Morrowind, A fanfic Options

[Alexander]

Chapter 13. A change of plans.

Helseth was particularly pleased with himself. He’d been getting reports for the past several days keeping him up to date on how things were progressing. His new allies the Camonna Tong had supplied him with one of their own, an Argonian no less, who would play the part of the witness to Varvur’s betrayal. Hlaalu, Dres and Indoril leaders were preparing their people for a conflict; rumors had been started already about the Redoran and things were ready to come to a head. Helseth was now just waiting for the right time.

Varvur had to be captured first, and that would set all of the events in motion, but unfortunately Varvur had so far proved impossible to apprehend. Oh, he’d been seen, but not anywhere Helseth could get his hands on him without causing an uproar. No, he knew the timing for this would have to be perfect, but he was not in any rush. He had all the time in the world to prepare. Nothing could go wrong.

Helseth looked up from reading the most recent report with annoyance; someone outside the door to his study was causing a lot of noise. Shouts were passing back and forth now. What could be the matter? Helseth got up and walked to the door. As he was nearing it, it flung inwards and standing inside the door was Councillor Rethan.

“My king, may I have an audience?”

The captain interrupted apologetically, “I’m sorry, my king. I explained you did not want to be disturbed but we could not convince her to turn back.”

Helseth looked at his guard captain and finally shrugged, “It’s fine, show her in. I’m sure Raynasa has something very important to tell me, or she wouldn’t have bothered me.”

It was clear from his voice that if was not something important, Raynasa would regret it.

Raynasa had never been in danger of winning a beauty pageant, but today she looked simply haggard. “Councillor Rethan, perhaps you’d care to explain the reason for barging in here like this?”

“My king, I did not receive a reply to my letter. What are your orders?”

“What are you talking about, Raynasa?”

“I’m talking about Suran, my king; what would you have us do about it?”

Helseth sighed, “Raynasa, I have no idea what you’re talking about, what about Suran? Have the dancers gone on strike again? Has the Skooma run out? No more moon sugar perhaps? What’s wrong Raynasa?”
“But my king, I don’t understand, I sent word yesterday, how could you not know yet? King Helseth, Suran has fallen. The Telvanni are on the move.”

Helseth was speechless for a moment, this was not what Helseth had wanted to hear, and not what he’d expected to hear, either.

“Tell me all about it, Raynasa. Tell me what happened and make sure you leave nothing out.”

“My king, they came to Suran in the dead of night, Divayth Fyr leading a host of Telvanni Wizards and Vampires, they came straight from the road leading to Molag Mar, they hit Suran and were well inside before anyone knew what was happening. Our men did not stand a chance, my king, most were killed or captured, only a few got away to warn us.”

“How can this be? Do you expect me to believe the Telvanni can conquer one of our richest cities without anyone seeing them coming, without anyone so much as hearing them massing? Explain this Raynasa.” Helseth saw Raynasa’s face become white with fear, well as white as any Dunmer can get anyway.

“My king, we’ve been hearing some rumors these last few days, of Vampires fighting amongst one another, but nothing else. We assumed it was simply another Vampire war; we’ve seen those in the past.”

“Well you assumed wrong didn’t you?” Raynasa moved back at the ferocity of Helseth’s voice.

“Yes my king, we did.”

“Go on councillor, what happened next?”

“Well, our informants have told us on the third night after the funeral of lord Nerevar, the Telvanni split into three forces and attacked Dagon Fel, Suran and Ghostgate. In Suran our men fought as best they could, but they were outnumbered and unprepared. In Dagon Fel no one put up much if any resistance, and those believed to be agents of the other great houses were simply made to leave. In Ghostgate it was even easier for them; my informants tell me they simply marched up to the door, showed the leading priest some parchment and were given the keys to the city.”

“You mean to say the Buoyant Armigers did not lift a finger to oppose the Telvanni?” Helseth exclaimed.

“Correct my king; they did nothing.”

A thousand things went through Helseth’s mind, foremost among them wondering how this could have happened, how could it be that he had not seen this coming, why had the gutless Hlaalu in charge of Suran allowed themselves to be surprised, but much more importantly, why had the temple offered not even the slightest resistance, and what role did Supreme Magister Moven have in all this? He was well paid; he had no reason to double cross Helseth.

“You there, guard, send word by magical means to Port Telvannis immediately, tell Supreme Magister Moven I wish to see him here, in person, today. Tell him I don’t care how he does it, how much magic it will take but I want him here today! And after you’ve done that, tell Gavas I wish to see him. I’m getting to the bottom of this today.”

“Go Raynasa, go back to Vivec, to Yngling manor and wait there until I send word.”

“Yes my king” And Raynasa bowed and left. Helseth threw his ink bottle against the door as soon as she’d closed it.

“Incompetent fool, I can rely on no one.”

It did not take Gavas long to arrive at the door to king Helseth’s study. He knocked, and Helseth bid him to enter.

“Gavas, there you are,” Helseth started in his most charming voice, “perhaps you can clear up a little mystery for me. I was just informed by Raynasa Rethan that your fellow priests simply gave Ghostgate over to the Telvanni, without any fight whatsoever.”

Helseth became angrier as he went along, “So tell me how it can be, that a well fortified stronghold like Ghostgate, packed with Buoyant Armigers, just surrenders like that with no resistance? How does that happen Gavas? Tell me!”

Gavas tried his best to keep a dignified look, but Helseth saw he was scared. “My king, we are by vow forbidden from interfering in an internal struggle of the great houses.”

“Nonsense! Such vows did not stop you from naming lord Nerevar an impostor and putting a reward on his death.”

“You are right, my king, and after it was revealed to us that he was the real lord Nerevar, and then came into power, he made all the temple priests swear a new oath; he made us swear we would never again involve ourselves with an internal matter and would only defend Morrowind against external threats.”

“Azura be damned, so you’re saying even if I made you head of the temple today, you still could not oppose the Telvanni?”

“Yes my king, it is so.”

“Damn him, damn him straight to Oblivion. I knew I should have taken out lord Nerevar much sooner.”
Helseth saw the look of fear in Gavas’s eyes when he said that. “Oh don’t worry Gavas, I don’t think you’ll betray me, not with all the filthy black secrets I know about you. Leave me; I must consider what you’ve told me carefully.”

[Agent Griff]

Great update! For some reason, I love seeing Helseth's plans go awry. It is very pleasurable. I'm loving this clash of houses so far.

[milanius]

You're doing a solid job at linking Morrowind and Oblivion-related events and timeline than my attempts... solid.

Also, LOL Helseth. For someone who should be 2 steps ahead of his foes and having a myriad of contingency plans at his disposal he isn't looking very sturdy right now. Cracks are beginning to show.

Oh, btw, Telvanni are still a bunch of ******* ******** *****'* thugs in my eyes. For further information on the subject see 1st part of my signature.

This post has been edited by milanius: Mar 13 2008, 06:27 PM

[Alexander]

Also, LOL Helseth. For someone who should be 2 steps ahead of his foes and having a myriad of contingency plans at his disposal he isn't looking very sturdy right now. Cracks are beginning to show.

Hehe, well don't count him out yet, though the Telvanni are advancing, Helseth still has the support of the other four great houses, so in terms of manpower and force, he's still way ahead of the Telvanni and allies

[milanius]

Hehe, well don't count him out yet, though the Telvanni are advancing, Helseth still has the support of the other four great houses, so in terms of manpower and force, he's still way ahead of the Telvanni and allies

...but... purely as a speculation... Telvanni have enough aces up their sleeves to keep all other Houses at bay, right? Right!

[Alexander]

Hehe, well don't count him out yet, though the Telvanni are advancing, Helseth still has the support of the other four great houses, so in terms of manpower and force, he's still way ahead of the Telvanni and allies

...but... purely as a speculation... Telvanni have enough aces up their sleeves to keep all other Houses at bay, right? Right!

hehe, rooting a bit for the Telvanni after all are we now Mil?


I can't promise tomorrow brings the answer to everything, but I can promise it will be a very fun day in the story, two very fun updates!

[Alexander]

Hours later Helseth was sitting on his throne. Dinner had been bland today, and he’d had the cook whipped for serving it. He knew it was only because of his unsettled thoughts that he didn’t like his food, but it felt good to see the cook whimper in pain. A smile crossed his face just thinking about the expression of the hapless servant. But now he must focus on other things; a herald had just announced the Telvanni delegate had arrived and would enter at any moment. Helseth heard someone at the entrance; he looked there just as the door opened and in walked…. Divayth Fyr. Helseth was shocked; he had expected Supreme Magister Moven, but here, right before his very eyes, was Divayth Fyr himself, ancient, powerful, dressed in his usual Daedric armor.

All around the room Helseth saw the guards clap their hands to their blades, ready to strike, the tension almost visible.

“Good day, my liege.”

Helseth shuddered; that old commanding voice- he had never liked it. It always made him feel inadequate.

“And how fare you on this beautiful day, my liege? I pray my visit isn’t too much of a surprise.” Helseth saw the smile on Divayth’s face when he said that.

“Why are you here, Master Fyr? I summoned Supreme Magister Moven, not you.”

“Ah, well you see my liege, he couldn’t make it, and we of house Telvanni would not want to insult our rightful liege of course, so we sent me instead.” Just that word “liege” made Helseth feel uncomfortable. It sounded far too much like “leach” for his liking.

“But where is the Supreme Magister, and why isn’t he here?”

“Now that, my liege, is a good question. And very simple really. I fear the good Supreme Magister has ah, how to say this delicately—misplaced himself.” Divayth gave that insolent smile of his when he said it, “I’m sure if you insist I could scrape together enough of him to give you an idea of what happened, but I’m sure you get the picture as it is.”

“You killed the head of your house? Do you know the penalty for that, Master Fyr?”

“Yes, I do actually, my liege. None. Not even the late lord Nerevar was able to influence house Telvanni enough to make us change our ways of granting power to those who take it. So I can kill whomever I like within our house; I can kill the entire house if I want to, and no law in this province can hold it against me.”
Helseth had to admit he was correct. As much as lord Nerevar had been against senseless killing, oddly the subject of this practice within the Telvanni had never been brought up. Helseth didn’t have much time to think about that though,

“Why have you attacked us, Master Fyr? We did nothing to provoke this attack; Suran never opposed the Telvanni.”

A hard booming laugh emanated from Divayth Fyr at that, “I’m sorry for laughing, my liege, but ‘never did anything against us’? Well, I won’t even go into the countless wars that have been fought between your house and mine, the countless assassinations you paid for and the spies you planted within our house, but other than that, it is true you’ve done nothing against the Telvanni.”

“But let’s cut to the chase, shall we, my liege? You’re not the only one with spies, you know. We know about your plans against the Redoran, we’ve known for a long time now, and personally, we could not care less what happens to Athyn Sarethi and his gang, but we will not allow you to attack us with the combined forces of three great houses. Instead, we claim all lands we now hold, everything on Vvardenfall east of the Suran – Ghostgate – Foyada Bani-Dad line. We claim it as compensation for the betrayal you were going to bestow upon us. We also urge you to abandon your ideas of a unified Morrowind under your reign. I promise you, Helseth, it will not come to pass.”

Helseth was livid, “How dare you, Telvanni, come into my throne room and tell me you’re taking part of my land? Moven was a fool, and I’m glad to be rid of him, but you forget I still have three other houses supporting me, and I can easily offer proof to the Redoran that in fact you were responsible for the murder of lord Nerevar and two Hlaalu councillors. Ha, I’ve always heard how smart lord Fyr was supposed to be, but it seems you’re not that smart after all, are you?”

Helseth smirked and looked around the room to see most of his guards holding their breaths, deathly afraid of Divayth Fyr’s reaction. But Helseth wanted to show them he at least had the guts to stand up to a Telvanni, no matter how old and powerful a wizard the Mer might be.

He had expected Divayth to become angry, maybe shout out or even curse him, but he had not expected the sly little smile that was on his face.

“Four great houses, Helseth, four unified great houses going against us, are you sure of that?”

That had Helseth confused; what did he mean, was there another house about to turn against him, and if so, which house? The confusion and concern must have shown on his face for Divayth laughed again,

“Yes, think about it Helseth. Who is next to betray you? Well, I would love to be able to stay here all day long, and see you struggle with that thought and second guess everyone near you, but I cannot. People to see, places to conquer, I’m sure you know how it is, Helseth. Good-bye, my liege, and best of luck.” And with a smile, he raised his arms and vanished from sight.

Helseth knew he had to move fast. He summoned the heads of the four other houses; to three he simply told them to come tomorrow, to Athyn Sarethi he sent word that he had uncovered a witness who could identify the killers of lord Nerevar. He was sure that could get Athyn to come to Mournhold.

And the last thing he did that day was pay a visit to the Argonian member of the Camonna Tong, and tell him that the plan had been changed. He should not say Varvur Sarethi had been behind the attack, but rather that he’d seen a servant of Baladas Demnevanni put something in the drink of lord Nerevar the day he was murdered.

He went to bed that night, smiling and thinking to himself that things might just work out even better this way, but all the while he could not forget what Divayth had said about places to conquer. Had it been idle chatter, or based on something more? He fell asleep very late that night.

[Olen]

This is storming along, the oblivion part came right out of the blue, and the offer from the brotherhood, well it figures. I'm loving this. Awesome stuff.

[Alexander]

Chapter 14. Honor and the price of it.

Gulvan Drules was staring out over the walls of Necrom. An old Dunmer, even by the standards of his people, he had once been very tall and powerfully built, but in the last few years he’d begun walking a bit bent. His hair, which had once been black as the night, was now streaked with grey and his eyes, once the brightest red, were now dulled and cloudy. He who had once ruled the mighty house Indoril, now ruled no more than a city and the small surrounding area.

He thought back to how this had all come to be. Not 10 years hence, he’d been the Gahprovihn, the faction leader, of house Indoril, but things had changed since he first came into power. Most of his old allies had been long dead, their sons or sometimes even grandsons now ruling in their stead, and those young ones were so different than the old.

Far too many Indoril had found Hlaalu friends, far too many rumors of bribery swirled about the once honourable house. Bribed officials in house Indoril, it was unheard of and he would not tolerate it. Of course he had found some evidence, not much, but some, but before he could offer it to the council, he was summoned himself before that Indoril body. He remembered entering the room and seeing the two Alt Gahshaldmas and five Gahshaldmas sitting there, waiting for him. Some looked downcast, as if not wanting to be there, but others were almost beaming. He stood proudly before the council, and was told he had become too old to be the Gahprovihn. Too old, the thought of it still made his gall rise. It was certainly the very first time a Gahprovihn had ever been deemed too old.

Oh, they were nice about it; they bestowed upon him the rank of Alt Gahshaldmas, high army leader; only three of those were ever active at the same time, and they made him overlord of Necrom and the surrounding area, but he and everyone else knew it was but an excuse to get rid of him. Surely he could have gone against the will of the council, rebelled against it, but Gulvan was not the type to do so. His honor would not permit it.

Those years he’d been at Necrom now had seemed almost like centuries rather than years. He found himself aging more quickly then before, and he was unsure if it was due to the strange nature of the city or to being betrayed by his own house.

Oh he hadn’t wasted all of his time there, no most definitely not. He spent the first year doing his best to get all the people he trusted stationed either inside Necrom, or in the surrounding area. It made his sleep far easier. And of course when he’d been at Necrom for a while, there was the uproar; lord Nerevar coming back to life, back from the dead or reincarnated. Those first few months no one knew for certain. Gulvan had done his best to stay informed; he was greatly interested in the journeys of this man who would be a living god, and was tremendously impressed by him when he was able to defeat Dagoth Ur.

Then when he also performed a personal service to Gulvan, he pledged his life to lord Nerevar; he couldn’t care if it was really the reincarnated Nerevar or not; he had proven himself by doing what he did in the best interest of Morrowind and that was more than enough for Gulvan. And in return, Gulvan had been blessed enough to be called a friend by lord Nerevar.

But sadly, that too had come to an end. A week ago lord Nerevar had been buried. Ten days, ten days ago he’d still been alive; it seemed like so much longer. And now with lord Nerevar gone, so had hope for Morrowind’s future. A future without corruption, where honor once again counted for something. Or so Gulvan was convinced anyway.

King Helseth certainly would not bring them order and peace; if anything, he would make it harder on Morrowind then Dagoth Ur ever had. At least against him Morrowind had stood united; with Helseth there it was a sure mix for a civil war. Gulvan had known it all along, but still felt his heart drop when the order had come to organise for battle. It was a direct order from the new Gahprovihn, but he had still been disappointed. Perhaps deep down he had hoped that Azura would take him before it all came to pass. Sadly, he was denied even that simple blessing.

War. Helseth and the Gahprovihn would have him mass all of his men, and march north on Velothi’s Haven and Firewatch, undoubtedly killing thousands of his men, but that was certainly no inconvenience to Helseth, who thought honor was simply a word someone had invented to get paid more.

He was roused from his thoughts by someone clearing his throat. He sighed, looked around and saw Endris Dilmyn, one of the brightest and most promising of Gulvan’s retainers. He had come to Necrom with him, and Gulvan had done what he could to promote him to Gahshaldmas the first chance he got. He was his right hand, his rock through troubled times, but now he himself looked a bit troubled.

“Yes Endris, what is it?”

“Could I ask what you were looking at my lord?”

“Ah nothing Endris, just trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of some spotted owls. But I’m sure that’s not why you’re here right?”

“My lord, there are two guests here to see you.”

“Really? Guests at Necrom, no that’s not an everyday picture. Who are they, Endris?”

“Master Divayth Fyr of house Telvanni, and a robed man who would not identify himself, but whom Master Fyr has told me is the Archmagister of house Telvanni.”

Well, that certainly explained the look of apprehension on Endris’ face. It’s not every day one gets to greet probably the oldest inhabitant of Morrowind, and likely the most powerful one as well.

“Where are they now Endris?”

“Pardon me, my lord, but I thought it a safe precaution to ask them to wait at the gate, and the guards there have arrows pointing at them.”

That made Gulvan chuckle. “Really, Endris, arrows will accomplish nothing against Master Fyr, and those gates could not keep someone a tenth as strong as he out; no they only wait there because they want to. Please Endris, show them inside and ask them to join me in my study. I shall go there and prepare drinks.”

Endris’ face had flushed; he knew a rebuke when he heard it. “Of course my lord, I will bring them to you immediately.”

[milanius]

hehe, rooting a bit for the Telvanni after all are we now Mil?

No. Just making a guess where events are headed.

[Agent Griff]

I love the way you describe old Gulvan's melancholy when it comes to the day of his glory as head of House Indoril. I'm sure that Fyr could sway the whole city of Necrom on his (and House Telvanni's of course) side if he were to promise Gulvan that, once Helseth is deposed, he can have the rule of his old House back. Seeing as there is little love between the king and Gulvan, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to turn down such an offer. Of course, that's just my take on the situation. I expect you to surprise me and confirm my expectations of your talent. You still confuse "then" with "than" however. It has appeared in this update as well. A minor oversight I suppose.

In other news, VICTORY!!!

Today I've finally acquired A Clash of Kings and A Feast for Crows! Now I can finally get on with reading Martin's masterpiece. I've already reached page 62 as of posting this and I can firmly say that this book lives up to all expectations. Happy day!

[Alexander]

I love the way you describe old Gulvan's melancholy when it comes to the day of his glory as head of House Indoril. I'm sure that Fyr could sway the whole city of Necrom on his (and House Telvanni's of course) side if he were to promise Gulvan that, once Helseth is deposed, he can have the rule of his old House back. Seeing as there is little love between the king and Gulvan, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to turn down such an offer. Of course, that's just my take on the situation. I expect you to surprise me and confirm my expectations of your talent. You still confuse "then" with "than" however. It has appeared in this update as well. A minor oversight I suppose.

hm, tough call but I don't think he would accept that even if Fyr were to offer it. You see honor means everything to him, and wouldn't agreeing to such an arrangement make him no better then others of his house influenced by the Hlaalu? Well at least in the eyes of honor, and in his own eyes that is

In other news, VICTORY!!!

Today I've finally acquired A Clash of Kings and A Feast for Crows! Now I can finally get on with reading Martin's masterpiece. I've already reached page 62 as of posting this and I can firmly say that this book lives up to all expectations. Happy day!

Cool! I hope you have the time to read them very soon and in full, definitely worth it and I'm sure you'll love both

[Burnt Sierra]

You're certainly weaving a lot of plot threads here, it's going to be a big release of tension as a reader when they're all pulled together. And... I still can't see where this is going

Pest. I shall have to keep checking every day to see what tidbits of info you've given.

Life's hard isn't it?

[Alexander]

You're certainly weaving a lot of plot threads here, it's going to be a big release of tension as a reader when they're all pulled together. And... I still can't see where this is going

Pest. I shall have to keep checking every day to see what tidbits of info you've given.

Life's hard isn't it?

Hehe, I guess that means I've done my job well neh? I mean keeping readers on the proverbial edge of their seat is kinda what a writer is supposed to do right?

[Marcel Rhodes]

Having just read through the most recent updates...

I've got to say, not only is that a hell of a twist, but as I think Trey was saying, it makes perfect sense. Great stuff.

[Alexander]

Gulvan looked at the two men as they entered his study. Divayth Fyr had not changed a bit. Of course last time he saw him was but a week ago at the funeral, but even before that he hadn’t changed a bit since Gulvan was young. He’d first seen him when he was but a boy, just studying to be a warrior. His father had taken him along one time when he went to visit Divayth Fyr, and the old Wizard looked not a day older than on that day many centuries ago.

“Welcome Master Fyr, and welcome Archmagister.” He inclined his head towards the robed figure, who nodded in return. “May I get you something to drink?” He passed out two cups and indicated to the two visitors to take a seat. “Now then, what brings Master Fyr and the Archmagister to the city of the dead? Visiting an old relative perhaps?”

Gulvan had always had the habit of jesting when he was nervous. And he had to admit, the company of these two made him more nervous then he cared to consider.

“May we speak in private Gulvan?”

“Of course Master Fyr.” Gulvan indicated to Endris that he should leave.

“Thank you, Gulvan. I understand you’ve received orders to organize your forces and move on Velothi’s Haven, and then on to Firewatch. Am I correct?”

Well, there certainly seemed no sense in denying it, so Gulvan was equally direct: “Yes, you are correct, though I wonder if you’d care to explain how you came to know this.”

Divayth smiled, “That does not matter right now. Gulvan, you may have considered this already, but you’re being misled by king Helseth. We are not the ones who killed lord Nerevar, I assure you that.”

“Well master Fyr, you certainly don’t beat around the bush. I will admit I had my doubts, but of course without proof….” He held out his hands.

“Yes, well proof we do have. But first I’d like to tell you what Helseth is planning, then you can judge for yourself.”
“Helseth meant to have an Argonian member of the Camonna Tong testify against Varvur Sarethi, claiming he was the one who poisoned lord Nerevar, and then to combine the other four great houses to wage war on the Redoran and eventually eradicate them. Then he planned to move against the Telvanni, saying we were in league with the Redoran and wiping us out. As scattered as we were, they likely would have succeeded. And then, after a thorough cleansing of the three remaining houses, Helseth would be able to rule unopposed as a virtual dictator over all those who remained. Of course with our attack he was forced to change course so now he sends you to Velothi’s Haven and Firewatch, gaining two things. First, he hopes we will focus on this part of the land while he can roam free on Vvardenfall, and second, he will rid himself of you and yours.”

Gulvan considered that for a moment; it certainly seemed plausible and something Helseth could have come up with.

“Well, assuming for a moment that is true, I would still have no choice. My Gahprovihn has ordered me onwards and I cannot disobey.“

Divayth frowned, “Your Gahprovihn is a scoundrel, Gulvan. Surely you’ve come to the same conclusion by now.”

“Perhaps so, but there is no proof. If I cannot prove he is corrupt, I cannot disobey him.”

“Well, that offers a dilemma now, doesn’t it? What if we were to provide a witness, a witness that could testify to him being corrupt and someone you know would not lie?”

“I’d say you will have a hard time finding such a person Master Fyr. There are very few people who I would believe on nothing but their word.”

The robed man slowly stood, turned towards Gulvan and lowered his hood. Gulvan stared at him, not believing his eyes. “Lord Geles, but you’re…”

A deep and powerful voice answered, “I am the Archmagister of house Telvanni. And I promise you, the Telvanni were not responsible for the death of lord Nerevar.”

Gulvan thought about that; this changed everything. “So lord Nerevar really is dead then?”

“Yes he is.”

“And what about the rest of Master Fyr’s words? Is the Gahprovihn corrupt?”

“Yes, your Gahprovihn is corrupt, as are the other two Alt Gahshaldmas, most of house Hlaalu, some of house Dres and even some of house Redoran. And the Telvanni were also not responsible for the deaths of Dram Bero and Crassius Curio. Helseth was behind those murders as well.”

Gulvan had suspected this all along, but to hear this person say it, his word was proof enough.

“Well gentlemen, I fear that places me in a precarious position; I find myself between two superpowers, Helseth’s army to the south and you to the north. I cannot continue serving house Indoril, yet I have no intention of joining house Telvanni. I’m between a proverbial rock and a hard place, or in this case, between a mushroom and Mournhold.”

Again the robed man spoke, “A wise man once said, ‘When faced with two options, choose the third.’ ten years ago, when the council voted you out of office, it was already ruled by the corrupt. So Gulvan, I say you were never voted out of office. You are still the rightful Gahprovihn, and you are house Indoril. Knowing you, the people here and around Necrom are all loyal to you, and above all honourable. Put the question to them if you would, and ask them who they want as their Gahprovihn- that rat who was given the position by the king’s cronies, or you. I think you already know the answer.”

“Gulvan, house Telvanni supports you, and eventually others will, too. We will win this war, make no mistake about it, and I would not ask this of you if I did not think you were up to it. But rise once more Gulvan, become Gahprovihn once more, show Morrowind and all of Tamriel once more why you were the youngest Gahprovihn in history. And together, together we will usher in a new age. Are you with me?”
Gulvan did not have to think. As the Archmagister had been speaking, he’d felt power returning to his bones and muscles, where before he had bent over, he was standing upright again. The Archmagister was right; this might be the last chance he had to show the world what he could do, and his best chance to leave the world a far better place than when he had come into it.

“I’ll do it Archmagister. I don’t know if I’m making the right choice, but for better or worse, I’m yours.”

The formerly hooded Archmagister smiled. “Thank you Gulvan. Now, call in your Alt Gahshaldmas, for we have much to discuss, much to plan, and little time.”

[Agent Griff]

Despite what you said, pretty much what I predicted happened. Fyr and the robed figure offered Gulvan the position of leader of House Indoril and he accepted without thinking. Pretty much as I said, Necrom is now an ally of House Telvanni and Indoril will likely be split in two as a faction supports Gulvan and the other faction supports the corrupt leader of the House. Still, you have such an epic way of writing all this, I can't help but love it.

[Olen]

This hooded figure fascinates me. I have an idea of who he might be but only a very vauge one. He was a good touch in persuading Gulvan to effectivly start a civil war within his own house while believing he does the right thing (perhaps he does).

"between a mushroom and Mournhold" I loved that line.

This is developing nicely though I wander if all will continue to go so well for the Telvanni, they're becoming rather powerful. You have quite a cast of characters too. I'm surprised at how fast Helseth is unravelling though.

[Alexander]

Chapter 15. The enemy of my enemy….

Baladas had been a guest of Athyn Sarethi for two days now. Well, technically he’d been a guest at Athyn’s house, though he would be surprised if Athyn even knew yet he was staying there. Word had arrived from Divayth Fyr sending Baladas with the enchanted steel plaque west to Ald’Ruhn to speak to Athyn Sarethi about Redoran involvement in the war. Because that was definitely what it was, a war.

Over the last few days, many things had happened. House Hlaalu and House Dres had declared themselves to be in support of king Helseth; House Indoril had also officially declared for the king, though what was not official was that nearly a third of the nobles of that house had taken all of their men and retainers and travelled to Necrom, where they joined the outcast Indoril who were supporting the Telvanni. The Fighters Guild had also chosen to support the king, but with the Camonna Tong being the true force behind that guild, it was only to be expected, and the Mages Guild had done the same. While they had no love for any of the Great Houses, their greatest wrath had always been aimed at the Telvanni, and what better way then this to join in destroying their competition once and for all.

After the guilds had declared for the king, Baladas had taken the forces stationed at Tel Uvirith and marched on Wolverine Hall. No great battle was fought that day though, for when they arrived there, most of the guild members had gone already, leaving only Skink, the local leader of the Mages Guild. The Argonian mage presented the formal declarations of war from both guilds to Baladas, though he obviously took no joy in doing so. Skink, Baladas reflected, had always been a bit of a Telvanni at heart. Perhaps having lived so long in Wolverine Hall, some Telvanni virtues had rubbed off on him. Baladas politely bid him farewell and said he hoped he would never find himself facing Skink in battle.

The Temple and Buoyant Armigers had remained true to their word. Though Helseth had tried everything in his power, they simply would not do anything but declare to all sides that they would remain neutral. The same went for the Imperial Legion and Cult. They had both recalled all of their members back to Ebonheart, had fortified it and declared it would remain off limits to both sides until such time as one side either surrendered or was destroyed.

The Thieves Guild had not been heard from, but rumors indicated a battle had been fought in Balmora and Vivec between the Thieves and their enemies. If the rumors were correct, the Thieves Guild was badly beaten, with many of its high ranking members killed or imprisoned and so would not be able to side either way in this war. No one had heard anything from the Morag Tong. Anyone who went there found the headquarters at Vivec boarded shut, and no word reached any side other than “no”. Mephala only knew what they were going to do.

House Redoran had reluctantly sided with the king as well. While he was their rightful king, there was no love lost between the two. Baladas knew that, if given a good excuse, Redoran would gladly pull out of the war and declare neutrality.

Only one battle had been fought so far; under the ruse of delivering a declaration of war, a Hlaalu noble and quite a few “bodyguards” as he called then, were admitted into Suran, and after delivering their declaration, had proceeded to violate the ancient treaty of a messenger by attacking the occupying Telvanni. They were well on their way to recapturing the city until Divayth Fyr showed up and single-handedly beat back the attackers. Hlaalu forces were forced to leave and were now laying siege to the city, quite a ways back though, as they wanted no more of Divayth’s magic. Baladas grinned; the siege of Suran had to be the least effective siege in all of Tamriel’s history, with the besiegers not being able to encircle the city entirely, only being able to lay siege to one side, and afraid to even show their faces to actually watch the city for fear of drawing the attention of Divayth.

No, right now the war wasn’t going very well for king Helseth, though who knew what would happen in a few weeks when he got more organized. There was no denying the fact that the Telvanni and their allies were badly outnumbered, and only the element of surprise had aided them so far and that was no longer relevant. So Baladas found himself in Sarethi manor, awaiting the arrival of Athyn Sarethi and hoping to be able to deliver a very serious blow to the forces of king Helseth without losing a single man.

Baladas looked up at the door as a servant entered the room, “Magister Baladas, again I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting, but Archmaster Sarethi is approaching the manor, and he’s asked for you to wait for him in his study. Please follow me.” Baladas was brought to the study, and sure enough, in less then half an hour Athyn entered. Tall and powerfully built, he was easily half a head taller than Baladas himself. He sat down behind his desk and gestured for Baladas to seat himself as well. After he ordered his servant to bring them some drinks, he got right to the point.

“So Baladas, is there any reason why I should not have you arrested straight away? We are after all at war with one another.” Baladas smiled at that; it was one thing he’d always liked about the Redoran Archmaster, he never waisted any words getting to the point.

“Lord Sarethi, I come as messenger. I have something very important to show you if you could spare a moment of your time. I assure you it will be worth it.”

“Telvanni trickery, no doubt, or even a bribe? If it is either of the two, I suggest you leave now.”

“No lord Sarethi, I bring you only truth.” Baladas stood up and took the steel plaque out of his bag, placed it on the table and pressed the correct symbols to unlock the memory stored inside.

It brought up the scene of a lavishly decorated mansion. Both the men looking at it were familiar with the mansion. It was the home of the late councillor Curio. The picture showed him and Master Bero arriving together late at night, presumably after the funeral of lord Nerevar. Both entered, and after some words of goodbye, Dram Bero closed the door behind him and left, probably heading to his own mansion. Curio gave a long sigh, sat down and pored himself a cup of wine. He took a long drink, and then spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He set down the cup, looked at what he’d seen and spoke,

“Drusus, still here? I would have thought you’d be back at the palace by now, giving my response to the king.”

An Imperial came out of the shadows to stand before Crassius. “Ah, but I have. I’ve actually just come back from speaking to king Helseth about your, ah unfortunate misconception.”

“Don’t try and be coy with me, puppet, there is no misconception here. Helseth wants me to hand over control of House Hlaalu so he can use it for his own benefit, and I will not do that. Vedam Dren left me in charge here, and I mean to stay in charge until his return.”

“Yes, well about that, king Helseth is a reasonable man; he asked me to offer his terms once more. Think about this Crassius, a home in the countryside, enough gold and servants to play with to last you the rest of your lifetime; it seems like a good deal, especially considering the alternative.”

Crassius snorted at that, “And what would that be?” The reply was a statement of the simplest kind and said a great deal about the nature of this man, this Drusus.

“Death.”

Crassius looked at him slyly, “Well, if the king wants me dead, he’ll just have to send someone to do it. You’ve been here for a time now, shared my meat and mead, so we are both protected from each other by ancient rights. When you get back to Helseth, tell him I don’t intend to change my mind, nor will I forget what I know about the previous king and his sudden demise.”

Drusus sighed, “I was afraid you were going to say that, old man.”

From his belt he drew what appeared to be a small piece of rope, or wire. Before Crassius could call out, he wrapped it around his throat and pulled it tight.

The image faded away, and Sarethi sat for a few moments in thought, then looked at Baladas and asked, “Can you give me your word that this is real?”

“I give you my word; I also give you the word of Eno Hlaalu, who gave this to us.”
Athyn Sarethi nodded. Baladas imagined this was simply confirming what Athyn had already thought, so he had no problem believing it.

“Tell your Archmagister he will get what he wants. Redoran will have no more to do with this war. But if you cross our borders even an inch, you will all wish you had never heard the name Redoran. All of our lands are henceforth off limits to all but Redoran.”

“Thank you, that’s all we’re asking of you Archmaster.” With that, Baladas stood, “And now I’ll do us both a favour, and leave. A good day to you Archmaster.” And Baladas stood and turned to leave but before he could Sarethi spoke again;” “Ah, one more thing before you go Baladas, I just got back from Omayni, and the strangest things have been happening there lately. First I get a message from my son saying there are spies at Omayni, actually leading the city. Then when I get there, I find a distressed garrison who have “lost” their commander and his wife. I don’t suppose you would know anything about that would you Baladas.”

Baladas saw Athyn look at him with suspicion in his eyes, though he truly had no idea. “No Archmaster Sarethi, sorry but I can’t help you there.”

“I didn’t think so” Came the reply, and with a wave of his hand, Athyn indicated Baladas was excused.

He was escorted by a servant back to the entrance, and there cast his spell and transported back to Sadrith Mora. It was a day well spent. Even the time spent waiting at Ald’Ruhn had been worth it, to have Redoran sit out the war. In half an hour’s time, he had taken away one of the biggest threats to the Telvanni, had made sure their entire northern border, everything above Ghostgate, was secure, with no need to station more then a token guard there. Of course Baladas had no illusions; the combined forces of Hlaalu, Dres, Indoril and the guilds still outnumbered House Telvanni, but at least the numbers were less disparate then at the start of the conflict.

[Burnt Sierra]

So. All the sides are now set, lined up like pieces on a chessboard. Helseth on the attack, Telvanni an agressive defence. But still... I sense all is not yet in motion. The disappearance of the Morag Tong for one is giving me pause to reflect. Helseth with surely have mobilised the Dark Brotherhood, are they waiting for their appearance? And what of the commander of Omayni, who had appeared to have wealth beyond his station.

No, clearly you have a few surprises still left in store for us. I look forward to discovering what they might be