Pre-Story A.N. - First chapter of a new story is up! Woo! Let me know what you think of it! ^^ -Spiritslayer
All was fairly quiet in Candlehearth Hall. The Thalmor blockade around Windhelm had been broken one month ago, and those who had been injured in the process were recovering or had since healed. Everyone had gone their separate ways already, both good and bad. Adalla had kept an ear out for information regarding Thellias and his former apprentice, but the only news she'd heard in that regard was that Saarie was now disgraced and trusted with nothing greater than guard duty back at Alinor.
Adalla and Mia had chosen to remain in Windhelm, and for good reason. They had both recovered from their own injuries, light though they'd been, and were preparing themselves for the delayed trip to Solstheim they'd been planning.
"I don't wanna go," Mia grumbled under her breath.
Adalla giggled and scratched Adima, her quickly-growing saber kitten, behind the ears. "Yet you're going to. We're going to."
Mia gave the high elf a resigned look. "We still ain't ready, are we?"
"We still need supplies, if that's what you're asking." Adalla picked Adima up off her lap and held her up so she could nuzzle the saber kitten's nose affectionately.
"Like what? Food? Furs? Weapons? Arrows?"
"I like the direction 'supplies' is taking for you," she mused.
"When ya live in the wilds, ya gotta be ready for anythin'," Mia said defensively.
"I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying it's funny."
"When I bury an arrow in some deader's head, yer gonna be thankin' me," the woman grumbled.
They were both quiet for a time. Adalla was pondering her list of supplies. Although she was becoming proficient with the bow and arrow under Mia's careful guidance and lessons, she still vastly preferred using a mace and shield to fight. More than once, she'd taken the front lines while Mia fired arrows from afar; in her new clothing, the Altmer was far more mobile, as well, than she'd ever been in her elven armor. For her, 'supplies' meant 'food, potions and furs'. She knew Mia would focus on supplies for their ever-mobile camp - as well as arrows and other weapons, apparently.
"Hey, Adalla..." Mia's voice was quiet when she spoke. "We're... doin' the right thing, yeah?"
"Of course we are. What brought this on?"
"Well, I just..." She hesitated a moment. "Miraak's the storied 'First Dragonborn', ain't he? What if his return's for the good of Tamriel?"
"He tried to have you killed, Mia. You can't genuinely believe he has benevolence in mind." She set Adima down on her lap, and watched the saber kitten jump down from her lap and into Mia's lap. She smiled as the saber kitten pawed playfully at Mia's front.
"Yeh, true..."
"If you genuinely don't want to do this, let me know." Adalla's expression became serious.
"I don't wanna do this."
"Fine. Then stay behind; I'll go alone."
"Adalla-"
"I was dragged into this, Mia. I'm going to do all I can to resolve the matter... as much as I can, anyway. I'm no Dragonborn, though..."
"Don't remind me," Mia grumbled quietly. "I ain't gonna let ya go alone, Mia. Ya said it yerself, outside Windhelm... we're partners. If we succeed, we succeed together; if we fall, we fall together."
"Then come with me, Mia. We will succeed together. Besides, he singled you out for a reason... you have a part to play in this. You alone may be a key to stopping him."
"Thanks for puttin' the pressure on me," she grumbled bitterly.
The next evening, Mia and Adalla met at the docks. They'd spent the day gathering their own supplies for the trip to Solstheim, and were both prepared for whatever may come.
"Yer travelin' light," Mia commented, gesturing to the knapsack that seemed to have ample space within it, slung over the mer's shoulder.
"You're traveling heavy," Adalla replied, nodding toward the large, bulging pack slung over Mia's shoulder; there was a woodcutter's axe crossing the pack, a torch at one side, and a cooking pot hanging from the other side. It wasn't a new sight for the high elf, but the bulge of the pack suggested it was stuffed to full, and possibly bursting.
"One of us gotta," she muttered. "Now, we gotta find us a ship t'Solstheim. What 'bout that Northern Maiden? Think it's here?"
"Probably. Come on, let's look around." She eyed the pack. "And for the love of the gods, let me lighten your load a little. I've got space in my pack for some of your things."
"We can deal with that on the ship." Mia's eyes flicked about the docks. "Hmm... Northern Maiden... Northern Maiden..."
"Is over there." A guard was listening in, and pointed them toward a large ship that looked as if it had been there for quite a while; snow was settled upon the ship, and the crew seemed to be performing only light maintenance on it.
"Thanks," Adalla said, nodding her head to the guard. She watched as Mia made her way toward the Northern Maiden, and sighed with a smile. "And to think, she was against this trip last night... perhaps she just wants to get it over with."
"You two... you helped break the blockade, yes?" The guard was peering at the mer closely. "Jarl Ulfric may never say it to either of you, but he's grateful for your help. All of us in Windhelm are. From the bottom of my own heart, I thank you." The guard bowed deeply to her.
"We were just doing what we knew to be right." Adalla was embarrassed to be treated so... respectfully... and in the city where Nord supremacy all but reigned supreme, no less.
"I won't keep you any longer. It looks as if your friend is... losing her temper." The guard pointed toward the Northern Maiden, and at Mia, who was now on the verge of shouting at the captain.
"Oh, no..." she groaned. She nodded to the guard, and rushed to the ship. "Mia!"
"...do you mean, ya ain't goin' back there no more?!" Mia was shouting at him now.
The captain looked more frustrated than terrified by the woman's shouting. "Exactly what I said."
"Mia, calm down!" Adalla said, resting a hand on the woman's shoulder. "You're not helping the situation here..." She glanced at the captain. "You would be...?"
"Gjalund Salt-Sage, captain of the Northern Maiden. As I was telling your... angry friend here, I'm no longer sailing to Solstheim. Not after..."
"Not after what? What happened?" Adalla took care to keep her tone calm and quiet. It had the effect she desired; she noticed the captain, while still appearing a little frustrated, was grateful for civility.
"It's... there were people who boarded the ship, wearing strange masks... I remember that..." He looked troubled now. "And next thing, I was here, they were gone. I don't remember the trip, I don't remember... anything. That's not right, losing whole days like that! Oh, things have been strange back at Solstheim anyway... but after that... I'm done. I'm not going back to Solstheim." His words had an air of finality about them.
"Idiot. Yes y'are. Yer takin' us both t'Solstheim," Mia growled.
"Are you truly that stupid?" he snapped. "I just said I'm not going back there!"
Adalla thumped Mia's shoulder firmly, silencing her before she could retort. "Those two that arrived, wearing masks... they tried to kill Mia and myself. They were cultists." She glanced at him. "I'd say that, since you bore them here, you owe us."
He looked hesitant, but heaved a sigh. "Alright, alright... you have a point. If I was responsible for bringing them here, the least I can do is bring you there so you can figure out who sent them."
"We know who sent 'em," Mia growled. "We're just gonna make him pay for it."
"Well said," he said with a faint chuckle. "Well, if that's the case, maybe you can put an end to whatever's happening in Solstheim. Maybe these cultists and the troubles in Solstheim are connected." He stood slowly, and glanced out over the water. "I don't want to do this, truth be told, but I'll bring you both there."
"Thank you." Adalla smiled at him, and watched as he set about conveying the decision to the rest of his crew. "Mia, thank him as well."
The woman sighed. "Why's it always gotta be me what fails t'talk t'people?"
"I've always been charismatic," Adalla said with a wink. "Elenwen and Runael both said I have a silver tongue. It takes practice, besides."
Mia sat down on an elevated wooden plank, and gave the space next to her a pat. "Well, we're 'bout t'do this. Ya really ready?"
"As long as we're together, we can accomplish anything," Adalla replied with a smile. "We broke a Thalmor blockade together; I think we can beat Miraak."
"...alla, wake up..." Her shoulder was being shaken. She groaned and rolled over a little.
"Oy, Adalla, don't roll-" She felt hands grab her roughly, and pull her onto her back. The sudden motion jerked her awake, and she sat upright quickly.
"Wha-"
"Ya were 'bout t'roll off the ship," Mia said with a sigh. "This ain't Skyrim, but I'd wager the water's colder 'cause it's further north."
Adalla squinted against the sun in the sky, coming close to sunset. The coast was thick with ash, and she was fairly certain ash hung in the air, as well. She glanced over her shoulder and felt her jaw drop.
Red Mountain was visible, smoke and ash all but billowing from it. It was still active, to an extent... not erupting, but active nonetheless. Her eyes flicked to the nearby coast once more.
"Well... here we are." Gjalund was speaking now. "We're approaching Raven Rock. I have to admit, I'm not all that glad to see it again... especially considering..." He sighed lightly. "Well, you two are here, so perhaps there's hope yet."
"Thank you, Captain." Adalla had awoken fully now, and was fully lucid as a result. "Will you be here a while longer?"
"I will. I've got a shipment for Raven Rock, and I won't be leaving until they pay me for it."
They all watched as the pier came into view. Adalla tensed a little. This was really happening. She and Mia were here, in Solstheim, to settle a grudge with the storied 'First Dragonborn'.
"Good luck, you two." Maybe you can both figure out what's going on around here... and put an end to it, as well." The Northern Maiden was coming closer to the pier now, and revealed the strange and unfamiliar architecture to Adalla. She'd only ever been to Alinor and Skyrim; Dunmeri architecture was... unusual to behold. Were the homes really that small, or was there something else to them that she wasn't aware of?
"Well... here we go, partner," Mia murmured, leaning against Adalla and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Whether we succeed or fall, we'll do it together."
The high elf nodded, and closed her eyes briefly. "So let's do this, and get back home. I already don't want to be here any longer than necessary."
She coughed violently to expel the frigid ocean water from her lungs, and crawled over the frigid northern coast of Solstheim. Already, she was trying to preserve what little warmth she had, and was losing it pretty quickly.
"D-dammit..." she murmured quietly. With a few more movements, she pulled herself completely out of the water. Her eyes flicked about for anything she could set aflame and warm herself with. There was the driftwood of the small craft she'd taken from Skyrim... but not much else. She bit her lower lip - a little too carelessly, as she drew blood while she shivered and her jaw chattered.
Still... it was better than nothing. She would have to make the driftwood last. She went for the pieces out in the water first, figuring she was already soaked; no sense grabbing the wood that had washed ashore and drying off, only to grab the rest of it and get wet again.
As she swam out, she thought back to all that had transpired in Skyrim. How much deception had she employed to hide the truth? How much secrecy did she employ to try and carry out her duties? As her fingers closed around the first of several pieces of driftwood, she wondered whether things were truly peaceful for them again.
She slipped from one piece of driftwood, and submerged underwater for a time. When she came back up, she gasped for air and swam back for the shore, bringing the driftwood with her. To Oblivion with it; she'd make do with what she'd gathered, and the driftwood on the coastline.
You have failed me.
The voice made her jump, but she didn't seem horrified. Instead, she shook her head.
'I had no-'
You had time to succeed where your peers failed, and yet you opted not to act. That is a choice.
'I haven't failed you! I can and will make this right!'
She is already here. If you are going to redeem yourself, you will do so with all due haste, and before she can disrupt everything.
The revelation that her mark was already present made her freeze, and not just because her clothes and her skin were wet and in the cold.
'I will make this right, m'lord, I promise you that.'
Succeed, and you will be rewarded. Fail again...
'I will not fail you, Lord Miraak. Have some faith in me for a change.'
You have done little to foster such faith from me... but against my better judgment, I shall hold out hope. Fail me at your own risk.
She focused a Flames spell through her hands and managed to catch the driftwood alight after some effort. She began to warm herself by the small fire she'd just created.
"I wish I were still a vampire..." Vernanye grumbled, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to preserve what little warmth she still had.
"I don't recognize either of you, so I'm going to assume this is your first visit to Raven Rock." A Dunmer in fine brown clothing stood at the pier and all but blocked their way to the rest of Raven Rock; the only places they had to go were the ship or the water. "State your intentions, outlanders."
"My name is Adalla, and this is my best friend, Mia. We're here to investigate a recent incident that involved us, back in Windhelm. Cultists came from Raven Rock to try and kill Mia." Adalla chose to take charge of the conversation, to ensure as effortless and as smooth a transition into their journey as possible.
"That doesn't explain-"
"Miraak," Mia said bluntly. "Know the name, and know where we can find him so we can bash his head in?"
"Miraak...? I... I'm not sure I do..."
"That... doesn't make-"
"Explain, dammit!" Mia snapped. "Do ya know the git or not?!"
The dark elf looked frustrated at her attitude. "I'm unsure. I know the name... but can't recall from where."
"That's not helpful, ya little shi-"
Adalla smacked Mia firmly in the chest with her hand. "What do you know about him, then?" she asked with civility.
"The... the only thing I know for certain is that it has something to do with the Earth Stone... but for the life of me, I couldn't say what."
"The Earth Stone?" Adalla asked.
"On the peninsula behind you." The elf pointed along the coastline, and to the stone glowing to the southwest. "In any event, you would both do well to remember this is Morrowind, not Skyrim. You will abide by our laws while you're here."
"Of course. Thank you for your help, mister...?"
"Adril Arano," he said with no small amount of pride. "Of House Redoran."
"Thanks for nothin'," Mia grumbled under her breath.
"Mia!" Adalla hissed under hers.
The Dunmer, fortunately, didn't seem to hear the woman's irritated comment.
"Well... I guess we'll have to ask around, then."
"Why do ya keep hittin' me?!" Mia growled to Adalla.
"Why do you keep being so blunt and rude?" the high elf replied.
"Why are people so useless?!" Mia retorted.
Adalla rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're rather judgmental lately."
Mia didn't respond. She was already heading into Raven Rock, pulling her cloak tight around her. Adalla mirrored the gesture, and followed Mia into the settlement.
Everyone they spoke with pointed them in the direction of the Earth Stone. With no other lead, the pair decided to investigate.
It was strange, seeing so many people around the stone; it was even stranger to find they were all doing... something. And it was stranger still...
"Here in his shrine..."
"That they have forgotten."
"Here do we toil."
"It's all so... strange," Adalla murmured. "What are they... chanting, I guess?"
Mia shrugged. "Beats me. Oy!" She stepped toward one female Dunmer, and gripped her shoulder firmly. "What y'all doin'-"
The woman ignored Mia, and moved away from her as if the woman hadn't gripped her shoulder so firmly. Mia went to repeat the gesture, but hesitated.
"Strange. She shrugged off Mia's 'death grip of doom'," Adalla mused.
"Aye... but it's more so the fact that she weren't all that bothered by it what gets me. She ain't even reactin'... just... workin', I guess, and chantin'."
Adalla stepped toward the large glowing stone. "Maybe we should take a closer look."
Mia nodded silently, and led the way. As she walked toward the stone, she couldn't help but feel as though the stone was... wrong. No... not the stone, but... something was wrong with the stone itself. She had no idea what was going on with it, but she knew it wasn't in its... 'natural state'.
They stopped a short distance from the stone. There was a Dunmer walking toward them now, wearing a red robe... wait, he was approaching them?
"You there... you two don't seem to be quite like the others here. Curious..." He peered at them closely. "What are you two doing here?"
"This here stone, or Solstheim in general?" Mia asked.
"Mia..."
"Both, I suppose." The Dunmer crossed his arms.
"Lookin' for some git named Miraak. We were told this stone were the best lead t'figure out what's goin' on here."
"Miraak... Miraak..." The Dunmer looked thoughtful for a time. "It's... familiar, but I can't place- oh, wait a moment, yes I can, but... hm, how very peculiar..." His brow furrowed. "Miraak's been dead for thousands of years."
"Horseshit," Mia growled. "The git sent cronies t'try and kill me and Adalla here. How could he do that if he were dead?"
The Dunmer looked amused at her reaction more than anything. "I'm not sure, but it's so very intriguing, isn't it? Maybe it has something to do with what's happening here... how very... unexpected. I can give you no solid answers, unfortunately... but there are ruins of an ancient temple that was once devoted to Miraak at the heart of the island. That's as good a place to look as any, yes?"
"Yeh, good point." Mia sighed, and looked to her right... to find Adalla was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah... I would advise against touching the stone," the Dunmer said, his attention diverted to the stone. Mia turned her attention to the stone as well - and felt her jaw drop.
Adalla was there, hand resting upon the stone now. She watched as her best friend, her partner, seemed to gasp...
"And when the world shall listen... and when the world shall see... and when the world remembers... that world will cease to be." The words that spilled from Adalla's lips now matched the chanting of the others surrounding the Earth Stone.
"What the-"
"Oh my." The Dunmer was approaching Adalla swiftly now. "It seems as though touching the stone pulls anyone under its sway."
"Adalla?" Mia said, sounding worried.
"I wonder if this is permanent? If not, how long will she be like this?"
"Adalla!" Mia cried out. "What are ya-"
"She's fallen under the stone's influence," the Dunmer said, turning his attention to Mia. "Now, nothing will break this 'spell' she's under. If such a thing existed, I'm sure the people here would be free of it."
"But... Adalla!" She rushed to her partner's side and grabbed her shoulder.
Just as the Dunmer from earlier had done, the high elf shrugged it off, and set off to start working on... whatever it was everyone else was working on.
"Curious... so very curious..." the male Dunmer murmured.
"What's goin' on with Adalla?!" Mia roared, her voice nearing hysteria.
"Calm down, woman. Such a temper... no wonder she prefers to speak for you."
"You little-"
"Ahem. I believe you have a temple to investigate? Don't worry about your friend here; she won't come to harm while she's here. None of them do. Besides, I'll be here watching the entire thing, so, in effect, I'll be watching her for you."
"That ain't comforting..." she muttered. She reached out for her partner again, and even tried to pick her up; to her surprise, Adalla slipped out of her hands effortlessly. There was no way she was going to actually grab Adalla now. "Adalla..." she whispered; her eyes were starting to line with moisture.
"You're not so hopeless without her, are you?" he mused.
"She's my partner and best friend, ya git," she snapped. "I been through a lot with her by now. I ain't gonna just..."
"If you stay here and wait for her, you'll be waiting until this shrine they're building is done... and possibly even beyond that. I get the feeling the temple will be a better place for you to spend your time; you may even find a way to reverse this."
Mia cast one last, forlorn look at Adalla, who was starting to haul a stone in her arms. "Wait for me, Adalla," she whispered. "I'll save ya from this, I promise." With one last gaze at the high elf, she turned away and set off for Raven Rock once more.
Alone, this time. She hoped it would be the last time she ever had to leave Adalla behind like this.
A.N. - And now, on with the post-chapter Author's Note. Which, from here on out, there will only ever be.
On the whole, I wasn't too pleased with this chapter. I feel like it could have been far stronger than it is. Even so, I didn't feel like rewriting the entire thing, and had begun writing the second chapter almost immediately after this one had been finished; if I'd changed the first, I'd have had to change the second.
Separating Mia from Adalla. This decision was actually very easy for me to accept, and even easier for me to pull off. They're going to be separated for a little while yet, too, though this decision was made, mostly, so I could show that Mia can actually hold her own alone. Besides, the opportunities in Flames to view things from Mia's perspective - and perceive her character as such - were few and far between.
Vernanye. The missing elder sister from Flames makes a (possibly very startling) return in the first chapter of I Am Dragonborn - and reveals who her master is. She will play a great part in this story - not as an ally, per se, but ultimately as an enemy. I tried foreshadowing her intentions in the later chapters of Flames, especially when she tries to force Mia and Adalla apart (and fails, obviously) - and thus, make Mia that much easier to take out - and wonder if I succeeded in that regard. Her plans for Mia and Solstheim on the whole are not good, either, obviously... ;)
So non-story related stuff for a bit.
Apparently, attacking a Stormcloak Courier in Imperial-controlled territory can and will give you a bounty in the hold. Seems legit. I made this chuckle-inducing discovery yesterday, when I was playing a new character for 'research' purposes. (I'm contemplating a Dawnguard storyline, and was curious as to the perspective of 'what happens when a normal vampire wants to side with the Volkihar vampires?') To that end, I created a new character with a racial mod - Tideborn. I can go on and on about how crazy I am about this race's natural affinities - and ability to breathe underwater - plus, elven model, ultimately - but I won't. Instead, I'm going to say that something has gone horribly wrong with my plan.
Apparently, there's a mod conflict somewhere, and I'm not sure what mod is responsible... but my Tideborn 'normal' vampire cannot feed to reset vampirism to normal levels. In theory, I could Calm/Vampire's Seduction my way through the first few opening Dawnguard quests (I had fun using Calm on a carriage driver and buying a ride from Whiterun to Markarth, at that), but I don't know if Calm on its own would last long enough for it to be feasible in some of the longer conversations. True, my Tideborn has been working her Illusion skill (Muffle is amazing for rapid leveling of it, I've found), but that whole 'time limit' thing... not fun.
As of now, I'm wondering if it's just a conflict with the Tideborn mod. My other in-game vampire, Runael, hasn't fed in gods-know-how-long, but she's a Vampire Lord anyway, so she doesn't need to in order to avoid being attacked. I could check and see that way, I suppose. I could alternately create and have another character contract vampirism, as well. Still, considering I spent the bulk of my day playing the Tideborn character (I finished Vaermina, Meridia and Clavicus Vile's quests, and was in the middle of Mehrunes Dagon's quest, as well - so I kept busy!), it would feel like a waste to just... start a new Tideborn character and be careful not to contract Sanguinaire Vampiris. If it's not the Tideborn mod, though, that leave me wondering what mod it IS... because I have so many, and haven't fed as a vampire in... months, at least. Not since I cured Mia of her vampirism (the eyes on Mia's race just looked dull, and I wanted those lovely blue eyes again anyway); she'd been blood-starved, and Falion won't cure you if you're blood-starved.
Anyway, rant off. Leave a review and let me know what you thought of IAD's first chapter!
-Spiritslayer