Chapter 7 – Of Towers And Stones
By the next morning, Camri and Ariel had been reunited with Assurrani and Latta in Luther Broad's Boarding House, Camri's favourite inn in the Imperial City. As the four of them ate breakfast in the lower floor of the building, the door opened and two Imperial Legion soldiers stepped in.
The first, Camri recognised as Captain Itius Hayn, an officer of the Imperial guard in the city.
The second was a man in his thirties with handsome, chiselled features and cropped black hair.
The four stood up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you Knight-Bachelor Marlus Halisman of the Imperial Legion of High Rock, assigned to Ariel as her new guardian"
Camri, Assurrani and Latta greeted Halisman before he turned to face Ariel, warmly shaking her hand.
"I have heard all about you from your father, Ariel" Halisman said. "It brings me honour to be serving with you"
"Have you been briefed on our mission?" Camri asked Halisman. "We could use an extra sword for what we're about to do"
"Grandmaster Jauffre briefed me fully on your objective this morning, but I don't know what progress you have made"
"There's a big player in the necromancers, Relmyna Verenim, hiding out in Vilverin nearby. We need to find her, and probably kill her, but we don't know how well-guarded the ruin is"
"I'm ready when you are" Halisman said. Camri took in the Imperial knight, dressed in Legion-issue chainmail armour with a silver longsword sheathed on his belt.
But just as the five prepared to leave, another figure burst into the inn. Areen.
Camri's face burst into a broad grin. "I knew you couldn't stay away from us!"
Areen stepped forward and embraced his friend, then looked him solemnly in the eye.
"Camri, there's trouble. The mass grave from the battlefield has been cleared out"
"What do you mean?" Camri asked nervously.
"All the bodies are gone. Every single one of them"
Camri shook his head slowly. "We'll talk about this later. Right now I want to get this fight over with before the situation gets any worse"
--
Rather than making a lengthy journey on foot around the circumference of the city, the six rented a small coracle from the Waterfront which Camri and Halisman paddled around Lake Rumare to the outcrop of land which Vilverin was located on. Areen carried with him a rope ladder with a grappling hook at one end of each of the two vertical lengths of rope – it was a device designed to get into places in Ayleid ruins which were unreachable save for a long route through the ruin itself. Treasure hunters had often used similar rope ladders to bypass trap-laden Ayleid ruins to get straight to the sacred inner chambers.
"I've always wondered why you only ever get traps and sacred chambers in Ayleid ruins" Areen mused. "Where did the Ayleids actually live?"
"Much of the cities lay above ground," Camri explained. "The underground sections were royal halls and tombs, much like the Imperial Palace"
"Stands to reason, I suppose," Assurrani said. "They were trying to keep their treasures hidden"
"Sometimes the best place to hide something of great value is in plain view" Camri remarked, indicating White Gold Tower. "They say that the Chim-el Adabal was a nine-pointed star – the tip of one of the points was used to create the gemstone in the Amulet of Kings, so imagine how big the original stone must have been"
"What happened to a stone of such value?" Halisman asked. "It cannot possibly still be atop White Gold Tower?"
"It is" Camri said.
"But it is now merely a large semi-precious stone" Ariel added. "The important part was the tip that was removed – that part of the Chim-el Adabal contained the essence that eventually allowed Tiber Septim to become the Divine Talos"
Suddenly, Assurrani remembered something and handed the book he had found on the Breton to Ariel, opening it at the last page.
"Look at that stone, Ariel" Assurrani said. "You've mentioned it. If you can work out where it is…"
"We think it might be the source of Mannimarco's power, much in the way that the Amulet of Kings was the source of divine power in Tamriel" Latta added.
Camri looked at her inquisitively.
"The ancient towers and stones of Tamriel are a fascinating subject, Camri" Latta said. "But I will explain all this later"
--
Soon, the small boat ran aground outside Vilverin. Two necromancers raced towards them from the ruin itself, but Camri and Assurrani were both quick on the draw with their bows, nailing the two Necromancers in their heads. The six disembarked the boat and stood before the ruin of Vilverin.
Latta, who had been silent since the conversation on the boat, suddenly spoke. "Why didn't I see it before?"
"What?" Ariel asked.
"I'm going to ask you some questions, Ariel. What was the source of the divine power of the Septim dynasty?"
"The Amulet of Kings, or more specifically the Chim-el Adabal stone"
"And where was the stone kept?"
"Atop White Gold Tower"
"Alright. And what is the problem with Mannimarco?"
"He is undergoing some sort of apotheosis, transforming himself from mortal to immortal"
"Immortality is a consequence of divinity," Latta said. "But the meaning of 'divine' often goes hand-in-hand with good, but Mannimarco is most certainly evil. How do you think he might be going about this?"
"Well, the only situation where I have heard a mortal transcendence to divinity was in the case of Tiber Septim – you do not think he is using the Chim-el Adabal?"
"No. Answer me this – what colour was the Amulet of Kings' gemstone?"
"A deep crimson"
"And what colour would you consider to be the opposite of that?"
"A pale blue, much like… the picture in Assurrani's notebook… you don't think…"
"Whatever that blue gemstone is, it is Mannimarco's Chim-el Adabal. Part of the gemstone is powerful enough to drive the Necromancer's Amulet's powerful enchantments, but the entire stone…"
"So there is a stone that powers evil in the same way that the Amulet of Kings granted a divine connection?" Assurrani asked.
"Exactly" Latta replied.
"Then why is it not public knowledge?"
"Two reasons. Firstly, it is not on prominent display atop a tower in the capital of the Empire. Secondly, if people knew where it was, they would exploit its power. Its location must be a well-guarded secret if only Mannimarco has used its power"
"One more question" Camri said. "What can we do about it?"
"What was the root of the Oblivion crisis, Camri?" Ariel asked, cottoning on to Latta's plan.
"The Amulet of Kings was removed from the mortal realm and its power was nullified"
"And right here," Ariel said, indicating Latta, "we have someone who can very easily take the stone out of the mortal realm"
Camri laughed in sheer elation. "I love it when we know what we're supposed to be doing. Now all we've got to do is find this stone – maybe that's something we should ask our good friend Relmyna"
Areen remained silent, recalling King Jararka and Jesper the White's conversation about an impenetrable barrier of mountains in Skyrim. But no, the tower containing the stone could not be behind the barrier. How could anyone have got in there to build it if it were impenetrable? But that's what people had thought about the Barrier Mountains in Black Marsh…
--
House of Mania, The Shivering Isles
"Staada!" a familiar voice bellowed angrily as a figure entered the room. Staada spun round – it was Sheogorath.
"My Lord!" Staada gasped. "What brings you to Mania?"
"Where is Aendel?" Sheogorath demanded. "You know she's not meant to leave the city! Anything could happen to her. She might fall down a hole. What would you do then, Commander, if Aendel fell down a hole?"
Staada opened her mouth to speak, but Sheogorath carried on.
"You disobeyed an order from me, Staada. Don't make me angry. No-one likes me when I'm angry, apart from Haskill. But he always likes me"
"We needed information about Relmyna Verenim" Staada said coolly.
"Relmyna Verenim…" Sheogorath said. "Ah yes, do I not recall that I sent you to Xaselm to look for her but you failed in your task?"
"She is helping Mannimarco" Staada continued. "The Necromancer who you have tasked your own daughter with defeating"
For the first time in aeons, Sheogorath was speechless. Seizing the moment, Staada did something she had never done – squared up to the Prince of Madness.
"And perhaps our mission would have been a success if I had more Aureal at my disposal. If you didn't spend your life in the House of Dementia. If the Wellspring at Saints' Watch wasn't on the verge of running dry. Don't pretend that you're not trying to undermine House Mania, Sheogorath"
"I see" Sheogorath said, taken aback. "Yes, it would be a shame if the Wellspring were to run dry, would it not? A great shame indeed"
With that, Sheogorath turned around and left the room, striding back into his throne room. Pressing her ear to the door, Staada heard Sheogorath speaking to a voice she recognised as Jelfra, the Commander of the Dark Seducers.
"March on the Wellspring at Saints' Watch with all your Mazken" Sheogorath said. "Do what you will"
Staada swore to herself and raced back into the Mania throne room, addressing the other Golden Saint guards in the room.
"Come with me! Now! All of you!" Staada ordered. "We need to get out of here!"
"Why? What is it?" a young Golden Saint lieutenant, Shenra, asked of Staada.
"I just heard Sheogorath. He means to wipe us out! Jelfra and the Seducers are going to attack the Wellspring and stop it. Our only hope of survival is to not be in the Shivering Isles when that happens. We're going to have to make for the portal to Tamriel!"
"Tamriel?" another Saint asked.
"Yes. Not ideal, I know. And before you ask, we cannot take on the Seducers. Sources tell me that they now outnumber us by five to one. Come on, let's go!"
The four Golden Saints sprinted through the courtyard of House Mania, reaching the gates that led back into New Sheoth.
"I'm afraid the quickest route is through Dementia" Staada said, pausing for breath. "Get ready to fight"
Staada led the Saints through the streets of Bliss, running past two bemused Golden Saint guards towards the gate leading into Crucible.
"Come with me!" Staada called to the two Golden Saint guards. "Covering fire!"
The two guards and Lieutenant Shenra drew their golden bows and fired upon the gate as one, as it swung open and two Dark Seducer guards charged through, brandishing maces – one was struck in the forehead by Lieutenant Shenra's arrow and killed instantly, the other swung her mace hard at Staada but the agile Golden Saint leapt back to avoid the blow then delivered a colossal downward swordstroke, killing the Dark Seducer.
The six Golden Saints burst into Crucible, three of them still providing cover with longbow fire. A Dark Seducer marksman situated by the gate leading out of the city fired, striking one of Staada's Golden Saints in the temple and killing her.
"Emiel's down!" Shenra shouted.
"Come on!" Staada called back. "We're almost out!"
Staada dived to the floor in a roll and leapt to her feet again to avoid a second arrow from the marksman, before reaching her and plunging her sword through the Dark Seducer's chest. Staada threw open the city gates and was immediately accosted by another Seducer attacking her with a mace. Staada blocked the attack with her shield but recoiled with the impact, just as the Golden Saint Semiri, the old Duke's bodyguard, plunged a dagger gruesomely into the Seducer's ear, causing the Seducer guard to freeze with a look of unbearable pain on her face, before falling to the ground, dead.
Staada turned around. The other three remaining Saints were making their way towards the gate, and there were no more Seducer guards in sight.
"We must make for the Gates of Madness" Staada ordered, regaining her breath. "We don't have much time. We're not out of this yet!"
As the Saints fled from the city, torrential rain began to fall, driven into the five by a powerful easterly wind. It was Sheogorath, Staada guessed, trying to impair their progress.
--
Miraculously, Staada and the other four Golden Saints reached the Gates of Madness with little incident, apart from two young Elytra which they had fought off with ease. But as Staada approached the Gates, she turned around with a look of dread on her face.
"What is it, Commander?" Lieutenant Shenra asked.
"Only two keys exists for each of the Gates of Madness" Staada said. "I have the key to the Gate of Mania, and Sheogorath has the key to the Gate of Dementia. The other pair is buried in the innards of the Gatekeeper. They are supposed to remain locked at all times, but the door of Dementia is unlocked"
"Perhaps someone has killed the Gatekeeper?" a young Golden Saint called Anrea offered.
"No, you can hear it. Listen"
Over the driving rain, the Saints could hear heavy, lumbering footfalls behind the Gates.
"Either Sheogorath unlocked this gate himself or gave the key to someone, probably that harlot Commander Jelfra. They're waiting for us"
Staada assessed the situation. Five Golden Saints against however many Dark Seducers Sheogorath had sent to guard the Fringe – to keep the Aureal in the Shivering Isles so they would be killed.
"I cannot believe that this is what Sheogorath has come to," Staada said angrily. "Sentencing his own military chief, and the entire population of Aureal, to death! Perhaps the ruling parties of Tamriel will be kinder to us"
"We have to get through the Fringe alive first, though" Semiri said. "But what if we did not use the Gates of Madness?"
"The Saints' Entrance will be well-guarded" Staada said. "Unless… I've got an idea. Follow me!"
The four Saints diligently followed their brave leader as she traced the perimeter wall of the Fringe, following it to the north where it led into Mania, past the Saints' Entrance and west until the land ended in a sheer slope that plunged down to the sea, whipped up to a foaming maelstrom by the wind and rain. Falling into the sea would mean almost-instant death. Staada assessed the wall – it ran along the top of the steep coastline, with a narrow and precarious footpath, reduced to mud by the rain, running between the wall and the top of the sheer slope.
"Looks like someone's had to do this before" Staada said to herself as she led the five Golden Saints single-file along the path. Using her intrinsic knowledge of the Isles' geography, Staada silently motioned the group to stop at a clump of mushroom trees.
"Shenra, Anrea, I'm going to need a lot of cover. Just behind the wall here is the portal to Tamriel. Once you're on top of this mushroom tree, it's two leaps and a short run then you've made it. Arden-Sul's blessings to you all"
Staada went first. Climbing up onto a smaller mushroom tree, she used it as a stepping stone to leap up and grab the cap of the largest of the trees, her hands digging into the brittle flesh of the strange plant. As she pulled herself up she instinctively unleashed a bolt of lightning which slammed into a Dark Seducer marksman attempting to take a shot at her, sending the Seducer tumbling off the perimeter wall.
"Semiri, you come next!" Staada called as she drew her sword. "I'll cover you all!"
Semiri, the old Duke's bodyguard, climbed up next to Staada and spotted the glowing blue orb that marked the portal to Tamriel – safety. The Golden Saint took a deep breath then leapt from the mushroom tree onto the perimeter wall, then without breaking her movement, executed another leap, landing roughly on the steeply sloping rocky ground around the portal. As she clambered up, a Dark Seducer charged towards her but Staada took her down with another bolt of lightning. Semiri reached the portal and vanished into it in a flash of blue light.
"Shenra, you go next!"
By now, Shenra and Anrea were both on the treetop with Staada, their bows readied. Two more Dark Seducer marksmen were making their way towards the portal. Shenra leapt onto the wall as Anrea and Staada covered her, Anrea with an arrow and Staada with a bolt of lightning. Shenra reached the small plateau that the portal was situated on, but had no sooner found her footing when one of the Dark Seducers dropped her bow and drew a dagger, hurling it overarm at Shenra. The dagger thudded into Shenra's chest and killed her instantly.
"Take them down!" Staada shouted as Anrea nailed the Dark Seducer who had killed Shenra with her bow. "There's more coming!"
The fifth Golden Saint, Leani, went next. Staada surveyed the situation grimly as she killed the other Dark Seducer with a bolt of lightning, leaping to one side as the Seducer's final arrow hit the mushroom tree with a dull splat. At least ten Seducers were making their way towards the portal. They didn't have much time…
Leani made her leap from the perimeter wall, athletically landing on the top of the plateau, and was mere feet from safety when an arrow shot through the air and pierced through her heart.
"Sniper…" Leani gasped as she toppled to the ground. Staada looked around but could not see the marksman, then instinctively shoved Anrea towards the edge of the tree just as an arrow whipped past where she would have been standing. Anrea jumped and cleared the perimeter wall, landing clumsily on the other side and beginning a desperate scrabble up towards the portal. Staada, like the other Saints, made the traverse in two leaps, and as she landed threw an arm down to help Anrea up. As the two reached the plateau, Staada felt a sear of unbearable pain as an arrow slammed into her forearm. Grimacing, Staada kept focused on the portal, still dragging Anrea along behind her. The pair lunged for the portal, and were engulfed by a brilliant flash of blue light.
Safety.