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Published:
2018-07-30
Updated:
2018-09-09
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2,181
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5/?
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Call Me N'Wah

Summary:

The incredibly true adventures of my very first Elder Scroll character, the merchant-turned-warrior, Zylla, The Nerevarine, the Incarnate of Lord Indoril Nerevar, Chimeri king of Resdayn and Hortator of the united Chimer people, told in her own words.

Notes:

The introduction connects this story to my Skyrim fic. However, this is merely used as a framing device. The story stands on its own going forward and it is not necessary to have read my Skyrim story.

Chapter 1: 1 Sun's Dawn, 3E 427

Chapter Text

After his row with Nerien, Bedyn was obviously irritated and normally Yarah would have left him alone to meditate or take an angry nap—however he preferred to deal with his disappointment. But she had something that she hoped would help, something to sate his curiosity—both intellectual and familial.

“Hey there,” she said, speaking quietly and entering the room slowly, bracing herself for a negative reaction. He was lying on the bed, motionless, and staring at the ceiling. 

But as it normally did, Bedyn’s expression softened when Yarah entered the room. He didn’t really want company but he wasn’t going to take out his frustration on her. “Hello,” he said, forcing a weak smile as he sat up. 

“I’m…well, I’m just so sorry you’re stuck here,” she said. “I know that you’d rather go to Skyrim immediately and I can’t imagine how difficult it is for you to wait.” She paused, not certain if she should continue. But if they were to establish trust, she supposed it was better to be completely open on the matter. “But…I think Nerien’s correct. I mean, if I had the resources to get you to Skyrim safely myself I would, but….” Her voice faded as she studied his expressionless face, certain that she was just making things worse. 

He shook his head and sighed. “And I appreciate that,” he replied. “Just know, I concede that staying here and recovering is the pragmatic thing to do. But if he crosses me again, I will leave. I am no one’s prisoner.” 

“Of course not,” she said. “I have something for you—something that might help pass the time you need to stay here.”

Bedyn’s curiosity was piqued. Yarah left the room and returned with a stack books. She placed all but one on the dresser against the wall and brought the other to him. 

“What’s this?” he asked as he looked over the leather bound volume.

“These are the journals of Zylla, Nerevarine, the Incarnate of Lord Indoril Nerevar, Chimeri king of Resdayn and Hortator of the united Chimer people.”

“Oh my gods, did you have to memorize that as part of your childhood lessons?” Bedyn chuckled. For the first time in days, he had a genuine smile on his face.

“No, just this afternoon,” she confessed, which made him laugh even harder. “I thought you might want to read about your ancestor. This is the journal that covers the time she met and mentored Maeve Sigeweald.”

“Indeed,” he said as he ran his finger along the journal’s spine. “What about those?”

“Those are the rest. We only have the ones she started in Morrowind,” she explained. “In case you want to read more when you are done.”

“Thank you,” he said, as he stood and crossed the room. “However, if it’s all the same to you, I think I would prefer to start at the beginning. We’ve got some time and there’s no reason to pull Maeve’s story out of context.” 

“Of course,” she said, joining him by the dresser. “This one…here, this is the first.” 

“Thank you,” he said. “I am looking forward to this.”

“You are most welcome.” 

After she left, Bedyn took the correct journal back to his bed and began to read. 

 

*****

1 Sun's Dawn, 3E 427
Seyda Neen, Vvardenfell, Morrowind

 

Never trust a Breton, that’s what mama always said. Not father though, he was always more open minded.  

Long story short…the deal was bad and I bore the brunt of it. I suppose I was not entirely innocent, but I maintain that my crime was that of naïveté, not of malice. Of being my father’s daughter. I was offered a conditional release that has brought me here—to Seyda Neen, a tiny little port town on the island of Vvardenfell, in Morrowind.  

Throughout my life and travels, I have heard few positive things about Morrowind and her people, though I’ve met many Dunmer, their character and temperament as varied as any other race.

Which means I should probably check those earlier anti-Breton inclinations now.  

Seyda Neen is very small, though diverse in part due to the presence of the Imperial’s census office. The Imperials there were nice enough and offered me a small sum of money and a package to deliver to a fellow in Balmora—someone I am supposed to work for as a part of my release orders. I will make that voyage first thing in the morning.

In the meantime, I am settling in for a dinner consisting of poached kwama egg and a cup of hot tea. There is no tavern, but Arille, the town trader, shared his dinner and offered me a bedroll in the basement after I helped his friend Fargoth, a friendly but somewhat muddled Bosmer I met as I left the Imperial office. The food is filling and that is all I will say about that.  

So far I can say that Morrowind has not, in anyway, exceeded my expectations. But it is still better than Bravil’s prison. And who knows? Perhaps this will be an adventure. Or perhaps this Caius Cosades has a few mere mundane tasks for me to endure and then I can settle in and create a new life for myself.  

We shall see.

~Zylla 

 

Chapter 2: 2 Sun's Dawn, 3E 427

Chapter Text

2 Sun's Dawn, 3E 427
Seyda Neen, Vvardenfell, Morrowind

Well, no one ever described Morrowind as boring before I arrived and that has proven true. I’m not sure if it was the mage FALLING OUT OF THE SKY or the fact that the main form of land transport are giant, hollowed out and mechanized INSECTS that was more exciting, but in the space of just ten minutes I got to experience both. I woke early and decided to take a walk. I walked past a tall platform, which I thought was type of guard tower. Then I heard a terrible scream. I arrived just in time to see a Bosmer in an expensive robe fall to his death.

According to his journal, he had apparently created a scroll to give him the power of flight. Clearly it did not. On my way back to get a guard to attend to the body, I watched as a massive insect, its body the length of two standard horse carriages with legs almost as long and high as an oak tree, make its way down the road, stepping over boulders. I nearly screamed when I thought it would attack, but it simply strode over the empty dock, where several passengers emerged.

They are called silt striders and as soon as these guards are done processing this poor Bosmer’s body, I will be taking one to Balmora. The only reason I am waiting is because they said I could take the remaining “flying” scrolls to the mage’s guild and hand them over to Ranis Athrys, their guild mistress. I would have liked to keep the wizard’s enchanted blade but it’s not wise to loot a body after you’ve turned it in to the authorities.

I guess I’ll have to be sneakier next time.

~Zylla

Chapter 3: 2 Sun’s Dawn, 3E 427 (evening)

Chapter Text

2 Sun’s Dawn, 3E 427 (evening)
Balmora, Vvardenfell, Morrowind

Well, I finally made it to Balmora. The silt strider trip was mostly unremarkable. Inside the  shell was not nearly as bad I thought it was going to be. It was clean with only a musty smell. The whole trip took about three hours. The difference between the two towns is rather stark. Seyda Neen had vegetation which, though kind of swampy, was lush and green.  Balmora so far just seems dusty with sparse, bare trees. 

Perhaps it will look better in the morning and well, I suppose I am not really here for sightseeing. I found Caius Cosades easily enough. The mage who took the flight scrolls off my hands my hands directed me there and then I only had to ask one more time, which is kind of a record for me. . Around town he’s known as quite the “sugar tooth” and I’m not sure what to make of that. He seems reasonably competent, however, so I’ll ignore it for now. Per the conditions of my release, I am to be a member of his group of [REDACTED]. As it turns out, however, Caius has nothing for me to do at the moment.  But he did say I could sleep here tonight. After a quick dinner, I will probably do just that.

Tomorrow I’m to meet the various associates in the group and then I need to secure employment of some sort. Caius says the guilds are the best places to get work. Unfortunately, there is no merchant’ guild, only the fighters and mages guild and I’m not sure how useful I will be to either as I am neither a warrior or a mage.

We shall see,
~Zylla

Chapter 4: 3 Sun’s Dawn, 3E 427

Chapter Text

3 Sun’s Dawn, 3E 427 
Balmora, Vvardenfell, Morrowind

The food in Morrowind is horrible. All anyone seems to eat around here is kwama egg. Granted, you can get eggs any which way you like them, and the publican at the local corner club makes a fine poached egg. But my goodness, I have yet to encounter anything resembling a fresh vegetable. At this point, I would kill a man for a bunch of carrots. And I don’t even like carrots.

I suppose I should not complain, but it’s a wonder the population hasn’t starved to death.

So, I spent most of the day eating eggs and meeting with Caius’s colleagues. I was pleased to find that one of them, Rithleen, is also a Redguard. She encouraged me to stay with her, rather than Caius and she would help me find work tomorrow. She also said that if I can make it down to Vivec and Ebonheart, which is the large Imperial stronghold, I can procure spices and butter for cooking.

If I didn’t think it would offend the ancestors, I would join the Imperial cult just for the food.

They do have some interesting strong liquors. We shared several bottles of Sujamma with Tyermaillin who is another colleague of Caius. He is an Altmer, a restoration mage, and surprisingly—an orphan, like me. Well, not entirely like me. Where I was taken in by a family, Tyer grew up in a community of monks in the Temple of Syrabane. He learned restoration magic from them and they expected he would become a monk, but he changed his mind and joined Arcane University instead. Then he was stationed here when he was recruited for Caius’s group. When I asked if he thought the monks were disappointed, he said he didn’t care. He wasn’t ungrateful for their tutelage, but no one ever asked if he wanted to grow up in a temple.

It was odd to me, that he didn’t share more intense feelings about his guardians—either warm appreciation or bitter disdain. And I can’t tell if he’s simply aloof, like every other Altmer I’ve known, or if the monks instilled in him a dispassionate quality. It’s curious to me. I love my family—my parents took me and raised me as their own; I never felt I was any less theirs than my brother.

In any case, I will end this now. I’ve got to gather the few things I have and move them to Rithleen’s flat.

~Zylla

Chapter 5: 6 Sun’s Dawn, 3E 427

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

6 Sun’s Dawn, 3E 427

My name is Hasphat Antabolis and having recovered this journal, I am maintaining a record on the unlikely and unfortunate occasion that this journal may need to be passed on to someone other than its owner, the Redguard Zylla Fighter’s Guild Apprentice.

Zylla, should you see this, I have not read anything written prior to this entry.

Two days ago, Zylla, while on an assignment given by Eydis Fire-Eye, the guild’s Guardian and Master-at-Arms, contracted the disease bone break fever. Her trainer, Fasile Charascel, and I both had misgivings concerning this quest, as Zylla had not yet shown proficiency with a weapon. But Eydis, feeling that this was an assignment that “any toddler could handle” sent her anyway.

She was sent to eliminate a rat infestation in the home of Drarayne Thelas. There were far more rats in the house than originally reported. While Zylla was able to kill them all, I believe her lack of skill may slowed her considerably, leading to several bites and contraction of the illness.

The disease normally presents with sore muscles and exhaustion and clears within a day with proper treatment. However, Zylla’s recovery is considerably slower and her symptoms far more profound, including a fever and severe bruising around the injuries. The restoration mage Tyermaillin has taken a personal interest in her recovery and is working with Sharn gra-Muzgob from the Mages Guild. They are using a concoction of chokeweed and willow anther. If her symptoms do not improve, I have offered to procure the rarer and more potent red lichen from Vivec City. I hope this will not be necessary.

More information will be provided, should the situation change.

Thank you,
Hasphat Antabolis, Imperial drillmaster, Fighter’s Guild, Apprentice

Notes:

It's almost impossible to really capture other NPC voices in journal-based stories, so this is an attempt at that.