The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Step 1

 The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Step 1

      "What is the status of the search for the 'assassins'?"

     "We have apprehended two of the five at this time, we expect to have the remaining three within a few days."

     "I need to bring my Kinja Acolytes here to help in guarding Kintyra. Then we must begin planning for who we take to Atmora and the things we will need for traveling there and setting up camps. Do we have anyone skilled in survival under the conditions that exist there right now?"

      "I can make inquiries among explorers in the more remote regions, someone will know what we would expect to face and what supplies will be needed."

      "Go ahead, but let me inquire among some of my people, they are so diverse a group that some may already exist among them that could help us immediately. If so I will bring them over and we can get started."

      "I do not mean to pry, but do we really need more bodyguards if we are so close to catching these assassins?"

      "I understand where you are coming from and under other circumstances would agree with you. But there is too much that will be riding on Kintyra's shoulders and there will undoubtedly be more threats to her coming as her rising to the throne approaches. We have no idea who will be involved or what the nature of the threats will involve. I am more concerned right now about involvement from certain quarters of Oblivion, especially once they get wind that she will have possession of a new Amulet of Kings and that she intends to relight the Dragonfires. Those who would oppose her in this will try and subvert her. Convincing her to use the Amulet to take down the Liminal Barrier and give them free access to Nirn."

     "She could actually do that?"

     "With a new 'Amulet' made from the red diamond taken from Nagasel, yes. She could do much with it, much more than the original Amulet would allow."

     "Pray, tell me what you know, I feel it would behoove all of us to understand the possibilities here."

     "You are right in that, essentially, she could strengthen it such that both the Aedra and Daedra would be forbidden access totally. Strengthen the current barrier but still allow access but reduced from what they had before. Restore the barrier to its original strength. Weaken it by degrees, giving both sides more access all the way to dropping it entirely."

     "I see what you mean, and even if it is late in passing this information, I understand the need of holding it back. We cannot allow it to be disseminated freely, the result of that would be horrendous in its implications. Not to mention every cult, dark Daedra, exploitive faction would be doing their utmost to get their hands on her."

     "And if we increase the guard around her too much, you draw attention to her even more, which we must avoid right now."

     "By the NINE, how do you deal with this?"

     "Carefully, one step at a time. Utilizing your spy network, simply have them listen for anything that matches this conversation. No extreme means of gathering information, just casual overhearing of anything is to be reported to you. Then we can decide what to look at further, but you must stress that nothing more than casual overhearing is permitted unless you directly order it. There are some other sources I will speak to and ask their forbearance in helping us."

     "May I ask what other sources?"

     "The winds."

     "The winds?"

     "Yes, Yennefer knows what I speak of. Strictly speaking, Zephyrs, Kyne's children. The playful spirits that you feel like a light airy breeze on a warm day. They can be asked to listen as well, and pass what they hear to us."

     "I hope only a very few know how to 'ask' for their help."

     "Indeed, only someone bearing Kyne's blessing has even a chance of it. I am her Champion, and she taught me a number of Rotmulag that is beyond the understanding of the Dragons. She knows and understands what is at stake, and she will help if I ask her to."

     "I will leave that in your most capable hands then. I must be about the Empire's business, if I stay here too long, tongues will wag, and then I will have to threaten to remove them from their current owners. That brings a whole different set of problems which I am sure none of us want right now. By your leave, Your Majesty."

     "Do what you do best, my Lord Chancellor, protect the Empire. For by protecting Kintyra, you protect the Empire and its future, this is the absolute truth, I promise you that."

     "I believe you, not to worry on that account. I know what you have done in the past to protect this Empire and its people. I believe that what you do now is also in the Empire's best interest. And when you tell me Kintyra is the Empire's future, I take that literally as well as figuratively. Your Majesty, Sorceress." Blackwell bows and makes his way out of the Library.

     "Sometimes I do not know what to make of him, but to see you work him like you do."

     "If you remember one thing about him, his loyalty is to the 'Throne', whoever sits upon it is secondary to that. I can trust him only so far as I can prove to him that either I or Kintyra are the best choices to sit on it and rule the Empire. The fact that we both are Dragonborn is a very strong indication that we are indeed the best choice, for the Ruby throne was made for Dragonborn Rulers to rule from. And it was Akatosh who brought that into play. I sit on it, and Blackwell knows this well, for I am Dragonborn, annoited of Akatosh, but he only found out later, after asking me to sit upon the Throne, that I was also a Septim, by my Celestial father being Talos, called Tiber Septim when he sat upon the throne, and my Celestial mother is Alessia, she who first founded the Empire, during the revolt from Elven rule."

     "I remember you talking about that, but I cannot wrap my head around having a pair of demigods for parents and a pair of mortal parents as well. Can you explain a bit further so that I might understand?"

     "I have more information since I first tried to explain, so maybe this will be more concise. I was first born to Talos and Alessia, lived on the island of Roscrea until I was eighteen years old, and disappeared shortly thereafter. What happened to me was that the Mother of the Cosmos chose me to be her 'Daughter', 'Champion', 'Successor'. She needed to train me to do that, so when she took me it created a 'Dragon Break'. What that consists of is multiple timelines running parallel to each other and at some point, the jills will intervene and merge them back into a single timeline. 

     However, for the time span that the 'break' occurs, all events within the 'break' are valid, even if they contradict themselves. There is evidence of this happening in this world's past. Anyway, she regressed me back far enough to implant me into the womb of my mortal mother, where I went through the gestational process a second time and was born of mortal parents. She also wiped the past memories, so that I would not have conflicts with them.

     You know what happened to me from that point on. As to my Dov soul, I think she replaced it with another far stronger soul. It would explain how I was able to command such power as I have learned and survived the things that happened to me before I came back to Skyrim to begin my trail of destiny. There have been moments in my life when I have seen things, experienced things that seemed familiar but I had never seen or experienced before."

     "You think they were experienced in the first timeline where you were born of Talos and Alessia?"

     "Yes, I met an avatar of Alessia in the old cottage where I was first brought up in. It was an eerie feeling the entire time I was there, but my main concern was Rigmor at that time, so I put it behind me. She had taken the form of an old crone, to help us with a potion to cure Rigmor of the sleeping sickness. It was as we were leaving I heard her call out to me from the cottage doorway. I turned and looked but she was no longer an old crone, instead, she had taken her proper form and appearance from her mortal years. I went back into the cottage, but she was gone. It was as if she had never been there, dust, covered everything, cobwebs everywhere, and no sense of anyone having lived there in years. All that I found was a note on the table with the words, 'Dragonborn, I am sorry.'

     What went through me at that moment was like a sudden summer storm. I knew her, knew who she was, but my mind refused to acknowledge it, even as my soul recognized her. I had suspected ever since I saw a small shrine she had made outside the cottage to Talos after he returned to Aetherius leaving her on Roscrea to mourn my disappearance. Since I had been taken into a different timeline, I was beyond her ability to sense where I was."

     "What was done to you, that was beyond awful. How could any being do that to another?"

     "Worse happens every day, and now I know why. I cannot fault the 'Mother' for what she did. In the grand scheme of things, what was done to me was a very small price for what I have gained, for what I still have to gain. She did what had to be done, in the only way it would work."

     "But surely there was another way to do this?"

     "Other ways had already been tried and failed, time was running out to put one last attempt in place. This time, so far at least, it is working. Whether we make it to the end and everything works we shall have to see."

     "And now, you see ahead as well. You have a sense of what lies before you, and how it all comes together."

     A flutter of wings and a soul hound appears, but this one is different. This one has a glow of power around it.

     "And now she has come full circle, with knowledge and realization of what was done to her and why. Why it had to be her, why it had to be done the way it was, and now where that path will ultimately lead her, what she must do, why she must do it, and perhaps most importantly, who she will become."

     "What will she become? What could possibly be so important to go through all of this, to become what?"

     "What and who, is the answer you seek. She will become the personification of the force that is the 'Balance'. As her daughter, Kintyra will bring a 'Golden Age' to those living on Nirn, so will Iriisii bring about a Golden Age. But the one she will bring into being will be for this Creation, as well as the first and second. She will be the balancing force for all three, together. She will be the balancing force for the Draconic Divines, and the 'High Gods' of the first and second Creations."

     "By all that is holy!"

     "Indeed, she will encompass all that is holy between the three, as well as all that is demonic. She will be what keeps them all in check and become something that even those who rule in the Great Beyond never foresaw. And she will need her mates and her friends to help her."

     "You mean 'me' do you not?"

     "Not just you, but all of the ones she now has, and others yet to come. Her instincts have been true in regard to those she gives her friendship to, for none of you will forsake her in her need, and all will share in the rewards."

     "What rewards could be worth all of this?"

     "Whatever your heart truly desires."

     "What my heart desires, it cannot have. That has already been taken away from me."

     "That is grief talking, not your heart. Grief is temporary, and only has the power you give it. Your heart can be forever, and can have what it truly wants, and have it forever."

     "You speak in riddles!"

     "It is only riddled because your grief wants it to be so, wants to keep its control of you."

     "You speak of it as if it was a force of its own and not simply an emotion I feel."

     "If you give an emotion enough power, does it not become a power of its own?"

     "I...yes, I see what you are saying now. I have given in to it, let it grow until it threatens to overwhelm me. But what can I do? It fills the void left in my heart by the passing of my Quintus!"

     "And if another could fill that void, what then? Another who could share so much more with you, if you would allow."

     "Then why was I drawn to Quintus instead of this other you speak of? Why go through all of this pain, sorrow, grief!"

     "Because you needed to learn the value of true love. Never before in your life had you felt true love, you came close with Geralt, but the questioning of whether what you felt for him was true love or a Djinn's magic kept you from seeing the truth until it had passed from your hands and into another's. Now you have another chance, if you will break the hold grief has placed around you and take that chance."

     Yennefer thinks for a moment, a moment that stretches into what seems like hours. "Who? Who is this one I should take a chance with, learn to love again?"

     The soul hound, speaking with the voice of the 'Mother' looks to Iriisii, "tell her."

     "Now? With all that is going on? Shouldn't she discover this on her own?"

     "Trust me, trust yourself, tell her."

     Iriisii looks toward Yennefer and sees the question raging through her mind and soul. Yes, she does need to know now, even if she can do nothing about it right now, she needs to know, to build the anticipation, to have something to fight back the grief with.

     "Kthanid."

     "Isn't he..."

     "The Elder God who saved your life, when the magical toxic trap was triggered when we tried to restore what had been taken from you? Yes. He felt something stir inside himself, even then. But you were not ready, not for what a relationship with a God could be like. First, you needed to learn how to fall in love, how to know what it really felt like, to be willing to give all of yourself to someone else and have them do the same for you. And no, this was not my decision, although I have come to see it was the right decision, for both of you."

     "What do you mean, for both of us. I can understand for me, what with the life I have led, but for him?"

     "He is like you were. He has never known what it is like to love someone. If the two of you had gotten together before now, it would have been a disaster for both of you."

     "And now?"

     "Now, you have the knowledge to guide him into learning the meaning of true love. You have experienced it, and he will be able to see it in you, learn from it, draw it into himself and respond to its call from your heart."

     "But I am still mortal, how is this going to ever work?"

     "You have the capability to ascend. You have his flesh and blood within you, just as I did when I chose to ascend. Then as you teach him how to love, he can teach you to be a goddess."

     "You really think this could work between us? But what of my son?"

     "He carries the seed of ascension within himself as well. But I will leave that for you to decide, as he is your son. If I may suggest though..."

     "Go on."

     "Foster him first, give him time to grow more, and for you and Kthanid to grow together, then bring him to live with you. You can explain his choices to him then."

     "Where should I foster him then?"

     "I would suggest the Court of High Queen Elisef in Solitude, the entire Court knows me, and I still hold the position of Thane there. He will be welcome, and there are quite a few he can learn from, Falk Firebeard is one I can heartily suggest, and he can stay in my home, Proudspire, with my housecarl to help look after him."

     "I can agree with that. It sounds like a fine plan, at least for a time, while I put my own life back together. But I have to say, I do not know what I would have done had I not met you. Somehow I do not think things would have gone nearly as well with me as they have. But what you have ahead of you, I am not sure to be glad or apprehensive."

     "I know exactly what you are saying. It describes exactly what is going on inside my mind right now. I never would have thought that everything could be shown to fit together like they have. All I can do is forge ahead, do what is expected of me, and hope for the best outcome."

     "Iriisii, my daughter, you are about to embark into unknown heights. I have come partly to tell you what little I know, but also to express my joy and pride that you alone of all other gods who exist in our Reality, is set to breach the barrier and go beyond."

     "Mother, what do you mean? There are still more steps above?"

     "Yes there are, you have not heard, seen, felt signs of them, because no other has reached them before now, before you. The next step will name you, 'Progenitor'. What you will gain, what it will cost you, I cannot say for I do not know. You will go where no other has gone in living memory, what you will find, what you will do, all I can say is 'I wish you well. You have a base to build upon greater than any that has ever existed. I believe this is why these paths are opening for you.

     When the action of passing over is felt in the Aether, the Void, in Creation itself. I have no idea what will begin, what actions your enemies will take. You and yours must be prepared for anything imaginable, but I am confident that you and yours can weather the storm that will come. The events that you still have before you, still require your attention. Delegate what you can, then take care of what remains that requires your direct intervention.

     Your 'Army' has now grown until it is a force of nature in its own right. Give your commanders the tools they need, and let them take care of the lesser problems that you once thought only you could see too. And soon, you must see to elevating your blood brother. He should be your 'High and Right Claw' in the Dreamlands.

     I cannot see beyond my own place to know what lies ahead for you, even your gestalt, the Child of Infinity, cannot see into that path. for the time streams change there and we are not allowed to see what they become, where they go. You will be the first to see, touch, to experience. I have no regrets about this, I have seen and done more than I could ever have imagined when I took this 'Mantle'. Now it is time for another to carry the torch onward, that one is you, my child. You still have much to do, but you have the will to accomplish all. I will be watching and preparing for my departure. It will be forever a blessing to know you, my child."

     As quickly as she appeared, she vanishes. Yennefer looks at Iriisii in amazement. "I only understood a small part of what she said, but what I could understand..."

     "I feel it as well, this is...well I really do not know. I thought I was nearing the end of my path and now this."

     "Take your time, it is not happening right this minute. Concentrate on the task at hand, as you have always done and everything will fall into place."

     "You are right, I can use these tasks to help order myself, never mind that they need doing. We have things to do and places to go, your son to rescue, so let us be about it. You know, I have just remembered something that could be of immense help to us."

     "Don't keep me in suspense!"

     "I need to stay closer to Nirn, Had I done so earlier, maybe this situation with your losing Quintus could have been avoided, and there will be more attempts against Kintyra."

     "How can you remain closer to Nirn and continue to traipse across all Reality?"

     Iriisii smiles, "I have possession of an old Fortress, a very unique and powerful fortress."

     "Ok, how could it help us, since I am certain it is not on Nirn."

     "But it can be brought here, and its unique feature is that it contains 'doors'. Doors that can be set to reach anywhere imaginable. And as many as needed can be created, there is probably a way to change the 'doors' structure to allow them to reach multiple places at once. The choice of destination is the choice of whoever uses it at that time. And it has very solid protections in place.

     It could be placed in the great forest, hidden by illusory shields, then the 'doors' set to take any of us to wherever we need to go at a moment's notice while giving us a central place to plan our movements from. It can be expanded inside to accommodate as many people as we need it to. I would need to discuss some things with its custodian, but I think it can place 'doors' in Realms other than mere space."

    "You mean 'time' as well. Don't you think the 'jills' will take exception to that?"

    "The temporal doors can be restricted to my access only if needed, also the extreme shielding around the Fortress should keep their prying eyes out of seeing what it can do. And what they cannot sense, they cannot complain about. But I am also thinking it can place 'doors' in the 'Dreamlands' as well, other possibilities come to mind but they can wait to evaluate the need for them."

     "Just what other places are you talking about?"

     "I once followed 'Uncle Sheo' from the 'forbidden wing' of the 'Blue Palace' into the mind of a dead homicidal Emperor."

     "Wait! Let me see if I have this right. You traveled into the mind of a dead Emperor?"

     "Pelagius III, we have some books about him in the library you can read to understand what I am talking about. It was quite an adventure, I can testify to that. But never, ever, refer to the Daedra I followed by any other name other than 'Uncle Sheo'. You do not want to draw 'his' attention to you by calling his proper name."

     "You just stressed 'him' as if that might be in question."

     Iriisii sighs, "He is the 'Daedric God of Madness'. I will refer to other books that can go into more depth about him if you want to know. But there is something I know about him that is not in the books."

     "All right, spill it, in for a penny, in for a pound. Tell me what you know, it just might one day come in handy."

     "The position of 'Daedric God of Madness' is a 'Mantle' that can be assumed."

     "I knew it! I knew there was something tying this into what we are already involved in. Go on."

     "Before the Oblivion Crises, some two hundred years ago, the holder of that 'Mantle' was the original, first Daedric Lord to hold it. But you must understand some history first when the Daedra first assumed 'Mantles' after Nirn was created. The 'Mantle of Madness' was not created then, it came later. What was created and accepted, was the 'Mantle of Order'. The Daedra that accepted that 'Mantle' was named 'Jyggalag'.

     He amassed so much power as the God of Order, that the other Daedra became threatened by it. By this time he was too powerful for any, one Daedra to take on, so the others bound together and took him down. Daedra cannot die, kill their physical form and their essence will reform in Oblivion. Because of this, they needed a different way to deal with him."

     "All right, I am with you so far, how and what did they do?"

     "They 'cursed' him by splitting him, not literally, anyway. They created the 'Mantle of Madness' and forced him to assume both 'Mantles', 'Order', and 'Madness'. Since they are diametrically opposed, they cannot be held at the same time, so he would spend an amount of time as 'Order' and then switch over and become 'Madness'. Each one proceeding to tear down what the other had built up and so he was restrained."

     "Ok, but what changed because of this 'Oblivion Crises' that happened?"

     "The 'Hero of Kvatch' happened. She was not a 'Dragonborn'. 'Dragonblood' maybe, there could be a case made for it but nothing is known of that for sure. What is known is that she was instrumental in turning back the invasion of Tamriel by the minions of the Daedric Lord, Mehrunes Dagon. She learned by entering the 'Oblivion Gates' that were coming up across the landscape. Once inside, she would fight her way to the main tower inside, find the 'Orbs' powering the gates, and remove them from their cradles. This would close the gates and thrust her back across into Nirn.

     She did manage to find the last living 'Septim' heir, a priest by the name of Martin. And by a series of adventurous events gave him what he needed to transform himself into a Dragon God. Then he challenged Mehrunes Dagon and beat him in a duel, forcing him to cease his invasion and close all remaining open gates. 'Martin' did not survive the duel, there is a statue in the main city plaza commemorating the duel.

     Anyway, after this, the 'Hero' was investigating the disappearance of some ships, crew, and passengers near a small island chain in the ocean. She disappeared afterward, never to be seen again."

     "But you know what happened?"

     "Yes, I do. She got to know 'Uncle Sheo' and helped him settle some problems he was having in his Realm, called the 'Shivering Isles'. Just as she was to return, he began to transition into 'Jyggalag'. He begged her to take possession of his 'Mantle' and protect the 'Shivering Isles' from being devastated by Jyggalag. And so she did, why, will forever remain a mystery."

     "Wait, you mean to say that those 'Mantles' are no longer being held by one Daedra, but one by that same Daedra and the other by the 'Hero of Kvatch?"

     "Yes, exactly, and by the very nature of the lesser 'Mantles', the 'Hero of Kvatch' became 'Uncle Sheo' and remains so to this day. Meaning there are both 'Madness' and 'Order' running around Oblivion instead of just one swapping from one to the other. The trouble that is causing, well that is a tale for another day."

     "Oh no, you are not getting away without telling me the whole story. You have said there is more to it, so cough up, tell the rest of it!"

     "Very well, but it is going to have to be just the bare bones. We would be here for days otherwise. During what I have come to call, as the 'Rigmor Interregnum', the four years or so I was apart from her."

     "By the NINE, you really went four years away from her? How did you survive that?"

     "That really is a tale for another time, but I was really at the end of my rope. If I had a rope at that time I probably would have tried hanging myself. But as it was I was looking to see how deep into a drunken stupor I could drown myself. I had found myself back in Dawnstar and I was met just as I entered the tavern by a Vigilant of Stendarr, who tried to recruit me.

     At first, I was having none of it, I just wanted to get drunk as quick as I could and pass out. But he seemed to be able to read what was going on with me. He asked if I would be willing to risk my life hunting down abominations. Then he had my attention, if I could not drink myself to death, then maybe a vampire or a werewolf could do the job. I accepted his offer and followed him to one of their main halls.

     I went with him on some missions, let me see, a vampire, a drunk Daedra minion, the usual stuff, until I faced down a vagrant knight acting as a bodyguard to a powerful summoner. Before I knew what I was doing, something snapped inside me and I killed him. I then found out just how strongly Molag Bal had been hunting them, corrupting them.

     My partner sent me to kill the witch accomplices of the vagrant knight, but when I found them, it was his wife and daughter."

     "You didn't, did you?"

     "No, I left them alive. I could sense no evil about them, so I went back. As it turned out, my partner had been corrupted and was trying to do the same with me. I had no choice but to kill him after he changed into some demonic form. As I was leaving, the knight's wife found me and challenged me for killing her husband. I used my fist to try and knock some sense into her. As I left her sitting on the ground, I told her not to come looking for me again. That if she did, her daughter would lose both parents instead of one.

     I reported to the leader and told him what had happened. He gathered all of the others he could, left me in charge, and took everyone else to clear out the basement area where all the carnage had taken place. I handled a few jobs then went to an estate near Chorrol to help a fellow Vigilant in his investigation. That went bad before I even got there.

     In the end, after going completely through the place, and finding out what happened, I was trapped with the entire mansion burning down around me. Molag Bal appeared and offered me an escape. It was either take the offer or burn with the mansion. So I took his offer and entered a portal he opened. A lot happened after that, but the important thing is that I learned Jyggalag had been busy for the last forty years or so, laying siege to Molag Bal's Realm of Cold Harbour. The part where he mirrored the Imperial City, was the only part that was still standing and it was barely hanging on.

     I made my way through Cold Harbour looking for a way out. Finally found it and eventually made my escape, but only after gutting the shields keeping Jyggalag at bay on the way out. I found myself back in Skyrim, quite near to Helgen actually. I was dumped into the lake, close to the standing stones on the road from Helgen to Riverwood. It was the experience in Cold Harbour that started teaching me about the 'Mantles' and what they do. But I can say that that was in large part why Molag Bal has had the 'hots' for me ever since. He would like nothing more than to drink mead from my skull while laughing at Akatosh over the whole thing."

     "You sure don't do anything by half measures do you?"

     "No, I go at everything, head-on, no holds barred."

     "Glad I am on your side then. It explains why he was with the Tsaesci in that major fight!"

     "Yeah, it did not go any better for him then than when I left Cold Harbour being demolished around him. He will not learn anyway, that is the nature of his 'Mantle'. It actually makes me pity him, for he has no true control over himself. Probably doesn't even remember who he once actually was."