Chapter 16

Welcome to Solstheim

XxXxXx

Vvardenfell, Morrowind – 4E 5

This trip had him jittery.

Normally, going back to Morrowind did not have him so on edge. Stressed, maybe, but Jorun had convinced him to stop micromanaging and let Morrowind rule herself. It had been nerve-wracking at first with things feeling like they were teetering on the edge of a knife but that was normal, or so he had been assured. The entire political and religious base of Morrowind had been cracked in half and then crushed into dust. Things were just starting to go back to normal, as was Nevano's nerves and stress level. He had even stayed in Cyrodiil for a while, taking up a few contracts with the Fighters Guild again. His old guild mates had been thrilled to have him back again. Modryn had been too. He hadn't actually said anything, that wasn't his way, but he had shown his approval by giving Nevano the insane, thus fun, contracts. The man certainly knew how to make a mer feel special.

Now Nevano was incredibly uneasy. He felt like he was crawling into a cave full of bandits. He had been catching whispers of rumors, things that moved in the shadows but disappeared in the dark as soon as he tried to catch a closer look. None of it bode well. In fact, he had gotten so uneasy he had convinced Jorun to move off Vvardenfell. It hadn't been easy but Jorun was a mer who could appreciate gut feelings and the need to act on them. Thank Azura his wife was as understanding as she was and hadn't killed either of them for completely uprooting the family. That had settled the knot in his stomach a little but with each step he took towards Vivec City, the knot tightened again. The first thing he had heard as of a floating city that had appeared over Black Marsh. Nevano was fairly certain that nothing good could come from that. However, he put that one in the back of his mind. Let the Argonians worry over that. He'd worry if it started moving northward. The other thing that was capturing his immediate attention was rumors of some sort of engine in Vivec that was keeping up Baar Dau.

THAT was a major source of irritation for him. Baar Dau, or the Ministry of Truth as it was better known, was the giant rock that hung suspended over Vivec City, held back from destroying the city by the warrior-poet's powers. Anger from both his own soul as well as Nerevar's welled up. Vivec had had every opportunity to remove the moon from its precarious position, both while he was at full power and after Nevano had permanently cut him off from the Heart, but he never did. It was the ultimate act of selfishness, continuing to hold a moon over the heads of those who had once worshipped him even after the great deception was revealed. Now he was gone. Despite the many rumors and theories, Nevano strongly suspected that a daedric prince had taken him to be punished for his transgressions. Azura, Mephala or Boethia were all good suspects.

Now the magic holding Baar Dau was starting to fail, causing the fractured powers that had been trying to run the province to frantically scramble to find a way to keep the damned rock in the sky. While Nevano couldn't help solve that problem, indeed he didn't have the knowledge nor the skills to even consider contributing, he had caught on to the rumors of what they had come up with and it was, to say the least, alarming. An engine that ran on souls was their brilliant solution. The mere thought sent cold shivers down his spine. Did no one see the drawback to this plan? It ran on SOULS. What would happen when the souls ran out? Where were those poor souls going? What dark power had they made a pact with to come up with this monstrosity? So many questions and he was pretty certain the answers would not bring about any sort of comfort.

He stopped on top of a small hill. The Foreign Canton rose up in the early morning mist, as forbidding as it was magnificent. A small smile tugged at the corners of Nevano's lips as he thought about all the trouble he had caused over the years in Vivec City, lightening his mood a bit. Some of that trouble he regretted a little bit but most of it he felt was well deserved. He had no regrets for the headaches he caused the Ordinators over the years. He had to say he was impressed with Ordinators. They were temple guards, holy soldiers essentially. With the fall of the Tribunal, they could have fallen to pieces and made everyone's life miserable but had instead turned their focus into keeping order with the populace, relaxing their infamous rigid intolerance a tad. It didn't quite make up for all their tiffs in the past, but Nevano was happy enough that everyone was learning to get past the Temple falling apart.

Nevano took a few more moments to look around before he made his way to the city. The mist rising off the calm bay waters was starting to burn off as the sun rose higher. It was going to be another hot humid day. He could start to make out sails out on the water, the smaller sails of fishing boats to the larger masts of massive transports making their way to Vivec's port. He could see the silt strider, glinting in the light as the morning dew slid off its back. He frowned a little. Was it just the fog or was the silt strider moving around an awful lot? He was pretty certain the giant insect wasn't due to leave for Balmora for another few hours. He looked around for the caravaner and found the mer desperately trying to sooth the giant insect, but the strider was having none of it. As Nevano watched in utter astonishment, the silt strider broke away from the platform and began to scuttle off into the wilderness, its driver running frantically after it.

Nevano could only stare. He had never seen a silt strider act like that. The caravaners raised their silt striders from eggs, forming a close bond with the massive creatures. If anything, the silt striders ran TO the drivers, never away. He had never heard of the docile creatures acting out. He watched after the swath the giant bug had cut into the trees. It was running…not directly away from the city, but to the east, along the coast. Strange…and worrying. Something had thoroughly spooked a creature that normally was not frightened of anything.

A deep resonating boom made him look up sharply, ears twitching. It sounded like boulders crashing down a mountain but it was coming from…Vivec? Nevano started to run down the hill towards the city. Something was wrong, desperately wrong. Another boom shook the ground violently, throwing Nevano on his face for the rest of the way down the hill. He rolled to a stop with a grunt. He could feel blood dripping down his face. Ignoring his broken nose, he scrambled to his feet as best he could with the ground still vibrating angrily beneath his feet. He started to run towards Vivec again when something seemed to freeze his limbs in place. For terrifying second he thought he had been attacked from behind by a mage but he didn't have the pain the usually accompanied an ice attack. Nerevar?

Before he had anymore time to wonder, the world seemed to invert itself. The explosion was so loud the sound seemed to pierce clean through his body, rattling the very marrow in his bones. He screamed at the agony assaulting his ears but his voice was completely lost in the roar around him. The force of the explosion threw him off his feet and onto his back. The ground shook even more violently, then began to break underneath him. Nevano forced his eyes open.

Vivec was collapsing. The very thing everyone had been afraid had just happened. Baar Dau had fallen, the city was collapsing into the massive hole that suddenly appeared in the middle of the bay. The sea began to boil furiously as the super heated rock burned right through it. The cavern it created was greedily swallowing up ground as it broke up and splintered. Nevano scrambled as best he could as shock numbed his brain. The only thing that registered was to get away from the collapse, to not be swallowed by the increasing hole. He ran until the shaking ground pitched him back down again. He hadn't made it very far but at least the ground was still whole here…for now.

Each breath seared his throat, threatening to collapse his airway. He gagged, retching as noxious fumes from the boiling salt water triggered his body to start bailing out everything in his stomach in an effort to keep the poison out. He clawed at the ground, trying to find something, anything, that would ground him but it was fruitless as the earth continued to buck and heave underneath him like a wild animal. Then, beneath the screaming of the last of Vivec City falling into the sea, came an ominous rushing noise. It was quiet at first but every instinct in Nevano's body woke up and began shrieking at him in a panic to run, that that rushing noise that was getting louder by the second was far more deadly than the carnage around him.

Nevano looked up to the north, to Red Mountain. The mountain itself wasn't visible at this distance but the cloud was. Angry smoke billowed up in massive clouds, more belching out with accompanying explosions of thunder. Red flashes broke through the smoke occasionally like lightning but Nevano knew that it wasn't the thunder and lightning of a rainstorm. No, it was something much, much worse.

Worse came in the form of the wave. It came rolling down from the mountain, swallowing everything in its path. Red and black, the colors of death, was washing over Vvardenfell at an alarming rate. There was no running from it, despite what his panicked instincts insisted he do. He simply couldn't. There was no way he could physically get away. This was it. This was the face of his death. Red Mountain was going to finish what she tried to start years ago. Tears started to roll down Nevano's face but the growing heat evaporated them before they made it halfway down his cheeks. He had maybe seconds before he was consumed. Strangely, he was ok with death. Instead he grieved for the people who had to deal with the aftermath of this destruction. He grieved for those who were already dead. He had no grief left for himself. It was almost here. For the first time in his life, his eyes turned red, reflecting off the deadly rush coming towards him. His skin, pushed beyond its natural tolerance, began to blister from the heat. He sucked in one final breath of smoky fumes, feeling his throat all the way to his lungs sear in agony, and closed his eyes.

The sudden drop onto the hard cobblestones startled him badly, knocking the air clean from his lungs. He gasped and desperately sucked in a mouthful of clean air, causing him to start choking and dry heaving. A scream pierced through the haze. He tried to open his eyes but he could barely make out shadows. For an alarming moment he thought he had gone blind. He tried to move but his muscles locked. He couldn't tell if it was from fear or from an actual injury. As tense, frantic voices slowly began filtering in through his rapidly churning mind, he decided that it would just be best to stay on the ground and just continue to get clear air cycled into his lungs. Yes, that sounded best. The cool stones felt good on his blistered skin. Just stay down…

"How did he get here? He just appeared!"

"Magic, that's what that was."

"…out of thin air…"

"…one of the Fighters Guild…"

"Out of my way, MOVE!" A familiar bellow reached Nevano's ears, acting like a balm to his tormented mind. He could hear disgruntled voices protesting, very briefly, as the owner of that bellow easily bulled his way through the crowd. "Nevano what happened? I thought you were…"

Nevano's vision cleared minutely, not that he needed it at that moment. He knew Modryn Oreyn was there. The warrior kneeling next to him where he lay on the ground, looking all at once concerned, worried and impatient. He knew that look well; it was the same look he got every time he fell back into the guildhall badly injured. Feeling a bit bolstered by the strong presence of his adoptive parent next to him, Nevano tried to look around but the rest of the world was a confusing blur of colors and shapes. He was fairly certain that the pale orbs that surrounded him were faces. He apparently had attracted quite the crowd when he had appeared suddenly out of thin air. He swiped at his face, feeling nothing but a mask of thick gritty ash. No wonder he couldn't see.

"Nevano!"

In automatic obedience he tried to answer but as he took in the breath needed to speak he began to cough all over again, gagging up a mouthful of ash, aggravating his already ravaged throat. He was starting to become more aware of himself, the numbness brought on by shock fading away, allowing him to feel every sharp ache and pain on his battered body. He had sustained far more injuries than he initially realized.

"C'mon. Enough. Let's get you inside." Nevano was lifted completely to his feet, strong arms keeping him from falling over again. He was glad for it. He could feel his legs shaking underneath him and he was pretty certain that if Modryn hadn't been holding him up, he would have immediately collapsed back onto the ground.

"Red Mountain." He croaked out, not recognizing his own voice. He was used to the rough edge his voice took on after he had been to Morrowind for an extended period of time. Everyone's voice did, especially Dunmer who were predisposed to it. This was something else entirely. He probably shouldn't be speaking, not with his throat as seared as it was but he had to tell them. He had to deliver the horrific news. "It's gone."

Instantly all the whispers and murmurs that Nevano hadn't been aware of until now went silent. The grip on his arms tightened just a tad.

"What do you mean 'gone', boy?" Modryn's voice was tight. Nevano couldn't tell if it was from anger or worry. Modryn usually didn't call him "boy" unless he was really annoyed.

Nevano gathered the last of his failing energy to burst out one final statement. "It erupted. Vvardenfell is gone…" With that he slumped, barely conscious, into Oreyn's arms, the sounds of shocked voices barely registering in his mind as he was whisked into the guildhall. Just before he slid fully into the darkness he heard a whisper in his mind, the now familiar voice that was more felt instead of heard.

"Now is not your time, my champion. I am not done with you yet. You will not remember this, not right now. In time, you will, when the time is right."

XxXxXx

Raven Rock, Solstheim – 4E 201 Sun's Height

Nevano clenched his hands so hard blood began to ooze from between his fingers. The flood of memories of that terrible year was overwhelming. He remembered now how he had woken up in the guildhall and, when Modryn had tried to question him about the eruption, he couldn't remember anything. He remembered the look he had gotten, the whispers that followed him around for weeks until confirmation had come in that Red Mountain had indeed erupted. Still the looks and rumors had haunted him. People had thought he had gone crazy and didn't believe him when he tried to say he really didn't remember anything. Modryn had believed him, he HAD dropped from out of nowhere after all, but he didn't let Nevano leave for a good while after that. That feeling like maybe he WAS crazy, that he couldn't remember, that followed him for years.

"Nevano. Nevano!" Gunjar was beyond alarmed. The other sailors were starting to take notice and the consensus was if Nevano couldn't get control of himself, he'd be dunked in the ocean.

"I was there, Gunjar." He finally ground out through clenched teeth, "I was there and there was nothing I could DO to save anyone!"

"Nevano, you gotta calm down!"

"You don't understand, Gunjar!" Nevano whipped around on him, eyes practically glowing, "I was outside Vivec. I saw that damn rock crash into the city. I got thrown back from the impact…the whole city just SANK. Then I felt it…I felt Red Mountain grow angry. Then she destroyed everything. I could see it. I could see the red wave coming towards me. I was going to die then. I was supposed to die! Then…I was dropped to the ground outside Chorrol."

"How did you manage that?"

"I DIDN'T!" Nevano snarled, fury mingling with the anguish in his already tumultuous mind, "Azura did!"

"Azura…"

"The daedric prince!"

"I know who Azura is! I didn't think she would extend her reach into the mortal world like that."

Nevano let anger take over, allowing it to push away the anguish the destructive memories was causing. In the recesses of his mind, a comforting murmur tried to calm him. He knew he was allowing himself to over-react but it was all just…overwhelming. Finally, after several long tense moments, he relaxed. "I don't know why she caused me to forget. I'm still not sure why she wanted me to live. I have no idea why she dropped me in Chorrol. So many questions…I doubt I'll ever find the answers."

"You think maybe she wanted you to spread the word of what happened? I mean, a dark elf covered in ash and just dropping out of thin air will start up gossip, especially if he starts going on about the volcano going off." Gunjar leaned against the railing now that he was no longer afraid of the sailors throwing an out of control elf overboard, "I'm no expert on daedra but wouldn't she hold this back to maybe rally you when it came time? I mean she has something planned obviously. I know you've been having dreams or visions or whatever." Nevano shot him a swift glance. "You talk in your sleep when she comes to you, plus you toss and turn like a fish out of water. I'm starting to think that maybe you coming to Solstheim is less your offer to help me and more Azura putting her plans for you in motion."

"When did you get so insightful?" Nevano grumbled, more to himself than anything.

"Alright, alright, I'll let you derail the conversation…for now." Gunjar sighed, already seeing where this was heading, "We're almost to Raven Rock anyway. But don't dismiss the idea totally. Think about it."

When Raven Rock finally came into sight, Nevano was a bit shocked at its transformation but not unpleasantly so. Once an Imperial settlement it now screamed out Dunmer. The insect-like shaped buildings that were undeniably Redoran had replaced all the wooden cabins. Off to the west side of town was the earth stone and…was that scaffolding around it? Nevano guessed that someone was trying to preserve it or something. What really caught his attention was the massively thick wall that separated the settlement from the wilderness. He quickly recognized the wall. He had seen it in his dreams months ago.

"Well, here we are. This is Raven Rock. Can't say I'm all that glad to see it again." Gjalund said, coming up behind them, as his crew got ready to throw mooring ropes to the dock, "Good luck. Maybe you can figure out what's going on around here."

They docked gently and it took every ounce of restraint Nevano had in his body to keep from scrambling off the boat like a dog off a leash. He didn't care about dignity at this point. He was done with the boat, sailing and the sea in general. If man or mer were meant to live on the water they'd have fins and gills!

A stern looking Dunmer strode purposefully down the dock towards the ship. Swiftly Nevano pulled his hood back up over his face and made sure his cloak hid the twin swords on his hips. He rather doubted anyone would recognize him but he didn't want to take any chances. It was generally considered a social faux pas among Dunmer society to keep one's face hidden. It immediately bred distrust and suspicion that something was being hidden. Nevano was pretty certain he had broken every bit of Dunmeri etiquette at some point in time, but this was one he didn't care about. He didn't want to be recognized, not just yet.

"I don't recognize you, so I'll assume this is your first visit to Raven Rock, outlander." He stated without preamble, frowning as he looked between Gunjar and Nevano, "I am Second Councilor Adril Arano. State your intentions." Nevano swallowed hard. He recognized the name Arano. That was a pretty large and rather influential family back from Vvardenfell. It had been decades since he had heard that…or been called an outlander.

"I am…" Gunjar grunted when Nevano nudged him in the back, "Just here looking for work."

"You've picked one of the worst places in Morrowind to do that, but suit yourself." The councilor shrugged, "Just remember, Raven Rock is sovereign territory of House Redoran. This is Morrowind, not Skyrim. While you're here you will be expected to abide by our laws. Any questions?"

"Are you always so suspicious of strangers?" Nevano's eyes went wide behind his lenses in horror. He could have kicked the Nord for that! What in oblivion kind of question was that? Did he not just hear that they were NO LONGER IN SKYRIM?! Idiot human! By the way the guard close by on the dock twitched and looked over he seemed to have the exact same sentiments.

"I have to be. As Second Councilor, the security of Raven Rock is my primary concern." The mer seemed patient enough, but there was a hint of an edge, one that suggested that he had no problem telling off the nosy stranger…or giving him a burial at sea under the docks.

"Has security been an issue lately?" Nevano resigned himself to just listening. There was no recovering gracefully at this point.

"This isn't exactly the city of Blacklight." The councilor said dryly, "We're on the frontier out here, and we've had more than a fair share of troubles. After all we've been through together, I refuse to let Councilor Morvayn down."

"Councilor?" Nevano perked up a bit. He knew that name. Morvayn…Morvayn…Ah yes. Councilor Brara Morvayn. He had met her back in Ald'ruhn, while trying to get his Hortator title from House Redoran. Her council seat had been an incredibly recent one, not even a few days old. Her husband had been killed defending their home from corprus beasts and she had taken refuge in the Redoran Council Hall with her young son. Nevano had cleared her house of Dagoth Ur's taint in a small gesture of thanks for her helping him, feeling it was the least he could for her.

"Councilor Morvayn is House Redoran's representative on Solstheim. As Second Councilor, it's my job to support him and make certain his rule in enforced."

"Wait…you said Blacklight?"

"Your ignorance of our homeland doesn't surprise me." Nevano didn't believe it was possible but Adril's voice went even dryer, "It's the capital of Morrowind…been that way ever since Mournhold was sacked by the Argonians. I don't visit there often anymore, but we still get the occasional supply ship and visitors from there."

"The Argonians invaded?" Nevano nearly groaned out loud. He could have sworn he had had this conversation with Gunjar before, hadn't he?

"Quite a while ago, yes. They cut a bloody swath across most of the southern region of Morrowind. Nobody seems certain why it happened…an attempt at expansion, revenge for the enslavement of their people or perhaps both. Whatever the case may be, thousands of Dunmer needlessly lost their lives and many more were exiled from their homeland."

"Thank you sir." Nevano couldn't hold back his sigh of relief as the mer seemed to be mollified by Gunjar's show of manners, partially at least. Every elf within hearing distance still thought the Nord was a dunce…but at least a polite one. He prodded Gunjar off the ship before he could open his mouth again.

"Gjalund. I was starting to wonder what happened to you." Adril turned his attention to the captain. Nevano perked an ear up to listen as they made their way down the dock.

"We, uh…we were delayed by bad weather." Gjalund stammered, then straightened up, "Before you even ask…yes, I have the supplies you requested. But…"

"But what?"

"This load cost me double what we had agreed on. Nothing I can do about it."

"Damn it, Gjalund. You know we don't have that much coin." Adril rubbed at his forehead in frustration.

"Look, the East Empire Company didn't give me a choice. They've raised their prices again, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"After all these years, they're gouging us for every last drake we have. Let me talk to Lleril. I'll see what we can do."

"All right, Adril. Don't worry about rushing it. Just pay me when you can."

They stepped off the dock onto dry land, wobbling a little bit as they got used to the ground under their feet not moving, Nevano finally turned his attention back to Gunjar, "You have no tact, you know that, right?"

"I got Gjalund to get us here, didn't I?" Gunjar didn't sound too offended. In fact, he sounded a little pleased with himself. Nevano felt his eye twitch a little.

"Gjalund is a ship captain. That was councilor for House Redoran!" Nevano didn't quite yell, "Ok, maybe I should have warned you. I should have given you a few pointers on Morrowind mannerisms, maybe even a few history lessons. That was my fault. But for Azura's sake let me do the talking next time. You are going to get us kicked off the damned island before we can get any sort of helpful information. There's an ART to this. Granted you caught that councilor in a good mood and he gave up some things that were interesting to me, not sure if you picked up on them."

"Such as what?"

"For starters, I might know the councilor that runs this place. I know the name Morvayn but Adril kept saying 'he'." Nevano tilted his head from side to side, "The Morvayn I knew was a she but this could very well be her son. Haven't seen that kid since he was…still in his mother's arms. I'm real curious about that but it's not hugely important."

"What else did you pick up?"

"Fear. These people are afraid but they don't want us, two outlanders, to know."

"Why not ask us for help instead? Everyone in Skyrim does." Gunjar was genuinely confused, "Besides, you're a Dunmer. Why wouldn't they trust you?"

"Because you are a Nord with a Skyrim accent in Skyrim." Nevano explained patiently, "You were one of them, someone who understands Skyrim's ways, her people and the land. Here, you are no longer in Skyrim. Here we might as well wear signs around our necks that say 'new to town'. Dunmer don't like outsiders. I might be of the same race but they don't know me…thus, I'm an outsider as much as you are." Nevano watched a pair of guards walk by, hands on the hilts of their weapons. That was a worrying sign. "If we are polite and figure out ways to help, we'll endear ourselves to them pretty quick. Remember that if you go outside Skyrim again. It's pretty universal for integrating yourself."

Gunjar nodded, then frowned, "You haven't taken those lenses off."

"Would you believe my eyes are still bothering me?"

"Not as much as you would like me to."

"Alright, then I noticed you haven't mentioned you are the Dragonborn." Nevano smiled, "You barely grunted out your name. You didn't even tell that old salt captain did you?"

"I want people to know me as Gunjar, not as the Dovahkiin."

"Thus the lenses stay on."

"Oh…" Gunjar rubbed at the back of his head, "I keep forgetting about your eyes."

"If only I heard that more often. Ok, we need a moment to work out a plan…" Nevano looked around. His eyes fell on a tattered sign with familiar daedric letters. It had been far too long since he had seen such a sign. " 'The Retching Netch'. Nice name. That has got to be a corner club."

"A what?"

"A tavern." Nevano grinned, "They might have actual drinks there! Not to mention the people that run it always know what's going on."

"There were drinks in Skyrim."

"Horse piss. I haven't had a decent drink in decades!" Nevano tugged Gunjar towards the rounded building, as excited as a little kid, "Oh, and you let me talk. Keep your mouth shut and watch the master work his magic."

"The last time I heard that was from a whore in Riften…"

"And just like that I want to poison your drink…"

Walking into The Retching Netch felt like coming home. The top floor was arranged around the staircase downstairs. A fire crackling in the back warded off the damn sea chill. There were a few people sitting and nursing their drinks. They were quiet and a bit tense, not really sparing the new comers much more than a cursory glance. Downstairs there were more tables, and a few patrons including one young woman who looked incredibly upset. As with upstairs the mood was somber and quiet, confirming Nevano's earlier statement. Things weren't just bad here in Raven Rock they were horrendous. People were uncertain and scared.

"Welcome to the Retching Netch Cornerclub, home of the finest sujamma that will ever grace your lips." Even the barkeep's cheerful greeting sounded a bit forced. There were tension lines around his eyes though he looked happy enough to see more customers.

Nevano dropped his hood, "Sujamma…by Azura, there's sujamma here. Finally…a real drink."

"What is…sujamma?" Gunjar asked, hesitant.

"Sujamma is a liquor made with comberries and, well, whatever we happen to have locally." The barkeeper grinned, "Can't tell you how it's made. Each brewer has his secrets and sujamma is it. Just know its got a kick like a guar; very strong and just as stupid."

Nevano felt like he could cry when a mug was slid over to him. After months in Skyrim where it was fermented sugar and watery beer as far as the eye could see, it was heartening to see and smell the potent Dunmeri brew again. He took a deep draught, relishing in the feeling of a sweet and powerful fire pour down his throat and settle into a buzzing heat in his stomach. He rubbed his tongue on the roof of his mouth as his mouth recovered from the tingle of strong alcohol. "Oh dear sweet Azura it's been way too long…" he groaned, letting his head thunk onto the table.

The barkeep grinned, "Been a while since I got such an appreciative response to my drinks."

"It's been a while since I've had a good drink!" Nevano said, lifting his head up, "What's wrong, Gunjar? Drink up."

Gunjar eyed the dark liquid with trepidation before taking a swig. Almost immediately he began coughing and came up sputtering, barely able to get the swallow of strong drink down his throat. The smatter of patrons grinned and chortled a little watching the Nord struggle with the sujamma.

Nevano laughed, "What is this? An elf can hold his alcohol better than a Nord? I told you that Skyrim didn't have any real drinks!"

The mer behind the counter laughed, shaking his head, "Skyrim has nothing on Morrowind drinks. I'm guessing that's where you two outlanders are from. Geldis Sadri by the way. I own the place."

"I'm from…all over." Nevano answered honestly, "Gunjar here is from Skyrim. I've been telling him for months that mead is not a real drink. He didn't believe me. He does now, I think, though I don't think he'll ever get used to real booze."

"We certainly don't get many strangers in here." Geldis said, "But I have to say, it was nice to get a laugh out of this crowd. Been too somber lately. Some fresh blood was just the thing it needed."

"I noticed everyone in town is a bit tense." Nevano saw his opportunity to bring up the subject without appearing too nosy.

"Aye. Things have been rough since the mines closed." Geldis nodded, cleaning out a glass, "That's been…what, 20 years now? Whole town had to take to hunting and fishing to survive."

Nevano raised his eyebrows in surprise. When he had watched the mines open, he had heard one old man declare there was enough ebony in the mines for at least the next 500 years. Could he really have been 300 years off? That didn't make any sense.

"Been tough since." Geldis continued on, "Had a incident with a Hlaalu assassin some years back. Nasty bit of business that."

Nevano nodded, taking another swig of sujamma. Gunjar started to open his mouth but Nevano swiftly kicked him under the bar in a warning to be silent. That was not how the game was played. Geldis was coming to the subject they wanted to hear…the trick was to not directly ask for it. To directly ask, especially as a fresh-off-the-boat outlander, was considered nosy and rude and inspired suspicion where they needed trust. After Gunjar's display of blunt impatience on the boat, Nevano was determined to teach this kid some semblance of subtly even if he had to do it in a non-subtle way…like with the blunt side of an axe head.

"Now there are those monsters." Geldis shook his head, "Ash spawn, the guards have taken to calling them. The attacks are on the Bulwark are getting worse. The Captain is trying his best, but I think the Redoran Guard is getting overwhelmed. He was determined to figure the source out. He set out…huh, a few days ago. I think he took Daynil with him. He should be back by now." Nevano noted he shot a look over to the young woman who seemed to wilt a little more.

"The Captain?"

"Yes. The Captain of the Redoran Guard here in Raven Rock. Good man." Geldis openly looked over at the young woman, "Next one is on me, Dreyla." The woman, Dreyla, looked up and gave him a small appreciative smile before dropping her gaze back into her mug.

"Have you heard the name Miraak before?" Gunjar broke in, his impatience boiling over. Nevano shot him a nasty glare that was completely lost on the much younger man.

"I might know someone. Or maybe not." Geldis frowned, "I can't remember…"

"What do you mean?"

"I…I can't. I just can't be sure." Geldis held his head, as if trying to capture the memory was physically paining him, "I think maybe he had something to do with a temple. A temple here on the island. Does that help?"

"A little bit." Gunjar said slowly, "What's that being built outside of town over there? We could see the scaffolding from the docks."

"The Earth Stone and…it's a shrine that…Hmm, I can't recall." By now Nevano's ears were twitching.

"Why would a shrine be built there?"

"I don't know. It's hard to remember."

Nevano put his hand on Gunjar's should and stood up. "Thank you Geldis. We got an island to explore but count on me coming back for more sujamma."

"I'll save you a glass." Geldis turned his attention back to his bar as the two left the corner club.

"Well that helped." Nevano said as they walked away from the center of town.

"A bit."

"No, that helped a lot." Nevano stopped and turned to the Nord, "The Earth Stone is one of the All-Maker Stones that dot the island. There're six in all, created by the All-Maker. You want to know more about that you'll need to talk to the Skaal. They're on the eastern side of the island, east then north. In fact, you should probably speak to them anyways at some point. They're an interesting people. Anyway the stones are sacred to them and they usually keep them pretty free of corruption. The fact that no one seems to remember anything and are building shrines on a sacred object is pretty worrisome. You might start searching for Miraak at this stone. Maybe it can give you a clue. Funny…I don't remember a temple the last time I was here but that was a very long time ago and a lot has changed since."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if I can't help Raven Rock." Nevano folded his arms over his chest, "A lot of things aren't making sense here. That mine shouldn't have run out of ebony and monsters attacking? Something is definitely going on and I want to find out what."

Gunjar nodded, "A hero's work is never done eh?"

"Nope!" Nevano held out his hand, "Good luck my friend."

"You too." Gunjar grasped his wrist, "Time to set this island straight…again, for you at least."

"Last one finished buys the other drinks."

"Deal!"

Nevano watched as Gunjar set off in the opposite direction across town, towards the Earth Stone. Silently, Nevano said a quick prayer to Azura to watch over the boy. He had a feeling that Solstheim, just like last time, was holding a nasty surprise for the young hero. Hopefully not as nasty as Hircine's little hunt but this madman that was enslaving the whole island one by one and taking over sacred sites? That spelled out trouble. A lot of trouble. As soon as he was out of sight, Nevano turned and went towards the gate in the massive wall. Time to find his own bit of trouble to get into. Truefire and Hopesflame flared briefly in agreement.

XxXxXx

A/N: The drought has ended! Both weather wise (So. Much. Red. Dust!) and writing wise! I went on a trip and handwrote over 30 pages of pure gold. Y'all are gonna LOVE the things I came up with while bored and packed in a sardine can at 35,000 feet or however high a Boeing 373 flies. I can't wait. So, the Red Year is…a lot more complicated than it initially seems. I highly recommend reading "The Infernal City" by Greg Keyes, it covers all that. To say I'm scratching the surface is an understatement. Oh, and for those who are twitching about a certain meeting between two certain elves? That's coming up, I promise.