A/N: Here's a peek for Chapter Six. At least you'll now know how Tyrannus and Nocturnal hooked up. XD
Chapter Six:
In these dreadful times, there's a whole bunch of flying reptiles hellbent on destroying everything in sight. Sadly, we're not talking about a group of troublemaking, violent Argonian teens who discovered a working Dwemer bomber airship. No, it seems that those ancient creatures the dragons are back in force.
Not only mere dragons, but Alduin himself (or herself?) is back. For some reason or another, she or he wants to end the world in a manner similar to how a child wants to eat an entire cake whole. Nevermind the metaphysical stomach ache that would follow such an action. This would be perfectly fine, if it weren't for the fact that all of existence would end. You'd think Lorkhan and Magnus would have put in better countermeasures against such a thing.
Due to the poor state of anti-apocalypse mechanisms in the universe, the Chief Divine Akatosh decided that the best (and most likely, laziest) way to deal with these issues would be to grant power to some mortal individuals great power to combat these threats. That way, they can be responsible to save their own world and leave the Divines out of it. Predictable answer coming from an Aedra.
So, the last time Alduin and the other dragons were causing trouble, Akatosh invented the role of Dragonborn (or Dovahkiin, which sounds much cooler!). Essentially, a Dragonborn is a mortal someone who has the traits of a dragon (i.e. "dragon blood").
Such as being able to use the Thu'um (which everyone calls "Shouting") and are able to permanently absorb the soul of a slayed dragon (since death is just an inconvenience for dragons). This soul absorption allows the Dragonborn to have all of the knowledge and power of the dragon slain. They can put it good use learning "Words of Power", …. and so on.
The Dragonborn is quite a large figure in the lore of Nords. It was not surprising to many that many Nords believed that every Dragonborn in the past was Nordic (or at the very least Nedic), thus lead them into thinking that Nords had a monopoly on the role. However, the legends about this role never made any such claim. While it was true that a few past Dragonborns were Nords, doesn't mean that all of them were. However, the true-believing Nords simply ignored those parts. Much like anyone else who deeply believes in anything and ignores certain "details" (or inconvenient contradictions) in order to maintain said belief.
So it came as a shock that the Dragonborn turned out to be an Argonian named Archer. After Helgen was wiped off the map by a fiery and scaly eraser, Archer and his company have been roaming throughout all of Tamriel disposing of dragons in order to the save the world. Much to the annoyance of illiterate, racist, Stormcloak-loving Nords. However, more accepting and tolerating Nords have already began adding Archer and his company to their joyous and prideful, mead induced pub songs. This is one way to ensure immortality without any catches, aside from a drunk pronunciation of your name becoming the standard way of pronouncing it!
Dawn had arrived at the appropriately named Dawnstar. The seas were calm and the sleepy little town was covered in a fresh layer of snow. It seems that the battle-harden Imperial soldiers were taking a breather after long days of combat. That, or they were in the state of recovering from last night before their commander comes in for inspection.
Nonetheless, Khangung was happy to see a port that wouldn't cause any trouble. At least for now. She still feared that her and her new friends' actions in Solitude would catch up with them. Had she known better, she wouldn't have any reason to worry. Still, the scenic view was inviting and maybe a couple days of rest could be had.
Theradyis, M'aiq, and the now fully recovered Tyrannus soon joined Khangung on the deck. The crisp and chilly air certainly caught their attention. Tyrannus wasn't to keen on the cold, but figured they would entering an inn soon. M'aiq silently muttered to himself about not having wore warmer clothing. Theradyis, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit fazed by the cold. Her wide-eyed expression of seeing the picturesque view was enough to counter the cold breeze. That, or her Nordic ability to resist cold.
"Wow, this place is beautiful." Theradyis managed to get out, still wide-eyed.
"Yes, yes. Very pretty. Now, M'aiq needs to get beside a fireplace before his frostbitten tail falls off." said the shivering Khajiit.
"Try being frozen for awhile, a frostbitten tail would be the least of your worries." Said Tyrannus with an amusing smirk.
M'aiq simply ignored the lizard as he tried to rub his sides to get warm. You'd think with a natural fur coat and heavy robes would be enough to keep him warm. Sadly for M'aiq, this wasn't the case as Dawnstar was the epitome of Skyrim Winters. It was the sort of cold that not only cuts down to the bone, but also keeps you cold like mudcrab meat in a bucket full of frost salts.
"We should be able to stay out of trouble for awhile here." Khangung said after roping the boat up to the dock.
"Well, we're in a different hold. I don't think that they'd care if we hassled a couple of inbred guards back in Solitude." replied Theradyis.
"Don't be too sure about that Theradyis. After all, the Imperials are here. Solitude is their base of operations, and they don't like troublemakers." warned Khangung.
Theradyis didn't think of that. Not to mention the other "crimes" that took place there. However, she decided not to worry. They found Tyrannus and now they just had to meet up with Karliah and, most importantly, Nocturnal. Once they meet up, then it's back to adventuring. However, Theradyis's young mind couldn't help but to ponder over the relationship that Tyrannus had with Nocturnal.
Theradyis went over the story that Tyrannus told her and M'aiq last night:
Apparently, Tyrannus was the Hero of Kvatch. Which M'aiq confirmed, as he and Tyrannus traveled together back then. M'aiq didn't elaborate on why he was so long-lived. After trying to help the remainder of the Imperial Legion control the chaos that occurred during the aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis, they came across a large, ugly, and very scary gate with three heads. This gate was the entrance to the Shivering Isles.
Tyrannus was pulled into the gate, leaving M'aiq behind. There, he was forced to do the bidding of Sheogorath. Tyrannus was meant to defeat the mysterious Jyggalag, who was the original personality of Sheogorath. After supposedly defeating Jyggalag, Tyrannus was going to become the "new" Sheogorath. Thus allowing Jyggalag to be free and be able to once again bring about order to the universe.
However, that was a ruse. It turns out, Sheogorath didn't want to be replaced. He instead trapped Jyggalag and merge his essence into the soul of Tyrannus. Tyrannus and Jyggalag became one and the same. That way Sheogorath could subject the former Daedric Prince of Order to pure insanity. Being merged with a mortal forced Jyggalag into experiencing the torment caused by insanity. Even more cruelly, this mortal would no longer be mortal. When Jyggalag and Tyrannus becoming one, Tyrannus became immortal.
Since time moves differently in the Shivering Isles than it does in Nirn, millenia passed by and the torment never let up. Tyrannus was trapped in this realm, and became a court jester to the Mad Prince. Every passing moment, Sheogorath would relentlessly taunt him and force Tyrannus to do awful things. The mental screams of Tyrannus had echos of a tormented Jyggalag. This brought great pleasure to the Mad Prince. A final victory over the orderly, mathematical, and sensible.
However, there was a light at the end of this maddening tunnel. A connection of sorts. At first, Tyrannus didn't quite understand it. As he was tormented, Tyrannus knew himself to be Jyggalag. Not as a separate personality or a voice talking to Tyrannus mentally. No, they were truly one and the same. Jyggalag and Tyrannus were no longer separate entities. He was the sum of the merger. With this connection, Tyrannus felt a presence of something he recalled as a mortal. Love.
In ages past, Jyggalag was drawn to the Night Mistress. As the Daedric Prince of Order, it was no surprise that the mysterious nature of Nocturnal was something of interest to Jyggalag. Order had no room for mysteries, though it seems that Order would allow for mysteries to be solved. For eons, Jyggalag would lust after the answers that Nocturnal had. At first, Nocturnal paid him no mind.
In fact, she simply ignored the advances of the "Order-Monger". The darkness wasn't something that would be illuminated easily. Yet, Jyggalag's endurance was underestimated. Eventually, Nocturnal decided to toy with the Daedric Prince of Order. She got pleasure out of leading him on. A hint of a clue there, and another here. It was a sort of game to her. Little did she know, that she had forged a connection with Jyggalag. The probing and curious intellect against the veil of the dark and mysterious unknown. This would be expressed in the mortal realm as the pursuit of knowledge.
However, this would prove to be damnning. Jyggalag had to know the answer of Nocturnal's nature. Therefor, he decided to bring about total order to all of the realms. Jyggalag, being the most powerful Daedric Prince at the time, was more than capable of doing this.
This why the other Daedric Princes, Nocturnal included, decided to curse him. If Jyggalag brought about total order, then it is likely they would cease to exist. Thus, the creation of Sheogorath. The rest is history, at least until after Tyrannus was merged with Jyggalag.
When word of this event spread throughout the realms of Oblivion, none of the other Princes cared. Just another mortal plaything for Sheogorath was what most of them thought. Except for Nocturnal. While her toying with Jyggalag was the catalyst that could have brought about the end for the Daedric Princes, she found herself quite bored now.
True, she had her Nightingales, witches, and the Thieves' Guild to amuse her somewhat. These organizations however just weren't enough. When you have to spend an eternity amusing yourself, mortals can only go so far.
So, she decided to subtly look into the fate of Jyggalag. Silently, she entered the realm of insanity and peered upon the tormented…
Words escaped her when she first saw Tyrannus. Nocturnal, through metaphysical and quasi-psionic means, saw the now composited figure. There was no distinction between the two. He was just this being. The pained look in the eyes of the Argonian figure was strong enough to make the Night Mistress weep. Never before had a Daedric Prince perceived the way a mortal perceived. No, this wasn't something Nocturnal was expecting nor could she grasp. Guilt.
At first Nocturnal was thinking about turning away, but something changed inside of her. She couldn't shake these… emotions…
It was funny how mortals cared about these petty things. They go about their whole, short lives somewhat ruled by these pathetic notions. Yet, here she was, the Lady of Darkness was coming to terms with the connection. Nocturnal hatched a plan to free this being. It was rather embarrassing for her, but it left Sheogorath distracted long enough for her to sneak out Tyrannus to her realm.
Of course, everyone in the Shivering Isles would have fond memories involving a contest between Sheogorath and Nocturnal that ended with a nude Night Mistress in front of a bunch of crazed, teenage Breton roleplayers who were doomed to be virgins. Sheogorath certainly knew of creative ways to drive mortals crazy.
Nonetheless, she was successful. The feelings still bothered Nocturnal, but with the rescue of Tyrannus they had subsided to a degree. Saving the guy wasn't enough however. The connection formed from the mutual actions of herself and Jyggalag. Even though Jyggalag was no more his former self, this connection was still there and it was reinforced by the former mortal's psyche. Reinforced, and augmented.
Jyggalag's intense interest in Nocturnal was filtered through Tyrannus's mind as passionate love. This was transferred to Nocturnal through the connection. She too, now felt passion the way mortals do. It didn't take long for the two to embrace these feelings.
Nocturnal actually preferred Tyrannus. The domineering need for order wasn't strongly present and it seems that he just accepted her as a mystery. Just as many mortals do. Tyrannus was simply drawn to her out of gratitude and the beautiful sternness Nocturnal displayed. The need for order had evolved into appreciation and acceptance for the nature of things. That's something Nocturnal shrove for, even before all of this. To be simply accepted as a mystery.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to last. The Mad Prince soon began to remotely invade the mind of Tyrannus. It was part of Sheogorath's plan. True he was distracted by Nocturnal's ploy. It was a lovely little contest, and he genuinely won just like all of the other contests he's had with the other Daedric Princes. However, he soon sought out his jester. It wasn't wise to steal from Sheogorath.
The former Hero of Kvatch and the former Daedric Prince of Order was his plaything. While mentally eavesdropping on the couple's talks and love making, Sheogorath found out about the connection. There, the Mad Prince found opportunity.
It started with a nightmare, if it could be called that. Uncontrollably, Tyrannus caused Evergloam to light up, figuratively and literally. This threatened to destroy Nocturnal and her realm. So to prevent this and save her lover as well, Nocturnal sent Tyrannus to Nirn through Ebonmere. It was one of the few places she could roam physically in the mortal plane. While saved her realm and herself, Nocturnal needed to find a means to save Tyrannus. Thus, The Hitchhiker's Guide to Tamriel was conceived.
The Guide provided a means for Tyrannus to remain sane by tapping into Jyggalag's need for order. By going about exploring and adding entries into the guide, Tyrannus would be performing the role of Jyggalag. However, this need would be fulfilled imperfectly since the mortal fallibility within Tyrannus would render him incapable of finishing the book. The immortal Argonian would roam Nirn, recording anything and everything down into the book.
The best part was the Guide could be duplicated by mortal magicka, and thus bring "order" by providing information to mortals. In a way, allowing for the former Jyggalag to succeed in his former quest to bring total order. Plus, it allowed for Tyrannus to make a living by publishing.
There was a catch, but not a negative one per se. In order to grant such an artifact, Nocturnal had to make a contract with Tyrannus. Much like she would with mortals she favored. However, this contract was one of a kind. It was the most powerful due to the fact that Tyrannus was essentially a Daedric Prince.
The order of magnitude of this unique contract was light years above even the most powerful contract Nocturnal she ever made with a mortal. This granted her a nearly unlimited power boost. At the same time, the contract was also unique in being extremely simple: all Tyrannus had to do was be Nocturnal's lover for all of eternity.
However, before the finality could be made in the ritual to bring The Hitchhiker's Guide to Tamriel into existence, Sheogorath sent a subtle and maddening quill pen into the Shrine of the Ebonmere. The enchanted quill would write upon the contract another catch: Tyrannus had to keep the Guide with him at all times. Otherwise, Sheogorath can invade his mind and wreak havoc. Despite this, Nocturnal ensured that her Nightingales would intervene if such an occurrence happened. Thus, foiling Sheogorath for the most part. The Mad Prince still got amusement either way...
Theradyis, was astounded by the story. It explained a lot about Tyrannus, and it now made it clear why Nocturnal was distressed over him being without his book and lost. All of this was unheard of for a Daedric Prince to do, but considering how things were going it was par the course. Theradyis took it in stride as she stepped off the boat and onto to the dock. She gripped her copy of the Guide in her hands. The young Nord was determined to contribute to the book by exploring.
Theradyis was joined by Tyrannus and M'aiq and they headed to the nearby inn. Khangung on the other hand finished up docking The Heart of Gold. She would join them shortly at the inn to await Karliah to meet with them.
