Nerevar's Quest - Part 1

After a mysterious vision, I awoke in the hull of a gently swaying ship.



A strange looking Dunmer asked me my name, and I told him it was Nerevar.





A man told me to follow him, and still feeling strange, I obeyed.




I opened the hatch and saw a world very unlike the one I had come from.




He asked where I was from. I am a proud Argonian of the Black Marsh.




Inside, a Breton asked me many questions.




This is the class I finally settled on.




It was close with the Tower and the Sign, but if I really need to be invisible, I have Alteration.



And this is our character.




On my way out, I grabbed a knife off the table. It should be fine until I get something better.




For some reason, I felt compelled to check the nearby barrel, and found a magic ring.




Status screen with map, magic, equipment, and stats.



An Imperial gave me a bit of money and a package for a man named Caius in Balmora. I am supposed to go see him, but that doesn't interest me at the moment.



Journal with quest information.



Outside, a Bosmer told me about his missing ring. I showed him the one I found, and he thanked me for it, and said he'd tell the local trader how nice I was.



I spotted a lighthouse and decided to see the view from the top.



There's not much to this quaint little town, but it's where my quest begins. I'll go next wherever the road takes me.

Not much to this update, just getting started. I'll try to post a new part about twice a week.

Insert Coin, Player Two

The creation process has begun for the second character. After we decide what he/she shall be, I will commence playing him/her on a more regular schedule than Hargoth. The style will be a bit different too, heavier on images and writing things as they happen instead of recapping after a day's over. The updates will be posted both here and on that board. We'll see how this goes.

Hargoth's Adventure - Day 17

2 Hearthfire

After some more dreams about the man with the golden mask, I woke up ready for the long journey to see the Ashlanders. Caius told me to head north to Maar Gan and then get more specific instructions from there to reach Urshilaku camp. I hadn't been there yet, so I decided to take a Silt Strider to Ald'ruhn and then walk from there to learn the lay of the land better. When I arrived in the city there was another strong sandstorm blowing, but I toughed it out and trekked north. I was attacked by numerous diseased creatures on the way, and had to use a potion to get rid of some Blight before it got bad. Before too long though, I made it to the town of Maar Gan.

Looking around town to see what was up, a Dunmer woman named Assi stopped me and starting telling me about Dagoth Ur, just like the man in Balmora. I shook her off and tracked down Nuleno Tedas at the outpost for directions. She told me to follow a ravine to the coast to find a beached ship, and then swim to the east to find some Daedric ruins. The camp would be east of there. I thanked her for the help, but it was a little late and I was weak from fighting, so I decided to spend tonight at the tradehouse, which has some beds. Short update today, I'm going to start a new character tomorrow for a Let's Play. I'll post with more details.

Hargoth's Adventure - Day 16

1 Hearthfire (Hey, a new month!)

I woke early after another strange dream and decided to finish the job in Vivec. The third informant was supposed to be in the temple library, so I went there and met Mehra Milo. After going to the back of the library to avoid snooping, she told me some more about the Sixth House and told me I should get a copy of "Progress of Truth" for Caius. There was a copy under guard in the library, but I thought it would be easier to find a copy somewhere else. I tried first at Jobasha's shop, and sure enough, he had a copy. It wasn't cheap, but it was easier than trying to take on city guards. I took a Silt Strider back to Balmora and traded potions with Sharn before I brought all the new information back to Caius. After a promotion to Journeyman, he gave me another job to win over an Ashlander named Hassour in Ald'ruhn. Apparently he still didn't have enough information on the Nerevarine. I'm not even sure I understand the whole thing.

Okay, Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec (not the city) are the Tribunal, the traditional gods of Morrowind. The Sixth House worships Dagoth Ur, another god that betrayed the others. The Nerevarine cult, a group of Ashlanders, think the Tribunal are false gods, and revere Nerevar, a warrior who died long ago. They have a prophecy of the Nerevarine, who is the reincarnation of Nerevar, and will drive the foreign invaders out of Morrowind. The cult seems to think that all of the gods are partly responsible for Nerevar's death. I'm not sure who's really at fault here, but the Sixth House seems to think Dagoth is coming back, and I think he's the one in my dreams.

I took a Silt Strider back to Ald'ruhn and arrived in the middle of a large sandstorm. I found Hassour in a higher scale inn. I asked him a few questions about Ashlander tradition and gifts, and he mentioned an affinity for poetry. I went to the local book shop and bough a book of poems, which I bought and gave to Hassour, who accepted it graciously.

He told me some more about his people and the Nerevarine, and I thanked him and left to see Caius. I was promoted again to Finder, and he told me about the Emperor's plan. I was selected to come here in the first place because I'm a good candidate to pass for the Nerevarine himself, and the Emperor was interested in seeing more about this. Caius seems to think I might even be the real thing. They want me to see some cultists up north in the Urshilaku camp of Ashlanders about it, but first Caius told me to see a couple guys at Moonmoth named Somutis and Crulius about supplies.

They gave me some potions and scrolls to protect myself against diseases such as Blight, which seem to be a problem up north. I thanked them for the help, bought a few more health potions, and then went back to Balmora for the night. I found some fresh supplies in the shared Fighters Guild chest and then came down here to the barracks to rest.

Hargoth's Adventure - Day 15

30 Last Seed

I woke up and felt empowered, more alert.

I took a short walk back to the tomb and went inside. There were many undead foes inside, such as Ancestor Ghosts and Skeletons. I had no reason to fear though, as my axe made short work of the abominations.

The tomb was fortunately easier to explore than those Dwemer ruins, and before too long I found a chamber with the skull I was looking for as well as a nice little dagger to sell.

I returned to Pelagiad and sold off some excess equipment to the trader. Then I set off for Balmora to get what I needed from Sharn. I think my armor setup is a bit interesting. My legs, left arm, and right shoulder are still equipped with Dark Brotherhood gear, while my head, torso, left shoulder, and right arm are wearing Bonemold, the best medium armor I've found.

Shut up, I think it's kind of neat. Also, from now on the screen shots will be bigger because I increased the screen resolution. On the road to Balmora, I stopped at the fort again to tell Larrius that I had killed Fjol.

He thanked me and gave me a hundred drakes, although he still wanted the five Carmonna Tong dead. I went back to Sharn and gave her the skull. She gave me some notes about the Nerevarine, which I brought to Caius. He rewarded me with a promotion to Apprentice, and gave me a new task in Vivec. Members of the Morag Tong, which is a guild of legally sanctioned assassins, Tribunal Temple, the religion of Morrowind, and Thieves Guild had more information he required. Is this supposed to happen? I first saw Netches at that farm but now I see them all over the place.

I took a Strider there and went to find Huleeya, the Morag Tong in the foreign quarter. I tracked him down in a club, but he was being harassed by some Dark Elves for being Argonian. I used half of the money Caius gave me for expenses to get them to leave him alone, and then brought him to his friend Jobasha's book shop. Once there, Huleeya gave me the info I needed. The next step was Addhiranirr, a Khajiit thief in the St. Olms canton. I asked around for a while until I found someone in the Waistworks who seemed to know more than he was telling me. After a few coins opened his mouth, he told me to look for her in the Underworks. This would be a lot cheaper if I was better at talking to people. I explored the sewers for a while until I found my target, but she was unwilling to give me what I needed until I took care of a Census and Excise Agent that was looking for her.

Those were the guys who got me situated here, and the girl Lorbumol wants me to kill works for them. I found the Agent not far from my informant, and told him a lie that Addhiranirr had returned to the mainland. I returned to the thief, who told me about some smugglers who apparently had taken work from the Sixth House and was being strangely secretive about it. It was getting late, so I thanked her and returned to the Fighers Guild in the foreign quarter to get some sleep.

Hargoth's Adventure - Day 13-14

28 Last Seed

I arose feeling fresh, and left the Guild to see Caius. When I got to his house he was ready for me, and told me he needed information about the Nerevarine and Sixth House cults. He told me to see Hasphat in the Fighters Guild about it, and also gave me a book on Morrowind's history. I had met Hasphat before, although he still wanted me to do something for him in return for the information I needed. Coincidentally, he wanted me to enter the strange door I found yesterday and find a Dwemer Puzzle Box inside. I had never heard of them before, but they seemed to be an ancient race of considerable power. These are apparently the "Dwarves" of The Elder Scrolls series. Their gear usually seems pretty good. I guess they have the same role here that the Ayleids have in Oblivion. I accepted his request and walked back to the ruin.

The insides of the place, called Arkngthand, were very interesting, both ancient feeling and filled with incredible technologies. There was also a band of smugglers here, and I fought them many times as I searched for the box.

As I descended farther into the ruin, I found a lot of nice artifacts and more enemies, but not what I was looking for. I came upon a locked door and used one of my scrolls to open it. On the other side, I was attacked by some of the most amazing creatures I'd ever seen, Centurion Spheres and Spiders, built long ago by the Dwemer.

I was also assaulted by Spectres of the place's former inhabitants, and had no way to effectively fight them, my axe passing through them without a scratch. I looked around a bit but had to leave before I was killed. I went back over the rooms I had already covered, and found a path on some rocks that I hadn't followed before, I went through a door, and fought a Battlemage who ambushed me. After defeating him, I found what I was looking for, the Puzzle Box. I snatched it and left the place in a hurry. I went back to Balmora and found Hasphat, who thanked me for the box and gave me what I came for. As I left the guild to report to Caius, I was accosted by a Dunmer named Rararyn who seemed to be a Sixth House cultist. He didn't bother me too much though, so I left him and gave Caius the notes. He thanked me but still needed more information about the Nerevarine, and told me to see an orc named Sharn, this time in the Mages Guild. I agreed and went to sleep.

29 Last Seed

I had a strange dream last night. I don't remember it too clearly, but there was a man in a golden mask and lots of dead people. It was distressing, but I didn't have time to worry about it. I went and saw Sharn, who agreed to give me what I needed in exchange for getting a skull out of a tomb near Pelagiad. She also warned that the undead inside were not vulnerable to normal weapons, and gave me a magic dagger. Unfortunate, since I am still useless with a normal blade. I bartered with the various people inside the hall, and sold off a lot of trinkets and ingredients I wasn't using, enough to buy a special axe at about a third of the price. Even without the flame effect it was the most powerful one I had seen.

Confident with my new weapon, I decided to go on a detour before visiting the tomb, and rode a Silt Strider to Seyda Neen. Once there, I headed west towards Hla Oad. Along the way, I was attacked by several creatures, and the new axe worked out great. Eventually I reached Oad and just beyond found my target, Fjol. I thought I was finally ready for him, and I was. Midway through the fight my axe lost its flame ability, but I destroyed him all the same. I was all ready to complain about the use of echanted weapons being too strict, with only ten good whacks in the fully charged version before it runs out, and with soul gems being so expensive. But then on the way back to Seyda Neen I attacked a Cliff Racer and was surprised to see it get hit with a ball of fire. It turns out Morrowind's magic weapons recharge over time. That's definitely a change Oblivion made that completely does not improve the user experience. I retraced my steps and then followed the path to Pelagiad. I found the tomb, but by the time I got there it was dark, so I bought a room in the inn again and decided to pursue my quest tomorrow.

Hargoth's Adventure - Day 12

27 Last Seed

I woke up in the guild hall and headed out to find the Tomb. On the way to where I thought it was, I spotted a bridge going somewhere behind the Moonmoth fort and decided to check it out. The trail going north split off going up a hill towards the bridge, so I followed it and reached the structure. Walking across it, I noticed a man at the other end and some mysterious architecture behind him. As I got closer to him, he casted a spell that summoned a skeleton and started attacking me. Not understanding what was going on, I defended myself and ended up killing him.

Why Snowy? What drove you to this?

Looking around a bit more, I found a strange door leading into the mountain and a unique lever. Pulling on the device, the door opened for a few seconds before shutting again.

Not wanting to explore further without more information, I went back down the slope and looked for the Tomb. It wasn't long before I found it near Thoronor and Edras. On entering, it wasn't long before I was attacked by a Bonewalker.

After I slew it it wasn't long before I realized that the place was crawling with Undead, not just a Hunger. Some were trapped behind doors they couldn't seem to open, but there was also a skeleton patrolling the hallway that I had to take care of.

I explored the Tomb a bit, and found some trinkets and a silver staff in containers. I hoped the family wouldn't mind a bit of a reward in return for ridding their resting place of this evil. Eventually through a doorway I found a chamber with the Hunger inside, seemingly waited for me.

I gathered all of my strength and prepared for a mighty blow, but as I struck, nothing happened. Just like the Scamp, the steel had no effect. I'm not sure if all Daedra are like this, but I'll be sure to watch out for them. Thinking quickly, I pulled out the silver staff, and luckily it worked. Apparently the special properties of the fine metal aren't limited in usefulness to just lycanthropes. It took some doing, but I smashed the beast's brains in. It had an immensely valuable helm on it that I decided to keep for my efforts. I gathered myself and returned to Balmora for my reward. Eydis paid me and told me she had no more jobs for me to do. Not wanting to find another Guild steward or do more work for Lorbumol, I decided this was as good a time as any to return to Caius and see about doing what I came here for in the first place. I'll see him first thing in the morning.

Hargoth's Adventure - Day 9-11

24-26 Last Seed

It's been a strange and draining few days. I woke up a few mornings ago feeling physically empowered.

I sold off some goods, and continuing my circuit between Balmora and Vivec, I headed towards Pelagiad to hunt down the Verethi gang. Without much incident, I reached the town, and was directed to the gang's hideout in a nearby cave.

Inside I was quickly ambushed by a female warrior, and I was dismayed by how well she held her own. I was low on potions and knew I wouldn't last long if everyone in the gang fought as well as her, so after killing her I retreated to the town. I sold some more extraneous gear to the local trader. I find it humorous how merchants immediately start wearing any quality gear you give them upon finishing the trade.

I then bought a room in the nearby inn and then crashed on the bed until I woke up several hours later, feeling refreshed.

I must have had a lot of experience built up, because what follows is a shameful cycle of defeating one or two enemies, resting to level up and restore health, and repeating. I returned to my mission, and found another foe, more easily dispatched this time.

Don't bring a knife to an axe fight. Creeping forward in the cave, I spotted another woman with a huge blade, and decided to regroup again before taking her on.

I meditated in my room, and then came back to take her down with some difficulty. That sword was insane. Two solid whacks could kill me. Moving forward, I found the first male gang member, a weakling of a spellcaster who fell on my axe. Left on the cutting room floor: I first tried using that huge sword on the next guy, but I realized halfway through him killing me that I simply wasn't hitting him at all. The sword's great, but since my sword skill was so pitiful I just couldn't use it. I had even sold my axe without realizing my mistake. Not having a save recent save before doing so, I had to go and buy back the proper weapon at a loss. Morrowind's really less forgiving than Oblivion with stuff like this. I pushed on an encountered another magic user, although this one had a nice axe and knew how to use it. I barely slew him before he did me in.

That was close. I went back to town to rest my weary flesh once again.

I entered the cave for the last time, and tracked down Verethi. He was a worthy foe, but the task was paying off in supplies and equipment even before I collected the bounty on his head. I saw Lorbumol and paid him Lirielle's debt out of my own pocket, a total equal to what I was promised for Verethi's head. I don't like this guy too much. He promoted me to Warder, and gave me a contract for a woman called Adraria. I wandered around Vivec, getting a feel for the city, and then took a Silt Strider to Seyda Neen to track down my target. She was a tax collector, and the door into their warehouse was locked. I used a magic ring I found to unlock it, but a guard spotted me. I paid him the fine, and then he wandered away as I walked into the building anyway. I don't really understand these guys. Upstairs I found Adraria, but there was another guard right in the room, and while talking to her I couldn't figure out why Lorbumol had a contract for her. I really don't like that guy too much.

Ignoring the job for now, I took another Silt Strider to Balmora and talked to Eydis, who rewarded me for Verethi and gave me another job to kill a Hunter that was defiling a nearby tomb. I took the job, and decided to rest for the night before going after the creature. I think I'm tiring of these contracts and will probably see Caius again soon.