Episode 8: Dark night of the soul
Slip a piece of yellow notepaper under Vivec's door
bugging Vivec-the-critter sounds entertaining.
I don't think anyone's ever slipped a note under his door before. And yet clearly there's room enough under the door.
DO EET.
lets just the note under the door.
Not to be deterred by the lack of a suitable lock picking scroll, you set out immediately for the Palace of Vivec. You leave the plaza, turn right, and make for the-
...usually, in game, you'd jump over that edge and then hug the wall mid-fall to avoid falling damage. You decide to take the long way down instead. It's a
long way down.
The trip takes some time, and you admire the scenery.
At least you try. Between the rain and the darkness, the place looks downright dreary. It infects your mood, and fills you with a growing sense of unease. Is this really a good idea? Vivec is basically a god. What if he thinks you're Nerevar? What if the
temple thinks you're yet another false Nerevarine? You don't really want a hoard of Ordinators chasing after you.
The long trip through the city is at least a good workout, and you feel yourself getting stronger as you approach Temple Canton.
Athletics skill is now 7Acrobatics is now 13That, however, is when you see...it.
The Ministry of Truth. According to lore, it was an asteroid that fell from the sky. Vivec caught it with his magic and suspended it in the air. The temple later turned it into a floating prison. It's a massive rock, and the sight of it fills you with dread. You can't even begin to guess how heavy it must be, suspended hundreds of feet in the sky. Just...sitting there. A passing Ordinator sees you staring and tells you to move on.
"Keep moving. Scum."You try, but your feet don't want to move. You stare at your feet, then look up again. You can't bring yourself to walk. The Ordinator pauses to watch you for a moment. He looks at the Ministry of Truth, then back at you. He says nothing, pausing only for a moment before walking on.
More dignity than you expected an Ordinator to allow you.
After a few moment of standing there in the cold, wet rain, you manage to force yourself to keep walking. But...that...in the sky....you have to take a closer look.
Looking up at the massive impossibility above you, it all hits you. Magic is real. Gods are real. This is all real. There are creatures here with such power that they can casually catch thousands of ton asteroids and hang them in the sky. Not as a testament to their power. Not to impress anyone. Not to make a lasting monument. But just because it was the most convenient thing to do.
You feel yourself taking an unintentional step forward, almost like a moth drawn to light, under that massive rock. The runoff of rain from the Ministry splashes you in the face and you jump back. A bolt of sheer terror passes through you as for a moment your brain processes that massive rock as "down" and you're overwhelmed with a feeling of vertigo and fear at the thought of falling those hundreds of feet. You close your eyes and only then do you notice that you're hyperventilating. You step away, trying to calm yourself.
"...it's ok," you tell yourself through clenched teeth,
"...everything will be...ok."You manage to take control of your breathing, but the painful knot in your stomach won't go away. It's like stage fright, you insist. It's bad now, but as soon as you get on stage, everything will be fine.
"Just need to talk to Vivec, and everything will be ok."Thankfully, the Ordinator leaves you alone as you resume your trek, but you do nearly walk into a priest while walking through the dark, unlit tunnel on the last leg of your trip to the palace.
:
"Gah! Who's there?"
:
"What? Just me...hi, I'm here to...umm, make the pilgrimage to the shrine.":
"Oh, a pilgrim, thank AlmSiVi."He's clearly on edge, and seeing him scared over something as silly as just you walking into him helps you feel better about your own problems.
:
"Are you ok? You seem a bit on edge."
Nevermind. This does
not make you feel better. But you're almost there. You're not going to turn back now.
Miraculously, shortly after you leave the tunnel and approach the final stairs leading up to Vivec's Palace, the first light of the morning sun begins to poke out from over the horizon, and the rain stops.
You're still soaked and tired, but you take it as a good omen. Perhaps you've made it through the dark night of your soul, and from here everything will get better. Maybe. You hope.
You wearily climb the final set of stairs, not even bothering to jump out of sheer exhaustion. When you reach the top you look at the door.
Hmm. Not as much room beneath it as you thought, but...maybe. You tear a sheet from your notepad and experimentally slide it under the door. Yes. There's room. You can do this. You can write a note and slip it under the door.
What do you write?
Author
Topic: Marooned in Morrowind (FINISHED) (Read 434479 times)