I raced back to the city. Still, in the distance I could see what looked like Knights marching right toward New Sheoth. Haskill actually seemed relieved when I burst into the throne room.

"Ah, you're back," he said, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. "You may have noticed that we have a… bit of a problem."

"What problem?" I asked him.

"You're having a bit of fun with me. Very good. You of course noticed the Font when you arrived in the Palace? The Font of Madness, in the middle of the throne room? The Font which is unaccountably covered with crystals?"

I glanced over to where he was pointing and saw the Order crystals encrusting the tree behind the throne. An icy feeling of dread slipped into my stomach.

"Shit."

"The taint appeared only a short time ago," he explained, "but it has spread quickly. I fear that soon we will all be serving a new master. Once the source of Madness has become the Font of Order, Jyggalag has won."

"Not if I can help it," I hissed. Looking back over my shoulder, I asked the steward, "How do I stop him?"

Haskill contemplated the question for a moment. "Somehow the forces of Order have poisoned the Pools of Mania and Dementia that feed the Font. I suspect the traitor, Thadon. Jyggalag has never had an original thought in his existence. Be that as it may, you will have to enter the Fountainhead beneath the Tree and find the source of the poison."

"And what will I find down there?"

"It was Sheogorath's private sanctuary, where he would often meditate amidst the tame Gnarls that tend the roots. Normally the Fountainhead is a peaceful sanctuary, but there's no telling what changes the taint of Order may have wrought. Now I fear that the Gnarls themselves may be accelerating the spread of Order throughout the Tree's roots. Be careful."

"Right." I hurried toward the tree, shouting over my shoulder as I ran, "Get the Mazken and the Aureal to work together. Have them hold off the army as long as they can!"


The tunnels beneath the Palace were far more extensive than I would have thought. Soon I saw one of the tree creatures, a Gnarl. Sliding down, I drew my bow. Remembering what Haskill had said about these ones possibly being tame, I didn't take the shot. Instead I stayed close behind, waiting to see what it would do.

The Gnarl turned around a bend in the tunnel. The passage was blocked ahead by a twisted combination of roots and Order crystal. The gnarl touched the mass with its spindly, branched hand and the roots shied away, clearing the path. On it went, and I followed.

It turned down another tunnel, and I was about to follow when I thought I heard the sound of faint voices coming from somewhere behind me. The only people down there besides myself had to be working for Jyggalag to poison the font. Crouching low, I slunk down the tunnel branching off in the other direction. Soon the tunnel let out into a cavern with a pool at its center. Gigantic roots hung down from the ceiling and dipped into the water below. Beside the pool, a priest of Order watched as crystals erupted from below the surface.

"Let them drink their fill of Order," he growled. As he laughed harshly, I drew back my arrow and shot him down. The instant he crumpled, the crystals in the pool withered away with a loud, grinding shriek.

As Haskill had suspected, they were poisoning the water. This one had to just be a minor pool. I had to find the ones for Mania and Dementia, and fast.


I shot down another tainted Gnarl and stepped around the body. The further in I went, the more and more I'd found that were covered in the crystals. The ones that were attacked on sight, as I'd quickly learned. But as I helped clear the passages leading deeper, more and more of the untainted Gnarls began to appear. That was some small comfort, at least.

The Pool of Mania was at the bottom of a massive cavern. Roots big as bridges twisted through the walls and the air. Brightly colored mushrooms grew everywhere, though they looked as though they were dying. Everything had a slightly grayish tinge. The water below was filled with Order crystals. Several priests tended to them.

Climbing out onto one of the roots, I crouched low and aimed an arrow at one of them. He screamed as it buried itself in his chest. The others looked up and I ran as bolts of lightning struck where I had just been standing. I jumped down into the water, hitting the surface with a splash, and started running again. One of the priests was closing in. Whirling around, I drew back another arrow.

She laughed. "Strike me down! My Lord Jyggalag has other servants!"

I mused that it was like fighting the Mythic Dawn all over again as the arrow punched through the forehead of her mask with a thunk.

The last priest hid himself behind one of the roots. Stopping on the other side, I drew my sword and inched around toward him. He spun to face me, raising his arms above his head menacingly. Before he could cast his spell I stabbed him through the gut. He fell back and the water around him turned crimson.

All around the Order crystals crumbled and the plants returned to their natural brightness. Grabbing one of the roots, I climbed out of the pool. Just one more to go.

As I climbed down the next set of tunnels, I noticed everything begin to grow darker. What little light there was possessed an eerie blue color and came from tiny mushrooms that grew in sparse patches. The roots that lined the walls were more twisted than the ones before. I assumed all those things meant that I was going in the right direction.

Like Mania's, the Pool of Dementia was at the center of a large cavern, but the crystals there were even larger than the ones before. Some stretched up almost to the ceiling. In addition to the priests of Order, I saw several tainted Gnarls milling around.

At my approach, one of the priests looked up. I saw that, instead of a mask, the Bosmer wore a crown of crystal spikes.

Thadon.

"You," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Of course. Sheogorath's assassin."

"I'm no one's, least of all his," I hissed back.

Thadon snapped his fingers and pointed at me. At once the priests all rushed forward. I cut them down as they attacked. The last one managed to shoot a bolt of lightning up the length of my sword as I drew it out of him chest. It raced through me and I fell, shaking, into the water.

When I finally had control of my own limbs again I pushed myself up, coughing out water. With tearing eyes, I looked up to see Thadon walking toward me. Every step he took was measured and full of purpose, so very different from how I'd first seen him in his garden in the palace. His gaze was hard and cold as he stared down at me.

"I see so clearly now what a fool I have been," he told me. "A happy, heedless fool. How he must have mocked me, with my poems, and my painting, and my meaningless revelry. But no more. No more! Instead she is dead at your hand and Sheogorath's command!"

He drew a sword whose blade was crafted of Order crystal. I snatched my own from the water and rolled aside to avoid his blow as he swung it down at me. Scrambling to my feet, I swung at him. He blocked the strike. Tiny, sparking shards of crystal flew off of his blade at the clash.

I feigned an attack. When Thadon moved to block, I sliced my blade through his exposed neck. His crowned head fell into the Pool and his body crumpled at my feet. All around, the crystals disappeared. The Gnarls stood still, as if confused by their absence. With the Pool of Dementia cleared, I ran for the exit.


The instant I stepped out of the tree Haskill was there, leading me hastily around toward the throne.

"We have no time to lose," he told me as we walked. "Jyggalag's army is almost here."

I wrenched my arm away. "I can do this myself, thank you."

The steward took a step back. Clasping his hands behind his back and nodding slightly, he said, "Of course. My apologizes."

Turning, I hurried over to the Font. It sat behind the throne at the base of the tree. The shimmering waters that poured from it fueled the two channels that ran the length of the main hall. Taking a deep breath, I drew the Staff and dipped its head into the top of the Font.

The instant it passed beneath the surface of the water, I felt the Staff begin to hum with energy. The feeling traveled up the length of the branch and into my arms. It seemed as though my very bones were vibrating with it. My teeth ached and I shook my head to try to clear the buzzing sound that rung in my ears.

As I drew it from the water, the bright light surrounding it dimmed to little more than a faint glow. I breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked.

The palace doors suddenly burst open. I turned to see a Mazken warrior hurry inside.

"My Lady!" She said, breathless. "Autkendo Jansa sent me to find you. She requests your immediate assistance."

"What did she want?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, my Lady. She only said it was a matter of the gravest import to the security of the realm."

"Then take me to her."

I started to follow her when several more Mazken entered the throne room. The one in the lead wore armor covered in irregularly-shaped turquoise stones.

"Jansa?" I asked.

She nodded and gave me a short bow. "My Lady. I'm glad to see you. We have a developing situation that requires your attention."

"What happened?"

"Order," she said distastefully. "An obelisk has activated just outside the Palace. I've ordered my Mazken to engage the enemy. I expect that this is the beginning of the final assault. The cursed usurper Jyggalag himself may even take the field before the end."

So not only was the army attacking from outside, but they'd established a foothold inside the walls as well. My hands clenched tightly around the Staff. The rough bark that still covered its surface dug into my palms.

"What are your orders, my Lady?" Jansa asked, cutting through my thoughts.

"We're finishing this," I told her. "I'll lead the attack myself."

She seemed surprised. Bowing, she said, "It will be our great honor to fight by your side, my Lady!"

I walked outside, the Mazken following close behind. Some other Mazken as well as a host of Aureals were already waiting on the palace steps. Both sides watched each other warily. Below, an Obelisk jutted out of the lawn. It let out a low hum and began to glow.

"Everyone at the ready!" I shouted at the two groups of daedra. Weapons were drawn as they prepared.

The main spire of the obelisk split off with a loud crack. From the glowing crevice below, several Knights climbed out and ran for the palace steps.

"Now!"

The Mazken and Aureals all charged down toward them, shouting war cries. The archers stayed in the back near the palace's doors, firing gold or black arrows down on the fight below. I glanced down at the Staff in my hands with some apprehension.

"Time to see just what this can do," I murmured. I aimed the Staff at the Knights. Taking a deep breath, I willed something to happen.

A bolt of violet light shot from the eye affixed to the head of the Staff, freezing the Knights in place. The whiplash from the blast nearly knocked me off my feet. Staggering back, I watched the soldiers attack the defenseless Knights, shattering them where they stood. Tiny fragments of crystal hung, suspended, in the air. As the effect wore off they fell onto the grass.

On the other side of the courtyard, a second Obelisk burst from the ground. More Knights appeared, swarming the arrayed soldiers. We'd be overwhelmed soon if I didn't do something.

I hurried over to one of the fallen Knights that hadn't shattered and broke open its chest to pull out the heart inside. Desperately trying not to be hit, I dodged through the skirmish and ran for the second Obelisk. I tossed the heart into the glowing portal at the center of the obelisk. The light died and the Spire fell back onto the base with a loud crack.

Pointing to one of the Mazken, I shouted, "Grab one of the hearts and get the other Obelisk closed!"

She nodded and ran. Moments later I saw the other Obelisk collapse as well. The Mazken and the Aureal finished cutting down the last of the Knights. Everything was suddenly silent. I took several deep breaths as I glanced around at the damage. We'd lost a few of our own, but–

"My Lady?"

I turned to see Jansa pointing at the sky above the courtyard. A shimmering gray light had appeared in the air, growing brighter. My eyes widened.

"Run!"

A vortex of bright light erupted from its center, hitting the courtyard. There was an explosion and I was thrown backward. When I finally blinked and looked up, the bodies of the Mazken and Aureals lay on the lawn all around me. Every one of them was dead. Grabbing the Staff from where it lay nearby, I staggered to my feet.

A hulking figure stood at the center of the courtyard, facing me. He was tall, taller than even the Gatekeeper. Like the Knights, he was covered entirely in gray crystal armor. Spikes jutted out of his helmet and shoulders in menacing frills. He wielded a sword that was twice as tall as I was.

"Jyggalag," I breathed, taking a step back.

He pointed one sharp finger at me and said in a grinding, booming voice, "You hold the Staff, but you are no Daedric Prince!"

"No, I'm not!"

I fired a bolt at him and he roared, charging. He swung his sword and I barely jumped aside in time to avoid the blow that shook the ground beneath my feet when it hit. Whirling, I shot again. The bolt hit his leg. Cracks appeared in the crystal.

"This ends as it always does," he shouted at me. "Order shall reign!" His next strike passed within inches of my face. My gasp caught in my throat and I leaned back to avoid the tip of the crystalline blade.

As he prepared to strike again, I ducked beneath his arms and smashed the staff against his leg. It shattered at the blow and he toppled, hitting the ground hard. I jumped back, ready to attack again.

"Enough!" Jyggalag growled. He lifted his long, crystalline fingers in a gesture of supplication. I lowered the Staff ever so slightly. "I am beaten. The Greymarch is ended."

I stepped back, grip tightening on the rough wood as the Daedric Prince got to his feet, his leg remaking itself as he did. It was hard not to shake where I stood as he towered over me.

"For millennia this drama has unfolded and each time I have conquered this land, only to be transformed back into that gibbering fool, Sheogorath," he sighed. "It was not always so. Once, I ruled this Realm, a world of perfect Order. My dominion expanded across the seas of Oblivion with each passing era. The other Princes, fearful of my power, cursed me with Madness, doomed me to live as Sheogorath, a broken soul reigning in a broken land. Once each era I was allowed my true form, conquering this world anew. And each time I did, the curse was renewed, damning me to exist as Sheogorath. Now, though, you have ended the cycle. You now hold the Mantle of Madness, and Jyggalag is free to roam the voids of Oblivion once more."

Free. Free to destroy everything chaotic in any realm. Any, including Nirn. Dyus believed that all I was and all I loved were mistakes. They would be destroyed. As much as I hated to admit it, the other Daedra were right to have trapped him in the first place. I'd seen what he'd done to the Isles, even at a disadvantage. The carnage he could unleash…

"No," I growled.

He stared down at me. "What did you say?"

"No!" I swung the Staff hard, sending it crashing into him. With all of my being I willed him to take back Sheogorath's Mantle and I felt something drain away from me. A power I barely understood.

"What have you done?" He roared. He flickered and shrank, wavering between Jyggalag and Sheogorath.

"I won't let you touch anyone else!"

The Staff burned in my hands and I let it fall, but the damage was already done. He would only remain Jyggalag for moments more. The Daedric Prince glared at me with unbound rage, his eyes flickering between cold gray and bright gold.

"You have kept my greatest love from me," he said, raising himself up to his full height. "And so, mortal, I will keep you from all that you love."

Before I could move he reached out to me, the tip of one needlelike finger touching the base of my throat. The spot where it made contact stung. I jolted back with a gasp.

"You will never die. Neither old age, nor sickness, nor wound will take you. You will never know peace. You will never again see the ones you loved."

He lifted his hand, now human in appearance, and I was pulled backward through darkness.