The skies were bitterly cold and thickly humid that day as Silus Vesuius found Madena walking the shores of Dawnstar. He was younger then, and had begun to develop a bleak perspective of the world. A fact that had only gotten worse with time. He waved to his only friend in the city and the older Breton stopped and turned to face him.
"Oh, hello, Silus. How are you this morning?" the mage initiated conversation with the crestfallen lad.
"Not very well, I'm afraid." Silus admitted morosely. "That gross woman, Beitild. Have you heard what she did?"
"No."
Beitild, the divorced miner's wife who ran the mine on the opposite side of town. She was notorious for her combattive nature and vicious, scathing tongue. She could have done anything, and it would not have been out of character for the sour witch.
"She sent a petition to the Jarl to have me exiled from the city. Says I plan to open a portal to Oblivion. Like I would ever! That useless crone is just upset that I called her out on the lack of safety measures in her mine. Now she's made up this insipid rumour to spite me!" Silus sounded disheartened. He knew all too well what this was about, and Madena picked up on it immediately, herself.
"Are you serious?" Madena asked, disturbed. "I'll talk to the Jarl about it. The Mythic Dawn is long dead; you are not your ancestors. The nerve of that woman. Honestly..."
"Thanks, Madena." Silus expressed gratitude not just for the action, but for her faith in his innocence.
Fast forward a mere five years, and he betrayed her, slaughtering her for admission into the very cult he was accused of colluding with.
Two more years still, he was now facing an impostor of herself next to the Jarl's longhouse, readying to sail the Sea of Ghosts to an unsuspecting island to evade the fallout with other Mythic Dawn members.
Silus took his first step onto the docks and onto the ship. Others followed behind him. The water below caught the light of the rising sun, shining like blood under their ship.
"The sun is rising." Silus remarked as he adjusted his civilian clothes.
They never wanted him here in Dawnstar; now they would be rid of him. The mining town of Stonehollow. That would be his hideaway now.
He wondered just how it was going to happen. The gate would be open soon. There was no doubt about that.
As much as he despised this place, he was overall glad that he wouldn't be there to witness the carnage.
But was it right?
Of course it was. All of those pigs deserved it.
He suppressed his feelings of doubt and looked off to the rising sun. Dawn is breaking.
Silus internally wished Vonos the utmost success in the cause.
The false Madena watched the disguised cultists board and embark from atop the upper section of the city. As long as she could keep up appearances, nobody would be the wiser; especially with the new Jarl and Steward in control.
Skald would have likely noticed a change immediately.
The ship left the harbour and sailed the bloodwater into the horizon, and disappeared, leaving a trail of sparkling light behind.
Cura ensured a safe landing on the flat plains nearby. It did not take long to meet up with a troop of Vigilants who were dispatched in the area. There were Vigilants surrounding the cave entrance, while others were camping on a bluff above. The onlookers stared at Cura while the ground floor Vigilants approached her with relieved smiles.
Dead Cultists stained the snow with their blood, laying there, covered in accumulating flakes.
"Excellent work, Vigilants." Carcette commended them with righteous applause. "You'll earn your way through the ranks soon enough!"
"Thank you, ma'am." one of the Vigilants accepted her praise before he began to explain the current situation. "Your information was correct; we've cornered the rest of the Cultists in their base. Just say the word and we'll purge them all."
"So let it be done." Keeper Carcette gave the green light. She seemed confident; unafraid. As if there was no risk to be had.
The vibe resonated with Cura and her allies, who, with the Vigilants, were raring to go.
Cura stepped forward and Keeper Carcette touched her shoulder briskly. "We have to be swift; the Mythic Dawn is no small gang that can be destroyed in one sweep. I'm sure they exist elsewhere too."
"Like a hive of cockroaches." Inigo spat. He'd heard many stories of the Mythic Dawn growing up in Cyrodiil, and none were good.
"Ewww, so they rummage through the trash and breed a thousand a month? I knew these people were indecent, but come on!" Vilja bemoaned.
Inigo chuckled. "Perhaps not that literally, but they are about as vile."
"At least cockroaches technically clean your messes." Lucien compared.
"Yes. Right. For now, though, we need to cleanse this hive. The potential unanimous leader is here; killing him will deal the death blow. Once we slay him, none will be safe." Keeper Carcette stated, cutting the conversation short.
Lucien stared at Carcette for a second and then looked at Cura.
"Let's begin." the Dragonborn seemed to have only one idea on her focus: defeat Vonos.
Cura drew her mace and Spellbreaker. She had a feeling that she was certainly going to need it. Inigo, Lucien, Vilja, Carcette and the Vigilants followed her into the deep, glowing red crevice carved into the mountainside.
The Vigilants seeped into the crack behind them, weapons at the ready, waiting for their next command.
Hours seemed to pass and Keeper Carcette sat on a rickety old chair in the cell beneath the Beacon with her kindly unbound hands clasped together in silent prayer when a different Vigilant entered the fray, seemingly molding in from the shadows.
An elder Imperial, he was, with a very short, dark gray beard and sunken features. He wore a set of Novice Robes and a hood, like most of the recruits wore, but his outfit was far older and worn to near rags.
He must have pulled it from an old closet for the occasion.
Carcette immediately recognized the man as Nirtius Pontanian, founder of their sister organization; the Agents of Righteous Might. She'd only seen him in person three brief times in nearly twenty years, but his was a face not easily forgotten. And, she hoped, neither was hers.
Nirtius came closer to the cell and leaned forward to look at her. "You look convincing enough." Though it had been many, many years since he'd last seen the Keeper in person, he did recall most of her features, minus the eyepatch and new armour.
At least there was that.
Keeper Carcette sighed. "I'm glad to see you again, Nirtius. It's been a long, rough ride. Maybe I'll tell you more about it sometime."
"I'm sure it has." Nirtius stoically pulled a stool closer to the cell and took his chances sitting directly in front of the bars. He scooched a little to the side to find a comfortable position.
The Vigilants who guarded the door watched them both interact, though they didn't move. They seemed intent on watching her every movement.
Keeper Carcette was still, and elected to maintain her calm demeanour. "I'm not sure of what's going on, to tell you the truth."
"No? I would say it's quite obvious. You're being questioned." Nirtius explained the situation. "We need to be absolutely certain that you are who you claim to be."
"I am the Keeper of the Vigil here in Skyrim." Carcette professed.
"So you say. Others disagree." Nirtius stated.
"Let them. Until Keeper Thorondir reaches Skyrim -"
"Are you Keeper Carcette?" Nirtius cut her off.
"Yes, I am." Carcette responded, catching herself.
Nirtius attempted to search her eye, her body language, her tone. It was difficult to say, as the Mythic Dawn were masters of deception. "Are you Keeper Carcette?" he repeated.
"Of course I am! What kind of stupidity is this?!" Keeper Carcette blew out frustration. Did she not already answer?
Nirtius was unconvinced. He shook his head and sulked. "I'll ask you once more: are, you, Keeper Carcette?"
Carcette's frustrated expression fell to resignation. Though, little did she know, his insistence was not without its purpose.
Nirtius was unwavering. "Where have you been the last year?"
"What...?"
"Answer me."
"I've been in the dungeons under Fort Dawnguard." Keeper Carcette answered. She would answer fairly, truthfully and dutifully, but if he wanted more details on that he would have to ask.
Nirtius looked to the other Vigilants. "Has there been any sight of her outside of the Fort over the course of the year?"
The Vigilants, new recruits, shrugged.
"No, but I have sent letters to Winterhold." Carcette confessed. "Just ask Vigilant Cura; she's received them."
Nirtius scratched his beard. Even if that were true, it could very well have been an impostor just the same. Though, seeing how she named a specific person, it might be wise to pry a little, to paint a picture. Whether it were true or not, understanding any connection could give him a means to verify with others. "This Vigilant Cura... I take it you're close to her?"
"Certainly!" Carcette readily stated, almost defensively. "I helped raise her from infancy."
Anybody who has set foot in the Hall of the Vigilant over the last two decades, minus three years, could confirm that.
"Where is she now?" If Cura could be called in to identify her as a character witness, they could get somewhere.
"From what I've heard, she's roaming the fields somewhere." Keeper Carcette recalled. Unfortunately that was no good. "Perhaps she's in Whiterun, or Winterhold. I do not know. I last saw her two nights ago, and she moves around."
She no longer had a leash on Cura. The Dragonborn went wherever she pleased.
"It is only natural that she would involve herself in this... it would seem the Dragonborn is always in the Mythic Dawn's sights." Nirtius stated, recalling the end of the Septim dynasty.
So he knew who Cura was! Though, it shouldn't be a surprise, given her newfound fame.
"In their sights?" Carcette didn't immediately grasp what his implication meant, but once she did, a look of fear shone through her eye, betraying her thoughts. "You don't think..."
"Tell me." Nirtius insisted. He picked up on her sudden reaction and leaned forward in his chair.
The caverns were dark, damp, and cold. Cura led the way with the Keeper beside her.
"The Mythic Dawn won't get away with all they've done." Cura proclaimed. She would not permit a second Oblivion Crisis.
Lucien ducked under a large spiderweb that hung from the short stone ceiling. "Ewww... I hate this already."
Vilja shivered. "The air feels so tight in here; you can just smell the evil brewing!"
"I have the vague scent of rotten eggs." Inigo informed them with his nose held high.
"Brimstone." Keeper Carcette said sternly. "The scent of burning sulfur. We're getting close, now."
Upon suggestion, Cura noticed the offensive odour herself. "I really hope they didn't open the gate somehow already."
"Well, it could be the remnants of brimstone char on the Cavern walls," Lucien proposed, noting a golden brown glaze coating the upper ceiling rocks. "after all, this was a site of where Oblivion accessed Mundus, apparently."
Inigo nodded. "The smell of the gate that was at Bruma still reeks to this day."
Lucien furrowed his brows and spun to face the Khajiit. "Where are you from, Inigo?" he knew that the Khajiit was well-travelled, but he hadn't quite caught his origin.
"I'm from Riverhold, in Cyrodiil." Inigo said matter-of-factly.
"No way! That's where I'm from!" Lucien exclaimed excitedly. "Cyrodiil, I mean. But you already know that. Have you ever been to the Imperial City?"
"You two have travelled together all this time, and you never spoke of that?" Vilja looked bewildered. "How are you friends?"
"Well, when you have as much going on as we have, sometimes the basics slip your mind." Lucien defended himself.
Vilja understood. "Well yes, I was there too... for the big things, I mean."
"We've faced more big things before Alduin. Like a crazy Vampire Lord who wanted to black out the sun, and a power-hungry Altmer mage with genocidal proclivities. It's... been a pretty rough ride, to say the least." Lucien recounted their stresses.
Cura turned to her allies and gave them a tender smile. "And I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks again."
"Hey, even St. Alessia couldn't win the rebellion alone. You're welcome." Lucien responded faithfully.
St. Alessia, chosen of Akatosh.
Cura recalled what Stendarr had proclaimed to her in Sovngarde: that she would be remembered as St. Cura, chosen of Stendarr. She felt her heart flutter at the thought.
Now she would have to work twice as hard, to merely be worthy of such a title. There was pressure to be found in it, but much, much honour.
The group headed through the narrow tunnels of stone, wood and ruins before coming upon a congregation of cultists.
"There she is!"
"Die, spawn of Akatosh!"
The cultists immediately took to arms, conjuring a trio of Storm, Flame, and Frost Atronachs.
"Die! Die!"
"Die, cur!"
"Not a fan club, I take it." Lucien responded dryly as he charged two Firebolts.
"Don't hold back!" Cura called to her friends and allies. "Let's show them that we won't go down so easily!" She immediately fired a Telekinesis Arrow at one of them and activated it in mid-air, causing a yellowish-green laserlike beam to burst forth from it and tear through three cultists in a line, ending with a gore-coated arrow lodged in the cavern wall.
"Daedra find a way of attracting the worst people." Vilja noted the hisses and cursed being spat at Cura as she fired an arrow into one of the cultist's knees. To her surprise, she managed to hit the target. "Oh, wow; it's like what I did to that guard in Whiterun when Aela was training me."
"You struck a guard in the knee?" Lucien asked, shocked.
"Well, it was before he became a Guard." Vilja admitted.
"I hear they... nng..." Lucien doubled over backwards as he blocked a Daedric sword swing. "...have quite a problem with that in Whiterun. Maybe Aela is the problem."
Lucien slashed the unarmoured cultist's chest, causing blood to spray out.
"Wow; such a small target and you managed to hit it. That is most impressive, Vilja!" Inigo encouraged her as he dodged and rolled away from a hail of Fireballs.
Carcette cast Banish Daedra on the Flame Atronach and Cura's Spellbreaker guarded her from the Storm Atronach's lightning bolt.
Vilja saw a cultist rush Cura from behind and lunged forward to knock the witch down. "Leave my friend alone, you bastard!"
The cultist blocked her attack and slashed Vilja, causing the foreign Nord to squeal in pain.
Cura smashed the Atronach a few times with her mace and Inigo loosed an ebony arrow into it and they both turned their sights onto Vilja's attacker.
In a harmonious teaming, the two of them out maneuvered the cultist and took her to the ground with mace and sword, and Vilja delivered the killing strike with the tip of her steel sword.
The other cultists came flooding in from the cavernous side rooms and the Vigilants caught up behind them, readying crossbows to meet the cultists.
"Let's get this over with." said Cura with an eager twirl of her mace.
Cura and her allies immediately heard the cocking sounds of mounted bolts and a bolt hit Cura and Inigo from behind. The Vigilants unloaded their crossbows on them.
"Agh!" Cura winced as she quickly pulled the bolt from the back of her right shoulder and spun around.
Inigo jumped from the sudden shock of a bolt hitting his right lower abdomen and fired a relexive arrow into the stomach of one of the assailants.
"We are betrayed!" Carcette shouted. "Vile fiends!"
The Vigilants unmasked, revealing themselves to be Mythic Dawn Cultists.
Below the Beacon, a couple of hours had passed and the interrogation took many turns: all leading back to square one, to the chagrin of both Nirtius and the Keeper.
Carcette crossed her arms. "Nirtius, you're an intelligent man. What does it mean to you?"
"You tell me, Carcette." Nirtius returned the question.
"Ugh!" She groaned and leaned forward, pushing her face into both of her hands to release frustration before snapping back upright. She was growing very tired of this farce. "It means that somebody is wearing my face. I know." Carcette cursed the Mythic Dawn from the depths of her were instructing her men and luring them into danger.
"It means the Mythic Dawn is many steps ahead of the Vigil." Nirtius stated. "They've been planning this for years. The Vigil has been struggling to afford arms and armour; the Vigil has been destroyed by vampires; the Vigil has been occupied with rebuilding. With the Dragons. With werewolves. The last three years have been a grace period for the Mythic Dawn."
Carcette had already gathered as much. "Then you understand. Of course you do. We haven't had the luxury of keeping constant watch over them, and yes, I am aware of how ironic that is."
"The Agents of Righteous Might have had to watch the Remnants from afar; every attempt of ours to infiltrate has been thwarted." Nirtius admitted. "We had learned of the Red Scar Cavern, but we don't have the manpower to spearhead an attack on them. And with the Vigilants scattered and leaderless for a time, it was difficult to keep tabs on their group. The Mythic Dawn has grown very bold. Bold enough to impersonate the Keeper of the Vigil." He looked to her for evidence, but was playing his cards on both tables.
"Yes. So why aren't we out there, trying to find this shrew before she causes more damage?!" Carcette snapped. "I swear it upon Stendarr - I am no impostor!"
"It would be easy for a Mythic Dawn Cultist to swear upon a god they disdain." Nirtius was still unconvinced.
"For Pelin's sake!" Carcette stood up angrily. "I sent them to Rielle! Yes! It was me! Me, the Keeper!"
Nirtius glared at her, allowing for more explanation.
Carcette didn't like it. "You... you don't think by sending men to Rielle that I've fallen into a trap set by the Mythic Dawn?"
"For all I know, it was by your design." Nirtius continued to suspect her.
A Vigilant entered the chamber, bringing the best possible news. "The Rielle excavation team has returned from their rest upstairs. They will be down shortly."
Keeper Carcette was uplifted by the news, of not a might surprised.
Nirtius scratched his chin. "Perhaps we can ask them, then."
Keeper Carcette grunted and waved to the messenger. "You there! Is Vigilant Adalvald still in the Rift? Bring him down here! If anybody can prove my innocence, it's him!"
Adalvald was at Fort Dawnguard, to her good fortune, and some of the Vigilants were aware of the fact.
The Vigilant was hesitant, but Nirtius gave him a nod of approval. If the good Vigilant could bring something conclusive to the table, it would be wise to have him over as soon as possible. "Go, son. Bring Adalvald here."
Indeed; they would quickly know the truth.
At the Hall of the Vigilant, Tolan was reorganizing some of the books on the shelf in the alchemy room, when a panicked Vigilant threw open the door.
"Vigilant Tolan, I have distressing news!"
The older Vigilant sighed and turned around to face the grim messenger. "What is it?"
The Vigilant squirmed in her stance like if she were before a firing squad. She clasped her hands together to bring herself to a calm. "The prisoner - the Mythic Dawn Priestess, Enakain has escaped her cell. We don't know how long ago it was, but we went down into the dungeons to bring her food..."
Vigilant Tolan shoved the books into the corner aggressively and walked through the door and was guided by the anxious Vigilant down into the dungeons, where an empty cell rested.
"By the gods..." Tolan was aghast by their incompetence. "And the Keeper doesn't know?" He wondered how in Oblivion the cultist could have escaped and opened the door. He looked within to see if there was a hole in the floor or wall, when the door was shut behind him.
"Eh?"
When Tolan spun around, he saw the female Vigilant chuckling maliciously. "Wow, you lot really are stupid. It's no wonder the Volkihar decimated you!"
"Fiend!" Tolan roared as he rushed to grab her through the bars.
The malignant Vigilant continued to laugh before casting an Illusion spell to resemble Enakain, who was a female Dunmer with long, black hair braided into a bun, and then used her power to shapeshift into another Vigilant and then she ascended the stairs. "We are in front of you, and you do not see us."
She joined some of the other new recruits and they mocked the Vigil's lack of proper vetting process.
Immediately, Tolan surmised that they were all Mythic Dawn Cultists, and he was now their prisoner.
"You won't get away with this, you bastards!" Tolan cried out in frustration.
"Oh, but we will. You're all playing right into Master Vonos' hands. We won't even have to kill you. Take solace in that." the female Cultist smiled wickedly as she left the room and ascended the stairs with the others in tow.
Vigilant Tolan sat in the cell with his face gripped in his hands. His eyes searched the air wildly as he tried to recall every conversation he's had with the Vigilants and the Keeper, herself, over the last few weeks.
Deeper within Red Scar Cavern, Vonos sat before the altar, and before the Oblivion Gate of old. He could hear the sounds of war not too far off, and the vibrations could be heard, rattling the dungeon itself.
"I make peace with my fate." Vonos held a copy of the Mysterium Xarxes, and read it slowly. "When I walk the earth again, the faithful among you shall receive your reward."
He looked up from the book, and into the air. "You, Dragonborn, shall receive your own due reward, as well. Come, Child of Akatosh, come. Do not let me fade into memory."
Indeed; it would be nothing short of an insult, given all that he and the others have sacrificed to get this far.
The Vigil were pawns; helpless to stop him now. The Dragonborn was a tool; a tool to be used by others. And now, willing or not, she was to be used by him.
She just needed to come a little closer.
In half an hour, Brother Adalvald was summoned to the Beacon by the Vigilant messenger, and hurried as fast as he could. He was led down the winding staircase and further into the barracks, and then down into the dungeons, where he saw Nirtius and Keeper Carcette. The former seated before the cage and the latter imprisoned.
"By the gods... if that's a fake, we have no hope of defeating the Mythic Dawn." Adalvald shuddered at the realization of the sheer mastery they held at impersonation.
Nirtius stood up from his chair and extended a courteous hand for a shake. "Greetings, Brother Adalvald. No doubt you know why you are here. I am Nirtius Pontanian, leader and forfather of the Agents of Righteous Might. This woman within the cell claims herself to be Keeper Carcette, and has demanded your presence. She believes you can 'prove' her innocence."
Brother Adalvald turned his gaze onto the distressed expression on Carcette's face and then looked at Nirtius. "I think I can. I know Carcette very well. I'm sure Tolan would be of good help, as well, in this regard."
"Have you worked closely with her for a long time?" Nirtius asked for verification.
"For over twenty years, now. Nearly every single day." Adalvald said matter-of-factly, and Carcette simply nodded at the both of them from behind the iron bars. He turned and cracked a chuckle. "Well, if it's really you, Keeper, then I'm sorry to say that this isn't the first time you've been in a cage. I'm sorry."
Keeper Carcette was unamused by his jape. Out of incarceration in the Dawnguard cell and a little more than a month later, incarcerated into the Beacon's cell. Perhaps her own parents had forseen it and aptly named her.
"Very well." Nirtius clapped his hands together. "How do you intend to prove her innocence, or lack thereof?"
Brother Adalvald snorted and held up a hand. "Just watch." He maneuvered around the stern gentleman and approached the cell. "Where did Cura's Amulet of Stendarr come from?"
The room fell silent for a moment, and Carcette exhaled with relief. "From her baby teeth. It's... an old Breton tradition for mothers to keep their children's baby teeth - some bronze them in jars, others weave them into necklaces. I kept that tradition, because, to be fair, Cura is the closest thing to a daughter that I will ever have." she cleared her throat as Nirtius' glare seemed to ask her to get to the point. "Brother Adalvald, you ground them up into Bone Meal and, with gold, formed the Amulet, at my request."
"Okay, good..." Adalvald was hopeful. "Now, a second question: what was the name of the vampire who gouged out your eye?"
"Stalf, that bastard." Carcette hissed immediately. "I will admit, seeing him burn in the Redwater Den brought me some joy."
Brother Adalvald looked at Nirtius and the two exchanged a nod. These were smaller, specific things. But to make certain she was real, Adalvald decided to take her back long ago, before Skyrim.
"Keeper - when you were growing up, what caused you to want to join the Vigil in the first place?"
Carcette was a broken dam. She would just spill it out, if it meant her freedom. "Honestly? Vengeance. Vengeance against a wicked aunt of mine who became a Hagraven here in Skyrim. She sent my father's head back to our house. I wanted revenge, so I joined the Vigil so I could have the excuse I needed, and to keep my priestly vows to Stendarr. I met you there, with Moric Sidrey, before you embarked to Skyrim. Being a native of the Province, you had the technical insight and knowledge of the Reach and beyond."
"One last question; before you went to bed a couple of nights ago, I spoke with you in your chambers. Do you remember what we discussed?" Adalvald asked her.
"A couple of nights ago? I was here, at the Beacon. I don't know what you're talking about..." Carcette was confused.
That was enough. It was clear the impostor had been spying on them and their conversations for some time - perhaps even conducting research on them unbeknownst to them. At any rate, the impostor was one hell of an actress, but Carcette's reaction told him all he needed to know.
"It's her." Brother Adalvald stepped back with confidence. He quickly examined the lock on the cage. "Who has the key? Get her out of there."
"You're absolutely certain?" Nirtius asked him to reevaluate before making any hasty decisions, but Adalvald was more than confident.
"It's her."
The group was sandwiched between the cultists; behind, and in front of them. The small round room would only allow so much moving space; this would be a tricky fight. The fight was like one out of Oblivion itself.
Cura clashed with the foes ahead of her with rage-filled swings, taking a few heads off along the way. She continued to press on forward, and her allies battled the Vigilant impostors behind them.
Keeper Carcette butted some cultists backwards with the shaft of her warhammer, and knocked one into a switch that leaned on the wall nearby. Once contact was made, a trap was sprung on the group; giant boulders collapsed from the ceiling, raining down like giant hailstones and piling up quickly, forming a wall between Cura and Keeper Carcette, and the rest of their allies on the other side.
"No!" Cura cried out as she turned to see the collapse behind them. Carcette quickly turned her around.
"Don't take your eyes off the fight, or they'll kill you!" she warned as she smashed in the skull of an oncoming cultist who took the opportunity to strike the distracted Dragonborn's back.
Inigo approached the large rock wall from his, Vilja's and Lucien's side. "Oh, no! My friend, we are blocked here, like a bad banking transaction!" a crossbow bolt whizzed past his head and hit a stone, and the impostor cocked his crossbow with another.
Inigo quickly drew an arrow to fire, but Vilja took the attacker by behind, plunging her sword through his back and out his chest. "Take that! And that! And that!" she then proceeded to hack at the false Vigilant until he fell to the floor, dead.
"We seem to be in a bit of a bind here." Lucien grunted as a bolt hit him in the left thigh. "Ow! Son of a-" he launched a Chained Lightning bolt, which transfered from one assailant to the other, striking them both down. He immediately cast one of the Healing Spells Cura had taught him some time ago. "Candle, you'll have to go on without us! We'll deal with the rest of these stage artists."
Vilja growled angrily as she pushed one back with her sword. "We're going to defeat these phonies! You can do it yourself, remember? You don't need us to handle this Vonos!" she parroted Cura's arrogant rhetoric from some time ago.
Cura looked at Carcette, who nodded reassuringly at her. "She's right; come, Cura. We have work to do - and soon, this will all be over."
She led the path and Cura hurried to follow her. However, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole situation. Something deep within her warned her; nay; screamed at her to be careful. The two of them crossed a long bridge over a chasm and came upon a cavern wall with a large set of double doors emblazoned with the symbol of Oblivion buried in the stone.
"Are you ready, Cura?" Keeper Carcette asked her as she pressed a hand on the left door, and gestured at Cura to push the right.
Cura took to the metal slab and pushed against it. "Yeah. Let's get this over with."
The pair of them pushed the large doors open. The wailing of the ancient steel filled the air as tufts of sand and small stones dropped from the ceiling. A hollow, warm, and dry wind kissed Cura and embraced her with a dark welcome as she set her first foot past the doors.
At that moment, four Vigilants of Stendarr came rushing in and Inigo was about ready to attack them, when suddenly they dropped their crossbows and maces and held their hands up. "Hey, now! We're with the Vigil of Stendarr! We heard the noises -"
Lucien stayed his hand, allowing his magic spells to dissipate in the face of friendly Vigilants. "Wait - you're the real deal? Honest and for true?"
"The Mythic Dawn has seeped into our organization!" One of the Vigilants exclaimed before he turned his gaze to the slaughtered impostors. "Oh... but you already knew that. Nirtius warned us a day ago to keep our eyes on our comrades. Especially the new ones."
"Nirtius? Who ion Nirn s that?" Vilja asked bluntly.
Back at the Beacon, the Rielle excavation Vigilants came downstairs to confront the Keeper directly, once again. They were all novices, new applicants. The mission, they thought, was for them to prove their worth to the Keeper; now, however, it felt a tad more sinister in its machinations.
"Have you gotten anything out of her?" one of the Vigilants asked Nirtius as he entered.
"She did indeed send you to the Ayleid Ruin to search up on the rumours. Yes." Nirtius confirmed. "But can I prove she is who she claims to be? Not exactly. I do not know her well enough. Brother Adalvald, on the other hand-"
"I do." Brother Adalvald leaned against the nearby wall. "This is the Keeper. I take it one of you freshmen has the key to the cell?"
As if on cue, one of the novices took the key ring out of his pocket with trembling hands. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach concerning the matter. They've all been had. They've turned against their own Keeper, apparently.
"If only Cura we're here..." Carcette mused. Maybe Nirtius was the sort who needed a second opinion. If anyone could identify her beyond a shadow of a doubt, it would be Cura, right?
"Cura is headed to Red Scar Cavern with the Keeper right now, it is believed." one of the Vigilants let loose her lips.
As soon as Carcette heard that, she tilted her head with concern. What?
She placed her face in her hands. So the fake was at the Hall when Cura had awoken... was she so good at deception that Cura herself fell victim to her guiles? Or perhaps it's not even Cura. It could be an impostor Cura, as well.
Though, discerning the true from the fake would be as simple as observing whether or not she could Shout.
But what if the true Cura was instrumental to their scheme?
Brother Adalvald had enough of the nonsensical theatrics and wrested the key ring from the trembling hand of one of the newbies. He hastily unlocked the prison cell door, and allowed Keeper Carcette to emerge. "You were permitted to join the Vigil for your skill in battle and your faith in Stendarr... but perhaps there should be more stricter requirements put in place for new recruits."
"I.. I'm sorry, Keeper." one of the Vigilants humbled himself. If Brother Adalvald was willing to vouch for her, then it was certain she was the real deal.
"Who is with her?" Nirtius asked.
"A blue Khajiit, an ash blonde-haired Nord woman, a blond Imperial man and Keeper Carcette. We met them in Rielle." the Vigilant responded.
As soon as Keeper Carcette heard this, she lifted her hands from her face and nearly jumped from her chair. "What?!"
Then it was her! The description matched Cura and her current friend circle to a T.
Nirtius was silent. He observed the Keeper's reaction and the trembling of her hands and tenseness of her shoulders.
"Did you just say you met Cura and myself in Rielle?" Carcette asked.
The Vigilant had no vocal response. He was dumbstruck at the moment.
Carcette threw her fist to the right and smashed the bars with great rancor. "By the gods - there's your impostor!"
"If we were to take you at your word as the Keeper of the Vigil," the Vigilant began. "what would the impostor want to travel with Cura for? To lead her to their base so their plans could be foiled? It doesn't make any sense!"
Carcette pushed her forehead into the bars to release some tension. "Stendarr preserve us." She quickly pulled back and began to pace the floor. "Cura is in grave danger, you imbeciles! How have you not figured it out yet?"
Nirtius noted her fearful reaction and understood. "The Oblivion Crisis began with the death of a Dragonborn..."
And now, the Dragonborn was at the Mythic Dawn's base, near their Gate. It was a harrowing thought.
"Red Scar Cavern is where you told me, in letter, a suspected Mythic Dawn congregation was taking place!" Carcette snapped at Nirtius. "I hadn't yet sent men there to investigate! I... I spent more focus on following the clues and uncovering their schemes in Rielle."
"The impostor did it for you. Vigilants have congregated at Red Scar Cavern. A most convincing entourage for Cura to aid." Nirtius stated.
"By the gods. We must do something!" Brother Adalvald declared. Something, anything. What could they do from here, though?
"Whatever is going to happen there, it is too late to stop it." Nirtius shook his head solemnly. "We will never reach it in time."
Because nobody there had ever been to Red Scar Cavern, there was no astral tether they could use to Fast Travel to the location. From the Beacon, it would take approximately eight-and-a-half hours of horse travel to reach it.
The Keeper paled and her knees gave way for her to slide downwards as she slowly lost her footing.
"Cura..."
Vonos continued to sit in his chair before the Oblivion Gate, feeling weakness take him. The pain was so great as he could barely stand. He continued to read the demonic book, page by page, seemingly ignoring Cura's presence. "Be fooled not by the forlorn that ride astray the roadway, for they lost faith and this losing was caused by the Aedra who would know no other planets."
Cura slowly entered the chamber, and was aghast by the abomination she saw before her: a large Oblivion gate, and before it an altar adorned with innumerable assorted bones and skulls, stained brown with crusted blood.
At least Aedra-worshippers didn't adorn their temples with the corpses of innocent people.
"Eat or bleed dry the gone-forlorn and gain that small will that led them to walk the path of Godhead at the first. Spit out or burn to the side that which made them delay. Know them as the Mnemoli." Vonos continued, his voice growing louder as he preached to no one in particular. "Go! GHARTOK AL MNEM! God is come! NUMI MORA! NUM DALAE MNEM!" he hissed loudly and spat in Cura's direction.
Cura was about to attack then and there, when Carcette pulled her back. "Not yet." the Keeper muttered darkly. "Let him finish."
Cura furrowed her brows at the Keeper. Not yet? "What do you mean, Keeper? We came here to kill him!"
"Let him finish his little speech." Carcette ordered her.
Normally, the Keeper would not hesitate to drive her hammer through the skull of a dark priest. Cura found her behaviour to be quite strange lately; though perhaps she was being more cautious due to the Vampire attack. It was understandable before, but this was not the time.
"I give my soul to the Magna Ge, sayeth the joyous in Paradise, for they created Mehrunes the Razor in secret, in the very bowels of Lyg, the domain of the Upstart who vanishes. Though they came from diverse waters, each Get shared sole purpose: to artifice a prince of good, spinning his likeness in random swath, and imbuing him with Oblivion's most precious and scarce asset: hope." Vonos declared.
The Magna-Ge? What was he talking about?
"Deny not that these days shall come again, my novitiates! For as Mehrunes threw down Lyg and cracked his face, declaring each of the nineteen and nine and nine oceans Free, so shall he crack the serpent crown of the Cyrodiils and make federation! All will change in these days as it was changed in those, for with by the magic word Nu-Mantia a great rebellion rose up and pulled down the towers of CHIM-EL GHARJYG, and the templars of the Upstart were slaughtered, and blood fell like dew from the upper wards down to the lowest pits, where the slaves with maniacal faces took chains and teeth to their jailers and all hope was brush-fire."
It sounded like nonsensical ramblings to Cura, though her thoughts were caught up with the notion of a relation between the Magna-Ge and Mehrunes Dagon. It was outlandish!
"Your Dawn listens, my Lord! Let all the Aurbis know itself to be Free! Mehrunes is come! There is no dominion save free will!"
Cura looked down at Dawnbreaker, Meridia's sword. There was no way the Magna-Ge created Dagon. No way. Magnus, Meridia...
Was that it?
Was that the 'dealing with Oblivion' that Meridia had done that had her cast away from Magnus?
A shiver ran down Cura's spine.
No.
It couldn't be true.
"Ah, I've been waiting for you, Keeper. Vigilant." Vonos scoffed. He closed the book with both hands firmly and slowly raised himself from his seat. "Welcome, Dragonborn, welcome. I bid you a welcome to this place, where history will be made."
"Shut up." Cura spat. "The only History being made here is your demise."
"Yes." Vonos sighed with faux disappointment. "It is most unfortunate. Really. I've come so far... so far... only to be outsmarted by the Vigil of Stendarr, of all people. It is quite humiliating. I cannot truly fight you, Dragonborn; but please, do me the honour and end it quickly."
Cura was a little confused. End it quickly? After all he'd done, it would be justice for her to make him suffer. "Why? Why are you doing this?" she elected to ask first. "Is your life really so awful that you would descend to such lows? That you would help a demented Daedra Prince destroy our world? Answer me! What inspires such madness?"
Vonos folded his arms inside of the sleeves of his red robes. "Why? Have you seen the world out there, Dragonborn? Are you blind to the great suffering of this land? The children who cry to the heavens, amidst the rubble and burnt cities?"
Cura was under no illusion. She knew the war had caused a lot of suffering, though she thankfully hadn't seen the destruction of the cities by it. Still, it was no excuse for this. "And so you would bring about an even greater evil?"
"You may see Mehrunes Dagon as evil, but that is simply because you cannot understand his greater purpose." Vonos paced the floor before the altar. "The world is full of death, and suffering. That is no issue. It is inevitable. Animals themselves live in a continuous cycle of death and slaughter. You do, as well."
Cura was not proud of it, but she could not speak to the contrary.
"In this world, filled with death and dust, we all seek our own way. Mehrunes Dagon is called upon to end the ways of old." Vonos turned to face the Oblivion gate. "Once you die, the blight of Dragonblood will be washed from the world. The Empire will collapse. A new era - a new dawn - will be born! And I shall be its herald!" With his speech, Vonos regained his energy and stood tall. He turned to Keeper Carcette. "Now, then. If you've come for me, we shall dance."
"Yes, we spied on this group for Nirtius." one of the Vigilants explained. "We've had to exercise utmost discretion, even around the Keeper or the other members, as Nirtius had a hunch that we were infiltrated while Keeper Carcette was imprisoned."
"Absolutely bonkers!" Lucien exclaimed.
"If you knew about this, where were you?" Vilja placed her hands on her hips sternly. "I am so confused right now! The fakes could have killed us!"
"I am sorry, but it was a risk we had to take." one of the Vigilants pulled down his hood, revealing himself to be an older Breton man. "I am Irbrand Bienne - I am an Agent of Righteous Might."
Inigo was unimpressed. He slowly shook his head. "I get that Skyrim is a big province, but if you really knew this much you could at least have warned Cura. She could be heading towards a trap, for all we know!'
Irbrand nodded solemnly and reached into his robes. He pulled out what appeared to be a hard leather-covered journal emblazoned with the symbol of the Mythic Dawn. "We haven't had time to study the efficacy of these notes, but they were found in Vonos' chambers. We barely escaped with our lives two nights ago - but we managed to recover this."
"What is that? A conspiracy book?" Vilja grew uneasy by the sight of it.
Irbrand handed it to Lucien. "We've been keeping a close watch on the perimeter, and we knew that the false Vigilants were going to patrol here. We managed to keep an eye on them. Their plans are far more sinister than you realize. Read this."
Lucien gingerly accepted the journal and flipped open the front page.
"Vonos' Journal
by Vonos
The voice of Mehrunes Dagon permeates my dreams. At first it was a whisper, but has become a roar inside my skull. The seeds of strife and violence plague this land, the soil enriched by the blood of battle. "Tamriel will soon be ripe again for the taking, for my vengeance is at hand" the voice says to me.
I must heed his voice. What must I do, my Lord?
12th Mid Year, 4E 200
I have spent countless hours, countless days in prayer to Dagon and have heard nothing. I finally took rest, and had another dream. Dreams of fire, of smoke. Heat upon heat. I was descending into a cavern, further and further down. The heat began to cook and blister my skin.
But I kept moving, ever downward. Fire and smoke, heat and rock. And then I saw it. The very mouth of Dagon. An Oblivion Gate.
With a blinding flash I then began to have visions of Akatosh, visions of Dragons. What could be the meaning of this?
I awoke covered in sweat, and with a deep sense of purpose. I feel drawn eastward. I must heed the call.
15th Sun's Height, 4E 200
Dagon's voice has lead me to a cavern, deep within the Velothi Mountains. His worshippers used to gather here. I feel their presence. I feel his power.
An Oblivion Gate is buried here. I can feel it.
It is my destiny to reach it. I will spend night and day with pickaxe in hand until it is freed from this prison of stone.
6th Hearthfire 4E 200
For nearly two months I have toiled, digging deeper and deeper, stopping only to rest. Stone by stone, inching ever closer to my destiny. Ever closer to the fires of Oblivion.
Others have begun to heed Dagon's call, and have found their way here, to me, to our Lord. We are the high priests of the new order, the chosen few who are attuned to his will.
As we traverse deeper, the remnants of an ancient Mythic Dawn temple are revealed like diamond from the rock.
Priest Vitus was the first to discover the gate's stone. My ecstasy was short lived, however, when I found like every other gate, it had been destroyed. Still, I could feel its power like heat against my skin. Many other pieces like this are scattered throughout the lands of Skyrim. Buried deep. Lost to time. We shall find them. We shall open the jaws of Oblivion once again.
4th Morning Star 4E 201
Visions of Dragons cloud my dreams once more. Images of Martin Septim and Akatosh that make my blood burn with anger and vengeance. Black wings unfurling against a red sky.
I do not yet understand the meaning of these visions, but Dagon's hatred has become a burning coal in the pit of my stomach, driving me ever forward.
21st Second Seed 4E 201
Over the last several months we have searched the deepest reaches of Skyrim, and have retrieved enough remnants of the various shattered Oblivion Gates to make one whole again. Its very presence inspires power, awe, and reverence.
A pact must now be made. Dagon requires that each of us offer a personal sacrifice, a blood offering to prove our dedication. With each soul cast into the fires of Oblivion, his power grows.
The Liminal Barrier is weak here, and the turmoil and conflict boiling in the lands only weakens it further. I must now summon a Dremora Lord to acquire a Sigil Stone, and find a way to open the gate.
10th Sun's Height 4E 201
I have performed the rites as dictated in Liminal Bridges, and successfully penetrated the barrier into the realm of Oblivion, but my attempts to use the gate as a vessel of trans-liminal attunement have failed. The portal to Oblivion is thin and temporary, as one might expect. I have smelled the sweet sulfur of the Deadlands, but only for fleeting moments of time.
I have studied all there is to know of the Mysterium Xarxes. I have been to Dawnstar on countless occasions to observe its last remaining page. Yet the necessary piece has remained a mystery.
As I pray to Dagon for guidance and confer with his Dremora, I understand now that a Sigil Stone is simply not powerful enough on its own. Something stronger may be required to open the gate. But what kind of artifact could hold such power?
I have dispatched the most loyal of my disciples to all corners of Tamriel to search for any artifact or source of power worthy of becoming the key to Oblivion. I must remain patient and trust Dagon's will.
20th Sun's Height, 4E 201
I have received word from my scouts that a Great Welkynd Stone may be hidden within Rielle, an ancient Ayleid ruin. Could this be the source of power needed to open the gate? It very well may be. How delicious the irony - an object once used against Dagon becoming the very thing that unleashes his power back into the mortal realm.
My scouts are working diligently to uncover any further information they can. And as I continue to pray to Dagon for guidance, his voice says to me "Patience, all shall be revealed in time."
2nd Last Seed, 4E 201
Curse the Vigil of Stendarr. They have blocked the Pale Pass through the Jerall Mountains, making access to Rielle an impossibility. We cannot risk exposing our plans. We must find another way.
If we cannot make our way into Cyrodiil by road, we will do so by force directly through the mountains. We have done it once to get to this sacred place, and we shall do it again. I have dispatched a team to begin excavation immediately.
14th Last Seed, 4E 201
Fevered visions haunt my dreams once more, and as the time draws near I now understand what must be done.
The Dragonborn Prophecy foretells a chosen one will come forth, their blood and soul blessed by Akatosh himself. The Dovahkiin.
The Time Wound will open, and Alduin the World Eater shall also return.
Though both are fragments of Akatosh's soul, these two will wage war against one another. And as children of Akatosh they will reap the vengeance of Mehrunes Dagon.
But pain and suffering nor death will satisfy. Only the ultimate betrayal will suffice...
To open the Oblivion Gate, a ritual of the highest order must be carefully designed. An artifact of untold power must be corrupted, a great sacrifice made, and above all, the Dragonborn must become the unwitting instrument of Dagon's will.
I will become the sacrifice, the final step. And as the Dovahkiin takes my life with blade in one hand and Great Welkynd Stone in the other, they will complete the ritual and become the very key to opening the gate.
This ultimate betrayal will shatter the Liminal Barrier, opening the Oblivion Gate and giving Dagon a foothold into the mortal realm while he rebuilds his armies.
It is a divine plan beyond anything I could have comprehended. The world will be bathed in the fires of Oblivion, and the blood of mortals will be on the hands of Akatosh.
None can be made aware of this plan. It is too fragile, too perfect.
27th First Seed, 4E 204
It has begun. Alduin has been defeated.
Skorvild has been missing for several days. After witnessing his brother being sacrificed, his spirit broke and he deserted the order, just as I planned.
He will seek out the Dragonborn for help. And once his role has been fulfilled, he will be slaughtered.
The Dragonborn in their arrogance will continue to be the embodiment of ambition, much to Dagon's pleasure. They will no doubt seek to obtain the Great Welkynd Stone. They will then return to me. And when they do, the final act of the ritual will begin.
Priestess Enakain has been taken captive by the Vigil of Stendarr, but she too serves a greater purpose. Her spirit will not break, but she will lead the Vigil where they need to be to aid the Dragonborn. Where they will utterly fail, the Dovahkiin will succeed.
Their success will be short lived. The Sigil Stone has been destroyed, ensuring the gate will remain open. Moreover, two of Dagon's Dremora Valkynaz, Gatanas and Methats, are waiting in the Deadlands to lead the assault. They are the heralds of the coming siege, and through their works we will unleash a scourge of torment upon our Lord's enemies.
The dawn is breaking."
As soon as Lucien finished reading the book slipped from his fingers. "Oh, gods-!" he began to feel incresingly more nauseous with each word and barly managed to contain his vomit. He felt physically ill. "We... we have to get to Cura! She can't go through with it!"
"The Welkynd Stone; that's why they need it, those stinky rats! Cura has it! She's with Keeper Carcette, isn't she?" Vilja asked.
"What if Keeper Carcette is an impostor, too?" Lucien asked. "I don't know about you all, but she was the one who insisted we go to Rielle. She led us to the Great Welkynd Stone. She's been urging us forward... and not to mention, she's been acting quite strange, from what I know of her."
"Really? I hadn't noticed anything, but I don't really know her that well; I'm new to the group." Vilja shrugged.
Inigo's mouth opened with the sudden realization. "That's how she deceived everyone else! They were all new Vigilants at the Hall!"
"And Colette?"
"Well, they haven't spoken in person in years." Inigo stated.
"...And how Cura somehow saw her map concerning the Mythic Dawn..." Lucien recalled the details Cura had spared before they left the Hall of the Vigilant. While the Keeper and Colette were arguing, Cura saw notes on the Mythic Dawn lain obviously on the table in front of her.
Perhaps Carcette wanted her to see them, because it was all part of the plan. The letter from Skorvild, probably forged. He was dead already by the time they arrived.
It was jarring; when did the Keeper go, and when did the impostor arrive?
It mattered little - they needed to warn Cura!
"Easier said than done! How do we get past those rocks? I don't even think a Firebolt will be able to clear them all!" Vilja asked firmly, gesturing towards the impossible rock wall before them.
"Then we are going to use more than just a Firebolt! We must help our friend!" Inigo cocked his crossbow with an Exploding Bolt of Fire.
Lucien nodded and readied to dual cast his Firebolts, and Vilja nocked an Exploding Fire Arrow. Irbrand and the other Vigilants each followed suit, agreeing on the terms. They nocked Exploding Bolts of Fire, as well.
"Like Jyggalag in a psychedellic chamber, we must be unrelenting!" Inigo declared as he loosed the first exploding bolt, tearing into part of the rock from a distance. "FOR CURA! FOR SKYRIM!"
"FOR CURA! FOR SKYRIM!" the others parroted as they began a relentless barrage.
For all their might, would it be enough?