CHAPTER EIGHT: THE PLAN
Martin
The deadly plan spawned in Martin's mind almost as soon as he deciphered the fourth ingredient to create a portal to Camoran's Paradise. It had taken him two months to do so, twice as long as the third ingredient, the Great Welkynd Stone.
Much had happened in those three months of reading and rereading the Mysterium Xarxes. First of which was Mikhail recovering the Great Welkynd Stone from the ancient Ayleid ruins of Miscarcand. Baurus hadn't accompanied him in retrieving it, unlike with the armor of Tiber Septim from Sancre Tor, but the Hero of Kvatch had been, like always, successful.
Baurus, in all the time he had been back in Cloud Ruler Temple, still hadn't told Kole the truth of Constance's death. He continued to make up lies and excuses for her absence. Mikhail told Martin that the two of them had informed Constance's half-sister of the Redguard's passing, and that it hadn't gone well. Death shouldn't be accepted so easily, but neither should it be avoided.
Kole, the wise child that he was, would probably have figured out the truth on his own had his father not distracted the boy with training. True to his word, Mikhail had an elven short-sword commissioned for Kole. In his small hands, it looked more like a greatsword. Baurus had still trained him with sparring weapons, but no one could deny that, despite his age and inexperience, the boy could handle himself in a fight.
"Not that I want him in one anytime soon," Baurus would say to anyone that praised Kole's surprising combat readiness.
Not long after Mikhail and Baurus had returned from Sancre Tor, Oblivion Gates had begun opening more frequently and much closer to major cities. Martin had theorized that Mehrunes Dagon or Mankar Camoran had learned of their efforts to reach Paradise and decided to make it much more difficult to do so.
Cloud Ruler Temple, which had housed forty Blades, now only housed five: Baurus, Jauffre, Captain Steffan, Cyrus, and Belisarius.
"A few men can hold off against an army here," Jauffre had explained to Martin, who had been surprised how few Blades would be remaining.
The rest had been distributed to the cities of Cyrodiil in order to help the guards shut the gates. Mikhail was the exception; he went to wherever the reports indicated the most gates. His only break had been to find the Great Welkynd Stone then bring it to Martin.
When Mikhail had done that, and immediately proceeded to head out for Skingrad, Martin had asked him, "why do you do it? There are many guardsmen in each city, and each city has both undercover Blades and the ones that had been here to help. Why do you have to go where there are the most gates and close them?"
Mikhail had seemed surprised by Martin's question. "Because it is my duty, of course," he answered. "I have the most experience in closing the gates, so I go where I am most needed."
Martin hadn't been able to argue with that logic, but he had wanted to. Mikhail had looked horrible; it had been clear that the Nord was sleep deprived and hadn't been eating properly. It has to take a lot of him, to race across the country at a moment's notice, just to dive into the thick of battle.
So he had let Mikhail go without another word, fearing that, eventually, the tough bastard would be taken down by a horde of Daedra. It would be an honorable death. I will ensure no one forgets the name Mikhail Iron-Heart... not after all he's done for this country. For everyone.
Martin slammed shut the book that had been written by the Prince of Destruction. He pinched the bridge of his nose as the headache came on. After months of protecting himself from whatever evil magic the book would poison his mind with, he still hadn't found a spell that wouldn't tire him out so easily. It was all he could do from taking a nap each time he closed the Mysterium Xarxes, but he had to inform Jauffre of the fourth ingredient.
And his crazy, suicidal plan to get it.
As he rose from the table he always sat at, Baurus, Kole, and Wolfy entered the Great Hall. Baurus had stayed behind when the Blades had started rolling out for Cyrodiil's cities for two reasons: to be Martin's bodyguard and to be with his son. He was wearing leather armor and his sheathed Akaviri katana. Kole also carried around his sword, though his sheath occasionally dragged across the floor when he walked. He had grown stronger and faster from the months of training; his height had increased quite a bit since having arrived at Cloud Ruler Temple. The duo looked almost exactly alike; Kole's scar and their different hairstyles the only discrepancies.
Wolfy, for obvious reasons, wore nothing. The puppy was no longer a puppy; it was now a nearly grown warhound. It looked imposing, but Martin knew that it was quite the pushover, especially for Kole.
"Where are you heading off to?" Baurus asked once Martin was completely on his feet.
"I've finally discovered last ingredient to reach Camoran's Paradise," Martin said quickly, tucking the Mysterium Xarxes under his arm as he started for the East Wing. "I need to tell Jauffre my plan to get it."
My stupid, stupid plan, but the only one that can work.
Baurus nodded. "We'll go with you. Considering your expression, I imagine this plan is a dangerous one."
"That it is," Martin admitted.
A few minutes later, all four of them arrived at the door to Jauffre's office. The Grandmaster of the Blades could be found in there more often than not these days. Martin pounded his fist on the door, eagerly waiting for an invitation to enter.
Fortunately he did not have to wait long. "Come in," Jauffre said from inside in a tired tone.
Martin was the first to enter, followed by Baurus and Kole. Wolfy had to stay in the hallway as he was no longer welcome in Jauffre's office. The last time he had been in there, he had left quite a mess. Oh look, there's still a stain on the rug.
Jauffre, who looked older than ever thanks to the bags under his eyes and his disheveled hair, was reading a report. He addressed no one that had entered, his attention focused on the report in his hand. The topmost envelope, which had likely held the report, bore the seal of Cheydinhal.
"The Knights of the Thorn," said Jauffre out loud yet to specifically no one. "An order founded by the Count of Cheydinhal's son. Apparently they have been doing quite well with closing the gates, much to everyone's surprise, and thus have amassed quite a great number of recruits. We might be able to take the surviving Blades out of there and move them to cities that need them more." He looked up from the report for the first time since the three had entered. "Best news I've received in about a month."
Martin didn't want to waste any time exchanging pleasantries. "I've found uncovered the fourth ingredient."
Jauffre smiled. "I stand corrected. That is the best news I've received in about a month." He leaned closer to Martin. "So what is it?"
"A Great Sigil Stone."
"A what?" Jauffre asked, a puzzled expression across his face.
"As we all know," Martin began, "all of the Oblivion Gates have been closed by removing the power source that sustains them: a Sigil Stone. A Great Sigil Stone, however, has enough power to create a larger, more powerful gate that can release more Daedra at an even faster rate.
Baurus, who was standing between the chairs that Martin and Kole sat in, chimed in. "The only gate that matches that description is the one that started all of this: the one in Kvatch. Why haven't there been more like it?"
Martin knew why, as long as he had translated the Mysterium Xarxes correctly. "A Great Sigil Stone can power a Great Oblivion Gate—like the one in Kvatch—indefinitely, just as a normal Sigil Stone can for a normal Oblivion Gate. But a Great Sigil Stone can only be made one of two ways. One way is that the power of three normal Sigil Stones is fused into one. Perhaps Mehrunes Dagon didn't realize how difficult it would be to make a Great Sigil Stone until after Kvatch."
"So what is the second way?" Jauffre asked.
"The second also requires three Sigil Stones, but requires much less magic. Should three Oblivion Gates be opened within a close proximity of each other, the power all the gates would radiate would be enough to create Great Sigil Stone on its own in the Deadlands. The Great Oblivion Gate could then be made without too much added effort."
"That's a lot of gates," Kole said.
Martin had forgotten the child was there, but saw no reason to censor himself now for Kole's sake. "Yes, that is," he agreed.
"It seems a Great Sigil Stone is more out of reach than the blood of the Aedra had been," Jauffre said, sighing in defeat.
He's going to hate my plan. By the Nine, I hate my plan. "Maybe not," Martin said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Jauffre asked.
"We know that there are Mythic Dawn agents located in every city," Martin said. "There has to be for them to open the gates in the first place. Should we find an agent, we could force him or her to do whatever foul magic that opens an Oblivion Gate in a place of our choosing."
Martin could tell convincing Jauffre and Baurus to go with his plan was going to be difficult from the horrified look in their eyes.
"Are you suggesting that we willingly create a portal to the Deadlands?" Jauffre half-shouted. "As if there weren't enough already!"
"A Sigil Stone is at its most powerful during the initial opening of an Oblivion Gate. We couldn't use a pre-existing gate unless it had only been open for a few days," Martin explained. "And even if we had such a gate, we'd still need two more opened nearby."
"I don't know as much about the Daedra or the gates as you do," Baurus said to Martin, "so could you tell me why we would need a Mythic Dawn agent. After all, I thought the Sigil Stone is what opens the gates."
Martin turned to Baurus. "A Sigil Stone is the power source that sustains the Oblivion Gate that it is connected to. But the Sigil Stone itself cannot open a gate here in Tamriel. Only a powerful mage with the right spell can actually create a gate here that could connect to a specific Sigil Stone somewhere in the Deadlands."
"Okay..." Baurus trailed off, likely more confused than he had been prior to Martin answering his question.
Martin returned his attention to Jauffre as the Breton said, "there would no doubt be plenty of Daedra pouring out of the three Oblivion Gates, then even more once the Great Oblivion Gate is made. What do you propose we do with them? Let them flee into the countryside?"
"No," Martin answered. "We would need an army to face the Daedra, but I'm sure that all four gates would be closed once the Great Sigil Stone is removed."
"An army?" Jauffre scoffed. "And where do you suppose we would get one?"
"We would have the full support of the Imperial Legion," Martin said. "As well as donations of guards from the other cities, should we need them."
"And how do you propose we get the support of the Imperial Legion?" Jauffre asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.
Martin gulped. "I would publicly reveal myself to be Uriel Septim VI's illegitimate son in order to ascend to the throne. As Emperor, I would have full control of... my armies... to stop the Daedra from advancing far from the gates."
Baurus shook his head. "Without the Amulet of Kings to light the Dragonfires, I'm not sure the Elder Council would believe that you are a Septim."
"They would if I were presented by the Grandmaster of the Blades."
Jauffre ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not completely sure even that would convince the council."
"We have to try," Martin said. He was still not too keen on the idea of ruling an entire Empire, but if that was the way he would save Tamriel, then so be it. "We'd need an army to even consider opening our own Oblivion Gates,and we need the Great Sigil Stone to get the Amulet of Kings back. I'm sure that the council, whether they believe it or not, will do anything to relight the Dragonfires. And once we do get the amulet and I light them, it will confirm that I am a Septim."
No one spoke for a while. Martin took that as a good sign that his plan was at least being considered.
At last Jauffre said, "this is crazy—no, insane is the correct word." He managed the smallest of grins. "But the Septims have always been a little unhinged, to say the least; no one but a Septim would propose such an idea to make more portals to the Deadlands. And no one but a Septim would have been able to make me believe that it could work."
"Then shall we meet with the Elder Council?"
Jauffre nodded. "I will write a letter to Bravil requesting that Mikhail meet us in the Imperial City, as that was the last place he had been seen. I'm sure that a good word from the Hero of Kvatch would go a long way with the council."
"I will go with you, too," Baurus said. "You'll definitely need a bodyguard once the whole country knows of your existence."
"Will I go?" Kole asked, having not spoken for quite some time.
"I'd rather you not," Baurus admitted to his son. "But there will be very few people left here to make sure you're safe, so I guess you'll have to come with us."
"Will I get to kill monsters?" Kole asked with a great deal of enthusiasm.
"I certainly hope not," Baurus chuckled.
Kole looked happy to be leaving Cloud Ruler Temple soon. Martin felt the same way, having been here nearly four months straight with nothing to do but study the Mysterium Xarxes. At least I got to see wander Kvatch without fearing for my life, back when I was a priest.
"We'll head out tomorrow morning," Jauffre said. "There should be enough horses left in the stable for us. We should arrive in the Imperial City in about a week if we ride fast enough. You two, start packing up some supplies. Whatever we don't have here we can get in Bruma. I'll start on that letter."
Martin began to rise from his seat, but then Jauffre added, "actually Martin, stay here for a moment. Baurus, take Kole with you. Shut the door behind you."
Once the two Redguards were gone, Martin asked, "what's wrong?"
"I have an idea to get a Mythic Dawn agent to come to us," Jauffre said, "rather than us having to find one."
"That's good, but why'd you have to send Baurus away to tell me that?"
"Because I don't think he would like my idea."
"Which is?"
"To use you as bait."
Martin almost immediately rejected the proposal. He was willing to die in order to save his country, but not to be given over to the Mythic Dawn, the cult that had killed his father and half-brothers. But since Jauffre had trusted that his crazy plan would work, Martin decided to hear him out.
"I'd like to know more specifically what you mean by that," Martin said a moment later.
Jauffre rifled through the papers on his desk for a minute. He at last pulled out a parchment that had the seal of Anvil on it. "This is a report that Mikhail had sent me about two weeks ago. In it, he lists a number of people that revealed to be members of the Mythic Dawn when they had attacked him. A week before, a similar event occurred but in Skingrad. Both times he was attacked when he was alone."
"Go on."
"I'm sure that, somehow, the Mythic Dawn will know that you and Mikhail are in the Imperial City once we get there. If you make yourself seem vulnerable or alone, they will no doubt attempt to finish off the Septim bloodline once and for all. That way, we can draw them out and capture at least one agent alive."
"That does sound risky," Martin said. "But I don't see why Baurus—"
"He blames himself for your father's death," Jauffre reminded him. "What do you think his reaction will be when we inform him that we are going to risk your life in order to get someone that can open the gates?"
Martin hadn't thought of that. "So what are you saying? We don't bring Baurus with us?"
"What I am saying is that maybe Baurus shouldn't be made aware of this plan," Jauffre said. "He is a Blade and would listen to what I say, especially if I demand it, but by keeping him in the dark up until the last minute... it makes things simpler."
Would it? I'd rather someone that has a personal reason to keep me alive be there to save me once the Mythic Dawn come to kill me than not be. But Jauffre had trusted that, in the case of getting the Great Sigil Stone, Martin had known best. The least I can do is trust him with this.
"Okay," Martin said. "We won't tell him. Make sure Mikhail knows not to say anything either."
Jauffre nodded. "That is all. You should start getting your things together for the road."
Martin got up and advanced towards the closed door. Once his hand reached the doorknob, Jauffre said to him, "just imagine; in one week you might become the new Emperor."
Faking a smile, Martin turned back and said, "I can hardly wait."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So my explanation of the way Sigil Stones/Oblivion Gates work might be wrong. I don't care.
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