As they approached the temple that the Dark Elf had told them about Amaryllis found out a few things, the first, and far more important of those facts, was that there were a number of dragon skeletons lining the road that brought them right to the structure they had been told about, an imposing place that was being put back together. Another thing she found was that Miraak's temple was an imposing place, with the architecture looking for different from what the ancient Nords made in all of their various ruins, meaning everything they knew to look out for might go out the window, a fact that caused her to frown for a moment. As they walked up the steps, however, both she and Wind could see that there were all sorts of people, mostly Dark Elves with a few Nords mixed in, working on parts of the temple and seemed to be in a trance, as they just so happened to be repeating some lines that the workers in Raven Rock had said while they worked on the structure around the Earth Stone. Sure enough, after walking up some wooden scaffolding, they, Za'kera, Lydia, and Ma'jera found that there was another of the strange stones trapped in the center of Miraak's temple, meaning their target must have wanted one in his temple, a bad thing no doubt, meaning Za'kera was going to have to figure out how to reverse it.
While they surveyed the area, however, they found a young adult Nord lady standing near some fur coat wearing figures, as in more fur than the fur armor some bandits wore, though she was wearing some elegantly made metal armor that looked like it might be ebony, and she carried a pair of axes that looked like they were made out of ice.
"You must fight against what is controlling you! We must leave this place! Ysra, can you hear me?" the lady pleaded, where it was clear that she was speaking to the pair of coat wearing figures who seemed to be working on another part of Miraak's temple, just like the majority of the people who happened to call Solstheim home, before she turned her head and found all of them walking towards the stone, or floating in Ma'jera's case, "You there, what brings all of you to this dark place? Why are you here?"
"I am Za'kera, and these are my companions Amaryllis, Wind, Lydia, and Ma'jera." Za'kera replied, deciding to make sure the lady knew who they were, even though she could see that there were two warriors, two mages, and a rogue in their group, an odd mix when one thought about it, before she focused on the lady once more, "Might I ask who are you, before we talk about why we came here?"
"Of course. I am Frea of the Skaal." the lady answered, where she seemed very proud of the fact, even though Amaryllis, Lydia, and Za'kera had no idea who her people were, since they didn't read as much as the two mages did, before she took a moment to look at the coat wearers, "I am here to either free my people, or avenge them."
"What are you trying to save them from?" Wind asked, though she had a feeling that it was some sort of mind control spell, given what she and the others had seen so far and what was going on around them, while her mentor said nothing, likely allowing her to start things off and learn more on her own.
"I... truth be told, I am unsure." Frea replied, revealing that she knew something was wrong, but what she had no idea, sort of like how the Dark Elf wizard had no idea was going on and wasn't trying to interrupt what the people were doing, where she let out a sigh as she thought about what she had learned so far, "Something has taken control of most of the people of Solstheim... it makes them forget themselves, and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones, the very land itself. My father, Storn, is the shaman of our people, and he says that Miraak has returned to Solstheim, but that is impossible."
"Some cultists came to Skyrim some time ago, claiming to work for Miraak as they tried to kill Za'kera." Amaryllis said, as it seemed like a good opportunity for them to give Frea an idea of why they were here, because revenge seemed to be the best motivator for people in Tamriel, or at least Skyrim and maybe even Morrowind, while saying nothing about the true reason they were here.
"Then you and I both have reason to see what lies beneath us." Frea stated, appearing to focus on Za'kera and no one else right now, though she did acknowledge the existence of Amaryllis and the others with a quick nod, meaning she knew the four of them were here to help Za'kera out, "Let us go, as there is nothing more I can do at the moment... the Tree Stone and my friends are beyond my help for now. For now, we need to find a way into the temple below."
"You said that you came here by yourself?" Lydia commented, though as she said that they heard the sound of something moving in their immediate area, no doubt stone moving on stone based on what the temple was made out of, meaning cultists might be on them in no time, causing Amaryllis to fade into the background.
"There are a few of us left unaffected by this curse, and most of my people are back in the village," Frea answered, as she seemed like the type that would have preferred to have some sort of ally in her fight against Miraak, or the person who might be using his name, before she shook her head and sighed, "my father is protecting them, to the best of his ability. I, on the other hand, fashioned an amulet to guard me against whatever has taken hold of the Skaal, but it is the only one of its kind... if I cannot find a way to save them, then there is no hope for my people."
Za'kera had nothing to say to that as a pair of cultists emerged from a ramp that had opened, the sound they had heard, but she didn't raise her weapons as both fell in seconds, allowing Frea to see what they were used to seeing, Amaryllis stepping out of the shadows after assassinating both targets, opening the way for them to move forward. A few moments later they walked down the ramp, after taking a pair of staffs from their fallen enemies, and entered the temple itself, to which she and her companions discovered a few chambers on the sides and the path leading deeper into the ruin, where Frea insisted on checking them for any useful loot. All they found were some healing potions and a few scattered coins, all modern ones from the cultists that were serving Miraak, but it made Frea happy and Amaryllis wasn't about to annoy her by saying it was a waste of time, before they moved down the tunnel and entered another chamber. Two cultists stood in the chamber and two coffins opened as Za'kera walked into it, where she, Lydia, and Frea dealt with the Draugr that came out of the coffins as Wind and Amaryllis dealt with the cultists by using magic and arrows, though those that knew Ma'jera weren't surprised by her actions.
As they moved down the passage Frea asked why Ma'jera didn't get in on the action, leaving the looting to Amaryllis, and learned that, for the time being, she was allowing Wind to get some field experience before teaching her more spells or fixing some of her bad habits, causing the warrior to nod before following after Za'kera. Of course Frea suspected that a number of traps would be in their way, given that Miraak wanted to keep intruders out of his domain, and proceeded with caution, even though Za'kera and the others were used to this and operated with a level of caution, to avoid being taken out by deadly traps or summoning in more enemies to fight. After that they reached a gated area that was basically a hole in the ground, with cages hanging from the ceiling with skeletons resting inside them, where Frea made a comment about those who had been trapped inside this part of the ruins, all while Amaryllis found a large chest on a level above them, only the stairs leading up to it were broken. Since it didn't look like Za'kera needed her at the moment, as she and the rest of the ground were making their way around the walkway they were on, before heading down the stairs and heading even deeper into the temple, Amaryllis found that she could walk up a fallen stone arch, like it was a ramp, and jump over to where the chest was located.
She found some pristine ebony items, weapons mostly, and collected them, along with the coins that were inside it, but as far as she could tell there wasn't anything else of importance inside the chest and she closed the lid before following her companions, just as some cultists appeared at the bottom of the set of stairs.
Frea, once more, found that Za'kera and the others were a formidable team, as Amaryllis and Wind dealt damage from a distance, the former capable of fighting anyone who got close to her, while Za'kera and Lydia were good at fighting those who got in their faces, both being rather great warriors in her eyes, meaning there was a good chance that they could do some damage to Miraak's plans. As she thought about that they entered a Draugr infested section of the ruins, where all of her new companions lashed out at the risen dead, hacking, slashing, and blasting them before most had a chance to even arm themselves and figure out what was going on, while finding that Amaryllis pulled back every now and then, just to make sure they didn't leave any ebony weapons or armor behind. She had no idea why the figure was so interested in ebony gear, but decided that it really didn't matter in the end as she watched Za'kera move like a dancer, cutting down the enemies in front of her before moving deeper into Miraak's temple, making her wonder if she was a hero of legend, as it would be good for what they were doing. Amaryllis, on the other hand, was pleased with the amount of ebony they were finding in Miraak's temple, as this meant they would be able to outfit a good number of soldiers when they got back to the fort, once they returned to Skyrim, and had to wonder how much more they were going to find during their trek through this place, as she might have to store all of it inside her personal chest at some point.
One thing Za'kera discovered was that there were a number of Draugr that hadn't been awakened yet, wrapped up in the cloth that the ancient Nords wrapped their dead in, making her wonder if Miraak was waiting to return before awakening his army, at least it sure looked like to her as they made their way through the ruins, which went deeper and deeper as the group moved forward. At the end of the passage filled with Draugr they found a trapped filled tunnel, which had a number of swinging blades that came in pairs of three, to which Za'kera held up a hand and made sure everyone was waiting on the safe side, though once that was done she stepped forward and sheathed her blades for a time. Amaryllis watched as her friend moved through the traps with ease, judging when to move and when to stop, avoiding the sharpened blades of the swinging axes, allowing her to reach the other side in due time, totally safe she mentally added, before she flipped the lever that was near her and turned off the trap. With that done they regrouped with her before heading even deeper into the ruins, walking over a door that looked like it should have been one of the infamous puzzle doors, only ruined, but they decided to ignore it as each of them focused on whatever might be waiting for them.
There was a chamber that required them to pull a switch to open the way forward, revealing an area with three cultists in front of a door, where Amaryllis put an arrow in one as Za'kera and Lydia cut down the second, leaving the third for Frea as Wind blasted two more Draugr with lightning, allowing them to pass through the door. It brought them to a walkway with a metallic fence around it, though they were able to walk across it without anything happening and it brought them to a roundabout that connected to a descending path, dealing with a few more cultists along the way, though these seemed to be the last ones they would face. All of them were surprised to find that Miraak's temple was this deep, even Frea was a little taken aback by this information, especially since the tales said it was large and she was finding that it was larger than the stories, before they walked under an area that a dragon's skeleton had been trapped in, as it was hanging from a part of the ceiling, near a Word Wall. Za'kera wasted no time in snatching the Word, as there was no way of telling if it was one she needed or not, but as that happened some coffins opened and some Draugr attacked them, leading to her and all of her companions taking them down, even though Amaryllis found a key on one of them and unlocked the iron door that was at the end of the path, opening the way for them to process again.
Of course her friend stayed back to gather the ebony weaponry that the Draugr had on them, though she found that the path brought them to what appeared to be a dead end, an eating chamber of sorts, and everyone spread out to see what they could find, as she spotted a hidden passageway on the left side of the room. Sure enough Wind found the switch that opened the door and allowed them to move even deeper into the temple, eventually bringing them to an area that had a number of ruined books, some odd pedestals, and a statue of a creature that wasn't a dragon, meaning Miraak must have switched who he believed in at some point in time. Even Frea, who grew up with stories of Miraak, was surprised by what they were seeing, meaning she either didn't believe in the tales or was surprised to find that they were being confirmed as she followed them even deeper into the ruins, even though she made sure to ready herself for combat whenever enemies appeared in an area they were exploring. They also passed through a massive underground chamber, more like a cavern as Amaryllis thought about it, and at the end of it she found a statue of a blob shaped figure with tendrils for arms, which had to be a statue of Hermaeus Mora, meaning they could confirm Ma'jera's statement about Miraak serving her father, all while Frea decided to ignore it as she pressed onward once more.
The passage behind the statue of the Prince of Knowledge brought them to a small chamber that had a twisted pedestal, one that had a large black book on it, one of the Black Books that Ma'jera had to be interested in collecting, though as they gathered in the chamber Frea frowned when she noticed what they had found.
"Ah, Waking Dreams, one of the seven Black Books of Solstheim," Ma'jera said, to which she cancelled out the spell that let her float and beckoned for two people to come over to where she was standing, those being Za'kera and Wind, though as they did that she weaved a barrier into the area around them, keeping Amaryllis and the others outside it, "We'll be back shortly, so just sit tight and don't do anything stupid."
In that moment Amaryllis watched as Ma'jera opened the Black Book and a mass of tentacles wrapped around the barrier, causing the trio to disappear entirely, as there was nothing left behind, to which she sighed as she and the others stood off to the side and waited for them to return from Hermaeus Mora's realm.
One moment Wind was standing in the depths of Miraak's temple and the next she, Za'kera, and Ma'jera were standing on a raised platform in a brand new realm, one that had a tainted green sky, book stacks as tall as the eye out see, or smaller in some cases to mark the path one would take, a black colored body of water, and a large imposing tower in the distance, making it an imposing place. Directly in front of them stood three figures, two of which were floating, much like Ma'jera did all the time, though they had odd faces and tentacles seemed to be attached to them, like extra appendages or something, she really had no idea, and both of them had some sort of feathered cloak resting over their bodies. The other figure was as tall as a male Nord, wearing a twisted green robe with golden shoulder pieces, gauntlets, and boots, not to mention he wore a mask like the infamous dragon priests did, though based on the fact that the two tentacle beings were nodding as the figure talked she had to assume that this was Miraak. Ma'jera said nothing as she returned to her floating stance and closed the tome, the sound of such a thing happening causing the group in front of them to stop talking before turning to see who dared to intrude upon this realm, and what she discovered next was that Miraak tried to shock them with a bit of lightning, which the barrier absorbed with ease.
In that moment Miraak seemed to realize what was going on and stopped his attack, no doubt seeing Ma'jera floating on the other side of the barrier, though both of the other floating figures did nothing as he stood there, waiting for them to do whatever it was that they were going to do.
"I had a feeling you would try this, Miraak," Ma'jera said, where she floated out of the bubble and approached the figure in front of them, leaving Za'kera and Wind inside the protective barrier as she dealt with Miraak, though she tilted her head for a moment as she recalled what happened when they recovered the Oghma Infinium, "and I saw a bit of you work back in Raven Rock... rather impressive, though a bit of a headache, given what I've heard from my Father. Do you need another reminder of what happens when my Father is annoyed by something?"
"Of course not, daughter of the Prince of Fate," Miraak replied, his tone and emotions telling Wind that he didn't like her at all, especially since she was a Demiprince and that meant she was higher in the rankings than he was, not to mention that he was a servant of her father, though she had a feeling that he might be working to either return to Tamriel or figure out how to usurp the power structure of this realm.
"Good. Now, here's now things are going to go: you and Za'kera will, eventually, fight each other, training for the future war with the Aldmeri Dominion... you've been training, right?" Ma'jera stated, the last part being a question to Miraak, where he nodded his head for a moment, to show that he had made sure he was ready for the eventual arrival of Za'kera, as if Hermaeus Mora told him that she would come in due time and face him in some manner, "While you two do that, as it will boost her Dragonborn powers, I need to do some special training with Wind..."
In that moment Wind felt like her body was being sundered, as if something was happening to her body, before the pain went away all of a sudden and seven specters appeared in the air above them, all looking similar to what her true form was, all of them being different colors, and after a few moments they disappeared as quickly as they appeared.
"During our training sessions I've noticed that your magic has been sealed, by doubts and fears, and so I have manifested the seven seals that I have observed," Ma'jera continued, where Za'kera had a feeling that the Demiprince might be a little sad by having to hurt her own apprentice like this, or maybe not since she was the daughter of Hermaeus Mora, so it was possible that Wind was important in some manner, though she said nothing as she helped Wind back onto her hooves, as the shock had cancelled out her disguise, "while Za'kera engages the trials guarding the other Black Books, and learns how to expand her knowledge and power at a rapid pace, you will delve into the Black Books, learn some of the more forbidden knowledge that exists in Apocrypha, and face down the manifestations of your seals. Once you two are done, and I'm sure that you're ready for what the future hold, we'll begin our war with the Aldmeri Dominion..."
Za'kera remained silent as she heard that, as it sounded like the Princes of Oblivion wanted to make sure she, the chosen hero of Akatosh, was ready to face down the strongest of the Aldmeri Dominion, to stop them from activating the Brass God and tearing down the Adamantine Tower, but she had a feeling that things were going to get crazy once they returned to Amaryllis, Lydia, and Frea.