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Hey everybody, it's Fenrir! I'm headed to Elsweyr with Shirley to look for Inigo and Sofia, and feel out if the Khajiit would be amenable to rebellion against the Thalmor. First I decided I would hit the Smithery and craft some Lighter armor and a new shield. I've been working on my enchanting (very good) and alchemy (fair) because I have no skill with restoration so I need to rely on potions. I also crafted a Dwemer Autocannon, which will help me immensely against large groups. I also brought approximately 500 Dwarven Bolts and a few dozen Fire Bolts (because no way am I leaving my auto-fire crossbow). Shirley and I approached Kurana and Verina about passage to Elsweyr. It's fitting that it was dingy and rainy around Falkreath when we set out. The border guards didn't stop us from passing into Cyrodiil. I guess they see these caravans all the time. "Who are the others?" The gate guard asked. "Bodyguards. Khajiit cannot be too careful these days," Kurana replied. "I'm sure you mean in Elswyer. There are no bandits now in Cyrodiil since Ariel Sethius took over," the guard said, "Open it up!" "Ahh... perhaps they are just better at hiding than the New Imperial Guards are at looking," Verina said from the wagon. I chuckled. They didn't pay it any mind and let us move through. We crossed the border to Elsweyr about day 4. Shirley and I slept for the next couple days, then the caravan stopped in the middle of the day. "What's up?" I asked. "Blockade. Renjira bandits, probably. Khajiit is curious about your skills. Perhaps you can use the exercise, no? Verina likes a good show," Verina said. They sat down to a nice meal. I approached the bandit camp, pulling out my Dwemer Chieroballista. I began to spray, until they got close, then Shirley and I engaged them. We looted their camp and made our way back. Kurana said, "When Khajiit turns to Renrij, he has no reason to be. The sand will bury their shame. And we shall move along." We helped them pack up, then we took our share of the lunch while the caravan moved on. A few hours later, Verina said back to us, "We ride to Tenmar. On the road to Senchal. We will need a wild moon to get there." So we followed the Moonpath for a few days through more desert, then dense jungle. They stopped again on about day 9. "Damn. Bridge is out," Kurana said. "I'll scout ahead for a way around. Gotta earn my keep," I replied. "You are very useful, my friend. We will wait here and offer to Riddle'Thar. We will speak to moons and the forest in Thar's sweet dreams." Shirley and I made our way into the jungle a bit. No humanoids, but there were a lot of giant jungle spiders that we fought off. We managed to find an alternate route to ford the river. Then we continued along the Moonpath. "So what is the beast that's pulling the wagon anyway?" I asked. Verina responded, "Imperials name it 'Therium,' in their books, but Khajiit call it mooncow. It is large and slow, but a sweetheart." "Anything like a horse?" Shirley asked. "Not exactly. It is slow, but strong. When they run, no jungle, sand, wall or army can stop them." At about day 12, and we pulled up to a small town deep in the southern jungle. Kurana said, "You should stay here awhile, my friend. We will be back for you when we make our rounds." "Why's that?" I asked. "The Pahmer have invited you to their jungle. This is rare, but it seems they have been expecting you," Kurana replied. I stepped onto the mass of wooden bridges and structures. Tigers everywhere, but they were passive. I'd heard about the Alfiq, who look like ordinary housecats. I figured I'd give it a try. I asked the tiger, "Are you the Pahmer?" "Yes, we are," he responded, "We are Khajiit, but our tribe never left our home. We've come to guard you, as ordered by our leader, Deepclaw." A khajiit with a brown hood stepped up, "I am Yura. We were expecting you, so Ameir told me to come fetch you." "Where are we?" I asked. "These are the waterways of southern Elsweyr, silly. While you are here, the Pahmer has given you Priderock to stay," Yura pointed to the open area on the walkway above surrounding a rock. It had a bed and several amenities, "Go through the tunnel over there to find Ameir." We walked through the tunnel, and took a jungle path (killing several more giant jungle spiders) then found another small encampment. I stepped up on the deck and found a Khajiit wearing robes. "Greetings traveler," she said, "I am Ameir. What can I do for you?" "Hi. Fenrir Stormcloak. It was a long journey here. I'm looking for some friends who traveled here years ago. I hear they were imprisoned by the Thalmor." "I take it you are no friend to the Thalmor?" Ameir asked. "No. Skyrim just fought a war a few weeks ago. I was hoping to find how Khajiit like being ruled by Thalmor," I replied. Ameir chuckled, "They might perhaps think they rule Khajiit. But only the biggest cities pay fealty to them. The jungles and deserts are our own land. No elf could move through the paths as we do." "What are the moonpaths, anyway?" I asked. "You tell me! You've traveled on one. In short, they are secret paths of the Khajiit caravans use to move between the provinces." Shirley sat down at a bench beside me. "Hot, are we, my friend?" Ameir chuckled. "Never been so hot in my life," Shirley blew out a breath and took a big drink of water. "Are the Moonpaths magical?" I asked. Ameir turned back to me, "Following the moons to one's destination is a deeply magical experience for Khajiit. But sparkly magic? No." "Are you the leader here?" I asked. "Every Khajiit is their own pillar. We follow only the moon and the Mane. But in a sense, I command respect amongst the folk," Ameir replied, "Go speak to Aleyt. We have troubles here in the deep jungle. Perhaps you can help us and prove what a partnership with you would bring." I nodded and we traveled back to where we were. Aleyt waved to me from a small boat used to travel the waterways. Indeed, the water was only waist high here and a boat would be much nicer than traveling on foot. "You have followed the moon to this place. The Pahmer accept you, which is a great honor. No one besides us has been allowed to wander these waterways in this age," Aleyt said then he pointed, "If you wish to pass, go through that door." I walked up to the door and a 7 or 8 foot tall Khajiit blocked my way. I was starting to feel these Khajiit were messing with me. "What are you guarding here?" I asked. "And what is it to you, little one? Speak to Qa'mel," he pointed to the barge, "If he vouches for you, Mervar might turn his ears to you." I sighed, hopping onto the barge down the stairs. Qa'mel was laying down on a bedroll. Without opening his eyes, he said, "I know who you are. Just tell him to stop being an oaf or I will twist his ears." "Why's Morvar so paranoid?" I asked. "Well you know, the kingdoms of Elsweyr are now a Thalmor protectorate, but this does not mean everyone is a compliant vassal to their delusions." "That's what I was hoping to hear," I replied. "Indeed. Thalmor spies are everywhere," Qa'mel said. I walked back up the stairs, "Qa'mel says he'll twist your ears." Mervar chuckled, "That sounds like him. And he's not beyond actually doing it! Want to help me out, little one?" "Sure," I shrugged. "Great! Pahmer told me a Thalmor patrol is in the area. My twin Dervar is scouting near the Thalmor landing site. Go and see if he is alright, yes? He's big like me. Just follow the path behind this door to the Tenmar Den." I took the path and we came upon Dervar scaling a very high set of wood bridges, creeping up on the Thalmor party. "Your mother is a Horker!" Dervar broke his stealth and the Thalmor pulled out their weapons. Shirley and I rushed to help them out, but Dervar was huge and had two Pahmer tigers with him. It wasn't even that much of a challenge against the 5 or 6 Thalmor. Dervar chuckled, "Thank you for the help, friend." "You all right?" I asked. "Never felt better. That was a good fight! A good day to spill some Thalmor blood. So, who are you?" "Your brother sent me to check on you." Dervar chuckled again, "Only one breath older and he thinks like an old man already. Tell him he needs to stop napping near the fire and come help us crack some skulls!" I smiled, "Interested in fighting a LOT of Thalmor?" "Of course, little one. Word gets around here. Sign me up for your war," Dervar chuckled. "The Pahmer saw me coming a mile away, didn't they?" I asked. He shrugged, "Always do." I walked back to Mervar, "He's fine." "I take it the Thalmor are no more, yes?" Mervar smiled. "What can I do for you next?" I asked. "So you've caught on we're testing you? What's next is the cats show their claws. We found where the Thalmor patrol came from. They landed an airship at Pillar Falls." "Airship?!" I asked, "The Thalmor have airships?" "Yes. It is new. Only a handful of them. We need to learn more. Take the passage over there," he pointed to another door, "Raid the ship, get the captain's orders." We took the path. Most these passages through the waterways were fairly well hidden. I can see why the Thalmor (also, myself without help) wouldn't be able to navigate this country. This time there was a sizeable group of Thalmor so I crept close and plunked my Dwemer Autocannon down. As it started unloading, I got out my Chieroballista and fired. We laid waste to them. We engaged in close quarters inside the ship and found the Thalmor were not prepared for our ambush, summoning Frost Atronachs and taking up much of the room. They fell easily. I read the Captain's orders. It read, "You're in command of the airship 'The Howling Banshee.' Go to Tenmar Forest, set up a base of operations and locate the source of the moon sugar flowing out of the area. You have full jurisdiction to do whatever you see fit. It is time these rebels learned their heresy will not be tolerated." It was signed Justiciar Lenial. I returned to Mervar and showed him the papers. "If the Thalmor have figured out the moon sugar is coming from Tenmar Forest, then the whole New Elswyer movement is in danger. We'll send spies to Dune and they'll find this Justiciar. It will take time," Mervar kneeled, sharpening his claws with a knife. Suddenly, his ears perked up, "Do you hear that?" I looked up, and another airship was hovering over Tenmar Forest. Mervar blinked, "This is bad. They've found us." At that moment, I really wished I could fly like my mom and brother. But I had a better idea. "Do you know anybody who can pilot an airship?" I asked. Qa'mel shouted, still laying down in his barge, "Khajiit doubts many know how. But if its anything like driving a boat, Khajiit can be of service." I shrugged, talking as we walked back down the tunnel, "Here's my idea. We take the Wailing Banshee and ambush them. How's that sound?" Qa'mel shrugged, "Who will work the ropes?" As I stepped onto the deck of the Wailing Banshee, I said to Dervar, "Do you know how to fly one of these things?" "No idea. Want to try it?" He chuckled. And just like that, we were airborne. It was surprisingly like working a ship, except instead of rowers it had to travel via balloons and sails. It was slow and clunky, and it seemed like this was not the intended way of working one of these. But we were able to creep up behind and below the Thalmor ship. "Ready?" I asked. Then I deployed the Dwarven Autocannon as we rose up where they could see us. Shirley shot arrows and I shot a barrage of bolts. While the Thalmor were on the back foot, the Dwemer Autocannon blasted a hole in their hull, sending them in a tail spin. We landed. "No survivors," Dervar chuckled. We checked in the hold, only to find a Khajiit prisoner. "Who're you?" I asked. "Khulan welcomes you to the deck of the Waning Moon," he replied. I picked the lock on his chains, then I asked, "What were you doing on this ship?" "Khajiit was trying to steal the ship from the Thalmor," Khulan chuckled, "It did not end so well" "Are you saying you know how to fly one of these?" I asked. "It works like a ship..." Khulan smiled, "Unless you know how to make them move." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Khulan knows how to make the ships fly better than even the Thalmor do. Khulan can pilot your airship if you like. Especially if your plan is to fight some Thalmor," he sat down at the table after dressing himself in armor. "My airship? You're giving it to me?" "Khulan cannot give you what is not his. You blasted it down from the sky above. It is yours by right of the hunt. After some repairs, we may be able to hunt down the remaining Thalmor airships," he smiled. I smiled as wide as I could, "I'm a bit of a tech enthusiast. Mostly Dwemer, but this ship is an amazing device. I can help with the rebuild. But it's been a long day and I haven't eaten since this morning. I feel like the sun hasn't gone down in forever." Khulan chuckled, "Have a break. Sometimes the night is quite bright in Tenmar Forest." We walked outside and I looked up at the sky, "Ah. The moons are just very bright." "Definitely cooled down," Shirley said. We had a meal from the other airship and laid down on cots to sleep the night. The next day I was woken up by construction and I lent a hand. It only took about a day to get everything in working order. The morning after that (day 14), we flew back to Pride Rock. We were joined by Skullcat, a friend of Khulan's who knew how to handle sails and lines. Mervar, the huge cat, approached, "Our spies have something. That Justiciar that sent the Wailing Banshee at us is sending raiders to our caravan supply posts near Dune. Are you up for it?" I smiled, "Khulan?" "Of course! The Waning Moon is at your service! Flying cats! Who can stop us now??" We took off and saw just how fast airship travel can be. It took only about 8 hours to cross what had taken 3 days by winding through the jungles by Moonpath. It was evening, but we were eager to get the drop on the Thalmor. Khulan landed, then shouted, "Unleash the warcats!" Shirley and I charged across the rocky desert and fought a few Thalmor. We found the caretaker, Jelikirr. "Lucky we arrived in time," I said. "Yes, but many supply posts have already fallen to Justiciar Lenial. There are more Thalmor in the oasis," he said. "What oasis?" I asked. "This is the deep desert my friend. Caravans come here to stock up on water. The oasis is hidden, through the passage in the back," he replied. Shirley and I followed the passage and found a large contingent of Thalmor (maybe 20!) I deployed the Dwemer Autocannon and started to unload from behind the rocks. When they got close I realized they also had two Imga, which I'd never seen before. From my reading, they were huge ape beastmen, but the pictures didn't do them justice. Legitimately, this was a very hard fight. I had to down a lot of potions, but eventually we overcame them and I found their leader was holding the Justiciar's logbook. I returned to the airship. "Boon Dar!" Khulan shouted, "Let's head back to Tenmar to figure out what to do about this, yes? Not enough water around here, just warm sand." A couple hours into the journey, I was sitting out on the deck, pondering how high up we were. Shirley was down below, taking a nap. Skullcat started to sing, "Thirteen cats on a dead man's check, *hyk* yo ho ho and a bottle o Skooma!" "Should you be drinking Skooma while you're working the lines?" I asked. He just continued, "Drink n the Merrunz has done farr the rest *hyk*! Yo ho ho n a bottle o Skooma!" "Are you alright?" I asked. "Skooma matey! It's what the doctor ordered!" Skullcat chuckled. "Wanna teach me how to work the~" I started, but we slammed into something and I frantically grabbed onto the nets to keep from falling off the side. "Were you paying attention?!" I shouted as a huge plume of smoke erupted from the front of the ship. "Elven supremacy is the only truth!" Someone shouted, and I whipped my head around to find another airship had rammed us. Shirley emerged as the ship started to lean, "Whoa!" Skullcat got out a huge cutlass, Shirley her greatsword and I with my axe and shield, boarded the other ship and fought the Thalmor. "Yarr! Ye not be takin down Skullcat so easy!" When the warriors and mages on deck were finished, we raided the hold. We found the Justiciar, and took him out too, then looted everything of value. Khulan was standing on the deck of the Waning Moon when we resurfaced. "Justiciar Leniel is dead," I said. "Good. Must've stalked the Waning Moon here and launched a desperate attack to avenge his wounded pride! An attack that failed, Khulan must add," he said, "Skullcat, help me free these ships." When they finally freed it we set it ablaze and it fell into the desert, becoming a heap of burning rubble. That combat made me thank my enchanting skill I have cushioned boots, but I really should learn Levitate or Flight from mom or Damien, even if I am a novice at magic. We headed back to Tenmar Forest, sleeping in shifts through the night. The morning we returned, Qa'mel called out to me. We told him about our victory against the Thalmor and he said he had another job for us. "Jo'ran, senior mage of the New Elswyer movement has been captured by Argonian pirates. Our spies have finally been able to locate the pirate stronghold!" Khulan responded, "The winds of Khenarthi will carry the Waning Moon to the Topal Sea!" It took us about two hours to get to the southern sea, when Khulan said, "Khulan has landed the ship as quietly as only Khajiit can. Perhaps no one has noticed us. But this one has spotted quite a few pirates around." Shirley and I left the airship and crept out to the wooden bridges there. Using a little stealth and then unloading with my Chieroballista it wasn't too much trouble to take care of the small pirate encampment. I reached Jo'ran at the other end with two dead pirates on a boat, already taken care of. "I'm here to rescue you," I said. "Praise Alkosh! Finally! Jo was getting bored around here... decided to experiment with flying toads," he chuckled. "And these bodies are your experiment's outcome I take it?" He nodded, "Toads are bad in art of flying. Worse than Khajiit in swimming, in fact." "Ready to get out of here?" I asked. "Actually, Jo will stay here. This place has some scent of mystery, and Jo wishes to investigate. Perhaps Jo could turn this island into a useful New Elswyer stronghold." "I can't just leave you here!" I responded "Of course you can. No worrying about Jo. All the pirates are dead. Ask Khulan to bring my apprentices here," Jo'ran replied. We crossed back to Tenmar Forest, then Khulan took the apprentices. Shirley and I took the rest of the day off. On day 16, we went back to the outpost to find Jo'ran's apprentices had really cleaned up the place. "Seems like the rebuild is going great!" I said to Jo'ran. "Really well, as your eye can see. It is a good place for hideout. There are thousands of tiny islands in the Topal Sea, every last one of them has its own dirty story. It will be very hard to find for the Thalmor. Do you know how the navigation works for the Thalmor airships?" "No, not really," I replied, "Sails and balloons?" "Yes, but no. The new model is telepathic navigation. Telekinetic steering. Khulan is very gifted in this. As a kitten, he was my apprentice. Jo is of lesser stature than Khulan. Jo can make some toads fly, yes? But Khulan has a giant talent." "He's that good a pilot?" I asked. "Yes, Khulan is. He can make anything fly. You should ask him about his first wife. Or.. better not," Jo'ran laughed. We went back to the airship and rode back to Tenmar Forest. I approached Qa'mel, "I was wondering, do you know of any Thalmor prisons in Elswyer?" "The Thalmor love their prisons, don't they? It is hard to build such things in Elswyer, but Khajiit knows of a single one. Perhaps Khulan can take you there," Qa'mel replied, "Before you go, though, I believe Erid'or has one last job for you." I approached Erid'or, "What can I help you with?" "My ears have heard from the Pahmar in the Cathedral. The spotted a Sload. Very dangerous." "What's a Sload?" I asked. "Erid'or understand, yes? Few know the tales of the First Era. Sload of Thras, masters of the dark arts. Soft, wet and very dangerous." "Alright, I'll investigate this for you," I said, "But then I want to know who to talk to about working together against the Thalmor." "Of course. You have done much for us in your short time here. Your name has already become something of a legend to Khajiit," Erid'or replied, "But be vigilant. This will be the most difficult task. Sloads are very, very tricky. Silkskin has tracked the Sload to his hideout." We once again braved the jungle through the cathedral region (not sure why it was called that, it was just more jungle) and found a Pahmar fighting several raptor-like creatures. They were pretty much just a snack for him. "Are you Silkskin?" I asked when they were dead. "So I am. I track and hunt. Tonight we hunt Sload together. He is at our ancestors' burial site. I will take you to the entrance," Silkskin said. We fought our way through jungle spiders and more raptor creatures. When we got there, he said, "You must venture inside alone and speak with him. Silkskin thinks he will gut the thing if he sees him desecrating our ancestors' tombs." We climbed into the small hatch that led to a cave. At the end of a tunnel was a large, open area with a huge, bloated, ugly monster. "Greetings, slave creature. I am Malsato." "What are you doing here? For that matter, how did you fit into the cave opening...?" "I am the significant! You are insignificant! Bow now, hairy one, and you may yet survive the first course! Malsato! Malsata! I am hungry, and dinner is served." "You're... insane," I said. "Insanely hungry! For fifty years I have planned this excursion. I will eat all in this forest. You will serve me my dinner, little one!" He said. "Fat chance," I replied. "Insignificant servant! Disobey me, slave, and I will release a disease worse than the Thrassian Plague! Bring me something I have never tasted, now! Or this forest will be a disease-ridden swamp!" We traveled back to Erid'or and I told him, "He's blackmailing us - he'll release a plague if we don't feed him." "Typical Sload. If we feed him, he'll stay for a century or more. He'll grow big enough to eat the whole jungle!" "So, we should kill him then, right? But how?" I asked. "He must be hiding a living infected animal somewhere in the forest," Erid'or said. "So if I find this creature, we can go against him?" I asked. "Yes, but the Sload have powerful magic, which he uses to hide the beast from Khajiit. Erid'or has an idea. Bring me hyena meat and jungle spider queen venom," he said. I pulled both out of my pack. I'd been collecting exotic ingredients since I'd arrived to make more healing potions, making them as I rode in the airship (they have an alchemy station). "Excellent. Erid'or will cook the poison to weaken the Sload's magic. When the spell breaks down, Silkskin will be able to sniff out the creature," Erid'or said. He went about preparing the meal. We took it to the Sload, who was pleased. Then I went back outside to see SIlkskin. "The Sload is weakened. Can you find the plague carrier?" I asked. "Yes, this Khajiit smelled it before you came out. It's near the mammoth skull. Come!" Silkskin and I ran with Shirley to a deeply wooded part of the jungle and killed a pack of the raptor creatures. Then we returned to the Sload. Shirley and I went back inside. "Your time is up, you fat, blackmailing slob," I said. "Yes, I sensed your betrayal. You think a little indigestion will stop me? We'll see how you taste," Malsato growled in hunger. I deployed my Dwemer Autocannon and backed out of the room and the doorway was too small for him to fit through. But still, he had powerful magics to throw at me. So we ended up engaging him while my autocannon blasted him to oblivion. When we returned to Erid'or, and reported our victory he said, "Ah, the fat thing becomes food for little forest dwellers. I will go and cleanse the elder gravesite now. Khajiit ancestors do not like foul smells. Thank you." "So where's the prison?" "Khajiit is happy to mark it on your map," he said, "And Deepclaw says you have our support for the war against the Thalmor. We may not be a huge fighting force, but call upon us when it is time and we will fight." "Thank you Erid'or," I replied. We got in the airship and rode to the edge of the dense jungle, at the southern end of the desert, and at it's border - Corinthe. "So how'd you come into the service of Khulan anyway, Skullcat?" I asked "The story involves Skullcat, Khulan and a rope," Khulan interjected. "Greet ye or eat ye?" Skullcat replied, completely confounding me as to his meaning. Then he continued, "Skullcat be the scourge of the Topal Sea! Merrunz in disguise! Bloody legend, I tells ye!" "Khulan saved him from the rope, yes?" Khulan jabbed. "One lil story in the sea o' life. Time passes over like tides o' the sea," Skullcat said, working the sails. We parked in the last bit of jungle and Shirley and I hoofed it the rest of the way. Far enough away that we could avoid notice. This place had only a small stone building with a couple Thalmor guards, leading into an underground complex. "If this is the only Thalmor Prison in Elswyer, this has to be the place," I said to her, "Either way, we'll free some prisoners and beat up some Thalmor." "We make a good team," Shirley said, "Let's hope our friends are here." I sniped the one guard outside with my not-autofire crossbow (I carry three or four crossbows at any given time) then when the other came out to investigate, we were waiting for him in melee range. I opened the lock with a key on the guard and we quietly moved inside. It was very cool in the underground prison, much more hospitable than outside. As we moved in further, I used stealth as best I can (though I am not good at it by any means) and each time we came upon a group of Thalmor they tended to notice as just as I was clicking on the autofire from the Cheiroballista. We finally reached the torture chamber and I peered around the corner. "Do you think High Interrogator Orthar is ever coming back? It's been about about a month now," one guard said. The interrogator for this base sighed and said, "No. Do you even read the formal reports? Do you listen at the musters? He was killed in Skyrim by those... barbarians. We've been unable to recover Orthar or Viranir's research as of yet. The forces there had to extract too quickly. Mark my words though, I've been giving the prisoners here torture in his name. Though I couldn't hold a candle to some of the dark stuff he used on prisoners." "Guess your heart just isn't as dark as his," the guard said. "Shut up..." the interrogator said. Hearing just about enough, I plopped down the Dwemer Autocannon at the entrance to the room and we backed out. Being not complete idiots, they sprinted around the stanchion near the entrance to the room, blocking them from autocannon fire. "Hello," I said, Cheiroballista leveled at the torturer. "What do you want?" He put his hands up. "Sir! Don't give into their demands!" The soldier shouted from behind him. "He's right. It's two against one," the torturer said. He blasted me with lightning. Shirley stepped out from behind the doorframe and decapitated the soldier. "Well, now you're technically correct," I continued, "Do you know anything about a nord woman and a blue khajiit that were taken prisoner a while back? Sorry to burst in like this, but this seems to be the only prison you guys have constructed in Elsweyr." I could hear the Autocannon was still bursting fire in the background. "There are a couple nord women here, a couple of khajiit. As I understand it, blue is rare. We do have one of those," the torturer pointed to my right, "See for yourself." I started to turn, then I looked back and he already had lightning charging in his hands, "You almost got me." "Almost?" He shouted, then blasted us both with lightning. "Free me, and I can help you!" One of the prisoners shouted. Then they all started shouting. Shirley charged at the torturer as he summoned an Atronach. One voice shouted over the others, "Pull the lever to your left!" I looked at him, "Inigo?? You're definitely the man I was looking for!" I turned and pulled the first lever I saw, freeing the prisoners to my right. Most of them just started to rush out of the prison, but Inigo moved at an alarming speed. He pulled the other lever, then charged straight toward the torturer. Inigo opened the prisoner's belongings chest, grabbing his Ebony Sword and a shield. I turned to my left to see a naked woman just before the bars swung open. I shouted, "Sofia!" "I am so glad to see you, kid!" She ran off in the same direction as Inigo, who was already laying waste to the atronach. When I got there, they had the torturer backed into a corner with his atronach dead. "No! Please!" The torturer shouted, "I was just doing my job! I have a wife and son!" "Well, I suppose if you're really sorry," Inigo started. "Are you kidding?" Sofia asked. "Yes!" Inigo chuckled, then he stabbed him. When he was dead, Inigo bowed to me, "We are forever in your debt, my friend. Do you know the way out?" "There appears to be a back way. I'm going to make sure the other prisoners are okay before we leave," I said. "Gods, woman, I told you you didn't have to be naked in prison," Inigo said to Sofia, "Would you put some clothes on?" "I can't help it if everybody wants to see my body," Sofia smirked. The blue cat just shook his head, handing her her armor. I walked down the cell block and most of them had already run out. There was a nord woman who had been sleeping who was now cowering and I told her she was safe. She fled in terror, but I'm certain she just fled to Corinthe. The only other prisoner was a Khajiit just standing in his open cell. "Who are you? What are you still doing here?" I asked. "I have heard of you, friend. You're the Redguard that's making a big splash with the New Elswyer resistance. I am Mojin. Don't pay attention to those ungrateful twits who ran off without a word. I'm awfully pleased to have won this early... pardon," he said. "What were you in for? What did the Thalmor want with you?" "You've got it all wrong, friend. It's not what they want with me. It's what I want with them. You see, most people think High Elves only want wine. Skooma? You're better off selling feathers to birds. But what if that was a lie? Elves want to be happy, just like us. It's an untapped market. And who's stopping us from tapping it?" "You tried to sell them Skooma? No wonder they locked you up," I smirked. "Is owning a business a crime? Is feeding your children a crime? If I had any, I'm sure they'd scold you for starving them," Mojin chuckled, "Instead of torturing the Thalmor with pain, I will torture them with pleasure. Give them Skooma then take it away when they need it." "So, you good?" I asked. Mojin smiled, "I will stay here. When they send a patrol, I will tell of your tales. This is how I will worm my way into their hearts and eat away at them from the inside." I shook my head, smiling, "Suit yourself. I prefer to eat away at them from the outside." I walked past the group, Sofia still donning her armor, and found a single guard guarding the back door. A wizard guard who wasn't really paying attention. "Sorry, bud," I said. I pushed him up against the door and decapitated him. When I walked back down to the group, they looked at me, all formed up and looking cool. Inigo had grabbed a Daedric Katana from the chest. "Bah!" Sofia said, "My sword and dagger aren't even in here we've been in here so long! Give me one of your swords!" "I do not think so, woman," Inigo pulled them back. "Ah, here we go," Sofia grabbed an Elven Curve Blade off one of the guards, "This works." I looked them up and down as we were heading back to the airship, "Youall are pretty much as I remembered. But Inigo has some nice new armor." "The Blades usually use heavy armor, but they made an exception for me." "You joined the Blades?" I asked. "Yes, my friend. I trained with... perhaps I trained... some of the new recruits in swordsmanship before we traveled to Elswyer." We passed under a rock outcropping into the jungle, and came in sight of the airship. "Whoa!" Sofia shouted, "I've never seen such a thing!" "So where do you guys want to go?" I asked. They said in unison, "Skyrim." Then Inigo said, "My friend, is the time barrier down?" "Yep. Infact, my mom sent me on a mission to rescue you," I said as we were climbing onto the airship via rope ladder, "Did you guys hear about the war?" "I heard you guys trounced them. Wish we could've been there," Sofia replied. Khulan was waiting on the deck, "If it isn't the legendary blue swordsman." "Khulan!" Inigo clasped hands with him. "You guys know each other?" I asked. "We've met once or twice in my travels," Inigo said. "This airship is yours?" Sofia asked, looking around in wonder. "He blasted it out of the sky. It is his by right," Khulan explained, "Khulan is ready. Where do you wish to go?" "Strangely enough, I want to do something I didn't get a chance to do on my way to Elswyer," I said, "Drop us off outside Bruma. Of course, keep out of sight." We traveled to Bruma in about a day and I booked a room at the Jerall View. "You stopped in Bruma to visit an Inn?" Inigo asked. "Well I was going to see if Runa was here, but the guards said she's in the Imperial City, last they heard," I replied, "But I figured while we were here, you guys could use a break." We checked in and walked down to the bathhouse. Shirley sat away from us, not joining in the nakedness. "Cmon! Join us!" I said. "Oh, no. You don't want to see an old lady's body. Besides, whatever they put in this bath always irritated my skin," she said. "Suit yourself," I smiled, "Couldn't have done all this without you." Shirley sighed, "It's been a real trip. The last few years have been like reliving my glory days." "You speak as if you're going to leave us soon," I said. "Well, kid, these old bones don't have many more adventures in them. Being in the heat of Elsweyr really highlighted that. Think I might retire for real. Take a long vacation," she said. "Well, we're all sad to hear that," I laid my head back at the edge of the pool. Shirley went up to the room to take a nap shortly thereafter. "What are you doing?" Inigo looked at Sofia. "Getting trashed, what does it look like?" She smiled. "You brought that mug down here from the bar didn't you?" I asked. "Well, yes. But this isn't ale," Sofia giggled, and was already starting to get red. We relaxed there for a while. Eventually, I turned to them and said, "This is as much for me as it was for you. Gods, Elsweyr is hot." "Well, you do wear heavy armor my friend," Inigo said. "Eh, I shouldn't be complaining. What can I do to help rejuvenate you guys?" I asked. "Well... It's been an Era since I could have a moment alone with my husband," Sofia said. I smiled, standing up and starting to walk out, "Say no more." "Woman, you are drunk," Inigo said. "Well we are married, so I'm pretty sure I can't withdraw consent," Sofia said, sitting on the cloth between the baths, "That's how the old laws work in Skyrim anyway." "Gods, you are repulsive when you're like this," Inigo replied. "You know you love me," Sofia giggled again, "Come here." "Yes, yes, I love you," Inigo pulled her to him. After that we traveled to Windhelm. "What the hell is that thing?" The dockmaster asked as I jumped down, left the thing hovering above the docks. "Don't worry, it doesn't take up space," I replied. "Of course, your grace," he replied, realizing who I was. We walked into the Palace of Kings to find Galmar and dad having one of their heated discussions (this time about the Thalmor), with my mother, arms folded, offering her third point of view. "Fenrir!" They both shouted, taking turns hugging me. "First thing - mission accomplished," I said, presenting Sofia and Inigo. "You guys alright?" Mom asked, giving them both one big hug. "We are fine, my friend, thanks to Fenrir. I heard you got much worse treatment than we did," Inigo responded, "Guards talk." Mom sighed. I could tell she was still not in the best place, though it'd been at least a month. "It's good to see you," she said, "We all have many adventures to talk about." "Right! You're queen now!" Sofia shouted, "And looks like you got married! I would've come, but I had a prior engagement." "You got married too, didn't you?" Mom asked. "Yeah. Though the honeymoon wasn't the best," Sofia chuckled. "Are you going to join us for the assault?" Mom asked. "Of course, my friend," Inigo replied. "Oh, you said first of all," Mom said, turning to me, "What else?" I smiled at her, "Well, there's a large rebel faction in Elswyer and they're willing to join us to fight the Thalmor. What's more - I have an airship." "An airship? Like a ship that flies through the air?" Dad asked, "You must be joking." "Nope. The Thalmor have been developing them. I can tell you we destroyed or stole three of theirs, and they don't have many. I understand the design enough I might be able to reproduce them someday," I could not stop smiling. Mom slapped me on the back, "I've got to say out of all the groups I sent out, yours was the quickest and most successful towards the war effort." "How are the others doing?" I asked. "Well, I didn't send Damien anywhere, but he went in search of Viranir. You know, the mage that developed the whole chronomancy problem we were having? Well, he traveled back in time to stop her plans to... fuck everything up I guess. He managed to, and he brought a wife and baby back. What effects that is going to have on the timeline, I have no idea," Mom explained, "Or maybe it was meant to happen? I don't know the rules for time. Interesting side note. I guess he's the Hero of Daggerfall." "What's he doing now?" I asked, "That's a wild story!! I think I'd like to meet them." "Well we managed to find them a good mage-type house, but then he went off on another journey. Said he had to look up an old friend. Which, I assume meant hundreds of years old judging by his time travel shenanigans," she explained. "How about Runa? How goes it with Cyrodiil?" I asked. "Honestly, seems mixed. I have no idea. Last I saw - Jura, Calleius and Runa were headed to Roscrea. Seems like the 'New Empire' is unravelling." "Do you think they need help?" I asked. "Again, no idea. If you want to, then have at it." "Hey!" Sofia shouted, way too loud for the venue. She blinked at herself, then said, "Can I come?" I shrugged, "Why not." "You coming, blue?" Sofia asked. "I believe you are in good hands. I will check in with the Blades for now," Inigo replied, "Don't overdo it. I believe we both need a vacation after what we went through." "Are you kidding? I'm never taking a vacation again. That's what got us into that mess in the first place! Can't let my guard down for the rest of my life or I'll get captured!" Sofia laughed.

Hey, still Destana. Last time, we drove the Thalmor back and I defeated their leader (Viranir). Unfortunately, she escaped via strange ghost powers. Then we partied for a week while rebuilding, rendering aid and fixing most of the Jarl positions. Falkreath is still vacant (temporarily General Jura of Hammerfell). Ulfric called the moot for me, including: High King Ulfric Stormcloak (and Jarl of Windhelm) Queen-General Destana Stormblade (That's me!) Jarl Skald of Dawnstar General Jura of Hammerfell, Representing Falkreath Jarl Madanach of Markarth Jarl Sorli of Morthal Jarl Maven Black-Briar of Riften Jarl Elisif of Solitude Jarl Baalgruf of Whiterun; with Vidnar (who also represented the Companions) Jarl Korir of Winterhold Serana of Volkihar High Council Members Nazir, Dagri’Lon and Thongvar Silver-Blood. Archmage Tolfdir of the College Listener Runa of the Dark Brotherhood Brynjolf of the Thieves' Guild Arngeir of the Graybeards Grandmaster Delphine of the Blades General Sialius for the Mede Empire in Exile and the Defense of Skyrim Commander Balfhe for the Defense of Skyrim Commander Hrolf Witch-Slayer for the Defense of Skyrim Commander Fenrir Stormcloak for the Defense of Skyrim Damien Guivenne for the Defense of Skyrim. He said, "A title isn't necessary, I just want to be there." Most of the Housecarls and Stewards didn't include themselves in the meeting this time, electing to stand off in the distance rather than crowd the discussion, except Maul, who stood just behind the stalls for part of the meeting. He wanted to hear and was not very stealthy about it. We had a challenge and fight over the Markarth Jarldom. Igmund is in prison for trying to dishonorably assassinate Madanach with poison, awaiting execution. And the last thing I said... "The Dominion is on the run. But they still hold Alinor, Valenwood, Elswyer and some of Black Marsh (nobody has ever conquered the inner swamps, because, why would you want to?) Cyrodiil is in turmoil. We now have the start of an alliance in Hammerfell, and we could pursue an alliance with High Rock and Cyrodiil." "So what are you proposing?" Ulfric asked. "We're going to invade the Dominion," I replied. Everyone looked at me for a moment. They'd looked at me like this before - like I'd grown a second head. "Before you get your shots in with 'you're crazy,' 'have you lost your mind?' and 'we don't have the resources.' Let me tell you what I'm thinking. The Khajiit and Argonians were duped into working for the Dominion. I know in my heart the Dominion made the moons disappear, via magic, or whatever, which got them Elswyer. And I'll bet they're the ones who cut the Argonians off from the Hist. A lot of them are still vehemently against working with the Thalmor. The Wood Elves, I'm not so sure." I started pacing now, "What I'm proposing is not a war of conquest. It's a war of liberation. This is a dream I've had since I was small. Every person has the right to freedom. Every nation has the right to self-determination. This cycle of one nation destroys another or conquers another can end if we let it. That is, with the exception of Alinor. They need to have the guidance of the other nations of Tamriel for a while before they can be set off on their own again." "This dream... has merit," Baalgruf replied. I could tell I had their attention, at the very least. I continued, "This war will take several moves. The first place we need to hit is Valenwood. If we can conquer them (for now), or get them on our side, we convince the Khajiit they're not beholden to the Dominion (and I think I have a couple friends who can help with that), we practically have Alinor. Before that, we need Cyrodiil in our court. Everyone knows Cyrodiil is in turmoil. A Bandit King sits on the throne, which is fine. He earned it. If he is effective, then so be it. But from what I've heard, the houses are infighting and can't put up a fight against the Thalmor if they wanted to, which is why they let the Dominion roll over them to get to us." General Sialius grumbled when I said that, but didn't add anything. "What I propose is we send a delegation to Cyrodiil and help them sort out their problems. Show them both that we mean business, that we're strong and not a target for reconquest, and that we want to be their allies. At the very least against the Thalmor, but also going forward. If we can do that, High Rock is still under Cyrodiil, technically." "So what about Alinor?" General Sialius asked. He looked like he was getting into the idea, but still judging how well I'd thought this through. "Well, I have spoken to shipwrights in Solitude and Dawnstar, and I'm planning on speaking with those in Haafstad. We're going to build ships. With Cyrodiil's, Hammerfell's and Elswyer's Navy we will launch an amphibious assault." "I hate to be the voice of reason here," Maven said, "But I assume that's why you made me a Jarl. Who's going to pay for all this?" "That is a good question," I said, "I assumed the government of Skyrim would pay for a lot of it..." There were a lot of groans at that. "..But also, I'm going to be putting forth several hundred thousand septims for the cause," I said. "And all this is going on while Hammerfell is at open war with the Dominion," General Jura said, "I just got communication from the homeland. Hammerfell is going to do everything we agreed to, so you will have our help in this effort if you pursue it." They stood there for a minute, side conversations going on. Balgruuf was the one to speak first, "Destana. Dragonborn. Old friend. We think your idea has merit." "The logistics need to be worked out," Thongvar elbowed Maven. "Exactly. Also, our boys have seen the horrors of war firsthand. We're not sure how many of them will want to jump face-first into another war. Especially if we don't get any spoils out of all this," Balgruuf explained. "Who said we weren't going to take spoils?" I smirked, "We're not going to rob them blind, but I do plan on taking some things. I was a professional thief after all." They all chuckled. "But seriously though," I said, "I think if we remind them of who visited the pain and suffering on them they'll be more keen to retaliate. Remind them of their dead. Off the top of my head, Vex, Ralya, Laila, Dengeir, Siddgeir and a lot of Stormcloaks, Imperial troops and Forsworn, many of whom I didn't learn their names. Also in that vein, I think we should set up a memorial. In Riften, the first place they conquered." "Dammit, we should!" Maul said. Vex was one of his good friends. Then he realized he didn't really have a voice in this discussion and backed away, realizing he was the only housecarl standing there. Maven nodded, "I think my housecarl hiding back there shows Skyrim's spirit. A lot of people are going to react emotionally to their dead friends. We can use that to motivate them to the Queen's war." Damn Maven, how did you find a way to make something I believe in sound icy cold? Generally the gains/profit minded in the group seemed to bend to my war idea when she put it like that, keeping in mind I mentioned spoils. "Similar to my thoughts," I said, then I whispered to her, "I'm glad you're on my side." Maven smirked, whispering back, "After all these years, I realized you have the same goal-oriented mindset that I do. You just go about it differently, and you have different strengths. You making me a Jarl was one of the smartest decisions you ever made." I chuckled nervously. "So a vote then?" I said, "I motion that Skyrim declares open war on the Aldmeri Dominion, details of the strategy to be revisited at a later date." "Aye," Madanach said, "So long as the Forsworn get to participate in the war." "Of course," I said. "Aye," said Skald, Maven, Korir and Balgruuf. "Nay," Sorli the Builder said, "I've seen enough war in my time, though I think my vote will not overturn the decision." "I abstain, if I even get a vote," Jura said, thinking it proper. "After some thought, I think... Aye," Elisif said. The others were a little taken aback by that. "What? The war didn't make its way to Solitude, but I saw some of the tortures inflicted on my men by those Thalmor. I think they need to sow the seeds of their wrongdoing." I think I realized in that moment she had become friends with Hrolf. Don't ask me how - maybe that they were standing together and their body language. Maybe he'd put some ideas into her head. "You do realize building ships and planning a campaign is going to take a lot of time, a lot of work, and a lot of money," Balgruuf said. "Yeah, I think we should be ready to go in a few months," I said, "We're going to make sure we have Cyrodiil on lock at the same time we're planning the Amphib." "Well then, aye," Balgruuf said, "Vignar should help with the planning. You know he's bored out of his mind in Jorrvaskr." Vignar chuckled, "Well, I'm in." "Speaking of which, I want to talk to you after this," I said, "And I think we should move our war planning here, out of the public eye. Sialius, Hrolf, Balfhe, Vidnar, Fenrir. And all the minor commanders who weren't invited for fear of this becoming too public." "Sounds good," General Sialius said. "Okay, last last thing to discuss. Who are we going to send to Cyrodiil, who will we send to Elswyer to contact my friends?" There was a minute of discussion about sending an envoy, but nobody came to clear conclusion again. "Maybe I should go," Sialius said, "They do know me there." "Well, you're kind-of high profile. You have a history with the old Empire, and you did just help us fight a war. You swore your allegiance to Skyrim. They might see it as an act of aggression. We want to offer them an olive branch." "I can go," Runa said, much to my surprise. I turned to her. "I lived in Cyrodiil for five years. I have contacts there. Though I think things have changed some in the past couple months, a whole level of society just being gone, I bet the mid-level people are mostly still the same." "That's pretty normal during a regime change. You have to keep the people onboard who know how to carry on the day-to-day operations. Otherwise, your government will just crumble," Vidnar said. "Alright. We'll write a letter to Emperor Ariel Sethius and you can use that as a springboard to speak with him, and the Elder Council, if it exists in any form," I said, "If you can, get him to meet with us." "I can reach out to some of my contacts I know via trade," Thongvar said, "Might be a help to you." "Excuse me," General Jura said, "I'd like to go with her." "Why's that?" I asked. "I'm empowered to act as a delegate for Hammerfell. I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. Also, sending her alone may not be safest. I know she's strong, but we have no idea what we're going to see out there." "Well, I'm fine with it. Not that I could stop you. You're not a citizen of Skyrim," I said, "This isn't an official decree or order, so I'm not going to put it to a vote. Runa, you have your orders." She nodded, "I will see it done." We handled a few nonessential tasks before the group, including revitalizing some old towns that'd gone into disrepair, then Vignar approached me. "Hey, you've been a Companion for longer than most the members have been alive. I think you should be Harbinger," I said. Vignar replied, "Well, I appreciate the honor, but I've been a part of the Circle for a matter of days." "Yes, but you were only barred because of a dumb rule I did away with. You should've been a Circle member decades ago. I'll tell the rest of the Companions. You know I don't have time to advise the Companions with my other responsibilities. It'd be better if I was just a Circle member," I said. I didn't expect this, but Vignar hugged me, "Godsdamnit. I've never realized how much I wanted this until I was given it. Bless you for this honor!" After that, the moot dispersed to side conversations and Runa and Jura walked up to me. "Wait, before you say anything. I can see your bare legs. What is that?" "Tattoos. All over my body," Runa replied. I blinked. "I'm kidding. I have been thinking about getting a couple. I just drew on my skin to test them out. I figured nobody would notice because I wear full ebony platemail. But you can see the barest sliver of my legs," Runa chuckled. "If you do it, don't get anything like this," I pointed to my tally marks, "Consult a professional," Then she said, "By your demeanor, it sounds like you have a general idea of where to start in Cyrodiil." "Well, it was a lot more recent for me than it was you. To me, the end of 209 (when it happened) was only about seven months ago. In my reckoning, I killed Alduin and Harkon about four months ago. I mean, the dates are getting a little confusing for me." "Stop beating around the bush, mom. Who are you talking about?" Runa asked. "I'm talking about how we know the Countess of Bruma," I replied, "And we made her the countess. She kinda owes us. To her (and you, it'll have been about five to six years ago." "Oh yeah. Rigmor," Runa said, "I actually visited her a couple years ago. In my reckoning. But I did a lot of travel around Tamriel before I came back here. Gods, this is getting confusing." "Best not to worry about it too much. I went back to Windstad to check my mail after not having checked it for about a year in Skyrim time and I had about forty letters. Most of them were about holidays and people dying. One of them was a letter from Bruma, sent right before the barrier came down." I opened it and handed it to her. It read: "Heh, official pass. Last time Aventus and I crossed the border we had to go through the caves going under the gates," Runa smiled. "Who is this Rigmor of Bruma?" Jura asked. "Oh, well," I said, "To summarize, in 4E 209 Runa and I started adventuring together before she became the Listener (to start her training) and we found a wounded girl in southern Skyrim. Ends up she has noble blood, related to the count of Bruma. Also, she's some kind of 'chosen one,' like different from being a Dragonborn or the Listener, a chosen of Azura. Why it's not a Dunmer, not really sure. Anyway, we ended up fighting a splinter group of Thalmor, called the New Order who wanted to harness her power for ill purposes. Imagine an even more extreme group of Thalmor. And we fought against Malacath. At the end, she went to Bruma and we went back to our off-the-grid lifestyle we were enjoying at the time." "So she knows Runa too?" Jura asked. "Yeah. Kinda whiny, but I like her. I can empathize because she's had a hard life," Runa said, "If mom hadn't adopted me when she did my life probably wouldn't have been so great." "Runa and Rigmor were both 15 then. Now she's 20. She was a few months older," I said, "Come to think of it, your birthday is at the end of the year, isn't it?" "Yeah, well, that's what the orphanage decided. When I showed up on their doorstep without any identification or anything. Still don't know my actual birthday." Damien and Fenrir approached. Fenrir said, "I guess I could go to Elswyer. I've never been out of the country before, unless you count the ocean. Or other planes of existence." "You know we don't!" Damien chuckled. "Sure," I said. "How do I get to Elswyer?" Fenrir asked. "There's a caravan that leaves out of southern Bruma county, though I think they were going to start making stops in Falkreath now that the barrier is down. And the war is over," Runa replied. "I can give you the details for your mission later. You're going to be looking for Sofia and Inigo and getting an update from them, then we'll plan our next moves," I said, "But you're a tough guy. I know you can handle yourself. And I'm going to send Shirley with you if she wants to go." "Might want to reconsider your armor choices in Elswyer. Lot of swamps and deserts," Jura said. "Yeah, I switched back to Light Armor for that part," Runa said. "Well, maybe I could go barechested like mom does. Show off my manly pecs. I guess I need to figure out how you got so tough," Fenrir said. "I'd rather not explain right now," I replied. "What does that mean?" Fenrir asked. "Maybe when you're older!" I said back. "I think for now I'm going to delve deeper into Viranir's work," Damien said, "What're you gonna do, mom?" "Direct shipbuilding. Rebuild Skyrim. Honestly, I think I need a vacation from adventuring. Maybe I'll do something from time to time, but I need a rest before the invasion." "First time I think I've ever heard you say that," Runa said. "Maybe I'm starting to get old. Maybe I should act like an actual General or Queen for a while, not just like the one in chess that kills the other side's King directly," I replied. Serana sidled up to me, "That sounds amazing." I took a deep breath, looking at them. "Geez. A lot has happened this year," I said, "All you kids grew up. We fought the Thalmor and won. I fought Alduin and Harkon. I made peace with the Forsworn. And now 211... I mean 216, seems like we're going to be doing a lot of traveling." From there, everyone dispersed. Of course, this time Damien and I offered to play stagecoach with whoever wanted our teleportation services, and most of them took us up on the offer. Runa, Jura and Calleius met with Fenrir and Shirley in Falkreath a few days later, had a breakfast and said goodbye. "Say hi to Agrippina for me," Fenrir said, dejectedly. "She'll come back. Have faith, kid," Shirley said. "But I'll be in Elswyer!" He said back, "Why does Damien always get to do his own thing?" Runa put her hand on her brother's shoulder, "Don't worry. I'll give her a talking to while I'm there." Runa, Jura and Calleius set out from Falkreath for the border later that day and Fenrir and Shirley caught the caravan traveling to Elswyer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'd better write this down. This is Damien. Second day of Morning Star, 4E 216. Looks to be about 11 pm. Tolfdir is away on a diplomatic mission to the Synod and he's graciously let me use the Archmage's quarters (the only place where I have both absolute privacy and room to work, as well as protections built into the chamber). I've been experimenting with Viranir's novice and apprentice-level chronomancy spells for about four days now. I've happened upon one of the most advanced spells. From her notes she tried this spell a dozen times but was never able to work out all the problems with it. It seems like she was trying to manipulate the past remotely. Project herself into the past and alter the course of history in the Thalmor's favor. If she's worth her salt, I assume she has backup notes, or can reproduce these, given time. And of course, chronomancy gives her whatever time she needs. Assuming, she has the ability to use magic at all in the spirit form mom left her in. I think I worked out how this ritual works, but it's a doozy. If she can do this, she can change the course of history and destroy everything we've built here. Unless I'm able to get there first. I think I can project myself to the place she was trying to go and foul up her plans. I drew out sigils in a circle. I used five magicka batteries (again, a doozy). I began the cast. I was surrounded by energy similar to conjuration, but different. When I regained my senses, I was in a small dressing room I knew not where, naked. It seemed my body had been projected... but none of my equipment came with me. I quickly threw on the first set of clothes I could see. When I stepped out, I was in a bare hall, an imperial in royal clothes and an altmer in blades armor standing opposite me, with a throne and a small table. When I stepped up to them, the Imperial said, "Excuse the gloom, but none may know of this meeting." I pretended to know where I was and what was going on. "The nature of my trouble is darker still. Over a year ago, King Lysandus of Daggerfall died, honorably, on the field of battle." 'Lysandus?' I searched my memory of history. Lysandus died in 404, which makes this 3E 405. Over two hundred years in the past. Before the Dominion even really came to power. I think? The man continued, "He was a loyal subject, ally, and friend. As you are. I did grieve for him. But his spirit does not rest. With the spectral army, he haunts his former kingdom crying for revenge. I do not know why a good and loyal man would be so cursed, perhaps you can find the answer. And close the marble jaws of Oblivion bringing peace to his soul. I as this as your Emperor and your friend." Emperor? That means this is probably Uriel Septim VII. "I have one lesser request. Several years ago, I wrote a letter to the Queen of Daggerfall. It never arrived. The letter was of a sentimental and ... personal nature. If you find and destroy that letter, I will be grateful. Now, my champion, rest well this night, for tomorrow you sail for the Kingdom of Daggerfall." Champion, huh? "Before I go, your majesty, I have a question of Chancellor Ocato," I said, assuming that was the Altmer standing off to the side. "Go ahead," the Emperor said, "But he is not the High Chancellor, only the Imperial Battlemage and a ranking member of the Blades. Although... I see no reason why he could not have that honor in the future." I sucked in a shrill breath. Geez, less than five minutes here and I'm influencing the past. "Is it true you are the one who thwarted the old Imperial Battlemage, Jagar Tharn's evil plot?" I asked. "Yes," Ocato said, "Using an alias (Talin) I was able to travel the Empire with anonymity and collect the pieces of the Staff of Chaos and return the Emperor to his rightful place." "Now, don't be modest Ocato, they've been calling you the Eternal Champion since you pulled off that act of major heroism," the Emperor smiled. Well, mom's going to have a fit over this. I chuckled, "Thank you, your majesty." As I slept and passed time riding on the ship to Daggerfall, I reasoned to myself that I would need to make the smallest changes possible in order to find Viranir and stop her from doing whatever she was planning. I slept a couple times on the boat, and the second day I was woken by a large crash. A storm of supernatural strength boiled over the Iliac Bay like a malefic creature. The boat immediately capsized and the berth I was sleeping in was flooded with water. I swam for minutes, until I came to a rock, finding a cave. There was an old campfire, that I reached out to light with a regular Flames spell, and a mudslide sealed in behind me. I sighed, saying out loud, "This is not going well. At least the path in front of me seems lit and unobstructed." "Ah, gods," a voice said, "Just the person I didn't want to see here." I turned. "What the hell?" I asked, readying my hands to cast a spell. It was Viranir, in her ghost form. "I see you deciphered my notes," she said. "You have about two seconds before I blast you. Any last words?" I asked. "How about, 'You're wasting your time," she said. Not like a villain saying I'm too feeble to harm her. She seemed utterly dejected. "At least put up a fight," I said, "C'mon!" "No, you're wasting your time. Go ahead. Try casting a spell," she said. I blasted Flames at the wall, "There. Satisfied?" "Now try casting another spell," Viranir folded her arms, "Go ahead, I'll wait." I tried calling up something. Anything else. It's not like I'd forgotten them, but somehow, I just couldn't cast them. I was as weak as a kitten. "What's going on here?" "It appears we came to the same conclusions and made the same mistake. We're both powerless," Viranir replied, "Me so more than you. Guess what ghosts can do?" "Well, I've fought ghosts before, with ghost swords." "It's not that simple. It takes most ghosts years to master their ability to manifest and hurt mortals. I've been a ghost for a matter of days. My magic was all that I could perform. And now, I can't do anything." "Why're you telling me all this?" I asked. "I can admit when I've failed. You may be able to regain your power back in time. But in a matter of months. For me, it will most likely take decades. As I am far more powerful than you at full power and as a ghost it will be much harder. And I don't have my body." I took a deep breath and let it out. A matter of months, if she took an accurate measure of my power, then I could deal with that. Thinking about it, my experience of about a day of 3E 405... an Agent sent by Emperor Uriel Septim VII to Daggerfall... "How does this work? Am I projected into the experiences of someone else?" "Projected? You dense clod. You have been transported into the past. You are stuck here. This was sloppy and I blame myself for your misfortune. Of course, I don't particularly like you. What did you say your name was? Damon?" "Damien," I said, "Are you saying I might be the Hero of Daggerfall?" "Umm... well..." Viranir replied, "Gods, how are you so positive?" "I learned it from my mother." I had an Ebony Dagger given to me by the Emperor, and a Flames spell. I cracked my neck, ready to venture out into the caves. I would figure out how to get home later. If I did the time spell once, I could do it again. Game on.