Official Thalmor Report: The Voidwalker [PART 7]

[PART 7]

The following is the official Thalmor report on the investigation of the prolific serial killer commonly known as The Voidwalker.

SUSPECT NAME: Unknown

ALIASES: The Voidwalker

CHARGES: Numerous murders, kidnappings, mutilations, and other violent crimes.

CHIEF JUSTICIAR: Agent Caronil, Department of Dominion Security

DATE SUBMITTED: 4E 201, 12th of First Seed

JUSTICIAR’S REPORT:

When dawn broke, on the 5th of First Seed, we began our assault. There were undead sentries patrolling, but they fell easily to the tonal charges. The entrance was sealed, but it’s protecting magicks were no match for the assault of the battlemages. The great bulwark gave way to a dim labyrinth. Some of the soldiers started saying that there was no way through, but Falcano and I knew the exact path through the maze. We assured them that the path had been revealed to us, and the Akaviri cast a swarm of bright lights that followed Falcano and I. As we moved deeper and deeper into the maze, I noticed that the pure marbled walls were covered in macabre defamations. There were Daedric characters scrawled over graphic drawings of evil rituals of torture, blood, and mutilation. Lifelike images of children, men, and women being cut and mutilated, with their eyes gouged out and their hearts ripped from their chests. Even the Bosmeri soldiers, who were used to the brutal rituals of their Green Pact, were gripped by fear and disgust. Suddenly the Akaviri light swarm turned from white to a dark red. They spoke in their snakespeak with a dire urgency. One of them came to me and whispered one sentence in broken Tamrielic: “Great evil ahead, take caution.”

We made it to the end of the maze and were greeted by a door of an unknown, ancient architecture. The Khajiit started to pray to their gods, and were the last ones to go through the door.

Beyond the door was an unforgettable sight. Structures of impossible geometries had broken through the original marble floor, and impaled upon them were countless bodies. The structures seemed like solidified tendrils, and they all went straight through the heart of the corpses. Many of the soldiers became sick at the sight and the smell of the corpses, and their regurgitated messes mingled with the blood pooled on the floor of the chamber. Many more thralls patrolled this chamber, but they too fell to the tonal charges.

We climbed the steps to the next chamber to find a set of three levers and three doors. There was no way of knowing what lie behind any of them. We discussed which one to pull first for a good amount of time, and then discussed for an even longer amount of time which one of us should pull the first lever.

When the choice was made, we sent one of the conjurers to pull the first lever. When it was pulled, we waited with bated breath and defenses raised to see what was behind the door. The door slowly descended, and revealed a black abyss. We all sighed a breath of relief, but as soon as the conjurer turned to return to us, a tentacle snapped out, impaled him through the heart, and pulled him into the abyss. His screams were only silenced when the door sealed itself shut once again. The soldiers grew uneasy, as did Falcano and I, but we needed to press on. We chose the Automaton next. It stomped up to the next lever and pulled it. The door opened to reveal another abyss, with horrible sounds emanating from within.

Out of the abyss came a horrific beast of indescribable horror. Gnashing teeth, flailing tentacles, and bulbous tumors covered the monster. It spit a slime at all of us, and out of the demonic bile came tentacles, which wrapped around our legs, preventing our escape. The beast stomped towards the closest people to it, the Akaviri. The beast grabbed the Akaviri with grotesque appendages and raised them to its maw. The poor souls tried to escape, but their shape-shifting and struggling proved futile. The gnashing teeth of the monster closed on the Akaviri and ripped them to pieces before devouring them completely. It then turned to one of the next victims, who met the same gruesome end. We were all helpless to watch as our comrades were devoured one after another. Their screams, resistance, and attacks were unavailing, merely giving the beast flesh wounds. The monster grabbed the Automaton and brought it to its maw. The teeth punctured the metal construct as it fell deeper and deeper into the maw. The Automaton disappeared into the beast’s insides. The monstrosity then grabbed the rest of us and began tossing us one by one into the pit of blade-like teeth. I was next. As I dangled over the maw, I noticed that there was a red glow and a flow of steam emitting from the throat of the monster.

Suddenly, we were released. I bounced off the beast’s slimy skin and fell to the floor. I ran as far as I could to the other side of the chamber and cowered with my back to the wall. The beast swelled up and was spewing steam. It shrieked a horrible shriek, then exploded. Masses of flesh, guts, and tissue flew through the air, and ichor covered every surface in the chamber. Bits of Dwemer metal fell from above in an almost angelic manner.

There were 10 of us left. Once we wiped off as much of the ichor as we could, I took count of who was left. Falcano was thankfully alive, as were two Bosmeri archers, one Khajiit swordsman, three battlemages, one healer, and one Khajiit monk. We stopped for but a moment to catch our breath. I pulled the final lever, then we proceeded with harrowing silence.

We walked through a corridor covered in grotesque drawings and architecture, using bright magelight to see the way. We treaded carefully and diligently, keeping an eye on every aspect of the hall, which seemed to keep eyes on us as well. At the end of the corridor was another door. I could sense great quantities of magicka through the door, and there was a low, rumbling hum that resonated from the chamber beyond.

We opened the gilded door and walked into a chamber of immense size. A robed woman was heating a curved dagger. She then walked over to a man magically bound to the wall. He was the Regent’s husband; scarred, bloodied, and castrated. An aura imprisoned him. The woman walked through the aura and began to speak. She demanded to know where the Regent was hiding. He spat in her face, and she stabbed the knife into his side. He screamed in pain as she twisted the red hot blade deeper into him. She drew the knife out of him, and the wound healed itself shut within seconds. She then strode over to the center of the room, where a large black book lie on a pedestal. Surrounding the pedestal was a circle of still beating hearts. The woman stabbed a pin into each heart. She then walked to the book and opened it. Out of the book came several large tentacles, which lunged themselves into each of the hearts and drained them. The tentacles hoisted an unfathomable void of eyes and tentacles out of the book, which hovered around the room, tethered to the circle of hearts.

”Why have you summoned me?” bellowed the void.

”I have failed you my lord. I promised you the knowledge of the Thalmor in exchange for lordship over the continent and the power to escape this prison.” said the woman.

”I see… Most disappointing…” said the void. It then launched a tendril straight into the heart of the woman, who dropped dead instantly.

The void then scanned around the room with its many eyes and spotted the Regent’s husband. It started to slowly slither a tentacle closer and closer towards him. I came to my senses and gave the order to attack.

The archers shot many arrows at a time into the center of the void, while the Khajiit swordsman sliced the slithering tentacle off. The battlemages hurled fire at the void while the healer and the monk worked to free the Regent's husband from his bonds. Falcano and I stayed back to command. They fought well, for the ten seconds they were alive. Unfortunately, the void shot tentacles through the hearts of all its assailants. It then picked the Khajiit up by the tail. He began to talk to himself in Ta’agra, and then the cat was cast into the book.

It then grabbed hold of the healer and brought him closer. The healer began to talk to himself as well, and started to resist whatever was happening inside his head. He shouted for help, but was impaled through the heart before he could even finish.

Falcano and I were next. He grabbed both of us and we dangled in front of the horrible void.

”I am Hermaeus Mora, Gardener of Man, and Knower of the Unknown.” the void said, “Who are you that wishes my destruction?”

Falcano and I both gave our names to the Prince.

”This is most curious. Here before me I hold one mind, and yet I heard… two voices…”

Falcano and I glanced at each other quizzically. We were rather calm for being at the mercy of a Daedric Prince.

”How… intriguing. I sense a great knowing within you… almost twice as much as I have detected in any other mortal in a long time… Such a long time…” he said as he slid a tendril slowly up my leg. “I seek to add your knowledge to my library… and what I seek… I achieve…”

Falcano and I both knew where this was headed.

”You shall become my… champion… on Tamriel… or will face the consequences…”

Falcano, in all his wisdom, cursed the Prince with choice language.

”Very well, mortal!” bellowed the Prince, “Never deny a Daedric Prince on it's summoning day!”

Out of the swirling void shot a tendril that soared right in between Falcano and I

”What?! What is this… ACCURSED SUBTERFUGE?!” bellowed the void.

Falcano tossed his entire satchel of tonal charges into the void, and it exploded as it vanished within. The Prince lost his grasp on us, and writhed his tendrils in pain. We fell to the ground on our feet, and we both ran opposite each other. Another tentacle shot out right in between us, crashing through the marble wall. It was then that I realized that Mora sensed Falcano and I as one being. Our energies were connected for some curious reason.

Mora missed again and again and became more angered with each strike. Falcano and I ran circles around him and stayed distant from each other, but we had no real plan other than to survive. Then I noticed that the Regent's husband was crawling towards us with urgency. He grabbed hold of one of the drained hearts and slid out the pin that tethered Mora.

Mora lost some of his mass and made a horrific bellow of agony. Falcano and I realized what the Regent’s husband was doing, so we continued to run circles and taunt Mora. One by one, each heart was separated from its pin, and each time Mora receded more. When the final pin was removed, Mora rapidly was sucked into the black book, which hovered in the air, then slammed itself closed onto the pedestal. Falcano and I sighed in relief and then I picked up the Regent’s husband and made the journey home. Falcano stayed back to examine what was left of The Voidwalker’s laboratory.

A few days after I returned, there was a knock on the door of my rebuilt solar. I opened the door and was greeted by Falcano. He brought another stack of notes and hurried into the room. He showed me The Voidwalker’s plan. It would change everything, make everything how it was meant to be. It's not safe to write the details of it in this dossier, but I’ve personally delivered a letter to the Regent with his husband. I will only say this:

We will not be trapped in this prison much longer.