streak of nobility.

The previous episode and thoughts shared by Ulliceta set the stage nicely for Nocturnal to lump the Psijics in with cults for their somewhat elitist and exclusionary ways.

[ghastley]

@Acadian - Exactly. I'm not sure whether ZOS put that story in there to explain why the Psijics didn't get control of the Tower, or perhaps it was just coincidence, but it fit my narrative nicely. It also lets me use Ulliceta again.

-----

Previously: Crescendo to a final battle for control of the Crystal Tower, and ...

-----

Party plans

When we got done with our negotiations with the Proxy Queen in Alinor, Azura was waiting for me outside. She opened a portal to somewhere, and told me to close my eyes and step through.

"You can open them now," said Seryn.

I found myself inside the gate of a large, almost palatial, dwelling of Redguard style. The air was warm enough to match, but a hint of salt in the air told me we were on the coast, or on an island. It certainly wasn't anywhere I'd been before.

"This is our new home," Seryn announced. "A bit more space than that little room in Vivec City, right?"

I had to pick my jaw off the ground before I could say anything. And then it was a fairly incoherent, "How?"

"I've kept her busy while you were away helping Nocturnal," Azura informed me. "And it's been profitable enough to buy and furnish this place. I need to go confer with my sister, so why don't you let Seryn show you around?"

---

Seryn led me up the steps into the courtyard. There were tables and chairs, crafting workbenches, and ...

"You have staff?" I exclaimed.

"Not exactly," she replied. "They're more concessionaires. The Banker, Merchant, Scrap dealer, ..."

"Deconstruction Assistant, if you don't mind," a voice interrupted from the side.

I looked over and was astonished to find it came from a Mazken. Aderene came from Fargrave, and did a good trade exchanging 'mortal trinkets' for basic materials, she informed me. "And don't flirt with with me," she concluded.

Seryn continued. "We also have a caterer, Keldora, who'll provide food and drinks here in the courtyard. So this is like our own little private marketplace."

Instead of going into the house, we went back the way we came in, down the steps, and headed around the side of the house.

"I'll show you the outside first, because I know we won't get past the bedroom, if we go inside."

She stopped at the corner, and pointed back to the big main gate and the wall at the front of the house.

"Through that gate, there's a bridge off the island into Stros M'kai. The wall connects the rocks on each side of our island to completely surround the place, except for the docks and beach at the back. We'll go there next."

Across from one corner of the rear of the main building was a stable, with just our guars in residence. There was room for a couple more mounts, in comfort. At the opposite corner of the rear courtyard was a tall tower. "Private guest quarters," Seryn informed me.

Stone steps near the base of the tower lead down to the beach and docks.

"Why is there a nude woman on the beach?" I asked.

"Oh right, you haven't met Isobel yet, have you? If you knew her, you'd expect her to be nude if she's on a beach."

"She's not staff, either, I assume."

"No, she's my combat companion. So I can go adventuring when you're not around."

"What's she doing?" I asked. She appeared to be pounding on an Ogrim with a pair of maces, but it wasn't doing anything in return, and it made no sense at all to me why she'd be doing that naked.

"You'd better ask her to explain," Seryn told me, and made the necessary introductions.

"My problem is that I'm too fond of sweetrolls," Isobel began. "Since I have no intention of cutting back on those, I need to burn them off with exercise. My friend Bud told me his trick for doing that. He does the same thing himself to maintain his muscles, as you don't get much exercise from waving a stick around - he's a mage.

"The idea is that you use the heaviest weapons that you have for a skill you haven't progressed. He uses a big warhammer, but I do two-handed, so I'm using a pair of heavy maces instead. You use a practice dummy, like this Ogrim, so your skill doesn't go up, and make it easier. It's always maximum effort, for the best results."

"And you're doing it all totally nude, because...?"

"The whole point of it is working up a sweat, and I don't want to do the extra laundry. And when I'm done, I'm going for a dip in the sea anyway."

Indeed, the sea was only a few yards away. I went down the beach and checked the water. It was nicely warm.

"You can safely swim here," Isobel told me, "but don't go out past those pilings. There are slaughterfish in the deep waters beyond them."

The dock was large enough for small coastal vessels, but larger ships would have to anchor off shore, and send in a longboat. They'd want to avoid the rocks anyway. I could see what looked like a port in one direction, presumably Port Hunding, if my geography was reliable. The other direction was just open ocean.

I left Isobel with her Ogrim partner, and went back up the steps to rejoin Seryn.

"This little Tower is Isobel's 'apartment' here," she informed me. "We furnished it in Breton blue, in contrast to the reds of the main house, which we'll get to later. There's a good view from the top, even when Isobel's not on the beach."

From up there, I could see that the roof of the house was mainly flat, with three large domes on it. Someone had told me that the domes let the hot air out of Redguard buildings, so the inside stayed comfortable. Orcs and Nords might miss their chill weather, but most other races would be completely at home here.

There were stairs leading up to the roof from one of the side balconies, so the roof was part of the available living space, not that we'd need the extra.

"Unless we throw big parties," Seryn added, and I started to recall something Nocturnal had said.

---

My suspicions were confirmed the following morning. Seryn and I came down to breakfast in the front courtyard, and found Azura and Nocturnal waiting for us. Seryn hadn't met Nocturnal before, but this wasn't quite the same as meeting Azura, that first time. I tried to remember when I first met Nocturnal, but I couldn't.

And so Seryn took it all quite calmly when they suggested that the guest list for our house-warming party would include Meridia, and the Tribunal. "Do you really expect them to come to a mortal orgy?" she asked.

"Orgy?" I queried.

"I'm a Dunmer, it's the only kind of party I know," she responded.

"We don't know who'll actually come," Azura pointed out. "Nocturnal and I have our reasons for wanting Meridia to show, but the Tribunal are a different matter. Since you're Vivec's champion, Clark, you need to invite him as a formality, and to notify him where you are. Sotha Sil gets an invitation for his assistance on Artaeum, and you have to invite Almalexia with the other two."

We spent the next hour or two discussing who else to invite.

---

In the end, none of the Tribunal were coming. Vivec didn't want to attend anything where he wasn't the guest of honour, and Almalexia was still annoyed at me. Sotha Sil was busy with a project, but he'd send one of the Apostles in his place.

Seryn had invited Gabrielle, and Azura and Nocturnal were hoping Meridia would bring Darien with her. That was one of their objectives in this whole party plan.

Isobel would have some of her friends from the Undaunted, and maybe Marso and Aurelia would drop by, too.
Seryn had warned them what kind of an affair it was going to be, and she wasn't sure if they were ready for that.

Tythis, Nuzimeh, Keldora and Aderene would either continue business as usual during the party, or join in. Or both, although there was a bit of discussion about mixing business and pleasure not being a good idea.

We'd also have a number of outside caterers assisting. They would have the same considerations, but being hired, they'd give priority to the job, and only join in once that was done.

---

The next issue was making sure all the guests knew where to find us. The Undaunted knew just about all the way-shrines, so Isobel's friends could guide the others, as long as they knew the way through Port Hunding. Seryn assured me that Bud, at least, had already visited, during the furnishing work.

I'd need to go to Clockwork City, to fetch the apostle that was attending in Seht's stead. They didn't know any wayshrines on the outside, and nobody but myself had visited there. I hoped it was someone I knew.

[Acadian]

“Don’t flirt with me.”
- - I love that line of Aderine’s.

"Why is there a nude woman on the beach?" I asked.
-- I was relieved to learn that the naked woman was Isobel and not my elf displaying her ‘water makes her clothes fall off’ nature.

"The whole point of it is working up a sweat, and I don't want to do the extra laundry. And when I'm done, I'm going for a dip in the sea anyway."
-- She does have a good point there.

Seryn and Isobel have been busy forging their new house into a home. A party! And if Isobel has her way, it might be a naked beach party.

[ghastley]

@Acadian Isobel will getting her way ... but first ...

-----

Previously: Azura and Nocturnal helped Seryn plan a celebration.

-----

Party Preparations

Varuni Arvel met me at the wayshrine in the Brass Fortress. She wasn't wearing her usual medium armour, just a thin silky dress that resembled the light armour, without the metal parts. Even her Mechanist's Tiara had been swapped for a more delicate model.

"I hope we're going somewhere warm," she told me. "Sotha Sil said this would be better for this trip, but it's a bit chilly to wear here."

"We certainly are going somewhere warmer," I replied. "You might even find that's more than you need."

When we stepped away from the shade of the wayshrine, and the full sunshine of Stros M'kai fell on her, she agreed.

"It gets hotter than this in the Alik'r desert. At least here, the seas keep the place more moderate. It will be a bit cooler in the evening, when the party starts, too," I reassured her.

As we walked through town, she explained why Seht had chosen her for this 'mission'. He felt that she deserved a vacation, after taking on Gascone's job, on top of her own, during the Shadow incident. Plus, she was good friends with Luciana, and half of this was about her. The Proctor had mentioned to Seht what she'd said to me about that hug I gave her; that it was a bit disappointing with both of us being armored. That had got him thinking about how to improve her sense of touch, and his research needed some more data.

Varuni's new Tiara was a recording device, that would pick up her tactile sensations. She was already getting some new input from the silky material of the dress, that was unlike anything she felt in her armour.

"And of course, Sotha Sil isn't a woman, so he can't use his own information," I remarked.

"He said he'll have to use a whole new method of touch sensing for Luciana's new body," Varuni told me. "The current one uses mechanical devices, levers, gears, etc. He'll replace those with something crystal-based. That's using Ayleid technology, rather than Dwemer. New materials, too. Mythril and Titanium for lightness, and plant-derived ones for flexibility, where thing need to bend and stretch, rather than hinge."

"That sounds like a major project," I remarked. "and all for Luciana."

"He thinks she's worth it, and the research won't just benefit her, anyway."

---

When we got to Hunding's, a few of the other guests had already arrived. I found Ulliceta gra-Kogg at the top of the steps that lead down to the beach, examining Isobel's back. Isobel was as naked as the first time I'd met her.

"The one problem with using weapons you don't have the right skills for, is that your muscles complain when you move the wrong way," Isobel told us.

"Well you did stop before doing any damage," Ulliceta reassured her. "I'll give that a quick massage, and it'll be good as new."

She led Isobel over to one of the rush-seated benches near the patio wall. "Lie down on that, face down, and I'll go fetch some oil."

Ulliceta was soon back, and took off her own dress, and started work.

"Ooh, that feels good!" Isobel purred. "Almost worth the discomfort of doing it in the first place."

"What does she mean?" Varuni asked me.

I couldn't explain, but I could show her. There was another bench next to the one Isobel was using. I told Varuni to lie on that and I'd demonstrate. "No, take your dress off, or the oil will ruin it."

Hmm, no underwear. That saved me the problem of having to persuade her out of it.

Ulliceta glanced over to see if I was doing it right. This was supposed to be theraputic massage, not just fun. But apparently my technique passed muster, and she said nothing.

Varuni filled the silence for her. "I hope the tiara is recording this," she remarked. "It's definitely not the same as hugging in full armour."

Of course that remark interrupted the session a bit, as she had to explain it to the others. Which she did without bothering to put her dress back on. Being naked apparently wasn't an issue for her.

"Come on, we'd better go wash the oil off, before everyone else gets here and wants a massage, too," Isobel added, taking Varuni's hand and leading her down to the beach.

I watched them discuss going in the water, recalling how all the water in Clockwork City was dark and oily, unlike the clear blue ocean here. I hoped they knew a water-breathing spell, as they stayed down a lot longer than I could hold my breath.

Sure enough, when they climbed back up the steps Varuni told me she'd taught Isobel the spell. And it was the first time she'd used it herself; it was just something she'd learned as a precaution.

"Were those things we saw fish?" she asked Isobel. "We don't have those in Clockwork City. And no birds, until Nocturnal's crows arrived."

As if on cue, a gull wheeled overhead, and headed back twords the port. A couple more were perched on the big rock beyond the pilings, but you could barely see them from here.

Isobel pointed out that the fish they'd seen were tiny little ones, and nobody should swim out beyond the pilings, where the slaughterfish lurked. "Those ones won't just nibble at you, and tickle, they'll bite chunks off."

---

I suddenly found myself teleported to the top of the tower. Azura and Nocturnal were there, as were Seryn, Darien Gautier, and a very pretty Breton woman, who turned out to be Meridia.

Seryn was looking embarrassed. She'd invited Gabrielle to the party, without knowing that would be a problem for Meridia.

"It's only a problem because you decided to wear that body," Azura was telling Meridia. "She can't change hers, and you really don't have to change either. Twins look alike the whole lives, not just at one party. If they can work with it, so can you."

"Azura's only doing the petite, but incredibly cute, Breton thing, because there's no Bosmers here," Nocturnal added. "Otherwise she might have picked the same look."

"And because that's what Seryn knows," I added.

Darien was confused. Yes, Gabrielle and Meridia looked just the same, apart from the hair, but what was wrong with that? If anything, he thought Meridia looked better now she wasn't glowing. "But I haven't seen you naked before, either, so that might be swaying my opinion."

"And I haven't met Gabrielle, so I don't have an opinion," I added, being the only other male mortal. "But if she looks like that, I'd probably want to."

Darien looked a bit put out by that remark, but he glanced over at Seryn, liked what he saw, and decided that
this party was going to be good for all of us, if we could bring Meridia around.

"I know you've devoted a lot of effort to getting your 'perfectly ordinary Breton' to have the emphasis on 'perfectly', but there was always the chance that someone could just luck into it," Nocturnal added. "So I'm doing 'perfectly ordinary shrike' because I decide what shrikes can do." And she laughed, infectiously.

"Good point," I added. "Don't all the lesser daedric women get built on the same model? We only have the one Mazken, if she decides to join us, but she'd look just like any of her sisters."

[Acadian]

The party is shaping up nicely. Oil, beach, nakedness. . . . I hope Varuni doesn’t overload the tiara/sensor that Seht gave her.