Chapter
21: Dagoth Ur
Day 300
“So are you ready?” I asked as I approached Julan. He was outside our manor in Vivec restringing his bow. He said nothing for a moment, as he completed his work, then looked up a me.
“Which one should we go after the first?” he asked nonchalantly.
“I’d say the one that’s closest. Keening, I believe. Julan, we’re going to the Red Mountain.”
“I’ll be fine, Anni. No more ghost there. Outside of the one haunting you.” We finished preparing for the trip and made good time to Ald-ruhn. Two hours outside of of the dusty city, inside the Ghostgate we came upon a small Dwemer Citadel. “Anni, this can’t be it.”
“Doesn’t matter, we have to get out of this ash storm. I can’t see two feet in front of me.”
“Ai. I just don’t like these places.” We entered citadel; inside there were gigantic hands laying sporadically across the floor. Schematics scholars would kill for were thrown about helter skelter across tables and turned over shelves. We came upon a alter with a dagger glowing gold in the center. It looked magical.
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| Dwemer Citadel |
“There she is. I can't believe they just left it sitting out here. I was barely guarded.”
“They probably thought no one would actually come for it, Anne. Well, we've managed to get Keening and you’ve killed some random Dagoths to boot. Are you happy now? Can we please get the hell out of here?”
“Fine. Let’s,” I said in frustrated tone. I know it was my greed driving me, but I figured I take just as much as this mission had taken from me. My reward for risking all would be greater than a simple pat on the back and ‘thanks for saving Vvardenfell’. No, I would steal all of Dagoth's silverware if I came upon it. I Julan and were hauling our wares down the side of the when we stumbled down the mountain and landed right in front of a tomb with ancient markings.
Julan brushed the dust off the face of the sealed tomb. “Mephalia, Anni, this must be from the first era. I can barely read the inscription… Mauritius. It says Mauritius, I believe.”
“Well, let’s go in and see what lies beneath.”
A cloud passed over Julan’s face as he crossed his arms across his chest. “I don’t want to,” he said as I pried the door. “Is this some sort of strange fetish of yours, disturbing the dead?”
“The bones do me no good. It’s what they leave lying around…Besides, they’re dead. You don’t take a pack guar to the next life.” Julan just shook his head. Inside, I smelled the stench of dried blood. There were ancient carcasses everywhere.
“Another fucking vampire, Anni. I can’t believe you dragged me in here!”
“And if you don’t stop whining, I’ll feed you to him.”
“Her, it could be a her, Anni.” But it wasn’t. Mauritius was a male vampire, though it was so ancient and weak, it took little effort to slay him. I had to admit, though not to Julan, that I felt a slight twinge of guilt in stripping the ebony armor off of his withered corpse as he had made no effort to put up any sort of fight.
“I imagine the presence of Dagoth Ur had slowed business for him—significantly.”
“Who’d want to eat corpus infected lunatics? Though I suppose he could have moved.”
“Naw…nice digs," I smiled, as I looked around the ancient tomb. I lifted as much of the armor as I could carry on to the pack guar (which Julan has wisely suggested we purchase). “Eh…This is heavy. Can you give me a hand?”
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| Keening |
Sullenly he walked forward and helped me pack the looted armor. “Well maybe you should have thought of that when you decided to go pilfering. Why the hell do you always have to go in caves, Anni? I hate caves, because there is always something nasty, not to mention dangerous, chasing us!”
“Look Jules, we have to do all the pilfering now before we’re expected to be respectable, upstanding citizens of the Empire.”
“Bah! You’ll never be respectable,” he said, his lips curing into a reluctant smile.
“And that’s why you love me.”
Day 303
“Oh, joy…Another ashstorm.” We woke at dawn to a heavy dust flying all around us; the wind blew our little lean to away.
“Jules you grew up with them.”
“Which is precisely why I can’t stand them, Anne. Say, we’re outside of Vemynal now? Is this where Sunder is being held?”
“This would be it.”
“Would it be too much to ask of you just to get the damned artifact then leave?”
“Entirely,” I smiled up at him pulling the crank the door opening
“Well, I’d tell you to be careful around here, but if you haven’t learned that by now, there’s no hope for you, I fear.”
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| What comes next |
“None whatsoever,” I grinned. We walked along to dark chamber, into Kargnac’s study. The walls were lined with books. “Julan, I’ll take care of any random creatures we encounter.”
“And I’ll handle the librarians,” he sniggered. Running his hands along the books Julan turned to me as we walked down the long corridor. “Well, you can already tell what I’m about to say, can’t you?”
“Hmmm….Let me think…I believe you’d say there was something powerful in here.”
“No, Anne,” he said taking my hand. “Just be ready.”
Down the long corridor of the citadel, we came to another large room. Surprisingly, there was no alter. For a second, I was afraid that some hapless thief had arrived before us, though happily that wasn’t the case. We found Sunder housed in some wretched Dagoth—the name I had afforded to all the terribly distorted Sixth House members. Julan walked over to the corpse of what once was a man. Moving it slightly with his boot as I pulled Sunder from its robe. “Anni do you ever look at them and wonder what they were like before this?”
“No Jules,” I answered coldly, “I just put knife through them.”
He looked at me as a child, disappointed. “I see.”
“Julan, if I thought, or even paused for a second, we would be lost. I can’t think of regret. I can only think about us and the now.”
“Well you now have Sunder and Keening. Are you ready to face him?”
“I don’t know," I answered honestly then paused for a moment looking up at Julan. "How do you know if you’re ready to kill a god?" He shook his head looking down at the body. "Don't worry Jules, I’m not rushing to Dagoth Ur in the bloody and tired state we're in. No, we’ll go to the nearest town and unload some of this loot before our guar gets eaten by some ash zombie.” I paused for a second outside of citadel, placing my hand over my eyes to block out the blight. From a distance I could see the Red Mountain and the outline of Dagoth Ur’s citiadel. “It seems empty in a way,” I said looking wistfully beyond the gates of Vemynal. “There’s only Dagoth of front of us.”
He looked over at me thoughtfully. “I would think you would be happy that this mission is over.”
“I’m not sure Julan, for what comes next?”
Day 314.
An uneventful trip to Ald-ruhn only slightly delayed the enevitable. We were again well into Ghostfence. I was walking several paces behind Julan, looking for something, though of what I wasn’t sure.
“Anne?” Julan turned around then stopped. “Are you alright?”
“I….It must be all the ash. I need to rest…for a moment.”
“You rest? I thought there was no resting for the wicked.”
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| Massur with Julan and Pookie the Pack Guar |
“Well, perhaps we just sit a spell.” I turned from him, smiling slightly when I spotted something off to the far left, about a quarter mile away. “Look Jules,” I said carelessly walking. He said nothing but followed close behind. The ash was blowing wildly now, I stumbled over a root and fell against a cavern door. Putting my shield in front of my face to block out the blight blowing around me, I started feeling for any engraved words. Though I could barely see, my fingers traced the name on the entrance. It read Massur—Empire. “Julan, that’s a mine shaft.”
“So?”
“Well, it seems that would be terrible place for a mine. Not logistically mind you, but well…”
“Because of the blight, Daedra and Dagoth,” he paused then grinned and continued, “but Anni, Dagoth wasn’t always there….so.”
I turned to Julan. “So yeah. I bet that cave is full of Daedra.”
He smiled back and completed my thought. “And unguarded ore. Got your pick?”
“Never leave home without one….” There was no making love after this particular mine raid. We took the ore and stashed it; counting on making it back after the battle with Dagoth. I had to look at it as we were coming back. I could not think in any other terms. Julan interrupted my train of thought.
“You sure you want to go legit after this, Anni? I think you and I would make excellent robber barons.”
“I have no doubt in that, but sadly you’ve imbued me with a conscience. Never really had one before.”
“Pity, Anne,” he smiled coyly.
“Oh, not really. It’s not too bad. Besides, I think we’ve made a fortune since we started.” We had only walked a short distance when I heard Julan chuckling to himself. This was not unfamiliar.
“Anni, do you remember the first time we were up here?”
“You know I was thinking about the same thing. This time I’ll let you drag my unconscious Breton ass down the side of a mountain.”
“Ah, Anne, don’t think like that. The only thing we will dragging down the side of the mountain is all our ore.” He paused for a moment and looked up the hill. “Well, Anne, I think this is it.” We took shelter around some rocks right above the Citadel. The wind was blowing wildly now, with some red lines of color or spiritual energy dancing around the ruins. The scene would be strangely beautiful if I wasn't completely aware of what was inside waiting for me. Somehow I think Dagoth Ur knew I had arrived. "Anne, did you hear me?"
“Yeah. We're here. ” I felt tears running down my eyes.
Julan looked over at me and smiled. I could tell he was going to try to jolly me out of this sudden despair.. “I can’t believe we’ve come so far, and now, finally, it’s time. And we have a plan. Though when you think about it, outside Kargac’s tools it’s really the same plan I had all along. Walk in, kill Dagoth. The classic plans are still the best…” he laughed. I smiled to then I turned to him.
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| "We're here." |
“Julan, you don’t have to come, you know. It's too dangerous…and our people are depending on you.”
“And, that Anni, is exactly why I have to go in there. It’s not for me or you, but for everyone. Vvardenfell has no future—nor do my people; if this blight continues…." He paused for a moment then turned toward the citadel. "You know this was my mission once, and I want to see how it ends…I have a steak in it, I guess.” He looked over at me, "You told me once you were here to save my people, but Anne, that's not really your fight. There has to be something more. Do you know why you are here?"
I paused for a second staring off into the ash dotted sky. Shaking my head, I tried to come up with some valiant answer, though I was still unsure. I turned to Julan and gave him the best answer I could. “Because I have to, though not because I’m being forced. I could have left long ago…” I paused not really sure how to continue. If asked a couple of months ago I think I would have said ‘because someone told me so’. Now it was all different. “It’s because I know it’s the right thing to do. There’s really no reason other than that, though I have to admit…I’m terrified Jules.”
He moved closer, wrapping his arms around me like a blanket as we we stared at the citadel. “Shhhh, calm down,” he said cradling me. “I’ll tell you a secret Anne?” I just nodded, head against his chest. “There have been times when I’ve wondered if I was doing the right thing. Dagoth had planned to drive the Empire from Morrowind, and that’s part of what the Incarnate is meant to do, too. Sometimes I wondered if the prophecies really meant that the Incarnate would join with Dagoth Ur, to free Morrowind. And when we were on the mountain, that first time, I had a dream….a dream of Morrowind ruled by the Sixth House.”
“What was it like?” I whispered.
“It was….wonderful. The false gods and the Empire were gone, and the Dunmer were finally free. Everything was perfect…but even then I could tell there was something wrong with the image, an indescribable pale sickness about it all. Somehow I knew the image was false, but still I was so blind. I hated the Empire, the Tribunal, and sometimes I thought that anything would be better.”
“I understand that.”
“But through the course of all this, I learned there are worse things than the Septims or the Tribunal. There’s numbness and emptiness. There sickness and madness and grasping poverty…not only of body, but of soul too... I know why you’re here and I think it goes beyond any order. You’re here to save us.”
I looked over at him saying nothing, watching his hair blow in the ash and wind. “Let’s finish this.”
I took his hand as we rose. Standing against the Citadel and ash, Julan gently lifted my chin. “Remember love, I’m not afraid to die, but that doesn’t mean I’m courting death. This is no suicide mission, Anne. This is just like anything we’ve ever done before. We go in and slay the monster, and we go home. Simple as that—no dying.” He smiled at me. I hit the crank that opened the large iron doors and slowly, wordlessly we made our way in. Almost immediately I heard a voice. “Come Nerevar. Come friend or traitor. Come and look at the heart…and bring Wraithguard, I have use of it.” Quickly I looked over at Julan, unsure if he heard the voice or not. I could only assume this was none other than Dagoth Ur, trying to psyche me out.
“Did you hear something?” I asked then stopped as the voice grew even louder, beckoning me. “Come to the heart chamber where last we met ages ago. Come to me through fire and war, I welcome you.”
“No Anne,” Jules said looking concerned. “I didn’t hear anyone speaking…Did you?”
I crouched against the wall, the voice overwhelming. “Welcome Moon and Star I have prepared a place for you. Come, quickly, to the heart chamber let us free together the false gods.”
“What? He’s talking to you? In your head? Bah…that sounds bad. Just don’t listen, Anni, whatever you do, don’t listen!”
“I can’t make it stop, Julan.”
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| Slaying random ghouls |
“You have to. We’ve come too far, Anne. This is the moment. You will have to be strong and block it out…It’s just a damned voice. This was insane; he was right. A better part of a year was spent leading up to this. The voice, growing louder all the while, kept coming to me like a transmission. We continued our descent down the long corridor. Julan fought fiercely against various ash priest and dremora, as I walked along in a trance, hypnotized by a voice. “Welcome Nerevar, together we shall drive the mongrel frogs from Morrowind.” I stopped walking, then slumped against the wall laughing like a madman.
“Anni?” Julan shouted, alarmed. “Anne, come on girl.”
“Does he have any idea who he’s talking to?” I laughed hysterically. “Drive out the mongrel frogs….” My fist pounded the ground. “I am the fucking mongrel!” I couldn’t stop laughing. What a fool this Dagoth was. Somehow the laughter drove out all the noise. The insanity of his words became my shield. “Oh, Julan how was I ever scared?”
“I don’t know, Anne," he said, giving me his hand, "but you’re scaring me.”
“I’m fine; his tricks don’t work" I spun around screaming to the top of my lungs. "Did you hear me Dagoth? You’re tricks don’t work!” Julan looked over at me relived. I took his hand as we entered the bottom chamber. I appears that we had entered some kind of ancient armory. There were priceless weapons and shields surrounding us. Chests of gold and jewels lined the walls.
Julan turned from me, dazzled by all this wealth. It was the distraction I needed. “Anni, did you see this closet?” Whap. I hit Julan in the back of the head with the hilt of my sword and watched his unconscious body fall ground, in front of a beautifully etched glass shield. I could not let him go in. I knew full well I would not be coming out. I kissed him softly the lips then his cheek and made my way into the Heart Chamber.
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| Whap |
“Welcome moon and star to the place destiny is made,” I could hear the voice, though not in my head as I had before. The booming voice came from the Immortal in front of me wearing the gold mask. He was beautiful and hypnotic. His gray body swayed and his fingers moved in a dance. I had to shake my head and snap out of the spell he was placing me under. Suddenly, memories like pictures came to me of the man he was before, of the man I was before.
“We meet again, Dagoth Ur.”
He stopped swaying. “So this is the vessel Azura sent you in? The body of the n’wah? Oh surely the gods have a sense humor.”
“Laugh while you can Dagoth,” I said circling him, “though I see you hide Azura’s curse with a golden mask.” His body froze, and for a second I thought I saw his muscles seize. He then laughed loudly at me.
“Nerevar, now that you come to me here, I see there can be but one result. Many times I have considered offering to share this place with you, to accept your oath of service. I had even hoped we might once again be friends…comrades…brothers in arms…but no.”
Something within me snapped, I heard my voice, but was unsure if it was me actually speaking. “We were never friends, Dagoth. I was the commander of the greatest army in Tamriel, you were the father of a dying House.You were desperate to restore House Dagoth’s honor. You would have done anything and risked anything—even madness or death—to meet those ends. I knew that then and you know that now; there were no innocents on Red Mountain that night!” Time stood still as we faced each other; his anger palatable, as he knew every word was true--those words spoken were etched in stone.
“So, it will be decided here,” Dagoth said, finally shattering the silence. “I believe I will prevail, but I cannot be sure as you have become a formidable opponent. I am vain enough that, should I fall, I would wish to be remembered in my words. And I have to know some things from you, Annika Blue, and you will tell me. Are you really Nerevar reborn?”
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| There were no innocents on Red Mountain |
“Ask Azura,” I shrugged.
“The gods and fate are cruel. To think that you would be Nerevar reborn is an insult.”
“I’m sorry,” I uttered callously.
“No you are insolent and brash, but hardly sorry. There is not an apologetic bone in your body, so do not insult me with your spite.”
“Let’s get on with this. What do you really want to know?”
“I want to know what you really want. If I should fall today, I wonder how you would use the heart. Will you make yourself a god and establish your own thearchy? Or will you complete Akulakhan and dispute control of Tamriel with your father? Or shall you share the power with your unconscious beloved and breed a new race of divine immortals?”
“I have no idea what Akulakhan is, and my plans are my own Dagoth,” I said coldly.
“You have no idea what they are,” he laughed mockingly.
This was true, but then the answer came to me. In words that could cut I said, “It’s just a job.”
“The Heart…immortality, the fortunes of all man and mer—just a job? Tell me, did Azura send a madwoman to do what three gods couldn’t?”
“Maybe,” I shrugged. “But you’ve had you’ve had your turn and I’m all out of answers. It’s my turn to ask the questions.” I paused and smiled. “In my travels I’ve come across many members of your cult.”
“And slayed them. Your death will particularly painful for that.”
“We’ll see, but before my utter destruction, tell me this, is this your plan for the Dunmer? You’ve established your own cult in the Sixth House, would you create a world of sugar mad flesh-eaters?”
“Spare me your insults, Annika Blue, for my House is greater than yours ever will be. But to answer your question and explain as clearly as I can and on your level of understanding, I will free the Dunmer from the Imperial yoke and cast down the false gods of the Temple. I will lead them out of their ancient superstitions and gift them with intimate knowledge of the divine. Then perhaps when Morrowind is once again restored to its ancient glories, it will be time to consider whether the Dunmer should cultivate ambitions of empire.”
“And your building a doll will accomplish this?” I asked.
“Dolt,” he answered with venim. “Akulakhan will serve three purposes. First it will be the champion of my armies, liberating first Vvardenfell, then Morrowind. Second it will serve as the cultivator of the divine substance derived from the Heart. It will also serve as a prominent banner and symbol of our crusade.”
“Crusade?” What was this madman planning?
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| Plunging Keening into the heart of Lorkan |
“It is time for new gods Annika Blue, ones that are worthy of the name. The Nine Divines time has run out.”
“So you’re creating a new theology.” I suppose it makes sense as religion seems to be at the heart of all wars. “Is that how justify the crimes you’ve committed? Toward the creation of a new holy trinity, with you as the godhead?”
“Annika Blue, you are hardly one to ask of my crimes considering the hundreds you have committed yourself, but if, by my crimes, you mean the inevitable suffering and destruction caused by war, then I accept the burden of leadership. The Sixth House cannot be restored without war. Enlightenment cannot grow without the risk of upsetting the tradition bound and complacent. And the mongrel armies of the Empire cannot be expelled from Morrowind without bloodshed. As I have charity and compassion, I grieve. But our mission is just and noble.”
“Ends justify the means, eh?”
“Precisely.” He then paused a second before he spoke. “Now the sight of my old friend trapped in your body is making me physically ill, if a god could be ill. So now we will see, finally, who makes it off this mountain. I’m gracious enough allow you the glory of first blow.” I raised my Daedric Wakchazkai and aimed for the gut. He fell quickly under the first blow. Taking no chances, I hacked him to Oblivion, though instead of his body falling apart, he dispersed, much like Daedra. Then nothing. The room was utterly still. I had expected more. Azura did not call to me nor did I feel the air awash with a clean sense of victory. Nothing happened. I looked off to the left and saw another passage with a ring in the entrance way. I picked it up and suddenly the door opened into a cavernous room. Before me stood an immense giant of metal and ore with a red heart beating at the center. This must be Akulakhan. In awe and still shaking, some how I managed to slip on Wraitguard. My pulse pounded and from behind me came a voice. I turned and saw Dagoth Ur standing before me somehow apprearing larger than before. And he was not alone. Behind him stood a small army of ash zombies, acolytes and other monsters--Dagoth's retairns of the Sixth House.
“I’m a god, you fool! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence!” I shuddered at this; I had known he was right. To kill a god is delusion. I took a deep breath. Instead of fighting an invincible foe, I went straight for the Heart of Lorken. I knew he would come after me, and I knew that he would probably kill me. With all my might I pounded the Heart with Sunder, all the while Dagoth and his minions surrounded me, hitting me with bursts of electricity. I could feel I was failing, and all of Tamriel would fail with me too. How I wished Azura had picked someone else.
Suddenly, out of the blue I heard a shout. “What are you doing, you fool!” I saw Julan in the corner of my eye. For a moment he ran pass me, picking up Keening and plunging it into the Heart of Lorken, then falling down lifelessly in front of it.. The knife Keening dropped from his hand, the heart shriveled. Immediately, Dagoth dispersed, where or how I did not know, nor did I care. With what little life was left in me, I picked up Julan and escaped the chamber as Akulahn imploded behind us.
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| Take this thing from the hand of god |
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| Blue Skies Over Daedroth |
“Nerevar Blue. You no longer bear the burden of Prophecy, you have achieved your destiny; you are free. The doomed Dwemmer’s folly, Lord Dagoth’s temptation, the Tribunal’s seduction, the God’s heart freed, the prophecy fulfilled. All fates sealed, and sins redeemed. If you have pity mourn the lost, but let the weeping cease. For you our thanks and blessing. Our gift and token given. Come! Take this thing from the hand of God!” I reached for her hands, feeling warmth and life. The hands wrapped in mine were not that of a goddess both ethereal and soft, but calloused and large; they were the hands I had held a thousand times before. Then with a startling blow to my breast came a breath, and coughing, but not just the sound of my own breathlessness. Wheezing beside me was Azura’s gift—the thing I cherished most. Azura was good to her word. I laid on the ground, chocking and laughing like a madman. It was over and he was alive. We were alive. Then suddenly—thud!
“Ouch! You punched me in the arm. That’ll bruise!”
“You hit me in the head…WITH THE BACK OF YOUR SWORD!” Julan shouted, half seriously. “But Anni you’re alive. We’re alive. And the devils dead?” he asked. I nodded. “Then that’s all that matters I guess.” He paused for a moment, looking up at the chamber’s ceiling. “Ai. I feel like we’ve been underground in the dark forever. And I never want to see another Dwemer ruin as long as I live! And you did it!” He kissed me.
“No,” I said turning over. We did it..”
He smiled and stood, reaching out to me. “Can you stand, love?” he asked reaching out his hand. I took it in mine and stood. We walked out of the Citadel in to the light. I blinked staring up into a blightless, blue sky over the Red Mountain.
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