Prologue
Balmora 10:07 PM
Narga Gra-Lackuk, a proud citizen of Balmora, was just leaving the South Wall Corner Club. The South Wall Corner club was one of the many gathering places of the thieves' guild, not a group to take lightly. Narga, being an orc, was very tall six foot four inches and was also very strong, strong as an ox.
As Narga walked out the door she felt a chill as the damp nights air caressed her bold face. There were no stars out this night because of the large black rain clouds that covered the entire night sky. The rear of Narga's house faced the South wall; the only entrance was at the front of her house. She walked through the small arch that connected her house to her neighbor's house. The buildings in Balmora are made of a beige colored type of stone. In the language of the Dunmer Balmora means stone forest.
Narga looked across the small Odi River that passed through the center of the city of Balmora. What she saw on the other side of the city was not at all what she expected to see, what she saw was a shadowy figure jumping from roof to roof of the stone buildings. Narga was of course frightened by this shadowy figure and yelled, "Help!"
Promptly a Hlaalu guard arrived and asked in the deep, hoarse voice of the Dark Elf, "What is the problem here, miss?" Balmora is the host city of the Great House Hlaalu, thus being protected by hired Dark Elves that are part of the Great House Hlaalu. Narga told the guard about what she had seen just a few seconds earlier but the guard replied by saying that there was no shadow and she was apparently seeing things. He told Narga to get some rest for she has had a hard day of work. Narga merely dismissed the idea and got out the old and rusty key to her house.
The door creaked as she opened it she slowly lighted a small wax candle and headed up stairs to grab a piece of Saltrice to munch on before going to bed. When she reached the top of the stairs she stopped in her tracks, she was unable to breathe. The shadowy figure that she had seen jumping from roof to roof just a moment before was right there in front of her. She wanted to run but her feet were stuck to the floorboards. The shadowy figure was no more than six feet tall and wore a pitch-black robe, in the hood of the shadowy figure; Narga could see eyes that blazed with fire. In an instant with scarcely a twitch of the shadow figure, Narga Gra-Lackuk burst into flames and her ashes fell to the floor. Nothing was left except for the shiny amulet she was wearing, which the figure promptly took.
Chapter One
"Trade Day"
Day 1- Pelagiad 2:15 PM
"Can I get some Greef?" I yelled to the Imperial waiter. It was a blistering hot day outside and I was on my break, so I decided to get a drink of Greef. It was a very eventful day; it was what the citizens called "Trade Day" but that just means working overtime for Imperial guards like myself. Every guard in Pelagiad was on duty; even some of the garrison at Ebonheart came to help us out. The room was dark and filled with fear, everyone was scared that their friends might turn on them and stab them in the back for any trivial reason. Everyone has enemies, someone to be afraid of and someone to laugh at; it was a dirty world during "Trade Day", well for the most part it was.
During "Trade Day" there was a lot of smuggling of illegal drugs like Moonsugar and Skooma. Sometimes there would even be a rare Dwarven artifact. This "Trade Day" comes three times a year, once in First Seed the third month, once in Mid Year the sixth month and once in Hearth Fire the ninth month. The Dren Plantation, which is located east of Pelagiad, always has an abundant amount of crops to sell. The most abundant crops are; Alit Hides, Ash Yams, Corkbulb Roots, Marshmerrow, Saltrice and Scuttle. Balmora, Seyda Neen, Suran, Caldera, Ebonheart and even the mystical city of Vivec are where people would come from.
"Darin Cascades?" Yelled a familiar voice. I quickly turned around to see a tall Redguard man. He smiled a large smile and I knew at once who it was.
"Larice my good friend!" I said to him, "Please approach and take a seat."
Larice had been a fine companion of mine when we were in the school in the superior province of Hammerfell. He was wiry-haired and had dark skin.
"I haven't seen you sense we were shipped off to Morrowind, funny how we both ended up on the island of Vvardenfell." He said. Vvardenfell is the island that is in the center of the province of Morrowind; the island takes up half the province.
"Yes but it has only been just over a year. Now tell me, what brings you here to Pelagiad, Larice?" I replied. Larice reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper.
"I ran into your brother, Caius, while I was in Ebonheart taking care of some smuggling problems." He handed me the paper, "He told me to bring this to you while I was on my way to Caldera."
I took a gulp of my Greef and a big mouthful of spongy bread and unrolled the paper. It read:
To my dearest brother, Darin,
I have some ghastly information for you, this morning our sister, Allie, was found dead, only ashes remained of her in her bedroom. The only evidence that the guards found was a ring shaped contour in the ashes, none of her possessions except for this ring was missing. I am sorry that I could not tell you this appalling news in person but I am very busy helping the Duke with these smuggling problems.
Your brother, Caius Cascades
I was shocked and dropped the paper; it gradually floated to the floor. "Is something wrong?" asked Larice.
"My sister…" I stopped, "is dead…" we both fell silent. It was not before long that our silence was broken by a crashing noise coming from the other side of the inn. An Orc pulled out his axe and took a colossal swing at the Dark Elf, who dodged it effortlessly. I quickly drew my Imperial broad sword and ran towards the Orc.
"What is going on here?" I asked in an angered voice. There was no response from the Dark Elf or the Orc. I brought the tip of my sword to the neck of the Orc, his eyes widened and I saw the reflection of the Dark Elf in his eyes. I dove out of the way and hit the hard floor, which winded me. The blade of the Dark Elf's dagger slid into the chest of the Orc, ending his life.
Before I could recover Larice had his sword to the Dark Elf. The Dark Elf reached into his pocket slowly and we both watched him take out a rolled up piece of paper.
"This is an Honorable Writ of Execution, Outlander." I grabbed the paper and it read:
Harik Gra-Makrub
The afore-mentioned have been marked for honorable execution in accordance to the lawful tradition and practice of the Morag Tong Guild. The Bearer of this non-disputable document has official sanctioned license to kill the afore-mentioned personages.
(Seal of the Morag Tong)
"He was a Daedra worshiper, Outlander." Said the Dark Elf in the hoarse voice of his fellow Dunmer, another name for Dark Elf.
"I thought there were no Daedra worshipers on the Island of Vvardenfell anymore" I replied confusedly.
"That is what most people are told by the Tribunal and Lord Vivec. The population of Daedra worshipers is slowly starting to rise again and the sleepers are starting to awaken." Daedra means, roughly, "not our ancestors." The Dark Elf sat down and took a sip of Mortez. "The prophecy says that in 15 years, around this day, a person who was born on a certain day to uncertain parents will be released from prison by the Emperor himself and sent here to Vvardenfell in the small port town of Seyda Neen." Larice and I sat down; we were very interested in what this Dark Elf had to say. "He will then complete the seven trials of the Nerevarine to prove that he is in fact the reincarnation Lord Nerevar. Once those are completed he-"
The Dark Elf was cut off by a sudden arrow that struck him in the forehead; we turned around to see another Dark Elf holding a bonemold longbow. The Dark Elf grinned and sprinted away; Larice and I jumped from our chairs and ran out the door and the way the Dunmer man had went.
The Dark Elf ran through the large crowd of people, he knocked over people and goods alike. The man was now clear of the crowd and he ran the fork in the road, we were right behind him and he stopped.
"I serve only the Dark Lord and will not be enslaved in you hideous prison cells." Said the Dark Elf. He swiftly pulled out a small vial and quickly drank the contents. After only a few seconds he began to choke and dropped to the ground, he was dead.
"Poison." Said Larice.
"Yes." I nodded in acknowledgement.
"We had better get this body back to the stronghold." Said Larice
"Yes lets take it." We picked up the dead Dark Elf and headed towards Fort Pelagiad and told the Guard Captain what had happened.
"It was nice seeing you again, Darin." Said Larice, "Now I must be on my way to Caldera."
"And tomorrow I will be on my way to Ebonheart to see my brother."
I have a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Who was this Dark Lord? What happened to my sister? How does someone just turn into ashes?
Balmora 10:07 PM
Narga Gra-Lackuk, a proud citizen of Balmora, was just leaving the South Wall Corner Club. The South Wall Corner club was one of the many gathering places of the thieves' guild, not a group to take lightly. Narga, being an orc, was very tall six foot four inches and was also very strong, strong as an ox.
As Narga walked out the door she felt a chill as the damp nights air caressed her bold face. There were no stars out this night because of the large black rain clouds that covered the entire night sky. The rear of Narga's house faced the South wall; the only entrance was at the front of her house. She walked through the small arch that connected her house to her neighbor's house. The buildings in Balmora are made of a beige colored type of stone. In the language of the Dunmer Balmora means stone forest.
Narga looked across the small Odi River that passed through the center of the city of Balmora. What she saw on the other side of the city was not at all what she expected to see, what she saw was a shadowy figure jumping from roof to roof of the stone buildings. Narga was of course frightened by this shadowy figure and yelled, "Help!"
Promptly a Hlaalu guard arrived and asked in the deep, hoarse voice of the Dark Elf, "What is the problem here, miss?" Balmora is the host city of the Great House Hlaalu, thus being protected by hired Dark Elves that are part of the Great House Hlaalu. Narga told the guard about what she had seen just a few seconds earlier but the guard replied by saying that there was no shadow and she was apparently seeing things. He told Narga to get some rest for she has had a hard day of work. Narga merely dismissed the idea and got out the old and rusty key to her house.
The door creaked as she opened it she slowly lighted a small wax candle and headed up stairs to grab a piece of Saltrice to munch on before going to bed. When she reached the top of the stairs she stopped in her tracks, she was unable to breathe. The shadowy figure that she had seen jumping from roof to roof just a moment before was right there in front of her. She wanted to run but her feet were stuck to the floorboards. The shadowy figure was no more than six feet tall and wore a pitch-black robe, in the hood of the shadowy figure; Narga could see eyes that blazed with fire. In an instant with scarcely a twitch of the shadow figure, Narga Gra-Lackuk burst into flames and her ashes fell to the floor. Nothing was left except for the shiny amulet she was wearing, which the figure promptly took.
Chapter One
"Trade Day"
Day 1- Pelagiad 2:15 PM
"Can I get some Greef?" I yelled to the Imperial waiter. It was a blistering hot day outside and I was on my break, so I decided to get a drink of Greef. It was a very eventful day; it was what the citizens called "Trade Day" but that just means working overtime for Imperial guards like myself. Every guard in Pelagiad was on duty; even some of the garrison at Ebonheart came to help us out. The room was dark and filled with fear, everyone was scared that their friends might turn on them and stab them in the back for any trivial reason. Everyone has enemies, someone to be afraid of and someone to laugh at; it was a dirty world during "Trade Day", well for the most part it was.
During "Trade Day" there was a lot of smuggling of illegal drugs like Moonsugar and Skooma. Sometimes there would even be a rare Dwarven artifact. This "Trade Day" comes three times a year, once in First Seed the third month, once in Mid Year the sixth month and once in Hearth Fire the ninth month. The Dren Plantation, which is located east of Pelagiad, always has an abundant amount of crops to sell. The most abundant crops are; Alit Hides, Ash Yams, Corkbulb Roots, Marshmerrow, Saltrice and Scuttle. Balmora, Seyda Neen, Suran, Caldera, Ebonheart and even the mystical city of Vivec are where people would come from.
"Darin Cascades?" Yelled a familiar voice. I quickly turned around to see a tall Redguard man. He smiled a large smile and I knew at once who it was.
"Larice my good friend!" I said to him, "Please approach and take a seat."
Larice had been a fine companion of mine when we were in the school in the superior province of Hammerfell. He was wiry-haired and had dark skin.
"I haven't seen you sense we were shipped off to Morrowind, funny how we both ended up on the island of Vvardenfell." He said. Vvardenfell is the island that is in the center of the province of Morrowind; the island takes up half the province.
"Yes but it has only been just over a year. Now tell me, what brings you here to Pelagiad, Larice?" I replied. Larice reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper.
"I ran into your brother, Caius, while I was in Ebonheart taking care of some smuggling problems." He handed me the paper, "He told me to bring this to you while I was on my way to Caldera."
I took a gulp of my Greef and a big mouthful of spongy bread and unrolled the paper. It read:
To my dearest brother, Darin,
I have some ghastly information for you, this morning our sister, Allie, was found dead, only ashes remained of her in her bedroom. The only evidence that the guards found was a ring shaped contour in the ashes, none of her possessions except for this ring was missing. I am sorry that I could not tell you this appalling news in person but I am very busy helping the Duke with these smuggling problems.
Your brother, Caius Cascades
I was shocked and dropped the paper; it gradually floated to the floor. "Is something wrong?" asked Larice.
"My sister…" I stopped, "is dead…" we both fell silent. It was not before long that our silence was broken by a crashing noise coming from the other side of the inn. An Orc pulled out his axe and took a colossal swing at the Dark Elf, who dodged it effortlessly. I quickly drew my Imperial broad sword and ran towards the Orc.
"What is going on here?" I asked in an angered voice. There was no response from the Dark Elf or the Orc. I brought the tip of my sword to the neck of the Orc, his eyes widened and I saw the reflection of the Dark Elf in his eyes. I dove out of the way and hit the hard floor, which winded me. The blade of the Dark Elf's dagger slid into the chest of the Orc, ending his life.
Before I could recover Larice had his sword to the Dark Elf. The Dark Elf reached into his pocket slowly and we both watched him take out a rolled up piece of paper.
"This is an Honorable Writ of Execution, Outlander." I grabbed the paper and it read:
Harik Gra-Makrub
The afore-mentioned have been marked for honorable execution in accordance to the lawful tradition and practice of the Morag Tong Guild. The Bearer of this non-disputable document has official sanctioned license to kill the afore-mentioned personages.
(Seal of the Morag Tong)
"He was a Daedra worshiper, Outlander." Said the Dark Elf in the hoarse voice of his fellow Dunmer, another name for Dark Elf.
"I thought there were no Daedra worshipers on the Island of Vvardenfell anymore" I replied confusedly.
"That is what most people are told by the Tribunal and Lord Vivec. The population of Daedra worshipers is slowly starting to rise again and the sleepers are starting to awaken." Daedra means, roughly, "not our ancestors." The Dark Elf sat down and took a sip of Mortez. "The prophecy says that in 15 years, around this day, a person who was born on a certain day to uncertain parents will be released from prison by the Emperor himself and sent here to Vvardenfell in the small port town of Seyda Neen." Larice and I sat down; we were very interested in what this Dark Elf had to say. "He will then complete the seven trials of the Nerevarine to prove that he is in fact the reincarnation Lord Nerevar. Once those are completed he-"
The Dark Elf was cut off by a sudden arrow that struck him in the forehead; we turned around to see another Dark Elf holding a bonemold longbow. The Dark Elf grinned and sprinted away; Larice and I jumped from our chairs and ran out the door and the way the Dunmer man had went.
The Dark Elf ran through the large crowd of people, he knocked over people and goods alike. The man was now clear of the crowd and he ran the fork in the road, we were right behind him and he stopped.
"I serve only the Dark Lord and will not be enslaved in you hideous prison cells." Said the Dark Elf. He swiftly pulled out a small vial and quickly drank the contents. After only a few seconds he began to choke and dropped to the ground, he was dead.
"Poison." Said Larice.
"Yes." I nodded in acknowledgement.
"We had better get this body back to the stronghold." Said Larice
"Yes lets take it." We picked up the dead Dark Elf and headed towards Fort Pelagiad and told the Guard Captain what had happened.
"It was nice seeing you again, Darin." Said Larice, "Now I must be on my way to Caldera."
"And tomorrow I will be on my way to Ebonheart to see my brother."
I have a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Who was this Dark Lord? What happened to my sister? How does someone just turn into ashes?