JoS/Kanna/15th Journal - Service to Two Gods

Morning Star, 16th, 3E 428

We won't spend too much time in Balmora, as we're leaving tomorrow morning. Still, even if it's just for one day, it's always nice to see familiar faces and sleep under familiar blankets.

Karim said he's happy for me starting to grow up properly with my menstruation starting, and while I'm "plenty cute" already, he also said he can't wait to see just what kind of a strong and beautiful woman I'll grow up to be. When he puts it that way, he sure does make it sound a bit exciting. I'll be turning ten this year as well. It really won't be long until I'm in my teens!

Regarding work with the Thieves Guild, Habasi had nothing for me or Aliya, but suggested visiting other ringleaders, who might have something instead. She specifically mentioned Big Helende, who runs a business in Dirty Muriel's Cornerclub in the shadow of the Wolverine Hall, just south of Sadrith Mora.

As for active Morag Tong writs, I was trusted with only one. It's another petty contract, this time paid and bankrolled by Hlaalu. I'm meant to get rid of a treasury worker who embezzled quite a lot of money from them before going on a run and seeking refuge within a gang of criminals housing themselves in Vivec City, inside the sewers of St. Delyn canton. We're going there next anyway, so I have no problems getting rid of this guy. Still, a death sentence is a rather steep price to pay for mere theft of money, is it not? That must've been a huge sum of cash he stole! I'm hoping that the payment for a job well done will be equally big!

Morning Star, 18th, 3E 428

I had to walk into the holy city alone, as Aliya couldn't risk being seen by the Ordinators. She waited for me in Castle Ebonheart, or in Six Fishes Inn, to be specific.

Getting to St. Delyn district was fairly easy, and finding our way to the sewers, also so. I really don't get why people call this city confusing. There are just seven cantons, eight if you count the temple, and nine if you also count the palace. The layout is simple, and every damn building is built the same way, so why the controversy? Anyway, just because something's easy doesn't mean it's fun. Sewers are never fun places. They're smelly and filled with rats!

We - as in Staada and I - thought we had found the place we were looking for when we found a door guarded by a lone Nord male. He wasn't easy pickings for a sneak with his back against the door, so I wasn't sure how to proceed. Staada suggested we could try to flank him from two sides, and that's what we did.

This man didn't take arms or even seem displeased at our presence. He immediately recognized Staada as an Aureal and couldn't believe it, loudly asking what a Golden Saint was doing in this place. Surprised by his friendly attitude, I told him she was my servant and under my direct control and received some compliments from him for it. He then asked me if I'd come to pay tribute to the Mad God, which left me a little confused. Apparently, he was guarding a holy ground, as behind those doors laid Ihinipalit, the busiest shrine of Sheogorath in all of Morrowind, a place of worship, stories, and generally speaking, just overall happiness. Turned out, this wasn't the place we were looking for, but we let ourselves be invited in anyway, as Staada seemed convinced it was going to be perfectly safe.

The shrine was rather small, consisting of the Sheogorath's statue in the middle and three cozy bedrooms with pathways leading to them through each wall of this square room. Haki the Nord introduced me to his good pals Ormax and the leader Bjadmund. Ormax the Breton was a pretty quiet guy, while Bjadmund the Nord was loud and boisterous as all hell. Such a friendly guy though, albeit also a bit creepy. Had that "perverted uncle" vibe to him, for lack of a better word. This bald Nord kept asking me if I was ticklish and said he loves tickling cute kids and making them laugh, calling himself a master tickler and talking about his soft touch of laughter. I'm not exactly sure what to make of him, but he sure has that madness you can expect from a follower of Sheogorath.

I also asked them about the man I was looking for, and after explaining I had been sent to kill him, they told me they would be honored to assist me on my righteous quest of taking this foul, foul bandit down. That's exactly what happened. Those three helped me and Staada kill every last bandit in their lair.

Then, as we returned to the shrine, they urged me to approach the altar at the foot of the statue, saying the Mad God wanted to talk to me. It was the first time I had actually taken a good look at it, and there was something so familiar about this man with a walking cane. His visage was in the form of an Imperial man with a long beard and a fluffy mustache, dressed in exquisite Nibenese garments. Something about it reminded me of that man I met when I was four, the one that showed me pretty magic tricks when I was feeling down, the one who told me that I too had the power to cast such pretty spells, and when I finally heard his voice, that reminded me of that old man too.

"Welcome, welcome", the booming voice spoke with great energy put into both words, as the voice of a god reached out to me from Oblivion. He said it was so good for him to meet me again, mentioning how he was so very proud of seeing what an adorable specimen of a little brown girl I've grown up to be. He all but confirmed to me that he was indeed the man who I met that day, but how? I didn't know that the Daedric princes could just walk on Tamriel so freely. I mean, it shouldn't be possible? Not anymore, anyway. Maybe there are exceptions…

He went on to say that he has blessed me with many great gifts. First, it was just encouragement, but as I've grown, both physically and mentally, becoming both "cuter" and "crazier", he's also helped me in tapping into his realm for a higher level of magic by whispering instructions into my ear. An ordinary mortal can't hear or perceive the Mad God's whispers - I sure never have - but you can comprehend and learn from them, provided your mind is strong enough; "a real trial and test for a mortal's feeble psyche", as he put it. Supposedly, his whispers even helped me a ton in taming a certain little commander, a hotheaded and unpredictable girl whom no other mortal has ever been able to tame before me. He was obviously referring to Staada, but to speak of her as a "commander" makes me wonder if she is actually special herself.

Why has he done all this? Well, does he need a fucking reason? He's the prince of madness! According to him though, he's lately taken a greater interest in mortals due to searching for a perfect champion. I suppose that makes me a candidate for that?

He also said that there's very little he's asked of me in return, which has mostly been due to him not finding me capable, at least not yet. Now though, now that he has molded me with his image in mind, now that I'm starting to show the "characteristics of insanity and madness", he'll be happy to set me on a glorious quest! Those are his words, by the way, not mine. Oh, and of course, he says I do not have a right to refuse, not anymore anyway! I mean, I've accepted all those gifts from him, so it's only fair for me to pay him back, right? I owe it to him! Nevertheless, this "glorious quest" will serve as a real test of whether I truly have what it takes to become a candidate to become his champion.

"First", he said, "I know what you want. I know what you talked with my wee Saint about, and I know it interests you, you little pervert. Don't even try to deny it! You wish to tap into magic so debaucherous that even my good pal Sanguine would approve of it! Fear not, just like you could do those pretty magic tricks when you were a toddler, you can do these tricks too! Don't believe me? I know just the man who can prove it to you! We'll be crushing two Scribs with one stone here!"

That was the end of that encounter, and I turned towards Bjadmund, who gave me the details on my epic quest. In short, I must first find my squire, an Argonian named Big Head, living in seclusion on an island in the Sheogorad region. Big Head, in turn, will provide me with a holy, dragon-slaying relic that I must first train to wield properly, and then use to rescue a princess. I pressed him on the question of dragons, and he confirmed this indeed is my quest here. "Oh yes", he said, "it's a fearsome dragon you'll be slaying". He also said he's eagerly awaiting my return and reminded me that he's always up for some tickling if I'm interested, but only if I consent. He claimed that consent just makes tickling hotter or something.

In other news, I met up with Eno, who was happy with me recovering two pieces of the Webspinner set, saying it would really seem that we're dealing with Dagonists after all. Makes sense why he's had so little luck recovering these pieces from hunting down Dark Brotherhood members. For now, he said I should await further orders and return in a week or so. There's not much work to be done right now, and he thinks he must do some research on where Mehrunes Dagon is being actively worshipped. There are many shrines to him, but not all of them are active, you know!

That concludes my business in Vivec City. Man, what a day. I did not expect to meet with a cult worshipping Sheogorath, much less to commune with the Mad God himself. I really don't even know what to make of all this. Have I really been blessed by him or something? Why, because he thinks I'm crazy or something? Besides, it's not just him either; Mephala and Mehrunes Dagon also took an interest in me. I mean, why? I'm just a nobody, am I not? Or is this just normal? I guess some of these Daedra love dealing with us mortals…

I also asked Staada if what Sheogorath said about helping me tame her was true and how that made her feel, which made her giggle. "I told you, didn't I?" she reminded me. "No puny mortal could ever control me, and you certainly aren't an exception." Looking back, I guess she did say something along those lines, huh…

Still, it's all true, according to her as well. Sheogorath has indeed allowed me to own her, but she doesn't ultimately mind. Yeah, she was apprehensive about the idea initially, but that was mostly because of how shocked she was to be bound by some little girl's spell. Can't blame her for that. I would've been shocked too, especially as Sheogorath never told her about his decision to have her serve me! Must've decided the whole thing on a whim!

Besides, like she said before, she likes me and wants to get to know me better, which is reassuring. It's good to know she's being genuine and not just acting nice because I'm her mistress.

In any case, tomorrow we'll travel to Molag Mar, a village about a half day's walk to the east of Suran. We'll probably go on foot, as tomorrow's looking to turn out sunny!

Morning Star, 19th, 3E 428

Molag Mar reminds me of Vivec City a lot. It's basically just one canton, almost identical to those you find in the holy city - even built on water - but it doesn't have a roof over its uppermost floor, its plaza. I guess there's also the fact that this place is in the middle of a volcanic wasteland instead of beautiful greenery, but whatever. This, too, is a holy site and a popular way-stop here in the volcanic wastes of Molag Amur. The Temple's presence here is strong. Despite this, Aliya didn't seem too bothered about being seen. The guards still have their eyes on us, but none of them did so much as utter a word to us.

I left my friends to set up a room in the local tavern and headed out to do my primary mission here. I had to figure out exactly where the Razor would be buried and who its local owner would be. The temple was already closed, and they wouldn't have told me anything anyway, so I had to do all of this stealthily.

There are many burial sites and ancient tombs around this area, some of which are closer than the others. I didn't even know what to look for until I started reviewing the family names of the tombs. Two out of twelve were a match with a current registry of employers here in this temple. One of them is by the sea down the road we came, while the other is located on the north-western slopes of Mount Assarnibibi, some twenty kilometers to the north from here.

This one is a total no-brainer; we're gonna search the Raviro Ancestral Tomb first, which is close by. If that's a miss, we'll trek through mountains towards the tomb of Alas. Hopefully, the first one is a match, as I don't feel like hiking.

Morning Star, 20th, 3E 428

Surprise, surprise, visiting the tomb of the Raviro family was a waste of time.

Assarnibibi, the mountain visible to us throughout our journey, is another holy site in the Tribunal temple's lore, according to some travel map I found in a general store when we were leaving. Not sure why though, because to me, this mountain looks just like any other, except maybe a little bit taller than average and a lot blacker. We weren't headed for its summit though, so let's talk about the family tomb of Alas.

It looked just like any other boring burial from the outside, but inside, instead of finding undead, we found the once-dead owner's familiars still guarding his remains. A pair of Scamps was the least of our problems, with me being able to take them out silently. A damn Clannfear then challenged us, and let me just tell you, as unassuming as they look, they're quick and deadly. I'm ill-suited to deal with them, but Staada taught me that trying to get behind them and running circles around them is an effective strategy, as their bulky heads are invulnerable to damage, while their short legs are awfully slow at turning.

An Ogrim then surprised us from behind, but Staada, being as resourceful and fabulous as ever, could save me from being grabbed. It took our collective efforts to take it down though. The fire Atronach was left for Aliya to handle, as we didn't really feel like getting burned by getting close to it. A smart sequence of shutting down its magical defenses and a barrage of electricity later, the elemental exploded in a spectacular burst.

I approached the now skeletal remains of the man resting in his coffin and found an old dagger. The scabbard is in pristine shape with the letter "O" in Daedric alphabet carved on it, but the blade looks brittle and unusable. It sure is pretty, but is this truly Mehrunes' Razor, a weapon of legend? More importantly, am I supposed to put down a priest with this? I guess it's doable, but the blade's not exactly sharp. It's gonna be a painful kill, I'm sure.

Now, we're gonna lay down in the makeshift camp we put together. The weather is lovely with no clouds in sight, so I bet we're gonna have a fantastic sleep. No bandits around these parts either, just pilgrims and wild animals. Staada will keep watch over the night to make sure nothing happens to us. After that, she'll get some well-deserved time off.

Morning Star, 21st, 3E 428

We made it back to Molag Mar, but instead of settling down to rent a new room, we didn't even make our presence known. We figured out when the next boat would be leaving and found a safe passage into the plaza. Even though it was the middle of the day, I snuck into the temple, because there was no way I was gonna let anyone see me.

After sneaking and searching around for a while, for way longer than I anticipated, I figured out where my target was. I didn't have much time, so I had to be quick. I knew that the ship was gonna leave the port at any moment and I wasn't gonna be late.

Lucky for me, my target was in his own study, writing something, probably work-related, but I didn't care to check. He didn't see me, which allowed me to walk right behind him, so close I could touch him. I wanted to humor him with a chat, but the risk was too great, and I didn't have time either. I simply stabbed his heart as hard as I could. It was a shitty stab with a shitty weapon, and he was even capable of making noise during his final breaths. In a hurry, I slit his neck open, or at least tried to. Like seriously, that was NOT a kill I'm proud of!

I could hear someone running towards the room, and the door was open. Worse yet, it was the only exit! In a panicked haste, I thought about hiding somewhere, and suddenly remembered the little toy I had on my finger. Never had I ever used it before, so I simply prayed it would work perfectly as I activated its power and cloaked myself, just in time to step into invisibility and hide from the horrified priestess' view. She was shouting and screaming at guards or anyone to come to aid. She couldn't believe that Master Alas was dead.

I could slip past her and started running as fast as possible, but even though I could not be seen, I was obviously making noise. She noticed my transparent visage, and her spell helped her locate my lifeforce and see the marking of my soul through her eyes. Still, no way she could've recognized me. She tried to strike me with an icy spear, which shattered on impact against the clay wall. Imagine an arrow, except ten times thicker, twice as long, and just as quick in the air; like shit, that kind of spear could've killed me! I knew I would be fast enough to escape her, but what if the other priests, mages, or even trained guards could use a similar style of magic?

Fortunately, I made it out of the temple without any additional problems. I could hear the woman shouting orders at her colleagues about the assassin having escaped, trying to get them to secure any possible exits, and to me, it seemed clear that she couldn't perceive my presence anymore. By the time the Ordinators were aware of what was going on, I had already slipped past them too.

Just as I had suspected, the ship had raised its anchor, and it was leaving. Aliya was already on the board, seeming a little distraught about me not making it in time, wondering if she should abandon the ship. She didn't have to because I simply tapped on her shoulder, asking if she paid for me. She nodded and hugged me, asking if I had gotten into trouble.

Well, yes, I got into trouble, but it'll be fine… I hope…

This is an Imperial trade ship en route to Castle Ebonheart. That's a bummer, as we were supposed to go straight to Sadrith Mora, but it'll do. I'll just visit Ald Sotha because isn't that a shrine to Mehrunes Dagon too? Would I be able to restore the Razor there? I sure hope so. I don't want to keep carrying a bloody, rusty dagger around. Even though it's in its scabbard, you can still smell the blood through it.

Morning Star, 22nd, 3E 428

I approached the shrine of Dagon to communicate with him, and placed the Mehrunes' Razor on the altar. His godly magic touched the rusty, bloody dagger sitting at the feet of his statue, and sure enough, he could restore the shining edge of this Daedric weapon to its pristine glory. For a weapon made from Daedric metal, it sure looks… different. It's grey and silvery, and so shiny I can see my reflection on it, but still darker than your typical silver or steel weapon. I swear, it's such a beautiful weapon. It's also my first properly enchanted weapon, with the enchantment supposedly being powerful enough to claim a mortal's life with a single strike. Such a potent boon can't be tapped into on every swing of this dagger, of course, but then again, this is not the kind of weapon one would bring into a hectic melee fight either. It's designed for assassination work and to be used sparsely, which is coincidentally exactly how I like my blades.

Mehrunes Dagon said that he trusts me with carrying it and wreaking havoc on mortals with it, and that was the end of it… or, at least, the end of me talking to him.

Severa seemed simultaneously angered and impressed by me wielding this weapon, a blade she recognized instantly. She asked what in Sithis' name was going on here, and I explained everything that happened to me in Yassamidan, trying to make it clear that it was never my intention to hide anything from her. She nodded, saying she was obviously happy and proud, but also a bit mad about me not consulting her about murdering a priest first. "You shouldn't take unnecessary lives", she said, citing that I should only slay for Sithis.

As for actually wielding and using the Razor? Surprisingly, she didn't have a problem. "If you want to use it, fine, but keep it out of view", were her exact words, and she said them looking over her shoulder to make sure we were still alone. "I'm sure they are looking for the Razor too."

After that, I left. There's no more real work available for me, at least not here. There could be on the east coast, and I kind of need to help Aliya there too.

On a final note, was recovering this artifact honestly a smart idea? Mehrunes Dagon entrusted it with me, but he could be plotting something himself and was merely using me as means of recovering and restoring it. And, like Severa said, there are many who desire this weapon too, many who probably deem me unworthy, such as the rivaling Dagonists. Whether it's the local ones or the Mythic Dawn, they would surely come for me if they found out I wield the Razor.

I have an ugly feeling in my stomach, but I'll hold onto it for now. I have another great dagger too, so it's not like I need it. Granted, this one's enchanted and better in almost every single way… I'll just hide the scabbard under armor and conceal it. Would a cape suit me? A black cloak would be neat and work well with my stealthy approach while blending well with my armor too. Yeah, I'm gonna get myself one!

Morning Star, 24th, 3E 428

Finally, Sadrith Mora! Don't have to worry too much about whether I can get around because Aliya is recognized and welcomed here as brethren. The place we were headed for wasn't in the Telvanni city to the north, though, but in the Wolverine Hall to the south.

Neither of us had met Big Helende yet, but she believed us when we said we're part of the Thieves Guild, especially after Aliya told her Habasi recommended us. She said there's a lot of money to be made in a city this rich, meaning that she also has a LOT of contracts waiting for anyone brave enough to try. She then gave us a list of three difficult-to-acquire items: a recipe for some kind of a specific dispel potion, some cookbook belonging to a Redoran master chef, and a high-quality retort used for alchemy. "A good starting point for me to test your skills", she said.

I see a pattern here. Could it be that mages and thieves work together here in this city, where they both are seen as outsiders by the mighty Telvanni? Aliya says she's not too keen on angering the wrong people though, which I can respect, considering she's trying to advance ranks here.

Anyway, stealing the potion recipe was the easiest part, as we didn't have to actually leave the city for that. Anis Seloth's shop has no unique name, as she operates a business from her house, but that doesn't make her company any less reputable. I actually didn't steal the recipe but instead just copied it on paper. To prove to Helende that it was a real deal and that I wasn't scamming her, she let me use a laboratory in the tavern to brew the potion according to the recipe. It worked as advertised, so that's one out of three deliveries down.

The next job requires us to travel north to Tel Mora, but we're taking the scenic route. Aliya has some places to visit down the road. I think we're gonna start off to the south-west of here and visit the camp of the Erabenimsun tribe. I have no idea what kind of test they will put Aliya through, and I don't even know if I can help her in this quest. Even if I can't… at least I'll give her some emotional support!

Morning Star, 29th, 3E 428

Out of the four great Ashlander clans of Vvardenfell, Erabenimsun is by far the least accepting of outlanders, and the fact that they're not prominent followers of the Nerevarine cult complicated the situation even more. Even with the Moon-and-Star, the proof of her identity, wrapped around Aliya's finger, there were those amongst these Ashlanders who saw her as nothing more than a fake and a fraud.

I kept quiet with Staada on my side as Aliya was asking the questions. The first two people she approached told her she was not welcome and wouldn't be accepted, telling her to go spout her superstitious nonsense elsewhere, but the third one gave a different answer. He also said she wouldn't be accepted, but only if the situation remained as it was. Aliya was quickly granted an audit with the wise woman of Erabenimsun, Manirai, who was more than happy to hear her out and explain what was going on.

Manirai went on to talk about the two faces of Erabenimsun. The side she represents is a peaceful one, and people who side with her act wary but are ultimately friendly toward outsiders. Above everything else, they are respectful of the world around them and the ancestors who paved the way that the modern tribe walks today. One that the Ashkhan Ulath-Pal represents though, is very warlike, violent, and hateful towards outsiders and anyone who allies with them, even the other Ashlander tribes. He and his supporters, most of his Gulakhans, have pushed this way of life ever since taking power following the death of former Ashkhan Airan-Ammu. I kept my mouth shut here as it wasn't my place to butt into the discussion, but I have to wonder, could some of the Ashlanders I was contracted to murder in this general area have been connected to this tribe as well? Wouldn't surprise me.

Manirai hates what this tribe has become, but believes it's not past the point of no return. "Our tribe can be reformed", she said. She herself is getting old, and even though she's very much respected in the current political climate, she has little to no influence over this tribe. She also said she's almost certain that peaceful reformation of the tribe is simply not possible. "What we need is a violent revolution", she said. "It's the only way." Ulath-Pal and his Gulakhans Ahaz, Ranabi, and Ashu-Ahhe must die. If Aliya could pull this off, she would be named the Nerevarine of Erabenimsun.

Aliya is no killer, which makes this all the more complicated, as me doing all the job in her stead wouldn't prove her to the tribe. She seemed troubled but promised that she'd do whatever she could for the betterment of this tribe.

This is where things started going against us. Two of our targets were waiting for us outside, with four of the Ashkhan's other men at bay. The walls of these yurts are thin, and they had been eavesdropping on our discussion. They made it clear that the wise woman's betrayal would not be tolerated and that they weren't gonna take any risks or make any deals with us. They wanted us captured alive and then punished.

They gained an early upper hand, but the fact that they weren't actually trying to kill us three cost them, as we took three of these common bandits down in self-defense. Unfortunately, by that time, everyone had realized what was going on, including the Ashkhan himself. They managed to wound Staada, which was a big shock to me, considering that she's by far the best close-quarters fighter among us. Aliya was also faring poorly, and I knew I wouldn't last long either.

One of the Gulakhans, Ranabi, finally caught me, but he couldn't overpower me in time. In my resistance and attempt to free myself, I managed to strike through his magical barrier to strike a mortal blow to his neck and shoulder, but that would end up being the last thing I managed to do before the men pinned me to the ground. I saw them try to keep Aliya down, but Manirai managed to save her from being captured. I shouted at Aliya to just run away and forget about trying to fight back, and it's a good thing she listened.

Ulath-Pal was smiling, having forced his opponents into submission, but under that wicked grin, I could tell he was seething with rage because one of his Gulakhans was dead, along with three of his other men. One of his men tied my hands tightly behind my back and grabbed me by my hair, pulling it back to expose my face to the angry man. He slapped me square on my cheek, and the stinging pain of his palm immediately forced my eyes to water up. He swore at me, hurled abuse at me, called me a fucking monkey, and likened my skin color to that of his shit. He called me an animal only fit for rape and said he's gonna make me regret stepping onto this island and ever siding myself with the false incarnate. All this made me want to kill him, and I began to understand exactly why Manirai was calling for a violent revolution. Despite my anger, though, there was nothing I could do to stop him from abusing me.

They dragged Staada and me away from the camp into a rocky area behind Ulath-Pal's yurt, and then into an underground passage leading into an egg mine. Ulath-Pal had quite a few slaves down there as free labor for him, but our job down there wasn't to serve our masters through labor but through sexual servitude.

Also, let me just say that these guys are nowhere near as dumb and careless as those bandits in that abandoned stronghold were.

The first thing Ulath-Pal did was make it his mission to punish me personally, although he had a lot of his men to help him with that, and don't forget, Staada was also there with us. They tied slave bracers around our wrists to drain us of our magicka, rendering us helpless, and as if that wasn't enough, they used a lot of rope to tie us up in tight bondage. Ropes that tied my arms and wrists into immovable submission dug against my chest, pressing my arms against my back tightly.

He bent me over and pressed my torso against a table, pushing my head against it with one hand, with his open palm shot smacking against my butt, turning into a squeezing grope. He wanted to make me beg for mercy, promising that I would never live another day a free girl ever again, but I wasn't gonna show him any weakness. I reminded him that it wouldn't matter what he did to me because in the end, Aliya would come for me and save me, but he didn't take me seriously at all. She wouldn't be able to do anything alone and would just be captured as well, or so he said.

Unimpressed by my mental fortitude and unwillingness to give in to his abuse, he brought out more toys with his subordinates. Drugging me was his first course of action, for it would help him force his will over me where his words and actions failed. Next, he pulled a mouth-gag across my face, tightening it as hard as he could to force that ball deep into my mouth, over my tongue, and behind my teeth, and buckling it up so it wouldn't budge. "A slave does not need to be able to speak", he said.

His full attention was on my exposed genitals next, as he vigorously rubbed against my slit. Those harsh brushes from his fingers alongside the cocktail of drugs running through my blood were more than enough to turn me on. I tossed and twisted my hip, but he just stuck his middle finger in and laughed at me, reminding me there was no escape.

"No need to play stubborn", he said as he abused me with his finger. "Your tight, wet, twitching cunt tells me all I need to know", he continued and slapped me on my ass again. Along with a gentle squeeze, he pressed his thumb against my butthole, rolling it around in a circular motion. All that touching, on both my holes nonetheless, just made me want to moan out loud, but I could only mumble onto the wooden ball tucked between my tongue and palate.

Suddenly I felt solid, smooth metal dig through my anus and spread it with every inch it passed into me. A jeweled, enchanted plug filled me, and my butt just gulped it up with only its flat head exposed for Ulath-Pal to look at. That was the last of his toys though, as the next thing poking against me was his actual cock. That stupid, vibrating plug just made his insertion more maddening, and the fact that the effects of Skooma had properly kicked in to wreak havoc on my body wasn't helping me either.

Despite being harsh on words earlier, he had nothing but good things to say when he got around raping me. He called me a beautiful gem, every bit as tight as he hoped me to be, and a girl at the peak of her market value. Of course, the value he saw in me was not the same as a slave trader would see, as he was more than happy to just keep me in his collection, but it went on to show exactly how these people feel about outlanders in these lands. To be regarded as nothing more than an object and openly described as such doesn't feel too good. Still, with him constantly exercising his power over me, not only with his bondage but also with his cock, he showed me that he truly was capable of owning me or anyone else unfortunate to become his prey.

He was surprisingly slow, but every push felt deep and powerful. He was biding his time, and with his hand toying with my groin too, he was gonna make me cum way too fast. This, of course, was just another victory for him, and he made sure to shame me verbally for it, calling me hopeless and weak, a born slut, and a girl meant to be owned by a man.

With every passing minute, his pace grew quicker, and while he seemed at times like he was more than happy to prolong the play, he moved and sounded like he just wanted to cum. He took hold of my leg and lifted it up, continuing to pound me even harder.

Being lifted on my side, I could also see what they were doing to Staada. Just like me, they had tied her up and bent her over a table, but unlike me, she was on her back. She had one of those feeder gags on her face - you know, the kind with the hole to force your mouth open - and two men fucked her at the same time. One cock was pounding her pussy and holding onto her waist, while the other guy had stuck his cock into the feeder, fucking her mouth while the elastic leather made it impossible for her to bite down on it. It also let me notice how two additional men were preparing another table fit for both of us, complete with shackles, bars, and beams melded into it and onto the wall. I could already guess that it was meant for both of us.

Ulath-Pal finally came, and moaned about how I was absolutely sucking him up with my hungry cunt. He grabbed onto my hip so hard and pulled me against his dick too, and the way it was twitching and pulsating as it filled me up pushed me towards another climax. I was already on edge, basically caught in an inescapable chain of pleasure, but the feeling of him forcing his rape-seed into my womb was just too much. He did not pull away at all before he was completely done, and when he did, he did it so slowly and carefully, with my body shivering in pleasure with every single inch his cock pulled out of me. And now that he had had his fun, he was ready to pass me on to his subordinates.

As I suspected, I got to sit on the wide table with beams. With more rope, they tied my knees to this long, horizontal beam that forced my legs wide open while simultaneously pushing them toward my body. With Staada in a similar position next to me, with both of our arms still helplessly bound, our already abused pussies were at the ideal height and in the perfect position for further use. It was Ulath-Pal's punishment for our violence, a hundred-man public-use fucking marathon. The first men came and stuck their cocks into us, thrusting in and out without us being able to do as much as move a muscle to defend ourselves.

There weren't that many of them, only like a dozen or something, but it was more than enough to surround us in that cramped chamber. They didn't line up, but they took turns, and they all took their sweet time. There were no breaks either, as immediately after one man came inside us, another man would take his place. It was a long process that saw no end. I hadn't counted, but this was gonna take a long time.

Ulath-Pal also had the brilliant idea of introducing other slaves to the play when his subordinates began to return to work and their own posts. Mind you, the slaves that work the mine in this wretched place are mostly men, mainly beast folk. They brought a Khajiit with black fur to me, and with whips in their hands and a collar on his neck, they told him to rape me. He seemed hesitant, and I can't blame him. He was forced into doing this too. Not every man under the sun is a sex-hungry, thirsty maniac looking for women and girls to abuse, but according to Ulath-Pal, we were even lower on the pecking order than these workers. I also think there was a bit of desire for him to humiliate me by having me mate with an animal, as he called these Khajiit and Argonians just that.

Now, I may not be into Khajiiti men or furry folk in general, but calling these men animals is just plain offensive. What was a much bigger point of contention for me was the shape of his actual cock. It clearly was different from any other cock I had ever laid eyes on, and to be quite frank, it looked a little scary. They say those barbs are actually meant to stimulate women, but it just looked painful. Besides, a human vagina clearly isn't designed for such phalluses! …Or, so I thought.

His hands tightly clasped around my waist as his long, sharp nails dug into my skin, and he stuck his cock in, whispering "I'm sorry" as he did. With those bony barbs alongside its girth, it made my pussy act up, and my eyes water up. I wanted to moan so bad, and even though it hurt, he made me cum from a simple insertion. He wasn't even bigger than the rest of these men, yet it felt so much more than that. The men urged him to be rough and fuck hard, while all I wanted was for him to slow down. Like seriously, it hurt! Of course it hurt! Don't let the fact that he made me cum distract you from that!

The whole ordeal felt so damn long too, and he made me cum again, and then once more as he was reaching an orgasm of his own. This man was properly in mating mode, and only his own climax would stop him at this point. When he eventually did, I was just so glad and so out of breath. My eyes must've rolled to the back of my head as I breathed deeply. It's a good thing that the next one of the Ulath-Pal's men wanted to do me again, saying that the slaves could wait.

Fortunately, our salvation was on its way, as Aliya went on to prove she was capable of doing great things even alone. Granted, it took this long for her to actually reach us, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried at any point! But she made it, and that's all that matters.

She had first saved Manirai from her chains, in which she was most likely set to die for her betrayal, and in the process of doing so, she had murdered two of the bandits watching over her, as well as Ahaz, who was considered the best warrior in the service to Ulath-Pal. I didn't get to see this, but Manirai likened Aliya to a demon, saying that she actually managed to freeze that man to death in her anger while the man could only beg for his life.

Another thing she managed to do was rally some of those who were on Manirai's side to take arms and fight for their freedom, reminding them of their sacred traditions and customs, and citing that they shouldn't let a mere bandit control them. People were starting to turn their coats, but the deed was not done yet, even though they had the last remaining Gulakhan Ashu-Ahhe under their thumb.

At that point, I had no idea what was going on, but I learned of all of it rather quickly after she finally came to my rescue. Only Ulath-Pal, four of his slaves, and two men to keep check on these guys were present, and Aliya surprisingly managed to catch one of the slavers entirely off guard, going on to defeat the other one in a quick fashion too. Ulath-Pal was properly pissed, especially since the slaves weren't gonna side with him when Aliya promised them they would all be freed today.

Ulath-Pal, with his sword-arm ready, challenged Aliya, and while he did fight almost as if there was an intent to injure and kill, I can't imagine that being something he wanted. He had decades of combat experience over Aliya to make sure he would turn out victorious, and for a moment, it didn't even look like Aliya would be able to strike Ulath-Pal at all. He was able to find a counter to every single attack Aliya had up her sleeve. What he didn't have, however, was knowledge of exactly what kind of hidden weapons Aliya had in her possession.

It was actually quite an amazing sight to see; two simple Alteration spells, "burden" and "telekinesis", were able to deal as much damage to a seasoned warrior as a destruction spell would've. She dodged one of his many quick strikes, but the magically altered weight of the blade crashed down to the floor without him being able to even hold onto it. With a swift motion, she was then able to pick up the sword with her telekinetic magic and launch it straight at his chest. It still wasn't enough to kill him, but a frost spell cast towards the blade all but sealed his fate, making it impossible for him to even draw the sword from his chest. He fell to his knees, and Aliya just kicked the blade deeper, sending the man lying on his back. Even after he was begging at the brink of death on the floor, she just gazed the man down with scorn. She continued to stomp on the blade to drive it deeper, kicking it around, all while the man himself was defenseless to do shit. She was cursing the man all the way through, telling him to go fuck himself in the afterlife, and calling him a piece of shit for abusing her friends.

All I could think was damn, I had no idea she could be this sadistic!

Only his death could calm her, and once she did, she came to our aid to ensure Staada and I were okay. Well, I was still intoxicated and drugged, and despite hurting a lot, I knew I was going to be okay and said as much. In fact, I think Staada is faring a lot worse than me and isn't gonna live this humiliation down anytime soon. She hugged Aliya tightly after being released though. Those two haven't gotten perfectly along so far, mostly due to Staada often making backhanded comments and jokes at my bestie's expense, but I feel that in due time, they're gonna be great friends as well.

Fast forward a few days, and we're still resting at the camp with Manirai tending to our needs. I'm more or less healed and ready to leave soon, and Staada has been able to recover as well, but the rest of this chapter isn't about us.

Unfortunately, Aliya couldn't be named a Nerevarine by the wise woman alone, not before Erabenimsun had its new Ashkhan. Here, we come to a little detail I've neglected to mention until now, which was the case of the fourth Gulakhan, Han-Ammu, the son of Airan-Ammu. Yes, there was a fourth Gulakhan, and he wasn't on Aliya's hitlist for this specific reason.

From the very start, he had been a part of Ulath-Pal's council of Gulakhans thanks to his name recognition alone, thanks to him being blood-related to the man who was Ashkhan before Ulath-Pal took over. However, this didn't make him loyal to that crook, as his ideology was more in line with Manirai. This was all part of her plan as well, as this now meant that he could be next in line to take over the leadership position, which some argue should've been his from the very beginning.

This didn't mean it was easy to convince him to become the new leader, but Aliya and Manirai could persuade him in the end. I guess he must've recognized all the damage that Ulath-Pal had been able to deal to the tribe, and the tremendous effort that Aliya had gone through to help them. In the end, he really is the only one here in this tribe who can unite Erabenimsun.

Anyway, I'm very happy for Aliya now. It wasn't a terribly huge, weeks-long journey for her to gain recognition around here, but that doesn't mean it was easy. Things could've gone seriously wrong here had just one small event transpired differently. Soon, we'll be able to continue our journey further north. We're still headed for Tel Mora for that small job too, but I believe some more adventures with more Ashlanders await us on the way. Hopefully, the remaining tribes will be more welcoming toward us.

• 16th Journal - Grazelands (By Aliya)