LIFE IN MORROWIND - DAY 4

My life here appears to be accelerating at a breathtaking speed. I can hardly believe how much I have achieved since I wrote the previous entry in this diary yesterday. I am already a Journeyman of the Mages guild and a layman of the Tribunal Temple.

It all started with my decision to make the trip to Balmora on foot. It was a pleasant sunny morning, the sea breeze was fresh and invigorating. The prospect of climbing again into the stinking cabin of the Silt Strider seemed more repulsive than ever. I've been told that I should not meet anything more dangerous than some wild rats on my way to Balmora - as long as I would stick to the roads. Well, local rats were scary enough, but I knew already that I could handle them without much difficulty. And also, I remembered now that Ajira would very likely ask me to collect some flowers for her next, and I was pretty sure that I'd be able to collect those flowers along the way so I would arrive to the guild prepared for her next task. And so I set out from Seyda Neen, following the road that would take me past Pelagiad and then Moonmoth fort, and finally to Balmora.

It started well enough. I did not meet anything dangerous, not even rats. The land here was very peaceful and pleasant, with tall grassy meadows, scantily dotted with large trees. To the east, I could see a large body of water, looking very still and bright in the sunlight. There were plenty of different flowers growing alongside the track, and I collected diligently the samples of every kind, as I had no idea which one Ajira would ask for. After less than an hour of this pleasant walk, I saw the walls and towers of what I knew must be Fort Pelagiad. As I came up to a crossroad, with one way going to the town of Pelagiad and the other one continuing on in the direction of Balmora, I saw a woman pacing up and down the road in clear agitation. It seemed that she was on a lookout for someone, and as I approached within earshot, she called out to me.

Her name was Maurrie, she was young and good looking, and apparently quite rich. Turned out she had been recently robbed, and the robber escaped with her jewelry. Yet she was not at all concerned with the disappearance of the jewelry, but rather - with the disappearance of the robber. It was a strange story, since the bandit had been apparently gallant enough to introduce himself to the girl - and to charm her. She asked me if I could find this man, named Nelos Onmar, and deliver to him a message from her along with her glove. She told me I would likely find him in Pelagiad. I didn't even ask how she could know that - nothing in this story made sense, and since he told her his name, he might as well have given an address. For me this would only be a small detour, and I was hoping for some kind of reward, so I agreed to help her. I took the note and walked off in the direction of Pelagiad.

When I got into the town, I did not waste any time, as I still had the intention to reach Balmora before sundown. I had no trouble locating the tavern, and when I asked the bartender about Nelos, he pointed me right away to a drunk dark elf sitting in the corner. Apparently he was already making good use of the spoils from his encounter with Maurrie. I approached him and gave him the message, explaining who sent it. I wasn't sure what kind of reaction I expected from him, but he certainly surprised me when he started crying. Then he told me his story - he was clearly in a state of mind - and a state of inebriation - in which he was ready to tell it to just about anybody.

Apparently he used to be a bard, put out of business in the recent months as the times got darker, with the blight and the embargo, and bards were no longer in demand. He did not cherish the idea of becoming a highway robber but his drinking and gambling habits left him no choice, or so he claimed. He had already felt particularly bad after robbing Maurrie, since apparently he had also fallen for her, and he dealt with his remorse in the only way he knew - by getting drunk.

"So what should I tell her?" - I asked. This seemed to sober him up a bit. He asked the bartender for ink and paper, and quickly penned a note. I must admit it was a testament to the fact he had some skill with words: even in his current dismal state, he had no trouble writing a note that stroke just the right tone - admiration for the girl, remorse for his actions, his unworthiness of her but also his readiness to come at her calling. I took the note and agreed to deliver it to her. "I cannot go to her in my current state", he said, "please ask her to wait for me, in two days I will find her in the Elven Nations Cornerclub in Vivec. I know she was heading there anyway."

I came back to Maurrie and handed her the note. She was beside herself with happiness and thanked me profusely but apparently she had nothing left to give me as a reward. Instead, she suggested that I should meet her friend Emusette Bracques in Tel Aruhn. With that, we parted, as she continued on her way to Vivec while I resumed my journey to Balmora. This weird encounter left me wondering if my judgement of people would be any good in this world.

I reached Balmora without any further adventures. Ajira thanked me for the mushrooms and I went on doing some other small favors for her, mostly revolving around her bet with the fellow apprentice mage, Galdebir. I was also spot on with the flowers, Ajira was very surprised and glad when she found out I already had all the samples that she needed. Finally, she told me she had no other work for me at the moment and instead took me to Ranis and gave her a rather exaggerated account of my achievements. Ranis listened coldly and seemed unimpressed, but then she surprised me completely by promoting me immediately to a journeyman of the guild. This made no sense at all since even Ajira herself was not a journeyman yet.

After this, when we spoke privately again with Ajira, she suggested that I should speak with her friend Edwinna Elbert in Ald'ruhn guild hall. She advised me against taking tasks from Ranis here in Balmora: she suspected that Ranis gave me this rapid promotion for rather questionable reasons. "She wants to use you to do some dirty work for her, I tell you", Ajira said. "This happened before. She does this with new joiners whom she considers expendable. The kind of tasks she will give you will likely get you killed, or jailed. You should take great care, and best of all find a place for yourself in a different guild hall".

I had no way of knowing if Ajira spoke earnestly, or if she was simply jealous of my new rank. Either way, I decided that I should get myself busy with something outside of the Mages Guild for now. And so I came to the Tribunal Temple.

Feldrelo Sadri, master of the Temple here in Balmora, welcomed me and told me that in order to become a full member of the temple, I must complete the pilgrimage of the Seven Graces. As the Temple is one of the most powerful political forces here in Morrowind, I decided that establishing myself in their ranks can be a good idea. And this Pilgrimage is also a good way to discover a bit more of this land. I will be starting it tomorrow.