Chapter 120: A path no-one wants

I was sure of my path. I was almost convinced that what awaited me in the Ilunibi sea-caverns was the same scene of grisly, horrific death and corruption I had found in Telasero and Falasmaryon. If my suspicions were confirmed, I would destroy those responsible - and I would do what I could to save any of those poor Dreamers I might find; if they were not too far gone.

Yes: for once, I was sure that I should follow Caius' orders - but Sirilonwe was not.

"Are you serious?" She asked after we had left Fort Buckmoth and teleported back to the castle. "After what she told us about that poor, diseased trooper; how can you think of going there?"

She was afraid of the disease. This was not something to be ashamed of: Corprus was a scary thing. I was about to remind her that it had been I that had, in the first place, argued against her coming with me on the mission - but thought better of it. It was beside the point.

"I am a vampire." I said with a shrug. "I cannot become diseased. And besides, from what Raesa said, I think I've been in places like it before - before I was a vampire, too. I've told you about Telasero." I reminded her quietly. "I must go."

But my partner was not to be discouraged.

"You only have that... Dhaunayne's word that disease won't affect you. Do you want to end up like that soldier? Think about it seriously." She paused, hoping to let her point sink in, I think. "We need more information."

I turned from her, unrolling my map of Vvardenfell and directing my attention to the Bitter Coast region. Raesa Pullia did not know exactly where this Sixth House base was: only that it was somewhere near the fishing village of Gnaar Mok.

"I don't think -" I said as I ran my finger up the island's south-western coastline - "that we'll do much better than an account from a trooper who saw the inside of the place." My finger stopped in place as something occurred to me. "Although..."

Studying the Bitter Coast section of the map had reminded me of my excursion through that area during the early weeks of my time on Vvardenfell. It was then that I had met that strangely sardonic spirit: Thynim Velos was his name... wasn't it? The surname 'Velos' was right, in any case: as looking closely at my map, I could see the place where I had marked on it the words 'Velos Ancestral Tomb'.

The spirit of Velos was the guardian of the 'Amulet of Scrye': a magical item that supposedly allowed the bearer to call upon any spirits that might be nearby, and talk to them. Previously, I had been too scared and distrustful of the amulet to even think of returning to the Velos family tomb and attempting to claim it - but maybe I could use the thing to speak with the spirit of that recently deceased trooper. If the amulet worked, that is.

Sirilonwe agreed to my idea; almost eagerly - reminding me of her studies into the 'minds' of spirits and the undead. We were already dressed for travel (with the possibility of battle) - Sirilonwe in what was now her volcanic glass armour, and I in my blackened Shadow Lord armour - so we went to see Folms right away. The Hlormaren Velothi stronghold was closest to the tomb, but after the Dunmer enchanter sent us there, we still had a fair stretch of swamp to traverse.


We were heading south towards Hla Oad (the Velos tomb was in the hills to the north-east of the village), picking our way between the pools of putrid water, when we were attacked. Three, alien-smelling vampires surged out of what had been (up until that point) perfectly still, stagnant water - surrounding us.

I had been careless. The vampires - two Imperial women and a Dunmer man - had obviously seen us coming: but I had not seen them. Vampires do not breathe, so it was easy for them to lie in wait under the water until we passed. These vampires were certainly had no friendly intentions towards me - and they were fast: as fast as me - if not faster.

Sirilonwe wrapped herself in magical flames, and used that (plus the occasional swipe with her Daedric wakizashi) to hold them off, but that was all she could do: she simply wasn't fast enough. It was the long reach of my elegant Daedric katana that won the fight: I cut at the other vampires until they had lost so much blood they could no longer stand - and then I finished them.

Panting, and letting the magical flames subside, Sirilonwe tapped her chest and said, with a re-affirming nod:

"I need this... 'disease'. They were too fast. If you weren't here..."

But she left the thought unfinished, and we carried on until we reached the Velos Ancestral Tomb.


The Amulet of Scrye was in exactly the same place as it had been when I first found it: sitting on a stone plinth in the centre of the tomb. The harsh, menacing whispering began the moment I picked the amulet up: voices begging me to look at them - to listen to them. The dusty book that had taught me the 'Scrye' spell was still there on the plinth too, and after reminding myself of the particulars of the spell, I went through the motions of casting it.

"VAMPIRE!" The glowing, big-eared spirit of Velos screamed at me; seeming to have appeared out of nowhere. "BEGONE, VILE... but wait - you're the silly little boy who claimed he wasn't a necromancer!" For an instant, and despite his initial outburst, I thought the spirit was going to be helpful. But then: "I sent you to kill an evil, foul vampire - and now look at you! It looks as if I had you pegged aright from the beginning."

A swelling, buzzing noise began to sound beneath the spirit's voice, and I noticed that he was starting to glow more brightly.

"What makes you think -" his voice boomed louder and louder with each word, his ghostly form inflating to a massive size, filling the whole chamber - "that I would traffic with a deviant SUCH AS YOU? LEAVE!"

And before I could utter even a word, the amulet was yanked from my grip and disappeared - along with Velos' spirit.

I realised Sirilonwe was squeezing my arm.

"Are you alright?" She asked. "You were staring at nothing there for a moment."

"You - you didn't see that?" I was surprised; the spirit had filled the whole chamber with its noise and light.

Sirilonwe shook her head.

"Oh. Well... he said no."


After hearing the news that we would not be receiving the aid of the Amulet of Scrye, I decided it was time to resume the original mission: find the Ilunibi sea-caverns, and destroy the Sixth House cultists there. I felt a sense of urgency: if I took too long, the Sixth House members would - after the attack by the Imperial Legion squad on their base - likely flee the caves and take up residence elsewhere. That, or they might summon reinforcements...

Folms was kind enough (considering we woke him up) to teleport us to the Andasreth stronghold, halfway up the western coast from the Velos Ancestral Tomb. Andasreth was only a little way north of Gnaar Mok: only some crumbling hills and coastal bluffs - and a small, marshy cove - separated them. Sirilonwe still accompanied me as I picked my way over the windblown bluffs - but she was not at all happy that I still intended to enter the Sixth House base, and remained silent until we reached Gnaar Mok; some time after midnight.

I was also in a bad mood after the encounter with Velos' spirit, so while Sirilonwe stood out in the village square shaking her head slowly to herself, I (deciding on a direct approach) magically unlocked the door on one of the shacks and went inside to ask the sleeping locals for directions.

"I'm looking for Ilunibi caves." I informed the terrified Dunmer man, who was shrinking back into the corner of the small room, his bed-covers pulled up to his neck. "Do you know where they are?"


Armed with directions to the sea-caverns, we left Gnaar Mok a few minutes later and carried on our way. The caves were actually located more-or-less back the way we had came; at the north-west tip of the promontory Gnaar Mok was built upon. Before long we found it.

A rotting, moss-covered wooden door hanging across a dark fissure in the low hill marked the entrance - and the faint smell of rotting flesh that seeped out marked it as exactly what I been expecting. Sirilonwe had remained silent up until then, but at the sight of the cave entrance, she renewed her efforts to dissuade me. She was beginning to sound desperate:

"Edward, please..." The expression on her face was almost enough to crack my resolve, and make me take her advice.

"I'll use magic." I assured her. "They won't get close enough to touch me. But... I have to go. And you have to stay here. Please, Siri: watch this entrance for me. Stop anyone coming in behind me. We'll meet back at the castle if anything goes wrong, alright?"

She refused to look at me as I pulled the door open and disappeared into that foul place; but I was glad she had stayed outside.

Inside the sea-caverns was worse than I had feared.