Mournhold RP

Remember last note, when we promised to add the missing text? Here it is! Enjoy x) - Rayhe & Shagan

It’s been roughly a month since Dalance arrived at the gates of Mournhold. A lot of things changed during that time. Revolution stopped being a threat, and slowly became a fact. At first it were just small groups, no more than few people crowded inside abandoned house or tavern cellar. Easy to find because of how clumsy and inexperienced they were, how carelessly they spoke about their meetings with wrong people. Yet, the city watch failed to find the real source of this problem. There was nobody big among the arrested people, mostly average citizens, a merchant here, craftsman there... but after some investigation it appeared that some of them had connections in one or another noble house of the city. Yet again, there were just single cases, small circles, nobody of real importance. The leaders – whoever they were – remained in shadows.

What slowly became clear for her, was that the great house Indoril wasn’t that united as it seemed. There was a lot of tension between the Temple and the actual nobility of the city. Members of the second group were unsatisfied with the amount of power the Temple had not only over the city, but over the house itself, how they had to serve the archcanon and treat his decisions as if he was an Indoril grandmaster, not a religious figure. They wanted changes, they wanted to govern the house just as other great houses did – with a secular council consisting of the heads of few most influential noble families. The Temple of course wasn’t happy about it – not only would it mean losing a lot of power, but also most of their military force. The Temple had an army, because the house Indoril had one. And the bulk of this army belonged to the nobility, what made the situation even worse.

For now there was no sign of open rebellion, both sides of the conflict waited for the opponent’s movement, planning and preparing. There was some unrest in one or another district, but nothing big yet, all the smaller brawls were taken care of quickly. Still, one could smell a storm in the air, a rolling thunder of approaching trouble. This state of suspension could last few weeks more, maybe even few months, or it could end abruptly in a few days. It was truly impossible to tell for sure.

Fortunately, a lot of people still supported the Temple as the true lead of the house Indoril. Most of them were just common folk, who preferred to be led by clerics, than to be under the shoe of aristocracy, like it happened in other houses. Also, Dalance had a very strong position among them, she was loved, admired, even worshipped as a national hero, a saviour, a mystical figure and a symbol of light, which survives in the darkest times. She gave them hope, strength and perseverance to endure everything what happened to them in the recent years. And she truly cared about them, about the small folk, who had nobody else to stood up for them.

It was something new, almost shocking. She was used to anonymity, she never really spent much time in the hold, avoiding it after the death of Almalexia and Sotha Sil. She preferred it this way. But now it was different, even though she remained rather mysterious figure for the locals, some people began to recognize her on the streets. Besides, during every march, every parade or even remotely official event she could see crowds of Dunmers looking at her with admiration, respect, but also with some kind of pride. She was their hero, part of their history and culture.

Dalance was taking part in some events in the city, organised by the Temple. Hler asked her to show herself to the public, as a supporter of their actions. And there was one thing she noticed about her relation with the Temple: for the first time they were not treating her as an eccentric hero but more seriously, like she indeed had some influence.

Her main task was to take part in fighting with small groups of the revolutionists. She knew that it was partly to show them that the Temple had her support but she was also skilled in combat. It was one of her biggest assets so she could be really helpful to the city guards who participated in quick assaults on the heretics bases.

She still felt a bit out of place, the thought that she would take part in some political conflicts in the city felt unreal. She used to work off the beaten track and now, trying to follow the diplomatic doings of the authorities and keep up with all new information she was given, fighting the alienation was just one of her issues. But she was the only one who knew this side of the story, Dalance did great at not showing any confusion. She always looked focused and resolved.

Short after the events with the assassins she was taken to the building in the quite wealthy district of the city. It was suspiciously well guarded for the average-size manor. She was surprised to find a key and a letter from the archcanon with the ownership documents stating her as a new owner.

The letter from Hler was simple and frugal as usual, without any quirkiness like the other authority figures tend to use. He wrote that someone of her status should not be accommodated in taverns and it'll be safer and more convenient for her to have her own place. He also claimed that House Indoril should have given her a place to stay in the capital before but she left the city in hurry and hardly ever been there, living on Vvardenfell. The new house should be treated as a convenience, not a commitment. It was a way to thank her for the previous services done in the city and to show that her contribution to the current situation would be desirable.  

It was a two-storey house, not the biggest one in the area, but still quite spacious. Downstairs was the small hall, kitchen, dining room, servant’s room (a young, nice and quiet Dunmer woman, who greeted her with a deep bow), but also the bigger room which served as guards’ quarter. There were few of them patrolling the grounds, what she noticed immediately after walking through the gate. Upstairs was the private part, a big study with an aspiration of becoming a library, a bit smaller, but still impressive bedroom and a marble bathroom with a skylight instead of windows. It was all pretty luxurious, furniture and decorations were made of quality materials, while they also showed the good taste of a person who decorated the house. But it was also really secure – windows were made of thick glass, fireplace in the study had a solid grate to prevent anybody from getting through it, there was no balcony and the only tree in the garden was located far enough to make it impossible to use it as a way to get into the house or to pass a solid, tall wall surrounding the grounds. Doors inside the building were pretty sturdy and the interiors lacked any dark corners or other places which would make it easy for any trespasser to hide. It was clear, that whoever built this house, was concerned about the security as much as about the looks.

Dalance was pleased with having this amount of place for her own and some privacy. After dealing with public meetings and gatherings in the Temple she felt a strong need to retreat to some quiet place. The one thing that bothered her was the mention that Indorils should have given her an accomodation before. They couldn't care less about her  when she was not needed- she thought. They just spied and gathered information about her, no matter in what deep trouble she was in the past years. Not that she expected them to act. She never asked for anything or even keep in touch with the Temple. But this topic made her feel a bit bitter.

Hi!

We are going to translate a new chapter on Monday! I’m currently at Rayhe’s house. We were going to translate it this evening but decided to watch some movies and chill- we live quite afar from each other ;) 

I made the illustration in advance- it’s not really a spoiler even if it looks like it. You’ll see! On monday we’ll add the rest of the note.

(Bigger picture-> LINK)

Ilyssa Therayn

Maggoth’s younger sister, eldest of all his siblings. She chose to leave her family city in order to see how the life in bigger and more civilized settlements looks like. She’s been living with Maggoth for quite a long time, both of them enjoying each other’s company and the opportunity to divide housework in two.

Ilyssa is a short, rather plump girl with long, chestnut hair – straight and silky, in opposite to her brother’s. They have rather similar facial features, though it’s hard to notice due to the disfigurement of his face. She dresses in a very feminine way, most of time she can be seen in a sleeveless dress or a blouse and a long skirt. Also, no matter what kind of weather is outside, she never wears any shoes other than sandals. She likes to wear warm, earthen colours, such as greens and browns, usually spiced up with multiple colourful ornaments, embroidery or various trinkets. Everything is good, as long as it’s bright, pretty and shiny. She makes most of these embellishments herself, since she is a skilled craftsman – and she never lets other forget about that, usually showering them with small gifts, such as an embroided scarf, a necklace or even a clay pot.

She is a really cheerful person, optimistic, kind-hearted, thoughtful and generally she tries her best to always stay positive – and to make others feel the same. This may be tiring, especially after a longer time, but most people see it as charming, spontaneous and definitely genuine. She is also very clumsy, often tripping over her own legs, getting tangled in her skirt or just bumping into things. Another important trait is how talkative she is. Once she starts talking, she can go on and on for hours, chatting about everything, quite chaotically and fast, but with a lot of interest and enthusiasm. What people tend to miss, is that she is a really good listener. She is able to pick a lot of information from listening to others, and she has quite good memory. Her natural charm is also very helpful, since people seem to trust her quickly. She almost never complains, which is pretty unusual habit for a Dunmer.

Her relationship with Maggoth is a really good one, they care for each other deeply, despite how different they are. She often visits him in the office, where she tends to stay and chat with guards or other workers, sometimes doing small tasks for them. She has a habit of calling her brother a diminutive nickname “Maggy”, which he doesn’t seem to mind at all... at least unless she does it in front of somebody important.

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Maggoth mentioned that they'll talk soon. The cases of attacks and the traitors were still an issue to rosolve. He left the room and Dalance sat near the window, thinking. She needed some time to sort things out and to recover. Soon, Ilyssa came back with a friendly smile on her face.

- Hi again! I hope I won't bother you if I'll be here for a while. Guys from the watch really want someone to stay  in the room.- Ilyssa said.

"I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I jumped out after this assasin "- Dalance thought, looking away from the window. She seemed less brittle than before and nodded politely;

- It's not a problem.

- I'll try not to talk your ear off! It will be quite hard, I always wanted to see you, especially after all the stories I heard. Even if the bards tend to exaggerate, as they always do, you are still amazing! But... yes, I was supposed not to talk you to death, especially since you are still tired I guess. If you want to eat or drink something just say the word, I'll ask the cook to prepare something.

Dalance smiled slightly in response and walked back to her bed to sit on it. She habitually wanted to take her schoes off but there was no need right now. Her feet were covered with thick layer of bandages. She silently comited not to leave the house without footwear ever again. Ilyssa, again,was not discouraged by her lack of answear. She sat in the  same spot she was doing her handwork before and took the braid and beading from her pocket to continue it. She glanced at Dalance curiously while doing the adornment.

She endured about a quarter of an hour without speaking.

- Have you met the Ashlanders? - she asked eventually, clearly eager to talk.

- Yes.- Dalance answeared shortly. Ilyssa didn't give up.

- How were they? I know it's a silly question but there are any Ashlanders where we live.. You know, in this part of Morrowind. They prefere those less crowded places with less cities. And there are so many settlements here! Even in the mountainous land I came from are quite many inhabitants. And I always wanted to meet the Ashlanders...

- They're an interesting community... Very conservative one.

- Oh. Yes, I guess they don't like outlanders, even dunmer outsiders. And what they're like when you get to know them a bit better?

- Still, intereting and conservative.- Dalance paused for a while like if she was checking if her answear was satisfactory.- And once you are entitled to be the part of their little society they... the'yre good and righteous dunmers. And very persistent. Those are harsh lands they live in.

Ilyssa figured out, that Dalance isn't really eager to tell stories about Ashlanders, so she changed the subject of the conversation quickly.

- They always seemed so interesting to me, but I doubt I'll ever have an opportunity to meet any of them... And how do you find Mournhold?

- The city is beautiful.- Dalance gave the short answear again. She found it hard to descibe it and remain diplomatic. Terms like "cold", "overwhelming", "associated with unpleasant memories" came to her mind.

- Yes, it's so beautiful and so... huge. And a bit alien. Maggy's been living here for years, he knows every corner of it, but I came to the city quite recently. I think I still like Akamora better, even if one hat to climb to get anywhere. And it's so... strange here, especially after the plague. It seems serene, but also so sad at the same time. But I guess all big cities are like this.

- I guess so.

- I wouldn't like to live here on my own. It's different when I have my brother here, even if he is at work for the better part of the day, it's still nice to sit and talk in the evening. I guess that's why I'm talking so much, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. - she smiled slightly.

- No. Don't worry about it.

Dalance was a bit embarassed with her lack of enthusiasm for talking but she really didn't feel like doing it. But still tried to. Her mind still felt clouded. Was she usually this frigid?

Ilyssa smile widened after she heard the answer.

- Very well then! It's hard to talk to the guys who guard this place, they are all so serious and quiet, hard to get a single laugh out of them. I think they are afraid it would be inapropriate to talk to me, or that Maggy will get angry at them... and none of them ever was on Vvardenfell. I heard really nasty rumors, people say it's a terrible place, that half of the isle belongs to the Hlaalu and another half to the Telvanni, and what's left is just a grey desert. But I don't think it can really be that bad, I mean... people live there and like it.

- It is said to be savage and horrid. All that is true. And there is no such place as Vvardenfell. It's incredible in a specific way. I personally adore it.

- It really is like that? Amazing. I'd like to see all these fascinating places one day, but I don't think it'll ever happen. I'd ask my brother to take me somewhere, but he's always so busy with his work... and he really hated Vvardenfell. He's been there once, you know, for almost a year. He's been in some cities, but he said that it's mostly just ashes, ruins and rocks, not to mention daedra and corprus. He went back in a terrible mood and only complained about the isle since then. He can be really grumpy sometimes, but it's not so often. And apart from that he is really fine.

- It's not a very friendly place, he has the point. Whatever floats your boat.

- Ah, he said that too, but I hoped he was exaggerating... and he also said that our people... I mean Indoril, that they are much more... unkind towards others on the isle. Less civil maybe, especially with prisoners. He got himself in quite a pickle after he interrupted and investigation led by one of the inquisitors. He was trying to get the interrogated person released, this guy was... a Telvanni I think, or an Ashlander. Or maybe both. They kept him there for days, without a trial, imprisoned under accusation of heresy. And they treated him really badly. I mean, it's scary what kind of people some heretics are, but... they should at least have a real trial. Anyway, Maggy said that after they set that guy free, he wasn't even able to walk. He just took an amulet from the things they gave him back and activated a teleportation spell. He didn't even want to hear about getting help from a local medic, they scared him that much.

- Yeah... it happens. More often than one will admit.

- It really sounds like a dangerous and savage place. - she looked a bit disappointed, but just like previously, she jumped into another subject immediately - and how do you find working with my brother? Just asking out of curiosity, if you don't mind.

- Very good. He's a smart guy.- Another evasive answear came.

- He is, truly. Still, a lot of people seem to be biased because of the scars... really don't know why. I mean, it's not like they really say anything about a person.

-  Exactly.

Ilyssa smiled when Dalance agreed with her.

- Are you hungry? You probably should eat. And I was told not to bother you too much...

- I'm not hungry. And... It's fine. Really. I'm not very talkative and I don't feel well. But I'll gladly listen to what you have to say.

Ilyssa smiled cheerfully whenshe heard that. This wide smile, a certain spark in the eyes and her narrow, pointy nose made her realise that the girl really looked a lot like her brother. It was eerie, especially since the only time when Dalance saw Maggoth smiling this way was during her own interrogation. Still, the uneasy feeling didn't last long, not with Ilyssa's kindness.

- It's really nice of you! I never talked to a real hero before. I mean, there was one guy in our inn in Akamora, he claimed to be a hero of the legion, but he was drinking most of time and telling the same story over and over, more exaggerated every time. And you were in so many places and you have seen so much! You talked to so many interesting people, to the savage Ashlanders, sneaky Hlaalu, weird Telvanni, conservative Dren... and you were fighting with the beasts and defeated the Dreamer... it's all so amazing! Especially from a point of view of somebody who mostly sits around, helping their father in paperwork or making trinkets.

- Maybe.- Dalance to laughed under her breath- But I bet a lot of things from "the casual life in the big city" would be fascinating for me.Those are different points of view.

- Yes, that's true.- Ilyssa smiled again.- But all the stories about the powerful wizards from the north coast, hunters wearing beast hides and feathers, with their faces covered in warpaint, about ancient ruins, filed with darkness... It sounds so wonderful. Too bad I can't fight.

- And what do you want to fight for?

- What for? - Ilyssa seemed rather surprised by the question - Do I need to fight for something? I mean... a lot of people don't really fight for anything, for themselves maybe, but they know how to defend themselves so they can see the world. I can't even hold a sword. I just would like to travel, but it's dangerous, when you don't know how to fight.

- I hope you'll fulfill your dream.

- Thank you! Father has enough daughters to secure the future of his buisness, so maybe one day I'll manage to start travelling on my own. That's one of the reasons why I came here, I wanted to find somebody who could teach me how to fence... you know, to be somebody more than just a daughter and sister. Maggy isn't really happy about it, he says I hae no idea what fighting is really about, but he didn't really try to stop me.

- And have you found somebody to teach you to fight?

- Not yet...- Ilyssa answeared a bit awkwardly.- I mean... yes. But I can't afford it now. That's why I want to earn as much as possible. Sure, I could ask Maggy to help but he'll be angry and he'll claim to know better what is proper for me. But he would agree eventually, I'm pretty sure. But it won't be right to ask him for the money. He has his own expenses. And he thinks I don't know about some of them.- Ilyssa to bursted out laughing.- I don't have a steady job yet. But one merchant eagerly buys my handwork! And sometimes I sell pictures as well. So I'm slowly getting closer to my goal.

- I wish you luck. And competent people to guide you.

- Thank you!  And now... I'll better let you sleep. You look a bit pale. And Maggy won't be happy to see that you're not well rested because I talked all night.

When Ilyssa left the room Dalance took the opportunity to get up and stretch her legs a bit. Still feeling dizzy, she found clean clothes on the closet and got changed from sweaty shirt she woke up in. It appeared to be a bit chilly in the room, what she felt only after leaving the bed. Rain was falling heavy on the window, making it hard to see clearly the garden behind it. Still, the guard under her window stood assidously, watching for any threat, despite the courtain of water, slowly turning the lawn into a swamp. Dalance stood there, watching for a while. It took some time before she heard knocking on the door. Maggoth entered the room after hearing short "come in". - Hello. How are you?  You slept for quite a long time, but we figured out that it's better to let you rest. - Great.- Dalance answeared blankly, sitting on the edge of her bed again..- I bet you have some questions about what happened. I'll be more than happy if you find out what is all this conspiracy about. - she added, but the whole sentence sounded more like "let's get this over with". - Indeed, I do. It's quite... perplexing, what happened between the moment when you ran into the sewers with one of the guards, chasing after the assassin and the moment when we found you in that mansion, laying unconscious next to two bodies. Could you tell me what happened, with as many details as you can? Dalance narrated the events from that night, the chase and the duel in the mansion. But the further her story went the less detailed she was. She mentioned all she could remember about those hostile Indorils in silver masks and of course about the Priest. But Dalance wasn't so eager to relate the dialogue she has with the man with the crossbow. It was mentioned briefly. Maggoth listened to her carefully, not saying a word until she was done. - I hoped that your version of the story would make things less complicated, but it didn't. We'll send men to attempt to retrieve the body of the guard, or at least what's left of it, and perhaps we'll find the remains of the assassin... but I'm afraid that the beasts didn't leave us anything useful. We already searched the mansion, but except for debris and old papers we found nothing interesting. Whoever that cleric is, he works carefully. Of course, we will continue searching. - I hope you'll find him.- Dalance replied, keeping her eyes low as during telling the whole story.- Before he and his followers cause more trouble. Because his convictions are... disturbing. - We'll do everything what we can to do so. Even if he doesn't have many followers now, it's never hard for his kind to get them, especially now, with Empire pressing us stronger than usual. - he went silent for a moment, looking at her - Still, his words had little to do with reality. Accusing you of causing trouble to the Temple? It's hard to be further from truth. Dalance shrugged. - I'm not really involved in what the Temple is doing. Not active. I was completely unreachable for the last few years. Or I wanted to think so.- she added quiely. - You don't have to be involved directly to be a hero. You are a Nerevarine and after all what you did for all of us, even if you prefer to live a rather secluded life, calling you trouble... just makes no sense. Why did you disappear anyway? - I needed rest and some time to sort things out. And I didn't see myself as a "visible" part of the Temple. I just carried on. With my own life.- Dalance replied, sounding a bit more defensive than she wished to. - Sorry if my question was too nosy. It's just... you really are rather mysterious. I know every tale about you and you deeds, everybody knows them, but it's hard to find anybody who has even seen you with their own eyes. - And you think it's wrong like it is? He hesitated for a moment. - I wouldn't use that word for it. It's just a bit... people adore you. They'd like to see you more, the person who did so much for them, who is such a great hero. When you arrived in the city folk would almost trample each other just to look at you for a moment. You are a symbol for them, a living saint. Dalance was rather calm during their conversation but the further it went the more uneasy she looked. It wasn't an obvious thing to see  but Maggoth was quite observant, what was rather helpful in his job. Dalance didn't want to show any emotions she felt, still repeating the Priests accusations in her memory. Because, by the gods he was right about her unrepresentative past. She might be remembered for a heroic deed but she was convinved that the less the public knows about the rest the better. It felt safe and troble-free. for her as well as for the Temple. She gave Maggoth a half-hearted look after being quiet for a while.

(bigger picture-> link)

- Are we finished with the questions? - Quite, if you really want me out of this room so much. - he smiled slightly looking at her. She noticed that his smile, though quite nice, was crooked, like he had difficulty with using muscles on the burned side of his face.  - You seem rather... touchy when we talk about you being a hero. And I noticed that you really tried to avoid giving any details when you were telling me about the priest and his words... maybe it's not my business, but I bet he said something really upsetting, even more than you admitted. Dalance really wanted to reply that it's indeed not his buisness at first. Especially because he seemed to be reeding her like a book, even recognising the Priests topic as the thing she felt so bad about. Her gaze was cold but it didn't put Maggoth off, he waited for her answear or a clear command that she wanted him to leave. - Yes.. he knew a lot abut me. As I mentioned he had to have access to my records I'm sure Indorils are gathering.- Dalance finally said. She paused for a moment.- There are many things I'm not proud of. I don't want to soil the Temple's name. I'm not the "shining examle" type like the gods and their teachings. Nothing to offer but the story. - You are right, we do gather information about you... but they are not something just anybody has access to. This priest has to have rather high position, or a connection with somebody who has. That's helpful, thank you. - again, he went silent for a moment, turning his head away from her, probably thinking about something. From this angle she could see his clear profile. Only now she noticed that he must have been quite handsome long time ago. - That's how you see yourself? As a stain on the perfect image of the Temple, worthy of being praised only as long as nobody realizes that you aren't a paragon of perfection? - That would be true if not for the fact I'm not asking to be praised. That's why I stayed incognito. - If you had to ask for that, you probably wouldn't be worthy of it. You're humble, and that's also admirable. Like many other things about you. Your courage, your selflessness, ability, strength, determination... are you saying, that these virtues are something that would be ignored just because you also have your imperfections and flaws? People don't really care about them. And when they do, it's not because they want to spit on the name of their beloved hero, but because they like how these small things make such a figure closer, more like them. - You know why people don't care about those imperfections?- Dalance asked, still calm but much more engaged in the conversation than berore. In a bit bitter way.- Because Temple was quiet about them. It's not me who kept my name clean. Far from it!  And now you're telling me that my... let's call them mistakes- are all right. But you don't know shit about them, about me. - I do, a little, but still. After all I was overseeing you for some time. And I know people who did far worse things yet they bask in power, wealth and glory. *he laughed quietly* And you think that gods are indeed perfect? That they are in any aspect, maybe except for their power, better than you? That they did nothing wrong, ever? - No, I don't think so.- Of that Dalance was prettu sure. She was exposed to all kind of stories about the Tribunals past, had opportunity to research many sources and even meet them in person. Still admiring what they managed to accomplish, she knew that they made mistakes and struggled. And their intentions weren't always righteous. She never really tried to sympathize with them- But they did their work, led people. They did something because of what they were. You sound biased though. - Because I see them as somebody closer to heroes, than to embodiment of perfection? Actually, that was something I always admired about them most, and what I admire about you. You fulfilled the prophecy and saved Morrowind, that's true, but you also united the Ashlanders' clans and the great houses. You led people, and if you lead them again, they will follow as they did before. You have your flaws, you have your own guilt about which I know nothing... but this doesn't mean you can't do anything, that the only option is to feel ashamed and move away from others. These people... they *want* to see you, they want to hear your words and be led by you. It was rather awkward for him to speak with her now. He knew that their relationship was rather... strained one, it was a guilt *she* knew nothing about - he tortured her, terrorized her, and after that it appeared that she in fact was  the true Nerevarine. He still felt conflicted about it - he did his job, back then she was an impostor who needed to be dealt with, but... it still felt wrong. Especially with how he revered her and what she did. It was a hard thing to say, and he was sure that he wasn't the right person to do it, but she needed it. She needed to know that her people not only praise and love her, but also need her. Dalance sighed. The truth was that she didn't try anything but running from the public. Even after achieving something she didn't care what people thought and didn't feel the need to account for herself. She felt safe this way. Calling herself a hero or champion was connected with the responsibility that she fonud daunting. But at that moment the idea that people might actually need her felt nice. She liked to help others and found no more valuable prize than seeing that her acts changed something for better. The best thing in fulfilling the prophecy before was not the power, fame or treasures she obtained but the feeling of making the difference. Yet she was acting alone then. Now, staying in the city felt paradoxically like a bigger deal. - I could stay and help in the city. Try something different this time. Than usually.- she said pensively. She felt a bit better with the idea that she can do better than before. He smiled genuinly when he listened to what she said. It was good to see her hesitate a bit, when a moment before she seemed determined to just be left alone in her sadness. - That would be most welcome, both by the Temple, and  by the common folk. Even your presence somehow makes things different. Faith and hope is something this city needs right now, maybe even more than during last few years. This time has taken quite a toll on the citizens, with the plague, the imperial oppression and the unrest caused by various... inhabitants of the sewers. Though I have to admit, that after you eradicated the entire sanctuary of Dark Brotherhood and stopped the goblin trainers we all seem to have much less problem with this area. What you did... not only stopping the Sharmat and uniting the tribes and houses, but also the smaller deeds, it all affected Morrowind. Every time you appear, you bring change, for better. Dalance put her mind at ease after the previous thoughts, now she looked a bit abashed by her earlier offensive behaviour. She seemed more lively. It wasn't a massive difference- she was a rather calm person after all- but at least she didn't look so depressed. - I'll do my best this time. Thank you.- she said. Maggoth gave her another smile, a bit wider than the previous one, and quite a cheerful one. - I have no doubt about it. And it is us, the citizens of Mournhold, who should be thanking you. Anyway, you're welcome. I'll go now, if you don't mind, I have some reports to write and you probably still need to rest. - Sure. See you around. -One more question... you don't mind my sister's company? I know she can be tiresome sometimes, but we figured out it's better to ask her than one of the guys.

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Sorry for the delay! We had no log saved of this part of the story and we had to recreate whole dialogue from scrach.And it took us far more time than we predicted!

In the beginning Dalance was sure neither where she was, nor what actually happened. She slowly began to receive some signals from her surroundings, heaviness of blanket, softness of bed, the quiet sound of rain, muffled voices from another room, smell of something being cooked... but for a moment all these were just a bunch of loose actuations, severed from their logical meaning. Yet slowly they dragged her back to reality, releasing her from the nice forgetfulness of dreamless sleep. When she opened her eyes eventually she noticed, that she was back in her room at the inn. It was daytime, cloudy and grey, but still it managed to flood the room with bleak light, making the room seem rather cold, morbid and unwelcoming. She closed her eyes once again, giving herself a moment to come around.

She was feeling weary and reluctant to get up. Slowly, memories of the recent events began coming back to her. Chasing the assassin, ghouls, abandoned mansion... images from that night hit her like an avalanche, all what she heard from that masked cleric, his escape, fight with other Indorils... with memories another thing came back: the strong sense of danger. She got up quickly, looking for her sword, ready to fight anything. She scoped the room quickly, realising that her wounds were tended to and she was dressed in clean clothes. She was feeling a slight torpor, which pushed away any other sensations, such as pain or discomfort.

It appeared that in fact – she was not alone. Behind the window she could see a Mohawk characteristic for Indoril helmets and in the room, next to the table was sitting a young, a bit plump but nice-looking Dunmer girl. She was occupied with weaving something with colourful strings and beads, unaware of the fact that Dalance woke up before she got up so violently. When it happened, the girl looked at her slightly surprised for a moment, without saying anything. After she gave Dalance a brief moment to come around, she began to speak in a really cheerful voice, so unfitting in all the greyish, cold atmosphere of the room.

- Hello! You finally woke up I see, it took you quite a long time but I guess it’s no wonder, since you looked really badly when they brought you back here. I mean, not that you looked ugly, just that you seemed to been through a lot, with all the blood, mud and other things on your clothes. You were also a bit blue, it really looked nasty, the medic came right away, even two of them and then it appeared that it mostly wasn’t your blood and everybody calmed down a bit. Still, you looked rather bad, unconscious and fevering, so they decided to let you sleep as long as you need.

Dalance didn't answear, looking at the woman in a very confused fashion. It took a while before she grasped all the given information. Including the fact that she was among allies now. This single claim was enough to calm Dalance down a bit. But she still looked uptight, sitting on the bed instead of laying down what would be more thoughtful in her current state. The view of dunmer lady doing some kind of handwork completely baffled her. Dalance opened her mouth like she was ready to talk but nothing to say came to her mind right now. She looked away at the window, recognising the silhouettes of some guards in the garden. She found it hard to focus, her thoughts wandered back to the last nights events again and again and could not get rid of feeling uncalled-for, incongruous. After all she have heard her wish was to leave the Indorils protection or even leave the city itself.

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The girl went on, clearly not even slightly insulted by the lack of answer from Dalance.

- I have no idea what happened or even where they found you, nobody told me anything and I know it’s because it’s all secret and they can’t talk about it with anybody outside the watch, that would be illegal and somebody could get punished for telling even a slightest detail, they definitely can’t do that. But the most important thing is, wherever they brought you from, that now you are looking much better. In the morning one of the medics said that you should wake up soon, since you recovered from fever, but I wasn’t so convinced after you were laying unconscious for such a long time. Oh, and by the way... aren’t you hungry? I can bring you something to eat.

- No. I'm not hungry...- she said shortly. After a little moment and before the dunmer started another monologue, she added:  - Why are you here?

- Are you sure?... Ah, I’m sorry, where are my manners?! Probably left them next to my raincoat, you know it’s easy to get distracted in such situation, it’s not every day when one meets a hero! My name is Ilyssa Therayn and I am here to... well, basically they asked me to watch over you, making sure that nothing happens and scream when something does. They just wanted me to keep an eye on you for a while without bothering you. Because you know, it would be bad if these guards in heavy armours were constantly walking around your room, they can make enough noise to wake up a dead, not to mention you. And you had to get some rest, you know, so they just walk around the whole building and sit in the main hall. And I hope I didn’t wake you up? I tried to be really quiet, but sometimes when I work I tend to forget myself and I begin humming or whistling, but I didn’t do that, did I? And are you sure you don’t want to eat anything? You look rather pale...

- No.- she repeated, impatiently. She was not eager to talk, her thoughts were elsewhere. Dalance looked around again, anxiously, averting dunmers gaze.- Have the guard that followed me been found? Was anybody else alive in the mansion you found me in?

- Oh my… I really don’t know – she said, shaking her head – They didn’t tell me anything about that what happened before they brought you here, and definitely nothing about anybody being dead. But you know, now that you are awake I should actually let somebody know about it, they will definitely want to talk to you. Unless you want to sleep more, then I can pretend I didn’t see anything. – she smiled a bit impish.

Dalance hesitated with her answer. She wanted to know what was happening and if they discovered anything about this whole conspiracy but on the other hand she wasn't sure if she was ready for questioning and dwelling on a subject. She felt like isolating herself again like she did in the past years. But right now even getting up seemed beyond her means. The feeling of coldness was overwhelming, both physically and inside her. Dalance knew she would not fall asleep then.

- Tell them that I'm awake.

Fedris Hler Has been an archcanon of Mournhold for many years. So many, that some of his own men didn’t even remember the previous one. During these long years of service he witnessed a lot – he remembered the glorious days of the Tribunal, when his Merciful Lady still walked in the gardens of the hold, blessing her faithful people, speaking to them during every event of importance and keeping a watchful eye on the world around her. But these days were now just a memory, so good it almost seemed surreal, comparing to what happened merely few years later. Just as Hler witnessed the glory of the Tribunal, he also had to witness their tragic downfall.

It probably started around ten years before the raise of the Sharmat. The living gods of Morrowind started to back away from the life of their own cities, becoming gradually more reclusive. They met with their people rarely, almost reluctantly, leaving more and more of these duties to the army of clerics led by three archcanons. And after few years they basically replaced their gods, becoming the decisive force behind every move of the Temple. Of course, only a small inner circle of highest priests knew about the rapidly worsening madness of the gods – enough to be able to keep the false image working, but not enough for the archcanons to have no control over them. And the gods, locked in their own palaces, heavily guarded and observed, kept descending into insanity with every passing year. It became the most important task of the Temple – to keep the truth away from the faithful. They hoped it was just a temporary crisis, that soon their gods will be themselves again and everything would go back to its place. Temple kept performing its duties, teaching people about the lives of saints and praising the wisdom held in the words of Tribunal. They cared about the faith and they knew how important it was for the people of Morrowind, to believe that their gods are still watching over them.

Gods... still mysterious and powerful, with an otherworldly aura of transcendence surrounding them, they no longer were the heroes of old legends, fearless leaders and paragons of strength, wisdom and mastery. They retreated into their own worlds, no longer interested in contact with anybody, occupied with matters, which they believed to be so private that nobody was allowed to even know about them. What were they up to? What were these mysterious plans about? There was no way of knowing it anymore, since all three were dead, two slain by the hand of Nerevarine, one killed in an act of betrayal by somebody he considered a friend.

But before it all fell down, there came the long period of uncertainty, when everything was kept in a precarious balance, one that could be easily destroyed by few careless words spoken in a wrong time or in a wrong company. Gods could no longer be left alone, they needed supervision – just in case of any dangerous ideas they could come across. Hler knew it all too well. Almalexia became... difficult over time. Paranoid, aggressive, unpredictable – it was hard to keep an eye on her, as she accepted only the company of her most trusted guards, known as Her Hands. He tried to keep reassured and content both her and all the faithful at the same time, telling each side only what they wanted to hear. Kith wanted to hear, that the gods love them are watching over them, and the gods wanted to hear, that everything is in order, their decisions are respected and nobody asks any questions. And it worked – at least for some time. Of course, it all began to crack at the moment, when Dalance stroke down Vivec in his own palace.

When the Nerevarine arrived to  Mournhold, Hler approached her cautiously. The Archcanon didn't trust her because he had no idea what she was capable of and her intentions were unclear. Moreover Saryoni's opinion of her was highly disturbing. It was decided that Dalance could not be unsupervised. Moreover Saryoni's opinion of her was highly disturbing. After killing Vivec without warning she welked away  explaining nothing and leaving Saryoni, busy to cover it up and outraged. Almalexia's mood and behaviour were unpredictable at that point too, what could cause even more trouble.

Hler had more and more responsibilities  as he became the only person linking Almalexia with the outside world. He was assigning guards to protect her and servants to satisfy her caprices. It was a fragile system. On one occasion one of Almalexia's Hands  deserted, sick and tired of ungrateful function. Hler was the one to deal with it- the truth could not leave the Temple. Keeping the city safe and orderly was his priority even if keeping divine conflicts in secret was a price to pay.

He was convinced that Almalexia's attention to the Incarnate could be hazardous and tried to prevent it .The goddess started to put through her own plans though, beyond his vision. Hler let those events dissolve on their own. Eventually, Almalexia  disappeared without trace and Dalance returned and told the he story about the Tribunal madness, murder of Sotha Sil and killing Almalexia in self defense.  

The Archcanon decided that Dalance should not suffer any consequences. It wasn't her fault that the gods ended up acting like this. Besides, those events served in favour of the  city and the Temple. While Almalexia gone mad, killed her Elite guards, Sotha and tried to kill Dalance,- someone had to stop her. And who else could do that? Temple's hands were bonded, the Nerevarine did the dirty work before Hler even started to face the upcoming crisis. Gadaves, the Archcanons closest aide and some High Clerks made the suggestion that Dalance should be killed as well. After the struggle with the living gods, letting another saint-like figure live provoked their doubts. She was powerful and self-governing, never asked for excuses. And she appeared to them as presumptuous and hard to manage. It would be much easier for the Temple's order especially that she knew a lot of  their secrets. Nonetheless Hler decided to let her go, as she did not seem mad. He even felt a gratitude for ending the living gods crisis; doing the difficult things and being ready to pay the price.

She agreed that the fate of the Tribunal and latest events should remain a secret.

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That day Hler was at his office far before the dawn. He was used to wake up early anyway, not allowing himself to sleep too long, leaving his subordinates without supervision, so busy morning was nothing new for him.

The cause was slightly different this time. Early in the morning he was informed about what happened in the tavern Dalance was staying in. In the middle of the night she left the inn, using the window, and ran after the black-clothed intruder, most likely an assassin. He managed to pass by the guards who were watching the surrounding area of the building. Two guards followed Dalance and joined her short after she reached the sewers. The entrance should have been locked, especially in the district they were in. But the locks were broken and the Assassin fled, using this passage. One of Dalance's guards separated from them to bring help and o inform his supervisors about the situation. He left the duty of protecting the Nerevarine to his companion.

Archcanon sat behind his desk with visible weariness. The desk was plain, made of wood of great quality, but with almost no ornaments. It suited the whole office well – room was spacious, well-lit with many windows, but it also remained very humble in term of decorations. Except for the desk with two identical chairs, there were three bookshelves, filled with holy texts and books about the hold itself. Not far from them stood a chest of drawers, filled with always organized papers, next to which was a small end table – now with a silver jug filled with fresh water and a fitting chalice standing on it. There was only one thing, which might have been considered a decoration – banner with the symbol of the Tribunal, which was hanging on the wall. Simple, humble, yet elegant.

Right now there was also a pair of glass pauldrons laying on the top of the chest of drawers – Hler didn’t put then on yet that day. Ever since he became the archcanon, and even a bit longer, he never left his home without wearing a full set of glass armour under his plain robe. It was light, but incredibly sturdy – it served him well for many years already, even during the time when he was somebody completely different from a faithful servant of the Temple.

Hler was waiting patiently, not eager to sit to paperwork at this early hour. Finally someone knocked at his door and the messenger stepped in. He bowed his head, standing in front of Archcanon's desk.

- We found the Nerevarine, muthsera. She's slightly wounded but alive. No sign of her guard yet. Or the man dressed in black who was mentioned as a cause of this havoc. Guards are still searching the sewers, leaving out the parts closed after the plague.

- I'm relieved to hear that Nerevarine was found, and that her life is not threatened by injuries. I'll expect more detailed report from the healers. It is worrying though, that neither the guard nor the presumed assassin were found. Continue searching the safe parts of sewers - we don't need any more victims of creatures dwelling underground. When serah Dalance wakes up we shall inquire about the missing men.

- Yes, muthsera. Serah Dalance was found with two dead men wearing guards armour. Instead of traditional masks, theirs were silver. All the evidence is that they were attacking her.- He added, glancing at the papers he brought with him.- It was  in the old manor in an old manor in the part of the old palace district, which is still being rebuilt after the plague. It took us some time to find them, since the place was rather... unexpected, but on the other hand, so many mansions still stand empty.

Hler became silent for a moment. The description of these two guards was very disturbing. Traitors? Probably, but sided with who, and why?

- Let the investigators take care of the bodies, if these appear to be members of the House, or maybe even the templar guards, they'll be identified. - he said calmly. There was no need to burden the messenger with his assumptions, especially such grim ones.

- Understood. I will inform you immediately as soon as the investigators discover anything new, muthsera. - the messenger bowed again and left his report on the desk.

After he walked out of the office, Hler reached for the papers and approached the window, lost in his own thoughts. He looked through the report superficially. It contained some more details about the last nights events. For instance that Dalance seemed to run and fight not only in her sleeping clothes but also without shoes. But Hler's thoughts were focused on the silver-masked attackers and the assassin right then. A strong gut feeling that it was part of a bigger intrigue made him anxious.

She was in a cellar. It looked surprisingly ordinary, for a place which had a passage to sewers full of ferocious ghouls, rotting bodies and other interesting things. It was rather spacious, with some crates, barrels and sacks in the role of decoration. Most of them were empty, some contained unidentified organic mess – probably few years ago it was food. Thick layer of dust covered everything, clearly nobody was living here anymore. She stood there for a moment, allowing herself to catch a breath and to calm down. She was confused, really, really confused. She could no longer tell what was happening, where she was, or where she was going, but she wanted to find out. And of course, the further from ghouls the better. Horrible creatures... she still shuddered at the very thought about them. But they were locked away, maybe some of them even dead – and that was a comforting thought. After a while she went up the stairs, which she noticed at the opposite side of the room.  

She walked carefully, trying to be as silent as she could. When she reached another floor, she found herself in a huge hall. It took her a while to adjust to the brightness, after walking through the sewers and the cellar the moonlight which shone through the tall window in front of her was a sight as beautiful as painful. When she began to see again, she looked around. The place was even bigger than she thought – it had to be one of the mansions, pretty impressive even in such terribly ruined state. She could see some debris lying around, pieces of furniture, ripped curtains and tapestries hanging on the walls... there was nothing of value to be seen anywhere too. Certainly looters already visited this place many times since it was abandoned.  Dust danced and shimmered in the moonlight, as she walked to the centre of the room, still looking around. It made more sense now – many mansions had hidden passages leading to the sewers, which made a perfect escape route in case of any trouble... or when somebody needed to remain unseen while leaving his own house. Still, it was odd that the entrance wasn’t even secured properly – she just walked right in.

In the moonlight she could see almost everything clearly now – it seemed so bright after sticky darkness of the sewers. In front of her, just under the triple window, she could see stairs, built around the ornamented front door. In front of windows she could see three statues, which were a bit harder to distinguish as anything more than dark figures. After a while she saw that the middle one – bigger than other two – had a crossbow. She also noticed to fountains under the stairs, in better days probably a nice ornament, now the were both clogged, filling the room with a musty smell. Still, it was nothing compared to what she saw in the sewers. She could also see some dead bushes in the cracked vases, chairs covered with dust and tall candelabra with pools of wax under them. The silence in the room was overwhelming. She could feel the emptiness almost physically, as well as the cold of stone under her feet and the odd feeling of being watched. She took few steps towards the stairs, still looking around carefully and wandering what could be the link between the assassin and this building.

Then, she heard a click of metal, unpleasantly familiar – somebody was loading a crossbow.  She stopped suddenly, trying to find the source of the sound, and began to walk away slowly yet still ready to dash if somebody tried to shot her. The source of sound appeared to be the statue with a crossbow, now loaded and aimed at her.

-  Be so kind and stop right there, or else I'll have to shoot you in the leg. – the statue said with a deep, masculine voice – I would really prefer not to, you see, since you would start to bleed heavily. Some time ago it would definitely make me happy to see you bleed like a slaughtered animal, but after you sabotaged my plan I would rather watch you facing much slower and more painful death than this. I've had enough of your "heroic" interference, you Ashlanders' whore.

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Dalance stopped, rooted to the ground, clutching sword in her hand. After all this chase she ended up trapped.  At this point she was just overwhelmed and scared, feeling completely helpless in current situation. Showing none of those feelings was her only advantage. Unwilling to move after the threat she heard, Dalance raised her eyes to look at her opponent.

From where she was standing she could see some more details, when one of the "statues" moved a bit for better aim, entering the ray of moonlight from one of the holes in rooftop. He was rather stout, not very tall, dressed in dark robe - definitely a new one, maybe even unused. Moonlight shimmered on the surface of the silver mask, which covered his face. It looked like the exact copy of the same mask, which all ordinators were wearing, except for the metal being more polished and of different colour. Man was hooded, so Dalance couldn't see anything but the mask.

Two other statues unsheathed their swords, twinkling with silver in the moonlight, just as their masks. Instead of robes they wore dark clothes, and probably dark versions of Indoril armours - Dalance wasn't sure, it was rather hard to tell, since they both remained in shadow, unlike the man in robe. It all looked like some kind of grotesque play, though neither the spectator expected the actors, nor they expected her.

- Instead of dying in the very beginning, just as it was planned, so everything would be perfect, everything would look the right way and nobody would have doubts, you had to ruin everything. You ruined the picture I kept painting for so long, a picture, which would finally make people see, what Temple tried to hide from them, what king covered with his lies. We are being calmed, lied to like a bunch of clueless children, humiliated, stripped of our culture and identity, led by imperial puppet on the throne. With my plan everything would be clear and terrifyingly beautiful in its dramatised form. Ritual murder, cruel and impertinent demonstration of imperial power, spit in our faces and a gauntlet thrown so boldly. This time neither Helseth nor Fedris would be able to hide such a crime, to lie looking in the eyes of their own people, enraged people in despair. Finally all Dunmers would feel an impulse, which would motivate them to rise against the oppression of the Empire. Finally their souls would once again burn with fire, an unstoppable force, which would make the imperial dogs beg for mercy, as they would purge our land from their filth. But no, you had to ruin everything! As every damn hero who lives after his heroic deed. Did somebody listen to me, when I said to kill you before you start making trouble, when you still were obedient and scared? No, of course nobody did!

Dalance stared at him blankly. Her thoughts were racing as she was confused with his words,  simultaneously trying to find a way out of this situation. The only thing that came to her mind is not to show quite obvious helplessness, her expression saying  "I'm still in control.". But she wasn't.  She had no idea what to do. The crossbow was still aimed at her, ready to fire. Damn range weapons. She would handle a sword fight, even in this state. But the bolt will probably end the fight before it begins. When dunmer finished his speech she raised her head and said:

- I once heard about a similar plan to enlighten the humiliated people, stripped of their culture and identity, led by imperial puppet. To burn the fire which would make the "imperial dogs beg for mercy". Yes, this same ambition with same one-sided measures to enforce it. Do you know who created it?- she paused for a while, temporising. In quiet voice she added - Dagoth Ur.

- Shut up, whore. Dagoth was a madman, an abomination, who turned against his own people instead of the real enemy. He has gone insane and abandoned his true role long time ago, like each of these accursed gods. You should have died on the Red Mountain with him, remain a tragic hero, a beautiful legend remembered forever. All you did afterwards was just a shame, shame to the Temple, shame to our house, which kindly took you in, and shame to your own tale. Living among the barbaric heathens, endless roams in the heart of the Empire, wedding with not only a Hlaalu, but also an outsider, a man who should be licking our boots, thankful that we even let him be a part of one of the great houses, instead of bragging about his position like a dog in a gilded collar. Then more wandering from one tavern to another in naive hope that nobody will recognize you. Seriously? I understand that during fulfilling the prophecy you had to contact these... flea-ridden heathens, but you should have nothing to do with them later. You were supposed to be a symbol, an incarnation of the founder of our great house, the one who would help us rise above others. And who you became? You, a vagabond dressed in Ashlanders’ rags, vomiting under tables in filthy taverns, letting some Telvanni mongrel to ride you like an animal in return for a bowl of soup and a place to sleep? – he laughed mockingly – Yes, we know about this too. Was it at least good, when he was fucking your scarred ass? Was he moaning as much as he did few years ago, when the Ministry of Truth took care of him?

As every megalomaniac, the masked man seemed to love the sound of his own voice. He didn’t even need much encouragement to go on and on – after all he was in much better position than she at the moment. Still, the remark about Dagoth Ur seemed to provoke him to perform even longer speech than the first one. As Dalance listened to him, she found it odd how vulgar and foul language he used with rather elegant manner of speaking. It was obvious that he was educated, probably even being a member of one of many noble families living in Mournhold. There was also something very theatrical about the way he spoke, something exaggerated in his gesticulation, which made him oddly fascinating to observe. Clearly, it wasn’t the first time he made such a speech, he actually seemed to have quite an experience with it.

"I'll bite your head off"-  this thought became one of the most vivid ones in Dalance’s mind. She was given her faults and things she could feel guilty for in front of House Indoril leaders, all inclusive.  Plus some issues that Great House should not be intrusive about. The worst thing about all this was that he was right. She regretted nothing and was not ashamed at this point but her previous anger turned into the feeling of bruising disappointment.

How could she be deemed as ungrateful pet? Even if she herself could agree with some of his accusations, they were painful. Probably more painful than quick bolt in the ribs before she had to start this conversation- came to her mind, but she quickly chased this thought away. Dalance decided to play his game, there were not many directions she could go in. She smiled bitterly and forced herself to speak in strong voice so tell her made-up threat with confidence:

- Maybe I'm just a sinful mortal but I was also chosen as a Saint and Champion of Azura. I care about people of this land. I never participated in your political games and I'm not going to. You can kill me here as undesirable obstacle but let me tell you that I will return to foil your plan!

- Indeed? Oh, I am so afraid of you, little bitch. I am as afraid of you, as I am afraid of Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil, who happen to be dead. Oh, of course I am very afraid, and of course I believe they are going to return... stop talking shit, really. Gods are mortal, you proved it yourself when you murdered them. And you are the same – now powerful and mighty, but cold and rotting after death. And that’s now it’s supposed to be, when the gods remain in books and tales, not in palaces. They only cause trouble, slowly descending into insanity. I saw her, you know. Almalexia, the beautiful and powerful, great warrior, merciful lady. Vain, egoistic bitch, filled only with love of herself and her power. She cared about nothing more than the halls of her palace, which she never left, her gilded prison, where she locked herself willingly, delusional, still believing in her own importance. Maybe she was important, maybe even vital, but only for such idealistic fools like Her Hands and Fedris. “Archcanon Hler, the trusted servant of our merciful lady”... I don’t know who put him on this position, but he was a complete idiot...

As the masked man spoke, he seemed more and more engaged in his own monologue. He began to gesticulate with both hands, careless about the crossbow, he seemed less focused on Dalance and more on his own thoughts, probably the effect of years of hidden hate and despise. And with every passing moment it became clearer to Dalance, that it was very possible that in such state the man will miss if he tries to shot her. Crossbow was heavy, of the type which could kill a fully-armoured person without problem, but it needed reloading after every shot. Fortunately, it seemed that these people were not very fond of lighter and faster imperial models.

Dalance watched him with attention, keyed-up for a perfect moment to act. She was still hesitant if her movement won't cost her a leg. It was quite a distance but on the other hand she can try to maneuver after reaching stairs. Balustrade was a very conveninent element in this case.

He was still talking. And Dalance was annoyed and could not listen to it any minute longer. At this point it'll be almost a pleasure to stab his guts with a sword, she made up her mind.

She violently rushed forward, trying to reach the stairs. The speech was interrupted in the middle of the sentence what appeared to infuriate masked man much more than the fact Dalance still wanted to attack. Dunmer raised his crossbow surprisingly swiftly, sending a bolt in her direction. And he did hit his target. Kind of. The bolt just dabbed her shoulder but the impact of it left a wide cut. She felt twinge of pain but kept running. She could still fight, she had it worse. Marksman had his chance and Dalance was not going to give him another one.

He panicked when she reached the stairs and fiercely headed their direction. It was not going as planned. Actually meeting the Nerevarine was not a part of his plan. Assassin was hired to have her killed and they were waiting here to meet him. At first, when the killer was not the one who entered the building, it was quite entertaining. They were prepared to fight and finish any intruders life with the crossbow.

But he wasn't prepared for this scenario. The dunmer sweared loudly and backed away few steps, looking around. His two guards reacted immediately. They enclosed the attacker when she reached the top of the stairs to prevent her from reaching their boss. She stopped to have a stable position to parry their hasty attacks. Dalance could feel pain in her burned palms when she strengthened the grip on the sword but the only thing that mattered was to reach the fucker with the crossbow. She was forced to focus on two opponents instead when another blows landed heavily on her defences. Not fond the idea of killing them, she was trying to outmaneuver masked warriors but standing lower on the steps it turned out to be harder than she thought. They were well trained and experienced. And soon Dalance was almost sure that she could recognise the fighting style they showed. They were Indoril military members or guards, trained is this Great House ways.

- Traitors!- she hissed to them, still mostly parrying their attacks. She tried to see where their boss is, to make sure he didn't run away yet. Masked man got to the other side of the stairs and scamper downstairs. He was slow, clearly not used to running or anything connected with fast movement. He was not able to fight well in that case- and judging by his shape and tendency to preach, was just a priest. But  Dalance still was not able to do anything. He was running away while she was struggling with his guards, impatient and still disturbed with what she had heard.  

-  Kill her! Don't let her get away!- The priest shouted, making Dalance even more annoyed with the situation. One of the opponents' sword slammed into the carved balustrade just next to her arm. Distracted, she rushed to parry another blow and took a step back. Straight away she leaped forward and hit nearest guard in the mask with grip-side of her sword as he was still trying to pull his weapon out of the stone ornament. Metal headpiece gave a loud clang and the owner loosened his grip, standing a bit wobbly. His companion took advantage of this situation and pushed the stunned Indoril at Dalance. She hit the balustrade with her back; Overbalanced and having just a short moment to recover. The first guard leaned on her limply. He dropped his sword and didn't pose a threat to her. Unlike the other one. The second opponent, as stubborn as violent, raised his sword to deliver final blow. Dalance had no place or way to maneuver. At this point she was basing mostly on her reflexes. Those guards were not the only ones well prepared for fighting.

She was going to push off the balustrade to increase the distance but she didn't manage to do it on time. With no other way to dodge the attack, she griped the stunned elf and shoved his body forward. It was the matter of his or her life and she chose not to die that day. The blade sunk into an armoured body of the first guard. His companion seemed to be confused, still holding the grip. He was trying to recover his blade but it was stuck with the wound bleeding heavily because of his struggle. Dalance picked up her weapon and bumped his mask hard with the dull side of her blade. Then she kicked him on armoured leg to throw him off his feet and send downstairs. It was terrible idea! She completely forgot about being barefoot so she ended up leaning on balustrade, gritting her teeth in attempt not to scream. After the first wave of pain was over she looked at the unconscious guard at the bottom of the stairs. He was weighed down by his, most probably dead, friend with a sword sticking out of his stomach. She hobbled down the stairs but it was no point to chase the masked priest. He was long gone. She felt mad, still feeling the rush of fighting and running. Ready to give another chase, no matter of her fatigue or pain. No matter that she had no idea where he went. She felt almost painful urge to do something and take her anger out. Dalance approached the defeated and not thinking much about it, slammed her sword into the one that probably still lived. Her whole body was shaking, mostly because of exhaustion and overwhelming powerlessness.

Masked man was gone for good – she couldn’t even hear his footsteps anymore. The two warriors were laying motionless in the growing pool of blood, which splattered on the floor around them. Silver masks seemed so lifeless now, even more than previously. There was something haunting about them, something that made her turn her gaze away. She felt nauseous, when the adrenaline rush which kept her deadly in the battle faded away, she began to feel only cold and weary, with reason and panic screaming alarmingly somewhere in the background, overwhelmed by growing weakness. Before she could realise what was going on, she collapsed on the floor. Last thing she remembered was something wet and warm on her cheek and the sickening smell of blood. Still, it all faded away in overwhelming darkness, which covered her as a thick shroud.

Darkness.

Somebody is yelling in the distance, it feels almost like a memory. Somebody shakes her, turns her on her back. Blinding light, everything is so cold... her head hurts terribly, she feels sick. Something sticky and cold covers her hair and cheek. Unconsciously she turns her head and throws up.

Darkness.

Everything is moving, something smelling of dust, mud and smoke enwraps her, constricting her movement. Foul taste in her dry mouth, wet hair sticks to the cheek, feet are cold. Somebody carries her, she hears the clatter of his armour. She hears as people speak, but she doesn’t recognize the words or their meaning. Just voices, fever, sickness.

Darkness...

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Dalance woke up suddenly, with a strange impression of being observed. The room was silent. For a moment she thought that it was only her imagination or impact of a bad dream. But then she saw a movement; there was a dark figure standing close to her bed. It froze for a moment  when it noticed that she wasn’t sleeping anymore. Before she could do anything the intruder rushed to the window, visibly panicked. Waking her up wasn't the part of his plan, definitely not. Dalance heard a sound of metal hitting the floor, as the dark figure moved swiftly to the window, opening it. For a moment she could see clearly a dark-haired dunmer dressed in leather armour and armed with a crossbow. She sprung out of the bed, grabbing her sword – habitually placed next to her, even during the night... or especially then. The dark figure jumped out. It was a ground floor after all. Dalance didn’t hesitate, and followed him, just grabbing her coat. She never was one to think a lot before doing things, rushing into every situation, without hesitating even slightly or thinking about the danger. Her habit of doing things fast, with not always justified confidence  used to save her life or put her in lethal circumstances. On her way to the window she noticed a dagger, laying on the floor. Though the day was nice, night appeared to be rather cold. Dew on the grass drenched legs of her pants very quickly, but she ignored it, running after the man, who dashed through the garden, heading to the main gate. This guy clearly was there for another assassination attempt and this time she as not going to let him run away. She was aware that she was given some guards to watch over her life but she used to do troubleshoot on her own. Especially when the damn assassin managed to enter her bedroom despite of all the protection. When she passed the main entrance to the inn, two of the guards saw her, and yelled after her. She didn’t answer though, focused on the intruder. It took a lot of effort not to lose him in the streets, but at least the night was quite bright, with two full moons shining in the sky. Soon Dalance heard heavy steps behind her, as the guards managed to follow her. Man with the crossbow was quick, but not quick enough to run away from her – she had quite impressive endurance, both in battle and in running – so after few minutes he turned suddenly, and dashed into one of many entrances, leading to the sewers, disappearing in the darkness. She had no problem following him – the padlock seemed to be broken recently. One of the guards followed her, while another stayed, to call for reinforcements – he had trouble keeping up with their pace anyway. It was no easy task to run in a full armour after all. They descended into the darkness, which quickly proved to be rather difficult to navigate in. The man they were following was ahead of them, they could still hear echo of his footsteps. Guard took one of the torches, which were kept in the barrel next to the entrance, and lit it – if the man was so far already, there was no need for them to stumble into the walls in the pitch dark corridors. Soon the warm light surrounded them, revealing a passage in rather poor condition. Fortunately, this district was left abandoned after the plague and sewers under it were more bearable to walk through than during the times they were in use. It was something. They followed the sound of footsteps and in some areas they could see some footprints in the muck covering the floor. With the light they managed to keep quite a good pace, still not able to catch the intruder, but definitely able to follow him. After some time – though it was hard to say how much, in the darkness everything seemed to go forever, including the long, ruined passages with dirty walls – they walked into a much bigger hall. Dalance remembered these, they usually were place where the drains from few parts of the sewers met, and the sewage was flowing down the central one, to the older part of the sewers. When she saw them first, she was shocked over how big and complicated the whole construction was. One could say that the sewers under Mournhold were almost as big and impressive as the city itself. This hall though was a bit different from what she remembered from when she had to go down the sewers last time, few years earlier. There were piles of debris laying around, quite a lot of it to be honest, and the layer of dark, sticky muck covered the whole floor. And it took her only few steps into the hall to realise that not only it was much harder to breath here, as the air was filled with disgustingly sweet odour of decay, but also the piles consisted of more than just rubble. Corpses. Thousands of corpses piled up, some reduced to the dried bones, some still covered with half dried and half decayed skin, all just laying there in a grotesque mass of bones, limbs and rags. The guard seemed more disgusted than shocked, like he knew about it.

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- Wha... what is *that*?! – she asked quietly, looking around in horror. - During the plague this district had it really bad, it was cut out from the rest of the city in a quarantine. Soon there were more dead then living left there, and since there was not much room to bury the bodies within the district itself so... you know, they had to do something to remove them. So... they began to throw them down through the drains. – he said pointing to the ceiling, where Dalance could see some big grates, probably meant for rainwater to flow down the sewers. – And later nobody really wanted to go there to clean up, people still afraid of the plague or... other things. Dalance didn’t answer, still beholding the horror of the scene. Suddenly she felt that leaving the shoes by the bad was a serious mistake. She didn’t dare to look down and tried not to think about what the thick layer of muck really consisted of, for her own sanity. Fortunately, she didn’t step into anything sharp yet, so there still was a chance to avoid any infections or amputations. Suddenly, she noticed something. The hall was brighter thanks to the grates in the ceiling, so she was able to distinguish some shapes in the distance. And one of them, a familiar dark figure, moved away from one of the larger piles of corpse and debris, heading to the western corridor. Probably he didn’t notice them, with the distance between his and theirs position being rather long, but Dalance told the guard to stay behind one of the crumbling columns. Then she followed the man silently, trying not to step into anything... nasty, which wasn’t an easy task. Fortunately, the man was walking slowly, probably still catching breath after their pursuit, so she managed to get quite close to him, close enough to see that the crossbow he was holding in his hand was a local one, light model mostly associated with smugglers and highwaymen. Unfortunately, it was much darker in the tunnel where he headed, so soon once again she could barely see the tip of her own nose, not to mention the man in dark clothing. Dalance reached the end of the corridor and tried to figure out where to go next. Before she could see anything in the darkness she heard the terrible scream behind her. It was the guard. She reacted immediately, reaching for her weapon. The assassin appeared to be ahead of her. He was alarmed by the scream and just then noticed Dalance and decided to attack. He had a quite clear shot but not enough time to aim. She clinged to the wall to avoid the bolt, uneasy because of the darkness. It was the guard who carried the light and he was nowhere within view. After the loud whoosh cut the air beside her, she leapt forth to reach the attacker before he could reload the crossbow and attacked blindly with her katana. Assassin dodged it, noticeably better managing the darkness. He grabbed her wrist to prevent another attack and tried to disarm her but it wasn't that easy. Dalance fought back, trying to free her hand and give him no chance to reach for any other weapon he might have. They scuffled for a while. Having no shoes wasn't helping, leaving aside feet freezing to the point Dalance wasn't feeling much pain in them, kicking the opponent appeared to be a mistake. She finally managed to free the hand and unbalance her opponent, thrusting elbow into his face, what felt strangely satisfying after the trouble he caused. Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye and froze motionlessly. The assassin muttered few swears under his breath but suddenly stopped fighting as well- they were not alone in the corridor.

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A whole herd of nasty looking creatures surrounded them, lurking out from darkest nooks of to dilapidating walls and underground ruins. They seemed to be nimble, effortlessly climbing walls, gripping to uneven stone with bony skeleton-like hands with long claws. Their wide jaws were full of sharp teeth and the round heads with small, glassy eyes were focused on two intruders. The beasts were the corpse eaters, ghouls. Considering the amount of dead bodies in the sewers it stroke Dalance that they didn't think of this possibility before.

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Maggoth was sitting in front of her with a rather troubled expression. It was hard to say whether he was more nervous, ashamed or  abashed, but definitely he wasn’t proud of how their last meeting went. He put his mask aside and took his cup, not drinking yet. Perhaps he just wanted to do something with his hands. He looked at Dalance, even though he probably would rather look anywhere else at the moment.

- So... excuse me for not introducing myself earlier, I wanted to avoid this rather awkward situation... Investigator Maggoth Therayn of the Mournhold city watch, at your service.

Dalance managed to come around a bit more, so again she was able to conceal her bewilderment. Still, she wasn’t really sure how to react and what to say. The silence was getting longer and more awkward with every passing second, so eventually she answered.

- Excuse me, it was just surprising. It’s nice to meet you in a situation so different from the last time.

Now she made Maggoth surprised. He looked at her carefully, raising the one eyebrow he had, with scars in place of other. He expected a lot, but this kind of reaction definitely wasn’t what he expected.

- I have to admit I didn’t expect you to take it so... calmly. Our last meeting indeed was a very unfortunate one, in fact I never had any occasion to apologize for what happened. By that time we had no idea that you were the real Nerevarine, and the false incarnation sent by the Empire for unknown reasons was highly alarming. So the Temple decided to investigate and I just happened to be around so... I was ordered to take care of you.

- It was your job, I understand.

Even though she tried to make it sound casually, the reservation in her voice was still distinguishable. She wasn’t really mad at him, or even outraged by this meeting – it all just seemed so unreal to her at the moment. His voice, his face – they haunted her for a long time, becoming rather a symbol of persecution than the face of a particular enemy. And now he was sitting in front of her, investigating the attempted murder targeted at her. That was a lot to swallow in one sitting.

- Thank you for that. I’m glad you aren’t holding a grudge against me. I hope our further cooperation will be much more pleasant for you.

After saying that he gave her a rather pale smile, taking a sip of his tea. She politely smiled back. They sat like this couple of minutes, finishing their drink, after which Maggoth wished her a good night and reminded to keep her eyes open for anything suspicious. He also said, that he’d say a word to the garrison to send few more guards. Then he left, leaving her alone in the room.

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MAGGOTH  THERAYN Dunmer, 127 years old Investigator of the city watch in Mournhold, member of the great house Indoril. His job is finding out who commits most severe crimes in the city, usually murders, how and why. He does it with devotion, almost passion, and definitely with professionalism, showing not only great skill, but also a lot of experience. He hails from Akamora – a small city located in the mountains not far from the eastern coast of Morrowind. His father used to be a merchant and his mother – a soldier in the Indoril army. Surprisingly fertile for a dunmer couple, they had six children, all daughters except for their firstborn. The peacefulness of their life changed drastically after a fire, which was started by one of the business rivals of Maggoth’s father. Even though the fire left both him and his father scarred, and resulted in his mother’s death, the arsonist was “never found”. With his strong position in the house he was untouchable. Maggoth decided pretty early, that he wished to join the city watch and did so despite his father’s concerns. Not very strong, but intelligent, observant, quick and agile, he was soon moved to the law department, where he studied among the future judges and inquisitors. Despite being a commoner, he managed to reach quite a high position over years, all thanks to his skills, innovative methods and strong devotion to his work. He doesn’t do much fighting, but when pressed, he uses two ebony daggers to defend himself. Most of the time he is accompanied by lower guards, whose job is to ensure his safety during the investigations. Due to his past he developed a strong fear of fire. Part of his face and neck are disfigured by scars, which creates a rather grotesque image, also impeding his ability to use facial expressions. His horrific appearance stands in a great contrast to his charming personality and incredible charisma. 

Encounter from the past

When Dalance was still fulfilling the prophecy, at some point she began to publically admit, that she was the incarnation. She didn’t really believe it herself, she rather never denied it when others called her Nerevarine. And she wasn’t even sure for who she was working anymore. Was it still the Empire, or was it Morrowind? She was more interested in helping people, than being a hero of legends or a puppet of the Blades. The Temple at the other hand didn’t take her seriously at all. Once again, they believed that the false incarnation would remove itself during one of the trials. At least it looked like that before they found out, that this time the “incarnation” was sent by the imperial forces, probably as a provocation or a part of a bigger intrigue. With such serious accusations it didn’t take the Temple much time to hunt down and kidnap her near Ald’ruhn in order to interrogate her. And she was unlucky enough, to be interrogated by another unlucky, but very skilled man. Maggoth was on duty on Vvardenfell at that time, as a part of earning his future promotion. To him the capital of house Redoran on the island was nothing more than a dusty, greyish middle of nowhere, with its ugliness comparable to the beauty of Mournhold. But he had to do his time there... and he was good at getting information from people. After being captured Dalance was led to the temple at the outskirts of Ald’ruhn, and where the templar watch had their quarters. She ended up in the most unwelcoming office she had ever seen – and since she had seen her share of unwelcoming offices, it was saying a lot. The room was spacious, at least for the standards of velothian architecture, but incredibly dark and empty. There was only one table, two chairs, some crates under one of the walls and one banner with the symbol of AlmSiVi. Nothing covered the floor, nothing masked the depressive, greyish walls and the whole room was lit by a single lamp on the desk. Not a single window could be seen. She was sat on the chair on the one side of the desk, with her hands tied behind her in an uncomfortable pose. It was then, when she realised, that there was somebody else in the room, not counting the two guards who escorted her. Maggoth happened to be a rather short Dunmer of medium build, wearing typical temple uniform, only with the lighter version of the Indoril cuirass and vambraces. His medium-lenght chestnut hair was a mess, but it seemed more of its nature than the effect of neglect. And they were definitely too short to hide the scars covering a better part of his face, mostly left cheek, jaw and brow, but also part of his nose and one eyelid. He also had only one ear, with some pieces of another barely visible under his hair, and  the ring finger of his right hand was missing. It was hard not to look at the scars, even as a courtesy. At first the interrogation was civil, almost resembling a normal talk. Maggoth asked questions calmly, not discouraged by Dalance’s lack of cooperation and rude answers. She tried to show him, that she was not afraid, but also pretended that she had no idea what he was talking about with the imperial spies and prophecy. Yes, people kept saying so, but they say a lot of things, don’t they? She was too stubborn and too proud to give up that easily. He had his patience, but it was limited. After a while their talk took a bit different turn, with him getting more intimidating, threatening and even brutal. He roughed her up a bit, but he did it more to scare her, than to actually hurt her. Still, it was terrifying, as he switched easily between a calm gentleman and a cold, sadistic interrogator.

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Dalance spent some time sitting in the main hall of the inn, in the company of both her guards. They were wainting in an uneasy silence, not sure about what one could say in such situation. The image of the mangled corpse still lingered, shocking, impossible to forget. Still, the guards tried to keep their behaviour professional, especially in such a morbid situation. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long. A rather short, masked man walked into the hall. His uniform was different from the ones worn by the regular guards, and seem lighter, with the traditional helmet mohawk replaced by hood. Though his appearance wasn’t as intimidating as the other guards’, he had some sort of aura of mystery around him. Investigators, just as inquisitors and judges weren’t seen very often by common folk and even Dalance had very few occasions in her career to see them. The two other guards got up and saluted when he walked in, and he nodded them back surprisingly casually. When he saw Dalance he stopped for a moment in hesitation, but regained his professional pose quickly, then bowed to her. - Greetings, serah. I shall investigate the crime scene in order to find out who did it, how and why. Since you probably were the target of the assault, I suggest that you remain inside the building, not far from your guards. Dalance nodded, not questioning his proposition. She definitely wasn’t in a mood to go to another walk anyway. Suddenly the sunny weather wasn’t so cheerful and welcoming anymore. Still, the moment of hesitation which she noticed before the man greeted her was quite puzzling. Something about him also seemed disturbingly familiar, though she wasn’t sure what exactly. One of her guards led the investigator to her room, and she followed them after a while, tired of sitting in the silence which ruled over the hall of the inn. Even the innkeeper seemed to afraid to say even a word, nervously cleaning already clean glasses and tables. When she saw her room again, she noticed some changes. The body was moved slightly and covered by linen sheet, with only bloodstains marking its previous position. Investigator was standing over it, inspecting the bolt taken from the woman’s body. Now Dalance noticed more details than previously. Shards of glass covered the floor next to the dresser, and between them was laying one of her shirts, quite good one, made of silk with delicate embroidery around the neck. One which was a gift too. She liked it, but wasn’t sure if she’ll ever wear it again, even if it wasn’t stained.

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She was accommodated in a spacious, maybe even quite fancy, tavern built in the style of the old architecture of Mournhold, with a small garden around it. The inside, including the room she got, was clean, bright and classy, with many windows overlooking the sunny grounds. The place was quiet and peaceful but well maintained. No other guests were currently there- just Dalance, a few guards and two maids the Temple provided. After meeting with archcanon she had no other business to attend to in the city. Quiet as always, she observed her surroundings, getting used to the new situation. She usually cared for herself, demanding no  privileges from the temple or authorities. All she wanted after fulfilling the prophecy was some peace. She never felt absolutely sure about the temples intentions after being chased by them as false incarnate before. After they accepted her as a possible ally  and even after she actually killed Sharmat. She felt like no hero, more like a tool in  games of the gods. Vivec expected her to follow his plans, temple- to respect their position and ask no questions, blades watching her steps even after Cosades has left to Cyrodill and Dagoth ur with his sleepers trying to drive her mad in her dreams, telling that she fought for wrong reasons. And all this time she was just trying to stay alive and understand what was going on. Strength and endurance became her greatest adentages. Being infected with Corpsus played a big role in it, she kept the vigor  of casualties of this curse, paying the price of magic usage, manipulating mana became one of the most awkward activities for her. Even though she was declared a hero, she wasn’t a well-known person, avoiding attention as much as possible. Only her name, and tales about her deeds were truly known, mostly told by people who knew her, even briefly. She attended some temple ceremonies from time to time, but she preferred to avoid even these celebrations. Not long after that period she left to Mournhold, to investigate the reason of her being chased by Dark Brotherhood. She didn’t like the city, it seemed cramped, cold and the whole visit ended up with a fight with the only remaining member of the Tribunal. After killing Almalexia she left the hold as quickly as possible, disappearing almost completely for few years. Therefore it was quite a surprise for Her, when she was called by the Temple to help them. She observed the city, not speaking a word to the guards who accompanied her. She needed to adjust to the surroundings and to the atmosphere of a big city – something she hadn’t seen in a while. It was louder and more colourful than she remembered, it seemed almost welcoming, especially since many people recognized her as a hero. She took a while to look through one of the big windows in her room, enjoying the pleasant view, before she left, leaving the bag with her belongings under it. There wasn’t much inside, she took only the most necessary things with her. - I’m going for a walk – she muttered, as she passed her guards, sitting and chatting in the main hall of the inn. She had no intention to spend a whole day in the room, even such a nice one. When she was going out, she noticed one of the servants, cleaning windows. The woman wasn’t a Dunmer, she was a bit shorter than Dalance and had a bit darker skin, but was probably an Altmer – quite a similar to her in fact. At least from afar – slender build, brown, shoulder-long hair... nothing of importance, but Dalance noticed it with a vague interest. The weather was nice, and the city seemed much warmer and more pleasant, than she remembered it. She took her time, enjoying the walk around more representative parts of the hold, including gardens, the rich districts and one of the marketplaces, full of colourful stalls and exotic wares. It was a nice break from the hasty travel and cold halls of the temple office, where she met with archcanon. After returning to the inn she headed straight to her room, first informing the guards briefly, that she was back. She wondered,if there would be something interesting on the bookshelf which the innkeeper provided. Yet, when she opened the door her thoughts focused on something completely different from reading. The corpse of the servant, which she passed by earlier, were laying on the ground in a pool of blood, which also stained the furniture and some parts of the walls. The woman had a bolt sticking out of her back, but her body was mangled, as if somebody took a great pleasure in desecrating it. And from behind, as Dalance looked at the dead woman, she realised how similar they had to look like from afar. Some of her things were taken out of the bag, including a silken shirt, dropped near the window. The bloody writings on the walls were all slurs and threats towards the Dunmer, finished with a big, but quite hastily drawn symbol of the Empire. She stood there, dumbstruck, torn between the urge to help the woman on the floor, and the realisation, that no help could save her at this point. There was too much blood everywhere, and the cuts on the body were too deep. She didn’t move anymore. Dalance glanced around the room quicky, and noticed that one of the window panes was shattered, with pieces of glass shining on the floor. She went back to the main hall, deciding not to touch anything on her own. -There’s a body in my room. – she told the guards with a nervous voice. She tried to remain calm, though. One of the guards looked at her surprised, like he didn’t really believed what he just heard. - There’s a body in my room. – she repeated, looking at the corridor anxiously. Se didn’t seem to joke. This time both guards reacted properly, rushing to the room after her. One stayed with her outside, and another one entered the room to inspect the corpse. After a while, which seemed to last forever, the guard walked out, looking quite nauseous from what he saw. The view was rather brutal after all. He affirmed her words, saying that – indeed – there was a body in her room. - One of the servants was killed in an extremely cruel way. Somebody mangled the corpse... rather severly. – he leaned against a nearby bookshelf, looking like he was about to throw up.

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The second guard looked more and more nervous, he passed the first one and looked into the room, but he didn’t seem eager to enter it. The sole view of the crime scene was enough for him – he still tried to look rather professional and calm, not to make the situation any worse. It was serious enough as it was.

This is a story of a slow downfall of the Tribunal Temple.

It began one late summer’s evening, in the Telvanni tower of Tel Vos, overlooking the cold shores of the Sea of Ghosts. In the house of Rayhe, an apprentice to master Aryon, a disciple to the wise woman of Ahemmusa, and somebody of great significance to me. The Indorils came without any warning, out of nowhere. One moment we were sitting in the dim-lighted room, enjoying the evening, and another we stood face to face with two guards. They requested audience with me. It appeared I was needed, immediately, maybe even desperately, in the Mournhold. They had an official letter from the archcanon of the temple in Almalexia, Fedris Hler. He requested that I followed the two guards, positively without informing anybody of the destination of our journey. Rayhe was reluctant and distrustful, as always, but I had little to say in it – as the Nerevarine I felt obliged to serve as the defender of the Dunmer, and as the champion of the Tribunal Temple. Even if I managed to spent the last few years successfully avoiding medling in politics. I feared these peaceful moments were over the moment I saw my new travel companions.

We traveled to Mournhold, first by boat, then by carriage. My entrance to the city was publically announced, almost celebrated, just as you would expect for a famous hero. I wasn’t accustomed to such celebrations, though – most of time I stayed incognito, rarely revealing my name and position to others. Still, the view of these people, cheering and welcoming me with joy, was a pleasant surprise.   I met with the archcanon Hler, and listened to what he had to say. And this time the archcanon wasn’t very precise, telling me only vaguely about the situation. It appeared there began some unease among the people of Almalexia, especially the aristocracy of house Indoril. With their house devoted so strongly to the Temple, the high born stood in its shadow for centuries – and it looked like they began to question this ancient pact recently, in gradually less and less shy attempts to reach some independence. I was supposed to just stand around and look importantly, to remind the restless nobility who was in charge, and to appease the rest of people in the city. I didn’t really mind – truth be told, I was rather indifferent about my role in it. Whatever the Temple said, I did. After all, my role was supposed to be purely representational.