JoS/Kanna/14th Journal - Threads of the Webspinner

Morning Star, 1st, 3E 428

Happy new life festival to us! As others are taking days off to enjoy the celebrations, we've already been doing that for the past week or so, meaning it's time to return to work!

In addition to taking it easy and doing household duties, I've been practicing summoning Staada, which is actually not as easy as you might think it is, even though she's bound to my will. Let's not forget that she's not just some random Daedra, but rather an Aureal, or a Golden Saint, as we residents of Tamriel refer them as. They're sentient, intelligent beings just as we mortals are, not just some brainless beasts. The first time I tried to summon her, it cost me all my Magicka, and the spell even backfired. She did not respond to my summon, no way she could've. I then tried to develop a potion to temporarily boost my Magicka supply, hoping it would make summoning her easier. For your information, I mixed Ash Yam with Bloat, both of which are uncommon, yet relatively inexpensive ingredients. Only Ash Yam grows on Vvardenfell though; Bloatspores might be cheaper on the mainland, where they're more prevalent.

When I finally succeeded, Staada mocked me for my supposed weakness. She did encourage me to try harder though, and even tapped me on my shoulder, saying that I'll get better. That's so very kind of her.

I also asked her if she was mad at me, or us, and surprisingly, she said no. She just absolutely hates losing, especially to men, and especially mortal men. It's not that she hates men either, or so she at least claims. It's just that the Aureal society is highly matriarchal, if that's the correct word, and men are seen as inferior or something. Aureals also see themselves as superior to mortals, making "unproven" mortals only worthy of their scorn. Not sure if I agree with that kind of thinking personally, but I at least can see why someone would feel frustrated losing to something they see as below them. I certainly would be mad if I lost to a Scrib! Okay, that's an unfair comparison, but you get the point.

That also made me wonder, did she see me as inferior? Well, I supposedly did prove myself to her enough for her to give me a chance, so the answer was no. She said she actually likes me, saying there's something about how I carry myself she likes, but she had no real reason. "In fact, an adventure by your side sounds exciting", she then added with a genuine smile. "So make sure you get better at summoning me!"

As for how she feels about Aliya and my big bro? Well, she didn't outright say that she dislikes those two, but she feels like she should be wary of them. In Aliya's case, she says her gut tells her to distrust anyone who serves Azura, but I'm sure she'll warm up to her. The reason she distrusts my brother is a little more self-explanatory. I mean, she doesn't like men, or at least, so it seems, and Karim also banged her. It may not have been entirely consensual intercourse either, so… yeah… I feel bad now because Staada seems like a good girl…

Anyway, tomorrow we'll travel to the east coast for an assassination job. In addition to the job I've already had for some months already, I also have one new target in the same area, which is great. Severa Magia is expecting a report from me, and she's concerned because I've been too quiet. I hope she'll accept my apology when I say I've been helping a close friend of mine. Severa also hinted that she might have another special gig, which should be easy for me given my Morag Tong "connections". I wonder what she means? Anyway, assassinations come first. Best of luck to me, I guess.

It sucks that Karim can't come, but he has some actually important work now. The Legion is working alongside House Hlaalu to weed out Sixth House cultists in the area or something. They found another base and are planning to raid it. I hope he'll be safe…

Morning Star, 4th, 3E 428

Both of my targets lie dead at my hand. Didn't even need help, nothing exciting to write about them. Both were Ashlander bandits; Sarays lived in a cave, while the other lived in a tent. The other one's name? Odai-something, too complicated. I can barely handle some Imperial names; the tribal Ashlanders, with their long and complex names, just give me a headache.

After that, I traveled to Ald Sotha with Aliya. Surprisingly, before I could even walk inside, Severa approached me outside instead. She didn't seem to even mind Aliya's presence. She just said we're going on a little walk and can chat on the way. As such, I delivered my report to her verbally.

She was very understanding when I said that I have been extremely busy, but stressed that I should keep her informed when I'm planning on taking days off. In other words, she wants me to take my work a little bit more seriously. She reassured me that she's not mad at all and that there's no rush when it comes to the actual assassinations, but when I'm not even doing that, she can't help but feel concerned. I apologized to her for that, and said that I, at the very least, have been training a lot.

Severa also guessed correctly that it was Aliya whom I'd been helping. She didn't ask why, nor did she seem distrustful of my friend. In fact, she said that right now, she may even trust her, a complete stranger, more than she trusts those people who've been safeguarding her and her allies in Ald Sotha.

After I asked what she meant, Severa handed me a strange little glove, a real pretty one at that. It didn't look like much, but she assured me it was indeed a Daedric artifact. Yeah, seriously. What I held in my hands was the Glove of the Sanguine Swiftblade. It's part of a larger set consisting of twenty-seven pieces of clothing and jewelry, a priceless collection created by Sanguine to honor Mephala's most devout followers. This set is invaluable to the Morag Tong, and they did, in fact, have it all in their collection up until some five years ago, when the Dagonists stole them.

"And now, I recently learned that this little thievery has been pinned on me", Severa said with a mocking tone. "If I didn't know them any better, they're looking for a convenient excuse to get rid of us and start drama with us. Our alliance with them may have been meaningful in the past, but it doesn't seem like they want us around anymore."

She also claims that the Dagonists have some big plans for the future, which they've been somewhat secretive about, and these plans do not involve the Brotherhood. Yes, the Dark Brotherhood and the Dagonists may be allies right now, but so far, it's been due to our shared values and missions. These days, it feels to her like the goals of our "allies" are straying further from what the Brotherhood wants, and sometimes our goals even conflict. I mean, yeah, we worship entirely separate entities; the Dark Brotherhood worships Sithis, while Dagonists are devout followers of Mehrunes Dagon. I always thought it was strange that they've been allies in the past, but whatever.

Anyway, the Dagonists have been recruiting a lot, gaining in numbers. There's even talk of the local Dagonists working with another cult dedicated to Mehrunes Dagon called Mythic Dawn. They could also be one and the same, Severa doesn't know, but Mythic Dawn is apparently more prominent in Cyrodiil. All she knows is that for the Brotherhood's survival's sake, something has to be done about this.

"Take this glove to Eno Hlaalu", Severa said. "Say you heard of how it was stolen from Morag Tong, and tell him that you looted it from the corpse of a Dagonist. Don't utter a word to him about the Dark Brotherhood, even if he asks about them or mentions them. Just play dumb if he does. It should be able to divert his attention from us towards the thieving Dagonists."

This is not at all the kind of mission I was expecting from Severa since it doesn't sound like your typical Dark Brotherhood contract, but okay! This may mean that we're effectively returning the piece back to Morag Tong, but that's fine, at least according to Severa. Better have it in their hands than in the hands of the Dagonists or something. Tomorrow, I'll go visit Eno Hlaalu. I hope he eats every lie I'm about to feed him.

Morning Star, 5th, 3E 428

This was supposed to be just a simple quest to misdirect Morag Tong's attention and get them off Dark Brotherhood's ass a little bit, but it's growing up to be a little bit more.

Eno Hlaalu seemed skeptical of my explanation, but he did indeed recognize the glove and believed my words in the end. He said that this needs to be put on a test though. He's been on a personal mission to retrieve the "Threads of the Webspinner" himself, a mission that has even held him from retiring even though he's clearly in his twilight years, and he asked me if I was interested in helping. "You could raid one of Dagon's shrines", he said. "If you can find more pieces there, it could prove that it is indeed Dagonists that did this, rather than those sick death cultists of the Brotherhood…"

He gave us a location of one shrine, which is somewhere in the north-western corners of Vvardenfell. It should be easy to locate, although it might be difficult to access since it's been partially sunken. He also gave me a contract on some guy living in the stronghold of Hlormaren west of Balmora and another one on some outlaw who lives in Gnisis.

Severa seems okay with me following along with raiding that shrine, but warned me to be extra careful. She gave me a pass on these two targets as well. "They're nothing more than simple bandits", she said. We'll start with that place near Balmora after visiting home.

Morning Star, 7th, 3E 428

So, I had my first period yesterday, which is why we haven't departed on our little trip yet. I didn't expect it to hurt like that, if "hurt" even is the right word. Like seriously, I've been having cramps all day long…

But since I did have my period, that means I'm fortunately not pregnant right now. When was it that I last had sex anyway? It shouldn't matter for now, but it was like, what, two to three weeks ago? I haven't had a chance to have sex with my brother since then sadly, or anyone else for that matter. Maybe in hindsight, that's a good thing? I don't think I'm ready to bear his child. Then again, if he did tell me he wants to impregnate me for real… oh gods, I might actually go along with it, wouldn't I? It's a little messed up, I admit. Messed up, but also pretty hot… but I don't believe he would want that for me. Being a parent does not suit an adventurer's life, and I'm not ready to hang my coat quite yet. I mean, I'm just getting started in my life as an adventurer and an assassin!

Besides, isn't being fertile more of an annoyance than anything? I mean, it's just another way life tries to make me a slave to my biology, just another thing in life that's going to be hard to control if I want to keep having sex. Not sure if I like that, if I approach the subject from that point of view. Yeah, I know it's supposed to be a happy thing, a sign of me growing up and becoming an adult woman, but I just don't really see it as such, at least not at this point in life. I'd rather have sex freely and not worry about the consequences!

This begs the question, can I do anything about this? Lucky for me, the answer is yes. I don't have to accept being a "slave to my biology".

There are some ways you could prevent pregnancies from happening altogether, but these methods may permanently damage your body and make you infertile. I'm sure it works out for some, but not me. What if I changed my mind? I'm fickle, you know!

Alchemy is one such method. Maybe there is a potion that could prevent pregnancies from happening without any negative side effects? It might be worth studying, but to my knowledge, there's no effective method known to the mortalkind. I really wish there were though. The idea of killing unborn babies doesn't sound too appealing…

The only somewhat "safe" solution is the termination of pregnancy through magic. One popular method involves using Soul Gems to terminate the pregnancy safely. This is the easiest solution I found out from my mortal friends, like from the books that Aliya helped me loan from the Mages Guild, but the problem here isn't linked to difficulty, but rather, the cost of this treatment. Soul Gems can get pretty expensive, especially here in Morrowind, where the supplies are low, and the demand is sky-high.

Then, I remembered Staada, and summoned her posthaste.

I mentioned the orgy she was having a while back on that island and asked if she knew something about preventing or terminating pregnancies. I mean, those Daedra fucked her quite a lot. She claimed that none of them actually were allowed to cum without their mistress's permission and that she and her pals had been using Conjuration magic to suppress those beasts from being able to ejaculate. Basically, vasectomy through magic. It sounds scary, and honestly, against mortals, especially when being raped, it doesn't even sound practical. I reminded her that she had begged Karim to not cum inside her either, suggesting that she could get pregnant, to which she simply laughed. "No? How could a mortal impregnate ME? I just didn't want his cum because I didn't want some lesser mortal having his way with me!"

Yeah, I should've figured that one out…

Either way, she went on to explain that there is indeed an entire school of magic devoted to kinky and perverted spells, and while most of what she was doing can be linked to Conjuration magic, this "sub-school" draws inspiration from all six great schools of magic, if that makes sense. I guess it does, since the lines between schools of magic are blurry to begin with. Some argue Soul Trap is a Conjuration spell, for example, even though I've always used it as a Mysticism spell.

Anyway, to answer my earlier question, this school of magic absolutely does contain a spell that can be used to remove, eject, and clean semen, and even remove fertilized eggs before they start seriously growing up. The biggest positive here is that there's no need for tools, gadgets, or expensive Soul Gems; all you need is your own magicka.

Fortunately, Staada knows this spell, and while she's happy to lend her hand in using it on me when needed, she can't teach it to me. She's not a good teacher, for starters, or so she says, and this really isn't something that you can teach others anyway. "These spells are traditionally self-taught during sex, and everyone does them a little differently, so you need to learn this your own way", she claimed.

As a final question on the topic, I asked if there was anything else she could tell me about the subject, and oh boy, was she happy to babble! Being a "Grandmaster of Conjuration", in her own words, she personally recommended that for me as a good starting point, considering I'm pretty damn good at it myself. Summoning and dominating creatures, even altering their physiology, it's all possible for a skilled conjurer. Just like she was dominating the minds of those lesser Daedra to make them fuck her as sex slaves, I bet quite a few mortal men have summoned Daedra like Dark Seducers just so they could fuck them. You can even "loan" male reproductive organs to grow a dick and "wield" it as a female. Think about it; girls can have dicks too! That's crazy!

But I don't know if that's for me personally. Like, I saw what Staada did, and I'm not sure if I'd have the heart for it, or if I'd even be interested. I've only ever had sex with a creature one time, and while I didn't hate it… I prefer my own kind! Humans and elves! When I told this to Staada, she just giggled and said it's an acquired taste.

I'd say it's a matter of taste, but I'll just quietly take her word for it without arguing back…

To close our discussion, Staada said she wanted to travel with me, and spend more time in the mortal world. I mean, sure, but I can't keep her summoned forever, can I? I imagine keeping her on Tamriel taking a toll on me, but I think I can take her at least on that trip to Hlormaren after we leave tomorrow.

Morning Star, 9th, 3E 428

Strongholds and castles built by Dunmer are nothing like the castles you come across in areas settled by humans. They're typically kind of like these ten-meter-tall ziggurat-like structures with steep, unclimbable walls, with some buildings built on the top. There aren't any kind of extra defenses like battlements on top of the main walls either, but the keep built on top of the platform typically provides an extra layer of security for its defenders. Despite this, approaching these strongholds from the front is often difficult.

This one has been taken over by bandits, and considering its location on the salty marshes of the Bitter Coast surrounded by hard-to-traverse terrain and woods, it's an excellent base of operations for anyone fortunate to hold it. For example, Hlaalu, which controls the territory, hasn't been able to get rid of the bandits and regain control here. The only way for us to enter it was through the old drainage basin that connects the old sewers to the sea. There was a pier with two boats docked right by the entrance, along with a guard who had fallen asleep leaning against his pike. We left him alone.

Next, we found some rats, nothing we couldn't handle, but once we made it to the stairway that connected the sewers to the keep, we found out we weren't dealing with just any ordinary bandits. These guys are slavers whose specialty is kidnapping adventurers and travelers. We found ourselves in an unfortunate situation where we were flanked from two fronts, lured into an ambush.

It happened before we had even realized it. They must've seen us approach the stronghold from their vantage point on top of the walls because their pincer attack was perfect. They didn't bear their weapons at us, for they didn't see us as a threat, and considering that we hadn't harmed any of them in any way, they weren't really angry either. If anything, they must've felt humored by the sight of three little kids dressed to fight in the underbellies of their castle.

Us three against six fully grown men, with no advantage of surprise on our side, we had no chance of victory. We didn't go down without a fight, but after they caught Aliya almost instantly, I knew they were gonna get me too. I didn't even get to think about escaping. Staada was the only one left standing, but she crumbled as soon as she saw me lose, which caused her to let go of the spell she had used to conjure her weapons and armor. And yeah, she has that spell active all the time, never actually wearing anything else, not even underwear, but that's neither here nor there. They put us all in chains, all three of us. The bondage equipment they have isn't top-of-the-shelf stuff and isn't even enchanted, but with our hands bound, we weren't gonna be able to fight.

First, they separated "the Elves" from me and said that they were gonna have a real good gangbang at their expense, while the Dunmer leader, who's coincidentally my target for execution, took me elsewhere with two other men. On the way to his private chamber, he also snatched the dagger from me, saying that I must be one rich bitch to be holding such a toy, but also stupid for not investing in proper armor. He actually slapped me on my ass and said that I wasn't even wearing any pants. For your information, my shorts are really, really short, and I like them that way.

Their boss bent me over on his bed and exposed me, eager to stick his prick inside. He said it's been such a long time since he's had some preteen pussy as he penetrated me, complimenting me on my size, my frame, and my tightness… and he promised that they'd be gentle as we didn't actually cause a big ruckus. I don't know why, but I felt like entertaining him a little, so I simply nodded and apologized for being bad. He got me moaning real quick after getting a good handful of my chest, commenting on how I must like what's going on. I'm not sure if "like" was the right word, but at least I wasn't panicking. I was very much calm, and still am.

He took his sweet time with me, actually pumped in and out of me longer than I anticipated, and finally filled me with his sticky substance. That's also when the realization hit me; I had my first period the other way, meaning that I'm actually in danger of getting knocked up here. It makes me wonder, is the chance random, does it change depending on the day, or am I just straight up going to get pregnant every single time someone does it inside without me intervening in any way? I probably should've studied the subject a little before departing…

Regardless, something surprising happened after that. They undid my bindings as they proceeded to undress me of the rest of my garments, and even after having me naked, they never tied the cuffs back together. They did leave the leathery bracelets, anklets, and the collar on, though. The next man turned me on my back and called me cute as he stuck his dick between my legs. The other one was kneeling next to my face, poking his dick against my cheek and urging me to suck it. I humored him too, did everything they asked me to, and never objected to a thing. They even commented on it, saying that I must either be a huge, naughty slut, or up to something. In the end, it didn't seem to matter to them because they never perceived me as a threat.

After these two men were done, they were pretty much done with me for the day. They didn't make me cum, which left me wanting a little, but they didn't put me through hell either. They said they'd come back to me after sundown though, saying that they're gonna have some more fun with me and the other two later.

And then, after that, they threw me into a prison cell, naked but surprisingly still untied. Did they forget, or do they just not care? Doesn't matter to me! I'm just glad. They didn't bother to go through my stuff either, which is a good thing, as they would've probably confiscated all the potions and poisons and even realized I'm actually here to kill someone.

I still feel a link to Staada, which means that she hasn't returned to the Shivering Isles yet. I'm actually surprised by how long my summoning spell lasts! Usually, these kinds of summoning spells last only half an hour at maximum, especially when working with more powerful spirits such as Aureals, but she's been lingering in this world for hours now. What's up with that? And can she not return to Oblivion by herself? Well, whatever it is, it must suck for her right now, as she's been enslaved as well.

Kind of makes me wonder, how are those two faring anyway? I fear for the worst, but hope for the best.

Morning Star, 10th, 3E 428

Yesterday was pretty tame in comparison to what happened overnight. We were all brought to some special room underneath the barracks, with three pillories set up, all next to each other. They pushed us forcefully to our knees, using leathery whips to force their will over us, and locked our wrists and necks between wooden beams and reinforced steel.

We were all in very different situations, suggesting we had all reacted somewhat differently to what was happening. As you already know, I was under minimal restraints, but the same couldn't be said about Staada. A ball-gag had been pulled tightly into her mouth, making speaking completely impossible for her, and they had extra restraints on her wrists as well to make it impossible for her to use any kind of magic. I suppose that makes sense, as she's an expert conjurer in her own right, being able to summon a complete set of golden armor and weapons at will. Aliya, who they had figured for a mage, was also under similar restraints as far as her hands were considered, but that was it. I wonder, did they gag Staada up because of her being extra feisty and foul-mouthed?

Only a single man was set to watch over us, an old-looking Nord with two missing fingers in his left arm, an eyepatch, and a muscular body full of scars. He wasn't gonna do anything for us personally, apart from using that whip of his to crack over our skins. Instead, he had a whole pack of hungry hounds ready to feast.

Instead of domesticating wolves, the locals prefer to train Nix-Hounds. These giant arthropods have nothing in common with canines biologically, considering they aren't even mammals, but they're roughly the same size, walk on four legs, and behave in very similar manners otherwise. They're intelligent, easy to train, and like to hunt and live in packs. This Nord was their trainer, and he was gonna let his little pets have their way with us.

They'd been trained to not claw or bite us, but it didn't stop them from being violent. I could only focus on myself, not so much my friends, but no doubt they were being treated just like I was. The hound first pushed its head, or more accurately, its horn, between my legs which I was trying to keep close as shut as possible, even though I knew that in this embarrassing position, I could not twist my legs or body in any direction to shield my quim. After rubbing and pushing against me for a while, it climbed on top of me, rested its front legs on the wooden pillory over me, and poked its reproductive organ forward, guiding it toward the right entrance. I was trying to shake it off, but it was all pointless. Before long, its tip found its intended target and its hot pulsating rod entered me.

The creature was ferocious and relentless with its thrusts from the get-go, pushing my body into the pillory hard, almost as if wanting to fuck me straight through the wooden frame. It hurt a lot. Like seriously, getting used to its size and shape took a good while, and I felt like my skin was gonna tear, but the stinging, uncomfortable pain was quickly replaced by spasms of pleasure, and soon, the hound released its sperm into me. It was by far the longest ejaculation I'd ever experienced, and the volume must've been inhuman too. Men are usually done pretty fast after they orgasm, but this thing had two minutes' worth of cum to unload into me before it eventually pulled out.

That was just the first, and another took its place immediately. There were at least a dozen of them, and they were all so eager in the beginning, practically competing to see which would mount me next. And then, even after cumming, they grew horny again from watching and waiting. No question about it, the same Nix-Hounds pounded us at least two times each, maybe even three. I don't even know how long it took. All I know is that by the time it was over, I couldn't even feel my damn legs. My stomach was bulging with cum, with most of it pooling on the floor right between my legs, and when the Nord finally came to unlock the pillories, I just collapsed on the rocky floor. Half-awake, half-passed out, I could make out enough of my surroundings to see I was being carried back to the jail.

I must've properly fallen asleep after that because when I eventually woke up, Staada was tending to me. Staada told me they forgot to tie her up again after locking her up, not that it would've mattered. I could've gotten rid of those whimsy toys at any time. She had just finished "cleaning" both of our bodies from the foul taint of those creatures and was happy to announce that she didn't think I was pregnant with any of those bandits' children either.

They seem to still be keeping Aliya separate from us. Not sure why.

I was also able to confirm with Staada that she indeed will stay summoned until someone - who in most cases is me - banishes her, or until Sheogorath calls her back to the Shivering Isles, but never out of her own volition. Why can he do it? Well, he's a god who holds authority over this entire race of Daedra, so it only makes sense for him to be able to override even my dominion over Staada. She couldn't explain why my power over her is so strong, or maybe she just didn't want to. Either way, we decided it would be best for me to not banish her, as it would just show these fools that they're dealing with a Daedra rather than an elf. It would also prove to them that I possess magical talents, which might work against me in the long run.

Then, I told her that tonight, we're gonna escape. We're gonna use the fact that they're not expecting us to be able to fight back without physical weapons against them, and take them out quietly one by one. Yeah, the plan is dangerous, but it's the only way for us to succeed. I think we'll be fine though.

Morning Star, 11th, 3E 428

Come midday, the bandits finally came for us, but we were waiting in ambush. Before the two men who had come to get us could even realize we had escaped the jail, I slit the throat of one open while Staada tried to assassinate another. She unfortunately failed to catch him by surprise, allowing the bandit to alert his allies, but Staada's scimitars could still slice him up quickly. It didn't go as planned, so we had to improvise a little on how to go forward.

With only bound daggers to work with, I could adequately test my marksmanship skills. An armed bandit dressed in rusty iron plate, having realized what was going on, entered the prison corridor, but since he didn't know our exact location, all he could do was tell us to come out quietly and he would show mercy. I was waiting for him to pass me before I could strike from a dark cell, and as soon as I had a clear view of him, I threw the dagger at him, straight into the gap in his armor which left his neck unprotected. I quickly summoned another dagger to finish the work, but having to concentrate on the spell left me vulnerable. An enemy archer had me in his aim, but Staada's wide blade could shield me. She rushed at the enemy so fast he couldn't even draw his own blade and faced a quick decapitation. Only two remained inside the castle, with the rest of the enemies being on guard outside.

We found the Nord asleep, which was a straightforward kill, and the ringleader had woken up early to rape Aliya, who he was fucking hard from behind. He didn't even notice me entering his private quarters and picking up my ebony dagger sitting on top of his clothes. I had his life in my hands, and I knew it, so I simply just placed him in a chokehold with the tip of my dagger pressed against the side of his throat, an assassination hold that Teinaava had taught me during my stay in the Cheydinhal sanctuary. I wanted him to beg and plead for one last time before going on to kill him for real, and as he tried to shake me off, I pushed the blade deeper, killing him slowly.

Considering that the underbellies of the stronghold were more or less empty now, we could take our sweet time retrieving Aliya's stuff as well as loot the place clean of everything we could reasonably carry before escaping through the sewer. Didn't bother to look for the rest of the bandits and instead just skedaddled the fuck outta there as fast as possible. They must've been shocked to find two-thirds of their gang dead with their loot missing. At least we can safely say they didn't follow us.

And on that note, it sure feels great that we were able to escape that place without having to rely on outside help. The old me would've never succeeded, and I'm not sure if I would've succeeded alone either. It's a good thing we have each other.

There's actually a safe place for us to rest here in Graar Mok before we continue northward. Dreugh-jigger's Rest is its name, and it's a small, poor tavern that serves as a safe haven for the Thieves Guild members. We met a friendly face there, you see. Wadarkhu was a Khajiit who was there when I was saved from the Camonna Tong. We weren't expecting to run to him here, but he was more than happy to give us shelter and take some of the loot away from us for a price.

Tomorrow, we continue our long road to Gnisis, which is the last stop on our way to the shrine of Mehrunes Dagon. Both me and Aliya have work there.

Morning Star, 12th, 3E 428

There isn't much interesting to talk about regarding the assassination I conducted. That outlaw also had an active bounty on his head by the Legion, which made it all just easier. Bilen Velothril, along with his three associates, who were holed up in the nearby cavern of Mat, now lie dead thanks to our collective efforts.

Aliya's work here was actually something that she got from the Telvanni. I didn't even know they had ground here, but I suppose I was wrong! There's an old Velothi tower named Arvs-Drelen within the city limits where a man named Baladas Demnevanni lives, and Aliya interviewed him about the Dwemer, saying this was a request given to her by the Mouth of Archmagister Gothren. I have no idea what a "Mouth" is. Is it a rank or something?

Anyway, Baladas is one of the most prominent Dwemer scholars alive, and despite being a high-ranking member within the House Telvanni, he's not too interested in politics. All he cares about is research. Still, despite not wanting to be too involved with the Telvanni, he was happy to have a short chat with a curious young girl wanting to learn about the history of this land.

They first talked something about their artifacts and language, and honestly, I wasn't paying too much attention. The only part I found even moderately interesting is that their books and writings have never been successfully translated into any modern commonly-spoken language, and although some of their writings have been written in old Aldmeris, there are a lot of words out there that have no direct translation, which makes their language near-impossible to understand.

On the topic of their disappearance, he started going on about "earth bones" and "dissecting the process of the sacred willing itself into the profane" or something. The whole thing just flew over my head, and I have no fucking idea about half the thing he was babbling about. How do you "create the sacred from the deaths of the profane"? What the fuck does "generation of ritualistic anti-creations" even mean? Well, apparently, it was this that resulted in their immediate removal from the Mundus and why they left no traces behind, according to HIM anyway. Even he's not sure. He also theorizes that they could've "retreated behind math", "behind color", and "behind the active principle itself".

I think this guy is tripping hard on Skooma! He's not making any sense!

Well, I don't care. The answers were satisfactory to Aliya, and she thanked the man dearly. We did later joke about how he probably just fed her word-soup. Tomorrow we'll travel to that Daedric shrine Eno marked on my map. Hopefully, it won't be too dangerous in there.

Morning Star, 13th, 3E 428

My mission of recovering the first piece from the hands of Dagonists brought me all the way to the westernmost point of Vvardenfell, where on the tip of a peninsula lies the partially sunken shrine of Yassamidan. Me, Staada, and Aliya managed to get rid of the six cultists along with their minions without causing much ruckus, picking them up individually without alerting the others and being overwhelmed by their superior numbers. Not much to report, at least not until I had the grand idea of approaching the statue of Mehrunes Dagon, eyeing the offering on the silver plate, a fistful of precious gemstones. I guess the lord of destruction himself had his watchful eye on what was happening in this hall because before I could even get my fingers on the jewels, he spoke to me, or rather, us.

"Why have you desecrated my shrine, mortals?" he asked, with his voice booming and startling all of us. Yet, despite sounding angry, he admitted to being amused, and impressed by us for taking out his Dremora and killing his mortal worshippers. He said that if they genuinely could not defend themselves, their lives, and their belongings from some pathetic little children, then perhaps they deserved to die.

That seemed to also give him an idea, as he admitted to seeing something in us. That's Aliya and me, to be specific; he called Staada just a pawn, which honestly pissed her off and caused her to toss obscenities at Dagon, causing me to dismiss her back to the Isles before she would get us all in trouble for calling him the prince of giga-wankers.

Dagon then suggested there was something we could do to him and told us to prove ourselves worthy by carrying out an assassination in his name. Aliya seemed to be against it, but I'm not afraid of striking a deal with the devil. Granted, I want to have something in return. I expressed my interest, so he continued and laid down the terms.

One of his most precious treasures and artifacts, Mehrunes' Razor, the slayer of man and mer, has fallen into the hands of an unworthy elf, a priest of the Tribunal. Since the death of its previous rightful owner, it has not claimed a single life in decades and instead lies dormant in some ancient family tomb. Dagon finds this insulting. He wants me to steal it from the tomb and claim the life of the elf overseeing the burial tomb. I should be able to find the dagger somewhere north of Molag Mar, and the elf in the temple inside the aforementioned town. "Coat the blade with his blood to restore the Razor to its former glory."

It's pretty far from where we are right now, but the next time I'm in the area, I'll look for the Razor. It doesn't seem like he cares about me hunting down his followers to recover the Threads of the Webspinner either, so that's good.

Speaking of which, I found two pieces here. The first was a belt, while the second one was some kind of a ring. I'm not entirely sure about the ring, actually, but it does strike a resemblance to the glove I got from Severa, as well as this belt, so they're probably of the same set. Still, that's only three pieces down. Collecting these might actually take a while, especially if there really are twenty-seven of them…

It's time for us to return to the south. Since we've got no place to visit in between, we're gonna be real lazy and enjoy a ride on a Silt Strider.

• 15th Journal - Service to Two Gods (By Kanna)