Space and Time, Madness and Order

Dunroot Hollow is what remains of the most favoured of Jyggalag's constructions, a ruined a broken shadow of what was originally one of his greatest achievements. It is what remains of his great library, the library of Order, where all knowledge was held. It contained another type of Magic, one that relied upon the repetition of events. It is whispered among some groups, particularly the heretics that the Arch Librarian Dyus still resides there although if that is so, why Sheogorath had not destroyed him long ago is a mystery. Perhaps the Jyggalag within him cannot bring himself to do it.

Finn stood at the tunnel entrance, with Na'kynaz beside him. It was nearly dark already, seeing as it had taken him some time to reach this place and then he had had difficulty finding it, and the directions from a small group of locals hadn't been particularly useful, describing the location as near a large clump of mushroom trees and, quite seriously, where in the Isles was not near a large clump of mushroom trees? Why were there no horses in the Shivering Isles? Honestly, it took hours to get anywhere, hours more than it would by horse. Then again, only the Mazken and Auriel really seemed to travel anywhere and they could jog for days on end, or at least it seemed that way…

Finn…

The voice startled him, a tired voice, making him jump.

"What is it?" asked Na'kynaz.

The Demora glared at him in a particular way, which Finn had come to interpret as questioningly.

"Nothing…" he replied. "Nothing at all."

It had been a voice on the wind. He looked around, straining his eyes against the setting sun. No-one was around. At least, not so far as he could tell. Just because he couldn't see anything, did not mean that nothing could see him. Not for the first time in the last hour, he wished Haskill would hurry up. He wanted the comfort of Nerte's eyes, telling him nothing was around. The Isles were too full of surprises for his liking. He put his hand to his back. There, alongside Duskfang, was another burden he had no real wish to carry. The Staff of Sheogorath.

"Wait here…" he said to Na'kynaz.

"But…"

"Just wait," he said again. Na'kynaz glared at him again, but then sat down heavily on a mushroom tree root.

Sighing, Finn pulled a torch from his pack and lit it. The flickering flame lit a small area around him, warding off the shadows of the tunnel entrance, but barely. He stepped forwards, crouching down slightly, the roof just too low to stand. Darkness closed in around.

Finn…

The root tunnel widened out around him, until he longer had to bow his head. He waved the torch before him, fighting back shadows. The shadows of Dunroot hollow fought back. He walked quickly, hoping to reach Dyus as quickly as possible, following his feelings and the barely audible whisper of his name upon the breeze. Finn's feet suddenly sounded loud upon the ground. Looking down, he saw a stone floor, further ahead the tunnel widened yet further as the roots opened up into a stone passageway. Lined with Obelisks of order, and shining crystals it seemed as Ordered as anything he had seen in the Fringe. His boots made the same crunching noise as he ground tiny crystals beneath his feet. Onwards, as if called forwards he walked.

To a blank wall. As if he had been here before though, Finn pulled the Staff of Sheogorath from his back and thrust if forwards. It cleaved cleanly through the rock crystal wall and punched through to open air on the other side. The crystal evaporated, as if flinching back from being tainted by madness, pulling away and leaving an oval shaped opening which Finn would be able to step through easily.

"Well done," said the voice. Straining his eyes, Finn was able to pick out a shadowy figure seated in a throne of crystal. Stepping forwards, the torchlight bathed the figure in light and Finn flinched. Dyus was human… mostly. His skin was the colour of ancient stone and moss grew across him in some patches. Finn would not have believed him to be alive if he had not just spoken.

"Welcome to Dunroot Hollow." The voice was bitter, and sarcastic and cold as the rocks into which he changed. "Great repository of knowledge and power of the God Jyggalag. Everything that has every happened has been recorded here Finn Cro'hagan. I understand it all. All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again. Only you feel different. You have broken the cycle's consistency, and I have been unable to predict your actions. You are a crack in time, the broken one who has no place in space nor time. You are neither Order nor Madness, yet you fight for one. You take the place of one who does not exist. You force the universe to revolve around you… You are impossible, implausible, a flaw in the calculations."

"Why, thanks. I'm not sure how to take all that," said Finn, a grimace upon his face. "I have come to…"

"I know why you have come, Bringer of Chaos. You come to learn of how to take the throne of Madness, to take up the essence of Madness and turn the tide against Order. I will tell you, as you are intriguing. I no longer truly serve Jyggalag, as he no longer truly exists. Sheogorath has never existed. To you, however, I will tell this."

Dyus frowned and continued, "You have come for nothing. To reactivate the staff, and gain the powers of the Madgod all that is required is to dip it into the Font of Madness."

Finn's grimace widened. "The Font of Madness in the Throne room?"

"Indeed."

"I was just there." His anger grew, but not with Dyus. "It's just that simple? Surely Haskill could have told me that…?"

"I will tell you one more thing…" said Dyus, interrupting him. "If you wish to break the cycle, you must be quick. Jyggalag lays siege to Crucible and Bliss even as we speak. While it is not yet too late, it soon will be."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Finn.

"I wish it to end. If you act soon, either I will cease to be, or I will re-join my Lord in power. I have waited for countless years. Too long to wait a year more than I must. I dread to endure another cycle. If you, Finn Cro'hagan, cannot break the cycle, you, outside of the laws of the universe, then no one ever will. Go, with my blessing. I care not who wins, just bring about the end… The end of all things."