"The Gatekeeper has been rebuilt. Last I saw, he was fighting back Knights at the gates," I said when I returned to the palace in New Sheoth.

Sheogorath let out a bark of elated laughter and leaned back in his throne. "A new Gatekeeper! Excellent! We might be onto something with you after all. That should keep out the stragglers."

He seemed about to say something else, but was cut off by the sound of the palace doors banging open. I turned to see an Aureal hurry into the throne room and drop to her knees before the dais. Her bright gold armor was covered in dried blood.

"Lord Sheogorath!" She gasped, out of breath. "I apologize for the intrusion, but you must help us! Order has attacked Brellach and routed us!"

Sheogorath slowly got to his feet. "Well, well. What a turn of events this is! It's new, and I like new, even if it's bad. And this is bad, isn't it? My, my…" Suddenly he asked me, "This is a particularly exciting turn of events, is it not?"

I stared at him. People were clearly dying, and he was excited about it? I was about to ask him if he'd lost his mind, but I already knew the answer to that question.

"It's a perfect job for you, my newest and only noble in the Realm. If Order has entered my army's stronghold, things have taken a disturbing turn. It means Order has tried subterfuge. Not its strong suit. Amazing! Perhaps things aren't going as poorly as I'd imagined."

"Maybe you missed the part where your army is being killed by Order. I'm not sure how that counts as "not going poorly,"" I ground out.

He waved off my concern. "Hush. You'll want to get all the details from the messenger. Unless you already have. You haven't, have you?" He looked at me with a wary gaze.

"When would I have had time to ask about that?" I snapped. "And why hasn't Jyggalag attacked himself?"

"Well aren't you precious?" Sheogorath patted my head condescendingly and I recoiled to avoid him. "Do you really not know? Haven't you noodled it all through yet? It's because He is Me! I'm Him! We're a bit of each other, really. I won't be here when He arrive because I'll be Him." He started pacing, agitated, and shook his head. "Happens every time. The Greymarch starts, Order appears, and I become Jyggalag and wipe out My whole realm."

"How soon?"

He let out a long sigh. "Soon. Too soon. I can already feel the change beginning. I feel like I'm not quite here. I'm not… over there yet, but I'm not quite here." He flexed his fingers. "And I've been having moments of clarity that are quite unlike me. Like now."

That explained a lot.

"And you actually think the change can be stopped?" I asked.

"Stop it? Oh, no. Can't do it. Believe me, I've tried. It never ends well."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Then what's the point?"

"You're still going to stop the Greymarch. Stop Jyggalag– Me – from destroying My Realm."

"What do we do now, then?"

He looked surprised. "Now? Nothing has changed! You deal with this messenger. Make sure my army is secure. You'll need them."


Brellach was located on the northern part of the Isles, surrounded by hills rolling with brightly colored flowers. A pretty scene for the setting of a fight. I climbed the front steps leading up to the fortress's door. A number of Aureal were standing outside, glancing around anxiously. One of them looked around at my approached and quickly stepped forward, seeming relieved.

"Thank you for coming. I apologize for summoning you. The blame is mine. We've lost control of Brellach. Thadon let them in… We had no idea he would turn on us," she said, her tone bitter. "They captured out commander, Staada, and have her imprisoned somewhere inside. Our first priority must be rescuing her."

"How did they get her?"

The Aureal shook her head ruefully. "Thadon had her called aside, separating her from the group. He meant to divide our numbers when Order entered, making us easier targets. They imprisoned Staada somewhere within Brellach. If they killed her, she could return to us through the Wellspring, so they keep her hostage. If we follow the waters of the Wellspring, we will surely find her."

I glanced at the door and asked, "You said there were Knights of Order in there?"

"Yes. Thadon let them in."

"How many?"

"More than I could count," she told me with a helpless shrug. "It was all we could do to fall back and regroup out here. We must free Staada as soon as possible."

I took a deep breath. "Right. Let's do this."

"Forgive me for saying so, Your Grace," she said, suddenly seeming uncomfortable, "but I find taking orders from the Duchess of Dementia to be… unsettling."

I stared at her. "Well, I'm all you've got left so we'll have to make the best of it, won't we?"

"We shall be right behind you, Your Grace," she said, giving me a short bow.

The Aureal followed me up into the fortress. The halls inside were all lit by braziers that lined the walls. The moment I entered, my eyes immediately fell on the dead Aureal sprawled across the floor. Her blood stained the red carpet beneath her body in darker patches. Squaring my shoulder, I moved on. There was nothing I could do.

Ahead were two sets of stairs. One was blocked by Order crystals. The other, however, was clear, and I quickly led the Aureals down it.

The moment we were down a handful of Knights and a priest of Order attacked us. I shot the priest before he could cast any of his spells. He clawed uselessly at the arrow lodged in his throat while the Aureals quickly cut down the Knights. For all the impracticality of their golden armor, they were holding up fairly well. I supposed that that was just the way of the daedra.

Nearby was a channel that cut across the floor, full of what looked a great deal like molten gold. The fumes that it gave off sparkled slightly in the light. I cautiously stepped toward it to examine it closer. Was that part of the Wellspring that she had mentioned? I'd barely taken a few steps when crystals suddenly burst from the ground beside it. We were running out of time.

We followed the channel of gold further into the fortress, encountering yet more Knights on the way. At the back of one of the chambers we entered was a small area enclosed entirely in crystals. As I approached I saw that there was a small opening that remained uncovered. An Aureal stood inside.

I stepped forward, cautious, and asked her, "Are you Staada?"

She looked up at me, relieved. "Yes. You must set me free!" Before I could do anything, she shook her head and said, "The barrier can't be broken by you. It's too tough… Use the chime! Ring the chime, and that may shatter it!"

I looked in the direction she was pointing. There I saw a large, conical metal chime hanging from the ceiling. Hurrying over, I drew my sword and hit the chime with the hilt. A loud booming sound echoed through the chamber. Turning around, I saw the crystal walls explode. Staada crouched among the wreckage, her arms covering her head to protect herself from the shards of Order crystal. She got shakily to her feet.

"You have my thanks for freeing me," she said, "but… Just who are you?"

I held up the hand wearing the Ring of Lordship for her to see. "The Duchess of Dementia." Unfortunately.

Staada's eyes widened and she dropped into a low bow. "My Lady! I am sorry, I did not realize–"

"Don't. Please don't."

Getting back to her feet, the Aureal looked around. "Where is Thadon? Have you seen him? That traitorous coward."

"There's been no sign of him yet," I told her. "What happened here?"

"Thadon… the snake," she spat. "He showed up, asked for a contingent of guards. Said there was trouble and that we were needed. We were so focused on organizing quickly that by the time we realized he'd let Order in himself, it was too late. We were split up and picked off. But it doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that matters now is the Wellspring. We must reach it at once!"

"The Wellspring keeps being mentioned. What is it?"

"The Welspring of the Aureal. It's what links us to this Realm, where we return to the world from the Waters of Oblivion. If Thadon helps Order sever that link… my kind will be annihilated." She cringed at the thought. "The Realm will be lost to us. We must get to the Wellspring and stop them!"

"How do we get there?"

"The Wellspring is at the heart of Brellach; follow the waters to reach it. I will follow your lead, Your Grace. We shall not fail you."

Once I was sure all the Aureal were following, I led them into the next hallway. That was when I saw that it too was blocked up by crystals. I was about to hit another chime nearby to shatter it when, as one, the Aureal let out choked cries and fell to the floor.

"No! The Wellspring–" Staada managed to gasp before she crumpled as well.

All of them were gone, just like that. I had to finish what we'd started myself.

Hitting the chime, I shattered the crystals barring my way and kept walking. As I did, I crossed one of the channels like before. It was completely dry.

Quietly, I slipped through a door at the end of the passage and descended the stairs on the other side. Unlike before, where crystals only appeared in sparse patches, the whole place was almost entirely covered. Thousands of gray facets glimmered from the walls and even more spires burst out of the floor as I passed by.

The Wellspring itself was in large chamber at the end. Chimes hung above platforms in each corner of the room. The channels led into the center, where a pyramid of crystals blocked off the source. Order priests and Knights milled about and dead Aureal lay strewn about the floor.

Silently, I climbed up one of the platforms. Out of view behind a pillar, I slit the throat of one of the priests and let his body drop to the floor. Then I slammed the hilt of my sword into the chime. At the sound, the Pyramid cracked in places, but no more. Cutting down an approaching Knight, I ran to hit the second and third chimes. More cracks appeared in the surface.

As the echo of the chimes slowly faded, I saw the cracks begin to heal up again. Dodging another Knight, I ran to the last chime and hit it as hard as I could. The pyramid abruptly shattered, revealing the fountain of gold that had been hidden beneath. All around the chamber the dead Aureal rose. Grabbing their swords, they cut down the rest of the Knights in the chamber.

Several of them thanked me for freeing them, despite seeming to have reservations about my being in charge of Dementia. Soon I heard the sound of footsteps from the way I'd entered. Gasps went up from several of the Aureal and I turned to see Staada and the others I'd left behind enter the chamber.

"The Wellspring is restored!" She cried, both surprised and delighted at the sight of the fountain.

Breathing hard, I nodded.

She smiled broadly. "You have saved us. We are forever grateful, your Grace."

"What about Thadon?" I asked.

"No sign of him yet," she said ruefully. "We'll do our best to track him down and deliver him to Lord Sheogorath for a fitting punishment. The traitor must be brought to justice!" Her fists clenched.

"So what happens now?"

"Our warriors will scour the halls of Brellach, removing any last elements of opposition. Then we will immediately return to our duties."

"I'll go, then."

Staada gave me a sharp nod. "Lord Sheogorath will be anxious to hear of our victory, I am sure."


Something was wrong.

The moment I stepped into the throne room, I felt the tension in the air. It was practically humming with it. Haskill stood near my end of the hall, watching Sheogorath. He didn't even spare a glance my way as I passed.

The Daedric Prince stood at the bottom of the dais, completely rigid. His hands clutched his cane in a white-knuckled grip. As I approached I saw that he was shaking. His eyes, when they rose to meet mine, were too focused.

"Time," he said, his voice low and even. "Time is an artificial construct. An arbitrary system based on the idea that events occur in a linear direction at all times. Always forward, never back. Is the concept of time correct? Is time relevant? It matters not. One way or another, I fear that out time has run out."

A chill crept down my spine. "What do you mean?"

"As I feared it would, My plan has failed. The Greymarch is upon us, and I must go." He sighed. "I thought we had more time. I thought we had a chance. And we were so close…"

Failed. All I could see was my mother, dying. No. No, I couldn't let that happen.

"We haven't failed yet," I said, a hint of an angry growl slipping into my voice.

Sheogorath let out a bark of laughter. "Optimism! How Adorable! I love it! Even at the end, you make me laugh." He instantly sobered. "I'm lying. That wasn't funny at all. No matter. Soon you and everyone else will be dead, and I will be left a mad god, ruler of a dead realm. Again."

"What happens now?"

"What happens is what always has happened – what always will happen. I crumble, I fade, the Realm dies. And you with it. Flee while you can, mortal. When we next meet I will not know you, and I will slay you like the others."

Not if I could help it. "What can I do?"

He shook his head. "I had intended to give you my staff, the symbol of My office. But life has gone from it, as it goes from Me. It is now dead wood. A useless twig." He tapped it against the floor. "With the staff, there was hope. But now hope is dead. I am dead. The Realm–"

He suddenly groaned and hunched over. I jumped back and watched in horror as he began to shake violently.

"The Realm is dead! Sheogorath is dead!" His voice was strangely distorted. He threw his head back. As I watched, a strange light surrounded him and he seemed to grow taller, looming over Haskill and me. Then he roared, "All shall crumble before Jyggalag!"

In a flash of light, he was gone.