The Story of Trey- Chapter 12 Options

[Dantrag]

lol. THAT'S the amazing thing i did to get her attention in game....


great installment

[Soulseeker3.0]

LOL great job treydog, that was so good.

[minque]

[quote]No harder than juggling bottles of naptha and lit torches while riding a half-trained horse at a full gallop over a cobblestone street. While singing the Cyrodiilic anthem. All 50 verses. In Orcish. [/quote]

Incredibly amusing... :hugesmile: :rofl: But surely one has to pity the poor Therana....

[quote]“What are the magic words? Tell me, tell me!”

I looked around conspiratorially and then said,

“The magic words are, ‘I name Trey Hortator.’” [/quote]

WoW..such a smartass......have to try that sometimes.....

Just wonderful, treydog, just wonderful :goodjob:

[Channler]

[quote=minque]No harder than juggling bottles of naptha and lit torches while riding a half-trained horse at a full gallop over a cobblestone street. While singing the Cyrodiilic anthem. All 50 verses. In Orcish. [/quote]

Lol, I must agree that was so darned funny, i can almost imagin it.. lol keep up the awsome work!

[Fuzzy Knight]

Great treydog! :lickinglips:

[Wolfie]

lol that was funny. I always wondered what i was doing that was so great lol

[Fuzzy Knight]

:drool:

Hope this discribes enough for u... :shocked: Wonderful!

[treydog]

A part of me felt guilty for fooling Therana into naming me Hortator. Even though her combination of magic ability and madness made her dangerous, she also struck me as a lonely person, with no family and no friends. Add to that Trerayna Dalen was lurking around Tel Branora just waiting for a chance to kill her…. Perhaps some of my concern came from the fact that I myself was now supposed to be “immortal.” Although I could still be killed by accident or intent, I was proof against disease or the effects of aging. How well would I cope with watching everyone I knew or cared about growing old and dying? In its own way, immortality was a curse more virulent than corprus. Of course, chances were that Dagoth Ur and his minions would solve that little problem for me. Assuming, of course, that I was ever able to confront the head of the Sixth House. And also assuming the Archmagister Gothren and his Dremora Lords didn’t beat Dagoth Ur to it. The scheming House leader was not likely to be terribly thrilled with that fact that I had not only survived meeting with Dratha and Therana, but actually gotten their support, as well. No doubt he had counted on the contrary nature of the Telvanni councilors to prevent any consensus. His reaction to my success was likely to be…unpredictable. I considered consulting Master Aryon again, but he had already made his position clear. And I was inclined to think that he had given what he considered the best advice he could. He had been honest enough to admit that Gothren’s death would be to his benefit, and that made me believe that he had been equally honest regarding the Archmagister’s delaying tactics.

Knowing that Gothren stood squarely in my path did not mean that I should simply rush headlong into a fight with him, though. Challenging an accomplished wizard in his tower was a risky undertaking, and I needed to prepare. Although I could not wait forever, I could at least make some potions to improve the odds. Although I had been chosen by Azura, I preferred to put my faith in something more substantial- like several feet of enchanted metal with a sharp point at one end. Even the most accomplished wizard would have trouble casting spells without a head. With that in mind, I managed to mix some potions of Reflection, as well as a few to protect me against elemental damage. I suppose I could have used some of my soul gems to make some rings or amulets that would protect me. But I did not want to take the time, because I feared that was a commodity which might be in short supply. Then, too, there was the fact that I tended to forget about such items in the heat of combat. The last thing I needed was to be fumbling through a jeweler’s case of rings and amulets while the Archmagister and his Dremoras tried their best to kill me. Better to rely on my speed and my steel. Having done all that I could, I traveled to Tel Aruhn and levitated to the upper tower. Gothren pretended to be surprised to see me, and made me go through the whole story again. Then he attempted his standard delaying tactic, pontificating about the significance of the position and adding,

“I said, I will need some time to reflect and consider, and to confer with the other Telvanni counselors. And I told you to leave me. Don't make me repeat myself.”

Not to be put off, I politely persisted,

“But Archmagister, there is no need for consultations- all of the other councilors have already agreed to give me their votes.”

His politician’s mask slipped at last, and he grated out,

“Very well. I have heard your story. And you are not one of us, so I suppose I'll have to explain. Or you'll just keep annoying me. I have no intention of naming you Hortator of House Telvanni. It is not in Telvanni interests to name an unknown and unreliable outlander and outsider to such an important position. My opinion will not change. If you persist in bothering me, you will regret it. This discussion is over.”

Although his answer irritated my already frayed nerves, I was careful not to challenge him immediately. I still hoped that there might be another way, so I took my leave and went to Tel Vos to consult with Master Aryon. Perhaps, now that I had the support of all the other councilors, there was some means of forcing a conclusion short of killing Gothren.

As I levitated to the balcony outside Master Aryon’s chambers, I took the opportunity to look out over the vista that lay before me. Thus it was that I glimpsed a female figure in Redoran colors disappearing southwest into the Grazelands. I could not be sure, given the distance, but I thought it was the same elusive Imperial woman I had seen before. What would a Redoran woman be doing speaking with Master Aryon? Of course, Athyn Sarethi had told me that Aryon was the most reasonable of the Telvanni, so perhaps this was a similar situation. Perhaps House Redoran was trying to forge closer ties with House Telvanni during this time of crisis. Although the mystery puzzled me, I had more pressing matters to consider and put aside my questions as I entered the tower. I found Turedus, Aryon’s guard captain, in a cheerful mood, whistling a jaunty tune and chuckling. He greeted me in a friendly fashion and then said, almost to himself,

“Potions! Who would have guessed? That young woman will go far!”

Before I could ask what he was talking about, he recovered his professional manner and said,

“Master Aryon will be happy to see you, Trey. Go right up.”

Knowing a dismissal when I heard one, I climbed the steps to Aryon’s work-room and explained my dilemma. Although he was sympathetic, he was not able to offer any alternative.

“The fact that you were able to get as many councilors as you did to agree is impressive. That shows a remarkable resourcefulness and skill- proving to me that I was correct in supporting you. However, I did warn you that Gothren would be difficult. Now that he has plainly stated his position, he will not change it. I fear that my previous advice still stands- you will have to kill him. Do not be concerned about repercussions in House Telvanni- our attitude is that any Master who allows himself to be killed is no longer competent to serve. In other words, if you succeed, no one will be sorry.”

Left unspoken was the corollary- If I failed, no one would be sorry, either.

[Fuzzy Knight]

Great Trey! Very very very nice! :drool: Like the excitement thing u have in your stories, keep on writing! :lickinglips:

[Soulseeker3.0]

nice Trey, nice. now then on to the buisness of telling us who the Redoan chick is.

[minque]

[quote=Soulseeker3.0]nice Trey, nice. now then on to the buisness of telling us who the Redoan chick is. [/quote]

ah-ah....don´t be so curious......he´ll tell us in due time, :evil7:(I think... :confused: )

[Wolfie]

i wanna know who she is too!
None the less, greaet new installment treydog

[Soulseeker3.0]

lol err whats with the evil face?

[treydog]

There are probably formal rules and rituals for challenging the Archmagister of House Telvanni, but as he had so cuttingly pointed out, I was not “one of them.” More to the point, I was not planning on taking over his role. If I had pursued my reasoning to its logical (and wise) conclusion, I would have deduced that blasting Gothren and his summonings with area effect arrows would be a Good Idea. Unfortunately, my long association with House Redoran forced me to view this business as a matter of honor- I had to challenge Gothren directly and openly. That sense of honor was going to get me killed one day, but it had become so much a part of me that I could not ignore it. So it was that I made my way to Tel Aruhn, ascended to Gothren’s chamber, and drew my sword. Rather than go into an immediate attack or even an obvious guard stance, I simply rested the point on the floor in front of me and spoke,

“Archmagister Gothren. One of your responsibilities as head of House Telvanni is to protect ALL of Vvardenfell and its people, even those your House does not control. Through your arrogance, stupidity, and greed, you have failed. I am here to ask you to relent or, if you will not, to exact the price for your failure. How do you answer?”

The greater part of his response is not repeatable, although the words “outlander” and “honoured user” figured prominently. As both were accurate, I was not offended. However, when he drew a breath to continue his invective, I interrupted,

“By that, I take it that your answer is ‘No.’ Very well.”

With that, I swept the dai katana up and over in a figure eight that destroyed the Dremora standing to my left. While Gothren reeled from the psychic blast of his creation’s dissipation, I dropped into a guard stance and quickly swallowed a potion of reflection. The small room seemed suddenly crowded as I tried to fight past the remaining Dremora to the chanting Archmagister. Unfortunately, one of his first spells was both unexpected and effective. He managed to paralyze me in the midst of a strike at the Dremora. That was followed by shock, fire, and poison spells, some of which got through. Worse was the Dremora’s ebony sword, which wreaked havoc despite my armor. The only good news was that the Daedric creature displayed the sadism of its kind, and chose to inflict painful but non-fatal injuries. Paralyzed as I was, it would have been the work of seconds to have simply cut my throat. The Breton half of my heritage also came to my rescue, as the paralysis wore off before Gothren was ready. As I felt my muscles loosen, I reminded myself the Telvanni was the real threat.

If he paralyzed me again, I would likely not survive it. But if I could keep hitting him, or even just force him to dodge and defend, he would have trouble casting a spell. The first flurry had probably been what was known as a “contingency,” a pre-planned set of spells that only required a single word to release. And that would probably have been sufficient for most opponents. The fact that I had survived and that I had removed one of the summonings threw Gothren off, though. He had been so powerful for so long that he had not been forced into a serious fight in hundreds of years. I, on the other hand, had been fighting for my life almost from the moment I arrived here. The difference showed. Every time he drew a breath or began a gesture, my blade was there, flickering in and away, nicking his ribs, his arm, his ear. Not only did the minor cuts disrupt his concentration, they also enraged him. At last his frustration grew so great that he drew a Daedric dagger and tried to fight me blade to blade. That was a fatal mistake, as he would soon learn. In the meanwhile, the second Dremora had also been busy, and I was beginning to feel the weakness of blood loss. My longer reach bought me enough space to swallow a healing potion; the same pause allowed Gothren to recover some health, as well. The concentration on his healing magic cost him, though. Remembering the impact the destruction of his first summoning had caused, I suddenly turned and decapitated the second Dremora. Again, the backlash momentarily stunned Gothren and I brought my point up from below and rammed it through his belly. As his eyes glazed and he gasped his last, I kicked him off the blade and told him,

“What I have to do is too important to allow anyone to stand in the way, particularly a pompous windbag like you. Cooperating would have cost you nothing- your obstructionism has cost you all. Too bad you won’t be able to learn from your mistake.”

With that, I wiped my sword on his robe and left the tower.

When I reached Tel Vos, I struggled mightily to be polite to Master Aryon as he observed,

“I see you've gathered the votes of all the surviving Telvanni councilors. That means you are now the Hortator of House Telvanni. And I have something for you. It's called the ‘Robe of the Hortator.’ It is an ancient artifact, and hasn't been used in centuries. But I think you'll be pleased. I wish you luck, Hortator. I may even pray for you.”

I thanked him and left. Now I could let the Telvanni deal with choosing a new Archmagister. I had had enough of their madness, their constant pursuit of power for its own sake, even their peculiar towers. It was time for me to go to House Redoran, to face the only people whose opinion of me truly mattered. It was time for me to go home.

[minque]

Aww the last lines were very touchy.....poor Trey, he really needs a rest now from all those Telvanni-maniacs......

[quote]“What I have to do is too important to allow anyone to stand in the way, particularly a pompous windbag like you. Cooperating would have cost you nothing- your obstructionism has cost you all. Too bad you won’t be able to learn from your mistake.” [/quote]

This is something to save up in my quote-file, just hilarious

[Soulseeker3.0]

good job Trey

[Wolfie]

nice work on this installment Trey

[treydog]

The dry, ash-laden air of Ald’ruhn smelled better to me than that of any sun-drenched beach. Sweeter still were the shell-like buildings and the Redoran guards who greeted me so warmly.

“House Father! It is good to see you!”

How different it was from the sneers and insults I had encountered in Sadrith Mora. The sight of the Emperor Crab, Skar, brought a tear to my eyes. Whatever might happen, these people were my people, made so by bonds stronger than blood. When I entered Sarethi Manor and saw Athyn, his face etched with new lines of grief and care, I felt both better and worse. Better, because I knew him to be my friend, my mentor, my father, in every way that mattered. Worse, because I had stayed away for so long, taking counsel of my fears. The normally reserved Dunmer embraced me so powerfully I feared my ribs would crack, then held me at arm’s length to look over my outfit.

“So, Trey. Have you become an Armiger, then? No, of course not. I would have heard. Your arms and armor and these new scars tell me that you have been following your destiny into dark and deadly places. Such is the lot of all true members of House Redoran. But we will not speak of darkness or sorrow now, for you have come home and a celebration is in order.”

When he spoke of “sorrows,” I imagined that I saw a shadow cross his face, as of fresh pain, still tender to the touch. But he turned away and called for wine and food before I could ask.

As we waited, his keen eyes took in the Ashlander jewelry and the tokens of the Telvanni and Hlaalu that I wore. What he might have guessed or deduced, he kept to himself, filling the time with stories of Redoran champions from long ago. After the wine had been poured and we had toasted the ancestors, I cleared my throat and hesitantly began,

“Father Athyn, again I find myself in need of your counsel and your support. I have not brought this matter to you before, because I did not wish to put you in a false position, a place where you would find your loyalties in conflict. Yet I now realize that my fears were groundless. Here is what you need to know.”

And so I described all that had occurred since I had come to Morrowind- the prophecies; my time among the Ashlanders; my growing conviction that, through Azura’s influence, I was Nerevar reborn. And therefore, if that were so, that I must become Hortator of the three Great Houses of Vvardenfell. When I had finished, he laid his hands on my shoulders and gently shook me.

“Trey, I feel somewhat responsible for your fear that Redoran honor was the same as stiff-necked pride and inability to adapt. It is true that we have tried to follow the Tribunal Temple, for they have provided guidance and protection against Dagoth Ur. But if a warrior’s shield proves to be flawed, should he not be allowed to take up another? And if the Temple’s counsel proves false, should we not look to the teachings of the ancestors for truth? Before there was a Tribunal, there were the ancestors. And we do not forget. Sometimes, finding the right path is a matter of choosing that which is less wrong. But not in this case. I need no priest to ascertain the state of your soul. You rescued my son. Words cannot express my gratitude. Therefore, I name you Hortator of House Redoran. I also promise that I will use my influence with the other councilors of House Redoran. It is a remarkable story... but, if you truly are the Nerevarine, worse is yet come. Much worse. But truly, I believe in you. I think you have the strength to undertake this quest, and the courage and passion to see it through. I name you, Trey, Hero and Hortator of House Redoran. I am sure the other councilors will agree.”

As I stumbled over my thanks and unsuccessfully fought back my tears, Athyn laughed and told me,

“Actually, I must admit that I was rather relieved that you wish to become Hortator and not Archmaster of House Redoran. You will be an outstanding war leader for the three Houses and we desperately need you in that role. And you would also be a fine leader of House Redoran, but…. let me speak plainly- as the Nerevarine, you must be free to lead all of the Houses, not just one. If you become Archmaster of Redoran, it will be that much harder to persuade the councilors of Telvanni and Hlaalu. Now, I will tell you that Bolvyn Venim will never agree to naming an outlander as Hortator. He is tyrannical and unjust, as evidenced when he kidnapped my son. He is harsh on his servants. There are other crimes I am honor-bound to keep secret. I believe there is another who would make a better Archmaster than Venim. I now ask you to trust me and not to question what I tell you. The situation in our House is balanced on the edge of a knife; there are events of which you are unaware. If you would follow my counsel, go to the other leaders of House Redoran and secure their votes for Hortator. When you have done so, let me know, then go to your stronghold at Bal Isra and wait. I promise you that the problem of Bolvyn Venim will be solved.”

[Soulseeker3.0]

Great job Trey!! interesting, I can't fortell what will come next.

[Veltan]

I'm at a loss... I continually check back here to see if you've posted another part
I was wondering one thing though- is the Imperial woman Trey keeps seeing everywhere the 'other Redoran' that Athyn says will become the next Archmagister?