Before Notes: If you haven't played Morrowind, then you won't know what most of the places are. And, I've added another character. I've also left out a few people. This chapter is kinda long, sorry.
Chapter 2-- Balmora
Theral arrived in Balmora after a 2 hour ride on the Silt Strider. The town was much bigger than he expected. He imagined it being just another village. Just like when he arrived in Seyda Neen, all the people stared at him. Some of the people gave him rude looks, and another one flipped him off! Morrowind didn't seem like a very nice place. Theral walked down the ramp, and another Dunmer approached him.
"You must be the outlander that just arrived in Seyda Neen. Word of your arrival has spread around by merchants who arrived on the Silt Strider just yesterday. Welcome to Balmora, Council Seat Town of Great House Hlaalu." The Dunmer said. "My name is Drelen Hector. I'm guessing you are Theral?" He added.
"Yes, I'm Theral Gemni." Theral answered. "Uhh... Do you know where Caius Cosades lives? I've got something I need to deliver to him, and also, what services does this town offer?" He asked.
"Well, there are so many people in this town. I've never met that man, but If I knew what kind of person he was, I could most likely point him out." He said. "This town offers hundreds of services. If you aren't the adventuring type, you might want to settle down in this town. It is one of the best. Next to the Silt Strider is the Council Club, but the Commona Tong hangs out there, and they hate outlanders. Next to the Council Club is the Lucky Lockup, another inn, but most people prefer the Eight Plates." He added. He started telling Theral where everything is, including guilds, the armorers, libraries, the temple, merchants, and everything. Theral wrote it all down in his journal. "If you ever need me, I stay at the South Wall Cornerclub. Sometimes I'm wandering around town. And someone down at the cornerclub can probably tell you where Caius lives. If you ever need some money, I offer a few part time jobs to people just starting out here in Morrowind. And with that, I take my leave." Drelen said, walking away.
Theral wanted some armor to go along with his sword, so he went to Meldor the Armorer's shop. He went inside, and there was a guard and a Bosmer. "What do you need?" The Bosmer asked.
"Do you have any light armor?" Theral asked. The Bosmer, who is obviously Meldor, ducked down and shuffeld through some crates. He set a pile of armor on the counter. "I have a full set of Chitin Armor. The only better light armor is Glass Armor, which is rare and expensive. The full set of Chitin is..oh, for you, I'd say, 150 septims? Do we have a deal?" Meldor asked. Theral checked his bag. He had 800 gold, so he agreed. He took the armor and put it in his bag. He would try it on later. "If you ever need any armor repaired, come back and I'll repair it. For a cost, of course. If you want weapons, go check the Razor Hole." Meldor said as Theral left.
With 650 gold left, he decided to visit the Razor Hole for some new arms. Something inside his head told he was going to need all this stuff, but he couldn't figure out what the voice was. He looked around the store and bought a steel saber for 50 gold. He was going to sell his Iron Longsword, but the man wouldn't take it. So he dropped it on the ground outside. Next, he went to the South Wall Cornerclub.
After he got there, he asked different people if they knew Caius Cosades. One of them said he comes in once and a while and gets a load of mazte, but then leaves without much talk. Some people told him to ask his friend, the owner of the bar. Theral looked around and found the owner. He told him to leave the club, go up the stairs near it, then go left all the way to the last house. Theral thanked the man, and then he followed the directions.
When he arrived at the house, he decided not to barge in. He knocked, and someone said "Come in!". He opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind him. The place was a dump! There were books lying on the floor, empty bottles of Skooma all over, and the table had Moon Sugar all in jars. Theral turned and saw an Imperial without a shirt on. "Umm, are you Caius Cosades?" He asked.
"Why, yes I am." He answered. Great. He thought. Another Imperial, free to use drugs and do what he wants while the rest of us are always being watched. "Well, I'm supposed to give you this package." He said, handing it to him. The Imperial looked at the package and opened it. His eyes opened wide, looking surprised. Then he locked the papers in a chest behind him. "Well, I've been expecting you, Theral. Apparently, the Emperor has released you from prison to work in the Blades." Caius said. Theral looked at him strangely. "What are the blades?" He asked.
"We are the Emporer's eyes and ears here in Morrowind. Nobody knows who are members, and that is the way it will remain. Basically, we are undercover agents for the Empire. I am the Spymaster, and the Emporer himself wants you to work for me." Caius said. Theral was shocked.
Being in prison for 9 years severly dropped his skills. He would not be able to do spy business! "There must be some mistake!" Theral said.
"Oh, no. But don't worry. We aren't the 'risk your life and take a bolt' type of spies. All we really do is gather information, but when the time comes, we do use force. The other members here in Morrowind are: Rithleen, a redguard female who lives in an apartment a few houses down from me. Tyermallin, an Altmer wizard who lives in the apartment under Rithleen's. Nine Toes, an Argonian Hunter who lives in a small house down the street from here. Gildan, a Nightblade who lives in Ald-Ruhn. Finally, there is Elone, a Redguard Scout who stays in Arrile's Tradehouse in Seyda Neen. As a member of the blades, you can never let ANYONE know who any of us really are. I am just an old man with a skooma problem. Rithleen is an Ex-Woman at Arms. Tyermallin is the apprentice of a wizard in Dagon Fel. Nine Toes is just an ordinary Hunter. Gildan is an amateur assassin. And Elone is a lady who gives directions to new comers in Seyda Neen. And you will be a Freelancer who has been released from prison after being framed." Caius told him.
Theral wa in shock for a moment. "Okay, this is a lot of information for me to take in at one time! I was NEVER expecting anything like this!" He said. Caius nodded. "Yes, I thought it would be. Why don't you go do some other things for a while. Write all this down in a journal or something, and get used to Balmora. Then join a guild do some work, learn a bit about Morrowind, then come back when your a little less wet behind the ears, and I'll give you some work." Caius told him. Theral thought for a moment, and then asked another question. "Which guild should I join? Which ones get the best rewards and has the best people?" He asked. "I'll tell you why another time, but just don't join the Temple. You can only join the Morag Tong in Vivec, even though they have a guild hall here. You could join House Hlaalu, but that occupies too much time. If you enjoy getting in trouble with the law, you might join the Thieves Guild down at the South Wall Cornerclub. If you wan to learn Magic, go down to the Mages Guild. If you want to get your hands dirty, join the Fighter's Guild. If you don't like the idea of working for someone, go hunt outlaws in caves. Do what Nine Toes does and go hunting. Just find something to occupy your time, unless you want to be a beggar." Caius said.
With that, Theral left. He had a few skills in stealth, combat, and magic. Which guild would he join? He decided he would go check out the Thieves Guild at the South Wall Cornerclub. He went back down the stairs and into the club.
He asked a few people about the Thieves' Guild. One person told him to ask the Khajiit, Sugar Lips Habasii. There was only one Khajiit in the building, so he went and talked to her.
"I would like to join the Thieves' Guild." He told her. She looked around to see if any non-members were listening.
"Dunmer wants in? Dunmer must do Habasii a favor first. Then Dunmer may join." She said. "What do you need done?" He asked. Again, she looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "Habasii's friend wants a diamond. Alchememist in Balmora, near clothes shop, has diamonds. Bring Habasii a diamond, and Dunmer can join." She told him.
Theral looked in his journal to see where the Alchemist was. Her shop was located North East side of town. He walked over there, and went inside. There was a Hlaalu Guard, and lots of expensive medicine and medicine making equipment. He walked to the shop keeper, who was standing next to a shelf with hundreds of potion vials on it. "Do you sell Diamonds here?" He asked. "Yes. They are 500 gold each. Are you interested in buying one?" She asked. Theral was shocked by the price. "No, not today. Thanks any way." He said, leaving the shop. When he left, he saw some stairs going up to a deck above the shop. He climbed up and saw another door. It was to the same building, but maybe there were some diamonds he could take up there. He quietly opened the door and crept inside. This was the Alchemist's bedroom. There was a stair case leading down to the room where she sold her stuff. The bottom of the stairs had the guard, making sure nobody came up there. He quietly walked around, openening boxes and barrels and baskets. He couldn't find any diamonds, but then he came across a small chest. It was locked, but the lock seemed of poor quality. He took the lockpick out of his bag that he took from the Census office. He didn't have much skill in lockpicking, but he knew a little bit. Before he went to prison, he wanted a house, because he lived on the streets. He lock picked some person's house, went inside, and killed them. That was why he went to prison in the first place. He started to pick the lock. It took some time, but he opened the chest. There were three diamonds in it! He took all three, closed the chest, and locked it back up. He slowly crept out through the door.
He went back to the South Wall Cornerclub to show Habasii the diamonds. Before he went into the door, someone shouted at him. "Halt!" Yelled the voice of a Dunmer. He turned around, and saw a Hlaalu guard walking toward him. "What's the problem?" Theral asked, trying to hide how nervous he was.
"Well, nothing really. It's just that you've been in that bar quite a lot today. It's not usual for someone to go into a club over and over. I also saw you coming out of the top door of the Alchemist's shop. You were walking in pretty slowly and carefully, as if you didn't want anyone to see you. Care to explain? You aren't supposed to use that entrance to her shop." The guard asked. Theral had to think quickly. "Well, I thought that might have been another shop. I walked in slowly just to make sure it wasn't somebody's house, so I wouldn't wake anybody up. Then I saw it was the Alchemist's shop, so I stayed and bought some stuff. If it is an illegal entrance, shouldn't it have been locked?" Theral asked.
"Well, true. I'll have to talk to her about locking her door. I just thought it was weird, because the Cornerclub here IS the Thieves' Guild headquarters. I'm going to go talk with the Alchemist and the guard there to see if anything was going on. You're free to go for now, but don't leave town until I say it's okay. THEN you'll be in trouble. And if I find out you did something bad in that store, you'll be in even MORE trouble. So save both of us the trouble." The guard said, walking away. "Remember to ask me, Charly Dren, before leaving town!" The guard, apparently Charly Dren, said. Damn! They are going to find out I didn't buy anything, and then they'll see that the diamonds are gone, and I'll be the only person who could've done it! Theral thought. He walked into the club.
"Here is the diamond, Habasii. You can have the extras, too." Theral told her. She took all the diamonds. "Dunmer does good job. Once he tells Habasii his name, Habasii can pay him and make him a member." She said. "My name is Theral Gemni." He said. She took a pile of gold out of her pocket. "Welcome, Theral. Here is your starting funds of 50 gold, plus extra for the extra diamonds you give Habasii. If you want jobs to do, just ask. If you ever get in trouble with the law, go downstairs just speak with Habasii. She will be happy to remove any fines you owe society, for only half the cost." She told him.
"Well, can I have a job now?" Theral asked. Habasii looked around. "Yes. Habasii has work available. The Camonna Tong and the Thieves' Guild have been at war ever since we founded the guild here in Morrowind. My informants tell me that a member of the Camonna Tong has joined the Thieve's Guild. We don't know which one it is. It is a male, and a Dunmer, because all Camonna Tong is Dunmer. It is either Freil Fern, the wizard who keeps to himself upstairs, Drelen Hector, the commoner downstairs who helps newcomers, which is a perfect disguise for the Camonna Tong, because they HATE outlanders, or Ushry Tharys at the Thieves' Guild Headquarters in the town of Ald-Ruhn. Your mission is to find the spy, and kill him." Habasii said.
First, Theral decided to check the wizard who likes to keep to himself. He went upstairs and saw an open door. He walked inside, and saw a Dunmer man in red robes. He was on his bed, reading a book. "What do you want, outlander?" Freil asked him.
"Do you know anything about the Camonna Tong?" Theral asked him. "Yes. They are the local criminal organization who hates outlanders and the Thieves' Guild. Why do you ask?" He asked Theral. "Well, you are a new member of the Thieves' Guild right? Well, why would a wizard join a group of thieves?" Theral asked. "Listen. I'm NOT the spy. I got tired of the Mages Guild, so I came here. If I were Camonna Tong, I would want to kill all outlanders. I have lived for over a thousand years, like most Dunmer. If I wanted to kill all outlanders, I would have killed them all with my spells when they first came here centuries ago. Now leave me to my studies." Freil said. Theral was about to say something else, but Freil stared at him. His eyes turned blue, and he pointed at Theral. His hand turned purple, and some force was pushing Theral out gently. After he was pushed out, the same force slammed and locked the door shut. That was one rude mage. Well, he had a point. He definently wasn't the spy. Next, he was going to check with the person who greeted him when he arrived in Balmora, Drelen Hector. He went downstairs.
"Hello, Theral. Do you have any other questions about Balmora?" Drelen asked.
"Actually, yes. Do you know anything about the Camonna Tong?" Theral asked. Drelen shook his head. "No, sorry. I tried to speak with them, but they refused to talk with me. They said I was a disgrace to all Dunmer for helping outlanders." Drelen said. "But, you might ask the new member of the Thieves' Guild in Ald-Ruhn, Ushry Tharys. He often went into the Council Club where the Council Club hangs out." Drelen told him.
"Thank you." Theral said. "One last question: How do I get to Ald-Ruhn?" He asked. "Just go across the river from here to the Silt Strider, where we first met. The caravaner can take you there." Drelen said. Theral thanked him one last time and left to the Silt Strider.
"Your destination?" The man asked. "Ald Ruhn." Theral told him. The man nodded. "Hop in." He said. They rode off to Ald-Ruhn. The giant bug went on top of the mountain, around Balmora to the north. From there, it went on a big dirt road until they turned onto a rocky road. They arrived after a few hours, and Theral got off.
"So, a young Dunmer Male walked into your store through the front entrance, and he was wearing Chitin Armor? He asked about diamonds, but then didn't buy anything? Are you sure he didn't come in after that?" Charly Dren asked the Alchemist.
"Yes. He only came in once, through the front door here, and didn't buy anything. About an hour later I checked my bedroom, and my diamonds were gone! But, it couldn't of been him. He never went upstairs." The Alchemist said.
"I'm sorry to say this, but I think you've been robbed by the Thieve's Guild. That dunmer's name is Theral Gemni. I saw him sneak in and out of your top door outside. I followed him, and he went to the South Wall Cornerclub, where the Thieves' Guild hangs out. He's been there a lot today, as well. Do you wish to press charges?" Charly asked her.
"Yes! I not only want each diamond back, but I want him to be fined! Those diamonds are very valuable, and I had those ones locked up for a reason! Some people from Sadrith Mora ordered a few, and I'm supposed to send them off tomorrow! I was getting paid 2000 gold for it! If the diamonds are late, they'll only pay me 1400 for them! Of course, they are going to be late NOW! I want him to pay the other 600 gold I'm not getting for sending them!" She told the guard.
"Well, ma'am, they may not be late. I told him not to leave town. If he does, he is going to be arrested. I'll track him down. He couldn't have gotten too far yet." Charly said.
"I'll come with you. This person snuck by me, and I want to help you get him caught." The guard who was at the base of the staircase.
The other guard said his name was Herald. The two went to the South Wall Cornerclub. In there, they asked Drelen Hector where Theral was. "He said he was taking the Silt Strider to Ald-Ruhn. You should check the Thieves' Guild Headquarters there, the tavern, the Rat in the Pot." He told the guards. They thanked him for the information. They went to the Silt Strider, and paid to be taken to Ald-Ruhn.
When they arrived, it was 9:00 PM. They went over to the Rat in The Pot. "Herald, he'll definently suspect were after him if two Hlaalu guards enter at the same time. I'll take off my helmet. It is the only symbol that we are Hlaalu. After 2 minutes, you come in, dressed normally. Go find me, and I'll be close to Theral. He won't recognize me, because he never saw my face." Charly said. Herald agreed, and waited outside by the door.
Charly put his helmet in his bag, and walked in.
Theral asked some people while he was downstairs in the Rat in the Pot, and people told him that Ushry was the only Dunmer there wearing fur armor. Theral saw Ushry sitting at a table, drinking a bottle of Sujamma. Theral walked over to him. "Hello." Ushry said.
"Hello, Ushry. I'm Theral, a new member of the Thieves' Guild." Theral told him. Ushry nodded. "I'm new two." He pointed out. Just then, Theral saw a man wearing a full set of Bonemold armor without the helmet sit down at a table. He told the serving wench that he wanted some Cyrodillic Brandy. He took a book out of his bag and started reading it. Theral could feel the mans' eyes stare at him.
"Well, uhh, anyway, Ushry, do you know who the Camonna Tong is?" Theral asked him. "Of course. They are criminals who kill outlanders. I don't think that much force is needed, but more and more outlanders are coming here, taking our jobs. They do have a right to be angry." Ushry said. This MUST be the spy. Theral thought. "Well, I have some stuff I need to talk to you about. But, we need to speak in private." Theral said. "Could we talk right outside the gates of town?" He asked.That would be the only place he could kill the spy. Ushry agreed. "Sure. But first, I need to got put the leftovers of my meal in my room. I'll be right back." He said, getting up with his food. Such a foolish outlander! While I'm in my room, I'll get my Glass Jinkblade and eliminate him! Nobody will find out! He thought as he walked away.
Theral began to stand up and stretch, when the man in Bonemold armor walked up to him. Another one walked in front of him, but that one was wearing a helmet.
"I thought I was clear when I told you not to leave town, Theral! As I said before, now you'll be in even MORE trouble!" Charly said, grabbing shoulder, putting a sword to his neck. The other one used a rope to tie Theral's hands behind his back. The one with the helmet spoke.
"Theral Gemni, you are under arrest for tresspassing into private property, robbery, and disobeying direct orders from an official guard. Serve your time peacefully and pay your debt to society. We'll have some questions for you later." Herald said. They lead Theral out, and took him to the nearest fort, Buckmoth Legion Fort.
Ushry walked out of his room with the dagger in his boot. "Theral, where did you go?" He asked. The serving wench walked up to him. "Is Theral the Dunmer in Chitin armor? Some guards just came in here and arrested him for a number of things." She said. Well, if he got arrested for a lot of things, and he's in the Thieves' Guild, he must be a very good criminal. And if it took more than one guard to capture him, he'll escape. Then, he'll come back here. I'll be waiting. Ushry thought.
END OF CHAPTER 2
Afternotes: Sorry this chapter was so long, and sorry all the real action took place at the end, and there wasn't much. I hope is was more entertaining than the last. I'll start working on the next chapter tomorrow, and I'll probably finish before the day is done. Please write a review to tell me my strong points and weak points in writing. I want to improve, because I want to become a proffesional author someday.
2007-06-23 Alexander G. Blake(Renodin) Alexander G. Blake(Renodin)