Journal Entry Six

We spoke late into the evening over glasses of a delectable Breton Port. Caius listened more then he spoke, and when he did, he asked me very open ended questions to keep my answers longer and descriptive. He asked me of my twin sister, Setsuna. He asked of my first kill. How hunger and desperation had driven me to slit the throat of a traveling merchant.

He took in all my descriptions thoroughly, never judging me, never discounting my feelings. He neither gave any support for the decisions I had made, or made me feel like I was a victim of society. He simply got to know me. And he reached his conclusions.

"You're an accomplished executioner. That has it's place in our trade. I don't think you crave killing, any more then you feel guilt over it." He said looking at me with a very neutral expression.

"I also think you're a rough gem. Educated by monks, a bit of a dabbler in alchemy, whether you realize it or not, vinification is quite similar to producing poisons. A necessary aspect of our trade." He said with a pointed finger, and arched brow.

"You're smarter then you let on, but you let your emotions get the better of you. You need to learn to listen. And I don't mean to what people are saying to you, I mean, what people are really saying, and what they're not. The most important aspect of our trade."

"You will be trained in all these things, and more. But, while you might think you're good with that bow and blade, you wouldn't last five minutes in a fair fight."

"Am I being trained in combat as well?" I asked.

"No. It would cast suspicion on myself and my agents if the clamor of blades clanging from our houses. So we're going to kill two Racers with one arrow. I want you to join a guild, preferably Fighters Guild. Get some combat experience, learn the terrain, learn to work within the parameters of a military model. You meet once a week with me, you report every detail of your missions, what you've seen, what color a random plant is on you're way to a job, everything."

He paused and took a sip of his port. "When you're on your off time, train with the Blades Agents, also join the Thieves Guild if you like. I handle a few things through them, and you should be able to reap the benefits. They will of course ask a few things of you, but you'll learn how to perform subterfuge while maintaining a legitimate cover. Also report everything with the Guild to me."

I nodded. It wasn't a bad plan. But I still had a Sister to worry about.

"Spymaster--"

"Caius." he stopped me.

"Caius, do we receive a wage for our work? I hardly expect loyalty to the Empire feeds all of you."

He smirked at this. "You receive Two Hundred Drakes per month, plus expenses. That means tavern rooms, not manors. If you want a house, that's on you. I'd set you up, but again, we have to maintain a public image. I'm the local 'sugar tooth'. You're the local outlander mercenary with shadowy connections. Besides, the Fighters Guild will set you up with room and board."

"Now, I want you too make contact with 'Sugar-Lips Habasi', shes the local Ringleader for the Guild. Tell her I'm your sponsor, and that you want to join. She'll have a little test for you to perform. Do it. Don't get caught. She's not the only one testing you. Now, its very late, I want you to head over to Tyermaillin's House, three doors down, on the first floor. He's our alchemist, and has an extra bunk. The code word to identify yourself as a fellow agent, is the phrase: "The fish bite hard in the Bitter Coast."

Weary from my talk with Caius, and stumbling a bit from the moderately powerful spirits, I managed to make it to the house that the Spymaster had directed me to, answering my knocks was a Robed Altmer.

"The fish bite hard in the Bitter Coast." I slurred out.

"They do indeed. Come in." he said with an particular indifference.

"Caius said to ask you for your bunk."

"Thats generally why agents come through, I'm just support here. Help yourself." he said pointing the spare bed, behind some vanity walls, and sitting back down to his alchemy set, releasing the pleasant smell of boiling and burned herbs into the air.

Perhaps they were slightly narcotic in nature, or perhaps it was the strong drink, but I fell to a deep slumber in minutes.

I awoke to the sound of a snoring Altmer. His morning halitosis was strong enough to overwhelm the scents of the other ingredients in his humbly sized house. Taking my leave silently, I exited and made the short walk to the Cornerclub, where I had previously made contact unknowingly with the Thieves Guild, and ordered a hearty breakfast. It was one of the largest meals I had in some time. I felt like a king with a full stomach.

Sniffing around the joint, I followed Caius' orders and looked for a Sugar-Lips Habasi. She wasn't to hard to find with the total occupancy being two Khajiit in the place. The other being Chirranir, whom was as tight-lipped as every one else in the place.

The Khajiit was a colorful personality, speaking in a voice that rose and fell with the words she was trying to produce in her thick Ta'agra accent.


"So, Caius is your sponsor, and you wish to join the Guild. Very well, Habasi won't lie, she is a Thief. But anyone can walk in here and say: 'I want to join, I want to be good at stealing.' No. We don't take just anyone Muthsera. There is an object I want you to procure for Habasi. You deliver it, you're in. Nalcarya, the gold-skin alchemist in town has a stone of a particular cut. Find it."

That was it, my initiation, my test, find and steal a diamond that was cut in a unique way. It was a that object, which just so happened to be valuable, to determine my skill and independent capability as a thief. Well, I had been one for years, so making it official didn't seem like it could hurt to me.

Like any good thief, I intended to pull off my stunt at night. When people were asleep, and guards thought that any old creak was probably just a rat. How right they were. In the meantime, I had the daylight hours to pass. Time to see what the local fighters guild had to say.

The local steward was a Nord a full head taller then me, with a surly attitude that spoke volumes of her attitude to her subordinates. They were lesser people that got in her way constantly.

"Well, speak up Dunmer. What do you want? Are you here to hire a mercenary?"

"No, Sera. I'm here to join the Fighters Guild."

She looked at me like I had just told her that I drank the last of all the mead in the world. Then a smile broke out on her face.

"Hahaha! You're serious? All right. I could use a few new men. Problem with my outfit: Too many people don't know how to follow orders. I'm the local chapter steward. What I say goes. Don't do anything stupid, and you won't get killed. Its that simple."

"Are those the official rules?" I asked half smart-Aleck.

She took another look at me, the bonemold bracers on her arms making a scraping noise as they crossed across her torso.

"Obey the orders of all your superiors, in all things carry yourself with utmost professionalism, always maintain yourself, your equipment, and your armor. Never harm the innocent, and never fall for the craven tricks of the weak." she said with a disbelieving smile, like she was vomiting each syllable.

"But the Nine forbid anyone actually follow these rules." she sighed. "No one follows my orders, these 'soldiers' slouch everywhere, getting drunk in public half the time, walking around with dull weapons and rusty armor, and you could convince them to jump in the odai if you tossed a drake in it."

"So. Since your new. You get the grunt work. In the residential district across the river, you'll find a Drarayne Thelas. She has an infestation, and you're her exterminator." She said flicking her finger against the hilt of my blade.

Drarayne Thelas was a nice woman, if not a bit insane. But hey to each thier own, even if thier own was pillows. The complete and total adoration of pillows.

Journal Entry Five

The next morning I awoke to a small hangover. Nothing I couldn't handle. Frankly it was wonderful being able to suffer such a malady, as opposed to slowly deteriorating in a prison cell in the Imperial City. After a breakfast of some local fare, and a few cups of tea made from a local plant called 'Trama Root' I felt like my old self.

Picking up my equipment from the smith, everything was like new, I gave him a tip for his excellent work. He appreciated it enough to give me a bit of advice. It turned out to be some of the best advice I recieved on the Island.

"I see you prefer the subtle approach to adventuring. Chitin is definitely a superior light armor, however, there is a Tradehouse in Suran, known as the 'Archer's Tradehouse'. They recently got a dealer, a Breton Archer by the name of Gwen. She came through a few weeks ago showing me her specialty, a treated Leather armor that she calls 'Archer's Armor', frankly if this town wasn't so sleepy, I would have bought some off of her. But the tradehouse has a good locale. Hlaalu territory in a busy port, the Nobles prefer their mercenaries to be proficient in the bow, and they buy almost exclusively through them. The bows are top quality, outside even your price range, but that armor is."

I thought about it. The walk from Pelagiad to Suran was the same distance as to Balmora. I had no idea whether this new 'patron' of mine Caius Cosades was expecting me or not. And given the distance from Seyda Neen to Balmora, a few days wait was to be expected.

Rather than hoof it, I walked back to the fishing village that I had arrived in. It was another half day lost, but by making use of the giant insect called the Silt Strider, by that early evening I was in Suran, the speed that the giant strode was astonishing.


I found the Archer's Tradehouse with no trouble, as the sounds of busy patronage emanated from inside, I realized it was a hangout spot for local mercenaries and Hlaalu retainers. There was dealers of all kinds, anything archery, you would find it here. Looking around, I finally found the woman I was looking for, Gwen.



Sporting the light flexible armor herself, the woman was enticing. By which I mean she was as easy on the eyes, as her stories were on the ear. She had spent years as a ranger, mercenary and tanner, and had combined all three of her traits into an armor that was superior to common leather, and local chitin largely due to its flexibility. The color being darker than chitin also appealed to me. The price was not bad either, and I bought a complete set, not counting the hood or boots.

Giving it a try, the armor was everything she promised. It was like wearing a second skin that moved with me, rather than against. I even felt as though my accuracy was better.

The next item that caught my eye, was a finely crafted steel longsword.
Also within a reasonable price range, I traded in my Iron longsword, which further helped reduce the price. What was the main selling point on the blade was that it was inscribed with various abjurations that allowed it to strike at the undead without the help of silver or magical enchantment.


Having wasted enough time and money, and hearing that the fare back to Balmora would cost a mere 26 drakes, I took the easier path, and fell asleep on the five hour journey to my destination.

Awaking refreshed to the 'strider port, it was the break of dawn, and a thin haze of fog was slowly being burned away by the rising sun. I walked down the stairs and looked around with bleary eyes at the new town. It was...big.

An ambling Argonian woman who was out as this hour for gods-know-what reason, stopped a few feet from me, taking me in with black eyes that were calm. A major characteristic in the Argonian race that I noticed. It never felt like they were judging you, just...measuring.

"What is this one before me?" she said, to which I responded with a risen brow. I took it as a form of greeting.

"Sethyas Velas."

"Outlander." she quipped. How could she tell? My accent being Cyrodiilic perhaps.

"Sure."

"Hul." She responded, and then we began an exchange. She told me of the town, where the guilds and shops were, who the local government seat, the House of Hlaalu, were. All of which I listened to intently.

I now knew where the South Wall was, a cornerclub to the east of the Odai River, which ran through the center of town, dividing the city into two halves, the rich and the merchants resided on the west, and the middle class and the slums resided to the east. What a surprise that the South Wall cornerclub was in the slum of the city.

It wasn't open yet, and I took my time to familiarize myself with the town a bit, walking around I checked out the guilds and shops that Hul had spoken of, looking at the architecture of the Hlaalu and the Temple. Noting the Bonemold armor of the Hlaalu guardsmen. Then as the morning died into the early afternoon, I began my wandering on the east side. The locals were not as well dressed as the westerners, and I felt a bit more in my element.

Finally entering the club, a fetching Nordess gave me a quick once over, and then went back to her business. Walking downstairs, I ordered a drink from a well dressed Breton, and sat down at a table, glancing over the variety of races that comprised its patrons. Khajiits, Argonians, Redguards, Bosmer, and Imperials. A particular lack of Dunmer though. But no one seemed to mind one way or the other.

Handing me my drink, I motioned for the Breton Publican to come in a bit closer.

"I was told to look for a 'Caius Cosades' here. Does the name sound familiar?" I whispered.

The Breton looked at me for a moment, confused. As to say why anyone would want to find him. He pointed his finger upwards, and gave a slight nod. 'One minute'. Two minutes later, he came back down from the upstairs, with a Redguard in leather armor, and a dark hood.

The Redguard looked around for moment, than pointed at me, and motioned for me to follow. I took a last sip, and got up. I followed him up the stairs, to a door, and he knocked twice, then opening the door.

Inside a well-dressed Imperial Man stood in the corner waiting for me. I looked at the Redguard behind me, realizing that he was here as a guard.

"Caius Cosades?" I asked the man?

"Bacola Closcius." He replied simply.

"Um. Can you tell me where to find him?" I asked him.

"Depends. Whats it about?"

I handed him the documents with the official Imperial Seal on them. "I'm a courier, and this is for him." I said simply.

He took them, and his eyes scanned the parchment, feeling it between his fingers, and looking intently at the seal.

Suddenly he was all smiles and handed the document back to me. "A pleasure to help the Emperor. Exit the club, make a right up the stairs, and make a left at the top of them, his house is all the way at the end of the street."

Knowing the circumstances to be a bit suspicious, I took the documents nonetheless, and thanked him, and took my leave.

Following his instructions I arrived at a rundown section of town, and knocked on a filthy door. The door opened slowly, and a dull pair of blue eyes looked out.

"Yes?" came the feeble call.

"Caius Cosades?"

"Maybe, depends who's asking"

"Um...my name is Sethyas Velas. I was told to deliver some documents to you, sera."

He immediately opened the door, scanning the street and seeing no one else, he immediately scooped me inside, and quietly closed the door.

"Were you followed?"

"No."

"Who else knows that you're delivering these?"

"Bacola Closcius, and some other people at the South Wall Cornerclub, I was told to ask for you there..." I said handing him my instructions along with the package for him.

"Good. They can be trusted, you were right to follow these orders." he said looking over my instructions, reading incredibly fast, and nodding with contentment, and then broke the seal on his package.

I looked around the rundown squalor that he lived in, and the distinct aroma of BO and skooma in the air. And finally I took in the feeble form of the man who was supposed to be my 'patron'. Now I was really certain that this was the Emperors sick joke on me. In an instant, my opinion of the man changed.

Finishing the decoding in his head, he looked up at me, taking me in. Unlike Hul earlier, I did feel like I was being judged. He looked over every square inch of me, grabbed my hands, feeling the callouses of years of handling a bow. Examining my hair, and tattoo.

"Sera Cosades, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Determining your level of fitness for your new job." he responded.

"What job?"

"I am the Imperial Spymaster for Morrowind, he said plainly, looking into my eyes with newly sharpened ones. His physique was suddenly trim, he was old. But not that old. He was taking a cover as a low-life junkie.

"The Blades. Have you ever heard of us?"

"Yes. The Emporers personal guard."

"Yes, in public view. However, there are those of us that serve in a more discreet capacity. We are the Emperors eyes and ears in the provinces, informing of, and eliminating threats before they can do any damage to the Empire." he said

"And you, by order of the Emperor, are now a Novice in the Imperial Intelligence Service."

I blinked. Twice. He just stood there, staring at me.

"I take that I have no choice in the matter?" I asked.

"Well, you have one other choice. But you won't like it. I can't be compromised. Even if the Emperor orders me to take in some foul murderer."

My eyes narrowed. "Being compromised would be the least of my worries, were I you, Imperial." I said, not taking the insult well.

He smiled arrogantly at me. I swung. He caught my fist, and flipped me down to the ground in two moves. Putting pressure on my elbow, pushing my chin into his threadbare rug.

"All right. You're too easily shaken. We're going to have to work on that." he said getting up.

"You were testing me?"

"Always. I'm an expert in three forms of hand-to-hand, I like it when people underestimate me."

"Now. Put your butt in that chair, have a drink, and tell me everything there is to know about Sethyas Velas, notorious bandit, turned Emperors Agent."