So there he was, sitting near our table. He was a beast of a man when it came to Nords. He was about 6ft and a few inches with it. Blonde hair with green eyes. Still quieter than a mouse when he moved. His armor was a mix of dark leathers and fur in the style of the Thieves Guild. While he didn't wear it, The Cowl was strapped to his hip. His chest Armor radiated a presence as well. His choice of weapon was a long sword that seemed to be taken straight from a Dremora. But my awe couldn't really last in these conditions.
You see, with Granny Viola being exposed to Japanese culture in our little shop she found out about many things. Among them was just how uncomfortable sitting like us was when one wasn't practiced. So she made The Hero of Cyrodil and The New Gray Fox sit in a seiza.
She also stared down at him, stick in hand, if he broke posture. So far that was 7 times. all while she continued to lecture him about his dealings as well as his stupidity for some of the things she had heard about. Not going to lie this man was well traveled.
Some of the things I picked up on were how he had officially joined the mages guild, only to be "kicked out" but not removed from the roster after they found he really only cared about learning basics of fire magic and hitting on the women of the guild. With so many complaints and no real results they sent him on his way.
Another tidbit was how she spoke about a hunt from Hircine that he participated in. The tale of his hunt of the unicorn had spread from the cult that surrounded his shrine. The Savior's Hide was still on his chest. Still got berated for just doing tasks for Dedric Princes.
He also made a name in the Arena as it's new champion. Man really was already a legend at this point. As she finally winded down from her scolding she said, "So what do you have to say for yourself? To not ask for help with any of this? Do you think the clan would just toss you to the wayside if we didn't agree with what you were doing? You made all of us worried sick when we heard about this!"
his head hung low he muttered, "I'm sorry grandmother, it's just everything was happening so fast. I haven't really had a break..." with that I sighed.
Standing up I grabbed the table and moved it closer to the man. The others were staring at me like i lost my mind, but a method to the madness was necessary. Grasping the kettle of tea with a fire lit in my hand I moved about placing cups and leaves for tea. With our money I looked into some actual tea leaves. Turns out the Altimer are the best when it comes to growing them, but Khajiit have the variety. With some of the more calming flavors I poured the tea.
Shirou was the first to realize what I was up to. While the hero wasn't as long lived as him he understood the underlying feelings. As i sat down i looked into the man's eyes. They were tired, Still with some life in them but it wasn't going to last forever. But what was also there was another feeling. Not surprised in the slightest I saw the hints of madness in his eyes. In truth, he really was, his perfect candidate.
"So... you need to first drink that." pointing to the tea cup in front of him as i sat across from him. "And relax, for now, nothing is wrong. So unwind and like a true Nord regale us some tales. Maybe! we will bring some ale into this. But for now a clear and relaxed mind would do you some good."
The tense silence was brought low by my calming voice. While it may have been strange for a child to be the one to say something, He'd seen stranger I'm sure.
With a sigh and a relaxing of his posture into sitting cross legged he drank from his cup. It was horribly inelegant but that was okay for now. Just drank the whole cup like it was water. Shirou helped him out by pouring another cup.
"Thank you, small one." a tic mark for pranks was going on in my head for that one. "My tales are not as grand as one would like. My journey across Cyrodil and its cities was in all honesty a travesty. So much death, destruction, and dread from the crisis. Now we stand with no emperor. If we were only faster at lighting the fires, I would still have my friend Martin to greet you. The man, he is worthy to speak about though. His courage will always be remembered by me. In his final moments his final words, "The dragon waits" sent shivers down my spine as I heard the approaching footsteps of Dagon."
His silence as he finally began to sip the tea. So i spoke up now that he was noticeably more calm now. "Well, Its a pleasure to meet you. My name is Azarius Emiya. I am apprenticed to your grandmother. This is my brother, Shirou Emiya. right now he is ranked as the best blacksmith in the imperial city as far as the peoples opinions."
"Well met, young Azarius", his voice was even but melancholic, "My name is Throgor Wind-Strider. Second youngest of my clan. As my grandmother pointed out. I hold the titles of Gray fox, Arena Champion, and Hero of Cyrodil. While I hold that last title... I hold it in his honor more than anything." His smile while filled with pain, was at least a little less sad.
With a sigh he spoke once more. "If only i could truly be at ease that would be better. But I've only just finished with clearing the curse of the cowl to have guards of the imperial city approach me and ask me to look into something across the bay." My breath hitched at that. I knew what was coming. Shirou gave me a look while Granny Viola had a scowl start to cross her face.
"As i approached the stone faced portal a madman was soon felled by my and a guards blade. The voice come after. It spoke sending shivers down my spine, "Unworthy. Unworthy, Unworthy! Useless mortal meat. Walking bag of Dung!... a nice effort. though. A shame he's dead. These things happen... Bring me a champion! Rend the Flesh of my foes! a mortal champion to wade through the entrails of my enemies!... Really do come in. It's a lovely time in the isles right now. Perfect time for a visit."
His words spoken in a daze how he recalled them. They echoed in my head as they overlapped with that same voice he heard. It was iconic after all. Not to mention my powers of divination kicked in to let me see the scene first hand as he spoke the words.
"As I steeled myself and went through the portal, a man in a suit greeted me. Sitting at a stone table he introduced himself. Haskill he called himself, Chamberlain of Sheogorath. he spoke about how the door wasn't going against the work Martin and Akatosh had done. That it was an invitation. But there was another thing he requested of me. If I choose to accept the offer I would need to deliver another invitation. That maybe with more something could be done. So i was told to come here. To find you."
And so my reasonable response? "fuck" Granny Viola didn't even hit me for that.
I sighed, of course we would be dragged into this. Ain't no way we were getting out of it either. One doesn't slight Dedric princes or Divines easily after all. Granny Viola knew that as well.
A collective sigh was heard around the table. We all had enough knowledge to understand what was happening. This invitation was an order. Not a forced one but made in good will. At least as far as the Mad Prince could do. I'm just glad it wasn't written on- "The worst part, The "Invitation was written on a cheese wheel." a chuckle from the hero's lips while mine twitched.
"Yeah leave it to Sheogorath to come up with something like that. The tale of how he "made" music wasn't the most appealing either." I said.
The faces were funny at that one. Granny's Scowl and Throgor and Shirou's curiosity.
Looking at them with a grim smile, "It's said he went for a walk in Nirn for 11 days. On the final day, just as he was getting bored, a woman stopped him and asked how he liked the sound of the birds singing in the trees. She spoke of how beautiful the sounds were and wished she could make sounds like that as well." The visible disgust as the next part left my mouth, "So he tore the woman apart and made instruments from her. Then proceeded to give the instruments to nearby villagers nearby still covered in blood."
"Damn, that tale still gives me shivers every time." Granny cursing herself was downright liberating. At least someone knows.
"So anything to go off on what were walking into?" Shirou asked as he recovered from his own disgust.
"I'm not saying anything as to the process unless I get permission." I say immediately raising a hand. While i may know the goings on for what would come, no one said the Dedric Prince wouldn't be petty. Especially the man who likes plays and drama.
"Ok, So no taking about that got it. What about these Isles then." Shirou asked and Throgor was also paying attention.
Looking to Granny she nodded. We talked a lot about many of the eventual things to happen that I remembered for the 4th Era. Bits and pieces mostly of major events such as the disappearance of Vivec and eruption of the red mountain. Some things needed to be kept quiet when it came to the princes themselves though and she understood.
"Well, crash course incoming. The Shivering Isles, Realm of the Dedric Prince of Madness. Split into two halves they are called Dementia and Mania. The two sides of madness. Symbolic of the prince himself. Dementia is a dreary environment that is the soul sucking depression that one finds themselves in. Mania while better looking and overall brighter, is still equally dangerous as it represents the creative side. always note that just because something is a creative out of the box idea, doesn't mean it's safe. This side perfectly shouts that."
Pausing a bit to let that sink in I continued, "As a Dedric Realm it also houses minor Dedra. The main forces are the Dark Suducers and the Golden Saints. Do not be fooled as Golden Saints give Altimer a run for their money on arrogance. While Dark Suducers can be nicer in temperament they also still are serving a Dedric Prince. Key thing to note is they are both Matriarchal and constantly butting heads. So they hate each other as they strive for the Dedric Princes attention. Any questions?"
My info dump was mostly accurate my my accounts. I still remember some of the main plotline of the original questline as it was one of the greatest DLC's of all time in my opinion.
"So what can we expect to fight?" The Champion having regained some steel in his posture and voice. The man who stormed oblivion once before had a different fire now.
"Well, Obviously we can expect lesser Dedra. Clanfear, Scamps, Etc. Then the actual inhabitants. They are people that have gone Mad. In doing so they give in and are unredeemable by the divines and then brought by Sheogorath to the Isles to "live" and since time has no hold in the realm. This means Ageless as well. He likes his entertainment after all."
"Rules when talking?" Shirou asked. And i knew he meant about to Sheogorath.
Granny was the one to answer though "If he asks questions, answer and never lie. He is strange in his dealings with mortals. As one moment he will be laughing with you. The next Threatening you. So to him, all is a joke but serious as well. Such is The Madness of the Prince. Azarius do you really know what this is about?"
Another sigh left me. Really was doing that a lot tonight. "Yeah, Won't say but it's necessary. Not to mention it's a better ending than most." My words were cryptic. But she knew just what i meant as far as endings.
All Hero's faded from this world in some way. By fate they disappeared when they were finished with their tasks. So to know her grandson wouldn't just be another one gone from history would be a boon. At least until she understood what was going to happen.
To Mantle a God was never going to be an easy affair. And we would be dragged into it.
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The Skooma Cat would like some stones to roll!!!!!
An:// The Hero! or at least my interpretation. Really did A LOT of research to truly make this work. not to mention do our Prince proud. As a Game character i love Sheogorath. His gradual change into Order was Magnificent. As well as the Voice actor and his portrayal of the Prince. So I'm using the Original Voice lines with Minor changes to accommodate the new additions. Then expanding and making changes as we get farther down the questline. As more "Changes" are introduced. There will be a special guest appearance during the Court scene in a few chapters. Maybe you can spot what i mean later.
Love you guys and thank you for reading this oddly satisfying to write book with me.