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Arc 8 Interlude I, Part 3: A Narcissistic Gambit
🕑 Added 2025-04-30 14:39:22 +0000 UTCThe sounds of battle rang through the helmet he had been given, the imperfectly fitted scalemail weighing his shoulders down and making him sweat like some kind of menial as he stood beside the Sealord and his Serpentguards.
A pained scream made him fidget, and drew his eyes to the sight of a Maormer warrior being devoured by a large blue scaled serpent, the beast leaping out of the sea as the elf tried boarding one of the attacking ships.
The Sealord muttered something in his own language, his eyes following the same scene.
"Pardon me." Narsis cleared his throat "But why exactly are your men throwing themselves at the ships?" He was no tactician, not beyond the basics of command at least, but this seemed... excessive. Elven lives should never be wasted like this.
"Because those ships are valuable." Norevalion answered blithely "My own fleet is too small to both defend my lands and raid the others and this is a chance we must take."
"I see." The Altmer nodded "I do wonder however, when does the value of the ships fall under the value of experienced soldiers."
Something told him he had nearly gotten his teeth broken for that comment but he kept his gaze focused on the Maormer "You have an idea." The blue elf grunted "Speak."
"How far is your own fleet?" He asked first.
"Verzis tells me it will take an hour yet." Seeing the Altmer's confusion, Norevalion elaborated "My own serpent, there is a bond between us. Now, your idea?"
"Pretend a retreat." Narsis said simply "Draw them in, and then surround them. You have the numbers, and they will not be able to use the serpent so far from the shore."
"And then cut them off with my own ships." The Sealord smirked under his helm "Yes, I can see the merit in this." He nodded and immediately began barking orders in Pyandonean.
Horns began ringing out and soon the battle withdrew from the shoreline, the attacking Mantu raiders surging after the retreating soldiers of Tiguna, none of them noticing they were slowly led into overextending.
"Time to show your mettle, Kinlord." The Sealord's voice drew him from his observations "Do try not to die, it would make me look bad."
Before Narsis could answer, Norevalion drew his saber and roared some kind of battle cry, the Serpentguard regiment surging after him and nearly leaving the Altmer in the dust as they moved far more swiftly than he would expect under so much metal.
He jogged after them, mindful to preserve his stamina for the actual fight and still cursing the smug armorer for the poor fit of his shoulder pads. The bastard had it out for him, he was certain!
By the time he had reached the frontlines, the ambush had already started and the warriors of Tiguna were falling upon the Mantuans like an avalanche, the Serpentguard and their Sealord battling the leadership of the raiding party and cutting through them.
A bit too quickly, Narsis noted as he saw a few of them getting surrounded.
But he did not act immediately, letting Norevalion get himself even deeper into trouble before ultimately rising his free hand and casting his most powerful spell.
The battlefield flashed with light as a burst of chain lightning struck the Mantuans, instantly killing four of them and heavily wounding five more, giving the Sealord more than ample opportunity to cut down any who still stood against him.
Narsis must have killed someone important because just like that, the tides had turned, and the invading Maormer fell into disorder, running for their ships like cowards, even as dozens fell to their pursuers' arrows and blades, and a few yet to Narsis' thunderbolts.
Many still reached their ships, anchors already raised and marines ready with bows in hand, and yet the Tigunan warriors did not stop, as just as the enemy serpent was about to lunge at them once again, a loud horn burst through the eternal mist surrounding Pyandonea, and the fleet of Tiguna became visible.
Things turned into a blur for Narsis then, as he rushed to cut down as many of his new allies' foes as possible, even if he soon found himself mesmerized by the sight of two sea serpents snapping at each other, the one belonging to Noravelion swiftly winning out as its opponent was riddled with spell and arrow, and forced to flee, leaving the fleet under its protection to the depredations of the Tigunan elves.
He did not realize his ears were ringing until someone clapped his shoulder with enough force to nearly make him stumble, the noise rapidly disappearing as he refocused and realized the Sealord had approached him "Excellent work, Kinlord. I see the tales of your people were not exaggerations."
"One can only hope." Narsis muttered, still a bit out of it.
"Bah" Noravelion clapped his shoulder again, the blow only serving to aggravate the scalemail induced discomfort further "Cheer up, you have spilled blood with us, and none will gainsay my alliance with you now, not after that showing."
Stricken by a wave of relief, all Narsis could do was offer the Maormer a slight smile and simply repeat "One can only hope."
-----
Not even the sway of the Maormer ship under him could stop Narsis from grinning like a child in a confectionary store as the shores of Shimmerene came into his sight, even if part of him would have preferred he did not return as changed as he did.
The previous month had been one filled to the brim with battle and politicking, the high of victory leading the elves of Tiguna into launching a counter raid against Mantu, one which swiftly evolved into a full blown invasion and occupation as Noravelion won battle after battle and then personally slew Sealord Parondo and his serpent in a duel.
Needless to say, Narsis' new ally had proven himself more competent than originally expected and the high elf even started something of a friendship with his distant sea born cousin, the latter being far more respectful of his station after he had proven himself in battle thrice over.
Narsis was never quite as grateful to his good fortune than at the moment he realized the Maormer simply didn't use destruction magic on any kind of grander scale, which let him present himself as more valuable than he truly was.
His string of good luck did not end there, and he got to attend the wedding between Noravelion's younger brother and the daughter of Sealord Uumernenil, even if he had to stomach acting as the novelty amusement of the night for the other nobles present.
But yes, humiliations aside, he could firmly say that the northernmost trio of Pyandonea's islands were now under Noravelion's and thus his however distant influence.
A true miracle as far as he was concerned, when one took into account the Maormers' civil strife.
His return caused quite the stir amongst his people, the tragedy of his shipwrecking, and his weathered look nearly making his subjects suspect he was being held hostage, but the fact he was 'let go' by the Maormer who were then granted leave to explore the city by himself quickly made them understand the truth of the situation.
He did still make sure to assign some tails to all of them, best not risk things at this juncture.
Upon returning to his palace, and his favored study, Narsis nearly cried his heart out in relief, but contented himself to eating something that wasn't seafood for once, and wearing clothes that did not make him look a mere lord.
Finally, after weeks of suffering, he could take a moment to relax!
A moment that was ripped away from him as the High Justiciar once more marched into his palatial home like he owned the place, his expression set into a menacing frown as he stared the Kinlord down "Narsis." No greetings, no titles, just a master naming his dog "I see you have secured the alliance I demanded?"
The Kinlord, hardened by war and tragedy, merely tapped his table "Not quite."
The air turned heavy, and Finarfin commanded "Explain."
And so he did, extensively, not once causing any kind of visible upset to the Thalmor, much to his inner disappointment.
"I see" Finarfin noted blandly "Having full access to Orgnum's fleets would have been more beneficial but this will do as well."
"Orgnum would have likely had me thrown out of his audience hall if I was lucky" Narsis scowled "His hatred of us was known to even the dirties Maormer peasant."
"And yet you still managed to convince a Sealord to side with us, however tangentually." Finarfin points out simply "Warning him of the Septim girl would have worked in our favor, no matter how much the Aldmer hated us."
Narsis wanted to roll his eyes but was still mindful of the monster in his presence "These hypotheticals will not help us, what of the Oblivion Gate?"
"Are you certain it is one?" Finarfin asked.
"Almost completely." Narsis shrugged "The description of the event and aftermath fits, and the fact it has been two hundred years without anyone occupying or at least looting the most prominent location in Pyandonea is telling enough."
He had grown up on stories of those cursed portals, and saw the aftermath of a few with his own eyes.
"Indeed." Finarfin hummed ominously "And the seas, our ships can truly not access them?"
"If the Sea Hawk sunk without recourse, our lesser ships would be ruined in moments." Narsis scoffed "The only vessel capable of reaching Pyandonea with any kind of certainty is the one currently moored in my docks, and I doubt we would be able to replicate the rituals they use to protect themselves with any kind of speed. Not to mention ending our overtures before they could even begin in truth."
"For once, I concur." Finarfin nodded, and produced a scroll "I am authorizing you to bring an Elder Mage and three Archmagi with you, take whatever other forces you can fit on the ship and get our friend his ring. The Thalmor Council will be making their vote soon, and my bid for Overlordship needs to be absolute if we are to win the upcoming war."
"Just make sure to keep your end of the bargain." Narsis muttered as the High Justiciar left without bothering to wait for his response.
'Just you wait you bastard, one day I will shove that damned mace where the sun does not reach, and I will enjoy every single second of it.'
-----
The mists of Pyandonea split as the shoreline came into view, the darkness of the night broken only by the lights of the Maormer city of Wega, which served as the closest settlement to Orgnum's palace.
Narsis unfolded a scroll from one of his belt bags and began noting down the landmarks he could see, swiftly finding the direction the would need to follow "The Palace is one to two days march east of here, if we are not beset by beasts of course."
"Doubting us already, Kinlord?" A timeless voice came from his left.
"Nothing of the sort my lady." He bowed to the far too young looking mage "Merely preparing myself for what is to come."
"What a grand way of saying absolutely nothing." The eras old Elder Mage indicated no emotion "Do make sure to send your little Thalmor puppets to secure information and supplies from the city if you are going to whine at least."
Narsis turned to speak to the Justiciar but the elf was already barking out orders, and the Thalmor infiltrators aboard their ship were already halfway through disembarking.
The Kinlord felt his bafflement rising and went to ask the mage what was going on but she preempted him "I have lived through one Dominion already, these children will not bother me for long, even if they win their little conflict."
"Then why support them?" Narsis couldn't help but ask.
"Because Talos was a bastard who threw the Numidium at us just because we refused to negotiate." She answered immediately, voice and expression still perfectly blank "And seeing his descendants suffering is a pleasant way to spend my days."
"Ah." Narsis said helpfully.
"Yes" The elder drawled "Ah."
-
Narsis almost missed the constant pressure of the Maormer scalemail as his entourage cut their way into the jungle, the few sea elves who had been volunteered by Noravelion to his aid guiding them as best as they could.
But a band of a hundred Altmer was not something one could easily conceal, especially since the quartet of magi refused to so much as help with the campfires, and even less with the healing of the wounds sustained by the soldiers defending them.
Narsis was slowly starting to realize why the other races tended to hate his people, even if he would keep those thoughts to himself until he died.
-
The bladeself at the head of their troop cut through a large leaved bush, immediately rising his guard as they had been ambushed thrice in similar situations already, but instead of hungering predators, the sight that greeted them was a ruined cobbled road leading up to tall city walls.
"It would seem you were correct." Elder Calia said, her eyes scanning the city and no doubt seeing what none of them could "There is an active portal waiting inside."
Narsis nodded, absently checking on the straps of his moonsteel armor, but before he could take a stop forward the mage's raised hand stopped him.
"We will take the lead now." She said, voice still refusing to carry any emotion "Come now students, we have work to do."
The three Archmages followed after her without a word and the band began approaching Orgnum's Palace, or as it happened, the ruins of it.
They did not even reach the walls before an arrow pierced the air, immediately drawing their eyes to a Maormer clad in rusty scale standing atop the battlements with a flimsy bow in hand.
The sea elf no doubt went to say something but Lady Calia did not seem amused by his attempt, and lazily waved her hand, causing the elf, and the wall under him, to burst into tiny chunks.
"He might have been useful." Narsis nearly cursed his own audacity the instant he spoke.
"No." The Elder spoke with the certainty of a mountain "He was under a Daedric contract, knowingly or not."
Wisely, the Kinlord merely nodded in acceptance.
This painted the pattern for the rest of their excursion, as the Elder Mage simply crushed anyone or anything that considered it wise to get in their way, even the few innocent civilians eking out an existence were given no warning as the mages simply removed them with a rapid application of thunder.
Narsis morbidly thanked the Divines within the privacy of his own mind that the presumed innocents were relatively few amongst the maddened occupants of the city.
Even if his mind was mostly occupied by the encounters and ensuing displays of the magi, most of the march to the palace proper was relatively peaceful, with the soldiery checking every corner as the mage quartet refused to so much as slow down.
The palace itself was surrounded by a large moat, wide enough for three war ships to pass each other by without collision, and as they stepped upon the somehow pristine wooden bridge across it, four sapphire colored serpents burst out of the water, spitting thunder from their maws.
Only three Altmer fell to the assault before Lady Calia grasped the air, lifting them all and opening them up to her students, who proceeded to incinerate them with gouts of flame so hot part of the moat evaporated.
No healing was offered by the mages as many of the soldiers did their best to hide their pain, and without a word they descended deeper into the palace, cutting through the wards with the practiced weight of centuries.
Within awaited all manner of Daedric abominations, beasts of flesh and metal transformed through horrifying deals with Clavicus Vile who all met the same fate as the sea serpents outside.
Even if Narsis was forced to watch even more of his personal guard get wounded and even killed by the mage's carelessness.
A pompous Dremora mage challenged their approach as they neared the throne room, and offered them a deal so that they could pass forward unmolested, an innocent sounding trade that would have had all of them giving up their still beating hearts to the monster.
The good Elder turned the creature inside out for its trouble.
He did not know Dremora could scream like that.
And finally, after three days of trudging through jungle and ruin, they came upon the throne room, the once opulent place of power was covered in rubble and the remains of the fallen, the stink of ancient air mixed with blood assaulting the high elven noses as they took in the sight of the throne itself.
No grand chair stood there but the familiar rune-shaped portal leading unto a hellscape, and one would need not be a great genius to realize where their prize was held.
Narsis prepared himself to be ordered to simply march inside and throw both himself and his people into hell itself, but Elder Calia surprised him as she spoke "Secure the chamber, my apprentices and I will deal with this."
Shakily, the Kinlord nodded, and did not even reprimand the few of his bodyguards who sighed in relief as the quartet of mages entered the portal to the Fields of Regret.
As the first explosions began roaring out from within the portal, Narsis wisely instructed his followers to set up camp around the shimmering passage, doing his best to distract both himself and his fellow elves from the increasing frequency of demonic screams coming from within.
He was finally beginning to understand why his people venerated their elder magi but still made sure they were left well enough alone. They were all fucking terrifying!
Hours later, Narsis was feeling like his soul had been drained from his body, and almost failed to notice the Elder walking out of the portal and tossing him a gleaming band of gold, one he barely managed to catch as he scrambled for it.
"The Sealord was correct." The Elder spoke simply "It is bloodline bound."
The Kinlord looked down at the ring and then back at the completely impeccable woman who just walked out of oblivion alongside her apprentices and did his utmost not to gape like a child "Of course, my lady."
"Do make sure to show it to him privately and have him test it before you present it more officially." Calia added "We can modify the enchantment to fit him, and embarrassing our ally so publicly would mean this was a waste of my time." She leaned in slightly "And I assure you wasting my time is a crime you would not be forgiven."
"Understood, my lady." Narsis grabbed onto his etiquette lessons like a lifeline "We will ensure the Sealord ascends as the leader of his people with all due haste."
She hummed, tilted her head in a manner that may have been construed as a nod if one squinted, and told the troops to pack up.
-
Months later, having ensured that Noravelion was crowned the new King of Pyandonea, Narsis returned back to Shimmerene once again, the personal promise of friendship from the Maormer sovereign an insufficient balm to his tired soul.
They did not need to modify the ring to prove the Sealord's lineage but everything else that could have gone wrong, did go wrong, as Narsis was forced to constantly ship reinforcements to Tiguna as the other Sealords tried usurping the ring in a maddened dash.
Thousands died before Noravelion proved his dominance and left no room for doubters, leading a combined invasion force to Orgnum's Palace and retaking it as his new capital, the act possible now that the portal to Oblivion was closed shut.
Narsis wanted to feel elated at his success, but after being shown just how utterly insignificant he was by the Elder Mage, and having his mediocrity shoved into his face with every single battle he participated in, all he felt was a bone deep exhaustion.
Days later, just as he was about to leave for the palace the Thalmor had usurped from the Aranas for his 'trial', he received a missive from the academy Naerys was studying at, and he felt his blood freeze as his mind immediately reached for the worst possible conclusion.
Luckily for his heart, the missive was a positive one, and informed him of his daughter's ascension to the rank of Archmage, as she had proven herself a master of no less than three schools of magic during a duel against her teacher, where she transformed the entire room into a labyrinth of traps and eked out a narrow victory as she pierced his wards.
The Thalmor Council was thus given quite the surprise, as the Kinlord they expected to be a sniveling noble coward marched into their domain with a wide smile on his face, his posture that of a seasoned warrior as he stared them all down without flinching.
Finarfin would have probably felt proud then, if he did not have to contain a snarl of frustration as he felt his leash on the Kinlord loosening.
Comments
Hakkira
Thank you kindly for the chapter π All I can see happening in the future for the sea elves is their fleet coming to a big battle and then getting sunk again but by our Dagoth this time...π β οΈ
Brian lipS
Love the side story thanks for your skill
