Alik'rian Nights: Volume The First: Of Adamant And Beyond: Part 5: The Depths Of Disgrace

I could tell from his tone that Greatpapa had finished. It was a darker night than any of the previous and the hour was very late. I didn’t want him to stop, but my tongue would not speak for I knew what pleading would bring me. Feebly I asked the obvious, was that all?
“For this evening, yes. It is time for bed.” Greatpapa confirmed. He took me into his arms and returned me to my tent. My brother and all the other members of the caravan had already grown quiet and were asleep. But as I lay there, my mind was troubled and mine eyes would not close.
With the Loremaster now dead, how would the Seprine continue without his teacher? My instructors were a great source of, not only knowledge, but great comfort. I thought of his body and of Aldmeris deep under the sands of my feet. I had traveled the Alik’r much through my short life and the thought of the whole desert being blown into the sky filled me with wonder. And as I dreamed that I might one day meet such a mighty man as the Seprine, the night eventually overcame me and I slept.
The next day we came upon an oasis and it was decided that we would remain there for a time to rest. I was hard at work helping set camp when Greatpapa came searching for me. He asked if I wished to continue working, or if I wanted to finish the story.
Conflict grew in my heart. Surely I wanted to hear the rest of the tale, and while I was growing to enjoy helping the others (Since I relished their pleasure for the assistance) I didn’t really care about the labor. This had to be a test.
Greatpapa laughed at my suspicion and commanded that I should come and hear. He had me change into suitable attire and took me to the water, girding up his loins that he might keep his own feet in the pool while I played and listened. The Seprine sat upon High Mountain for some time and watched the settling of the sands. Despite the Loremaster’s instructions, he was unsure of how to proceed. Summon his love? Know that all is like unto a dream? What did it mean, and how was one supposed to accomplish it?
He thought, and thought, and thought, asking the advice of anyone who might be able to offer words of wisdom. However, there was only one who might have the knowledge he needed. Akatosh. Surely the gods would have answers.
No simple pilgrimage to a temple or shrine would suffice. With the suppression of the Dwemer magics, they were all of them empty of spirit. He would need to meet with the divines directly. Unfortunately, there was only one place outside of Aetherius where they could be found. The Convention Chamber at the root of the Adamantine Tower, where the gods had once convened to decide Lorkhan’s fate.
So he returned to the Isle of Balfiera and met with the Castilian, who laughed when he made his intentions known. Nobody saw the Convention, not no way, not no how. The Seprine insisted that he must, explaining the Thalmor plan to destroy the very Tower in which they stood. Resigning to these arguments, the Castilian agreed to show him the path.
They led him to the foot of the Tower to a chamber which sat at its center. It was heavily guarded, and few outsiders had ever beheld it. The Foundation Vault was empty and bare, save for two hallowed items. First was a door of incredible size called the Argent Aperture; sealed by 13 slowly counter-rotating rings. The second sat upon a modest pedestal holding a small mirrored orb, about the size of a man’s hand. This was the Zero Stone itself, from which all creation finds its origin.
The Castilian explained that every Direnni of noble blood is brought here upon reaching maturity and allowed to touch it, once, and feel its mystical power. Most return again at the end of their lives in an attempt to use it to open the Aperture, but they are found a few days later, either dead or horrendously disfigured.
Beyond the Aperture lay the convention, and since the beginning of time, none had been able to open it. All attempts to solve its mysteries had been met with utter failure. It was not that anyone lacked the permission to meet with the convention, rather that all lacked the ability to enter their chamber. If the Seprine wanted to make the attempt and face almost certain death, the Castilian would allow it.
And so our Scarab went up to the pedestal upon which the Zero Stone rested to carefully and cautiously take it into his hand. Reaching forward to claim the orb, he looked deep into its perfectly reflective surface. As his hands made their first brushing contact, the stone began to glow, and he felt its power course through him. The Direnni were aghast, for such a thing had never occurred in all of recorded history. After only moments, the stone shone brighter than the stars and the rings of the Argent Aperture greatly increased the rate of their rotation.
He stepped carefully toward the spinning door and with every pace, the rings moved ever faster. There was a small recessed alcove in the center of the door precisely the same size as the stone. As he approached, the rings were flying and whirling blindingly fast and the whole room shook as if it were to explode.
He placed the shining ball into the alcove, and as he did, the rings opened in a flash, like an iris, revealing a dark passage beyond. (Author’s Note: Modern scholarship believes that the aperture opens the stone rather than the inverse) A pale gust of air exhaled from the Aperture and all the Direnni fell to their knees in awe and terror.
The Seprine’s heart quickened as he looked upon the reaction of the elves and the dark abyss before which he stood. Clamping down on his apprehension, he strode boldly through the portal, which sealed behind him as suddenly and as quickly as it had opened. It was dark inside, and the air was old, but as his eyes adjusted, he realized that the walls provided a faint glow to illumine the passage. There was little of interest at first, but as he proceeded deeper, the more enchanted the environment became. The whole structure hummed with power and mysterious purpose. Thick layers of dust were collecting in the corners and seams of the halls. At intervals some sections of the wall shone more brightly and small plants were growing in their light.
Before long, he even began to notice animal life creeping silently through the darkness. Everything was strange, for as the gods had merged the 12 planets of Mundus, they had used the Tower as an ark to preserve the life which had once walked upon alien soils. It was almost a museum, or rather, a mausoleum, memorializing primordial worlds and civilizations never given a chance to thrive. Even old Aldmeris seemed new and pristine in comparison.
The path he followed spiraled down ever deeper into the earth. It is said that the Tower of Adamant goes at least as far down below the ground as it does standing above it. As he descended farther into the bowels of the planet, he began to face ancient demons and archaic monsters the likes of which no one had seen since the dawning of time. Many of the larger more horrid creatures were unconcerned with one as puny and insignificant as the Seprine, and he could observe the greatest of battles between them as he passed through their midst.
Once he began to near the bottom, spiritual forces pervaded even the very essence of the walls. It was a place even demons feared to tread. The ground beneath him would move, and the passageways would change connections even as he walked them. There were whispers through the halls and reality almost seemed to bend in his wake. He would have been hopelessly and eternally adrift in the ever-changing expanse, were not the spirits of the tower guiding him to his destination.
At last the corridor widened to reveal an enormous ivory door. It was coated in elaborate and ornate carvings depicting the terrible war between the divines and the final battle of Lorkhan and Akatosh. The beauty and the scale of the door is impossible to convey, but as the Seprine looked upon its magnificence, he could feel its tragedy. He walked up and placed his hand upon the smooth and frigid relief. At his touch, a seam appeared and the portal parted to reveal its inner light.
Such was the glory of the interior in contrast to the darkness from which he had come that it completely blinded him. It took several moments before he could see inside. The chamber before him was a great circular theater with steps leading down to a stage filled with blue mist. In wonder, he realized that this was the place where he had first met the gods at the beginning of his journey.
As he stood near the top, a voice from below rang out in accusation, “What is that one doing here?”. The gods turned to face him and examine their intruder. Lord Akatosh from his throne demanded to know who he was and for what reason had he disturbed them. Our Scarab proclaimed his identity as Shezarrine, and that he had come for their help. The gods murmured between themselves; denouncing his presence. Akatosh declared that they would not permit him into this counsel.
The Seprine acknowledged him, and explained that the gods must hear him, for what he had come to ask would be of concern to their convention. There were more mutterings, but Akatosh silenced them with his hand. “Speak!” he commanded.
The Seprine described for them the plot of the Thalmor and of the Dwarves. He told them of his vision from the Elder Scroll and how they had prophesied that he would need to achieve the state of CHIM to stop their plot of annihilation. Akatosh scoffed, and inquired into the nature of this concept called CHIM. The question caught the Seprine off guard, but he elaborated on what he knew.
The gods laughed and shouted him down, calling it lies and falsehood. Once again Akatosh silenced the gathering and queried that if such a thing were true, why should they incline themselves to help him attain something so demonstrably powerful.
Pleadingly, he confessed that it was the only way to defeat the Anti-Phonos, through which everything might be saved. The divines grew angry at these words. They spat that they had heard these lies before and rejected them. They would not be so fooled again.
But angered by their reaction, the Seprine implored the hecklers to examine his conduct and the conduct of his predecessors. Were such actions a symptom of Lorkhan’s lies, or of Lorkhan’s truth? Had his ends been toward destruction or creation?
His points were met with even more crass laughter. Lord Akatosh did not laugh however. As he looked upon the Seprine, he could see that he truly believed what he had spoken. What sense would it make for him to come to them again with the same tired lies?
For the third time, the king of the gods silenced the convention, standing up from his throne and coming over to the Seprine. He said that the Seprine’s reasons were immaterial. The Divines did not have the knowledge of which he sought and some transcendent force was preventing them from acting on his behalf.
The Seprine begged him for anything which would help. After all, it was Akatosh himself who had placed him upon this path, and it was the dragon god’s own heart which beat within his chest. The Lord of Time then regarded him quietly and contemplated these words.
Akatosh was silent for several moments before saying that there was nothing more he could offer. Then he reached down to touch the Seprine’s breast. Nothing more than the blessing which he had already bestowed upon him. The journey must be his own, and he must now return to it. With a flash, the Seprine found himself standing back within the throne room of the Castilian. His sudden arrival shocked the court of elvish lords, who asked about what had happened beyond the Aperture. With great sorrow, he said that the gods would not help them. The world must fend for itself.
These words hit the Direnni like a mortal blow. Much had transpired since he had begun his descent and several weeks had already passed since our Scarab had left them. In that time, the Aldmeri had been making fearsome progress in their march. The Redguard leadership had dispatched a courier with orders for him to return and lead their armies, but the letter had arrived too late. The Castilian had spent the duration fortifying his isle, but still the air within the chambers was grim.
With haste, the Seprine returned to Sentinel. The Redguard leaders were most unhappy with the time he had spent away, for their need of him was immeasurable. The Aldmeri had taken the city of Skaven, which had been the city to turn back the enemy during the last invasion. Its fall had brought the whole province much despair.
But there was as yet some hope. An army was marching up from the southern desert intending to retake the city. They gave him command of the army and directed him to take possession of it as they reached the Uush’Al’Kot pass through the Dragontail Mountains. Pausing for no rest or preparation, the Seprine made his way to join the army. He arrived to troublesome news. The assembled army was waiting eagerly to begin the passage, but a number of scouting parties had yet to return. While it had not been long since their disappearance, it was becoming worrisome.
Time was of the essence however, so he ordered their march to begin. Gathering a small team of soldiers to his side, he took the rough highway where they had last seen the scouts, while the bulk of the army made their way along the broader passage below.
The pass was a break between two mountains where a thin canyon had formed. A road had been constructed in ages past and crossed back and forth from one side of the cliffs to the other. The way was hard and treacherous, but even still, it was easier than the path the Seprine now walked.
Before long, they stumbled into a small band of Aldmeri troops who had been waiting in ambush. It was a short skirmish and easily dealt with, but when one of the Seprine’s soldiers sounded a horn to warn the army below to watch for trouble, it triggered the remaining enemy to begin their attack.
Several of the bridges through the gorge suddenly exploded and arrows began to rain down from above. Elvish troops spilled out from caves and deep clefts along the path to take them by surprise, but the stern Redguard army had been prepared for anything. The fighting began and the Seprine rushed along the high path to destroy as many encamped adversaries as possible.
The ambush quickly began to turn as Redguard marksmen picked off the archers from above and the foot soldiers rebuffed the berserkers. As the Aldmeri broke off the assault, a cry of victory rose from the lips of the army. But such was their shout that they could not hear the groaning of the earth. A deep rumble soon overpowered them and the shouting turned to screams as the canyon walls gave way to massive landslides
He watched in horror as the entire army plummeted into the canyon, even as the ground beneath his own feet gave way. There was no escaping the grip of gravity as he also fell into the dark
When he finally awoke later on, he found himself near the bottom of the canyon. All around him were great piles of rocks and mud blocking the flow of the river. Though he was deep in shadow, he could see that the little water trickling through the dam was red with blood; such was the day’s casualties
Slowly and cautiously, he made his way through the remainder of the pass. Broken bodies lay strewn about everywhere he looked. Beyond himself, there appeared to be no survivors. After several hours, he found the exit near the city of Verkath. It was dark by the time he hobbled into town, and there were many soldiers there which had been awaiting reinforcement. They asked where the army was, and the Seprine told them to send word to Sentinel. It was gone. He took a little time to recuperate, but he set out for the capital as rapidly as he could. When he arrived, he met with the Redguard leadership. They questioned him heavily regarding the incident, but also regarding many of the other missions he had undertaken.
Mistrust was thick in the air for it seemed they suspected him of being an Aldmeri agent. As it happened, he had had many opportunities which would have afforded him the means necessary to abuse their trust and betray them. But as the evidence mounted against him, his words were such that none could bring themselves to convict him. Still, he had lost his esteemed position. Furthermore, the Redguard leaders commanded that he should remain in the area until such time as he had regained their trust
As the trial broke, the Forebear suzerain came to him, saying that there were some things he needed to make our Scarab aware of. The suzerain issued instructions for him to come to his chambers the following evening under the cover of darkness
Once the appointed time had arrived, the Seprine went to the palace to meet with suzerain Alzaeim Alhakim. He entered quietly and made his way to his chambers where he discovered the king had been murdered, lying dead upon his sheets. The Seprine turned to bring help, but as he did he was met by Prince Amir and a host of soldiers.
The prince had been warned that someone would try to kill the king, and he had brought additional guards for protection. It was to his shock and dismay that he found The Seprine standing over the body. Broken and grieving, Prince Amir ordered the Seprine’s arrest for the foul murder
The guards took him into custody and brought him outside, when abruptly, with a flash, a masked rider appeared and charged into the square. Addressing the Seprine, the rider said to come with him if he wanted to live, for he would not survive the night otherwise. The guards were not pleased with these words and attacked
The soldiers did not faze the rider, and he dealt with them ruthlessly before making his escape. Whoever the rider was, our Scarab could see that he was a mage of unparalleled ability and also skilled with the spear. The Seprine followed him hurriedly, for the conflict had already sounded the alarm throughout the capital. They reached the city gate just before it closed. They killed the guards attempting to stop them and fled out into the night
Once they were a short distance from the city, the rider extended his hand and commanded that the Seprine mount his horse. The rider then spoke an incantation, teleporting them abruptly to a distant location.
Now safe, they dismounted, the Seprine asking who the mysterious rider was and what this was all about. The rider then removed his mask to reveal an ancient elf with a double complexion; pale gold on the right side, ashen dark on the left. He identified himself as Vivec
Vivec explained that a third party had been influencing the Redguard and that they were the ones responsible for souring his relationship with them. Unfortunately, he did not know who they were, but he knew about the Seprine’s vision, and his goal of reaching CHIM. Vivec had achieved the state before, and was intimately acquainted with the task
He said that while the Seprine had made much progress since he began his journey, the Loremaster was an idiot child and knew nothing regarding these matters. CHIM and the Endeavor are something which would normally require far more time and effort than which remained for them to act. The key word here being ‘normally’. He further explained that there was an exception, a shortcut, on the path to CHIM. That one could reach the Tower more easily while in the presence of the Heart of Lorkhan
After his defeat at the hands of Trinimac, Lorkhan’s heart was cast down to Nirn and a great volcano arose from whence it landed in Morrowind. Here the Dwarves found it, and sought to utilize its power. The Chief Tonal Architect of the Dwemer was Kagrenac. He used the heart to construct a god forged in their own image, a colossal brass golem called Numidium
The Chimer learned of this atrocity and sent an army to stop them. A war was fought and there was a great battle at the foot of the Red Mountain. The Chimer were victorious, but Kagrenac would not suffer defeat. They had not yet completed Numidium, forcing him into drastic action
Using the Calling, he summoned the souls of his entire race in an attempt to complete the brass god. As he/they moved to use the heart, the dragon broke. What precisely happened in that moment of dawn is unknowable, but when it ended, the Dwemer were gone, and had left the heart and the unfinished Numidium behind.
Many years passed and the heart found its way into the hand of the Thalmor, who used its divine power to return the Dwemer. Furthermore, there had been rumors of the Aldmeri collecting vast quantities of various metals. Vivec believed that they were helping the Dwarves to rebuild Numidium, and will use it in their plan to destroy the Adamantine Tower. The Heart of Lorkhan powered this brass god, so where there is one, the other would also surely be
To that end, Vivec had learned that the Aldmeri had recently captured a copper mine near the town of Dragonstar to the northeast. Copper is a critical component of dwarven metal, and there would be shipments of ore and processed ingots leaving regularly. If the Seprine could follow the metal, they would lead him straight to Anumidium and to the Heart.
Vivec then gave him a totem which would allow the ancient elf king to track him wherever he went. Once he had found out where they were constructing the colossus, he should leave the totem there and regroup with Vivec afterward. They would go in to capture the heart together.
Before sending him on his way, he warned that the Heart of Lorkhan was very powerful and very dangerous. Under no circumstances should he attempt to acquire it himself. Its power had destroyed greater men than he. It was not something to be trifled with So the Seprine set out for the mines of Dragonstar. His journey was not easy, for word had already gone out of the events in Sentinel, and even his allies were looking to capture him. For the first time in a long while, he was alone, as if in exile. Shezarrine contra Mundus. But despite the darkness of the situation, he carried on undeterred
When he reached the mine, he found it a large encampment with much movement hither and thither. By now, he was an expert at sneaking behind Aldmeri troops, and he infiltrated the site easily. He discovered a shipment which was due to leave and hid himself inside a barrel. The journey by barrel was very long and extremely uncomfortable. It took more than two days with only the provisions he carried on him for them to reach their destination; a Dwemer outpost near the village of Karnver Falls. The wagon was led deep within the pit of the ruin where the forgemasters plied their craft
Our Scarab burst out suddenly, catching them all by surprise. The Dwemer smiths fled before him as he stole away into the shadows. This ruin was much different from the other dwarven sites he had plunged. This place was recently excavated and incomplete.
As he slunk through the unfinished corridors, he came upon a vast cavern of staggering proportions. Inside lay the body of an impossible construction. It was Anumidium, and to his horror, it was nearly complete! This would require immediate action
He examined the area for any way he could sabotage the machine and eventually he found a cache of the volatile powder used by the Dwarven Cannon. It would do nicely
He went to make off with one of the kegs, but an Aldmeri mage caught him in the act. He heard a shout for him to stop and the mage threw a bolt of fire as a warning. The Seprine did everything to get as far from the blast as he could, but it was not enough. The entire room exploded, throwing him through the air. He crashed into the wall, knocking him unconscious He woke some time later, bound and gagged; outside no less. He had been captured. As he slowly began to become aware of his surroundings, he found himself upon a hill and below him stood two mighty armies, the Aldmeri and the Redguard, ready for battle.
It had been the sounding of the horns signaling the beginning of the conflict which had awoken him. He was in the Thalmor’s command post. Before him stood the Thalmor General Cyreitar and the dwarf lord Kagrenac himself. The two mighty elves came over and chastised him for his feeble and foolish attempts to stop them.
The Seprine ignored their quips, and had just one question for them. Why? Why were they trying to destroy the gods and unmake the world? The two leaders scoffed at his naivety
The Thalmor complained that the mortal world was a prison. That Lorkhan had built it to trap and destroy them. Finding the key to transcendence and retaking the mantle of godhood, could only be accomplished once man, and anything else which bore the mark of Lorkhan, had been abolished. Then, after they had brought down the Towers, they would be free to unbind the Dragon Akatosh, returning the Aurbis to its primordial state of freedom unhindered by the linear stagnation of time and reality. Continuity and space would have no meaning there, neither would death, despair, or discord.
The Dwemer meanwhile were of a different, but similar mind. For them, transcendence was through Anumidium directly. Control and power were the ultimate tests of godhood, and the bounds of the universe were too restrictive for them. The only way to truly gain the power to command the music of existence, was first to stop the current song. Anumidium was an anti-tower, designed to cancel out the tones of Anu and Padomay so that silence might reign. Then they could begin again with a universe of their own making and design, becoming gods themselves in the process
Which of them was more right was of little consequence, for in either case, their course was still the same; the destruction of the Towers and the disillusionment of reality. These words sickened the Seprine, but for the moment, there was nothing he could do.
A runner soon arrived with a report from the battle. The Redguard and their allies were closing in on both flanks, and the outlook was grim. Cyreitar issued a brief and casual command for the army to hold their ground no matter the circumstances, and sent him on his way.
The Seprine took the moment to boast, which only served to bring the two leaders to more laughter. A knot formed in his stomach; he was missing some important detail. Surely it couldn’t be so…
Kagrenac said that the fullness of time had come, and asked Cyreitar to pick up their prisoner so that he might be allowed to witness his doom. Awash with malevolence the Thalmor came over and put the Seprine upon his feet
The battle below them was fierce and chaotic, the dust from their clamoring obscuring the flags and signets of both sides. There was no discerning where one army began, nor where the other ended.
Kagrenac came to stand beside our Scarab, taking up a ceremonial hammer, and stretching out his hand. He then spoke wickedly saying “Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational automation!” striking a large cymbal with a resounding crash.
At the very moment the hammer fell, a geyser erupted suddenly; filling the air with dust and a deafening metallic groan. They looked to the heavens as the sky darkened, and the sun shook backward and forward, as if unsure of its usual vector. A bright blue star appeared and others stars flickered in and out of existence. A massive rumbling sounded from the deep and the whole ground began to shift and shimmer. It was as if the very sand were boiling beneath the battlefield. The soldiers scattered upon the plain tried to flee, but there was no chance for them to escape the mire
Up from the earth rose a colossal form, six hundred-sixty-six cubits in height. As it stood erect, the figure spoke in a bold voice which shook their very bones. It said, “Behold, Anumidium, for I am come!”, and with a monstrous explosive sound, the brass god flexed his muscles; blowing the sand and soil from his joints. “I will be thine savior, and thou shalt be mine people. Mundus to Aetherius shall pass away, but verily, I will be with thee even unto the antithesis to come!” it announced
Then Anumidium reached down to the command post and opened his hand. He called Kagrenac by name, saying that their great task was nearly complete, and invited him to witness the events about to unfold. So with much self-satisfaction, the Dwarf Lord bid them his farewell and mounted the giant brass finger. As the hand rose back into the air, Kagrenac asked that Cyreitar would see to the Seprine’s ending, before disappearing into a door in Anumidium’s massive bronze chest. The Seprine was despondent as Cyretar came over to gloat and kill. The Redguard army had been destroyed, the heart was safely in the fully activated Anumidium, and soon the Adamantine Tower would fall. Yet even as the Thalmor laughed in triumph that nothing could stop them now, hope glimmered anew. For from up behind the villain crept Vivec with the mythic spear Mutra in his hand. He slew the unsuspecting high elf with extreme prejudice and rushed to free the Seprine, who asked what had transpired
Vivec said that they had little time. The brass god was still for the moment as Kagrenac made himself comfortable and ran diagnostics, but soon it would be moving. The two famed warriors hurried to the foot of the towering construct while Vivec explained
He had been tracking the totem as they planned, but when the Seprine never emerged from the Dwemer stronghold, he knew that he had been either killed or captured. Using his contacts in the Redguard leadership, he was able to give them the intelligence they had collected and convinced them to mount an assault. As the Scarab had seen, the battle had not gone favorably and the Aldmeri plan was already in action. But despite all, they still had a chance to reach the Heart before it was too late
As they approached the massive foot, Vivec cast a powerful destruction spell which pierced Anumidium’s thick metal hide; blasting a hole large enough for them to enter. They crawled inside to find a maze of gears and mechanisms with very little space for movement. This was not a place designed for passengers
Quickly they clamored up through the ankle by whatever means they could find. Ironically, the seemingly impassable machinery was the key to their ascent; the spinning cogs and moving cables were like ladders and ropes. Before long, the whole structure shifted and accelerated its clanking as Anumidium began to walk
The motion complicated their climb considerably, but through Vivec’s mastery and the Seprine’s might, their progress remained steady. At intervals, they could hear Anumidium’s resounding voice as he preached the Gospel of Naught to the cities he passed. More than once they heard the clanging as castles and fortresses made futile attacks, yet their efforts were as short-lived as the earth-shattering eruptions which unmade them
Eventually, they reached the chest cavity and broke inside a compartment made for people. The corridors were mostly unoccupied, save for a few stray guards and engineers. They quickly made their way to the Heart chamber
To their surprise, Anumidium had warned Kagrenac, who lay in wait for them. He was the chief tonal architect of the whole dwarven race, and his knowledge of science and mystics were unmatched, save by the man and the mer which stood before him
Kagrenac roared that their task was futile, that the now active Anumidium could never be defeated or dissuaded, but the warriors would not let such claims go unchallenged. A battle ensued of such power and ferocity that Tamriel has never seen its equal. It was a battle between masters and was fought for the fate of all. They spared no blows and honor was forsaken among them
But as Kagrenac lay broken on the floor, he laughed once more, for his god yet lived and would bear his image into the hereafter. He invited the warriors over and pointed to where the heart beat at the apex of the chamber. A shimmering field of light protected it, through which nothing could pass
He pulled an amulet from his robes and gave it to the Seprine, for it was the only means to deactivate the shield. With his final wet and bloody breath, he implored them to go; go and meet their damnation. Then he choked on a chuckle, and died Vivec was spent from the action, and told the Seprine to go and take the heart. Therefore, he went and climbed the pedestal to gaze upon the enshrouded glory of Lorkhan’s failure. Its beat was strong and bold. He could feel the pulse boom through the very fabric of the universe, like sudden thunder or the pin-pricked surface of a calm and gentle pool
He raised his hand and brought the amulet to bear upon the shield, lifting the veil as a groom to his bride. It melted away like effervescent mist, and he stared upon its contents in admiration and tragic wonder. The Heart of creation; his Heart. And so he stood there, unmoving, as Mutra plunged smoothly through his breast.
He looked down to see its point recede back into his bosom and sighed heavily. A tear rolled down his face as he stumbled backward and collapsed upon a rail. Vivec stood over him, and wiped the blood from his spear
“What have you done?” the Seprine asked as blood filled his mouth.
“Everything I intended.” the betrayer confessed. Vivec then explained that through the power of the Heart, he had once been the god-king of Morrowind. He was the master of masters and reality bent to his will, even as his will was bent to reality. The people had profited from ALMSIVI’s rule, though Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine had taken that from them. It had plunged his homeland into chaos, but he alone knew of the greater profit to come
He had thought the Heart lost, but when it became clear that the Thalmor had recovered it, he knew what must be done. He searched for many years, but it was only after the return of the Dwemer that he at last discovered its location
He was old, and though powerful, he could not become the fulfillment on his own. So he poisoned the minds of our Scarab’s allies. It took him almost no effort to turn them against him. All he needed do was spin the tales already being told in a web of his own design. He had even engineered the ambush along the canyon road, and when the moment came, he simply had to give a gentle push to bring the walls crashing down
Reaching this place was a challenge bathed in the fire and essence of a god. They could not have reached that place without each other, and he thanked the Seprine. Then taking Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard from a nearby case, Vivec went to embrace the mighty Heart, saying that “in the fullness of time, the three times vehk have now met our destiny, and through me, you are desired, unlike the prophets which have borne your name before!”
The Seprine was stunned by the outcome of this, as Vivec was suddenly rendered completely rigid and burst into flame. The chamber shook as the terrible Anumidium laughed and asked if he was having some difficulty. Vivec answered with a scream
Through the cries of agony, Vivec cursed Anumidium saying “The fire is mine: let it consume thee, and make a secret door at the altar of Padhome, in the House of Boet-hi-Ah, where we become safe and looked after!” The Brass God laughed again in dismissive scorn and said that now that he lived, he could not be undone, his affect was now inevitable
Vivec strangely howled in laughter and victory, even as his flesh boiled and disintegrated; his bones bursting from the steam in his marrow. Finally, his shattered skeleton fell backward and melted into the floor.
With that now finished, Anumidium turned his attention to the one who still lay dying against the wall. The artificial god looked through, and took stock of the Seprine’s history. The tale of Sep was one of betrayal, time, and time, and time again. Moreover, it was inevitably by those whom he loved and called friend
Anumidium asked rhetorically why the Seprine still fought for them, even though they had turned against him on oh-so-many occasions. Was there justice in his continued devotion? What cause did he find in them that merited their salvation at his hands? There was no answer.
But the Seprine was flesh of his flesh and the same blood flowed through both their veins. Anumidium said that while friend after friend had forsaken him, he, his enemy, would not. When he had completed his task, the boundaries of the world would pass away, the walls of the universe would crumble into dust, and even the plains of Aetherius and Oblivion would dissolve into nothingness.
The god solemnly promised that if the Seprine would commend his soul over to him, that he would preserve it in the hereafter to float unending in the sea of the immaterial, insensitive, and formless void.
And the Seprine was tempted by his offer
Should he save himself, or simply die with those who had abandoned him? He had bled and given his life for others in this, and in his previous lives. All he had found in return was rejection. He stood nothing to gain by continuing to fight, and perhaps everything to gain if he relented
He looked toward the Heart and felt hope, yet when he looked away there was despair. The world had given him nothing, yet something told him that he didn’t want to give it up.
Then it began to dawn on him. He had lost nothing from the world’s rejection, since he had never gained anything from it. Yet if he turned from them now, it was they who would lose. And he felt… sadness. Pity. Grief. It grieved him more that they would suffer from his loss than even the grief he felt from their betrayals. And so his last breath was a sob; not for himself, but for the world.
His sorrow turned to rage as the life left his body. He hated Anumidium and those who served his purposes, even as he loved them, for they were still part of the world. But because he loved them, he knew he must destroy them. He must not die. He could not die. This was not the story. This could not be real. The dissonant contrarieties shook him from his slumber
It was a dream. All this is a dream
Waking, his soul screamed a war cry and erupted into violence as he looked toward the Heart in loving wrath. His vision was fading, but rather than a transition to darkness, it became a transition to clarity. He began to move upward through the air. Below him was his body, now an empty shell
His spirit moved ever upward, through the skin of Anumidium and into the sky. He saw the great bronze figure as it strode into the sea. His gaze upon the horizon expanding until he could see the whole province of Hammerfell. Then the whole of Tamriel. Then the whole of Nirn.
He passed between the two moons and saw their backward parts. Soon, the whole of creation was arrayed before him in infinite splendor. He beheld the universe, from Aetherius to Oblivion, like a wagon wheel with eight spokes. He looked upon the glory of all, speaking and proclaiming “Because I am, you also shall be!”
But even as he gazed on in wonder, he knew there must be something more. He looked around and saw nothing but emptiness. But from the corner of his eye, he noticed the world, this time in a different way. He saw the wheel from on edge, like the line of the horizon. He twisted to get a better view, and that’s when he saw it.
In his shock and disbelief, he moved in closer. Yes. Yes it was. A Tower. The Tower. CHIM. Such was its beauty that even Aldmeris seemed as a primitive dwelling made of mud and straw. He ran in closer. It was there, he had made it. There was hope!