(GM Comment: This episode was a difficult to write, for a number of reasons. Some technical. Some not. If you remember to ask at the end of the game, ask why this episode was difficult to write.)
Episode 68, part 1: Pelagiad
If the sleeper/dreamer is here, let's talk with him
+1 to going to Pelagiad to question dreamer/sleeper
find and interrogate Pelagiad's dreamer if he's still around. His name is Dralas Gilu.
Oh yes!
+1
You walk into Pelagiad and take a look around.
Not many people. Just a Nord walking in your direction and an Imperial guard...peering into a window? Curious, you walk up.
:
"Hi."He turns around then suddenly leaps to attention.
:
"Yessirwhatisitsir!"Surprised by his reaction, you don't answer right away. About halfway through the awkward silence, he decides to salute you.
:
"Umm...at ease, soldier."He relaxes the salute but refuses to make eye contact and is clearly very tense.
:
"New recruit?":
"Yes sir! New recruit sir!":
"What did they do to you during training to make you react like this?":
"Sir?":
"Who was your training officer?":
"Champion Valus Junius sir!"You don't recognize the name. Whoever he is, he was obviously more strict than Strillian. While you consider how to respond you notice him peering at you out of the corner of his eye and frowning.
:
"Something the matter?":
"No! No sir, I just...":
"What is it?":
"I'm sorry sir, I can't make out your rank designation."Oh. Come to think of it, you're not even sure what your own Legion mark looks like. Strillian never taught you to recognize them because you hadn't even learned to see magicka yet back then.
:
"What does it look like?":
"It looks like...no offense sir, but it looks a lot like the recruit designation, except there's an extra symbol I don't recognize."The detached duty mark, most likely.
:
"So you assumed I was some rare officer's rank they never taught you.":
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, I'm not very good with magicka.":
"Relax, neither am I. So what's your name?"Instantly he's back at attention. You consider telling him you don't outrank him, but it just doesn't seem very important to go out of your way to point it out.
:
"Recruit Lorgren Vesuius! Designation MW-8609 sir!"MW? If you remember your Legion training correctly, that means that...
:
"You were recruited on mainland Morrowind? Not Vvardenfell? What brings you here?":
"My cohort was ordered to report here three days ago under command of Knight Protector Darius, sir."A full cohort? You vaguely remember something about Darius requesting reinforcements, but if what Lorgren is telling you is correct, that means there are over 100 new legionnaires on the island. Maybe cavalry too. Apparently they're taking recent developments very seriously.
You carefully consider what to do. He thinks you're an officer. You could probably give him orders and he'd follow them. But that could backfire very easily.
find and interrogate Pelagiad's dreamer if he's still around. His name is Dralas Gilu.
:
"Very well, recruit. I'm in Pelagaid looking for a Dralas Gilu. Do you know where I might find him?":
"Sorry...no, sir. I've only been in Pelagiad since this morning. I haven't met everyone yet, sir.":
"Why were you looking through the window?":
"Sir?":
"When I walked up you were looking through that window. Why?":
"Just trying to get a feel for the town, sir."You peek in through the window. Looks like a tavern. Tables, chair, a couple patrons at the bar. Nothing obviously unusual.
:
"Very well, recruit. Carry on."You decide to leave the poor guy be. You have a Dreamer to find. Though while you're looking, you may as well get some other things out of the way too.
either dilute or expensive potion to make several lower strength ones, or sell it for the same.
Nalcarya mentioned that she dilutes most of her potions so they're at a level useful to the average person, so it's most certainly possible. The question is, what with? Urine perhaps? She said that was the "base" of potions. Or just regular ol' water? Can the potion be contaminated?
:
"Yeah, she never actually taught me how to do that. Umm...if I were to just guess, it's probably not as simple as just adding water. The calcination step incinerates all the bacteria from the fermentation process, and I think that's important for some reason. There's water in the final product, yes, but it's been pretty thoroughly cleaned up. Maybe if you run it through a retort first. And if you added urine instead...I'm not sure, but that might make the potion stronger or something. Might be worth experimenting with, but let's not do it with my only potion. Remember that Awesomicus made this. It's probably worth a lot."or sell it
we have one emergency healing potion, although it's one heck of a good one; we should have it appraised to see what it's worth
selling that fancy healing potion and buying a couple regular emergency healing potions.
Pelagiad itself is sort of a podunk little town without much in the way of stores or services. No guilds, and not even a silt strider. But it does have a Legion fort. Figuring that they'll give you better prices than the general trader, you head in that direction.
You see two other Legionnaires on your way in. Certainly not a heavy presence, but Pelagiad isn't exactly the most important settlement on the island. But then neither was Khuul, and that was the first place Dagoth Ur's minions attacked.
Heading inside you find a few more Legionnaires milling about, an orc selling weapons and armor, and eventually an Imperial Cult shrine with a healer.
:
"Blessings of the Nine Divines, Recruit. I'm Ygfa, a humble servant of our ancestors. How may I help you today?":
"Hi, I'm Michael. I was wondering if you buy and sell potions?":
"Of course. May Zenithar guide me."You hand her the potion Awesomicus gave you. She sniffs it.
:
"How much will you give me for that?":
"It is a fortunate mix, heal and fatigue. And drain willpower is not so terrible. Would you accept 50 septims?"You haggle her up to 55 and buy back two Cheap Restore Health potions from her for 27.
Gold is now 79You're not entirely sure how good of a deal that was. Awesomicus' potion was
way stronger than these two, but it's a net plus in terms of gold which is really what you need right now. Plus, two weak panic potions can potentially keep you alive one more time than a single really strong potion that would probably waste the majority of its effect anyway.
:
"By the way, can you teach me how to dilute potions?":
"Oh, forgive me, no. That teaching is restricted to devoted followers of the blessed Aedra, may we ever follow their divine guidance.":
"...right.":
"Do you know of the Nine Divines?":
"...well, actually-":
"In the beginning, there was nothing but the Void. From the Void came two brothers. Stasis, known to us as Anu, and change, known as Padomay.":
"...I actually wasn't-":
"From the interplay of the two brothers amidst Void, was brought forth Nir, the creation. Anu, being all, loved Nir very much. Whereas Padomay, having acted upon Anu in Nir's creation, was driven to jealousy by Anu's love of another.":
"...umm, that's fascinating and all, but-":
"In a fit of rage, Padomay slew Nir, destroying all of creation! But all was not lost, as Anu gathered up the shattered remains of creation and gathered them up into the 12 worlds!":
"Out of curiosity, why 12?":
"Forgive me, it is not the place of a humble servant such as I to speculate on such matters. I know and speak only truth. But alas, even these worlds spawned from creation were not to be. For Padomay in her rage again brought forth destruction, and from these 12 shattered worlds, Anu created one alone, known as Nirn."Nirn? That's this planet, right?
:
"Enraged, Anu and Padomay fought, scattering their blood throughout the Void, and then withdrew from it, lost to us for all time. And yet their blood remained. From Anu's blood came the divine, glorious Aedra. And from Padomay, the vile and treacherous daedra, who seek only to mislead us."Ok, you actually kind of remember some of this. She just started from an obscure part of the story that was never very relevant to the game.
:
"So where do the nine Divines fit into this?"She claps and smiles happily at your question.
:
"Oh, very good question! The Nine Divines are our Gods! Our ancestors! We, peoples of Nirn. Eight Aedra alone took part in the creation of Mundus. Akatosh, Dragon lord of Time, Arkay, God of birth and death, Dibella the Queen of Heaven and Goddess of beauty and love, Kynareth- ":
"Could I get the abbreviated version? And how does Azura fit into all this again?"Her face turns to a scowl.
:
"Vile deceiver! Speak not her name aloud, lest she hear and come to fill your head with lies.":
"Really? Az-"She raises an eyebrow.
:
"...umm, 'she' is...bad?":
"Of course! Like all daedra, she comes from the blood of Padomay. They did not take part in the creation of our world, and we are not theirs.":
"The, umm...dunmer seem to think highly of her."Her whole body visibly deflates as as sighs and look sadly at the ground.
:
"Yes. Yes, they do. May Stendarr forgive them."There's a moment of silence. You decide to take advantage of it.
:
"Well, it's been great chatting with you, but I have places to be, so-":
"May I-":
"No, sorry...gotta go."You leave the fort and wander around. The Dreamer at Caius' house recognized you and called you by name immediately upon seeing you, and then there was that whole scene in Seyda Neen with the Ascended Sleeper trying to take you back to Red Mountain. You figure that being
seen is probably at least as good a way to find the Dreamer as looking for him. But Pelagiad isn't very big, and before long you begin to wonder if he's not here. Ask at the tavern, maybe?
You step inside to a trio of Nords enthusiastically competing for turns to tell a story of some kind to the dunmer behind the bar. The one speaking when you walk in stops to glances over to look at you as you come in. Another takes advantage of the pause to take his place as storyteller.
:
"...an' then you know what he did?":
"No, do tell.":
"He wailed like a pig and died!":
"Bwahhahha":
"Haha, oh-ho! Oh dear, my sides!"You briefly wonder what sort of joke led up to that punchline, but decide to not ask. Instead you approach the bartender.
:
"Hello, I'm looking for Dralas Gilu. Any idea where I might find him?"She snorts.
:
"No, outlander. I've no idea where that fetcher has gone off to. But good riddance.":
"I take it he was not well liked?":
"Blackguard owes me 50 gold.":
"An' me 100. ":
"Aye. If ye find him, bring me his head and I'll buy you a drink. The good stuff too, not the swill Drelasa here is servin' us.":
"As if you could tell the difference after as many as you've had.":
"Them's fighting words, lass! You'd need to fill up to the neck with this for me to notice.":
"Aye, it is a bit tame. But it reminds me of a tale from back home. I once knew a fool, decent with a mace, but thicker than argonian ale. One night..."...and they're back to story telling. Might as well leave, they don't seem to know where the Dreamer is. And from the sound of it, he might have skipped town. Or Caius might already have taken care of him. He did send out a couple Blades to go round them up. You'd kind of been hoping they'd only managed to find the ones in Balmora, but maybe they were more effective than that.
If Dralas isn't here, there isn't a lot of reason for you to stay in Pelegiad.
(continued in part 2)