Chapter 21 — Sanctuary

My gate opens in the middle of the sanctuary, above the pond in the main chamber. I jump through, Kirsa right behind me, and I let it snap shut behind us.

Veezara and Astrid are present, and turn around, focusing in on Kirsa at once. They're jumpy, but there aren't enemies around right now.

"Kirsa's with me. She a Mazken I conjured, and she wanted to stick around." I explain. "Door isn't breached yet?"

"No, they're still trying to break it down." Astrid said.

I sigh in relief. "So they don't have the password?"

"No, but they're making progress. We're not sure how long we can keep them out. Everyone's here now. At first, I hoped you'd be able to attack them from behind when we made contact, but seeing you arrive like this… Can you get us all out? I don't want to risk the lives of our family in open combat if we don't have to."

"I should, but I can't keep the portal open for long, only around ten seconds. We'd need to line up in advance."

"All right, we can do that. Veezara! Talk to Babette, Gabriella, and Cicero. Tell them to grab anything they want to take with them, but they will carry it themselves. Do'samma, come with me — Festus, Nazir, and Arnbjorn should be at the door, trapping and fortifying it."

Two stairs up, and we arrive to Nazir and a transformed Arnbjorn wedging a tree log against the door. I hear magic impacting it from the far side, but this door isn't some mundane piece of wood or metal. Even with my Disintegrate, it'd take a while to get through, let alone whatever they're using. We got some time.

"Festus, how long do you think we have?" I ask him.

"They're crude, but have lots of mana potions. We might have fifteen minutes, or a bit more." He responds, not looking. He's instead plastering the ceiling with Rune spells, which will detonate with frost when the door is breached.

Smart. The ice might block the doorway.

"That's enough time. I can get us out of here, lead everyone through Oblivion."

Festus looks at me, already thin on patience. "Which realm?"

"Myriad Realms. I have a pact with Sanguine to travel for me and those I bring with myself."

"Dangerous. But, I guess it's better than fighting our way out."

Meanwhile, Arnbjorn transforms back and sniffs at me. "You smell like a wolf."

"I am. I'll explain once we're safe."

"Exactly." Astrid says. "Everyone, grab your stuff. Do'samma will portal us out of here."

Walking back into the main chamber, I introduce them to Kirsa. When we get there, it seems Cicero convinced Veezara to help carry the Night Mother, while Babette has Lis, our pet frostbite spider, on a leash.

I hear Astrid sigh, but she hides it well. The others go gather their stuff.

"Do'samma, how long can you hold the portal open again?"

"Somewhere between ten and eleven seconds."

"We have nine members, not counting Lis." She raises her voice. "Cicero, I'm not sure how we can bring the Night Mother along with us."

"But she must!" Cicero already sounds halfway to a panic. "Without the Night Mother, we can not find our Listener! For what good is a Listener, if there is nobody to speak?"

"Let me try something." I interrupt before the argument can get started. "I can store some things magically, so they won't take up space. Nothing alive, but I might be able to bring the Night Mother with me for a while."

"Oh? Have you learned a new magical trick? Show Cicero!"

"To you, it should look like she just disappears." I head over to the coffin and put it in my inventory.

It works. Good. That saves us an argument, because while Astrid is perfectly willing to let Cicero lug the corpse around, she wouldn't let it take priority over the very much living members.

And Cicero would rather fight us to the death than leave it behind.

"Yes, Cicero is my most devoted servant. I value him greatly, yet he cannot serve me in the way a Listener should."

With the greatest effort, I keep a straight face. I try to think aloud, as odd as that sounds, and to my relief, it works. "Are you the Night Mother?"

"Yes. And you have finally approached me close enough that I may speak to you," the Night Mother answers.

"Let's talk about this later. I have lives to save."

"So you do. Know that I approve of your course of action, Listener."

I push this information aside. I don't have time for it right now.

Another five minutes pass while everyone else assembles all their possessions. I request some mana potions from Babette, as drinking them swiftly enough may help me keep the portal open for longer.

"Babette?" Astrid asks. "Lis will be the last to enter, and if Do'samma can't hold the portal open long enough, and it's just her, we won't bother. I won't risk one of us for her."

Babette nods. "Got it. But I want to give her a chance. No way the Penitus Oculatus will set her free."

"Correct. Do'samma, are you ready?"

I nod. "Everyone line up. I'll be the first to enter. While I can choose the gate's location in Skyrim, I cannot in Oblivion. So if you end up on the other side without me, you'd be lost forever." Good, everyone's taking it seriously. They form into a line. Astrid wants to be in the back, while Cicero wants to stay close to me because I have the Night Mother in my inventory. Glad she's silent now, at least. Kirsa remains as absolute last — I can conjure her from the other side for much less mana than having to reopen the portal.

Babette loads up Gabriella with potions for me, while remaining second to last holding Lis' leash.

I open the Oblivion Gate, and rush through, making space for the others to follow as fast as possible. Gabriella sticks to me, and starts handing me potions immediately.

They're Babette's, so they're high quality. With everyone rushing through, it's enough at fifteen seconds, and far more potions than I thought I could drink in so short a time.

Me, Gabriella, Cicero, Veezara, Nazir, Arnbjorn, Festus, Babette, Astrid, Lis, and Kirsa. Total of eleven passing through, though Lis doesn't get the urgency and is half strangled by her leash as Babette shows her vampiric strength by bodily dragging the frostbite spider through the Oblivion Gate.

I pant as I close the portal. Despite all the potions, I'm completely out of mana. And I'm short on breath after chugging potions as fast as I can.

Compared to the stress of being in a cave under siege through its only exit, one of Sanguine party groves is peaceful. We settle down for a bit of a wait, as I need to replenish my mana.

We catch up. I tell the group about my adventures since I was home last time, and I hear about theirs. Apparently, the Penitus Oculatus has been hunting the Brotherhood for basically their entire existence, but they've finally tracked down our sanctuary. Unable to get the password, they had to collect a few wizards to bust through our door with magic, and waiting for those to be imported from Cyrodiil took enough time for Astrid to find out about the operation. They tried to ambush and assassinate them, but the security was too high.

Then it turned out the schedule was a fake one, and they got word to the sanctuary with the assault force on their heels, literally less than ten minutes away.

I fear that without me, they'd have been killed to the last.

I'm glad I found us a way out.

After Astrid brings the topic to finding a new home, Cicero confesses he's aware of another sanctuary, though it has been abandoned for a long time. It's located in the Pale, close to the hold capital, Dawnstar, a port city on the sea of ghosts. The city's frozen shut for like half the year, but there's also a valuable quicksilver mine there, so there's definitely economical incentive for them to stay. It's not as rare and valuable as ebony, but it's close.

I haven't been there yet, and the closest place I know is the road near Fort Fellhammer. So after I regenerate all my mana, I open a gate, and the first half of the Brotherhood goes through — Astrid, Arnbjorn, Gabriella, Festus, Nazir, and Veezara. Cicero doesn't want to leave my side while I've got the Night Mother, and Babette apparently wants to talk to me. She also has Lis' leash, though it's inspecting the local vegetation at the moment. And Kirsa, of course, remains by my side.

Closing the gate, I hear Astrid ordering Gabriella and Arnbjorn to scout their surroundings.

—A Dragon's Game—

"Do'samma?" Babette asks as she sits next to me.

"Hm?"

"There have been some side effects from drinking your blood." Wait, what? Did I hurt her? "No, nothing bad!" She puts me more at ease. "I just noticed some changes. It seems as if it's forcing me to grow."

"I don't understand… why would—?"

She shrugs. "I don't know either. And it's not going that fast. I don't remember if I was in the middle of a growing spurt when I got turned, but I'm measurably taller now." She looks down at her lap, and fidgets. "And… I want to continue, though I'll need a lot more of your blood over time for that. And I don't have something to repay you with."

I put an arm around her and hug her close. She nestles into my side, oddly cold in the way vampires are. "That's okay, and you don't need to repay me. It barely hurts in the first place."

"Thanks." I can't see her face, but I can hear that smile and feel that relief.

"You feel cold. Want a taste?" I offer her my wrist.

She hesitates for a moment, but gently takes it in her hands, and then bites, looking me in the eye. I feel her pleasure spike when she tastes my blood, and she collapses in my side. With the greatest willpower, she pulls back.

I heal the wound with a pulse of healing magic. "That's better. You feel warm again."

"Yeah, it's a lot better. I hardly noticed it fading, but… life just feels so vibrant again. Is it okay to sit like this for a bit?"

"Until my mana regenerates. We don't want the others to get worried."

"Okay."

—A Dragon's Game—

Barely ten minutes after the first half of the Dark Brotherhood spilled into this clearing, the other half rejoins them. I close the Oblivion Gate behind me, and we start on the journey to Dawnstar.

Despite everything that happened, it's still early in the morning. And I've spend most of the night hunting with Aela. Odd how slow time goes sometimes.

About ten minutes into the journey, I'm interrupted.

"Good job, Listener. You preserved all my children."

Oh, right. The Night Mother. "I think I might not be the best choice for Listener."

"Spare me the false modesty. I can always find the most suitable child."

"It's not about suitability. While I can do a lot to protect the Brotherhood, I cannot devote my life to it."

"Ah, yes. Alduin. Yet there is no reason for him to last your entire life. I am perfectly content with you prioritizing that for now."

"Alduin is but one of may demands on my time. If you'd been able to watch me for the last, say, two months, you'd have noticed."

"I cannot, sadly. But very well. You are most persistent. I will choose another."

I feel the Night Mother… withdraw, for lack of a better word. Nevertheless, I'm glad I won't have additional responsibilities heaped on me. I feel a tingle of guilt about it, but I squash it ruthlessly. While I'll always be grateful for being welcomed by them, I can't bear that responsibility right now.

The Dark Brotherhood's members are hardened, and we travel swiftly. Cicero leads us onto the road, and after noon, we reach Dawnstar.

It's small, really. About the size of Falkreath, and nestled in between two mines and a dock. The only ships we see are out of the water, and being maintained — it seems it's already too late in the year to sail away.

Some of us change into slightly less conspicuous attire. The standard dark leather is comfortable and good enough to fight in, but might draw a bit of attention if we go through the city all dressed like that.

And indeed, we only draw some attention by being so big a group, and a bit because of our variety. Normally, most people stick around their own races, but a group containing one each of an Argonian, Khajiit, Dunmer, and Redguard, is odd. Still, that's really all. Some fifteen minutes after entering the place, we exit it on the north, east of the harbor. Cicero takes us on a short cross-country journey, and another half hour later, we find the sanctuary.

We have to lick the underside of the Nightshade plants growing here, and they reveal the dark black and red door to us. Cicero shares the pass phrase, and we enter our new home.

In short, it's a dump. The roof has collapsed in places, there's water leaking, and it's ice cold in here. The ice bit is literal on a few places.

But we can handle that. We're alive, and we can turn this into a true sanctuary.

Cicero requires me to put the Night Mother down right away, and to be honest, I can't blame him. I haven't exactly been a constant presence.

—A Dragon's Game—

Your Reputation and Affection with all Dark Brotherhood Members has been increased by 10 for saving them!

Affection from Babette increased by 10(75) for agreeing to feed her your blood!

I play cart driver for a bit, taking Astrid to Riften to discuss several things with her Thieves Guild contacts. Luckily for us, the Guild tends to… accumulate random items, including the furniture we're looking for.

For the first time, I encounter a limit to what I can stuff in my inventory, and I end up making a few trips.

It somehow feels heavier on my feet and legs to have a full inventory. Not much, but noticeable.

It's enough to get some beds inside for the night. I just unload the last one, as I hear an unmistakable roar.

I hurry outside, Festus and Gabriella beside me. The latter disappears between the trees almost immediately, finding the best position she can.

The sound comes from the east. A dragon flies towards us, roaring its challenge.

Well, if it insists.

I increase the distance between me and Festus, so that the dragon will have to choose its target — and while the target shields himself, the other can retaliate unimpeded.

In the distance, I notice a small, black blur. The dragon shouts, and lightning strikes the ground. A flash of red occurs, and the black blur speeds towards us.

Babette. It's Babette. She was out gathering plants to grow in the sanctuary.

I draw deep on my magic, and cast Disintegrate. The thin ray of fire bursts from my hands, and strikes the dragon, interrupting the torrent of lightning it was still trying to strike our vampiric alchemist with.

A few instants later, Babette zips past us, making full use of her speed as a vampire boosted by dragon blood. Good. While she can hold her own in most fights, not against a dragon who can just stay in the air and rain down destruction.

The dragon speaks, looking at me and Festus. "Arrogant Mortals." pahlok joore

Good. If he hasn't figured out I'm dragonborn, he might take a fight he can't win.

It attempts to strafe us, and Festus has to shield. I cast Disintegrate again, holding the ray on it for several seconds, eliciting a roar of pain.

Then it goes for me, letting Festus cast his offensive spells, and then I see an arrow sprout from its right eye.

Gabriella showing her value.

The arrow interrupts the dragon, letting me attack freely. I burn off its right wing, and it crashes into the ground. I keep my spell on it. It tries to Shout a shield against fire into existence, like other dragons have, but fails when Festus hits it in the maw with an Ice Spike, interrupting it.

A few seconds later, I feel the alignment snap, and I pull its soul out of its body.

You have absorbed two dragon souls!

Your Lightning Magic has increased by 10(82)!

Yoru Fire Magic has increased by 1!

New Skill Unlocked! Fire Mastery (4)!

Your Frost Magic has increased by 5(84)!

New Shout learned: Aura Whisper


Fire Mastery
You are a true master of Fire Magic, growing ever stronger.

Class: Apprentice

Attributes per level:
Fire Resistance: 1.0
Fire Affinity: 1.0
Fire Damage: 2.0
Burning Duration: 1.0
Fire Penetration: 1.0
Fire Effect Radius: 1.0

Abilities Granted:
0 Pyrokinesis


Fire: Pyrokinesis:
Allows free manipulation of Fire.

Divinity: 2


Lightning: Chain Lightning:
Strikes a target, then jumps up to 3 (5) additional targets within 10 (18.2) meters' distance of the previous one. Deals 100 + [Intelligence * 0.8] (1106) damage to each target struck.

Cost: 500 (219) Mana


Perk: Frost Ray: Sleet Storm:
While channeling Frost Ray, creates a miniature blizzard around you, doing the same damage every second to targets inside.


Alteration: Aura Whisper:
Your voice seeks out all life in [30.0/50.0/100.0] m, informing you about the location and health of anyone in range for [60/120/300] seconds.

Laas - Yah - Nir

Life - Seek - Hunt

Laas — Life
Attack Speed: 2.00 attacks per second.
Duration: 60 seconds.
Area: 30.0

Yah — Seek
Attack Speed: 1.00 attacks per second.
Duration: 120 seconds.
Area: 50.0

Nir — Hunt
Attack Speed: 0.67 attacks per second.
Duration: 300 seconds.
Area: 100.0

Cost: 25 Mana, 50 Stamina

Complexity
This shout requires 3 dragon souls for each word.


This is some good stuff. Unbounded Fire manipulation with Pyrokinesis… that sounds very useful. And now that I'm leveling Fire Mastery, my Fire Penetration will let me act as if my target's Fire Resistance is lower, much like a high level Fire Breath shout does. Chain Lightning looks to be an extremely potent damage spell dealing with multiple targets that don't stand close enough together for regular area-of-effect spells, and deals more damage than most. And that Sleet Storm Perk will let me use Frost Ray in peace without having to worry about short-range people bothering me. Lastly, Aura Whisper will let me detect anybody ever, if they're near.

"That went surprisingly smooth." Gabriella says, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah." I respond, weakly. "I'd forgotten how valuable support can be for this. Last time I fought one in the air, I was the only one capable of ranged attacks, and it was a pain."

"I can imagine."

"Thanks," I hear Babette's voice behind me. "It followed me for a while, and I can't defend myself against such a creature in the air. It kept shouting something, and it'd instantly know where I'd gone. It was impossible to hide from."

"You're welcome. And I stole that ability from it, so I got that ability now." And a lot of other things. Two souls is a very nice boost. Even just my Mana increased by almost 200.

—A Dragon's Game—

At dinner, I remember that the Night Mother wanted to choose someone else — and she needs a measure of physical closeness for that. "I have an idea about finding the Listener."

Of course, Cicero is the first to respond. "Oh? The dragonborn has an idea? Share it, please! Cicero really wants to find the Listener!" He says.

"It would be wonderful if you could." Astrid says.

"What if it depends on how close we get to her? Like, have to be really close? How many of us laid a hand on her coffin?" I say.

"Cicero has!" the jester exclaims.

"It's worth a try." Astrid says, ignoring him. "I don't imagine many of us have. I think we all assumed the sanctuary was close enough.

After dinner, we all line up and get close. Cicero remains near the entire time, not exactly mistrusting us, but still wanting to be close to protect the Night Mother if needed.

When Nazir puts his hand on the coffin, he first nods, and then speaks. "Darkness rises when silence dies."

"WHOOOO! Yes! The Night Mother has spoken! The silence has been broken! The Listener has been chosen!" Cicero cheers, making a little dance in place. "Those were the Binding Words. Written in the Keeping Tomes! The words to reveal the Listener!"

I rub my ears. That volume hurt. But I can't bring myself to blame the man. He's awaited this for a long time.

Things happen fast. We have a little party, breaking out mead and wine, to celebrate our new Listener. Astrid is appointed as Speaker, with Arnbjorn as her Silencer. Meanwhile, Cicero will remain the Keeper, looking after the Night Mother's corpse.

This means that the Night Mother will tell Nazir about those that prayed to her. Then Astrid will visit those people to make a contract, and then someone will be dispatched to assassinate the target.

In time, up to three more Speakers will be appointed, and the Black Hand will be complete once more.

It feels like a historic moment.

—A Dragon's Game—

Your Smithing has increased by 1(18)!

Most of the sanctuary has gone to bed, and I'm practicing my Smithing. We need a few more reserve weapons, as we didn't take most of our stock. I'm not that good of a smith, but I can make arrows and daggers just fine from steel.

"Do'samma?"

I put my tools down and look back, noticing that Babette sits on the workbench, hugging her legs.

"Yes?"

"I—… I wanted to ask you another favor."

I smile to put her at ease. "Ask away."

"You're devoted to Dibella, right?"

"Yes. She gave me her magic to cast, and in return I obey if she has any tasks for me. So far, that happened once."

"But Dibella hates vampires, right? So, wouldn't you get in trouble for being friends with me?"

"Not as a rule. Dibella hates vampirism, because it's made by Molag Bal, and because it's most commonly inflicted without consent."

"I never turned anyone, and didn't want to be turned myself either. Does that mean she'll like me?"

"I believe as much as she likes anyone else, yes."

"I get what she dislikes about vampirism. I don't always like it either." She gives me a wry smile. "I missed out on so much because of it."

I sit on the workbench next to her, and as she leans into me, put an arm around her.

"Like?"

"Love. Anyone attracted to me… well, I normally just drain them dry. I consider it a service to the people of Skyrim." The ten-year-old-looking vampiress says. "But never having been with someone also makes me feel… like I'm missing out."

"You still feel the desire."

I feel her nod. "Even as underdeveloped as I am, getting aroused and everything works the same as it would for a physical adult. Because I'm a vampire."

I let a silence drop. Where's she going with this?

"Since you are a devotee as Dibella… that means that you couldn't do anything sexual she disapproves of, right?"

"Right." Is she asking me to…? I mean, she's great, but for the first time, I'm not physically attracted to the woman I think is coming on to me.

"I'm very curious how it feels to make love. Will you try with me?" She looks up at me, her brown eyes showing a gentle, subtle glow in their depth.

"I'll try." Because even if her body doesn't get me in the mood, for Babette herself, I have all the affection I need.

She smiles, hope shining on her face, and jumps down, grabbing my hand. "Come on!"

She leads me to her room, pulling me by my hand. The sanctuary is big enough that we all have individual rooms. Babette pushes me into a sitting position on her bed, and climbs on my lap, facing me, to kiss me on the mouth.

I embrace her and gently respond with my tongue, ensuring its barbs can't hurt her. I'm not sure her vampiric durability extends to those softer regions.

She pushes me down, keeping one arm around my neck, but moving the other to my crotch.

I sense her being… impatient, but not knowing how to speed up, so I do it for her. I inventory both our clothes. It surprised her for a moment, but then cuddles even closer to me.

"You're soft and warm. This is delightful."

I gently kiss her on the nose, and she sits up. Her hand finds my shaft behind her back, and I can see a moment of hesitation come on her face before she quashes it.

"How about I get you a bit more in the mood, horny instead of curiosity?" I grab her by her hips, and pull her forwards, until her pussy is straight over my mouth. She reaches down, crawling my hair and behind my ears.

I can't help but purr at the sensation, and I gently start working her with my tongue. I keep it folded in half to keep the barbs hidden, and gently caress her clit and her folds. She's already moist, but becomes much wetter swiftly. I hear her soft moans and mewls as I massage her gently, and then I slip my tongue inside.

She breathes in sharply, and for an instant she puts too much force on the skin behind my ears, though she immediately reverts to gentle again.

I'll take that as a compliment that I made her lose control of her strength for an instant, though I will definitely be careful.

I pump inside her with my tongue several times, before returning to her clit and a more gentle stimulation. With Dibella's blessing helping me figure out her sensitive spots in record time, I have her at my non-existent mercy, and not even five minutes later, Babette has her first climax right over my mouth. I knead her small ass with the palms of my hands, half holding her up while she rides out the sensation with my tongue inside her.

"I want to have you in me for real, but just… let me set the pace, okay?" She asks.

"Of course." I grin before giving her another caress over the clit with my tongue.

Babette shivers, but pushes up and back. Never facing the other way, she crawls back enough to have my cock in front of herself, and wraps her tiny hands around it, slowly pumping me.

Then she sits up, aligns me at her opening, and slowly lowers herself.

She's incredibly tight. She slightly moves up and down to ease my passage into her, getting herself more accustomed to the feeling of being full. But with how incredibly wet she is, slowly but steadily, more and more of my cock disappears into her.

I put my hands on her hips, massaging and caressing her continuously.

Finally, I reach as deep as I can go, though I still have a good inch left, if not more. Babette rides me, slowly at first, but speeding up swiftly. As light as she is, with her boosted vampiric strength, she's more than capable of superhuman speeds.

And she's definitely capitalizing on that. And if I were just a baseline khajiit, I think this would be painful with how tight she is.

She grabs one of my hands and puts in on her chest.

I rub towards her nipple and pinch it. She moans, not from the sensation, but from the idea behind the sensation. I grab her ass firmer with my other hand, palming one ass cheek, letting my nails come out just enough for a bit of a sting.

She moans louder, leaning on the hand I have on her chest. Her speed is faster than humanly possible now, and moments later, I cum inside her. She lets out a shout, and climaxes much harder than she did before going limp. I lower her onto my chest. She maintains eye contact, but she's really out of it. I gently wrap my arms around her.

Through sheer force of will, Babette remains awake long enough to talk again.

"That was the same."

"Same as what?"

"Same as when I drank your blood. I feel… warm."

And with that, she gives up staying awake, falling asleep in seconds.

I decide to follow suit. It's been an eternity since the last time I actually slept at night, so it can't hurt.

Affection from Babette increased by 15(90) for satisfying her curiosity, making it amazing, and figuring out a more fun way than drinking to sate her hunger.

—A Dragon's Game—

I open the door to Potema's Sanctum, Lydia and others behind me. We fight the draugr, but we're no match for Potema. I run out of mana protecting the group, and when Potema casts her lightning spell, Lydia has to shield me with her body, and dies. In my grief and anguish, I Shout, and destroy Potema, but it is too late.

I open the door to Potema's Sanctum, Lydia and others behind me. They fight the draugr while I take the offensive to Potema. The draugr overwhelm my companions, and as I'm forced to divide my attention, one of Potema's attacks sneaks past me, and kills Lydia. In my grief and anguish, I Shout, and destroy Potema, but it is too late.

I open the door to Potema's Sanctum, Lydia and others behind me. I try to Shout to slay Potema, but I lack the understanding, injuring my throat. With the more mundane magic, I protect the group as we defeat the draugr, but they're picked off by Potema one by one. Lydia has to shield me with her body, and dies. Potema mocks and kills me, as I cannot Shout with my injured throat.

I refuse to enter Potema's Sanctum. I can see Lydia's disappointment of me in her eyes. She refuses to go back no matter how much I beg, refuses to risk the city of Solitude. They go in without me, and are slaughtered by Potema.

I open the door to Potema's Sanctum, L—.

"Do'samma!"

I startle awake from Babette's voice. I'm panting. Chills are all over my body, and I have to rub the tears from my eyes. It was a dream. A nightmare. Just… no, not just a nightmare. It really happened, after all.

I look up at Babette and feel the concern radiating off her.

"You were having a nightmare and wouldn't wake up. Are you okay?"

"I—I'm okay." I force my breathing to calm down. "Mostly." I add, for honesty's sake.

Babette hugs me, and I feel the warmth from her dragon-blood-fed body radiating into me. I put my arms around her, crawling close to her for warmth. Still night, clearly.

"Want to talk about it?" She leads my head under her chin, crawling her fingers through the fur on my head.

"There's… not much to say. It was about Lydia. And how I lost her."

Her hug tightens for a moment, and it helps me relax.

"Thanks, Babette."

She releases the hug and smiles at me. "Anytime." She lies down and cuddles into me with her back. "The best thing about being warm again is cuddling. Come on. Hug me, and feel warm."

I put an arm around her, but decide to stay awake. I don't want that nightmare again.

Still, having to remain mostly still to not wake up Babette, I can't keep my mind away from it. Lydia… I have done you a disservice, haven't I?

Instead of grieving you properly — instead of giving myself the time to grieve properly — I just went ahead and kept myself as busy as possible.

For the rest of the night, I'll just mourn her in silence, with Babette being the warmth that proves that no, I'm not alone.

It's about three hours later when Babette stirs. I feel her emotions jump all over the place, though she's still asleep. Not unique for a dreaming woman, but…

I suddenly feel her go terrified, and wake her up as fast as I can. "Babette!"

I gently shake her, and she wakes with a gasp.

"It's okay. You're in the Sanctuary. You're safe."

She relaxes in my arms, pulling closer for a few moments. She takes my arms by my wrists and pulls my embrace tighter around her. "It was… when I was turned. I dreamed about that. I—I haven't dreamed about that for decades."

I keep my arms tight as I feel her relax.

—A Dragon's Game—

Breakfast is quiet. Babette and I aren't the only one to have slept badly, and me and Kirsa are the only ones not needing sleep.

"So… everyone had nightmares?" I ask.

A round of nods and shrugs follows.

"There's no way that's normal." And knowing my luck… "I'm thinking Daedric Lord. I seem to have a habit of encountering them."

"Hmpf." Festus scoffs. "Seems like Vaermina's style, all right. Question is, what are we gonna do about it?"

"I could go into Dawnstar, ask around. See if anybody knows anything. I've dealt with half the Daedric Princes by this point? I can handle it."

"Mind if I join you?" Babette asks.

"You sure? We might get into a fight." I say.

"Definitely."

"Just be careful. Don't get into anything you can't handle, or return for backup." Astrid says.

"Will do. Kirsa, you're also coming."

Kirsa salutes.

We walk to Dawnstar, taking about half an hour. Babette has two daggers and a set of throwing knives, all dipped in paralytic poisons. And there's me and Kirsa with our usual gear.

Kirsa can pass for a Dunmer, so she shouldn't be too much of an issue. And Babette's illusions are great for pretending to be a child.

After a few questions, we're directed to the Inn. A Priest of Mara knows things about these nightmares.

We enter Windpeak Inn and just catch the tail end of an argument.

"Everyone, please. I'm doing what I can to end these nightmares. In the meantime, all I ask is you remain strong and put your trust in Lady Mara." A dunmer is priest robes is the speaker. Fits the description.

"I… I will. Thank you…" is the rather lackluster reply from a blonde nord.

"Excuse me, are you Erandur?" I ask.

"I am," the priest replies. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking to end these nightmares. What can you tell me about them?

He eyes my outfit for a moment, noticing I'm wearing battle-worn mage robes. "I might, but it's rather dangerous. Are you sure you're up to the task?"

I shrug, suppressing a smile. It's been awhile since someone asked me that. "I'm Dragonborn, bearing a splinter of Akatosh's own soul, and the Champion of Dibella. I can handle it."

"You might, but your… daughter? If she is that? She might not." At that, I can feel Babette bristle. Not at the familial implication, but the implication she's too delicate for it.

"She can handle herself. We can explain it in private."

"Hm, very well. My explanation shouldn't be public either. Please, come into my room."

We follow him, and I close the door behind us.

Babette sits down on one of his chairs without being asked to. It's… impolite, but I can't blame her. Kirsa remains a step behind me.

"I can handle myself because I'm older than you, priest." She says.

"Wait, how do you mean…" Erandur asks.

Babette rolls her eyes. "I'm a vampire. Duh."

"A vampire? But… But he said he was the Champion of Dibella, and I felt the touch of the Aedra on him."

"You felt right," I respond before they can get into a fight or something. "And I trust her with my life. But now, let's talk about the nightmares, shall we? Is it Vaermina?"

"I… Yes, it is. It makes sense you would figure that out then." Erandur takes a moment to collect himself. "But this might be for the best, then. I know where the source of the nightmares is. It used to be named the Tower of the Dawn, or more recently, Nightcaller Temple. It is a short walk east from here. The Skull of Corruption is inside, and the likely source of these nightmares."

"You know a suspicious amount of detail about it," Babette says.

"I've already said too much. If anyone else notices what we're saying, it could start a panic here in Dawnstar. I would simply ask that you trust me, and that we end Dawnstar's nightmares together." Erandur says.

"For now." I say.

"Excellent. Then let's go. With the four of us, we should be able to get to the Skull."

We head out, and Erandur leads us on a snowy mountain trail. I have to torch a frost troll halfway and an ice wraith close to the temple, but nothing truly impedes our path.

Meanwhile, Erandur updates us on the circumstances. "Years ago, this temple was raided by an orc war party seeking revenge… they were plagued by nightmares just like the people of Dawnstar."

"And yet the nightmares persist." I comment.

"True. Knowing that they couldn't defeat the orcs, the priests of Vaermina released what they call 'The Miasma', putting everyone to sleep — themselves as much as the invaders."

"That sounds like it should make it easier to get inside?"

"Not… exactly. When this place is unsealed, the Miasma will dissipate and they'll awaken; both the orcs and the priests."

"How long ago is this? Wouldn't they have died in their sleep after all those years?"

"The priests of Vaermina created the Miasma for their rituals. It doesn't just put the affected in a deep sleep. Because the rituals would last for months or even years, they designed the Miasma to slow down the aging process and keep them alive through all that time."

"But if the orcs are still there and alive, wouldn't that mean that we could get them to help us?"

"I fear not. If exposed to the Miasma without Vaermina's protection, the mind can become damaged. Some of those who've been under the effect of it for extended periods of time lost their minds entirely. A few never awoke at all. And aside from that, it magnifies the emotions felt when it first takes effect. Since this was mostly rage and vengeance when they attacked…"

"They're likely out of control if they wake up. I know some Illusion Magic, which might calm them down." Well, Mind Magic, but that's called Illusion Magic by mages everywhere.

"That would be great. Mara is insistent we try to minimize the loss of life."


Mind: Calm
For 60 (100) seconds, calms a target up to level 5 + [Intelligence * 0.1] (126) on touch. Calmed targets don't take hostile actions, but will remember everything that happens.

Cost: 50 (25) Mana


—A Dragon's Game—

When we enter the anteroom, it looks… dilapidated. Erandur leads us to a mural on the other side.

"This is a depiction of Vaermina and the entrance to the temple. Here, I'll open it."

Light shines from his fingers, and a few moments later, the mural turns purple, and Erandur walks straight through it.

I shrug and follow, Babette close on my heels, Kirsa staying in front of me. "How long will that stay open?"

"Should be hours, at least. And if it closes, just cast magic at it. Near any spell will do."

The corridor circles to the right, and there Erandur stops, pointing through a large window. It's a large, circular room, with a pedestal in the middle, a fair way down.

"Behold, the Skull of Corruption," Erandur announces, "the source of Dawnstar's woes. We must reach the inner sanctum and destroy it. Come, there's no time to lose."

We follow him further down the circular staircase, arriving at a doorway blocked by a white-ish shield.

It feels solid to the touch, if somewhat cool.

"Damn it." Erandur says. "The priests must have activated this barrier when the Miasma was released."

"Well, we can break it."

"Nothing I'm aware of can."

I try a few spells I know, but they slide off. Not even extinguished. So it might not be possible to weaken the power source by attacking it. The Voice should be able to, but I'm not sure…

I breathe in, and I Speak. "Shatter." kren

I feel the barrier waver, but my Voice isn't strong enough to just break through.

"You're right, I guess." I say.

"Still a better show than I thought possible. But there may be a way around it, in the library."

"I think you still owe us an explanation." Babette says. "About how you know all this. No civilians to overhear here."

"I… very well. I know it from personal experience. Despite all my regrets, I used to be a Priest of Vaermina myself."

"Hm, so you're an oath breaker." I say.

He winces. "It… I… No. I'm not. An oath to a daedra doesn't count!"

"It does. And now we're in here, about to kill those invading orcs for you. So perhaps it's not those oaths you forsook."

"What? No! I swear not! On the name of my Lady Mara, I swear I'm here to break Vaermina's influence over Dawnstar."

I can't sense Mara's displeasure, but I can feel her touch on him. He's honest then, in this.

"We'll be watching you, but you're on your last chance, Erandur." I tell him. "If there's any more things we need to know, now's the time."

He licks his lips. "I… I told you I regret having served the daedra."

"I've met more than a few Daedra in the past months, Erandur. Kirsa here is a Mazken who swore herself to me. And Dibella hasn't minded, because I remained devoted to her. I even made deals with few Princes, while remaining Dibella's. I don't care that you served Vaermina, and I wouldn't have cared if you still served her now, unless you stood in my way of removing the nightmares. What I care about is that you broke your oaths before. What guarantee do I have that you oaths to Mara are any more reliable? How is your service to one more devout than your service to the other?"

"Because… because my service to Mara is true. I've changed. I've redeemed myself."

I sigh. "You live by the grace of Mara, priest. But if you break more oaths, you'll find that Dibella is less forgiving." I can't stand oath breakers, but so far Mara is still with him. And I don't want to piss her off by sending Erandur away or hindering him from participating.

"I understand. Ehm, the plan is, Vaermina's priests have always been skilled alchemists. There should be a supply of Dreamstride, one of the most esoteric potions they were capable of. I can prepare it properly, send you bodily into my memory, and guide you to emerge on the other side of the shield. You can then disable it, and we can head down and destroy the Skull."

"Why can't you go yourself?"

"Because the Dreamstride is restricted to the dreams of others. I don't know why it works like that. I was never an alchemist myself."

"Babette, you ever heard of this potion?"

"Rumors. Didn't think they were true. I don't think the effects are possible with ingredients only. You'd have to weave in some magic, or perhaps even have the touch of Vaermina herself on it. As for the restriction…" she shrugs.

I glance at Erandur.

"Could be true about Vaermina having to touch it, as far as I know. I don't know about how it was created."

"Very well, then. Let's try it."

"We'll need to head to the library first. I will need to look up exactly how to prepare the potion with the correct memory. It should be this way."

We open a door, and a tendril of purple breezes through, before evaporating.

"This is the Miasma?" I ask.

"Yes." Erandur says. "Now that's in contact with the air outside, it should dissipate, even if the sunlight doesn't quite reach here itself."

Makes sense that sunlight dissipates something created to cause dreams, because that's conceptually related to night.

We carefully head through the corridor, only to find two people awakening in front of us. One in purple robes, and one with green skin and a huge battleaxe.

"You talk the priest down. I'll try to talk with the orc. Kirsa, at my side." I order Erandur.

I head over to the orc before he can get his bearings, and cast Calm with my hand on his shoulder.

It works. With a few whispered sentences, I get him to leave the temple.

Erandur is less successful. Babette was watching my back, so we're both surprised when Erandur and the Priest of Vaermina suddenly break out in a fight. Of course, the second isn't exactly in best shape after napping for literal decades, and Erandur's mace ends his life in seconds.

Well, nothing about it, so we continue on into the library. We search for the book as Erandur describes it, but are interrupted by two more devotees of Vaermina — one male and one female. We dispose of them after they attack us, and we find the book.

The priest finds what he needs, and we continue onwards. I pocket the book — might be something useful in there for later.

The next orc we meet, right in front of the alchemist's wing of the fortress, doesn't calm down much from my calming spell, and we have to fight him. Erandur doesn't have any better luck with the daedric priests. While this orc can't be high enough level, the spell can't cure insanity.

Once in the alchemist's wing, Babette has me loot it completely, since they have an amazing stockpile of rare ingredients.

We also find a sample of the Dreamstride potion. Erandur does some magic with it, and then hands it to me.

I exchange a glance with Babette and Kirsa.

Babette smiles. "I'll keep watch over you."

Erandur clears his throat. "He should disappear when he drinks it, only to reappear on the other side of the barrier in a few minutes."

"We'll wait for you, then." Babette corrects herself.

"Okay. See you there." I drink the potion, which tastes like drinking mist.

—A Dragon's Game—

My vision is consumed in a vortex of colors, and I feel myself becoming light as a feather, floating in nothingness for a moment. Then my vision returns, vibrant and colorful.

"The orcs have breached the inner sanctum, Brother Veren." A bald, bearded nord says.

"We must hold." A gray-haired dunmer answers. "We can't allow the Skull to fall into their hands."

"But… no more than a handful of us remain, brother."

"Then we have no choice. The Miasma must be released."

"The Miasma? But, brother…"

"We have no alternative. It's the will of Vaermina." Veren turns towards me. "And what about you, Brother Casimir? Are you prepared to serve the will of Vaermina?"

"I've made my peace." Erandur's voice feels odd in my throat. No, wait. Casimir here. Odd, taking a different name. "I'm ready."

"Then it's decided." Veren says. "Brother Casimir, you must activate the barrier and release the Miasma. Let nothing stop you. Brother Thorek, we must remain here and guard the Skull with our lives if necessary."

"Agreed." The nord answers. "To the death."

"Then let it be done." Veren concludes. "Farewell, my brothers!"

Erandur turns around, and sprints through the temple. He does his best to dodge the various fights he encounters, but at one point has to parry the wild blow of an orc.

"The Miasma…" I hear him say as he reaches his goal. I can feel his nervousness as my own. He then pulls a chain, and a purple haze spreads into the air.

I blink, and suddenly the vision is gone, though I find myself at the exact location Erandur was in the memory. Right behind the barrier.

Deactivating it is easy — a grand soul gem is powering it, so I pocket the gem, and the shield goes down.

Right behind it are Kirsa, Babette and Erandur, now heading through the new path.

"That looked weird." Babette says. "You just faded out of view, then we went over here and saw you fade back in."

"It felt weird. Very vibrant, and it's odd to feel as if your body is moving when you're not doing it yourself."

"Vibrant? I think that's my fault. I wanted to be certain I put the memory in strong enough. It is quite safe to have it too strong, like I did, while if it'd been too weak, you could have dropped out early." Erandur says. "I considered success to be a bit more important than accuracy."

"No harm. But let's go. There should be plenty of others waking up as we pass through."

We head into the next corridor, with two more Vaermina priests waking up — one close to us on our left, and one on the far side of the room to our right.

The far one casts a lightning spell, and Kirsa jumps at him to take him out, a flap of her wings taking her almost ten meters in a single jump.

Erandur attacks the closer one, but I feel overwhelming terror from the woman.

"Erandur, stop." I call. "She's no threat to us."

"She's worshipping Vaermina. We can't let her go!" He contests hotly.

I step in front of him, and look the woman in the eye. She's young, almost a girl. Well, about my age, really. I'm still only twenty. But I know I don't look like it anymore.

"Will you leave the temple, leaving us to get rid of the nightmares without stopping us?" I ask her.

She nods vigorously. It's only one of a long list of things she'd do to save her life.

"Then go. Beware, some of the orcs might be less merciful."

She sprints off towards the exit, relief winning out in her.

"This is a mistake." Erandur grumbles.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Didn't Mara teach compassion and mercy? Or did I mishear and are you of Stendarr, instead?"

"I serve Mara. But… you haven't lived among the priests. All the others… they're lost to the daedra. Sometimes mercy means granting an end before there can be more suffering."

"Oh? And what sort of thing did they do?"

"It's not… it's not active actions. It's their devotion to evil. To Vaermina."

"If it did not lead to evil acts, I care not. We will let them live if they don't force our hands. Do I make myself clear?"

"Fine."

"Kirsa, lead the way. I'm staying around to make sure Erandur here keeps himself to the rules. Babette, at my back. You're in reserve if someone gets in trouble."

We move slower, and convince several more people to run instead of fighting us.

Then we get to the last corner, and Veren and Thorek are there, waiting for us.

Erandur is the first to speak. "Wait… Veren… Thorek… you're alive!"

"No thanks to you, Casimir." Veren sneers.

"I no longer use that name. I'm Erandur, Priest of Mara."

"You're a traitor. You left us to die and then ran before the Miasma took you."

"No. I… I was scared. I wasn't ready to sleep."

"Enough of your lies! I can't allow you to destroy the Skull, Priest of Mara!"

"Then you leave me no choice!" Erandur lifts his mace, but I grab him by the arm and pull him back.

"I don't care about the Skull remaining whole, as long as the nightmares are gone. I'm willing to let you live, but only if you leave here. You can bring the Skull with you, for all I care. Just don't stay at one location long enough for civilians to get nightmares again."

"And who are you?" Thorek asks.

"I'm Do'samma, Dragonborn and Champion of Dibella. Unlike this one," I gesture at Erandur, "I keep my word."

"Fine. But betray us, and you'll never have a good night's sleep again. Even if we die, Vaermina can reach you in your sleep."

"I have no quarrel with her, beyond not wanting nightmares while sleeping here in Dawnstar."

"No! This is unacceptable! I won't let you get away!" Erandur shouts. He tries to rush past me.

I feel the last touch of Mara on him fade from this act of aggression. He is no longer a priest, just an oath breaker and traitor.

I kick to my left, hitting the inside of his left leg, tripping him. Thorek takes a step back, and draws his sword. Veren raises out his mace.

Erandur faceplants into the ground, ambush foiled.

"Erandur, if you insist on this, I will aid you no longer," I tell him, "like Mara, who just left you. Babette, Kirsa, stay back. Unless Vaermina's faithful request our aid, this is not our fight."

"I… I will not surrender!" Erandur shouts, and rushes the two devotees. Thorek parries his first mace swing, and Veren attacks, forcing Erandur to parry in turn. This leaves his side open, and Thorek stabs him in the belly.

Erandur attempts to heal himself, but without Mara, it seems to do much less than what he expected. Another stab from Thorek, and he crumbles to the ground.

The two keep their weapons out, eyeing me up.

I hold up my hands. "I'm not here to fight. Just stop the nightmares."

"Fine." Veren answers, holstering his mace. "We probably should've moved on before. If we'd known it'd bring down those orcs on us, we would have. If we move every few years, nightmares shouldn't happen for people outside of the temple."

"I agree." Thorek responded. "But now we're aware of the consequences, like a horde of orcs storming our temple. I'm not sure we'd have otherwise." He turns to me. "Are the two of us the only two that are still sane and alive?"

"A few others." I say. "I asked them to leave the temple, because we couldn't promise the fighting wouldn't get to them. You may still catch them outside."

"Good." Thorek sighs in relief, knowing not quite everyone he knew was dead.

I wince a bit at my tactlessness.

We head towards the Skull, and the two devotees cancel the shield holding the staff. Veren holsters it on his back, and together, we make our way back outside.

"What's this? Akatosh's youngest child in my temple?" The voice sounds like an old woman's, but comes from the staff.

All five of us freeze in our tracks.

"I am, Dreamweaver. I mean no harm to you or your priests."

"That is not what I wanted to talk to you about, Dragonborn." She says. "I feel the touch of many of my brethren on you, as well as that of my ally, Sanguine. I know you won't enter my service, but I still want to give you the key to enlightenment if you decide to pursue it. Consider it my gratitude for seeking a peaceful solution, even after the pretend-priest of Mara chose violence."

"You have my gratitude, Dreamweaver. I will make great use of it."

"I know you will, for dreams are the core of everything, from the creation of this world to what it's inhabitants devote their lives to."

Your Mind Magic has increased by 3(37)!

You have gained a new skill, Oneiromancy!

Your Oneiromancy has increased by 5(5) for reading the book: The Dreamstride!


Skill: Oneiromancy:
Oneiromancy is the magic of dreams and sleep.

Class: Apprentice

Attributes per level: Dream Affinity: 5.0

Abilities Granted:
00 Sleep
05 Lucid Dreaming
10 Detect Dreams
20 Dreamwalk
25 Sleep Mastery
30 Dreamshard
40 Tel'aran'rhiod
50 Draw in Dreamshard
60 Dreamspace
75 Dream Prison
90 Dreamstride


Dream: Sleep:
Causes a target up to level 5 + [Intelligence * 0.05] (31) to fall asleep.

Cost: 50 (38) Mana


Dream: Lucid Dreaming:
All your dreams are lucid, giving you control over them.


Mind: Hero:
For 60 (104) seconds, increase a target's Health and Stamina by 8 + [Intelligence * 0.08] (120) % at a distance.

Cost: 200 Mana