Rasniir, our khajiit warrior, seems lost in the dark void. He can feel some sort of ground beneath his heavy boots. It's hard with tiny parts of it felt empty just to make it look better. In the distant he sees a outlandish lamp post. It looks like a curved plant with glowing orb weighting it down. Rasniir thought it would be a bad idea, but he travels to the light anyway.
As Rasniir walks toward the lamp, he can see towers and walls with black books shoved into them. A flock of pages flew over him, which he was startled to the point of yanking his greatsword out. After a while of searching
around himself, he started to panic at how large this hell is. He can see a dark ocean beneath him. Within it, something slithers under the surface. Rasniir relieved that it's down there and he's up here. The lamp post is within his reach, and he can see a lot better of the surrounding area.
The black ocean seems to bear more than the platform Rasniir is standing on. On either side of it there were alien structures of the same deathly colors of this hell. Rasniir can see more and more islands of similar structures around the wretched ocean and beyond. Not only structures were above the surface of the endless pool, swerving black tentacles reaches out of it for some reason. Possibly decorations, Rasniir guessed.
Rasniir then realized that he's isolated, while being watched closely. He don't know whom or how, but he felt like he's being observed. By what you asked? Well, let's just say this realm that Rasniir's in, is quite resourceful with knowledge... and power.
Back on Nirn, a Masked Hero was pacing back and forth throughout one of his homes, Vlindrel Hall. He was quite sure that Rasniir, a potential apprentice with the right blood, is dead. He began ranting on to himself about how he screwed all this up by a simple misplacement. Oh, Mora will be doing his drowning laughter when he sees this. What this hero failed to realize again is that his master, Hermaeus Mora, have been watching both of them for hours.
Meanwhile, near the southern borders of Skyrim, a Legate without his army traveled for a day and the sun was now setting. He wiped his brow after climbing the so-called best way into Skyrim from Cyrodiil. His armor clinked and clunked as he found a good spot to settle for the night. The moon looks down on him from the red sky called dusk.
The Legate searched through his traveling bag to set up a tent. He gathered some twigs and barks as he started a small fire. He sat up against a snow covered tree and began chewing on a bread he packed and looked up to the stars. This Legate will find his answers... as well as his murderous brother, Respin.
Back in the wretched realm, Rasniir was within a structure to find a way out of this hideous place. He carefully walks through halls and rooms full of books in which he have no desire to bother with. He observed that this structure is bigger than it seems, from the inside at least. He spots banners where encrypting letters appear then disappear from time and again. He finally made it to a open room where ghastly statues of hideous creatures are rowed around it. In the center of this particular room is a black pool. It is probably wise to avoid that. At the other end of the room lies a stand with a large book that seems native here by the looks of it's cover.
Rasniir dared steps across the room to observe this book, since it seems to be the only thing that looks promising around himself. What on Earth is this place anyway? Did the masked stranger send me here? This book should have some answers, thought Rasniir as he impulsively gets close to the black pool. A dark bubble pops which made Rasniir jump.
Movement was seen within the black pool. Rasniir knew it is trouble that this thing is asking for. A figure arose from the pool. It is as tall as Skyrim's giants. Rasniir hope that it isn't as strong. The face is fish-like and similar to the surrounding statues. It roared as masses of tentacles sprang from it's mouth, furiously. It instantly found the source of it's interruption, a brown and tan cat-thing that is about to be meal.
Rasniir hissed as he yanked out his steel-made greatsword. He challenged his wet and hideous opponent. The beast shows no fear as do our warrior. The beast spits some of it's tentacles to Rasniir, but he dodged it and charged for the limped legs of the monster. It hurls a extending slash just beside Rasniir's ear, but it failed and now greatsword slashed into the leg. The beast groans as a quick reaction to that strike.
Rasniir dodged a stump of the beast , but it swung its arm behind. Rasniir was knocked from the side, his head aching from the strength of the hit. He quickly stood back up, keeping a tight grip on his large weapon. The beast charged limply towards Rasniir, taking the advantage and the kill with it's extending arm swipe. Our warrior once again dodged the attack. Rasniir then tried to pierce the beast's center, but it slightly moved sideways, making Rasniir's counter in vain.
The beast grabs Rasniir with both of it's wet scaly arms. It opens it's large mouth, revealing it's many fangs and sharp tentacles, and tried to bite Rasniir's head right off. Rasniir, in a panic, pierced through the monster's gaping mouth. A foot of the blade can be seen on the other side of the beast's head. The critical attack didn't kill the thing, but it was enough to drop Rasniir and attempt to pull it out.
Rasniir pulls out a hidden dagger, which is a backup weapon. He sees the beast occupied with agony as it slowly pulls the greatsword out of it's mouth. He runs for the legs of it and briefly took and a stab at it's crouch and some slices on the thighs. The beast kneels down in great pain. Rasniir dashes around and climb up the back of the ugly thing, digging his claws into it's flesh while holding the dagger in his mouth.
When Rasniir made it to the top of the beast, he held on with his left hand and begin stabbing the head with a dagger on the other. He kept piercing long after his hand went numb from his furious strikes. The beast fell forward with a final groan as it's last breath. Rasniir drops the now bent dagger with murky black liquid soaked on it and his hand. He stood over the beast victorious, and a hateful spit at it must be in order.
Rasniir reclaims his greatsword and cleaned it before sliding the possession back into the sheath. He turns back to his intended goal of investigated the large book at the end of the room of statues. This structure is dedicated to this one book, so it must be a use for something. Rasniir was within reach of the book, and he can hear a slight beat. Almost like a heart. A slow one at that. He know that its no good to trust this, but what's the harm? It's just a book.
Rasniir tried to lift the dark book from it's ghastly stone stand, but it didn't budge a bit. He guess he'll have to read it right there, but he plans to do so hastily. These statues seem to be looking more alive by the minute. Rasniir pulls the front cover over and prepares to get his reading done. Shouldn't be too hard, thought Rasniir.
As Rasniir was reading the title page and the author's signature, he senses himself being touched and rubbed by something or someone. He turns to where he sworn was the source of the irritation, but nothing was in sight except for the ugly corpse. Now what in the name of Azura was that? Something touched me and I know it is not my head getting the better of me, he thought.
Our warrior shrugs it off and turns back to the book. What he faced is a surprise as a pack of more tentacles reaching for his head. It was too late for Rasniir to react for the slithering things already wrapped around him. Suddenly they pull him violently into a the same abyss that they crawled out of. Rasniir was unable to resist and thus his whole self was dragged into another dark void. Hopefully this leads out of this place.
Back on Nirn, within Markarth, our Masked Hero was now over the death and waste of his promising apprentice. He was now just staring at his Aetherial Shield's center orb. He admires the life-like movements and the ribbon dances it makes despite the fact that he wasted possibly the last aetherium for a shield that is useless to him. He was so angry about this waste that he resurrected and killed that jester. Whom shalt not be mentioned!
The Masked Hero then found himself enthralled with flashbacks of his old nemesis... bears. He stares into the fake, but ever-waking eyes of his snow-bear trophy. Those bears... always sneaking behind me at the worst of times... he well deserves his place... on my wall, our hero making sneer thoughts to the trophy.
The Masked Hero and the bear head is still having their stare-off. Both of them giving furious looks at each other. The Hero gave in. He whips up his hands with controlled lightning and blasted the bear to shreds. Victory is mine, sucker!
At that moment the presumed dead Do' Rasniir rises from the stone floor with a painful moan. He rubs his head which is now aching with every pulse. He feels like he had a hard beating from a pack of trolls to his face. He looks up to see his masked host standing over a destroyed animal thing.
Now he awakens, thought the former Hero. Huh, took longer than Mora and I thought. Well, at least it worked. I can sense his blood rushing like mine. Now for the introductions...
