The Elder Scrolls III

Morrowind

Heaven and Hell

Chapter I

To Balmora

Barely after I made it out of the Office, I ran into a fretting Bosmer. He was quite close to the office, pacing round and fretting about something or another. He was only short(as are all of his kind) and had tanned skin. He was blonde haired and his eyes were very dominant. The odd thing about him was that his eyes were completely black, except for a minute colouring round what was apparently a very small pupil. He seemed friendly enough at least and I soon found myself engaged in a rather one sided conversation.

"Well, hello stranger. You're not from round these parts are you? Well, you must be the one the boat dropped off...what's you're name?"before I even had the opportunity to answer, let alone open my mouth, he continued."I'm sorry to trouble you – sorry, I didn't quite catch your name? Oh, Ral-Jille. Well, I'm sorry to trouble you Ral-Jille, but have you by any chance seen my magic ring? It's engraved with runes and also has healing properties. It's very valuable to me – I suspect those Imperials took it. They always bully me you know, those Imperials...always searching me for no reason..."Within a few moments of this I found myself grasping for the ring I'd found earlier from my pouch.

"Here! Take it!"I hissed, quickly shoving it into the palm of his left hand and closing his fist around it.

"My ring! My magic ring! You found it!"the Bosmer exclaimed, jumping for joy."Oh thank you so much. Tell you what, I'll put in a good word with Arille for you! Oh he's a charming chap that High Elf – my name's Fargoth by the way – such a charming chap our Arille. He runs the local trade house. Which reminds me, did you hear about that fraud up in Balmora, some skooma addicted cat selling fake daedric weapons?"

And the conversation dragged on...and on...and on. It seemed like hours had passed before I actually got away from him. Indeed, at least one had passed! True to his word however, I observed him proceed to the two storied building I now knew to be Arille's Tradehouse. After a few minutes(of lengthy conversation no doubt), the hyperactive wood elf emerged. Quietly, I walked away from the direction he was headed in. Finally, I had a chance to take in my surroundings! Just by looking at one of the buildings, you could tell Seyda Neen was not a bustling metropolis. It was a small port, in some forsaken swamp region of Vvardenfell. Mostly, it was just houses and shacks dotted randomly around the Census office. A few guards patrolled the area to keep vermin out – other than that, there was nothing to see or do. I decided my best bet would be to visit this Arille and then make my way to Balmora...wherever that was.

Arille's Tradehouse was a small place but it's owner(Arille...naturally) had a fairly impressive stock given his limits.

"Greetings."I said.

"Welcome to Arille's Tradehouse."the altmer man replied somewhat dully. I gathered he was not exactly in the greatest mood right now. I was wrong however – he soon perked up as he continued his introduction. "I barter for goods or coin. I also have a small selection of spells for sale. No credit. You want a little advice? That's free. That's ALL free. Would you like to hear our most popular potions? Our most popular scrolls?"

"You mentioned a little of advice..."I replied, curious now as to what he would tell me."What would that be?"

"A little advice? Well, if you want to live to a ripe old age, buy a weapon and as much armour as you can wear and still run from trouble. Buy a spell or two. And practice your skills. Don't practice on citizens. We call that foul murder here."At the word 'murder' I preformed the equivalent of an Argonian wince."And we don't like it. But you can kill smugglers and bandits and other outlaws all you like. Outlaws have no rights. Plenty of adventurers make a living from killing and looting outlaws. That smuggler scum down in Addamasartus, for instance. They have a cave down by the stilt strider platform."
"Well...I'll certainly take all that on board."I told him, now a little uneasy about this man."May I see your stock?"

"Oh, of course sir!"In the end, I bought myself a Nordic fur cuirass and some chitin pauldrons and gauntlets. Following that, I bought myself a short bow, one hundred arrows and an iron broadsword. I had the impression from Arille that life was going to be more difficult than I anticipated.

"Will that be all?"Arille asked me(now considerably happier)as I finished suiting up in my new mixed armour collection.

"Yes, yes it will be."I replied.

"Seeing as you're new here, I'd recommend you go upstairs. I hear Hrisskar is offering work for anyone willing to earn some extra septims."

"I'll do that."

Hrisskar, I soon discovered, was a Nord looking for someone to settle some financial issues. He wanted someone to find Fargoth's stash. Apparently, Fargoth had been hoarding and stealing a fair amount of money. In the end, I agreed to do the job for him. Hrisskar informed me I should find a good vantage point and watch Fargoth's moves at night fall. Taking his advice, I found myself camped out atop of the lighthouse at the edge of Seyda Neen. I sat on the hard stone slabs, unpacking my drink and bread loaf from earlier. All I had to do was wait. Ordinarily, I would never of even dreamed of just sitting there till nightfall. However, Seyda Neen was not exactly tourist attraction of the century. I started thinking back to my time on the prison ship...most notably my time only a few hours ago in the hold. I remembered having a very peculiar dream...I saw barren landscapes, filled with ash and dead plant life. Bizzare creatures roamed the lands and violent storms below clouds of ash across the small island of Vvardenfell. All through the dream, a voice spoke to me. The voice sounded wrong somehow...like it was gentle and cruel at the same time.

Bah! I thought angrily. Listen to yourself Ral-Jille! What would your father think of you, panicking about stupid dreams? Leave that to the druids and wise men!

Many, many hours passed before it was dark. My drink and loaf of bread were long since devoured and I was beginning to give up hope of ever catching Fargoth visiting his stash. Just as I was about to prepare to depart the lighthouse, I noticed an unusual moment in the shadows of the small Seyda Neen cottages. I focused on the movement, not blinking with either of my eye lids. I noticed a distinct shape in the shadows – humanoid, small and adapted to stealthy movement. It was Fargoth. For the next few minutes I watched the figure intently – it was gradually moving towards an old hallowed tree stump in the centre of a small marshy pond. It spent a few minutes organising something deep in the stump before moving back away, towards the main area of town. Fargoth had been fortunate – a guard was just coming toward the pond on his midnight rounds as he slipped away. Within moments I was down the lighthouse, in the pond and searching through the tree stumps inner depths.

"Aha..."I hissed quietly to myself, extracting a small lock pick and three hundred septims. I also found the magical ring of Fargoth's. After a moments hesitation, I pocketed it all and discreetly made my way to Arille's Tradehouse.

"Excellent!"Exclaimed Hrisskar as he laid eyes on the three hundred septims. I was holding them out before the Nord, my hand grasping the small pouch from its base."May I?"

"Of course."I replied, chucking the pouch into his hand gently. He counted it coin for coin three times, ensuring his full amount of money was there.

"Now, for the matter of payment?"I inquired, staring at him with unblinking eyes.

"Ah...well, tell you what: I'll let you have one hundred coins and allow you to keep any other items you found."he told me.

"Hmm...acceptable, Hrisskar. It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

Now to get out of this town... I thought, pocketing the one hundred septims and making my way of Arille's Tradehouse.

"Why walk when you can ride?"

An odd slogan to advertise your business but and effective one.

"Are you sure it's safe?"I inquired.

"Perfectly – believe me, Stilt strider's never hurt anyone, nor let anyone fall out. Same low cost for you as well, outlander."

I was standing on the wooden ramp leading to the colossal insect known as a Stilt Strider. I was only a little bit out of town and much of Seyda Neen was still visible. Stilt Striders, I soon learnt, were the primary form of transport on Vvardenfell excluding walking through the wilderness. And after my brief encounter with Arille, walking was not something I wanted to do right now.

"Hmm...how much is it to ride?"
"Where to?"
"Balmora."
"29 gold coins for a one way trip to Balmora per person, no additional cargo fee."Reluctantly, I accepted his offer and slipped into a seat behind the driver of the insect. Seeing that no one else was to accompany me, the driver took the 'helm' of the strider.

The ride to Balmora was perfectly bumpy and not exactly enjoyable. The seats were carved out of the strider's own flesh and though they had protective material on, you still couldn't help but be disgusted. The driver controlled the strider through a series of exposed neural tissues which acted like a wheel on a ship. I had waited till morning to catch this Strider, allowing me some rest. Despite this, night fell about two thirds of the way into the journey. Looking at the distant horizon when we were near the coast, it was pretty clear that the storm was looming a lot closer. In two more days at the most, it would rain at the least. The driver was a very quiet sort of fellow and a middle aged Dunmer. He probably had pretty poor views on Argonian's, given his kind were used to having mine working for them as slaves in noble houses. By the time we had arrived at Balmora, it was well past midnight. The sky was however, clear and full of stars. To my grave disappointment, Balmora was not a swamp. Instead, it was...well, urban.

Balmora was divided more or less in half by the River Odai, which ran through the cities heart. There were bridges that crossed the Odai, connecting Trade Street to Labour Street. Trade Street was one big market and the home of the Fighters and Mages Guilds. In the 'market' of sorts, there was a bookseller, a pawnshop, an armourer, a general trader and an outfitter. Towards the top end of Trade Street dwelled two inns, The Rat in the Hole and the Eight Plates. The Eight Plates was general a more favourable place. Many, many people dwelled in Balmora. Indeed, it's population was probably one of the largest in Vvardenfell. I suspected that I would find Caius on Labour Street, though I was given the location of a contact who could help me find him. The only problem? I don't know how to get to that contact. I made it my first priority to discover where to go – I was informed the South Wall would likely know his whereabouts. The first citizen I ran into was an attractive young Dunmer woman named Dralosa. After dispensing with the pleasantries, I asked her immediately where I could find the South Wall corner club. She told me to go to the south end of Labour Street on the east end of the city. Walking swiftly across the bridge and onto Labour Street, I found the building I believed to be the club. Sure enough, the large flag hanging on a stick outside read "South Wall Corner Club". I quickly discovered the interior of the club was virtually a gangs hide out as it was owned by the Thieves Guild. After a lot of quizzing and questioning, the owner of the club final gave me directions to find Caius. After jotting them down in my journal I thanked him and bolted from the club. The less time I spent with fellow criminals, the better. After all this time, dawn was slowly creeping closer. I made straight for Caius' house.

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"Are you one Caius Cosades? I've been ordered to report to you."

I was currently standing in the doorway of the home of who I hoped the be Caius Coasades, the man the Census Office Captain had told me to report to as soon as possible. I couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps coming here was a mistake – as though I would regret coming here for the rest of my life if I made a mistake.

"Yes,"the man replied. He was an Imperial, that much was clear by the way in which he spoke."I'm Caius Cosades. But, what do you mean you were told to 'report to Caius Cosades'?"Clearly, this Caius had not had any kind of forewarning of my coming to meet him.

How delightful...the Imperials in this land are not only incredibly thick skulled, they are also very bad messengers...

"I was shipped here, to Vvardenfell, aboard a ship. In the Seyda Neen office they gave me this package – they told me I should report to you as soon as possible."As I finished my sentence I handed him both the package and the letter I had received from the Census office."My name is Ral-Jille."

"Yes. Very interesting..."Caius muttered as he inspected the package's contents."It says here,"he continued, this time speaking in a much louder voice."That the Emperor wants me to make you a novice in the Blades. That means, my friend, that you'll be following my orders? Are you ready to follow my orders Ral-Jille?" Now this is what I call a difficult decision. That name...the Blades...sounded familiar. I clearly could remember my old master, a Dunmer who lived in the Vvardenfell graze lands(this was actually my third trip to Morrowind), talking about the Blades just before he had mysteriously passed away. He had been worried about something – about someone out after his life.

Oh, by the Hist...I hope this isn't a bounty hunter's guild...it's bad enough I just got released after a murder charge...

"Yes."

One little word – that one little word shocked me so much as it came out of my mouth.

"Good."Caius replied. He sounded like a rough sort of fellow judging by his voice."Welcome to the service, Novice Ral-Jille. We're the Empires eyes and ears in the provinces."

"At least you're not assassins..."I mumbled. Caius quickly dismissed the comment, a feat easily achieved when dealing with reptilian species.

"You can use my bed if you need to rest."

Is he trying to mate with me? I wondered. It was a humorous and disturbing thought at the same time. Not that he could ever succeed mind.

"Just leave the rest of my personal stuff alone unless I tell you otherwise. You can improve your skills with our blades trainers if you choose, though it will still cost you some septims. Or if you're in a hurry, I can give you your orders right now."

"I would like to get my orders now, sir."I replied quietly. His attitude was reminding me a little too much of my days enslaved to the Dunmer. Completely out of the blue, he pulled a pouch off his bed and threw it at me. Surprised, I threw my claws into the air to grab it. It made a delightful sound – the sound of money.

"There are two hundred drakes in there. Treat yourself to some equipment."he told me. Caius sounded like he was making a suggestion, not an order. "And get yourself a covert identity. Join a faction – or do freelance work. The Fighters and Mages guilds are always looking for new recruits – as are the Imperial Cult and Imperial Legion. There's also House Hlaalu...but that's a political job. I wouldn't strongly recommend it. When you're ready for your real assignment, come see me."

"Thank you, sir."

The first thing I did was head for Trade Street – I suspected most of the organisations and businesses could be found there. Would you believe I was right? The Fighters Guild was easy to find – indeed it was the first building I ran into. It was a little stuffy inside and very confined – a young Imperial woman and a middle aged Redguard could both be found within. The Redguard appeared to be an armourer of sorts, for he was busy mending a steel cuirass. The cuirass was being held firmly to a barrel as he hammered it with a large, iron hammer. The Imperial seemed to be busy searching through a chest and neither paid any heed to my entrance. I slipped past them and climbed the stairs to the right hand side of the entrance. Another woman was there, doing nothing in particular. She was a Nord.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, stranger?"

Well, she seemed polite enough.

"Who do I see about joining the Guild?"I asked, staring at her.

"That'd be me friend. You look like you can take care of yourself...well Argonian, if you'd just review the charter..."After a few tedious minutes of reading and re-reading the guild laws, I finally managed to sign up. I was even given my first job – go see Draryne Thelas and handle her cave rat infestation. Following that, I sought out House Hlaalu. The guards were very helpful in directed me to the Hlaalu manor and I also got my first job from them – steal some alchemical recepies.

Greeeeat... I thought. I'm a criminal again.

Now though, I had some cave rats to handle...

A/N: Ooh...the suspense is killing you, isn't it? I would of made this chapter longer, but this is just about as far I've gotten in the game with my new character. So, you'll have to wait a little bit for the next chapter – but it is coming.. When I go back for the re-write, I'll add more detail to the Hlaalu search. It wasn't exactly thrilling being a twenty second walk from the guild to manor though, heh.

Astelan: ooh, my first reviewer! And it's positive! Glad you liked the opening. I'm afraid future chapters will have longer gaps between them going up though – I pretty much had these two ready. Enjoy anyway!