I died four hundred years ago, in the last days of turmoil and unrest after the Empire came to Morrowind. I was a thinker, and not a doer, and though I was marked by the stars, I was not a hero. Take these things of mine. My bones won't complain.
- Hort Ledd, a failed incarnate.

"Where did I put that paper?" Hort asked himself as he shuffled through the documents scattered about his desk. Piles also covered the laboratory counter and the small bed in the corner. It was three days before the Telvanni council meeting, and he was to present his research for consideration. Today was not a good day to lose it. "Ah, here it is. Good, good, it's not too damaged. I'd better make a copy though."

Hort cleared himself a space and began to copy the paper onto another sheet. The paper itself was nothing more than stained parchment, but its contents were revolutionary. The ability to channel magicka through an empty soul gem was nothing new. The mystics, after all, did it all the time when trapping souls. However, Hort had multiplied the power of a fireball by channeling it through a common empty soul gem. It had been a marvelous feat that was inspired by an apprentice trying to use the gem as a lens to cook kwama eggs.

The implications for the discovery were great for other schools of magic as well. Conjurors could use soul gems to summon greater forms of deadra than currently possible. Illusionists could amplify their ability to influence perception. The alterationists could use soul gems to literally tear reality apart. Of course, the limits using soul gems for magicka enhancement are the quantity and purity of the gems themselves. House Telvanni should have no problem with that minor problem.

"Done. Now to pack those soul gems. I best take five, just in case that Indoril swine decides to attempt to steal my thunder." Livia Indoril, Head of the House Indoril, was also showing some research at the House Telvanni council meeting, and the rumors suggested that the research was along similar lines.

However, the information the paper did not show was also equally important. The soul gems could be aligned to amplify the power even further. After five the power levels stabilize or becomes too powerful to control depending upon the spell. It may be possible to blow red mountain apart with just ten soul gems and the right spell caster.

Hort packed away a few kwama eggs and some cyrodilic brandy for the trip. The route to Sadrith Mora would be by sea this time. He needed the extra time to finalize the research and demonstrate his findings to his peers in Vivec. The east was home for the Telvanni, but every great house had a presence in Vivec except the Dres. They didn't matter though. After this council meeting, none would stand in the way of House Telvanni.

"All participants in the council's research overview please review your research with your appointed Mouth. Failure to do so will forfeit your right to present research."

The sign was an exclamation point to the trip Hort had just experienced. A freak storm tossed the boat to and fro on the sea, and exhaustion racked him. He wanted to sleep so badly, but the council was meeting today at noon. The council house was his destination now, and he could only imagine that the council mouths were waiting to get today's proceedings started. The mouth of Master Aryon would be waiting for him. Word had been sent ahead of his arrival, but he didn't expect the crowd to part for him. Most of these people were simply curious about the next move of House Telvanni. Would they blast apart that damnable Wolverine hall, or rip Ebonheart asunder? Every great house thought they were capable, and that's what kept them up at night.

A commotion started at the head of the column as the Mouth of Master Aryon came through. At least the peasants parted in the presence of authority. "Come on Hort, let's get a drink before they start. The Mouth of the Archmagister will not stop talking right now. You would think Livia's the next Incarnate the way he dotes on her. Soul gem amplification. She can't even make it work!"

I was shocked at who Master Aryon's Mouth was, and by the words he was saying. Livia can't make the amplification work? "Indules? Is that you?"

"Yes. You're surprised? Come on, let's talk while we walk to the Gateway Inn," Indules urged. It was a hot day, and even hotter in robes.

We began our walk through the crowd. It was almost midmorning, but they wouldn't start without Indules. They wouldn't dare. "So, Livia can't make spell amplification work with soul gems? That's what her research was really about?"

"Yeah. Crazy, huh. Soul gem amplification my foot!"

I grinned, "What if I told you that it is possible, and highly effective?"

"Explain."

I handed him my research paper and watched as his stern expression turned into a wide grin.

"I know you've had a rivalry with that wench for a long time, but you may have just kicked her and the empire in the face. That is, if the Mages Guild hasn't caught on to you first."

"Indules," I closed my eyes in frustration, remembering the isolation of the past year, "I've taken every precaution. How long has it been since we could last speak?"

"About two years, I would say."

"And don't you find it odd that, after having trained under Master Aryon for several years together, I wouldn't congratulate you on your advancement to Mouth?

"Good point. In that case, your research," he handed my paper back to me, "should be a blast. You'll be the first to demonstrate when they call on my research."

To be blunt, I was ecstatic. "Thank you, Indules. Thank you. Now, how about that drink?"