After Thadon left the sacellum, Sheogorath turned to look at me with a wry smile.

"Wondering why I let him go, aren't you?" He asked. "I can see it in your face. Mostly in the eyes. I may take those from you when this is done."

He reached out toward my face and I cringed away. I did not want him to touch me.

He ignored my discomfort. Instead, he crowed, "This has never happened before! The ruler of Mania turning traitor? Unprecedented! But different is good. A new act in this play. Maybe we're on to something here. We'll see how it plays out. It can't be worse than what's happened before."

"If you say so," I muttered.

"I do. I did. And I won't say it again. But that's enough about that. You're the ruler of Dementia! Just look at you. You're positively beaming!"

I glared at him.

Fishing around in his pocket, Sheogorath pulled out a ring set with a purple gem that stuck out in several sharp spikes. Holding it out to me, he said, "The Ring of Lordship, a symbol of your new station. Symbols are important. They carry weight in this Realm, and others. You would be well served to remember that."

After a moment of hesitation, I took it and slipped it onto my finger. Hopefully I wouldn't stab myself with it.

"What about the Fringe?" I asked.

"He was right about that. I can feel it. In My bones. The little ones." Sheogorath turned and began walking toward the door leading back down to the city. I followed.

"The Greymarch has swept over the Fringe," he continued, shaking his head. "Order gathers its forces there as we speak. And I hate when people gather forces in My Fringe! You'll need to put an end to that. Stop them. My armies should already be there, but I want you to see what you can do to help. If they continue to marshal their forces there, we won't be able to contain them. Make sure they can't!"


As I trudged up the road, I thought about over the parting words Sheogorath had given to me before I left.

"If you can't, everyone is going to die. No pressure."

That was really nothing new, was it?

I didn't immediately go to the Fringe. Instead, I took a detour back to Fellmore. As much as I knew that seeing her like that would hurt me, I had to know that she was still all right. The village was far too close to the Fringe and the encroaching army of Order. If she was hurt because of this, more than she already was…

When I knocked on the door, she answered. She looked somewhat inquisitive, but distant, just like she had last time.

"I know you don't remember me," I said quietly. "Again. But, I just–"

My words were abruptly cut off by the sound of a gasp and suddenly she pulled me into her arms. I shook as she held me tight against her.

The she pulled back, gingerly touching my sleeve with a look of horror. I'd nearly forgotten that I was still wearing the Raiment.

"What are you wearing?" She gasped, staring at me with wide eyes.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Mara." She brushed anxiously brushed some loose strands of hair away from my face and shook her head. "The longer you stay the more of you he owns. You have to fight him. Sweetheart, you need to get out while you still can."

I glanced away. "It's too late for that."

Ma cupped her hand under my chin and turned my face so that I was looking at her again.

"It's never too late," she said. Her gray eyes bored into mine with a sharp intensity. "Not for you, darling. You can't let him win, do you hear me? He will kill you if you let him."


I stepped through the gate leading from the Isles proper into the Fringe. The light from the sky was dim, filtered by the heavy cloud cover overhead. I looked around in disbelief. Everything was so different from the last time I had been there. All the plants were dead. The spikes of Order crystals rent the ground in every direction. Everything was just… gray. Ashes drifted through the air around me. In the distance I saw a single light. Squinting, I saw it came from a stone tower in the middle of Passwall. I thought I saw purple fire licking over the tower's sides. I made my way down the hill. With every step I took, puffs of dry dust rose from the ground beneath me.

As I finally made it into town, I looked around. The whole place seemed deserted. No, not quite completely deserted. Through the buildings I could see a host of Mazken warriors running from… something.

"Fall back!" I heard a voice shout. "Mazken, retreat! Fall back to the town center! Move!"

That was when I finally saw what they were running from: Knights of Order. A lot of them.

I hurried forward, drawing my bow, and knocked down one of the closest Knights with a shot to its head. Seeing it was incapacitated, the Mazken turned and finished hacking it apart before standing to face the rest. I picked off the ones at the fringes of the skirmish, not wanting to hit any of the soldiers.

When the Knights all lay in shattered pieces scattered over the ground, the Mazken's leader approaches me. As she came near, she seemed to notice the ring Sheogorath gave me. Her eyes widened.

"Your Grace," she gasped, bowing deeply. "The situation is grim. Passwall is under attack. We are outmatched and outnumbered."

I looked around again at all the destruction. "What happened here?"

"Last night, as dusk fell, the spire at the center of town became active." She pointed up to the tower beacon, which was still burning. "Soon after, the area around it began to crystallize and change. It wasn't long after that the Knights came."

"How did no one notice that thing before it went off?" I asked, feeling perplexed.

The Mazken shook her head. "It was believed to be a monument from times past, but its true purpose appears to be more sinister. It appears to be a power for these invaders. A… portal, or some sort of gate. I don't know. If we cannot disable or destroy it somehow, I do not think that we can stop this invasion."

Glancing around at what few soldiers there were left, I noticed with some surprise that they were all men. And there weren't many of them either.

"Are these soldiers the only ones you have left?" I asked, shocked.

"Unfortunately, Your Grace. I've been losing Mazken with each attack and I'm down to nothing but men. We are pinned down here. If we lose, the Gates of Madness will fall."

And my mother not long after. The thought twisted my stomach in a painful way.

"If the Gates fall, the enemy will flood into the Isles," she continued. "We will be powerless to stop them. Now that you've arrived, perhaps we can slow them down. Even though I have served with these Mazken for decades, as the Duchess of Dementia, it is your right to command the troops." Indicates the few soldiers, she finished with a sigh, "Command them if you will, or leave it to me. Either way, make haste. Our time is short."

"I trust your judgment." More than I trusted my own, anyway.

The Mazken bowed again, smiling. "I thank you for your trust. In your name and for the sake of the Shivering Isles, I shall not disappoint you." She turned to the soldiers. "Mazken! Form up! For the sake of your sorry male hides, move! Move!"

The Mazken scrambled back into position and I knocked another arrow. In the distance I could hear the distinct sound of heavy, metallic footfalls.

"Here they come!"

I shot one and it slammed back into a wall of Order Crystals, both shattering upon impact. Another Mazken fell, his stomach torn open by one of the Knights' swords.

"Back to your positions!" The general shouted at the others when they began to waver in fear. "Don't break ranks. Hold!"

The rest of the skirmish was short and bloody. Several more Knights tried to swarm us, and there were injuries, but we lost no one else.

When it was over, the general stood in the middle of the remains of the fight, breathing hard. Her mace hung limp in her hand. "Victory is ours… for the moment. But this battle will not end until we find a way to shut the spire down."

"How exactly are we supposed to do that?" I asked, lowering my bow.

"I am not certain." At my look of dismay, she added, "But do not lose heart. I have an idea. The ruins of Xeddefen run under Passwall. The entrance to the south of the town has been sealed for centuries. One of my scouts reported that the ruins have been opened recently and a number of these Knights are now guarding the entrance."

"Tell me what you're thinking."

"If we attempt to assault Xeddefen, Passwall will be overrun and we will lose the Fringe. Additionally, our forces are dangerously thin. We have no idea what opposition may await us inside. A frontal assault is not an option."

I sighed. "So you think I should go."

She smiled. "Your insight is impressive. While we draw their attention here, you should be able to slip inside Xeddefen. Once inside, search for the source of the Spire's power. It must be underground somewhere. Once you find it, destroy it. Good luck, Your Grace. May the voice of the hidden guide you to the way."

I snuck out of town through the swamp. Once I had passed the building, I saw the true extent of the battle. The bodies of all the Mazken that were killed in the initial attacks lay on the ground or face-down in the water. There were so many of them. Shaking my head, I picked my way through and climbed up the hill on the other side. Crouching down at the top, I watched from my perch as several Knights approached. I shot them down without hesitation and kept going.

The ruin of Xeddefen was surrounded by a high, crumbling wall. Their stones were brown with a thick layer of dust. As I hurried through, I had to dodge to avoid being impaled on the Order crystals that burst from the ground all around me. The wind howled overhead, blocked down below by the high walls. At the ruin's very center was a door set into the wall, guarded by a Knight of Order. I shot it down and quickly stepped inside.

The tunnels beyond the door were so dark that I could barely see where I was going. Ahead, I saw a fire pit surrounded by the bodies of some of those froglike monsters I'd seen around the Isles. As I passed by, Order crystals rose up from the corner with a loud, metallic shriek. They impaled one of the corpses and lifted it high into the air. More crystals broke through the walls and floor as I kept walking.

Up the passage, I heard the sound of marching feet. I quickly hid in the corner and held my breath as a large group of Knights hurried past. I felt my heart sink. There were still so many of them. The Mazken weren't going to hold out for much longer. I had to hurry.


The very bottom of the ruin was even darker still. Ahead was a light. I approached cautiously to see a giant obelisk through a metal grate. A priest of Order tended to it, guarded by several Knights. I looked around for a way to get into the chamber below.

Behind me I heard the sound of quiet footsteps. Whirling, I drew my bow.

The Redguard held up his hands. "It's… it's you! I remember you. What are you doing down here? How did you get past the Knights?"

It was… Shelden. Shelden, the so-called mayor of Passwall.

I lowered my bow and narrowed my eyes. "How did you?"

His voice was bitter as he told me, "When they attacked I ran from Passwall. They didn't say a word, they just started killing! The screams! By the staff, you can't imagine the screams!" He shuddered. "Felas and I slipped down here thinking that we'd be safe, but no! We landed right in the middle of them! Felas ran off with them and left me to die! Me! That ingrate! Disloyal cur! Imagine, leaving me here all alone!"

I rolled my eyes.

"So why haven't you tried to escape?" I asked him.

"Every time I look for a way out, I get twisted around and end up back here. But I'm too smart for them." Right. "You seem to have no trouble, though." He gestured to me. "Look at you! Barely a scratch! You'd be the perfect person to protect me."

Divines give me patience.

Still, he kept rambling. "This place is a nightmare! Knights everywhere, these priests, and whatever they've done to Felas. Listen. Those people in Passwall need me. Can you imagine how they'd ever get along if I died down here?"

"Either stay here or follow. I don't care," I said.

"I'll do what I can to help. I… I like to hurt things. Maybe I can hurt these damned knights."

I pointed at him. "If you're going to follow me, shut up." When he started to say something, I glared at him and he fell silent.

I started to walk away, and Shelden followed close behind. Rounding the corner, we descended a set of stairs. The Knights looked up at our approach, hearing Shelden's footsteps. I grimaced. Shelden dashed off before I could stop him. The Knights rushed forward and I fought them back, kicking one down the stairs to shatter. When they were all dead, I shot down the priest maintaining the obelisk.

Ripping one of the crystalline hearts from the Knights, I threw it into the vortex at the spire's heart. The instant it hit the whole thing exploded. I ducked to avoid the flying shards.

Suddenly the floor beneath me began to shake and I nearly fell over. I looked around in horror as, with a loud crack, a chunk of the ceiling fell some feet away. The destruction of the spire had upset the ruin's stability and the whole place was going to fall down on top of me. Shelden reappeared at that moment, dashing for the stairs, and I hastily followed behind. All around me the walls cracked and groaned. Part of the ceiling had fallen ahead, the remains littering the hall in massive chunks. I scrambled over the pieces and kept going.

I finally managed to get ahead of Shelden. Slamming my fist against a button set into the wall, I saw a gate at the top of a nearby set of stairs. Both of us raced for the opened passage, but the gate banged down behind me, blocking Shelden from continuing. He kicked it in frustration.

"I don't think this thing is going to open again." Glaring at me through the bars, he snapped, "You are the worst escort in history. I'll find another way out. Get going!"

I turned and ran, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a falling wall.

The passage continued into a large chamber. At the bottom of the stairs were several of the Knights. They saw me. Drawing their swords, they charged. Before I could do anything, one of the large pillars along the hall's edge fell, crushing the Knights beneath the chunks of stone. I hurried down the stairs and across the chamber, barely dodging the crumbling bits of ruin that fell around me and I climbed over the wreckage. At the other side, I ascended yet another set of stairs.

"Hey, is that you? I hear something over there…"

Turning, I saw Shelden standing on the other side of a grate nearby. Upon catching sight of me, he put his hands on his hips with a satisfied smirk.

"Well, look at this," he mocked. "I found the easy road. How are things going over there?"

I slammed my fists against the bars. "Shelden!"

He gave me a mock salute and disappeared from view. Snarling, I dashed off as well.

Spikes of Order crystals had begun to rip their way out of the rubble at a violent rate, closing off entire tunnels behind me. I was forced into little more than a crawl as I clawed my way through tunnels that were blocked up nearly to the ceiling. At any moment the ruin would finally give way completely and I would be buried alive.

Then, ahead I saw a door. The way out? Breathing hard, I put on a burst of speed and slammed into it, forcing it open. I tumbled out and found myself sitting in water. The door had led out into the swamp. Behind me, the ruin gave one last, loud groan and finally collapsed on itself.

Shaking with exhaustion and shivering from the cold, I got to my feet and slowly made my way back toward Passwall. It started to rain as I walked, and the droplets wetted down the ashes that covered the ground.

When I arrived, the Mazken were finishing off the last few Knights. The general hefted her mace and turned to look at me as I approached.

"Your Grace! You… You're alive!" She stared at me with wide eyes. "Truly, you are the greatest warrior ever to hold the seat of Dementia!"

"I doubt that," I grumbled. The fastest, maybe, though I doubted that as well. Everything hurt…

She ignored my objection and went on, "I was certain that no one could survive the spire's collapse, but here you are! By the Staff, you are more than worthy to lead us." Looking around, she said ruefully, "I fear that our work is not yet done. The area is still overrun with Knights that were not destroyed in the spire. You should return to the Palace and speak with Sheogorath. Ask him how he plans to defend this realm."

Her bitter tone caught me off guard. Still I nodded to her and began my walk back toward the Isles.