The Crate, Part 2

The Crate, or an Account of Modern Dunmer Politics: Part Two

by Aso Indaren

Day 3

So I'm in the middle of the Boethian Mountains, south of Llothanis and hopefully heading for Tel Mothrivra. I haven't seen any signs of civilisation for the last day, unless you count a Dwemer ruin that jutted out of a piece of badland a few hours in. It's been hard going, but it could be worse. My Destruction magic has helped immensely – I'm no alchemist, so all I can do to find food is to hunt. Easier said than done around here: I didn't find any land animals, but did manage to catch a fish after firing shock spells into the sea for a few minutes. It's a trick I picked up in Bahrammu. They do it all the time there. It doesn't spread over more than a few feet of sea, so it can be tricky to pin the fish down. Still, it worked for me.

The good news is is that I managed to avoid the muck-harvesting villages on the other side of the ruins. It's not normally a problem, but they're in Llothanis's territory and I'm sure that Bal Gernak has sent scouts.

I've still got the crate. Next task: learn some basic alchemy. Fishing won't work when there's no water. I should be able to learn some at Mothrivra.

Day 4

Arrived at Mothrivra around midday. I've never been so relieved to see the shape of a mushroom tower on the horizon, but I am sure that such relief will be dwarfed by whatever happens further along the journey to Narsis. I find it hard to imagine that Mothrivra will be the last town I'll see for a while which doesn't require me to hide the crate, if not myself.

Can Tel Mothrivra even be called a town? I have my doubts. It is little more than a Telvanni fortress settlement presided over by Master Dralothas Omothran, so the commoners' quarter is more of a village. Nonetheless, it offers the prospects of a bed, food, a sympathetic lord and basic alchemy training. I find the latter in the form of an offer from Seris Athyon, the local enchanter, who gave me a two hour alchemy lesson in exchange for the sack of river-strider food from earlier.

Tel Mothrivra has changed since the Red Year. The first time I visited the fortress, there were Tribunal priests walking the streets and shouting curses at the Telvanni. They never lasted long, but Mothrivra became a sort of rite of passage for the Temple: anyone who walked the entire wall without dying must surely be eligible for a promotion. The reversion to Daedra worship changed all that. Nobody in Mothrivra sees the Telvanni mushrooms as sacrilegious any more, and Master Omothran was more than willing to erect a statue of Boethiah in the centre of the fortress. Most of Telvoneth believes that he was faithful to the old gods all along, and that this played a part in his being the most popular candidate for a future Telvanni Council position. It doesn't hurt that my erstwhile master in Tel Ouada supports his claims either. I arranged a meeting with Master Omothran to let Rathra know that I'm still alive after the incident at Llothanis two days ago. Omothran also told me how to best cross Lake Boethiah – obtain a weak scroll of water walking somewhere in Mothrivra, and then use it about an hour and a half's walk north along the lake. After finding said scroll, I decide to remain in Mothrivra for the night.

Tomorrow, I must become invisible...