Memories of a Clockmaker

Chapter 1

Sotha Sil leaned back in his chair fully concentrating on the tome in his lap. The old parchment spoke of the binding of creatures from Oblivion. Not just the common scamp or flame atronach, but more dangerous summoning rituals. Binding Daedroth's the size of small buildings, a legion of fully armored Dremora, the tome even spoke of summoning the Daedric Princes themselves. Of course they could not be bound, not even by the strongest mages in Tamriel. While one could barter with a Daedric Prince one could not control them. Sotha Sil wasn't so foolish as to ever attempt to summon a Daedric Prince, those summoning often ended in destruction and death. Even the Three good Daedra, Azura, Mephala and Boeithiah shouldn't be summoned by commoners. Not to mention what would happen if another Daedric Prince would be summoned into Nirn.

Sotha Sil closed the book and put it back on the dusty shelf. The library of Ald Sotha was quite large, as a younger child Sil spend a lot of time here, studying and reading. Now at the age of 60 Sotha Sil still spend a lot of time in the library, but the young Chimer also took to the field to experiment and practice spells. He had spent enough time studying today, it was time to attempt some of those Daedric summoning just outside of the city walls.

His white robes hung on a hook just outside of the library. Sil took the robes and put them on. The fabric seemed to hug his skin. The cloth of the wizard robes of House Sotha were often enchanted to empower the magic of the wizard wearing them, but also for comfort and protection. Before going out Sil went to visit Sotha Nall.

His sister was truly a beauty. Soft yellow skin, big blue eyes and thick silver hair. The two siblings studied together more often than not. Sil and Nall, the prodigy's of House Sotha. Sometimes Sil felt like Nall was the only one who would ever understand him.

Sil put his arms around his sister who had her pretty nose buried in a book like usual. He planted a kiss on her cheeck.

"I'll see you at dinner?"

"Don't get eaten by Dremora little brother." Nall replied with a smile on her lips.

As Sotha Sil stepped outside onto the busy streets of Ald Sotha he pulled his hood up. The Red Mountain was restless today, and heavy winds from the North blew the ash all the way down to Ald Sotha. Still the streets where filled with traders from all corners of the Nordic Empire. Ornate clothing from Northpoint in High Rock, mead, arms and armor from Skyrim or the sweet wines from the plantations around Fort Cheydin in Northern Cyrod.

Sil stopped at the trader from Cyrod and bought a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread and some dried meat. Dusk hung over Resdayn and Sil hadn't eaten yet. While his parents' servants would have set up a place at the table for him Sil was much too busy to eat dinner back at home. Research was waiting. He would eat while performing his summoning. He bought some candles for his summoning circle and left the market.

As Sil approached the main gate he noticed a trading caravan from Resdayn packing their wares. A tall Chimer with a white mohawk was packing his guar. Sil found himself intrigued by the Chimer for some reason, a magical aura hung about him. Sil nodded to the Chimer as he passed by, heading towards the main gate where two Nords stood watch.

The Nordic guards looked at Sil with suspicion but didn't make a move. The Nords, rulers of Northern Tamriel, even Resdayn. Sil had nothing against the Nords, not truly. But how they could rule over the Chimer race? It was an affront to the Three in Sil's eyes. The Nords should be back in Skyrim, conquering the human kingdoms.

After a short walk through the mushroom forest Sotha Sil reached his usual testing grounds. A small secluded grove just off the main road, a nice little spot that no one seemed to know about. Sil put down his backpack and took the candles out. He placed them carefully in a large circle and lighted them with a flick of his fingers. Sil grabbed his tome and looked up the page for his summoning. Just as we wanted to start the spell a loud noise came from the city behind him.

Sil lowered the tome and turned around and watched as the sky tore open above Ald Sotha. The stars that had started to appear looked to be aflame, the usually black - turning sky a blood red. The buildings of Ald Sotha in the distance stood as smoldering runes, black smoke rising from the piles of rubble. Screams of people dying carried over the winds. In the midst of the burning sky and smoldering buildings stood a massive creature with red skin, four arms with axes in some hands, knives sprawling out of its knuckles on others. Sotha Sil recognized the being instantly, Merhunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of destruction.

Sotha Sil dropped the tome and ran towards the city. No mortal could hope to face a Daedric Prince in combat but the city was burning, somewhere amongst the rubble where his parents and Nall.

When Sil reached the gates he saw a sea of rubble and corpses, the smell of burning flesh heavy in the air. He ran through the once paved streets, now littered with smoldering ash and burning flesh of his kin. His home was just arround the corner, if only he could... But Merhunes Dagon's red foot stepped on the house and crushed it beneath its weight, like a child would crush a bug.

Horror filled within Sil, seeing the walls where he spent his childhood crumble. The thought of his parents being crushed beneath the weight... Sil shouted in agony. He wanted to look away but he couldn't. The warm embrace of his mother, studying with his father, the first girl he took home with him, all the memories, dead and gone.

"NALL!" Sil shouted when his blue eyes saw his sister amongst the rubble.

He ran towards her. When he took her in his arms she coughed up blood. Too much blood. It wouldn't stop, it wouldn't..

"Sil.." Nall whispered in a weak voice.

Then she was still. She had to move. Nall had to move, she couldn't be dead. Without even realizing what he was doing he captured Nall's essence in one if his soul gems as if to save her life. Nall, Nall, Nall!

Before realizing what he was doing Sil hurled a lightning bolt at the Daedric Prince. The bolt of magical energy struck Merhunes Dagon on his cheeck. The Prince turned his head towards Sil, seeming annoyed at a mortal fighting back at him. But Sil didn't care about death anymore, all he wanted was to destroy Merhunes Dagon.

He hurled bolt after bolt, until the Prince raised his hand. A wave of energy knocked Sil down to the ground. Something hit his head and his vision was getting blury. Half-conscious he still heard it when the Prince spoke to him.

"You are bold mortal." The thundering voice of Merhunes Dagon spoke. "Stronger than the rest of these maggots. But you cannot stop me. You can join the rest of your house in the Deadlands."

Then the Daedric Lord raised his giant axe and lunged at Sil. Just as Sil thought he would be cleaved in half another shockwave came over him. He hit his head again and the last thing he remembered was seeing a bright light and a golden Moon and Star.

Screams. The smell of burning flesh. The sound of buildings breaking down. His head hurt. Immensely. It all slowly came back to him, the destruction of his home.

Sil opened his eyes and looked at the sky. The fire was gone, the red was gone, the Daedric Prince Merhunes Dagon was gone.

"So you're finally awake." A calm, deep voice spoke to Sil.

Sil put his hands on the ground so he could sit up straight. The pain in his head got worse. He quickly raised his hand and felt a strap of thick cloth around his head, wet with blood.

"Easy there, you took quite a hit."

Sil looked at the man and recognized the Chimer. It took him a few monents to place him, it was the caravan guard he noticed packing his guar by the city gates before.

"The city.. My parents... Nall..."

By the word I wind the gears.