The Tragedy of Merrunz

So I did some skooma and wrote some words. And when it was done I had rewritten the story of Mehrunes Dagon from the Khajiit perspective. If anyone is interested, here it is:

Birth of the Ja’Khajiit:

Shortly after Merrunz was born, his parents Ahnurr and Fadomai gazed upon the destruction the young kitten wrought and named him, “Merrunz, you are the Ja'Khajiit, for what is more destructive than a kitten?”

To placate their destructive child, Ahnurr gave Merrunz a ball of yarn to play with, to distract the Ja’Khajiit and keep his destruction focused. And Merrunz played with his yarn for many, many phases, leaping and pouncing upon it. And Merrunz loved his ball of yarn, for it brought joy to his young heart.

Merrunz’s littermates grew large and strong, but Merrunz remained young, for he was the Ja’Khajiit. Forever young, he spent his time playing, leaping, and pouncing with his ball of yarn. And Merrunz was happy.

The Theft of Noisy Lorkhaj:

Many phases after Fadomai’s death, Nirni and Lorkhaj, the younger siblings of Merrunz, met. And Nirni said, “Lorkhaj, Fadomai told this one to give birth to many children, but there is no place for them.”

And Lorkhaj said, "Lorkhaj makes a place for children and Lorkhaj puts you there so you can give birth." But the Heart of Lorkhaj was filled with the Great Darkness. He crept up silently to where Merrunz was napping, and stole his ball of yarn, and used the yarn to weave a place for Nirni’s children. And Lorkhaj tricked his siblings so that they were forced into this new place with Nirni. And many of Fadomai's children escaped and became the stars. And many of Fadomai's children died to make Nirni's path stable. And the survivors stayed and punished Lorkhaj. And Merrunz napped on unaware, dreaming of his beloved yarn.

The Sorrow of the Ja’Khajiit:

Merrunz awoke and yawned. And he looked around for his beloved ball of yarn, which he wished to pounce upon. But his ball of yarn was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a single piece of yarn, a mere scrap of his ball. Merrunz felt fear and terror well up in his heart. Where had his yarn gone? Would he ever see it again?

After a long search, he spotted his yarn once more! Someone had woven it into a world, and many tiny mice scampered across its surface. Now it looked even more fun to play with, and the eager Ja’Khajiit pounced forward with happiness to claim his beloved toy.

But the Lattice was between Merrunz and his ball of yarn, and both were trapped on opposite sides. The Lattice prevented Merrunz from playing with his ball of yarn, and tears welled up in the eyes of the Ja’Khajiit. And Merrunz saw that some of his brothers and sisters had been trapped on the other side of the Lattice with his yarn, and they were having fun playing with it. And this made Merrunz even sadder, and he yowled in sorrow.

Y'ffer, who was yarn-side, heard Merrunz’s yowling, and took pity on the Ja’Khajiit. From the other side of the Lattice, Y’ffer said, “Younger brother, why do you cry??”

With tears streaming down his cheeks, Merrunz said, “Because, older brother, Merrunz is trapped on this side of the Lattice, away from his yarn, and has no way of coming in to play.”

And Y'ffer said, “Do not cry, Merrunz, for Y’ffer heard Fadomai whispering secrets to Azurah. He knows the First Secret, and will tell it to you.”

And because Y’ffer did not appreciate secrets, he shouted the First Secret across all the heavens with his last breath, so that Merrunz and all others could cross the Lattice.

And Merrunz spoke the First Secret and crossed the Lattice, and played with his yarn once more. And Merrunz was happy again. Sometimes his brothers or sisters would chase him back out, but he would hide until they were gone, and speak the First Secret again to sneak back and play.

The Greed of Alkosh:

Merrunz was content. He could speak the First Secret and cross the Lattice to play with his beloved ball of yarn. His siblings would often chase him away, but he would always return. On one side of the lattice was his ball of yarn, and on the other was his piece of yarn, which would keep him content while his siblings worked to keep him away from his ball.

But Merrunz’s eldest brother Alkosh, the Dragon King of Cats, had greed in his heart. Alkosh did not know how to play, so he could not appreciate Merrunz’s ball of yarn properly. And Alkosh said that Merrunz was ruining the ball of yarn by playing with it. And Alkosh said that only Fadomai’s first litter should be allowed to play with Merrunz’s ball of yarn.

And so Greedy Alkosh gave an amulet to some of the mice that crawled across Merrunz’s ball of yarn, the mice of bloody and hated Pelin-el. And this amulet burned hot, and flamed the Lattice so that Merrunz and his littermates could no longer cross it unless one of the mice invited them in.

And Merrunz came to hate his eldest brother for this crime, Greedy Alkosh who had stolen his ball of yarn away from him. And Merrunz skulked, playing with his piece of yarn, only seldomly crossing the Lattice to play when the foolish mice would ask him to enter. And Merrunz was sad, and cried for his loss.

The Trick at Coldharbor:

After many phases had come and gone, a White Rat crossed the Lattice and came to Coldharbor. And this White Rat was called Sothah. And this White Rat squeaked loudly, so that Merrunz and his littermates would come to listen. And Merrunz came and saw his siblings there, Azurah the Dawn and Dusk, and Hermorah the Tides, and Hircine the Hungry Cat, and Sheggorath the Skooma Cat, and a few others whom Merrunz did not remember.

And the White Rat and Merrunz’s siblings talked and talked for hours and hours. And Merrunz grew bored and took to napping instead of paying attention.

Eventually the White Rat said, “So you all agree to the terms?”

Merrunz, wanting the boring White Rat to stop talking, sleepily said, “Yes, yes, this one agrees.”

His littermates agreed too, and the White Rat crossed the Lattice back to Merrunz’s ball of yarn.

After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Merrunz started to wonder what he had agreed too, so he went to his sister Azurah and said, “Little sister, what was it Merrunz has agreed to with the White Rat?”

Azurah told Merrunz that they had agreed to not cross the Lattice, unless certain, very specific mice invited them in to play.

Merrunz was too distraught to listen to what he and his littermates had been given in return. The cruel White Rat had tricked him! He had unwittingly agreed to place even more limits on when he could play with his yarn!

Merrunz was very sad, and lurked in the dark to sulk and cry.

The Gold Rat and the White Rat:

Merrunz sulked. He felt very hopeless, his prized ball of yarn lost to him now more than ever before.

A ash-colored mouse scampered around his ball of yarn, squeaking loudly and trying to get Merrunz’s attention. And this mouse belonged to Merrunz’s older sister Khenarthi. And this mouse sounded very angry, but she was squeaking about petty mouse concerns, so Merrunz ignored her and brooded on his own problems.

And the ash-colored mouse squeaked even louder, crying out for Merrunz’s attention.

And Merrunz ignored her yet again, wanting to be left alone.

And the ash-colored mouse continued her squeaking, until Merrunz could tolerate no more of it. And Merrunz listened to the mouse’s plea and realized what a foolish Ja’Khajiit he had been. This mouse was inviting him across the Lattice to play. And this mouse was one of the special mice that was allowed to invite him in, and there was nothing the White Rat or Greedy Alkosh could do about it.

Merrunz pounced with joy, leaping through the Lattice and reuniting with his ball of yarn once more. And Merrunz played joyfully, pulling up the threads of his yarn, and tangling them all around him. He playfully batted the nearby mice around, pouncing upon them in feline joy.

Merrunz was happy once more, tangled in his beloved yarn. He smiled as he watched his yarn unfurl, and said, “To think Merrunz nearly didn't come! Imagine missing all this fun!”

But Merrunz’s joy would not last, and two mean rats appeared screeching at him. One of the rats was the hated White Rat, while the other was a Gold Rat that Merrunz was not familiar with.

The Gold Rat said, “Ja’Khajiit, we cannot kill you, being mere rats, but that is something you will soon regret!”

The rats attacked Merrunz, nipping and biting at the Ja’Khajiit. Merrunz thought it a fun game, and pounced and batted the rats back, scratching them with his many poison claws. But the rats, remained vigilant, and continued to bite and scratch Merrunz back. For hours Merrunz played with them, but after a while all the tiny rat bites were beginning to hurt. And Merrunz began having less fun, and was forced to fight harder and harder.

And the mean rats, in the end, chased Merrunz away, forcing him to cross the Lattice once more sealing him away from his ball of yarn. Merrunz cursed at the rats, and returned to the Darkness to sulk and lick his wounds.

Chimir-ra’s Folly:

There lived a mouse on Merrunz’s ball of yarn by the name of Chimir-ra. And Chimir-ra was an exceptionally old mouse with great magical power. And Chimir-ra thought he was very smart and clever.

So Chimir-ra called out to Merrunz, thinking he could outsmart the Ja’Khajiit. Chimir-ra said, “Merrunz, Chimir-ra wishes to live forever and be a mighty mage. If Merrunz will give Chimir-ra these things, then Chimir-ra will invite Merrunz across the Lattice to play.”

Merrunz liked the deal, and agreed, excited to play with his ball of yarn once more. But as soon as Merrunz had crossed the Lattice, Chimir-ra laughed wickedly.

Chimir-ra said, “Merrunz, Chimir-ra has agreed to invite you here, and he has done this, but he is a clever, tricky mouse! Chimir-ra also knows how to banish you, and keep your gifts for himself!” And Chimir-ra spoke Merrunz’s First Secret Name, which is “Ja’Khajiit”, and sent Merrunz flying across the Lattice back into the Darkness.

But Chimir-ra was truly a fool, and not as fast as a Khajiit, so before Merrunz was sent away, he pounced on Chimir-ra and held on tightly with his paws.

When he was back in the Darkness, he opened his paws. He had caught a piece of his yarn and brought it back with him to the Darkness. And he had also caught many mice, including the foolish cheater Chimir-ra, and brought them to the Darkness as well.

Merrunz smiled. He would play this day.

Ja’Ghar and Merrunz:

There lived a very ugly mouse named Ja’Ghar. And this ugly mouse thought small mouse-thoughts. And this ugly mouse wished to be king over all mice. But the mice already had a king, so Ja’Ghar needed help.

So Ja’Ghar came to Merrunz and said, “Ja’Ghar must be mouse-king. But Septim is mouse-king. If Ja’Ghar steals Septim away from Nirni, will Merrunz keep Septim so Ja’Ghar can be king?”

Merrunz thought about this. And Merrunz knew the mouse-king Septim was one of the mice Greedy Alkosh used to keep him away from his ball of yarn. And Merrunz knew that Ja’Ghar was a fool, and that Ja’Ghar being king would tangle up Merrunz’s ball of yarn. And Merrunz thought that was almost as good as tangling up his yarn himself. And so Merrunz agreed to Ja’Ghar’s proposal. And Ja’Ghar caught the mouse-king Septim, and sent him across the Lattice. And Merrunz pounced and caught Septim, and kept him secure in the Darkness. And Merrunz did play with Septim from time to time, as the mouse-king was an amusing toy. And Merrunz watched as his ball of yarn tangled of its own accord. And it was almost good.

Merrunz and the Shiny Thing:

Ja’Ghar the mouse-king had claimed his small mouse-throne with the help of Merrunz. But there were mice who could yet challenge his rule. And these mice lived in a Shiny Thing that floated through the Darkness on the other side of the Lattice. Ja’Ghar wanted to see these mice dead, for they were a threat to his petty mouse-throne.

And so Ja’Ghar came to the Ja’Khajiit and said, “Look Merrunz! Ja’Ghar has found a Shiny Thing! Ja’Ghar thinks you would have fun playing with it!”

Ja’Ghar was a mouse and a fool, and so Merrunz was wise to his tricks. But the Shiny Thing did look fun to play with. And so the Ja’Khajiit pounced on the Shiny thing, and played with the many mice that lived there. When his playmates stopped moving, Merrunz grew bored and retreated back to his favorite hunting grounds to leap and pounce and play.

But one mouse escaped from Merrunz, and scurried around the Darkness. The mouse creeped to Ja’Khajiit’s piece of yarn, and found there Chimir-ra, the favorite toy of Merrunz. And Chimir-ra still thought himself a clever mouse, so Chimir-ra told the surviving mouse his secrets.

The mouse scurried onward, and surprised Merrunz by pouncing upon the Ja’Khajiit while Merrunz was lurking in his favorite hunting spot.

Merrunz laughed at the mouse, and said “You are indeed a fun toy, mouse, but you cannot hope to beat Merrunz!”

The mouse said “Thank you, Lord Merrunz!” in an oddly cheerful tone, as Merrunz was more accustomed to mice shaking in fear at his presence. Merrunz saw it was the mouse’s armor that protected him and gave him courage.

Merrunz said “Congratulations, most shiver in fear when they witness Merrunz, but your armor makes you bold!” Merrunz looked closer and saw many magical tools in the mouse’s possession and said, “I see you are well prepared with many toys. Merrunz has not seen such toys before, and he is glad you have brought such gifts to him.”

The mouse said, “This mouse sees everything is going according to his mouse-plan! Merrunz is a careless, overconfident cat!”

Merrunz said, “Come now, Merrunz is a cat and has nothing to fear from a mouse!”

The mouse said, “See? So overconfident! This mouse knows your First Secret Name! He calls you the Ja’Khajiit, and with your First Secret Name banishes you to the Long Nap!”

Merrunz laughed and said, “Well done! Merrunz would never have guessed a mouse could discover his First Secret Name. But you need his Second Secret Name to banish him to the Long Nap.”

The mouse said, “Oh dear! What a silly mouse this one is! Now you will certainly pounce this mouse to death for he does not know your Second Secret Name! But this mouse is feeling lucky. Perhaps he can guess your Second Secret Name!”

And then the mouse guessed Merrunz’s Second Secret Name. And the guess was correct. And the mouse used one of Merrunz’s own claws to complete the banishment. And Merrunz fell into a Long Nap. And the mice, while Merrunz napped, did free the mouse-king Septim, and slay the mouse-king Ja’Ghar, although the affairs of mice mattered not to Merrunz in the end.

Ja’Mankar and Merrunz:

A mouse named Ja’Mankar lived on Merrunz’s ball of yarn. This Ja’Mankar was a mouse, but he was the best of mice. Ja’Mankar came to Merrunz to talk often, and Merrunz told Ja’Mankar of his sorrows. And Merrunz told Ja’Mankar about his ball of yarn. And Merrunz told Ja’Mankar about how Noisy Lorkhaj had stolen it away from him. And Merrunz told Ja’Mankar about how Greedy Alkosh kept him away from his ball of yarn with fire. And Ja’Mankar was saddened by Merrunz’s woeful tale. And Ja’Mankar promised to help Merrunz.

Merrunz was happy that Ja’Mankar would help him, and he gave the mouse his Book of Claws. Ja’Mankar used the Book of Claws to write many more books, and he used those books to tell other mice about Merrunz’s sad tale. And many mice learned of the injustice of Noisy Lorkhaj and Greedy Alkosh. And they agreed that the ball of yarn should be given back to Merrunz, to whom it rightfully belonged.

Merrunz was overjoyed at so many noble mice wishing to help him. He was so happy he invited Ja’Mankar to come to the Darkness, and he shared his piece of yarn with his new mouse friend. And Ja’Mankar played with the piece of yarn and named it “Gajar Alata”.

Merrunz’s Mice:

Merrunz’s mouse-friends worked hard to get him his ball of yarn once more. They called themselves “Mythic Dawn” after the mouse-name for the age in the past, when Merrunz had played freely with his ball of yarn.

Ja’Mankar was a very clever and sneaky mouse. His plan was to steal the amulet of Greedy Alkosh, that fueled the fires that kept Merrunz from his ball of yarn. Then he planned to douse the fires. And finally, he would kill the mouse-king Septim and all the other mice Greedy Alkosh used to help maintain the fires.

Then, Ja’Mankar said, Alkosh would be helpless to stop the Ja’Khajiit from taking back his beloved yarn.

And so Merrunz’s mice crept along sneakily. They killed the mouse-king Septim, and the mouse-king’s children. They doused the fires of Greedy Alkosh, and the Lattice was open once more. Merrunz spoke the First Secret and crossed the Lattice, pouncing on a part of his ball of yarn the mice called “K’vatch” where Ja’Mankar said mouse-king Septim’s last child would be. Merrunz unravelled the yarn of K’vatch and played with the mice therein, until Ja’Mankar was sure the last of the mouse-king’s children was slain, and then Merrunz leaped back into the Darkness to wait, ready to pounce on the world when the time was right.

But Merrunz’s mice had failed to steal Greedy Alkosh’s amulet, but with all the mice who could use the amulet gone, Merrunz’s mice bided their time. They snuck and sleuthed until they found the amulet and stole it, crossing the Lattice and hiding it in Gajar Alata along with Ja’Mankar.

The Last Pounce of the Ja’Khajiit:

With the mouse-king’s kin dead, the fires of Greedy Alkosh quenched, and the Dragon King of Cat’s amulet secure in the Darkness, the time was ready.

Merrunz pounced.

And Merrunz was reunited with his ball of yarn once more. And he played and leaped and pounced. And he was happy again. But all was not well.

While Merrunz was playing, a sneaky mouse crossed the Lattice and retrieved Alkosh’s amulet. And the sneaky mouse killed Merrunz’s best friend Ja’Mankar. And the sneaky mouse gave Alkosh’s amulet to a mouse called Martin, who was the son of the mouse-king and had evaded Merrunz’s mice.

But Merrunz was too happy to take notice of this, and continued playing. And the wicked Martin approached Merrunz, and said, “Begone Merrunz, what was yours belongs to Alkosh now!” And Martin did use the amulet to slay himself, summoning forth Merrunz’s eldest brother, Greedy Alkosh, Dragon King of Cats.

And Greedy Alkosh lifted up Merrunz by the nape of the neck, carrying him through the sky and to the Lattice.

And Merrunz said, “But it is mine!” yowling in protest with tears in his eyes.

And Greedy, Cruel Alkosh tossed the Ja’Khajiit across the Lattice, and locked the Lattice forever sealing Merrunz and the rest of Fadomai’s second litter outside. Locking Merrunz away from his beloved ball of yarn.

Merrunz looked upon what he had lost yet again, and cried.