Rating: This story is rated T for violence and some language.

Disclaimer: Morrowind is the property of Bethesda Game Studios.

I stood in the middle of a field of ashes, surrounded on all sides by twisted plants and sharp black rocks. Dust and ashes whipped around me in the howling wind. I raised an arm in an attempt to shield my face. From somewhere in the midst of the gale I heard a woman's voice, slow and serene. Her words were soft, but I heard them as clearly as if she whispered them into my ear.

"They have taken you from the Imperial City's prison, first by carriage and now by boat, to the east. To Vvardenfell," she said to me. "Fear not, for I am watchful."

I turned around, looking for any sign of the speaker. As I did, the scene changed. The wind died. In its absence the ashes fell back to the ground. Above, the sky was dark and full of stars. I heard distant thunder.

"Wake up. We're here. Why are you shaking? Are you okay?"

As rain began to fall, the sky rippled and turned into the inky-black sea. The only light came from a single moon. Silver. Why was there only Secunda? A star grew brighter in the darkness beside it, becoming almost blinding, when—

"Wake up!"

I started awake. Over my head I saw a ceiling of dark wooden planks. For a moment I struggled to remember where I was. Then it came back to me. The Imperial prison. The hasty removal from my cell and transport to a ship. A ship that had, based on the lessened rocking motions beneath me, finally stopped.

Ah.

I blinked and my gaze finally came to rest on the Dunmer hovering over me. The one who woke me. He was bald, heavily scarred, and clad only in a pair of tattered trousers. The worried light in his one good eye seemed to soften when he saw that I was awake.

"There you go," he said in that same rough voice that had cut through the vision. When I did little more than stare up at him, he explained, "You were dreaming."

"Of course," I murmured. It had not felt like a dream at the time. It had seemed... too real. Too tangible, perhaps. I could almost still feel the rain on my skin, and the echo of the woman's voice still hummed softly in my ears. My nose twitched at the lingering, musty scent of the billowing ash.

When I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position on my hammock, the Dunmer carefully backed away to sit on a nearby crate. He leaned forward, resting gray elbows on dirty knees, and studied me.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Talise."

"Jiub." He paused and added in a quieter voice, "I heard them say we've reached Vvardenfell. I'm sure they'll let us go." Before I could utter another word, he glanced back toward the doorway and held a finger to his chapped lips. "Quiet. Here comes the guard."

I listened as well. There was the sound of heavy boots approaching, setting the wood planks of the floor creaking with every step. An armored Imperial appeared in the doorway a moment later. His steely gaze immediately turned upon me.

"This is where you get off," he said. "Come with me."

I got to my feet. My legs were unsteady beneath me, but I remained upright. After wiping a bit of grime from my cheek, I followed the guard out with my head held high. He led me through the hold of the ship, which creaked and groaned around us. In the shadowed recesses I spotted other prisoners watching me with wary or resentful gazes. Heart pounding, I willed myself to keep my own gaze trained forward.

The guard stopped beneath a ladder and nodded to the open trapdoor overhead, saying, "Get yourself up on deck, and let's keep this as civil as possible."

Without a word, I climbed up the ladder and pushed open the trapdoor. I squinted, temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight. There was the sound of waves hitting the side of the prison ship and lapping against the nearby shore. The scent of brine and dirt and mold filled the air. When my eyes adjusted, I saw muddy banks and tall trees draped with heavy veils of moss. The ship was docked at a small town built on the edge of the shore. It was Imperial in style, judging by the look of the visible buildings.

"This is where they want you," a uniformed Redguard told me. "Head down to the dock and a guard will show you to the Census Office."

He indicated the gangway and I stepped down it, mindful of the way the tide made the boat sway beneath my feet. Sure enough, there was a guard waiting for me at the dock itself. The Imperial practically towered over me as he looked down, first at me, then back at the papers in his hands.

"So, you've finally arrived. Follow me to the office and they'll finish your release."

He led me to the stout building placed at the end of the dock. A stone wall blocked off the rest of the village. The guard stopped and pulled the door open.

"Go on in," he said, nodding to the interior.

I did, stepping into the office on the other side. A dark fireplace took up most of one wall, and beside it was a set of shelves filled with books and ornamental plates. Yet another guard stood watch by the only other door in the room. A Breton with a bushy white mustache sat behind the wooden desk, his quill scratching on a piece of paper. He looked up when I entered and pushed his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose.

"Ah, yes. We've been expecting you." He cleared his throat and pulled out a different paper from the stack beside him, one that I noticed already had something written on it. "You'll have to be recorded before you're officially released. Now then, your name is Talise, correct?"

"Yes."

His quill pen scratched. "And what was your prior occupation?"

"I–"

The smell of ozone as lightning arced from my fingers. The bite of a longsword through flesh straight to the bone. The overwhelming roar of the crowd.

"Yes? Speak up."

"I was a Spellsword."

He made a thoughtful sound in the back of his throat and kept writing. "The letter that preceded you mentioned that you were born under a certain sign. What would that be?"

"The Tower. I was born on the third of Frostfall, 352."

"Interesting." More scratching. He set the quill back in the inkpot and pushed the parchment toward me. "Now, before I stamp these papers, make sure this information is correct."

I looked it over.

For release, by Emperor Uriel Septim VII's decree, to the district of Vvardenfell in the province of Morrowind.

Name: Talise

Race: Wood Elf

Birthdate: 3rd Frostfall, 3E 352

Former Occupation: Spellsword

Signed,

Socucius Ergalla

Agent of the Seyda Neen Imperial Census and Excise

16th of Last Seed, 3E 427

When I nodded, the Breton took it back and stamped it with a wax seal. Handing it back to me, he said in a bored voice, "Show your papers to the captain when you exit to get your release fee."

I scooped it up with a nod and turned toward the other door. There, the guard used a key to unlock it.

"Continue through to the next building and talk to Sellus Gravius," he told me.

I stepped through the doorway and into the hallway beyond. Turning right, I walked through another small room and out into a courtyard. Over the stone wall that surrounded it, I saw the mast of the ship I arrived in. On the other side of the courtyard, as the guard said, was another building. Opening the door, I stepped inside.

The building housed a second office. A weary-eyed man in Imperial armor sat behind the desk, leaning against his elbows. The captain the Breton and the guard spoke of, I supposed. He immediately straightened when he saw me enter.

Before I could utter a single word, he held out one large, callused hand and said, "First, let me take your identification papers."

I silently handed them to him and he looked them over. Then he nodded and set them down on his desk.

"Thank you. Word of your arrival only reached me yesterday. I am Sellus Gravius, and I am here to welcome you to Morrowind." He sighed and, as if to stave off any questions, added, "I don't know why you're here, or why you were released from prison and shipped here, but your authorization comes directly from Emperor Uriel Septim the Seventh himself. I don't need to know any more than that. When you leave this office, you are a free womer. But, before you go, I have instructions on your duties. They're from the Emperor, so pay careful attention."

I had not heard anything about any "duties." Then again, I was told very little before I arrived.

"What sort of duties?" I asked him.

The captain reached beneath his desk. "This package came with the news of your arrival." He placed a rectangular package sealed with the Imperial Dragon crest on the desk, along with a letter and a purse, and pushed them toward me. "You are to take it to Caius Cosades, in the city of Balmora. Go to the South Wall Cornerclub and ask for him — they'll know where to find him. Serve him as you would serve the Emperor himself. I also have a letter for you, and a disbursal to your name."

"Thank you. If I may ask, how do I get to Balmora from here?" I asked as I gathered the items into my arms.

"It's north of here. The road out passes Pelagiad village and Fort Pelagiad, passes Fort Moonmoth, then turns west across the Odai River and into Balmora." He hesitated. "But take my advice. Since you're new here, take the silt strider to Balmora instead. It's fast, cheap, and much safer than walking. Cross the bridge and head east. You can't miss it."

I thanked him again and, still carrying the items he had given me, stepped out through the office's door.

It let out onto Seyda Neen's main street. As I'd noticed before, the buildings were all made in a typically Imperial style, with stone walls and thatched roofs. Open wooden shutters allowed what little breeze there was into the houses on either side. Beyond the main street I walked down, I saw more houses closer to the water. Those were smaller, made of wood, and had a run-down look about them. In the distance I saw the top of a stone lighthouse.

As instructed, I crossed the bridge on the far side of town, passing by the last few houses at the very edge, and headed east up the road toward the morning sun. To my left was nothing save for twisted trees and thick marshes dotted with mushrooms. Ahead, I saw a tall wooden platform with stairs leading up to it. And on the other side…

I stopped.

The creature let out a rumbling cry that echoed through the morning air. It was several stories tall and stood on several stilt-like limbs that almost seemed too spindly to support it. Its body was covered with a thick, hard carapace the color of dry earth. At the top, the shell was partially hollowed out with some sort of cavity. A canvas awning covered the cavity's back half and lanterns hung out from poles hooked to its shell. A short bridge led from the platform out to it. I stared up, feeling stunned. Was that the "silt strider" the captain told me to find? My transport to the city of Balmora? It was an insect.

I certainly wasn't in Cyrodiil any longer.

I blinked and shook my head before ascending the stairs to the top of the platform. A Dunmer waited at the top, leaning against a post. She was dressed in loose clothing that might have been brightly colored if not for the heavy coating of dust. Her hair, like mine, was dark and cropped short.

"Good day, outlander," she said. "I'm the caravaner, and I manage this silt strider. Tell me your destination, and I'll tell you if I can help you."

"You travel to Balmora, yes?" I asked.

She nodded. "I do, along with Vivec, Gnisis, and Suran."

"Just Balmora is fine."

"All right. It's fifteen drakes for the trip."

Drakes. Septims. Gold. I adjusted my grip on the items in my arms, fished the necessary coins out of the pouch, and handed them to her. The womer counted them out before gesturing to the silt strider.

"Hop into the compartment there and we can get going," she said.

I passed her, walked over the bridge, and climbed into the compartment. A worn yet clean rug was spread out over the bottom. I sat down on it cross-legged and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the way my skin crawled. For the moment, all I needed to do was push the feelings of discomfort aside. I would find a way to deal with all of this later.

Eventually I heard a creaking sound and opened my eyes to see the caravaner climbing into the compartment.

"Seems it's just you today," she said absently. "It's always slow during this season, so there's not really any sense in waiting for anyone else to show up. Let's be off."

Dusk was settling in when I finally arrived at Balmora. The silt strider port there was larger than the one we'd left behind in Seyda Neen. Large enough that another of the creatures was already waiting there and it seemed as if there might still be room for a third. After the caravaner set up the ladder and bridge, I stepped out onto the stone platform. An evening breeze blew past, ruffling my curls as I looked down at the city below.

Plaster-walled buildings lined the winding streets, which led down to a dark river that cut the city in half. Brightly colored awnings covered many of the flat rooftops. Lanterns hung everywhere, warding off the deepening shadows. Tall, rectangular towers stood like imposing guardians in the city's corners.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of earth and smoke, before setting off again.

The South Wall Cornerclub was, as to be expected, built against the city's southern wall on the other side of the river. The mud-brick building stood several floors high, but with squat levels. A tattered flag decorated with an image of some kind of insect hung outside. I grabbed the tarnished handle, pulled open the front door, and stepped inside.

I noticed the tavern's wary atmosphere about it from the moment I entered, emphasized by the dim lighting and the narrowed gaze of the patrons as they watched me pass by. A Nord woman with cropped brown hair and a pale, drawn face. A Bosmer with knotted blond locks and sunken eyes. I felt a faint shudder run down my spine.

When I rounded the corner, I saw two people ahead, both of them leaning over a table set into the corner and arguing in an undertone. The first was an Altmer with a dirty-blond braid that hung down his back. He towered over his companion, who was at least a head shorter than he was. She was pale, skinny, and her long red hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck.

When the mer stopped talking with a distinct frown in my direction, she looked over at me as well. Her gaze was the same sharp gray as a steel blade.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"I'm looking for a man named Caius Cosades."

"That old sugar tooth?" the Altmer cut in with a perplexed look.

When I nodded, the woman said, "I'm not sure where Cosades is living now… Gan?"

The Altmer shrugged.

"If you really want to find him, you should ask Bacola. Bacola Closcius, the owner," he said, indicating the cornerclub around him with a forefinger. "He'll know."

I thanked them and left, feeling the redhead's gaze boring into my back as I did.

I eventually tracked down Bacola on one of the tavern's upper floors. My first impression of the man — with his old, puffy-sleeved shirt and distinct widow's peak — was that he resembled some kind of oversized owl. The Khajiit he spoke with fell silent the moment I arrived and wordlessly brushed past me to descend the stairs leading to the ground floor. On instinct, my fingers slid to my coin purse. It was still there.

"Good evening, miss," Bacola said, drawing my attention back to him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I think so. I'm looking for a man named Caius Cosades and was told that you knew where to find him."

The man nodded. "Indeed, I do. He rents a little bed-and-basket just up the hill on the north edge of town. Go out the front door and up the stairs. Then take a left and head down to the very end of the street. His is the one in the north corner," he said, vaguely gesturing the directions with his hands.

I left the South Wall Cornerclub and headed up onto the street he'd described. It was much darker and emptier in that part of the city. The houses there seemed mostly worse-for-the-wear as compared to what I'd seen on the western side of the river. The ground beneath my feet was unpaved and muddy.

As Bacola had instructed, I turned my attention to the door at the far northeastern corner of the street. I climbed the two worn front steps and knocked on the door. As I did, some of the peeling green paint flaked off. A few moments passed before I heard the dull click of the lock and the door opened a sliver, revealing the barest glimpse of a figure beyond.

"Whatever it is you want, I'm sure I'm not interested," he rasped and began to close the door again.

"No, wait!" I slammed my hands against the panel to keep it from shutting. "If you're Caius Cosades, I was told to report to you."

After a beat, the door creaked open further, fully revealing the man on the other side. He was a late middle-aged Imperial. Taller than I was, although that wasn't difficult. The hair on his head was either gray or gone. He wore loose trousers and, surprisingly, no shirt. His brow furrowed as he gazed down at me.

"I am Caius Cosades. What do you mean, you were told to report to me? What are you talking about?"

I stared back at him as I said, "My name is Talise. Captain Sellus Gravius in Seyda Neen instructed that I should report directly to you and deliver the package he gave me."

"A package," he repeated. "Perhaps you'll let me look at it?"

Wordlessly, I held it out to him. He took it and, with a knife taken from his belt, slit the Imperial seal keeping it closed. Upon opening it, he examined the piece of parchment that lay at the top. Then, very slowly, he nodded.

"Yes. Very interesting." Closing the package again, he pulled the door open wider and gestured inside, saying, "I think you'd better come in so that we can talk."

I brushed past him and took a quick look around the place. There was only one small room. Most of the right side was taken up by a rough wooden table, which was occupied by some flickering candles, a metal cup, and a potted plant. A bed was pushed up against the left wall, along with several shelves. Stacks of books, clothes, and other assorted oddities were scattered around the room.

"Sit," he said, grabbing the chair from the table and turning it around. I did.

Caius Cosades seated himself on the edge of his bed, facing me. He leaned forward, pressing his fingertips together, and appeared to study me.

"So," he said after seeming to decide the silence had stretched on long enough, "the letter said that the Emperor wants me to make you a Novice in the Blades. That means you'll be following my orders. Are you ready to follow my orders, Talise?"

"Yes," I told him, my voice firm.

"Good. Now, they'll have my head if I don't make this official. This isn't the ancestral fortress of the Blades, so we won't be formal, though Talos knows Old Jauf wouldn't be happy if he found out…" He cleared his throat. "You just need to swear your loyalty and service to those with the Dragon Blood, meaning the Emperor and his heirs."

"I swear it."

The Imperial nodded, obviously satisfied. "That's all I needed to hear. Welcome to the service, Novice Talise. Now you belong to the Blades. We're the Emperor's eyes and ears in the provinces. You can stay here if you need to rest, but leave my personal things alone unless I say otherwise, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right," he said, chuckling dryly. "First thing, pilgrim. What were you before they sent you here?"

"I was originally trained as a Spellsword, serving as support in the tenth legion," I explained.

"Hard to imagine someone that small serving in the Imperial Legion."

I gave him a weary sort of half-smile. "You might be surprised. After I was discharged, I fought in the Imperial City's Arena. And, before you ask, I don't know why I was imprisoned. I don't remember."

He frowned. "You don't remember?"

"No. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes I get… blank spots in my memory."

"Well, the Emperor didn't say, so I guess it doesn't matter in the long-run," Cosades said. He got to his feet and walked over to a trunk wedged under the shelves. After rummaging around for a few moments and muttering to himself, he came back with a clinking pouch.

"Here's two hundred Septims," he said, tossing it into my hands. "Go get yourself a decent weapon. Or armor. Or a spell. You'll probably need all three eventually. And second thing… you need a cover identity. You're new here, and you look it. Find someone to sign on with, get some experience. Then, when you're ready, come back and I'll have orders for you."