Oblivion's Shadow

XIII. The Prince of Destruction

The entire news of the Thieves Guild destruction hit them harder than they thought: Vex, Thrynn, Sapphire, Etienne Rarnis, and Dirge, and all the merchants in The Ragged Flagon were dead; Delvin was so badly injured he might not be able to steal anymore, and Vekel had lost an arm. Maul, Dirge's brother, came down to warn them when the dremora were attacking the city, helped the thieves fight off the demon horde, but was killed. They even went up top to find Jarl Laila Law-Giver and her entire court dead; Maven Black-Briar had been caught at her family's meadery and was killed too. Most of Riften had been exterminated, but a handful had survived: a priest of Mara, two beggars, one child who lost her parents, two injured guards, Bolli and his wife, Nivenor, and Asbjorn Fire-Tamer, the blacksmith's assistant.

After helping the best they could, Macayla explained the plan Nocturnal had come up with. They would comply with the dremora and open a gate; as soon as the prince of destruction stepped through, they would attack. Actually bringing back Mehrunes Dagon made Brynjolf and Karliah queasy. They had set out to prevent him from coming, and now they would invite him in. But they really didn't have a choice with Aadalyn's life on the line. Macayla had to reassure them that they could send him back; with Meridia and Azura's help, Nocturnal believed they could.

Vjenaar was an old ruin located far outside of Morthal. Most of the Hjaalmarch Hold consisted of swampy marshlands, making it constantly shrouded in fog and generally avoided. The eeriness made it ideal for vampires or dark magick practitioners to set up their lairs away from prying eyes. Out of all the places in Skyrim to open a gate to Oblivion without interference, the dremora chose the right place.

Macayla never let go of Brynjolf's hand as they trudged through the stagnant swamps for Vjenaar—he held her hand just as tight. They were terrified for their daughter. All of them knew the dremora had no plans of handing Aadalyn back over to them, hence them pretending to do what they wanted, then catch them off guard by attacking Mehrunes Dagon. No mortal could stand against him, but they had three Daedric princes helping them. The dremora would be so focused on protecting their master, Aadalyn would be safe.

Nocturnal made Macayla repeat this over and over so she wouldn't lose her nerve. She knew the Night Mistress did this as well to steady herself, too.

Bandits had originally laid claim to Vjenaar, but the dremora had no problem wiping them out. Their bodies littered the entrance to the underground ruins—even those caught inside had been carelessly tossed out.

The Nightingale Trinity paused before the blackened iron doors. Macayla squeezed her husband's hand.

"We can do this; we have the backing of three Daedric Lords."

"We wouldn't be able to even dream of doing this without them," Karliah said.

Brynjolf gave a dry chuckle. "You're right there, lass."

"Nocturnal wouldn't be confident if we hadn't had gotten their support." Macayla took in a breath. "So, there's no point in making Aadalyn wait in fear; let's go."

Brynjolf held the door open for the two women and they went in. Vjenaar had been built for ancient Nords to hold extravagant ceremonies and forbidden rituals in the bygone era and became a burial ground. Large but crumbling amphitheaters remained as proof of the ancient Nordic observation for the dead. As the three friends descended ever deeper, they passed by open sarcophagi and dead draugr—more victims of the dremora killing spree, they presumed.

After descending for a long time, they came into the final chamber: a large room with tall columns in a semi-circle holding nothing, completely open to the high ceiling. At the top of a few steps was a wall with foreign words engraved on it. Macayla didn't recognize the letters, but knew what they said because Nocturnal did: this revered place linked Tamriel to the plane of Oblivion. With a Daedra prince's artifact, a gate could be opened here.