The Spire of Passwall

The Spire of Passwall. This is an unusual looking landmark in the small wood plank town. It would appear to be a relic from the past – in fact it is. And regardless of the number of Madness decorations and patterns Sheogorath has had plastered onto it, it does not serve Madness. It is an untamed servant of the more sinister Lord of Order, Jyggalag.

Grakendo Udico strode from the room. The other warriors in the room ran out after her, leaving Nerte and Kika to themselves. Nerte shrugged and pointed vaguely at the door. They both got up and followed them out. Nerte said, "Go back to the army and let them know that Passwall still stands. They can begin their attack on the Fringe any time, the sooner the better. Passwall needs the reinforcements…"

Without waiting for an answer, and knowing that Kika would already be on her way without looking back to check, Nerte jogged to the most crowded fence line. From here it was apparent what the source of the rumbling and tremors was – the ancient Spire of Passwall was alight with sparks and was smoking slightly – or perhaps it was steaming. Regardless, it seemed to be carrying out some sort of process… Suddenly Udico shouted "Here they come!", and Daedra all along the frontline notched arrows into their bows… Nerte wondered for a moment what she was shouting about, when seconds later the column cloud glowed brightly and then there was a blinding flash of white light. Momentarily blinded by the glare Nerte heard the release of the dozens of arrows. Her eyes had recovered sufficiently by the time the arrows hit home to see the force of Knights that had materialized around the base of the Spire. They had to outnumber the Daedra behind the barricades at least three to one… Arrows were released into the enemy at will rather than to any particular order as it was practically impossible to miss, Nerte supposed… Nerte pulled one of her long daggers with her left hand from its sheath, a throwing knife held loosely in the other. She relaxed and breathed deeply and slowly – for her the charge was the calm before storm…

Seconds later the Tide of Order hit the front row of stakes. If anyone had expected them to slow for the barricade they were sorely mistaken. The front row hit and died in a second. The second wave lapped past the barricade and crashed down upon the far side, with only a few more knights dying on remaining stakes. Fearlessly and relentlessly the rest of the force pressed on, over the hastily crumbling crystalline bodies of their comrades. Nerte threw her throwing blade and as it crashed into a Knight of Order drew her second longer dagger. She raised them before her as the barricade gave way with a crunch of wood, and a third wave of warriors tore into the massed Mazken and Auriel. A Knight of Order rushed onto her blades, dying even as it went to swing its sword for the first time during the battle. She turned around and ducked a head height swung blade. The sword followed through with its swing and smashed into another Knight. She kicked from her crouch, the sole of her metal boot crunching into the first Knight, which staggered backwards and then shattered as it was destroyed with a blade through it's crystalline helm. The Knights seemed incredibly incompetent. The swell of tide of Order was beginning to falter already under the expert blades of immortal Daedra. Nerte stabbed at the back of Knight. Barely any of the Mazken, nor any Auriel had died in the attack, at least not as far as she could tell. It had been an easy victory as far as she could see. Perhaps too easy?

She noticed that none of the Auriel nor Mazken had even sheathed their blades. Some struggled with erecting parts of the barricade which had proven so effective against the relentless Knights. But most of them were watching the spire, waiting. She turned to look at it. Then she realized why they were just watching, waiting. There was another pulse of white light. And again there stood as many Knights as before, perhaps more… And they charged.

This time Order easily crashed through the barricades, and only a few Knights were killed in the initial charge. Nerte blocked the first blow directed at her effortlessly, crossing her blades and deflecting the Ordered Longsword off to her left and while holding off the blade with her left stabbed with her right. She spun through the spot where the crumbling Knight had stood, Shards of Order crunching beneath her feet.

The Spire flashed again. Without even looking up she new what would be standing around it, another army of Order. Something else had to be done. She glanced up at the Spire in a momentary lull around her. Somewhere it was being powered by a crystal, and she would find it… She ran from the frontline, searching her mind for memories of the Fringe. The Gardens of Flesh and Bone were too far north to house the crystal she believed must be beneath the Spire… The spire was obviously enhancing its power, beyond that of any crystal she had before encountered.

She raised a hand and purple and black light flowed from between her fingers. A shape appeared in a similar nearby swirl of mist, which hovered a little above the ground and managed to keep pace with her even as she ran. She ran east towards a ruin she had once seen there, but had not explored.

The shape resolved itself and took the shape of Haskill. "Must our Lord give everyone that spell?" he asked irately.

"He didn't" answered Nerte. "Finn taught me how to summon you. Seemed to think it was funny actually" she said in between strides.

"Did he really?" asked Haskill in a tone that gave no doubts that he did not find it the slightest bit amusing. "Well come on then, ask me what you want and then I can go. I hate having to use the proximity levitation charm…" he finished glaring down at the grayish scenery flashing past beneath his feet.

"Do you know if the Spire of Passwall is powered by a crystal in the large ruin east of Passwall?"

"You mean in Xeddefen? I would have to assume so, although no one has ever seen it. The chamber seals up with Order's magic all through each Age of Madness and no-one's ever made it in there during a Greymarch. Is that where your going now is it?" he asked her. She nodded, and when she turned her head momentarily to see if he was still there he was. Looking thoughtful, he reached into a pocket which had seemed to appear out of no-where on his black and red outfit. He reached out towards her somewhat lazily and when she glanced down he held several long, grey and jagged crystals in his hand. "Shards of Order. Take them. They will allow you to control small parts of Ordered magic for very short periods of time, so opening sealed passageways and stopping Knights of Order in their tracks is well within their power. You should even be able to deactivate the Crystal with one. Remember, that they only work once each though… However, I no have no doubt you'll find use for them…" Even as she took the crystals, still speeding towards Xeddefen he began to fade away. When she next looked back he was gone, but she caught a muttered phrase which vanished just after him himself. "Always a pleasure… ha… damned summons spell… soon the whole of the Isles will know it…"

If the Hero was surprised by this open hostility he didn't show it. Rather, he answered her, "We have come to close the Portal of Oblivion, the gate to Tamriel."

She snorted at this. "If you can close it, be our guest. We have asked Sheogorath to close the accursed thing for some time now. It weakens the wall between not just Tamriel and the Isles, but also the realities of Order."

"Order?" he asked.

In answer to this the Daedra looked at him sharply, and when seeing he was not making fun of her, her cat's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't know Order? Well of course you don't if you have come from Tamriel." She waved a hand round at the surrounding bleak and grey scenery. "This is Order" she said.

Nirna's knowledge of the Princes was perhaps better than that of the Hero's (As a Dark Elf one generally knew more of the Daedra than your average person) and her mind clicked here. Sheogorath. "These are the Shivering Isles?" she asked in disbelief.