The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into A Primal Scroll of Skelos

 The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into A Primal Scroll of Skelos

     Iriisii and the others look at the writing on the Scroll. 

     "What's with the chicken scratching?"

     Iriisii reads the first few lines to herself to confirm what she is reading.

     "This is written in 'Dragon Letters' in the language of Dovahzul. Now I know why he said only I could read what was written in it. I am going to have to translate it as I speak it. If I speak it in Dovahzul, well there is to be only a small part to be spoken in Dovahzul. What will happen when I do, well at least there will not be any world cracking quakes or other such cataclysms."

     Iriisii walks to the edge of the level, looking out over the crowd below, judging how much of her Thu'um to use so all can hear, she begins.

     "I am the words of the Prophet Skelos, written upon this Scroll by the 'Hands of Destiny'. You, the people of this world, called 'Teleos', have known War and Rumors of War, for near all of your existence. You have endured them and their aftermath, until the beginning of the next. This is not without reason. For you were to always be ready to face the awakening of the 'Cold Death' that lives in the far north, beyond the 'Ice Wall'.

     But when the 'Summoner' comes among you, upon a dragon, like deep blue as to be black. And the 'Holy Gem' calls her to be named. Look to who she is, listen to what she says, for she is the 'Mother of All Dragons'. She will come to you, seeing that you are constantly at war, and this will be what draws her to you. For she is the 'Aspect of War', First of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

     And she is much, much more. The direst forces of Evil mass to face her armies on battlefields across Creation, as do the holiest forces of Good. She is the Champion of Balance, the one to lead all who follow her into the greatest battle, the Jihad of Truth. At stake is the future of all existence. Only through her does life continue and thrive, only through her do the souls of the dead rest in eternity, only through her do 'Faith' and 'Hope' live through what comes, to rest in home and hearth across all worlds in Creation.

     And the beginning is here, with you, on this world, by defeating the 'Cold Death' when it wakes and spreads its poison across all the lands. She will bring you all together, forge you into the weapon you were destined to become. But first, she must open the way to those who will have called her to this world. For she must accept the anointing of the 'First Ones', and it must be done here, for this once was their home. They are no longer remembered, even in dreams, it has been so long. But even as they sleep 'Death's Sleep', they still dream of this world and those who walk upon it.

     Now comes the time to awaken them, for only the 'Mother of All Dragons' can pierce the Dream Veil that keeps them sleeping, and that has kept them so for Age upon Age of time. And so her feet will begin the fearful treading that will take her to the uttermost limits of power. But do not fear for what she must do, for by her presence here, with this Scroll in her hands. She has earned the right to awaken and call to her, the souls of the 'First Ones'. And they will welcome her, for she will have proven herself worthy to be one of them."

     "The ritual will commence in one day's time, for I must prepare myself. And see what the others feel about what is going to happen."

     Iriisii rolls the Scroll closed and walks back into the temple. She asks one of the priests if the Temple has a garden for meditation. The priest nods his head and leads her to it, the others following, wondering what if anything there is to say.

     They walk out into a burst of soft sunshine drifting through tree leaves as she finds a place to kneel, rest, and think about what was written in that Scroll. After some time, Rigmor comes up and sits close to her. "The Scroll is talking about the 'Draconic Divines' isn't it?"

     "Yes, it is. It is they among many others, sleeping 'where the dead gods lie dreaming'. This goes far beyond anything I could have imagined when I first started walking this path."

     "If you had known this from the beginning, would you have still walked this path?"

     "I do not know, truthfully, I do not know. I mean, we are talking about the first Gods in our Creation. The very first ones and no one remembers who they were, what they were like, what happened to them, why did it happen. Do I take that chance? Or do I stop everything here and now? What will it mean to everyone? Can I still right the balance or is it doomed to fail if I do not do this? What do I do?"

     "What you have always done, you go forward, hell-bent for leather and devils take the hindmost!"

     Iriisii smiles, "I have always done that have I not? Always with my eyes ahead of me and do not look back."

     "And look where it has gotten you, all of us married to you, children to love, you have stopped so many from continuing their evil, and so many more look up to you, are inspired by you to be more than they ever thought they could be. You have brought hope to so many, the numbers are beyond counting. You know you cannot stop now, you have to go on. You were meant to do this, not for good or bad, but to bring the balance out for all those who seek it, who want it, can now have a path to find it."

     "Thank you, I do not think I could do this without your help."

     "Yes, you could, it might not be so easy, but you could do it. Never sell yourself short, you can do whatever you set your 'will' to do. You have gotten this far, and no one outside of us thought you could. Believe in yourself and just do it, believe strongly enough and nothing can stop you."

     A priest humbly walks up and waits, Iriisii motions for him to speak. "The Prince would like a word if you would be so kind."

     "Please bring him, I would like to know what he thinks of this."

     A few minutes later, the priest escorts him to where Iriisii sits.

     As he walks up, she motions for him to sit. As he settles himself in the soft grass, Iriisii introduces Rigmor. 

     "This is Rigmor Ragnarsdottir, of the House of Ragnar, High Queen of Cyrodiil, and my first wedded mate."

     "I am honored, Your Majesty."

     "Please go on, we would like to hear your thoughts on this."

     "As for myself, I would never have thought anything like this would ever happen. But from what I have seen of how you have comported yourself, I have not a single problem supporting you. But some of the other rulers out there will see this as a direct threat to their rule, they have gotten their people accustomed to worshipping gods whose priests do whatever the rulers say. And so anything to upset the cart is an excuse to go to war."

     "And what of your father, the king? Which side is he going to land on this question?"

     "I have already spoken to him, as I am certain the Court Mage has as well. But my father does not trust the Court Mage at all, it is why he sent me to come with him. He wanted an unbiased opinion as to what was going on here."

     "So I take it, he was the one who ordered the sacrifices?"

     "Yes, he was. Father was under a great deal of pressure, from the Mage and those who side with him. He was very relieved to find out that you had stopped them before they could begin. And the display of power you showed, has weakened the support the Court Mage has to the point where he could find himself in serious trouble if he is not careful. It is suspected he has been in contact with other rulers that my father is not on good terms with. If this is found to be true, the Mage will find himself tossed in a deep hole, the door locked tight, and the keys permanently misplaced, such that the everyone forgets he is even locked up."

     "How does he think to upset this, he does not have the power my Iriisii has in a single thought?"

     "Can any of these rulers bring troops in time to interrupt?"

     "One or two if they have already started them moving. What did you have in mind?"

     "I will bring my 'Dragon Legion' through and have them placed around the city. What about your city? Are your own troops loyal to your father, in case they strike there as well?"

     "It did not occur to me that might be a possibility!"

     "I can bring my 'Sirens' through and have them secure your city, add only those of your own troops that you are certain of their loyalty. If either group needs more, I have dragons that I can bring through to help. But I can bring the Legion and Sirens through as soon as I can get to a big enough open area for them all to stage."

     "How many are you talking about?"

     "Thirty thousand total."

     "I know just the place, we can be there quickly, it is not far outside the walls."

     It only takes a matter of minutes to reach the spot, it is indeed a huge grassy area bounded by a forest on one side and a river on the other. 

     "Why is this not being farmed? The land is perfect for it!"

     "The 'wars' have depleted the number of people to work it. The farmlands already in cultivation are enough to feed the people now."

     "I see, well let us get my people here, then we can see to lessening the number of 'wars' that are happening. This waste of people's lives is going to stop."

     "How is it you are called the 'Aspect of War', yet you seek to stop 'war' from happening? I am not complaining at all, I just do not understand?"

     "Have you ever heard of, 'peace through strength'?"

     "Honestly no, but I still fail to see the meaning here?"

     "You are not alone in that, all too many do not. The concept is based on using 'strength' or 'war' only when it is needed and other means have failed. Some enemies can only be stopped through 'war', it is the only thing they understand, being beaten on the battlefield. If not stopped in this way they continue whatever actions they are engaged in, usually to the suffering of the people. Giving in to them, will not stop them, for they derive pleasure from 'battle', the killing, the suffering. But only as long as they are winning and others do the dying and suffering. In their mind, they are 'right' because they have the power to impose this on any others they choose.

     Take that power away from them, beat them in the 'game of war', and others see what has been done. They either applaud what you have done in stopping the 'evil' if they feel as you do or others who wish to follow your adversary, will not because they do not wish to pay the price of losing. But you must, and I stress must, keep your own self in check, and only go as far as needed to stop the 'warmonger', do not become as he was or you risk not only his fate, you would undo all that you have done to that point."

     The 'Prince' carefully considers her words, "I begin to see what you are saying. And I see how it fits into your following of the 'balance'."

     "I will do all I can to insulate the people from 'battle', heal the wounded, feed the hungry. I do not conscript farmers and artisans into my armies. I want only those who believe in me, in why I do this, who understand not only the cost but the end goal, and want the same. And my end goal, is peace, the chance for all to become what they can be, and be the best at it that they can be. Without fear of another coming and grinding their hopes and dreams into dust."

     "Those who follow you, see this in you and flock to your banner. Seeing that in the end, what they fight for is worth the cost."

     "Yes, and I take care of those who fall in my name, they are remembered, their families do not starve, they are cared for. I see that their memory is not tarnished, that others know what they fell for, what they believed in. I am building and have built a Celestial Army greater than any ever seen in all of Creation, and I long for the day when they can all go home, holding their heads up in pride, knowing that because of what they did, their actions will not be needed again for a very long time."

     "If only all others saw things in this manner."

     "It takes one at a time. If I can plant the seed in one wherever I go, I will have an impact that will last forever when those seeds grow."

     "Then I will be one of those seeds, one day I will succeed my father. And then I can do justice to the dream you see."

     "Good, now let me bring my people over and we can begin setting this world right."

     First, she sets up contact with Atticus and Lilith, "are you both ready?"

     "Yes, we have all that we need for a protracted engagement, if we do not need it, then we are still good."

     "Okay, I will set up the portal, then come on through. You know the drill, Atticus, you and yours will stay here with me, Lilith, I am sending you and yours to the capital city with the 'Prince'. The king and the populace will need to be protected, the 'Prince' will make sure only the most loyal of the current guards and soldiers will work with you. But I am making it very clear that 'you' are in charge of security. They do what you say when you say it. The current Court Mage is a 'joke', but I expect him to try and work with infiltrators to stage a coup. If you can take him alive when he does this, do it. If you have to kill him, I will not spill any tears over him.

     We have a two-fold job, one is to consolidate the armies on this world under one banner, 'ours'. As to what we fight after that, it will come out of the north, from beyond the ice wall, exactly what it is or what will come, we will have to make it up as we go. Are you ready?"

     "We were born ready!"

    Iriisii gathers the power needed to reach the Krang, then opens a portal large enough for both groups to begin marching through abreast of each other. Once the portal is open, she hears the commands given to begin.

     "Dragon Legion! Iriisii's Sirens! Forward! March! Split to right and left on the other side then form up in ranks, you have your orders."

     They begin coming out of the portal, splitting to right and left, moving to a safe distance then forming into predetermined ranks. Their precision and professionalism clearly impressing the 'prince'. It takes time for all thirty thousand to come through and as they do, the 'prince' notices their arms and armor. Never has he seen the like, theirs' makes the palace guards' equipment look like it was dug up out of a grave after being in the ground for a century or two.

     Rigmor cannot help but comment, "and to think she forged all of that herself at the 'Forge of Stars'." Last to come through, were Atticus and Lilith, with their standard bearers to their sides, standards unfurled, the Dragons of the Dragon Legion, and the armored mermaids of Iriisii's Sirens. Atticus and Lilith marched straight before Iriisii, kneeled, and bowed before her saying, simply, "your 'Hand of Flesh' and 'Hand of Spirit' await your command."

     "Rise commanders." As they rise to their feet, she addresses Lilith first. "Lilith, I want you and the sirens to escort the 'Prince' back to the capital. Your job is to protect the royal family and the people within the city, any outside are to be brought in as quickly as is feasible, with care taken to identify infiltrators. There are likely some already inside the city walls, so only those soldiers and guardsmen whose loyalty is unquestioned will be allowed to work with you.

     But this I make plain to everyone, you are in command. No one can countermand your orders but me or my mates. I will tolerate no interference from anyone else, you have the right to deal with those situations as you see fit. My trust in you is absolute, you have never failed me before, and I do not expect you to do so now. 'Prince', I leave the unenviable task of explaining my orders of Lilith to your father and to the other nobles.

    They must understand this, I will stand beside my commander in all of her decisions, regardless of who complains. I have my reasons for this and if time and circumstances allow, I will explain 'why' to those who ask politely. I expect your cooperation with this in order to save as many lives as possible, and keep your world from falling to the 'Cold Death'. I am not here to usurp power and control, once this is over, I and mine will move onward. You will then have to determine the course of your own lives from that point forward.

     Atticus, your Legion has the task of defending this city and those within from whatever comes our way. I expect a great deal of trouble from other kingdoms objecting to my efforts. When the 'Cold Death' makes its presence known, and we see just what we are up against, then I will recall the Sirens to fight with you if needed. And if we need Dragons, then I will call them to us. This world has known war for almost its entire existence, now it is time for it to know peace. Any questions?"

     "What do we know of this 'Cold Death'?"

     "Very little, save it first appeared some five to ten thousand years ago. If any records of it are left, they are inaccessible. So we will have to watch for anything that may indicate its awakening. But it will occur beyond the 'Ice Wall', that much is certain. There is a possible dimensional breach between this continent and another to the east. The breach is situated out over the ocean but within it, who knows if it is land, water, or something else.

     I am not so much concerned about it right now, as to the other continent. We will have to deal with that situation after this one is cleared. Let me make this perfectly clear to all, no rebellion is to be tolerated from this point forward. We cannot deal with the greater threats with these petty disputes getting in the way. We settle it peacefully if we can, if we cannot, then we do it the bloody way!"

     The troops shout out their 'battle cry' at Iriisii's words and as one, raise their weapons in salute. Iriisii returns their salute, by drawing two blades, one from her back, one from her side. Raising them above her head, she clangs them together in rhythm to the pounding of spears and polearms to the ground, with swords banging against shields and those with twin blades emulating her own. Then her personal blessing leaps from her blades, enveloping everyone else's and her troops kneel to her. Knowing they have her blessing to carry them into battle.

     "When are you going to finish reading the Scroll?"

     "I gave notice of twenty-four hours, so let us watch for troop movements or activities up to that time. I can delay it to deal with enemies if needed."

     "The 'Prince' comes up then and asks, "How are you going to get your troops to the capital before you finish reading the Scroll? It is a week's journey to reach the city walls."

     "Not a problem, portals work for any distance, once I see or know the destination. I can open a portal to it. As to our adversaries doing that, if they have not already used them, likely they cannot. If any begin, I will know the source is from outside, and if those using them do not already know, they can be backtracked."

     "I will do everything in my power to help your Sirens with the nobles. My father will support you once he knows the whole story. I should be able to convince most of the nobles to go along, but as always there are some who think more of themselves and their opinions than is good for them. They will be a problem, at least I will privately inform them that they do business with any infiltrators at their own peril. I will suggest to them that they either work with us or stay neutral. Otherwise, leave the city or they will face the consequences of their own decisions."

     "Good, you understand why I am going to these lengths, I would suggest that those guards and soldiers loyal to you and your father, if possible, have their families housed in the palace to keep them from being held hostage to force anyone to turn traitor. Allow them to see their families whenever they wish within reason, this will ensure that they know their families are being treated well and protected."

     "A good idea, I will make certain it is implemented as soon as we arrive."

     "Take in as many of the people from outside the walls as you can. Let Lilith's people check them for infiltrators, they know the warning signs to look for. As to feeding the extra mouths, Lilith has access to food stores through means I have given her. She can get as much as she needs to see that no one goes hungry."

     "Thank you, that will go a long way to easing any tensions of adding people inside the walls."

     "Believe me, I am no stranger to either short battles or protracted ones. Both have their own sets of problems different from each other, so my commanders know and are equipped to deal with both situations. I also know you have questions about why am I doing this in this manner if I am an Elder Goddess. Why do I not simply wave my hands and be done with all of this? The answer is quite simple, even as most not familiar with the Celestial world are not aware. Let me start with this, 'with great power, comes great responsibility.

     Just because I have great power does not give me the right to use it however I may wish to. There are laws and restrictions placed upon us in how we use our power. Yes, there are those who ignore those restrictions. And it will catch up to them, and, no, you do not want to know what happens to them. Along this road I tread, there will be some very powerful ones that will learn the price for their actions. And they will spend eternity contemplating that price. I am the one chosen to exact that price from them, and if I turn from my responsibilities, there will be one to come for me as I will come for the ones I hunt. That is enough, along with the things I have experienced in my own life, to keep me on the path.

     For I was once mortal as you are, yes, I see the incredulity in your eyes. I was mortal when I met, adventured with, and wed my Rigmor, we were both mortals then, and when the time came to ascend, we both did so together. She was still mortal when she became High Queen of Cyrodiil, as I became Empress of Tamriel. Our daughter, Kintyra III, given to us by our Gods, will when she comes of age, step up as I step down and give the crown to her. And by right of her being Dragonborn Empress seated upon the Dragonborn Throne, will relight the Dragonfires and bring our world into the beginning of the Fourth Age, a Golden Age of peace and prosperity for all who live upon it.

     As I will accept my responsibilities amidst the Celestial Heavens. Maybe Kintyra can change what happens later to our world or at least lay the groundwork for those who come after her to change its fate within the Fifth Age.

     But it is time you and the Sirens to leave and get yourselves settled in the capital city. You have a large task ahead of you, but I have faith you can do it. If you need help, Lilith is there to help you do not hesitate to ask her."

     And so Iriisii opens another somewhat smaller portal, this one directed to the capital city, just outside the main gates. Lilith gives the signal and the Sirens with her and the 'Prince' at the head, march into and exit in front of the Capital city. Much to the consternation of the guards walking patrol along the walls.

     Once they are all through Iriisii closes the portal and turns to Atticus, "we need to do practically the same thing here. We secure the city and protect the inhabitants in the event of an attack. Considering the effect of what that Scroll said before I got to the main part, I anticipate something being done to interrupt my completing the ritual speaking."

     "Not questioning or anything, but do you really think it authentic?"

     "Absolutely, after the 'Holy Gem' recognized me, it played back a sequence Skelos had put into it. I saw his face in the image and it was in fact him. Then the Scroll itself is written in Dovahzul, using 'Dragon Letters' like the ones we find on 'Word Walls' made during the 'Dragon Wars' on Nirn."

     "Then there is no question of its authenticity, that was made specifically for you and no way could an imposter make it work. I will put my best around you when you decide to finish reading it. Nothing must be allowed to interrupt this, he did this for a reason and I will not try and second guess why he felt it needed to be done this way. It is enough that it shows how important he felt it to be, that it be done by you and you alone. Now I need to get a look at the city, try and predict where agents would need to be to interrupt and get those areas covered."

     Atticus walks to his troops and gives them their orders, what is going on, what to expect, and what their rules of engagement are. Everyone is satisfied that this is not going to be a 'roll in the hay', that some serious fighting is going to take place here, and they are going to be in the thick of it, and they would not want it any other way. 

     They are Iriisii's 'Dragon Legion', they feel they owe their entire new existence to her and they are itching to begin repaying that debt. As they enter the town, units break off to go to places already identified, some in the town, some around the central square, others on the walls, and some just wander at random, taking the mood of the people, listening for rumors, drunks talking too much. 

     Gathering all the talk they can and send anything interesting to Atticus. He in turn alerts Iriisii, who details Dettlaff, Elric, and Reaper with checking into the most promising leads. It does not take long before they hit paydirt, uncovering some plots, finding new leads, the plotters finding themselves in the guard prison cells. Where they are sorted through to find the more serious ones, of which a few are indeed found.

     One manages to kill himself before he is questioned, this makes the others the subject of a strip search which yields some unexpected finds. 

     "Look at this!" Moving it around by the tip of a dagger. "You do not want to touch it with bare skin! It is coated in a toxin made from a deep-sea fish, kills in seconds, and has no antidote. These ones mean business."

     "Yes, and they are the ones we need to know all about, how they were recruited, did they come from somewhere else, who gave them this stuff. We do not have time to be patient with them."

     "Do I have your permission to 'up the ante'?"

     "What do you mean?"

     "Technically this would be considered the worst kind of torture. It will tell us what we need to know, probably horribly kill one or two, and as long as the others witness it, frighten them so bad they will tell us everything we want to know to avoid the same fate."

     "Considering what is likely at stake and the importance that this goes without a hitch, and that I will do dark things if needed. I think this is one of those times. Anyone who does not wish to be a witness to this is free to leave now. I will not hold it against you in any way, I promise you this."

     Not a single member of the 'Dragon Legion' makes a move toward the door. Nor does Dettlaff or Reaper, who are both watching the proceedings.

     "All right, Atticus, it is yours to handle."

     "Bring 'Whistler' in here." And two legionnaires step out for a moment.

     "Whistler?"

     "You will see in a moment, I cannot pronounce his name and I just do not feel right calling him, 'hey you'."

      A curious whistling sound approaches the door and a tall figure in a deep hooded, floor-length cloak, enters the prison room, followed by the two legionnaires.

      "You need my abilities to obtain information?"

      "Yes, we do not have time to be patient with them, and so the importance of what is going to happen is so great, nothing must be allowed to interrupt it."

      "I understand. Do you all wish to observe?"

      "If I am going to allow these men to be tortured for information, then I am going to be here to see it."

      The hooded figure turns to Iriisii, "I am honored to be of service to the great one called, 'Dovahkiin'." As he pulls the hood back from his head, a couple of the prisoners recoil in fear, one whispering, 'Illithid', and starts struggling against the shackles holding him against the stone wall.

     "You have one last chance before I allow him to begin. What will it be, will you talk, or do I allow him to continue?"