Chapter 7 – The Servants Of Destiny
Areen and Horunn ran out of the tree-line onto the shores of the Rumare, the Imperial City standing proudly in the setting sunlight across the lake from them. The tracks hadn't been hard to follow – the two kidnappers had dragged Assurrani unconscious through the tall grass of the Imperial Reserve, leaving a wide path of flattened grass where they had carried him. Before following the trail, they had returned to Chorrol to buy several items that would be vital to their success – black hoods and leather masks to obscure their faces.
"By the way, it is nice to see you again" Areen said to Horunn. "I couldn't mention anything in front of the other two. They're not allowed to know what's going on"
"Likewise" Horunn replied. "I must say though, I'm not happy about letting them go off on their own. We were supposed to stay with them at all times"
"Yes, but the consequences have changed somewhat" Areen replied. "In a way, we are supposed to be looking out for all three of them. I wouldn't be surprised if we run into Sun shortly either"
"Who knows" Horunn said. "The tracks lead south… to that ruin"
Areen followed Horunn's gaze to an Ayleid ruin built on the shore. Most of the outside of the structure jutted out into the water, or was completely submerged. It was Fanacasecul, an Imperial facility where those who committed treason, or agents working against the Empire, were taken, retained, tortured for information and usually killed.
"We have to move fast" Areen said. "If they can't get information out of Assurrani then they'll kill him!"
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Villars' house, The Imperial City
Villars drew a large circle on the map of Cyrodiil he had placed on the wall.
"This is northern Black Marsh, a region similar in geography to Morrowind. Rich in ebony and glass deposits"
He drew two more circles, one over southern Black Marsh and one over the deserts of Elsweyr.
"This region of Black Marsh is dense forest, rich in amber and Hist. The deserts of Elsweyr contain hordes of untapped gold lodes – almost ten million Septims' worth"
"And I imagine you're about to tell me that this is what General Seminus wants" Eldred said. "And I can see why. He'll control an enormous amount of resources…"
"There's another thing too. If he plays his game carefully and avoids killing too many of the people of Elsweyr and Argonia, but still takes over their nations, he will have an enormous amount of labour at his command"
"So he can mine all the gold…"
"Yes. And all the glass, ebony, amber, Hist, the lot"
"Why does General Seminus want all this wealth?"
"That remains to be seen. But this is what I have found out"
Villars held up one particularly old and worn pile of papers.
"The first War of the Niben was caused by exactly the same thing. The Empire wanted control of a resource, in this case, the Niben as a shipping route. The Argonians were developing some sort of weapon called the Marsh Spirit. Whatever it is, it was going to defeat the Imperial invaders and end the war. The mages developing it were killed by Imperial assassins, the secret of the Marsh Spirit lost forever, the war resolved by conventional means. But the mages always knew that the Empire would find them out sooner or later, so they constantly moved around, leaving the knowledge and research they had produced scattered around Cyrodiil.
"According to the notes Seminus had, one of their research facilities was located in the Ayleid ruin of Morahame, near Bravil. Another was located somewhere in the Imperial Reserve near Chorrol. Assurrani has been sighted in both Bravil and Chorrol, and we found him in the Imperial Reserve"
"And we know that he's working for General Seminus"
"Yes. So General Seminus is trying to find the Marsh Spirit. We have two choices. We can either try to stop him or we can find enough evidence to solidly prove what he's doing and get him thrown in the dungeon for life"
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Areen and Horunn crept towards Fanacasecul, using the trees as cover. Two Imperial Legion soldiers were guarding a stairwell which presumably led down to the entrance to the ruin.
"What are they carrying?" Horunn asked.
"They've both got longswords but no ranged weapons" Areen replied. "But neither have we"
Horunn drew his sword. "Looks like we've got no choice then"
The pair ran out of the treeline and began walking quickly towards the stairwell.
"Stop! This is a restricted area!" one of the guards shouted at them. They kept moving forwards. The two guards drew swords and abandoned their posts, racing towards the pair.
"Go for the stairwell" Horunn said to Areen. "I'll catch up"
Areen ducked behind a white stone pillar, part of the surface ruins of Fanacasecul, as Horunn stood brandishing his sword and shield. One of the guards reached Horunn and thrust his sword at him. Horunn leapt to the side and avoided the blow, returning his own swordstroke, but the guard managed to block it with his shield. At the same time, Horunn swung his shield arm at the guard, his steel shield striking the guard in the side of the head and knocking him to the ground.
Meanwhile, Areen leapt out from the other side of the pillar and used his staff to trip up the other guard, sending him falling clumsily to the ground, then bolted for the stairwell.
As the guard who Areen had tripped got to his feet, Horunn leapt forward and drove his sword upward through the guard's nose into his brain, killing him instantly. The other guard was lying on the ground unconscious. Horunn followed Areen into the ruins.
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The West Weald, south of Skingrad
Camri and Ariel rested on the south side of a small hill, out of view of the city. They had left Castle Skingrad the same way they had come in, through the secret passageway, and managed to slip past the guards under cover of darkness.
"That's it, then" Camri sighed. "We've reached a dead end. We can't go on"
"I have looked at everything we have found out so far" Ariel said. "And I'm afraid that you might be right. Lost Meridia. Where a lost god rests on her side, where you become free of the grasp of the Empire…"
"If only we had a way of recovering those scrolls"
"Maybe there is" Ariel said, looking at Camri. "Everything you saw will be in your memory, whether you know it or not"
"Excellent" Camri said sarcastically. "But how am I supposed to get it out?"
"Just think" Ariel replied. "Think as hard as you can"
"All I can remember were six Daedric runes written on the wall of the cavern. They turned up in a few of the scrolls too"
"Can you remember them?"
"Perhaps" Camri said. He pushed a rock nearby to one side, revealing a patch of dirt underneath it, then placed his finger in the dirt and began to draw.
"How did I do that?" Camri asked in amazement as he stood back. He had drawn the six Daedric runes in the dirt.
"We seem to become stronger, physically and mentally, when we are near each other," Ariel said. "When I made Assurrani fly down the corridor in Morahame. I've never been able to do that before"
"What does it say?" Camri asked, pointing at the runes.
Ariel examined them. "Gideon…"
"That's a town in Black Marsh" Camri replied. "It's right near the border with Cyrodiil, near Leyawiin"
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Areen ran through a dark corridor which slowly led downwards into Fanacasecul. He could hear Horunn far up the corridor behind him, but he didn't have time to stop and wait. They had to be in and out as quickly as possible.
He halted as he saw an intersection ahead of him. Two staircases led down further into the building, and the corridor carried on, slowly flattening out and emerging in a large chamber. A guard emerged from one of the staircases, crossed the corridor and descended the other staircase.
Areen drew one of his poisoned darts and ran down the corridor. Reaching the staircase, he turned and threw the dart down the dark passageway, hearing the sound of the dart piercing flesh, followed by a body hitting the ground. Areen leapt down the staircase, reaching the guard's paralysed body and locating a set of keys attached to his belt. Then, before the guard recovered from the poison, Areen ran back up into the main corridor, motioning Horunn past the two staircases.
Horunn looked at the keys in Areen's hand.
"What are they for?" he whispered.
"I'm guessing that wherever Assurrani is, he will be behind a locked door"
The pair continued down the passageway, emerging in the chamber. It was filled with cages containing prisoners, with several guards patrolling between them. One of the guards spotted Areen and Horunn.
"Intruders!" the guard shouted.
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Lieutenant Brigan, a well-built Redguard working in Fanacasecul, strode into Assurrani's cell.
"So, are you ready to talk yet?"
Assurrani winced as he sat up. His skin was covered in cuts and bruises from where he had been beaten, and there was a large laceration on his arm from a dagger wound.
"You know, you could have made both our lives easier if you'd asked me that before you beat the shit out of me"
"Is that a yes?"
Assurrani nodded. "First, I ask that you tell me where I am"
"You're in Fanacasecul. I'm sure you've heard of it"
"You're holding a servant of the Empire in an Imperial facility?"
Brigan sat down next to Assurrani, his hand on the handle of his sheathed shortsword.
"But you're not an agent of the Empire, are you?"
"Yes I am! I am with General Seminus"
Brigan stood up again. "It may interest you to know that General Seminus does not always work with the interests of the Empire as his highest priority. I'd go as far as saying he's the most corrupt General in the Imperial Legion. I heard from Villars' men that you are under the impression that you are helping General Seminus wage war in the south?"
"A war sanctioned by the Empire!"
Brigan looked Assurrani in the eye.
"Falas, the Emperor did not give any orders to General Seminus, let alone anything regarding waging war!"
"Why has the entire Third Battalion been moved to Leyawiin then?"
"Because General Seminus has complete command over them! They are his personal army!"
Assurrani struggled to his feet. "The Morag Tong has always been an organisation that benefits the Empire. If what you are saying is true, I will stop working for Seminus and I will help you expose what he is doing. But how do I know that what you are saying is true?"
"I could ask you the same" Brigan replied. "How do I know that you won't slaughter every last person in here as soon as I give you your weapon back?"
Assurrani pointed to the Morag Tong tattoo on his arm. Brigan laughed to himself.
"You know, I never even asked you if you were in the Morag Tong. You told border watch that you were a blacksmith. We could keep you in here for lying on an official Imperial document. I'm afraid, Falas Assurrani, that for the time being, you're staying put. I will tell Villars what you have said. Perhaps he will let you go, perhaps he won't"
Assurrani lay down as Brigan left the cell. Was it true? Was Seminus really acting independently and trying to pass it off to him as Imperial business? He could see no other reason why the Empire would have captured and held him. And the Imperial and the Breton, and the Argonian and the Nord. They were trying to bring Seminus down too, but if what Brigan had said was true that made him on the same side as them. But they didn't know that. They would still try to kill him if he ever got out of Fanacasecul alive.
Suddenly, Assurrani heard a gruesome piercing sound and the sound of a body slumping to the ground. He snapped up to see Brigan lying on the ground, dead, blood pouring from a deep gash on his throat. Two figures wearing leather armour, hoods and masks ran up to his cell door. One produced a key and unlocked the cell, whilst the other took Brigan's sword and handed it to Assurrani.
"Get out" one of the figures said. "But don't follow us!"
As Assurrani picked up the sword, he was struck in the throat by a dart. Then, everything went black.
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Assurrani came round, Brigan's sword still in his hands. He saw one of the leather-clad figures far down the corridor plunge his sword into a guard then run off up a stairwell as two more guards emerged from a side-passage. Assurrani leapt to his feet and charged at the guards, brandishing the sword. As one raised his sword to swing it downwards at him, Assurrani thrust the sword sideways into the guard's plate-mail cuirass, ripping the plates apart, then quickly withdrew the sword and plunged it into the guard's abdomen. The other guard leapt at Assurrani, tackling him to the ground. He was pinned down by the weight of the guard's armour. The guard held his sword across Assurrani's throat.
"Surrender and there's a chance you won't die!" the guard said through bared teeth.
"Alright, I surrender" Assurrani said, dropping the sword. The guard got up from Assurrani, and as soon as he was free to move, Assurrani grabbed the guard's head with both hands until his neck broke.
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Sunlight poured into the passageway. He had made it. The two leather-clad figures who had broken him out had killed almost all of the guards in Fanacasecul, and Assurrani had managed to avoid the rest by staying in the shadows. Soon, he emerged from the ruin. Dawn had just broken and the orange sunlight glimmered off the Rumare. Assurrani had never been so glad to breathe in fresh air in his life. Now he had one aim – to find out who General Seminus was really working for. He also wanted to know about the Imperial and the Breton. Were they trying to stop the Empire declaring war on the Argonians, or were they trying to help the Argonians win the war?