Telvanni Separatists - 10. The Seed

*

“All at once, the Redoran guards hold out their spears to block my way.

I step back in shock. The guards stand frozen in position before falling into their original stance. I relax.

The seed is evidently dangerous, for it would be otherwise illogical to have so many guards protecting it. I'm contempt on not trying that again.

The chamber echoes with a grumble as a portal opens to the right of me. From it steps a short Dunmer with pale skin and a bony, almost frail body. Despite this, he walks with strength and confidence.

With a quiet but oddly warm voice, the Dunmer apologises for the behaviour of his guards and announces himself as Councillor Irdani. After expressing his familiarity with my work, I announce my reason for being here, to which he appears to have known in advance.

I am surprised to discover that this Dunmer is indeed Councillor Irdani. He appears ill if not simply malnourished. This is most atypical of someone of Redoran nobility.

It is somewhat unnerving that the only face I have seen in Port Telvannis is one showing signs of sickness. Is something on the Isles responsible for this?

*

I follow Irdani through his portal. It leads us to one of the ledges high above the tower’s surface.

I look down to marvel at the height of the stalk. The ground is now too far down to see with clarity.

I look up: I can just about see the network of fungal veins forming the roof.

Stepping through the doorway in the tower wall, I enter Irdani’s personal chamber. The chamber is large enough to be a house, containing everything the councillor could need.

Barely-filled bookshelves stand all about the room, and a huge window lies behind a curtain directly ahead.

Irdani begins to speak about the exploits of House Redoran since they began colonising here. Meanwhile, one of my mages – Firis – opens the curtains to admire the view. The sudden flash of light from outside appears to startle Irdani.

I travel to the window, looking out on the expanse of the north-eastern half of the island. I see everything with great clarity, even the walls which wrap around its entirety. Small cities with about half a dozen settlements are scattered around the landscape; some larger fungal towers – though comparably tiny next to Tel Midrith - stand alone on hilltops. The barren land around is a golden brown; the sea is blood-red against the setting sun.

On either side of the island, I see both of the smaller islands. They too are surrounded completely by a wall of their own.

It takes some time before I realise that Irdani is still talking. He mentions that the Telvanni sold cities in the Isles to the other Houses to focus their efforts on claiming Vvardenfell.

The deals the Telvanni struck only entailed claiming the cities: not controlling them. House Redoran spent many years attempting to purge vampires, liches and all manners of creatures to claim Port Telvannis and the other cities. Irdani says that even the fungal trees denied them access. Were such defences a precaution to keep the Argonians out, or were they simply a tool to stop trespassers?

Irdani eventually brings his monologue into context, claiming that once the Argonians sacked the stone towers of Port Telvannis, they headed to Tel Midrith to execute the Telvanni leaders. When the Argonians attempted to follow the leaders into the repository beneath the tower, the fungus grew around the invaders and suffocated them. Since then, this repository, which holds most of the Telvanni’s hidden lore and arcana, has remained locked.

This provides a rare opportunity for my investigation and for all of House Redoran. If I can find references to the Separatists in the repository, I will undoubtedly find the answers I seek.

But how might I gain entrance to this repository? I ask Irdani.

It is rumoured that late Telvanni nobles became liches to prolong their life and ensure dominion over their House. Irdani hypothesises that the seed at the base of Tel Midrith might respond to the blood of a lich. If all of this is true, the blood of one of these nobles could open the way to the repository.

Luckily, Irdani had mercenaries track down a known lich causing trouble in the Isles; he is expecting their return with the blood in several days. I can only hope that they return soon, for I do not intend on returning to the Redoran’s Pride empty-handed.”