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Hello. Damien again. I'll dive right in. Last time I managed to find out who killed King Lysandus (by speaking with his ghost) and get 'im. I saved the Blades and found out Brisienna is a Blade, then got a mission from them to steal back the Totem of Tiber Septim from Castle Daggerfall. Then I contacted my dad Sanguine via the conventional means back in the Third Era - murder and sex. I found out I can summon items that were on me when I timeported here, and I asked dad to tell me to have certain books on me when I came. For a start - The Warp in the West and Rise and Fall of the Blades. Though not my primary goal, I found out what the Totem does. It allows the bearer to control the Numidium. Which is a BIG DEAL! That's what causes the warp, and could be my ticket out of here. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, I walked into Castle Daggerfall that night in Chameleon (which is really almost equivalent to invisibility) and slipped into the dungeon. As expected, the castle was built on an ancient ruin, just like most of them. These guys would be better off building these on an ancient Ayleid burial ground. I killed a few guards as to not have them report to other guards, and as I got deeper I killed some creatures. A large area opened up with water and a confusing array of doors that seemed to send me to other doors in the same room. Since I wasn't limited by verticality, I just had to try doors until I found the right one to send me further down. I also found a small treasure room but not the one I was looking for. This dungeon seemed like it was actually controlled by the denizens of the castle, whereas a lot of the royals in High Rock just let their dungeons run rampant. Even the creatures seemed to be working for the guards. Magical compulsion? Control collars? Not sure. Goes to show you that the biggest villains here were the first people I met. As such, there were guards patrolling the next level down as well. I used Rage spells on them as to not get my hands dirty again. I reached a second open area and fought through some enthralled creatures and a couple centaurs (who are intelligent and can be paid wages). Finally I reached a HUGE room with an open tower in the middle, its sides hugged by magic bars. This has to be where it's kept, I reasoned. Taking my time to use stealth and blast the patrolling guards from the high vantage point I had from entering the room, I finally moved up to the tower. Looking down, there was a deep 50 ft pit that had water at the bottom and lots of tunnels. I groaned, knowing I would have to brave those tunnels. I used Levitate to hover around the treasure tower, and found a chest and a pedestal, with the totem. I knew it was the totem, because it hummed with power. Knowing what I needed to do, I dropped into the water, killing an Ice Atronach with fire. Then I swam down the various water tunnels, finding equal parts Ice Atronachs, treasure, and levers. I returned to find the magicka bars had released. I floated up to the totem, took the treasure and grabbed it. A voice spoke in my head. "You are my new host! Know this now and resolutely. You are not worthy to carry the Totem of Tiber Septim." "Well what makes a man worthy?" I asked, floating to the platforms outside the tower. "I was created by Zurin Arctus under orders from Tiber Septim to control the Numidium. A seal is placed upon me so that only a person of his bloodline could do this. Or perhaps someone of sufficient power. I give you a year and a day to give me to such a person." "Like the Underking," I said, "At any rate, time to get the fuck outta here." I charged up my Recall, which was targeted toward Windmaison. "Wait!" A voice yelled. I stopped. I turned, looking for the voice. "Where are you?" I yelled out. "Over here!" It was weak, faint. I walked over to a small room. Oh yeah, I'd completely forgotten to look in the rooms around here. There was an actual person in a dungeon room this deep? For the first time since I'd come to Daggerfall, I looked in on a prisoner that was in the depths of a castle dungeon. So far they'd been on the top level. I guess, the first room of the top level would mostly remain the same even as the dungeons shifted. "I noticed you killed the guards. You seem no friend of the King and Queen," he said. He was gaunt, ragged, like he'd been rotting here for years with only the basic tools for subsistence. "Definitely not," I replied, "Do you need help?" "Oh please... I've been down here for years," the man said. I used Unlock and opened the door. "Thank the divines!" He said, "No trick? Will you help me escape?" "I don't know you, but I am indeed no friend of the king. I'll take you with me. But I'm not going through the castle," I put my hand on his shoulder, "We're teleporting out." I casted Recall and appeared in front of Windmaison. "Hey! There he is!" A man shouted, and I realized we were surrounded. By their shields, the knights of the dragon were waiting for us. "I told you if we waited he'd show back up here. He's a wizard, they're all tricky buggers," the knight in charge said. "Get inside," I whispered to the prisoner, then I said, "What do you want?" "King Gothryd has reason to believe you were plundering our dungeons. He said you can keep the treasure, and your life, if you hand over the Totem of Tiber Septim, knave!" I shrugged, thinking it best not to put my new friend in danger, "I don't have it." "You liar. But I lied too. I was gonna kill you anyway and take your treasure," the knight said. I did the smart thing for a skilled illusionist when cornered by three knights. I hit the lead guard with Frenzy. The female knight was aiming her bow at me when the lead knight started swinging wildly at her. "What the hell are you doing?" She shouted as she dodged and was sufficiently distracted. The greatsword-wielding third guard rushed me, but I managed to blast him with cold and get out of his reach before blasting him with a couple Elemental Bolts. The bow knight collapsed at about this time and I refreshed Frenzy on the lead knight, who then tore into his friend (much closer than I was). The greatsword knight killed the shield knight, then he ate a blast to the face. I looted the bodies. I walked over to Windmaison, and realized my mailbox was stuffed full, and more letters were appearing as I watched. It was then that I realized High Rock had an interesting answer to the courier system for important immediate communication, but probably only accessible by people of sufficient power or wealth: they had a spell to immediately send letters to a person's house or physical location (which I'd seen before). Perhaps it took costly material components and that's why they had knightly couriers to deliver mail normally. I hefted the stack of letters on the table inside. I said to the prisoner, "Feel free to wash, eat, rest. Grab a change of clothes. We're going to be vacating very soon, if those knights are any indication. of what's in store." Clearly, word had gotten out via spies and missives that I had the Totem. I looked at the first letter: Queen Akorithi, queen mother in Sentinel. She's offering 100,000 gold for it and warning me that Wayrest and Daggerfall aren't loyal to the Empire. If only you knew how unloyal I was to the Empire in my time. Second, King Eadwyre of Wayrest, offering me a 'healthy ransom,' or to exceed what Gothryd and Akorithi offer. Heh, how can you exceed the offer of death? Super-death? Third, Gortwog getting in on the action. First, a tragic tale of how his people are treated and a dream of his people being on equal footing and create an Orcish homeland. Then he offered me an artifact of great power. This is altogether very tempting, but I know how this story ends. Fourth, Mannimarco. He said, "All of mortal stature are filled with pride and greed. They will destroy the very thing they covet. I will take it to Aetherius and leave behind this earthly shell." Then he offered me no golden prize, but fame. I'm 100% certain Mannimarco getting the totem is the darkest of all futures. That is to say, part of the future that occurs. Fifth, the Underking. He simply said, "It is my heart. It belongs to me and none other. I have no desire to tamper with mortal affairs. Give me the heart so I can die." That one right there was the most compelling argument. And sixth, Brisennia asking me to bring it to her at the Black Huntsman in Whiteford, and describing how to get the next piece of the puzzle to controlling the Numidium: speak with Nulfaga. When I looked over, the man had washed himself and dressed in a much more sensible set of clothes. I asked, "What's your name?" "Calaxes," he replied, still looking very feeble. His body looked like it could barely even handle the bread and soup he'd downed like a madman. I nodded, "Where you from?" "Cyrodiil. Though... I do not wish to go back there." "I doubt you can stay here. They were keeping you down there for some reason. You'll probably want to remain undercover until you can get out of High Rock. If you stick with me, I'll get you out of here," I said. "Thank you for your kindness, friend. There should be more people like you in this world. You know, if I can get my strength back, I was something of a spellcaster. I was a healer in my heyday. Seems like so long ago," he grabbed a hood and threw it over his head to conceal himself, beard and long gray hair still poking out. "Sounds good, Calaxes. Let's get far away from Daggerfall as soon as we can," I said. I grabbed everything of value from Windmaison, then when he stepped outside, I casted my flight spell, then the spell that tethers others to me. You know, the way Serana taught my mom how to fly. "Oh my word! You are quite the mage!" He said excitedly as he floated next to me. We flew to Whiteford and walked into the Inn. Good, the Inn was quiet. It was early in the morning. I walked up to Brisennia with the thing, "I have the totem." "Excellent. If you give it to me, I can deliver it to the Emperor," she replied. "Not so fast. You said you'd stay here with me." "So, are you against the Emperor now?" She asked, "In his communication he said you were his friend and loyal servant." "I'm not turning against him. We're just going to discuss this before you run off," I said. I put the Totem back in my bag and sat down across from her. Calaxes went to the bar to order more food even though he looked like he'd vomit with what he'd already eaten. "One thing I can't figure out though is why he says I'm his friend. I literally never met the guy before the end of last year," I stroked my chin, "He is known for his gift of prophecy, though it didn't save him from the simulacrum." "What do you mean? Who are you, some prisoner he grabbed?" She asked. I chuckled, "He is known to grab random prisoners for covert assignments. But no, I have a large story to tell you. If you really want to know who I am and where I came from." She sat back in her chair, folded her arms and looked at me for a moment. It looked like she didn't know what to expect. Up until now, this might've been just a fling for her. But now this was getting serious. "Alright, who are you then?" "You already know my father is Sanguine, I'm half daedra, which I now know is nearly unheard of," I paused, then I took out the book, Rise and Fall of the Blades. I slid it across the table, opening it to point out specifics. "...and fall?" She asked, "Written by anonymous in 195 of the 4th Era...? What the hell... is the fourth era? What is this?" I silently turned to the page on Lady Brisienna Magnessen. She started to read out loud, "Born 3E 182. Female Nord, noble. Sister to the 'Great Knight." She chuckled at that, "Of course he would have his name entered in a history book as some brooding mysterious badass." I pointed to the text further down the page, and she read, "Brisienna was in the employ of the Dowager Queen Mynisera during the latter's reign as Queen of Daggerfall. In that function, Brisienna was also the contact person between Mynisera and Emperor Uriel Septim VII. Official ambassador... agent of the Blades.... went into hiding after Lysandus' death. Disappeared or presumed dead 3E 405 due to the events known as the Warp in the West...!? What?" She forcibly grabbed the book from my hands and flipped on, "With the... death of Uriel Septim VII and his son, Martin, the 3rd era came to a close with the Blades fortifying themselves deep within Cyrodiil's Cloud Ruler Temple, as they waited for a Dragonborn to return when they would be called upon again. The Empire of the 4th era no longer saw the Blades openly protecting it, or the Emperors. That role is now filled by the Penitus Oculatus, a purely Imperial organization." She looked up to me, her eyes a mix of confusion and possibly rage, "Explain. Now." "This book was written a few years before I was born. Because of a Dragon Break, I traveled back through time and was stranded here. Brisienna, I'm from about 200 years in the future." She stared at me for long seconds. She squinted, then she seemed to be deep in thought. Finally she said, "Okay, we live in a world of magic. So... this is remotely possible. But if you are from the future, doesn't that mean now we know that the Emperor is going to die? We could save him." I shook my head, "Everything I'm doing in the capacity of the role of the Hero of Daggerfall fits into what was supposed to happen. I believe I was meant to come here and interfere. But once I start stepping out of those bounds, well, have you heard of what can happen with Dragon Breaks?" "I've heard of them, but they were in the ancient past. What are you saying?" She asked. "But what is a common thread with dragon breaks? The Battle of Red Mountain, the Tiber Septim Wars. Now... the Warp in the West." "You're saying we're about to be in a Dragon Break?" "Every time mortals try and use the Numidium, it breaks time. It's the Heart of Lorkhan," I replied, "Mortals tampering with gods." "Are you saying... that no matter what we do, time will eventually march forward and events will happen as they were meant to?" "I don't know. I don't confess to be an expert on Akatosh's plan for time, but I do know he's not going to just ignore us trying to change everything." She sighed, "Alright. Alright. But what happens to me? It says I just disappeared in the book." "Well... if you did anything else after this it would've been catalogued. It talks about the rest of your brother's life. Talks about most the agents in here." I opened The Warp in the West and flipped to the pages about me. "It's very vague, and it says I vanished after the Warp. I'm starting to think I am able to use the power of the Warp to travel back to 4E 216. And, you come there with me." Brisienna raised an eyebrow, "Are you asking me to travel through time with you?" "Yes, Lady Magnessen. Will you travel through time with me?" I asked. "Gods, you found a question that's even more daunting than asking for a lady's hand in marriage," she replied, "I... need to think about this. You go, find the Mantella. Keep the Totem for now for safekeeping. You'll have my answer when you get back." "Alright," I kissed her. I asked Brisienna to keep an eye on Calaxes until I got back, set my Mark in the Inn, then I used a scroll to teleport to Medora Direnni. "Hey, good morning," I said. "So you've done it. Thank you so much," Medora said. "Yes, I spoke to Lysandus, then I killed his murderer, Lord Woodborne." She sighed in relief, "Thank you. Now he can rest in peace." "Also, he said, don't kill yourself on his account. He wants you to enjoy life and join him when it's time," I replied. Tearing up, she nodded. I flew out of there and to Castle Shedungent. I approached Nulfaga, who seemed to be having one of her good days. "Since the curse lifted, I feel much more cognizant. Thank you. My son is at peace," she said, "As you may have heard, I'm quite powerful. Sorry about that storm by the way." "I'm over it. How do I get this Mantella thing? What is a Mantella?" I asked. "It is the Engine of the Numidium and gives it life. I can send you now to the Mantellan Crux, the safeguarded prison of the Mantella. Look for a green jewel of unusual size. Merely touch the Mantella and it is freed. I will yank you back from Aetherium." She concentrated and blasted me with purple light, then I found myself on a floating rock in an abyss that looked like the night sky. I immediately got to work. I casted Levitate and moved from stone to stone, finding atronachs and daedra and blasting them back to wherever they came from. I found levers to activate (of course, this holding place was made by the same people as the dungeons in High Rock) when I ran out of places to look, I puzzled for a while. Eventually, I saw a seam in the 'sky' and when I pressed it, I slipped into a tunnel leading into another structure. Looking back into the 'space room' I saw more seams I would search later. At the end of the tunnel was a door, which I Locksplit and Unlock'd. Inside was another Daedra. "I smell weakness!" It yelled. "WHAT!?" I shouted back. "Are you deaf or something? I said I smell weakness!" I sprinted up to the daedra and hugged her, lifting her up off the ground. "Meru!" "What the.. fuck... are you doing? I'm supposed to be killing you now!" "Did those assholes really give you guard duty on this stupid Mantella?" I asked, "How long have you been guarding this thing?" "Maybe... thirty years," she replied, "Punishment for... wait! HANDS OFF! Prepare to die, mortal!" "Hey, I know your name," I said. She blinked, "How do you know my name?" "Let's just say, I'm Sanguine's son. I've met you, but you haven't met me yet," I replied. "You some kind of wizard? You guys always speak in riddles," Meru replied, "Wait, can you introduce me to your dad? Maybe I could get out of this stupid job." I blinked, my mind connecting the dots. When I met her, she'd said she worked for my father. Was it actually me in the past who introduced her to Sanguine? Is that why she suddenly showed up and acted like she knew me one day?? Talos' fucking bones! I solved the Meru riddle! "Yeah I can do that," I said, "Besides, if you help me get the Mantella, there's nothing to guard anymore." Meru giggled devilishly, "I like your style. What did you say your name was?" "Damien," I said, "Also, is that your best armor?" "What's wrong with my armor?" She asked. "I mean, it certainly looks good. But It leaves your ass totally exposed. I could stab you in your butt. See?" I grabbed her butt. She jumped. "You can tell how much my heart was in this job, eh?" Then she waved her arms and changed, "There. Spiky bits. Happy?" "Better," I said. We continued on, finding the lever at the end of a corridor after fighting our way past flame atronachs. We traveled to another seam hallway and another daedra blocked our way, "I smell fear!" "I smell bitch!" Meru shouted, and started to blast him with magic. I joined in. We pushed on and found the lever at the end of a long elevator. When we traveled back to the space room, I activated the gem on the central platform and we were transported to another space area with a giant pyramid. "Gods, I'll be glad when I'm done with this stupid place," she said. "That's what I was thinking," I said. We blasted our way up the pyramid, fighting a couple Ancient Liches. I opened a hatch inside and we rode an elevator down, fighting a 'Daedra Seducer.' It turned to stone when we killed it, I think. For some reason. "What the hell?" I asked. "What?" "Is this supposed to be a joke?" I asked, "Who would be seduced by such an ugly thing? Is this an early model or something?" "I don't understand it myself," she replied, "I'm just a grunt." "I think even a few years from now the Seducer was supposedly beautiful. Now you could be a seducer," I smirked. "Well, thanks, handsome," Meru smiled back. We took the next elevator to find more 'seducers' and a grate made of magicka bars. The teleporter gem was below the grate. I blew out air, sitting down, "GODS! Why does everything need to be a puzzle here? I bet there's a lever outside the pyramid! I just want to finish!" Meru patted me on the back. "Aha!" I stood. I had thought about this possibility before. I took out a dagger from my pack and casted Mark on it. Then I dropped it between the bars. "I hope this works," I said, then I casted Recall, and appeared at the dagger, below the bars. "Neat trick," she said, "How do I get down there?" "I could do it again and bring you with me," I said. "Nah, you know what. I'm pretty bored of this place. Wanna bang through the bars, prison style?" She asked. She was still standing above me. "I... don't think that's a good idea. Also, you're all the way up there," I replied, "I'm not that acrobatic." "Bah. Okay. Here," she grasped my hand through the bars as she laid down on them, then she wrote a set of runes on my arm, "This is my number." "Your...number?" "You know conjuration, right? All you need to do is kill me here. I'll go back to Oblivion. Just call me later. Summon me... master," she said seductively. "I dunno if I could kill you," I said, "I like you." "Aww, I like you too," she said, then she grabbed my other hand, holding the dagger and plunged it into her own chest. "Ahhhhh...." She exhaled, "Sweet pain. Byeeeeeee." She died. Seconds later she faded away. What a weird girl. I chuckled to myself. I hit the teleport, and found myself at a third space room with an upside-down temple. I opened the door, and the teleport gem was in the middle, separated from me by magicka bars. I looked at the thing with a glazed, dissatisfied look. How many levers does it take to unlock this? I casted Mark on the dagger again, and threw it inside the bars. I Recalled inside and hit the teleport. NEXT! This time I was transported into a hallway that came out into a room where the outsides were lava. There were tiny paths winding up all the way to a giant stone head, with many heads in between. Also, many many fire atronachs were wandering the paths. I did the sensible thing and threw on Chameleon and Levitate and just skipped to the end. Finding nothing to activate about the giant head, I Levitated over to the other heads, finally finding one to speak with. "The blind god is a jealous god. Let his true servants lift up their eyes to him and the way will be easy. Hear me!" I sighed. "Okay, this sounds like a Nord puzzle," I flew around to each head and found switches to turn them. I turned them all towards the big head. Then I flew up to where the teleport gem obviously was, on his left shoulder. A man was now standing on the right shoulder. "Sheogorath?" I asked. "Ah, at last! I was beginning to think you wouldn't get this far. A dreary place, don't you agree? And guarded by a pompous upstart -- he's no more a god than I am. Well, carry on. We will meet again soon, unless you are not as foolhardy as you appear." I activated the lever next to him, that unlocked the teleport gem. He vanished, then I touched the gem. I was transported to a room with a roundtable and nine skulls and a door behind me. "Shor's bones," I said. I surveyed each of the skulls. I touched one, and it let out a groan. I recoiled, taking a step back. What's the worst that could happen? Probably could kill me or something. What's the best that could probably happen? Maybe... unlock the door. I turned to the door, using Locksplitter and Unlock, circumventing the skull puzzle. I traveled outward in that tunnel, spiraling, killing a ton of atronachs with blasts. Searching this area, which looked to be in the shape of a crossbow, there was only a pit. I jumped in and was transported to the next area, an island with a gigantic sword sticking into it. With six Daedric Lords shouting at me and throwing blasts in my direction. Dodging them, I found a small room that offered cover. I found a button there and pressed it. That teleported me back to the Crossbow. "I hate this place," I said flatly. Eventually, after much searching, I found a secret door in the crossbow which led me to the inside of 'the Sword.' I went north and found Sheogorath in a sitting room. "Greetings. You dare much by intruding here. Nevertheless, I will allow you to proceed, provided you prove as perceptive as rumor reports. You may be aware that I am a master of the blade. But what is my other favored weapon? Answer correctly, then arm yourself." "I dunno... is it... A CROSSBOW?!" I asked. "Why yes," he said, and he sent me back to the crossbow. "AAARGRGRHRGRH!!!!!" I screamed. I stepped out onto the platform with the sword again. "Hey guys, wanna know what I remembered yesterday?" "I smell weakne~" One of the Daedra started, but then a vortex of wind and freezing cold enveloped them, and he blew apart into shards of ice. "Black Winter," I said calmly, "Greetings from modern times." There was a new button in the structure now, and I pushed it. It caused me a huge jolt of pain, but the island lowered, and stopped at the outside of the crossbow. I healed myself. I stood on the crossbow, and it shot me into the darkness, and then I was in an open room behind a seam, before an elevator. I hit the lever and went down. Before me the path was straightforward, with ghosts and fire atronachs. I Levitated over a pit. I found a large open room with a pedestal that I needed to Levitate to reach. And on it was - the Mantellan Crux. A green gem about the size of a fist, floating in air. I gladly grabbed it and Nulfaga snatched me back to Nirn. The gem vanished from my hands, presumably to return to its home in the Numidium. "Good work, hero. Now who will you give the Totem to?" Nulfaga asked. "I've decided what I'm going to tell the powers that be," I said. I turned to walk out of there. "What?" She asked. "Fuck off," I replied. I took a moment to take in the daytime, sunlight, and air of the mortal plane. I could tell my roots, because being in Oblivion or Aetherius chafed me. Being on Nirn was the best place for me. I flew to Whiteford and found Calaxes and Brisienna eating dinner. "You did it!" She said. "Of course I did. How long did that take? How long was I in there?" I asked. "About three days," she replied. "Feels about right. I'm starving and tired. Wanna go upstairs for a little while?" I asked. Brisienna smiled. I wolfed down Calaxes' food and tossed a bag of gold on the table, "Please, buy whatever you like. I need to recharge." "Don't let this taint your decision," I said to her. "Oh, I think I've decided. There's nothing much for me here. From what I've read in the books I stole from you, 4E 216 seems like a pretty amazing time to live in. I'll come to Skyrim with you. Also..." Brisienna replied, "I am with child." "Oh wow!" I shouted, lifting her up, "We need to celebrate." We went upstairs and I enjoyed being human some more. A few hours later, after I'd slept, we went again. I noticed Brisienna was looking over my shoulder. "What the heck, dad!?" I shouted. He was just watching back there. When I saw him, he started clapping. "Sorry. I just wanted to ask you if you know a daedra named Meru? She said you'd vouch for her." "Yeah, I know her. She helped me out in the Mantellan Prison," I replied. "Who is this Meru?" Brisienna asked, "And is that... Lord Sanguine?" "I can introduce you later... uhh...." I finished, and pulled out. At that moment, Calaxes was edging around the dividing wall between the bar area and the tables and he poked his head in the door. Sanguine vanished. "Hey, um... Damien," he said as he came over to us, "There are knights of the Dragon right outside the bar, asking around." About this time it'd started to rain, and the bar was filling up with patrons. I quickly threw on my armor. Some knights (not of the dragon) walked in and sat in the corner. I crept over and peered around the wall. "Damien Guivenne! Lady Brisienna! Come out with the Totem!" One of the knights shouted from outside, "By order of King Gothryd." Immediately, arrows and spells flew in their direction from to the right. "You'll not have the totem if we can get it first!" Knights of the Rose from Wayrest had traveled quickly through the night. "Not if we have any say in it!" A huge group of orcs charged into the melee. Then the knights from inside charged out the front doors. I pulled Brisienna and Calaxes to me, "Stay with me." Then I stepped out onto the porch, and I pulled out the Totem, "Is this what you want?" "Somebody shoot him! He's got the totem!" "You know what I think?" I shouted, "None of you assholes deserve this thing!" They aimed their bows. "MAYBE I SHOULD ACTIVATE IT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" I shouted. Most of them backed up a step then. Most these people didn't really know how the thing worked. And honestly, neither did I. But they didn't know that! "I've still got 362 days to decide who gets it! So back off!" I shouted. In my other hand was a scroll, and I activated it, making sure Calaxes and Brisienna were holding on to me. We appeared in Medora's tower. "This seems remote enough," I said, "Medora, mind if we stay here for a little while?" She shrugged, "Sure." "I know what I said, but I think I want to give this to the Emperor personally, when the time is right. And, fat chance they'll find us until then." "Scrying..." Brisienna said. "This place is warded," Medora commented, "You're safe for the time being. I'd be happy to have you in my huge, spacious tower. You've done so much for this land and me personally. I'd be a wretch not to offer you aid." Over the next couple months, we nursed Calaxes back to health while we took a much needed vacation. Calaxes barely talked, except small talk. It seemed like the years in prison had scarred him mentally, and we gave him space. He had frequent nightmares and had to stay in a room apart from everyone else. One night, I swore I saw Medora staying with him and trying to soothe his ailing soul. In the day it seemed she was the only one who could give him comfort. Medora, beyond being a powerful mage from a family of powerful mages, was a treasure as a person. Kind, gentle, and warm. I could see why the king fell in love with her. She was clearly a Breton, but descended from a long line of Altmer mages. I summoned Meru one day, and Brisienna seemed to be charmed by the woman's natural magnetism. We had a nighttime jaunt in which we flew and found good spots, getting acquainted. Nobody knew where we were, and I wanted to keep it that way. Meru stayed with us for a while. We only came out of the tower at night, or when Medora told us nobody was looking. We stayed in Direnni Tower for long time, nobody finding us. Eventually, Brisienna agreed to getting to know the daedra a little better. After a few months, Brisienna got big. And Medora followed. I smiled at Medora, "You've been getting friendly with Calaxes, haven't you?" She blushed, "I never thought I'd love again, trapped in this old cursed tower. I would thank you again for bringing such a wounded but gold-hearted man to my doorstep." In the month of Frostfall, they both gave birth and we named them: My son, Sinidar (we called him Sini or Sin). And their daughter, Valiana. When the ladies recovered a few days later, we finally sat down to talk about what we were going to do when I gave up the totem. I said, "Just to be clear, I am going to give the Totem to Uriel Septim personally. But it's not going to be just him that gets it. It's going to be everyone." "I know. I read Warp in the West," Brisienna replied. "Just wanted to prepare you. Because I plan on using that Dragon Break to travel back to my home time. With you, of course." "Ahh..." Calaxes said, sitting at the other side of the room, "Father will enjoy being able to grind his subjects in High Rock back down. Then again, I'm remembering the Simulacrum version of him." "Father?" Brisienna asked, "Wait... I thought I recognized your name. Uriel's children: Ariella, Geldall, Enman and Ebel. And two not by his wife: Calaxes and Martin." "You're Calaxes Septim?" I asked, then I pulled out a book on the Septim line, "Says here 'presumed dead in 498.' Which... that date doesn't exist. The third era ends at 433." "That sounds like a typo," Medora said, "How and when did you get kidnapped?" "It was during the Simulacrum. Father turned into a tyrant and I plotted against him. They even spread lies about me wanting to start a theocracy. Turns out it was Jagar Tharn impersonating him. In 398, he put me in irons in secret and sent me to High Rock, which is famed for its labyrinthine dungeons. Daggerfall snatched me up because..." "They were going to use you to activate the Numidium..." I said. Medora interrupted, "But Nulfaga found a loophole. Anybody of royal blood can activate it without dying." Calaxes grit his teeth, "So I was imprisoned for seven years... for no reason..." Medora put her hand on his, calming him. I squinted, "But what does that even mean? When my mother called the moot in Skyrim, she was declared queen, technically making me a Prince and 'of royal blood." Medora shrugged, "I think it was in how vaguely worded the enchantment was. So the very second your mother was acknowledged by the people of Skyrim, you became a candidate. Not because of some intrinsic value of royal blood." "A prince, huh?" Brisienna smirked. I looked over to Medora, "We've already looked at everybody else here's future. Want me to do you too?" Medora blinked, "I'm not sure I should." "C'mon! Everybody's doing it!" Meru said. Medora replied, "Well... alright." I flipped through the books and found De Rerum Dirennis, which was written about 20 years in the future - just before the Oblivion crisis. It was mostly about ancient history, but in the foreword it gave detailed history of recent Direnni, mostly elves, though Medora was mentioned under the 'Breton offshoots' section. It told of her affair with Lysandus and the help she'd given me in thwarting Woodborne. "Says here you mysteriously vanish in 405, presumed suicide," I said, laying down the book, "Boom. You know what that means? That means you should come with us." "Lysandus, looks like I'll be away for a bit longer," Medora smiled a little at that, "When do you want to finish this thing, then?" "Pack everything you think you'll need for a trip through time. I'm going to fly to Cyrodiil and give the Emperor the totem. I'll recall here, then we can go," I said. I did just that - I flew to Cyrodiil. It took me about a day and a half of alternating flying and making camp. I threw up a Chameleon and went straight into the Imperial Palace, then I set down in the audience chamber, resting on a high-up outcropping. I waited until a lull in court affairs, and he asked to be left alone for a moment. I brought down my Chameleon. "I was wondering when you'd show yourself, Damien," the Emperor said. I lowered myself down onto the ground and approached. "Then I presume you know what I'm carrying?" I asked. "Yes, although my visions showed me Agent Brisienna bringing me this. No matter, though." I bowed my head, "Before I give you this, I must know - how do you know me?" "When I said you were a trusted friend, I was lying obviously," he replied, "I came to know you through watching your exploits." "Could I ask you a question?" I asked. "Of course. You are the Hero of Daggerfall, after all," he replied. "I realized your visions didn't save you from the Simulacrum." "I only gained visions from being in Oblivion during the Simulacrum." "Ah," I nodded, "But surely, these visions are sent from somewhere. Who do you think is sending them?" "I once believed it was a gift from the Divines. But some days I believe... Mehrunes Dagon is sending them to me to poison my every move. I don't know that I can trust these visions. But I do know a great darkness is coming. But the Empire... and the world... will endure." I nodded, handing him the Totem, "Of course you know what happens when you use this?" "Yes. But it is inevitable," he replied. "You know we have Calaxes, right?" I asked. "By the gods, I thought him dead," the Emperor replied, "Are you taking him with you?" "Yes. Could you give me a couple hours to prepare?" I asked. "I will." "Thank you. Good luck, sir," I replied. "Stand true, my friend. May your heart be your guide and the gods grant you strength." I used one of the scrolls to get back to the tower immediately. "Everybody ready?" I asked. They all nodded. I turned to Meru, "For you to meet me when I'm at the College of Winterhold, I'm afraid you've got to go the long way around." She sighed, "Yeah, I figured. See you on the other side." We stepped out onto the top of Direnni Tower and waited to watch the Warp. I took out Viranir's notes (that I'd summoned) and concerned myself with drawing out the runes and circle how I had before, but picking my home time period. A couple hours later, it happened. Over the plains of High Rock's kingdoms, it was not just a large land war. It was seven different large land wars. The Numidium arrived, and several copies of the armies of Wayrest, Sentinel, Daggerfall and Orsinium decimated each other and all the minor kingdoms' armies. Even as I watched one battle, I would turn just slightly and another completely different battle was going on in the same place. "This is.... magnificent..." Calaxes said. "What even... is going on?" Brisienna marvelled. "Reading about it and seeing it are two totally different things," I said. "Shall we start the ritual?" Medora asked. She handed her baby to Calaxus, while Brisienna held mine. She and I worked together this time (as I was still a bit weaker, and more mages equals more control) and we cast the spell. Meru even supplied some magicka. The Dragon Break grew to full fruition, and we vanished. The four of us reappeared in a completely different place and time. It was a city in the middle of the evening with everybody rushing this way and that. "Excuse me, kid," I said, "Where are we? WHAT YEAR IS IT?" "Da-re wa?" "Say what?" I asked. His older brother stepped between us, "Don't pay any attention to him, he's trying to learn Akaviri. But have you been hitting the skooma too hard? It's 4E 175. We're in Kvatch." "Well, we definitely don't want to be here. This spell seems to take you to a random location," I said, "This is the year the Thalmor first attack Cyrodiil. I'm wondering if it has happened yet." "Hey knucklehead," a voice said. She was in full ebony plate mail, including a visored helm. "Who are you?" "You dipshit, it's Meru. Sanguine sent me here so you don't muck up your trip completely. I know you fucked up your formula. Think less like a mortal, more like a Daedra." "What do you mean?" I asked. "For us, it's less like doing math when you do magic, more like flexing a muscle. You've got serious magic muscles. Now flex 'em godsdammit!" Meru slapped me with a gauntleted fist, "Maybe even think like a Dragonborn and shout at reality to sit down, shut up and do what it's told. Your spell is still active but fading fast. Use it to carry you on." Calaxes stepped out of the circle of the spell. "What are you doing?" Medora asked. "I'm sorry. I love you, but I feel like Alessia is calling me here. I need to stay," Calaxes said. Medora stepped out of the radius too, her baby in hand, "Sorry, Damien. Goodbye." "You staying?" I asked Brisienna. "Always!" She grabbed onto me. "Thanks for everything!" Calaxes shouted. "Alright, reality!" I charged up my magicka, summoning the reserves I knew I had when I left, plus when I'd gained while I was in the past. My cape billowed in the wind I was generating. Mighty force gathered around me, swirling power I knew lay dormant. "SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" I shouted, and then Brisienna and I vanished again. "What is that on the ridge over there?" A person shouted. "Are those elves? There are a lot of them!" Calaxes looked at Medora, "Whatever happens, my love, make sure Valiana is safe." Brisienna and I reappeared in the Archmage's Quarters, in Winterhold. We fell down. "What a ride!" Brisienna shouted. "What is all this commotion?" An old man cast a light spell. "Archmage," I said, "You're never going to believe the story I have to tell. But first, please, tell me the date." "It is the fifth day of 4E 216. At midnight! And also, you made a wreck of my quarters, again! You really should learn to clean up after yourself, young man!" Tolfdir shouted. The first thing I did was rush down to the Winterhold library and sifted through books. "What are you doing?" Brisienna asked when she reached me. "Ah," I pulled out History of Kvatch, "So the Thalmor bypassed Kvatch when they initially invaded. You know, I think very soon we should look up our old friends and see how they did in life." Brisienna cradled the baby, "I want to see how far the Blades have fallen. Hey do you have a house?"

Hello. This is Damien. I feel like it's been a week since I made a journal entry, so I'll sum up what I've been doing. After the Thalmor war I found the secrets to chronomancy in Viranir's notes and found she was going to try and change history, so I cast her spell and ended up 200 years in the past. I found I was thrust into the role of the Hero of Daggerfall. After meeting Ocato (The Eternal Champion) and Uriel Septim VII, I went off to fix all of Illiac Bay's problems. I became weak because of the transfer and had to rebuild my power from scratch. I'm currently in a small town near Daggerfall, named Whiteford. I feel like with the recapture of Elemental Bolt, Wards and some Illusion spells, I’ve progressed in power level from House Cat to Ocelot. They call me the Ocelot, the terror that meows in the night. I decided I would spend a few days recapturing spells like Calm, Harmony, Frenzy, Fabricate Object and an old favorite: Chameleon (and not doing anything else, certainly not getting to know Brisienna). Ok, I’m a liar. I spent most of that time with her. It's a slippery slope. It started out with talking, her being intent on cleaning me up from all the blood and dirt that'd gotten on me from having to fight through those dungeons. That ended up in us kissing. Which ended up in me pleasuring her. The next day I came back again, ripe with muck and this time it went beyond me pleasuring her to her insisting on taking it further. I counter-insisted on non-vaginal entry, which she found weird, but she accepted. After a few days of this, her charms got to me. We grew quite fond of each other, but after so many days, she was insistent that I needed to finish my mission. It was the 10th of Sun's Dawn when I finally decided to continue my work. I'd heard Cyndassa at Castle Daggerfall had more information for me. It being right next to where I'd been, I hit her up. "Yeah, I'm Cyndassa, what's it to ya?" "Were you Mynisera's chambermaid? Do you know about the Emperor's letter to Mynisera?" "I might know somethin," she replied, "But I ain't giving it away for free. You scratch my back before I scratch yours." "Sure," I said. "Ain't but a fleck to the world I am. Just a maid, my needs ain't big. Werewolf needs done in. I can't tell you why. But it's in some Arkay-forsook hole named Wormhenge." It was just a short journey north so I set out right away. Next to the entrance was a large henge (go figure) made of stone. A stonehenge. I set my Mark, and went into the first room, which was just a large elevator. When I hit the lever, the entire room moved down, and when the wall opened up, all I could see was a burned-out floor and a cadre of monsters waiting for me. I readied my Staff of Frost (the one that creates a line) and Elemental Bolt, getting in stealth. I started blasting as soon as I could see them, and when the elevator reached the bottom, I retreated, using freezing cold to keep them at bay. All-in-all a dangerous welcoming party, with a Centaur, Dryad, Nymph and a Giant. I pushed forward, finding a locked door. When I got it open, a wereboar charged at me, taking a couple swipes that cut me deep. I blasted him with cold, doubled back, and blasted him with double-handed Elemental Bolts while I continued retreating. Then I healed myself. Just to be safe, I cast Cure Disease. Gods, I love being a spellcaster. I'm pretty sure training for were-creatures had not advanced as far as it had in present day and I'd be left to die out in the cold or by the spear of some big game hunter. When I entered the next room I found a Circlet of Waterbreathing. I had the simultaneous responses: "Great. Water puzzle time." and "Well atleast the designers of this dungeon provided this." I slipped it on, forcing it to fit over my horns. This section was an underwater maze, but it didn't have many dangers. When I emerged from the water, another door stood in front of me. I opened it, and again I was rushed. This time it was the werewolf. I shut the door. He opened the door. I casted Summon Familiar inside and shut the door again. I could hear my spectral wolf doing badly against him for about thirty seconds, but making some headway. During this time I healed, casted Iron Will, and charged up a double-handed Elemental Bolt. When the were opened the door again, I blasted him back. But He'd been joined by a dragonling. I casted Summon Familiar again and kited the werewolf while my familiar distracted the dragonling. I won, but this time it wasn't as easy as the other dungeons. I ransacked the treasure (finding a golden Daggerfall icon dagger worth a fortune). Then I casted Recall and returned to Castle Daggerfall. "He's dead. Whew, those creatures were tough." "Poor thing," Cyndassa said, "He were my brother, but we could find no cure for him. Got locked in that ruin with the rest of the beasties. He died long ago if you ask me." She sighed, then she said, "I remember ya letter. It's not every day that you gets a letter from the Emperor hisself, especially since the King ain't too fond o' him. I gave it to her majesty, she rips it open and says, 'This isn't for me, this is for Mynisera.' Then boom! Her jaw falls open and eyes get real wide. She say she'll be sure the queen mother gets it and I don't have to worry meself none about it. Thank you so much for my brother." I found the Dowager Queen Mynisera in her room below the royal dais. "M'lady, I was sent by the Emperor to find a letter he sent you." "Ah yes... I have heard much about you." "Cyndassa told me Queen Aubk-i was mistakenly given the letter." "Hmm... I can tell you she never delivered such a letter to me. I should like to know what happened, if you're investigating further," Mynisera said, "But you should do so without alerting Aubk-i or Gothryd. I have my suspicions about their loyalties to the Emperor." "Do you have any leads?" "The Emperor uses Sir Regebert as his messenger in Daggerfall. I believe Lord Bridwell knows where he's delivering. I saw him on the dais earlier. Here, take my signet ring as proof of your service to me." As I walked back upstairs, I found the perfect random occurrence that distracted the King and Queen and most the court. Two guards having sex. The royal couple was watching joyously so I can only imagine they commanded them to do so. Gods, these people... Anyway, I walked over to a balding knight, who was standing on the other side of the dais, averting his eyes. "Excuse me, are you Lord Bridwell?" "Yes, I am." "Queen Mynisera asked me to find Sir Regebert. Do you know where I can find him?" I showed him the ring. "I would not normally tell anyone who is not a knight of the Dragon where to find Sir Regebert. However, I am loyal to Queen Mynisera. Regebert also disemboweled the last person who tried to ambush him. He is due to be at Gothway Garden. Check the Dwarf and Huntsman tavern." "Thank you sir," I nodded. I traveled to the town, only being about a mile away, and found a lone knight enjoying an early dinner. I sat down across from him. "Excuse me, are you Sir Regebert?" "Ho! You should be warned that I am a Knight of the Dragon in the service to the Emperor himself. If this is a ruse to ambush me, you will surely not live to regret it." "Oh yes, ambushing from the front," I chuckled. Then I showed him the ring, "I work for the Emperor as well and am doing this job for Mynisera." "Ah yes, indeed." "Did you misdeliver a letter a while back from the Emperor?" "Some time ago I delivered a letter from the Emperor addressed to the Queen of Daggerfall. Aubk-i is the queen of Daggerfall, not Mynisera. Tell her I take my duties very seriously. I would never knowingly deliver a missive to the wrong party. Here. Take my amulet of Arkay to show her I am faithful to her and the order." I shrugged, taking the amulet, "Alright." I returned to Mynisera and explained. "It makes sense. Uriel Septim addressed the message to the Queen. Because of the war, the letter was delayed. By the time it got here, Aubk-i was queen," Mynisera leaned forward, "We must find out what was in that letter. I have never trusted Aubk-i. Yesterday I received a letter from Morgiah of Wayrest saying she knows the whereabouts of the letter. Keep the Amulet as payment for your service so far." "Actually, I know Morgiah. She told me it was stolen by the Thieves Guild, who sold it to Gortwog," I explained. "Drat. I think I have a way to get him to give it up, if you'd fancy a trip to Orsinium." I smirked, "I've never been there. I'll do it." "Gortwog wants very badly to be recognized by the Empire. Present this letter to him. Hopefully it will persuade him to cooperate," Mynisera handed me a letter. So I traveled across the country again, taking two days. I rested at Wayrest then traveled north to Orsinium. Strangely, the Orcs there didn't seem to offer me resistance. They let me walk right up to Gortwog. "King Gortwog, I have a letter for you from Queen Mynisera." He grabbed it and read it. Then he said, "So she wants to sweet talk me. Bah! Her Emperor's letter is of no value to me. She may have it. However, my people may not be so lenient toward an outsider wandering the halls of Orsinium. If you can survive my realm and find the letter, you may take it back to her. I will also consider you to be worth of the title, "Blood-Kin." "So you want me to kill all your men to get the letter?" He just stared at me. I bought and sold at his forge-wife, Marked and then journeyed down into the depths of Orsinium. I decided, I didn't have a problem with the orcs, and I didn't see a point in this. When the first orc drew his weapon and charged at me, I blasted him with a Calm spell. "Magic is for the weak. Pick up some steel if you want to fight me," the orc growled. "But I don't want to fight you. I'm just here to grab a letter," I replied. "Bah," he balked as I walked by. Most of the exchanges went similar to this, though I met a couple tigers that I killed. About midway through the journey I found a difficult locked door that I had to use both Locksplitter (which only makes locks easier to crack) and Unlock (which has a limit on what it can unlock) to get by. And ... theme of today's entry, I heard a growl and found something charging at me from the darkness. I cast Calm, and it resisted. I casted a Pacify, it resisted. It roared as it got near. Some kind of lizard man, but not an Argonian. It was like a wild beast given humanoid form. Some form of daedra? "What the fuck is that thing?" I shouted. I chugged a magicka potion and tried throwing out an Elemental Bolt.... but my magicka pool was bone dry. I shut the door, holding it against the creature. I found my magicka was not coming back. Shit. This is bad. This is VERY bad. I pulled out a Daedric Tanto and Orcish Shield I'd been hanging onto, though I never thought I'd have to use it. After a moment of no magicka, it returned, reacting to the magicka potion. I opened the door, blasting it with a couple elemental bolts before he roared and I went dry again. I turtled behind my shield and poked the thing, keeping myself in the door's threshold. Then I shut the door again. I drank a healing potion, then a magicka potion and waited for it. I kept doing this for several minutes, until the thing took its last breath, and I was on death's door, even with my crummy tactics. It slumped against the wall with its eyes open, looking almost alive but being motionless. I waited for my magicka to come back and healed myself. "I need another vacation," I said. I took a breather, skimming a book of daedra from my pack. "Oh. That was a Daedroth," I said, "Fuuuuuck." After a bit, I continued on and mixed Calm with Chameleon to wind my way through Orsinium. Eventually I came upon the note, on a pedestal like a holy document. I nodded to the guards, all Calmed, casually grabbed it and used my Recall go to back to Gortwog. "So hey, why are you keeping a Daedroth in your tunnels?" Gortwog's eyebrows raised, "So you found it then? We did lock it away, but it made getting between the lower and upper levels very inconvenient. Looks like... you killed it too." "Yeah. I only killed the Daedroth and about four Tigers. No orcs. I know my mom and sister have orc friends and figure if I kill a lot of you guys there won't be any orcs left, as there are not a lot of orcs, generally speaking," I replied. "That opinion is soaked with weakness. But you did solve our Daedroth problem, so you must be strong. I guess I can call you 'Blood-Kin," Gortwog replied. "Fantastic," I said back, sarcastically. From there it was a short journey to Castle Shedungent to see Nulfaga and get that Unicorn Horn. She was, of course, unhelpful and still completely insane, so I braved her dungeon again and retrieved it. I decided this was not an interesting thing to describe so I'm glossing over this here. I used a scroll to teleport back to Medora Direnni. "Oh! The horn! You have succeeded in a most dangerous enterprise." I guess, the tower being free from monsters and her being free to leave didn't mean she actually wanted to leave right now. She just sat there. I put my hand in my pocket and found a note from the Underking. Magic! Sigh... he wanted to me to meet him in Sentinel. It was about night on 13 Sun's Dawn, so I camped and did the smart thing, I meditated for Flight. I'd also come upon the thought that my gear hadn't all been obliterated when I traveled here. Maybe it was as recallable as my powers? Food for thought. Levitate still had its purpose. It offers more fine control, but Flight can be used for much faster overland travel. These guys were sending me back and forth across this province so much and nobody seemed to know directed teleport spells (or maybe they hadn't been invented yet) so I figured this was the next best thing. In the morning, I followed Illiac Bay in flight back down to Sentinel and found the Underking's agent at Zenithar's temple, dressed as a priest. "You were described as a hero by Prince Lhotun. We have reason to believe the Necromancers have made a move against the Blades. They stole a magic dagger from us and cursed it. Then they placed it in a treasure room in Castle Llugwych, an ancient haunted castle. Then, all they had to do was spread rumors of great treasure there. From the Underking's scrying, he knows the Blades are currently raiding that tomb. The Underking has his reasons for not wanting the Blades to be harmed. If you wish to save them, reach the end before they do and prevent anyone from activating the dagger. Be careful, for there are monsters and other tomb raiders to contend with." Blades, huh? The Castle was north, past Daggerfall, so I returned the letter to Mynisera. I popped by to see Brisienna, but the Innkeeper said she'd gone out for the day. I raided the blacksmith, and remembering my daedric encounter, I bought adamantine armor (still light armor). I enchanted it (destroying the waterbreathing circlet), a ring and a good necklace, went ahead and put my Mark at Windmaison (the house Brisienna had loaned me). Then I kept going, arriving at Castle Llugwych around noon. The Underking's man wasn't lying. It opened up to a green room filled with many ornate statues. Groups of thieves, orcs and skeletons were fighting and I casually slipped by unnoticed. I found a room with a bear, to which I used Calm on him (hopefully he can find his way out of here). Then I found another room with a group of thieves and mages fighting each other. I was barely having to lift a finger here. I finally came to a hallway with several heavily armored mercenary types who were just searching the area. I kept up my stealth and pegged one of them with a Rage spell, causing him to attack his friend. With Chameleon, I slipped further in. I finally came face-to-face with vampires and gargoyles. And I used the same trick. I hit both Gargoyles with Frenzy, and between the two groups only a single vampire remained, which I exploded with Elemental Bolts. This is definitely stealth caster style. I finally stepped into the treasure room and found the Blades that'd been engaged in a fight with the vampires before I incited a riot amongst them. Two of them were wounded, one of them near death, and the last two were only lightly damaged. "Brisennia?" "Damien," she said back. "So you're a Blade huh? Is this still during your 'secret police' phase? So now you have to kill me?" I folded my arms, smirking. "Well..." "Look out!" An arrow streaked into the room. One of the early groups had found us. I turned, shut the door and used Lock to hold the door. "What're the chances they have a mage or a lockpicker amongst them?" They started bashing at the door. "Ok, third option. Hey, this might look bad, but we're going to be fine," I said as I was dumping the piles of gold into my bag. "Fine? How?" One of the others asked. I grabbed the cursed dagger, being careful not to activate it and slipped it into my bag. "Trust me. Brisennia does. Everyone grab onto me," I said. They figured, I guess, nothing more to lose, and they did it. I casted Recall, and we ended back up at Windmaison. I quickly casted my highest level area heal spell to prevent them from dying outright. "Whew," I said. Brisennia pulled me to her and kissed me, "If you weren't my hero before, you definitely are now. For now, I'm going to deputize you. You're an honorary Blade." "Well, in repayment, I think you should stay in Daggerfall at least a little longer. I think we should travel together after we're done here," I said, "I'd love to know more about you." Of course, I was not sure how I was going to make that work. But I had ideas. I rested, spending the night with Brisennia. She and I waved goodbye to the Blades the next morning. The dagger had just been a side quest after they'd completed their actual job here, which I did not inquire about. I went to see the Underking's agent in the morning and gave him the dagger, "They're all safe." "Well done! Here's your reward: King Lysandus did not die in the battle of Cryngaine as everyone thinks. He was slain by treachery. His remains are not in his tomb. They're secretly hidden in an ancient tomb in Menevia. I do not know who betrayed him." Thinking maybe someone who was a spellcaster who knew him well would know what to do, I used another scroll to teleport to Medora Direnni in her tower. "I found out where he's buried. Thanks to the Underking," I said. "Damien!" She sounded excited, "Good. I've found a way to speak with the dead and have condensed it into an item. Here, take this powder. All you need to do is sprinkle it on his true corpse. I must warn you, it will not put his shade to rest, it will only allow you to speak with him. The final exorcism is for Lysandus to choose." "Thanks," I said. "Wait. When you speak to him... could you tell him I still love him? Death will not be a barrier to us... for long." That was heavy. "I'll tell him," I said. So I traveled to the tomb. There was a hall of statues at the front. This gave me 'coming to life' vibes, so I hurried on. This tomb was another string of hard battles. This place was filled with undead. Hey, at least there were no magic-draining Daedroth here. I fought vampires, skeletons, zombies, until finally I came to a large green room. I found a hidden lever in a nearby hallway, which made the center of the floor start to lower, like another elevator. I walked into the open tomb area below, and two liches awakened, blasting me with cold. This time I used fancy footwork to dodge the slow moving cold and get a few shots on them. Through a combination of flat dodging and wards, I managed to kill the left one first via Elemental Bolts. The right one gave me a bit more trouble, but I was feeling like my full power was right around the corner. It took a while, but I got him down too. I took a breather, then I sprinkled the dust on his tomb. A spirit, raging with fire appeared before me. He said, "I am soothed... for now. But my vengeance is not quenched." "Who killed you? Maybe I can do something for that vengeance," I replied. "If you'll truly lay my spirit to rest, be the instrument of my vengeance against Lord Woodborne of Wayrest." "Hmm... I wonder why he would want to kill you," I said, "I'll do it. Also, Medora Direnni says death won't separate you for long." The ghost blinked, "Oh, could you please tell her not to kill herself? I want her to live out her life and be happy. I'll be an old ghost forever. She has time and doesn't need to rush into her death." "My sentiments exactly," I replied. It was the 15th of Sun's Dawn. I flew to Wayrest, reaching it by the afternoon. I entered the castle, and I found another castle built on top of another strange ruin. "Gods, I hate this country," I said to myself. I plumbed about in the tunnels for a little bit, fighting guards, before returning to the entry room and realizing the lever I'd pulled was lowering bridges in front of me to get to the tower above. What a 'villain' thing to have in your house. I smirked. Then I casted Levitate on myself and just floated up to the top. I got nearly to the top of the castle without much more trouble, only having to ice a couple more guards. It was then that I entered a tunnel and I heard a familiar roar. "Ah gods not again..." I said. I double handed Elemental Bolts until the thing neared, then I took out a Daedric Katana and an Admantine Shield I'd picked up for this occasion. This one was easier than the first, but I didn't have the added bonus of the door and using cheese tactics on him. When he was downed I asked myself, had this Daedroth been trapped on Nirn for a very long time, and was thus, very weak? Or was I actually getting ok at fighting with a sword? I put them away, "Well I'm not going to make this a habit." I finally approached a chamber near the top and Woodborne was waiting there for me by a cozy fireplace. "Ah, yes. I've been expecting you. You're the emperor's spy. You've been a thorn in my side for a long time now," Lord Woodborne said, "You should've let sleeping kings lie. Especially when I've gone to such great lengths to kill them. Yes, I killed King Lysandus. And now it will be a pleasure to kill you. Engarde!" "Prepare to die," I said back. He drew a sword and shield. And I decided to prey on his weakness. I used my Frost staff, staying just out of his reach while I burned and electrified him. After a few minutes, he dropped, "I am... done in....It is up to Gothryd now. May you... rot in Oblivion. I most... certainly shall...." With his life snuffed out, I could feel the damning sense of malaise and hate upon the province begin to lift. I'd been here long enough and it was so dull and subtle I hadn't even noticed it until it was gone. I sighed in relief. I ransacked his treasure room (including a very damning journal), and as I was walking out, the Blades were storming in. "Damien, what are you doing here?" Brisennia asked. "Taking vengeance for King Lysandus. It's done," I pointed to Woodborne's corpse. "It's not here!" One of the other Blades shouted. "Dammit!" She said, "Did you find the Totem of Tiber Septim while you were taking Woodborne's treasure?" I dumped out what I'd just taken. "Damn. Not here. Where could he have hidden it?" A blade asked. "When he was dying he said something about King Gothryd." "Of course. They were friends. I bet this was all a plot to secure Gothryd as king of Daggerfall and use the Totem to secure himself as king of all High Rock," Brisienna said. "We definitely don't have the numbers to assault Castle Daggerfall, if that's where it is," another blade said. Brisiennia nodded, then she put her hand on my shoulder, "I believe I have a plan, if the hero here is willing to help us." "What's that?" I asked. "We will erase all trace of what happened here, that way word does not get back to Gothryd. This is an isolated castle, so we have a few days before they get suspicious. Before they fortify, you must sneak into Castle Daggerfall and retrieve the Totem. It's most likely in the treasury, a huge room deep in the underground." I smiled, "For you, anything." First, I decided I was going to take a slight detour while they hid the bodies. I recalled back to Windmaison and slept the night. I meditated again, but this time I decided I would try recalling objects. And after a few tries, I managed to summon a staff from the void. Good. Helpful, and it confirmed my suspicions. Now it was the 16th of Sun's Dawn. I'd been collecting tomes and books (as you do) and during my break earlier this month, I'd figured out the ritual. I rented out one of the large upstairs inn rooms (as it gave me enough privacy) and I drew a large magic circle. I poured magicka into it and cast the spell. A small woman in a red robe appeared. I looked at her, puzzled. "Did I... did I mess it up?" I asked. "No, no, you did it right. He's just getting a lot of summons today you see. He sent me to give you a mission. You know, weed out the riff-raff," the woman said. "Okay, well I get to see him after, right?" I asked. "Sure." "What does he want me to do?" "A gang of monks killed some of my brothers and sisters. They're brothers, and they're pretty mean. Kill them and return to me," she said, "They live in a house on the other side of town." "Okay," I said, "I've killed for less." I traveled to the destination and knocked on the door. "Yeah, what Khajiit do for you?" A man answered the door. They were all hanging out, drinking and having a good time. I blasted the room with a Frenzy spell and shut the door. In a few minutes I opened it and only one brother remained. I pulled the door shut behind me. "By the gods, what have I done?" He yelled. "Don't worry. You can join them," I said, blasting him with an Elemental Bolt. "That was pretty cold-hearted, but I'm no angel," I said to no-one. I thought I briefly heard the sound of clapping, but I couldn't place where. I returned to the Inn and the woman was sitting there still. "It's done. What now?" I asked. "My lord requires a sacrifice to appear in person," she said. She pulled out a dagger and thrust it towards her chest. "No, wait!" I said. "What?" She pushed the tip of the blade to her top button and popped it off, then she started to disrobe, "It always gets stuck. I'm just trying to make it easier for you. You must copulate with me to get my lord to come to the mortal realm." I sighed, "I guess!" We undressed and I started, pretty mechanically. "Just so we're clear, are you some kind of daedra?" "Oh, no, I'm a Breton," she said, "I am infertile though. Don't worry about what happens." "Thank the gods," I replied, then started pounding with wild abandon. After we were done, we dressed again and the woman left. I sat on the bed. "Ahem..." I cleared my throat, "I think that woman just fleeced me." "You'd think so, but no, she was telling you the truth." "Bah!" I jumped. And there he was. Sanguine, my father, was before me. "Power is such a lovely word, isn't it? It drips from the tongue like honey. If power is your aphrodisiac, I would be ecstatic to present you with the Sanguine Rose..." He started, but I cut him off. "I don't need the staff. Actually, yes, I'll take the staff. I am a spellcaster. But, I also wanted to talk to you," I said. "Ah, an adoring fan, eh?" Sanguine asked. "No, well, I guess, in a way. But the real thing here is, in about 200 years you're going to be involved with a woman." "I'm involved with a lot of women," he replied. "Yeah, but this one's different. You get her pregnant and she bears you a son." "Not likely. Mortals can get pregnant by daedra, but carrying it always kills them, and the child never makes it. When the reverse happens the unborn child doesn't really... thrive in a daedric uterus." I pursed my lips. So... that's why I've never heard of a half-daedra/half-mortal throughout recorded history. "I'll tell you why she's unique. She's Dragonborn. She's supernaturally tough." "Okay, that's more believable. But what does this have to do with here and now? If this happens in 200 years, I guess I'll remember it then." "Because... that son is a powerful spellcaster who used chronomancy to travel 200 years into the past and become the Hero of Daggerfall. And then he decided he would summon you," I smiled. "Ah. It's you? You're my son?" He looked at my horns, then my eyes that looked like his. "You certainly look the part. Guess I'll need to remember to steer clear of what's-her-name," he said. I raised my eyebrows, fearing I was about to start fading away. He jabbed me in the gut, "I'm joking. Geez, am I really that somber in your time period that I never taught you to joke? Well, unless I abandoned you. Which does sound like me." I returned a glazed, annoyed look. "What can I do for you, kid?" He asked, "I certainly don't know how to time travel." "I think I've figured out how to get back home when this is over, but I need to see it through." "What then?" Dad asked. "Hmm..." I'd thought about this for a while, "You're immortal." "Guilty," he replied. "Do you think I could trust you to give me a message in about 200 years?" I asked. "Eh, sure. I'm not usually very trustworthy, but I do have my moments," Dad replied. "Right after Skyrim's war with the Thalmor, could you come to me and tell me to fill my backpack with books? Mostly history. The Blades. I need to know what happens with a ... certain someone." "Oh... I get it! You're in love aren't you? And you want to make sure you're not going to fuck up the timeline," Dad laughed, "This is my wheelhouse. I will definitely remember this." "Thanks, dad," I said. He turned to walk out of the room, starting to fade away, "Looking forward to getting to know you later. Oh!" He chucked the Sanguine Rose at me, and I caught it. When I looked up, he was gone. I had this Inn room to myself for the rest of the day, so I sat down for about five minutes. I definitely wasn't sure how timelines worked. I meditated. In my hands, two books appeared. The Rise and Fall of the Blades and The Warp in the West. "Fuck yes. It worked!" I said, and got to reading.

Hey, it's Damien again. I'm trapped in western and southern High Rock in 3E 405 (mostly my fault, but I had honest intentions). On the power scale of me being magically castrated by the time travel, I've progressed from kitten to large housecat. I've mostly spent a handful of days traveling around this cursed land, doing quests for the royals scattered amongst their castles. Currently in Sentinel, which gave me clear Hammerfell vibes (from what I've read) with the deserts and tropical trees and sandy beaches, I ventured into the castle and approached Prince Lhotun, who was sitting on the floor. "Ah! I guess you must have received my letter. My father and Lysandus were close friends. I know some things about him and why he might be haunting Daggerfall. But before I tell you," he started. I knew what was coming. Just give me the location of the dungeon and tell me what to retrieve. "You must do something for me," he said. I nodded and he continued, "Thank Arkay! I used to have an older brother, ten or so years older. His name was Arthago. Whenever I ask what happened to him, I'm told a different story. Some say he got sick and died, some say he was kidnapped by the Underking. I want to know the truth. If you can find proof of what really happened to him, I'll tell you all I know," Lhotun said. "I agree to your terms," I said, "I have a couple simple questions about High Rock." "Sure, traveler. I'll give you that for free," Lhotun replied. "All the dungeons in this land and half the castles connected to dungeons have no design sense. They're labyrinths filled with levers and elevators and random creatures." "It makes sense that an outsider would ask this question. Luckily, I am also a scholar. See, there are a number of ancient ruins, thousands of years old, from the Merethic Era. Nobody living knows who originally built them. But they became so suffused with magic that every few years the dungeons shift and change. We call it a 'procedural generation,' because it seems to follow some kind of procedure, but sometimes it makes absolutely no sense. It doesn't change but every few years depending on the dungeon, though, so you're not likely to ever see it happen. A lot of creatures get trapped in there, and they usually end up dying. Eventually. Unless they're undead. Usually bandits, thieves, vampires, werewolves, etc use them as their base of operations." "Kinda like ruins in Skyrim," I said, "Except for all the weird stuff. And we like our matching puzzles." I shrugged and headed for the tavern/inn of Sentinel. The place where you usually find rumors and information! Once again I was greeted with a group of locals. I got a drink and struck up a conversation with the Redguard at the table. "Hey, new around here?" He asked. "Just passing through. Name's Damien," I said. "Tristyn." "Do you know anything about Prince Arthago?" I asked. "Yeah. He was a Prince of Sentinel, died years ago. I think he came down with a fever and eventually died. He was known as the scholar prince. He liked books more than swords. It used to drive King Cameron crazy!" "Anything else you can remember?" I asked. "He was the only prince never to receive a public funeral." I turned back towards the bar to grab my drink and the old lady seemed to gesture towards me. The thin rail of a woman got up, stepped forward, and handed me a note. "Who..?" She waved me off, seeing her way out the door. The note read, "Meet me at the Resolution of Zenithar." I shrugged. Might as well. When I walked into the small temple, a man waved me into the back room. "Shh. I would prefer that nobody sees me talking to you. I am an Agent of the Underking. It has come to our attention that a rumor is going around that the Underking abducted prince Arthago. If you want to know the truth, check into Castle Faallem. I'll mark it on your map. All will be revealed," he said. Mysteriously, he disappeared into a large group of priests passing by as part of some progression or such. I lost his form, then he was gone. I walked out of there, and decided I would go to Castle Faallem first, since it was relatively nearby and the other targets were far away. It was unlocked, undefended. I was met with worked stone, which opened up eventually to a large open area with tiered platforms. This place looked like it had been intentionally designed to hurt intruders, not random or ever made to house people. Thankfully, it didn't have any annoying puzzles. I just used Levitate to get to the higher levels, kept my distance and slayed everything with magic (or when I ran out of magicka, a bow. SIGH.....) Eventually I came to a floating platform that carried a journal. So weird, I decided I would sit on the platform and read it right now, having already genocided all life from this dank place. Starting at 3E 400, it detailed Arthago being sealed in this castle. Whether he died of starvation or killed by the giant spiders, scorpions, or giants, I'm not sure. His sister - Aubk-i, and his brothers, Greklith and Lhotun were healthy and loved, while he was generally distained. One night, someone threw him into a sack and trapped him here. He talked about how he studied the Underking, who was an ancient myth of a man placing his lifeforce in the body of a powerful being and becoming god-like in his power. I hopped down and walked to the door. I found that the front door had sealed me in, but when I approached it opened again. Perhaps this is a sort-of challenge dungeon, that seals you in until you kill everything? Was everything in here an illusion, a conjuration? Gods, this country is strange. I miss Skyrim. I returned to Prince Lhotun and gave him the journal. "It is as I feared. I don't know who kidnapped him, but as promised, I will tell you what I know. Lysandus was in love with his court sorceress, a noblewoman named Medora Direnni, and during the war with us, his queen found out. While the king was gone, Queen Mynisera banished Medora from the court. My sister Aubk-i is queen now, part of the treaty to ensure peace, but Mynisera still resides at Castle Daggerfall as the dowager queen mother. I don't know where Medora was sent, but I know she has an enormous castle somewhere on the Isle of Balfiera. That's all I know. Also, my mother would like to see you." I shrugged, then I wound my way through passages, up an elevator and to a chamber on the floor above where the prince had addressed me. I stopped in a chamber full of green plants to admire them. The queen's long stair before her dais was flanked by two naked men. I raised an eyebrow, but ignored them. I guess royals do what they want. "Welcome to Sentinel! I am Queen Akorithi. I trust you have had a comfortable stay so far," she said. "You wanted to see me?" I asked. "Let me get right to the point. My son vouches for your abilities. I am willing to pay you 1,000 gold to infiltrate Castle Wayrest and recover an heirloom of the late King Lysandus for me. Will you do it?" "What sort of heirloom?" I asked. "A painting, hidden somewhere in Castle Wayrest. It is possible to access the vault where the painting is hidden by going through the dungeon," she replied, "I can give you a map of the layout." More of a job for mom, but ok. "I'm willing to do this." "What Bounty!" She replied. I decided I would rest a while before I set out, getting a room at the Inn. I wanted to get an Invisibility spell, but I'd need to practice more before I could cast it, so I chose Calm instead. Good for a thief. Heading back to the northwest, I traveled to Mannimarco's crypt, taking me two days. I of course had to dispatch with some zombies again, and he greeted me. "I'm glad you answered my letter. I hope my messenger was gentle," he said. "Oh I thought I blew him up as a reflex and was about to start apologizing." Mannimarco chuckled in his deep voice, "Sometimes the living make better conversation partners than the living dead. Are you willing to travel to Castle Sentinel?" I pursed my lips, "If the zombie courier could've just asked me that on the spot, I'd have done it. I just came from there." "Curse the brainless undead. He had no idea when he found you where he was or what he was doing, just to follow my orders," Mannimarco replied, "Anyway, at your earliest convenience I would like you to travel to Sentinel and enter the crypt below their castle. I need an answer among the dead that doesn't exist among the living. The Great Grandfather to King Camaron, Prince Karolis was a sorcerer of no mean skill. He is now a lich deep in the bowels of the castle. Kill him with this scarab in hand, and bring his soul back to me for questioning. Oh, and when I finish his questioning, I may be able to provide further guidance to you regaining your power." "Sounds grand. Hopefully a dungeon below a castle is not as terrible as the random-ass ruins in this country," I said, and took the scarab. WHen I turned around, I realized the necromancers and vampires behind he had started making their own fun. The King of Worms excused himself, not caring for such things. And I left, heading to the queen's mission in Wayrest first. I figured I'd return this 'painting' to Sentinel, then find a way to plunder their crypt. When I entered, it was late evening. The royals seemed like they were about to retire. Using stealth, I made my way around the castle. "Damien!" I heard a voice. Ah geez. "So you came back to see me, eh?" She cornered me in one of the off-shoot chambers. It was Princess Elysana. "Well, I'm here on official Empire business, looking for something," I smiled, trying to ingratiate myself, "But seeing you is an added benefit." I didn't want to give her the wrong idea, but I did want to ask her, "Do you know where the dungeon entrance is?" "That information will cost you," she said, "And we seem to be near our last spot." She pulled me into the same room as before and pulled her dress off. This time I undressed quickly (as to go fast and not get caught). She immediately pounced on me, knocking me to the floor. "Wait!" I said. She straddled me and worked herself back and forth until I was hard and she was ready. "What's the matter? I heard you were a big, strong man!" She shouted as she impaled herself on me. "Well, I'm not. And gods, how are you so strong?" "I have a lot of free time, being a princess. I train with the guards, and the knights. Also, magic," she said as she worked herself up and down. This is bad this is bad, I have to push her off me. But she's going to be mad. I could tell we were both getting close. I grabbed her legs, then I took a deep breath and did the right thing. I pushed her off me. "Hey!" She said. I came on her, but not in her. "You don't want to get pregnant by a commoner, do you?" I asked. Technically, I guess I was a prince, but not for a couple hundred years. I am concerned about that intervening period what having Daedric-blooded offspring might do. "I suppose it would be a pain. The pregnancy anyway. Don't you want to be a part of the royal family?" "You trying to trap me or something?" I asked. "Perhaps," she replied, "I've taken a liking to you." "If you play nice I'll come back and see you. For now, show me where the dungeon is," I said. She led me down a hall, pouty, and pointed out the door, "I go no further. The guards tell of all sorts of strange beasts in the lower levels. We only use the upper levels." I sighed. Perfect. Traveling down through the normal dungeon, I found a tunnel going deeper. I was immediately attacked by a group of heavily armored men and mages. They weren't guards, but I have no idea what they were doing here. Gods, High Rock has too many deep holes. I was getting back into the hang of blasting people from far away. I traversed the lower labyrinthine depths of Wayrest's dungeons for what seemed like hours. Part of me wondered if this was one of the Merethic ruins that they'd just built a castle on top of. Eventually, I came up to what seemed like a sewer system - a more modern thing that wasn't going to up and change on me. The presence of torches than burn forever and shed cold light was a neat trick, but made me unsure if anybody ever came down here. After a lot of searching, I managed to find a secret passage in the sewer (stay weird, High Rock) which led me to more labyrinth. Fighting my way through the tunnels, I eventually got lost. I fought a dragonling in a medium room, and dog tired, I cast Lock on the door, threw out my bedroll and passed out for a few hours. This really gave me a bit of time to think on my predicament. Not just being lost in a labyrinthine dungeon, but being stuck in the past. I hadn't really stopped since I got to High Rock. My progression over the past couple weeks had been meteoric compared to the first time. Though I was still generally weak, I had the basic tools for all the functionality I needed. In that moment, a voice called to me. "Hey, clod. How are things?" "Viranir. How unpleasant to speak with you," I said, "What have you been doing?" "Well, intriguing story I have, when you left the first tunnel of this thief hideout, you shut a door. I'm pretty bad at being a ghost, so I can't really phase through things at will. It... just happens to whatever is least convenient for me." "You're stuck in that first room?" I asked, blinking. "Why yes. But I did manage to contact you. I was wondering if, perhaps at your earliest convenience you could come open this door for me?" Viranir asked. "I may be persuaded," I replied. "What do you want?" "I have questions about your time spell," I said, "How did you plan on getting back to our time when you were finished... I dunno... giving yourself cheat codes." "Well, first, you can't really communicate with yourself. That's the failing of the spell. If you do anything that would cause yourself not to have traveled back into the past, then it would cause a paradox. I guess you could give yourself solutions but also ensure you go to the past with the same instructions. Of course, it might cause something like a Dragon Break, where you both do and don't go back to the past simultaneously." "So you don't actually know how it works, huh?" I asked. She sighed, "Not really. These spells were meant to be a gateway to experimentation." "I think when and if I get back to the present, I'm going to destroy your notes. Maybe... kill your apprentices or wipe their minds if that is possible," I said. "Hmm," she didn't seem very amicable to that idea. "Viranir, what we're messing with is dangerous. Usually the purview of gods, and they don't seem to want to alter time lightly. The one instance I can think of is the Miracle of Peace, after the Dragon Break caused by when I'm doing here. And now that I'm on this path, and I'm fairly certain I'm supposed to fulfill this role, I have no choice but to see it through. But what if I fail? We could fuck up history entirely," I said. Though I couldn't see her physical form, I heard her exhale, "For now, I will help you however I can. The history we have is much more manageable than the one we don't know. Who knows... if the Hero of Daggerfall didn't win, it could cause us to fail at the Oblivion Crisis, which might lead to our world being destroyed." "Great," I closed my eyes, "I'll be back in Daggerfall hopefully soon." When I felt ready, I got up and unlocked the door, and what do you know, my brain figured out where to go. I found a set of stairs leading up up up, and knew this was going back into the castle. I stealthily unlocked the door and peered inside. Patrolling guards, but not wearing the uniform of the kingdom. More like the personal guard of someone. Being not a stealth master or able to cast Invisibility yet, I peered around the corner and casted a Calm spell on the soldier there. I strolled up to the dais and noticed the 'painting,' there. But was it a painting? I picked it up, wanting to see what the big deal was. "Ah, gods! What the fuck!?" I shouted, and two other guards heard me, plundering the treasure. The 'painting' did show a scene, inside a tent. Several men in the livery of Wayrest intensely debating with a man bearing the coat of arms of Daggerfall. One of the Wayrest men slipped behind the Daggerfall man, drawing a dagger and casually sliding it between his ribs. Life ebbed from his body as the image faded. "This is a fucking Elder Scroll!" The other guards converged on me, and I sprinted with the scroll in hand out of their reach. Playing cat and mouse for a few minutes, I eventually blasted them with elemental bolts and ran back into the dungeon labyrinth. Knowing the path now I took the straight line back through the sewers, through the palace, and out of there. It was nearly morning and nobody saw me. I escaped under dense storms. I traveled back to Sentinel, taking a couple days. (How many days has it been now? I think about 20). I rested at the Inn, my intention being to give the queen the scroll and go kill that lich. I woke up very early and found the Innkeeper and a Sentinel guard having sex. Meh, okay. I headed into the castle and headed up to the castle. I walked past the naked men again, to the dais. Queen Akorithi greeted me eagerly, seeing the scroll in my hands, "Well done! Did you perhaps, examine the painting?" "I couldn't help but see. It was unfurled on the altar. Also, you didn't warn me this was an Elder Scroll!!" I said. I still handed it to her. "You presume much. What you saw is not for the prying eyes of the masses. It concerns matters of royalty and will be dealt with by royalty." I sighed, "Technically, I'm a prince." "Oh my, really? You must understand what I said was merely trying to ward you from the danger of the scroll. To my ends I have brought in Moth Priests to read it," she smirked, "I should thank you properly for your mission well done." I bowed, reaching out my hand for whatever she was going to hand me. Instead, she took my hand and put it on her breast. "Oh my, you're such a charmer. You've got my attention now," Queen Akorithi said. My eyes went wide as I looked up at her. This woman had to have been in her fifties. Not that she didn't have a nice body... "You majesty, are you suggesting...?" "Come now, show some discretion, Prince Damien. Where are you from? You look like a Nord perhaps. Skyrim?" She got to the right answer but not through the right way. "Would you entertain a lady?" She saw I wasn't against the idea, and looked at her guards, "Leave us." "If we're doing this... can I ask you a personal question, your highness?" She nodded. "Have you gone through menopause?" I asked. She blinked, "You're an uncouth one, aren't you? Yes. I have. Now come make me feel young again!" She sat on her throne and I tended to her, then she hopped on me and we finished as I held her up. When we were done, her naked guards kept going with her. Clearly a lady still in touch with her hungers. "Say, where is the dungeon?" I asked. "We keep ours in the tower," she pointed to a nearby passage. I pushed forward through a vertical maze of elevators and levers (as is most of High Rock, but going upward this time), with magic bars separating the zones. There were a few crawlies locked up in places, but overall the biggest annoyance here was the levers. Eventually, on the highest level I encountered the Lich. Still in stealth, I charged up Iron Will (a buff spell I'd learned in High Rock that enhanced aspects of spellcasting), and charged up a double-handed Elemental Bolt. Because I'd been practicing stealth casting, he searched for me for a moment, which gave me another free cast. When he was fighting back, I alternated between blasting and healing and he went down. I should recall my wards. When I was done I ventured back to Mannimarco, taking two more days. I meditated and recalled the basic ward and greater ward. "Well done!" The King of Worms said, "I am sure the prince will be most cooperative. Please accept this dagger." He handed me an enchanted elven dagger, then he scratched his chin, "I've been doing research about your predicament. It seems your rerise to power is going quickly. I'm certain you'll figure it out on your own. Tell me everything and I will continue to delve further to figure out how to get you home." "An altmer mage from my time advanced chronomancy far beyond what it had been up until now," I said. "Chronomancy? Time magic? Surely..." He scratched his chin under the hood, "Had something recently happened that caused Akatosh to turn a blind eye to Nirn?" I narrowed my eyes, "Time has been wonky. But I assumed it was because of the Dragon Break." "Ah yes, there was one related to the Numidium in the Tiber Septim's wars of conquest," Mannimarco replied. "Are you saying Chronomancy is only possible near in time to a Dragon Break...?" "Perhaps," Mannimarco said. I was starting to wonder how much information I should be giving out. An immortal lich getting information about the future could be very bad. But he'd been nothing but polite and forthcoming so far. Just what somebody trying to manipulate me would do. I decided I would stay the course and continue working with him for now. After all, I'm no angel myself. "I'm going to drop you a seed of information," he said, "This one's for free. So Tiber Septim was the first emperor of Tamriel. Toward the end of his wars of conquest, he betrayed his Battlemage, Zurin Arctus. When he died his soul refused to leave his body - something to do with the Numidium. Since that time Zurin has lived on as the Underking. He and his agents have been a thorn in my side for centuries. He knows much, but he is untrustworthy." I smirked, "Thanks." I turned around to find the vampires and necromancers... having another group session. "Talos bones, guys. Do you ever stop?" "You're only as dead as you feel!" One of them shouted back as I was walking out. I don't remember where, but I'd gotten a tip that that former sorceress of Daggerfall, whom King Lysandus had been in love with, was exiled to a tower in the middle of Illiac Bay and was now trapped there. It was much nearer than Daggerfall so I decided it was time to head there. I noted the further I got away from Daggerfall, the more I was seeing animals. And the more time passed, the more nature seemed to be returning to normal. I arrived near nightfall just as it started pouring and went into the tower. When I got inside, a group of vampires seemed to be raiding the tower - fighting ghosts and skeletons. I waited until both sides were weak and blasted them all. Inside the tower, two sets of stone steps spiraled up to the top. I took my time clearing everything out, finding several levers along the way. There was a small shrine to the nine divines, and several tasteful statues (as well as a pillar in the center that topped with several impaled corpses). After a while I was unsure of what to do next, then I remembered there was a downward passage when I got in, so I went that way. The first set of chambers were very bare and unhelpful. I found an oddly-colored wall. When I touched it, I was teleported to a cellar, with water up to my knees. "Great." I ventured further, and found an ambush of bandits who'd been trapped in here. I dispatched them with explosions. This tower... oh boy. This tower was probably the worst puzzle I've seen yet in High Rock. And this is coming from a highly intelligent person. There was a pillar with four levers, a labyrinth, as always, and a great deal of golems guarding the passage to the woman at the end. I must admit I'd never fought a golem before, and that was interesting. But having to move around and find the right levers to open the right passages. Finally, I found her, after about two days of camping in the tower. "Greetings! I am Medora Direnni, former court mage of Daggerfall. Welcome to my humble cursed tower abode. Wait, where are you going?" "I'm going to kill myself," I replied, "But no, seriously, would you like to be rescued? I used a Mark at the entrance this time, I can Recall us out. Also the way is open if you just want to walk out." "Unfortunately, this tower is cursed and I can't exactly leave," Medora replied, "I have an interest in helping you exorcise the spirit of the king though. If you're willing, would you pay a visit to Nulfaga? She can help me break the curse." "She's pretty much gone mad," I replied. "That is sad. Alternatively, you could search her castle and find her prized Unicorn horn. With it, I can break the curse," she said. She gave me a bundle of scrolls to teleport back to her Mark target - her bedchamber at the top of the tower. I sighed, "Alright. I'll be back." I traveled northwest back to Daggerfall and walked back into Privateer's Hold before I did anything else, and I opened that dang door. "Thanks," Viranir said, "They will sing of your tales throughout the ages." I chuckled, "At least someone here understands a modern sense of humor." Then I decided I was going to make another stop before I headed back out. I headed over to Whiteford, just across the narrow straight. It was midday on day 24, so presumably she would still be here. I walked into Inn and found Lady Brisienna, sitting at a table by herself. "Hey," I said, "I don't have any major updates on the state of the Kingdom. I'm about to free the king's court sorcerer from a cursed tower, so hopefully she'll be a help to me. Honestly, these courtly affairs are nothing like Skyrim." Brisiennia raised an eyebrow, "I've heard you've already done a lot for the kingdom. I think I can leave this in your capable hands." "Why not stay a few more days? This is getting pretty taxing, running around High Rock. I think I need to rest and wash. We can talk a bit before you return to Cyrodiil. Besides, I think there aren't any ships running from Daggerfell right now." "No, I need to wait for the next one, not for a couple weeks. Everyone's too afraid of the ghosts." "The animals are afraid too. I saw quite a few to the east, but there's almost no game here," I replied. "I believe it was the recent wars, scouring the countryside. Plant life is just starting to grow back." We spent the next few hours talking. I learned she was a Nord too, though from Bruma and not from Cyrodiil proper. I told her of my parentage, though made no mention of my crazy story of being from the future. "You're... half daedra?" She blinked, then she smiled, "How... intriguing." "Notice the horns and eyes," I said. "You know the Bretons have a 'holy day' for each of the Daedric princes? More to keep them at bay than to worship." "What day is Sanguine?" I asked, excitedly. "16th Sun's Dawn. Under the sign of the Lover," she smirked. I started to wonder if this woman was beginning to become interested in my friendship. Maybe I could get her to stay longer. "Ahem... what month is it?" I asked. She giggled at me, "It's the 24th of Morning Star, 3E 405. You arrived near the New Year." "That's convenient. Next month," I said, "I should invoke Sanguine and see what happens." She giggled again, and it was like the tinkling of a bell. I sighed. I knew that if I was going home, I couldn't bring her with me. But damn, getting to know someone is fun.

Hello audience. This is Damien. In the hopes of thwarting Viranir, I followed her into the past, casting a very complex spell and arriving in Daggerfall in 3E 405. I decided I would go along with what was in front of me: a mission from Uriel Septim VII to Daggerfall, only to find her in the same predicament I now found myself in, but as a ghost. I also found as part of my transportation here I've been reduced in power similar to that of a day 1 adventurer. It makes me wonder who the Emperor thought he was talking to? He's known for his prophetic visions, maybe he knew who I was. On another note, I'm pretty sure Viranir was alive at Summerset in this time period. Couldn't she just go see herself and give herself all the cheat codes to win all the wars? Food for thought. Anyway, I found myself mudslided in a cave with only a few items and a Flames spell. Before I could find my way home, before I could complete this mission, before I could regain my power, I would need to get out of this cave. I crept forward to find a long tunnel. Behind a door to the left was a bat, which I blasted with Flames. Easy. I grabbed the valuables, then ventured on. From there I found a room with an Imp, and tried double-handing Flames. "For real? Can't even manage a level of power to cast a twohanded Flames...?" I muttered. I peeked my head around the corner and blasted him, taking a couple firebolts but ultimately succeeding. I traversed bare corridors until I turned a corner, a guard in leather armor shouting, "Shouldn't have come here!" He shot an arrow, but I ducked behind cover. This forced him to close the distance. I popped out and used Flames again, finally pulling out the Ebony Dagger and ending it. Whew. It's not fun being weak again. I sat down for a second, resting. When my magicka came back I experimented with double-handed Flames until I got it. "Bingo," I said, then I stripped off the man's slightly better armor and put on the pieces that helped me. He was an Argonian. I traversed a little while longer, finding fodder and treasure in equal amounts, until I heard a bear. I sidled up to a door down a side hallway. Who keeps a bear just in a room? Unlocked, I peeked in, and the bear was fiddling with something on the opposite wall. I double-handed Flames until he turned towards me, then I shut the door. He burned for a few seconds. I cracked the door, blasting him with Flames again. I repeated this until he was dead. Though I don't have the skills of mom or Runa with skinning and hunting, I know the basics. I used my dagger to skin the bear and take meat. In the next room was a stash of loot including Chainmail. I'm not usually an armor guy, but beggars can't be choosers. The Coif was ultimately worthless because nothing fits over my big stupid horns. I ventured forth, finding a large chamber with stairs, and a throne with a lever. When I pulled it, the platform with the throne moved up to a secret loft. The passages herein looped around to other, nearby places. Interesting, but not really useful. I kept going and finally found what looked like the in-use part of the fort, near the surface. I found a crossroads with a couple rooms and two thieves guarding a treasure. I waited til one walked into a door, I snuck up behind the first one, getting a quick backstab on him. Unfortunately, even at my best I was not a backstab type. He turned, sword swinging. I pulled the door shut so I could isolate them, then I finished the guy in front of me off with Flames. I realized I had a basic Healing spell, and healed up before the other guy emerged. At the same time, I was running around the corner. "Huh...? What happened here?" The man said. I chugged a magicka potion from the loot I'd gotten, took out a bow (longer range) and shot the man in the chest. I ducked behind the corner so he couldn't just fight back with a bow, then I blasted him with Flames when he turned the corner. Whew. I ransacked the room, which included a healthy cache of weapons, gold, and spell tomes: Mark, Recall, and Levitate. This was before flight spells became extremely rare. I realized that with the spell tomes in hand, I could learn them right away. Like my brain was hungry for magic again. One last room at the end of the hall had a trio of skeletons and I used opening and shutting the door to the thief's cache room to annoy and kill them. And then, there was my exit. The bunker looked like it was an ancient dungeon that'd been used by this small band of thieves and was tucked away a small distance from town. I looked on the countryside, which I'd heard was a little sparse even in these days, but it seemed downright bare. This was the island the royals stayed on, so maybe they clear-cut the area. By the time I made my way into town, it was night. I'd heard from the Emperor King Lysandus was leading a ghost legion at night, so I popped into the Inn, The Dwarf and Huntsman, as soon as I got there. When I stepped inside, I noticed the unbelievable lack of people. Only a few Daggerfall guards and the barkeep. Then again, I would flee a town if there were rampaging ghosts every night too. I stepped up to the bar, knowing there should be something for me from the Emperor's contact here, "Hey, my name's Damien. Do you have any messages for me?" "Indeed. I hope this helps you," he said. "Times are tough, eh?" I asked. "Yeah, damn ghosts," the barkeep replied, "You'd be doing me a blessing to buy anything." "I'll take a room for the night, and I'm going to need supplies for the road," I said, and proceeded to sell a lot of the random items I'd found in the Thieves' Den and buy waterskins, a backpack, a tent and bedroll, soup and various trail rations. I settled on keeping the Ebony Dagger and Chainmail (though I kept wearing the robes I found until I could disenchant them). I read the letter in bed once I got settled in. To summarize, Lady Magnessen is the Emperor's agent and her position has been compromised. She wants me to come see her at the earliest opportunity in Whiteford just across the straight. She'll only be here a month before she needs to return to Cyrodiil. I slept the night. In the morning I asked the barkeep if there were any boats going to Whiteford. "Sorry, shipping lanes are abandoned these days I'm afraid," he replied. "Damn, this is a real problem," I said. I walked to the cliffs and casted Levitate, walking across the straight. I headed into the Inn there to find more guards, a lady barkeep and my contact. I ordered drinks and sat down across from her. "Hello. I'm glad to see the storm didn't lay you low. I am Lady Brisienna. Let me bring you up to date on affairs," she said, and I couldn't help but stare. It'd been days since I'd had good human interaction. I was used to being constantly surrounded by people in Skyrim. Also, the way she'd started absorbing the High Rock accent was attractive. I love High Rock accents. "The spectre of King Lysandus haunts the streets of Daggerfall at night. Trying to communicate with him is futile. He will occasionally moan 'vengeance.' If you are ever in Daggerfall, do not wander the city at night." "I've killed ghosts before," I said. "These men are under a curse and would return after but a few days. It would be more gainful to investigate those who've wronged Lysandus to end his torment. The royal family of Daggerfall may merit questioning. Or perhaps the powers of Illiac Bay, Sentinel or Wayrest." "That's a large area," I replied. "You could perhaps begin by visiting Queen Aubk-i at Castle Daggerfall. She's looking for a mercenary to find out what has become of Nulfaga, the King's grandmother. It would be an opportunity to ingratiate yourself with the royal family. Oh, and do not mention my name. It would do more harm than good." "Thanks. Any idea what happened to the Emperor's letter to the queen?" I asked. "At the time, a war was on. A local courier was hired, but we don't know his name. The Agent at the time has long since passed. Obviously, not very helpful. I will contact you if any new information should surface. I am leaving Daggerfall soon. My life is in danger. Feel free to use Windmaison, a modest house within the city walls, for as long as you like." "Thank you. I hope our paths cross again," I said. Thinking in the back of my head, I would like to get to know her better... but then a counterthought, I should not do that. Would it change history? I just smiled stupidly. "Good luck, watch your back," Brisienna said, then she got up and walked away. I traveled back to the coast, enjoying the large clover fields on the smaller island, then I Levitated back to the main Daggerfall island. I went and checked out her house, and there was a bed, a place to cook, an arcane enchanter and an alchemy table. I cooked all the bear meat I'd gotten from that bear, then I set to work disenchanting and realized I only had one soul gem. So I put what I could on chainmail chest piece and venture to Castle Daggerfall. A guard blocked me at the door, "All are free to petition his highness at this time. Do not stray from the audience chamber lest you have royal blessing to do so. Always speak politely to the king and queen, and above all, cast no spells while within these walls. Do you understand?" "Yes," I replied. They let me through. I walked past some musicians playing at the bottom of a long staircase, then I approached the royal dais. The king was a Breton, which is expected, and the queen was a Redguard. Interesting. I'm half Redguard, half Daedra, though I don't look it. Reminds me of mom. "Greetings," the queen said. "Your majesty, I understand you are looking for a mercenary." "Yes! My husband's poor grandmother, Nulfaga is in frail health, once brilliant mind almost utterly destroyed. She's locked herself in her castle in the Wrothgarian Mountains and experiments in magical studies with no regard for her own safety," Queen Aubk-i said, "I would know of her condition, but few possess the bravery to face the horrors of her castle and speak with her. My reward is an enchanted elven dagger. Would you champion me in this?" "I'd be pleased to do this," I said. "By the gods, I am glad to have found a champion! Her castle's named Shedungent. Be very careful and may Mara and Kynareth protect you," the queen said. I bowed, walked out the door and set off. Still before noon, it took me until nightfall over the straits, then over the plains of the mainland. "This land is cursed," I said to myself. I didn't see an animal the whole day, except birds keeping their distance. I was in sight of the castle, but getting an ominous feeling I decided I would camp the night on the flats. Before I slept, I meditated on all the magic I used to know. After several moments, I found myself thinking on the principles of specific spells. I reached out my hand, picking one at random, and cast High Alchemy. I tried it on a random trash item in my inventory, and turned it into gold. "Oh!" I shouted, "Thank the gods! Thank whoever!" But that was all I could access today. It seemed like this drip-feed access to my old magic was the only way to access it. I mentally formed a plan. If I could only access one spell a day, I would need to start with the low level ones to build back up my power, and get a diverse repertoire of spells while I was at it. I went to sleep. During the night, I dreamt of a blood moon, wolves howling, and a horned figure beckoning me forward. I knew it was Hircine, so I forced myself awake. When I opened my eyes it was nearly morning, a beast just a few inches from my face. I leapt out of my tent, charging up to a ruined wall nearby and climbing it. It was a solid 15 feet tall, and I used the height to shoot spells at the thing. When it was dead, it turned back into the form of a Breton. It'd been a werebear. I finally breathed out. Apparently the only things that lurk here at night are already cursed. I entered the castle with no fanfare. I didn't see a soul, so I took the initiative to explore. The first thing I remember seeing was a dragon flag who... whispered to me. "Command me and entry shall be yours..." And anything I tried saying led it to tell me I was unworthy. Whatever. So I walked around the labyrinthine castle, being attacked by seemingly random creatures, some mages (who attacked me on sight) and a dragonling. And the mages had staves! I grabbed them, and it seemed like when I had spells in staves it was much easier to copy them (assuming I'd known the spells before). So I learned Crackle and Sparks. After killing an Imp in here, a Daedric Helmet dropped out of nowhere and when I tried to pick it up, it vanished just as quickly. Dad? Is that you? Anyway, killing creatures became easier with Crackle and Flames. I'd just open a door, put the two DoTs on them and shut them in while they died. I eventually found Nulfaga, the late king's grandmother. Surrounded by undead encased in crystal and a miniature dragon, she seemed really powerful. "Hey, Lady Nulfaga. Are you well?" "United thoughts and counsels, equal hope and hazard in the once glorious enterprise joined with me, now misery hath joined in equal ruin!" Nulfaga replied. "Wow. Alright. That's certainly whatever it is you just said," I replied. "Eternal, eternal, eternal ruin. I tell the door to my soul to shut up. Oh, my child! Why wouldst thou not listen! The misery! Verses frame which with and other spell like terrible curse! Heaven! Curse Oblivion!" What is this lady rambling about? "My boy is dead and let Tamriel tremble until he and I find peace denied. Shut up the door to his tomb and my home." Now that made sense, I said, "Sorry for your son." "I search the underworld, the afterworld..." I zoned out a little bit while she kept going. Seriously, I'm sure mom feels like this when crazy quest givers talk to them about their problems. She talked for several more minutes. When she stopped, I said, "I have been sent to find out what happened to your son." "You - I thought I'd killed you! How did you not drown in the storm I conjured?" "Wait what?" I blinked, "I'm actually not even mad. How did you conjure a storm? That's some serious power. I did nearly drown though." "But wait... no. You are not responsible for my son's death. Please find whoever killed my son!" An apology would be nice. I could see she was just chanting, "...my son..." now, so I looted the chest next to her. The door at the entrance whispered to me like the banner. Thinking back to the old lady, I replied, "Shut up, door." "You are worthy.." It said, and opened. When I got back to Daggerfall it was dark and snowing, and I saw the ghosts in the distance, so I gave them a wide berth and went to the castle. I approached Queen Aubk-i, "Your majesty, Nulfaga is alive, though she seems stricken with grief." "Oh! I confess I doubted I would ever see you again. Your news does my heart good. Here is your reward," she handed me an enchanted elven dagger, "If you're up for it, I need your assistance once more. If you agree, you must swear to the utmost discretion." "Of course," I replied. "It concerns my mother-in-law, the dowager queen and widow of Lysandus, Mynisera. She's been paying for upkeep of a fortress called Necromoghan. I need you to go to there, find out what she's been doing, and retrieve a parcel of letters she took with her. Do so before she returns. Good luck." Rather than deal with the ghosts again, I used Levitate to get out of the castle walls and made camp outside the walls. I slept the night and meditated again, concentrating on a hands-free Fast Healing. Also, of note, I'd learned Cure Disease and Freedom of Movement from tomes. I set out early in the morning, and reached a hidden bunker as the sun was coming up. This dungeon was built a lot like the last one, but it also had a fair share of elevators. I could see a common building theme. Just as Skyrim's builders loved their matching puzzles, High Rock's builders seemed to like winding passages, lever puzzles and elevators. I found a Staff of Conjure Familiar, so I learned it. I fought my way through a large number of giant spiders, rats and bats, finally finding the letters. They were between the King and another woman. Later that day, I made it back to Castle Daggerfall and gave them to the queen. "How sad. To be honest, this is not what I expected the letters to contain. Poor Mynisera. Everyone at court knows the late king preferred the form and face of another woman to hers, but she still attempts to cover it up. Her loyalty to Lysandus is almost as great as his foolish loyalty to the Emperor. Please, accept this gift as a small token of my esteem," she handed me another enchanted weapon. I felt a note slip into my pocket and when I walked away, I fished it out. From Morgiah, Princess of Wayrest, she wanted me to come find her in Castle Wayrest. I Disenchanted, High Alchemy'd, restocked on food and water, and set out again. It took me about a full day to get there and I rested at the Inn. In the morning, I noted there were actual people in this town. Though not as populous as Skyrim, it was a nice sight after seeing Daggerfall. I approached Castle Wayrest, passing an ornate fountain and a row of trees. It was a white palace. I passed Wayrest guards, and a strange child. No guards accosted me here. I walked past several members of court and a princess (not the right one) and approached the royal dais. The King and Queen were paying no attention to me as I approached Morgiah. She emphasized the elven side of the Breton bloodline, with reddish eyes. "Ah, it's you. You're trying to track down the Emperor's letters, yes?" She asked. I nodded. "There are few scandals in Illiac Bay I'm not aware of. I could give you information, but nothing is without a price," Morgiah smirked. "I need a Champion who doesn't fear the fires of Oblivion. Still interested?" She asked, still smirking. "Funny you should say that," I said, remembering my years in Oblivion, "I'm game." "Oh Mara, that is a relief. Get this letter to a certain high level sorcerer at the necromancer's crypt. Scourg Barrow, towards the Dragontail Mountains. Avoid the rift. If you see it, you've gone too far. They won't be expecting you and will not wait for introductions. The necromancers feel that death is a reward for the living. Once you have delivered the letter, they would feel no need to guarantee your safety. I need the letter and response from the King of Worms. The risks are very high. Please, do not fail," Morgiah explained. I smiled nonchalantly. This was a tall order. I certainly don't want to die. But meeting a powerful necromancer could help me regain some of my magic. I set out, reaching Scourg Barrow by nightfall. I meditated and recalled Telekinesis this time. And actually, the Crypt wasn't very difficult to get into. A few zombies attacked me on the way in, but then I pushed buttons to slide away coffins and found my way into the King of Worms' court. Why oh why did the princess want this man's help? "Princess Morgiah of Wayrest has asked me to deliver this letter to you," I handed it to him. "Very good," he nodded, and scrawled a response on the back of the note after he read it, "If you're not rewarded with death by the loyal servants of the Barrow, give this note to the Princess." "You're Mannimarco, King of Worms, right?" I asked, taking the letter back. "Yes. You seem to be a spellcaster yourself," he replied. "Believe me, I am severely reduced in power. I was wondering if you might help me regain my full power," I said. "Hmm... come see me again. I may be able to do something for you," he said. I sighed, leaving the barrow. I traveled back to Castle Wayrest and presented the letter to the Princess. "It's done! He agreed!" Princess Morgiah said excitedly, "I'm going to be queen of firsthold." Deal with the devil? I smiled. "Now, I promised you information. Gortwog, Warlord of the Orcs has it. The Thieves' Guild of Daggerfall stole it from Queen Aubk-i and sold it to him. I confess I don't know why the Emperor sent her the letter. She's virtuous to a fault. You should get in good with Mynisera if you want more information," she said. I sighed again. This was ending up being a lot of 'run around for the royals,' I sat at the bottom of the long staircase. The other Princess, Elysana, approached me holding a book in her hands. "Here to ask me to do something for you?" I chuckled. Princess Elysana smiled, "Of a sort. My sister isn't the only one who has interest in adventurers, like yourself. Would you come with me?" I shrugged, "Sure." She led me to a side room with shelves of books, a telescope, and an arcane enchanter, among other things. "Now, take off your clothes," she said. "Say what?" I asked. She undid something in the back of her dress and it fell to the floor. I turned my head away, "This is a bad idea." "Am I not as beautiful as my sister?" Princess Elysana asked. "Well, yes," I replied. She dropped to her knees and undid my belt with one deft motion, taking me into her mouth. I blinked. This is very wrong. Almost like magic, she seemed to work my clothes off as she worked on me. What the... hell... And then, thank Sanguine... I came in her mouth. She seemed satisfied by that. I got dressed and got the heck out of there. Can't throw the last/next two hundred years into a universe destroying paradox if you finish in the mouth. I went to the Inn, my head still spinning, and the Innkeeper handed me a letter from Sentinel, from the Prince. He'd heard about my recent investigation and wanted to offer me information for a job. Of course.... same thing as before. Sentinel was far, so it took me two days to get there. In that time I camped twice and I decided I was going to ramp it up. I meditated and recovered Elemental Bolt and Rage. When I neared, plains turned into desert. As I approached the castle, a zombie popped out of nowhere and I blasted him with my newly regained elemental bolt. On his body was a letter from Mannimarco. It read: 'It would be an honor if you visited me in my demesne at your convenience. I have a small matter that you are ideally suited for. As always, my servants will test your mettle. Feel free to dispense with them. They can always be raised again. -The King of Worms I would head there later. For now, I ventured inside to speak with Prince Lhotun. Mods Added