Chapter Text
Robes weren't typically Tiglah's go-to for choices in attire, but somehow she felt the Psijic robes to be most appropriate right now. And not just because an old man who may or may not be able to see weird things told her so.
Josajeh wasn't upset that she still hadn't retrieved the Augur of the Obscure or that she had to replace the time seals Tiglah had been given. In fact, she seemed much more concerned about Tiglah's recent experiences than Iachesis had been. Spending centuries on an isolated island led to some measure of detachment, Tiglah imagined.
Entirely forgetting about the ritual going on downstairs — downportal? — Tiglah soaked in the tub until the water went cold, and then heated it up again with a quick spell to soak some more. She didn't think she was ever going to feel clean again, but at least it helped. And burning the rags she'd found herself wearing in Coldharbour helped symbolically, at least.
She emerged from the tub finally and toweled herself off to get her fur as dry as she could, and slipped into the new clothes she had been provided. Her new Psijic robes were comfortable, and she was grateful for them having provided them to someone who hadn't even had a chance to do anything for the Order yet. But then she had joined, hadn't she? That was true enough, she supposed.
But she'd also joined the Mages Guild. And the Fighters Guild, for that matter. And she was probably also going to join the Thieves Guild, once she figured out where they holed themselves up these days. And if she ran across the Dark Brotherhood, she might just join them, too, maybe. Which of them did she consider more of her identity, though, and not just a group she was hooking up with for a while just for jobs?
Honestly? That was probably going to be the Psijic Order. So she might as well look the part.
Remembering that there was something else she was supposed to be doing, she went to look for the Ritemaster's apprentice. Considering he was the one who suggested a bath, though, she supposed he couldn't be annoyed at her about it, though.
"Excuse me," Tiglah said upon locating an Imperial woman in the room Ritemaster Iachesis had directed her to. "Are you Oriandra?"
"That's me," Oriandra said. "Are you the new member I've heard talk about? Oh, of course you are, they mentioned a Khajiit and you're the only Khajiit we have at the moment."
Tiglah chuckled. "Yes, that's an astute observation. I haven't seen many Imperials around, either. Though that's a little less distinctive."
"Yes, that's true. I don't have a tail or anything. It's good to see new faces and other races here, though. Some might get the impression that the Psijic Order is only for high elves."
"The Ritemaster sent me up to get an amplification elixir for the ritual they're conducting," Tiglah said.
"Oh! Yes, it's the bottle on the table over there." Oriandra pointed.
Tiglah thanked her and took the potion down to the ritual room.
"Sorry it took so long," Tiglah said as she brought the elixir to Ritemaster Iachesis.
"It's quite alright," Iachesis said. "We've been at this for some time and we'd be here for longer if you had not shown up regardless. It is worth another hour to wait to ensure that our tower is not infested with Daedric lice. How are you feeling?"
"Better," Tiglah said. "As well as could be expected, I suppose."
"Considering you are not catatonic, I would say that that is still much better than one might expect."
"True enough. What should I do with this elixir? Do you need to drink it?"
"No," Iachesis said. "Pour it into the scrying pool. Stand nearby and think about your experiences near Shimmerene and your encounters with the pearls and the cultists."
Tiglah nodded, pulled the stopper on the bottle, and poured it into the pool in the middle of the room. The liquid shimmered and glowed, and as the energy built up, images began to coalesce. The Earl of Clavicus Vile, and two faces she didn't recognize. She couldn't make out all the words, but they seemed to be ranting about something called the Court of Bedlam, and three Daedric princes working together: Clavicus Vile, Nocturnal, and Mephala. They also mentioned something about Rellenthil. That was the name of a city on Summerset, wasn't it?
"Well, that was disturbing," Iachesis said once the vision had vanished. "One Daedric Prince would be bad enough, but three of them? And working together, no less? I fear Summerset is in grave danger."
"What in Oblivion are they planning for Rellenthil?" Tiglah wondered, frowning.
"I don't know, but we need to find out," Iachesis said.
"I can check it out," Tiglah said. "Hopefully we're not too late."
"I shall accompany you," Valsirenn said. "You may need some backup."
It wasn't until she emerged into the sunlight on Summerset that she realized she was no longer a vampire. She'd been too distracted coming out of the water near that other city to notice the sun didn't bother her any longer. It stood to reason, she supposed. Her prior body was dead, and this was an entirely new body formed of Oblivion goop. This body had never been infected with Sanguinare Vampiris, nor received Lord Harkon's blessing to become a vampire lord. She wasn't sure if she missed it or not. Maybe it was just as well.
"I overheard you speaking with the Ritemaster after you arrived back," Valsirenn said as they emerged from the portal. "I cannot imagine what you must have gone through."
Tiglah shook her head. "I think I'd rather not think too hard about it right now. It's disorienting enough, being back here and feeling like… like half of me is still in Oblivion. Which I guess it is."
She gave a hmm as she spotted something up ahead. A column of blue light shining into the sky directly across from the portal to Artaeum, just like the one the Prophet had called down. She'd definitely not noticed that Skyshard when she'd gone through the portal the first time. Upon activating it and letting its energy flow into her, she did feel a tiny bit more connected to the world.
Valsirenn curiously touched the Skyshard herself upon seeing it did no harm to Tiglah, but it had no effect upon her. "Fascinating. What did you do?"
"It only does that for me because I'm… well, yeah, that bit," Tiglah said. "Absorbing Skyshards like that is supposed to improve my connection to Nirn, and I think it did help."
"Ah!" Valsirenn said. "We should keep an eye out for more Skyshards along the way, then. Although you seemed to have an easier time spotting it than me."
"I'd also like to light and attune myself to any wayshrines we come across, too," Tiglah said. "Apparently I can use them as a really easy teleportation network, too. I don't recommend losing your soul to be able to do that, though."
"Yes, I believe I shall stick to normal teleportation magic, although I suppose I shall keep that in mind should I wind up in such an unfortunate circumstance."
Rellenthil wasn't too far, and when they arrived, Tiglah had to smile at seeing Razum-dar waving to them.
"Raz was wondering when the two of you might show up. And both wearing stylish robes, as well! Tiglah, my friend, did you join up with the Psijic Order, or simply swipe their laundry when they weren't looking?"
"Yes, Tiglah is a Psijic now. She is glad to see you here as well, Raz."
"I take it you've discovered something on your own that led you here?" Valsirenn asked.
"Nothing too specific," Raz said. "But Raz is certain that everything will become clear soon, now that the two of you are here. Have you learned anything yourselves?"
"Did any of your investigations turn up the name 'Court of Bedlam'?" Tiglah asked.
"Afraid not," Raz said. "Although it does not sound like a friendly rival to the House of Reveries."
"It's a Daedric cult," Valsirenn explained. "Three Princes working together! Tracing their plans directed us to Rellenthil. I dread to think what they might intend."
Tiglah's thoughts once again drifted back toward Molag Bal. She hadn't told these two of her prior affiliation, and she didn't think she was going to. It's not like Molag Bal recognized her or would realize any sort of betrayal from her if she chose not to renew her worship there. She was already in enough trouble with him. She didn't think it likely he'd just give back her soul if she asked politely. She didn't think her continued worship would earn her any further consideration. Had it ever earned her anything in the first place? From all she'd seen, some Daedric Princes just tended to abuse their faithful, and Molag Bal was definitely one of those. It had been too late for second thoughts before, in the Fourth Era. In the Second Era, she had another chance.
She hated to think how her new friends might react to finding out about her previous poor choices in religion. Val and Raz were good people, with no good opinions on Daedra. And she didn't even blame them.
Their investigations led to them exploring a mysterious sinkhole that had recently opened up nearby. Tiglah held back for the most part, relying on her bow and not so much on her magic. It didn't take her friends long to notice her condition.
"Are you feeling alright, Tiglah?" Raz asked. "Or just holding back? Raz recalls seeing great flashy feats of magic from you before."
Tiglah sighed. "Some stuff happened while Tiglah was away. She is weaker than she is used to and her magic is not coming to her claws as easily as usual, but she is certain she will recover in time."
"'Some stuff'?" Raz repeated. "It sounds like there's a story there. No, no, Raz will not pry."
"Tiglah will tell you all about it once we're done fighting things for a bit," Tiglah promised. "She's just glad she isn't fighting any Daedric Earls in her current condition." She paused. "She really hopes she doesn't have to fight any Daedric Earls in her current condition."
"If you're getting too winded, you can head back to the surface and we'll finish up in here," Valsirenn suggested.
Tiglah shook her head. "Hiding from danger won't help, and Tiglah was never one to shy away from an adventure."
Overconfidence might be a problem, though. Their exploration revealed that the Sea Sload were connected to those pearls, and while Tiglah didn't have any personal experience with the Sea Sload, the books she'd read told her they were seriously bad news that was possibly even worse than the involvement of Daedric Princes. At least Daedric Princes tended to be predictable. Unfortunately, in the battle with an enormous sea monster, Tiglah found herself overwhelmed and torn apart before Raz and Val could help her.
Tiglah woke into sunlight. For a moment there, she'd felt disembodied, and then her body had come together again and she found herself laying in the grass next to the wayshrine in the hills they'd passed on the way to Rellenthil. Also she was naked again. She was having more problems with clothes lately than Queen Barenziah on a drunken bender.
She supposed it beat being dead, although it took her some pondering to figure out exactly why she wasn't dead. She supposed she was technically a Daedra now, sort of, and Daedra couldn't really die. They just reformed themselves in Oblivion. She just must have reformed herself at this wayshrine instead. Maybe this was what was meant by "attuning herself to Nirn". While she'd dearly like to figure out why, for the moment she'd just be grateful for her continued existence, and hope Raz and Val were okay without her.
She picked herself up and started heading back to Rellenthil and even got within sight of town before remembering she was still naked. With a sigh, she cast an invisibility spell and snuck up to the edge of town. Maybe this woman in the fancy purple mask could help her.
"Excuse Khajiit," Tiglah whispered. "But could you help her? She lost her clothes, and… agh, already used the 'sea monster ate my clothes' story once this week and it's even less plausible this far from the ocean."
The masked woman chuckled and politely didn't turn to look at her. "I'm certain you can come up with a better story than that. Spin me a good tale and I'll help you out."
"Oh, you want a spinning tail, do you?" Tiglah turned around and twirled her tail over the woman's shoulder.
The masked woman laughed. "Alright, I should have seen that joke coming. Good one."
"Ah, but you couldn't have seen it coming. Khajiit was invisible." And still half hiding behind a low wall.
"Why don't you invisibly come inside and try on some clothes? We've got plenty of costumes that might fit you. My name is Alchemy, by the way."
"This one is Tiglah." She recast her invisibility spell and followed after Alchemy. "Lead the way. She will need to keep an eye out for her friends, though. They're probably worried about her." She paused. "No, they probably think she's dead. Well. Hopefully Tiglah can spot them before they start grieving too much."
"I have got to hear this story," Alchemy said.
"Do you want the truth, a lie, or the embellished truth?" Tiglah asked.
"What fun is it if you tell me which it is beforehand?"
"Point."
They got inside, and Alchemy showed her back to the costume room. It seemed like this group of actors could pretend to be anything from an Nord warrior, to a Dunmer spy, to a Redguard pirate, to an Imperial noble. On a whim, Tiglah pulled on the Nord clothes, although they were much too large for her.
"Perhaps I was battling a mighty dragon atop the Throat of the World," Tiglah said, slipping easily into her Riften accent. "Nay, not merely any dragon. It was Alduin the World-Eater, come to devour the world! With my axe, Wuuthrad reforged, the great weapon of Ysgramor, mightiest of the Nords, I cleaved his head clean off and mounted it upon my wall."
"Hmm, a bit much, but how would you have gotten to Summerset, then, mighty Nord?"
Tiglah waved a gauntleted paw. "Shenanigans. Let Khajiit try another one."
She stripped off the Nord garb and went for the dark elf clothes next, and this time put on the best Dunmer accent she could that she'd picked up from the Gray Quarter in Windhelm.
"There I was, standing upon the slopes of Red Mountain, locked in deadly combat with a fearsome cliff racer."
The Morrowind-born dark elves in Windhelm always complained about cliff racers. Tiglah hoped not to meet one. They made them sound like someone crossed a skeever with a dragon.
"It picked me up and carried me away to its nest. But as I prepared to meet my doom, I spotted an object in the nest. A strange orb, and when I touched it, I heard the voice of Meridia, Daedric Prince of Light, commanding me to destroy evil in Summerset in exchange for my life. Now, I've never been one for Daedra, even the supposedly 'good' ones, mind you. As a Dunmer, after all, I've always been a devout follower of the Tribunal."
At least according to the books she'd read, the Tribunal should still be the main religion in Morrowind.
"But seeing as I had little choice, I agreed," Tiglah went on. "And so I have come, to rid the land of dark conspiracies and evil plots."
"Hmm, better, better," Alchemy said, putting a hand on her chin, although it was hard to tell how thoughtful her expression might actually be under the mask. "You're certainly good with the accents, I'll give you that. But that still doesn't cover what happened to your clothes."
"True enough. Tiglah will think of something else."
Another glance out the window revealed still no sign of Raz and Valsirenn, and she had to wonder if it was even facing the same direction as the sinkhole anyway. No matter. She'd catch up to them shortly, if they'd survived. Of course they survived. As fun as playing dress-up was, she knew it was still just a distraction from worrying about them. She started pulling off the dark elven clothes.
"You're worried about your friends, aren't you," Alchemy said.
Tiglah nodded. "We were exploring the sinkhole. And… well, Tiglah is afraid that what actually happened is far more fanciful and difficult to believe than those stories she was concocting."
"You can tell me later, if you wish, though perhaps it would be best not to know," Alchemy said. "Go ahead and take some of the common clothes. Those are easy to replace. Go find your friends. Maybe you'd be interested in thinking about joining the House of Reveries at some point. You did pretty well with improv. It would be interesting to see what you can do with a script."
"Perhaps," Tiglah said. "Thank you."
"Dark Moons!" Razum-dar exclaimed upon seeing her. "Tiglah? But we saw you die!"
Tiglah raised her paws. "This one can explain." She paused. "Wait, no, she really can't."
"This has something to do with your… ah, status, doesn't it?" Valsirenn asked.
"What status?" Raz asked.
"That thing Tiglah promised to explain?" Tiglah said. "Perhaps it is time to explain it."
"This doesn't involve more Daedra and foul magic, does it?" Raz asked. "Raz will be sorely disappointed if you say that you made a deal with a Daedric Prince for immortality or some such."
"No," Tiglah said with a smirk, then a sigh. "The short of it is that Tiglah was murdered, sacrificed to Molag Bal, and had to escape Coldharbour. She feels very fortunate to have been able to escape, though she did have help. But, the Lord of Brutality still has her soul."
"That doesn't really sound much better," Raz said. "Ugh, Raz hates all this Daedric nonsense."
"Tiglah trusts you can keep this quiet. She would prefer this not get around."
Raz nodded in agreement. "It is best to fit in as much as possible, to avoid attracting unwanted attention and unwelcome questions. People like to have boxes to put people into, so that they know how to deal with them. People don't know how to deal with someone who escapes certain death and doom at the hands of a Daedric Prince. Raz doesn't either, but Raz likes to think he is more flexible than most."
Tiglah chuckled. "Are you flirting again, Raz?"
Raz grinned at her and avoided the question.
"Tiglah assumes that the robes she was wearing were shredded into rags by the monster that killed her?"
Valsirenn nodded. "We weren't exactly going to strip your corpse, either. Although I did pick up your pack with the seals in it. I almost forgot about that." She passed the bag back to Tiglah.
Tiglah sung it back over her shoulders. "There's spells to repair clothes. After much practice of casting them after fights and scrapes, this one got rather good at them, although she doubts her prowess still matches up at the moment. Keeping belongings upon death — and this one is quite certain she will wind up dying again — would be more useful. This will require some research."
"I don't imagine that this is a problem most people have to deal with," Valsirenn said. "But you have the resources of the Psijic Order at your disposal. With more libraries than can readily exist in physical space in a small area, there might be something that can help."
"Did the two of you discover anything after Tiglah died?"
Valsirenn glanced aside at Raz. "Razum-dar executed the Canonreeve's son for treason. Needless to say, the Canonreeve was not particularly thrilled about it."
Tiglah didn't even bother asking what a Canonreeve was.
"Raz needs to report back," Raz said. "And you will be going back to Artaeum to make your own report, yes?"
"Indeed so," Valsirenn said. "This isn't over yet. I'm certain we will run into one another again."
"Almost certainly. Raz looks forward to it! It is always a pleasure to work with competent people. Of course, it would be more of a pleasure if the working involved a lot fewer cultists and sea monsters."
Tiglah acquired a new set of robes while Valsirenn made her report to the Ritemaster. Seeing as Tiglah missed half the fight, it made more sense for Valsirenn to tell him herself. As for her bizarre problem, Tiglah thought the Loremaster might be a good place to start looking for answers.
"Ah, welcome back, Initiate Tiglah," Loremaster Celarus said. "How has sealing the time breaches gone?"
Tiglah cleared her throat. "I haven't actually gotten started on it yet, sorry. I've been too busy dying. Daedric rituals, Sea Sloads… you know how it goes. These things happen."
"That sounds unfortunate," Celarus said. "Is there something I can help you with?"
If nothing else, Tiglah could appreciate how the Psijics never freaked out about anything. They always seemed to manage to stay tranquil in the face of whatever weirdness you brought back. Really, she could imagine that they must have seen plenty of oddities in their time.
"I'm looking for a way to keep my belongings with me when I die," Tiglah explained. "After dying the last time, my body reformed itself at the nearest wayshrine. Naked. This was inconvenient and it would have been even more inconvenient had Valsirenn not been able to bring back my pack from the bottom of the sinkhole."
"Hmm," Celarus mused. "By what mechanism did you reincarnate at the wayshrine?"
"I'm guessing it's similar to how Daedra reform in Oblivion after they've been killed," Tiglah said. "But since my essence was retuned with Anuic energy from absorbed Aetherial shards, it was redirected to a divine shrine instead."
"A sound theory," Celarus agreed. "Though it might not be too useful as many of the objects Daedra use are also formed of Daedric essence. And a pocket realm like many of our libraries are in might be useful for things you are carrying but not so much things you are wearing. It's worth researching when you have the time, though."
Valsirenn rushed into the room. "Loremaster! Tiglah! The island is under attack!"
"Apparently I don't have the time right now," Tiglah said, grabbing her bow and quiver. "Who is attacking, and how did they even find this place?"
"Those sea creatures again," Valsirenn said. "They must have sensed the pearl we brought back. It's gone."