I had an uneasy night. Knowing you're going off on an adventure always brings the possibility of battle. Knowing a battle is about to take place by design is something that produces uneasy thoughts in the back of one's mind. There appears to be no cure for that, unfortunately.

The next morning, I headed back through the ashstorm to the palace to face Karrod.

On my way into the Throne Room, several of the guards wished me luck. I thought that was pretty nice of them, until I heard one mutter "You'll need it." under his breath.

Once in the Throne Room, everyone was there, waiting for the battle that would take place in just moments.

Helseth greeted me with open arms. "Ahhh, you have come to meet Karrod in battle." he proclaimed to the entire room. "Good for you. Have I mentioned that Karrod has never been defeated? Perhaps I hadn't."

"No, I don't believe that topic ever came up for discussion." I replied, trying to keep the mood light-hearted.

"Well, then," he said, "This is to be a fair fight. Use whatever weapons or spells are at your disposal. I wish you both luck. At least one of you will need it."

With that, he waved his hands, and each of the Royal Guards moved to positions up against the wall. Helseth took a position far out of range of any weapons-play as well.

"None are to interfere," he shouted to the room, "and you will begin on my command."

I put on the Ring of Weapons, but just as the spell started to take place, summoning a chest plate, shield, and broadsword, the command "FIGHT!" was given by Helseth.

Instantly, Karrod drew his sword, gaining the upper hand by knocking me off balance.

He didn't say a word, but smiled, as if delighted in catching me off guard in such a way. Mentally, I agreed: I should have had the ring on already as I entered the chamber, instead of waiting until the last moment.

I jumped back to avoid his next swing, and brought my own broadsword to bear. Though trained as a mage, I always knew these sword skills would come in handy. I swung with all my might, and put forth a hardy blow right across his chestplate. The blow knocked him back a bit. I swung again, but this time he blocked it with his own blade.

It was a blade like I had never seen before, but before I could get a good look at the thing, it came right for me. I tried blocking it, but missed, and the blow struck me across my chestplate.

Blow after blow was struck. While I managed to hit him several times, he just continued to smile. Then, with a gleam in his eye, he raised his sword and took a most powerful swing at me. This time, my shield took the brunt of the hit, although it nearly knocked me off my feet. Karrod was, indeed, a most powerful warrior.

He stuck me several times, resulting in great wounds. I managed to get in a few more hits myself, actually knocking him off balance for a bit. Not wanting to truly hurt him, I backed off.

That was a big mistake. Taking that as a sign of weakness, he jumped up, and as he landed on his feet, he brought his sword down with a most powerful blow. It was all I could do to bring my shield up in time to protect myself.

I was in trouble. I was badly wounded, and while he wasn't in much better shape than me, he'd win this battle.

I just needed a few seconds. Gathering all of my strength, I struck him several times, as hard as possible. The blows pushed him back.

Quickly, I stepped back, putting some distance between us. In the few seconds I would have to myself, I took one of my homemade health potions. Not only did it managed to heal my wounds, but its effect would last for nearly three minutes, constantly healing me for that amount of time.

Karrod came back for more, and I made sure he got a handful. Each time he managed to hit me, my health potion healed the wound almost immediately. I knew this wouldn't go on for long, however, and I must act quickly.

I charged him, catching Karrod completely by surprise. I struck him over and over, ignoring his hits upon myself, until I had nearly knocked him to the floor.

I stuck Karrod over and over, losing myself in the battle. Karrod fell to the floor, holding his blade up to defend himself from the rain of blows from my broadsword.

Suddenly, Karrod spoke!!!

"Hold!!" he shouted. "I am beaten. You are the greater warrior, Eldorf the Wise."

He stood up, and smiled, but this time, with a kindly look in his face. "You should speak now with my liege."

Helseth was ecstatic with the outcome. "Enough!" he shouted. "I have seen you fight my champion, though I find it hard to imagine how you have succeeded. I did not believe anyone could best Karrod, but you have shown me otherwise."

He turned towards Karrod, and added "And he speaks!!"

Karrod turned to his king and bowed. The King acknowledged with a nod of his head, then turned back to me. "There are depths to you, Eldorf Dragonmeal, that I will fathom in time. For now, you have proven yourself to me."

Helseth was quiet for a moment, then added, "I'm impressed, Eldorf. None have ever defeated Karrod in battle, and I certainly didn't expect you to be the first. You continue to surprise me. You have proven your worth to me, as well as your loyalty."

He reached into a fold in his robe, and took out a dagger. "Take this as a token of my faith in our friendship. It was my father's ceremonial dagger, and I place it now in your possession. Do not disgrace his memory, Eldorf the Wise. Now, let us discuss my plans for you.

"Certainly, and thank you for the honor." I replied, bowing gracefully.

Helseth put his hand on my shoulder, continuing, "As I'm certain you know, Mournhold is one of the seats of power for the Tribunal. The goddess Almalexia resides here in her Temple, surrounded by her High Ordinators. I have no great love for Almalexia, her Ordinators, or the Tribunal of which she is a part. In light of recent events, I believe it is time to gather more information about them."

"Certainly." I replied. "Could you be a little more specific?"     

"Specifically, the odd attack in the plaza." he replied. "The attack on Mournhold was as unexpected to me as it was destructive to the city. And I make it my business to remain forewarned of this sort of event. Many believed the attacking creatures to have been Dwemer constructs, but we know now that this is not the case. These creatures were beyond anything dreamt of by the Dwarves, creatures it would take the power of a god to create. I would like for you to learn more about the attacks."

"I understand." I said. "Those creatures were definitely NOT of Dwemer construction. They were different in many ways, even attacking Dwemer steam centurions in the old ruins below us."

"Your insight servers you well." he replied. "I believe that the only person who might shed more light on this situation is Almalexia herself. All indications are that these creatures must be the constructs of Sotha Sil, and only Almalexia is likely to have information about him."

"I see." I replied. "How should I proceed?"

"I wish for you to speak to her," he replied, "learn what she knows about the creatures, and report to me. There is no reason for the goddess to suspect that you and I may be allied. Use this to your advantage. Do not approach me again until you have learned all that you can."

I indicated my understanding of these instructions, and headed out of the Throne Room. Suddenly, I turned and headed back to Karrod. He was still standing there with his mighty broadsword in his hand.

I decided to head back to the Temple and see if Almalexia had any information on Sotha Sil that might be helpful.

As much as I thought Helseth was something of a manipulator, he was absolutely correct that the machines that attacked the city were not of Dwemer origin, but I had to admit, he might be right about these creatures coming from the hand of Sotha Sil.

The third member of the Tribunal was always known to be one that loved to tinker with machinery. This type of thing would be right up his alley.

Unfortunately, Almalexia wasn't much help.

"Do not concern yourself with Sotha Sil." she said. "He lives in his own way, as he always has."

"Have you spoken to him recently?" I asked.

"No." she replied. "I have not spoken with him in a long time, but this is not odd. I'm certain all is well with my old friend."

"I have two of the three pieces of the blade." I said. "I hope to find the third piece soon."

She smiled. "Bring it to me once you have forged it anew." was all she said.

I took my leave of the Temple and headed back to Godsreach. My next stop would be the Museum of Ancient Artifacts, and hopefully, finding the third and final piece of this Blade of Nerevar.