JoS/Kanna/3rd Journal - Trip to Suran

Last Seed, 25th, 3E 427

It's been some time since I arrived at this cursed, backwater island of Vvardenfell, here in the province of Morrowind. I haven't been writing because work has been keeping me busy. The money is good, but people are wary of outsiders which makes me feel unwelcome. To top it all off, I'm stuck here. I'll get to why later.

Even though I arrived here as an agent for the Blades, but I haven't been really doing work for them, as there isn't much to work on. Caius Cosades, the Spymaster of the region, is happy with me just keeping my eye out for strange occurrences as well as the work I put out for the Fighter's Guild along with the Imperial Legion. So far, nothing I've seen has raised my eyebrows enough to report to him.

On that note, I've got to say, I never believed I would be actually working with the Legion, not after all that I've gone through with them. To summarize why, it's because it was recommended to me both in the Ebonheart castle when I arrived here by ship, and also by Caius himself. The Imperial-led forces here consider us Redguards here brothers more-so than in Cyrodiil, because we're all men living in the land of the elves. Besides, they told me that kind of work would suit me and that I would without a doubt be a valuable asset. I have many reservations about the Empire, so working for them directly was something that I had to think about for a long time, but ultimately I joined because my chances of making this organization better are better from the inside than they are from the outside.

I spent first week of my stay here on this island just traveling all the way from the south to the village of Gnisis in the north, which is the place where I officially joined the Legion. It's where I was garrisoned for a long time, where I spent training and performing duties, which mostly involved upholding the law and taking patrols along the Bitter Coast and West Weald regions, where criminal activity is rampart due to smugglers - namely Camonna Tong - using the inner sea as a quick route to the island.

As a man used to traveling, my time in that little village was miserable. The most exciting thing that happened to me was me contracting the blight disease. Not just once, but twice. I'm sure you can imagine me being very thrilled about it, I at one point even wondered if I was going to be healed at all. Luckily, I was healed on both occasions. That disease is some scary shit based on what I've been hearing. Worst of all, I couldn't get laid while there to make my stay at least somewhat bearable. Never ran into any other problems though, never had any trouble at work… I climbed ranks quickly all the way to being a Trooper.

As for specific jobs, there was some land dispute, a need for an experienced soldier to delve into a Kwama mine to cure their queen who had contracted blight, and rescuing a hostage from a camp of outlaw Ashlanders.

Besides that, I've recently done plenty of work around Balmora and the surrounding regions. I enjoyed my time traveling and doing work on the road more. It was interesting, and I got to see more places than just that one village. I was also feeling that I was accomplishing so much more, but regrettably, I still hadn't really anyone on this island I could really call a friend. Sure, I had colleagues, some of which I could share alcohol and banter with, but not a real friend, not until two weeks ago when I met her.

It happened in Seyda Neen when I was there on a job regarding increased bandit activity and rumors about a small band of smugglers operating from a nearby cave. To touch a little on that story, it was the first time I had ever come across slave traders, and the conditions in which these poor people were kept in horrified me. One of them was just a child too. I ended up extending my visit due to a murder mystery, which is coincidentally when I met Aliya. She took me on a crazy little adventure which involved delving into some ancient Dwemer ruin to retrieve some treasured puzzle box.

Aliya is a child, but at the same time she has a certain kind of maturity to her. She's way smarter than your average kid, she's cunning and she's charming, but she's also naïve and docile like a child. Being a High Elf, she's naturally taller than many girls her age, but shorter than any adult and most teens. She's got a babyface for sure, but her body, while immature, is also not as childish looking as some of the other girls her age, as she's started to blossom as a woman. She's got some subtle curves on her waist, and her breasts have started to grow a little, and that ass… Damn, that ass. She's so pretty.

As for her skills, how could I say this accurately, but also without being dismissive of her abilities…

She's green. Very, very green. She's only been an adventurer since she was brought to this island, and she hasn't even been here as long as I am. That's how much of a newbie she is. Still, she is talented, so I don't want to be too harsh.

I love spending time with her, and more importantly, I feel like she's a kind of girl I should protect and hold close to me. She told me her story, how she got here, her experiences, and it's some sad shit. I also told her my story, and my sister's story too… Me and her, we may be very different on the outside, with her being a pale and fair High Elf, and me being a tall and muscular Redguard, a black man, but at the same time, in the inside, we share so much in common regarding our past and our values. It's a little embarrassing to admit it out loud, but I don't mind writing it. I might like her a little too much… I'm not sure yet what to make of those feelings. She might even share the feeling, as we ended up even having sex. And let me just tell you, it's the best sex I've had for a long time. Granted, I haven't gotten laid in a long while, but damn did she made my little big magic staff feel lucky that night.

However, as much as I would love to be with her right now, there's someone I feel like I have to be with, and that's my little sister. Aliya told me that she knows my sister, and that they shared a similar fate. That nightmare of a jail where Aliya was, my baby sister still is in. It has to be her from the way Aliya described her, just has to. I feel just so much sadness and hate. I felt like I needed to save her and get to her no matter what. That's why me and Aliya split up in Balmora, after which I traveled alone to Ebonheart. That brings me to what I talked about earlier; me being stuck here.

Here's the problem you see, the biggest problem. This god-forsaken island is under quarantine and a lockdown. Getting here is a long and complicated process, and getting out? Well, that's even harder. The blight disease, the mysterious and highly dangerous disease which originates from the Ashlands, has the whole mainland spooked, especially the Empire. I should already know this, as I said, I contracted it twice already. No ordinary healer can cure it, and it may even be incurable in some cases.

This was made very clear to me when I spoke with Varus Vantinius, or as I like to call him, the "Big Fish". His actual rank is "Knight of the Imperial Dragon", and he's the leader of the whole Imperial Legion on this island, the dude in charge of pretty much everything. Getting to talk to him was a difficult enough task as it was, but eventually I was led to him because he was the only person who could even authorize my departure from this island.

I stood in front of his desk, and I pleaded my case to him, as he listened with interest. Then, it was time for us to have the real discussion.

"I am well aware of the reports regarding the conduct that took place in that branch of the Imperial City prison. In fact, I believe that the investigation should be concluded by now, as we speak, and the rumor is that it's put under a new, better leadership, with the previous leader and his accomplishes facing heavy punitive measures. What puzzles me greatly though is how have you acquired this information? We're talking about classified information here and there's no way it should've reached all the way here."

"Sir, I met with someone who had been recently released from that place. She was brought here."

"Who is this someone, if I may ask?"

"Her name is Aliya, sir. She's a young Altmer, maybe like ten or eleven years old."

"That sounds highly suspicious to me", Varus said, with a doubtful look in his eyes. "I know better than anyone who's been brought here, and I'm rather sure that there haven't been any young Altmer women on the list of prisoners being returned to this province, which leads me to believe that she's here illegally."

I didn't know how to reply, because I didn't think that was the case. "She knew that old man at the Seyda Neen office, sir", I said. "She's also aligned with the Blades, so her presence here might be obscured to the Legion because of that. That's all I can say."

"Hmmm, you could be right, soldier, but something about this rubs me the wrong way… Now then, what is this about your sister?"

"I believe that she's in that prison, sir."

"How sure are you?"

"Sir, based on the descriptions given to me, I'm fairly sure."

"But not completely sure?"

I hung my head and stood quietly for a moment. "Sir, I know she's been imprisoned for a long time despite being innocent. It's the only place she could be in."

Seeming irritated, Varus sighed. "Well, I'm sorry if you're telling the truth, but I cannot let you leave this place under these conditions."

"Sir, I need to reach my sister somehow!"

"Don't raise your voice at me, soldier. I understand that this is an emotional subject for you, but this is precisely the reason why. Besides, you have your own duties on this island, and you could be infected with the blight. We can't risk that foul disease spreading to the rest of the Empire."

"Is there truly no way for me to reach out to her? To help her out from that bind?"

"Well, you can write a letter. If she truly is being kept there, I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to contact her as her immediate family member. Criminally convicted or not, she does deserve some contact to the outside world and her family. Would that suffice to you, soldier?"

It wasn't the answer I was hoping for, but at the same time, it was the answer I feared for, and the answer that was perhaps the most likely from the get-go. I knew it was pointless for me to even try to return to Cyrodiil at this point, but I had to try. I suppose I will just write her a letter then. It will take long for it to reach Cyrodiil, maybe even a week, and who knows how long I will have to wait for a reply, but for now… This is what I will have to settle for. "Yes, sir, that would suffice", I said as I bowed.

"Don't look so sad, soldier", he said as he cracked a friendly smile. "I feel for you, I really do… It's just that the situation here on this island is dire right now, and the blight is a real threat to the Empire, more so than any war or insurrection. Things will return back to normal soon enough, but until then, we'll have to keep this island on lockdown."

"I understand completely", I said, and prepared to leave the office.

That brings me to now. I just finished writing the letter to my sister, and it'll depart Vvardenfell in the following days, not sure when. I'm staying for the night at the Six Fishes inn writing this. I actually picked up writing a journal because of Aliya. She inspired me to write, because she's been keeping an extensive journal on her stay here. It's mostly just notes and scribbles about people and places so she wouldn't get lost and forget things, but I think she's also written some actual sentences and paragraphs, kind of like this. I'm not sure, she's ashamed of showing me everything she's written.

Well, tomorrow I'll travel back to Balmora and reunite with her. It's a long walk… Actually, I think I'll just ride a Silt Strider.

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