A Mission from a Goddess
I decided to do a little more exploring north of Cheydinhal and see what new treasures I could find. One of the members of the Fighters Guild told me about a number of mines and caves in the area, but there was one rumor that I found intriguing, and that was one concerning a peaceful cult involving the Goddess Azura. I had known about the older Daedric temples scattered about Morrowind. As a child, I had been warned to stay well clear of them, and with good reason, too. Many evil creatures lived around them, as well as those who worshipped the evil gods they were erected for. Azura, being an Aedra, had a reputation as a beneficial Goddess. I surmised that perhaps some benefit could be had by finding her shrine. I knew there was such a shrine in Morrowind, along with southeast shore, but was glad to hear that there was another such shrine here as well. I traveled north, finding a small mine, but not much loot there to take home with me. I knew that better spells for greater creatures would be more expensive, so more gold was important to have. I had been told approximately where the shrine would be located, and continued into the mountain range north of Cheydinhal. As I crossed a suspension bridge (that someone had thoughtfully provided to such travellers as myself), I stopped to look south. Even at this distance, I could make out the outline of the Imperial City. |
|
|
He said that I should have an offering of glow dust (which I just happened to have found when killing a will-o-the-wisp earlier today), and that I should present it to the Goddess at either dusk or dawn (since She is the Goddess of twilight). It was much too early for that, so I sat down on one of the benches and waited until the sun began to set. |
Suddenly, in my mind, I could hear Her voice speaking to me. "I have seen your name, Traveler, and heard it whispered in twilight. I ask a service, which holds promise of fame and reward. Many years ago, five followers slew the vampire Dratik and its kin, but all were infected by the foul creature. Knowing their fate, they sealed themselves up in the vampire's lair. Their suffering weighs heavily on me. Travel to the Gutten Mine. The door will open to you. Bring the peace of death to my followers, and you shall earn my gratitude." I remembered the mine, since I had passed it on the way here, but the door would not move an inch, held in place by powerful forces. I guess this was why the door was held shut in the first place. |
|
I cast a spell of torchlight to better see my way in the dark, and a spell of detection. |
I summoned a skeleton and zombie. Appearing a few feet ahead of me, the attracted the attenion of the vampire, and he attacked them. I added a scamp which tossed fireball spells at the vampire. I included a number of powerful fireball spells of my own, then resummoned my "army" over and over until the vampire was dead. |
|
This had to be the way to the last two vampires. |
|
I managed to keep him distracted with my summoned creatures while I hit him with my most powerful fireball spell. Some of them missed, since they take a few seconds to arrive at their target, and he kept moving around during the battle with my summoned creatures. |
|
There were a lot of things here that I could bring back and sell, but one thing truly stood out, and that was a set of daedric armor. Yes, it was heavy, but I had been plagued by things hitting me and causing injury. One I finish my report to the Goddess, I would return here, gather the items up, and use the spell of Recall to bring it all back home to sell. |
Once again, the Goddess spoke to me. |
Above her shrine, five candles appeared. It is rare that a Goddess pays homage to the living. |
I took the soul gem and stored it away for future use. I sat for a moment, thinking about the vampires I had been asked to kill. I felt a great sadness for them. They didn't ask for their lives to be changed, but, knowing their mission was vital and important, they accepted their fate with dignity and grace. Then I remembered the Amulet of Kings, and the quest I had been given by the Emperor, still not done, causing things that needed to be put in motion to wait for me. Just me. What kind of a person am I, wanting to run home to Morrowind? Was there nothing more important to me? Were my own needs and wants more important than a simple request from the Emperor himself, to simply deliver the Amulet to a trusted colleague? I realized that I was being selfish, and felt ashamed. I decided that perhaps I should stay here for a while longer, learn better skills, better spells, but then head to Chorrol and deliver the Amulet as promised. I headed back to the Gutted Mine cave, gathered all of the armor and weapons, and casting the spell of Recall, ended up in my room at the Inn. It was definitely time for a nap. |
COMING UP: Development, and the Journey to Chorrol