For the most part, the journey to Leyawiin was peaceful. Oh, there were the occassional run-ins with bandits or trolls along the way, but rather than stop and fight with them, my horse just outran them. One of the bandits shot an arrow right into his rump, but we kept on running until the bandit was out of sight. I jumped down, pulled out the arrow and did a healing spell on him. He seemed happy, understand what I was doing was helping him.

We continued on down the Green Road, enjoying the river to one side, and the birds singing in the trees on the other. I knew we would be approaching Leyawiin shortly, as I could just make out a little bit of the city walls in the distance.

That's when that familiar, high-pitched sound starting hitting my ears.

An Oblivion Gate had opened near the city. It was just on the other side of the river, and just north of Leyawiin. I cursed under my breath. I knew this would complicate my mission here.

I nudged the horse to continue down the road, mindful that there might be any number of Oblivion's denizens wandering around, now that this gate had opened. I supposed it didn't matter, really. I had closed other Gates along the way to Bravil, so I guess this would be just one more that I'd have to take care of.

I arrived at Leyawiin a few minutes later, noting that the sky was starting to be affected by the nearby Oblivion Gate. Dark clouds were gathering, and the usual thunder rumbled off in the distance from the direction of the Gate.

I decided I'd put my horse up at the stable located just outside the city gates. No need to bring this nice horse anywhere near those Gates.

I stopped at the stable, speaking with the owner.

"Can I leave my horse here?" I asked.

"This you can do." she replied. "But I recommend you leave shortly."

"Because of the Oblivion Gate nearby?" I asked.

"Yes." she replied. "We are all in danger here. Leyawiin stands alone. That's what Count Caro says. Only our brave guardsmen here keep the hordes of Oblivion at bay. Only the gods know how long that will last."

"Well, I'm here to help." I said, with a comforting smile. "I'll see what I can do."

"Leyawiin stands alone". I thought. How sad, I thought, for such a powerful province as this to retreat into such odd shells, much like a mud crab, instead of going forth and meeting the enemy head-on.

I headed inside the city walls. Things were pretty much as I had remembered them in my earlier visit here to gain my Mages Guild recommendation for the University. Shops were still open, but you could tell people were worried. Everywhere I turned, you could feel the tide of danger approaching, the way you can feel the change of air from an approaching storm. Perhaps the count could spare a few troops for Bruma, perhaps not. I decided I may as well announce myself.

It's funny how a reputation can preceed you. I hadn't been to Leyawiin for quite some time. And yet, everyone here knew me as "The Hero of Kvatch." Because of that, I was ushered directly into the Count's meeting hall without delay.

"Ah, a true hero graces us with her presence." announced Count Marius Caro. "What brings you to our fair city in these trying times?"

I decided to come straight to the point. "The last remaining heir to the throne is in a fortress near Bruma, but we hear that there are plans by our enemies to invade and overrun Bruma, the city near the Emperor's son. On his behalf, I have come to ask for aid for Bruma.

The count chuckled, nudging the Countess next to him. "They ask for help." he said, in a somewhat sarcastic way. "Leyawiin is beset by enemies." he continued. "The Empire does nothing to help us. Even before this crisis, I did not have enough men to patrol my borders. Now, daedra are pouring out of an Oblivion Gate on our very doorstep!"

His face changed from a smile to one of spite. "No!" he finished. "I don't have any men to spare. Bruma will have to look to its own defense. Now, if you don't have any further business, I must speak to my Captain about defending our people."

I couldn't say I blamed him. Any city short on manpower in this time of danger would probably come up with the same response.

Still, I could see that I'd have to remove the danger from this city in order for things to change.

I headed out the north gate of the city, spotting the Oblivion Gate just ahead. Sure enough, several creatures were already wandering around, looking for something to kill. I was certainly not going to let it be me.

One of the creatures, a daedroth, started lumbering towards me. I quickly used the spell Cloak of Shadows, ducking to the right just at the last moment, as the creature came to a stop right at my last known location. I snuck up behind it and struck it several times with a battle axe.

Several other creatures met the same fate as the first, and eventually and area around the gate was free of monsters. The Gate was directly in front of me, but I could hear something like an echo of the sound it was making.

I turned my back to the Gate, and there, just a few minutes walk away, stood another Oblivion Gate.

I rolled my eyes to the sky. Two Gates. And each would have to be closed using the same techniques, and finding the right tower.

I could tell this would be an all-day job.

I decided to take on the Gate nearest to me first, since I was already there. It was an interesting set set of mazes, including some bridges that need to be connected to the other towers. Using the Cloak of Invisibility spell helped me literally run through this set-up without too much delay.

This new war axe came in very handy, finishing off one monster after another. Still, it was tiring work, and I knew that after this Gate was closed, there was another one to shut down just a few minutes walk away from this one.

My powerful chameleon spell kept me out of harm's way, though there were a number of times I just snuck up on something and smacked it down right where it stood.

Grabbing the Sigil Stone, I pulled it from it's perch, watching the magical energy start it's mis-direction, ending in the usual blinding fury of power without the benefit of direction or control.

Once again, back in the place I started. I could see the temple tower of Leyawiin in the distance.

I could also hear the high-pitched screaming of the other Oblivion Gate just a short distance away.

I decided not to tarry, and ran to the second gate just outside the city walls.

Two daedroth and a storm antronach tried stopping me, only to have me vanish from their sight just before I slew them.

I had a schedule to keep, and I really didn't have the time to play with them.

Battle axe in hand, area cleared of wandering monsters, I took a deep breath and jumped in to the second Oblivion Gate, hoping this one would be as easy as the last one was.