Chapter 4
The news of Vivec's death spread quickly, especially among Redoran villages. As the Red Party grieved, the Hlaalu-ran cities like Balmora experienced peasant revolts, particularly against their local Temple structure, and the Telvanni chased out Temple priests and missionaries from the few towns they occupied.
Revyn Venim read the newsletter with a disgusted face. When he finished reading, he turned towards the closest torch spire and threw it in. 'How despicable my fellow Dunmer are,' he thought, looking at the flimsy paper convert to ash within seconds, 'They deny his past lessons and make a mockery of our entire culture, yet they act as though he was some sort of sinner, that they were the ones punished! Their attitudes shouldn't be tolerated.'
He stood up, placing his hands behind his back. He walked out of the reading room into a long corridor. It had blue and orange patterns on the bottom of the hard bone walls, which illuminated quite vividly even though there were few candles lit in his path. It was an odd feature of Venim Manor, of the entire complex Under-Skal. Few besides those outside of Ald'Ruhn questioned the settling within the hollowed out skeleton of an Emperor Crab, mostly because it fit so well with the arid landscape of the Ashlands. It was an acquired taste, even for Revyn when he was child, but that particular understanding came quickly as he aged… especially in the aftermath of his father's demise.
He had never had a vengeful feeling towards the Nerevarine after that fateful night, mostly because he never felt connected to his father, or even towards the rest of his family. They communicated little, only seldom briefing each other on the importance of 'duty' and 'honor' for House Redoran. His mother was the only one who seemed to care about him beyond his growth as a warrior. She read him many stories on the lore of Morrowind, of all the saints of The Tribunal. In a way, Revyn was glad the he learned of Dunmer tradition and religious practice during the time they were deemed as false gods, because he hadn't the connection towards them which made every other citizen in Morrowind hate him. Since he never grasped the reality of The Tribunal's existence, and only the reality of each event and lesson recorded on them, he truly grew an understanding of what they were trying to portray within the sermons and poetry; that there was some idea beyond demanding worship, at least when considering Vivec.
When he was of age 12, the Nerevarine accomplished all of his feats. As mentioned, he was not spiteful towards him after killing his father, Bolvyn, in a duel. He was also not overblown with relief and excitement when Dagoth Ur was defeated and the blight storms ended; he almost felt a sense of discontent, as though an entire adventure was selfishly taken from his mind. He was also did not care when the Nerevarine left for Akavir; while all the other children worshipped him, emulating the actions told in the tales about him during playtime, Revyn focused on geography and the history of saints.
As time passed, he grew more lax towards the idea of Redoran etiquette and culture, as well as swordsman training; without his father berating him at any moment they talked with each other, Revyn started to see the positives of being a part of his family's political house. He took his father's position at the age of 16, though not as the head of the Redoran. It was Serjo Athyn Sarethi which took that spot, though not gladly. He understood the goal of the Horator, the Nerevarine, and that once Dagoth Ur's destruction finally came into perspective, the rest of the Nerevarine prophecy would be fulfilled, including blocking off any foreigners from access to Morrowind. Sarethi respected the ambition of foreigners, a virtue which most Redoran Dunmer lacked, as they are too busy practicing old tradition and precarious martial arts (Author's note: the word 'martial' does not always have to refer to fist fighting, as the word is a synonym to 'military'. Therefore, it can fit into the context of weapon-based fighting styles) to look further into the future. At first, Revyn considered Sarethi's opinion to be correct. For 18 years, he looked up to Sarethi for answers to the hard questions, on how to deal with the politics of the council and the dangers Morrowind presented to themselves and the people they protected. When 18 years had passed until Revyn finally went on his desired adventure to Red Mountain… to the Dwemer dungeon Dagoth Ur.
Dagoth Ur had become a pilgrimage shrine based around the Azura cult which formed from the carcass of the old Temple order, its purpose similar to that of 'The Pilgrims Path'. The earthquake which was created from the aftermath of the retuning of Lorkhan's heart blocked off the majority of the complex. The reason Revyn and a few Redoran kinsmen were sent there was some of the caved-in tunnels were opened up, mostly due to the thin rock breaking apart after time and underground movements. From those openings poured Sixth House beasts that were missed by Nerevarine. The few Ordinators guarding the shrine could not defend against so many beasts at once, so they were forced to retreat. The closest aid they could call for were the Redoran of Ald'Ruhn, and when Revyn heard the news of their distress he was the first to enlist.
They marched up Red Mountain, slaying the few beasts that came out of Dagoth Ur, and they destroyed each ash fiend within, taking minimal losses, as the beasts were disorganized and separated. As they entered the last chamber, the area which Dagoth Ur stood before the Nerevarine and told him the truth about his and the Tribunal's history, they came upon a small red statue. It emanated a demonic black and its eyes mesmerized Revyn and the others. Revyn came intimately close to the statue, holding it up to his eyes and caressing it. A piercing screech came from the tunnels behind them. The guards stood still, their faces showing confusion as they looked at Revyn's expression. From the darkness came a hoard of ash beasts: slaves, ascended sleepers, vampires, and many others. They slaughtered the men around Revyn, but left him alone. When they killed the last ones, they gathered around Revyn, their hands and tentacles reaching for him. He blacked out immediately.
He awoke in Fort Buckmoth's infirmary. Everyone that was with him in the raid stood around him, relieved. They told him he was delirious, screaming about the coming of the one true Dunmer, of the false one's demise. They attributed it to the statue, and so they smashed it and set the remains on fire. Revyn assured him that he felt perfectly healthy, and soon the matter was forgotten.
It seemed strange that he looked at Athyn Sarethi so differently. He was jealous of his success, angered by his attitude, threatened by his status. He looked at outlanders with suspicion and hatred, going so far as to accuse Neminda, House Redoran's head drillmaster for new recruits, for treason through consorting with House Hlaalu. The only one who found this odd personality change noticeable was Sarethi himself, who attempted to discuss it with Revyn. When Sarethi confronted him, Revyn blacked out again, waking up seconds later to a cheerful looking Athyn, apologizing to him for his misunderstanding.
Revyn stopped in the middle of the corridor as he came to the end of his thoughts. There were so many things he didn't understand. He felt his mind, all of his opinions and fears and ideas hadn't changed at all after that event two years ago… what he felt was purely irrational, perhaps soul sickness. Yet his mind was centered on a new plan now, which was attempting to weave itself as the news of Vivec's death finally hit his psychology.
He walked on through his manor, coming to the small oval exit that led to the manor district. As he opened it, he was greeted by the working manor guards. He flashed a weak smile to them and continued through the rickety catwalks.
A stinging tinge of fear swooped across his mind. The idea that the Great Houses' recent reaction towards the temple and Vivec's death would result in permanent mutiny between the two and the people they ruled under. 'Does that mean that the temple has no one on their side?' Revyn pondered, crawling slowly down the last steep catwalk towards outside Ald'Ruhn, 'No, that is not true… no matter what, the people of House Redoran are understanding of their plight. We will stand by their side.'
He walked out of the giant bone structure only to run head on to a storm of ash swirling madly around the city. The people went about their daily duties as through nothing was blowing in their face. He smiled at their strength and vitality, something which most races of Tamriel weren't gifted with.
'If we are supportive of the Temple,' he continued in his mind, walking out into the storm, 'Does that mean that those people also rebel against us? What about Captain Darius and the Red Legion in Gnisis? What about all of the innocents, or the guardsmen who only uphold the law of the land?'
The anger swooped by again, stinging even deeper into his mind. 'That is right; those who are not Redoran are lawless men. They do not respect their culture, their birth-given duties in this land. They are greedy heathens, sucking the land dry for wealth and unnecessary progression. They forget that we are there; we are at a point where there is no need for anything but what we already have. They act more like foreign scum than Dunmer…'
He came to the crossroad in the town; straight led to the guilds, the right went to the taverns, and the left to the temple. The brown ash flew past him at remarkable speeds, aggravating his skin only slightly; the sensation comforted him. 'Sarethi probably does not perceive any of these events to lead towards any threats… he may think we're safe and we can just stay neutral… pacifistic.'
He looked out towards the temple, which sat on a hill protruding slightly higher than even Skal itself. He grinned as his plan fully conjured itself. 'Perhaps there is a need for new leadership within House Redoran.'