Chapter Text
Dagoth Ur had been vanquished. The island of Vvardenfell was safe, as was the rest of the mainland. Vivec’s eyes darted around the generously decorated room at the very top of the temple that he had taken to residing in. Despite the victory, he remained careful and alert. For him, it wasn’t over. In fact, it was far from it.
The Heart of Lorkhan, the very source of his divine power, was gone. His days as one of the Living Gods were numbered, not that it mattered anymore, with Almalexia and Sotha Sil gone. The thought upset him deeply, but he had seen it coming since the moment Dagoth Ur had taken possession of Keening and Sunder, as well as cutting off the Tribunal’s access to the Heart. As their divinity ebbed away, Almalexia had grown restless and volatile, while Sotha Sil buried himself completely in his research to create a mechanical Heart, distancing himself from his followers.
Yes, he had seen it coming for ages, yet the loss of his two close companions pained the remaining Living God. The centuries of rivalry against Dagoth Ur and their shared memories of Resdayn had been unforgettable and made Vivec confident in saying Ayem and Seht were the only two mer he could consider akin to family. The yearly pilgrimages to siphon power from the Heart were another memory he was fond of, and he resented The Sharmat for taking that away from him, too.
The Lady of Mercy had been compassionate and thoughtful, the Father of Mysteries all-knowing and wise. Their loss weighed heavier on his heart than he had imagined, and he predicted it would continue to do so up until he very moment his mortality finally caught up to him.
The warrior-poet sighed, leaning back into the sofa he had resorted to resting upon; when he levitated in his preferred position, he could almost feel the power fading from his body. This distracted his already scattered thoughts, and so he remained sitting.
There was still time left; from the years he had spent studying Sotha Sil’s research about the Heart of Lorkhan’s possibilities, he knew it will be at least a few decades until his divinity subsided completely. There were still things to be done in this laughably short period of existence. For most of his life, Vivec had thought that he had all eternity to mould Morrowind into the flawless land he had envisioned. How wrong he had been, the time for it now slipping away like sand in an ash storm.
For days, the god sat motionless in the temple. His body was still and undisturbed yet thoughts and ideas raced through his mind. When he was finally ready, he called the Archcanon into his chambers. He was the obvious choice of who to inform first of the ill-fated circumstances. It would be foolish to tell too many people at this point in time, the loss of the dunmer’s central worshipping figures would cause a mass panic across all of Vvardenfell and eventually the mainland once the news spread. The population of Mournhold was already wary, having gone as far as to accuse Almalexia of madness.
The grand door of the temple opened and through it stepped Tholer Saryoni, the Archcanon of the Tribunal Temple. He was probably the most useful accomplice the god had remaining.
“Lord Vivec,” he greeted, relieved at contact with the god after days of silence. However, the way his expression changed to surprise and mild concern upon seeing his Lord not in his usual suspended position did not dodge Vivec’s regard.
“Archcanon,” he returned the greeting, motioning for the dunmer to come closer, “There is an issue which I must bring to your attention.”
Dutifully, Saryoni stepped before the god and bowed his head in respect, “What is it, my Lord?”
Leaning back and resting his elbow on the hem of the sofa, Vivec took a long and measured breath which gave him the exact amount of time he needed to form his next words.
“The time of the ALMSIVI is nearing its end, Archcanon. I am losing my power, and the Tribunal is no more. I wish to make this sudden transition as smooth as I possibly can for the mer of Morrowind, but it will require quite drastic actions and changes in the Temple for I do not have much time left.”
Tholer Saryoni has always been someone Vivec unloaded the most dire issues onto, and the mer had always reacted with dignity and a cool head, ready to aid the Temple and fulfil his duties in any way possible. This time, however, the god watched as the Archcanon grew pale, furrowing his brow in thought, probably thinking this was another one of Vivec’s riddles that he had to decipher. He eventually spoke, unable to find the sense in his god’s words.
“My Lord, what do you mean? What of Almalexia and Sotha Sil? Are they aware of this change?” his words were infused with the struggle of someone who was very close to losing their composure.
“Seht and Ayem are dead.” Vivec informed, his face and intonation leaving no room for any doubt on the Archcanon’s part; this was not something he wanted to repeat himself on.
Saryoni looked as if he was about to say something, probably offer his condolences, but he stood on unstable legs, shaky and threatening to give out at any moment. Before they could do so, the god offered him a seat. Normally, the mer would refuse such an honour, but this time he simply sank down heavily onto the other end of the sofa, muttering a weak gratitude.
“What is your plan, My Lord?” he asked after a long silence, sitting up straighter and staring faithfully into the god’s glowing eyes.
“I will go to Mournhold. This matter is urgent and shall not wait. While I am away, do not tell anyone of the issue I have bestowed upon you. When I return, I will explain more, and we can focus on breaking the news to the locals without causing too many complications. I wish to minimise the Temple’s dependence on the Tribunal doctrine, and this is the teaching I want you to reflect in any writing you publish from now on.”
The Archcanon nodded, looking much steadier than he had a few moments ago.
“As you wish, My Lord.”
With that, the god was once again left in privacy, burrowing into his thoughts. Establishing a new Temple could wait; there was a much more personal matter he had to take on. No matter how fast his time was blowing away, this was something that had to be done, and he intended to dedicate his utmost care and attention towards it.