70: Return to Cyrodiil

Darkasha followed behind me as I walked out of the Council hall. He could tell we were finished in Sadrith Mora, and we made our way back to the Imperial Mages’ guild. The room was as busy as when we had arrived, and I looked around briefly. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but the Nerevarine had said he had arranged for our transport back to Cyrodiil. I began to move towards the guild guide. But then I noticed the man sitting slumped over on a bench in a corner. Or rather, I noticed his hair.

“Kael?” I said.

The blue hair was a give away, but I was still a bit surprised to see Kael here. He looked up, and then gave me a confused smile. I walked over to him and he rose to greet me. I couldn’t help but notice the shabbiness of his clothes and the wince as he reached to shake my hand. He had been through hell since we had seen him last, there was no doubt about that.

“What a surprise.” He said weakly. “I knew I was waiting here for something, but I wasn’t sure what.”

“Well, here we are.” I said, still taken aback from the surprise. “You wouldn’t happen to know how we’re getting back to Cyrodiil would you?”

He smiled, then winced again. “Yeah, I have the transport stone right here. But we can’t go yet. I need to recover.”

“Anything I can do to help?” I asked.

“Yeah, find out where that healer went. Ah, speak of the devil.” A mage in white robes approached carrying a potion. He handed it to Kael and he drank it down. There was a subtle cracking and popping as Kael’s bones were healed. Then he stood without a wince and thanked the healer.

“Right.” He said, pulling a few small, glowing gems from his pocket. “You know the drill.”



When we arrived in the shabby hut in Leyawiin I immediately fell into a chair. The weight of the last few days was finally lifted off of my shoulders. We were back in the relative peace of Cyrodiil, at last. I must have dozed off, because when I woke up Kael was placing a plate of hot food in my hands. I thanked him and gobbled it down gratefully. When I had finished, I waited for Kael to finish his own portion before engaging him in conversation.

“So what now?” I said.

He sighed. “Rest. I need to report back to my commander, but otherwise it’s going to be somewhat quiet around here for a while. Pity, really.”

“Why is it a pity?” I asked.

“What? Oh, a pity you won’t be able to enjoy it.” He shrugged, then handed me a letter he produced out of his pocket.

“Syras,
We appreciate the difference you have made in Vvardenfell. Without your help, the province would almost certainly have fallen to the Daedra. Which is why we’re giving you five days to report back to the Imperial City. A certain matter needs your expertise.
Jauffre.”

I sighed. “Damn it.”

69: The Council

The master wizard was dead. His office was charred and I could feel the residual magic from his fight for survival, but his body was still crumpled in a corner. There was another body in the room, dressed in the same fashion as the other assassin. I wasn’t surprised that there were two assassins. One does not face the most powerful wizard in House Telvanni without backup. After a few minutes, guards came rushing up to the roof, I was there waiting for them. They nearly killed me, but I was quick to explain the situation. They seemed to accept my story, at least enough to stop them from frisking me. After a short sweep of the office, I was taken back down the tower and through the city to the council chambers.

The doors were shut and I could hear arguing in the main council chamber. I stood around for about fifteen minutes listening to the muffled arguments before their business was concluded, and the doors opened. Darkasha began to walk out of the room, but stopped when he saw me. I had time to flash him a nervous smile before being muscled into the council room by the guard accompanying me. The doors were shut again, but this time behind me. The guard wasted no time.

“My apologies High Council, but some rather disturbing news has just surfaced.” said the guard, “Master Neloth has…”

“Been killed?” replied a mage standing on one of the pedestals arranged about the room. “We know. News reached us approximately 20 minutes ago, shortly before that delightful creature came here petitioning for Lord Nerevar.” He flashed his hands across the air and magic swirled around him, each of the half a dozen or so “mouths” were acting similarly, their hands were always moving, casting spells and communicating with the actual councilors who couldn’t be bothered to come to the council building. The mouth represented the councilor almost year-round, and therefore held a lot of power.

“So why do you come here bringing us old news, captain?” asked another mouth across the room.

The guard was taken aback. “Well… This man was found at the scene. I’d like to know how to deal with him.”

“Release him,” stated a mage at the back of the room. His hands were curiously stagnant; his face more distressed than the others. He was Neloth’s mouth. “My master’s death was the result of a Dark Brotherhood assassination. I did warn him about the possibility of such an occurrence, but he was too busy for his own good…” He sighed. “In any case, this poor man you have brought to us has nothing to do with the assassination. In fact, it seems he brought justice to one of the assassins.” He flicked his hand and contemplated, “Yes, quite a ways for a burning corpse to fall, though I understand he was dead before impact.” His hands were still again. “So, if you have no further business, I suggest you leave us alone. Some of us have to reconsider our manner of employment…” The guard sheepishly bowed and backed towards the door.

I stepped up. “Excuse me sir,” I said. “but the Khajiit who was in here before, what did he ask of you?”

Neloth’s mouth was the only one who gave me more than a derisive glance, so he answered. “Some business with Nerevar,” he said. “Something about needing reinforcements or some nonsense. The creature is not welcome in this city, let alone these chambers.”

“So you denied his request?” I asked.

“Denied it?” laughed one of the mouths, “We didn’t even listen to it. We spent ten minutes ridiculing the animal before we grew tired of it.” The other mouths chuckled. Evidently the Telvanni still considered themselves superior to the Khajiit. I sighed.

“Then I would like to place a request of my own.” I said. “Send as many retainers as you can spare to Red Mountain. Nerevar waits at Dagoth Ur with the armies of the Redoran and what’s left of the Hlaalu.”

“Good lord, are you serious?” asked one of the mouths.

“Absolutely. I’m sure you know of the battles they have fought with the Daedra, and they need your help.”

“You do realize that the Daedra are attacking us too, right?”

“Yes, but you certainly don’t need all these people clogging up the streets. Send them to Dagoth Ur. Hell, send the people you want to get rid of. It doesn’t matter to me.”

The mouths stopped to think. After a moment the flurry of activity resumed. They all started calling out names and adding them to a list that appeared in the middle of the room. It grew longer and longer and then began curling in on itself to fit all the names of people the mouths were sending to Dagoth Ur. Neloth’s mouth twiddled his fingers and waited until the others finished. He looked around when the room was quiet.

“I will go myself.” He said. “I will lead this…” he looked at the glowing scroll that occupied a large space in the middle of the room, “…small army to Nerevar. There’s nothing left for me here, and it seems as though these people will need some direction if they hope to get there in one piece.” His fingers began to dance through the air like the rest of the mouths, and he looked at me, “Well, you got what you wanted. I’ve already begun to notify these people, and we will leave in a few days. Go on ahead and tell Nerevar we are coming.”

“Tell him yourself,” I said. “I’ve got better things to do.” I smirked and strode out of the council hall.

68: The Roof

“Mushroom towers anywhere?” I said, unsure what to make of it.

“Yes! I only ever dreamed of this happening! It is truly a wondrous day!” said Telvanna ecstatically.

“But what do you want me to do with it?” I thought, looking to see that no one was around.

“Well we can’t leave it here, the Telvanni wouldn’t know what they’ve got. It more or less looks like any other spore, but there are subtle magical differences. They would just plant it somewhere and not realize its potential.”

“Yes, but I can’t exactly waltz around Sadrith Mora with it in my hands! The Telvanni may not know its potential, but they damn well know when they’re being stolen from!” I was trying to find an inconspicuous place to put the spore, for now. “And I’m quite certain they can detect the magical signature of their own spores.”

“Yes I suppose you’re right,” thought Telvanna, “but you can’t leave it here, any minute they could be around to check on the roots and then they would find it and it would be lost forever.” He thought to himself for a moment. “I could attempt to mask its energy signature. It wouldn’t be that hard, all I’d have to do is rearrange it a bit. But it will take a bit of concentration, especially since I can’t directly influence it from my staff. Go to your meeting with the Telvanni with the spore in your satchel. I will hide it from them as best as I can.” He thought, “But I may be unable to communicate with you while I am concentrating.”

“But I had been counting on your assistance with the Telvanni!” I pulled out a piece of cloth and wrapped it around the spore before burying it in my satchel. There was no response from Telvanna. I was on my own.



I climbed back out of the root system as discretely as I could, and managed to only get a funny look from a khajiit in pauper’s clothes. I flipped him a coin and he paid no further attention to me. I walked around the tower to its entrance. I walked past the guards and across a narrow bridge to the tower door. I looked down to see the root structure splayed out 30 feet below me. I shook my head to clear the sudden wave of vertigo and pushed open the door into the tower.

After making my way through the maze of tunnels I managed to find the central air shaft of the tower. I looked up and could barely see purple crystals glowing at the top of the tower, hundreds of feet above me. I gulped and then cast a levitation spell. It was a slow climb, but eventually I reached the top. I made a point of not looking back down and opened the door at the top of the shaft. It opened onto the roof and I was whipped by a sudden gust of bitter wind. I fought across the rooftop and into a small pod growing separately at the top.

Inside was eerily quiet. A secretary was apparently sleeping at her desk, and I quietly walked up to her and shook her shoulder. “Excuse me, I don’t have an appointment but I need to speak to your master…” She didn’t move, and I shook her cold shoulder limply. I worriedly lifted her head and immediately dropped it. The pool of blood she was laying in made a sticky noise as she fell back into it. The throwing star embedded in her neck was made of ebony. This was an assassination.
I looked all around me and casted a shield spell. I cautiously walked towards the door to the master’s office, spells flickering through my mind in preparation. The door was ajar, and I pushed it open with the staff.

A throwing star thudded into the wall beside me and I ducked instinctively. I cast a bolt of electricity at the dark form in the room and then immediately charged at it. The assassin was caught off guard by the lightning, but he was exceptionally trained and managed to deflect my attacks. I summoned a scamp and then resumed my assault, but the assassin was still able to block me. I stepped back as the scamp launched into the assassin, but it was dispatched quickly. The assassin and I circled each other, neither ready to make a move. I saw him reach for a throwing star and I cast a Light spell I had amplified with the staff. The flash of light blinded the assassin and I moved in to finish him. I blasted him with freezing cold magic and he fell on his back. As I brought the staff down on him, however, he rolled and was on his feet in an instant. He sprinted out of the office and I gave chase.

Were I as crippled as I had been just days ago, I would never have caught him. I ran after him, firing spells and curse words. He opened the door onto the roof and was momentarily sent off balance by the gale. I hit him in the back with a particularly effective spell and he was sent flying. I finally caught up to him just as he was getting to his feet. I fired a spell at the door leading to the tower and it burst into flames.

“There is no escape for you!” I yelled over the wind. The black-clad assassin retreated away from me, towards the edge of the roof. His face was masked, but something about him suggested a smirk. He began to raise his arms in surrender. Then he jumped.

He dove backwards off of the roof. I ran to the edge to watch him plummet. Not content to let the ground finish him for me, I fired one final spell after him. It struck him directly and he caught fire as he fell. The muffled screams could only barely be heard over the wind.