Thrice Blessed and Thrice Cursed: Memories of a Dunmer Pilgrim (Part 4, Prologue's End)

By Erdar Nyrandil, 4E 202

Prologue

The Curse of Loss and My Exodus from Morrowind (Continued from [Part 1] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2tvmo0/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/), [Part 2] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2twa0r/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/), and [Part 3] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2twqr7/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/))

The days which followed were a blur. My house was made a quarantine, I was put in a separate quarantine and carefully questioned by members of the guard and the Temple, and it was discovered that the traveling priest who had visited my father had been infected with Corprus. He was found by a merchant caravan shambling mindlessly across a road, covered in blisters and with an arm disfigured by the disease. After two weeks of observation by the Temple priests, it was determined that I was not infected by the Corprus or any other visible disease. With my mother killed and my father released from his disease, I was to be turned over to my only remaining family, my mother’s brother, a mer I had never met.

Uncle Arvin Teran was an oddity for a Redoran, and many would swear he was a Hlaalu. He had uprooted from Morrowind to grow a lucrative career as a merchant in Cyrodill. Unlike many Redoran who begrudgingly tolerated the Empire, Uncle Arvin saw the Empire as a chance to increase the glory of House Redoran. Despite his beliefs, Arvin Teran was a traditionalist at heart. He devoutly followed the three gods and the one true faith. He wrote often to my mother, and sent steady shipments of wares for her to sell. He kept a close watch on Redoran politics, using his wealth to support the House when needed. Uncle Arvin traveled to Vvardenfell to pay his respects to my parents, and to take me from Morrowind.

The years that passed were ever marked by the sorrow of my young loss, but under the care and guidance of my uncle, I grew to be a devout and responsible mer with a knack for the art of buying and selling. In my spare time, I studied Dwemeri history, fascinated by the early days of Morrowind and the Triune. Like my uncle, I kept an eye ever towards Morrowind, with a special interest for the Temple. When I first lost my parents, the care and kindness shown by the Temple during those difficult days had made an impact. As I entered my twenty-ninth year, I could be separated from my homeland no longer. I decided to bid my uncle farewell and make a pilgrimage to Morrowind in order to join the Temple.

[Part 5] (http://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/2tz6y7/thrice_blessed_and_thrice_cursed_memories_of_a/)

Note from OP

More to come. Next will be Chapter One, A Native Outlander. With the start of Chapters will come a change in format. Erdar was able to edit together excerpts of his personal journal for the majority of the book, meaning that the style will change. Whereas the Prologue was a chance for an older and wiser Erdar to reflect on his past, the Chapter sections will be a younger Dunmer, speaking from the viewpoint of the present. Notes from an aged Erdar will of course be sprinkled in. Also changing is the delivery method. I (wrongly) broke the prologue up into sections, when I should have just made a single post. Going forward, I will likely do a Chapter a post, though if a Chapter is overly long I may divide it into two posts. Hope you are enjoying this look at a character near and dear to me. As always, please do not hesitate to comment, recommend changes, criticize, etc.