27th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 965

Meeting the Unholy

Lodiramor payed the carriage driver, who had given him a ride from Solitude to Fort Hraggstad. He had a dream that showed him where to go in Haafingar while on the East Empire Company's ship. There was light snow falling on that particular day, and he was nearing the destination.

As he neared the shore to the Sea of Ghosts, he wondered what he was going to finally learn about the Dragonborn. What could be here that would lead to him gaining any knowledge?

Walking down to the coast in the brisk air, Lodiramor prepared himself. He saw the sunken jetty and the small boat that he saw in his dream, and looked out to the sea. He could just barely make out, in the fog, the castle he was destined to go to.

Breathing in, Lodiramor got into a stance and cast a spell onto the water, freezing a path for himself into the sea. He walked out onto the ice, freezing more of the water as he walked further into the sea. The closer he got to the castle, the more he was in awe of how it towered over the sea. He asked himself - who had once had a need for such a great keep in this place?

When he finally reached the island the castle stood upon, he took in a deep breath at the bridge, viewing in awe his destination. His quest for knowledge on the Dragonborn, he considered, had led him to a wonder he never had seen before. At his age, he didn't think he would be stricken by such a sense of awe by much else.

Lodiramor crossed the bridge, and saw no signs of life yet. There was nobody at the entrance to the castle, as far as he could tell. When he reached the main doors of the castle, he felt for any life, but felt nothing.

Is there anybody in there?

Lodiramor entered the castle and saw the empty dining hall. He went to the tables, and noticed that it appeared as if there were people here not too long ago. He picked up a goblet and noticed there was still some leftover wine in it. Lodiramor put the goblet down and turned away from the tables, seeking to explore the rest of the castle.

"Stop!" Lodiramor turned back around and saw a woman standing upon the balcony over the dining tables. "Who are you?" She asked.

"I come in peace," Lodiramor said. "My name is Lodiramor, and I am the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold."

The woman glared at him intensely. "Why have you come here?" She asked.

Lodiramor took a step towards her, and put both hands on the top of his staff. "I seek knowledge," he said.

She looked slightly confused at what he meant. "What knowledge do you think you'll find here?" She asked Lodiramor.

"Knowledge on the lost Dragonborn," Lodiramor replied.

She looked taken aback. "Dragonborn, you said?" She asked. "How did you find this place? Do you have any idea where you are?"

Lodiramor took another step towards her with his staff, and replied, "I was trying to find information on the Last Dragonborn. So I sought out information on him in the Arcanaeum at the College. But when I went to sleep the first night I had looked for records of him, I had a dream. In the dream, I had visions of three places - this was the first."

She took a step towards the edge of the balcony. "The other two places - what were they?"

Lodiramor breathed, and said, "The second was the peak of a mountain - with a dragon looking at me. The third was as if I were flying so high I could see the Summerset Isles."

"The Throat of the World," she said. "The highest peak of Tamriel - that was your second vision."

"How do you know?" Lodiramor asked. "Have you been there?"

"Yes," she replied. "Yes, I have been there. The Last Dragonborn's greatest mentor - the dragon you saw - lives there, above where the Greybeards reside in High Hrothgar."

"Why do you know these things? Who taught you about the Dragonborn's life?" Lodiramor asked. The woman looked away from him, seeming somewhat uncomfortable. Then, Lodiramor realized something. "Your eyes," he said, causing the woman to look at him again. "You're a vampire. That's why I couldn't feel your presence here," he said. She looked down again, not replying. "Did you know him?" Lodiramor asked.

"Yes," she said tersely, biting her lip. "I knew him."

"So you know where he went?" Lodiramor asked.

She shook her head. "No," she said flatly. "He didn't tell me where he was going to go."

"Were you close?" He asked.

"You could say that," she replied. "You can call me Serana, by the way. The place you are in at this moment is Castle Volkihar. This has been my family's home for thousands of years. We were the most powerful vampire clan in Skyrim."

Serana walked away from the balcony and walked down the staircase to the dining hall. Coming face to face with Lodiramor, it seemed as if she was staring into his soul.

"Can you help me?" Lodiramor asked Serana. "I don't think I can travel to High Hrothgar alone."

Serana's eyes narrowed. "Why would you trust me?" She asked.

"If you were truly evil," Lodiramor began, "you would have killed me already."

Serana eased her glare and took a step back from Lodiramor. "What do I have to gain from coming with you?" She asked.

"You miss him don't you?" Lodiramor asked.

Serana felt her anger rise. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You've stayed here all this time," Lodiramor said. "What do you gain by waiting? At this point, it only puts you in danger." Serana looked at him, visibly growing tired of her emotions. "You know what is out there - there's no way you don't. If he were here, you would be working to put an end to all of it."

Serana turned from him and walked away, and Lodiramor was unsure if she would return. He passed the time by examining things in the hall, waiting to see if she would come back.

After about 15 minutes, Serana returned, wearing a bag, and with a sword on her back.

"Let's go," she said flatly. "We don't have much time."

With that, Serana and Lodiramor left Castle Volkihar together. Making way across the Sea of Ghosts in silence, as Serana had grown accustomed to, Lodiramor wondered about the extent of her history with the Dragonborn.

And in the light snow on the road to Solitude, Serana wondered about how Lodiramor found her. The dreams he described could not possibly be natural. That begged the question: who sent Lodiramor to her?

Malacath's Shrine, The Rift

At the Shrine of Malacath, many men and women of various races were bowing, honoring the Daedra. Standing next to the Shrine itself, leading the people in prayer, was the leader of the cult, an aged nord, with a great beard and long gray hair.

"And true to your will, we accept men and women of all backgrounds," the leader said.

"For the forgotten tribe will come for it's due," the cultists aid in unison.

"And throughout our lives, we devote ourselves to you," the leader said.

"For Malacath's power has given us strength," the cultists responded.

Interrupting their meeting, a cloaked figure approached the cultists. Maengvor, alone, approached them. None of his followers were in sight - and the leader noticed his entrance.

"Who comes here, to the Shrine of Malacath?" The nord asked. "Have you come to join the tribe of the forgotten?"

Maengvor revealed his face by lowering his hood to the cult. "No. I come for all of you to join my cause," he said.

The cult leader was displeased by his disrespect towards Malacath in his place of worship. "What cause? We devote ourselves to Malacath, not some mortal whose purpose is finite. You are not welcome here - leave immediately, or die." The cult members rose in unison, turning to face Maengvor.

"So be it." With those words, Maengvor lifted his hand, flinging back the cult leader at the shrine. When the cultists moved to respond, he cast a wall of fire in front of him, blocking the path to him. His face glowing from the flames, he picked up the cult leader's body and pulled it towards him. Instead of killing the leader through normal means, Maengvor threw the body on the ground right where the wall of flames were. The cult leader screamed in agony as his flesh was consumed by flame, his entire body ablaze in front of his own cult.

When the screaming stopped, Maengvor lowered the flames.

"Are you still willing to fight me?" He asked the cult. Nobody moved - all still in shock from watching someone burn to death. "You are the cult of Malacath. You are the forgotten," Maengvor said, as he walked through the aisle to the raised altar. Stepping onto the higher ground, he continued, "And if you continue to worship these Daedra, you will continue to be forgotten." The cult stared at him, in fear and awe, still not daring to move as Maengvor looked at them from above. "You all want to be a part of something, yes? You are disappointments. You have been cast out. Banished. With me, you can be a part of something - a movement that will give you much more power than any Daedra would give to a mortal. You can rise above the weak establishment of our world, and help establish a new order. An order where the right to rule is for those with the will and strength to take it. With me, nobody will ever forget you. With me, you will have control - for the first time in many of your lives."

Maengvor looked out upon the cult standing before him, which was still unwilling to make a single move. He scowled and grew impatient at their indecision.

"I'll make your decision easy," he said. "If you're with me, kneel now." Maengvor rotated his head to look at everyone, before looking straight forward again. "And if you aren't with me, you die here."

All but three knelt before Maengvor, at the shrine of the Lord they had devoted their lives to. The three bowed their heads, but did not kneel after a pause. They knew they could not fight whoever stood before them, and Maengvor rewarded their surrender by taking out a dagger, and using telekinesis to cut each of their throats in quick succession. Looking at his new band of followers, Maengvor smiled darkly. They were his now.

Solitude

Serana and Lodiramor arrived at Solitude late in the night. Having made the entire journey silent, Lodiramor was growing even more curious as to what Serana was hiding during their journey. That, of course, would all have to wait. Lodiramor was sure that he would get answers eventually - else, why would he have been directed to her?

Serana approached the first carriage driver she saw with a covered carriage, who was near the Solitude stables. "I need transport to Ivarstead," she said to the driver.

The driver looked at her like she was crazy. "Ivarstead?" He asked, tone mocking. "I'm not sure you have the gold to get me to travel that far, lady."

Serana reached in her bag and pulled out several bags, and continually put them on the carriage wood. When she had placed thirty on it, she turned back to the driver.

"That's 3000. Is that enough for you?" She asked, with a harsh sarcastic tone. The driver looked in one of the bags, and with a surprised look on his face, turned to Serana as he started putting her coin bags in a backpack.

"Climb on back," he said. "We'll be off when you're ready."

Serana nodded to him, and helped Lodiramor into the carriage, before getting on herself. Indeed, when she got settled in the carriage, the driver started off.

As Lodiramor drifted off to sleep, Serana kept staring at the moon. She was worried about what may lie on the road, for it was a long journey from Solitude to Ivarstead by carriage. Knowing Maengvor found her before, who was to say he wouldn't keep tabs on people's movements throughout Skyrim? All of her worries though, were dominated by another thought. What Serana was most bothered by was not danger, but the past. She looked at the world she was leaving behind, asking herself, where did he go? What happened to him?

With a solemn look again at the sky, she whispered, "This is for you."