"Rite of the Scion
An overview of vampires and their relationship with Lamae Bal
What is the Rite of the Scion?
A ceremony wherein a mortal inflicted with vampiris is accepted by the Blood Matron. This mortal obtains her blood and her favor, becoming a Scion.
What is involved in the ceremony?
A mortal is presented to the Blood Matron by a Scion. The mortal shall take the name Initiate, and the Scion shall take the name of Bloodspeaker.
The Bloodspeaker must first prepare the accursed symbols of Arkay and Molag Bal. Thereafter, the Initiate drinks from the basin of suffering and the basin of loss and learns the history of Lamae Bal. Then, the Initiate profanes the symbols. Once this is done, the Initiate submits to the Blood Matron and is exsanguinated completely. Should the Blood Matron deem the Initiate worthy, she will revive them with her own blood.
What separates a Scion from a mere vampire?
A vampire is a victim. They are poor creatures suffering from a disease. Scions are blessed by the Blood Matron directly. More potent is their blood. More terrible is their wrath. More beautiful is their visage.
Vampires are their flock, mortals their fare.
Whom does the Scion serve?
The Scion, child of the Blood Matron, bows to no one. The Mother has broken their bonds. To serve is their choice, but the Mother would see Her children unite and turn their opponents into subjects.
What is the Covenant of the Scion?
Arkay the Forsaker, we curse you. You left us to suffer in darkness.
But we survived. And in darkness, we grew.
Now, we feed upon your followers. We will use their stolen strength to conquer and consume you.
Molag Bal, Father of Torment, we curse you. You sought to poison us with your blood.
But we survived. And from your poison, we grew.
King of Corruption, your children are coming. We will defile and destroy you.
We step away from the light. We sacrifice the frailty of breath.
From the dead blood of our Mother, we live unburdened. Her curse is our blessing. Her fury, our grace."
Silus Vesuius tossed and turned that night in his bed. He had spent the last four nights at the tavern in Stonehollow on the island of Wyrmstooth, and they had mostly been calm. Now, for some reason he saw the macabre vision of Madena dead upon Dagon's Altar every time he closed his eyes.
"It was necessary. You had to do it. You can make it up to her. Bring her back to life." he told himself repeatedly ad nauseum. But could he, really? And if he did, could she ever forgive him?
No. No, of course not.
What he did was unforgivable.
Vonos promised him power beyond all measure; the power of a god, as an inheritor of the world.
Silus stood up from his sleepless state and walked out of the tavern, neglecting to don his shoes or his robes. He walked out into the cold night air barefoot and in a loincloth and continued to follow the winding stone road eastward. He walked, and he walked, and he walked. The bite of the cold was a blade to his flesh the further in he tread, nearing the glacier line.
Guilt.
The guilt consumed him; ate at every fiber of his being and wrested control of his legs.
Where was the power? Where was his reward?
He touched the cold, moss-covered stone next to a mine entrance, as it were. The stone was cold to the touch, but Silus felt himself colder.
The Dawn had come and gone, and he now awaited it. What loyalty would he find from the Dremoras when they eventually swarmed Skyrim? Could he ever return there? If he did, what would he find?
Mehrunes Dagon was on Nirn now if that massive earthquake was any indicator. They'd felt it even on the isle. A smaller tremor, sure, but there was no denying what it was.
All he wanted was to punish Dawnstar.
Not all of Skyrim.
Vonos lied to him. The more he considered it, the more the actions tore him apart from within.
He sat down on a stone near a small, hollowed pond. Giants walked off in the distance with a couple of Mammoths, near large, stone arches leading up a path. Silus watched them from a safe distance. If he were to attack them, perhaps they would end his misery. And his guilt. Maybe he deserved it.
"Are you lost?" came a man's voice from some distance away.
Silus turned around and nearly jumped off his stone when he recognized the man's Novice Robes and hood under the torchlight. It was a Vigilant of Stendarr. Here on Wyrmstooth?! And by the further looks of it, not just one, but a patrol of three. There were his colleagues - two female Nords - having a conversation on the road and laughing at the near-naked Silus.
The Vigilant stood in front of him now. "Forgot your clothes somewhere, lad?" he asked.
Silus scoffed. "Well, I suppose. I was sleepwalking. Now I'm going to freeze to death out here."
A Vigilant. But it seemed the fool hadn't recognized him yet. They weren't supposed to be here! What was this?
The Vigilant opened his satchel and pulled out a folded set of brown clothes. "Here, put this on before you catch a cold." he offered them to Silus, snapping the cultist out of his trance.
Silus watched helplessly as the Vigilant of Stendarr generously gave him his own clothing to wear. As the fabric touched his hands he merely stared blankly. "Why...?"
The Vigilant was simple, and very honest in his response. "I serve the God of Mercy."
Silus stared at him for a few moments more, and then worked up the courage to ask. "Why are you here?" He slowly began to dress himself.
"Stendarr's Outpost is just over those hills, there." the Vigilant pointed to the snow-covered hills northeast of their position, west of the large set of arches. "Keeper Carcette sent us there with the first wave of Imperial excavators to establish it many years ago. She had a deep fear of sorts about Dragons, and she thought it would be a good place to watch for them. As it turns out, she was right. There is a Dragon on the island, though it seems to be laying dormant for now."
"And you're just going to tell this to an outsider?" Silus was baffled by his transparency.
The Vigilant stepped closer to him. "I am Vigilant Greyvild. What is your name, sir?"
Silus froze stone cold at that point. Saying his name would most likely be a death sentence. Though, the more that he thought of it, it was not undeserved. Stendarr was the god of Mercy, and Justice.
Once his name passed his lips, it would be all over.
"Silus Vesuius."
The Vigilants all stiffened up upon hearing his name. "You - wait... I know you!" Greyvild exclaimed, nearly dropping his torch in the permafrost-coated grass.
As predicted, his partners drew their maces and approached.
"Did you just say 'Silus Vesuius?'" one of them asked sternly. "You're that Mythic Dawn rat escaped the Hall when the Vampires slaughtered them!"
Silus had no intention of fighting. Not anymore. He simply raised his hands in the air and turned around, lowering himself to his knees to accept his arrest. Vigilant Greyvild signaled for the others to stay their hands. "He's been forthcoming; we will bring him in for questioning. We will not use unnecessary force."
Silus was shocked. The Vigil was hallmarked by its use of excessive force; even force they didn't have. But then again, they did seem tame compared to the Silver Hand when it was a thing, and the Dawnguard.
The Vigilants tied his hands behind his back and lead him through the dark fields.
I deserve this. Silus thought to himself sadly as he tread with the Paladins.
The Deadland heat was ruthless and Cura, Mirabelle, Savos and Madena walked alongside Rynkyus, Drozu, Gykkah and Lyranth. They kept a low profile to avoid the overencompasing gaze of the Doom Strider off in the distance.
Faven and the other townsfolk of Wretched Spire groaned and complained as they kept a low profile beneath the sharp crags and stones, trailing behind Cura.
"You could have at the very least let me take some beverages for the trip. This whole thing is ill-conceived." Faltonia whined as she took a seat on a broken stone to pull a rock out of her sandal.
Sunel agreed. He sneered. "It's a waste of time! We're just gonna keep going in circles and circles and circles, and then that bastard is going to get right up and kill us all for fighting back!"
Cura had enough. She spun around to face the heckling crowd. Sternness overcame her and she growled with frustration. "I thought you all wanted to find your way home? Well, guess what; nobody said it was going to be easy! You're welcome to go back into hiding like a bunch of Skeevers if you want - or you can dare to do the impossible and escape this dung pile of a realm!"
Tarvyn agreed with Cura. "No - you're right, Cura. You're right. If I can get out of this place, I'd skin Dagon himself to do it!"
"I bet you would." spat Rynkyus with amusement. "After all, your father - "
"We went over this long ago." Tarvyn dismissed his statement. "When he leaves this place he'll be free to head to Aetherius at last."
Cura looked at Faven up and down. "Wait, you're dead? He killed you?"
"In this dimension the living and the dead meld together, but yes." Faven revealed the shocking truth. "It... well... it was many centuries ago. Doesn't matter at this point. They're all still alive, though." He pointed to the majority of the townsfolk.
Cura was baffled. It explained their fatigue, at least. She'd forgotten she was dead, herself.
A light flashed overhead and everybody ducked. The Doom Strider seemed to have been emitting a sort of radar through the area now. Rynkyus instructed everybody to follow him through a narrow passage, which they had to single-file through.
Cura was frustrated. "Divines damn that horrid thing!" she cursed the Doom Strider.
"Dagon must really mean business this time." Tarvyn marvelled at the grotesque mechanism obscured from beyond the large rocks.
"I don't care. The sooner we get back to Tamriel the better." Faltonia spat. "I don't care if we're eras removed - I just want to taste real Brandy again."
'Hear, hear!" came Stighelm from the back of the group. "And some Mead. I... haven't even thought about the delicious Honey-brewed Mead from Rifton."
Cura smiled when she heard the Nord talk of Mead. She remembered the good taste of artisanal Nordic Mead. She would proclaim that the best Mead she'd ever had was at the Bannered Mare, rather than Honningbrew or Black-Briar Mead, but it quickly dawned on her that he was a Nord from the first era and would thus have no idea of either of the two brand names.
Due to fatigue, they took a small break in a safe cavernous area so the townsfolk could rest their legs for a while. Cura was uncertain as to how long they'd been walking, but they were far removed from the Wretched Spire.
Stighelm quickly approached Cura, Mirabelle, Savos and Madena. "Say, I hear talk the group of you are from Skyrim. Is that a fact?"
Madena shook her head. "High Rock, technically, but I have lived in Skyrim for a long time."
Savos explained. "I was the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, and Mirabelle was the Master Wizard."
Mirabelle crossed her arms. "Indeed. We were very dutiful - and very removed from the affairs of the world."
Cura was more than happy to oblige. "I was born and raised there! Skyrim is a lovely place... I want to return."
Stighelm agreed with her on that one. "Aye. I'm curious to see what's changed over the millennia. I bet the Reman Dynasty is long gone, eh?"
Cura was shocked to hear such a question, but again, he was from the First Era. She scratched her neck. "Er... well, I can give you an abridged explanation of where Skyrim stands now, if you'd like." It would definitely take some time. Perhaps once she was done giving a history lecture they'd be ready to continue.
As the stalwart group of warriors and scholar entered the Windhelm Prison area, Inigo was immediately struck with the pungent iron odour of blood. Stale blood - not fresh. It was discreet, all things considered, and the others only noticed it when they came closer.
The first sound any of them made was a harsh gag from Mjoll. "Gods... I've smelled my share of blood in my lifetime, but that's... that's foul."
"Oh, yeah. Definitely vampires down there." Lucien confirmed.
Carcette reflexively covered her neck with her left hand as she tread into the dim light. This reminded her all too much of Castle Volkihar.
Mjoll grunted. "Vampires underneath the city of Windhelm. I don't think I'd ever have guessed such a thing."
"Then it's time to start. Anywhere that is dark, they can be hidden." Inigo explained as he passed the darkened cells and into the light coming from the cell on the far western side of the dungeon.
The wall was broken, hidden now by a hung carpet. Moving the fabric aside revealed a bloodstained statue of what appeared to be a woman with short hair in wedding finery with a carnation flower in her hair and a dagger sticking out of her chest. She was in a prayerful pose, standing upright with hands clasped together. There was what appeared to be a Shrine to Arkay on the ground, smeared with ancient blood that oddly appeared fresh. It was dry and flaking, but reeked terribly.
"Gods..." Lucien shuddered. "They defiled a statue of a priestess of Arkay, the fiends!"
Mjoll examined the statue. "There's something behind it. Hold on a second." She slipped her fingers in a small slit behind it and began to pull.
Carcette leaned against the wall nearby and closed her eyes. A deep dread consumed her. Vampires. She never wanted to face those fiends again. And now here she was.
"I have a very bad feeling about this, Inigo." Mjoll stated as she revealed a hidden passageway behind the statue.
Inigo nodded and wiped some sweat off his furry forehead. "Me too, but we have to be here for some reason. Maybe we will learn why we have to engage the vampires."
"Why engage them ourselves?" Lucien asked. "We are card-carrying members of the Dawnguard and the College of Winterhold! Let's call Serana or Isran in for help."
"There is no time. We have to do this now!" Carcette informed them. Her voice shook lightly, betraying her fear at the prospect.
Lucien smiled wolfishly. "Watch and learn." He strutted forward proudly and raised his hands.
The group was perplexed, but they watched the proud mage as he began charging a spell of sorts.
"What are you doing?" Inigo asked.
"We created this in case of grave emergencies, back at the College of Winterhold. Since we're in a moment of calm, I can cast it now. Phinis Gestor told me that it requires a great amount focus." Lucien explained as he continued to motion, locking the fibers of reality in place. "Presto!"
When he released the spell, what looked like a holographic projection of Serana came up, in the center of the dungeon.
"Huh?"
"Serana? It worked! Eureka!" Lucien proclaimed. "Can you see me?"
The holographic projection nodded. "Yeah, I can see you, Lucien. And everyone else." she saddened. "I... I heard about Cura. Everyone did. I can't believe it. I spoke to her a couple of weeks ago! This... it shouldn't be."
"We need you to come join us in the Windhelm dungeons! We'll give you more details then." Inigo stated.
"The dungeons? What are you doing there?" Serana was greatly concerned. "No. You know what? Nevermind. I don't want to know. Just wait for me - I'll Fast Travel right over soon! Don't do anything stupid!"
"Thanks, Serana. You're the best!" Lucien closed the supernatural chat line. The group fell silent and he returned to them. "Boy, Fast Travel sure is convenient! I wonder why most people in Tamriel don't use it."
"Probably because of the nauseating side effects." Mjoll proposed.
"That spell... what was it?" Carcette asked.
"Oh, we call it 'Long Distance Call'." Lucien said. "Serana and I were alone once while Cura was studying. We attended Phinis' class with Brelyna. He explained it and we attempted it. Apparently it actually works!Can't do it in busy places, though."
"I guess that makes sense." Mjoll shrugged.
Carcette walked up and tapped Lucien on the shoulder. "Does the person have to be living?"
Lucien was perplexed by her question. He wasn't certain. "I guess so... Serana technically isn't, and as you witnessed, it worked. Don't kill me, Carcette - it's Conjuration magic."
"I know where she's going with this, and I agree - it is a good idea." Mjoll crossed her arms.
"Please?" Carcette asked nicely. "I... I need to know if she's okay."
Inigo was confused for a moment, but immediately caught that she was referring to Cura. "Yes, that could be a good idea, Lucien! Try it!"
"I'll try." Lucien agreed to do it. "I know her, so that should work. Cura... Cura..." he closed his eyes and prepared the spell once again. He narrowed his thoughts down to his friend: the kind-hearted half-Elven Dragonborn with the emerald-coloured eyes and beautiful smile. He could see her now; donning her Apprentice Robes and hood, Amulet of Stendarr around her neck.
"Cura!" Lucien exclaimed as he casted the spell.
Immediately, a holographic image of the Dragonborn made itself manifest before the group, eliciting a response of elated shock.
"What is this...?" Cura's vision asked as she looked at the group before her now. Beside her holographically, were Rynkyus, Drozu and Lyranth.
"It works! By Shor! It works!" Lucien exclaimed excitedly.
Cura gasped in awe as she recognized the figures standing before her near the jagged stones of the Deadlands. She quickly ran to them and tried to touch Inigo's arm, but went through him. "Oh..."
"Cura! Behind you! There are Dremora!" Carcette shouted.
"Keeper! No, it's okay!" Cura reassured her mentor. She had a wide smile on her face as she saw her again. "These are the Bladebearers! They're Dremora who serve no Daedric Prince. We're allied at the moment."
"I swear, I leave her alone for three days-" Carcette slapped herself in the face.
"Keeper... Inigo... Lucien... Mjoll... I'm so happy to see you all again! I miss you so much..." Cura grew emotional. "Inigo, please, I could use one of your jokes right about now."
A sudden, mischievous grin crept onto Inigo's face. "I was going to tell a time traveling joke, but you guys didn't like it."
The Dremora were baffled, but Lucien, Cura and the others laughed.
"Amazing as always, Inigo. Thanks. I really needed that." Cura wiped a tear from the corner of her left eye.
"What's it like over there? In the Deadlands, I mean? I'm sure it's not like a vacation to the Gold Coast." Lucien asked.
Cura shook her head. "No, no. It's terrible over here."
Carcette stepped forward, passing between Inigo and Lucien. "Cura, please be careful."
"I recognize that voice! Let me through! Let me through!" Madena entered the projection beside Cura, squeezing between Drozu and Rynkyus. "Keeper Carcette! Is that you?!"
"Madena!" Carcette was shocked to see her, of all people there. "What are you doing in the Dea-" a sudden realization hit her before she finished asking.
"Who is she?" Lucien asked.
"The Court Wizard in the Pale." Mjoll informed him. "Last I'd been, she worked for Jarl Skald. For decades."
"I'm dead! Dawnstar is going to be in danger, most likely! The Madena there is a fake!" Madena informed them. "Silus murdered me and banished my soul here as part of a sacrificial ritual!" She could not hide the intense sorrow that gripped her upon recalling the betrayal, despite her efforts.
"Son of a bitch. Of course he would kill the one person in Tamriel who would refuse to defend herself!" Carcette growled. "I knew it. I knew he wasn't to be trusted! He escaped during the Vampire assault on the Hall."
"Vonos had him do it." Cura told them. "Anyway, there isn't much time - Inigo, I need your help. Something massive is coming! Something awful! Langley was right - the Doom Strider is real, and it's going to come very soon! They need to corrupt Skyrim first, and then they're going to bring it through."
"What is the Doom Strider? Did you see what this demon thing looks like?!" Inigo was curiously horrified.
With a nod, their ghostly ally looked to the group scholar. "Lucien. You must know what a Siege Crawler is, right? I'm sure history books in the Imperial City talk about it!" Cura led the topic.
Lucien confirmed her inquiry. "Yes - Dagon sent one through a portal into Kvatch, for instance. It nearly levelled the city on its own."
"This is the mother of all Siege Crawlers." Cura placed emphasis on it. "It is seven times larger than the Blue Palace. Lava oozes out of its creases. It can fire a laser probably powerful enough to demolish Labyrinthian."
Inigo's heart sank. A cold chill caused goosebumps to rise on his hidden flesh. "And I'm supposed to fight that?!"
Cura gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. "I promise I'll be back to help you. Langley saw me there too, right? Even if I have to force my body back to life, I'll be there for you, Inigo!"
Carcette whimpered lightly and hurriedly turned away in that moment. It was still too painful to grasp for her.
"Thank you, my friend. It means everything to hear you say this." Inigo expressed.
A sputter happened with the projection, causing everyone to jump.
"What's happening?" Cura asked.
"The spell is beginning to wear off, confound it all!" Lucien hissed.
Sensing the approaching end, Cura spoke quickly. "I'm sending people who were trapped here to Windhelm! You'll see them. Tell my father to let them in! Rynkyus is coming in my name. He'll have my Amulet. Show it to Ulfric Stormcloak! I'm going to Coldharbour! My Dragon Soul-"
The holographic projection abruptly vanished.
Carcette reached forward. "Your Dragon Soul? Cura-"
Gone.
"No! Get her back!" the former Keeper of the Vigil demanded.
Lucien shook his head. "I... can't. I need to save my strength for whatever we're going to face down there."
The door on the other side creaked open and Serana entered the dungeons to meet them there. "I'm here - is everybody all right? Nothing too insane happened, I hope?"
"We're as okay as can be expected, given the circumstances." Carcette admitted.
Serana sympathized with the former Keeper of the Vigil. "I understand. If you need anything, Carcette. Just ask."
"Thank you."
Inigo showed Serana to the statue and hole in the dungeon wall. "We will be going down here. There may be vampires here."
Serana took one look at the statue of the stabbed woman and nodded solemnly. "There are definitely vampires down here. Blood Scions, I'm sure. That's Lamae Bal."
Lucien and Mjoll both flinched and the scholar took a step back.
"Lamae... Bal...? The Lamae Bal?!" Lucien exclaimed with horror.
"I take it you're familiar with the story." Serana asked.
"Not entirely," Mjoll confessed. "I just know she was the origin of vampirism on Nirn."
"She's the first vampire, and has a bone to pick with both Arkay and Molag Bal, I've heard." Lucien said.
Inigo scratched his chin. "So we will be fighting with the battiest batty who ever bat?"
Carcette's eye was wide open. She was incredibly nervous at the prospect of facing the infamous Blood Matron herself. She held her hands to the sides of her neck once more on instinct.
No. Never again. She would not be infected!
"Are you all right?" Mjoll noticed her heightened response.
"I... I... I can't. I can't do this!" Carcette cried out finally. Her hands trembled and her fingers twitched as stress drove them. "Never again! I will not be infected again!"
Inigo nodded fervently. "Me as well. I cannot imagine a life where I have to give out free hickeys for food. Eugh!"
Serana reached into her satchel and handed Carcette a Cure Disease potion. "Here. I made a few of these a couple of days ago for a demonstration. Yes, I've approached Tolfdir about instating an Alchemy Class. And yes, I was thinking of approaching my mother and asking her to teach it. Don't look so surprised."
Carcette shook her head as she pocketed the potion. "I'm sure she'll be a very good professor. Thank you." Knowing that she had one of those potions lifted much stress from her shoulders. And she knew that Jyggalag was at least watching her. She'd best not disappoint him, if he could feel disappointment.
Serana handed a potion to Mjoll, Lucien, and at last, Inigo. "Here you go, kitty cat."
Inigo chuckled. "Thank you - if I lose it, and am bitten, do slash my throat, please?" He began to descend into the darkness. With his feline eyes, Inigo could see well in the dark, but Lucien, Carcette and Mjoll needed a torch.
Carcette wore her helmet, obscuring her face and undoubtedly making her neck harder to reach.
"So, Serana, how on Nirn did you get past the Windhelm Guards? They have the city locked down." Lucien inquired.
"I Fast Travelled in front of the Palace of Kings and crept inside. Nobody saw a thing." Serana put it simply. She definitely did not want to mess around. It was plain to see that things were not right in Skyrim at the moment, and with Cura gone she was concerned for her other friends, especially in this vulnerable time.
"Ah. That makes sense." Lucien laughed.
Serana walked beside Inigo. "The smell of old blood permeates this place. I wonder just how many people have died down here?"
"At least some Prisoners, some Guards, and possibly some Vigilants." Carcette explained. "This is probably why Jyggalag told me to cleanse down here. Perhaps this place will play an important role in times to come?"
"Jyggalag?" Serana looked confused. "You're a Daedra worshipper now? ...I have been gone a long time, huh? Never would have seen that coming."
Carcette shook her head and placed herself away from her line of sight. Serana could never understand what she was going through. "I am not a Daedra worshipper. It's a... partnership of convenience, I suppose."
"So, like what you had with Stendarr before?" Serana twisted the proverbial knife.
"No - I worshipped Stendarr."
"So, you don't anymore, then?" Serana responded dryly. She didn't seem to want to antagonize, but rather, find out where they stood now with this massive change. After all, Cura was no longer around to stand between them.
"No - yes - maybe?" Carcette cycled absently through the responses. "I... I don't know. I don't know how I feel when it comes to him anymore. I don't understand him at all!"
Serana sympathized with her. "I'm not judging you; don't worry. I just want to know what this means for me now if I'm traveling with you for a bit."
"It means you're fine. If I'd wanted to attack you I would have done it long ago. I wouldn't suddenly do it now." Carcette admitted.
"Okay. Good. That's all I needed to know." Serana sheathed the ebony dagger she'd hidden behind her back. "But, a word of warning if you need it: a Daedric Prince never does anything for free. Or out of the kindness of their heart. He's going to expect something in return for your 'partnership of convenience.'"
As if she'd never given it a second's thought. Carcette knew very well the nature of the Daedra - or did she? Meridia seemed to care about what was happening to Cura, so it was clear they weren't simply transactional beings.
Lucien struggled to understand the suspicion, but chalked it up to her being a vampire, ultimately. He decided then to change the topic. "Hey, now it feels like we're back in the Dawnguard, huh? Just like old times!"
"Aggh!" Inigo grunted with pain as he entered the underground tunnels below. A sharp pain throbbed in his skull and a brief flash of a woman with blonde hair and a carnation on the side of her head entered his mind.
"Inigo! Are you all right?" Lucien was quick to come to his friend's aid.
"I... I am fine. These are not Mind Vibrations... these are not Mind Vibrations..." Inigo muttered to soothe himself as he continued to walk in the darkness.
Mjoll hurried to his side and took a swing in the darkness with Grimsever, hacking a Skeever in two as it lunged for his leg. "Ugh. Of course these things would be down here."
Lucien fired a few Fireballs at approaching Skeevers and Serana drained the life out of other ones as they continued to maneuver through the confounding network of winding tunnels.
The torch provided some visibility, where they immediately identified human bones strewn about like empty wine bottles sporadically on the damp, dark brown stone floors. The odour of blood was growing more and more powerful the further they went in.
"I am so gonna be sick... I can't..." Lucien flung himself over a barrel and retched violently. The smell was too much for his stomach to bear.
Left? Right? Forward? Backward?
There were so many options to choose and so many dark tunnels. Mjoll looked at a grate in a corner with a chest beneath it and marked it as a landmark, so once they approached it again she turned the group around, knowing they'd been there already.
The foul place seemed endless.
Serana came upon a gate and clenched the bars tightly. "Ugh. It feels like we're in a prison down here!"
Inigo was shaking and slowed his pace. He was beginning to feel sick. Something was pulling at him, but he did not know what it was. "Ugh... whoever is doing this, cut it out, will you?!" He massaged his temples.
"What's going on?" Lucien asked.
Serana looked concerned and helped Inigo stand upright. "What's it like, Inigo?"
"I do not know! It is like... flashes... of something. Somethings." Inigo tried to articulate the feeling, but he was coming up short. "Ugh. I am okay. Let us keep moving." He hurried ahead of the group.
As soon as he opened the gate, a loud, piercing roar resounded in the darkness, and what looked like a large, violet, fleshy Gargoyle-esque beast launched a blast of red energy at him. When the attack connected Inigo felt as if his life was sucked from him. He staggered backwards and Serana quickly hurried in front of him and casted dual Lightning Bolts several times, and then a Firebolt, killing the fiend. Immediately, from around the corner came a smaller one with a sword in hand, hacking at Mjoll.
Mjoll retaliated by leaping backwards and parrying with the shaft of her sword. Lucien cast Flames on the fiend, and after some struggle, they managed to bring it down. "Vampires... an unclean lot. It will be a pleasure to clear this place." Mjoll declared as she locked blades with a second one. The fiend pushed her backwards into a wall and dashed at blinding speed and grabbing hold of her.
Its claws tore into her armour, causing Mjoll to grunt and struggle as her blood began to seep through the metal dents.
"Those are Feral Vampires!" Serana cried out. She recognized them from the descriptions she'd heard in the past. "Lamae Bal's Blood Scions - a vampire of its own kind!" Thankfully, in their feral state, they were not able to calculate and deceive the group. They were no more than hungering beasts.
Inigo quickly nocked an arrow and launched it into the darkness when he heard the sound of more movement, and Lucien, Mjoll, and Carcette came flying in from behind him. They locked on to the enemies and began to engage the fiends that were coming up from the shadows.
Carcette's Warhammer buried itself into one of the fiends' heads, and she yanked it back out. The beast slowly receded, revealing the corpse of a Windhelm Guard.
"And there they are!" Lucien cast Vampire's Bane at the foe that held Mjoll, causing it to drop her and it ran in panic to futilely escape the divine flames that enshrouded it. Lucien dual-casted Vampire's Bane several times, bombarding the enemies as Inigo blasted foes with Exploding Bolts of Fire.
It was a flurry of attacks from there, and Inigo and friends were caught in the center of a whirling frenzy of claws and blast of dark energy.
"Carcette! Stendarr's Aura would be very, very appreciated here!" Inigo yelled at her as he struggled to beat back one of the Blood Scions as another bit him on the right shoulder.
Carcette tried, but deep down she felt as though Stendarr would not do it to spite her. Just like at the attack on the Hall of the Vigilant. She favoured a sideways hammer swing, shattering a column, catching one fiend and sending it railing into the wall instead.
Lucien was clawed at and his left arm was torn open. "Agh! Bastard!" he roared as he drew his sword and began to cast Unbound Fire down the west tunnel. These beasts were more tanklike than the average vampire, taking less damage from his flames.
Inigo loaded another exploding bolt of fire, but was flung backwards by a well-swung claw attack, and hit the ceiling, and then the floor. "CARCETTE! HELP!" Inigo called out in desperation. He attempted to claw the fiend off of him, but his smaller Khajiit claws meant nothing to the larger, more robust Bloodknight that grabbed him. He drew his sword and began to stab the fiend repeatedly, but it only tightened its grip on him.
Mjoll cried out as she was bitten through her Blades armour. She began to punch the Blood Scion repeatedly, trying to shake him off, but he was in deeply.
Lucien managed to keep some at bay with his flames, but a Bloodlich interrupted him with a Drain Life spell, bringing the Imperial down to his knees before ramming him into the wall.
Serana was repeatedly clawed at by the ferocious Bloodknight, who seemed to look at her as a nuisance.
In that moment of intense fear, Carcette looked around frantically, but only saw shadows dashing around. She heard Inigo's scream in the darkness and saw Stalf clawing her left eye out of its socket. In a moment of intense horror, she realized her face was covered. In that instant of relief she reached deep within herself.
"Stendarr, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I don't know what's happening to me anymore. I didn't mean to upset you... please, help us in this, our hour of darkness!" she prayed deep within her heart as desperation reached its peak. She was searching for a sign, for anything.
And then she found it. A very silent voice - a whisper among the chaos - cut in from the darkness, and, for the first time in her life, Carcette heard him. "Carcette - You must continue this path. It is as it must be for your world to survive. I have not forsaken you, nor your allies, nor Cura. Go forth, with my blessing. See Inigo and the others through this, and follow Jyggalag's instruction."
In a moment of stillness, Carcette could hear nothing but the soft-spoken words of a masculine, fatherly figure. The feeling was that of a warm embrace that surrounded her. It was a familiar feeling. Though her face was obscured, she wept silently for a moment; knowing it was Stendarr.
A golden light emanated from her and shone like a brilliant orb of weaving colours and illuminated the area, terrifying the Blood Scions. Carcette stood there at the center of the room, a Paladin clad in gray, thorned armour, shining with a light to rival the sun itself.
She took a few steps forward, towards the Blood Scions, who were very much alerted to her baleful presence already. "Blessed be the name of Stendarr, the God of Mercy."
The Prayer of the Resolute.
Inigo and Lucien had heard it once, before.
The prayer the Vigilants recited to keep evil at bay, and to strengthen their bond with their deity.
"He strengthens and unifies his Resolutes through his wisdom and blessings." Carcette continued onwards, reciting the words by heart. Each glowing footstep left an imprint of orange light on the floor where she stood, burning the corruption away.
The fiend that was latched onto Mjoll roared viciously when the light touched him, but the Nord was too lethargic to take the opportunity to shove him off. Thankfully, she didn't have to, as Stendarr's light was doing it for her. The fiend burst into white flames as the Holy light ate him bit by bit.
"He calls us by day to train with sword and shield to strengthen our might; and by night to pray in his name to strengthen our souls."
The monstrosity released Inigo and howled in anguish as the light consumed it. When Inigo hit the floor he covered his eyes, as the light was too bright even for mortal eyes to behold.
Serana was left unharmed, oddly enough, though her being a Vampire. She was relieved to know that Stendarr acknowledged the difference between an ally and a foe vampire. Though, perhaps her newfound connection to Mara may have something to do with it.
The fiends that harassed her screamed like dying bats as their bodies turned into dust before her very eyes and collapsed to the floor.
"He takes pity upon us, his humble servants, and grants unto us mercy."
Lucien caught his breath and held onto his collarbone to ease the air through as the last few abominations scurried into the tunnels to try and evade Stendarr's light.
"His holy light of truth will cast out the forces of darkness and rain justice upon Daedric abominations." Carcette drew her warhammer once again and followed the fiends into the tunnels, eventually cornering them in a dead end.
The vampiric monstrosities wailed instinctually as the figure shining in white and gold light cast the light around the corner before stepping into view. Carcette dragged her warhammer along the floor before bringing it up into her hands and gripping tight the long shaft. When she came in closer, she concluded.
"Glory shall be his, forever."
She brought the hammer down on the last two, and they stood no chance. Between the light, the armour, and the hammer, they were pulverized before hitting the ground.
Inigo, Mjoll and Lucien took the opportunity to drink Health Potions and restore their injuries.
The deceased abominations returned to their original forms, albeit vampiric, once deceased. They were Nords - prisoners, and guards. And their bodies slowly dissolved into ash upon death.
Mjoll was horrified. "Ysmir's beard! I dread the idea for anyone to meet such a fate..."
Serana stepped back from the ashes and looked at Mjoll. "This isn't normal vampirism. This is something else entirely... this is darker magic. It's separate from Molag Bal. This is Lamae Bal's work."
Carcette returned to the group and looked at the large ash piles across the ground.
Lucien leaned his head backwards and groaned. "Oh, isn't that just great. Thanks for telling us about this, Carcette. Coming here was such a great idea!"
Carcette was relieved. She removed her helmet and smiled to Serana. "Yes."
The vampiress was confused at first. "What do you mean?"
"Yes, I still follow Stendarr." Carcette confessed. She looked up at the ceiling. "For... for the first time in my life, I called out to him, and he responded. I heard his voice!"
"You sound like Florentius." Lucien said with a laugh.
"Our fates are intertwined. What we are accomplishing is going to save Skyrim." Carcette said. "I have to continue on this path." She looked at Inigo. "And you yours, Inigo."
The group reluctantly advanced through a large chamber filled with the exsanguinated corpses of Windhelm guards and prisoners and were beset by three more feral vampires. With their crossbows and weapons, the group narrowly escaped their lengthy daggerlike claws and continued onward.
Beyond a final gate was a small, round room with blood coating the ground and what looked like a well in the center. Corpses of civilians lay around the floor, piled on top of the well and on top of one another. An Orc Vigilant of Stendarr in altered Apprentice Robes paced the floor nervously, and his hands were shaking.
"One of your friends, Carcette?" Lucien asked, but the former Keeper shook her head.
"He wasn't part of my chapter." she responded. Then she called out to him for clarification. "Hello, there! Excuse me! Are you a Vigilant of Stendarr from Cyrodiil?"
"There is no hope... there is no light... all is darkness..." As the group approached the Vigilant he muttered those foreboding words and spun around, revealing a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
"VAMPIRE!" Mjoll cried out as she drew her bow and shot an arrow directly into his chest. Once the wooden weapon pierced, the Orc screamed an unholy wail as he attempted to transform into a massive fleshy vampire scion, but Carcette was quick to smash his head off with her warhammer before he could rampage through the group. It flew across the room and bounced off the wall - fangs protruding like an unholy saber cat upwards and downwards. Black blood shone under the torchlight and coated the walls.
There were tears beading in the corners of his eyes.
Carcette trembled as she looked at the half-formed, dismembered beast on the floor, and found a key glistening in the pools of blood. She quickly grabbed it and stepped backwards beside Inigo. On examination, the key could go for the locked door on the well in the center of the room. Just what were they going to find down there next?
Serana was surprised that she would attack a fellow Vigilant, but then again, what were the odds that he would have responded to them peacefully? She saw the corpses as evidence of such.
"Aggh!" Inigo grunted as his brain pulsated violently. A vision entered his mind of a tree. A tree with a Lute lain against it, and a blonde woman in white mourning in front of it. The force of this vision caused him to fall back into Carcette's arms, and he drifted out of consciousness.
"Inigo!"
"Whoa!"
"Inigo! Hey!"
"Inigo!"
The calls of his name grew more and more silent as the world drowned out around him. All faded to black, and then a light shone over him, and the sounds of blowing wind and crickets stridulating and birds singing became audible. The Khajiit passed through a blurry environment and then broke through a great wall of unseen water, as it were.
"Please, don't leave." came a somber, soft feminine voice in the place of his friends'.
Inigo suddenly found himself in an old fortress reminiscent of the architecture of the Palace of Kings, overlooking a beautiful forest. A large, gnarled tree - something akin to a gloomy Gildergreen, sat in the courtyard on one side, and the sea on the other. Beyond the large tree was a balcony edge. Over the edge, the sea could be seen. A dense fog covered the fortress, but Inigo could blow it away and pass through.
Author's Note: "Lamento Della Ninfa" by Claudio Monteverdi - preferably Jeffrey Stivers version on Youtube. I think the song suits this scene and Lamae's whole story honestly ;)
Leaning against the tree was an Ayleid Elven man wearing modestly extravagant blue robes, with silver hair bound back in a ponytail. He was strumming a somber tune on a red Lute and kept his head low, seemingly unaware of Inigo's presence.
Inigo descended the stairs to the left of the large tree and headed through the fog to see the ocean. The further he walked, the heavier the air felt around him. Something was watching him, he knew it.
A Nedic woman with short, blonde hair in a white wedding gown donning a red carnation in her hair sat on a stone far from Inigo on a bluff overlooking the sea. She seemed to be enjoying the soft waves as they crashed upon the rocks below. A gentle sea breeze tangled through her hair softly; a gentle caress to a lonely soul. She noticed Inigo's presence and reached out to him, beckoning him to join her. "My love, how I've missed you! Come to me!"
"Huh?" Inigo was confused by the sudden shift in environment, and looked down to realize that he was in an extravagant outfit, himself. He wore a Lute around his waist, and a pair of tight-looking boots. He only wished there were a mirror nearby so he could laugh at his goofy apparel properly. I am a Bard? Huh. I like music, but I do not remember buying these clothes. He wondered to himself.
"My love, please. You wanted to be with me forever. You promised!" the woman cried out to him, gesturing for him to walk to her. "Please, come! Come and sing me that sorrowful song."
As Inigo took a step toward her, tree roots snapped up from the ground behind him and yanked him down into the ground, screaming. The area grew darker, and darker, and darker as he descended into a void.
Once Inigo hit the ground with a violent thud, his lute dropped to the ground and smashed.
Silence.
The chiming of a bell.
No; the chiming of a knell.
A temple funeral, to be precise. Inigo shook off his daze and began to look around frantically. Though it was for nothing, as even his feline eyes could not see beyond the thick darkness that now surrounded him. The picturesque environment with the maiden and the seaside cliffs was but a fading memory.
A hollow voice spoke down to him from the hole of light above, laced with sorrow and regret. "The sound of a rusted bell calls my name and a red eye looks into my heart. Everything falls into darkness and there is nothing I can do..."
A profound sadness grabbed Inigo and he turned to see what appeared to be a glowing, red rock in the darkness. It was ovular in shape and gave off an air of great power and it was hot - the fires within the stone themselves cast heat akin to a Dragon's Breath.
Inigo slowly approached the eye-catching stone, when the Ayleid Bard fellow who he'd seen by the tree stepped into view. He leaned down and stood face-to-face with Inigo. "Touch the Stone and there is nothing left to doubt. Your eyes will be opened. Your fate will be plain to see."
When Inigo looked at the stone it pulsated with a dark flame, which circled it like a flaring halo before dissipating into the air with a hiss.
"No!" Inigo pulled back, reviling in horror. "I do not trust it!"
"You are so close, now... so close... but I cannot remember what happened next... perhaps your friend may piece the puzzle together... perhaps not. Perhaps both. Who's to say?" the Bard faded away like a phantom after Inigo denied his request.
"My friend? What are you blathering about, you sneaky-" before Inigo could finish his question, his eyes snapped wide awake and he gasped for oxygen. He heaved and gasped and his eyes darted around.
"Is this part of the illusion?!" he shouted before he realized where he was: in the circular dungeon room with his allies, near the well that would lead further down into horror. "Oh... uh, hello everybody. I am thinking it is not such a good idea to be here."
Mjoll may have been healed of her injuries, but the claw dents in her armour were plain to see in the torchlight. "No kidding." she remarked humorously.
Serana knelt down beside Inigo and examined his eyes. "I knew it. Vampiric Charm. Gods, she really is powerful."
"Who?" Carcette asked, growing frustrated. "Who did this?"
"Lamae Bal. She's down here, I'm almost sure of it." Serana proclaimed. She was nervous at the prospect of meeting the very first Vampire. Even she could not predict how she was going to react to them, though if these mindless beasts were any indicator, it would not be a warm welcome. "All right, Dawnguard, you've got your work cut out for you now. Especially without Cura here."
"Yes, it's not like Dawnbreaker would have been useful or anything." Lucien rolled his eyes as he looked at the cuts and bloodstains on his clothes. "Though, we have the Human Light Generator here, so I feel a tad more confident."
Inigo nodded. "That was incredible, back in the tunnels. I had asked for Stendarr's Aura and you gave us Stendarr's Bomb! Maybe try it again later?"
Carcette lightened up. "You've got it, Inigo."
With renewed confidence, the group unlocked the door on the well and took to the ladder, descending deeper into the shadows below.
