Chapter 1- The Breton Prisoner

The wind whistled through the window at the top of the wall in the rear of the cell and chilled the entire room. Sprawled on the floor, in the middle of the room was a girl. Her brunette hair fell over her face and shoulders. Her clothes, loose on her lanky body, were as dirty as her skin was pale. It was as if she had been here long enough to shed both colour and body mass from her already gaunt frame. She moved slightly and licked her cracked lips.
"Wake up" hissed a voice from the cell across the way. The girl sprang into a crouch before she could even comprehend being too sore to make her muscles move. Her vision swam a little and she was breathless at the magic that moved her. She welcomed the practiced move but had no memory of where it had come from. Staring at her surroundings, she was painfully aware of the grimy sack cloth grey shirt and bile green pants on her body. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she shook her head. That was a mistake, as a fresh wave of nausea washed over her. She didn't know what was worse – the pain in her head, or what currently passed for her clothes. Through gritted teeth, she took a breath, focused and studied her surroundings. Both the walls and floor were made out of light grey stone and there was a wooden table to the left of the window, at the top of the wall, complete with a ceramic jug, cup and a stool to match the table. She raised herself to full height and walked to the table. She gingerly picked up the pitcher. It was empty, except for the dust that it had gathered. She put it back down, leaving dirty finger prints behind.
"Hey! You!" the forgotten voice said again and she walked carefully up to the gate that separated her from freedom and peered through it. "Yes, you! Pale skin, snotty expression… You're a Breton! The masters of magicka, right?"1 she stared at the man in the opposite room silently. She studied his blue-purple tinted skin and pointed ears. He wore a smug and slightly disgusted expression when looking at her. She lifted her arms and held the bars on the gate. She mentally acknowledged the muscle tone, strong but still feminine. Her arms were lit with an orange hue from the flickering torches in the corner of the hall way outside her cell. "You're nothing but a false magician with an empty hat; I'd love to see you pull one of your disappearing tricks in here? No? Open the gate then with your astounding powers" he said smirking in the dim light. The Breton looked down at her hands. They were strong hands – probably strong enough to crack that fool's neck but were they full of magic as he has said? She took them off the gate and flicked them at the bars. The bars never moved but pain clenched her gut and filled her lungs with fire. Sweat beaded on her brow and trickled down her face.
"No, no, no" she managed to get out. Her voice cracked and she winced at the pain it caused her to speak.
"No? What's the matter? Not so powerful now, are you Breton? You're an embarrassment to your kind, and guess what? You're going to die in here… That's right; they'll be sweeping your bones out of here, but only when the rats have finished with you." The stranger spoke up again, this time taunting her with a cynical laugh. Rage seared through her veins. She had just about had enough of this fool, she thought as her fists clenched at her sides. Heat emanated from her hands and the next thing she knew, her hands had combusted and flames were licking her fingers and the edge of the gate. The sensation cleared her mind a little and she smiled in the red light of her fire. The creature's smile dropped slightly from his lips and he instinctively took half a step backwards.

"Nasty little Dark Elf aren't you?" she teased, her voice sounding clearer and more confident.
"It's Dunmer you uncultured vermin" he growled and she extinguished her fire. Before either one of them could speak again a door slammed shut and the sound of metal feet hitting the floor filled the room. They jumped and the Dunmer smiled. "They're coming for you Breton" he said as he walked backwards to the back of his cell. The girl's breathing grew sharp, but she focused on the sounds outside her cell.
"My sons? Are they..?" came a voice, he sounded old, maybe middle aged.
""We don't know Sire. The messenger said they were attacked, but nothing else" the second speaker was female and she spoke with authority, but with respect.
"No, I can feel it… they're gone" elderly man said, his voice full of sorrow. The Breton listened harder, pressing her ear to the gate, but jumped back suddenly when she caught sight of a man in full body armour. She stared at his helm, grey in colour and made out of iron, with a golden thin piece of metal running from the nose piece over the top to the back. There was a T-shaped gap where his eyes and mouth were visible. There were seven pleats in his breast-plate and arms each decorated with a small rectangle of gold iron. Covering the chainmail he wore on his legs, was a gold pelvic plate. It was attached to the breast-plate with teal strips of iron. His boots where heavy and matched the rest of his armour and they made a clinking sound when he and his fellow guards walked. He held his right hand on the katana, sheathed in his belt.
"My job right now is to get you to safety"2 the female guard said as she, the guard who arrived first, another male, and the elderly man stood in front of the gate. The female wore a white cape that just touched the back of her heels. The Breton was sure that it was purely decorative – who could fight in a cape that long? "What in the name of the Nine is this prisoner doing in here? This cell is supposed to be off limits"
"Usual mix up, sorry Captain Renault, there was…" one of the men tried to think of an excuse but before he could he was interrupted.
"Just get the gate open" the Breton looked up at the one who was called Captain Renault, sizing her up. Renault was a good head taller than she and obviously this man was in her command. Two on one – not bad odds.
"Get over by that wall" the guard said pointing to the space under the window, "stay out of the way." The girl complied, walked backwards so as to not lose sight of Renault and her guard. The breeze from outside sent ice down her spine and made her shiver. They all entered the room and she got a clear look at the old man. He was wearing a bright purple robe and his hair was silver and well groomed.
"Kneel, prison scum, you're in the presence of Uriel Septim, Emperor of Tamriel." The guard barked. The girl went to kneel – she didn't recognise the name or title but it didn't hurt to play accommodating. The Emperor raised his hand.
"Not necessary Baurus; Let me see your face" he said, his eyes bored a hole in the top of her head. The guard bowed his head and stepped back. She raised her head and the Emperor's eyes widened.
"You… I've seen you… you are the one from my dreams… then the stars were right, this is the day, Gods give me strength"3. The Breton raised her eyebrows at the Emperor.
'Would it be disrespectful to suggest that his majesty might have a few screws loose?' she thought looking from the Emperor to Renault and Baurus the guard.
"Forgive me if this offends you Sire, but which cryptic riddle was I supposed to decode first?" she asked.
"Sire, there isn't any time. We must keep moving" Captain Renault said and the Emperor nodded.
"Yes, you are right, now that the Oblivion gate had been opened; we are all in grave danger." The Emperor said solemnly.
"Sorry, did you just say the Oblivion gate is open? The portal to the Deadlands where Mehrunes Dagon is?" The Breton directed her question at the Captain this time in the hopes of actually getting an answer. She was bone-achingly tired, filthy and would slay all three of them for a cool ale. She steeled her shoulders for the blow that usually accompanied her outspoken nature. "By the Gods, you sit in a jail for who knows how long and the whole world falls apart. Where are we going anyways?" The Emperor was still looking at her. A smiled crinkled at the corner of his mouth, like somehow he thought she had done something cute – now she was really annoyed.
"The Blades are accompanying me through the passageway in this cell. At the end, there is a shrine of Akatosh where my amulet will create a portal to my last living heir. Once there, we will get to safety" the Emperor explained and indicated to the wall on his left. Captain Renault pushed one of the panels on the wall and the stones fell away revealing a passageway. The walls, though flattened were bare earth and it led into darkness. Renault and the Emperor stepped through as Baurus shut the cell's gate with a loud clang.
"Come on girly", he said pushing the Breton between the shoulder blades towards the opening. She took a final look at the elf in the cell across the way and with a wink she joined the others in the tunnel.

T he walls were damp and smelt of decaying plants and animal excrement – it was oddly familiar to the girl. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she noticed that the tunnel winded and twisted around corners. As she walked, she kept one hand on the wall, hoping that she wouldn't come across something not dirt. She felt Baurus' breath on the back of her neck, hot and smelling of stale onion. It was beginning to grate on her nerves. Just as she was about to scream with frustration, the tunnel opened up into a huge atrium. Stone pillars held up the roof. A giant stone alter rose from the floor in the centre of the room. An inscription circled the edge.
"Akatosh…" the girl mumbled and Captain Renault turned to her,
"How can you read that writing, prisoner?" her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The girl looked around the room, ignoring the Captain. There were five other engravings on the walls.
"Look" she pointed to each one, "Azura, Hircine, Sanguine, Namira, and… Sheogorath" she turned to the Emperor who was being stared at by the Blades. "What do they mean?"
"One carving for each Daedric Prince and the one on the alter for the King of the Gods, Akatosh. The prophecy states that…" before the Emperor could finish Baurus had opened a portal in the middle of the room. It swirled and blue light consumed the room.
"I'll go first to make sure the way is clear." Captain Renault said and she stepped through, drawing her sword. The portal shimmered as her body disrupted it's surface and then became still once she had passed through. The Emperor moved toward the light.
"Are you sure you want to go next, Sire?" Baurus asked and the Emperor looked back at him.
"I'm sure, Lieutenant, if there was any problem Captain Renault would have come back and warned us.
"Wait, your highness, I need to confirm something. You said the Oblivion gate is open, well why hasn't anyone gone in and closed it? The gate stops the foulest of creatures from escaping, if it's open, are they not running rampant through Tamriel?" The girl asked before the Emperor disappeared.
"My child, it is my destiny or my son's destiny to close the gate, as our blood is the key. It must be us… or….well, it must be us" the Emperor winked and with that he walked slowly through the portal leaving only Baurus and the girl.
"You're next", he said nodding at the portal, "go ahead prisoner." but she didn't move. She didn't know why, but all her senses were tingling and the hairs on her arms were standing on end. She decided to go with her gut – it hadn't failed her yet.
"Something's wrong" she flicked both her wrists and once again her hands were ablaze. She jumped through the portal. It took seconds to reach the other side and when she did, absolute mayhem was waiting for her. She quickly studied her surroundings, looking at the burning farm houses first and people fighting armoured men. These men, their armour was demonic, black steel running from their foot to naval, leaving a gap going up the sides of the waist, covered by red cloth. The ebony armour ran up the middle of the waist and spread out at the shoulders where it continued to their collarbone. She stared as one man moved towards her, his face covered by the same material as the rest of the armour. It was held in place by a red wrap that covered the top and sides of his head. Paralyzed, she stared into the stranger's eyes. The mask seemed to radiate dark magic. He swung his axe at her and inches from her face it hit a long steel sword.
"Go!" yelled Baurus who had just come through the portal, he was holding off the stranger. The girl spotted the Emperor lying about a meter away. She started to move over to him. From the corner of her eye she saw the armour ripple and change. She gasped in surprise – enchanted. Who were these guys? Another man ran at her, his armour rippled and for a moment every nerve in her brain screamed freeze. She might have done just that but her natural instincts kicked in and she shook her head. She flicked her wrists at the soldier and fire spewed from her hands. It took hold of the man in front of her and moved to the one fighting Baurus. She sidled passed the men, smelling the stink of burning flesh. She heard one of them call for Dagon to take them to the afterlife. She wished him a swift trip as she reached the Emperor. She bent down, extinguished her hands, and put one of them an inch away from his face.
"No breath" the girl thought and she looked around for the woman Renault. She was lying face down, sword drawn, in a pool of her own blood. The girl ran over and picked up Captain Renault's katana. She turned to face the armageddon. She swung her sword at oncoming armoured men and ducked the balls of electricity they shot at her. She saw Baurus fighting two of the armoured men and another small-ish man raging his own battle against three. She grunted with respect – she thought Baurus might have succumbed by now. The girl took another look at the other man. His armour did not appear to be enchanted like the others – her eyes widened – an Imperial! His skin darker than hers and hair darker than night, she would have known his kind anywhere. His eyes were pale green. His clothes were meant for peasants, but he fought like a soldier. She rushed over to him and they stood back-to-back.
"I'll cover you!" she shouted over the pandemonium. She sliced through one of the armoured attackers and as he crumpled, a red cloud covered him. When it dissipated he was left in a crimson, hooded robe. All of a sudden the air sizzled and the armoured warriors disappeared. Exhausted, the girl turned to face the man behind her. His eyes widened and his face lit up.
"Amara, saviour of Morrowind and destroyer of Amalexia" he knelt on one knee and bowed his head respectfully. Her head began to clear. Her grip on the sword relaxed as she stared at the Imperial.
"Woah, Woah, you know me?" Amara said and the man lifted his head staring at her with his emerald eyes.
"Of course! I'm sorry, where are my manners? I am Nicoli Vitellius, son of Rufus. My daughter, Ava, went on the same quest as you. She….she… didn't make it…" Nicoli's eyes filled with sorrow and he bowed his head again.
"I'm so sorry. Please, get up, I won't ask a man who just fought to protect his home to kneel for me" Amara said as Baurus approached the two.
"Where is Martin Septim?" he demanded and he looked at Nicoli.
"By the Gods, you didn't know. He's dead, I'm so sorry." he said bowing his head. He started brushing the dirt on his pants off, "there are more things I need to tell you, but not out here, the eyes of Dagon are everywhere" he began to walk towards a stone building. Amara and Baurus followed the little man with caution. They walked inside to find weapons hanging on the walls and armour sitting beside anvils and furnaces. There was a painting on the wall, above the dining table, of a girl, no younger than Amara standing next to a man. She took a closer look and recognized the man as a much younger Nicoli. "Come, come." Nicoli waved them up a large set of wooden stairs, in the middle of the room. Baurus and Amara followed him up and into an annex that was clearly his living quarters. "The Blade first" Nicoli said and Amara's focus was drawn to an open door to the right. Baurus looked at Amara. She walked back over to the top of the stairs – she didn't like it but it seemed that no-one had followed them. She nodded and Baurus went inside. She waited, never taking her focus off the entrance – no-one else needed to die today.
"Come" Nicoli gestured through the open door. "Sit, please" Nicoli said nodding to the empty chair. He had left the door open. Baurus sat at the wooden dining table in the living room. Amara stepped through the threshold and stayed where she was. Nicoli pulled out a scroll and unrolled it on the table top. "The Emperor and his son are dead, this was the failsafe, should that have ever happened. It states that five heroes of noble heart can take the place of the Emperor's bloodline in closing the Oblivion gate in the Deadlands." He looked at the scroll and Amara shifted to face the table.
"What's going on?" she asked
"Let me read you the prophecy first and then I'll explain everything…" Nicoli took a ragged breath. "Five heroes lead by one, the time of Deadlands has begun, Madness wins but at a cost, the battle's won all but one is lost. Shadow rises to the cause, Tamriel in Dagon's claws, the wolf howls at fire beneath, a hero battles a circle of grief." He folded the paper and looked at Amara.
"…and this has something to do with me?" she said looking at the piece of paper. She couldn't really see how she was connected to a world so clearly not her own.
"Yes… w…well I believe that you are the one to lead the heroes. You have to search four plains of Oblivion for the other four heroes who are stuck in quests given to them by a Daedric Prince. You also have one yourself, but that comes later. The Deadlands, as you should know, belong to Mehrunes Dagon and he is coming with his army to take over all of Tamriel. Now, I'm pretty sure Shadow has something to do with maybe Namira, Prince of Nightmares, but I'm not sure." Nicoli explained and Amara sighed.
"And here I thought I was done being the pawn of the Princes" she thought and Nicoli continued.
"Unfortunately, I'm not certain what the third line means, Madness wins but at a cost, and the fourth line, well…" he stopped speaking. Amara picked up the paper with the prophesy on it.
"We're going to win, but one of us is going to die…" the room filled with a feeling of uneasiness.
"Anyway, the rest is pretty unclear. I'm sure the hero surrounded by grief in self explanatory" Nicoli broke the tension, "Here, take this." He handed Amara a brown backpack. It was old but well oiled. "and a map of Tamriel. The pack is enchanted, but there is a limit to what you can put into it. Now, your weapon?"
"Hold up", Amara brings her hand up between them in a stop motion. "Questions need answering. Number one, who were those people who killed the Emperor?" Amara pauses as Nicoli sighs, his shoulders dropping slightly.
"They are called the Mythic Dawn, they are followers of the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. They were sent to kill both the Emperor and his son" he explained walking to the window at the opposite of the room. Amara got up and followed him. She stared out the window at the burning buildings and bodies strewn around in the dirt.
"My second question is, why me? Haven't I done enough?" she had pulled Nicoli's attention away from the window.
"You saved us once. What we're facing must be worse than what we think if the 9 Divines have asked for your help once more" he said and they walked away from the window. Amara's noticed a shelf behind the table. Upon it lay a black bow with matching arrows, a steel sword, and an axe. She stepped around the table and picked up the bow. It felt light in her hands. Nicoli smiled and handed her the arrows.
"Thank you" she said slinging the arrows over her back. It felt more comfortable than she would have liked. Her fingers twitched with familiarity. The bow was her weapon of choice and it had saved her on more than one occasion. She had killed Amalexia for Azura and yet Mehrunes Dagon still prevailed. With a sigh she brought her head up and nodded as if in consent.
"One more thing child" he said and he moved to open a nearby chest. He picked up a leather aubergine hood.
"What's that?" Amara looked at the hood.
"It's enchanted armour. Once put on, it'll hide you from on-lookers and pesky guards." Nicoli explained and he handed Amara the hood.
"Enchanted? Like the armour the Mythic Dawn wore?" she thought running her hands over it. "Those Mythic Dawn, they had enchanted armour too, right?"
"Aye, but nothing like this. They were full of dark magic… following that sorry excuse for a Daedric Prince… never in my day…." He trailed off muttering something Amara couldn't hear.
"Why are you giving it to me?" she raised her eyebrows watching him as he mumbled away.
"Hmmm? Oh, right, yes, the armour. I was asked to give it to you for your first quest, by those who are willing to help" he said and he walked to the door. "I shall notify one of my maidservants to run a bath for you. Once you are cleaned, there will be a hot meal and cold ale waiting for you." Amara smiled. Just thinking about the food made her stomach cry out.

She sat back down and waited for Nicoli – not that there was anything wrong with waiting, she was so tired from the fight – from all her fights. Would the Gods never let her rest?
"Come, it's ready" Nicoli came back. Amara stumbled to the furthest room in the house. It was dark with only three candles. The bath was in the middle of the room. The floor was cold as she slipped off her sandals. She nodded her thanks to Nicoli as he handed her a rough cloth to dry herself on. As soon as he left, she removed her prison rags and ran her hand over the surface of the water in the bath. Steam particles hung just above the water telling her it was warm. A warm bath! Amara couldn't help but groan with pleasure as she sank into the tub. Her muscles relaxed as she took the scrubbing brush from the side of the tub. Next to it was a small green bar. Cautiously she sniffed the bar and was surprised to smell mint and flowers. Soap! She chuckled – well, being the saviour had to have some perks!
Once she was clean, she pulled the hood on over her still wet hair as she walked back into the main room. Nicoli waited for her at a long table. Baurus was already eating – juice of some kind glistened on his chin. As Amara sat at the table, Nicoli placed a plate in front of her. It smelled divine. She gave a brief nod of thanks to Nicoli and began to placate her stomach. The chicken was crispy and the potatoes were salty – she was in culinary heaven. Nicoli waited until she had cleaned most of her plate. He refilled her ale and looked at her. His pale green eyes told her she was done with relaxing.
"Your mission Amara, is to seek out the shrine of Sanguine. When he appears to you, offer him brandy of the Gods. You'll find I have already packed some in the bag." He said sitting in the chair next to Amara. "If he accepts this offering, he will tell you how to find the first of your lost companions". Amara stared at Nicoli and then at the food. She knew of Sanguine – he was the Daedric Prince she liked the least. He hated mortals and made it his daily fun to torment as many as he could. He wasn't really evil but he was an annoying little sod. She sighed resigned and picked up the mug of ale. She put it to her lips – the coldness of the drink eased past her cracked lips. The moment the drink was gone she looked back at her plate. A small cheese wheel and grapes were all that were left. "Cheese… especially in the form of a wheel… something about it makes me feel more aware, less… what's the word…" she started to say,
"Hungry?" Baurus finished her sentence, licking his fingers.
"…Weak" she smiled. She placed a cheese wedge in her mouth in her mouth, feeling its properties restoring her as she rolled it around with her tongue.
Nicoli picked up his own cup of ale. "There is naught else I can tell you lass", he said raising the cup to his lips. Amara nodded, this was the way of all quests. Information didn't just come neatly wrapped in a calf skin, it was given to her in bits and pieces for her to figure out.

She shoved the last few pieces of cheese and grapes into her mouth – she didn't look very ladylike doing it, but she didn't really care at that point.
"Thank you Nicoli, for your kindness" she said swallowing the last of her meal, knowing it might a long while to the next one and rising to her feet.
"I should be the one thanking you, you saved us once and now you'll do it again. I have faith in you" he said rising to take her hand in his.
"What if I don't prevail and save everyone?" she thought looking at his weathered hands cradling her own. Baurus belched and the moment was gone. Nicoli chuckled, "You must be tired… please sleep here for the night. Begin your quest tomorrow" he offered. Amara hadn't thought about how tired she still was until Nicoli said the words. She stumbled and Baurus caught her. She looked at him with surprise – her captor who was now her ally. She wondered briefly how much she could trust him.
"Sleep… sleep sounds good." She was led into a small bedroom. The sheets were a pale pink and there was a dagger on the wooden table beside the bed.
"Ava's room. I didn't want to move anything…" Nicoli's voice was quiet, but his pain darkened his eyes.
"Thank you, again." Nicoli didn't answer her. It was too painful for him to be in the room. He left without another word. "I'll be just outside the door" Baurus' voice was quiet. Amara lay down on the bed and rested her head on the pillow. Without another thought, she fell asleep.