Oasis chapter 4, The sign of prophecy. Options

[jack cloudy]

chapter1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Alright, I couldn't stop writing so you'll get the start of the fourth chapter early.



Chapter 4: The sign of prophecy.

My first action was to gulp down all the potions I had, but even they could not remove the power of the curse. Already I could feel it draining my mind and my will. I could slow the curse with my own magicka, but I could not stop it.

I realized that I was doomed and sank to the floor. It would be best for the island if I destroyed the entrance to the cave and made it my tomb. Yet, there were still a few things I had to do. To clear my mind, I looted the chamber and was rewarded with two gauntlets of a strong material. I put them on and then sat down with a few bits of paper and began to write.

,,You’re back? Good, I was worried.” Caius said when I stumbled into his home. He then noticed that something was wrong.
,,What happened?”

,,I killed Dagoth Gares. He gave me the Corprus. I am a death man, Caius. Take these papers. It will tell you everything you need to know. Ajira will receive the Warlock’s ring and the staff of Magnus. Felisa Ulessen of the Telvanni will get my stronghold. You will get the money and my weapons. If you excuse me, I’ll leave now and go kill myself somewhere quiet.” His response to those words surprised me.

,,Fool! Do you really want to give up that fast?! I will not let you do this! As your commanding officer in the Blades, I order you to go out and get yourself cured.” He grabbed the paper out of my hands and ripped it into little pieces.
,,It is no use to give me a last will if you are not death. As a matter of fact, I have been doing some research while you destroyed that base. A Dunmer named Divayth Fyr is apparently the leading expert on the Corprus disease. Find him and see if he has a cure. But first, you need to rest.”

My objections that his bed might become infected with the disease were met with a smile. Caius wasn’t expecting to use his bed any more. I cast whatever spells I knew to slow the curse and went to sleep. I was once again assaulted by nightmares of the man with the Golden mask. This time, I knew it was Dagoth Ur. He was alive, and not happy with my existence.

,,Luper! Wake up! We’ve got guests of the bad kind!” Caius shouted which caused me to awaken. Through my blurred vision, I could barely make at that there were two people in the room, trying to kill each other.

I tried to get up, but the Corprus seemed to have taken hold of me which made moving very difficult. I pulled my ring of my finger.
,,Caius, catch!” The blurred figure who was coloured the lightest turned towards me for a bit. I threw the ring before dropping back into a slumber.

,,Luper, are you awake?”
Caius towered over me with a worried look. Clearly, sleeping when infected with the Corprus was a bad idea.
,,I’m fine. What happened?”

,,It looks like the Sixth House is getting worried about you. One of their minions paid us a little visit.” Caius handed over my ring.
,,Interesting weapon you’ve got there. It saved our lives. I’ll give it back to you, you’ll need it when you seek out Divayth Fyr. Unfortunately, I don’t know where he lives.” Caius said. He also gave me the last of his money and a Dwemer artefact. He called it a little investment.

Caius didn’t knew where to find Fyr, but I did. We were neighbours, sort of. I’d never spoken to him, but I knew where to find his mushroom. One recall later, and I arrived home from where I could begin my journey.

Travelling was the easiest bit, keeping my sanity wasn’t. By the time I made it, I could feel my mind beginning to slip away. Fortunately, I didn’t need to say a word. One of Fyr’s “daughters” took me straight to him where he revealed his plan to me.

He would give me a potion that theoretically should cure the disease, except for that small detail that it killed everyone who tried. In return, I would take a walk in his Corprusarium and pick up a bunch of boots from Yagrum Bagarn. I was not allowed to hurt any of the other victims, even if they tried to kill me. Brilliant as usual. Any other ways to get myself killed?

I had barely made a single step inside before the first corprus victim moved towards me. My first idea was to simply forget about it and just hack my way through, but I needed the potion. Seeing no other way out, I started running.

I ran and ran, picking my direction at random. At one moment I came across something best described as a humanoid body slapped on top of a Spider Centurion standing next to a pair of Dwemer boots. I grabbed the boots and kept running till I found the exit. The warden slammed the door shut behind me, and a dozen Corprus victims slammed into it.

Before me stood Fyr, clapping his hands and smiling as if he had just seen the most amusing thing ever.
,,Splendid, just splendid! It is a shame that you didn’t tried to raid the chests on the way. I love to tempt a thief. Anyway, a promise is a promise. I’ll take the boots and give you the potion which you should drink immediately.” He said.

I could only nod and the last remains of my mind were now slipping away. It took the help of the warden to restrain me as the Corprus took control of me. I never remembered what happened in those few seconds. Fyr must have given me the potion.

It was all over in a few seconds. When I realized that I was alive, I realized something else at the same time. Not only was I alive, but I was completely back to the way I was before being infected. The only sign that reminded me of ever having been infected where my muscles that had grown while I was cursed. Fyr took me over to his office where he explained things to me. I was not freed of the Corprus. Merely all the bad effects had been removed. The good effects, which included immunity to disease and a stop to the aging process of my body were still there.

Aging process? According to Fyr, I would live far longer than any Redguard and even far longer than an Elf if I didn’t met my end on the blade of a weapon. He suggested that I took things slowly, for I now had plenty of time. I merely smiled and didn’t told him what I really thought of that. I’d seen Therana, who had gone crazy through her age. No, if I was immortal I would have to be impatient in order to preserve my sanity.

I took up the offer to spend the night in the guest room. When everyone was asleep, I got up again. So Fyr liked to tempt thieves to rob his Corprusarium? Well I felt more for robbing his house.

I came up with the fur of some creature made into a cuirass. hanging in a closet. It looked expensive and all, so I took it. My second prize was a bit harder to obtain. It all started when I took up a key and used it to open a small chest from which I took an amulet. Out of fun, I put the amulet around my neck.

Before I knew what had happened, I was standing inside a Daedric shrine.
,,So, mortal! You have come to challenge me, Dregas Volar?! I shall bathe my Crescent in your blood!” A voice boomed through the shrine. A Dremora leapt out of the shadows, holding a sword with two blades shaped in half a circle.

I ducked around the first blade and parried the second with my summoned sword. Daedric against Daedric, if I was still using my Glass Longsword, it would have snapped like a twig.
For a few minutes, our swords clashed. I was grateful for the excellent protection of the Lord’s Mail, as well as my new Flamelance spell that focussed what would have been a large fireball into an area the size of a coin to cut through its target. Finally, I gained the upper hand and defeated the Dremora. I just managed to grab hold of its sword before the amulet transported me back to Tel Fyr.

After that, I decided that it would be safest not to find out what would be protecting his other treasures and performed a Divine Intervention back to Sadrith Mora from which I travelled to Caius.

[Agent Griff]

Great start to the fourth chapter. Luper is quickly becoming the richest man on all of Vvardenfel with all that unique stuff. The Lord's Mail alone is worth 170 000 and the Crescent Blade is worth 180 000. Good going. I also liked the way you described the meeting with Fyr and the Corprusarium. When I first saw one of those monsters lumbering towards me, I killed it. I then had to charm Divayth with 8 Telvanni Bug Musk potions. I think I had a personality stat of 450!

[jack cloudy]

Must...resist....urge...to...write.
Anyway, another update. Man, too bad I'll have to go to school tomorrow.
Also, I've began work on another fan fic that takes place after the main quest with new characters. I think I'll actually write that one completely before posting instead of writing as I play.



Caius was smiling so much that I feared his face would rip in two.
,,You’ve come back and you are cured. That’s so wonderful, Oasis!” He said.
,,Oasis?” I swear, he actually blushed in embarrassment after I said that!
,,Umm, I heard that friends call you that. I’m sorry.”
I laughed. It was good to be alive. As they say, you don’t know what you’ve got till you lose it.
,,I’d feel honoured if you called me that. But enough fooling around. How did your search for the Dissidents go?”

His smile disappeared.
,,Mehra Milo from the hall of Wisdom in Vivec said she found out something. I lost contact though. Maybe you should go and take a look. If anything is wrong, she would leave a note under the name Amaya.”
He took a deep breath.

,,And something else, I’ve been recalled. Must have been the Skooma. I’ve thought about disobeying, but they’ve got my family. I waited in the hope that you would return. I’ll promote you to Blade operative. That makes you the highest ranking member that I know of. It means you can maintain your independence. Open my chest, I’ve left some of my clothes in there that are made from a sounddampening and lightabsorbing material. It even includes a shirt. Feel free to use my house while I’m gone. And one last thing. Forget about the Empire. Dagoth Ur is a far greater threat than any of those silly politicians back there realize. Do what’s needed and don’t be afraid to step on the Emperor’s toes.” He walked to the door.

,,Caius? Thank you for everything and good luck. I’ll continue your task here. Just take care of your family. I’ll have good old Dagoth flat on his nose in no time at all.” One last smile, and the old man was gone. I just hoped that everything would turn out to be alright. In the meantime, I realized that Dagoth Ur would be one tough opponent.

I opened the chest and took out his clothes. Fortunately, they were just my size. For all that mattered, I doubted that their properties would help my sneaking with all the armour I wore, but I still liked black, so I put them on.

So now I had to find Milo again. I took the first Silt Strider to Vivec and made my way through the city while doing my best to ignore the Ordinators. She was not in the library, so I went over to her room for a quick investigation.

No one there but I did found a note for Amaya. At first glance it didn’t look all that bad but reading between the lines got me worried. Ok, so she was held in that huge rock floating in the sky filled with Ordinators and I had to break her out. Sure, no problem. If you felt like getting yourself killed, that is. I was only safe from diseases and aging, not bloodthirsty Ordinators.

What had to be done had to be done. I conveniently spent time in a nearby pub till night came before levitating up. If this thing fell out of the sky, I sure wouldn’t want to be inside. There were two entrances. Since no one would expect that, I took the upper one.

I used my amulet of Shadows to hide myself from the eyes of the Ordinators and crept through the corridors. I had left my armour at the bottom of the lake for later pickup. As things were, making noise was a bad idea. I was glad for wearing Caius’s sneaking clothes that dampened every sound I made. Along the way, I entered the office of the High Inquisitor.

He looked around before turning back to his work muttering:,, Must have been the wind.” I noticed the fancy ordinator armour. On top of that, we were nearly the same size. That gave me a plan which just might work.

I normally didn’t feel much like killing people who were taking a nap, but I had no choice. My summoned sword severed his head and I hid the body parts in a few sacks. Some ash to give me the right skin colour and Ordinator armour was all I needed for my disguise.
I walked out of the office and spoke to the nearest Ordinator.

,,New orders from Vivec. Let’s go to the cells.” I told him.
,,High Inquisitor, is something wrong with your voice? You sound a bit strange.” Bummer. Oh well, I knew something to say against that.
,,Just a cold. Now let’s get moving. We don’t want our Lord to wait.”
I then followed the Ordinator who soon brought me to the cells.
I would have preferred to free everyone, but who knew how long my disguise worked.

,,Open the cells to Mehra Milo!” I ordered. It was quite amusing to see the Ordinators bowing and running off to do my orders.
After the doors had opened, I stepped inside.
,,What is it this time, High Inquisitor? I have nothing to tell you.” Good, they hadn’t broken the woman.
,,Your friend Amaya has pleaded for your cause. Lord Vivec himself has shown compassion and hereby orders your release. Take this scroll and use it. You are hereby banished from Vvardenfell. Do not return.” I said, handed over the scroll and turned around as the priest disappeared in a cloud of magicka.

,,If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office.” I muttered before marching back. Once I was out of view, I activated the amulet of Shadows again and left the floating rock. I picked up my gear at the bottom of the lake and recalled to my mushroom where I happily added Ordinator armour to my growing collection.

[treydog]

Nice updates. I liked the way you portrayed Caius and also how you released Mehra.

[jack cloudy]

Thank you, here's another update.



My nap was rudely disturbed by a member of Dagoth Ur’s gang. Unfortunately for him, my bedroom resembled an armoury and he tripped over the piles of weapons and armour that filled it. I just grabbed the first weapon within reach and pounded on it till it was dead.
My own home, he even send his people to my own home without asking for an invitation. Alright, I would go take a look to see if there was a Sixth house base nearby and when I found it, those cultists were toast. The islands near Sadrith Mora would be perfect for a hideout so that’s where I began my search.

Well, in the end I never found the Sixth House base. I did find a cave filled with a bunch of Atronachs and two women. They attacked first so I took them out. The Dark Elf of the two was wielding a unique Claymore known as Chrysamere. Too bad for her, but she really should’ve put more practice in before relying on the sword for combat. I took it and later made a stylish scabbard so I could wear it on my back. I should’ve come to Vvardenfell years ago. I just kept tripping over legendary artefacts which was great.

Back in Sadrith Mora, I remembered another thing I had forgotten to do. While I was out rescuing Milo, I never had the chance to ask her what she’d learned about the Dissidents. That left me with no further choice but to go look for them myself. I’d earlier decided that they were most likely on one of the islands in the southeast, so a trip to Tel Branora should take me past them.

I hopped on the boat and asked the captain if he met other ships often on his route. He responded by saying that he sometimes saw a fishing boat near a somewhat larger island. A fishing boat, my smuggling parents just happened to use a fishing boat. You could hide your goods underneath a load of fish and if you didn’t had anything to smuggle, you could still enter the fishtrade for a while. I hopped of the ship when no one was watching and waterwalked to shore.

My suspicions turned out to be right. On the island, I found a strange structure without a door. I whacked the nearby Cliffracers and decided to camp out at the foot of the structure while deciding how to get in. Maybe the entrance was through a cave underwater like the place where I found the Lord’s Mail. When the sun sank beneath the waves, the whole structure shifted to reveal a door and solved my little problem.

I was first met with hostility, but the story about how I freed Milo who turned out to be one of the Dissidents herself quickly cleared things up. I bet that my little Ordinator impersonation was going to be one of their favourite jokes for years.

Gilvas Balero, their leader spoke to me for a long time about the Nerevarine phrophecies. He also mentioned something about Kagrenac’s tools which where supposed to be both the source of Dagoth Ur’s power and the only thing that could undo that power. One particular part describing the Nerevarine caught my attention.

From seventh sign of eleventh generation,
Neither Hound nor Guar, nor Seed nor Harrow,
But Dragon-born and far-star-marked,
Outlander Incarnate beneath Red Mountain,
Blessed Guest counters seven curses,
Star-blessed hand wields thrice-cursed blade,
To reap the harvest of the unmourned house.

I wasn’t an expert, but it clearly meant that the Nerevarine would not be a native of the Island. Dragon-born seemed to refer to the symbol of the empire, the dragon. But I wasn’t an Imperial, nor had I ever been a citizen of the empire. So why did it say that the Incarnate was Dragon-born if I was the Nerevarine?

Was I the Nerevarine or not? My own feeling said that I wasn’t, and so did my mind. Most things seemed to suggest that anyone could be the Nerevarine and that I was just a Redguard with delusions. But there were a few things I couldn’t ignore. Dagoth Gares had recognized the mark of Nerevar, whatever that was. On top of that, I had effectively fulfilled the second trial when I was cured of the Corprus and became an immortal of sorts. And finally, I looked like a Redguard but deep down, I had always known that I was something else. And that else wasn’t a long death Elven hero either. So what was I?

While the priests were busy with the Nerevarine prophecies, I took the time to read up on the few books about weapons and stuff. I had won most of my fights with tricks and a quick tongue. If I was to confront Dagoth Ur, I would need more than that to survive. It was time to become what every Redguard dreamed off. A warrior with no equal.

I needed time away from my destiny to think. If I was this hero, I would have no choice but to do as the prophecies told. If I was not, what use would it be to throw myself into danger and sure death?

The next few month’s were uneventful. I rose up further through House Telvanni and became a councillor. I also further enlarged my mushroom and took up a mouth of my own who I stayed away from as much as possible. During this time, my list of possible people who could be draining enchantments all over the island shrinked to one and I wasn’t ready to face him.

It was another attack by a minion of Dagoth Ur that made up my mind. Nerevarine or not, I was not going to let the filthy piece of Guar to ruin my life like that. I picked up the notes on the lost prophecies and headed out into the Ashlands to meet with the Urshilaku.

[jack cloudy]

Umm yeah, what comes next is just something that came to me in a freaky thought. Please don't take it too seriously. SPOILER(especially the Akatosh part)SPOILER



I told the Wise Woman of the lost prophecies and the meaning that the Dissident priests had given to them. She told me to go and hunt till the moons had come and gone. Since I had nothing better to do, I practiced my skill with Chrysamere. During the months that I had spent away from the troubles of Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine, I had sharpened my skills with the holy blade to an edge as sharp as Daedric. I found absolutely no difficulties in jumping and cleaving Cliffracers while still airborne.

When I returned, my next action was clear. The Ashkan would tell me of the third trial. But before he was willing to do that, I would have to pass a warriors test. This time, getting into a tomb wasn’t enough for him. No, he wanted me to go into a fort filled with Sixth House monsters and retrieve three items from its depths.

Normally I hated ashstorms, but this time I wished there was one. It would have concealed my approach. As things were, the sky was clear as if to mock me. I left a trail of cultists, Corprus victims and Ash creatures behind when I made my way to the entrance.

I found little of value along the way. One exception was a dead man who was still holding a Claymore known as Fury in his death hands. Surely, the berserking nature of the sword had helped his fall. I took the sword along with the intent of adding it to my collection. I had no intention of using it, my style of fighting was far too defensive.

As I already said, the time I’d spent after I left the Dissident Priests had turned me into a killing machine. Even the Ogrim found itself outmatched by my sword. Slowly and without a word, I fought my way through the chambers and corridors of the ancient fort till I finally arrived at a cave deep below the surface.

There I fought a creature I would later come to know as an Ash Vampire. Out of all the creatures I had encountered, this one proved to be the most powerful by far. It took a large deal of hacking with Chrysamere and a few spells to send him to Oblivion. I claimed his belt as my own and found the Shadow shield a few minutes later. With the first item I had been looking for in my possession, I returned to the surface.

The other two items, Corprus weepings and a cup with the symbol of House Dagoth, were both found in the same room where they were protected by someone of Dagoth Gares’s kin. I slayed the Dagoth and took what I needed.

,,I see that you have returned and brought proof of your test. Keep these items as trophies. Now I shall tell you the third trial.” The Ashkan said when I returned. He then gave me a riddle of where to find the cave. I had absolutely no idea where to look, but talking to the other members of the tribe made it too easy.

After a few days of walking and beating Cliffracers, I arrived at the entrance to the cave. Now I was really beginning to wonder if the Cliffracer wasn’t some sort of Dagoth in disguise. Anyway, I waited till Azura’s star appeared on the horizon and entered when the door opened.

The Cavern of the Incarnate was filled with a massive statue of Azura. The moment I entered, my equipment flared with a blinding light. It took me a few moments to realize what had happened. The Cavern was apparently shielded against that which drained enchantments. Too bad it wouldn’t last when I went back outside. Oh well, at least I didn’t need to bother with a Night-Eye spell.

I made my way to the statue and found a ring in its hands. The Moon-and-Star. I’ve stood there for a few minutes. If I took the ring and found out I wasn’t the Nerevarine, I would die. If I lived, I would need to save the world. I didn’t know what frightened me more.
,,Ah, you only live once. Besides, eternity would probably get boring.” I finally muttered and put the ring on my finger.

,,You are the Nerevarine. Heed my words. Four tribes must name you Nerevar. Three houses must name you Hortator.” A figure who looked somewhat like a Dunmer had appeared behind me. So this was Azura. Crap, I had thought she would be….taller.
,,And what if I don’t want to do all this stuff?” I interrupted the Daedra.

,,You shall do as I tell you. It is your destiny.” Yeah, now that was something I’d heard a bit too often lately.
,,You know what, Azura? Maybe if you just told me what this is all about cause I know one thing. I am not some kind of reincarnated Dark Elf.”

It was silent for a few seconds.
,,Would you disobey your parents?” And what was this supposed to mean?
,,No, why should I? Besides, they were some Redguards who died a long time back. I never met them. My other parents also died. And Daedra or not, it is none of your business.” I was getting rather annoyed with all this.

,,You shall go forth and fulfil the prophecy.” Not again.
,,Know what Azura? This is what I think about your Nerevarine and these stupid prophecies!” I shouted and planted my fist in her face. Now that felt good.

Laying on my back with a few broken bones a moment later felt less good.
,,I see that I made you a bit too stubborn. I should remember that if you fail. As for your parents, they were neither Redguard nor mortal. I created you. I took a scale of Akatosh and gave it form.” Azura’s voice was annoying as ever, but even I could hear the anger behind it. Maybe I shouldn’t punch Daedra when I felt like it.

Dragon-born. That’s what it meant. If I had to believe Azura, I was nothing more but a piece of the skin of an old smelly dragon. Great, I preferred my dreams about dead Redguard parents. I cast some healing spells and got up. It didn’t look like I had much of a choice here.

,,So I am nothing more but the last in a long line of toys created by you to play with Dagoth Ur? Fine, I’ll do it. But I get to keep any loot I come across, ok? No sharing.” Now that probably sounded dumb, I know. I then spoke to the ghosts of the failed Incarnates who gave me some advice, including not to anger Azura, before leaving the Cavern.

[jack cloudy]

Ok, just a small update.



I no longer had any doubt about it. I was the Nerevarine. Now my day was officially ruined. I recalled to my mushroom and proceeded to get drunk. I was still busy that night when Felisa paid me a visit. She found me on the floor and wasn’t quite happy with it.
,,Oasis! What are you thinking, getting drunk like this?!”
I mumbled back something along the lines of having a bad day. At least I think I did, I can’t quite remember.

,,Bad day? What could possibly happen to make your day worse than mine. I constantly have to put up with Therana.” She said with a big frown.
,,This.” I answered and held up the Moon-and-Star which caused her to stumble back in shock.

Did I tell that good old Felisa was as interested in ancient artefacts as I was? She knew what she was looking at.
,,Is that a replica….or the real one?” She finally whispered. I could barely hear her.
,,I entered a cave with a big statue, got to punch Azura in the face who kept on rambling about this Nerevarine silliness so yes, it is the real thing. As you can see, I have a good reason to call my day ruined. And if I want to get drunk then that is my own decision.”

It was silent for a while and I took the chance to pick up another bottle of Flin. I was so drunk that I dropped it and broke it on the floor. Now my day was really ruined. Before I knew what had happened, Felisa had shoved a handful of Ash yams down my throat. That instantly got me sober. She then cast a recall spell that transported us to Tel Branora.

,,If you are the Nerevarine, you must become Hortator of the Houses. For that, you need the vote of the councillors. Since you are already here, you might as well start with Therana. Don’t worry, I’ll handle Therana. You just stand back and be quiet.” Felisa told me as she continued to drag me up the tower.

,,Mistress, I…” She never got further than that before Therana got one of her freak attacks again.
,,Ash yams! I smell Ash yams! I don’t like Ash yams! Nonononononono!” She then tried to destroy the source of the smell, me. Fortunately, I had gotten drunk with my gear still on me and I cleaved her from head to toe with Chrysamere before she got to her second spell. No chance for me to get a vote from her.
,,Did you by any chance have a plan B, Felisa? Felisa?”
She was gone.

I stormed out of the room and caught her descending one of those shafts the Telvanni love.
,,Felisa, where are you going?!”
,,To pack my bags! I don’t blame you for this, it’s all my fault. I should have remembered that Therana hated Ash yams before I shoved them into your mouth!” Great, she was bugging out.
,,And what about your duties to the House?!” I shouted down the tower at the top of my lunges.
,,Duties?! My duties where to my patron and she’s death! What duties do I’ve got left?!” She shouted back. I went back into Therana’s chamber and found what I was looking for. It was dusty, covered in cobwebs and it looked like Therana had been drooling all over it, but it would do. I did what I could with a sleeve and went to seek Felisa.

I found her in her room when she was just about to leave. I blocked the exit and held up the item I’d taken from Therana’s chamber.
,,The Silver staff of War. Mouth Ulessen, the councillor of Tel Uvirith, member of the great House Telvanni has deemed you worthy. Do you accept this staff and the rank and responsibilities that go with it? Will you take your place on the council of House Telvanni?” After a few seconds, she dropped her bags and took the staff. Tel Branora had a new master.
I grinned. ,,Great. I do suggest you clean it a bit. The previous owner seemed to have liked the taste of silver in her mouth. Speaking of mouths, you’ll need one.”

She was grinning as much as I was.
,,Oh, I know a guy who scrubs the decks of the boat at the dock. He’s very handsome. Maybe we should have a small talk.” She said and winked.
I burst out laughing.
,,So is this the way people flirt in House Telvanni, by making other people their Mouths?” I asked after I finally got some of my breath back.
,,No, it is the way I flirt. Such a shame you became councillor so fast. Now I never had the chance to practice. Anyway, if you want to become Hortator, you have my vote. Now if you excuse me, I have a boat to catch.”

[jack cloudy]

Did I say that some Ashlanders scare me? The Ashkan of this update is one of those.



Ok, now that didn’t go as well as expected. Seriously, if I had to kill every single councillor and put their Mouths in charge, I would go nuts. Though it was nice for Felisa. She deserved to become a councillor years ago. Since becoming Hortator looked a bit hard for the moment, I decided to start on the Ashlanders instead. At least I only had to deal with just the Wise Woman and the Ashkan, not a whole bunch of councillors.

My first stop was the Zainab camp, for no other reason than that I was tired of the Ashlands and needed to see some grass to lift my mood. I made my way to it and first met with the Wise Woman who directed me to the Ashkan, some guy named Kaushad.

What was this guy, some sort of shoe collector? There were shoes all over the place. He looked rather annoyed at me barging in. Ok, if he liked shoes, he could have my old pair that I carried around for use in the city. I never wore those shoes, probably cause I never seemed to spent more time in the city than needed to get to the transportation I needed. I gave them to him and then went straight to the point.

,,You believe you fulfil the Prophecies and wish to be named Nerevarine. Please don’t think I’m rude, but you must admit that an Outlander being the Nerevarine sounds weird.” Blablabla, whatever. Couldn’t we just skip to the part where I go do him a favour?
,,Test me and then decide. Go ahead, give me a task and I’ll see to it. But don’t give me something stupid like turning Red Mountain into a big statue of Azura.”

He rambled on some more and finally directed me to a vampire. Ok, so he wanted me to kill an ancient, hungry and very violent creature. Oh well, at least I didn’t had to worry about catching Vampirism. I set out and got to the cave.

Looks like I wasn’t the first. After I took down a Bonewalker I got the chance to take a look around the tomb. There were death people on the floor with holes in their necks, blood everywhere and the whispers of ghosts. Cozy place. A note that was on the table said something about a necromancer or something. Sure, add a freak in a robe that summons undead nasties to my problems. As if I cared.

In the last room, I encountered a ghost that fell in one swipe of Chrysamere as well as a man who was with no doubt the vampire I was looking for. I mean, either he was a vampire or he just had really long teeth, unhealthy skin and some problems with his eyes. He came at me with spells and a short blade. I took cover behind a pillar and waited. When he got near, I jumped over his head and left my sword behind in his chest. Once back on the ground, I spun around and fired thin beams of focussed fire till whatever might have been left of his brains was turned into vapour. I picked up my sword and took a bunch of his teeth with me. This guy had better name me Nerevarine now. I was not in the mood for more vampire hunting.

,,Here you go, I relieved your vampire of his dentist problem.”
Kaushad ignored the teeth I’d thrown in front of his feet. Oh great, he had another idea.
,,Yes, you appear to be quite capable. Now before I name you Nerevarine, you must know that it is tradition to present the Ashkan with a gift. Since you are an Outlander, I will be so kind to name the gift. I want a high-born Telvanni as my bride. Plump, pretty and with big hips to bring me many sons. Just visit high-born Telvanni lords and tell them that the lordly Ashkan of the Zainab wishes to wed their daughter. Just pick the best one for me.”

I took out a handy notebook I once caught and began to write.
,,Telvanni….pretty…big hips…young enough for children. Anything else on your wishlist? Colour, interests, earlength?” I joked.
,,Just go out and fetch me one. Don’t stand around here all day. If you are the Nerevarine, you can’t keep Dagoth Ur waiting.” Freak.

What the heck, now I was supposed to get him married. Did he had bad luck with women or something? As if any Telvanni would want to give his daughter to that idiot. I played with the thought of sending Felisa, but no. She wouldn’t like it, she would be more helpful in Tel Branora and if she ran away after a few days I would have a whole tribe as my enemy.

What about me? I wasn’t very high-born, being a product of Azura and all, but I was a Telvanni lord. Only problem, I’d never taken the necessary actions to get any offspring. Maybe I could be named Nerevarine by the Wise Woman. Why couldn’t Azura pick someone else for this stupid job?

No help there. Instead, she directed me to speak with a friend of hers who was a slave mistress in Tel Aruhn. Now I had to give him a slave? I’d rather buy every slave in the world and set them free. If I did that, there might not be a world left by the time I’d bought everyone. Time to hike to Tel Aruhn. Stupid Ashlanders who couldn’t get a wife without needing help from some sort of legendary hero who was in a bad mood.

The slavemistress apparently had just what I needed. While she gave the slave some necessary education, I was to fetch some clothes from the other side of the island. After the clothes came some perfume. After that, I was finally allowed to buy the slave. 1200 septims after I’d ran all over the place?! She was nuts!
,,Say, don’t you think you should reconsider this stuff and get yourself a different job?” I asked in an annoyed tone. I hated slavers, they made me sick.
,,Why should I? It pays well and the Arch-Magister himself is one of my most loyal customers. He also provides protection.” So he did? Well, then I would be better of having a talk with him.

It was the first time I met Gothren, and also the last. Let’s just say that I wasn’t happy with his choice of bodyguards. Dremora weren’t my favourite type of Daedra. He also didn’t want to hear about stopping the slavery. That left me one last option, one that he wouldn’t like.

,,In that case, I hereby name myself Magister of House Telvanni and challenge you for the rank of Arch-Magister, prepare yourself!” Really, I should’ve just knocked of his head and done the speech after he was death. Me and my stupid mouth. Right after I said Magister, the Dremora and Gothren began to strike at me and only my reflexes and tough armour saved me. I rolled backwards and pulled out Chrysamere with one hand while summoning my Daedric sword with the other.

Now I wasn’t really the type for duel wielding, but it proved to be decent. I left Chrysamere in the first Dremora and decapitated the second with my Daedric sword. I then put a Flamelance spell between Gothren’s eyes and took care of my injuries. Yep, now I was Arch-Magister. How lovely, now I could expect an assassin on my doorstep everyday.

I went back to the Slavetrader and bought my Telvanni woman.
,,Oh yeah, there is a new Arch-Magister. He doesn’t seem to like slaves.” I told her after getting the key to open the cage.
,,There is? Well too bad for him, but there are plenty of other customers.” She responded before asking me if I wanted to buy some more slaves.
,,I’ve heard that he is a Redguard who likes to walk around in Ebony with the Lord’s Mail and a big Claymore named Chrysamere on his back. Sounds familiar?” Oh, I loved that look of fear in her eyes. She dropped a whole load of other keys in my hands and ran to the nearest ship. It sure was good to be the Arch-magister. Finally I got some respect.

I freed all the other slaves and sent them off on a free trip to Ebonheart. Hey, I was the Arch-Magister. Those boatmasters had no choice but to obey me.
The Telvanni slave dressed up in the expensive clothes I’d gathered and was very impatient to get going. As she said, anything was better then being a slave.

We took the last remaining boat to the mainland after which I brought her to the Zainab camp.
I gave her some time to get her clothes in perfect condition as well as use the perfume. Did I say that that stuff smelled awful? Guess my nose wasn’t normal or something. I remembered Ajira having once smelled like that. Could she perhaps? Nah, couldn’t have been.

Anyway, my little matchmaking turned out to be a success as they both liked each other. Now could that guy please name me Nerevarine so that I could go out and save the world and finally retire? Well yeah, he did but he also dragged me into a corner.

,,I know you’ve tricked me. I don’t mind, she is much better than a Telvanni. The hips are not as big as I’d hoped though. Maybe a clever Nerevarine is the best. Anyway, I want you to have my shirt as a gift. I won’t be needing it for a while. And I hereby name you Nerevarine.” Ok, so I was the Nerevarine but this guy was definitely getting scary. He probably needed some privacy so I went to visit the Wise Woman to receive the symbol that showed that the Zainab had named me Nerevarine. One tribe down, three to go.

[Taillus]

Very good update as always. I am sorry I had neglected your story for a while. I guess I got caught up in finishing my own since it is so close that I haven't been reading anyone else's great works. Well today is catch-up day and I am soooo glad. I missed reading all of these stories! Keep up the good work!

[jack cloudy]

Hey, I don't mind. After all, your story is great because of the work you've put in it. If that means that you don't have much time to follow other stories, than it isn't so bad.

Anyway, an update again.



I won’t talk about what I did at the Erabenimsum camp. Let’s just say that there was a small political change when I left. As well as a drop in the population. My next camp was the Ahemmusa camp, the same one as with the white Guar thing. On the way, I dropped by at Tel Vos to talk about becoming a Hortator.

I’d never seen Aryon laugh before, but he did now. ,,You are already the Arch-Magister! Why do you ask? You can just name yourself Hortator. After all, you are the big boss of the Telvanni.” I hadn’t thought of that myself, but it sounded nice and simple. Alright, I named myself Hortator and got a fancy robe from Aryon.

In the Ahemmusa camp, I had to escort their Wise Woman to the center of Ald Daedroth, a Daedric shrine to the north of the camp. I remembered having been there earlier. Last time I came through, there was a big war going on between Ordinators and cultists. I let them sort out their differences and looted the shrine when no one was watching. This time, I scouted out the area to clear it of rats and cliffracers and then brought the Wise woman to it with no problems.

The last camp was the Urshilaku. Once there, Sul-Matuul named me Nerevarine with no further problems. He’d probably ran out of warrior’s tests. So now I’d become Nerevarine of the four Ashlander tribes. That left becoming Hortator of House Hlaalu and House Redoran.

I began with House Redoran, cause their council was closest. The people were all staring at me, maybe cause I’d been out in the Ashlands for too long and needed a bad. The few people who were willing to talk to me directed me to a certain Sarethi as he would be most willing to listen. I dropped in and told him my story. It wasn’t smooth sailing, but at least he didn’t dismiss my story as the result of my imagination.

Sarethi promised me that he would attempt to persuade the other councillors on my behalf. There was only one condition, I had to save his son from a big fat pig with the name Bolvyn Venim. Oh, and I couldn’t kill the pig while I was walking around. Damn, why did things always had to be done the hard way?

I walked into Venim manor and took a good luck around while pretending to be a new recruit for House Redoran. Nothing that seemed to show a clue about Sarethi’s son in the entrance and asking the people probably wasn’t such a good. Idea. In the end, I decided to just take the first door and search the whole manor.

I got lucky, the door I took led to a set of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs there was a corridor heading left and one heading right. The right corridor was a dead end with a carpet hanging in front of the wall. It looked rather suspicious. Why make a corridor if you’re not going to use it? And why was that carpet so far away from the wall? I waited till the guards had moved away on their patrol before taking a look behind the carpet. Bingo, one locked door.

I used the carpet to hide myself as I fiddled with the lock. A few moments later, the lock clicked open and I went in. Inside, I found young Sarethi. He seemed to follow the same kind of fashion as Caius did, or maybe shirts were just hard to find these days. I told him who’d sent me and we prepared for a mad run out of the manor and back to Sarethi.

So we did. We ran like maniacs. I also saw an advantage to being half naked. The young Dark Elf was far quicker than I was and soon got ahead. In the meantime, I was about to be surrounded by rather angry guards. It would be no use to run myself.
,,Get going!” I shouted at young Sarethi and turned around to face the incoming guards. Instead of dashing out of the door, the man stopped and went to my side as if he wanted to fight the bad guys with his bare fists.

,,I won’t allow to let anyone die so that I may live. I shall fight by your side.” He said. Redoran and their stupid honour.
,,Hey, no one said anything about me dying here! Now just get to your father. We’ll discuss our business after I’ve mopped up these guys!” I snapped back at him. He got the point and bolted out of the door. Now I’d just have to face five guards on my own. Easy.

,,Fool! How dare you to barge in here and intervene on Redoran matters!” The closest guard barked at me. I gave a big grin in return.
,,Oh, I don’t have a really important reason. Unless saving the world and destroying the ultimate evil is seen as important. Now you people can either turn around and get back to your patrolling, or I’ll have to turn you into Dwemer scrap metal. Your choice.” I said back. As expected, they charged.

Now Dwemer armour might look intimidating and stylish, but it did have several flaws. One, it didn’t offer the same protection that Ebony did and two, it was somewhat clumsy. I darted between two of the guards and avoided both their blows, causing them to hit each other instead. One hit of Chrysamere, and I knocked out one of the two.

The remaining four circled me cautiously. I knew what was going to come, this happened all the time in those old stories. The hero is surrounded by enemies and waves his sword in a circle to defeat them all. Sorry, but I had a different idea.

Suddenly, they all attacked from four directions at the same time. Unfortunately for them, I’d levitated up to the roof and was now raining fireballs on their heads. By the time the smoke cleared and my levitation spell ran out, they had all stopped breathing.

,,You, I will let you go this time. But next time you interfere, I shall kill you personally.” A fuming Dark Elf in expensive clothing told me. I bet that this was Bolvyn Venim himself.
,,Sure you will. If you want to have me expelled from House Telvanni, send a letter to the Arch-Magister. I have a reputation of a troublemaker with him. He’ll know what to do.” I replied and walked out. It would be fun if he actually did that. I could then sent back a letter to tell him that I wasn’t willing to expel myself. After all, I was the Arch-Magister.

[jack cloudy]

Alright, the story is drawing closer to its end. I think I'm going to feel weird with all that free time on my hands. Anyway, some arena fun just for everyone who is reading.




I was running around for half an hour to be named Hortator by all the Redoran councillors. I then had to challenge Venim to a honourable duel. He told me to meet in Vivec if I had the courage for he would rip open my spine and more of that heroic crap. I teleported across the island to Sadrith Mora and had myself transported to Vivec. I only forgot one thing. I was banished from the guild and supposed to use the amulet of Shadows before popping into one of the guild halls.

,,There you are, Spy!” Trebonius looked like he was about to explode with anger.
,,So you thought you were an imperial spy, didn’t you?! But now I find out that you are in league with the Telvanni! You’ve come here to spy on us! I should burn you to ash!” Umm, actually, it was the other way around. Oh well, as if that made any difference.

,,Alright, baldie. If you are all so pissed of, come to the Arena. If you can get rid of that fat first, that is.” I answered and wandered out. That should take care of him. I bet he had nightmares just thinking about the arena.

I also paid a visit to all the Hlaalu councillors in the city. This curio fellow was creeping me out. Anyway, it mostly cost me a lot of money and time. I would have to talk to the brother of Duke Dren before meeting the last two councillors. But first, the arena. I would kick Venim’s behind within five minutes. With all those fancy clothes and expensive wine, he probably didn’t even knew on which end he had to grab his sword.

As usual, I was proved wrong. The first thing I noticed upon entering the arena was that Venim did show up instead of having a champion do his dirty work, and he was both wielding a Daedric Dai-Katana as well as wearing Ebony. Not to mention that he was surprisingly fast with that combination. Crap.

I took out Chrysamere and parried everything he threw at me. Venim was a Dark Elf, but he was berserking like an Orc. Why did I thought he would be easy? While I did manage to keep him from hitting me, I got no chance to attack myself. This was getting really annoying.
,,Alright, let’s see if you can keep up with this!” I shouted and used one of my latest spells, Skybolt.

Essentially, it was just a ridiculously powerfull levitation spell that lasted just under five seconds. I could even outrun Cliffracers with it. Now I used the spell to fly over his head to the other side of the arena where I stopped and turned around to face him. Once again, the Redoran charged me at full speed only this time, I used Telekinesis to lift that big piece of Daedric out of his hands.
,,You’re a good warrior, but no one can defeat the almighty power of gravity.” I said and dropped the sword bladefirst on his head. The heavy blad sank all the way through and emerged near his toes. Guess I won the duel.

While I was still catching my breath, the doors behind me opened. Wondering what was going on I turned around, and got a big ball of magicka in my face. Trebonius, the dirty piece piece of Ogrim-fat. So he did show up, and he thought it would be nice to catch me offguard. I used what little remained of my magicka reserves to fix the damage and dodged the next bolt. As luck would have it, Chrysamere had flown out of my hands and was now lying at the feet of Trebonius.

I dodged his spells till he ran out of magicka himself. Then, he came at me with his staff. I smiled, the silly fool. There was a reason why mages preferred to battle from afar with spells instead of fighting melee. I summoned my other sword, parried his staff and then severed his head with a nice spin for style. Two duels on one day, maybe I should join the arena and become the champion. After saving the world of course.

[Elidor]

"maybe I should join the arena and become the champion. After saving the world of course." hahaha very confident he is. Good work on the story, i had to catch up a bit but its very amusing

[jack cloudy]

Oh, beneath that confidence hides great insecurity. Nah, just kidding. Since he is getting rather close to his fatefull encounter with Dagoth Ur and I would miss him, I decided to make him come back in my next fiction. Yay!
His attitude is perfect.

Anyway, update.




Um yeah, so now I defeated the head of House Redoran in honourable combat. Ok, maybe my use of magicka to steal his own sword wasn’t exactly honourable but hey, it was more honourable than what I would normally do. The fight with Trebonius was a different matter. Fine, so I never expected him to show up, but I did challenge him. Now what would the mages think of this?

I found out later when I was picking up all the things I dropped off at the inn. In a few moments, the room was filled with three Stewards and Ajira. Ok, now this was scary. I kept a recall spell at the tip of my tongue just in case.

,,So, you seem to have defeated Trebonius.” That was Edwinna from Ald’Rhun.
,,A very unexpected happening.” Skink from Sadrith Mora.
,,Friend Oasis made Ajira worry.” Ajira, a bit angry cause I’d been playing around with my life again.
,,Well, it is no use to keep things secret much longer. Certain mages have begun to show interest in the situation.” Ranis said, and cast a quick glance at Ajira. So the lovely bit of fur actually found out about the whole spy on the Telvanni thing?

,,A promise is a promise. So I would like to take you back into the guild. With promotion. This does mean you will have to escape from the Telvanni.” The Dark Elf continued.
,,Hey, don’t worry about the Telvanni. I can handle them. So what is the promotion?” I interrupted.
,,Arch-Mage.”

Now normally I would have been at a loss for words and thinking about how funny the idea was to become the leader of two different factions that hated each other. Only some Ordinators dared to interrupt by barging into the room while shouting things as “heretic” and “False Incarnate” and a whole bunch of threats.
,,Oops, looks like I’ve got to go. Keep my seat warm for me, ok?” I said and Divine Intervened out before the Ordinators got to me.

I next made a visit to this Dren guy at his plantage. I hopped in through the back door and got to him. I told my story and he asked me why I wanted to become Hortator.
,,So I can get Azura of my back. And I’ll save the world and bring peace and all that stuff.” I said.

,,I see, so you want peace? Unfortunately, Dagoth Ur has made me a bigger offer. So as you can see, I have no reason to name you Hortator. I now know you as my enemy. Prepare to ARRGH!!!” Um yeah, when I realized the slimey scumbag was in league with the enemy, I took advantage of his speech by slipping a summoned sword between his ribs. He was about to grab a sword anyway and I was too impatient for a fight.

I got out, but not after taking care of two guys who waved Glass daggers at me. Glass is funny, a lot less when I sent it into their own faces with Telekinesis. I went past the last two Hlaalu councillors who where happy to name me Hortator after hearing of Dren’s “unfortunate accident”.

A trip past Curio, and I was the Hortator as well as getting a neat belt. I didn’t quite like the way he talked. If he made any comment about my looks again, I was going to beat the crap out of him. In Ald’Rhun, I became the Hortator of house Redoran. Arethi told me to be carefull, for there had been a public notice that told me I was an Imperial spy, a fake Nerevarine, wanted by the Ordinators for my unforgivable crimes and more of that annoying stuff.

He also gave me a package that told me to talk to the Arch-Canon in Vivec. I bet this was a trap but on the other hand, I needed information that only the temple could provide. Meeting the Arch-Canon was suicide, so who else knew? A huge grin crossed my face when I thought of who I had to meet. My plan was bold and only someone who was totally insane would do it. I liked it.

A recall later, and I arrived in my mushroom. There, I dressed up in the armour of the High Inquisitor again as well as taking the necessary measures to give my skin the right colour. I then got back to Vivec and walked into the city.

,,News from Ghostgate! Open the gates!” I shouted at the Ordinators who stood guard near the palace of the mighty Tribunal god, Vivec. I smiled when they opened it without questions. Showtime.

[jack cloudy]

The place was surprisingly empty. Ok, there were two Ordinators and one guy who must’ve been kissing a Guar. Or maybe it was just the flu that was causing his skin to look odd. And he was floating! This god was pathetic. I mean, who floats just to show of how mighty he is? Well, Vivec does.

,,Yes, what do you want?” No fancy riddles? Ok, I could live with that.
,,Let’s play the name-game.” I answered. Luckily, the helmet hid my huge grin.
,,Do you remember the name, Kagrenac?”

Vivec began to sweat. Things were looking good so far.
,,Everyone knows that name. He was the mastersmith of the Dwarves.” He said slightly irritated.
,,True, but do you remember the name Lorhkan?” Now Vivec began to tremble. This was so funny.
I raised my left hand, the hand that bore the Moon-and-Star.
,, Last one. Do you remember the name….Nerevar?”

With a big thud, Vivec fell out of the sky from shock. See, I said that floating to show of your mighty powers was stupid. The two Ordinators finally figured out where this was going and approached me with their fancy maces. A bit of Telekinetic fun later, and they were dressed down till their underwear. Oh boy, I loved playing with the Ordinators.

,,Leave us.” Vivec told the two when he got some control of himself back. He chose to stand instead of floating this time.
,,So, the time of the prophecy is at hand. It is your task to defeat Dagoth Ur. Though I admit that I’d rather prefer that there was another way, I have no choice but to obey the wish of Azura. Take this gauntlet, Wraithguard, it will be needed if you ever wish to hold Kagrenac’s tools. I entrust Wraithguard into your possession and with it, the future of Tamriel.”

I won’t talk about what happened next. He gave me some fancy plans and stuff and sent me off. Outside I experienced the greatest miracle of all. The Ordinators weren’t saying scum to me! Um yeah, I read the plans and all and then threw them away. Alright, I wasn’t a tactician, but there was something smelly about it.

For one, the excuse that the Tribunal had to hold the Ghostgate at the same time as an attack was pathetic, not to mention used a dozen times. If they were worried about not having the manpower to sent an army to knock on Dagoth Ur’s door, then why did they thought that I would be able to do it on my own? Well, they probably wanted me to die anyway. There was the “don’t mess with Vivec or you’ll know the power of a true god” bit. If that wasn’t a threat, I didn’t knew what it was.

Alright, if Vivec and his Ordinator dudes were too lazy to do things themselves, I would make my own army. With those thoughts, I headed for the hall of the mage guild.

I was welcomed by the stewards and officially put in my position as Arch-Mage. I was tehn dragged to my office by Ranis from Balmora. While she was now lower ranked than me, I decided to just let her do her thing while I figured out how to escape the paperwork of my new rank.

,,Alright, Luper Alkad. You know that I’ve sent you to spy on the Telvanni. Did you find anything?” She asked eagerly.
,,I did. The bad guy isn’t a Telvanni.” Maybe the truth was the best choice at the moment.

,,There are two people who might get any advantage out of this. Vivec, that stupid ugly Dreugh and Dagoth Ur. They are also the only ones who can drain enchantments on such a large scale. But enough about that. Ranis, you’ve been worried about a war with the Telvanni for years. Knowing you, you have been preparing. So where did you hide the stuff?” I continued.

,,So you know? I admit, I have gathered and hidden enough enchanted rings and amulets to equip an army. What do you want to do with those?” The Dark Elf asked me.
,,Just what you said, equip an army. Specifically, the Imperial Legion.”

If there was going to be a war, I’d have to prepare. I wasn’t a tactician, but a fighter so I would need to find someone else to lead. I found that someone in Sarethi of House Redoran. Using my power as Hortator, I managed to make all the houses raise an army that would meet when I was ready at Ghostgate. As the highest ranking Blade in Morrowind, I managed to convince the Imperial Legion to join the growing army. As Nerevarine of the Ashlanders, I had them hunt and gather the food needed to feed the army when the battle would begin.

With those preparations being done, I moved on to my personal duty. I entered Red Mountain under the protection of the Amulet of Shadows and raided every outpost of Dagoth Ur where I slayed the Ash Vampires. I also found the hammer Sunder and the blade Keening. After that, I retreated back to Ald’Rhun and gave the signal to make the different parts of the army begin their march to Ghostgate. The war against Dagoth Ur was about ot begin.