Sun's Height 9, 4E1

(Fights-up-close): Cheydinhal Sanctuary

Direct-contact paralysis:

The spell of paralysis has proved a difficult yet very rewarding spell for an illusionist to master. Projecting a paralysis spell from any sort of range is certainly not recommended for those who have not mastered direct contact attacks, so it is strongly advised you read this section and pass the Mage's Guild time honored qualification tests (see pg 145) before you move onto the art of casting a range paralysis spell. For this reason, this entire section has been devoted only to the casting of a direct-contact paralysis spell.

Basic Effects:

The direct-contact paralysis spell has been a favorite of riot controllers throughout Cyrodiil. The spell does not cause any direct injury, making it ideal for law enforcement. Though injury to the target may result if his or her limp body is allowed to fall onto a hard surface, this is generally rare, and the risks of serious injury are no greater than with any other non-lethal take down. As soon as the spell comes in contact with the target, all of the targets voluntary muscle movements will cease for a varying number of seconds (heavily dependant on the skill of the spell caster). This includes breathing; However, because the record duration for the paralysis spell to this day is only thirty-six seconds, with few Mages capable of exceeding twenty seconds, this never becomes an issue to the target's health.

Those who have fallen victim to the effects of this spell report they are still fully conscious during the duration of the spell effect, but are unable to move or feel any part of their body.

Ironically, rumors that this spell has also been used by organized thieves, such as

Ocheeva interrupted my reading. "Ah, Fights-," She said, her face showing a kind of concern that made me a bit nervous. I noticed something in her right hand. A small piece of paper as best I could tell. "I must speak with you. It is quite urgent." My heart sank a little. I knew I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear, especially because her words sounded rehearsed, like she was holding back an unpleasant truth "A sealed letter just arrived from a Dark brotherhood courier." She said, holding the letter infront of her, examining it slightly next to the light "I recognize this type of parcel. It contains sealed orders. It's addressed to you from...Lucien Lachance." She handed it to me with a concerned expression. "You must open this envelope immediately and follow their instructions to the letter. It would seem the Black Hand itself has a task for you."

That certainly brought down the mood. I had hoped to say in the sanctuary for a while, because the outside world had become outright scarey to me now. I'd probably lose my mind if I were to walk the streets again in public wondering if I was a wanted criminal. Ocheeva, without saying another word, walked towards her room to get some rest.

I put down the book, keeping it opened to that page, even though I wasn't sure I'd continue reading it again for a while, then began walking to the Living Quarters, slowly ripping the envelope as I went. Staring half at the floor, and half at the letter, I found myself by the side of my bed quite soon. Tension grew with every rip:

Fights-up-close,

You have served the Dark Brotherhood well in the short time you have been with us. Now the Black Hand itself is in need of your abilities.

You must proceed with all haste to my private refuge in the ruins of Fort Farragut, located in the forest North East of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. When you arrive, we will discuss the nature of your special assignment.

I cannot stress to you enough the importance of your swift arrival at Fort Farragut. There are unseen powers working to unravel the very fabric of the Dark Brotherhood. The Black Hand is counting on you to prevent this disaster.

Do not share the contents of this message with anyone at the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, including Stabber, and make no mention of your journey to Fort Farragut! Also, be warned -- my refuge within Fort Farragut is guarded by denizens who will attack any interloper on sight. In order to bypass these rotting sentinels you must enter through a secret secondary entrance. West of the fort you will find a large tree trunk. It has been hollowed out for entry into my sanctuary.

Lucien Lachance

The words conveyed a kind of concern I'd never seen before from any assignment. I could tell the danger was more serious than anything I'd faced before. Another trial to burden my exhausted soul. Without further thought, I dropped the note onto my bed. I wanted to get to Fort Farragut before my weakness might for once win against the will of Sithis.

(M'raaj-Dar): Cheydinhal Sanctuary

She left almost immediately, no longer holding the letter. And, as usual, not even making eye contact with me as I drank. Disappointing. I had been preparing my next jab for weeks now. Having to hold it in was getting endlessly annoying, as I worried I might overlook the right circumstance. When I heard the rumors that one of the Shadowscales had defected, I expected things would get a bit more fun around here. I was wrong. None of those scaly whelps seemed to be buying anything anymore.

After my last sip of beer an idea came to my head: The letter she was holding. She seemed to have dropped it somewhere. There was a glimmer of hope to it; getting my hands on any private material offered some opportunity for sabotage. Then I could finally let some of this bubbling anger surface.

I got up, eager to provide myself with some excitement, and walked over to the beds. Sure enough, there was a torn envelope and letter lying on her quilt. I looked over my shoulder, wondering if some eyes might be upon me, but I was alone. The others were either practicing or chatting it up in the main room. My adrenaline began rushing as I noticed the seal on the letter. A secret assignment. I felt a rush of emotion: boiling anger at the fact that the Shadowscales were getting these kinds of assignments, passionate excitement that I was reading a top secret letter, and wakefulness like I hadn't felt in ages.

I picked up the letter:

Feekava-Taakeeus,

Jo yist holmeeus Buchelew Tie gaj ov teem sheev jo yist ov meenaz danak. Mujshak

It was in Argonian. At that time, the alien words seemed as infuriating as the Shadowscales themselves. Anger at the Black Hand was always marring my reverence of them for approving their admission. Phonies was too flattering a term for the Shadowscales. Still, I skimmed for what words I could read.

I could only make out the words Cheydinhal and Farragut. Fort Farragut was Lucien's sanctuary. That was probably where they would meet. Few visited it except to receive special assignments. I had to see what this was about for myself.

(Learns-fast): Cheydinhal

Surveys-from-above exited the room, leaving me alone with the copy of the Black Horse Courier. The last few days had been rather uneventful, as Lucien seemed to have disappeared from Fort Farrgut. Now, however, I was being told that something big had happened. I wasn't sure how to take that. Surveys-from-above seemed to have mixed emotions, and he was a bright enough kid. Anticipation was welling up inside my gut, and for some reason I hesitated to look directly at the copy. Even so, delaying any longer wasn't excusable.

I picked up the parchment, plunging myself into the situation despite an odd reluctance.

Adamus Phillida Slain!

SPECIAL EDITION!
ADAMUS PHILLIDA SLAIN!

LEYAWIIN ATTACKED!

by Waldorf Wordswell

In what can only be described as a blatant assault on the security and liberty of the civilized people of Cyrodiil, Imperial Legion commander Adamus Phillida was brutally murdered during an assignment in Leyawiin only three hours before an assault on the city itself was conducted by a criminal organization known as the "Renrijdra Krin". The thugs managed to breach the perimeters of the city walls, though were prevented by the Leyawiin City Guard and Imperial Legion from terrorizing local civilians. Though all the bandits were eventually slain or arrested, there was a combined total of six deaths between members of the Imperial Legion and Leyawiin Guard, with another eight wounded.

Whether there was a link between the slaying of Adamus Phillida and the following assault is still under dispute, as is exactly what faction was behind his assassination. Other than that the assassin was female and Argonian, no further descriptions have been given.

The Dark Brotherhood is a natural suspect, because, throughout the years, Adamus Phillida had become a rather vocal opponent of the Dark Brotherhood and its practices, and vowed to expose the organizations' secrets and bring its leaders to justice. Indeed, Phillida had been targeted for assassination by the Dark brotherhood twice in the past, but both attempts were thwarted by the commander and his Legion soldiers.

However, others suspect the slaying to have been coordinated by the same group which conducted the assault, addressing the fact that, to quote Captain Caelia Draconis "It provided an adequate diversion to draw our forces away from the city walls, as well as significantly weakening Leyawiin's defenses by eliminating an experienced leader in our ranks."

Still, others suspect something more sophisticated in the works; that the Renridjra Krin may have found allies in the Eastern province of Black Marsh. Unrest and tension similar to that in Elswyre is suspected to also be manifesting itself in the homeland of the Argonian, where many believe the assassination was coordinated.

Newly appointed Imperial Legion commander Giovanni Civello declined to comment, but promises to do his utmost to continue the investigation of Phillida's murder as well as ensure Leyawiin will not fall under attack a second time.

Adamus Phillida may be dead, but it would seem his fight lives on in Giovanni Civello and the rest of the Imperial Legion. There may soon come a day when those bloodthirsty assassins have more to fear than the good people of the Imperial Province.

Again the world sabotaged me! Adamus Phillida was assassinated in Leyawiin by a female Argonian, and many suspected a connection to Black Marsh. Many government officials, for sure, because that was obviously where the Black Horse career got its information. According to the reports of Fights-up-close before her transfer, the people of Leyawiin knew what we were afraid of. Lady Leyawiin had already caught one of our spies, Climbs-out-of-sight, and to see another Argonian come to the town to kill a Legion Captain certainly didn't look good for us. But who had been behind this? Obviously not the Argonian Royal Court, or I would have given the order. And, even with all the research the Argonian Royal Court had done on the Renridjra Krin, I never found any record of them operating like that. The Dark Brotherhood? But they'd failed twice before. Even so, they seemed to be the only possibility left. I sat in silence briefly as it all sunk in.

An idea flashed into my head. Female Argonian. Was it one of our former Shadowscales, Stabber or Fights-up-close who carried out the job? They were certainly employed by the Dark Brotherhood now. It couldn't have been the work of the Argonian Royal Court, and I wasn't sure how many Argonian females the Renridjra Krin had under their employ. A fury came over me. Had Lucien really been that careless?

No doubt the assassination would cast further suspicion on Argonia, and I didn't know how long it would be before the Empire finally sent troops to investigate. Then they might discover exactly what our Kings and Queens had been doing with their cash allowance, and how we violated their trust. That would almost definitely mean our doom. We might have been equipped to fight a war, but they had made the Argonian Royal Court themselves all those years ago, and they knew our weaknesses because so little had changed. Trying to ward off the tribals who wanted pieces of our wealth was hard enough, and the last thing we needed was to face the wrath of the Cyrodiils.

The entire situation sickened me. Lachance was no where to be found, yet he so vilely left me with this mess. I had little I could do but hope the Empire wouldn't jump to any conclusions, and wouldn't check up on the province they'd forsaken so long ago.

None the less, Lucien's selfish indifference was a reminder of why I came here to Cyrodiil.

I knew by now I normally would have been preparing to get some sleep, especially with the rest of the day holding so little promise, but now I wasn't sure I could get to sleep. There was too much rushing through my mind. The danger to the Argonian Royal Court was growing because of the one man who the Black Hand had sent to represent them.

I decided to summon Surveys-from-above one last time. I wanted to know when Lucien returned to Fort Farrgut on the hour.

(Fights-up-close): Outside of Fort Farragut

Unseen powers working to unravel the very fabric of the Dark Brotherhood. Very powerful words. By Sithis, what had my life become? I hardly felt like myself any more. It all seemed alien. Right now I wished more than anything I could just have the life of a normal Shadowscale. I remembered how I viewed my journey from Gideon to Leyawiin before I knew such intense pain and stress as this: the worst four hours of my life. I would have loved to go back to worrying about such petty things, but those days were long gone. Now I had worries which held little hope. I was carrying the weight of the Dark Brotherhood on my shoulders, and things were going down hill for them. And to think the words "Transfer to Cyrodiil" had once rung in my head as a source of cheer. I couldn't help but worry myself sick about this assignment. Mr. Lachance was usually so assured about things, and the letter showed unsettling lack of certainty.I got an acidic sensation in my stomach the more I thought about it.

With my magically enhanced vision, I was finally able to find the secret entrance Lucien was talking about. I pulled the cold metal handle of the wooden trap door, mixing the outdoor air with the dark and dank depths of his refuge.

I placed my hands on the rope later, feeling a bit of fear as it swung back and forth. Fear. A problem I could overcome. A welcome distraction. The trap door was still opened, but I wasn't in any mood to close it, and knew it would likely make no difference opened or closed. Or was that disloyalty? Oh I hated those thoughts. No. It wasn't disloyalty. It was the haste my superior had ordered. I left the trapdoor opened as I slowly made my way down to the stone floor, hating how the rope swung so much. I finally let go of the ladder and turned to see the shadowy figure of Mr. Lachance himself, startling me, and sending an unpleasant tingling through my head knowing someone had seen my embarrassing performance on the rope later.The embarrassment had little time to linger, though. He spoke

"I have been waiting for you, assassin." He said. It had been a while since I'd heard his voice, and it took a second to adjust "We have not spoken in some time, but I am well aware of your accomplishments within the Dark brotherhood. That is why I have sent for you here." He began to pace as he continued. I gauged it may well have been darker in his fort than outside. I wouldn't have seen him if it were not for the 'night-eye' spell. "It would appear we have a situation. The Black Hand has learned that the Dark Brotherhood has been...infiltrated." I felt an odd tingling at the last word. Infiltrated. It had a profound impact. He immediately stopped and lifted his eyes to me, perhaps examining if I had the proper reaction. I didn't know how I appeared, only how I felt. The word seemed to shake my mind "By whom, and for what purpose, we do not yet know." He put his hands behind his back and began to pace again "It was learned that there is a link between the traitor, and the Cheydinhal sanctuary." He looked at me again. My mind was rushing with all sorts of attempts to analyze what he was expecting to see in me. It was starting to annoy me. Then he continued, gritting his teeth "The traitor has tainted that place beyond repair." Breaking eye contact again. "It was learned that the traitor was active before you joined the Dark Brotherhood. That absolves you of any suspicion." Now he stared directly at me again, I got an odd feeling he saw me as somehow...lower than before. I couldn't quite place it. This time the stare lasted an extra long time, his expression solemn and serious. "Listen well, child of Sithis." He commanded gently. "You have been selected to perform the ancient rite known as 'Purification'." He paused briefly, then with his emphasis growing with every word spoke "Everyone inside the Cheydinhal sanctuary must die!"

At first I wondered if I'd heard him correctly. But I must have. His anger. His mysterious manner of speaking to me during this meeting. The term 'Purification'. It fit together 'perfectly'. The words seemed to shatter the embrace I'd once felt coating me in the presence of the family, leaving me with only over-barring, cold, and bitter world. And I knew I'd only begun to comprehend the implications behind the assignment, "I know," Lucien Lachance conceded eagerly "this is an unexpected turn of events, but our organization has survived for more than a millennium; sometimesdrastic measures must be taken to preserve the sanctity of our beliefs." Mr. Lachance turned to me again. His rage was once again surging "Antoinette Marie, Ocheeva, Gogron Gro-Bolmog, Telandril, M'raaj-Dar, and Tienaava." He said each name with crystal clarity, but I could tell he was having trouble containing a rage burning within him "All these family members must die!" He shouted thunderously, with a fury I'd never before witness from him. It hurt me in a childish sort of way to see him yell like that, but the words themselves were worse. I stood in silence. First I felt shocked, but it soon became a nauseating fear. I was unable to speak.

(M'raaj-Dar): Outside Fort Farragut

I couldn't deny it. I could hear perfectly from opened trap door, and Lucien had indeed commanded the whole sanctuary be killed. Now, all the sudden, my original reasons for following her seemed insignificant and silly. My time at the Dark brotherhood was over, and I knew I'd never look at those years the same way again. My hatred was replaced with fear. I would have to start a totally new life. My old memories came flooding back to before the Dark Brotherhood found me.

It was useless to tell the others.If they believed me, I'd be guilty of spying on the Black Hand. I knew the only thing I could do was pack my bags and learn to live as a fugitive again.