The Cephalo City, Volume II

By Quintillius Trebates, Imperial Scribe

I opened my eyes, and felt someone kicking me in the ribs.

"Hey kroki, get up. You haven't got time to be asleep all day."

I lifted my head up, and watched Kaatesh leave the room. I lifted the sheets from my torso and stood up from the bed. A bizarre but wonderous smell and the clashing of pans indicated that somebody was cooking breakfast. I looked over at the pile that contained yesterday's clothes, and checked to see if any of them were free of the ash that was still spewing from the Red Mountain. The undergarments and socks were salvagable, but the shirt and trousers were coated in a thick layer of soot. I put on the pair of undergarments, and stumbled to the kitchen still half-asleep.

I poked my head around the kitchen and spoke to Kaatesh. "I am ever so sorry to disturb you cooking, but do you, per chance, have any clothes that would fit a man my size?"

Kaatesh stopped stirring whatever she was cooking and laughed at me. "We Cephalo do not wear clothes like you other kin-of-Nirn. Be like us and let your body be free, you will be assimilated in our society quicker if you follow our customs."

I shook my head. "As much as your suggestion seems......riveting, shall we say, I would much prefer to have my body protected from the elements."

Kaatesh laughed again. "Men are always so boring, I suppose thats why the Gold Ones ushered them out of Resdayn. Awaken my father and tell him that his slaughterfish eggs are cooked, and then I might be convinced to take you to the tailor."

I did as Kaatesh asked and looked around the house for her father's room. There were many other families living in what remained of the canton as well, which made it difficult to move around and not have prying eyes looking at a near-naked Cyrod was nearly impossible. After asking a young dreugh where the fat one was, he asked me which one I was after. It appeared larger dreugh seemed to be quite common in this city, and after describing his dwarven mechanism, I was pointed in the right direction.

I heard a loud groan as I opened the door. Kaatesh's father was awake, and was struggling to attach himself to his spider legs. I raced over to the other side of the bed to give him some assistance. The Cephalo thanked me, and he smiled as he held out a hand to shake. "Thank you smooth-skin. I see Kaatesh has convinced you to dress like us."

"Not quite, sir. Kaatesh has said she will take me to the market to purchase some garments that will be better suited to combat the ash."

"She is a good lass. So, what did you want?"

"Breakfast is ready."

"Ah yes, slaughterfish eggs and nix hound gammon I dare say? Smooth-skin, you can have the honour of escorting me to Kaatesh. Onwards, my friend."

The kitchen was full of foreign aromas when I returned with Kaatesh's father. I sat myself down at the table in the centre of the room, and awaited my meal.

In your short time in this Eastern province, Your Grace, I am sure you were treated to the finest food Morrowind had to offer, and although I have eaten all manner of strange meals of the Starry Heart; from Moon-Sugar muffins in Elsweyr, to the flesh of a recently deceased Bosmer in the presence of the Tree-Thanes of the Valen Wood; but nothing could have prepared me for the foul-looking dish placed in front of me.

It was a dark shade of grey, not too disimilar to the skin of a Dunmer, and was bubbling away like the geysers of Eastmarch. As a representative of the Empire, I felt it was duty to be polite and at least try the meal that Kaatesh had prepared, but as soon as that spoonful entered my mouth, by the Divines did I curse.

As I spat out the abhorrent mixture, I could see Kaatesh out of the corner laughing at my expense. She removed the bowl, and replaced with it with a plate of nix-hound gammon and slaughterfish eggs.

"Kaatesh, although I cannot disagree that it was not amusing, it would be most unwise to be playing pranks on our guest if you would like his help."

Showing my disdain of her joke only encouraged Kaatesh further, so I changed the conversation to one that interested me.

"I hope this does not make me seem insensitive and cause any offence to you, but could I enquire how you gained your dwarven mechanism that helps you manuvere around?"

The Dreugh finished chewing his portion of gammon, and leant back on an imaginary chair. "I did not think it would be long before you would ask that. Do you know much about Telvanni wizards?"

I shrugged my shoulders "They are powerful mages who lived on Vvarden-"

"They are horrible beings, maybe the worst of the Grey Ones. They enslaved the Scaled Ones from the south, the Mewing Ones of the deserts, and worst of all they enslaved the less-intelligent Cephalo. One of these Grey Ones was called Divayth Fyr, and he held Kaatesh and myself, along with others of our kind for many phases of the Moons. Many died from the experiments that he tried on us, more quietly than others. What did he do to Kaatesh and I? He removed our claws and our tentacles, and casted magic upon us to try and make us look like the forms we wore before we took to the water. He only half-succeeded, and we were cursed to wear the limbs of land elves. He used us to protect him and his research from prying eyes, and we were forced to slay the Cephalo whom the experiments had gone wrong on."

"When the Stone of Untruths fell on this city, and caused the Red Mountain to awaken, the earth shook for many days, and the tower in which Fyr lived in fell to the ground. We rejoiced at this, and in the moments of panic set free the slaves and slay the Bearded One who had mocked us. I took his legs as a trophy, and we moved back to the water, free at last."

"When the Scaled Ones came from the south to seek revenge on the Grey Ones, they offered us the city on which the Stone of Untruths fell on if we would help them. The anger of the years of suffering under the unjust rule of the Grey Ones was unleashed upon the ones that were to slow to escape, and Vivec was ours."

I looked in astonishment at the Dreugh's ability to justify a genocide.

"Did you spare any Dunmer?"

"There was one, a half Golden/half Grey One. He still lives in this city as a prisoner, and yet the Grey Ones have never asked for him to be released. Most peculiar."

"Would I be allowed to speak with him?"

Kaatesh looked at her father, and nodded her head. "I will take you to see him if you wish, but first we must visit the market."