I put my sword away, walking away from what was once a very pleasant and convenient cottage. Caldera wasn't a large village by any means, but it was pleasant enough that I had hoped to retire here one day. Well, the bank of Vvardenfell had a small home nearby for sale, so if I needed it, I knew where it was.

As I headed to the trader's office, a young ork girl stopped me. "Did you see the dragon?" she exclaimed. "It was huge, and nearly burned my face off."

"What stopped it?" I asked.

"Well, that mage over by the castle entrace, he cast some kind of spell at it, and the dragon flew off. It's the second time it's come here. You know it burned your house down, don't you? It looked like it was aiming at the trader's house, but it's hard to tell, with dragons, you know?"

"Where is this mage you spoke of?" I asked, eager to find out more about this strange creature.

"Oh, he's right over there near the water well." she said, and took my hand, practically dragging me behind her.

I met the old man where the ground rises to head up to the local castle. He was a Breton from the province of High Rock, same as me, though he had more hair on his head than I was lucky enough to have.

"You are a mage as well?" he asked, as soon as I approached him. "Yes, sir" I said. "I understand you were able to fend off this dragon. What can you tell me about this creature?" "Creatures." he corrected me. "You mean there are more of them?" I said. "Yes." he replied. "We should go to the local inn, and I can discuss it with you in greater detail."

We made our way to the inn, fending off the smoke of the fires that were being put out by the local guards. Once inside, he introduced himself.

"I am Illwing Redwood, mage. I must tell you about these creatures. They are, as you see, dragons, of the old legends. Something has awoken them, and I fear my powers are waining with my age."

Well, I hope mine don't do the same, since I was already old.

"Where will I find these dragons?" I asked.

"I am not certain myself, but if you ask the guards, I am sure one of them can give you an idea of where to start looking for their lair. I believe there are four dragons, each with it's own hiding place. Each must be killed, or they will destroy every village, town, and city." 

"Do you know how to defeat them?" I asked. It was an honest question, after all. I had never fought a dragon before.

His reply was only partly helpful. "This is one thing I am not certain of," he said, "but they breath fire. It is my belief that either shock or frost spells may defeat them, but in the end, only you will be able to tell the rest of us how to kill them."      

While I was in the Inn, I picked up some eggs and bread for Laurenna, then went next door to the trader's office. Verick Germain was there, and had just finished putting out a small fire on the roof of his establishment, and was obviously shaken by the experience.

"Ah, Eldorf, haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been? Can I get you anything?"

"Yes." I said, "a long time back, I purchased an amulet of recall from you. I was wondering if you had another one for sale."

"Oh, no, sorry, I don't have any more of them, but I'm sure if you check back..." I raised my hand to stop him. "No, not to worry." I said, "I still have the one you gave me, but just wondered if you had a spare. I will be back later to check, as you said."

"Well, then," he replied "how about some nice shirts, pants...oh, I have a very expensive robe here for you, if you'd like."   

I checked with several of the guards on duty, and one of them mentioned the dragon attack. He suggested the attack on Caldera might be related with attacks on merchants en-route between Ald'Ruhn and Caldera. He suggested I check with the guards in Fort Buckmoth, and they may be able to help further.

Since Fort Buckmoth was near Ald'Ruhn, and I was heading back to Balmora, I would save that trip for another time. I needed to tell Laurenna what had happened, and also needed to get a message to my mouth at the Telvani council. The Duke in Ebonhart would also need to know about this strange turn of events.

The journey back to Balmora was uneventful, and for once, I was glad. My mind was pre-occupied with the events concerning the dragon.

Just as I was approaching the back entrace to Balmora, and crossing the small bridge there, I noticed a small door that hadn't been there until recently.

I remembered that one of the patrons mentioned a crazy person, calling himself a 'lich', that had a hiding place near the edge of the river outside of town. This was, most likely, that hiding place. Naturally, I decided to investigate.

There was a very odd feeling emimating from the door. The last time I noticed that was in one of the tombs I had raided back long ago, and encountered a lich.

The way this individual was described, he was certainly no lich, by any stretch of the imagination, yet the feeling was there.

I would have to be careful with this one.

It was very dark inside, so I decided to use the glass helmet I had enchanted with 'night eye'. It wasn't a powerful spell, but it certainly helped me see in the dark.  

I ventured into the dark and dreary cave. I could hear the peaceful drops of water in the cave, dripping into pools of water. The cave felt humid, damp, almost sticky.

I found a large opening, and a pool of water, that was the source of the dripping sound I could hear.

Suddenly, to my left, a shout of anger. "LEAVE ME!!! You will not steal my treasure! My secrets are mine!! I discovered them! You will die!!

If I had a farthing for every time I had heard that before.

I quickly summoned a hunger to distract the attacker. He went right past the hunger, ignoring it's harmful magiks and spells, racing right towards me.

I peered into the darkness as best as my enchanted helmet would allow me - he was going to attack me with a simple wooden staff.

He was wearing a troll-bone helmet and using nothing more than a wooden staff. I was using glass armor and had a sword that causes the victim to become paralyzed, not to mention the fact that he was still being hit by the harmful spells from the hunger I had summoned. He seemed oblivious to all of that. He was outraged that I was there, and kept screaming about how his lich brothers would give him the power to defeat me.

All too easy.....and his name was Senzani Na, a dark elf.

Definately not a lich, but why would he put up such a fight he had no hope of winning? I decided to investigate further into his cave.

As I ventured deeper into the cave, I came across his campsite. There, I found a strange book, "The Book of Worms". The inscriptions would require some study, but what was most disturbing was the scroll I found on a table near the book.

Sensani Na
We have been watching since learning of your interests. We know what you seek to accomplish, and we offer the following information that may interest you. According to the Red Book of Worms, the ingredients you will require are a diamond, two pieces of raw ebony, a wooden staff, and the bones of a troll (it matters not if they have been shaped into something). Additionally, and most important, is possession of a phylactery of divinity. While we cannot state with certainty where you may find one, we believe that if you seek in the bowels of the Heran Ancestral Tomb, your efforts will be rewarded. The tomb is to be found along the coast, south and west of the settlement of Hla Oad. You will require a key to gain entry therein, but this we leave in your capable hands to procure.

The scroll was not signed.        

I left the tomb with the book and scroll in my possession. I wondered, could this outlandish idea possible work? The idea of actually becoming a lich, a living skeleton, with powerful magics in tow, was an interesting idea, though I wasn't certain I would want to become such a thing, even if it mean becoming the most powerful mage in Vvardenfell. There were other considerations, such as being able to kiss a lovely wife. "A face without lips - what a concept." I chuckled to myself.

I entered Balmora, and headed back to my new home away from home. I already had the eggs and bread that Laurenna had asked for. I was looking forward to an egg sandwich.