I did but not all of it, why did it say something about that?

If not then I don't see where you get that title.

Here's the reference from chapter 4. It's a play on what every Morrowind first-timer thought when they read that word for the first time.

And, I suspect, Helena has a plot ending that will show that it was all a huge mistake, that the real Nerevarine missed the boat and Ada Ventura bumbled into the story, and that she's never again going to do the whole ghastly thing again...ooops...Helena, did i just post a spoiler?

Ah, that would be telling

Chapter 8: Larrius Varro's Little Story

Marcel Maurard was delighted when I returned to him with the news about Crassius's new play. "Then I must go to see the noble patron!" he cried. "Thank you my friend; you will not be forgotten! Yes, yes! The play's the thing, wherein I'll catch the purse strings of... that guy!"

The enchanter Miun-Gei seemed equally happy to be rid of the tiresome Breton. "You've done it! I admire your persuasiveness, friend. Allow me to give you this as a token of my appreciation."

To my astonishment, he handed me what appeared to be an enchanted spear. I blinked. "This? Really? Seriously, a couple of free scrolls would be fine..."

"No, no, take it!" he insisted. "It has a Shock enchantment. Very useful."

I wasn't entirely sure what to say. The truth was that I had no skill at all with spears, and it was far too large and heavy to just carry around in my pack. I could sell it, since it was obviously valuable, but I didn't want to do that in Vivec in case Miun-Gei got to hear of it and was offended. So I ended up having to take the damn thing with me on the silt strider to Suran.

Suran was a small coastal town built in the same style as Balmora. It wasn't too far from Vivec, so I arrived there in time for a late supper, but it was too late to tackle my Fighters' Guild assignment ? or at least, I thought it was. My 'target' was a woman named Helviane Desele, who owed some money to a Fighter's Guild client. For some reason everyone kept sniggering when I asked where she could be found; it wasn't until the next morning, when I arrived at 'Desele's House of Earthly Delights' and saw the red light outside the building, that I realised it was that kind of establishment.

There weren't many 'clients' inside at that time of day, of course, but somehow that just made it seem even more tawdry. The barmaids were all topless, wearing only skirts and a skimpy undergarment, and the three female dancers ? all humans, I noticed ? wore almost nothing at all. I wondered just how desperate I would have to get before I'd consider going into that line of work ? not that anyone would ever be likely to hire me, of course.

I was surprised to discover that one of the shirtless barmaids was in fact Desele herself. She greeted me politely, while obviously a little confused as to what I was doing there. "Welcome to my house, Imperial. Make yourself at home."

"I'm not here for pleasure, I'm afraid," I told her. "Could we talk in private for a few minutes?"

She nodded and led me to an upstairs room, where I got straight down to business: "I'm from the Fighters' Guild. I'm told you owe money to our client, Manos Othreleth."

I hadn't exactly expected a warm welcome, but neither had I expected the look of outright fury that flashed across Desele's face. "Oh, that's it, is it?" she snapped. "I try and run a respectable business and the Camonna Tong keeps asking for this money 'for my safety'. Well, I'm not paying it!"

"Whoa! Hold on!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you telling me this guy is Camonna Tong?"

Desele nodded, grinding her teeth. " 'For my safety', indeed. What is it really for? To keep me safe from Orvas Dren's thugs, that's what it's for!"

I had no idea how to respond. If she was telling the truth ? and she certainly seemed genuinely angry ? why on Nirn were we taking contracts from the Camonna Tong? I hadn't joined the Guild to end up working as an enforcer for the local crimelords. Did Eydis know about this? And if so, what the hell was going on?

I remembered what Percius Mercius had said to me about things having 'gone bad' in the Guild under the new Guildmaster. Suddenly I was starting to see what he meant. The only option I could think of was to go to him and ask his advice on this contract, as he had suggested.

"Okay," I said at last. "I'll go check up on this, and if you're right? well, I'm sure it's just some sort of misunderstanding. Sorry to bother you."

Desele merely huffed and returned to her place behind the bar. Making to leave, I nearly tripped over the legs of a man who sat slumped in a chair, clutching a mug of ale. He was clearly extremely drunk, and from the look of him he'd probably been there all night.

"Well, hey there," he mumbled, giving me a little wave. "S'fine place this is, huh? Good place for me to jusht forget about my troubles. No use thinking about them. Stupid slaves. Why they gotta run, huh?"

I'd been planning to just ignore him and walk on, but those last few words caught my attention. "What was that about slaves?"

"Bah! I hate 'em all." He took a long swig from his tankard. " 'Specially the ones I can't find, know what I mean? Been looking for this one, Haj-Ei, for months now. Can't find him, though. Always running and hiding. Running and hiding."

From this rather confused narrative, I gathered that he was a hunter of escaped slaves, and that he hadn't had any luck tracking down the one he was currently looking for. Needless to say, I didn't have a lot of sympathy for him. I was about to walk away in disgust when I suddenly realised that if I could find this slave 'Haj-Ei' myself, I might be able to help him escape.

"Poor you," I said, trying my best to sound sympathetic. "Do tell me all about it."

"How's a man supposed to earn his keep? I'll tell you how! Running and looking, that's how." He took another swig. "Even got myself a guide, I did ? good ol' Hides His Eyes. Kind of a stupid name if you ask me. Anyway, he's been showing me around here for a couple of weeks ? fat load of good that's done me!"

Hang on. This guy was hunting an Argonian slave, and he was being helped by another Argonian? It was possible, I guess ? it's astonishing what people will do for money ? but something about it didn't sound right. "And where is this 'Hides-His-Eyes' now?" I asked, as casually as possible.

"Seems to like the tradehouse in town," he said, shrugging. "I'm happier in this place. Another drink here!"

I left him to his ale and went to the general store opposite the House of Delights, where I bought a light chitin bow in exchange for my unwanted spear. (If I hadn't been able to sell it, I guess I could always have donated it to Crassius Curio as a prop for his new play). After that I wandered around Suran for a while in search of the tradehouse, past groups of chatting housewives and giggling teenagers, and a wild-eyed shirtless guy mumbling something about 'Red Mountain' and 'the Incarnate'. The town was built on the lower slopes of a mountain, so when I mounted the last of several long flights of steps, I could turn and look out over the whole town to the bay below.

I found Hides-His-Eyes in an upper room of the tradehouse, but he couldn't give me any more information about Haj-Ei than my 'friend' the drunken slave-hunter. When I mentioned the name, he just shrugged. "Yes, the escaped slave. Hunted for many weeks, we did. Took the bounty hunter all around this area looking for him. Never caught him, though." He shook his head thoughtfully. "No, never caught him."

I looked hard at him. It can be difficult to for humans to interpret Argonians' expressions, since their facial structure is so different, but I could swear I saw his lips curve up slightly at that last sentence. By now I had a strong suspicion as to where Haj-Ei might be, but I had no proof.

On one of the lower floors, one of the patrons directed me the slave trader Dranas Sarathram, who was apparently an expert on Argonians and their language. I hadn't realised Suran had a slave market, and was a little shocked to find something like that in such a pleasant, cosmopolitan little town. Nevertheless, I made my way there in search of Dranas.

When I entered the building it appeared to be empty, but off to the side I could see several doors with small, barred windows in them, like the door of a prison cell. I walked to the centre of the room in order to see inside them, and immediately wished I hadn't.

The two rooms I could see from here reminded me strongly of the prison cell where I'd served out my jail sentence, only smaller, dirtier and more cramped ? closer to animal pens than cells. Inside each one, a thin, listless-looking and nearly naked Argonian sat slumped in a corner. Hearing my footsteps, one of them raised his eyes to look at me for a moment and then quickly lowered them again, obviously taking me for a potential buyer. I felt sick.

Quickly I turned away, and found myself face to face with a male Dark Elf. It was a real struggle to conceal the disgust I was feeling and force myself to smile pleasantly.

"I am Dranas Sarathram, the slave trader here," he said, returning the smile. "Can I help you, sera?"

The next few minutes felt more than a little surreal to me. I had honestly never imagined having a polite conversation with a slave trader. I'd always considered them the scum of the mortal plane, right up there with torturers and child-killers. Finding this one to be a friendly, courteous man, who clearly thought he was just doing a job like any other, was almost as disconcerting as the sight of the slave pens.

We pvssyd about this and that for a minute or two, and then I casually asked him whether he knew someone called 'Hides-His-Eyes'. "Don't know him," he said. "Argonian, right? Sounds like an Argonian name. Not his real name, of course, but that's the way of things."

"Really?" I asked innocently. "Not his real name?"

"Well, of course ? it's just a translation from the Argonian." He thought for a moment. "That would translate to something like Hajeekius? Hajesheeus? maybe Haj-Ei. Most folks don't bother to learn the language of these savages, but for me it makes business a little bit easier."

I nodded understandingly and then told him that I had to be going. After promising to 'think about it' when he asked if I'd like to buy a slave, I left the building as quickly as possible, highly relieved to be getting out of there at last. I didn't think I'd forget the sight of those slave pens for a long time.

I hurried back to the tradehouse and Hides-His-Eyes, who looked a little suspicious to see me back again. "What do you want?"

"I need to speak to you in private." He followed me into a back room and shut the door behind us, now looking even more suspicious.

"Well, what are you here for?"

"I'm here to tell you that you're an idiot? Haj-Ei." I threw up my hands. "What the hell did you think you were doing, pulling a stunt like that?"

Hides-His-Eyes raised his eyebrows, clearly realising that the game was up. "You found my secret, you did? I'll not try to hide it from you. Yes, I am the one the bounty hunter seeks." He fixed me with a defiant glare. "He would take me back to the slavers. That is not for me. So I dragged him around the wilderness for a while... what of it? Does he not deserve it, the drunken fool?"

"He may be a fool," I whispered, "but the local slave-trader isn't. Did you know that he speaks your language?" His eyes widened. "If he ever gets to hear the name 'Haj-Ei', you can bet he'll put two and two together. It's a miracle you've got away with this for so long!"

Hides-His-Eyes looked somewhat shaken. "No, I did not know this." He paused. "So, now you know my secret, what will you do with it? You? will not tell, will you?"

"No, I won't tell. But you need to get out of town now." Suddenly I realised that he might not have anywhere to go. "Is there anyone who might help you?"

"If I can reach the Argonian mission in Ebonheart, they will help me." He nodded slowly. "You are a good friend ? I thank you."

"No problem," I said, shaking my head in exasperation. "Just be more careful in future, okay?"

He nodded. "I will let others know what you have done for me today. Have you seen the Twin Lamps?"

I blinked, confused by this sudden turn in the conversation. "Twin? Lamps?"

"They light the way to freedom," he whispered, and hurried off.

Okay, I was still confused. But at least I'd managed to help a slave escape, and hopefully in a way that wasn't likely to get me into trouble. The silt strider would take him straight to Ebonheart, so why he hadn't just hopped on it straight away was beyond me; maybe he was one of these people who enjoyed living on the edge.

I left the town myself early in the afternoon, not keen to spend any more time there. As the silt strider ambled away from the port, I couldn't help glancing back a little guiltily at the building housing the slave market. Locked in a vault in Vivec somewhere, I probably had enough money to buy and free at least some of those slaves ? but I needed that money in order to get back to Cyrodiil. I knew it sounded horribly selfish, but I'd never get back home if I set out to free every slave in Vvardenfell.

When I arrived back in Balmora, it was getting dark and I was tired and frustrated. I'd gone all the way to Suran and back without accomplishing my Fighter's Guild mission, and what was more, I still didn't have any idea how to deal with Ralen Hlaalo's murderer. So I set off to do what any bold adventurer would do in this situation: drown my sorrows in a tavern.

The Eight Plates was full of well-dressed young Dunmer; clearly this was where the children of the local nobs hung out. I ordered a Cyrodiilic brandy and settled down in a corner, letting the conversation float over me. Although most people there were Dark Elves, there were a few outlanders present as well, so much of the discussion took place in Tamrielic. All the Dunmer there seemed to speak it fluently, and I envied them their ability to switch easily between their own language and the common Imperial tongue (I never was much good at languages myself).

One particular discussion caught my attention, apparently concerning the local magistrate. "Everyone knows Nolus Atrius is on the take," one man was saying. "Thieves, thugs, and murderers are getting ridiculous sentences, or paying a drake and walking free. But he's got fatcats and family back in the City to cover him."

"Well, I hear the Legion Champion over at Moonmoth Fort has sworn an oath to stop corruption."

There was a general roar of laughter at this. "Larrius Varro?" spluttered the first man. "If so, he should start with his own soldiers first. Honestly, that's like the Camonna Tong swearing an oath to wipe out organised crime."

"The Legion is the worst of the lot," said one of the women.

"No, they're all as bad as each other."

The others nodded in agreement. "How do you think it was that bloated Imperial plutocrats got the charter to exploit the Caldera ebony deposits, and not a native Great House or local colonist? Big fat bribes, I tell you. And friends in high places."

I squirmed a little in my seat, feeling the back of my neck grow hot. Okay, so a lot of what they were saying was probably true, but we weren't all corrupt. Seriously. And given that most of these guys probably belonged to House Hlaalu, the words 'pot' and 'kettle' sprang to mind.

At that moment one of the Dunmer happened to glance in my direction, and saw me listening intently with arms folded. A look of horror crossed his face, and he nudged his friend sharply in the ribs. "Hey, Meril! Keep it down!"

Everyone looked round at me. "Carry on," I said, giving them a little wave. "Don't mind me."

The man who had just spoken gave a rather embarrassed cough, and turned back to his friends. "Well, anyway, he'll never get anywhere working through the system. The syndicates have got their people covered coming and going."

"Then he's going to have to go around the system," said someone else. "Or through the system. Like, straight and hard through the system."

There were murmurs of agreement, and the conversation gradually drifted on to other topics ? but the talk about Larrius Varro and going 'through the system' had given me an idea. Granted, the kind of mildly crazy idea you tend to get after downing several glasses of brandy, but still an idea.

The next day I took a quick trip to Ald'ruhn to talk to Percius Mercius. By now it was becoming second nature to use the Guild Guides, despite how nervous I'd been at first, and yet again I found myself wondering why such a great idea hadn't made it to Cyrodiil. In general, we Imperials are past masters at stealing other people's ideas, incorporating them seamlessly into our own culture, and pretending we thought of them all along. Maybe it was one of those petty regulations that the Mages' Council dreams up every few years, just to remind everyone that they still exist.

Percius looked grave when I told him about Desele and the Camonna Tong. "Yes, Manos Othreleth works for Orvas Dren, so I suspect this may not be a legitimate contract."

"So what should I do?"

"Well, if you don't want to get the money from her, I guess you'll have to pay it yourself." He saw the expression on my face, and shrugged. "Sorry, but that's all I can think of."

I really wasn't happy with the idea of my own money going to fund the Camonna Tong, but it was better than having to bully Desele into paying them protection money. I returned to Balmora with a heavy heart and went to the Fighters' Guild, where I handed over two hundred drakes to Eydis (without telling her that it was my own money, of course).

"Good work, Ada. Here's your share." She gave me back half of the money. I still wasn't happy, but hopefully this would head off any more threats to Desele's 'respectable business' (snort).

"Now," Eydis continued, "I have a bounty contract for the Orc Dura Gra-Bol. She's an outlaw, living openly in a house here in Balmora. I have a contract here that says 250 septims are yours if you bring her to justice."

I agreed to the contract ? making a mental note to check it with Percius first ? but instead of going straight off to deal with Gra-Bol, I left town and headed for Fort Moonmoth. Inside I met Radd Hard-Heart, the Nord soldier who'd taken my Dwemer coins after my visit to Arkngthand. "I'd like to speak to Larrius Varro," I told him.

He looked rather surprised, but waved his hand towards one of the staircases. "Down the stairs and to the right."

Larrius Varro was dressed like a typical Imperial guard, but I could tell immediately that he was more than that. When I introduced myself, his brows shot up and he gave me a hard, appraising look. "Greetings," he said at last. "I'm Larrius Varro, Legion Champion of Fort Moonmoth. I may have some work for you, if you're interested."

"That's what I'm here about, actually."

"Really?" He nodded slowly. "Well, Ada, the truth is that I'd been hoping you might come by. Through various channels, I've learned a bit about your situation."

"You have?" It was my turn to be surprised. Was Larrius involved with the Blades somehow?

"I'd like to tell you a little story," he continued. "When I'm done, you can ask me some questions ? and then, maybe, you might decide to go out and do some things. Or you might not. That's your affair."

"Go ahead."

Larrius glanced around, making sure we were alone, then laid an arm around my shoulders in a confiding manner. "Very well, here is the story: Once upon a time, there was a bad magistrate who took gold from criminal organisations to reduce the sentences and fines of criminals. Everybody knew he was doing this, but nobody could prove it ? because even if it could be proved, the bad magistrate had important friends, and proof is not as powerful as important friends."

"Quite," I said.

"At the same time, there was a good officer who enforced the laws because he thought laws made people happy and safe. And it bothered the good officer that enforcing the laws did no good, because the bad magistrate let the criminals go as quick as the officer caught them."

"But then, the good officer said, 'Say. Wait a minute. What about the bad people who are bribing the bad magistrate? They haven't got important friends. And if they aren't around, then the bad magistrate can't get any more bribes."

By this time I was trying not to smile. "So what happened?"

"Well, the good officer suspected that the bad people who were bribing the bad magistrate were probably criminals themselves. So he made a little special prayer that there would be a little bloodbath to wash the bad people away." He smiled. "There, isn't that a nice little story? But maybe it isn't over yet?"

"It's a great story," I said, still battling to keep a straight face. "Tell me, where could one find these 'bad people'?"

"Oh." He looked surprised. "The bad people are the Camonna Tong ? I thought everybody knew that. Well, all I know is that they are a scout, a pawnbroker, a savant, a thief, and a smith, and they are in Balmora."

"Would one of them be named Thanelan Velas, by any chance?"

Larrius shook his head. "I can't give you any names. It's against the Code to tell officers things. But I bet if you asked the Thieves Guild, they would cheerfully tell you who the bad people are and where to find them." He thought for a moment, frowning. "I warn you, though, these bad people are very tough. Tougher than you, I'm afraid."

Unfortunately, this was probably true. I'd improved quite a bit since my release from prison, but even at my peak there was no way I could have taken on five Camonna Tong thugs at once. Still, if I could find another way?

"Tell me," I said carefully. "Suppose, just suppose there were to be a bloodbath? what would happen to me?"

"Well, Ada, I love the law. I love the Empire. But sometimes, no matter how hard we try to keep the peace, there is going to be blood." He lowered his voice. "If there are any problems of a legal nature, I will speak to some of my friends, and take care of it. Oh, and I believe there a nice present the Emperor wants you to have? after you do the work."

He patted me on the shoulder in a friendly manner. I assured him that I was looking forward to receiving the Emperor's 'nice present', and left.

I needed a plan, I thought, as I walked back to Balmora. It was no use just barging in there and waving a sword around; I'd be cut to ribbons within seconds. What was the name of that spell I never thought I'd have any use for? Ah yes: frenzy.

For the next couple of days I was very busy. I paid a visit to the Thieves' Guild, visited enchanters in several different cities in search of spell scrolls, and spent the rest of the time practising my combat skills with the Blades trainers (just in case). I sent a note to Nileno saying that I was working on a plan to deal with Ralen's murderer, and received a terse reply: "Then get on with it." I was starting to contemplate a spot of murder myself at this point.

Finally I had everything I needed: a couple of Frenzy Humanoid scrolls and a very powerful Chameleon spell. I'd had to pay extra to have the scroll written up by the enchanter, who had no doubt wondered what I could possibly need it for. Late in the evening, when the streets were beginning to empty of people and no guards were passing by, I ducked into the doorway of the Council Club and cast the Chameleon spell.

Almost immediately my outstretched hands vanished in front of my face. I could just see the outline there if I looked very carefully, but to all intents and purposes I was invisible. I didn't have any time to waste, so I quickly opened the door and slipped inside the building.

I walked right past Thanelan Velas on the stairs leading down to the bar area, but he gave no sign of having seen or heard me; clearly the enchanter had done his work well. Taking a deep breath, I strode towards the centre of the room ? where three other Cammona Tong members sat drinking and talking ? and cast off the two Frenzy scrolls in rapid succession.

The scene that followed was not pretty. The two Tong members struck by the spells immediately leapt to their feet with cries of anger, drawing their weapons and waving them around wildly. The other one leapt to her feet and drew her own weapon, shouting "What the hell are you doing?" Seconds later the three of them were engaged in a pitched battle, swinging frantically at each other with swords and hand-axes.

A woman rushed up from a downstairs area, yelling something in Dunmeris, and I ran her through from behind before she could even reach the others. Moments later, Thanelan Velas came running down the upper staircase. I stuck out my foot to trip him over and brought my own blade down on his neck as he fell.

By this time two of the first three Dunmer lay dead on the ground, and the survivor was howling in pain, seriously wounded. It was a truly horrible sight, but this was no time to be squeamish. Gritting my teeth, I seized the unfortunate man from behind and drew my blade across his throat before he had time to react.

As I stood back to survey the grisly scene, I realised that I had become visible again. The only other person left in the room was the bartender, who was curled up in a ball, whimpering in terror. I didn't think he'd seen me, and I didn't particularly want to kill him, so I hurried upstairs and out of the building. Hidden behind some crates in an alleyway, I wiped off my armour and changed my blood-spattered clothes for some clean ones.

Just as I emerged from the alleyway, thinking I'd made it without being spotted, a heavy hand clamped down on my arm. The shock was so great that I let out a squeak of terror and very nearly lashed out with my sword. A moment later I found myself staring into the face of a male Dunmer ? not a guard, but a roughly-dressed commoner with a torch in his hand. The glazed, vacant look in his eyes was all too familiar, as were his subsequent words: "I am a Sleeper, one among thousands?"

"Leave me alone!" I yelped, looking around frantically. In the distance I could see a guard beginning to walk in our direction.

"I bring you a message," he continued, unmoved. "Dagoth Ur calls you, Ada, and you cannot deny your Lord. The Sixth House is risen, and Dagoth is its glory."

"All right! All right! Now get lost!" I shoved him away, as hard as I could, and made a dash for the gates. I didn't stop until I'd made it across the bridge outside Balmora and was sure that neither guards nor the 'Sleeper' were following me.

Okay, this was getting downright scary. One crazy guy mumbling about Dagoth Ur I could take, but two? Who the heck were these 'Sleepers', anyway ? something to do with the Sixth House cult that Hasphat Antabolis had told me about? Had to be.

I lost no time in going to Larrius Varro to tell him about the 'bloodbath'. Obviously I hadn't had time to check that I'd got all the right people, but as far as I could tell they'd matched the descriptions given by the Thieves' Guild. As I explained what had happened, a slow smile spread over his face.

"So everything's been taken care of," he said. "And, remarkably enough, without creating any problems of a legal nature. You are far more discreet than I had hoped, Ada."

"Don't mention it," I said. "Er, you said something about a 'nice present'??"

"Ah, yes! Here." He extracted something from the leather pouch on his belt. "It seems to be a ring. A very nice ring. There was no note with it, I'm afraid, but I'll let the Emperor know you've received it ? I'm sure he'll be pleased."

I took the ring, which had a Chameleon enchantment on it. It was a very nice ring, and would have been incredibly useful? about two hours ago, before I'd wiped out half of the Council Club. Sheesh.

Varro wasn't quite finished, though. "And also, because of your exceptional discretion, take this special volume from my own library, with my compliments."

He handed me the book Biography of the Wolf Queen. I'd read it already, back when I was a good little schoolgirl in Cyrodiil, but I knew it was valuable. "Thanks."

"It might be best for you to stay at the fort tonight," he advised. "You can use one of the bunks. If anyone asks? you've been here all evening, yes?" I agreed.

When I arrived back in Balmora the next morning, there was a small crowd milling around outside the Council Club. Several Hlaalu guards were there, blocking the door and trying to keep order. "What's going on?" I asked a random onlooker, trying my very best to look puzzled and innocent.

The woman grinned. "Looks like someone hit the Camonna Tong at the Council Club. Hard."

"Goodness," I said. "Do they know who it was?"

She shook her head. "Nobody seems to know what happened. Probably the Thieves' Guild."

I turned away, suppressing a smile. Apparently I'd managed to kill two birds with one stone; no doubt Nileno would be pleased. I just hoped the Tong never found out who was responsible, or I'd probably end up next on their hit list.

Glad to see another chapter. Well written as usual.

My thanks

Bonus screenshots, just cause I felt like it: A 16-year-old Ada in her homeland of Cyrodiil.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/ecucej/ada4.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/ecucej/ada5.jpg

Chapter 9: He Had It Coming

Nileno was all smiles when I went to see her at the Council House, her previous bad mood apparently forgotten. "Ada!" she exclaimed. "I hear you killed Thanelan Velas. Take these 1,000 drakes as a reward for solving this murder."

"Well, I'm glad he's dead," I said, "but I don't think I should accept the money. I had nothing to do with the attack on the Council Club."

"Of course not," she said, not missing a beat. "I meant to say, please take these drakes as a reward for your? exceptional service to House Hlaalu. And while we're about it, I'm promoting you to the rank of Oathman."

"Ooh." Clearly I was going up in the world. "Do I need to do anything else?"

"Well, once you reach the next rank I won't be able to promote you any further. You'll have to persuade one of the Councillors to sponsor you." A mercenary glint came into her eye. "In fact, for a small consideration, I might tell you which one to speak to."

Sighing, I handed her fifty drakes from the money purse she'd just given me, and then almost dropped it on the floor when she said, "Crassius Curio is the one you should speak with."

"?Crassius Curio?" My voice came out around an octave higher than usual. "Not the one living in the Hlaalu canton in Vivec?"

"Ah, you've heard of him?" she enquired. "Yes, he is the most open-minded of the Councillors, though somewhat? eccentric. He is the one most likely to listen to your requests, whatever they may be."

Oh, gods. Could I really stand having to work for that guy? On the other hand? he was clearly wealthy and influential, and could probably pull a few strings on my behalf. Surely I could put up with being called 'pumpkin' and 'sweetroll' for a while if it meant a chance of getting back to Cyrodiil.

"But before that," she continued, "there is one more item of business."

"Oh?"

"The East Empire Company threatened to buy ebony from House Redoran unless we lower prices." I waited for her to continue. "Either convince Canctunian Ponius in Ebonheart to buy ebony from us, or kill Darns Tedalen, the head of mining operations in the Sudanit Mine. If you do both, there might be a bonus in it for you."

My jaw dropped. I guess I really shouldn't have been shocked at anything Nileno said by this point, but even so, that last part completely floored me. I knew by now that the Hlaalu were pretty ruthless in defending their business interests, but I'd never imagined they'd go that far.

"Um, sorry, Nileno," I said weakly. "Did you just say you wanted me to murder the head of mining operations?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, clearly horrified. I was just beginning to think I'd misjudged her when she continued, "That would be dreadfully bad for business."

"But?" I hesitated, trying to get myself into the mindset of someone who thought like that. "Then how am I supposed to kill him? There'll be guards, surely?"

Nileno shook her head in exasperation. "Oh, Ada. You must provoke him into attacking you first, of course ? that way it will be perfectly legal to kill him." She gave me an indulgent smile. "You really must learn how these things work, my dear."

My mouth was still hanging open. "Right," I said at last, recovering the power of speech. "I? think I'll just speak to this Ponius guy, if it's all the same to you. Who is he exactly, anyway?"

I nearly fainted when she said, "He is the local Factor of the East Empire Company."

Great, I thought, as I left the building a short time later. What the heck was I supposed to do now? How was I supposed to convince the head of the East Empire Company that he should continue to buy ebony from Hlaalu? How would I ever even persuade him to see me? It wasn't as if I was anyone important.

But however impossible that task might seem, the alternative was even worse. There was no way I was going to kill an innocent man just because Nileno asked me to, 'legal' or not. Camonna Tong members were one thing; a guy whose only crime was to belong to a different House was quite another.

Why couldn't we just lower our own prices, I thought, with a sudden flash of anger. Wasn't that how commerce was supposed to work anyway? People might criticise us Imperials for our mercantile outlook, but at least we understood that!

I couldn't immediately think of any ideas. I even said a quick prayer to Zenithar, our god of commerce (yes, we have a god of commerce ? we're Imperials, for crying out loud), but it didn't seem to help. It wasn't until that evening that inspiration finally struck, over yet another glass of ale in the Eight Plates tavern.

In addition to the normal spells you can learn from tutors, each race has certain 'inherent' magical powers that we're pretty much born with. They don't need any skill or cost any magicka to cast, but the downside is that for some reason they only work once a day (please don't ask me, I don't make the rules). One of the powers we Imperials get is a powerful Charm spell known as the 'Voice of the Emperor', which can persuade the target to agree to almost anything ? for a short time, at least.

If I could just get in to see Ponius and cast the spell on him? I knew it was risky, as he'd probably taken precautions against that kind of thing, but using Illusion magic on people wasn't actually illegal. The worst he could do was throw me out, and at least I'd be able to tell Nileno that I'd tried.

I spent some time sketching out a rough plan of action in my journal, and on the next morning I travelled to Vivec to put it into practice. My first stop was at a clothier's in the Foreign Quarter, run by a woman called Agrippina Herennia. Being a fellow Imperial, she was very understanding when I explained what I needed, and even helped me style my hair into something more interesting than its usual neat braids.

"Have you thought of using some Telvanni bug musk?" she asked, as I tried on some of her beautifully-tailored clothes.

"Telvanni bug musk?" I'd never even heard of it.

"It's a perfume made from the scent glands of Grazelands beetles," she explained. "The fragrance is attractive to all mortal races and sixes ? it can make even a barbarian persuasive. Very expensive, but well worth it."

So I went to buy a flask of Telvanni bug musk from one of the alchemists in the Lower Waistworks. It was stupidly expensive, at 100 septims a bottle, but if it was as powerful as Agrippina said then that was hardly surprising. I'd soon find out, anyway.

A ship docked near the Foreign Quarter took me to Ebonheart, the Imperial administrative centre of Vvardenfell. It was very much a Western-style settlement, built entirely out of stone, and resembling a large castle. The plaza by the docks was dominated by a huge marble statue of the Dragon God Akatosh, chief of the Nine Divines. Out of long habit, I brushed my hand against it for luck as I went past.

I stood in front of the East Empire Company headquarters, staring up at the imposing building, and I must admit that I almost lost my nerve. I came very close to just saying "sod it", heading back to the docks, and going back to tell Nileno that I wasn't up to the task. After all, what was the worst that could happen? She could either accept it or kick me out of the House, and frankly, at this stage I was starting to think that might be a good thing.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Redguard man smile at me. "You okay there, friend?"

"Fine." I forced myself to smile back.

"Here from Cyrodiil?"

I nodded. "Just for a little while."

"Well, I wouldn't hurry back." He looked sombre. "I heard about the unrest in Cyrodiil City. Sounds like things are pretty bad there at the moment."

My heart leapt into my mouth. I hadn't heard anything about this. "What unrest?"

"Didn't you know?" I shook my head. "Uriel Septim is sick, and wizards say the young Septims are just doppelgangers placed there when Jagar Tharn was Imperial Battlemage. They say the Guard charged a mob demanding destruction of the false heirs... lots of folks were killed."

I felt a horrible sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Cyrodiil City ? or Imperial City as we call it back there ? was my home. My friends were there, and my family. Not that I could ever imagine my parents joining a mob to storm the Palace, but if they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Suddenly I knew that whatever it took, I had to get back to Cyrodiil. All the time I was running around doing stupid errands for Caius Cosades and Nileno Dorvayn, my friends back in the City were in danger. I'd no idea if I could help or not, but it was my city, and if there was trouble then I ought to be there.

As the Redguard watched in bewilderment, I took my flask of bug musk out of my pack and dabbed a liberal amount onto my wrists and collarbone. Then, taking a deep breath, I marched into the EEC office with my head held high.

"Good day," I said to the clerk inside, smiling sweetly. His mouth dropped open and he hastily got to his feet, smoothing back his hair. "I'm a representative of House Hlaalu. Would it be possible for me to speak to Mr. Ponius, please?"

"I ? of course, my lady. I'll see what I can do." Red-faced, he hurried from the room, while I quickly dabbed on a little more of the Telvanni bug musk. It was the first and probably the only time that I would ever provoke that kind of reaction from a man, and I have to admit that it was rather enjoyable.

A few moments later the clerk returned and ushered me through into Ponius' office, where the Factor sat at a desk. For a moment he looked a little confused, but as I drew closer and the scent wafted over him, that same stunned expression crossed his face. "Ah, a fellow Imperial!" he said in delight, springing to his feet. "What can I do for you, madam?"

"Good morning, Factor," I said, with my most charming smile. "I'm very pleased to meet you." I shook hands with him, and as I did so, I murmured the words to the 'Voice of the Emperor' spell under my breath.

What came next? well, let's just say that it was not my sharply-honed business acumen that persuaded Canctunian Ponius to renew the contract. I flirted shamelessly, I batted my eyelashes, I did everything I'd always dismissed as completely unforgivable in a modern, liberated woman. I don't think I even did it particularly well, but that hardly mattered ? with the combined effect of the spell and the Telvanni bug musk, I could probably have stood there reciting the alphabet and had the same effect.

After securing Ponius's compliance (poor guy, he never stood a chance), I went down to the docks and enquired about travel to the mainland. As I'd expected, I was told that ships were being turned back due to the Blight, but I did find out that a ship was leaving soon for Tel Branora ? the Telvanni settlement where Maurrie Aurmine's friend lived. I decided now would be as good a time as any to go there (not least because I was keen to put off my next meeting with Crassius Curio for as long as possible).

It was a long journey to Tel Branora, a small and isolated island in the region known as Azura's Coast, and we didn't arrive until sunrise the next morning. When I stepped on to the docks, all I could see was a few wooden shacks. It was only after struggling up a hill that I got my first sight of Tel Branora itself ? and it literally took my breath away.

The entire village ? if you could call it that ? seemed to be carved out of one absolutely enormous mushroom. A huge central tower stretched up towards the sky, and around it, houses and shops were built into the mushroom 'caps' and connected by winding spiral staircases. Shrouded in mist, glowing faintly in the early morning light, it looked like something from a child's book of fairytales. Say what you like about the Telvanni, they had style.

I did feel a little nervous as I walked towards the town, remembering the stories I'd been told ? but while none of the locals here seemed particularly friendly, none of them made any attempt to kidnap or enslave me. I finally plucked up courage to ask directions from at a small encampment nearby, where a Dunmer woman stood with a group of heavily-armed Bosmer guards.

The woman scowled at me as I approached. Before I even had a chance to speak, she called to me angrily: "Stay out of things that don't concern you, outlander! This affair is between myself and Therana."

"Um, I didn't mean to interfere," I said meekly, wondering what the 'affair' was and for that matter, who Therana was. "I just wondered if you could tell me where to find someone called Barnand Erelie?"

She looked at me with undisguised disgust. "Do I look like a tour guide? Find someone else to give you directions."

Shrugging, I left her and crossed over a narrow walkway into the settlement itself. The first thing I saw was a trader's banner fluttering outside one of the mushroom 'houses', so I went in to ask the shopkeeper inside about Barnand. The inside of the weird mushroom was even stranger than the outside; an earthy smell pervaded the rooms and the walls looked moist and fleshy, like the insides of an animal. I really didn't think I'd want to live in a place like this.

Rather to my surprise, the trader seemed relatively friendly and was happy to share information about local services. "Llorayna Sethan runs Sethan's Tradehouse," she told me. "That's probably where you'll find your friend. Galen Berer is a smith and armorer, Fadase Selvayn is a trader, and Mistress Therana in the tower is our lady sorceress. Oh, and Trerayna Dalen ? Mistress Therana's Telvanni challenger ? has a camp just outside the village."

I was taken aback by her casual attitude. "Does this happen? often?"

"Fairly often, yes," she said. "It's the traditional Telvanni way of settling disputes."

Okay, maybe all those wild stories about the Telvanni weren't so far-fetched after all.

I found Barnand in the tradehouse, as predicted. I knew immediately that there wasn't likely to be anything between us; he was a good-looking man, slim and fair-haired, but not really my type. He seemed friendly enough, though.

"Ah...so you're the one who brought Maurrie and Nelos together!" he exclaimed, when I told him who I was. "Nothing has been seen or heard of them since then, but the bards are singing songs of their love. Please, take these as a token of my gratitude."

He handed me three extremely high-quality Restore Health potions. Well, I might not be getting a boyfriend out of this, but that was a pretty good substitute.

I spent some time exploring the rest of Tel Branora, marvelling at its intricate construction. No one back home would ever believe me when I told them about this. It made me wish I had some kind of magical device that could capture an image of the tower, exactly as it was, to show to my friends.

As I wandered up a spiral walkway, looking for a way into the tower, I found my way blocked by a very tall Telvanni guard. He was so swathed in heavy armour that I couldn't even tell what race he was; only his height and ungloved hands indicated that he was an Altmer.

I was just about to turn back when he strode up to me. "Outlander. Would you like to earn some gold?"

"Maybe," I said cautiously. "Who are you?"

"I am Mollimo of Cloudrest, Mistress Therana's guard captain." He pointed into the distance where Trerayna Dalen had her camp. "I want you to take care of Trerayna Dalen for me. She's a petty annoyance, but Mistress Therana won't let me leave the tower to deal with her. Kill her, and I'll pay you 1,000 gold."

Gods, did I look like someone who'd kill random strangers for money? "I'm not an assassin for hire," I said coldly. "And I don't want to get mixed up in Telvanni disputes."

He shrugged. "If you change your mind, the offer still stands."

"Could I see Mistress Therana?"

"You'll find her in her chamber in the Upper Tower," he said. "Easiest way is to enter through north-facing entrance to the Tower. You'll have to fly, of course."

I looked blankly at him. "Fly?"

"Yes, fly. You'll have to fly, either way you go." He paused. "In any case, I wouldn't recommend approaching her. Mistress Therana is old and somewhat? eccentric. Her behaviour can be unpredictable."

I wasn't really listening. I was still trying to work out if he was just having me on, or if he was actually serious when he spoke about flying. Sure, I knew plenty of Alteration spells (or knew of them, at least), but I'd never even realised flying was possible. Surely it couldn't be that only the Telvanni knew how to do it?

Anyway, it didn't look like I'd be meeting Therana ? and to be honest, there wasn't really a lot else to do in Tel Branora. I'd have loved to see the tower lit up at night, but I didn't want to hang around all day just waiting for sundown. Rather than spend another day or so travelling back by ship, I tried casting a Divine Intervention scroll, and was somewhat surprised to find myself right back in Ebonheart outside an Imperial chapel. Apparently this kind of scroll teleported you to the nearest Imperial Cult shrine, the same way Almsivi Intervention scrolls took you to the nearest Temple.

As I boarded the silt strider for Balmora, it occurred to me that I hadn't made any progress in my pilgrimage for quite a long while. I'd joined the Temple a few days after arriving in Vvardenfell, yet so far I'd only visited one of the seven shrines on the list. I really ought to be putting more effort into it, or they'd start thinking I lacked faith (heaven forbid).

I got out my book to check the sites of the other pilgrimage shrines. Three of them were in Vivec, which was fairly convenient, but my heart sank when I saw that two others were in the town of Gnisis and the Koal Cave ? both up in the far north-west, near the coast. Even if I could come up with a reason to visit that part of the country, it would still take days to get there and back. The last shrine ? described by the book as one of the most difficult to reach ? was at a place called 'Ghostgate' near the crater of Red Mountain, the large volcano in the centre of the island.

I decided I'd try to get the Vivec pilgrimages done next time I visited the city, but in the meantime I had to tell Nileno about the ebony contract. Before that, though, I went to the Eight Plates and composed a letter to my parents ? my first in several years.

When I left home at the age of eighteen, I'd left a letter for them, explaining what I'd done and that I could be reached through the Fighters' Guild. On receiving a tear-stained reply, begging me to give up this 'silly nonsense' and come home, I'd written back explaining gently but firmly that it wasn't going to happen. I hadn't heard from them since, even though I'd written several more letters, so I eventually stopped bothering ? but now it was different. I wasn't too hopeful that this letter would even reach them, what with the travel bans and the unrest in Cyrodiil, but I had to try.

I was still a little distracted when I went back to the Balmora Council Hall after handing in the letter for delivery, but Nileno didn't seem to notice. "So you convinced Canctunian Ponius," she said, when I told her about the meeting. "Good work, Ada - please take these 1,000 drakes as a gift from House Hlaalu. And I believe this merits a promotion to Lawman."

I knew I ought to be pleased about this, but somehow I couldn't work up any enthusiasm. "Does this mean you don't have any more duties for me?"

She nodded. "You must find a sponsor among the Hlaalu Councillors. Since you are a foreigner, you should speak with Crassius Curio ? I doubt any of the others would agree to sponsor you."

I really wasn't looking forward to a second meeting with 'Uncle Crassius', but I supposed I might as well get it over with. So I went to Vivec, to Curio Manor in the Hlaalu canton, and spent some time explaining my situation to Curio. I'd been expecting him to ask some kind of mildly sleazy favour in return for his sponsorship, but what happened next was beyond anything I had imagined.

"You want me to be your sponsor in House Hlaalu?" he exclaimed. "I thought you'd never ask. But first, I want to see who I'm dealing with." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair, smiling. "So, Ada, show Uncle Crassius what you have to offer."

I know this is going to sound stupid, but for a moment I honestly didn't have a clue what he was talking about. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, dumpling, don't be shy," he wheedled. "Just do this one little favour for Uncle Crassius."

Was he asking for a bribe? I'd been in House Hlaalu long enough to know that the answer was probably 'yes', no matter how pathetically greedy it seemed. I heaved an exasperated sigh, fumbling for my purse. "All right, how much?"

But Crassius waved it away. "Now come on, sweetie, I'm sure we understand each other. No need to be coy. After all, that armour looks so hot and uncomfortable?"

And it finally hit me. For a second I just goggled at him, unable to believe he was actually asking what I thought he was asking, but the lecherous grin on his face made it all too plain that he was. What the hell? Who the hell did he think he was?

The lovely ceramic vase on the nearby table never stood a chance. With a gasp of fury I snatched it up and hurled it at Crassius, hitting him square on the nose and shattering the vase into pieces. "How dare you!"

Crassius leapt to his feet with a cry of pain. "What are you doing? GUARDS! I'm being attacked!"

Two Ordinators came running at the sound of his voice. One of them seized me and pinned my arms behind my back, while the other surveyed the broken pottery and Crassius' angry face. "What's going on here, Ser Curio?"

"She threw that vase at me!" Crassius was quivering with indignation. Blood was trickling from a small cut on his forehead where a sharp piece of pottery had struck him.

The other Ordinator twisted me around to face him, ignoring my furious struggles. "Why did you do this, outlander?"

"He tried to make me strip off in front of him! Pervert!" I snarled over my shoulder at Crassius. "Isn't harassing women a crime here? He's the one you should be arresting!"

The Ordinator regarded me coldly from behind his golden facemask. "Are you saying he actually attacked you?"

"Well, not as such, but?" I looked at him in helpless rage. "He insulted me!"

"That's not an excuse, outlander." The Ordinator released my arms. "You must pay for the damage you caused. How much did this vase cost, Ser Curio?"

"Eight hundred septims."

"Eight hundred!" I squeaked.

The second Ordinator folded his arms impassively. "And a fine of three hundred drakes for assault. Pay it, outlander, or go to jail."

"Grrrrrnnngh." I couldn't believe this was happening. "All right. Just take me to the bank and I'll get the money."

Crassius glowered at me from beneath the handkerchief pressed to his temple. "I'll see you are expelled from House Hlaalu for this, Oathman."

"Good riddance!" I spat, still fuming. "And if you dare go around telling people I attacked you for no reason, I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what you need to do to get 'sponsored' in your House. Have a nice day, 'Uncle Crassius'."

I swept out of the room, followed closely by the Ordinators. Some part of me realised that there was going to be hell to pay when Nileno found out about this, and that I'd just comprehensively screwed up my chances of getting off Vvardenfell any time soon, but right now I was too angry to care. I wanted revenge, and I knew how to get it.

After paying off the fines (with a very bad grace), and being released, I went straight back to the Mages' Guild to take the Guild Guide ? not to Balmora, but to Ald'ruhn. There, I went directly to the Skar crabshell and into the Redoran Council Hall, where I'd first met Neminda to intercept those orders.

As I'd hoped, Neminda was still there and she recognised me immediately. "Hello there? Ada, isn't it? Can I help you?"

"Yes. I want to join House Redoran."

She looked at me in astonishment. "But you are Hlaalu!"

"Not any more," I said grimly. "They kicked me out."

"What? Why?"

Ah, here came the hard part. "I, er, threw a vase at one of their Councillors."

Neminda was staring at me open-mouthed. "Why would you do a thing like that?"

"Because he ordered me to undress in front of him, that's why," I snapped. "Wouldn't you have done the same?"

Her expression cleared suddenly. "Wait a second. Would this be Crassius Curio you're talking about?"

"Yes, actually," I said in surprise. "How did you guess?"

By now her eyes were twinkling with amusemant. "But Ada, didn't you know? He does that to all the retainers who ask him for sponsorship."

"What, all?" I asked in disbelief. "Even the men?"

"Oh, yes," she said, with a wink. "Especially the men."

Good gods. Well, at least he was an equal-opportunity lech.

Neminda composed her features into a severe expression, suddenly remembering who she was speaking to. "Anyway, why should I believe any of this? The Hlaalu might have sent you as a spy."

"I'm not a spy," I said promptly. "But I'll tell you who is: Bivale Teneran, the clothier. Oh, and? you might want to change your codes. All of them."

"Hmph." She hesitated. "Well, we would not usually accept outcasts from other Houses, but?"

"Please," I begged. "Give me a chance. I'm a good fighter. I've been in the Guild for years, and I'm thinking of joining the Legion when I go up to Gnisis for my pilgrimage ? "

Her frown softened slightly. "Oh, you're Temple?"

"Yes! Look." I pulled out my now slightly dog-eared copy of The Pilgrim's Path. "I've already started the pilgrimages."

"Well, that is something. House Redoran values piety." She thought for a moment. "Perhaps I should give you a chance. But ? " she frowned at me sternly ? "you're on probation, do you understand? And you will have to start all over again as a Hireling, whatever rank you had reached in Hlaalu."

"That's absolutely fine," I said gratefully. So the Redorans were religious types, were they? Well, I could handle that, as long as they didn't preach at me all the time like that ghastly Alessia Ottus woman back in Imperial City. (I hated her, but she and her husband were 'friends' of my parents, so as a child I'd been forced to play with her equally horrible daughter. We'd never got on, even as five-year-olds.)

"Perhaps you would like to hear the rules of the House first?" Neminda suggested.

Actually, that did sound like a good idea. If I'd only done the same for Hlaalu, perhaps I could have avoided this whole mess.

I nodded, and she quickly reeled off the list from memory. "Steal from your kin, strike your kin unprovoked, or murder your kin, and you shall be cast out from us and called our enemy. Do not break your word of honour. Know your place, serve your superiors, and do your duty to your House. Respect the teachings of the Tribunal. Defend your House, your People, and your Honour."

"One at a time!" I gasped, scrabbling for my journal. "What was the third one again? Okay, that all sounds pretty reasonable."

"This book may help you." She handed me a book called The True Noble's Code, by one Serjo Athyn Sarethi.

I opened the book and read a random paragraph. "A Redoran must show piety to the Aedra and Daedra, our creators and ancestors. For without the divine, we would not have the chance to serve. And without divine law, we would not know right from wrong. And without giving thanks for these things, we would forget out place and our purpose." I skimmed up the page. "A Redoran noble must know the virtue of gravity. It is not the Redoran way to laugh at serious matters, for it shows disrespect. It is not the Redoran way to spread rumours, for they fester and breed dissention."

Boy. These guys were a barrel of laughs, weren't they?

"Fine," I said with a sigh. "I think I can manage that. Is there anything you'd like me to do right now?"

Neminda thought for a moment. "Well, Drulene Falen has asked for our help. She says her guar herds have been having trouble with hostile mudcrabs."

"Okay, well, I'm sure I can ? " I paused. "Hang on, mudcrabs?"

"That's right." She looked slightly puzzled. "Don't you have those in Cyrodiil?"

"Yes, but? never mind." I heaved a small sigh. Clearly this was going to be the Fighter's Guild 'rat infestation' assignment all over again.

"Anyway, Drulene's guar herd is due west of here, just over the hills. There's no easy way to get there, I'm afraid," she added helpfully. "You'll have to walk."

I copied down her directions, my heart sinking as I realised it would take hours to walk out there. On the other hand? at least it would give me an excuse to stay out of Balmora for a day or two. I couldn't help smiling at the thought of Nileno Dorvayn's face when she found out what had happened, but for all that, I didn't want to risk seeing her again until she'd had time to cool down a bit. I was brave, but not that brave.

Oh my GAWD,,,,

Helena...

I'm actually crying! With laughter...

:rofl:

You are one FREAKINGLY funny woman, my dear!!!

Well, I'm glad you feel that way. It always sounds funny in my head, but after fine-tuning each paragraph and triple-checking it for spelling and grammatical errors, the humour starts to fade a little. :shrug: And I already spotted one error in that last chapter. Oh well.

Hilarious read, Curio definitely had it coming. Is it actually possible to join another house if you're kicked out of one? Never tried.

I don't think it's possible in the actual game, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't occasionally make exceptions in 'reality' (i.e. if it were real life rather than a game). Just as in reality, you wouldn't have everyone psychically recognise you as a member of a particular House from the very second you join (hence, in the story, Neminda asks Ada to join Redoran even though she's already a member of Hlaalu).

Great stuff, I couldn't put it down. It made me play Morrowind again, keep it up.

Eh, that makes sense. Anyway, keep it up! I look forward to the rest of the story.

Sorry about the lack of updates, guys - I've been horrendously busy just recently, and probably will be for the next few weeks. In the meantime, here are a few more pictures:

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/ecucej/ada7.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/ecucej/ada6.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/ecucej/MGEScreenshot2.jpg

Chapter 10: Moving House

I stayed the night at the Fighters' Guild in Ald'ruhn, where I confirmed the legitimacy of my latest contract with Percius Mercius, and set off on my first mission for Redoran the next morning. Unfortunately Neminda's directions were a little inadequate, and I took a wrong turning somewhere and ended up getting thoroughly lost. Then, after nearly an hour spent retracing my steps, I tried a different route and got lost again. By the time I spotted the smoke from Drulene Falen's hut in the distance, the sun was beginning to set and I was tired, dirty and thoroughly fed up.

It was then that I heard a horrible, ear-splitting shriek like the cry of a banshee. I looked around hurriedly, trying to work out where it was coming from, but I couldn't see anything unusual ? until suddenly a shadow fell over me and I heard the beat of wings overhead.

I looked up in horror as just some kind of huge, winged creature came swooping down on me, aiming straight for my face. With a cry of fear I swung up my shield to protect myself, and the creature slammed into it with a force that almost knocked me backwards. A talon scraqed across my cheek as I lashed out wildly with my sword, cleaving the horrible beast in two. It plummeted to the ground in a cloud of bloodstained feathers.

I stood panting over my defeated foe, conscious that I'd only just escaped with both eyes intact. What the hell was that thing, and why had it tried to kill me? In Cyrodiil, birds were cute, fluffy little things that trilled happy songs and flittered shyly away when humans approached. I should have known that the Morrowind variety would be larger, meaner, and about ten times more homicidal.

Having patched myself up, I continued following the rough trail through the hills and finally arrived at Drulene Falen's farm, just as the last rays of sunlight were fading away. Drulene herself was standing among her guar, which were some of the strangest animals I'd ever seen ? large, scaly creatures that looked a little like lizards, but walked on two legs. I'd no idea why mudcrabs would pose any problem to them; by the look of them, they could kill a human without too much trouble.

Drulene waved and called to me when she saw me. "Greetings, outlander! Are you from House Redoran? Did Neminda send you?"

"That's right."

She looked a little put out. "I've been waiting all day, you know."

"I'm sorry," I said wearily. "I got lost. Twice. And then I was attacked by some kind of huge? bird? thing."

"A cliff racer, you mean?"

"Er? maybe. I've never seen one before."

"Well, you'd best get used to them," she advised. "You'll see them often if you spend much time in the Ashlands." Just what I wanted to hear!

"Anyway, Neminda mentioned you had some trouble with? mudcrabs?"

She nodded. "There's a pair of them that's been hunting my guar. Just the other day they killed one and dragged it off. They were very big mudcrabs," she added a little defensively, seeing the expression on my face.

"They must have been," I said. "Do you have any idea where they're coming from?"

"From the coast to the southwest, I think." She sighed. "If this keeps up, I might have to sell what I've still got and move back to Tear." Good grief, these mudcrabs had to be pretty monstrous if they were causing that much trouble.

I set out to search for the culprits as the twilight crept in, and eventually found them in a nearby swamp, by the carcass of the stolen guar. In fairness to Drulene, those were some impressively large mudcrabs, but still not exactly what I'd call a tough opponent. If some people would just learn the basics of how to handle a weapon, it would save an awful lot of trouble.

I made my way back to Drulene's farm in semi-darkness, stumbling over rocks and tree roots on the way. When she saw me, she waved excitedly. "Did you find the mudcrabs?"

"Yup, they're dead."

Her face flooded with relief. "Oh, thank the Tribunal! I might not have to move back to Tear after all. But you look tired, Ada," she added in concern. This was something of an understatement. "Can I offer you some Hackle-Lo?"

I didn't have the faintest idea what Hackle-Lo was, but it didn't seem polite to refuse. I nodded, and she handed me a pouch full of pungent-smelling leaves. Leaves?

"Here you go, Ada," she said cheerfully. "After a hard day there's nothing better than chewing some Hackle-Lo."

I took it that Hackle-Lo was the local equivalent of tobacco. No doubt it had some kind of marvellous alchemical properties, but unfortunately I had the alchemical skills of the common mudcrab. "Er, thanks," I said to Drulene, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Just what I wanted."

There was no way I was walking back to Ald'ruhn in complete darkness ? I'd lost my way one too many times already ? and I didn't want to waste my Intervention scrolls. Drulene's one-room hut didn't have a bed for me, but she kindly allowed me to sleep on the floor on an old blanket. Let's just say that was not the most comfortable night I've ever spent, but it was better than sleeping outside and choking to death if an ash storm blew up.

On my way back to Ald'ruhn the next morning, I kept a wary eye out for cliff racers. The journey took only half a day this time, since I managed to avoid getting lost again, but once back at the Fighters' Guild I spent at least another hour trying to get myself clean. I would never have imagined it was possible to get such huge quantities of ash caught up in my hair. Good thing I keep it tied back on missions, or I'd probably still be washing the stuff out.

Neminda greeted me cheerfully inside the Council hall. "You've been gone a while," she observed, oblivious to the pissed-off expression on my face. "I was expecting you back yesterday evening."

"Things? came up," I said heavily. "Do I get paid now?"

She looked surprised. "Did Drulene not pay you?"

"Um, well, she gave me some? Hackle-Lo? But I thought?"

"Hackle-Lo is valuable," she said severely. "You don't expect anything more, surely?"

"Of course not," I said, forcing myself to smile. Apparently my wages were to be paid in Hackle-Lo from now on. I supposed I would just have to get very good at bartering with the local alchemists.

I didn't feel inclined to take another mission right away, but I couldn't have done in any case, as the next day I found myself trapped in Ald'ruhn by one of those horrible Blight storms. Yet again I found myself wondering what the hell the Redorans had been smoking when they chose to found their capital in a place like this. Either things had got much worse since Ald'ruhn was first built, or they had really drawn the short straw in negotiations over territory. I could just imagine the discussions between them and the other Houses:

Hlaalu: "Okay chaps, let's talk about land rights. We got here first, so we're going to grab all the nice fertile lands in the Ascadian Isles. How about you?"

Telvanni: "Well, we're big on mushrooms, so we're going to build all our settlements out east on Azura's Coast."

Redoran: "We're going to stick our capital city in the middle of a barren, ashy desert, with no nearby water supply or arable land, on the slopes of an active volcano which spews out poisonous ash clouds every few days or so. It has cool shells!"

Other Houses: "??"

In the end, I decided to face the music and go back to Balmora. I'd been putting off visiting Caius as long as possible, but after wiping out half the city's Camonna Tong contingent, I couldn't really go on pretending I needed more time to improve my skills. And I wasn't looking forward to seeing Nileno again either, but it had to be done.

By this time I was meeting the Guild guide Masalinie on such a regular basis that we were starting to become friends. "I hear some Imperial guy has been asking around about you," she said, when I teleported into in the Guild building. "Someone named Caius? Cosades? Oh, and Nileno Dorvayn at the Council hall is looking for you as well. She didn't look too happy."

Surprise, surprise. Well, it was probably best to go there first.

Nileno was writing at her desk as usual, but not for long. The moment she saw me, she leapt to her feet and pointed an accusing finger in my direction. "Traitor!"

I had already decided that with Nileno the best means of defence was probably offence, but this made me genuinely angry. "I am not a traitor," I hissed. "You kicked me out, not the other way round!"

She dismissed this with an angry wave of her hand. "You have joined Redoran!"

"So?"

"So? So?" Nileno was almost quaking with rage. "If I were not unarmed, I would kill you on the spot!"

"Oh, really? Just like you killed all those Cammona Tong people at the Council Club?" I took a step towards her. "Oh wait, no: That was me. Think very carefully before you start threatening me, Nileno."

Inwardly I was trembling, but my little show of bravado must have been convincing, because Nileno's outraged expression subsided into a sulky pout. "Have you no loyalty? We paid you well!"

"I'll pay it back," I snarled. "All of it. With interest."

"You cannot just ? " Her brows shot up as she suddenly realised what I was actually saying. "With interest?"

A short while later I left the Council manor, having signed an agreement to repay all the money House Hlaalu had paid me ? a total of four thousand drakes ? plus the five-hundred-drake 'deposit' I had just handed over. If my calculations were correct, that made for an interest rate of 12.5 per cent ? pretty steep, but worth it to get Nileno Dorvayn off my back. Luckily I'd chosen to save up most of the money rather than going on a spending spree, but it would still take a while to pay all of it back, especially if a handful of Hackle-Lo was the going rate for House Redoran jobs.

As I walked to Caius Cosades' house, I took stock of my current situation. On the minus side, I'd thrown away a promising career in a moment of self-righteous anger, not to mention pissing off one of the most powerful men in Vvardenfell and destroying my chances of getting back home. On the plus side, I had a new House: a House of honourable humourless bastards who thought nothing of sending me on a day-long expedition to deal with a couple of sodding mudcrabs. Without payment. Ah yes, life was good.

I greeted Caius in his skooma-filled house, and ended up telling him the entire story over a mug of tea. (He still wasn't wearing a shirt.) I guess I should have known not to expect sympathy, but he didn't have to laugh quite so heartily at the story of Crassius Curio and my request for 'sponsorship'.

"Be careful, Ada," he chortled, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You don't want to get a reputation for throwing vases at Great House councillors. Might earn you some unwanted attention."

I glared at him. "Did you actually have some orders, or did you invite me here just to make fun of me?"

"Sorry." He shook his head, calming down a little. "So you're a Redoran, now, eh? Well, not to interfere in your affairs, but I'd recommend you stay on your best behaviour from now on. From what I know of the Redorans, they won't be so easily bought off."

"I'll do my best," I said, with a sigh. "So what did you want me to do next?"

Caius motioned to a scroll of paper lying on the table beside him. "Well, I've thought it over," he said, "and I want you to interview three informants in Vivec City concerning the Nerevarine and the Sixth House. A Khajiit Thieves Guild operative named Addhiranirr, an Argonian called Huleeya, and a Temple priestess named Mehra Milo." He pushed the scroll across the table towards me. "Here are the details so you don't forget. By the way, Mehra is a friend of mine, so be careful when you speak to her ? I don't want you getting her into trouble."

I couldn't be bothered to ask how he knew that these seemingly random people would have the information he wanted. No doubt he had his sources. "Right," I said. "By the way? were you planning to tell me what all this is about at some point? All this business with extinct Houses and secret cults?"

He wagged a finger at me. "All will be revealed in good time. You need to learn patience if you want to be a Blade, Ada."

"Er. Caius." It was probably time I broke the news to him. "I take it you realise that I'm not going to be staying with the Blades?"

Caius raised his eyebrows slightly. He took a sip from his mug and laid it down on the table, settling back in his chair. "Oh? Planning to flee the Emperor's service, are you?"

"No," I said in exasperation. "I'll find out whatever you and the Emperor want to know about these cults, but after that I'm going back to Cyrodiil, all right? So I wouldn't start making any plans that involve me staying in Morrowind."

"Is that so?" he said quietly. "Well, we'll see."

I could tell this battle wasn't over yet, but there wasn't much I could do for the moment except head for Vivec. At least it would give me the chance to get a few more of my Pilgrimage visits done.

Before leaving for Vivec I went to deal with the outlaw Orc Dura Gra-Bol for the Fighters' Guild. It was easy enough to find her ? she was living openly in a house on the east side of town ? but unfortunately she refused to come quietly and attacked me, forcing me to kill her. When I returned to Eydis afterwards, she told me that she didn't have any more duties for someone of my rank, and I'd have to try the other regional Guild offices. To be honest, I was a little relieved.

I arrived in Vivec early in the afternoon. According to Caius' notes, the Argonian Huleeya could be found in the Foreign Quarter, so I decided to look for him first. After asking around I learned that he could often be found in the Black Shalk cornerclub in the Lower Waistworks.

When I entered the cornerclub, my heart immediately sank. A worried-looking Argonian, presumably Huleeya, was standing in a corner of the room, surrounded by three very unfriendly and thuggish-looking Dunmer. The only other person in the room, the bartender, was standing well back with an "I'm not getting involved in this" expression on his face. Clearly I had chosen a rather bad moment to drop in.

I approached the man who looked like their leader, and greeted him politely. He scowled at me. "Am I talking to you, fetcher? No. I am talking to the filthy lizard. So push off."

"Me and the 'filthy lizard' have business," I said, folding my arms.

The Dunmer snorted in disgust. "What, are you some kind of filthy lizard lover? You wanta give your little friend a big kiss?"

I hesitated for a moment, thinking things over. I was only lightly armed right now, and I didn't really want to start a fight in the middle of a club in Vivec (particularly a three-on-one fight). Besides, if I did there was a chance that Huleeya would get hurt. Maybe it was time to spread some of Caius' gold around.

"How about I give you a big bag of gold instead?" I suggested, keeping my voice calm and steady. "And then maybe you'll leave me and my friend to talk in peace. Deal?"

The three men exchanged glances. Finally, the leader shrugged. "Fine. You wanta take the lizard out of here, I'm not stopping you."

I handed over a hundred septims from my pouch, and motioned to Huleeya to follow me. We left the club in silence, the thugs' gazes boring into our backs. When the door clicked shut behind us, Huleeya breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for persuading those troublesome fools to leave me alone," he said. "I would have slain them, but it would tarnish my honour, and I did not want to trouble my friend Saralis Golmis by fighting in his club."

Yeah, right, I thought, but I didn't say it. "What happened?"

He shrugged. "They simply wanted to fight. They hate my race, and the sight of a free Argonian offends them. It saddens and angers me."

I nodded gloomily. It always saddens me to see prejudice and racism directed at the so-called 'beast-folk', though I can kind of understand how they might seem scary if you haven't grown up amongst them like I did. The Argonians are basically giant walking lizards, and the feline Khajiit have a somewhat disturbing habit of referring to non-Khajiit as 'prey'. They don't mean anything by it, though (well, usually).

Anyway, time to get down to business. "You're Huleeya, right?"

"Yes. You said you had business to discuss with me?"

I lowered my voice, knowing that Ordinators tended to lurk round every corner in Vivec. "Caius Cosades sent me. He wants information about the Nerevarine cult."

"Ah." Huleeya nodded slowly. "Very well. Come with me to my friend Jobasha's bookstore, where we can talk in peace."

We walked to a bookstore on the other side of the waistworks. Once inside, Huleeya drew me into a secluded corner and we sat down.

"Yes, thank you very much. We should be free from distraction here." He took a sheaf of folded notes from his pocket. "What is it you wish to know about the Nerevarine cult?"

I sighed, wondering where to begin. "Well, to start with, perhaps you could tell me a little more about how the cult got started?"

"You have heard of Lord Nerevar, of course." I nodded. "Well, to understand the Nerevarine cult, you must understand the history of the Ashlanders. Nerevar means something very different to them from what he means to Dunmer of the Great Houses."

"In what way?"

"In the First Era, the nomadic Ashlanders and the settled Dunmer clans were much alike," he explained, "but after the First Council and the formation of the Great Houses, Ashlanders have been steadily forced into the poorest and most hostile lands. Now they look to the prophesied return of Nerevar for a restoration of their ancient rights and traditions. They say that when they joined Nerevar in the Battle of Red Mountain, he swore on his great Ring, One-Clan-Under-Moon-and-Star, to honour the ways of the Spirits and rights of the Land."

"So they believe that one day he'll be reborn, and?"

"?fulfil his promises to the Tribes, yes."

Ah, yes, this all sounded very familiar. A mistreated and downtrodden people, harking back to an imagined Golden Age to escape the harsh realities of their lives, dreaming of the day when some ancient hero would return and magically make things right again. It was all rather sad, really.

"And the Houses, what do they believe?"

Huleeya sighed. "Well, the Houses follow the Temple, and the Temple treats the Nerevarine prophecies as heresy. And the punishment for heresy is imprisonment and execution."

I sat bolt upright. "What? I thought Morrowind's treaty with the Empire was supposed to guarantee religious freedom?"

"In theory, yes," he said, smiling rather sourly. "But the Nerevarine cult is hostile to the Empire, so the Empire does not interfere when the Temple persecutes the cult. Ashlanders hate the Temple, and particularly the Ordinators, for their ruthless treatment of Nerevarine cultists."

I sat back in my chair, trying to take this in. As if things weren't bad enough already, it would seem that I'd got myself involved with a bunch of fanatical religious extremists. It almost made me have second thoughts about doing any more pilgrimages for them ? though on the other hand, maybe it was all the more reason to get them done as soon as possible. I certainly didn't want anyone suspecting me of heresy.

"Er." I swallowed nervously. "Just what, exactly, would you have to do for the Temple to declare you a heretic?"

"Well, for example, some in the past have claimed to be the reincarnated Nerevar," he said. "The most recent is an Ashlander girl named Peakstar, a figure of legend among the Wastes tribes for the last 30 years. The Temple says these 'false Incarnates' disprove the prophecies, but the cult cites their appearance as proof of Nerevar's coming rebirth."

"And what happened to Peakstar?"

He shrugged. "Nobody knows. She disappeared, and has not been seen in more than twenty years now. The Temple claims she is dead, but no body was ever found."

"Well, thanks for your time, Huleeya," I said as I got to my feet, taking the notes he'd prepared for Caius. "You've been very helpful." He'd certainly told me plenty, including some things which I'd really have preferred not to know. I'd be even more nervous of the Ordinators now.

Addhiranirr, the Khajiit thief, was the next person on my list. I was told that she lived somewhere in the St. Olms canton, which was quite a long walk away, so I went to the Foreign Quarter gondolier to ask if he could take me to St. Olms.

"No," he said.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I can take you as far as the Arena," he said, "and you can cross the bridge from there. Or take another gondola, if you like. But I don't go as far as St. Olms."

I looked at him in disbelief. "Couldn't I just pay you a little bit extra to go to St. Olms?"

"No."

Grinding my teeth, I handed over the fare for the Arena. Luckily the St. Olms canton was the next one over, so it was just a short walk over the bridge when I arrived. I made my way up to the Waistworks, where I was surprised to be greeted by a well-dressed Imperial holding some papers.

"Good afternoon, sister," he said with a pleasant smile. "I'm looking for a friend of mine, a female Khajiit named Addhiranirr. Do you know where I can find her?"

Addhiranirr? What a bizarre coincidence. "Er, no," I said truthfully. "I don't know where to find her."

"I see," he said, nodding. "Well, perhaps some other good citizen can tell me where to find her."

Well, that was weird, I thought as he walked away. Was he after her for the same reason I was? Surely not.

Once the Imperial was safely out of sight, I approached a Dark Elf resident and asked about Addhiranirr. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe that name does sound a little familiar. For some reason, I just can't seem to remember."

Sighing, I handed him some more of Caius' coins, and he grinned. "Okay, I know Addhiranirr. And if I know Addhiranirr, she'll be staying out of sight as long as that Census and Excise agent is lurking about." Ah, I thought. "Probably down in the underworks. Look for trapdoors down from the canolworks level."

"The sewers?" I asked in horror.

"Yeah, that's right. Not scared of a little dirt, are you, Cyrodiil?"

Oh, Talos, why me? I hated sewers more than almost anything else in existence. I'd had to go down into the Imperial City's sewers a couple of times before, and it had taken me days to get the smell out.

I prepared myself thoroughly before braving the underworks, changing into my oldest, shabbiest clothes and buying some perfumed oils from the canton's alchemist. After that I went down to the next level of the canton, the canolworks, and managed to locate a trapdoor into the sewer. One of the Divines must have been with me, as I found Addhiranirr almost straight away.

"Great," she said, when I explained who I was and what I wanted. "So Caius says to you, 'Speak with Addhiranirr,' and you have done this thing. But Addhiranirr will not talk to you about the Nerevarine or the Sixth House cult, and because why?"

"Why?"

She scowled. "Because Addhiranirr is, at this moment, very distracted by a nice Census and Excise agent, who also wants to speak with her."

"What about?" I asked, though I'd already guessed the answer.

"You do not know this?" she said scornfully. "They are the collectors of the Emperor's taxes and tariffs. And the Emperor has outlawed trade in many things, like Dwemer artifacts and ebony, and a Census and Excise agent will enjoy being a pest about such things. If you want Addhiranirr to help you, make the bad agent go away ? then she will tell you things."

I went back to the Waistworks and changed my clothes again, wondering what I could say to the agent to make him go away. All I could think of was to say that she'd been seen leaving the canton, and hope he believed me.

When I found the tax agent again, still wandering around the waistworks, he smiled at me. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Well, I've been asking around about your Khajiit friend," I said as innocently as possible, "and I heard she just took a gondola to the mainland. Seems you missed her, I'm afraid."

"What a disappointment," he sighed. "But thank you for your time. I was just heading back to the mainland myself, anyway, and maybe I'll run into her there."

I felt a little guilty as I watched him go. I'm not the kind who enjoys ratting people out to tax agents (and they do exist), but I don't particularly approve of smuggling either, even if the law is unfair. But hey, if Caius chose to associate with Thieves' Guild people, there wasn't much I could do about it.

Addhiranirr smiled gleefully when I told her I'd dealt with the Census and Excise agent. "Really? This is a good trick. And Addhiranirr does not ask you how you do this trick, because Addhiranirr does not want to know. But now Addhiranirr is feeling quite good, and happy to talk to you about the cults."

"Do you know about the Sixth House cult?"

She nodded. "This Addhiranirr knows about, because it is about smuggling. Some smart smugglers are suddenly too busy for their old clients, because they have a new employer, the Sixth House, who pays very well."

"What are they smuggling?"

"Addhiranirr doesn't know, because they are very secret. And this is odd, because these smugglers are always loud and bragging, and now they hush up like fat-bellied kitties full of sweet-meats."

Hmm, interesting. "You don't know any more than this? Nothing about people called 'Sleepers', for instance?" She shook her head. "What about the Nerevarine cult?"

Addhiranirr let out a mocking laugh. "Yes, Addhiranirr knows this Nerevarine cult is just silly superstition. So you tell Caius this: Nobody in her right mind pays any attention to this moon-yeowling, prophecies and ancient heroes reborn and other silliness. Fuzzy tales for little kitties."

Well, it was good to find someone else who saw this Nerevarine nonsense for what it was. From what I'd heard so far, there didn't seem to be anything in it except wishful thinking on the part of the Ashlanders ? certainly nothing that could pose a real threat to the Empire. Why Caius took such an interest in it was beyond me.

I took a vigorous bath and smeared myself in perfume before setting off to find Caius' final informant, Mehra Milo, in the Temple canton. In his notes, Caius had warned me not to ask anyone about Mehra, as he didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she was speaking to an outlander. He'd described her as 'the priestess with the copper hair and copper eyes', so that was all I had to go on.

As I walked to the bridge which joined the two cantons, enjoying the cool evening air, I spotted something which froze me in my tracks. High in the air above the magnificent Temple building was a massive ? and I do mean massive ? piece of rock, vaguely oval in shape and easily the size of a small moon. It seemed to be floating in the air of its own accord, and looking carefully I could see doors carved into it and balconies attached to the surface. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before in my entire life.

"Excuse me," I said to a nearby gondolier, pointing. "What is that?"

"That is the Ministry of Truth, outlander."

"How does it??" I made an upwards gesture with my hands.

"It is a celestial body suspended there by the mighty power of Vivec," he said with an entirely straight face. "Legend says that should the populace cease to worship Vivec, it will fall and raze the city."

Okay, it sounded ridiculous, but I couldn't think of a better explanation. "And what are those doors in it?"

He smiled grimly. "The Ministry of Truth was hollowed out to provide a prison and re-education centre operated by the Temple Ordinators for the correction of heretics."

'Correction of heretics'? Okay, that was it: the Temple were officially a bunch of utter lunatics. 'Re-education centre'? 'Ministry of Truth'? Why didn't they just call it the 'Inquisition', for crying out loud?

Suddenly I began to feel a little dizzy. I hadn't eaten dinner, but I didn't think that was the reason; it was more that I was having trouble absorbing all this new information in a single day. The relative normality of life in Morrowind so far had lulled me into a false sense of security; it was only at times like this that I was reminded of what an incredibly weird place it really was.

Perhaps I ought to go back to the Foreign Quarter to eat and rest, then speak to Mehra the next morning. Then I could complete my next three Pilgrimages, instruct my bank on how much to pay to House Hlaalu, and hopefully get back to Balmora in time for afternoon tea with Caius. I'd achieved plenty for one day, after all.

I don't know if it was just due to nervousness, but that night I had another strange dream about the man in the loincloth and golden mask. This one was even more vivid and disturbing, as this time I could actually hear him speak: "There are many rooms in the house of the Master. Be easy, for from the hands of your enemies I have delivered you."

He stood aside, revealing a body lying on a table lit by candles, and to my horror I realised that it was me. I appeared to be dead, but when I touched the body ? cringing, and trying not to shudder ? I saw it draw breath, open its eyes, and rise from the table. The next moment I was lying in bed awake, gasping for breath and swearing yet again not to eat rich food so late in the evening.

First of all, let me congratulate you on another chapter well done. Before I try my hand at critiquing, let me tell you what stood out to me as the best features of your novel.

Your character is developed through use of inner dialogue and responses to sights your audience already knows, which makes your protagonist both easy to connect with and gives her a distinct personality that is kept both consistent and natural. Your character is not an evil assassin that takes every chance to kill someone, nor is she portrayed as the character we all played, who, unless we specifically role play otherwise, is out only for themselves. You take advantage of the endless number of paths morrowind offers to players. You did things I never thought of playing, and that is the most important thing in writing a novel based on a game your audience knows so well.

You use things more from real life than the game, like the more natural use of bribes and combat. This keeps us connecting this with our daily lives, which is always important. I found no spelling or grammatical errors to speak of, I might have missed some, but I usually don't.

Moving on to the few things you can improve upon, I shall begin with your use of characters in the game. The names and positions are usually easy to remember, but I found myself several times wondering who so and so is. Your audience will generally know who you are talking about, but some people have not played morrowind, but still deserve to read this great piece. It is a small thing, but if you can remind us a couple times who all the people are, it would be great. It might be due to the fact that I read it over a month long period, starting about that time ago, and just reading this today, but names as unnatural to me as Percius and Neminda are as hard to remember as those of a different language.

The only other thing i could possibly think of is how quickly she moves around and kills people. I know things are different in the game from real life, but if i moved as much as she did, and fought as often, then i would have to rest much more often^^. I know it will be different for trained warriors, but the few times she is in combat, she regards the killing of people like we view the killing of game characters. I know she is supposed to be used to it, but i believe you can never get used to killing people, ask any soldier or other real person that has killed a man. It cannot be fun, or as normal, even in an oblivion setting. Ethics are ethics, and your character seems to be one most likely to be upset over killing someone. I don't ask for you to make her refuse to kill people, or cry about it, but ar least have her consider it as bad.

It's a very small thing, the only things I could think of. And I spent at least an hour trying to re-read it to try to come up with something like what I'm sure many more experienced writers will tell you soon. I am just unlucky enough to be the first to post something^^.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't resist after I read to tell you how much I liked it XD.

In response to your post: I figured that, just felt like i should say it, especially if someone else reads and sees advice^^. Keep it up, i know i will.

Thanks for your review, Darkom95. I understand that the names can get confusing, and I have been trying to include reminders of who's who, but unfortunately there's only so many times I can refer to someone as 'the Redoran drillmaster Neminda' or 'Percius, the head of the Ald'ruhn Fighters' Guild'. I'll bear it in mind for future chapters, though.

I agree with you about the killing, and it's one of the biggest problems I've faced in writing combat scenes. The problem is that there are a lot of people you have to kill in Morrowind, even if you're trying to play a relatively peaceable character, and it just wouldn't be possible to treat it realistically while maintaining the humorous tone of the fic. So I've chosen to have Ada simply treat it as part of her job - she certainly doesn't enjoy killing people, but she takes the view that if they attack her, they get what's coming to them. As for having to rest more often, bear in mind that she carries stamina potions

This is one of the best Fanfic's I have read. It never fails to give me a few laughs, also I think Helena is a good character which obviously helps enjoy the story. Seriously I can't think of any negative thing's about the story. Keep up the great job!

Ahem.

You mean ADA VENTURA don't you?

and dear, dear, lovely and delightful Helena...

why, why do I think of ACE VENTURA whenever I read your character's name?

:rofl: :rofl:

Chapter 11: The Pilgrim's Progress

In the morning I looked through my copy of The Pilgrim's Path to check I had everything needed for the Vivec pilgrimages. All the shrines were in the Temple canton, so I was hoping to get all three done at once after speaking to my last informant. Two of the offerings were easy enough to get hold of ? 100 gold and a Rising Force potion ? but the Shrine of Courtesy in the Puzzle Canol required a silver blade. Sighing, I went to the smith and purchased a silver shortsword, which I hoped would be acceptable.

After that I went back to the Temple canton to see Mehra Milo, smiling nervously at the Ordinators who greeted me along the way ("A fine day to you, Mr. Ordinator! Just minding my own business here, not doing anything heretical!") The Library of Vivec was in the Hall of Wisdom, a section of the administrative offices on the canolside level of the canton. After wandering around its dark, twisty and confusing passages for a while (ever hear of windows, guys?), I eventually found the right place. I couldn't ask anyone about Mehra directly, but I did see a Dunmer woman in a dark-blue robe who fit Caius' description.

I cautiously approached her, wondering how to ascertain who she was without asking her outright. "Er? excuse me, sera? I was wondering if you could help me."

"What is it you want, outlander?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm? looking for a book. For my friend Caius."

Her eyes widened, and I knew immediately that I'd got the right person. "I see," she said carefully. "And what sort of book would your friend be looking for?"

"Well, he's very interested in Morrowind history and legends," I said. "Ancient prophecies, secret cults, that sort of thing?"

A smile spread across her face. "Very well, come with me. I'm sure we can find something suitable."

I couldn't help feeling rather proud of myself as I followed Mehra to a secluded area in the back of the library. This was genuine spy stuff, just like in novels. Next thing you knew I'd be breaking into vaults to steal secret documents, and getting captured and tortured for ? OK, hopefully not that last part.

Once we were out of hearing behind some bookcases, Mehra let down her guard and smiled. "So Caius sent you? I assume that you want information of some kind?"

I explained what I needed to know about the cults, and she nodded. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about a Sixth House cult, but I can tell you about the Nerevarine cult."

"Okay," I said, interested to hear about the cult from the perspective of someone connected with the Temple. "Can you tell me why the Temple persecutes the cult? It seems harmless enough to me."

Mehra sighed. "Well, the Nerevarines say the Tribunal are false gods. To be honest, I've never understood why the Temple wastes so much energy on them ? the faithful cannot be shaken by such attacks, and the Ashlanders are just ignorant savages. But with the erosion of faith among the Dunmer, the militant wing of the Temple is increasingly fierce in its attacks on heretics."

"What do you mean about the erosion of faith?"

"Since the Empire, some Dunmer have turned away from the Temple," she said. "Faith is the source of the divine power that sustains the Tribunal in their battle with Dagoth Ur. Many believe that is why Dagoth Ur grows stronger, and blight storms and monsters threaten the land."

Maybe it was just natural cynicism, but that sounded like an excuse to me. "Hold on," I said. "House Redoran are strong supporters of the Temple, right? So why are the blight storms worse in Redoran areas?"

"I cannot say." Not a very satisfactory answer. "And then, of course, there are the Dissident Priests?"

"Dissident Priests?"

Mehra hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice almost to a whisper. "The Dissident Priests dispute Temple doctrine on the Nerevarine prophecies. What's more, they challenge the purity and divinity of the Tribunal. They suggest that their powers are sorcerous, not divine, and perhaps even akin to the powers of Dagoth Ur."

"Seriously? Wow." That sounded like some pretty controversial stuff, I had to admit.

"They also condemn the arbitrary power of the Ordinators," Mehra continued, "and accuse the Temple hierarchy of self-interest and corruption."

Aha, I thought. I wonder what really bothers the Temple hierarchy most? Religious doctrine, or threats to their own power and influence?

I gave Mehra a hard look. "Are you one of these 'Dissident Priests', Mehra? Is that why you're passing information to Caius?"

Mehra didn't answer the question directly. Instead, after a pause, she said, "Caius is a dear friend. Like me, he admires the best traditions of the Temple ? charity for the poor, education for the ignorant, protection for the weak ? but like me, he distrusts the Ordinators and he suspects the Temple is hiding something. He serves the Emperor, but he also loves Morrowind, and he sees the failing virtues of the Temple as a threat to Morrowind's political stability."

I sank my chin into my hands, thinking all this over. "You should get a copy of the book Progress of Truth for Caius," Mehra said at last. "It describes the beliefs of the Dissident Priests. As for me, I am bound to come to the attention of the Ordinators sooner or later, and I fear I must go into hiding. When you return to Caius, tell him I am worried, and that if something goes wrong, I will leave a message under the code word 'amaya'."

My head was starting to ache as I left the Hall of Wisdom and emerged into the fresh air. Honestly, this was all getting a bit too involved for me, what with rebel priests and religious schisms and accusations of heresy. All I ever wanted to do was run around and hit things with swords.

Luckily, what happened next was enough to take my mind off this secret-agent business for quite a while. I'd promised myself I would do the Pilgrimages, and since it was still quite early in the morning, I didn't see any reason to put it off. I walked to the Shrine of Daring, on top of the Temple canton, and donated the Potion of Rising Force I'd bought ages ago in the Foreign Quarter (I still hadn't managed to work out what it was for). Then I recited the 'Grace of Daring' written on the shrine.

For a moment, nothing obvious happened except that I suddenly felt quite a bit lighter. At first I thought the shrine had cast another Feather spell on me, but when I started to walk away it occurred to me that I couldn't actually feel the ground beneath my feet. I looked down in bemusemant, to see that I was actually hovering an inch or two above the hard flagstones.

I blinked, convinced that I must be imagining things. It made no difference. Tentatively, I took couple of steps forward and 'upward' as if trying to climb an invisible staircase. It worked.

I was flying.

I drew a shaky breath, unable to believe this was happening. Surely it couldn't be a dream? I leapt upwards, stretching my arms towards the sky, and found myself soaring towards the clouds as if I were lighter than air. I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite equal to the pure joy I felt at that moment.

"Wheeeeee!" I shrieked, suddenly five years old again. I flapped my arms like a bird, and turned a couple of somersaults in the air. "I'm flying! I'm ? " I broke off, suddenly realising that someone might be able to hear me. But the only people in sight were a couple of Ordinators far away on the Ministry of Truth, who either hadn't seen me or pretended not to.

So that was how they got up there, I thought. And that was what the guard at Tel Branora, the Telvanni tower, had meant about flying. Was this the spell that had been banned by the 'Levitation Act' in Cyrodiil? If so, I didn't blame the mages for kicking up a fuss.

Suddenly it occurred to me that the spell could wear off again at any moment, and I hastily lowered myself until I felt my feet touch the ground. Even so, I could still move at twice my normal speed, and with almost no effort at all. I took a run up the steps of the massive Palace of Vivec, where the next of my three Pilgrimage shrines could be found.

The Shrine of Generosity was easy enough; I just donated 100 septims and it cast another blessing which I couldn't identify. I paused for a moment to look at the sturdy-looking door of the Palace ? was there really a living God inside there? Somehow I doubted I would ever be allowed in to see.

To each side of the steps were five grates leading into the Puzzle Canol, one set into each tier of the Palace. I removed the cuirass I was wearing ? I wasn't going to risk that getting rusty ? and floated over the right-hand barrier, wondering which grate to enter. In the end I chose the middle one pretty much at random and waded through into the Puzzle Canol.

Inside I found myself standing in the canol itself, almost chest-deep in water. I swam around for a minute looking for a way out before realising that I could simply fly upwards and onto the bank. There was no shrine to Vivec to be seen, but in a nearby tunnel I found another loose grate leading into a different level of the Canol.

This room was a massive chamber with a stone 'island' in the middle of a deep pool. On top of the island I found a shrine with no Grace to read, only a cryptic message: Breathe the Waters of His Glory and the Way is Made Clear. Was it referring to a Water Breathing spell? But I didn't know any.

I looked around for something that would give me an idea of what to do next. At the other end of the room I could see a passage through into a second chamber, but it appeared to be blocked by some kind of magical force field. Sighing, I removed my pack, waded back into the water, and ducked down under the surface, holding my breath for as long as I could without suffocating.

Nothing happened. I resurfaced and, suppressing every survival instinct known to humankind, attempted to breathe in water through my nostrils and mouth. All it did was leave me coughing and spluttering, desperate for air.

I tried again. This time I took in so much water that my lungs felt as if they were burning up, but still nothing happened. Surely the Temple didn't expect pilgrims to drown themselves just to visit a shrine?

Gritting my teeth, I ducked under the surface again for one last attempt. Unfortunately I must somehow have drifted under one of the stone pillars that surrounded the island, because when I tried to resurface, I banged my head against something very hard. I actually blacked out for a few seconds before waking to find myself floating on the surface of the water, face upwards. Rather surprisingly, the Levitation spell was still active.

As I hauled myself out of the pool and chugged a healing potion, I noticed that the force-field blocking off the passage had disappeared. I walked through into the next chamber, which contained only a couple of broken pillars and a large staircase. At the top of the steps was yet another shrine, presumably the Shrine of Courtesy, and ? good gods, was that a Dremora?

I took a closer look at it (him?): ebony-black skin, glowing eyes, horns and an impressive set of Daedric armour. Yep, this was either a Dremora or a guy in a very convincing costume. I hadn't realised the servants of Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of Destruction, were known for their courtesy; most of the ones I'd met previously had shown more interest in hacking me to pieces than making polite conversation.

Very, very cautiously, I made my way up the steps to the shrine, expecting to be attacked by the fierce-looking Daedra at any moment. "Er, hello?"

"Are you here on the pilgrimage?" he asked. "Read the shrine."

I read the inscription on the shrine. 'Here Vivec gave a plain silver longsword to the Daedra Lord Mehrunes Dagon, rather than dishonour himself by fighting an unarmed foe.'

"Ah, yes. The sword." I took out the silver shortsword I'd bought earlier that morning. "It's actually a shortsword, not a longsword, but?"

The Dremora was shaking his head. "I can only accept longswords."

"What? But I thought?" I flicked open my Pilgrim's Path book at the appropriate page and read it again, more carefully this time. 'The Dremora Krazzt is found in the centre of the Puzzle Canol, and will accept a plain silver longsword if spoken to with courtesy.' Oh, drat it all.

"Wouldn't a shortsword do instead?" I begged. "Please? Maybe if I ask really, really nicely?"

He looked at me through narrowed eyes, unmoved. "I can only accept plain silver longswords. I didn't make the rules, mortal."

Gods. I couldn't believe I was standing here, at the shrine of a god I didn't even really worship, arguing over the technicalities of a pilgrimage with a bloody Dremora. I was just about to ask the Daedra what the hell I was supposed to do now, when he leaned towards me and said in a low voice, "There is one in the chest over there."

I walked to the nearby wooden chest, keeping one eye on the Dremora just in case, and opened the lid. Inside were two silver longswords, as promised. I took one of them out of the chest and carried it over to Krazzt, who nodded.

"As you see, I am unarmed. But you are brave and gallant." Was that a slight eye-roll I saw there? "Will you give me your longsword so that I may stand a chance against your might?"

"Of course, friend Daedra," I replied politely, fighting a sudden urge to laugh. After all, the whole thing was pretty ridiculous.

Krazzt inclined his head slightly as he took the sword. "Yes, I accept this sword. Thank you, mortal; you have the grace of courtesy. You should read the inscription on the shrine to complete your pilgrimage."

"That's all?" I asked, a little surprised. "We don't actually have to fight?"

He shook his head with a sigh. "Just read the shrine and leave. I tire of your mortal presence."

"Very courteous", I mumbled, as I approached the shrine to recite the Grace of Courtesy. It cast another enchantment which I didn't recognise and I was finally ready to leave, not a moment too soon. All I wanted was to get myself into a hot bath and some clean, dry clothes as soon as possible.

I blinked as I emerged into the hot midday sun outside the Palace. Was it really only lunchtime? After all the hassle of dealing with the Puzzle Canol I felt almost ready for bed already.

I ate my midday meal in Vivec, then went to look for a copy of Progress of Truth in the bookstore belonging to the Khajiit Jobasha. He had a copy, but at a very expensive 150 drakes ? then again, it was technically a banned book. And I could always sell that silver shortsword to get some cash. After haggling a little to bring down the price, I reluctantly paid over the money, and then returned to Balmora through the Mages' Guild guide.

"So," said Masalinie Merian, when I teleported into the Balmora guild. "This Caius Cosades."

I frowned. "What about him?"

"People are?" She coughed delicately. "People are saying that you've been seen visiting his house quite a few times recently."

"And?"

"Well, there are rumours that you're, um? seeing each other."

"What?" I barked, so loudly that several other mages looked round to see what was going on. "Are you joking?"

"So you're not, then?"

Sheogorath, I couldn't believe this. "Of course not!" I gasped. "That skooma-svcking old coot? Are you crazy?"

"Well, I must say that he didn't seem like your type," she admitted. "But if you're not, er? what do you do when you visit his house, then?"

"Well, we? we talk." To my utter horror, I realised that I was blushing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ajira and Estirdalin, two of the other mages, exchange knowing glances.

"What about?"

I couldn't exactly tell her, could I? "Just? stuff."

"Stuff," she said, with a nod and a wink. "I see." Aaaargh!

As if things couldn't get bad enough, I thought, as I walked to Caius' house. Not only was I forced to work for this guy on pain of execution, but now the local gossips had started rumours that we were 'seeing each other'. All too much of each other, no doubt. What had I ever done to deserve this?

Shirtless Wonder greeted me at his door with that smug expression on his face. "Caius," I snapped, as soon as I was over the threshold. "Did you know that people think we're sleeping together?"

I saw his lips twitch slightly. "I had heard a few rumours to that effect, yes."

"And you didn't say anything?" I was going to kill him.

"Well, what should I have told them?" he asked mildly. "That I'm the Imperial Spymaster for Morrowind and you're one of my agents?"

"Oh, it's all right for you, isn't it?" I huffed. "You come out of this pretty well, don't you? People think you're shagging a girl young enough to be your granddaughter. I'm the one everyone thinks is completely insane ? "

"Ada." He held up a hand. "Did you speak to the informants in Vivec?"

I wrenched out the Progress of Truth book, Huleeya's notes, and the journal notes I'd made during my conversations with Mehra and Addhiranirr, and flung them down on the table in front of him. "Here's everything you need. And now I'm leaving, before people can start any more rumours about us!"

"Ada, wait!" he said sharply, as I made for the door.

I swung round, fixing him with a malevolent glare. "What?"

"Thank you for the notes," he said. "I'm promoting you to Journeyman. You're doing good work. And here are 200 drakes." He lobbed me a money pouch, which I caught.

"Oh," I said. "Well. Thanks."

"Go out and treat yourself to a new pair of shoes." He smiled. "And go do some more jobs for the guilds, just to keep your cover story current, then come back in a little while and I'll have new orders for you."

Very foolishly, I left the house while still holding the money pouch in my hand. It was just my luck that my old friend Sottilde from the Thieves' Guild happened to be passing by at that moment.

"Hello, Ada," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Visiting Caius again?" She'd clearly heard the rumours. I tried to conceal the small bag in my hand, but she'd already spotted it, and her mouth dropped open. "He pays you to??"

"NO! Merciful Gods, no!" This was getting out of hand. I looked around desperately, hoping no one else could hear us. "Look, I'm working for him, all right?"

"Ohhhh," she said, her eyes widening in sudden understanding. "Is this about the skooma, then?"

Well, it wasn't a great excuse, but it was better than nothing. I nodded reluctantly, trying my best to look like someone who'd had the truth dragged out of them against their will. "Just keep quiet about it, okay?"

"Well, that explains a lot," she said, and walked on.

Okay, I thought, something had to be done. There was nothing for it but to leave Balmora until these insane rumours died down. I decided that now might be a good time to throw myself wholeheartedly into my duties for House Redoran.

Neminda greeted me with her usual cheerful smile when I entered the Council Hall in Ald'ruhn. "Hello, Ada. Are you looking for more duties?"

"I was, as a matter of fact."

She thought for a moment. "Well, I do need someone to deliver a Cure Disease potion to a Redoran outpost."

Ah, the tried-and-true courier mission. Delivering packages halfway across the country never gets old, I tell you. "Where shall I take it?"

"To Theldyn Virith in Ald Velothi." I gave her my map so that she could mark the location of the village? right up on the north coast, miles from anywhere. "You can take the silt strider as far as Gnisis, but you'll have to walk the rest of the way, I'm afraid."

I suppressed a sigh, hoping I'd at least get some money at the end of this. Neminda either guessed what I was thinking or remembered the mudcrab mission, because she added, "You will not be paid for this, by the way."

"Oh."

"If you wish to advance in Redoran, you must be willing to perform tasks for the good of the House, not just for personal gain."

"All right, I get the ? "

"The warm glow of satisfaction from a job well done should be payment enough." Okay, now she was just taking the piss.

"Absolutely," I said with a sigh, as she struggled to hide a smile. "Since I'm not getting paid, would it be alright for me to go on doing jobs for the Fighters' Guild, and maybe the Legion? I do have to eat, you know." (Actually I could get free bed and board at the Guilds, but you know what I mean.)

She shrugged. "As long as it doesn't interfere with your duties to Redoran. The Fighters' Guild are honourable enough, and I've no objection to the Legion ? my father was a Legionnaire, actually."

"Really?" I asked with interest. "Are your family from Cyrodiil, then?"

"No, Hammerfell."

"Crowns or Forebears?"

"Forebears, of course. My father would hardly have joined the Legion otherwise." She handed me the Cure Disease potion. "Off you go, then. Good luck."

I left the Skar building as darkness was falling. As I walked back to the Fighters' Guild I saw a female Dunmer striding purposefully towards me, and my heart sank as I saw the expression on her face ? a distant, glassy stare that was all too familiar. "I am a Sleeper, one among thousands," she droned, grasping me firmly by the shoulder. "Dagoth Ur calls you, Ada, and you cannot ? "

Oh no, not again! "GET OFF ME!" I shouted, so loudly that several passers-by turned to see what was going on.

A Redoran guard strode up. "Is this woman bothering you, outlander?"

"Just a little," I said through clenched teeth, trying my best to detach myself from the Sleeper's grasp. She was still mumbling on as if she hadn't heard me.

With the help of a couple of passers-by, the guard managed to pull the woman away from me. I glared at her as she stood there, those horrible glassy eyes still fixed unblinkingly on mine. "How does Dagoth Ur know my name? What does he want from me?"

"He is the Lord, and Father of the Mountain," she said calmly. "He sleeps, but when he wakes, we shall rise from our dreams, shall sweep our land clean of the n'wah. Why have you denied him? As Lord Dagoth has said. 'All shall greet him as flesh, or as dust.'"

I felt a shudder run down my spine at that last sentence. "Get lost, you crazy [censored]."

Without another word she turned and walked away. I turned back to the guard. "What the hell is going on with these 'Sleepers'? I've seen them in Balmora as well."

He nodded sombrely. "Some are locals seemingly gone mad, others are strangers we can't trace. Some of them have been attacking non-Dunmer with clubs. Those we capture alive have complete amnesia, with no idea where they are or what's going on."

"What did she mean about 'sweep our land clean of the n'wah'?

"N'wah is a Dunmer word meaning 'foreigner' or 'slave'," he said, after a brief hesitation. Ah, so that was what it meant! "It seems these 'Sleepers' seek to drive all foreigners out of Morrowind. Be careful around them, outlander."

"Damn right I will," I muttered, still a little shaken. Three 'Sleeper' encounters within a couple of weeks, in two different cities? This was getting really disturbing. If I didn't manage to get out of Morrowind soon, I was going to have to start watching my back.

I went to bed that night with a headache, and slept very badly. Yet again I had one of those creepy dreams ? or perhaps 'nightmares' was a better word ? this one even more vivid and frightening than the last. Golden Mask Guy was there again, speaking to me, though I couldn't understand a word he was saying. His tone seemed pleasant enough, but I got the distinct feeling that he was trying to cast a spell on me.

In the morning I couldn't remember how the dream ended. I sighed, remembering the dream I'd had on the prison ship while travelling to Morrowind. Why couldn't I have Mysterious Female Voice back again? I still had no idea who she was, but at least she didn't scare me the way Golden Mask Guy did.

I was disturbed enough by last night's Sleeper encounter to go and report it to Caius before starting my Redoran mission ? being very careful not to be seen entering his house, of course. He nodded grimly when I described what had happened. "Yes, I've heard about these 'Sleepers' ? there've been several attacks recently, and a few foreigners have been killed by them already. Watch yourself, Ada."

"Do you think they could be something to do with the Sixth House Cult?" I asked.

"Could well be," he said, nodding. "I'll try to find out more. Was there anything else?"

I opened my mouth to say "no", then hesitated. "Well. This is going to sound strange, but? I've been having some rather bad dreams."

Caius looked at me as if I were mad. "Would you like a comfort blanket?"

"No, seriously," I said. "Really vivid dreams. More like? visions, in fact."

"Visions?" he said with a sudden frown. "Tell me about it."

I described the dreams to Caius, and was actually surprised by how much it seemed to worry him. "Not going loopy on me, are you Ada?" he said abruptly. "A word of advice. In Morrowind, if you have disturbing dreams, the Temple says you're crazy and want to lock you up. And if you have disturbing dreams and think they mean something, then they think you're a prophet or a witch, and ? "

"?want to lock you up?"

"Exactly. So take my advice, and keep a lid on it."

"They're just dreams," I muttered, a little defensively. "It's not like I think they're real or anything. I just wish I could find a way to make them stop."

"Try a sleeping potion," he suggested. "When did these dreams start, by the way?"

I paused. "Well? actually I had one on the ship over from the mainland, but it was different to the others. Just some woman talking about how I'd 'been chosen' for something or other."

"'Chosen', eh?" he said, looking hard at me. "Interesting. Very interesting."

I couldn't be bothered to ask what he meant, since I knew by now that I wouldn't get a satisfactory answer. I was just about to leave when I thought of something else. "Oh, Caius? One more thing. Have you heard anything more about the? unrest? in the Imperial City?"

He shook his head, looking grave. "Nothing much. There haven't been any more riots, but things are still tense. I've heard mutterings about recalling the Legions if things get much worse."

Recalling the Legions? Good Gods, things had to be really bad if they were considering something as drastic as that. Caius looked closely at me, seeing the concern in my face. "You got family back in the City?"

"Yeah," I said, trying not to look as upset as I actually felt.

"So have I," he said quietly.

Both of us were silent for a moment. "I am going back, you know," I said at last, glaring at him.

Caius shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you'll decide you like Morrowind better."

"What?" I let out a snort of laughter, almost forgetting about the Imperial City riots for a moment. "Yeah, right."

"You never know," he said with a wink. "Now get working on that cover story." I threw him one last dirty look and stalked out of the house, shaking my head. Decide of my own free will to stay in Morrowind, land of ash storms and kamikaze birds and evil immortal beings living inside volcanoes? He had to be joking.

"Hello, Ada," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Visiting Caius again?" She'd clearly heard the rumours. I tried to conceal the small bag in my hand, but she'd already spotted it, and her mouth dropped open. "He pays you to??"


Helena! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at that...in fact I'm still wiping some of the tears off my face...

Oh my GAWD!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Absolutly brilliant, I love this Fanfic so much. Please keep up the great work!

I completely agree with Foxy. That whole section was hilarious. Very well done yet again.

When is their going to be an update for this? I'm not rushing you of course, I was just wondering .