Hi! Welcome to chapter fifteen. We've passed another milestone - the story already passed five thousand views some time ago and only now I noticed. At two thousand views milestone the fanfic reached top ten Nerevarine fics in terms of reviews, favourites and follows, now it's in top five. Will we reach the top three? I don't aim for anything higher, no one can even hope to win with the collossus at the top of the list without the Dragonborn in the tags.
JaxiusTharn - Thank you, I try my best.
Guest - The bandit gentleman is in the tavern in Pelagiad, that's where he would end up after sparing him in the game. Given that he offers training in Short Blade, Security and Sneaking, all skills that might be of importance to Azirra, he might turn up again in the story.
Let's get started, shall we? With the last chapter, we finished the second 'act' of the story - from now on, while Balmora will remain Azirra's base of operations for some time, it will be no longer the place of her greatest focus, that will be moved to Ald'ruhn pretty soon. Hence, this chapter and the next one is sort of in between two arcs of the fanfic. Have fun.
The world kept on spinning and everything was in shades of red. Ted grunted.
God dammit, I overdosed on Call of Duty again...
"Rotheimaak! Get a hold of yourself!"
The dragon blinked and shook off dizziness as his eyes refocused. He and the Wise Woman of Erabenimsun, Manirai, were sitting at the bottom of very long path guiding to the top of the mountain which was hidden by a cloud of ashes. Speaking of ashes, they were wherever he looked - on him, on the Dunmer, in the air, and on the rocks. In the direction opposite of the volcanic cone stood a shining, magical barrier, made up of blue energy and the occasional tower. Ted faced Manirai.
"Did you get a number on that cliff racer?"
The blank look appeared on the shaman's face.
"What cliff racer?" She frowned. "Stop speaking nonsense, we are in big trouble!"
"Ugh, I know, I know." The dragon glanced at his wing. He had to give it to the Ash Vampire, he was a damn good sniper and powerful mage - the fireball, which shouldn't have damaged him as much when cast by a normal wizard, actually teared off the scales on the base of his wing, exposing the burnt flesh beneath them.
The bastard pulled off a freaking Dragon Brake from that one mod, thought Ted with a snarl. That's not going to heal instantly.
"Rotheimaak, can you still fly? We need to get out of here, we're still inside the Ghostfence."
Ted nodded. He slowly flapped weakly with his damaged wing and then put it on the ground. The pain was minimal. So far so good.
He flapped stronger.
He landed not a second later.
He cried from the pain.
"Dur do deyra!" cursed the dragon. Of course I would be grounded here of all places, of course! Why wouldn't I?!
Manirai sighed.
"Is there a way for you to heal the injury?"
"No. If there's a Thu'um capable of healing, I do not know it. We dragons vokrii fast, but not fast enough to just sit here until I'm better." Rotheimaak lifted his belly from the ground, supporting himself only with wings and legs. "We need to move."
"Where? Those are the lands of Dagoth Ur, there are no safe places here..." Suddenly Manirai realized something. "You mentioned before that your nest used to be on Red Mountain. Do you know a good spot?"
Uh oh, it's bullshit time again!
"Sorry, I can't help with that. I never bothered with searching for such places, there was no need for me to vonun, hide, that much before Dagoth re-emerged. After he woke me up from a rather long nap, I just decided to leave since the neighborhood went to shit. I know there are Dwemer ruins all over the place, but they are probably even worse than staying in the open, that's probably where Dagoth is keeping his forces. I'm afraid our best chance is getting to the Ghostgate."
Manirai somehow frowned even more. Given that a face of a Dunmer is permanently scowling, it made it a frown to the third power.
"That's in the southern part of the Ghostfence. In which part are we?"
Ted looked at the slopes of the mountain (which, now that he looked at it, had a noticeable trail in it, as if something big and heavy tumbled down from the peak - he had a pretty good idea what it was) and the visible Ghostfence, before giving an answer that both of them were dreading.
"We are in the northern half. The mountain here isn't too steep to climb, and as far as I know, there's only one such place." He growled. "We have three paths to the Ghostgate: we follow the Gaafdein east, we do that in the opposite direction, or we go the shortest path, through the Sahquo-Strunmah itself."
Manirai glared at him.
"We are close enough to the Devil as it is, we're not going to walk right next to the door to his citadel."
"Then I guess we will walk east... well, you will walk, I'll crawl. If my memory serves me right, there are less ruins on that miiraad, we will stand a better chance."
"I think I'm going to be sick."
It had been a few hours since their crash landing, and Ted was absolutely sure nothing could be worse than crawling through that place. Every few minutes they would encounter one of many abominations patrolling the mountain. They looked scary enough in the game, about as scary as average zombie, but here, in the flesh, they had more variety and detail, making them worthy of appearing in the most brutal of anime. The last enemy was particularly nasty - most of the body looked normal, but the right half of the face was kind of... melting, hanging from the other half, while in the place of left arm was a long, skinless appendage, that the monster was dragging behind himself and seemed to have no control over it... until he made a swing with it, grabbed Manirai by the throat from the distance of ten meters and lifted her in the air. Ted was forced to actually bite the monster to kill it. Believe it or not, the taste of flash infected with corprus disease was even worse than that of a normal one.
"Silence, dragon. I swear, you act more like a foolish, young boy that isn't even yet shaving than an ancient sage."
"I like to think I'm young in spirit, thank you very much," grumbled Ted, who did happen to still have problems with growing a beard, despite being an adult before he was forced to say goodbye to having a beard due to the race change. "The ash clouds are a bit redder over there, I think it's sunset."
The only thing worse than the attacks of monsters and the darkness was a sandstorm - Red Mountain was pretty much always attacked by one, probably as one more security measure put by Dagoth, since his corprus beasts certainly were incapable of complaining. Manirai was a little worse off than Rotheimaak when it came to that - apparently dragons, like some other lizards, had a secondary transparent eyelid, which protected the eyes well enough from the grains of sand, while the Dunmer was forced to endure the weather without even proper gear. Neither of them could see too far ahead, with only the glow of the Ghostfence being the only guide.
In other words, they were completely out of their depth. The only reason they survived this long was Rotheimaak's ridiculous strength, Manirai's spells and the dragon's effort to shield the Wise Woman from the brutal wind. Oh, and the relative weakness of their opponents - so far they met only melee fighters, no spellcasters. Ted was grateful for that much mercy, but at the same time was worried why was it the case - he expected to meet at least a few Ascended Sleepers on the way.
The answer to that question become obvious as soon as the sound of combat had managed to break through the howls of the wind. Manirai and Ted glanced at each other.
"Dagoth's beasts never fight amongst each other," stated the Dunmer, shielding her mouth with a hand. "We are not the only intruders in here."
Ted dedicated the entirety of his gray matter to deducing the most likely culprit.
"I will be very disappointed if it is some pilgrim searching for the Shrine of Pride. Only a noob would make such a mistake and walk through half of Red Mountain in search of a shrine that is right next to the entry."
"Rotheimaak, can you please stop using so many terms in that language of yours? It's hard to understand you at times."
"...No. Let's get going."
Enar Dralor dived behind a rock, barely avoiding another blast of fire. He cursed in Dunmeri.
"Why the spellcasters?! They should be the minority, not the entire force!"
A man clad in green armor flew just over his head, tossed through the air by a lucky spell. Enar jumped over the rock and charged towards the responsible Ash Ghoul, stumbling for a second when an Ash Slave almost hit him with some shock spell. As if that wasn't enough, the only Ascended Sleeper just knocked down the other knight and was preparing a spell.
It just wasn't fair. There were only three Buoyant Armigers and five minions of Dagoth Ur, all capable of magic. Even one versus one would be still challenging, since all abominations had increased power thanks to the Devil's dark powers.
"Salyn, get up, if you fall asleep here it will be sleep eternal!" shouted Enar to the soldier.
"I think I broke something..."
Suddenly, fate had it the situation wasn't bad enough, and from the ongoing sandstorm walked out an another Ascended Sleeper. Enar jumped aside, but this time failed to dodge the spell the new enemy casted.
"WRAAAAAA!"
The Dunmer twitched, weakened by the Greater Shockball. With a hiss of pain, he slowly pushed to stand up. A grey, slack tentacle appeared in front of his face and he slowly lifted his head. The Ascended Sleeper was looming over him, unnatural appendage slowly moving back and forth. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the sword. The abomination looked at him and decided to do what most Sleepers weren't capable of: mock him.
"What are you doing? You have no idea. Poor animal. You struggle and fight and understand nothing."
"Wow. That, right there, is why I avoid hentai."
Out of nowhere, the sight of the monstrosity was replaced by a solid, brownish wall of scales. The confused fighter looked to the side and noticed his enemy hanging from the jaws of...
Enar blinked, but that was as much as he was allowed to do - his training kicked in and he immediately rolled away when an Ash Ghoul shot past him and started clawing at the massive creature, which dropped the Sleeper.
"Ouch! If you want to slap me on the ass, you must buy me a dinner first." The being hit the assailant with the tail, sending him flying into a boulder. "On second thought, don't do that. You have a big worm instead of a face, that's kind of off putting."
A loud sigh reached the warrior's ears when some old hag walked past him, casting a spell on the Ascended Sleeper, freezing him on the spot for a moment.
"Why have I made him the Guardian Beast of the tribe again?"
That was the breaking point for Enar Dralor.
"What is going on?!"
Drelyne Llenim groaned. If you were to wake up while lying on pointy, hard rocks that are moving, you would groan too.
Wait, moving?
"Just for the record, I killed for lesser affronts than making me a beast of burden," resounded a deep voice beneath her.
Drelyne glanced in panic around her, at least as much as the pain in her chest allowed her. They were still surrounded by a sandstorm, so obviously they remained inside the Ghost Fence, but the scenery had changed, so they clearly moved her. Whatever she was lying on was big, very big, and covered in scales. And that, my friends, is never a good sign. In fact, the only worse way to start your day is by finding such creature in your bed.
"I hear someone hyperventilating, I think your fahdon woke up."
The leader of the party, Enar Dralor, appeared in her field of view.
"Drelyne, are you alright?"
She did her best to calm herself down. The commander was present and he wasn't fighting, so they were safe at the moment.
"I am. What... is that thing?"
"Hi! I would give a long, impressive tinvaak about my origin, how I am a son of a god and so on, but every time I open my mouth I'm forced to eat a spoonful of sand, so I'll just say I'm Rotheimaak."
"It didn't stop you from telling bad jokes, Thunder-Lizard," said a third person, one that Drelyne didn't recognize.
"It's... a dragon. Like the one on Empire's banners. He happened to be nearby."
"...Enar, were you drinking skooma?" asked the warrior, ignoring the rule of respect towards the commander for the first time in years.
"It is the sign of a fool to ignore something simply because it escapes their understanding," said the deep voice again, this time a little more seriously. "Also, we should move faster, I think I see another group over there. I would rather avoid eating any more corprus meat tonight. I think it tried to crawl out of my stomach."
"We didn't need that picture," mumbled another person. Drelyne recognized it was Salyn, a fighter that she wouldn't mind getting lost in the sandstorm. The woman tried to sit up, but the sudden pain in her chest made her re-think the decision.
"Careful. You have two broken ribs," warned her the other woman, whose identity remained a mystery. "I stabilized you, but had no time for actual healing. Stay where you are until we arrive at Ghostgate. Speaking of which, how close are we?"
"We're almost there. See that wide slope ahead? The Ghostgate is at the bottom, it's only a few minutes of march away."
"Uh..." started the so called dragon. "How long would it be if we ran?"
"We can't. We're limited to your own speed, Thunder-Lizard, since you're the slowest on the ground. And you crawl."
"Deyra dok... You see, that group I mentioned earlier... I think they spotted us."
Enar immediately glanced to the right. The look on his face confirmed Drelyne's fears.
"They're coming at us! At least twenty of them, I see all types! Wait... is that..."
"I knew he would show up to finish the job," growled the dragon and rapidly increased his speed, making Drelyne yelp as she was almost tossed off his back. "Double time everyone, I don't like our chances!"
"Sweet Almalexia, we're doomed!" Salyn was crying. The toughest, most stubborn bastard she knew was crying. "They have an Ash Vampire!"
The heart of a wounded Armiger stopped at the terrible news.
An Ash Vampire.
There were many abominations in the great army of the Devil. Even the weakest mutants were stronger than almost any man and they felt no pain except for the one their master made them feel. Fortunately, the madness and lack of any but the simplest tactics made it possible for a skilled fighter to beat them. The spellcasters were much worse - they made their madness into a sharp, deadly weapon by entirely focusing their very body on their current task, tossing aside all distractions in a way that no man could achieve. Those could be overwhelmed only by the very best, the Buoyant Armigers, the knightly order answering to Vivec himself. But that one terrible being, the Ash Vampire, was a death sentence for anyone but the greatest heroes.
There were many Dreamers, Ash Zombies, Ash Slaves and even Ascended Sleepers, but there were only seven Ash Vampires, even so long after Dagoth re-emerged on Red Mountain. The reason for that was simple - even if one were to best the Ash Vampire in combat, they wouldn't stay dead for long. It was a war without end - whatever evil magic kept Dagoth alive, it also brought the Ash Vampires back from the dead, not as shambling corpses at that, but truly alive, as if nothing happened. The reason for that was simple - besides being the actual brothers to Dagoth Ur, they were also his strongest generals. One Ash Vampire was worth more than an entire base full of corprus beasts and just as deadly, capable of both incredible feats of strength and destructive spells.
In other words, getting caught now meant death for all of them.
The mad dash down the mountain that ensued was the most terrible moment of her life, since she herself couldn't even focus on running. She was forced to watch in terror from the back of the dragon as the wave of beasts was running towards them from the crater, with the Ash Vampire himself hovering above the ground, shown by the red glow from the volcano. The most disturbing part was how human the monster seemed from that distance... until one were to look at the long, scythe-like talons that could cut armor as if it was paper.
"It's about time you came ba... WHAT IN THE NAME OF VIVEC IS THAT?!"
"Shut up, Selmen, and open the gate!" bellowed Enar.
"But..."
A fire spell hit the wall of Ghostgate above their heads, causing a big explosion in front of them. The other Dunmers jumped to the side, while the dragon stopped for a moment and started cursing in some strange language, clearly blinded by the flash.
"NOW!"
A loud screech resonated, its origin being the rising main gate.
"The second gate too, s'wit!"
"I can't! You know only one gate can be open at any time!"
"Rotheimaak, move! You're the last!"
The Armiger tightened her grip on one of the spines of her carrier. The fastest of abominations, the Ash Zombies, were only few meters away. Fortunately, the dragon was already stepping into the shadow of the Ghostgate.
"Lower the gate!"
Too late.
A gate fell on the backs of several corprus beasts, crushing them under its weight, but several managed to pass. Partially immobilized, Armiger pulled out her enchanted sword and did her best to fend off the attack of an Ash Zombie that had jumped onto dragon's back.
"Open the second gate! Ordinators, Armigers, to battle!"
Drelyne gasped when Rotheimaak hit the wall of the tunnel between the two gates, no doubt trying to shake off the corprus beasts trying to climb onto him. For some reason, Dagoth's minions completely abandoned attacking the Dunmers in favour of focusing on the dragon himself. The screech of the opening of second gate cut through the air.
"What have I ever done to you to pick on me of all people?! Iiz!"
A wave of freezing air ran over the enemies, trapping them in blocks of ice for two precious seconds. With a desperate swing, Drelyne cut off the foot of the remaining Ash Zombie, making him fall off the dragon. The pain in her chest intensified from the effort and her eyelids slowly dropped...
"The spellcasters are close! Everyone, get away from the tunnel, move the fight into the courtyard!"
I won't get there before zombie-wannabes jump me again. I must keep hitting them!
Rotheimaak turned around, facing the first gate and the Ash Zombies, which were about to free themselves from the effects of his attack, and started to crawl backwards, towards the second gate. He opened his jaws.
"Iiz!"
The attack hit both the Ash Zombies and the group of beasts that were stopped by the first gate, forcing them to the ground. He continued his crawl towards the safe zone. A few Armigers and Ordinators jumped from behind the corner with their bows in hand and fired several arrows into the frozen enemies. The dragon again prepared his magical attack.
"Iiz!"
At this point, thanks to the combined power of dragon shouts and Dunmer archery, most Ash Zombies that had slipped out of Red Mountain were slain, while the crowd of abominations at the first gate was frozen so thoroughly it formed a solid barrier. Ted allowed himself for a smirk.
Damn. And that's just one word of the shout!
The ice blockade exploded.
Ted blinked. The archers' hands started to shake. The mutilated bodies of Dagoth's minions were pushed aside by a telekinetic spell.
The Ash Vampire stood in the center, just behind the gate, glaring at the protectors of the Ghostgate through the bars.
At this, Ted couldn't stop his chuckle.
"So close and yet so far, eh? What are you going to do now?"
The warlock answered not with words, but with actions. The Ash Vampire reached with his hand past the bars. A green mist appeared between his claws.
Ted visibly sweat dropped.
Crap. Game logic doesn't work anymore, he can cast spells through the gate!
"Get away! It's charging!
The dragon inhaled. Have fun with the favourite shout of every cheater.
"Iiz!"
The shout hit... and while some frost formed on the skin of Ash Vampire, it was its only effect on him.
"WHAT?! This is bull..."
The spell hit, and the dragon found himself tossed through the air, flying over the courtyard and gathered warriors, who scattered in panic. Rotheimaak hit the steep mountainside opposite of the Ghostgate and tumbled down it. He finally stopped at the bottom, in the middle of the road that connected the outpost to the rest of the world. He was staring forward with no expression on his snout. He glanced slowly around, with everything taking on vivid colors that belonged only to surrealist paintings and acid trips.
"I found the giants of Morrowind."
His head hit the ground.
Here I am. The city of Vivec.
After leaving the guildhall of the Mages Guild and entering the plaza, Azirra found herself a little lost. She had a total of three people to find. After spotting an empty corner next to the Guild, she leaned against the wall and pulled out a note she prepared the day before, when the names were still fresh in her memory.
"First informant: Huleeya (Argonian). Morag Tong assassin. Check Black Shalk Cornerclub at Foreign Quarter.
Second informant: Addhiranirr (Khajiit). Thieves Guild member. Probably at St. Olms Canton. According to Rothsomethingoranother, she's hiding in the sewers.
Third informant: Mehra Milo (Dunmer). A Temple priestess. Works at the library in Temple canton. Copper eyes and hair. NOT ask anyone about her.
Other: the tax agent can be persuaded to leave by telling him his target left for the mainland. Rare and forbidden books can be bought from Jobasha at Foreign Quarter. How and if it is related to the mission remains to be seen. Chances are it is."
Looks like I'll start with checking that cornerclub, thought Azirra. I hope this assassin really is there, I have no other lead on him.
After leaving the plaza through the gate and getting blinded by the sun, the mage walked for a minute, passing through the crowds of locals, which at the time weren't big - it was a relatively early hour. After getting to the slope leading to the lower level (apparently it was a slope rather than stairs for the sake of the traders from plaza) she found the entrance to one of the lower floors of the canton. That's when Azirra learned the Foreign Quarter had an additional floor - their Waistworks were divided into an upper and lower part. After questioning a merchant from the upper Waistworks (a much more preferable person to speak with than a nearby Ordinator, that's for sure), she was redirected to the lower level. Soon she was standing in front of a door with a sign of a black beetle hanging next to it. Azirra reached with her hand for the handle, but hesitated.
Come on, Azirra... There's nothing to be afraid of. You only have to convince a possibly homicidal Argonian that earns money by killing people. The Khajiit made a sour face. I'm terrible at motivating myself.
After a few more seconds, she finally gathered the courage and entered. The inside, when it came to the furnishings, was a fusion of Dunmer and Imperial styles, which was to be expected from a club in this canton of the city. It wasn't hard to find the person that most likely was her informant - there was only one Argonian in the room. He was talking... well, more like arguing with three Dunmers. She approached.
"Go back to your swamp, lizard. Or your plantation, wherever you came from."
"Stop testing my patience, Dunmer. My honor is the only thing that holds me back right now."
Oh. It's this kind of a talk.
"I'm sorry, are you Huleeya?" she asked.
The four men looked at her.
"I am. If you want to talk about something, I'm afraid it has to wait. These three... gentlemen are offended by a sight of a free Argonian, and won't leave me alone at the moment."
Azirra leveled her stare on the three thugs. It wasn't very effective - she was a single person against three, a fluffy one at that.
"Are you really going to cause trouble by attacking outlanders in the canton that happens to have the most of us?"
One of the men snorted.
"So? In case you haven't noticed, skooma junkie, five out of eight people in this club are Dunmers."
Skooma junkie? I think you are mistaking me with my boss.
"Perhaps. But the Argonian that you are angering happens to be an assassin and I'm pretty sure you already know that. That's why you are confident he won't fight, he's a professional that intends to do charm only to his targets. Let me ask you this: do you want to check how much you can annoy him before he runs you through?"
"Hmpf. Very well, I won't waste more time on animals like you. Favel, Urven, let's go."
The two of them observed how the Dunmer left the club, and Huleeya bowed slightly towards Azirra.
"Many thanks for solving this peacefully. Their hatred saddens and angers me. I hate the custom of despising another on account of their race, and I cannot forgive the narrowness of mind and poverty of spirit that assures them of their right to abuse and attack me out of spite or on a whim."
Azirra raised an eyebrow at this. That's some flowery vocabulary for a killer.
"Is it normal around here?"
"Sadly, yes. Many Dunmers are old enough to remember the times before the Empire, and teach their children hatred for other races. It remains true even for many members of the House Hlaalu, as you just witnessed. But I digress. May I know your name?"
"I'm Azirra. I came on behalf of our common friend from Balmora. He said you owe him a favour and you might know about something we're researching right now."
"I see... In that case we should move this conversation to a more private place. My friend, Jobasha the Khajiit, has a bookstore, Jobasha's Rare Books. If you agree to travel together with me there, I will answer your questions."
Is he planning something? Also, that's surprising the dragon and an assassin happen to know the same bookseller.
"...Alright. Lead the way."
After the mage and the assassin left the club, the duo crossed the atrium and entered the corridor opposite to the one from which they came. At the very end of it was the door to the bookstore. They entered inside.
After turning behind the corner, the first thing Azirra saw was an Ordinator in full gear standing next to one of the shelves. That alone made her nervous - she just couldn't get used to those creepy, expressionless masks/helmets they were wearing. Fortunately, this particular guard seemed less focused on reminding outlanders that he was watching them and calling them scum, and instead was occupied with reading a book. If Huleeya was surprised by the presence of the warrior, he wasn't showing it - instead he just passed him and walked downstairs. Azirra followed.
This time, surprisingly, the view wasn't much better. Yes, there was a middle-aged male Khajiit in the back, probably Jobasha himself, but mirroring the Ordinator upstairs next to the bookshelves stood an assassin. This had to be an assassin, she was sure. The other Argonian was wearing a creepy black armor and had more visible weapons than Azirra touched in her life. For some reason, he looked familiar. Huleeya moved closer to greet his friends.
"Jobasha, Gih-Deesei, I'm sorry you had to wait. There were some complications."
Gih-Deesei... I'm pretty sure I heard that name before too.
"Oh, that is no problem. I had to talk with Jobasha anyway."
Oops. That's a she, not a he. I really should learn more about Argonians. And that voice... seriously, where and when did I met her?
"Is that about the slave business?" Huleeya seemed disappointed. "Gih-Deesei, I told you, it's against the rules."
"You can take those rules and shove them where light doesn't reach. You hate slavery as much as I do, why do you insist on ignoring the problem?"
"It's not ignoring. It is not the way of Morag Tong to slay anyone except for targets or in self-defense."
"Bah. That honor of yours is useless if fellow Argonians suffer because of it... Anyway, who is it behind you?"
Hold on, I remember! I think it's that Argonian friend of the Hlaalu investigator. She acts and dresses different...
"Hello, Gih-Deesei. Remember me?"
The Argonian squinted her eyes.
"You do look and sound familiar... Sorry, I can't say for sure. You Khajiit all look the same to me," stated Gih-Deesei and hastily added: "No offense."
"None taken," said Azirra.
"Some taken," murmured Jobasha.
"My name is Azirra, from the Mages Guild."
The bookseller looked at her in a strange way, while the assassin seemed sheepish.
"Oh, um... Surely you are wondering why I switched a frilly dress for an armor and twenty knives?"
"Not really. I already was suspecting Sudione had much broader connections than it seems." Azirra shrugged.
"Excuse Jobasha, you said you're Azirra correct? This one has a question..." Jobasha started and surprised the Khajiit with the next sentence. "Have you seen the Twin Lamps?"
Wasn't that the password of Twin Lamps? Ugh, what was the answer...?
"...They guide a path to freedom?"
Jobasha smiled.
"Im-Kilaya mentioned you in his letter. Are you up for a little job against the slavers?"
Azirra gave him an unimpressed look.
"...You do remember there is an Ordinator upstairs, right?"
To her surprise Jobasha only laughed.
"Don't worry. He was indeed sent here to spy on me, but they picked the wrong man for the job. I only had to show him the shelf with the copies of 'The Lusty Argonian Maid'. He reads them all the time, day, night... It's kind of creepy, actually."
Too much information.
"...In a moment. In need to speak with Huleeya first."
After both of them sat at the table, the Argonian decided to start.
"So, just to clarify, you work for Caius?"
"Correct. We are searching for the information on the Nerevarine and the Sixth House cult."
The last part seemed to surprise the assassin.
"Sixth House cult? I've never heard of such a thing. House Dagoth was the Sixth House, but in the War of the First Council they betrayed the other Great Houses and were destroyed for their treason. But I've never heard of anyone worshipping them. Dagoth Ur, the ancient head of House Dagoth, is the Devil of the Tribunal faith, but I've never heard of anyone worshipping him either. Nerevarine, however? That I know."
Azirra prepared the quill and an empty page.
[Exposition time, skip if you know the plot and don't care about immersion]
"To understand the Nerevarine cult, you must understand the history of the Ashlanders. Nerevar means something very different to the Ashlanders from what it means to Dunmers of the Great Houses. You should also know about the persecution of the Nerevarine, and the legacy of the False Incarnate, for the Nerevarine cult is at the heart of the ancient conflict between the nomadic Ashlanders and the settled Great House Dunmer.
"If you were to ask the Ashlanders about the history behind the cult, they would tell you something like that: In ancient days, the Deep Elves and a great army of outlanders from the West came to steal the land of the Dunmers. In that time, Nerevar was the great khan and warleader of the House People, but he honored the ancient spirits and the tribal law, and became as one of them. So, when Nerevar pledged upon his great Ring of the Ancestors, One-Clan-Under-Moon-and-Star to honor the ways of the spirits and rights of the land, all the tribes joined the House People to fight a great battle at Red Mountain. Though many Dunmer, Tribesman and Houseman alike, died at Red Mountain, the Dwemer were defeated and their evil magicks destroyed, and the outlanders driven from the land. But after this great victory, the power-hungry khans of the Great Houses slew Nerevar in secret, and, setting themselves up as gods, neglected Nerevar's promises to the Tribes. But it is said that Nerevar will come again with his ring and cast down the false gods, and by the power of his ring will make good his promises to the tribes, to honor the spirits and drive the outsiders from the land.
"In the First Era, settled Dunmer clans and nomadic tribes were roughly equal in numbers and wealth. Under the civilized peace of the Grand Council, and with the strong central authority of the Temple, the economic and military power of the settled Dunmer quickly outstripped that of the nomadic Dunmer. The nomadic Dunmer were marginalized into the poorest, most hostile land, in particular into the Vvardenfell wastes. For the Ashlanders, the return of a reincarnated Nerevar represents a longed for and largely romanticized Golden Age of Nerevar's Peace, when the nomadic tribes enjoyed equality with the settled Dunmer, and before the Dunmer people had for the most part abandoned traditional ancestor worship for the autocratic theocracy of the Tribunal Temple.
"The Tribunal Temple regards the mysticism and prophecy of the Nerevarine cult as primitive superstition. The Ashlander Ancestor cults have always declared the worship of the living Dunmer as abominations, suspecting the unnatural lifetimes of the Tribunal to be signs of profane sorcery or necromancy. Though the authoritarian and intolerant Temple priesthood has always been inclined to tolerate Ashlander ancestor cult practices, they have always threatened Nerevarine claimants with death or imprisonment. And while generally tolerant of various cult worships, the Imperial Commission of the Occupation outlaws cults hostile to the Emperor and the Empire, and threatens members of such cults with imprisonment or death. The Ordinators are thus allowed a free hand when dealing with outlawed cults like the Nerevarines.
"In the past, others have claimed to be the reincarnated Nerevar of prophecy. The most recent is known as Peakstar, a mysterious figure who has reportedly appeared and disappeared among the Wastes tribes over the last thirty years. The Temple notes that these False Incarnates discredit the Nerevarine prophecies. Singularly, and illogically, the Ashlanders acknowledge a history of false claimants, calling them "Failed Incarnates," but they regard them as proof of the validity of the prophecies, rather than contradiction. Among the Nerevarines, there is a fable of a Cavern of the Incarnates, where the spirits of the Failed Incarnates dwell. The Nerevarine cult is a mystical cult and it glorifies, rather than shrinks from, contradictions. I believe that's all I can say to you on the subject."
[Exposition time is over]
"Thank you for your time, Huleeya."
"It was not a problem at all. I hope you will find what you search for."
Azirra stood up and approached the other assassin and the bookseller.
"A Nerevarine cult, huh?" said Jobasha. "Not exactly my field of knowledge. I think I had some book on the subject... Anyway, do you want to hear our proposition?"
She nodded.
"As you probably know, it's pretty common for the smugglers to establish secret slave dens, where their victims are kept until they can be of use to them," said Gih-Deesei. "They usually also do some work for them in there, mostly mining. Slavery is sadly still legal, despite our leader's best efforts, so we can't do anything legally to the planters. The smugglers, however, are outlaws, because trading slaves is illegal. Telvanni ignore even that, but we're far from their territory."
"You want to attack their hideout," guessed Azirra.
"Yes. I've recently learned of a small den, Hinnabi, on an island east from the city. I know for sure they have at least two Argonian slaves, and the smugglers aren't numerous. I've counted only four changing the shifts at the front entrance. Those numbers I like. If caught unaware, I can dispose of them easily enough, my poisoned darts would leave them defenseless. Still, I would feel more confident with someone to back me up in a direct fight. Are you up for this?"
The mage considered the proposition and asked about the most logical thing.
"What will we gain? That fuzzy feeling in my stomach after saving a few slaves is good, but it would be nice to have some compensation for a possible injury."
"Well, we will obviously also loot the place and split the profits equally. I heard you Khajiits are good when it comes to looting... Again, no offense."
"All taken," stated Azirra and Jobasha at the same time with bemused looks. The mage sighed. "I guess it's good enough for me, curse my good heart. Helping anyone is no fun when you know the only thing you can possibly get is a beatdown."
"True to that. Anyway, wait at the Temple dock at nine in the evening, I know someone who can give us a ride there."
A/N:
Here we go, Ted is getting his first beatdown, mostly because Dagoth doesn't take kindly to overgrown cliff racers opening airlines and flying with passengers over his domain. Hopefully Rotheimaak will become more cautious from now on... Yeah, as if. xD
In game Ash Vampires have a very limited set of moves - each of them has a strong melee attack, one touch spell and one distance spell, both have multiple effects. Each Vampire has his own combination of debuffs (and in one case two summons at once), but none has an elemental damage, only universal Damage Health, which is in fact worse, since no race is resistant against that. In other words, don't worry about getting hit with this ridiculous attack in game, that's my own idea. I mean, come on, those are brothers of Devil Under the Mountain, gotta level them up a little.
Speaking of my own ideas, Jobasha doesn't give any quests in vanilla game. As a member of Twin Lamps, he will reward you with three skill books if you will free thirty (!) slaves, but that's all. I decided to make use of the fact Azirra was again meeting an abolitionist to give her a location of the closest slaver den. I also wanted to reveal Gih-Deesei's true nature and the combination resulted in Morag Tong assassin that fights against slavery... which I like. Most of these side-protagonists of mine seem a bit lacking in character to me. I also must admit I was lazy and what Huleeya says in the exposition part is pretty much copied from the in-game note he gives us.
Also: coming up with good curses in Dovahzul is harder than licking your own elbow.
In the next chapter: an aftermath of the clash at the Ghostgate and the second part of Azirra's mission in Vivec.