Err...yeah, about the whole fluff thing. You did notice it was humor right? It was meant to be over the top...ehh...enough with the lame excuses and back the the main event. Morrowind: mysterious, beautiful, deadly, magical and yours to own for...actually, you'll never own it and I can't sell it to you, for it belongs to Bethesda. Believe it or not this story is gravitating towards a plot...really. (Is anyone besides Beloudo reading this?) – [)

Skink-In-Tree's-Shade had told Winterbell that he might have some duties for her as well. Only too happy to get out of Ald'ruhn, and after receiving orders from Edwinna to procure another book, Winterbell vacated the room at the Ald'ruhn Mages Guild and headed for Sadrith Mora.

Skink had a simple escort mission for her. An Altmer mage by the name of Tenyeminwe was apparently too scared of the Telvanni to walk to the Sadrith Mora docks herself. Skink seemed to think she was overreacting a bit, and Winterbell was frankly contemptuous.

Winterbell strolled breezily down to the docks, the mage following nervously behind. Dusk was falling, and the round mushroom houses began to glow softly, lit from inside. Tenyeminwe's ship was waiting for her, and she hurried on board. Winterbell sat at the docks and watched the ship pull away as the stars came out. She asked a Telvanni guard where a Telvanni hireling might find a bed, and he suggested Nelos's tower, if there was a bed spare.

The low ranking Telvanni stayed at some dormitories in the lower section of Nelos's tower. None of them were particularly friendly, and Winterbell was mostly ignored. The hirelings directly under Nelos seemed rather disgruntled, and Winterbell got the impression that they weren't paid very well. Winterbell pulled some food out of her bag then fell asleep, listening to the faint creaking of the mushroom tower moving slightly in the wind.

The next day Skink told her to find a copy of Vampires in Vvardenfell II. He didn't seem to think the job was terribly urgent, and with her time now her own, Winterbell went back to the Council House to see what kind of work the Telvanni offered.

To her disappointment, it was remarkably similar to the work at the mages guild. Within half an hour Winterbell had been ordered to find muck, buy sload soap, deliver a skirt, and ask three questions of a reclusive Telvanni mage. Winterbell first ventured out of Sadrith Mora proper in search of muck.

The salt-encrusted muckspunge were twice as high and about three times as wide as a man. Winterbell rolled up her sleeves and stuck her hands into the slimy mess. By mid-morning Winterbell had collected quite a few ingredients from the coastal wilderness, and smelt awful. She washed off as much muck as she could in the surf, but her robe was a mess. She went back to the tower and changed before buying the sload soap.

Next on her list was delivering the skirt. The Dunmer woman who had ordered her to do this had also given her some divine intervention scrolls 'just in case' although she didn't elaborate on why they might be needed. Winterbell then spent a few unhappy hours leaning over the side of a boat to Tel Banora.

Using one of her homemade potions, Winterbell flew to the top of Therana's tower. The high-ranked Telvanni was sitting on a bench and humming tunelessly to herself. Her eyes had a rather vacant look that put Winterbell on her guard. There was a male Kaijit slave in the room as well, and he asked Winterbell what her business might be.

Winterbell held up the skirt, and the slave offered to put it on. Winterbell shrugged,
"Rather you than me."
As soon as the unfortunate slave had tried on the skirt Therana's eyes narrowed in fury, and she hurled deadly magic the Kaijit. Winterbell stifled a yell that might have drawn the madwoman's attention and scuttled out of the way. Winterbell knew a powerful mage when she saw one in action.

The Kaijit soon collapsed in a pile of embers. Almost immediately Therana returned to her unnatural calm. Winterbell cautiously approached her and broached the subject of her new clothes. Therana spoke in a girlish voice that was completely unnerving coming from such an aged frame. It seemed that she did not want the skirt, and asked for a rat fur cloak instead. She seemed quite happy to talk to Winterbell, although it was clear that there was little left of what might have once been a brilliant mind.

Therana's mouth was frankly amazed that Winterbell had made it back in one piece, and promoted her to Oathwoman. After her experience with Therana, Winterbell was now much more cautious about approaching aged Telvanni mages, but nevertheless she traveled to Gnisis, to seek out Baladas Demnevanni.

Gnisis was little more than a garrison and temple built around the egg mine, built on a windy spot on the northern cliffs of Vvardenfell. Winterbell had no trouble getting directions to Baladas's Velothi dome. The locals seemed to think the Telvanni mage was dangerous, but didn't retail anything concrete on which to base their assumption. The mage had been a fixture in the small town for hundreds of years, apparently coexisting quite peacefully with the locals, as long as they didn't annoy him.

Winterbell cautiously opened the door to Arvs-Drelen, she could hear the squeaking of rats, and wondered if the wizard was even home. Saving her magic in case Baladas was as unstable as Therana, Winterbell dispatched a few rats with her sword.

Winterbell heard strange noises coming from the top floor of the dome. She had picked up a key from a table below labeled, rather ominously, 'Summoning Room'. Winterbell crept up the long sloping ramp the the dome proper. With a determined frown she unlocked the door and it swung open silently.

Winterbell gasped, and stared in horror at the Daedra before her. It had a huge mouth full of needle sharp teeth and was over twice her size. She could see the poison dripping from its long, over-sized claws. It did not seem to have noticed her as it shook its crocodilian head. Winterbell was paralyzed with fight. If she moved it might notice her, if she didn't move it might notice her. What an idiotic way to die, she thought.

"Who are you?" came a deep, gravelly, and generally unamused voice from behind her.

Winterbell squeaked in surprise and nearly unleashed her frost at the Daedra. It appeared not to notice the spark of magic that streaked past its nose, much to Winterbell's relief. Her eyes wide, the mage slowly turned her head to look behind her.

The Dunmer behind her did not look amused. He had his arms folded across his chest, and his gleaming eyes were narrowed in suspicion. There was a similar aura of power around him that there was around Therana, but unlike her, this was power controlled, and probably much more dangerous. At first glance he did not look much older than Winterbell, but his eyes belied a memory that stretched back centuries.

Winterbell was frankly awestruck. She blinked at him blankly for a few seconds, then a grunt from the Daedra brought her back to her senses. She turned around to face him properly, inwardly expecting a set of toxic claws in her back, and gave an awkward bow.
"I'm Winterbell, Oathma-woman of House Telvanni, Mallam Ryon sent me to ask you some questions. If it's not too much trouble, of course. If I'm bothering you I could-"
"Shut up." Baladas scowled, and strode past her into the summoning room. Winterbell followed close behind, casting nervous looks at the Daedra, who was currently chewing idly on a pot plant.
"Is it-?"
"Not unless I say so or you attack first."

Baladas stalked up a flight of stairs and sat behind a large desk covered in books and writing implements. Winterbell looked around approvingly. On an alchemist's bench in the corner exotic ingredients gleamed among high quality equipment. The bookshelves lining the walls groaned under the weight of tomes with titles so interesting Winterbell itched to read them. There was also a round metal object near the bench, it looked Dwemer in design, and occasionally steam jetted from it. Winterbell was dreadfully curious, but prudently kept her distance from the hissing ball.

Baladas eyed his uninvited guest with a rather bored expression, "When you are quite finished gawking."
Winterbell flushed and practically snapped to attention.
"So. When the Archmagister wishes to ask a question of one of the oldest and most respected wizards on the island he asks his mouth, a boy of merely forty years, and he asks you, not only a raw recruit, but an outlander as well. Such courtesy the Archmagister has, don't you think?"
Winterbell stayed silent.
"Of course, I am obliged to answer, he is my superior after all, but does he think that I will tell him anything useful?" He grinned toothily. "I suppose Mallam doesn't care, just as long as letter of the order is followed, if not the spirit. Such a pompous young man."
Even though she had only spoken to him once, Winterbell silently agreed. As if he could read her mind, Baladas' expression became a little less mocking,
"And who might you be then? Not attached to a councilor, and yet receiving minor promotion, do you take orders from anyone?"
"I seem to have gotten myself a position as Telvanni errand boy." Winterbell suddenly had an idea. "Do you have any duties for me?"
"How kind of you to ask," he replied with gentle sarcasm. "As a matter of fact I do have some errands for you to run for me. I need some books."
"Just great, more books." Winterbell muttered.
"Did you say something?"
"No. Nothing."
"Thought not. I need a copy of Chronicles of Nchuleft, Nchunak's Fire and Faith and Antecedents of Dwemer Law. A nice easy errand to get you started."
"But, I've already delivered the only copy of Chronicles for sale in Vivec."
"Not my problem, but you could always visit Nchuleft itself." He suggested with a vaguely malicious cheerfulness.

Baladas seemed to assume that the conversation was over, and Winterbell didn't feel like pushing the issue of Mallam's questions just yet. "Maybe he'll be in a better mood once I get him his precious books." Winterbell thought. Her brief moment of humility over, Winterbell swept regally past the Daedra without giving it a second glance.

"It's not a through ticket. You'll have to change at Ald'ruhn."
"Fine, I don't care."
Winterbell sat at the back of the stilt strider and watched the scenery go by, grinning gleefully every time the strider brought down a cliff racer with it's proboscus and wondering idly how things were going in Balmora without her.

As it turned out, things were eerily peaceful. Ajira was glad to see her, but was rather distracted. With the alchemy and enchanting exams drawing perilously close the Kaijit had neither the time nor the energy to fight with her rival. Ranis greeted her politely, but seemed much less involved with things now that Galbedir and Ajira weren't engaging in open warfare.

Winterbell unpacked her latest bagful of ingredients as Estirdalin filled her in on all the gossip she'd missed out on. Winterbell tuned her out, thinking instead about what kinds of potions she could make next. Her workbench tidy and her ingredients stowed safely, Winterbell stretched, wincing as her back clicked in a dozen places.
"Hey, where did Dren go?"
Estirdalin rolled her eyes, "As I just told you, he's in Ebonheart, visiting his brother. He didn't seem terribly happy to go, I gather he doesn't like the Duke much."
"Give him my condolences when he returns then."
"You're leaving already?"
Winterbell gave a funny little smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going far."
"What are you planning on doing now?" Estirdalin looked slightly worried.
"Don't worry, it's nothing legal."
Sharn gave a bark of approving laughter from over at her bench. Winterbell lowered her voice, "Does she listen in to every conversation around here?"