Sul the Hunter's Chronicles of Super-Mundial Principalities [Apocrypha]

Sul the Hunter's Chronicles of Super-Mundial Principalities

Authored by: Galyron Ven-Sul Co-Authored by: Jubal Sul

Author's Preface

My name is Galyron Ven-Sul, a Battlemage employed by the Empire, a master Enchanter and Conjurer, therefore I clearly do not take planar travel as a secure or even reliably safe escapade. I had not yet escaped the Mundus, yet the catalyst for this first journey was dire indeed. My allies in the new Akaviri Dragonguard had acquired knowledge of twenty-five years of the Great War between the Third Empire and the Second Dominion. Twenty-five years which the Dominion had erased. Twenty-five years of the Dominion being beaten and losing, they rewrote time to before the War turned into a slow retreat. We acquired this knowledge from the last survivor of the Cyrodilic Vampyrum, who served the Thalmor out of fear. As my companion Hawking has stated: "We have been stomping out rats in the home while the lions loom across the sea". There was only one way to learn of the Dawn Magicks the Dominion used to do this, only one library outside of time's direct influence and control... and so we had to leave the only home for mortals to the Oblivion, to save the Empire, and possibly the world. To Apocrypha, and many worse planes.

Part 1 of 4, Chapter 1 The Puncturing

A mage needs two things to travel through Oblivion: One, a Daedric sigil of some sort, upon a morpholith aligned with the first destination plane, which is to say the plane that will be linked to Mundus, and will be the path of return. Two, a sixth-dimension way of travel. Oblivion is, as some might say, a dimension higher than our Mundus. They are affected by time but are not wholly subject to it, and to travel impossibly through a dimension as we plan to, we must bend through the dimension above. Jubal Sul, my adopted brother who is not yet endowed with an honorific title, calls himself the Champion of Azura. I do not trust Azura, and do not see the benefit of calling her an ally, as she is quite weak in our plane. Nonetheless, he possesses the first of our two required items. Azura's Star. The Second is a passed down way of the Sul family, using a spell called Sul's Passage. I call it Soul's Passage. To explain it in nonacademic language, the planes are leafs of parchment, and if one takes a needle and stabs it through each leaf, we have our sixth-dimensional legs. Through these rifts, we can move through the planes. While it is not the favored way by the greater community, and my close friends in the College of Whispers might berate me for using it, it serves our needs well. Our late friend Nymaril had a Daedric Altar already brimming with traces of Oblivion, and so Jubal and I took the star, and pierced the planes. It was to be a peaceful Door to Oblivion, and so Akatosh's Covenant was satisfied-see the most recent Greymarch-and Azura seemed agreeable to this. At least, from our perspective upon Nirn. It was the ideal choice. I held the Star upon the Altar, both hands upon the spokes, and as magicka was poured into it, the gem in the center began to absorb all light, the room got hazy and shadowed, the walls visibly vibrating while no tremor was felt. Our perceptions began to float as our bodies remained still, before these perceptions turned inside themselves and we saw an array of a hundred possible rooms the same as ours. I brought my hand down upon the Star, and we were thrown back together, staggering. The Star was missing, and the room was normal. To all but J and I. We could feel, but not see, a small crack. It was as if we were to be blind and reaching with our fingers to find a crack in a wall, except our fingers are tendrils of our own Magicka reserves, and the wall is the Liminal barrier. I turned to my brother J and told him what I did not expect. Azura chose to assist us in this casting, and while it is possible to do it without the Prince's assistance, it is much more likely to succeed. We were invited.

Part 1 of 4, Chapter 2

Moonshadow

"Are we ready?" I asked my allies. Hawking the Spymaster had travelled to the shrines of every Prince whose plane we planned to visit, paying them tribute in every known form, and so he nodded, surely we were prepared. Nexius Telvanni and Jubal Sul had studied new spells for days, and could cast magicks most men and mer could only fathom, and so they nodded, surely we were prepared. Ninian Redoran and Sir Kael of the Dragon had sparred with their conflicting styles for months, each searching for beasts to train against, and even Buoyant Armigers joined their duels, and so they nodded, surely we were prepared. We weren't totally wrong.

I nodded in response, and our world shattered. It was as if everything we saw was a glass pane, and it had just collapsed and fell away. Replacing that was a whirling mixture of black matter and nothingness, the only constants being the Sun and Stars and the sensation of falling-not in any direction, but every direction at once-before we realized we hadn't moved our feet at all, yet we were standing someplace else. Only Jubal could see, even then only a meter forward. Soon we were all thrown to the ground, trying desperately to cover our eyes as the piercing daggers of beauty and light were thrust into them. The pain fades but we were striken blind, all that remained was the afterimage of a tall silver tower. As we lied there, hairy, rough hands were on us, and we were dragged into some sort of building. The blindness started to fade, and Jubal could begin to see clear enough to make out the twenty or so various forms of Khajiit around us, all looking over eachother curiously. They spoke over eachother, like a choir of birds joining in. "Who are you?". "Yes, who!". "Names?". "Names don't matter!" "Tell us now!". Jubal silenced them and replied "I am Jubal Sul, the champion of Azura". "Azura!" one yelled. "He serves Azura!" "The Moon and Star?" "The Dawn and Dusk?" Jubal sighed "Yes, of course, I am he-". He was inturrupted by one of the Khajiit throwing a lit candle with a green flame upon him, and he had to scramble not to be burnt. They all gasped when he held it. Confused, he tossed it back to them, and a Cathay caught it, the color of her hand blurring to reveal a light white glowing mass underneath, like a gemstone, but translucent. I looked up towards them and saw this, explaining it to my brother "They're dead, J. This is the Khajiit's main afterlife". I sat back against the wall, depleted of Magicka and quite tired. Moving felt surreal, like we were severely intoxicated, yet our minds were unaffected. "This is Raytiir," chimed one, who looked like a Bosmer with unusual facial hair "We have not gotten living visitors since the Dunmeri monster.. did what he did". They explained mortals could look East, towards the rising stars and moons. It was always Dawn and Dusk, they said, as willed by the same. West was only allowed for those that had the blessing of Azura, towards the setting stars and moons. Across the sky were five gradients of light, simply because Five is the limit, which was not explained to us. Jubal is faithful to Azura, so he went out into the city, only a hundred feet across, yet each building had dozens of interiors. He could look west, and was baffled by the view, falling more in love with Moonshadow after every vista. The strangest and most worrying part was how every single thing we saw seemed to drip like a wet painting or a melting snowman, if we stared without moving, everything began to flow like water, leaving the head spinning.

Whilst I recovered my Magicka, Jubal heard that every Mortal traveler to Moonshadow recieved an audience with Azura herself, and so he spoke to a Winged Twilight. It landed before him between two clay houses, and it's eyes began glowing. Jubal said her voice came not from the mouth, but from inside him, as a friend. She will tell of Varillion, the True Nerevarine, and how he abandoned his destiny to travel to Akavir. She gifted him with a Scroll of Daedric Intervention, possibly her last influence she will have upon Mundus for quite a long time. She took him through the air, where they flew, not holding eachother or using magic, they flew because Azura willed it. She showed J underneath Azuriel, where there was a large crystalline waterfall around the central tower, down it, he saw the water end in the underground Cerulean Sea. He did know not what this meant. She would not show herself to him, perhaps because of Vivec. He was told he would use the Scroll when Destiny requires him to, for Azura's wishes. I believe she was just getting off on being Mysterious with prophecy, she hadn't been able to for a while. Nonetheless, J returned and we departed to the next plane.

Part 1 of 4, Chapter 3 Quagmire

I took a step, travelling the Soul's Passage, and we were next to a river of blood, the smell of blood overwhelming the senses. Another step and we were getting buried under an infinite mountain of insects and carrion crawlers and some sort of twitching ooze. After struggling through another step we arrived in an idyllic countryside, with prancing deer and lillies, the air smelling of a mixture of flowers and rot. I informed my Dragonguard allies that this was the Desideratum, and after recalling our previous dealings with Clavicus Vile, we agreed to quickly move on, as the Prince of Deals might not appreciate our rescindment of a previous deal. Another step, and we were spinning as we fell, before I was separated from my allies. I experienced only nightmare, too personal to retell. I shall transcribe their experiences upon this plane instead, as they were eager to share. They were standing on a swirling light blue floor, but it felts solid like glass. They were all alone, on a sinking ship, the crew slaughtered, water forcing it's way into their lungs. They were all alone, running from a dozen werewolves. They all were scratched and turned into one of these beasts, beginning a murderous rampage, slaughtering all they loved, and loving it. (which is worse, killing those you love, or enjoying doing so?) They were all alone, falling from the White-Gold Tower, plummeting to their doom. They were all alone, vampires surrounding them, diving and tearing you apart. They were not alone, and had been on this swirling glass floor for quite a while. They braced themselves for the next jump, but it didn't come.

The glass was endless, and the sky black, save a single star, far away. A soft voice whispered in their ears, although there was no source. "Those-that-are-Marked, I would allow you to stride through the false memories for many a cycle, yet you have given me a gift. Mortals are not logical and it is so known. I give you a chance to tell me why, before I tear the knowledge from you". Sokel, although a demonized version, flowed through the glass like it was liquid, and coiled around them. They had met the feathered serpent avatar of Vaermina in the No-Quin-Al desert a year and a half ago. She was referring to how Nexius Telvanni gave up the fond memory of his mentor in a deal with Clavicus Vile, replacing it were nightmares. "I am not benevolent. It is so known to the lesser forms. Yet I help each, in turn" whispered Sokel, again into the ears of each of them. "Mortal dreams allow the immortal soul a tool to peer at the incomprehensible infinity that is this pitiful Aurbis. I assist you. I always have assisted you in raising yourself to become more, but do not mock me with sympathy, pathetic mortal. I will torture you, and horrify you. You will hate me, as the Dunmer do.. but you desperately need Nightmare, I help you sift through your own mind, your own Dream". Jubal desired to speak with her, but she was only telling them this to appear mystical and wise, I believe. She "gifted" the Dragonguard with more Nightmares. It does dawn on me, though, that Vaermina could be considered one of the "good" Daedra. She hardens you through accepting the realities you cannot, by experiencing them. That is what she showed them.

Cheydinhal was destroyed by daedra and armies of legionaries. The Thalmor destroying the White-Gold Tower. Hawking becoming the same wererat he fought last year, and murdering his parents. Forsythe being a slave to the Thalmor, from birth, and Sir Kael being a weak servant unable to stand up to this. The capital of Morrowind, Blacklight, destroyed by Nordic warriors, and all of the Dunmeri culture destroyed and forgotten, the Thalmor coming to conquer all.

Jubal Sul has always worshipped the Three Good Daedra, and so saw the wisdom in accepting hardship. Through these visions, he accepted the possibilities, and took inspiration from his sights on Moonshadow. He studied all he saw and developed plans of defense for Morrowind. His Will was made stronger. Sir Kael of the Dragon saw himself and his Duke Forsythe being weak, and scoffed. These visions were impossible to him, there could be no such reality. He forever was strengthened against Illusion. Nexius Telvanni perhaps discovered the truest teaching. He accepted every vision as a possibility, as all possibilities are true to a Moth Priest. He accepted the Change that each could cause, even if it meant his family killed, his Legionaries allying with Daedra, his world under Thalmor. It brought some peace. Hawking and Ninian chose not to speak of what they saw. All awoke upon the same glass floor, just far enough away to be unable to comfort eachother. I was left with them, and once the shaking subsided, we could move on. Battered and broken. I had to question their resolve after this horror, before going deeper into the bowels of Oblivion. "We were not prepared for the mental aspects of super-Mundial travel... Perhaps we should return". I was not convinced, but we needed to press on. The Thalmor must not rule Tamriel.

This is of a long series, which are actually adventure logs for the campaign I am running with my friends, I shall post more if you guys like this apocrypha, perhaps linking the blog for all of them