Elder Scroll series, Harry Potter 1. To the Beginning of Time

Disclaimer: Sadly not mine, if it had been I would have been rich.

**Chapter I. To the Beginning of Time.**

Harry Potter bit his lip in frustration. Uncle Vernon had locked up his trunk, and all his magical things along with it, in the cupboard under the stairs. Harry knew it better as his former room. He was having a bit of difficulty with the padlock that Uncle Vernon had fastened, never having picked a lock before despite the rumours.

Now normally it would seem strange that a twelve year old boy had to pick open a lock on a cupboard just so that he could do his homework. But Harry Potter was not normal really, he was a wizard, an orphaned wizard who had managed to survive and vanquish the darkest wizard in over a century. Lord Voldemort… Tom Marvolo Riddle. Both names sent shivers of fear and burst of anger and hate through him.

It was Voldemort's fault that Harry had to skulk around Privet Drive like some criminal (thanks to Uncle Vernon's rumours). It was Voldemorts fault that Harry had to grow up with a family who hated him so much that he was physically and emotionally abused for ten years, treated worse than the lowest of slaves. In anger he smashed his fist into the cupboard door, the resulting pain further darkened his mood.

He really needed to get his trunk so that he could do his homework, as he'd rather not have to explain to McGonagall why he had failed to do even one of his summer assignments, that and Snape would kill him or put him in a month's detention at the very least (with great pleasure as well on Snape's part)

Harry sighed and dropped his hands to his side. The hairpin from Aunt Petunia wasn't working very well on its own. He couldn't depress all the tumblers necessary with it alone, no matter how much he tried to manipulate it, but the lock was too thin to jam another hairpin through.

_'__Try a paperclip next time with the hairpin', a musical feminine_ voice whispered just over Harry's shoulder. He turned, but found nothing there. A cold shiver ran through his spine as he thought of the events just a few weeks prior—the Chamber of Secrets, the basilisk, Parselmouth. He certainly didn't want another repeat to happen on Privet Drive. Not that Voldemort could've hidden an ancient snake under the floorboards of number four, but...

'_Get back to your room! Your uncle's coming!'_ urged the voice. Harry spent half a second deliberating before deciding it was better to hear an imaginary voice than to get caught by Uncle Vernon.

He flew up the stairs just as the kitchen door began to open. That confirmed that the voice was no longer imaginary. Either that or he'd developed some rather extremely accurate senses with enough consciousness to _speak_ warnings to him. Dead helpful for Quidditch, he imagined.

Once inside his room, he leaned back against the door.

"I'm going mad," murmured Harry as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I've cracked... It's finally happened. I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and find that there's no Hogwarts, and Uncle Vernon's shipped me off to the loony-bin."

Harry pulled off his thick, clunky circular glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Maybe it was some sort of remnant from the previous term? From using the diary? Did Ginny suffer from this as well? Dumbledore had said she'd be fine, but... Well, she'd been almost drained dry by Voldemort's memory. He'd less time with it and yet he's hallucinating.

'_Haven't you heard that brilliance and insanity are two sides of the same coin?'_ chuckled the mystery voice. It didn't sound like a snake, but then again, Harry wasn't always conscious of when he spoke Parselmouth. The voice was musical, soft and warm with a hidden glint of intelligence mixed in it.

Harry realized that the voice was coming from the end of his bed, not over his shoulder as it had been downstairs. He narrowed his eyes, trying to find out if anything—or any_one_—was actually in his room besides himself. From all he knew it could be everything from a slightly… off House Elf like Dobby to an invisible Vampire who had decided to use him as his next snack and merely wanted to play with his food so to speak first, Harry shuddered at the implications.

"You've met Professor Dumbledore then?" question Harry aloud, trying to keep a conversation going as he gave his room a search. Hedwig was the only other being in his room and she was... Hang on, she was rotating her head as if following the movements of someone in the room!

'_Well, I wouldn't say 'met,'_ said the voice. Harry could hear the smile in it. '_I've observed him from time-to-time, yes. Curious fellow'._

Harry's eyes tracked the movements of Hedwig's eyes and found that the voice moved accordingly. Someone under an Invisibility Cloak, then? His Invisibility Cloak, maybe?

Steeling himself Harry jumped to where the voice was located at the end of his bed. "Sodding fuckin hell that hurts", Harry swore as he tried to blink away the tears that had formed in his eyes. Instead of catching the mysterious woman following him he had met nothing but air, until his face was prematurely introduced to his closet door.

"_BOY!_" roared Uncle Vernon from the other side of the door.

"Sorry Uncle!" Harry said quickly, "I tripped out of my bed".

Uncle Vernon's indistinct mutterings could still be heard through Harry's door. Something sounded like "clumsy freak" to Harry's ears, but after so many years with the Dursley's he could ignore whatever they told him- mostly at least.

A faint chuckle could be heard in Harry's room, rankling his skin and short temper.

'_Not bad, Master Harry, not bad at all',_ said the voice. '_I'm afraid the rules don't work that way'._

"Rules?" parroted Harry. "What rules?"

Harry got the distinct impression of a shrug. '_Rules. You can't touch something that's intangible, and you can't see something that's invisible'._

"Hedwig can see you," pointed out Harry, glancing over to his trusty owl.

'_Hedwi—oh..'._ The voice had trailed off and now Hedwig was climbing up her cage backwards. Harry took that to mean the apparition was moving towards her. '_Hmph. Never underestimate the magic in a magical owl. And here I thought myself to be ever so clever, naturally I have once again outsmarted myself',_ the voice said with something that could only sound like a pout.

"Who _are_ you?" demanded Harry. "_What_ are you?"

'_Who I am, and what I was, I'm sorry to say, you probably wouldn't believe',_ said the woman. The muscles around Harry's eyes were quivering as he tried to focus on the air in front of him. Maybe there might be a shimmer in the air, or a vague outline, or _something_. '_What I am, however, is a little more plausible. You're taking Divination, yes?'_

"Um yes," said Harry slowly. _'How can she possibly know that?'_

A sigh came from the air. The woman could be no higher than little over five feet if the height from the sounds was anything to go by.

'_It's not all a load of bull, you know. I mean, well, it is no more than speculative bullshit because the future isn't set in stone. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. But that doesn't mean that we can't see some ends—and beginnings too. Astrology truly does give one an accurate representation of a person's base characteristics, and let's not forget that the celestial bodies possess a power all their own—witness it with werewolves. Centaurs are particularly adept with scrying through the stars. But it takes a keen eye and plenty of magic to pluck one thread from the ever shifting fabric of time._

"So...you're projecting yourself from the future? The past?" inquired Harry with furrowed brow.

'_No, no',_ laughed the woman. '_I suppose I got a little off tangent, didn't I? I was merely saying that Divination has its merits, but it's not faultless. For instance, I modified a measure of astral projection, though it appears I'd also had some help from Zen Buddhism, not to mention that my unique connection to the realms of Oblivion. I had no idea, of course. I couldn't. Not when you consider my physical limitations',_ she sighed wistfully.

"What limitations?" asked Harry, he collapsed back onto his bed and stared out his now barless window. It was easier than trying to speak at someone who wasn't there. Or...was there but couldn't be seen...

'_Well, I've been trapped for a very long time, Master Harry—well over six thousand years, point of fact'._

"That's impossible! You—you have to be a ghost! No one can live that long" declared Harry, twisting around to scan his room again.

'_I assure you, Master Harry, my body is quite preserved. She saw to that',_ she growled.

"'She?'"

'_Salina, my sister whom I took upon myself to teach everything so that she would be prepared for the world as it was back in those days'._

"Salina?" Harry frowned. He swore he'd heard that name before. Something about it tugged at his memory.

'_Ah, I probably shouldn't have dropped that at this point',_ the woman said apologetically. '_It's been much too long since I've actually interacted with another. I'm really amazed that this worked, not to mention that you're receptive enough to hear me. But I suppose if you can wrap your mind around the fact that I've been wandering for close to four and a half thousand years...'_

"You said you were trapped for six thousand!" Harry accused sharply.

'_I am',_ the voice assured him. '_It took fifteen hundred years for me to separate my mind and soul from its body. Fifteen hundred years of seeing nothing but bluish crystals and the vague earth beyond. I think I almost went mad—in fact, I probably did go mad… not that I claim to have ever been sane but I digress, four and a half millennia of wandering the world as a spirit? Catching up on lost history and watching it unfold? To see it change from what it once was? It helped me exert some control over my predicament. It helped me regain my sanity… somewhat at least', _she finished with a chuckle.

Harry was very sure that the woman was still questionably insane, but he decided to keep shut for now. "Why did she trap you?"

_Because... Because I wanted to protect her. I wanted to keep her away from the power hungry system that was so popular those days. I could always see it. She desired power like any other mage in those days, and the fact that I had it in buckets did not help I believe. Yet I was blinded by my love for the last piece of family I had left. I believed that if I took her away from the world and it became just me and her we could finally be together as real sisters, as a real family',_ she sighed, and Harry could hear her voice break just a little.

"You didn't..."

'_No!'_ said the voice vehemently. _Never! There are lines that even I do not cross, or else be branded as monster or worse. I never forced Salina to join me in my exile from the world I had grown to loathe, but I suppose creating a new realm so to speak for us to be lost in would be just as bad. She recognized what it was, at least, and trapped me in the entrance to that realm that was to be our home. A word to the wise, Master Harry, never anger family—or a woman in general they will if you excuse my language, fuck you over like no one else. It is a lesson that I shall take to heart', _she said sardonically.

Harry thought of Ron's comment about Hermione in first year—about how she was brilliant but scary—and thought that the woman had a fair point.

"But you've had four and a half thousand years, you said," pondered Harry thoughtfully. "Why haven't you been able to free yourself?"

_'__Ah, well, that is slightly more complicated, Master Harry,'_ explained the voice patiently. _'__I am invisible and intangible, as I said. That limits my options, as you might imagine. Moreover, few can hear me. More to the point, I must be cautious in who I trust. I cannot allow just anyone to hold my fate in their hands. Trust, as I think you understand, is a very fragile thing, the fact that I am a Telvanni would also explain some of my paranoia'._

"And you trust me?" Harry snorted. "Why, because I'm the Boy-Who-Lived?"

_'__I won't deny that your title brought you to my attention. I am intangible, after all, not omniscient. But I have been watching you ever since your Professor Dumbledore deposited you on this hated house. I've watched you grow in adversity and become better for it. To be honest, I see so much of myself in you'._

"How can I help you though?" wondered Harry as he pondered over what the—well, ghost for lack of a better word—had said. He'd been watched his whole life by this thing without knowing? All the things he'd said and done, he heard? Harry thought he might've bristled, he might've raged out at the indecency of it all, but there was something in the woman's voice... An understanding and camaraderie... "I can't do magic outside of school. I'll get in trouble."

_'__I notice you split that into two phrases',_ chuckled the voice. _'__Were you really concerned about trouble, you would've joined it all together, or possibly have voiced the trouble part first. In any event, Master Harry, I doubt you'll have to worry about your Ministry of Magic's Improper Use of Magic office._

After everything that had happened last year with the diary, Harry knew he shouldn't trust something when he didn't know where its brain was kept, but the urge to do magic outside of Hogwarts—to do something fun and maybe teach the Dursleys a lesson...

"How can I trust you if I don't know anything about you?" Harry questioned at last. "You might've been watching me, but this is the first I've seen—err, well, heard, I reckon—of you."

_'__A fair point',_ agreed the ghost. _'__Well, after four and a half millennia, patience is probably one of my better virtues. I shall make you a deal, Master Harry. Every night, I will teach you a new trick, I will help you with your homework, and I will tell you a little about my life. I shall keep my name a secret for reasons that shall become apparent once I reveal it. Fair'?_

"Fair," said Harry. "And it's just Harry. You don't have to call me 'master.'"

_'__Well, I don't mean it in the respect you think',_ said the voice. _'__To me, calling one 'master' or 'serjo' is the same as you calling someone 'mister.' I suppose you'll need some name to reference me by. Hmmm... How about…Zafirbel'?_

"All right, Zafirbel. Pleasure to meet you."

_'__And you as well, Harry. Now, let's get started on your first trick. It should help in liberating your supplies from your old room'._

*****

And so everyday for the next week, Harry learned wandless magic from Zafirbel. It was different from Hogwarts in that there was either no incantations or movements for the magic to occur, simply amount of will desire and imagination or simply gathering up his magic and sending it out through his hand with a simple command, his subconscious and amount of magic put into the spell made all the difference.

_'__Restrictions',_ Zafirbel had told him. _'__When I was young and all alone, magic, and perhaps a shiny sharp dagger was mine only friend. You've done magic yourself without a wand. You vanished the glass when you spoke to the snake in the Surrey Zoo'._

'The magic of the Founders, of Hogwarts, and of wands, are a strictly Roman philosophy with roots in the old Persian culture. They carried it over when they invaded these lands. They thought that magic could be better controlled if it went through more restrictions before producing an end result. Thus, they taught that in order for a wizard to control their powers, they must speak an incantation and do a proper wand movement'.

"But if that's not correct, then why is it that I can't produce spells without them?" Harry had replied, thinking back to his first year with Hermione and the Levitation Charm.

_'__Because you were trained to think that way',_ was Zafirbels's reply. _'__What the mind believes, the body follows. You believed that it was the only way, and so your mind would not produce the result otherwise. Know this, Harry, that in your sixth year, you will begin to cast spells nonverbally. __**Nonverbally.**__ Curious, then, the reason they don't teach you that to begin with'._

"And the wand? Mr. Ollivander said—"

_'__Mr. Ollivander is not wrong. The wand focuses the wizard's power and intent—in a strictly Roman way—and so it must be properly attuned to the wizard who will use it. However, if you want to get by the Improper Use of Magic Office, you'd best not use a wand. They track it, you see. They can tell how long a wand has been in __**use**__, which is a stark difference from how long a wand has __**existed**__'__._

'_My philosophy? From my experience? Magic is a friend—a limb. You can do anything through magic so long as you desire it hard enough. You wanted to escape your cousin and his gang, and so you appeared on the roof; you wanted to regrow your hair after your Aunt Petunia had cut it, and so you did; you wanted your cousin to fall through the glass, and so you Vanished it. Desire, Harry. But more than just desire, I'm afraid, or else anything we wish may transpire. You must have a specific __**intent**__. You must know what you want magic to do and tell it so—it possesses some level of creativity and intelligence, but you must shape it through your intent. You will find that things are similar between myself and Hogwarts in that you are restricted by you intent, understanding, and power. But you know how a lock works, and you want your school supplies—a sense of freedom, and I'm quite sure you have enough power to manage it with such a small object'._

Zafirbel had been right. It was a simple thing to make the lock Vanish by simply asking it to. Harry just had to concentrate on the lock and want it gone. There was no tingle of feeling of power. It just...happened—like magic.

Zafirbel assured Harry that the more he practiced, the quicker he would become at casting spells. While downstairs, and with Zafirbel keeping watch, Harry then focused on a Shrinking Charm. All Harry had to know was that he wanted to shrink a trunk—which was basic enough to understand. He didn't have to know what was inside the trunk. Then, all that was left was for him to Conjure a duplicate lock to the one that he Vanished. Uncle Vernon would never know.

Harry found himself growing rapidly proficient with small things. Zafirbel had been right about power. Harry could Conjure another chair for himself and make his bed larger, but when he tried to expand the _room_, well, his magic didn't respond as easily.

_'__It's like a muscle', Harry,_ Zafirbel had told him. _'__You need to work it out for it to gain strength. Besides, you aren't even thirteen yet. You have much more growing to do'._

"But you also told me that magic is not all dependant on one's power", Harry said as he sat back down on his bed.

'_Indeed Harry Indeed I did say so. Everyone, even muggles, have magic inside of them. What the so called witches and wizards of the last two or three millennia has is a natural affinity to channel the magic within their own bodies, but this does not mean that muggles can not perform magic, it will just require a lot more effort in the beginning. Do you know where magic come from? No I shall tell you'. She said as Harry looked on where her voice came from in amusement, just the thought that aunt Petunia or uncle Vernon could do magic when they hated it so was frankly hilarious._

'_If you look out at the starry night you will see nothing more than the stars, perhaps distant planets the moon and such, however the 'universe' as the muggles call it at least is not infinite, true it's unusually big, but not never ending. But if you look at it with a spell that you shall learn soon, you will see something else entirely. Someplace out there lies Oblivion, the realms of the Daedra. Oblivion is even larger than the Mundus, which is another world for the realm of us mortals. Oblivion is also most likely the most different realm of all the realms out there, each Daedra Prince has his or her own realm in a different style than the other, so naturally if you ever wish to enter Oblivion you should be prepared for a shock due to the large differences. Beyond the realms of Oblivion lies magic, or so it is believed, in the old days, long before even I was born many tried to reach magic by using magic, but it proved impossible simply because the sheer amount of magicka that would have to be expended, so we will have to accept the fact that we can draw from it's large pool instead of almost drowning in it. The stronger your own magical powers are, the more you can channel from it's original source the source that binds everything together by the will of the Nine, so do not worry Harry, your powers are unnaturally strong even now, and I have no doubt to the fact that you can become one of the strongest magic users in history'_, she said as she finished explaining. It really was interesting, and while not everything made sense just yet, Zafirbel promised him that she would teach him more about Oblivion and the Nine.

Life at Privet Drive became much more manageable with Zafirbel around. Harry had a friend other than Hedwig to speak with and magic at his disposal. His chores became simple, freeing up time to practice more wandless, nonverbal magic. At night, he could lock and soundproof his room from the inside so that he could do his homework at his desk. Zafirbel was a well-spring of information on all subjects except History of Magic, although she never told Harry answers outright; she prodded and pushed Harry into the right direction through rhetorical questions.

At night, or whenever they had free time, Zafirbel would tell Harry about her life, starting from childhood. She was apparently a Dark elf, a race that had either been lost or disappeared over the years. Like Harry she had been orphaned in a strange way when she was a child. Guards in the city had taken her from her parents as payment for a debt they owed, and sold her to a man who was an assassin, so she had therefore been raised as a hotshot assassin in the Dark Brotherhood, and for some time she was just about nothing other than a murderous devil in a mortal shell.

_'Not far off the mark, I suppose'_, Zafirbel had commented wryly.

However that had all changed when she got arrested on a contract due to the betrayal of another member of the guild.

_'Prison taught me many things, one of them was that I was just as 'mortal' as everyone else. I was allowed emotions and the right to make my own decisions, and live my own life, and then I was suddenly kidnapped in the middle of the night, and sent in exile to Morrowind, which is lying in the same area as Japan and parts of the orient is now', said Zafirbel. 'There I learnt many things. I learned that I was special, I had a unique ability to learn especially when it came to magic. That if I just worked hard and never quit I would be able to accomplish anything I wanted'. _

When Zafirbel was twenty one and had stayed in Morrowind for almost a year, an old Telvanni Mage Lord had seen her and her true potential. He had introduced her to a magical society ruled by might, political intrigue, blackmail, threats and lastly every Telvanni's loyal friend and companion, the incessant paranoia that would make Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody seem like a cute puppy who came over to everyone begging for some attention. Telvanni was so simple, with the fact that if you won, then you won, you got everything that belonged to the Telvanni you had killed. The system was an effective one in that only the strongest prevailed, yet after Zafirbel's imprisonment she could no longer lead the House and it fell down into a new system where rank and heritage meant everything, in other words they transformed into one of the first 'Pureblood' systems. Though not all of them carried the hatred for those of 'lesser' status than they were it was still a very unfriendly environment.

_'Not that it was entirely unfounded'_, sighed a resigned Zafirbel. _'Telvanni lands were like a veritable Eden, but it was terribly...cold. Impersonal. No warmth or...passion. Nothing at all like my experiences in the wild. Their philosophy was quite different from the Romans. It was more along the lines of my own in the beginning, that we should keep the strongest amongst us and work for a better place, instead it changed into a system where everything had to be 'pure', _She said sadly.

Her earliest attempts at magic made her a real genius amongst the Telvanni, but her sheer skill and power made her an outcast, The others were too afraid to do anything to her, so rising to the point of taking leadership over the most likely most powerful magical faction in the history of the planet had taken her barely two years. It was shortly after that that she had learned the truth of her birth. She had not been gifted to the Brotherhood by the Night Mother herself, She had been kidnapped and sold like a damn slave, she still had family left. When she found out that the three guards had not been punished at all for any of their crimes and were now living in highly respected positions in the Imperial Legions, she grew so angry that she left Morrowind shortly to hunt them down.

It had been a short relapse into her old ways, killing without emotion or regret. One she had dispatched right in front of the Emperor by removing his head with an axe. The second one had been found outside the Palace in a few baskets, the entrails in one basket, the legs in one the arms in another, the gutted torso was found on a pike beside the baskets with the head on another one, The last guard was found with his throat slit, wearing the skinned face of the second guard as a mask, after that she had returned to Morrowind, leaving behind her quest for vengeance.

It had taken them a week to get that far along. Now, Harry laid on his magically cushioned bed a week after Ron's disastrous, but hilarious, phone call. He was staring at the ceiling, running over Zafirbel's story in his mind. He understood why she'd chosen Harry. Zafirbel's time at The Dark Brotherhood and later the Telvanni mirrored his time with the Dursleys in an odd way. They both had lost their parents due to fear and greed.

"Zafirbel?" Harry called out quietly.

'_Story time?'_ chuckled Zafirbel.

"You sort of left things off abruptly the last time," said Harry sheepishly. He couldn't help but feel like a little boy again, getting a bedtime story from a parent. The strange thing was that he didn't mind.

'_For good reason',_ said Zafirbel. _From here on out, I suspect you'll be able to deduce who I am, so I leave it to you. Would you rather me continue as I have, or would you rather know who you are really speaking to?_

Harry thought it over for a moment before saying, "I think I know who I'm speaking to, but I wouldn't mind knowing your real name."

He swore he felt Zafirbel smile.

'_My name, as it was given to me by my mother, is Telina Delvanni. My father's name was Gelandir'._

Harry's eyes went wide, and he began to search the empty space of his room as if he might confirm that with his eyes.

"Are you taking the mickey?" frowned Harry. The crazy suspicion he had that Zafirbel was in reality the Lady of magic, and old myth about a true genius, inventor of the magic that paved the way for all modern and most old magical societies was just weird.

'_Not at all, Harry',_ laughed Zafirbel—or was it Telina? '_I thought Telvanni might've been a large enough clue. But shall we pick up where we left off? I was tired and had left Morrowind and the Telvanni behind me. My plan had been devised from the very moment I learned of my sister, and the doom that awaited Tamriel.._

My plan was simple—yet extraordinarily difficult. The Gates of Oblivion was about to open. The Emperor and his heirs was to die within a few years, and Tamriel would be cast into anarchy. So I had to do something to save the world, yet I knew that it was not my tasks. My task was to enter the Realm of Mehrunes Dagon and battle him personally in both mind and body, to weaken him and keep his forces under pressure so that he could not unleash the full horrors of his realm upon Nirn. However with me gone the world would be without a Champion, without someone to lead them against the Daedra invasion, so I had a Champion created.

"Salina, the Dark Sorceress", exclaimed Harry.

_Quite so. If I could use my sister whose skill and knowledge was almost as prodigious as my own, then I could save Tamriel and yes even all of Nirn. I regret my manipulations even today. I used a sleeping potion on her and bound most of her powers and most of her memories, and then had her brought into a special cell in the Imperial City's prison, mere days before the Emperor and his three official sons were murdered. Once The Blades, the Emperors bodyguards tried to escort him out of the city, they would do so in secret through Salinas cell, at which point she would be able to escape and once free from the prison her powers and her memories with the exception of me drugging her would come back, and she would help restore the last son of the Emperor to his throne, and together they would defeat Mehrunes Dagon. The plan worked brilliantly with the exception of one thing, one major complication._

Telina gave a deep seated sigh of regret.

_' Salina and Martin, the Emperors last son that is fell in love, and though Mehrunes Dagon was defeated and the realms of Oblivion once more closed, Martin died. He gave his life for his father's Empire and Salina who had a child on the way was devastated. Oh she was installed as Empress until her son could take over the throne, but the child was stillborn, due to the neglect, stress and sorrow Salina inflicted upon herself those first months of her pregnancy. With the child dead, the Elder Council removed her from the throne and started squabbling amongst themselves on who should rule the Empire next, and blinded by grief rage and power Salina wanted to make her move. That is when I tried to take her with me to the realm I had created, to get her away. Suffice to say she was furious, and once she had started to entomb me I had two choices, I could either free myself and she would get away, or I could bind away or destroy as much of her powers as I could, to make her less dangerous so to speak. As you can imagine I lessened her powers greatly but even with just a tenth of her power she still had her cunning, and her very cunning proved to be the undoing of the world I knew back then.'_

"She changed her name and then started the five century war didn't she?"

'_Smart lad',_ said Telina. _'Yes for five hundred years, under different disguises she waged a war, and instigated them as well. In the end the wars grew so fierce that the twenty most powerful mages at the time banded together to create a spell that would put an end to the war, and in a way it worked. The spell was so powerful that it caused the earth to twist and shake, whole continents were swallowed by the sea, or new ones erupted, islands and other continents broke loose and smashed into each other. Fierce storms and blizzards ravaged the surface of the planet and lightning smashed down into the ground incinerating whomever was unfortunate to be out in such weather, the world was destroying itself and so in an act of desperation the mages tried to harness the power within one of the two moons, in order to stop the catastrophe'. _Here Telina sighed as she remembered what she had learned from the stars. _'The power the mages wielded was to great and it destroyed them instantly, but they were successful. The spell was stopped and the world started to heal again, sadly the amount of concentration spent on the moon and the power they channelled through it caused it to break apart from the inside, and it was grabbed by the earths gravity and it was slingshot to the sun where the remains were incinerated. The war was over and the world changed into what we know today, what happened to most of the different races I do not know, but I believe they were either extinct or they went into hiding, never to return'._

Harry breathed out a breath he hadn't been conscious of holding. It was a lot to take in. What helped, although neither man knew it, was Harry's absolute lack of knowledge concerning History of ancient times, partially since the Dursley's didn't bother to learn anything outside of what had happened last decades or so, and partially because the information of history going so far back was very little and what was left was scattered throughout the different wizarding nations, and even then most was either folklore or myths, Harry had only come across Salina's name twice as a possible true name for the Dark Enchantress Morgana Le Fay, whom had been rumoured to be immortal.

'Indeed', said Telina when Harry told her of her suspicions. ' Morgana Le Fay and Salina Delvanni, and their respective titles are but two of the names my sister used over the years, and since I taught her everything she knew, she managed to survive the ravages of time that claim everybody by using an ancient Telvanni technique that would prolong her life indefinitely until she stopped doing them every century or so, I guess we should be grateful that the wounds she sustained when she fought and killed Merlin killed her as well', Telina said with a sigh.

There was no suspicion left for Harry, only sadness for a woman, that despite her rather cold and violent upbringing had tried everything to make the world a better place, yet failed because of her own personal flaws.

' _You see now that after being alive for over six millennia, patience is one of my better virtues. Impatience… and love I suppose became my downfall, if I had listened to my sister when she told me that she would not come with me, if my love and concern for her safety, not to mention impatience to get her away from the world had not blinded me, then perhaps I could have stopped her from causing a war that tore the know world asunder, and though the world is beautiful in it's own right now it is but a shadow of what it could have been, never again will the inhabitants of the earth look at the two moons bathing it in a comforting light, never again will people have the opportunity to see the fair island of Summerset. Whole races and cultures, not to mention enormous amounts of knowledge and literature have been lost forever, the world remains a bleak place for me', Telina said with a note of regret and sadness in her voice._

"It's sad that's true", Harry told her as he pondered his words. "But that does not mean that everything is lost, I… er we still have you, you know incredibly much about the old days, you told me yourself. You have observed just about every aspect of every culture, you have read entire libraries filled with literature and knowledge, we, I just need to find a way to free you, so that you can try at least to bring back some amount of glory from the old days", Harry said with a voice filled with conviction.

' _Freedom'_ whispered Telina, _'I'd like that'_, she smiled warmly, and though he could not see it, Harry knew she was smiling.

"Will, will you take me with you"? Harry asked unsurely. 'So my freedom for yours is it? As if I would do anything else Harry, I swear I will take you with me, so that you can get away from these relatives of yours, but before we start on the journey to my prison I suggest you go to sleep, we have a long and tiresome day before us tomorrow'.

Harry nodded in understanding and fell asleep before his head hit the pillow. _'Goodnight my young apprentice'_, Telina whispered as she laid a kiss upon his forehead, and though he could not feel it nor hear her, Harry smiled and tugged the covers a bit more tightly around his sleeping body.

"So, what must I do to free you"? Harry asked when he was properly awake next morning.

'_To free me will be difficult, and you wouldn't be able to do it now with your powers the way they are, but I… believe that I have a plan that just might work, but it will be difficult for you, extremely difficult and you'll be unable to count on my aid__'_.

"Tell me what I must do and I'll do it".

Telina spent a few moments in silence before she spoke again, more unsure this time. _'I remember a wizard who lived for a long time ago, old even when I came to be. And if I'm not mistaken you were that wizard'._

"M-me, but how can that be? I mean I'm only thirteen years old".

'_Ah yes, but for many a year have I seen a d__estiny about you, and the stars have foretold that you will take a journey of immense proportions and importance. Yes I'm sure of it. I can see it when I look upon you that with the proper spells of concealment you will look exactly like he did. So will you take the journey or will you not'?_

Harry pondered hard for a long time. The idea was outrageous, but then again Telina had not lied to him so far, he was sure of it, and he had promised that he would try to free her, and he NEVER backed out from his word.

"Yes I'll, I'll do it. I promised you that I would free you and I don't back down on my word".

'_Excellent, now sit down Harry, I have much to teach you before your departure, and we do not have a great deal of time. Fist I shall teach you have to shield your mind from intrusion, this will help you on many tings including on how to maintain your focus, and it will greatly enhance your memory, and should you ever summon Daedra it will help you to maintain your control over them'_

The next three weeks passed like a blur for Harry. Telina taught him everything she could, from etiquette and languages, to summoning and controlling Daedra minions. She taught him how to protect his mind and how to penetrate the minds of others. In most of these areas he was skilled enough to hold his own, and eventually perfect it, there were only two areas of magic that he himself counted himself an expert on and he still remembered the day he first started learning it.

**Flashback:**

'_Prepare yourself Harry for now I shall teach you the art of__ Teleportation. To teleport I have a handy little spell for you. You must speak the words '__**Exam ut Locus es**__' and then the name of your destination while pushing magic into the spell and, your magic shall take you to where it is that you desire to go. It is slower than apparition, but much more comfortable, and there is no known ward that can halt you either. So do it and transport yourself to Stonehenge'._

"**Ut Locus Eram Pro Stonehenge"** Harry intoned forcefully, forming his magic into the spell construct, and then it felt as though a sudden rush of wind grabbed him, and he could almost feel his body moving through the immaterium at great speed, before he came to a sudden halt and before him stood the magnificent circle of stones, also known as Stonehenge.

"That was strange, nothing like the floo", he remarked. _'Indeed, the ancient ways of magical travel are far better than modern ones, who are all about speed and power'._

'_Now that we are here, I shall teach you Theurgy, and ext__remely dangerous form of magical elemental control. When I say dangerous I mean of course for your enemies. The spells pack and enormous punch and should be able to destroy almost any opponent you face. Sadly with the power of the spells come also the potential of harming yourself with them, so a Theurgist must be able to enchant items to protect himself against the very energies he or she unleash._

**End Flashback:**

Fortunately for Harry most Theurgist spells were very few (about nine from each of the four elements of fire, earth, ice and lightning) and they were remarkably easy to cast, he simply lacked the power to cast the strongest of them. What took the longest time was actually learning how to enchant items to protect himself with, but once he could remember everything in miniature detail he was confidant that he would be able to produce some fine items.

'_Harry, the time is almost upon us, I have but two things to teach you now, first is the Telvanni techniques that will allow you to extend your life indefinitely as long as you remember to redo them every century or so, and lastly__ the spells you must use to disguise yourself as a Dunmer'._

The techniques that the higher ranking Telvanni used to prolong their lives were complicated, but fortunately included nothing of the Dark Arts, it was more of a complex pattern of prayers, spells and oaths of devotion, ambition and sacrifice. It took a long time yes, but a few hours every century or so was nothing compared to immortality against age.

The various chants and spells Harry used afterwards completely changed his looks. His skin was yellow, almost the colour of gold, and his eyes had grown larger and brightened considerably, almost to the point of looking like a pair of shining emeralds, and lastly he had… Pointed Ears?

"But… but I thought Dark Elves were supposed to have an ashen blue skin tone not golden like I have now".

'_That is true the Dunmer do have ashen blue skin and red eyes, but you w__ill arrive when the Dunmer were known as Chimer. Now Remember, that no matter what happens you cannot knowingly intervene in history, no matter how tempting it will be to save your parents, or stop Voldemort you CANNOT intervene, understand'?_

"Yes I understand, and I promise you I won't do it". He said with a sigh. He could understand… really he could, to do so could change history completely, and perhaps even erase his own existence, with an internal shudder he turned his attention back to Telina. "So you still haven't told me my name".

'_That's true I haven't. Your name shall be Divayth Fyr, and remember just stick to the plan, and if everything goes the way we hope it does I shall speak to you again in a week at Stonehenge, and a final word, if you find yourself in too much trouble to handle, do not hesitate to use the killing curse, we both need you to survive if I am to be freed'._

With a small nod Harry sat down at the floor. His entire room had been cleared out and slowly but surely he started to draw various Daedric symbols on the ground, stopping now and then to chant a small prayer to the Daedric Prince Azura. After three hours of drawing with his own blood he was finished. Seven hundred and seventy seven sentences in Daedric writing surrounded a large pentangle on the floor in a perfect circle.

With the first step completed he conjured up a bound dagger out of thin air and prepared for the second step. Two quick slashes opened up his wrists. Despite the pain and the already weakening feeling of blood loss he started chanting.

'**Azura hear me. I am thy humble servant. I beseech thee. Grant unto me thy mercy.**

**Give me the strength to carry out mine destiny. I am thy humble servant. I surrender my life to thee so that thee can send me to mine fate.'**

All of a sudden his wounds healed, and the pentangle and surrounding runes glowed in a bright white light, before starting to seep over the floor, only to merge together into one big blob of white liquid light. The liquid grew up and started to take the shape of a female form, before an explosion of light erupted, searing at his eyes but he refused to look away, and when the bright spots before his eyes had faded, he gazed upon a being of supreme beauty.

Hovering in the air stood a tall female in white robes and delicate ash blue skin devoid of imperfections. Her hair was black as midnight and seemed to hold the entire void of the universe in it. Her face, perfect though it was seemed filled with sorrow, yet love and supreme wisdom radiated from it at the same time. Her eyes were of a most enthralling fiery red, and spoke of unnamed power.

'_Azura'_, both Harry and Telina whispered with awe.

Azura smiled sadly at him before she spoke. _**' Harry Potter, you have summoned me, giving your own life and expecting nothing in return, for that I applaud you, not many would have the courage to do so'. **_Her voice was enthrallingly beautiful and it sounded as though dozens of persons were speaking in tandem with perfect synchrony.

'_**Though you and Telina only know a little of your destiny, I know it all, because I wove it millennia before the Mundus even came to be. I know why you do this, but in addition to doing what you must do to free Telina I shall tell you part of your destiny. You shall study the divine disease and through your study of it, you shall learn of your true destiny. And remember that though you may be a Slytherin or Telvanni in disguise, you have the courage of a Gryffindor, the mind of a Ravenclaw, **__**the loyalty of a Hufflepuff, and lastly you have the soul of a Hero. Remember who you are and what you must do, and you shall see each other again, Fare thee well… Divayth Fyr'.**_

And then she was gone, and Harry had a brief sensation of pain before unconsciousness claimed him and his body disappeared from Privet Drive in a wash of flame.

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_**Cyrodiil. First Era. Year 5**__**6.**_

A young Ayleid boy named Baladas Demnevanni was out in the garden to gather water from the well, when a sudden explosion of light and fire scared him out of his senses, and even more terrifying was the sight that met him afterwards. Another boy who couldn't be much older than himself was lying a few feet away from him, and he was drenched in blood.

"FATHER, HELP SOMEONE'S HURT", he screamed. Quickly the door into their house banged open, and a tall man with dark eyes and red hair stormed out, followed quickly by a woman with similar features.

"Baladas, go to your room, we shall take care of him", his father said strictly, and Baladas, having no desire to argue walked into the small house and to his room, where he quietly sat down on his cot. _'I wonder what happened to him. I've never seen anyone that injured before, not even the Nedic slaves are injured that badly, not even for the worst transgressions'_, with several similar thoughts like that he slowly fell asleep.

"Uhhh… w-what happened"? Divayth asked slowly as he awoke. (just gonna call Harry for Divayth in the future to make it less confusing) He felt like Hagrid had decided to squeeze him to death, only to stop moments before.

"I was hoping", a kind voice said. "That you could tell me".

As Divayth's vision cleared he could see a golden skinned Mer with dark hair and red hair gazing worriedly down at him.

"What's your name lad"? he asked.

"H-Fyr, Divayth Fyr", Divayth said, catching his mistake just in time.

"Well Divayth Fyr, where do you live? Where is your family"? he asked.

"They are dead, murdered", Divayth said, deciding to stick to the truth, _'for now at least'_.

"I am sorry", the Mer said apologetically. "If you desire it, you can stay with us, Azura knows I would never let a child grow up on the streets like some Nedic slave", he said the last two words with distaste, as though he disliked humans or Nedics as they were known in this age.

"I, I thank you for the offer Mutshera, and I would be honoured to accept", Divayth answered, remembering his etiquette.

"No need for that, my name is Ardvel Demnvanni, and when you have recovered from your ordeal I shall introduce you to my son Baladas and my wife Arwethel, but for now rest yourself, and I shall return later with some food".

Some time later Ardvel came back with a bowl filled with a steaming stew. "Eat this, it should make you feel better, and… what happened to you"? he asked suddenly as Divayth's wounds all seemed healed.

"I healed my wounds Ser Demnvanni", Divayth said tiredly. "I am fortunately not a stranger when it comes to magic, though I must say that I must have overreached my abilities this time as I am quite tired, but I thank you for the food nonetheless". Accepting the bowl and spoon Divayth carefully tasted it. It was some kind of meat mixed together with potatoes and vegetables, and unusually spicy. Good but spicy.

"It's quite good, but unusually spicy", he commented to Ardvel.

"I assumed as much, rat meat has quite the dry taste and as such lots of salt or spice is needed to get a good flavour".

Divayth's first thought was to throw it back up, but it tasted good, and the rats in these times were over thrice as big as modern day rats, and most of them did not carry any diseases.

"Do you have anything to drink"? He asked carefully.

"I have some water for you, and a potion that should help you restore your magicka after you have finished your meal".

Accepting the goblet of water he gulped down some of the precious liquid before finishing his meal. With the meal undone he drank down the rest of the water before opening the potion bottle.

With a single gulp he drained it, ignoring the oily taste as it ran down his throat and he could feel the immediate effects of his magic rapidly replenishing itself to an acceptable level.

"I thank you Ser Demnevanni, did any of my clothes survive"?

Ardvel looked apologetically at Divayth before answering. "I am afraid that your clothes were too damaged so we disposed of them, I have put forth some of mine own clothes, which should suffice until my wife can sow some for you".

"Oh…" and embarrassing silence followed. It wasn't as if he would miss them, after all they had once belonged to Dudley. "It does not matter, I can always conjure some until I can get some permanent ones", he said, and with a wave of his hand and a slight push of his magic a pair of shoes, trousers, shirt and a black robe appeared, along with a long walking staff to support himself with.

Quickly he got dressed before grabbing the staff reassuringly in his left hand, and then he rose up slowly. Divayth winced as he felt the effects the ritual had performed on his body. He was sore all over, and had it not been for the staff he would have fallen over.

"Amazing"! Ardvel exclaimed. "I shall have to introduce you to some of the Mages in the nearby village. Come with me now and I shall show you our home".

The Demnevanni it seemed were farmers, and successful ones at that. The house was fairly big, and they had many animals, and once he looked out to the fields he could see several ramshackle buildings.

"They are the homes of the slaves", Ardvel said with distaste. "I wish I hadn't anything to do with that filthy race, but their work bring me good revenue from the cities, and so I am quite happy".

Personally Divayth disagreed with slavery, but then again, the Ayleids had lived here first, and the Nedic people had tried to invade them, so he couldn't blame the elves for keeping them as slaves to ensure it wouldn't happen again.

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_**Cyrodiil**__**. First Era: Year 60.**_

It had taken almost a year before Divayth had fully healed, but when he was he quickly fell into a routine. From early morn till midday both he and Baladas were tutored by Ardvel in politics and maths. History and Alchemy and how to defend themselves with a blade. After their tutoring sessions Divayth continued to work on his magic and had started his own exercise to make his body more fit, and it was one day in the year 60 FE that he discovered something.

Baladas who was just three years younger had followed Divayth into the woods where he used to train and watched from afar, when he was suddenly accosted by two Nedic slaves who had escaped.

The two men, furious at the race that had held them as slaves for so long threw themselves at Baladas with murder in their eyes. Baladas panicked, he did not want to die, and wished desperately for someone to help him, anyone and anything, and to his great shock the two men were thrown backwards with terrible force.

Divayth who had heard Baladas' fearful scream ran towards the two men, intent on saving the person he had come to think of as a good friend and adoptive brother. To his great shock he saw a pulse of magic slam out from Baladas and throw back the two men.

The accidental magic did not deter the two men who were lost completely in their fury and with a howl of rage they threw themselves towards Baladas again.

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Korst was furious. He and his friend Thard had managed to escape their cursed slavers, and were running through the forest to escape back up north, when they had spotted a young Ayleid boy. With a scream of rage they threw themselves at the boy, intent on paying back over twenty years of oppressive slavery when they had been blasted back by some unseen force. Infuriating them even more they went for the boy again, and were only a few feet away when Korst felt a sudden warmth, followed by a scream of absolute agony from Thard.

**000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000**

Divayth watched as the man stopped and looked at his dying friend whom was being consumed by the fireball he had sent at him.

'Run or you shall suffer the same fate as your companion', he said in the Nedic language. The slave looked fearfully at Divayth who was holding a ball of living flames in his hand, ready to be thrown in a moments notice. With a howl of rage and denial he threw himself towards Divayth before his body was blasted back by the arcane forces of the fireball. After a few seconds of painful screams he was silent.

"Come Baladas, I shall take you back home", Divayth said, putting a reassuring hand at Baladas' shoulder.

While they were walking back home Divayth's mind was in a whirl. Had he really needed to kill them? He knew that he had only defended himself and Baladas, and the world was a lot more ferocious and deadly in these times than what he was used to but that didn't make it any easier to swallow.

They had barely gotten home however when Ardvel came running out towards them with panic in his eyes. "The slaves have escaped and are coming for us, we must get to the village quickly".

Divayth swore. Ardvel had over three hundred slaves, more than enough to kill the entire village that barely consisted of seventy people, many of them children. "Run to the village and get them to Velke, I'll hold them off as long as I can before following", he told Ardvel.

He could see Ardvel's struggle. He did not want to leave Divayth alone, but he also knew that he needed to get the villagers to the safety of the Ayleid fortress city of Velke, and that it would take some time to evacuate, and if anyone he knew could hope to hold the slaves off for some time it had to be Divayth.

With a final nod at Divayth, Ardvel, Baladas and Arwethel ran towards the village.

Not a minute passed before Divayth could see the mob of furious slaves come running towards him. Many of them carrying rusted axes, shovels or whatever they could use as a weapon. Sighing for himself he steeled himself for the inevitable battle that was to come. He was alone against three hundred slaves, and it was a true David versus Goliath battle, but Divayth did not use a sling. No Divayth preferred magicka.

"**Brycchwyd Algbh Wshjcerra"** Divayth chanted and threw his hand out towards the oncoming mob. The spell flew out and took shape as a gigantic brown ball of incandescent energy, before detonating amongst the slaves.

Cries of anger and despair reverberated over the grassy field, as large wines and huge plumes of earth erupted from the ground to ensnare the slaves. It halted several of them but it was far from enough as more kept on coming.

"**Brycchwyd Grbarragh Devhtas Minllh"**, his second spell flew out, and he could feel the immense heat and power emanating from the enormous globe of fire. With a loud bang the globe detonated, incinerating anyone in a ten feet radius before expanding lighting everyone within thirty feet on fire. Screams of pain came as dozens tried to put out the flames… that is until Divayth concentrated and started to pour more power into the spell.

With a roar the Flames rose up in a whirlwind of fire and smoke, growing bigger for every second, until he allowed the spell to dissolve. From what he could see, almost as many as fifty people had been burnt to death, but it wasn't enough, and he was dangerously low on magicka. With a groan he gulped down a restorative draught and could feel his magicka levels slowly rise again.

Quickly he unslung a bow from his shoulders and nocked an arrow on the string. He wasn't great at using a bow, but with so many targets it was impossible to miss. Quickly he loosed it, and took another one, before firing. A scream of pain told him that he hat hit something, and as he loosed the second arrow he could see that a man was on the ground, screaming in agony due to the arrow that had penetrated his right rib. The second arrow pitched a man backwards as the arrow went through his eye and into his brain, killing him instantly. He managed to fire his last three arrows, killing one more man with an arrow in the heart and wounding two more. Angrily he threw the bow away and drew the elven short sword that Ardvel had given him a year earlier.

Three slaves had almost reached him. A fireball eliminated the one that was furthest away from him. He ducked under a poorly aimed hit from a shovel, driving his blade into the chest of the man. He threw his weight around, and managed to use the still impaled slave as a shield against the second man, whose axe chop cleaved the impaled slave's head, sending forth a spray of blood and bone fragments.

Dragging his sword out of the dead slave he delivered a fearsome kick into the other man's groin, calling forth a high pitched cry of pain, before he swung around, and deftly beheaded him with a single stroke.

Almost a dozen slaves were just a few yards away from him, and desperately he thrust out his hand, forcing his magic to comply by sending out several bolts of lightning, that threw them to the ground and forced their bodies to twitch painfully. With a roar of anger for forcing him to do this, he ran forward, and slashed open the throats of three of them.

More from instinct than anything else he dodged sideways, and narrowly avoided an axe chop that would have split open his skull, and with a rush of panic he saw that he was suddenly surrounded by almost a hundred angry slaves. Desperately he focused most of his magic and let it blast out from his body with a terrible force.

The closest ones died instantaneously as their bones were crushed and their organs ruptured, and the ones behind them were thrown back several yards as the magical wave exploded outwards. Quickly Divayth focused his magic again, and with a thunderous crack he disappeared, only to reappear some distance away from the slaves. With astonishing speed he fished out his second and last bottle of magic restoratives, and with a quick gulp he downed it, and was rewarded by the feeling of his magicka levels filling up.

He knew that he had not held them away for more than thirty minutes at most, and he needed more time. Quickly he snapped out a fireball, engulfing one of the confused slaves, and predictably they turned towards him. With the losses he had incurred on them he knew that they would be filled with irrational hate, and would do anything to kill him.

And so started an insane cat and mouse game between them. Divayth snapped off a fireball every now and then, keeping out of their way, and whenever they came to close he simply apparated to somewhere else.

After three hours he was so exhausted that he could barely stand, and it was with his last strength that he spoke his final incantation, **'Exam ut Locus es Velke'**.

Barely conscious he reappeared outside the white marble doors of the fortress city of Velke. With a sigh of relief he collapsed outside the entrance, and just lay there in bliss. However after five minutes he realized that he had yet to give word about the escaped slaves who would probably be besides themselves with fury due to their foe disappearing.

With a groan and a tremendous show of will he rose up on his legs and opened the marble door before entering the city. He had barely walked ten yards before a patrol of guards clad in elven armour stopped him. "Who are you, and what is your business here"?

Even though he wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep he forced himself to remain conscious. "My name is Divayth Fyr, and I have come to tell you that the slaves of Ardvel Demnevanni have gone into a revolt. Ardvel should be leading the villagers of Sanithas here now, I stayed behind and held off the slaves as long as I could before retreating", and so with his message delivered he collapsed into sweet unconsciousness.

When Divayth woke up again he knew immediately that he wasn't in his own bed. It was much larger and infinitely more comfortable than his usual one, and he could see several persons standing close by.

"Look he is awake", Ardvel said as he rushed towards his bed. "I must say Divayth that I am impressed, you held them off for so long that we came here only an hour after you arrived".

"Indeed, we are quite impressed you killed almost seventy slaves before escaping. Not many a warrior could claim to manage the same", said the Mer who was standing next to Ardvel. He had a shock of black hair and was wearing what looked to be armour made out of Ebony, and with the golden circlet that surrounded his head Divayth instantly knew who this had to be.

"I thank you, Your Majesty", Divayth said before bowing his head.

"So you know who I am then"? The king inquired with curiosity.

"Indeed I do, the Ebony armour and golden circlet, who else could you be Sire"?

The king laughed heartily. "You are a quick one Fyr I shall give you that, the last person here is Veloth, my advisor and prophet. So what can I do for you then name your price, and if it is in my power I shall give it to you".

Apparently the king wanted to give Divayth a gift for his part in quelling the rebellion. "Magic", Divayth said after a moments thought. "I want magical training both for myself and for Baladas, who have great potential".

"Then so it shall be", the king said. "I am grieved to say that your home has been burnt to the ground, but I have given all of you residences here in Velke".

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_**Cyrodiil. First Era. Year 173.**_

Both Divayth and Baladas had now reached adulthood, and under the teachings of Veloth and his fellow mages they had already turned into fearsome magic users, the two had since bonded together with a very select group of magic users led by a Mer named Sarin Telvanni and his two closest friends, Foreyn Uvirith and Dulseya Zafirbel. The group which consisted of just eleven including Divayth and Baladas held few secrets from each other and magical knowledge was for the most part shared. Divayth had even relinquished the secrets of eternal life to his fellow members, and it had been decided that only they, the eleven first should know the secret if more members joined, until they had proved themselves worthy of it.

The only secrets he held was about where he really came from, and of course the Killing Curse, so far he had not used it, and had no desire to do so either and he would definitely not allow anyone else to know about it. And together their little group formed the basis of what would one day become to most powerful magical society in the world. All of them agreed that they could not be weighed down by incompetent members, and that only the powerful could exist in their group, so the rules were made. Fortunately for Telvanni, Uvirith and Zafirbel, all the members had taken the rank of Master, and as such could not challenge the Grand Magister and his two Arch Magisters, only Divayth and Baladas had refused the rank of Master, preferring to spend their time on research on various subjects instead.

Grand Magister Telvanni had in the beginning been fearful of the two 'young' Wizards and had despatched two of the Masters to kill them. Master Riverren had made the mistake of attacking Divayth in public, throwing spells around like crazy trying to kill him. At first Divayth had tried to attack back using 'normal' deadly spells, however once it became clear that Riverren could block them with just as much ease as he could, he decided to do what he must.

With a silent 'pop' Divayth disappeared and reappeared a few feet in front of Riverren, and a silently whispered Avada Kedavra, fuelled with all of his hate had produced that feared green light, and snuffed out Riverrens life in an instant. And with the spectacle over the other denizens of Velke who had witnessed the duel simply went on about their business.

Master Aryon however was much more unfortunate. He attacked Baladas at night when he believed he would be sleeping, only to be gutted like a fish by Baladas' pet Daedroth who guarded him when he slept.

After that the Grand Magister had deemed it prudent to leave Divayth and Baladas to their own devices.

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Life in Velke was not easy. In a society where might equalled right, one had to constantly be careful, and add to the fact that most of the regular citizens including Divayth and Baladas were deeply religious and worshipped the Daedra, something that was against the law of the Ayleids, and in the year of 206 in the First Era catastrophe struck.

In one night the Ayleid kings of the various cities rounded up and banished the Daedra worshippers from the cities, and after barely three months over seven hundred thousand elves had gathered together without a country to call their home.

"Well, we have waited long enough Veloth, I think it is time you told us about your plan", Divayth said, stroking his beard absently. Though now over one hundred and sixty years old, there was not a wrinkle to be found on his body, and he had his long black hair tied back in an elegant ponytail and his beard was short and well trimmed.

"One day Divayth I will find out how you and Baladas can stay so young", the old Prophet said. Veloth was the oldest of all the Mer's that had gathered together, so old that he had even been there when the Meric race first left ancient Aldmeris, the homeland of all Mer's and as such had been chosen to be the leader of the outcast Daedra worshippers.

"Well, I have communed with Azura, and she has shown me the way to a new country that we can have for ourselves, it lies to the east, and we shall call it Resdayn".

Word quickly spread amongst the rest, and with a new purpose they renamed themselves Chimer and started on the journey to the east towards Resdayn.

It took almost three years before the Chimer reached Resdayn, and over the years of travel the Chimer had split into several different groups. The staunchest worshippers of Azura banded together into a large nomadic group, and upon reaching Resdayn called themselves Ashlanders, due to the ashen climate they lived in, which was situated close to the large volcano of Red Mountain. The other groups formed themselves into the Great Houses.

Those who focused on magic joined the small group of Mer that Divayth and Baladas had been members of for some time, and formed the Great House of Telvanni. They situated themselves equally on the Telvanni Isles on the east coast of Resdayn and around the various smaller isles between the inner side of the east coast and the large inland isle of Vvardenfell.

The warrior Houses Redoran and Indoril took up parts in the south of mainland Resdayn, though the Redorans also claimed parts of Vvardenfell, while the Houses Hlaalu and Dres whom were much more concerned about claiming riches took up the western parts of mainland Resdayn, though Hlaalu like both Redoran and Telvanni also claimed land in Vvardenfell, and the last House Dagoth, situated themselves on Vvardenfell.

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_**Vvardenfell. First Era. Year 211.**_

Divayth looked happily at his finished home. He had chosen to settle down on a small island on the west coast of Vvardenfell, a few leagues south-west from the fledgling city of Sadrith Mora, and had immediately started to build a home for himself in a true Telvanni fashion. While other Telvanni dwellings were giant mushrooms that were as hard steel and grown up from the ground, Divayth had chosen to build his partially inside the mountain. This protected his home even more, and since he had constructed it inside a mountain he could now build himself a nice underground vault where he could keep treasures and whatever else took his fancy.

In another typical Telvanni fashion he had constructed his tower so that his living quarters and office was only accessible through levitation up a long narrow tube leading up from the first floor, and naturally the roof in the first floor was too low to make it possible to shove a ladder up the hole. This was a last defence strategy since the enemy, if they could even get up the hole they could only do so one by one, which were good odds to Divayth.

The lower level had been constructed into a larger cave system. The first part of the cave was built more like a prison and vault than anything else, but the second and innermost part was another matter entirely. It had been constructed as a maze that would keep changing, dooming anyone unfortunate enough to wander in to an eternity of imprisonment, especially since food and water would appear every now and then to make sure that anyone trapped could survive, the maze of course would be reserved for Divayth's most hated enemies, of which there currently was none.

His defences were sadly tested less than a month after he had finished construction. Divayth had been outside to gather a few ingredients for his alchemy lab when a small band of golden skinned Mer clad in some strange heavy golden armour and armed to the teeth approached. Divayth had heard from hearsay that Resdayn, and Vvardenfell in particular was populated by another race of Mer that called themselves Dwemer, a race who preferred logic and reason over religion. Divayth who couldn't care less what other people believed in was different from the rest of the Chimer, who for the most part were staunch Daedra worshippers and took the Dwemer's beliefs as a personal insult.

"Halt who goes there, and what are your intentions here on my land"? Divayth questioned as he loaded up a spell.

"Your land? We settled this land long before you came little Mer, and you should watch your tongue because if you haven't noticed there are twenty of us, and only one of you".

'_Ah arrogance it is then'_. "Well, it appears you are right, so what are your intensions then good ser"? He said sarcastically.

"We are here to bring you in for questioning, we need to know more of your people before we scour your presence from our land, so just come quietly and we won't have a problem".

'_Aha, so they intend to drive us out do they, well we can't have that now can we'?_ "I must respectfully decline, I have duties and studies, and cannot perform them properly in a prison cell, though I shall allow you to withdraw from my lands peacefully, or you can fight me and die", Divayth told them. After all with one hundred and fifty eight years of magical study he felt sure of his abilities to defeat these Mer's.

"Get him", the apparent leader said and with perfect synchrony the other nineteen ran towards him with their weapons drawn.

"**AVADA KEDAVRA"**, the green beam of death flew forward with frightening speed and intensity, and slammed into the chest of one of the warriors pitching him backwards, and he was dead before he hit the ground.

"What… what power is this"? One of them asked fearfully.

'_Interesting, they have apparently no __knowledge of magic, at least not besides enchanting'_. "It is called magic, and I am its Master", Divayth said as he threw out his hand, sending a small concentrated fireball of such intensity, that a warrior had been reduced to ashes before his white hot armour even hit the ground.

With a howl of fear and hate they threw themselves towards Divayth, trying to avoid the fireballs he kept throwing towards them. But the weight of the armour they wore slowed them down, and two more got slammed to the ground and tried desperately to quench the magical fires that burned their bodies.

Suddenly Divayth let out a scream of pain, and as he looked down he could see a bolt fired from a crossbow in his arm. Looking around he could see three warriors who had stayed a bit behind the rest of their comrades. Cursing he barely managed to put up a shimmering shield that deflected the other two bolts. Slowly he began to back away back towards his stronghold, throwing a few fireballs towards his enemies.

With a slight part of concentration he apparated to the entrance of his stronghold which he quickly entered. Instead of locking the heavy gold door he laid a heavy enchantment on it, before venturing up to his office where a stack of potions stood ready. Gritting his teeth he broke the bolt before dragging the remaining part out from his arm, and with a sip from his potion it was healed and as good as new.

Just as he had gotten down to the first floor again he heard an agonizing wail of pain, and knew that the trap on the door activated on one of the poor souls outside.

**Outside**.

Yagrum Bogarn watched helplessly as Gradung flailed on the ground, holding on to his head for dear life. The heavy round gold door had obviously been trapped, and Gradung was paying the price for his hurry. Yagrum and his fellow compatriots watched as his head began to bulge before it exploded outwards in a fine red mist, spraying fragments of bone and brains all over the place.

All of them now stared apprehensively at the door. All of them were skilled warriors, some of them could rightfully claim to be the best warriors amongst the Dwemer yet against this foe they were woefully unprepared. They knew about magic of course, but High Priest Kagrenac and his devotees could do nothing more than to enchant weapons and armour, though fortunately they were extremely good at it.

With a sigh he reached out for the door handled with apprehension, he was the leader, and as such it was his duty to do this, with a sigh of relief he opened it, apparently the trap was a one time thing only, and quickly his men ran past him towards the top of the tower which was the most easily defended place.

To their confusion however the way ended on a round room with no doors, and he believed their foe to have escaped before Barak noted the hole in the roof.

"Check it out", he said to Lares and Gendel. The two Mer's walked carefully over to the hole before looking up.

**Divayth's Perspective.**

Divayth had been watching the hole, and was quickly rewarded with two of the attackers peering up. Quickly he fired the two crossbows he held. One of the bolts merely glanced off the heavy Dwemer armour he wore, but the other person collapsed to the ground with a terrified gurgle, compliments of the bolt that had penetrated his throat. Before the other one could recover he threw out a small orb of coruscating energy the exploded in a series of small lightning bolts that coruscated over his armour.

Thankfully for Divayth it appeared that the metal the Dwemer used for their armour was a very good transmitter for electricity, and the poor Mer was fried instantaneously. After five minutes of waiting Divayth had concluded that the rest of the Dwemer were not going to go into the death zone, and with some quick thinking he threw down a mannequin that he would hang his armour on when he did not wear it.

The mannequin had barely reached the ground before the sound of three bolts piercing wood resonated up to him. Apparently the Dwemer were content as cucumbers to wait for him to come down and expose himself. Foolishly for them they believed that merely placing them out of his sight meant that he could not attack them, fortunately Divayth was a wizard of prestigious power and blessed with great imagination and quick thinking.

After a quick incantation later there now stood a Golden Saint in front of him. Armed with a Daedric tower shield and a heavy Daedric mace. "Go down the hole and kill them", he commanded. The summoned Daedra stared at him, its eyes of liquid gold glaring at him with hatred so harsh that he almost shivered from its gaze. He knew that Daedra sometimes turned on their summoner but his control was firm and with a simple nod the Daedra jumped down the hole.

An eerie metallic howl of rage erupted from the Daedra's mouth when it was struck with three crossbow bolts, and with a howl of immaterial hatred it threw itself at the ones responsible. Cries of panic and denial came from downstairs as the Dwemer tried to kill the summoned creature, and while the Golden Saint was immensely powerful, it could only buy him some time. Quickly he jumped down as well, drawing his broadsword that was made from the finest ebony, a gift from the king of Velke himself.

Once he hit the ground he could see his summoned Daedra was surrounded by the five remaining warriors and they were raining down blows on it from all angles. It howled with rage when the arm holding the shield was cut off, and swung out with the heavy mace, hitting the head of one of the warriors with such strength, that it was severed from its body with a spray of arterial fluids. The leader of the warriors was knocked to the ground by the creature's reverse blow and did not get up again, and it was just about to strike one more when it suddenly vanished in a glow of golden dust back to the realms of Oblivion.

The three remaining warriors turned towards Divayth and ran towards him. One of them was blown back by a powerful magical wave and promptly broke his neck one a desk which was shattered by the person's weight. Quickly Divayth dodged a thrust from the warrior on his right, before he was knocked to the ground by the one from his left.

On instinct he rolled to the right and doing so managed to save himself from a vicious stab. He grabbed his sword tightly, before he swung it with as much force as he could. It hit the heavy Dwemer armour on the greaves, and slid off in a spray of sparks, but the force of the blow managed to break the left leg of one of them and he yelled out in pain as he fell to the floor.

The brief respite allowed Divayth to return to his feet and he prepared himself to fight the last one.

The remaining warrior held a pointy and sharp spear made from the same material as his armour, and he gazed at Divayth with pure unadulterated hate. With astonishing speed for one wearing such heavy armour he thrust the spear towards Divayth. Divayth desperately dodged to the left, but it was much too late, and the spear penetrated the chainmail vest he wore, and a scream of pain erupted from his mouth when the warrior removed the spear.

Divayth could feel blood flowing from the wound, and he was sure that some of his ribs were broken, but he would worry about that after he had despatched his enemy. The spear came again, but this time he was ready, and with a quick swing the heavy sword threw the spear out of his way, and he moved in for the kill, only to be rewarded with a punch to the face which threw him off his feet and left stars in front of his eyes.

The warrior stabbed down, but with a stroke of luck missed Divayth by inches. Divayth quickly grabbed hold of the spear, and used the warrior's own momentum against him by planting both of his feet at his waist, before kicking him away.

Divayth grabbed his sword and flew to his feet, ignoring the pain in his right side. The Dwemer warrior had almost unsheathed his sword when Divayth swung again, and could only manage a brief flicker of panic into his eyes before the heavy blade hit the side of his head, cracking his skull and spraying blood, and the warrior fell to the floor dead.

Divayth saw the Mer with the broken leg crawl towards a sword that was lying on the ground, but before he could reach it Divayth had plunged his sword into his back, penetrating the armour with ease, and left the man skewered on the floor with Divayth's sword through his heart and lung.

With the fight over Divayth fell to the ground exhausted, and he could barely concentrate enough on a healing spell to take care of his wound and broken ribs. After the spell had healed him tough he was fully lucid again, and the small moans coming from one of the bodies on the floor alerted him to the fact that at least one of them were still alive. A quick check revealed that the leader had only been knocked unconscious by the Golden Saint and Divayth quickly stripped away his armour and weapons before taking him to the dungeons, he would interrogate him later but now he had to warn the council that the Dwemer were preparing to wage war.

After securing the locks on all doors in his home he opened up a teleport spell that would take him to Sadrith Mora, home of Arch Magister Uvirith, whom would then rapport to the rest of the council that the Dwemer were going to attack them sooner or later.

**AN: I reposted the chapter now that my beta finally managed to get it back to me, enjoy.**


	2. The Battle Mage of Old

_**Disclaimer: Not mine I'm afraid.**_

_**Chapter II. The Battle Mage of Old.**_

Divayth stood outside the private chambers of Grand Magister Telvanni and he was cursing Arch Magister Uvirith in every tongue he knew. Upon hearing the news of the Dwemer possibly attacking Uvirith had immediately dispatched Divayth to the Telvanni Isles to warn the Grand Magister.

Upon arriving Divayth was in a bad mood. One of the guards down at the docks actually had the gall to question his purpose at Port Telvanni. Of course his mood worsened even more when he was told that the Grand Magister was unable to receive visitors for the next hour but he was welcome to wait outside.

Unable to ignore his mood or the noises of ecstasy from within the room any longer he blew the door off its hinges and stormed in. Cries of panic and fear erupted from the Grand Magister and the woman with him _'his newest whore I'd guess'_, "You get out of here now… Sarin you and I need to talk alone".

The nude woman nodded and began to dress herself when Divayth rounded on her again. "I didn't tell you to get dressed, now get yourself out of here before I curse you and your descendants for the next five generations".

The woman nodded fearfully and ran out of the room slamming the door behind her. "Read these now", Divayth said as he threw five letters at Sarin Telvanni. Telvanni simply looked at him with a confused look before he started to read the letters, paling more and more after each one.

"I take it that it is not good news?"

Grand Magister Telvanni nodded as he started to get some clothes on. "It appears that the Dwemer has started to attack our people. The Great Houses and Ashlander Clans have decided to vote a king to lead us, so far we Have Lord Indoril Nerevar from the House of Indoril and Lord Sather Uveren from House Dres. Each of those holds four votes, our House and the Ahemmusa have yet to place a vote… you… ah… do you have a suggestion?"

Divayth thought a little about the two individuals who could be the first King of the Chimer. He had spent some time in their company over the years and had learned much more about them than they thought.

"Uveren is a perfect warrior, I don't think he has ever been beaten before… but he is no leader. While disgustingly easy to manipulate we need someone who can lead the people through this war and only Nerevar can do that. He is a better warrior than most, and well enough versed in magic, he is a natural leader and a skilled diplomat".

"Oh and I almost forgot, he have four skilled advisors as well which includes Lord Voreyn Dagoth of House Dagoth. Nerevar and his advisors can definitely lead us through this war, but before you get any ideas… don't try to manipulate him it won't work".

"Very well, I shall send message that the Great House Telvanni votes for Lord Indoril Nerevar… if you don't mind perhaps you could train him a bit with magic, just in case the Ahemmusa Clan vote for Uveren and an honour duel will be held between the two candidates?"

Divayth sighed… it figured that he would be given this task it was after all his infernal luck that continued to make him a plaything for the gods. "As you wish… _Grand Magister_" he said coldly emphasising Sarin's title. "But do not expect me to do you any more favours… lest you want me to take your place one dark night while you are sleeping".

The Grand Magister whitened at the implied threat and a brief flicker of fear entered his eyes before it left. His supposed seniority in the house was just a formality as they both knew that Divayth would destroy him easily if it came to a fight between the two of them. "Thank you Divayth, I shall remember it".

Divayth nodded and then teleported straight back to his stronghold, ignoring the fact that it was illegal to perform teleportation within the confines of the Grand Magister's tower. He walked down to the detention levels where the captured Dwemer was locked up.

"Where did you come from"? Divayth asked. Naturally no answer was given and after five hours of asking his prisoner questions he gave up. "Go back to your city and tell your leader to stay away from my lands in the future".

The mer looked strangely at Divayth, no doubt he had believed that Divayth would kill him. "Don't worry, I only kill when I must and you are of no immediate threat so take your leave". The mer nodded thankfully and then ran as fast as he could to the door that led out and then off towards wherever he came from.

"We'll meet again Yagrum Bogarn", he muttered as he started to pack some of his equipment that he would need for his time with Nerevar.

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Divayth had been a guest at Nerevar's manor for a week when a messenger came. "The Ahemmusa have voted for Uveren, the duel will be in three days in the arena at Tear".

Nerevar absentmindedly nodded the messenger away before turning back to Divayth. "Tell me something my friend, why do you really support me, and don't give me any lies about it being for the greater good".

Divayth simply raised an eyebrow at Nerevar. "You might not be as good a warrior as Uveren, but you are a natural leader, and your wife and friends will no doubt make it much more difficult to manipulate you".

He took a sip of sujamma before continuing. "The House of Telvanni would love to manipulate you for their own gain, but won't dare to do so as long as I am with you. Alone my friend you are as blunt as an anvil… but that is exactly what we need. You say what you mean and people respect that".

"Thank you for your honesty my friend", Nerevar said as he sat down in a chair. "But what are we going to do with Uveren, in a flat out duel I am not too sure that I can beat him".

"Perhaps, but I shall teach you to employ every dirty trick there is in the book. We need to go for speed and guile, not brute strength and skill. First of all you coat your sword in a very potent and coincidentally undetectable poison, second I will enchant your armour myself, when I am finished with it you won't even notice its presence and lastly, in a duel there are no rules about magic, and if you swear yourself to silence about this I shall teach you a spell that kills anyone it hits".

"I can… see why your fellow House members fear you so", Nerevar laughed.

"Oh?"

"Yes. You are a good friend… but a more ruthless enemy there is none".

Divayth laughed himself. "Well I simply do what I must to survive, and a hammer blow from the start will make everyone else plotting against me think twice before acting".

"Indeed, well let's get to training then shall we?"

Three days later in the House Hlaalu capitol of Tear the two combatants stood in the duelling arena. Nerevar was clad with lightweight Glass armour, the green crystal material that was something completely different from normal glass that was used for window panes and the like. In his left hand he held a small steel dagger that had been coated in a colourless poison that would be fatal within five minutes, and in his right he held an Ebony longsword coated with the same poison. He would have preferred to use a lighter weapon, but he needed the edge the heavier and much sharper weapon would give him.

Sather Uveren was the complete opposite of Nerevar. He was clad from top till toe with Ebony armour, and in his hands was a massive steel claymore. His back was covered by a massive shield, and an ebony war axe was slung in his belt.

Inside the arena there was not one seat that hadn't been taken, and bets were flying everywhere, outside the crowd was even bigger as thousands had shown up to witness the duel so that they would be the first to know who their new King would be.

The two warriors approached each other and nodded their respects and then on some unspoken signal both attacked. Uveren went for a swift deadly uppercut that was nimbly avoided by Nerevar. Before Nerevar could even launch a counter attack Uveren struck again, this time with a downward chop from the high left.

Like Divayth had taught him Nerevar stepped back and forced Uveren to miss instead of wasting precious energy with blocking. As soon as he stepped back he delivered a swift blow that left a small scratch in the Ebony armour that Uveren was donned in. He used his momentum to spin around and stabbed with all of his strength at Uveren's armoured back and watched with dismay as the steel dagger broke on impact.

Before he could launch another attack Uveren struck him in the face with the back of the claymore. Nerevar stepped back as the pain hit him. He was sure that his nose was broken and two of his teeth had been knocked out. On instinct he jumped to the left and narrowly avoided loosing his head. He immediately recuperated and stepped towards Uveren and struck the claymore with all of his might. With a loud 'clang' the large steel blade broke off at the middle.

Instead of panicking Uveren threw a punch that Nerevar deftly avoided, but he failed to doge the kick that hit him in the sternum. Gasping for air Nerevar fell to the ground. Uveren discarded his broken sword and took the axe from his belt and struck down with all the strength he possessed. A brief blinding light erupted from Nerevar's armour as the enchantment on it failed. Fortunately it had done its job as the axe had failed to penetrate the light armour, though a significant crack had been made and from the pain he had when he breathed Nerevar knew that one or two of his ribs had broken.

Nerevar roared in pain and anger and stabbed his sword into the knee joint of Uveren's armour and was rewarded with a howl of pain as the sword penetrated flesh and cut tendons. He withdrew his sword and crawled away and gingerly stood to his feet. Already Uveren was on the ground and he was shaking in agonizing pain as the deadly poison swept through his system. Like a cancer the poison destroyed his body from within.

With a whispered **'Avada Kedavra'** Nerevar ended Sather Uveren's life rather than letting him die in agonizing pain. Silence greeted Nerevar for almost a full minute before the crowd roared with triumph, their King had now been chosen and they could for the first time be truly united as one people. Nerevar's wife Almalexia fought her way over to her husband and started to heal his injuries while his three closes friends and advisors: Vivec, Sotha Sil and Voreyn Dagoth congratulated him.

Divayth simply gave him a nod of approval before turning to leave. At the exit he was accosted by the Grand Magister. "What in Azura's name are you playing at Fyr?" For some reason he was extremely angry.

"What ever do you mean…Grand Magister?" Divayth responded curiously. Not that he didn't know, he was pretty sure what had the Grand Magister so angry, yet he wanted to make it clear that his life was his own and not belonging to some paranoid mer with delusions of absolute power.

"I recognised the spell that Lord Nerevar used. Do you not remember that we swore oaths not to reveal Telvanni secrets to ANYONE outside the house?"

"Yes indeed I do remember. But, correct me if I'm wrong here. I never taught anyone not even Baladas that spell for a reason, and as such it is not a Telvanni secret. It is my secret and mine to give to whom I will…and remember it is I and I alone who taught you and the others the secret of eternal life. Your immortality is dependant on my goodwill, and if I find you unsuitable for it I will make sure that your body is never found", Divayth whispered icily to the Grand Magister.

Sarin Telvanni backed up fearfully. "You-you wouldn't dare".

"Oh I wouldn't would I? I can assure you that I have my own goals and plans and you are not necessary for their fulfilment, I expect you to arrange for the members of the House to start training for war. Good day Grand Magister", then he Teleported back to his stronghold, leaving the Grand Magister shaking in fear.

**Sarin Telvanni's office.**

The Grand Magister and his two Arch Magisters had gathered in his office to discuss the coming war against the Dwemer. "We must make sure to appoint a good leader to control the Telvanni forces in this war", Arch Magister Zafirbel told the other two as she looked at Sarin who was pacing back and forth.

"Yes but there is only one problem, the best person for this task is Divayth Fyr, and I would loathe to give him more connections than he already has. That mer is inherently dangerous and if he leads our troops to victory in King Nerevar's name he will gain much popularity" Sarin told his two visitors as he sat back down in his throne like chair.

Arch Magister Uvirith suddenly brightened as an idea popped into his mind. "We can make sure that he is 'eliminated' as soon as the war is won. We surround him with retainers that are loyal to us, the one that kills him will be elevated to the rank of Master, if he is attacked by several of our skilled mages he doesn't stand a chance".

The other two occupants in the room quickly agreed to the plan, it was ingenious and had a large chance of success.

Unaware of the plotting that was being done Divayth was training with Nerevar's personal friend and advisor Voreyn Dagoth at Dagoth's stronghold of Koghorun. Divayth could claim with absolute certainty to be one of the best magic wielders on Tamriel but his close combat skills still left some to desire, and Voreyn was a skilled swordsman and a fearsome staff wielder.

"Exellent Divayth one more time. Two, four, nine, ten, seven and lunge", he yelled as Divayth performed the various moves that the numbers represented. He was progressing fast as his impressive mind soaked up information like a sponge. It would be a few months before an army was made ready to protect their country from the increasing Dwemer threat, and Divayth was learning everything he could, perfecting his magical combat studies.

He and Voreyn were just about to start another exercise when a bloodied mer stumbled into the courtyard where they were training. "My lord… the Dwemer are attacking, they killed one of the scout parties you placed around the fort, I barely escaped with my life".

Voreyn cursed as he yelled for one of his guards. A mer clad in bonemold armour raced in and snapped off a salute to his Lord. "Raise the alarm and gather the warriors we are under attack", the guard beat his fist at his chest plate and ran towards a set of bells. He immediately started to bang the bells with a large hammer.

Divayth walked quickly to his chambers where he started to put on his armour. The grey/black and red Daedric armour was one of the few complete sets in existence. He had received it as a gift when he saved the life of a master smith from a large pack of nix hounds. The Ebony like material would normally weigh like a ton, but Divath had enchanted it to be weightless and so he would be able to move normally on the battlefield.

After he had donned his armour he grabbed the belt that held his sword Goldbrand. It had been a gift from the Daedric Prince Boethia for building a shrine to him. And the Golden katana was a fearsome weapon. It was imbued with a deadly fire enchantment and its edge was wickedly sharp. With a last glance around his room he grabbed his Daedric staff that he had taken from a Dremora Lord and ran out to meet with Dagoth and his warriors.

He had not arrived too early. Already the fifty warriors Voreyn had were firing arrows from their bows towards the approaching enemies. From what he could count they were severely outnumbered, and despite the deadly rain of arrows few Dwemer fell as their broad shields and thick heavy Dwemer armour protected them from most of the arrows.

Divayth thrust his staff out towards the Dwemer force and a massive bolt of lightening erupted from it and smashed several of the Dwemer to the ground. Without breaking a sweat he twirled the staff and swept it upwards and a huge wave of energy rushed towards the Dwemer like a gigantic wave and threw five of them dozens of feet into the air and he could hear their screams of fear as they started to fall back to the ground ending with sickening cracks as bones were broken by the impact.

Changing tactics he stepped over to the large staircase that led down to the plains below and threw his hands out almost as if to embrace the onrushing Dwemer. Powerful winds blew out from him and battered against the Dwemer, blowing some to the ground while others of them continued to push forward towards the fort. He stopped his attack to down a potion that brought his magicka levels up to full strength again. The Chimer warriors at Koghorun had run out of arrows and gripped their weapons in strong hands.

"Fear not my friends, the enemy may be many, but we have Divayth Fyr. With him at our side we can weather this storm", Voreyn yelled to his soldiers as he took a place at Divayth's side. The men cheered with hope as they stepped forward determined to sell their lives dearly.

"Nice speech Voreyn, I'll see if I can't thin their numbers a bit more". He flung his hand out towards their enemies and a small burning orb of magic flew towards the Dwemer. The Dwemer collectively held out their shields but it was to no avail as the small orb of energy impacted on the surface of one of the shields. The small orb detonated with immense force and a huge dome of fire spread out several yards, encompassing dozens of Dwemer warriors with incandescent flames.

Divayth breathed out as he looked at the devastation. That had been the most powerful of the fire based Theurgist spells and it had almost drained him of magicka, however it had done its job. They were now outnumbered three to one and since they had the high ground it was not impossible odds.

With roaring battle cries the Dwemer thundered up the steps of the Fort. Discarding his staff Divayth drew Goldbrand from its sheath and prepared for the fight. With a crash of steel on steel the Dwemer warriors smashed into the warriors of Voreyn Dagoth. Had they been but simple warriors the battle would have been hopeless, but these mer's were the personal bodyguard of Lord Voreyn Dagoth the Lord of the Great House of Dagoth and all of them were skilled warriors.

Blood flowed as mer fought mer in a desperate battle. And at the front stood Voreyn Dagoth with Divayth Fyr at his side. With perfect synchrony they fought back to back as the Dwemer slowly but surely pushed the defenders back. Divayth lost all track of time as he dodged, blocked, ducked, slashed, stabbed and chopped. His armour had taken several hits but so far it had passed the test and they were slowly gaining the upper hand.

The Dwemer who had already lost many of their warriors against Divayth's devastating magical attacks were loosing. Their morale was worn down as the outnumbered Chimer fought like trapped animals, taking three often four of the Dwemer with them in death and suddenly the fighting stopped.

To the south a great plume of dust raised into the sky and soon enough everybody could see who was coming. King Indoril Nerevar himself was coming, riding at the head of a large force of Chimer warriors on horses. With a cry of despair their nerve broke and they ran away from the bloodied but victorious Chimer.

The surviving Chimer cheered as their foe fled. They had fought long and hard and victory was theirs. "Thank you Lord Fyr, without you we would not have achieved victory", Voreyn sad as he grasped Divayth's shoulder.

"Victory?" Divayth said disbelievingly. "We have fought and killed our own kin. Different believes they may have, but they are as much mer as we are. No this is not victory it is madness. I only fight because I have my own agenda and the survival of our people is necessary. Remember that Voreyn".

"I acknowledge your wisdom in this matter though I do not see it", Voreyn countered as he sat down at the top of the blood stained stairs.

"Then I shall educate you my friend. We fight partly because the Dwemer did as a matter of fact inhabit this country before we came, and many of us wish to see them wiped from the world for their beliefs, but unless the races of mer are united the forces of men will cement their rule over us one by one. Indeed I foresee that within four millennia the nedic race shall rule all of Tamriel as one big empire".

"Impossible those worthless slaves do not have and never will have the strength to conquer the race of mer, we are the firstborn and it is our right to rule the lands of Tamriel", Dagoth stated angrily.

"Those be your views my friend, I think I shall return to my own home for some time" and then he spun on the spot and disappeared from view only to reappear in his study a mere second afterwards.

**000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000**

**Vvardenfell. First Era. Year**** 416.**

The Chimer and Dwemer of Resdayn had many similar clashes over the years, but no real big battles were fought, and then in the year 243 a new threat emerged. Wave after wave of men who called themselves Nords attacked Resdayn from the northwest. At first the two different groups of mer had tried to fight themselves as well as the Nords but as casualties rose and smaller cities were pillaged and burned the Dwemer King Dumac and King Nerevar had entered into negotiations of a truce, and in the year 416 they formed a collective government with themselves as the reigning monarchs. This alliance was led by the two kings as well as King Dumac's High Priest Kagrenac and Nerevar's four advisors as well as the heads of the other Great Houses and the rulers of the largest Dwemer cities, and together they formed the fabled first council.

Now joined as one force the Chimer and Dwemer started to push back the invaders. The heavily armoured Dwemer soldiers usually was at the forefront of the armies and they were backed by a deadly combination of Chimer light infantry, archers and skilled mages working together as one cohesive force that even the frenzied men from the north could not beat. Nerevar's general Voreyn Dagoth often led his army into the very homeland of the Nords though he was unsuccessful at holding any area for a large period of time.

While Nerevar and Dumac's army had the best warriors as well as Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil all of them great fighters and magic users Dagoth had Divayth and a large contigent of Telvanni mages and it was often a fierce but friendly rivalry going on with whose army could defeat the largest force. It was this rivalry that had led Dagoth's army into it's current problem. Ignoring Divayth's advice Dagoth had led his depleted army deep into Nord territory and there they had suffered a grave defeat that claimed the lives of almost half of their remaining force.

This particular army had been fighting almost constantly for two years and it had been low on men for over half of that period, and instead of waiting to be reinforced and resupplied Dagoth had led his army deeper into the land of Skyrim to destroy their capitol and kill their King effectively breaking the back of the Nord invasion.

"What news do you have Master Talander?" Voreyn asked the young Hlaalu noble.

"Bad milord. The approaching army is at least twice as big as our own and it contains over three hundred heavy horsemen", he said with dismay as he tried to catch his breath. Talander and his small group of scouts had been out all night and harassed the enemy as much as they could with their longbows.

A shudder went through the gathered war council. The heavy cavalry of the Nords were feared for a reason. Clad in the finest Nordic armour the carried sharp spears and large battle axes, and so far no army without cavalry had beaten a Nord force that contained them.

"You must flee Lord Dagoth, I shall remain with my contingent of men and hold a rearguard as long as I can", Lord Arobar a Redoran Master of good standing said as he stood up to leave.

"A noble sacrifice I'm sure, but in the long run useless" Divayth said as he spoke for the first time during the long meeting. "Unless you've noticed we are trapped at the end of a valley, and I have no doubt that King Harald has already ordered one or more of his armies back to cut off our possible escape, we need to make a stand and we must do it here".

"Forgive my doubt Lord Fyr" he countered with a tone that showed everyone that he did not feel sorry at all. "But how are we going to do that? We are outnumbered. Nearly every soldier is wounded in some way and might I mention that we are facing over three hundred heavy horsemen? We will be slaughtered we cannot stop them".

Divayth rose and walked around the inside of the tent, observing the defeated look that was present on the face of every single mer in it including Dagoth's. "If you look at this map our enemy must cross this river here. Indeed it is not deep I will admit that, but it will slow them down. At our backs there is a large forest, we shall make spears…long spears three times as long as a man".

He paused as he could see some of the others realizing what his idea was. "When they cross the ford they will be forced to charge uphill and we will be there with the spears to stop the charge of the horsemen with spears so long that they will not be able to reach us without risk of death".

We can also put those of us in the worst conditions to start constructing a small fort here to defend. I will take whatever mages we have left and summon enough deadra to break even the nerve of the most stalwart enemy, in this valley we will outlast them until reinforcements arrive and trust my help is on the way".

"I see the cunning in your plan my friend, but your part with the daedra is it not dangerous to summon so many of them what if they breaks free from your control?" Dagoth asked cautiously.

"We do not need to control them we need to unleash them. Their aggressive behaviour will make them attack the onrushing enemies who will no doubt be crazed madmen".

Work started immediately with cutting down trees to make into spears or for barricades. Every mer lent a hand, the mages used magic to held with construction, while Divayth blasted out magical waves that cut trees down at the stem by the dozens.

After a day of hard work the bulk of their force, nearly a thousand altogether moved out nearly every one of them carrying a six metre long spear. Back at the fort a few dozen mer continued to work. The fort itself was built up with tree trunks so big that a mer could not grasp around it, and a deep moat surrounded it filled with sharpened wooden stakes, and a small bridge led towards a hole in the wall that was barricaded with wagons and wooden logs.

At the crest of the small slope that led down to the shallow river stood the remains of Voreyn Dagoth's army, and at the front in neat lines the long wooden spears laid ready at their feet, here they would meet their doom and only the hearts and spirit of the tired and defeated army would decide if they escaped with their lives.

Before long they could see the larger army approach. It was the personal army of King Harald the III himself and every one of them were bedecked in the finest of Nordic chainmail. All of them carrying large axes or hammers, broad shields was slung on their backs and at the forefront of the army rode the heavy horsemen. The army finally stopped about a hundred yards from the other side of the riverbank. Almost immediately a group of three riders thundered forward and stopped a few yards from the river and waited. Divayth received a small nod from Voreyn and then apparated directly to the riders.

"Greetings men of the north what message do you have for us?"

The leader of the riders moved his horse forward a bit and looked down at Divayth. "Our King bids you to surrender and your lives will be spared".

"You mean that he will give us the honour of working as slaves for the rest of our lives. No thank you we do not fear death and if comes to battle we will fight to the last breath, do yourself a favour and flee while you still can".

The riders simply shook their heads in disbelief and then rode back to their King to deliver the news while Divayth apparated back to Dagoth.

"Well they won't surrender", he quipped to Voreyn, making many of the mer jeer loudly against the Nord army.

"You really are insane my friend", Voreyn laughed. "At least we have the element of surprise against them".

"Helvettes jaevel" _**'Damn Bastard'**_, Harald the III cursed when Divayth's response was given to him by his envoy. "Eg vill ha denne Fyr's hovud paa ein stake" _**'I want this Fyr's head on a stake'**_.

The envoy nodded fearfully at his angry liege.

"Send hestane, fullt aattak" _**'Send the horse, full attack'**_, the King said.

His champion nodded and raised a horn to his lips and blew hard. As the signal went off the Nord cavalry started into a light trot towards the small force of elves at the tip of the slope on the other side of the river. As soon as the entered the river they expected to be met with a rain of arrows or magic, but nothing came forward. Amazed with their fortune the charged into a hard gallop as soon as they cleared the river, coming closer by every second.

The ground shook as the cavalry charge closed with the elven lines. Drops of sweat erupted on the brows of many of them but they held their ground waiting for the signal. At the very last minute the signal was given and every mer on dropped his or her weapon and picked up a long spear from the ground and yelled threats and curses at the cavalry.

Torger Ulvbane (Wolfbane) smiled as he and his cavalry closed with their enemy. Surely there was no greater feeling than leading a charge of heavy horsemen towards the enemy. His euphoria changed into panic as a huge wall of sharpened wood rose up not even a yard from him, "KA I HELVETTE?" _**'WHAT THE HELL'**_, he yelled. The last thing that went through his mind as he was impaled on two thick wooden spears was that they had been fooled by an enemy of superior intelligence and cunning.

All over the line the Nord cavalry died as they were impaled on the long spears or crushed beneath their panicked horses as they tried to escape the forest of spears. Some were unfortunate to be thrown into the elven lines as their horses were skewered on the spears. Those few were beaten or even strangled to death by the elves who were furious at their earlier defeat.

Not even fifteen minutes had passed since the charge had begun before it had been stopped like an arrow is stopped on a shield. Screams of pain from the wounded and dying filled the air before they were silenced one by one as elven warriors stepped forward and stabbed them with their weapons. "Your move", Divayth mumbled towards the Nord King at the other side of the river.

King Harald the III was incensed at how easy he had been tricked, but he was not king only because of his skill in battle. He was a cunning leader and knew when he was beaten. While his force still outnumbered his enemy he knew that another army was only a day's march away, so he decided to wait for its arrival before attacking with nearly twice its strength, with heavy heart he ordered his force to make camp, two days from now they would scour the presence of this elven scum from their land.

That night no one slept peacefully, both man and mer could not stop thinking about the battle that would come. The elves knew that they would have a hard fight before them as they were outnumbered and most of them were wounded to some degree. And the Nords knew that they were facing an enemy of fearsome skill and cunning.

While the Nords waited for reinforcements the Chimer and Dwemer warriors continued to fortify their makeshift stronghold. Oil had been poured over large patches of ground before the walls of the fort and smiths were producing armour piercing bolts and arrows by the minute. A few of the more intelligent Dwemer were tinkering with something inside their tents and the clang of metal along with the various yelled curse and small explosion was a regular feature from these few tents.

Finally after almost one and a half day of hard work the few Dwemer who had chosen to lock themselves up in their large tent came out and the sight that met the remaining forces of the army would have to be comical. Hundreds of small metal spiders about the size of a head came out from the tent. No eyes were visible yet they seemed to know exactly where they were going.

Everybody was broken out of their wonder as the sound of thousands of feet thundering on the ground met their enhanced ears. Every mer grabbed his or her weapon and went to their stations, Divayth and his remaining Telvanni mages stood at the top of the wall ready to summon as many daedra as possible.

The sight of the large army was humbling and the seriousness of their situation was only now appreciated as they saw the immense size. "DO NOT WORRY, WE HAVE OUR SHARE OF TRICKS THE ENEMY WILL NOT EMERGE VICTORIOUS", Divayth yelled as loudly as he could.

The elves screamed out their various battle cries and started to beat their armoured hands or their weapons on their shield.

"ARCHERS… TAKE AIM", Dagoth's order was followed swiftly as every single bow armed mer readied his or her bow at the enemy. "LOOSE", the sound of hundreds of arrows being released filled the fort as arrows or bolts were fired towards the enemy. Screams tore into the air as bolts or arrows lodged themselves in human bodies and dozens of Nords fell. Before they could truly realize that they were being fired upon another volley landed in their midst cutting down several more men.

The Nords yelled loud curses at the ensconced elves and charged over the ground. Panicked screams followed by meaty 'thuds' erupted as the enraged Nords failed to see the spiked moat in the evening gloom. Divayth waited for even more men to press as close to the fortress as possible and then he gave the command. Dozens of fireballs were launched to various points on the battlefield, and agonized wails broke out as the oil poured over large parts of it ignited lighting hundreds of men up Christmas trees.

The attacking army halted as they watched hundreds of their own flail around as they burned to death. The large fires made it difficult to assault the wooden fort and they were still assaulted with volley after volley of arrows, bolts and magical attacks. Wisely the Nords retreated out of bow range to wait for the fires to die out.

The fires raged for almost three hours and the air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh when the Nords attacked again. As before they encountered resistance in the form of arrows bolts and spells, but the increasing casualties only fuelled their hatred and they thundered forward unheeding of their growing losses, the spiked moat was already filled with impaled victims that allowed the rest to traverse it safely. Those Nords with the best armour assaulted the barricaded entrance with a thick log again and again splintering wood with every stroke. When the barricade eventually broke a victorious cheer went up through the Nord army and they stormed against the only opening into the fortress.

The first men screamed out in warning as almost a hundred crossbows took aim. The crossbow armed elves fired in three bursts scything down almost two score men at close range. Instead of reloading they dropped their crossbows and picked up long spears that had been left over when they prepared for the cavalry charge earlier. With a roaring battle cry they threw themselves at the enemy impaling several of them. Again the Nords charged forward but the forest of spears blocked their way.

The wall of spears was soon broken however as some of the Nords picked up the massive log they had used as a battering ram and charged straight into the spear armed elves. The lines broke as the massive log smashed into them and then the Nords broke through. Like a knife through hot butter they formed a wedge into the elven lines more and more pressing through until almost a hundred Nords were inside the walls of the fort.

Divayth nodded to Voreyn who barked a command at his personal bodyguards and with a mighty yell they jumped down from the wall to lead the counter attack.

Divayth yelled a command of his own to his fellow mages and then he concentrated his very hardest. Drops of sweat poured from his brow as he focused every single bit of his magical potential and when he was sure he had it right he released it. They sky darkened and fire flashed over it as a gate of massive proportions rose up from the ground. As soon as the large portal had stopped growing a barrier of flames swept over it as daedra started to swarm out by the dozens. The other mages summoned as many daedra as they could and then just released whatever control they had over them.

Divayth sighed as he allowed the Oblivion gate to deactivate trapping the deadra who had come from it in the material world. The every single one of the daedra roared in hatred of being summoned and naturally they attacked the closest enemy they could find. The Nord screamed in panic as the daedra in their midst started killing left right and center, though their King rallied them quickly the damage was done, Nords were fleeing all over until their King ordered them to remain. Now rallied once more they coordinated their efforts and one after the other the daedra were banished back to the accursed realms from whence they came. Back at the gate the situation was worsening Voreyn and his men were unable to push back the stronger and often better armoured Nords and in a war of attrition the Nords would without doubt win due to their greater numbers.

Help was then received as the Dwemer smiths ordered their spider constructs forward. In the chaos of battle the large wave of metal spiders with pointy sharp feet were not noticed until they started to crawl onto the Nords stabbing them with their little feet wherever they could.

Divayth who had downed three strong restorative draughts to replenish his magical energies looked out over the battlefield. They needed more time and they needed it now. He sighed angrily as he realized that he would once again have to all but drain his magical energy. It wasn't that it was any dangerous as he had potions for recharging it, but each time he drained himself completely he tired greatly, and he knew that there was several of the Telvanni who would love to arrange an 'unfortunate accident' to him.

If he seized to stop breathing due to a dagger in the back or over a slit throat it would count as an unfortunate accident…by Telvannyi standards of course. He shook of his paranoia, he always left enough energy so that he could apparate away from harm and recuperate so it wouldn't be too big a risk. Again he started to focus, and when he was sure that he was ready he thrust his hands towards the sky.

Immediately the sky darkened and the air turned heavy and oppressive as huge rainclouds gathered. Suddenly several bolts of lightning struck down into the Nord army and booming thunder echoed across the valley as heavy wind and rain buffeted the Nords. Wile summoning the massive gate to Oblivion had been hard keeping this deadly storm active was even harder. He had to concentrate in order to make sure that his fellow warriors were not affected.

The Nords sensed the danger they were in and pressed on even harder and more and more of them penetrated the inner sanctum of the wooden fort. Finally after almost an hour he allowed the storm to dissipate, too many Nords were already inside the fort and so it would be a waste of magical energy to continue with the storm. Instead he grabbed his staff and dissapparated.

He reappeared at the back of the Nord army from where their King surrounded by his bodyguard was overseeing the battle and giving orders. Before they could realize what had happened Divayth forced most of his remaining energy into a modified killing curse. It worked the same way and used the same words, but instead of one concentrated unblockable beam it could be fired as an arching wave that could be stopped by a strong enough magical shield.

Unfortunately for his enemy the single wizard who was with them could do no more than to widen his eyes before the wave of death hit him and several others of the King's bodyguard. The King drew his enormous battle axe and looked at Divayth with pure undiluted hate.

"Lat oss slaass som menn", _**'Let us fight like men'**_, the King yelled at Divayth. Divayth nodded and banished his staff away and drew Goldbrand from its sheath.

The King surged forward and slashed his axe towards Divayth's throat with impressive speed and Divayth barely managed to duck in time. For an hour they fought back and forth, neither one of them giving the other ground as they tested each others defences. The king had skill and strength on his side, while Divayth had speed and agility at his. And unlike the King Divayth was armoured with the best suit of armour available and due to the enchantments he had put on it was completely weightless.

Both fighters were tiring when Divayth suddenly slipped on a loose rock and fell to the ground. He cursed as the Nord King raised his axe for a killing blow but was suddenly distracted by the sound of dozens of trumpets, from the south Nerevar was running at the front of a large army who was coming to their rescue.

King Harald the III was broken out of his reverie by a stinging pain in his chest, followed by pain in his whole body as the fire enchantment on Goldbrand tore into him. With a detached mind he looked at the sword that had impaled his heart and then he lifted his head to stare into the regretful face of his killer. As his life slipped away he gave a slight nod in appreciation and acknowledgement of Divayth's skill and honour, he knew that Divayth could have killed him easily with magic, yet he had chosen to fight the King as an equal and Harald… well he was sure that the manner of his death would earn him a place of honour in the halls of his fathers after all who could claim to have fought and nearly defeated the mightiest mage alive and then darkness consumed him.

Divayth wayched with regret as the proud King took his last breath and then he withdrew his sword and closed the King's eyes. "Du ta ham med dykk og giv ham ein helts begravelse". _**'You take him with you and give him a hero's funeral'**_ Divayth said to one of the King's stunned surviving bodyguards.

The bodyguards nodded and placed the king on their shields and started to march away one of them stopped and looked on Divayth for a moment. "Du er ein manna av heder og aere, maa Gudane bistaa dig i all aeve" _**'You are a man of honour and glory, may the Gods be with you for eternity'**_, he said before following his comrades.

With their King dead the Nords broke and fled for their lives, leaving the elves cheering as the battle was over. "That was some fight Divayth, I'm honoured to have fought beside you", Voreyn said as he met him out on the field.

"That was the last time I will ever fight for you my friend", Divayth said calmly. "Your own arrogance and desire for glory could have killed us all, and if I may say so had I not been with you every single one of you would have been killed or made into slaves by this day".

Voreyn recoiled as if he had been struck, before he gave in. "You're right as always, Azura I should have listened to you had I done so many more would still be alive".

"Explain yourself to Nerevar and not to me, I am tired and will return to my home, but we shall see each other again", and then he disappeared as he teleported back to his stronghold, unknowingly leaving twenty very nervous Telvanni behind. How they would inform their Grand Magister of their failure to kill Divayth and retain their lives was running through their minds before they shrugged and left. They decided to try and reach Summerset Isles where their Altmer cousins lived and try their fortunes there rather than to return to the Telvanni Isles and risk death.

'_Home sweet home'_, Divayth thought as he rested in his bed, it had truly been a long and hard war, and the sad part was that now that it was over a new one would soon occur and it was going to change or destroy both the Chimer and the Dwemer forever.

**A few explanations**** on various elven/meric races:**

**Mer: A common name for all elven races. The eleven races are:**

**Aldmer: The common ancestor of all elves that sailed out from the first elven homeland of Aldmeris, eventually became modern day elves.**

**Altmer also known as High Elves: Tall golden skinned elves with a much better natural affinity for magic than any other race, though they also have a strong hereditary weakness against magic. They settled the Sumemrset Isles during the days when the elves left Aldmeris.**

**Ayeleid also known as Heartland Elves: Golden skinned elves who inhabited the centre parts of Tamriel during the first Era. Went extinct after the slave revolt led by the human Slave Queen Alyssia in the year 242 of the first Era.**

**Dwemer also known as 'Dwarves' by the ignorant: Golden skinned elves that inhabited the province of Resdayn/Morrowind also called Dwemereth during the early days when the elven race left Aldmeris. Believed to have gone extinct during the 'war of the first council' in the year 457 of the first Era.**

**Chimer also known as Light Elves: Golden skinned elves that left Summerset Isle or the Ayleid kingdoms due to the political climate in the early first era. They settled in the province of Resdayn/Morrowind also called Dwemereth and renamed themselves Chimer. After the 'war of the first council' in the year of 457 of the first Era they became the 'Dunmer'.**

**Dunmer also know as Dark Elves: After the events of the 'war of the first council' in the first Era the Chimer's skin turned ash grey/blue and their eyes turned fiery red and they renamed themselves Dunmer. **

**Bosmer also known as Wood Elves: Short elves of normal skin colour that left Summerset Isles and settled in the wooden realm of Valenwood on the mainland. Gave birth to the Camoran Dynasty which is the longest known successive line of royalty in history.**

**Orsimer also known as Orcs. Tall and big boned humanoids with a greenish skin tone. Originally Aldmer that became warped by the destruction of their leader Trinimac who is said to have become the Daedra Prince Malacath.**

**About Aldmeris:**

**Virtually nothing is known of the elven homeland. Its location, its environment, its politics, its religion, even its current existence is the stuff of conjecture. Translations from ancient tapestries and texts in the Crystal Tower of Summerset have yielded only the barest of a beautiful but very strange land. In no representation of Aldmeris are there any trees or life but the Aldmer themselves. It appears as an endless city built upon itself over and over again until no nature remains at all. The highest towers are reserved for interring the dead, a tradition continued on in the Crystal Tower itself.**

**What happened in Aldmeris since the elves who settled in Tamriel left is perhaps the oldest of all mysteries. For countless centuries, adventurers have sought "Lost Aldmeris," only to return disappointed, if they return at all. Some say that Aldmeris was sunk into the sea by the angry Gods of the Aldmer. Others claim that the elven homeland has left the Mundus , and will return only when the races of mer are united as one.**


	3. Not a chapter this time

**This is not a chapter I'm afraid just an explanation.**

**So far I've recieved a couple of reviews about how similar my story is the GeekUSA's story on SIYE. Though the couple of threatening flames/warnings about plagiarism leames me amused and exhasparated at the sime time.**

**So yes I did use the first chapter of his story as a foundation for my own story but I've put down a lot of work into it. I spent much time rewriting sentences adding my ow flair to them so to speak. This story is NOTHING like his story. Secondly I've been in talks with GeekUSA for some time and I have gotten HIS PERMISSION to use the parts that I have used so those of you who don't like it can take it or leave it.**

**For those few scared pussies who were so scared that they had to flame me with anonymous reviews you can go and fuck yourselves. Before you start to complain about other peoples stories why don't you try and actually write one yourself? it's not as easy as it looks you gutless fuckheads.**

**To those of you who read my story and like it I apologise if this note has offended you as it is not meant to offend you guys. I'd like to thank everyone who commented either with positive or negative feedback, after I have nothing against people expressing their concerns and likes/dislikes for my work as long as you keep it to a respective level (which means that you emo angsty flamers can stop reading and go back to cutting yourself and bitch about your life is).**

**Hopefully any future reviewers can stop complaining/mentioning about the similarities about this story and the one GeekUSA has.**

**As a last note, does anyone else here realize that most flamers are guys/girls with absolutely no stories themselves? perhaps they just like flaming/threatening other people simply beacuse they are so talentless that they cant write anything themself.**

**So thats it folks, I'll continue to work on my various drabbles that I call stories, and if anyone found my little note amusing in some way give me a yell, I always have the time to read about us writers bashing the talentlessly annoying flamers.  
**


	4. Time Never Stops

_**Disclaimer: Not mine I'm afraid.**_

**Chapter III. Time Never Stops.**

**Telvanni Isles. Year 457 First Era.**

Grand Magister Sarin Telvanni breathed out a long sigh of relief. He had been occupied for most of the day with various issues and even his… lady friends could not keep his spirits up, perhaps he could abduct one of the snotty Atlmer to play with for a while, _'yes that would do quite nicely'_ he thought as he grabbed a bottle of wine from his desk.

He did not realize that anything was wrong before he realized that he could not move… at all, his entire body seemed frozen, and then the room went pitch black. If he could have screamed he would have done so when he felt the magic restraining collar snap around his neck.

"Sarin, Sarin Sarin… didn't I tell you not to meddle in my affairs", a voice whispered sadly in his ear.

Sarin started to sweat profusely he knew that voice and there could only by one reason as to why the owner of that voice was here. Suddenly the lights reappeared and Sarin could see the heavily armoured body of Divayth Fyr stand before him.

"_Don't even think about that dagger you have in your sl_eeve _I have already removed it"_, Divayth's voice whispered inside his head and true enough he realized with panic, the dagger he always had in his sleeve was indeed twirling in Divayth's left hand.

"If…if you kill me you will be hunted down like an animal".

"Highly unlikely Grand Magister", Divayth said with a sad shake of his head. "You see if I die from natural causes then there wouldn't be cause for suspicion would it? Oh I'm sure that your death along with that of your two advisors will be highly suspicious, but like I said nothing too unusual.

Divayth bent down towards the whimpering supreme leader of all Telvanni, and felt nothing but hatred for forcing him to do this. As soon as Divayth's hand rested of Sarins chest he built up his magic and released it as a powerful wave that coursed through Sarins body.

Sarin screamed as the foreign magic coursed through him and he noted with panic that his body seemed to shut down as his senses disappeared one after the other and finally he toppled out of his chair and onto the floor, looking for all purposes as the victim of a heart attack.

As soon as Divayth was sure that Sarin was dead he teleported back to the city of Tel Arhun on Vvardenfell. He was met with a robed person standing alone at the docks.

"Is it done"?

"Indeed it is, Zafirbel and her retinue were sadly consumed by a deadly storm out on the sea. Telvanni himself appears to have suffered a heart attack and Uvirith was unfortunately in the basement of his tower when it collapsed…unfortunate accidents of course" Divayth said.

"Why it is indeed, unfortunate that our three glorious leaders would perish in the same day".

"Most unfortunate indeed, but remember Gothryn, you and your master have promised that I will be left alone once you become Arch Magister and he becomes Grand Magister, the consequences of breaking that promise could become…severe".

Gothryn flinched slightly. "Of course Lord Fyr, we shall push forward a vote in the council that you shall be removed from the traditional Telvanni system and be granted protection from all members, after all your various research is important".

"You are too kind Gothryn, I shall submit my own vote for your promotion and that of your master". And then they parted, Divayth because he did not trust Gothren the least bit and Gothren because he feared the consequences of crossing Divayth.

**000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000**

**Resdayn Year 457 First Era.**

Divayth gazed up at the towering Red Mountain with a tired gaze. The peace between the Chimer and Dwemer had been broken when Nerevar learnt that the Dwemer planed to construct a God to take control of all of Tamriel. The fact that the Dwemer planned on crossing him was bad enough but their wish to create a God was seen as a personal insult towards Nerevar who was deeply religious and his opinion was shared with most of the people.

King Dumac of the Dwemer had denied the rumours but Nerevar had been told by Azura herself that Kagrenac the High Priest of the Dwemer was actually close to completing it and so war erupted once more.

"This is it, the last advance move out", Nerevar yelled from the front. Every where in the Chimer line the order was given and as one the army started the hard climb up the big volcano.

A few hundred yards up a part of the army led by Lord Vivec broke off to the left to march on Kagrenac's library in the city of Endusal, while another part led by Lord Sotha Sil went east to the city of Odrosal, while the rest of the army continued the march north directly to the Dwemer Capitol city named Dumasal.

All of a sudden a series of battlecries erupted from the left of the army and was quickly followed by the sound of thousands of armoured boots running as fast as possible towards the Chimer army.

Like a spear the Dwemer penetrated deep into the Chimer army, and panic ensued as the surprised Chimer were slain by the dozens, until Nerevar arrived that is. Like a lion he threw himself at the Dwemer and nobody could stand before him in his rage. One Dwemer after another was slain by his skill and mighty blade.

Divayth was on his way towards Nerevar when he got a terrible feeling. The Dwemer who had just attacked them were too few in numbers to do much after the surprise had ended and that could only mean one thing, they were stalling the Chimer for something.

As he looked around he could see a small group of white robed Dwemer priests move towards the Daedric shrine of Sorordrin, a shrine that had been built to honour Azura and the alliance between the Dwemer and Chimer. With a last look towards Nerevar he apparated straight to the entrance and entered.

Inside the ruin was completely empty and he spent his time carefully examining each room until he stood at a crossroad. The left led into the labyrinth that would eventually take him up again to one of the otherwise inaccessible areas while the one to the right would take him down to the inaccessible areas there. After a quick decision he chose the road to the right and after traversing the empty labyrinth he went down the stairs and entered a room with a statue of Azura. The strange thing though was the two items floating in the air.

One was a dagger of some bluish crystal while the other was a left hand gauntlet of Dwemeric design only far more advanced and after careful examining he slit his left wrist before donning the gauntlet. He gasped as the enchantments washed over him. He could feel his connection and resistance to magic increase dramatically and his resistance to poison and diseases also increased. Now that he had the gauntlet he grabbed the dagger that would otherwise have killed him outright.

As he was about to leave he spotted a small book that he picked up. It was written in Dwemeric writing and language and he was one of the few non Dwemer who understood both of those. The book described the construction of the Dwemer God Akhulakan and how to activate it. The power of the god was derived from the Heart Of Lorkan the Aedra who had sacrificed his life so that the planet could be constructed, and to use it one would have to possess the tools of Kagrenac the High Priest of the Dwemer.

The tools composited of the pair of gauntlets called Wraithguard, a hammer called Sunder, a blade called Keening and a blade called Aurora. To activate the God one would have to have both gauntlets and strike the Heart of Lorkan one with Sunder to create a clean tune, then one would have to strike it one with Keening to shatter the tune and twice with aurora to re-gather and strengthen the tune and lastly once with Sunder to awaken it.

However one could do other things, if a person possessed only one of the gauntlets he could strike it one with Sunder and twice with Keening before striking it once with Sunder again, and this would apparently infuse to person with so much power that he or she would become a living God.

Or one could strike it once with Sunder and once with Keening and then strike it repeatedly with Aurora, this would remove the power of the Heart from everyone who had used it before and infuse it into the person turning him or her into a living God.

And lastly if a person struck it once with Sunder and repeatedly with Keening the Heart would be destroyed and collapse the Akhulakan.

From what he had read he now possessed one part of Wraithguard and the blade Aurora, he just needed to find the other Wraithguard and Sunder and Keening and he could destroy the heart.

However before he could leave Kagrenac and his priests entered the room, and Kagrenac already had the other tools. "Fyr, so you suspected"?

"Give it up Kagrenac there is now way you can defeat me and I already possess the other tools, you have lost".

"I have not lost Fyr, and you shall not live to see my victory either KILL HIM", he yelled to his priests.

The priests drew their weapons and advanced on Divayth but he merely smiled. "If you want the tools you have to catch me first", and then he simply apparated out of the shrine.

Outside the battle had turned in the Chimer's favour and even tough fresh reinforcements arrived to the Dwemer Nerevar and his army had dug in too well. Divayth quickly joined the lines and fought the Dwemer and slowly but surely they were pushed back and after Nerevar killed King Dumac they fled.

Not long after the army reached Dumasal and Nerevar, his wife Almalexia, Sotha Sil, Vivec, Voreyn Dagoth and Divayth entered it. As in Sorordrin the city was empty, only the cranking of Dwemer machinery made noises and the six elves made their way through the city until the reached an underground chamber filled with Kagrenac's bodyguards. "Nerevar you must get into the room behind this chamber, we will deal with this scum", Divayth told him.

Nerevar nodded and held back slightly while his friends and advisors crossed blades with the enemy. The five mer's were outnumbered but all of them were skilled mages and knew how to integrate magic with close combat and once he had a clear path Nerevar ran across the room and entered into the chamber beside it.

Once Nerevar entered the massive heart chamber he was met with the awesome sight of the Akhulakan. It stood on a small pillar surrounded by a pool of molten stone and it stretched all the way to the roof hundreds of feet up. After he broke out of his reverie he spotted Kagrenac who was striking a massive heart with a hammer and a dagger with different combinations until a brief flash of light went through the room and after he had regained his sight he saw that Kagrenac had disappeared leaving behind a hammer a dagger and a gauntlet, curiously he made his way down to the hanging bridge that led to the Heart and crossed it.

Once he reached the three items he shivered, this close to the heart their powers were magnified and they simply begged him to take them. He steeled himself and wrapped them in a cloak and went back up to the surface where he put them down close to the door that would lead out from the heart chamber.

After Divayth and his compatriots had defeated the Dwemer he had told them what the Heart could do, mostly to explain how dangerous it was. So enthralled were they of his tale that they all jumped when they heard Nerevar speak.

"Voreyn, Divayth could you please come with me"?

Both Divayth and Voreyn looked at each other with a shrug before following Nerevar into the Heart chamber. "These are Kagrenac's tools, I want you to guard them while I counsel with my wife and Vivec and Sotha Sil".

Both Divayth and Voreyn nodded and Nerevar left. None of them spoke as they inspected the massive chamber and both could feel the alluring presence of the three tools that were lying in a carefully wrapped bundle of cloth. Divayth was fortunate enough that he had already equipped the Wraithguard that he had found as it nullified the effects the other tools would have on ones psyche.

His musings were disrupted by a stinging pain in his lower back and as the blade was drawn out from his back he turned to look into the crazed face of Voreyn Dagoth. His eyes had a strange gleam on it and excitement burned in his face, and Divayth realized too late that Voreyn had gone mad due to the presence of the tools and the Heart.

He tried to jump to the side, but Voreyn's sword punched through his Daedric armour and punctured his right lung. Already feeling weak he fell backwards and tumbled over the edge of the lava pit. With a last ditch effort he drove Aurora as hard as he could into the wall of the pit and his fall towards death was stopped about twenty feet up from the lava. With painstaking efforts he managed to gulp down a restorative potion and started to levitate up to a ledge where he could ponder his next move.

Before he could formulate a plan Nerevar returned, and from what he could see Nerevar and Voreyn argued, before Voreyn suddenly attacked his long time friend and liege. Back and forth they fought though it was clear that Voreyn was superior. While Nerevar had been with his other advisors Voreyn Dagoth had already used the Heart to make himself a God, and no matter how many wounds Nerevar caused they healed after a few moments.

Finally Nerevar was cast down to the ground and his mighty sword Trueflame shattered underneath him. Voreyn raised his blade to deliver the finishing strike when Nerevar threw the killing curse at his former friend.

Voreyn was slammed to the ground and writhed in terrible pain as his new powers battled against the supposedly unstoppable power of the killing curse. His struggles ended as Nerevar picked up Dagoth's sword and decapitated him.

Voreyn Dagoth's body dissolved into smoke mere instants after his head was removed and Nerevar fell back to the ground and tried to nurse his wounds, before Divayth could help him however Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil entered and to his great shock all of them drew their blades and plunged them into Nerevar's body. The look of shock, betrayal and lastly heartbreak that washed over Nerevar's face would forever haunt Divayth, and he watched with disgust as Nerevar's own wife Almalexia withdrew her blade and beheaded her own husband without remorse.

Quickly the three traitors gathered Sunder, Keening and Wraithguard and used them in turns to make themselves into living Gods. Before they could notice anything Divayth apparated outside where most of Nerevar's army waited. Soon after a brief flash washed over the gathered Chimer and one after the other they changed. Their skin turned to the colour of blue/grey ash and their eyes became fiery red, Azura had now cursed the Chimer race for the treachery performed by Nerevar's closest friends and advisors, the Chimer were now Dunmer or Dark Elves, forever changed by the lust for power by four individuals.

Divayth did not stick around and so he never listened as Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil lied to the gathered soldiers. They wove a moving tale of how Nerevar had sacrificed his life to stop Voreyn Dagoth and how they afterwards had been turned into living Gods by Azura herself. Their new appearance was a blessing given by Azura and they called themselves the Holy Tribunal, the spiritual leaders of the Dunmer and decided that from that day on that they would rule Resdayn which was renamed Morrowind.

In the aftermath of the battle of Red Mountain the Tribunal did much good in the eyes of the people, The House of Dagoth or so called Sixth House was disbanded and many of the leaders executed for treason and their lands were claimed by the Tribunal who would turn them into places controlled by their new formed Temple.

They travelled the land curing diseases and helping the people with whatever they could and their popularity grew. The new formed Temple grew rapidly as more and more people joined it, and slowly but surely the Daedra worship was replaced with worship of the Tribunal. Almalexia settled down and created a grand Temple in the capitol city of Mournhold while Sotha Sil created his so called 'Clockwork City' in the north of the mainland, and Vivec created a huge city in the south of Vvardenfell named after himself.

Decades and centuries flew by and the Tribunal and Vivec in particular showed great skill in everything, as several invasions from the west were repelled but while they spent their time helping the nation and fostering their fame Voreyn Dagoth who was now called Dagoth Ur returned. Due to the powers of the Heart he could not be killed and slowly but surely his strength returned until he managed to retake physical form and in secret he started to build an army below the desolate slopes of Red Mountain.

His closes servants in life who had evaded the Tribunal were turned into powerful beings called Ash Vampires and he used them to kidnap unsuspecting mer's whom he cursed with a disease he had created himself. The disease named corprus tainted the body and mind. Those infected lost any grip they had on sanity while their bodies turned into immensely strong forms of corrupted bulbous flesh, and once he was sure his army was strong enough he marched out from Red Mountain.

Like a storm his army burned and killed anything in their path and the only advantage the Dunmer had was the fact that Dogoth Ur's army was slow and cumbersome and could not move quickly, giving them all some time to gather an army to oppose Dagoth Ur.

**Morrowind Year 689. First Era.**

Divayth was sitting at his desk reading one of his many books when Vivec appeared. "Ahh…so you come at last, here to finish what you and or two fellows started at Red Mountain are you"?

Vivec flinched slightly, his 'Divine Presence' not impressing Divayth the least bit. "I'm unaware of what you are speaking of, my old friend".

Divayth snorted. "You threw our friendship out the door when you Almalexia and Sotha Sil murdered Nerevar, and do not try to deny it I saw what happened with my own eyes". Divayth lazily turned a page in the book as he summoned his magic close to the surface ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.

"So I ask you again, are you here to finish the betrayal that the three of you started"?

Vivec sighed as he sat down in a chair and immediately grimaced as the enchantments of the chair activated. "Really Divayth a chair that unleashes a shock spell"?

Divayth smiled ruefully. "Be glad that you did not come here to kill me, then we would have found out if your 'Most Holy' arse could withstand a spell that would reduce a normal mer into ashes in less than a second".

Vivec grimaced again. Indeed while he felt confidant about his Godhood he had no real desire to test his immortality just yet, and he was still not sure if he could actually defeat Divayth in a fair fight, after all Divayth knew more about magic than the Tribunal and the rest of House Telvanni put together.

"I have come because I want your help, we need everybody we can get to defeat Dagoth Ur. Our army is small and we need to lead it personally if casualties are to be kept to a minimum, but we need someone to…ah occupy him while we destroy his army".

"Let me guess, you want me to engage Dagoth Ur personally and stay alive and keep him focused on me until you can drive back his army"? Vivec nodded and Divayth swore heartily.

"If I do this I need a couple of favours afterwards. Fist off you and your two 'Godly' friends are to swear on your very souls never to meddle in my affairs again, secondly you are never to ask me for help again, and lastly you will hunt down a few items of…ah…'interest' for me".

Vivec nodded thoughtfully after all the terms sounded agreeable enough, that was of course until he saw the list of 'items of interest'. "Have you gone completely around the bend? Do you even realize how difficult it will be to acquire even one of these let alone all? We do not even know if they are in the country or not".

"Then it is fortunate that I have given you a millennia to track them down, but finding a few meaningless trinkets should be easy for you 'Living Gods'" Divayth remarked sarcastically.

"The contract I gave you needs to be signed with blood and trust me I will know whether or not it is real, though I should tell you that if you haven't located and brought me all the items within a millennia the contract will register as broken and deliver punishment".

Vivec nodded and then left. He stopped a few feet before the hole that led down to the ground floor and looked back at Divayth. "If it means anything not a day goes by that I don't regret what we did".

"Oh I know Vivec, but it is too late for you to regret, your comeuppance will catch up with one day…you just pray that you do enough good deeds to redeem your soul in Azura's eyes".

Vivec nodded sadly again and left Divayth to his thoughts.

**Ald Ruhn. Year 689 First Era.**

Divayth watched with keen eyes as Dagoth Ur's shambling horde of monsters approached the walls of Ald Ruhn and the small army of Redoran House Guards and Temple Ordinators, led by the Tribunal and the Redoran Archmaster of Vvardenfell. So far the small force was holding the vast army off by skilful use of archery and devastating magic unleashed by the Living Gods of the Dunmer, he just needed to wait for Dagoth Ur to reveal himself.

A huge fireball launched by Sotha Sil suddenly impacted on a shield that had been raised in all haste and Divayth knew he had found his target.

With a gesture the skies darkened and lightning smashed into the ground, blasts of fire followed and a huge ring of fire was closed around Dagoth Ur, except a small passage that led straight up towards Divayth's position. It did not take long for Dagoth Ur to realise who the lone figure on the hill was and he raced up towards Divayth and stopped as soon as they were within vocal range of each other.

"So we meet again old friend, why have you come here"? He asked Divayth.

Divayth looked with disgust at the figure before him. Voreyn Dagoth's body had grown much taller and had the colour of dark rotted flesh and his previously handsome face was hidden behind a massive golden mask.

"If you do not remember you stabbed me at Red Mountain…I though that I'd return the favour", he replied as a dozen swords suddenly floated up and surrounded Dagoth.

"You must realize that you have no chance against me Divayth, I am a God how can you kill a God"?

"You are merely a Demigod, your body can be destroyed and you can be made mortal again…a true God is indestructible. And God or no your skill with magic is nothing compared to my own so trust me you will not take me easily", Divayth answered as he snapped out a fireball.

Dagoth cursed as the hasty shield he erected broke when the fireball impacted. With an unearthly scream he ran towards Divayth with his blade held ready to deliver a deadly stab. His efforts were unrewarded tough as a powerful wave of earth blasted him to the ground and agonizing pain coursed through his body as a powerful bolt of lightning struck him.

Divayth cursed as his former friend rose up after the lightning bolt had struck him. Any normal person would be a charred corpse by now, but Dagoth Ur's unholy body healed such injuries before they could fully develop, fortunately or unfortunately Divayth had much more in store.

The blades that floated in the air were suddenly launched towards Dagoth with incredible speed, and his enhanced speed was the only thing that saved him from evisceration. Dagoth Ur snarled at Divayths attempts to bring him down, and prepared a powerful spell. The downsides of powerful spells was that they took time to cast, and while unformed the magical energies were highly unstable, and he barely had time to widen his eyes before a fireball slammed into his hands that were surrounded by ethereal energies.

Divayth grunted with effort as he pushed his magic to keep his shield active. Torrents of raw destructive magic and broken stones and sand battered his shield like a hailstorm after the explosion, and when the dust cleared he could see Dagoth on the ground some seventy feet away and screaming in pain as bones and flesh slowly healed.

Divayth raised both hands to the sky and concentrated. Soon enough lightning flashed over the sky and started to arc down towards Dagoth's prone shape. His attack was thwarted as one of Dagoth Ur's faithful Ash Vampires grabbed his master and threw him away from the deadly attacks and was rewarded by death as the lightning bolts slammed into himself instead, reducing him to ashes in less than a second.

With a growl Divayth looked around to locate his foe and cursed as a ball of bright purple energy coursed towards him. Instinctually he pushed his magic to the front to form a shield. The shield held for a second before the remains of the spell broke through and blasted him backwards and onto his back. With a wince Divayth realized one of his ribs had cracked, _'though it could've been much worse'_, he noted as the tips on his armour glowed red from heat.

'_Ok the kids gloves are off'_, he thought angrily as he downed a restorative potion. He now only had one small problem. A large number of Dagoth's forces had surrounded him. While he could escape he refused to do so, this was a matter of honour and maybe his own ego, he WOULD prove that superior skill and training could beat superior power, after all Voldemort had the advantage of power over Dumbledore yet Dumbledore had never lost a fight against Voldemort.

As soon as his ribs had healed and his magic been refilled Divayth pushed Dagoth's followers away with a strong blast of wind and then he held his hands downwards and started concentrating. The sound of rocks cracking was heard and the ground shook as Divayth pulled all he could. Slowly but surely the ground cracked as the piece of ground that Divayth stood on rose up from the earth. When he was standing on a levitating piece of stone fifty feet above the ground he grinned, _'stop this you bastards'_.

Dagoth Ur cursed for what had to be the umpteenth time as he narrowly avoided another bolt of energy that shredded several of his minions. He knew that Divayth was a good wizard, but he had no idea that Divayth could throw spells that could explode with such force that it would tear apart the hardened bodies of his slaves and leave smoking charred craters in the ground.

Before Divayth could launch anymore spells towards him he snapped of a strong fireball only to curse as Divayth diverted it with a wave of his hand. God or no he still felt the earth pounding force that had been in the spells he had been hit with and unlike Divayth he was not a walking potions shop in case he should need it, though ho noted with dismay that Divayth had only taken three magic restoring potions so far and he had no doubts that he had several more should he need them.

"Damn you Fyr, are you such a coward that you cannot face a man on equal terms"? he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Divayth smiled, after an hour of throwing spells at Dagoth he had finally managed to piss him off and as such Dagoth would now be prone to make mistakes. He apparated to a distance a few yards away from Dagoth and started to send out a chain of fairly average spells on his foe.

Dagoth Ur yelled in pain and frustration as spell after spell slammed into him and as Divayth advance towards him their power increased and he had no time to protect himself from the veritable barrage of spells that caused boils to erupt or paralyse him for a few seconds. His skin was cut and then healed so many times that he had lost count. When Divayth was within arms reach her lunged towards him only to recoil in horrible pain as a searing light erupted so strong that it burned his retinas and then a stinging pain erupted from within his chest and as he looked down he saw Divayth's shimmering golden Katana buried in his chest. "Now we're even", Divayth said as the fire enchantment of his sword bit into Dagoth Ur's chest, and Dagoth had a brief flash of panic as he saw a green orb form in Divayth's hand.

For the second time of his life he felt indescribable pain wash over his as the Killing Curse tried to rip his soul out, only to be repealed by his unholy powers, before he had time to muster his will to fight the deadly energy a second Killing Curse impacted on his chest and for a second time his soul was blasted from his body reducing him to a mere vapour.

Dagoth screamed his undiluted hatred out for everybody to hear before he fled towards Red Mountain to slowly regenerate his body "You'll get yours Fyr", he screamed. As soon as he fled, his Ash Vampires and other followers did the same and a weary cheer erupted from the survivors.

As Divayth looked around the battlefield he noted that several people had already been infected by the 'Corprus Disease' and from what he could see other had as well. "STOP" he yelled to a Redoran House Guard who was holding a sword raised to behead one of them.

"Why should we, soon enough they'll become one of them and try to kill us", the guard was apparently not happy with the situation, and with a glimpse over his surface thoughts Divayth knew why he disliked 'Corprus Monsters'.

"Though your wife was killed by Corprus infected men doesn't mean that they can't be cured".

"Ho-how did you know"? He asked shakily.

"I know many things, and I know that so far any attempts to create a cure has been foiled, but then again those who tried to create the cure weren't me were they? I will find a cure I swear on my very soul".

The Redoran soldiers nodded as if that was good enough for them and then they started to collect their dead.

"That was an impressive duel Divayth, one has to ask if perhaps you didn't use the heart yourself", Almalexia pointed out as she and Vivec and Sotha-Sil surrounded him.

"I'll have you know that I would NEVER debase myself to such a level of greed that I would borrow power to compensate for my own lacklustre talents", Divayth's comment left Almalexia in such a state of shock that it looked as though she had been slapped.

"Really Fyr, though you may be an accomplished mage your skills in combat leaves much to be desired", she countered.

"Much like your skills in the bedroom from what Nerevar told me…I wonder…is that why you did it? Did you kill him because you feared he would send you from his bed, I completely understand, it must be agonizing to not even be able to offer your spouse a shred of comfort in the bedroom".

This time Almalexia's golden skin reddened considerably as her fury rose to peaks previously unkown. "Why you…I'll…such impudence…you should be…"I'LL KILL YOU", she yelled as she drew her sword.

"And what my dear makes you think you could? I defeated Dagoth Ur, a feat only your former husband could have claimed until now…and remember the contract you signed, to renege on an oath sworn by blood, magic and soul is a terrible thing, you just remember who even made you and your husband King and Queen in the first place, now back off". All tone of amusement and tolerance had vanished from Divayth's tone and only ice cold hate remained, and the three 'Gods' took an instinctual step back from the dangerous mage.

"As you wish _Lord _Fyr, though one should question where your allegiance lies", she said as she backed away.

"I'll humour you _milady_", Divayth said, adding a sarcastic tone and bow to the word 'milady'. "My allegiance lies to a pledge I gave when I was still a young boy, and I'll do anything to fulfil my oath, after all a Mer is only as good as his word", and then before their eyes he vanished and so did the eight infected Redoran soldiers.

The Tribunal looked warily at each other, wondering for the first time if they had underestimated the recluse Telvanni Mage Lord, putting such thoughts aside they each went their way, the had a few artefacts to hunt down if they wanted to have their souls intact.

_**End of the First Era.**_

**Tel Fyr. Year 42 Second Era.**

Divayth sighed as another Corpus victim died from a faulty cure. He tried to develop a cure for forty two years and every single one ended up killing the infected. One of the lower dungeons had been transformed into a chamber of sorts to hold the infected because their aggressive nature would compel them to attack anyone not infected.

And while he had not managed to discover a cure he had learnt incredibly many new things concerning healing, potions and alchemy, his only desire was to create a cure before the disease went completely out of control.

"Lord Fyr, I have one of the items you requested", Vivec said as he entered Divayth's study.

"Ah excellent put it on my desk please", Divayth said offhandedly as he cross-referenced a fact in a book.

Vivec shook his head in amazement. Here he came bringing the 'Mentors Ring' and the 'Ring of Phynaster' and all Divayth could do was to glance distractedly at the two legendary items before burying his nose back into the book he was studying. "I'll…just go then"? Vivec half asked and half stated.

"Oh no by all means stay if you wish, I haven't really talked to anyone these last thirty years and sometimes the lack of contact causes boredom".

"Well I could stay for a bit I suppose", Vivec muttered more to himself than anyone else.

"So Vivec what new from the outside"?

Vivec paused slightly as he considered what to tell him. "Well not much really. When the Nedics drove the Ayleids from our old homeland the renamed the province into Cyrodiil, and already they've started to create an empire".

"Nothing to worry about I hope".

Vivec shook his head. "They have allied themselves with the Nords, but for now they are concentrating on the lands to the west and if they do attack us we'll retaliate in kind".

"Anything else"? Divayth asked.

"Yes…we…believe that Dagoth Ur has regained his body".

"And what makes you think that"? Divayth looked directly into Vivecs eyes when he asked the question.

"Because Almalexia took a force of Temple Ordinators up there to try and cleanse Red Mountain. She never actually saw Dagoth Ur but his Ash Vampires were too well organized, anyways she lost Sunder up there".

Divayth snorted derisively. "You mean to tell me that you…ah…Gods aren't invincible after all"?

"We've know that since you faced down Dagoth Ur, you duel showed that superior skill beats brute force".

"So now Sunder is in the hands of Dagoth Ur, I hope you and Sotha Sil are not as stupid as Nerevar's whore of a wife".

Vivec squirmed slightly at Divayth's comments. "Don't tell me that you are actually planning on going up there with the Tools are you"? Vivec's slight wince told him everything.

"Get out…and don't bother returning unless it is to deliver more things to me".


	5. No going back from immortality now

**Disclaimer: **Nope not mine.

**Chapter IV: No going back from immortality now.**

**Tel Fyr. Year 591 Second Era.**

"Interesting", Divayth muttered to himself as he watched the last of the Corprus infected Redoran soldiers lift a Golden door weighing over four thousand pounds into place. "Thank you my disabled friend", Divayth said softly as the door was properly secured to its hinges.

He had discovered very soon that the disease destroyed any sense of morals in a person, replacing them with an animalistic instinct to kill, however after experimenting he discovered that forceful use of legilimency could destroy certain neural parts of the brain rendering the…thing completely harmless. Of course it was much more difficult to do so to an intelligent person, but it was progress at least.

"Hmm…infected seems to grow in strength and endurance over time, slowly at first but picking up the aforementioned things in pace with the worsening mutation of the flesh", he mumbled as he wrote down his words at a piece of parchment.

Checking his long list of notes again he found another conclusion. "Victim ages slower if not stopping age completely…very interesting".

Nodding to himself as he tested the door he turned to the infected Corprus beast. "I thank you for your help my friend, you may return to your halls", the monster stared dumbfounded at Divayth a moment before a spark of intelligence appeared in it's eyes and with a strange gurgle it turned around and limped slowly back to its place in the dungeons.

"Well, let's continue shall we"? Divayth asked himself as he walked into his chambers. His goal to cure the Corprus disease had to be a complete cure, meaning that the body had to be restored, but before he could get that far he had to see if could even create a body capable of sustaining life, hence why he was looking at four glass jars filled with amniotic fluids and what appeared to be four infant girls. "Well it's now or never".

With that he took one of the jars and opened it, immediately the dark skinned girl started to scream her lungs out. _'Success'___he thought as he cradled the small baby. With barely a thought he summoned a bottle of milk and put it to the girl's mouth, and she silenced immediately as she started to drink the life giving fluid.

What Divayth had done was a complex mix of alchemy, chemistry and raw magic and the small part of his own flesh that had been placed in each jar had rapidly mutated over the course of six months into four beautiful girls.

'_I need to hire a nanny'_ Divayth thought worriedly as the little girl started to scream again. Quickly deciding upon his course of action he freed the three other girls from their jars, and put them in a summoned cradle with a bottle each of milk. Once he was sure that all of them were comfortably wrapped in blankets he teleported to Tel Mora, where after exchanging a sack of gold he acquired the help of a woman to watch over his four girls while he continued his studies.

Time moved on and his four 'Daughters' Alfe, Beyte, Delte and Uupse Fyr grew up into four beautiful and highly independent girls. Alfe had the heart of a warrior and grew surprisingly good with a blade and as such she took over the day to day running of the 'Corpusarium' as he called the dungeon where he kept the poor Corprus victims. Beyte had an impressive skill with cooking and soon demanded to make the food every day, and she was probably the only reason Divayth ate more than one meal every now and then, his studies usually made him lose track of time and as such he only ate when his stomach violently complained about the lack of food before.

Delte after she had matured a bit had given her father an impressive dressing down on the huge mess his tower was in, and made it as her personal goal in life to keep her father's tower clean and tidy, while Uupse who shared his fondness for knowledge quickly grew agitated by the mess his library was, and so she filed every book in alphabetical order according to the various subjects and she even managed his impressive amounts of loose parchment drabbles. All in all they turned his tower into a much more livable and systematic place.

**Morrowind. Year 1021. Second Era.**

Peace had reigned for a long time when a race of snake men called Akavir launched an invasion from across the eastern ocean. At first the high quality of Dunmer military forces complemented by the leadership of the Tribunal held the massive Akaviri forces at bay, but it quickly became apparent that they could not hold them back and because of this the Tribunal went for a new tactic, one that they once again needed Divayth to help them with.

"For the last bloody time Vivec, I'm too busy to help with your half arsed plans. Not only did you go against my advice by trying to reclaim Sunder, you just had to loose Keening as well when you were up at Red Mountain. Furthermore you fulfilled your contract by bringing me the artefacts I wanted and you said that you would leave me alone after that".

"I know, I tried to talk to the Telvanni Mage Council first but the complexity of this project is beyond their ability so they sent me to you".

Divayth sighed before training his keen emerald eyes at Vivec. "Very well tell me the plan at least".

"Well, we need you to ward of every building in Morrowind to repel an enormous amount of water".

"And pray tell, why would that be needed"?

Vivec squirmed slightly, "Well you see we are planning on raising an enormous tidal wave that will wash the Akavir from our lands", he held his breath awaiting the inevitable explosion.

"That's…that's actually a good idea, Dagon's teeth your right, a tidal wave of such proportions would destroy the invaders with minimal casualties on our side".

Vivec breathed out a sigh of relief, _'disaster averted'_, "But there comes a price with my aid, _'oh no here it comes'_ thought Vivec.

"Very well, what is the price"?

"I need Sotha-Sil's enchantment skills for something, I want him to create this, no questions asked", Divayth said as he slid over a large roll of parchment.

"But…but with this you'll become!"

"Practically invincible? I know, but I need it if I am to figure out a cure for the Corprus disease. If it helps I swear on my very soul that I'll destroy it as soon as I have created the cure".

Vivec nodded his thanks. Divayth was a mer of his word and once he had given it he would not renege on it. "As you wish, you'll start right away I hope"?

"But of course Vivec, but just in case I want you to teach every inhabitant in Morrowind a long term water breathing spell".

"Yes I'll do that, and Divayth? Thank you", Vivec said before he walked out of Divayth's office.

Divayth merely nodded at Vivec's retreating figure before he teleported outside and started to cast ward after ward to repel the no doubt humungous amounts of water that would wash over the land.

****

Warding every house on the island had taken Divayth with the help of Baladas the better part of three months, but the results would be worth it, and sure enough as soon as Vivec had been informed he had given Divayth the ring he had sent to Sotha-Sil to enchant.

The ring was a masterful piece of work, it was a plain copper band, that rendered the wearer completely invulnerable to poison and harmful magic as wells as restoring the wearer's fatigue and wounds.

It was barely a day after he had received the ring when he felt every single ward he had placed go off, one after the other. The massive tidal wave summoned by the Tribunal was washing over the land, its sheer mass crushing the invading Akavir long before they could drown from the water. After relentless battering the wards finally gave way and collapsed, and the houses started filling up with water and every inhabitant in Morrowind cast water breathing spells that allowed them to breathe under water, and after a few hours most of the water receded back to the sea taking the dead Akavir with them.

Divayth was only thankful the he had remembered to ward every single book and piece of parchment in his house since most of those books were very rare if not the only one of their kind, and to gather every single one of them back would have taken precious time, time he did not have to waste.

A few days after the tidal wave had receded Divayth was ready to perform his newest experience. He had managed another step closer to a cure by recreating the disease and he infected himself with it, the ring would protect him while he continued to develop the cure, but seeing as the ring only protected him from adverse magics the disease started its work on improving his strength and endurance. It wasn't much seeing as his body still looked as healthy as ever but after five centuries he definitely noted the improvements. His strength had quadrupled since then and he had used it to his advantage by removing the enchantments on his armour, laying on enchantments of protection instead, and while he now felt the weight of the armour it was trivial, no heavier than it was to carry a full book sack at school all those years ago.

**Morrowind. Year 1572 Second Era.**

Divayth had been on one of his expeditions up at Red Mountain to gather Corprus infected when he caught sight of the most unusual thing he had ever seen. A mer who had grafted his body onto a round Dwemer device with eight pointed legs, almost like a spider. And Divayth realized why. The body was bloated and filled with pus laden scars, and the flesh had turned an unhealthy grey colour, but he would still recognise that face.

"Yagrum? What in Azuras name are you doing here?"

Yagrum looked warily over at Divayth before he realized who he was talking to. "Divayth? Why Divayth this is a most welcome sight. I've been wandering here for years trying to find my lost brethren".

He sighed as he ran a hand through his balding hair. "I remember a brief flash of light in that massive battle, then we all just disappeared, the only thing I remember after that is blackness, time itself lost meaning and then I awoke back at this accursed mountain".

"Needless to say I was infected by some sort of disease that I could not cure no matter what, so I constructed these legs, chopped off my own and grafted my body to these legs instead. The result was that the disease was held at bay and I retained my sanity".

Divayth stared dumbfounded. For the first time since he had arrived at this island he was actually struck speechless. "Why that's just ingenious. Would you like to come back to my place? I have an entire dungeon filled with infected persons like you…I'm developing a cure you see, and your presence would be most welcome".

Yagrum did not hesitate at all and from that day on he helped Alfe with the day to day running of the corprusarium.

**Morrowind. Year 2419 Second Era.**

Much had changed over the years, a second invasion from the Akavir had been repelled in Cyrodiil and the human Emperor from the Reman Dynasty had accepted them as a part of the Empire and the Akaviri Elders had been made his closest advisors. With the Akavir so firmly entrenched in their government the Empire forged itself into a grand nation. Their supreme military tactics and equipment conquering one Province after the other, even the dark skinned Yokudans, humans who emigrated from the south was brought under the Empire's rule, and Morrowind was tested several times, and only the supernatural abilities of the Tribunal kept Morrowind independent from the Empire.

Eventually the last Reman Emperor was assassinated leaving behind him no heirs the Akavir took over, beginning the rule of the Akaviri potentates. Though as it is with all Empires the Reman/Akaviri Empire fell after fierce civil war.

When the Empire collapsed every Province erupted into chaos. Infighting between different factions made sure that no real leadership came forth until an Imperial General named Tiber Septim came forth. Septim was a military mastermind and a skilled diplomat, and his proud and fair nature made the Aedra God Akatosh bless him. With the Dragon symbol of Akatosh as his sign he restored order to the Empire and after years of struggle he was crowned Emperor over Cyrodiil. Two decades after his coronation Septim had re-conquered all of Tamriel except Morrowind, and unwilling to face three living Gods he offered them autonomy.

Morrowind would rule itself but would follow Imperial Law…to a certain degree at least. Imperial Guilds would be allowed to establish and the Empire would be allowed to have garrisons placed in Morrowind.

Normally the Tribunal would have refused such a deal but with Sunder and Keening lost to them they could not renew their power and slowly but surely their powers weakened while Dagoth Ur's grew, and so Tamriel was for the first time a whole Empire.

After Septim's death He was renamed Talos the ninth Aedra, to that point in history the only mortal to become truly immortal.

**Morrowind. Year 3012 Second Era.**

"Whatever it is my answer is no Vivec", Divayth had spoken those words as soon as Vivec had stepped into his study.

Vivec just sighed, it was becoming a routine by the demigod to quarrel with Divayth. While Divayth had been holed up in his home studying old books and artefacts, Vivec had stopped another incursion by Dagoth Ur. He had stopped a Daedra invasion, banishing Mehrunes Dagon back into Oblivion singlehandedly but no matter his deeds, he would always turn into a nervous youngster in front of Divayth.

"Listen Divayth, I'm not in need of you personally this time, I'm just looking for some insight on my newest idea".

Divayth looked at Vivec and groaned when he saw the light that was in his eyes. Once Vivec got fired up about an idea, or even a poem he would not be stopped before he had shared it with someone else, and no matter how much he would like to throw Vivec out, he would not risk a fight that might destroy anything in his study.

"Fine fine, run it by me".

Vivec grinned smugly at his victory before sitting down in the guest chair, again recoiling as the shock spell bit into him. "I've devised a way to keep Dagoth Ur locked up".

That was news to Divayth, and he immediately sat up a bit straighter, "How?"

"I'm intending to use the bones of our ancestors to create a massive magical fence, with the right spells it will be impossible for anything to get closer than a couple of yards before they are flung backwards with incredible force…here are the notes by the way".

Divayth quickly read over the notes and his eyes widened. "This is absolutely brilliant, but there is one major snag that I can see".

"Snag?" Vivec asked confused. "There is no snag just see the schematics are perfect".

Divayth fought furiously to avoid palming his face. "Yes but the amounts of bone needed…you do realize that you will be called a grave robber don't you?"

Vivec just snorted while waving his hand, "trifles, I need only to tell the people what I need the bones for and they will gladly empty their own tombs to get them to me…imagine, our ancestors locking up and protecting us from Dagoth Ur and the blight, people will be fighting amongst themselves almost to give me the bones".

Sadly enough that was true. Most Dunmer followed the tribunal like he had followed Dumbledore around like a loyal puppy in his youth. "Yes, I do suppose that you have a point there, the people seem to have selective vision when it comes to your deeds".

"Thank you Divayth, I don't suppose that you'll be there will you?"

Divayth ignored the hopeful look on Vivec's face. "I'll make you a deal, you do NOT use Nerevar's bones for this, his spirit deserves freedom, and second I want Wraithguard".

Vivec goggled at Divayth. "That's preposterous, Nerevar's bones I can accept…but Wraithguard! Do not think to highly of yourself Divayth".

Divayth pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration…honestly what was it with Gods and their stupidity? "If you give me Wraithguard I swear I shall lend my aid either directly or indirectly against any Sixth House sanctuary outside the Ghostfence…as soon as it has been finished of course."

Vivec narrowed his eyes. "What is it to you Divayth?"

"Quite simple, I collect artefacts, and I already have one of the Wraithguard's, I need the other one to finish the set…besides after what you and your two friends used the tools for I think it best to have them all away from you".

Vivec nodded sadly. "You speak the truth, well I'll see you around then".

**Morrowind. Year 39 Third Era.**

Divayth looked with interest as the last giant arc made from bone and ebony rock was put into place. For the moment the Ghostfence looked like a small very thin bridge with support columns, that was until the Tribunal focused their magic and then a series of loud screams tore through the air as the deceased heroes and ancestors of the Dunmer were summoned back to life and imbued to the fence. After several hours an ethereal blue field was emanating from the fence and a strange humming sound was emitting as the spirits ceased their screams now that they were bound to the fence.

"Congratulations Vivec, the fence works perfectly", Divayth said as he scanned it.

"Perhaps you could test the defences? You are after all the most accomplished mage alive", Almalexia said with a strange gleam in her eyes.

'_What are you up to Almalexia'_, Divayth thought as he watched her carefully. "Certainly". He loaded up his magic and unleashed it as a thin beam that whirled up dust and struck the shimmering barrier with a tremendous loud sound. The wails of the trapped souls grew to an ear splitting crescendo as the terrible magical attack tried to penetrate the barrier until at long last Divayth dropped the attack, almost completely spent and the barrier was still no worse for wear.

"You've done a mistake Divayth, by tapping yourself you've become weak. DEFEND YOURSELF" Almalexia screamed as she threw a fireball so hot that it could melt steel towards him.

Suspecting treachery from Nerevar's former wife Divayth was already prepared. He grinned as the ring Sotha Sil had created banished the fireball back at Almalexia who was forced to dodge out of the way.

"Did you really think for one second that I did not suspect treachery from you? Vivec and Sotha Sil, I want you two to stay out of this…this is a personal matter between me and Almalexia"..

The two other Gods who had been close to interrupting the fight nodded and stepped away.

"Come now my dear, I don't have all day you know", Divayth taunted. Almalexia's answer was a flurry of spells that were sent careening back against her and with a howl similar to a banshee she drew her sword and charged him.

Divayth drew Goldbrand parried her clumsy strike with ease. The next blow was a powerful overhead strike that would have cloven him in two, but once Almalexia's flame wreathed scimitar hit Goldbrand's golden blade nothing happened. Divayth's block would not yield an inch.

"How is this possible?" She asked in wonder.

"If you are asking how I have the strength to stop a blow that can shatter steel then I have no answer that I'm willing to give. If you wonder how strong I am, allow me to give a demonstration", Divayth diverted her blade to the ground and then delivered an armoured haymaker straight into her face and threw her a good ten feet away.

After spitting out blood and several teeth she jumped to her feet and approached Divayth with caution. "You know you cannot win this Almalexia, so why do you persist?" Divayth asked, buying vital seconds for his rapidly replenishing magical energy.

"For too long you have been a thorn in our side, you thought that I a GODDESS would be a common errand girl for a reclusive hermit like yourself?"

Divayth struggled to keep his smile away as Almalexia ranted about her supposed 'holyness' and the like. "Seeing that you did become a 'common' errand girl then yes".

Almalexia growled and stepped towards Divayth, intent on severing his head from his torso, but her strike was paused mid air as if an invisible iron fist had clamped onto it. With a growing sense of dread she watched as Divayth's unclenched hand was curled slightly upwards holding sickly green orb of magic.

"You saw what this did to Dagoth Ur, do you have a desire to test your mortality? Know this Almalexia, your days are numbered…the time of the Nerevarine is steadily encroaching and with the rise of Nerevar Reborn three Gods will fall", Divayth watched as the faces of the three 'Gods' paled drastically.

Almalexia stepped back fearfully as Divayth stopped speaking, and without a word she left wowing to never return to Vvardenfell as long as Divayth Fyr was alive.

"So Divayth, our death is approaching I take it?" Vivec asked.

"Perhaps…I have seen some thing in the stars, and heard some things from Azura…but as I have told many times I am neither all powerful nor omnipotent, and the prophecy does not tell of your death, it only speaks that three Gods will fall, that's all".

"Then I shall hope for the best…and prepare for the worst", Vivec spoke softly, more to himself than to Divayth. "Goodbye old friend", then he disappeared.

Divayth stared sadly at the place Vivec had vacated just a few seconds earlier. Despite the way he talked down to Vivec all the time he cared for him like a second brother, and he knew that Vivec deeply regretted his actions at Red Mountain all those years ago.

****

**Morrowind. Tel Fyr. Year 427 Third Era.**

Divayth was as usual sitting in his study reading over one of his earlier notes. He was so close to finding a cure for the Corprus disease that he could almost taste it, and a good thing it was. The Corprusarium would soon be filled, and Sixth House smuggling operations and shrines were appearing all over the island of Vvardenfell. Dagoth Ur's power was increasing day by day, while the Tribunal's diminished, Vvardenfell's doom was approaching.

A few weeks before a female prisoner, born on a certain day to uncertain parents had been released from custody and deposited in Seyda Neen at the south-west part of Vvardenfell. This particular woman had met a man named Caius Cosades whom had inducted her into Emperor Uriel Septim's spy network: The Blades.

Taking Caius' advice she travelled all the way to Sadrith Mora to join Great House Telvanni in order to perfect her emerging magical power, and had in a strange twist of fate been sent to Divayth with a message to deliver.

Divayth studied the young female Dunmer in front of him. Quite tall, fair skin, ragged robes with at least two hidden daggers from what he could see. Long flowing snow white hair, a bow was strapped over her back, and her right hand was twitching involuntarily, ready to whip out the short sword at her waist in an instant.

"You might as well forget to survive against me should I desire to kill you, please…have a seat", Divayth said, startling the young woman as a chair drug itself over the floor. Nervously she sat down and gasped when she got a look at Divayth's previously hidden face.

"How do I stay so young?" Divayth asked her before she could open her mouth to speak.

"You…you read my mind…the Telvanni Mouths said you were over four thousand years old".

Divayth smiled. "I merely perused your surface thoughts…an old habit from an old mer I'm afraid. As for your question I invented the methods that the Telvanni use to stop old age, a trick you'll learn…perhaps sooner than you think".

The woman glared at him. "Please stay away from my thoughts from now on, they are private", she finished with a bit more bile in her tone than what was necessary.

"Certainly…and the answer to your question is no".

The woman looked nonplussed, "What…do you mean?"

Divayth pointed his gauntleted hand towards the scroll she was holding in her left hand. "My answer to Master Aryon is no, I have declined a seat on the council from the beginning and I'm not going to change my mind just because some Telvanni Master not even a Milennia old want me to".

"Then I shall take my leave Lord Fyr", she said as she bowed respectfully to him.

"Very well, but before you leave, take this book…it will be a great aid for you and come back in a month".

She nodded thankfully as she received the old heavy tome that Divayth had summoned. "I'll see you in a month then My lord".

Divayth watched as she left and felt a smile grace his still young features. "That we shall Telina…that we shall".

**Sneak Peak to future chapter:**

**Unkown Location, 1941.**

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore looked worriedly around the unfamiliar room he was in. It looked like a combined bedroom, library and armoury. Row after row of thick old books lined the wall to his left, while the wall on his right held a variety of different medieval armour and weapons, though several of them looked too strange or expensive to have ever been used in combat.

"Quite the contrary my boy", Divayth said as he appeared before his old Headmaster. "Every single weapon and armour on that wall has saved me more times than I can remember".

Dumbledore looked curiously at Divayth. "I had taken to believe that armour and swords went out of fashion some time ago, what with all these new muggle inventions around". If Dumbledore was shocked at seeing a tall man with pointed ears, ash grey skin, a deep purple robe with silver chains and embroidery on it he certainly didn't show it.

"Touché my boy", Divayth said as he sat down on a chair next to the bed.

"Begging your pardon good sir, but I believe that I have lived for a good eighty years, I hardly think 'boy' is the right word to call me", the words seemed serious enough, but Divayth could see the infamous 'Twinkle' in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Perhaps youngster will do…for when you have lived for ten and a half millennia…things are put in a slightly different perspective", Divayth smiled at the incredulous look Dumbledore gave him. Seeing the man he had loved and still did in a weird way as grandfather brought warm feelings to his lonely heart and mind.

"How…how would such a thing be possible?" Dumbledore asked with shock. While Divayth's mind was impenetrable for Dumbledore he could still sense the truth in Divayt's words.

"There are many ways to immortality, and not all of them are dark in nature…now what is the last thing you can remember?"

Albus squinted his eyes as he tried to recall what had happened but the memories were hazy at best. "I remember apparating to a place close to Nurmengard, but after that I do not know".

"Then I shall tell you. I assume you accepted an offer to meet Geller Grindlewald?" at Albus' nod Divayth continued. "I can only surmise that he never wanted to speak to you, because you were ambushed immediately after your arrival, only your magnificent Phoenix saved you…clever bird by the way. He brought you straight to me which was fortunate…I doubt the healers at could have healed you".

Dumbledore was shellshocked, sure he knew that his former friend had become a Dark Lord, but to invite Albus over just to attack him was low…even for a Dark Lord, and Albus thanked whatever powers that existed that Fawkes had taken up with him only a few years earlier.

"I…I thank you for saving me".

Divayth waved his thanks off. "You won't be thanking me tomorrow. Gridnlewald will continue to come after you and the rest of the world, and if you want to survive you'll accept my training…and you'll probably curse me to the high heavens forever more, probably even plot to kill me", Divayth finished with a grin.

"Now do eat some food and get some more rest, because from tomorrow on you'll get none for a long time", Divayth said. Then he placed a plate of food at Albus' bedside table and left him to his thoughts.


End file.
