The Cards stepped out of the golden portal onto an awe inspiring scene. It seemed to be a forest, but it was very definitely different from any in Tamriel. All of the colors blended together: trees appeared to be part of the ground, the sky was an extension of the grass. Everything blended as one yet was somehow clearly separate. The entire world seemed to be a living watercolor painting. All but Isaiah stumbled and fell repeatedly as they attempted to adjust to these strange new surroundings.
"Stupid question Isaiah…" Alderich began, dizzily turning to his leader. "Where are we?"
"Azura's realm, Moonshadow," Isaiah told them.
Ryan's jaw dropped. "We are in Moonshadow?"
"How did you transport us to Oblivion?" Sumika asked.
"I have been able to travel the realms freely since as long as I care to remember," Isaiah replied.
"Why have you never told us this before?" Eyana queried, irritation playing across her face.
"What reason has there ever been for you to know?" he returned.
She could not think of anything and closed her mouth.
Alderich spoke uneasily. "Another stupid question…"
"You are on a roll…" Makenna joked.
Alderich scowled his brother then turned back to Isaiah. "Why are we here?"
"We will get to our destination faster by traveling through this realm," Isaiah explained.
"Why will we move faster traveling through Oblivion?" Ryan queried.
Isaiah stood a moment, trying to think of a way to explain. "Think of Nirn as a circle," he began finally, "and to get from one point on the circle to another you must travel along the circumference. Now, think of the different realms of Oblivion as lines through that circle. Is it not a shorter path along a straight line than an arc?"
Everyone nodded understandingly.
"How much did you simplify that?" Makenna asked.
"A lot," Isaiah grinned.
"Isaiah?" Sumika started from behind a rock. "Are the inhabitants of Moonshadow dangerous?"
"Some of them," he replied, "why?"
The rock Sumika stood behind continued to stare at her. She slowly began to strafe around the stone as it slowly began to rise, its limbs becoming visible. "What about this one?" she asked indicating the creature, now standing ten feet tall and six feet wide.
"That is a golem," the Imperial told her, "and it is intensely dangerous."
"Is that made of solid stone?" Ryan gaped at the giant.
"That is why it is so deadly," Isaiah said, "none of our weapons or magic will harm it."
Makenna started to back away. "So we run."
"No, we do not," Isaiah stopped him. "Golems are as fast as they are strong and resilient. It would catch you and pummel you to death before you could curse your luck."
"Why has it not yet?" Alderich questioned Isaiah.
"They have poor eyesight," he explained. "Because we have not moved much, it is only slightly aware of our presence."
"I have a feeling that will not hold for long," Alderich said. "You all run while I keep it busy." Before anyone could say otherwise, he began changing into the massive metallic form of a Storm Monarch.
The golem saw the electric being and charged, knocking him to the ground. The creature sat on Alderich's chest and began punching him relentlessly in the head with wide, crude swings. Bolts of lightning deflected harmlessly off the stone.
Sumika stood with katana at the ready about to attack the giant she stood no chance against. The others however began to run while Alderich bought them time. Ryan picked up Sumika, threw her over his shoulder, and ran without any difficulty as she struggled to stay.
"I will not let Alderich risk his life while you waste yours," Ryan told her as he began to catch up to Isaiah at the lead of the group and followed him as he made a sharp turn through watercolor trees.
The six remained running for two hours, encountering various kinds of wildlife, luckily no more golems. They broke through a group of bushes into a clearing where they all stopped in their tracks.
In front of them stood a castle unlike any of them, other than Isaiah, had ever seen. This castle stood, or floated, above a lake filled with multicolored water in the reds, oranges, and yellows of dusk and dawn. A staircase made of a golden material lead to the main gate which, along with the rest of the castle, hovered unmoving three dozen feet from the surface of the water. The walls of the fortress were made of the same material as the stairs, which also glittered red and orange in the sun.
As the group approached the base of the stairs on the beach, they noticed two humanoid figures stood on either side of them. The daedra walked over to the Cards. These servants of Azura stood about seven feet tall, had pale yellow skin, golden armor that matched the stairs they guarded and large golden axes.
"What brings you here Isaiah?" one of the creatures asked, eyeing the Imperial's companions.
"Just passing through," Isaiah replied. "I would like to speak to your mistress though if it is not a problem."
"Certainly," the daedra waved his hand to the stairs.
As they ascended the stairs, the sky darkened, strange as it was noon. Looking into the sky, the group was struck with the sight of the moon blocking the out the sun.