Frost in Morrowind

Edward Frost's time in Morrowind has come to an end; but his struggles are recorded here for any to read. A year in the making, and spanning one hundred and fifty chapters… Violence, suspicion, loss, betrayal, revenge, power with a price, a fight for survival, ages-old mysteries... all thrust in the way of Edward Frost, a man simply trying to rebuild his life.

Chapter 1 can be found here.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Chapter 117: Rules, regulations - and ancient rites

The Urshilaku burial caverns were a thing of wonder. While not as deep as the sunken passages and forgotten ruins beneath Mournhold, just how extensive the natural caverns were was astonishing. The sheer presence I felt as I wound my way deeper and deeper was quite something, too. I felt like I was in a place heavy with the history of every person interred there - a place that was likely very rarely seen by 'outlanders' such as myself.

The feeling of sadness I mentioned - the emotion that the very walls seemed to exude - extended to the mummified bodies of the people laid to rest there. Almost every one was sitting with their legs drawn up to their chest, and had their head resting on their raised knees; as if curled up and crying. Some had a few belongings gathered around them, and were huddled, as if trying to shelter from the cold and damp, beneath what looked to be shells of the large, scuttling 'shalk' beetles of the Ashlands.

Sul-Matuul had intended that my visit to the caverns be a 'Harrowing', and I was set upon by many skeletal guardians and angry spirits during my search, but the atmosphere of sadness there was more distressing than the resistance I met along the way.


I eventually found a cavernous central chamber, much taller than it was round, which played host to a roughly monolithic pillar of stone in the centre. On the various small ledges and hollows that covered the monolithic stone were more of the mummified bodies of the Ashlanders. A great waterfall ran down the monolith, split into foaming rivulets by the uneven rock. Many of the shalk-shells had been carefully arranged to deflect this flow of water, and keep its mummified owner dry.

A path that had been hacked from the dirt and stone wound up the walls, opening at various places into more and more burial chambers for me to search. All I knew was that I was to find the 'Bonebiter' bonemold bow, and that it was guarded by the spirit of Sul-Matuul's father. The burial caverns were huge. Trading favours could become a bit of a trial, sometimes.

I eventually found the spirit of Sul-Senipul, though (at least I hoped it was him): a luminescent wraith whose skeletal hand shone brightly where it grasped a very real bonemold bow.

He - it - was banished by my otherworldly blade just as easily as every other spirit that roamed those caverns - and with the bonemold bow (which was enchanted to make its victims clumsy and easier to hit with an arrow) slung over my shoulder, I set about finding my way back to the surface.


By the time I emerged from that dark, sad place and rejoined Sirilonwe, the sun was about to crest the eastern horizon. I could see the glow down low in the sky, and I could smell the morning before it came. It was time for us to teleport home; we would have to return to the Urshilaku camp in the evening.

I fed from Sirilonwe as soon as we were back at the castle: I had been down in the burial caverns for most of the night, and I was starving. I made the comment that once she became a vampire herself, we would both need mortal blood to survive. My point was that we would need to get the blood from somewhere...

But Sirilonwe had been fairly quiet since becoming 'infected' with the vampiric disease - especially when it came to that very topic. She made a noncommittal reply and retired to bed. She was tired - she had been up all night.

I, on the other hand, did not need to sleep anymore; and matters relating to my recent surprise ascension to the rank of Arch-Mage required my attention that day.


It was all down to rules, regulations, and laws. I was only Arch-Mage because Trebonius' infatuation over Sirilonwe had driven him into such a paranoid and bullish state of mind that he had wanted me destroyed; and he had seen a legal duel as the best way to achieve that. It would be the path with the least consequence, at least; especially from a legal point of view. He might have just killed me outright and claimed that I had attacked him; and not suffer too much scrutiny by the Ordinators of Vivec - I was a vampire, after all. Regarded by most to be a simple monster.

However, the generally tolerant attitude the Mages Guild held towards vampires was well-known, and the by-laws of the guild specifically forbade the harm or murder of another guild-member. A legal duel would allow Trebonius to neatly sidestep that particular law - but in the end, of course, it had the result that I - being of Master-Wizard rank - was saddled with the position of Arch-Mage upon defeating Artorius in the duel.

It was all perfectly legal and by-the-book... the unusual factor was that I had not known it was coming. I was not really prepared to be Arch-Mage of Vvardenfell. At the same time, such power created too great an opportunity to overlook; so I was not about to abdicate my new position. No - what I needed was a number of assistants to take care of the everyday operations of the guild: the system that was already in place with the Stewards of the various halls, in other words. They could run the guild halls, and just come to me when any big decisions needed to be made.

It would hopefully not provide too great an inconvenience to me: I was in and out of the guild halls every day anyway. The matter of just who was going to be the Steward of the Vivec and Caldera halls needed some attention, though. The Sadrith Mora hall had Skink-in-Tree's-Shade; Balmora had Ranis Athrys, and Ald'ruhn had Edwinna Elbert. Vivec and Caldera, however...

Following the advice of several members of the guild, I had always steered clear of Trebonius and not paid much attention to the way he ran the guild, so I was not exactly sure why the Caldera hall did not have its own Steward... but it simply did not.

I spent quite some time with Folms in the Caldera guild hall that day (as besides Sirilonwe, he was about the only person in the guild I felt I could call a true friend), and he said that their lack of a Steward had never been properly explained, but it was generally assumed that it was because the Balmora hall was so close, and Ranis Athrys was overbearing enough to be Steward enough for both halls. This last part was obviously not voiced out loud when Ranis was in earshot. In any case, it was true that in an unofficial capacity, Ranis took care of Steward duties for both the Balmora and Caldera halls.

Thinking that the Caldera hall should really have its own Steward - and of course holding no great love for Ranis - I made Folms Steward of the Caldera Mages Guild. He was easily the most capable mage there, and I knew I could trust him, so the decision was simple. Who I should make Steward of the Vivec hall was more difficult. The hall had not needed a Steward for quite a while because Trebonius had spent most of his time there; but I certainly had no intention of doing that.

In the end, Folms suggested Sirilonwe, pointing out that (thanks to Ranis' promotion) she was the highest-ranking member there. I was glad (for obvious reasons) that Folms had been the one to put forth Sirilonwe as a candidate, and promise to go on record with his suggestion. For my part, I wanted Sirilonwe to be the Steward for the simple reason that I could trust her. My obvious self-interest in the matter made Folms' nomination of Sirilonwe very welcome indeed. I agreed and signed the appropriate papers to make her Steward. (I would tell her later: she could turn the position down, if she wanted).

She did accept, though (however distracted she may have been when we discussed it that evening - during the trip back to the Urshilaku camp), only expressing the concern that she may have to delegate many of her tasks if she was to continue travelling and working with me.


Sul-Matuul met us outside his yurt, and this time there was no nimbus of magical light surrounding him. He accepted the Bonebiter bow and proclaimed me a Clanfriend of the Ashlander people:

"These are serious words, vampire Frost; words of life and death. I can see that you are no ordinary monster of a vampire, and am proud to name you Clanfriend... But I want to speak plainly, now that you are a Clanfriend. I cannot believe that you are the Nerevarine. The prophecies say that the Nerevarine will drive out the outlanders - but you yourself are an outlander! The Great Houses stole our land. The outlanders steal our land - and our dignity. The Incarnate is the last hope of the Ashlanders. And if you were to take that away..." The wiry Ashlander shook his head gravely.

There was a note of warning in his voice, but he still showed us to the yurt of Nibani Maesa, the 'wise-woman'. I was burning with the desire to say that I agreed with him - that I thought the whole business was one great coincidence - but my desire to learn more about the cult and the prophecies was equally as powerful. Sirilonwe, too, had to bite her tongue, I think. She tended to agree with me that the notion that I was somehow possessed by the ages-dead spirit of an ancient Dunmer general was quite absurd.

Nibani Maesa, who I had actually glimpsed once before when I cut a hole in her yurt to steal a particular small stone (one of the propylon indices for Folms), was a relatively young-looking woman; despite what her title may have suggested. Sul-Matuul let the flap over the entrance to the yurt fall closed behind us, and we were left alone with the Dunmer woman - and her penetrating red eyes.

"Ah, the vampire who would be our saviour." The wise-woman said, her tone suggesting that she did not fancy my chances at becoming something so noble. "Sit. There; sit over there. Good - now, I will tell you your fate..."

28 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tip One:
Aundae - Find Dhaunayne's Son. Dhaunayne asks you to find what happened to her son, which was an Vampire hunter.. She-Dhaunayne gives you a singnet ring, (The Aundae Family Crest ring). This mission starts in Sadrith Mora. In the Mages Guild are two Altmer - high elfs, Iniel and Tusemiricil these two will recognize the ring being the same family crest of the Aundae.. Now Dhaunayne's son was Vilandon, was Sinyaramen's grandfather. Sinyaramen lives in the Gateway Inn in Sadrith Mora. Tusamircil suggests that you deliver a potion that he ordered to help to get him to talk to you..
Without this potion Sinyaramen won't talk intil you deliver this potion... NOW the tip is this, that same Tusamircil potion made for Sinyaramen, you can continue to ask for that potion from Tusamircil as long as you are wearing this ring, (The Aundae Family Crest), even when you are nolonger an Vampire... DAM You and your Vampire embase.. You never did this - you could talk to Sinyaramen.. Never needed this potion!!!

Sunday, April 23, 2006 11:22:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

English plzthx.

What you said made little sense.

Monday, April 24, 2006 12:46:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For the Aundea quest.

Put on the ring. Talk to the dude who gives you the potion. Ask for the potion. Once he gives it to you talk to him again and you can get another potion.

Rinse and repet.

There. You got alot of expinsive potions for free.

Like this chapter dude!

Monday, April 24, 2006 1:17:00 am  
Blogger Mindstroller said...

Woah, The whole mages guild is gonna be vampires soon!

I like the logistical stuff, its something you dont get in morrowind or oblivion that much

Monday, April 24, 2006 3:17:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very good chapter I must say. I've always wondered that once you become Archmage, the guild never bothers you to do anything at all. It seems like someone *Cough*Bethesda*Cough* got lazy.

My favourite place in the game is that room with the giant rock column and the winding path. Beautiful.

Did you get the book, uhh... Silence? Yeah, Silence. I think it's in Juno Burial. Good book with a funny ending.

Morrowind Trivia - Where is the book 'The Last Scabbard of Akrash'?

More Trivia - Who is Engaer?

Monday, April 24, 2006 8:54:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good chapter Joseph! It is inevitably going to appear to some in the Mage's Guild that Sirilonwe and Folms are stewards because Frosty owes them one....or two.

-Noozooroo

Monday, April 24, 2006 12:04:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Last Scabbard of Akrash...
There are four locations...
1) Velas Ancestral Tomb,
2) Indarys Manor, Manor Services,
3) Forgotten Vaults of Anudnabia, Forge of Hilbongard,
4) Ald-ruhn, Dandera Selaro: Armor Smith

NOW!! Engaer is dead you kill him!! Hrundi of the fighter guild gives you this mission - Engaer is an Woodelf, within Tel Naga, in Sadrith Mora...

How about this!!! Were can you find! Fishy Stick ... Capn's Guide to the Fishy Stick... There only one, and one only!!!

Monday, April 24, 2006 9:33:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Manor Services? Mod? Don't know that one. Know the others.

BTW Correct on Both!

Hehehehe... I thought the Capn's Guide to the fishy stick was hilarious. It's either in the Boat outside of Vos, or the one outside of Tel Mora. Pretty sure it's the one outside Vos.

Morrowind Trivia - How do you aquire the Surefeet?

Monday, April 24, 2006 10:17:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok I know you are sorry!!! BUT
This is how you are going to make it better!! YOU, Frost and Sirilonwe are going to Giniss to the Ginith Ancestral Tomb somewhat southwest from Ald Velothi inside this tomb, the Vampire Irarak, who has set himself up as some lord/god. You are going to Vampire Embace them - NOT you bleed them dry!!! You are the righter!! DO THIS!!! And you well be forgiven...

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 12:21:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Engaer..
This is how I do it! The darkelf female Push/Punch her down the tube, unlock - untrap the round door. Kill Engaer, take all his stuff. Run/Jump down Tel Naga "hide" the spell, run to Dirty Muriel's Cornerclub, get your bounty removed!!

WHAT!! Can't be done!! YES it can!!
Now I told you all how to be members of both Fighter's and Thieves Guilds...

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 4:06:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

nerds

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 5:28:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I ain't no Nerd!


Well... maybe a little...

Morrowind Trivia - How do you aquire the Surefeet?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 3:13:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey tip telling anon...

you could just rank up in the balmora fighters guild, persuade sottitude, then join the thieves guild. i just did it last night as a matter of fact. i made my first mage so im haveing trouble...anyone have tips who has a mage character. its on my xbox so mods dont help.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 12:16:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey dabigpman...

You got lucky!! The PC having any rank in the fighters guild gets you refused not only by Sottitude, by also Sugar Lips!! As the Mage...
You are srewed it's allways beast to have a combination fighter - mage character with minor Armor skills!!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 1:49:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

CAN YOU BECOME A VAMPIRE IF YOUR IMMUNE TO DISEASE?

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 2:02:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

IS IT SOME KIND OF ECCEPTION?

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 2:06:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just found an interesting fact once you are sent to get the Totem of Claw for Bloodmoon, the normal missions not the werewoves#..
That using any the Skaal Houses than the Blodskaals' House, too rest gets you 3 Bears to sleep with!!

How many know!! That your charter can level over 100 mine is now 101 and still gining in Level!!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 3:04:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Frost Remember the Guards like the slinnee things... When you have to rescue Varvur, Athyn Sarethi you'll need to kill the Guards, this part of the main quests can give you an bounty for killing any of them!! So before you rescue Varvur, taut all the Guards.. Manly the four in your parf of excupe!! If not you could be but naked, if they do imprison you!!
Being the Vampire they may just try and kill you!!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 5:29:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

okay tip anon..
my guy has block, restoration, destruction, long blade,alchemy, medium armor, blunt weapon, alteration, axe, and....enchant:(. If this helps any...

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 5:30:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

btw...i didnt make him...i chose spellsword from the list.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 6:17:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OK I'll Help!!
Get Yourself some Cure Diesze potions.. Some repairl tools.. Now go to the soreline of the lands areas.. Between Suran and Molag Mar an keep killing theos Mudcrabs.. Or go to the Gateway Ghost in Sadrith Mora.. Then you could just go to any the smaller Tombs an keep killing the Tombs' little pest!!! Or buy your traning... You have to build your charater up!! You kill and you kill!!!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 9:36:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Person: I think you get the shoes of Surefeet after you collect the three books for Baladas Demnavanni. He gives them to you.

-Noozooroo

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 1:31:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yep. Great shoes. +6 Acrobatics.

Morrowind Trivia - What is in the Bloodskaal barrow?

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 2:58:00 pm  
Blogger Joseph said...

Person - "Very good chapter I must say. I've always wondered that once you become Archmage, the guild never bothers you to do anything at all. It seems like someone *Cough*Bethesda*Cough* got lazy."

Thanks. Tim, who writes Arvil Bren's Morrowind Journal (http://timsup2nothing.blogspot.com/), actually does a much better job of the whole Arch-Mage thing than me. Being the Arch-Mage is not something I'm focusing on for Frost, though... and as you can see in the story, he's fairly dismissive of it himself. :-)

- Joseph.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 6:27:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I want to do some trivia too, just for fun.

Morrowind Trivia: Where is the book Fall of the Snow Prince and who wants you to get it for him?

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 7:40:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In Bloodskal Barrow..
Bloodskal an Nordic Silver Longsword... Dtop it!! Or put it in your armey if you have one..
Not on your person... IT CUSRED!!
IT like the Darkbotherhood or the Ashvampires... Draugr's keep poping in when you rest!!!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 10:00:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Both of these require guessing and detective work Mister To keep it from becoming a national epidemic we simply stop the situation in it's tracks
Hope many of these tips will you help you move toward the right direction in de-cluttering your PC, now and for good5 For the rest of us, it is a painful reminder of our vulnerability Of course, collections have to be exhibited properly

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