Sleeper in the Cave, a Morrowind fanfic Options

[treydog]

Your explanation of enchanting strikes me as completely plausible- and makes my characters who make use of it feel much better. I think it also provides some depth to the concept of black soul gems.

Adryn is a treat, as ever, especially watching her and Galbedir circle each other like two strange cats...

So glad you are continuing to write Adryn's excellent story.

[Kazaera]

@treydog - Trey!! I'm so happy to see you back in this thread, thanks so much for your comment! And I have no intention of giving up on writing Adryn ever, even though I sometimes do look at the mountain of plot I still have before me with dismay. Let's remember that at this point she's still only been on the island for one week... ha ha... ha...

I'm glad you liked the soul gem explanation! It's much like you say - if it was really a matter of "you eternally bind this creature's soul to this artifact" I feel like there'd be more of a pushback against enchanting/enchanters, people refusing to use soul gems or enchanting, etc., instead of the general acceptance we see. At the same time, I didn't want to remove the soul from the process completely. This was the compromise. I'm still mulling over black vs ordinary soul gems in this setting, and you may get more detail on them later.

Anyway! Glad you're liking the Adryn and Galbedir show, as it's going to continue for a bit.

Last installment, Adryn got a crash-course in enchanting from Galbedir. We left off as she prepared to turn theory into practice. Now, let's see how she's been getting on...

Chapter 11.5
*****

I went through quite a few of the soul gems until I worked out how to create Galbedir's net. It was an eerie sensation, laying my magicka across the crystal and feeling something flutter against it, like butterfly wings beating against a veil. I ended up silently repeating what Galbedir had told me about souls and enchanting - in particular, that the soul was released on a successful enchantment - to myself several times before I could convince myself to continue.

And once I'd gathered my determination, I faced the most difficult part of the task Galbedir had set me: the actual enchanting.

Several hours later, I'd nearly drained my magicka again, my stomach was growling, and there was quite a pile of newly-enchanted scrolls in front of Galbedir. I'd nearly given in to the temptation to ask her for help once or twice, but my dislike of her, along with her look of utter concentration, had given me pause.

Well, in the end I'd managed perfectly well on my own, hadn't I?

I looked at the bracelet I held with pride. The cheap gilt now glimmered with magicka, and it only took a touch of power to read the Rainshield spell I'd embedded into the object.

In truth, I'd wanted to enchant the bracelet with my Detection spell. I most certainly hadn't forgotten what Gelduin had told me - "people will pay large amounts of money for your knowledge" is the kind of thing that tends to stay with you - and as I worked, I'd hit on the idea that enchanting an object might be a good way to circumvent my teaching abilities, or rather the lack thereof. However, I hadn't been able to get the magic to hold in the bracelet at all. My guess had been that it was too complicated for me, or perhaps that the cheap bracelet didn't have enough "simplices" – whatever those were – to hold the spell. In the end I'd opted for the far simpler and, I'd argue, at least as useful spell I'd learned in Vivec.

"Hmm." Galbedir had come up behind me and was looking at the bracelet. "Not bad," she said, sounding grudging. "Really, not bad. You may have a knack for this."

I blinked. "Seriously? But I destroyed, what, six of the soul gems before I caught on-"

"-and a lot of people never manage that spell. Six is... good. As is getting off a successful enchantment only hours in." Galbedir shook her head. "If that wasn't a fluke, Ranis may have had a good idea here after all."

That sounded worrying. "I thought we were just going to go with this until she reconsidered and let me work with Ajira again?" I pointed out.

"That was the plan, but... enchantment's a rare talent, you know. Far rarer and far more lucrative than alchemy." The contempt in Galbedir's voice was palpable.

I had to admit that that was almost certainly true. Nine knew that in my former career I'd often found myself frequenting enchanter's shops and homes in the interest of... ensuring a fair and equal distribution of wealth in modern society, shall we say. Enchanters were relatively likely to own rich robes, extravagantly expensive jewellery, safeboxes full of septims, and similar items that positively called out for a visit from concerned citizens like myself.

In comparison, alchemists only rarely demanded such a balancing of the scales. The few alchemists one did find rubbing shoulders with enchanters, generally by providing potions to the rich, were almost always in possession of proof they have more money than brains – more commonly known as an accreditation in alchemy from the Arcane University. Needless to say, I wasn't going to be boasting one anytime soon.

No, Galbedir was right – all in all, enchanting was a far more profitable business.

And yet...

"But I want to do alchemy." My voice was tiny.

Alchemy had drawn me as long as I could remember. There was something awe-inspiring about the fact that you could create powerful potions from simple, everyday things like flowers and mushrooms and even common foodstuffs. And it was so fascinating, experimenting with the ingredients to try and unlock their secrets, learning the skills you needed to adjust a potion's duration, strengthen one effect or weaken another, balance out toxins to make sure it was safe to consume - all the many tricks any good alchemist had to develop.

True, enchantment might well have such secrets of its own. Enchanting might be a lucrative undertaking, an enchanter might well be more respected than the common alchemist. All the same...

I remembered the whisper of a creature's soul held between my hands, the feel of its futile struggle against the gem that trapped it...

The gem, and my magicka, wrapped around it like strangling vines.

I'd rather brew the most noxious, volatile potion, one with fumes that nearly knocked you out and a tendency to explode if you stirred it just a moment too long or in the wrong direction, than work with that on a regular basis.

"I'm trying to help you, you know," Galbedir snapped. "Y'ffre only knows why, considering how you've been joined at the hip with that Khajiit since arriving. But when Ranis gave you the assignment, I thought that maybe you'd turn out to be some use once away from that little coward's influence-"

So we were going to have the argument we'd been so carefully avoiding after all.

"Ajira is my friend," I retorted. "She's been nothing but good to me and done nothing but help me, even when doing so put her in danger." The thought of Ajira right now, hiding a fugitive just because I'd asked her to, stoked the flames of my anger. "I don't see where you get off calling her a coward!"

Galbedir's laugh was scornful and disbelieving. "Seriously? You should know better than anyone else. Wasn't it you she sent out to collect flowers for her? I heard you got attacked by a kagouti because your precious Ajira was too afraid to perform her own duties."

My fists clenched. It was true that I'd once found Ajira's insistence on sending someone else to gather her ingredients strange myself, but now that I knew the reason behind it that only made me angrier. "What do you know about it? Besides," a flash of memory, "collecting ingredients is the duty of an apothecary, not an alchemist. Ordinarily, Ajira wouldn't be expected to go out and gather them herself... except that you stopped her suppliers, didn't you?"

The smug grin spreading across Galbedir's features made it clear I'd guessed right. For a brief moment, I found myself wishing I'd given in to impulse when I discovered the grand soul gem last week. The loss of some valuable items would take Galbedir down some much-needed pegs.

"I thought she should be taught a lesson about the world. It's cowardly and childish, sitting safely at home and expecting others to go into danger to get what you need. I collect all my own souls, you know."

Even the grand soul? I gulped, suddenly glad I hadn't given in to my larcenous impulses. Anyone who could take down a Daedra on that order was not someone I wanted to tangle with, thank you very much.

"Although..." Galbedir looked as if she'd had a spark of inspiration. I didn't like that expression at all. "Since you're so insistent that it's absolutely fine for Ajira to sit back on her lazy tail and send you or that Jamie to do her work for her, I'm sure you won't mind if I do the same." She gestured towards the pile of powder that had resulted from my earlier efforts. "You've rather depleted my supply of petty souls. Why don't you go out and replenish it? Since you're fine with running those sorts of errands."

"...replenish?" Surely, she didn't mean...

"Go out with some empty gems and trap some souls. Rats, scribs, mudcrabs and kwama foragers all fit into the petty gems. There's an egg mine just south of Balmora, you should be able to find some scribs and foragers near there, or you could take the guild guide to Vivec and hunt some crabs on the shore-"

The idea of returning to Vivec after what had happened last time was worth heavy protest in its own right, but astonishingly, that wasn't my main problem with this suggestion. "You mean... you want me to kill them?" I was almost certain that was what she meant, but found myself desperately hoping I'd got it wrong anyway.

Galbedir gave me an are you sure you weren't dropped on your head as a child? look. I recognised it because I'd spent quite a bit of time over the last few days giving Varvur the same. Having it directed against me smarted. "Of course, kill them! What, do you honestly think you can trap the soul of a creature that's still alive?"

"No," I said weakly. "It's just that..."

That I didn't particulary want to kill some animal that hadn't done anything to me, for one thing, but there was more glaring problem with Galbedir's course of action.

Galbedir apparently followed my meaning, because her eyes narrowed. "Now you're the one being a coward. None of these creatures are even remotely dangerous - mudcrabs are so slow a sleepwalker could outrun them, and scribs are almost tame. The measliest fire spell will put paid to them."

Not even remotely dangerous? Perhaps it was only to be expected that a Daedra slayer would have a rather skewed viewpoint of these things - needless to say, this did not at all fit with my experience of rats on this island. And true, mudcrabs were easy to outdistance, but their pincers looked strong enough I'd still rather not put myself into a position where I had to.

And that didn't even take into account even less harmless wildlife that might be around, such as cliff-racers, wild guar or kagouti, other hazards like naked Nords and their witches, never to mention, oh, the Blight.

"Are you sure you're feeling quite all right?" I asked. "Because I understand that experiences differ, but what you're describing is nowhere near any semblance of reality as I know it. Do you have a fever, maybe? Any hallucinations?"

"Fine," Galbedir said. She was still smiling despite my rejoinder. I had an awful sinking feeling. "I understand completely. It's not an appropriate task at all, is it? It seems you agree with me that this sort of thing is inappropriate to delegate to other guild members. I've been thinking of making a complaint to the guildmistress about Ajira's abuse of her position - I'm sure you'll sign off on it, then?"

I swallowed hard.

Galbedir had trapped me between a rock and a hard place. Either I agreed to go out hunting souls for her (I wasn't sure whether the hunting or the souls was the more distasteful part of that sentence), or she used my unwillingness to do so against Ajira. There was no way I could let that last happen. And I also couldn't explain why I was far more understanding of Ajira's reluctance to go into the wilds since doing so would mean disclosing some very personal information about her past and her family to her worst enemy and then most likely the guildmistress - something my friend was unlikely to thank me for.

Perhaps if I hadn't been so tired, I'd have been able to wriggle out of this somehow - I'd always been good at arguing people into submission. But in my current state, the only option I could see was...

"All right. I'll do it."

"Oh, really?" Galbedir sounded surprised. That smarted. Had she really thought I'd abandon Ajira so easily? "Well then. Do you know a Soultrap spell? No? In that case, I'll just teach it to you now - it's a simple spell, it shouldn't take long to learn. After that, you can get going. Now watch closely."

As Galbedir began to trace symbols in the air, I prayed I'd find a way to get out of this.

[Kazaera]

Last installment, Adryn successfully tried her hand at some basic enchantment. Alas, the conversation about it ended the very fragile peace between Adryn and Galbedir and resulted in Adryn very reluctantly agreeing to go hunt and soultrap creatures for Galbedir in order to replenish the gems she'd used up. We left off as Galbedir was teaching Adryn the Soultrap spell... now let's see how that panned out.

Chapter 11.6
*****

"-intentional obstruction!" Galbedir snapped, rage in her eyes.

My eyebrows drew together. "Have you considered you might just be a completely incompetent teacher?"

"Oh?" Galbedir managed to infuse the single syllable with enough contemptuous disbelief for an entire conversation. There was a theatre somewhere in Tamriel missing its star player because she'd chosen to pursue a career in enchanting, I was sure. "In that case, pray explain how exactly you managed to learn the basics of enchanting from me earlier today, something far more complicated than a simple, straightforward Soultrap spell?"

I sputtered. "Simple? Straightforward? If you're a professional enchanter, maybe! For normal people like yours truly-"

"Children learn this spell! Children! I've seen a seven-year-old pick it up in less time than you've spent claiming not to understand the first form-"

"You've taught this to a seven-year-old?" I asked, sidetracked. "A spell whose single intended purpose is to cast it on some poor animal right before killing it in order to capture its soul, and you teach it to children? That doesn't seem just a little inappropriate to you?"

"Stop trying to change the subject!"

"What on earth is going on here?"

I spun around, Galbedir a heartbeat behind. Apparently, we'd both been so engrossed in our argument that neither of us had heard Estirdalin come up the stairs.

The Altmer was frowning heavily. "I hope you realise that we are a professional institution. Our customers and visitors should come away impressed by our expertise, skill, competence and – I reiterate – professionalism. Shouted arguments audible through the entire building do not in any way whatsoever contribute to the sort of ambience we strive for, and this one has gone on for long enough I think Ranis is considering knocking you both back down to Associate."

I shrugged at the threat. If being an Associate meant I could work with Ajira again, I'd happily take it. Galbedir, however, blanched. Rank-obsessed, then. Not a surprise.

"It's her fault!" she hissed, far quieter than before. "She's trying to weasel out of her guild duties!"

"Oh?"

"She used up some petty soul gems earlier, so I asked her to fill replacements. A perfectly reasonable request when you consider the sort of duties certain other people are assigning to Associates! But she," Galbedir jabbed a finger at me, as if Estirdalin could possibly be confused as to who she was referring to, "is pretending not to understand-"

"Pretending? I-"

"If you would let Galbedir finish, Adryn? Thank you."

I subsided. Grudgingly.

"As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted," Galbedir shot me an evil look, "she's pretending not to understand a simple Soultrap spell. We've been at this for nearly an hour, and she's still asking me to repeat the basic structure, every single one of her attempts fizzles out straight away! And that when she managed a successful enchantment with hardly any instruction this morning! It's obvious she's not even trying to learn. She just wants to get out of her assignment so she can keep playing with flowers instead of doing real work."

Without even looking at me, Estirdalin held up her hand. My mouth, which had been in the process of forming itself around an angry retort without any input from my brain, snapped shut.

"Thank you, Galbedir, for that... cogent summary. Adryn, if I may have your perspective?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I couldn't let Galbedir's accusations stand, but somehow I didn't think her angry yelling had impressed Estirdalin much. Time to make a better impression and drive it home just how wrong the Bosmer was.

"I know Galbedir claims it's a simple spell, but I swear, it just don't make sense." Despite my attempt at keeping calm, I could feel my frustration seep into my voice. "I've been trying my hardest to learn it. Yes, I admit I don't want to go out hunting souls, but if this is what the guild requires of me I'll of course do my best." A muffled snort from Galbedir's direction meant that was probably laying it on too thick. "It honestly didn't occur to me to pretend," I added, more honestly.

To tell the truth, I wished it had occurred to me. As Galbedir had pointed out, it was an excellent way of getting out of going back into the wilds and attempting to kill dangerous things for their souls...

...never to mention that if I'd been faking, it would make her repeated forceful explanations of how simple this spell was a lot easier on my pride.

But no. Resigned to my fate, I'd given the spell my all, with no success. My new trick with my Detection spell hadn't worked either – even 'seeing' the spell hadn't made the concept make any more sense in my head. I hated failure, and the last hour had contained a little too much of it for my liking. The fact that Galbedir found this spell so simple she clearly considered it inconceivable I didn't understand it just rubbed salt in the wound.

Estirdalin was frowning. I gulped. Was that a 'thinking hard' frown or an 'I don't believe you, let's tell Ranis Athrys you were slacking off?' frown?

"So you say you're genuinely unable to cast it?"

I recognised that tone. It was intellectual curiosity. Thinking hard, then. I wasn't doomed yet.

"Exactly," I answered. "I don't know – maybe Galbedir isn't a very good teacher." Estirdalin's frown deepened, and I hastily added, "Or maybe this morning was just a fluke, or- or something!"

"Oh, I don't think so," Estirdalin waved my explanations away. I stiffened. "But I also believe you're struggling with the spell."

"Really? It's so simple-" Galbedir had perked up when it looked as though Estirdalin was agreeing with her and was obviously not ready to give up so quickly.

"Simple for you, my dear. But different people have different skills and inclinations. And although it's true Soultrap is considered one of the easier spells generally... Adryn, may I ask you some questions?"

I winced. Submit to a second interrogation the likes of the one I'd experienced right after joining? Only this morning I'd have said I'd never voluntarily do such a thing. But when the alternative was Galbedir's slander...

"Sure, go ahead."

Estirdalin nodded her thanks. "I believe that when we spoke before, you said you were quite good at Mysticism." We both ignored the scoff from Galbedir. "Can you tell me more about your experiences learning spells from the school?"

"Well, I actually only knew the one detection spell at the time, but it's one of the ones I use most often and people have always said I'm unusually good with it. It doesn't take much magicka, and," I remembered Gelduin and the Blighted guar, "I'm able to get information from it other people can't. I learned it from a book a few years ago. It took me ages to get it down, I always blamed it on the author..."

After a few minutes, Galbedir turned back to her work with a disparaging sound. Estirdalin, however, kept listening to me intently, occasionally prompting me with another question.

With her help, a disquieting picture began to emerge.

I'd never had an easy time learning any Mysticism spell. The complete block I seemed to have around the Soultrap spell was new, but I remembered how close I'd been to quitting by the time I'd managed to pick up my detection spell... and I'd struggled to learn that teleportation spell from Ervesa. I still remembered the dubious expression on her face, suspected she'd also contemplated declaring me unteachable.

The contrast to other schools was stark. The Firebite spell I'd learned from Arrille just after arriving, the rain shield I'd bought at the Vivec guildhall, the various illusions Ingerte had taught me not long after we met, Sosia's healing spell, today's introduction to enchanting... I'd been very quick to learn all, quick enough that people remarked on it. Even my water walking spell hadn't given me anywhere near as much trouble as the Mysticism spells, and I'd only been a child at the time.

Add to that my failure at teaching Gelduin my detection spell a few days ago. I'd blamed it on my own shortcomings as a teacher, but I'd explained quite a few alchemical concepts to Ingerte over the years and she'd followed well enough.

After I finished, Estirdalin was silent for a long time.

"Well?" I prompted.

"I have an idea as to what might be happening here. However, I'd like to confirm it before I say anything. I'll need to take you through some practical exercises, Adryn-"

"Could you do that somewhere else?" Galbedir interrupted. "Some of us have work to do, you know."

Estirdalin gave Galbedir a long look. "I think you forget your place, Apprentice." Her voice was mild, but Galbedir flinched and ducked her head. "That said... it is true that there is more space downstairs. And I may need to consult with Marayn or Masalinie, or certain books. Come along, Adryn."

Downstairs...

Something nagged at me. There'd been a reason I'd wanted to stay downstairs earlier, hadn't there? A reason beyond dislike of Galbedir and wanting to keep working with Ajira. Something I'd felt I needed to keep an eye on, something to do with... last night?

Yes, last night, something had happened last night. It was oddly hard to bring up my memory of yesterday now, but as I concentrated the memory came closer-

"Now if you please, Adryn."

My focus shattered under Estirdalin's frosty tone. I gave a sheepish apology and hurried down the stairs.

*****

Next

Notes: Uh-oh...

In case any Oblivion or Skyrim players are confused - Soultrap belongs to the Mysticism, not the Conjuration school in Morrowind.

Also, just to whet your appetites, there's a special surprise coming in next week's update! I've been looking forward to getting to it for *years*.

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Mar 26 2017, 10:35 PM

[ghastley]

OK I'm confused. I thought Soul Trap was Mysticism in Oblivion, too. And Skyrim doesn't even have the school, so it's gotta go somewhere else.

I'm new to Morrowind, having only started to play it back in November. So new, I haven't published any mods yet. But, I have played several characters through the early stages Adryn's still in, so I know them better now.

I'm liking the way you include the reasons behind the characters' actions, such as Ajira's relatives, and everyone's experience of the Blight. Plus, the analysis matches my own, so it must be right!

This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 13 2017, 06:34 PM

[mALX]

*****

Notes: Uh-oh...

In case any Oblivion or Skyrim players are confused - Soultrap belongs to the Mysticism, not the Conjuration school in Morrowind.

Also, just to whet your appetites, there's a special surprise coming in next week's update! I've been looking forward to getting to it for *years*.

WOO HOO !!! Can't wait !!!! Awesome to know I'll be meeting Adryn soon too!!!! WOO HOO !!!!

[treydog]

Meant to remark earlier in re the different schools of geometry- no doggie biscuit for me- because I only ever had one course in geometry (mumble mumble) years ago. And although I quite enjoyed it- that means I only know plane, old geometry... (Sorry- couldn't resist).

These installments show the wonderful depth of Adryn's personality- from her pious "redistribution of wealth" (a program Trey completely endorses)- to her discomfort at the idea of holding a dying creatures soul with her magic. And by the way- that was a simply beautiful bit of writing.

And the revelation that our elf is not a mystic is perfectly done- it is so much better than just listing one's skills. Most especially in this case, when Adryn herself has believed that she is skilled in the school without actually ever thinking about it...

[ghastley]

And the revelation that our elf is not a mystic is perfectly done- it is so much better than just listing one's skills. Most especially in this case, when Adryn herself has believed that she is skilled in the school without actually ever thinking about it...

I'm not sure about this. There are influences at work that may be adjusting that balance. I.e. the Ash Statue.

[Kazaera]

@ghastley - Whoops! I thought it had been moved to Conjuration in Oblivion, too. Apparently not. Ignore that comment...

For the record, I'm totally looking forward to any mods you publish out for Morrowind! I sometimes play with the idea of creating some companion mods for Adryn's story (e.g. I've got a partial one somewhere that expands the Balmora Mages' Guild), but I don't quite have the attention span to keep up with it. Anyway, I'm glad to hear we're on the same page with many of the NPCs - breathing some life into the NPCs and making the protagonist seem more like a single person in a world full of them was one of the big things I wanted to accomplish with SitC, and I'm always happy to hear I'm apparently succeeding. Thanks!

@treydog - thank you! No worries on the geometry, it was more of an Easter egg than anything else. I'm glad Adryn rings true to you, and delighted that she and Trey share opinions regarding certain charitable efforts. As for her Mysticism skills...

Adryn's skill at Mysticism, or possibly the lack thereof, is going to be pretty significant and the details are definitely coming as a surprise to Adryn herself. This section will fill in a, mm, certain perspective regarding what's going on there pretty plainly... there's also another piece to the puzzle in here that's not made explicit at all where I'm curious to see if anyone will pick it up on it.

@mALX - I am so glad you're looking forward to this because I'm looking forward to this here we go!!

Last installment, Adryn thoroughly failed to learn a Soultrap spell. Last we saw her, she was working with Estirdalin and beginning to realise that there might be something off about her ability at Mysticism. Let's see how that's developed.

Chapter 11.7
*****

"A learning disability." Estirdalin delivered her verdict.

For a moment, my mind was completely blank. "A... what?"

The afternoon thus far had been frustrating, but all the same I thought we'd been making progress. True, we'd managed to expand the litany of spells I was apparently incapable of with Spell Absorption. Apparently it was meant to mimic the ability of the Atronach-born - I'd had to take Estirdalin at her word for that, because it had made just as little sense as Soultrap. And my flat refusal (in my opinion, justified) to learn Recall had been met by a deeply humiliating interrogation by Estirdalin into precisely how my previous attempts at teleportation spells had gone wrong. She'd been far more interested in that than the fact that I could apparently do more in a single Detection spell than most people in three, which I found distinctly unfair.

And, lest one forget - how could one forget? - all this was occurring in the middle of the Mages' Guild common room, where every other guild member or passing visitor could stop to gawk at my failure.

But I'd learned the last spell we'd tried, hadn't I? True, it had taken a while - an unusually long one, judging by Teleportation Girl's expression - until I got the hang of Telekinesis, but I'd managed it in the end. I figured that meant Estirdalin was close to isolating the problem. Some fundamental misconception I had about how the school worked, perhaps, which she could now point out. Some basic lesson I'd missed, whose lack had formed a hole in the foundation of every Mysticism spell I'd ever cast.

Something that could be fixed.

"Think of it this way," Estirdalin was saying now. "People can be crippled in different ways physically, yes? Ranging from the complete paralysis of a broken back to a weak knee that gives out under stress, from a bad case of rockjoint leaving the fingers forever unable to nock an arrow to someone struck with palsy from birth. Sometimes it has major effects, sometimes only as slight, as isolated a thing as a halting tongue or a weak grasp. So it is with the mind. There are the idiots, but there are also those who simply lack one thing - the brilliant thinker who still struggles to distinguish ayem and geth, the incisive scholar who cannot be trusted with the simplest of calculations... the mages who are perfectly competent in every other area but will never be able to cast anything but the simplest spell in one school, no matter how much effort they put in."

The look she shot me was sympathetic, but not nearly sympathetic enough for the fireball she'd dropped on me.

"But-"

I'm smart, I almost protested, but managed to reword it into something a little less embarrassing just in time.

"But everyone's been saying that I cast those spells I do know really well," I argued. "I've had several offers to learn my detection spell, and she," I jerked my head towards the curiously watching Teleportation Girl, "said earlier that I was quite deft and efficient with telekinesis for someone who'd only just learned it. How is that possible?"

"Actually," Estirdalin said, cruelly crushing my hopes, "this makes it more likely, not less. In general, learning in a magical school progresses along a set path - some students may be quicker, some may be slower, the milestones may be reached in a slightly different order, but overall the stages are very uniform and there are few exceptions. But it's well-documented that when it comes to magical disabilities, unusual effects not usually seen at that stage and uncontrolled flares of power are common. I sometimes correspond with Irlav Jarol on guild business - he's a lecturer at the Arcane University and from what he's said there's a student there who is a clear example-"

"Wait, is this student a Khajiit?" Teleportation Girl interrupted. "One of my cousins is a student at the university, he mentioned her in a letter. Apparently in one of her Destruction lessons half the class ended up at the healers'-"

"Her? I've got a friend who's a guard in that area, she said after the first time that girl tried summoning Daedra half her unit went on strike demanding hazard pay!"

How lovely that a random customer felt the need to weigh in here, I thought, teeth gritted. And that Estirdalin hadn't felt the need to death-glare either him or Teleportation Girl into submission.

"Actually, that rings a bell - Mazi-something, wasn't it? Mazila or Mazoga or something like that, would be in her third year right now? My brother-in-law is an architect in Imperial City, and apparently ever since she started classes their business has almost doubled due to all the repairs. Collatinus says he almost feels he should be paying her-"

Correction: random customers, plural, weighing in. A parade of clowns indeed - it was almost like the circus.

"Oh," Marayn sounded startled, "that sounds familiar, in one of the university dispatches Archmage Traven mentioned-"

"All right, all right," I said loudly, "you've all made your point! You can stop now!"

"You see," Estirdalin, apparently selectively hard of hearing, decided to hammer it in, "such fluctuations and... unpredictable effects are quite common in cases such as yours."

I heard that plural and I resented it. After all, unlike this unfortunate Khajiit in Imperial City, it was only teleportation spells that blew up on me to quite that extent. A fact I was sure I'd find myself grateful for once the humiliation wore off. That should only take another thousand years or so, after all - hardly any time at all.

Actually, come to think of it...

"From what you're saying, it sounds like this Mazi-whatever has difficulties with all her spellcasting," I said, proving that I am capable of being distracted by intellectual curiosity in the most extreme situations. (Ingerte would have said no further proof was needed after the incident involving the rooftop entrance to Shatter-Shield Manor and the impromptu experiments in gravity, but thankfully no witnesses to that occasion were present right now.) "But for me it's only Mysticism. Is that common?"

"No, in fact," Estirdalin sounded thoughtful - I clearly wasn't the only one easily distracted. "In general it affects multiple schools. However, I did some research on the matter earlier..."

She picked up a large book from the table and began leafing through it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Master Friend The Guard and Mistress Brother-in-law The Architect moving away hurriedly. I sniffed. Anyone who fled at the sight of books did not, in my opinion, deserve to have any input. On anything, really, but certainly on my ability to learn Mysticism or the lack thereof.

About halfway through the book, Estirdalin found what she was looking for.

"Ledd's Syndrome. A known phenomenon, it turns out, but very rare. The last recorded case was almost a hundred years ago, and the one before that not long after the start of the Third Era. Both Dunmer, as well - it may be unique to your race. And the description fits exactly: unpredictable destinations in Teleportation spells, unusual effects in all of the detection sub-school, inability to learn Soultrap or any absorption spells... unusual effects in telekinesis spells as well," she read out, "which along with the detection spells use far too little magicka, showing that the disorder must involve an inability to form crucial parts of the Mystic spell matrix." She looked up. "That's why I taught you Telekinesis in the end. I wanted to be certain of my suspicion."

Well, there went any last hope Estirdalin might be mistaken.

"Can I borrow that book?" I asked. Who knew, there might be something about how to compensate...

But Estirdalin was shaking her head. "I'm afraid it's from the restricted library - I couldn't in good conscience let you access it before you reach Conjurer status. Besides, there's very little beyond what I've already told you."

After that statement, she closed the book with a little more haste than I felt truly appropriate, hiding the cover as she did so. Probably worried I'd try to break into this 'restricted library' and abscond with the thing if I knew the title. I'd be offended, but then again exactly that had been going through my head.

It did smart. A private library for higher-ranking guild members which us common rabble didn't have access to was bad enough, but surely an exception could be considered in this case? True, Estirdalin had said there was nothing else of use in the book, but perhaps she'd missed something. Considering more information might mean the difference between a successful career in the Mages' Guild and failure, or - for that matter - between teleporting to the place I wanted and teleporting five miles above the place I wanted...

I suspected Ranis Athrys would be happy with the outcome of this afternoon. After all, I now had a reason to try to make Conjurer as soon as I could.

*****

To mALX: Words really cannot describe how much I love Maxical. She's a beautiful, full character, and her misadventures are absolutely hilarious and generally leave me in stitches. I have to admit I've always felt that Adryn and her must be some sort of cousins in spirit with the amount of trouble they get into and havoc they can cause. Thank you for coming up with her, for writing her, and thank you so much for allowing me to borrow her in this section. I was so happy to be able to give her and her reputation as a scourge of the Arcane University a little tribute in Adryn's story. And I apologise it took me four years to actually get this far!

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: May 16 2020, 02:47 PM

[mALX]

Poor Adryn, what a way to learn there is a cause behind some of those fun incidences we have read about! = Of course, not to say I didn't get some chuckles from her active mind throughout, I absolutely LOVE being privy to the workings of Adryn's mind!

AWESOME chapter, and thank you so much for including Maxical in your story, and for your kind words about her!

[Kazaera]

@mALX - Thank you for your permission to write her! I'm so glad you liked Maxical's little excursion, and the context it happens in.

Last installment, Adryn was informed that she has a learning disability affecting the Mysticism school. She learned this in what she would like to let you know was probably the most humiliating way possible. Comparisons to some Khajiit who is apparently wreaking havoc at the Arcane University were drawn. Let's see how she's dealing.

Chapter 11.8
*****

Even later, I was still reeling from the whole thing. My pride was wounded, of course, but more than that...

Being smart was how I survived, was who I was. Back in Windhelm, I'd been the one who'd come up with the ideas, I'd been the one who'd see a back door in a seemingly inescapable situation. I'd always known that although I'd never be able to fight my way out of trouble, I could think my way out, and that was so much better.

And being smart had always translated to being able to pick up magic quickly, both theory and practice. I remembered Ingerte's admiration of how quickly I'd learned those illusions she knew, her envy of my water-walking, even - bitterly - her impressed whistle when I'd showed off my Detection spell, how she'd claimed it quite beyond her abilities. (Her ignorance, a small voice said now, was probably the only reason she didn't realise it took me far, far too long to learn.) It was a fact of life like my height, my temper, my hair colour, my tendency to jump into things without quite thinking them through - I was good at magic.

And suddenly, that had been taken away.

What else was I taking for granted, what else was I relying on, that wasn't true? Was I really as good of an alchemist as I believed? Ajira thought so, but Ajira was self-taught herself, and I hadn't known her nearly as long as it felt. Maybe I'd fooled her into believing I was skilled, through a combination of flukes and unfamiliar techniques. What if-

A flicker out of the corner of my eye, coupled with a sudden sense of awareness-

I let my magicka snap out to engulf the leather ball speeding towards me. As it stopped to hang in midair, I was very glad I'd kept my telekinesis spell going.

"Hey!" I protested, letting the ball drop to the ground. "I wasn't paying attention!"

"But you still caught the ball," Teleportation Girl, who I was tempted to mentally rename Bombarder-of-innocent-Adryns, responded. "Without paying attention, or looking at it, when you've known that spell for, what. Two hours?"

My eyes narrowed. "You don't have to pretend I'm good at this to make me feel better, you know. " I could hear the self-pity in my voice and was briefly thankful it was late enough the guildhall was - finally - nearly deserted. "Estirdalin was perfectly clear earlier."

Teleportation Girl sighed, putting the ball on a side table. "So it takes you a little longer to learn spells. So what? It's what you do with the spell that's important, and your telekinesis spell is really good already, your detection-"

She was giving voice to the same justifications that had been spinning around my head all afternoon - but I was good at detection spells, I was apparently also good at telekinesis spells, a little difficulty in learning them surely meant nothing...

Somehow, hearing them out loud just made clear how flimsy they were. A little difficulty learning them, really? I'd proven myself completely unable to make head or tail of the majority of the spells in the school, and then one of the few I did know was more dangerous to myself than anyone else. Who was to say my detection spell wouldn't blow up in my face next? Considering the stories of that Khajiit at the Arcane University, anything was in the realm of possibility once magical disabilities came into the picture.

"Masalinie? Friend Adryn?"

Letting my telekinesis spell lapse, I turned away from Teleportation Girl's admittedly well-meaning attempt to make me feel better in order to face Ajira.

"Ajira is very sorry, Masalinie, but she needs a word with friend Adryn," my friend continued.

"Go ahead. Maybe you'll get through to her, she's certainly not listening to me. And," Teleportation Girl's eyes unfocused, as though there was something hovering in midair only she could see, "it feels like Iniel's got someone coming through from Sadrith Mora, anyway."

I followed Ajira into the alchemy lab, wondering what this was about. An attempt at cheering me up through alchemical experimentation? I wouldn't say no, but judging by the angle of Ajira's ears and the bristling of her tail, whatever Ajira had to discuss was nothing so pleasant.

"Friend Adryn," Ajira said in a low voice, coming to a halt in front of the desk in the far corner of the lab. There was a sack tied to one of its legs. I frowned at it. The sight niggled at my memory...

"What are we to do with the statue?"

"The statue?" I said blankly. "What-"

Memory came crashing back. It felt rather like being hit by a very heavy anvil dropping from a great height.

"It. I. I forgot." My voice was a croak. "How- how could I forget, after-"

After the entirety of yesterday spent tracking down a specimen, finally finding one in that dreadful cellar. After the horror of last night, in Shor's name! This morning I'd been close to hysterical thanks to that statue. If you'd asked me, I'd have said its horrifying existence was branded in my memory...

...and yet, over the course of the day my recollection of it had vanished. Galbedir's introduction to enchanting, then all the fuss about my Mysticism skills, all of it had occupied my attention while last night and the extremely dangerous magical object that had caused it had slowly faded away into nothingness in my mind.

And I hadn't even noticed.

"It does tie in with what the honoured Varvur Sarethi said," Ajira said, sounding thoughtful. "He also recounted forgetting about his statue even when there was every reason he should have remembered."

"That's-" Yes, he had said something along those lines, my slowly recovering memory provided as if in futile apology for its disastrous failure. I hadn't thought of it, I should have thought of it when I offered to guard the damn thing-

Distantly, as if through water, I heard the rush of expelled magicka I'd come to identify as a teleportation spell, followed by Teleportation Girl starting, "Welcome to Balmora..." I spared a moment to be thankful she was distracted. The entrance to the alchemy lab was right next to the guild guide platform, and I was on the verge of a panic attack. I'd had quite enough audiences to humiliating moments for the day, or possibly the century, thank you very much.

"Ajira suggests we go to the Temple immediately," Ajira continued. "She knows the honoured Varvur Sarethi believes bringing it to an Armiger is the best chance to clear him, but it is clearly far too dangerous to keep another night."

"You don't say." Cold sweat had collected on my forehead; I wiped it away with a sleeve. "Yes, sure, bring it to the Temple, toss it in the Odai, throw it off a cliff, as long as it you get it away from me-"

"Adryn? Are you in there?"

I blinked in surprise, then turned to face the person standing in the doorway.

Ervesa looked much as she had last week. The main differences were her clothes - giant insect armour having been swapped out for a simple linen shirt, the only decoration a triangle with a letter in each corner embroidered onto its breast - and her expression. The constantly smiling Armiger I'd met on Turdas, who cheated at cards as well as I did and told jokes about her god, looked downright grim.

Ervesa was here.

I didn't think I'd ever been so grateful to see anyone in my life.

"Thank the Nine you're here," I told Ervesa with perfect sincerity. "We have a bit of a... problem. A statue-shaped problem, which I was hoping you knew something about."

"Ajira and friend Adryn were just discussing what to do with the object, as they found it is far too dangerous to keep," Ajira added. "Perhaps the honoured Armiger can assist?"

"If it's the same as the ones I'm familiar with, I can indeed... Ajira, is it?" Ervesa gave Ajira a brief smile. The expression made her look far more like the woman who'd saved me from a kagouti last week. "I'm Ervesa Romandas, and I have to admit I'm hoping it's the same. It's bad enough we have the one, we really don't need another type of extremely dangerous magical statues around."

"Well, ours certainly fulfills the 'extremely dangerous' part of that description," I said with a shudder. "And there's at least one other like it."

"Really? Where- actually, tell me later. Let's have a look at the one you have first."

Ervesa didn't even blink when we showed her the sack tied to the alchemy table. Instead, she reached into a small bag at her side and pulled out gloves, tongs and a sheet of cloth, all shining with the magicka of strong enchantment. Then she turned to the wrapped statue with the air of someone tasked with trimming the fur of a live snow bear. Watching her tug cautiously at the ropes with the tongs, I remembered the way I'd picked up the statue with my bare hands yesterday and found myself feeling rather queasy.

"Yes, it's the same," she said when the red stone was finally visible. "I'll take it to Vivec to be safely disposed of."

I felt as if a great weight had fallen from my chest. "Thank you so much-"

But Ervesa wasn't done yet. "I need to know. How exactly did you come by it, and what made you realise it was dangerous?"

"Well..."

*****

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: May 16 2020, 02:46 PM

[Kazaera]

Last installment, Adryn's bad day was made worse as she was forcibly reminded of the existence of the ash statue... the ash statue that had given her such a terrifying experience during the night, which she somehow (and rather unnaturally) managed to forget about entirely. Thankfully, Ervesa showed up with the world's most perfect timing along with an air of authority Adryn really, really appreciates right now. Let's see how that's going.

Chapter 11.9
*****

The story took some time to relate, long enough that I'd have suggested moving to the common area for a more comfortable environment if not for the statue. Near the start we gained an audience in the form of a wide-eyed Teleportation Girl. Thinking about our guildmistress' likely reaction to the story, I could only hope that she wouldn't blab – especially when I mentioned the fugitive accused of murder currently sleeping on Ajira's floor.

I did consider leaving Varvur out of it, but I wasn't a good liar at the best of times, and with him as integral to the whole story as he was I knew there was no way I'd be able to come up with anything plausible. Besides, the whole reason we had the statue in the first place was to prove that he'd been magically coerced, wasn't it? Hard to do that if we never even mentioned him.

It seemed to be working. True, Ervesa's face had been something of a picture when Varvur's name came up, but she hadn't gone running off to arrest him. Overall, she'd seemed far more concerned by the details of exactly where I'd found the statue and exactly what it had done.

"Well," she said when I'd finished. "I have to say this is even more serious than I'd thought, and that's saying something. As a matter of fact, I think the Temple may owe you major thanks. We've only ever discovered these statues in isolation before and haven't been able to track down how they were being distributed. It sounds like you've uncovered a genuine conspiracy in Ald'ruhn. Maybe this is the opening we need to track them down to their source."

I smiled for what felt like the first time that day. The Temple may owe you major thanks, that was a good phrase. That was a phrase with septims in it. If I managed to not only escape unscathed from this disaster, but get my hands on a reward...

"I'll have to see about a reward later," Ervesa confirmed my hopes, making my smile grow even wider. "For now, though..." She frowned, clearly thinking hard. "I'll send someone to make sure, but since the statue was only here for less than a day I don't think this area should need to be cleansed."

Say what?

I found myself abruptly and brutally torn out of my daydreams of what reward the Temple might offer for such a service. I hadn't realised the Mages' Guild needing to be 'cleansed' was a possibility. However, I was relatively sure that whatever cleansing entailed, Ranis Athrys would not be happy with it... or happy with Ajira and me for making it necessary.

"That's – that's good news," I managed after a moment.

"Yes," Ervesa agreed. "Somehow, I don't think your guildmates would be very happy if we had to close the Mages' Guild for two days straight."

...or maybe Ranis would skip straight past 'not happy' and straight into murderous rage. Judging by Ajira's horrified expression, she agreed with me.

"No... I don't think they would. In fact... could you do me a favour? If it does turn out that this 'cleansing' has to happen after all, and if you visit in a few days and Ajira and I are mysteriously missing, could you check if any unmarked graves have suddenly sprung up in the vicinity?"

"Really?" Teleportation Girl threw in before Ervesa could respond. "Unmarked graves? You think Ranis would leave a body? I've seen her Destruction spells, you know. But I promise to very carefully inspect any ash heaps that suddenly turn up around the guild, if it helps." There was suppressed laughter in her voice, proving that she had not managed to grasp the seriousness of the matter.

"Ahem," Ervesa said, but she was smiling too. Well, I thought with all the charity I could muster, she didn't know Ranis Athrys. She had no idea how dire the situation was. "As I was saying. I don't think this building needs to be cleansed. However, I will need you to come to Vivec with me."

I hadn't thought that Ervesa could come up with anything even more immediately threatening than us accidentally forcing the Mages' Guild to close – and Ranis' reaction to the same – but clearly I'd underestimated her.

"...Vivec?" I asked warily.

My last venture into the city had not ended well at all, could in fact be deemed the ultimate cause of this whole situation. I hadn't been planning on returning anytime soon if I could help it.

"To undergo a cleansing," Ervesa explained patiently. "Although the statues leave traces on their surroundings, it's secondary to the effect they have on people who come into contact with them or sleep near them. It's... like an infection, I suppose you could say, one that progresses in stages. Nightmares, initially, but it eventually progresses to black-outs, strange behaviour, then..."

Ervesa trailed off. I was perfectly all right with this – I didn't particularly want to hear what came next.

"The malign influence can be removed, but currently we're only set up to do that at the High Fane in Vivec," she finished.

"If the esteemed Armiger will permit Ajira a question?"

All eyes turned towards my friend. She shuffled her feet, then went on. "It is not only friend Adryn who has been exposed to these items. In particular, as we have discussed the honoured Varvur Sarethi has been badly affected by one of them. Should he not go to the High Fane as well?"

Ervesa bit her lip. "Honestly? You're right. He should. However, I'm worried that given his current... delicate legal status..." I blinked at Ervesa in surprise – that right there was a euphemism worthy of the Thieves' Guild, "travelling with him would create problems. I'll send someone to escort him later, but it's far more urgent to take the statue where it can be safely destroyed and get Adryn cleansed."

"Wait a minute." I'd been following Ervesa's logic up until the last part. "Why me? I mean, obviously you need to get rid of that thing as soon as possible," I shot the statue a look and had to bite back bile, "but I was only... only exposed for a single night. Varvur was sleeping next to one for weeks and actually killed someone thanks to it. Why am I the one who has to be dragged to Vivec as soon as possible?"

"Ah. By your accounts this Varvur has been away from the influence for nearly a week and is beginning to recover. Although he does need to be cleansed soon, especially because any re-exposure at this point would be... bad," judging by Ervesa's careful intonation, I suspected this was another euphemism on the level of delicate legal status, "it isn't immediately urgent. You, on the other hand..."

"Me?" I felt my stomach sink. Judging by Ervesa's expression, I wasn't going to like this explanation.

"Judging by your story of how you couldn't stay awake last night, the statue has already started exerting control over your mind. And your reports of the statue moving to be closer to you, of its expression changing... I've heard such things before, but only from people in very advanced stages – after the black-outs begin to happen. It's very worrying to me that you reached that point in under a day. I think you're affected strongly enough that you might find yourself controlled the next time you sleep, and I'm not sure removing the statue from your vicinity is going to be enough to stop that. You need to be cleansed of the influence at Vivec as soon as possible."

I felt as if someone had reached inside me and scooped out all my insides, leaving me hollow and about to collapse.

"The next time I sleep? That's all right, then." I said. My voice seemed very far away. "Because I'm never going to sleep again. I've just decided."

"Adryn-"

Ervesa reached out as though to put a hand on my shoulder claws digging into my shoulder from behind-

I flinched back as memories of my nightmare the night before screamed through my head. She sighed and withdrew her hand.

"The cleansing will remove the corruption, I promise," she said, voice quiet but intense. "But we have to go to Vivec now."

For some strange reason, I found myself having no further objections.

*****

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Apr 10 2017, 07:37 PM

[ghastley]

At least for a Mage's Guild member, going direct to Vivec is not a question of traversing all the intervening territory, with attendant wild creatures intent on one's destruction.

On the other hand, there is Trebonius ...

[Kazaera]

@ghastley - Very true! If forced to choose between facing all the kagouti, Blighted guar, nix-hounds, mudcrabs and other dangers lurking between Balmora and Vivec and Trebonius, Adryn would have to think very hard.

Last installment, Ervesa, Adryn and Ajira caught up on events. For Ervesa, this entailed learning about a conspiracy to distribute ash statues in Ald'ruhn. For Adryn, she became aware of some extremely worrying things concerning her current state and general susceptibility to ash-statue contagion. For this reason, she and Ervesa are now off to Vivec to get the statue disposed of and Adryn cleansed ASAP.

Chapter 11.10
*****

Ervesa shepherded me through Vivec to the High Fane, sticking to me like a burr the whole way – and that despite the fact that the journey took rather longer than she'd initially been expecting.

We'd hardly stepped off the teleportation platform in the Mages' Guild and waved away a puzzled Cassia when Ervesa turned to me and said, "All right, now if you just cast the Almsivi Intervention spell I taught you-"

I'd almost forgotten Ervesa was the one to blame for That Spell and all that had come of it.

My reaction was both forceful and immediate. "You have got to be joking."

"What?" Ervesa rocked back on her heels, clearly taken aback. "You cast it perfectly well last time, apart from us accidentally ending up in Suran – oh, if you're worried about that happening again, I know for a fact casting from here will get us to the High Fane-"

Spoken like someone who probably didn't even know what a magical learning disability was, I thought with a brief twist of envy. When I realised where my thoughts were going, I pushed the feeling back. Getting jealous of other people over things that couldn't be changed was a recipe to misery and was, quite frankly, beneath me.

All the same, I'd better disabuse Ervesa of any idea that we'd be taking the short and easy route.

"Oh, accidentally ending up at a different Temple is definitely not at the top of my list of concerns," I retorted. "Accidentally ending up in the manor of a very humourless nobleman who looks rather dimly on intruders, I can say from experience that that's a far more worrying prospect... but the top of the list definitely and absolutely has to be accidentally ending up several miles in mid-air, and since that's what happened the last time I cast this spell I hope you'll forgive me if I'd rather walk!"

There was a moment of silence as Ervesa just stared at me.

"Several miles in mid-air?" she eventually repeated, and I remembered that when I told her how we'd come by the statue, in order to make a long story at least a little shorter I'd left out all details regarding exactly how Varvur and I met.

"I'd almost managed to repress the memories, until you forced me to dig them up again. Yes, several miles in mid-air. I wouldn't be surprised if Varvur will end up afraid of heights for the rest of his life. Oh, speaking of which," I found myself briefly distracted from being indignant, "I really meant it when I said I owe you for that amulet. If I hadn't had it on me, both of us would be a smear on the ground somewhere in the West Gash."

"I... I'm glad it helped." Ervesa said weakly. "But – seriously in midair? That's not supposed to be possible."

Oh, if I had ten drakes for every time I'd heard that in the last few days... and in all honesty, I wasn't sure whether to be happy this afternoon had finally given me an explanation for my unprecedented ability to bungle teleportation spells or despondent at what that explanation was.

"Apparently I have a learning disability, to do with Mysticism. 'Ledd's Syndrome', I think Estirdalin called it.Really rare, apparently, but I guess I'm just lucky that way. Can't cast half the spells, and the other half are prone to going... awry." All right, despondent it was.

"Really? I wasn't expecting- that's interesting." Ervesa paused for a long moment, looking thoughtful. I was about to demand what, exactly, was so interesting about my misery when she visibly gathered herself. "Well, we need to get going. It sounds like teleportation is out of the question, so in that case we'll catch a ride on a gondola. Come on, the dock for the Foreign Quarter is this way."

I'd been worried about a repeat of my last attempt at trying to find my way around Vivec, but Ervesa swept along corridors and down stairs with the ease of a native. In what felt like no time at all, we were seated in a long flat boat whose captain was steering it through the maze of boardwalks and boats with surprising speed – helped, I suspected, by the purple glow of magicka around the stern. When I craned my neck, trying to figure out how it worked (my guess was either a modified water-walking or shield spell, but which one and how did he get it to propel us forward?) I was met with a glare and spate of Dunmeris.

"He says it's a trade secret," Ervesa translated. Her face was just a little too even, and I suspected that what the man had said had been a great deal less polite.

Fine. No free exchange of information between two comrades in the fellowship of mages, then. See if I'd tell him about my Rainshield spell.

Ervesa continued pulling me along when we reached the High Fane, giving me only a brief glimpse of the two spires reaching into the heavens, the palace beyond them, the- was that giant rock actually floating?

I was on the verge of contemplating a second attempt at sight-seeing later – arguably an initial symptom of madness, if you considered how the last one went – when we stopped in front of a low door adorned with a brass plaque just past the entrance. As Ervesa knocked, I read: Dileno Lloran, Disciple of Vivec.

My first thought – that this set-up looked like it belonged to someone rather important – was quickly confirmed. The tall, severe-looking woman seated at a desk in the room we entered might have been wearing robes plainer than mine, but she wore them with the unmistakeable air of a religious devotee who knows her choice in clothing makes her morally superior. It was an air I'd learned to recognise early in my time at Kynareth's orphanage, and I found myself a little amused to encounter it again here. It seemed some things didn't change much between religions.

"Ah. Tathavis Almsivi-lloru, Ervesa nidresu-" the woman's eyes flicked over to me and my blank expression, and she shifted smoothly into Tamrielic. "I'd like your report, if you would."

A second point in favour of my theory that a "Disciple of Vivec" was a rather high rank: the way the woman effortlessly took control of the situation. Only minutes later found the statue sitting on the floor inside a gleaming nimbus of magicka, Ervesa perched on a chair in front of Lloran's desk being debriefed, and me being bustled off by a junior priestess. I'd have rather liked to stay in order to watch the statue be destroyed with my own eyes, and Ervesa had protested that she wanted to accompany me (proof of a highly over-developed sense of responsibility, I thought, since there were so many bigger worries right now), but it was no use. The experience was a little like being faced with a natural disaster shaped like a woman – your only hope was to hold on as tight as you could and work out where you'd ended up after she was a safe distance away.

"This way, please," the novice prompted.

With a sigh, I followed her down the corridor. Apparently I hadn't reached a safe distance quite yet.

*****

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Apr 15 2017, 09:40 AM

[ghastley]

I believe that in Morrowind, if you are a "safe distance" from everything, it just means that's room for cliff-racers to swoop down.

And more of them than usual.

[Kazaera]

@ghastley - Very true! I'm not sure there is such a thing as somewhere safe from cliff racers on the whole island, but there are definitely spots even less safe than others.

Last installment found Adryn and Ervesa making their way to the High Fane in Vivec. Last we saw, Ervesa was getting debriefed by a Temple higher-up and Adryn was being hustled off by a junior priestess. Let's see what she's up to...

Chapter 11.11
*****

Several hours later found me trailing after the novice again. A sufficiently flighty observer might think that we'd spent the whole period wandering through the maze of corridors that made up the lower levels of the High Fane. I did have to admit would be well within the realm of possibility; let's just say that I was glad I had a guide, as I felt my other only option would be to starve to death and haunt the underworks, unable to find my way out even to the afterlife. That said, some changes had occurred in the interim. Among others, I was clad in an undyed wool robe (with the unfortunate suspicion that I'd never see the clothes I'd been wearing originally again) and my hair was wet.

Apparently spiritual cleansing functioned much like earthly cleansing, or should I say the cleansing of earth? This version of it had definitely involved me making close acquaintances with a large round pool of milky water that smelled strongly of minerals in a chamber deep within the Fane. The temperature would probably have been scalding for anyone other than a Dunmer, and I had to say I was really coming to appreciate the way Morrowind handled water temperature. I didn't think I'd had a properly hot bath in my entire time in Skyrim.

Really, it might have qualified as pleasant experience overall, certainly a welcome change from trying to see to my daily ablutions with a bucket of water and a Firebite spell in the tiny washing alcove off the guild sleeping area... except that there had been something else in that chamber. Something that left the air so heavy with magicka it was almost impossible to breathe, raised goosebumps on my skin, had me twitching and jerking around because I thought I'd seen a glowing shape rise from the water out of the corner of my eye...

...filled my ears with a low humming that seemed to spring more from my mind than my ears, one that drowned out the whispers I hadn't even realised I'd still been hearing.

The power of Vivec, they said. Well, it had made me wonder about this god. I certainly couldn't recall feeling anything like that banked power in any shrine to the Nine.

Up ahead, the novice turned her head to make sure I was still following. On discovering she hadn't managed to lose me she looked, I felt, inappropriately disappointed. I answered with a glare.

And that had been the other reason I'd prefer to forget about the whole cleansing experience: the audience.

The, if you asked me, wholly unnecessary audience. Sure, there had been chanting and spell-casting and drawing runes and all the other hallmarks of a major magical ritual but, I ask you, would it have been so hard to do it with me behind a curtain?

More to the point, I'd asked her. At length. The answer hadn't changed, did however come delivered with an increasingly shorter temper but longer digressions on cultural relativism with respect to nudity taboos, in particular how Morrowind culture was clearly superior to all others in this regard. This had included a lengthy diatribe about how preferring not to display certain parts of one's body to all and sundry proved one was ashamed of one's natural state and hence deeply spiritually flawed. I'd risen to the bait, and...

...suffice it to say that I didn't think we were going to be friends.

"Here we are."

I looked up to see the novice had led me back to Lloran's office. She gave a contemptuous sniff as she looked me over. I gave her a glare back, but my heart wasn't in it. I'd secretly worried that after our altercations, she'd abandon me in the maze, and 'lost spirit stuck on Mundus' just wasn't particularly high on my list of prospective careers. However, I remembered that this office was just a short walk down from one of the entrances. Even I should be able to escape from here.

"Come in."

After meeting with Ervesa's superior one more time, of course.

The office had changed significantly since I'd left it. Oh, I am certain some people would disagree with this assessment. They might point out the fact that the furnishings remained the same, that no structural changes had happened, that even small decorations were still in their prior location. Of course, said people would be fools. Such trivialities as tables, chairs, wall-hangings and carpets being entirely unchanged vanished into nothingness before the following: the statue was gone, Ervesa was gone, and the high-ranking Temple member who'd previously clearly thought of me as little more than a mer-shaped inconvenience had her full attention fixed on me.

"Have a seat. Your name is Adryn, correct?"

As I slid into the chair I'd last seen Ervesa in only hours before, I found myself feeling distinctly betrayed. When we'd arrived I'd been packed off before introductions, which meant someone must have told her my name. From where I was standing, the only possible culprit was Ervesa.

I told myself I was being irrational - this woman was clearly Ervesa's superior, after all, and considering that by the sounds of it I'd done the Temple a serious favour there was no reason this woman should do me any harm - but the feeling stayed. I didn't like powerful people knowing who I was, especially when I didn't know what else Ervesa had told the woman.

The woman who was apparently waiting for me to confirm my name, eyebrow raised in question. I gulped. There was something rather ominous about her air of polite patience.

"Um, that's correct. I'm Adryn."

"And your clan name?" The feeling that Lloran's patience was finite and I would not like it when we reached its end intensified.

"I don't have one." For the sake of self-preservation, I throttled the exasperation that always rose in me at this line of questioning. (It wasn't even the first time today!) "I never knew my parents, and there isn't anyone I could ask."

A simple explanation of a very complicated childhood right there.

"Really." For a moment, the feeling of impending doom hung in the air. Then it vanished. I guessed with some relief that Lloran had decided I was being honest. "A tragedy, to be severed from your ancestors so." She bowed her head. "You have my deepest condolences." Her mournful tone wouldn't be out of place at a funeral.

"Uh, thanks?" I hazarded, rather unsettled by this reaction. Sure, being an orphan with no family had never been a walk in the park, but I liked to think I'd done reasonably well for myself. And in my experience, the "look at the poor deprived parentless child" reactions die down once you reach teenage years. This was really quite excessive.

What was worse was that the novice had reacted in the same way after I told her I couldn't give her any names of my ancestors for her spells... and that had been after the heated discussion on comparative theology. Pity is never a pleasant thing to find yourself on the receiving end of, but pity from someone who you'd have said wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire is downright worrying. Getting the same reaction now left me feeling defensive and off-balance.

"Perhaps we may speak of the kinfinding services the Temple offers later," Lloran continued. "Business must come first, though."

"Business. Sure." That sounded like far safer ground to me. Then I became suspicious. "...What business, exactly?"

"First of all," Lloran said, "you will be relieved to hear that all traces of the Sharmat's corruption have been purged from you, and that the ash statue that caused it has been destroyed."

Relieved was an understatement. However, some natural caution remained.

"So the- corruption, as you called it - is definitely gone? I'm not in any danger of-" I stopped, unable to bring myself to say the last few words.

Lloran understood what I meant, however. "Definitely gone," she confirmed. "You were lucky - if the evil progresses far enough, it becomes irreversible, but at your stage it could still be washed away by the holy waters of Vivec and the blessings of the ancestors."

Irreversible?

Well. That right there was a piece of information Ervesa had left out when she'd discussed my state in Balmora. Probably because she'd figured that it would only spur me into mindless panic.

"I do have to warn you that your experience will make you more susceptible to the Sharmat's influence from now on, and that if you ever come across an ash statue again you should remove yourself from its vicinity and contact the Temple immediately." Lloran paused. "Although I suspect that at this point, you would do so regardless." Her voice was dry.

"You can say that again." I was seriously beginning to wish I'd never thought of breaking into Hanarai's home, never agreed to help Varvur, never even met Varvur-

"Ervesa told me how you came by the ash statue," Lloran said, distracting me from my mental diatribe at the mer who'd gotten me into this by confirming my worst fears about Ervesa's discretion, "but I'd like to hear it in your own words all the same."

Truth be told, at this point all I wanted to do was stagger to a bed - my bed at the Mages' Guild, preferably, but any bed not beset by ash statues would do, and in fact the ground was looking increasingly comfortable. However, it was clear by Lloran's tone that this was not a request.

I sighed and began, for the third time in two days, to explain exactly how I'd come by the statue. The process was not made any easier by the fact that my audience was one of the sort beloved by teachers but definitely disliked by anyone who was beginning to eye the carpet and wonder how soft it would be: an audience who thought. An audience who asked questions.

"How exactly did you work out it was Hanarai Assutlanipal the statues originated from?"

"Why did you choose to investigate her home on your own instead of taking your proof to the guards?"

"Can you remember the exact words you heard in Assutlanipal's cellar?"

"Ervesa mentioned you have a... condition... which causes you difficulty with Mysticism spells. Can you elaborate?"

At that, I tried to protest - not only was it not at all relevant to Hanarai Assutlanipal, Galtis Guvron and the statues, but I'd been subjected to more than enough humiliation regarding that particular subject for one lifetime, thank you very much - but my objection didn't make it far.

"I consider it relevant. Ervesa mentioned it, and it is unusual. Anything unusual in connection with these statues bears investigation."

I frowned. Her voice was hard and left no room for protest, but I thought that she'd glanced away for a moment when she'd said that... as though she wasn't telling me everything.

Well, considering she was a high-ranking priestess privy to any number of secrets and I was a mere peon of a heathen non-believer, it would be a surprise if she was telling me everything. Still, I couldn't imagine what relevance my newfound learning disability (I hated that that thought was getting more familiar) had to anything. I must have imagined it - Divines knew I was tired.

By the time she stopped, a whole sheaf of parchment on her desk was covered in notes, the candle had almost burned down and I was swaying in my seat from exhaustion.

"Very well. Now, Ervesa tells me you are staying at the Mages' Guild in Balmora?"

I nodded. Dipping my chin was far easier than raising it again, I noted fuzzily. I wondered if the priestess would be very insulted if I simply fell asleep right here. It was, after all, the place I suspected I'd be safest from statues in all of Vvardenfell. No tendril of malign influence would dare approach the woman.

"It's far too late to return there tonight, I'm afraid, and in any case I might have more questions for you tomorrow. I've arranged for a bed for you in the novices' dormitory tonight, and we will see what the morning brings."

The only word that made it through to my tired brain was bed.

"That's-"

A loud knock on the door made both of us look up. A moment later, it opened to show one of Master Grumpy's fellows.

Lloran frowned. "I am quite certain I asked not to be disturbed, Brother Ordinator."

"My apologies, Disciple, but it is urgent."

"Ah! Do you bring news from Ald'ruhn, then?"

Despite my exhaustion I found myself leaning forward in my chair to listen. Through the questioning, I'd managed to gather that someone had been sent to Ald'ruhn to investigate my story and arrest Hanarai Assutlanipal and Galtis Guvron if confirmed. I had to admit I was rather invested in the outcome. Varvur's freedom was at stake, of course, but even aside from that I'd feel a lot safer with both those mer behind bars.

"Ald'ruhn?" The Ordinator sounded confused. "No, I'm here on Brother Suryn's orders." That expressionless mask turned to stare in my direction. "You are the clanless known as Adryn, recently of Windhelm?"

Wait, he was here for me?

I had the terrible sinking feeling that I'd forgotten about something important.

"Yes, she is," Lloran answered for me. I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to yell at her for so easily letting my identity slip to law enforcement - you never give the guards anything! "Now, what is this about-"

Quick as a snake, the Ordinator's hand shot out. Tired as I was, I wasn't able to evade the cold metal he clasped around my wrist, and found myself choking out a gasp as my magicka began to drain away.

"You are under arrest for the murder of Ordinator Selman Relas. Please come quietly."

*****

End of chapter

Next

Notes: ...

And a happy Easter to anyone who celebrates it!

This post has been edited by Kazaera: May 16 2020, 02:49 PM

[ghastley]

Now that's something I'd do - making the murdered Ordinator one of the game's unimplemented NPC's. Nice touch!

I admit I had to look that name up, and Suryn, as well, not having played enough to encounter him directly.

[Kazaera]

@ghastley - I'm of the opinion that Morrowind has SO MANY NPCs that there's huge potential there for fic-writers. When it comes to adults who are present in Vvardenfell I strenuously try to avoid creating genuine OCs in favour of rehabilitating NPCs, especially those who get zero interesting dialogue/quests or (as in Selman's case) never even got added to the game in the first place. This is fun, and actually sometimes leads to extra information about characters for the curious reader - we'll learn something about someone in this chapter that was there on their UESP page all along, and there's a major hint about the origin of Adryn's learning disability similarly "hidden". Anyway!

Last chapter, Adryn did not have a good day. It started off with a horrifying dream caused by the ash statue, went on to severely damage her confidence in her magical abilities via discovering she had a learning disability in what Adryn thought was a really unnecessary humiliating way, and then culminated in her getting arrested for murder. Yikes.

All that said, Adryn - currently stuck in jail - is having a rather boring time of it right now, and I don't want to put my readers to sleep. So instead of looking at how she's doing, let's have a look at some of the people around her instead...

Interlude I
*****

"Father, I can't breathe." Despite his aggrieved words, Varvur made no motion to free himself from Athyn's embrace.

"Have some pity for a worried parent, Varvur," Athyn responded. "Your mother and I have spent weeks wondering if we'd ever see you again."

He gave his son one last squeeze, then reluctantly began to disentangle himself. Finally he stood in front of Varvur, hands on his shoulders – and when had Athyn started to need to reach up to do that, anyway?

"Speaking of Mother, where is she?" Varvur's tone was a credible imitation of a true teenager who found his parents deeply embarrassing and was certainly far too old to need their reassurance, but Athyn, who'd noticed his son's anxious glances, wasn't fooled. Not so grown-up as all that, then.

As for Domesea...

"I'm afraid I rather made a point of not knowing," Athyn confessed. "When we heard about your arrest by the Archmaster's guards, she went straight to the armory – I decided it would be best to have plausible deniability. I'm sure she'll hear about your release soon enough. At the latest, when she has Bolvyn Venim at swordpoint." He shrugged with all the equanimity of long years of marriage.

"Mother," Varvur groaned.

"That said," Athyn continued, "there is someone else who'd like to greet you. Although I think she's not too happy with you right now." He finally let go of his son entirely and turned around. "Meryni?"

The figure who'd been sulking in the background came forward upon being addressed.

"Varvur, you missed my birthday!"

That foot-stomp would no doubt be a fierce, ground-shaking thing one day, Athyn mused. She was a little too small to have much effect with it right now, though.

Varvur crouched to get on a level with the girl. "I'm sorry, Meryni," he said sincerely. "I wanted to come, I promise, but an evil warlord kidnapped me to keep me from being with you on the day. I tried to fight my way out to you, but I didn't quite manage to free myself in time. Will you forgive me?"

"Well..."

Meryni clearly had to consider this very thoroughly. Athyn bit back a smile.

"All right," she finally said, in the tones of one bestowing a great favour. "If it was an evil warlord, I suppose."

Then she threw herself at him.

Varvur visibly relaxed as his arms closed around his sister. In that unguarded moment, Athyn could see all the exhaustion, stress and pain of his captivity written on his face.

Athyn Sarethi liked to think he was not a violent man, but that instant he found himself wishing fiercely for ten minutes alone with Bolvyn Venim and his mace.

After a few moments, Varvur straightened, his little sister held against his hip. Declarations of anger aside, Meryni looked perfectly content snuggled into his hold. On seeing his children like that, something within Athyn relaxed for the first time in weeks. Meryni was too young to truly understand why her brother had been gone, and her distress at Varvur's absence had torn at Athyn's heart.

"So," Athyn asked his son after a moment. "What happened?"

"What happened... you mean with- with Bralen and-"

"No, no." Athyn interrupted. "I mean your daring escape from the evil warlord's clutches, of course." He shot his son a smile, and was glad to see it returned after a moment – even if Varvur's was still far fainter than he'd like.

Later, Athyn thought, there would be time to talk about the rest of it. About poor Bralen's death, about the team from the Temple that was right now turning his home upside-down in the name of 'cleansing' and whatever it was they'd removed from Varvur's quarters... about the shadows that lingered in his son's eyes and the disturbing tale borne to him by that young Armiger who'd come to inform him of the law finally recognising Varvur's innocence. But not now, not in the midst of what should be a happy reunion, and absolutely not with Meryni listening.

Judging by the glance Varvur shot his sister, he felt the same.

"My escape. Well. It started when two thieves showed up at the door to my cell..."

After a while, Meryni wriggled free and ran ahead; apparently the story didn't contain enough adventure and heroic derring-do for her. Well, Athyn thought while keeping an absent eye on the small figure, even if his daughter wasn't satisfied, it certainly contained more than Athyn himself had expected. Fair maidens, a battle with a fierce barbarian, a conspiracy uncovered - Varvur had been busy.

"...and then the Ordinator told me I'd been cleared of all charges and was free to go," his son finished.

Up ahead, Meryni was balancing on the rail at the edge of the canton. Watching her while he gathered his thoughts, Athyn had to fight down the urge to run and fetch her down. They were on the lowest level, after all – if she should slip, a dunking would do her no harm. Athyn knew he would do his daughter no favours by seeking to wrap her in wool.

"Are you- what do you think?"

The naked uncertainty in Varvur's voice made Athyn turn, surprised. He wasn't sure he could ever remember his son sounding so unsure of himself.

"What do you mean?" What's wrong?

Varvur didn't meet his gaze. "Are you... ashamed?"

Athyn found himself momentarily speechless.

His son seemed to take his silence as agreement. "I didn't manage to escape on my own," he whispered. "I had to be rescued. And then I didn't even participate in the investigation-"

"Varvur-"

"-no, I hid in Ajira's house like some cowardly Hlaalu-"

"Varvur-"

"-sat playing games with a kid while other people risked their lives for me-"

"Varvur!"

Finally, Varvur stopped. The look of sheer misery on his face remained, however. It was clear that he'd managed to think himself in such a tangle a simple reassurance that no, Athyn was not ashamed of him (what an idea!) wouldn't suffice.

Athyn decided to try logic instead.

"Do you think Buoyant Armigers are weak, when they do not patrol Red Mountain alone?"

Varvur's brow furrowed. "No, but-"

"Or myself, if I call on our honoured ancestor Sarethi-Tavano to aid me against my foes?"

"Well, no-"

Athyn could still hear the doubt in his son's voice and readied the killing blow.

"How about Saint Nerevar? He sought out the Dwemer as allies against the Nords. Should I call him a coward for that?"

"Of course not!" Varvur bristled at the aspersion cast on his hero. "He did what was necessary at the time to free Morrowind!"

"Exactly!" Feeling victory at hand, Athyn pressed his point home. "Varvur, the stories Redoran tells of lone heroes against overwhelming odds are all well and good, but all too often the lone hero falls where a group triumphs. You think your story shows you in a bad light because others did much of the work. Do you know what I heard in it?"

Varvur shook his head.

"I heard that you waited without despairing, grasped the opportunity to escape when it came, made allies among people strange to you, and pulled all this together to get out of a situation I'm not sure I'd have managed to escape. A disappointment? Varvur, I don't think I've ever been so proud of you in my life."

The desperate hope in Varvur's face was painful to see. "Really?"

"Really." Athyn considered for a moment, then gave into temptation, reached up, and ruffled his son's hair. Over the yelped protest, he said, "Also, as far as doing nothing is concerned, I seem to remember something about you doing your best to save two defenseless women from a rampaging barbarian."

Varvur flushed. "Well, one of them wasn't quite so helpless-"

"Which you didn't know at the time, and when it sounds as though she couldn't have done anything without you to draw the threat away. My argument stands."

"I suppose." Although Varvur's words were doubtful, he looked lighter, as if some great weight had fallen from him.

Ahead, Meryni had reached an Ordinator. Athyn watched the interaction carefully – true and honourable they might be, but Ordinators had always been notoriously rigid and unbending, and even more than that Athyn did not like some of the stories he had been hearing out of Vivec of late. Here, thankfully, there seemed to be no cause for concern, as the masked figure bent down to Meryni with grave patience. The level of indulgence on display made Athyn suspect the mer might be a fellow parent - a reassuring idea indeed.

"So," Athyn said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "Tell me about your new allies."

"Well..." Varvur visibly gathered his thoughts. "Jamie is an honourable sort, I think."

"Jamie being the one in the Fighter's Guild?"

"Yes. She mentioned she'd joined the Imperial Legion before, up in Gnisis, but left because they ordered her to do something dishonourable."

Athyn frowned. The Imperial Legion demanding something dishonourable? In Redoran lands, no less? That was worrying indeed. He'd have to look into it... but later.

For now, he said, "I'm surprised she joined the Fighter's Guild, then. Mercius may be reasonable, but one healthy limb is no use when the heart is poisoned."

"I get the impression she didn't know," Varvur said. "From what Adryn said, she was certainly quick to side with the victim when they sent her to collect... 'debts'." Varvur spat the word.

A move that spoke volumes. Yes, it sounded as if Varvur had the measure of this Jamie... and Athyn had a good idea of how to reward someone like that for her part in his son's escape from Venim's trap.

Now, for the others.

"This Adryn is the girl who freed you from the Archmaster's Manor, correct? What about her?" Athyn prompted.

He watched in surprise as his son went puce.

"Her? She's a dishonourable, cowardly thief! Interrupting a fair fight – by attacking my opponent with magic from behind! – prepared to simply walk away from a man in need, mocking the very idea of honour, of responsibility-"

Varvur took a deep breath, then another. His voice was notably quieter when he continued, "...and I owe her my freedom, my sanity, quite possibly my life, she risked her own in the process, and I still have no idea why she chose to get involved."

Well.

Athyn doubted his son would have had the presence of mind to recognise that second part before his ordeal. Varvur had certainly grown in both spirit and maturity during his absence.

Athyn suspected he owed this Adryn significant gratitude for that in itself, without even taking into account the rest of it.

"So, what do you think-"

A squeal from up ahead interrupted Athyn. Meryni. His head snapped up.

"Um..." The chitin-clad figure his daughter was barrelling towards – a rather familiar figure, come to think of it – seemed rather taken aback. "Hel – oof! - hello there, it's nice to see you too, I need to speak to your father... ah... if you could maybe let go..."

The Armiger – Romandas, that was her name – plucked ineffectually at Meryni, who responded by hugging her legs even tighter. As Athyn neared, he recognised the helpless expression of an adult who spent almost no time around children and thought of them as half extremely breakable porcelain figure, half unknown species of Daedra.

"Meryni, let go of Armiger Romandas at once. Do you want her to think House Sarethi consists of Nord barbarians?" Athyn scolded.

The heartbreak on Meryni's face as she disentangled herself was only matched by the relief on the Buoyant Armiger's. "But Father! I want her to tell me stories about battling evil on Red Mountain!"

"I'm sure she'll be happy to do so later." Athyn cheerfully ignored Romandas' expression saying she would be no such thing. "For now, I believe she said she had business with me?"

"Yes, and urgent at that." Now that Meryni had let go of her, the Armiger's tone was grave, and Athyn felt his heart sink. She brought ill news, he could tell, and he'd had his fill of that and more in the last few weeks.

Could he not have this one day to reunite with his son, unmarred by disturbance and disaster?

Athyn strangled the selfish thought almost before it had formed. He was Redoran. Duty was engraved in his blood and bone.

"Go on, Armiger Romandas," Athyn said.

"It's about Adryn..."

*****

Notes: Now taking feedback on the new POV(s)! It's a temporary thing, but I'm a little nervous about it anyway.

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Apr 29 2017, 11:10 PM

[ghastley]

Since your character cannot be everywhere that related events are taking place, you have to decide if you'll tell that part directly with a different POV, or have that related to your character by someone who was present.

The latter requires it be directly related to the protagonist, which won't always be the case. Character-building for secondary characters is often the sort of thing that can only be done in asides like this one.

I'm assuming, of course that Varvur and Athyn et al. deserve this treatment, but we'll find out later, won't we?

[Kazaera]

@ghastley - The question I struggled with was more "do I show the readers this at all?" I opted for yes in the end, because I feel otherwise certain things would come way too much out of the blue when they occur, but it was a tough choice because I like to play my writerly cards very close to my chest.

That said, the first scene was definitely character-building... I admit that part of the impetus was that Varvur has been a major character in the last few chapters and might possibly continue to be so, is actually not a bad guy, and probably deserves better than to be viewed solely through Adryn's pov.

Last installment, Varvur reunited with his father and little sister. They were interrupted by Ervesa, who brought some worrying news about Adryn. I wonder what that could possibly be? For now, while they confer, let's have a little look at someone else...

Interlude I, part 2
*****

"Here."

Gelduin accepted the purse and scroll of parchment Shazgob thrust her way with a dip of the head. By its weight, she guessed the purse held the promised wages. She'd have to make sure to find a quiet place to count it later. Shazgob was an honest sort, but there was no point in being too trusting about these things.

In any case, in her line of work, the parchment was more valuable.

She unrolled it, glanced over the seal at the bottom, then skimmed the words. Detected a bandit ambush north of Ald'ruhn... caravan avoided all encounters with hostile wildlife when she was scouting... found a campsite in the Ashlands... did good work.

High praise indeed coming from Shazgob gro-Luzgan, and anyone worth travelling with in western Vvardenfell would know the Orc's reputation well enough to be aware of that. As a scout without a guild affiliation, a letter of recommendation like this was priceless.

"You deserve all of it," Shazgob said gruffly. "Best scout I ever hired. You sure you don't want to come aboard permanently?"

Gelduin shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd get bored of always travelling the same route." She grinned at the caravan master. "No idea how you stand it, honestly."

That startled a rare smile out of him, she was pleased to see. "Too old for that sort of excitement, that's me. Malacath knows I'd have said the same in my younger years. But..."

For a long moment Shazgob was silent, penetrating stare resting on her as though he were trying to peer right through her to any secrets she was hiding. Gelduin forced herself to keep meeting his gaze evenly. Finally, he sighed.

"You didn't hear this from me, all right?"

Now this was interesting. "Of course not," Gelduin agreed smoothly.

"Could be we'll be travelling a different route soon enough." Shazgob was keeping his voice low. "One on the mainland. I told Albuttian about the blighted creatures you encountered – three, wasn't it, and one outside the Ashlands?"

"A guar, in the West Gash near Caldera. That's right."

"He's worried," Shazgob said grimly. "Said the Ghostfence doesn't seem to be capable of containing the spread, and none of the healers have come up with anything decent either. He's worried, his superiors are worried, and – reading between the lines – they might be thinking of doing something drastic. Way I see it, if you've been thinking of leaving Vvardenfell, this is the time. If you haven't been thinking of leaving, time to think again. You read me?"

It was an open secret that Shazgob was one of the eyes and ears of the Empire in Vvardenfell, someone people like Knight-of-the-Garland Cavortius Albuttian consulted in order to get the lay of the land. Sometimes, like now, he let a little information slip the other way.

That habit was one of the reasons Gelduin had made a point of cultivating the relationship.

"Thank you for the warning," she said now. "I do appreciate it. However, I'm not leaving Vvardenfell. It's my home, and I won't be chased away easily. I've already booked passage to Vos, anyway. Rumour has it one of M- one of Aryon's people is putting together a trade caravan to the Zainab. They'll need a good scout."

Silently Gelduin berated herself for the near-slip. Thankfully Shazgob didn't seem to have noticed anything amiss.

Shazgob shook his head. "No idea how you stand living near all those Telvanni, honestly. Or why you don't use the Mages' Guild to teleport back to Sadrith Mora like everyone else."

"Teleportation makes me queasy," Gelduin lied.

"Well then. On your fool head be it. If you change your mind, we'll be in Ebonheart for a few more days."

Several hours later found the last wagons of the caravan being unloaded under Shazgob's watch and Gelduin seated in the prow of the Frost-Ghost, her unstrung bow and pack at her side, the sea breeze tangling her hair. In the distance Vivec loomed on the horizon, but the wind was coming in from the Sea of Ghosts today, heavy with salt and bearing none of the stink of the city.

The scout smiled, letting her eyes close. She did like sailing. In another life, she might have become a sailor. In this one, it was a handy preference to have, considering the reception she got if she tried to make use of the guild guide system these days. After the third time that chit at the Vivec guild had refused her transport, she'd given up on the teleportation network entirely.

Thankfully for her, none of that had spread far – certainly not all the way to Shazgob's ears. Gelduin doubted the man would have been been quite so loose with his tongue if he'd heard that the Mages' Guild was refusing her service...

Certainly not if he'd heard the reason why.

When the ship docked beside Saint Delyn canton, Gelduin thanked the shipmaster in broken Dunmeris, gave him a generous tip from Shazgob's payment and sauntered off. Ano Andaram watched her make her way towards the Arena canton.

Fresh off the boat from Ebonheart, he thought. Some outlander come to see the wilderness of Morrowind, make a handful of drakes adventuring and spend it all betting on fights at the Arena. His cousin Birama would be indignant with rage at this point, proclaiming the outlander yet another invader from the Empire, most likely a cursed tomb-robber. Ano was more pragmatic. Her coin was good, and she'd gone to the effort of at least trying to learn Dunmeris. Surely that counted for something.

"Excuse me, do you sail to Hla Oad?"

Turning towards his prospective customer, Ano put the Bosmer out of his mind.

In the Arena canton, Gelduin entered a small tavern in the waistworks. As usual, the crowd was mostly outlanders, almost all conversation Tamrielic. The Arena, once used only for duels of honour or rank, now ran fights between hired fighters twice a week. For most natives, it was yet another hateful imposition from the unwanted Empire, and there were never many Dunmer in the audience. For many from Cyrodiil, it was a familiar taste of home in a strange land, and it sometimes seemed half the Imperial population of Vvardenfell flocked to the stands when a match was on.

"Hey, Vinnus!" Gelduin hailed the barkeep. "Any rooms free tonight?"

Half an hour later found Gelduin back in the tavern, pack and bow stowed in her rented room. Her netch leather had been exchanged for an embroidered dress, fresh and unwrinkled despite having been rolled up at the bottom of her pack for weeks (and the enchantment for that had been worth every single drake), and she'd teased her hair into the many-braided style that had been all the rage in Cyrodiil two years ago and finally made its way to Morrowind. To all eyes, she looked like a young woman from Imperial City, ready for a night on the town.

Gelduin ordered a tankard of mazte and settled in to wait.

*****

[Kazaera]

Last installment, we dropped in on Gelduin, a simple scout from the Grazelands who'd just finished her trip with Shazgob gro-Luzgan's caravan. Or maybe not so simple after all, as she certainly seemed to be keeping some secrets. Last we saw her, she was waiting in a tavern in the Arena canton. Let's see what - or who - for...

Interlude I, part 3
*****

Gossip spread quickly around the Vvardenfell Mages' Guild. Ranis Athrys' recruitment efforts notwithstanding, the core of the guild remained much the same as time went by, small and close-knit. Any occasion where even a few guild mages found themselves in the same room was quickly used as an opportunity to catch up on news. When that occasion was a guest lecture by Wizard Borissean – come all the way from Imperial City to study Dunmer levitation spells, was the word – when that lecture was followed by a meal in the private dining room at the Flowers of Gold.... when the words free drinks (which had a magic all of their own) were spoken...

On such nights enough gossip was exchanged to fuel any spy network for weeks.

With so much opportunity to swap tales, it was hardly a wonder that some of them concerned the guild's newest Apprentice. Said member would no doubt have been distinctly unhappy about this if she'd known, a fact that might have given some of the wagging tongues pause had she been there. As she was however mysteriously absent (a fact no one seemed to know the reason for, although some speculated she was too embarrassed to show her face), the gossip flowed unhindered.

"A learning disability?" Uleni Heleran leaned forward, eyes sparkling with interest. "First I've ever heard of such a thing."

"Wish I could say the same," Procyon Nigilius muttered and took a long drink from his shein, wondering whether he shouldn't order something stronger. He'd taught a guest class on advanced uses of the water-walking spell at the Arcane University on a research trip last year. No one knew quite what had happened, but rumour had it a certain Khajiit had been among the audience, and that the Arcane University's pond had needed to be replaced in its entirety.

"I don't see why we should let someone so unsuited to be a mage stay in the guild- ow!" Tusamircil rubbed his side. "Uleni!"

"If we're going to be kicking people out, there's someone else who ranks far above her on my list." Uleni glared at the Altmer. "Have some empathy for once in your life, will you? Poor girl – it must have come as a real shock. She deserves some moral support, not the boot."

"Admit it, Uleni, you're just wondering if you can use her in a prank," Medila Indaren threw in from where she was sitting with Tanar Llervi.

"Well..."

Nearby, Galbedir had engaged Folms Mirel from Caldera. "...of course, no way she can continue as my assistant. Unable to cast a Soultrap spell, I ask you! And enchanting and Mysticism are related, there's no saying she might not encounter the same trouble. Whatever Estirdalin says," she gave the Altmer, deep in conversation with Tiram Gadar and Senilias Cadiusus two tables away, a glance, "I'd rather not be blown up."

"Quite right, my dear," said Folms, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the smirk on Galbedir's face. "Enchanting is a difficult and delicate art, and there is no telling what havoc someone facing such challenges might wreak. Better she stick to throwing fireballs, or... or healing people, or..." Clearly struggling to come up with any schools of magic beyond his own, Folms resorted to a dismissive wave.

"...or alchemy," Galbedir muttered.

"Precisely. But," Folms' eyes lit up. "It's interesting you mention the connection between Mysticism and enchanting. I've recently come across an object which I would swear exemplifies Lor's Fourth Principle – there is no magickal residue on the second-layer simplices at all, and initially Galerion's Analysis only shows trace amounts barely greater than the standard background emanation from Magnus, but if you focus solely on the Atronach-Apprentice range and then tune it to take Lorkhan's Disjunction into account-"

Just as her smirk earlier, Folms paid no attention to Galbedir's increasingly horrified expression and attempts to edge away.

"-did tell her she was to work on the Dwemer," Trebonius expounded to Skink-in-Trees-Shade, who was giving every impression of listening intently. "Obviously, I'd spotted this inability of hers at the time. Simple matter for a skilled mage, really. No idea how it took Ranis and her people to long to suss out."

"Of course," Skink murmured. "It is an excellent thing, to find a way to let an apprentice grow and thrive who many would have abandoned. A good leader nurtures all in their charge, not just the ones who are easy to teach, so I have always believed." As Trebonius puffed up, the Argonian continued. "My gravest apologies for changing the subject, but I found myself... curious... about your newest assistant, Tiram Gadar. You said he was recommended by Ocato himself?"

"Indeed! Insisted we hire him on the spot. Been invaluable, let me tell you! But you'll have to ask Malven about the details. I never let myself be bothered with such things. My time's too important."

"I understand fully." Skink's voice was still calm and even, but his crest was straight and his eyes were glittering strangely. "Of course from your perspective these must all seem mere trivialities, and I do appreciate your patience..."

And so the conversation moved on.

Eventually, every evening must come to an end. As Masser rose higher and higher in the sky, people began making their apologies. So sorry, the enchantment desk won't man itself in the morning... Edwinna's got us heading out to Nchuleftingth at the crack of dawn... need to look in on those potions I set to simmer... want to sort out some business at the High Fane tomorrow and you know how early those priests get up...

In the bustle of people departing, numerous flashes from Recall spells and a queue forming in front of the rather put-upon Cassia, one more person leaving drew no attention. Anyone following them might have felt rather puzzled when their quarry started towards to the eastern end of the waistworks – quite the wrong direction for the Foreign Quarter and with it the guildhall, the Vivec members' residences, and all the inns that might be favoured by a visitor. And they'd certainly have been shocked when the figure ducked into a doorway and emerged a few moments later looking rather different.

But who would follow such a well-known, respected member of the guild?

In the Arena canton, Gelduin had switched from mazte to wick water two mugs ago in hopes of keeping her head clear. The tavern had filled up and she'd found herself needing to use all the cunning and skill at her disposal, supplemented by her trusty charm ring, in order to stay alone at her table. She was wondering whether to call it a night when a tall, broad-shouldered Imperial slipped into the seat beside her.

It wasn't the first, or for that matter the tenth, time that night that such a thing had happened, and Gelduin was fingering her ring trying to gauge the number of charges it had left when the Imperial spoke.

"And a good night to you, my dear." His accent, straight from the Nibenay Basin, would have raised eyebrows almost anywhere else in Vivec. Here, he was just another Imperial in the crowd. "See many cliff-racers on the way?"

"Mendaxto!" Smiling widely, Gelduin shifted forward to kiss the man. It was a rather long and thorough kiss by any standards, and when she finally broke away she still stayed close, half-on the Imperial's lap, her head on his shoulder.

"You're late," she hissed.

He bent his head to hers so that his mouth almost brushed the tip of her ear. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I couldn't get away." Then, a little louder: "Shall we move to a more... suitable location?"

The departure of a couple who were barely able to keep their hands off each other long enough to make it out the door raised no eyebrows at all. Such sights were common in the tavern come evening, especially on a day where Blue Team's newest Pit Dog had won such an astonishing victory over Red Team's experienced Myrmidon and Saprius Entius had bought a round for the whole tavern to celebrate. At most, they attracted some jealous glances from a few men who'd been eyeing the empty seat beside Gelduin themselves and hadn't noticed how all previous attempts to conquer it had ended with the interloper stumbling away looking rather dazed.

When they reached the small room Gelduin had rented above the tavern, the Imperial broke away and raised his hand. Green light flashed and raced out to settle in the corners of the room, keeping all sound within.

Any would-be eavesdroppers would have very little luck indeed.

*****

Notes: My apologies for the awkward split this time - this section was hard to divide.