Nightmare Moon Crashes the Oblivion Crisis

by Blackdrag-rose

23: Priory of the Nine

Luna, Shadow, and Rend left Sancre Tor, returning to where they had left their horses, where they geared up and began the journey back to Cloud Ruler Temple. As they rode along the road Shadow carried the Armor of Tiber Septim on his horse, studying the ancient armor of the man who had become the Ninth Divine. Shadow, being a priest of the Nine Divines, had read every book he could get his hands on that said something about any of the Nine, even the ones referring to Pelinal Whitestrake, the legendary Divine Crusader. A warrior that wore a special set of armor that was blessed by the Eight, before Tiber Septim became Talos and the Eight became the Nine, but the armor and weapons had been lost to time itself.

As they rode Shadow had to believe that the Relics of the Crusader, as the armor had come to be known as these days, were likely lost to history and would never see the light of day again.

"So, Luna," Rend said, turning to face his companion, who was riding alongside him at the moment, "What do you plan on doing when we're done with the Mythic Dawn and Mehrunes Dagon?"

"I'll figure out a way to return to Equus," Luna replied, glancing up at the night sky for a moment, trying to determine which star was her home, "and then I shall serve the rest of my sentence before I can return to my sister."

"WHAT?!" Shadow exclaimed, clearly shocked by what she had said while Rend just raised an eyebrow at her, "What do you mean by 'serve the rest of my sentence'?"

"I haven't been entirely truthful with either of you," Luna sighed, grateful that Nightmare was asleep so she didn't have to hear her tell their companions the truth that she should have told them before, "Back when my sister and I ruled over Equestria, which is only a continent of our world called Equus, our ponies worshiped Celestia as if she was a Goddess, all while ignoring me. In the beginning I didn't mind the treatment, as I was busy hunting down monsters that would ruin the lives of our ponies, but I still held their actions close to my heart.

Eventually I began to get angry with my sister for taking all the spotlight for herself, which, in time, led to me finally growing to hate Celestia for allowing our ponies to fear and shun our night. Then one day I snapped, allowing the darkness to overtake my mind and create a second personality, the one that ponies came to know as Nightmare Moon. In my rage I planned to bring about 'Eternal Night', where ponies would be able to enjoy my night and involved me tearing down my sister in the process. I so was blinded by my anger that I failed to account for the Elements of Harmony, which Celestia used as a last effort to make sure I didn't harm Equus in my rage.

And so I was banished to the moon, where I ended up spending the last eight hundred years pouring my magic into the moon so I could unleash a spell that would allow me to escape my prison. I'm sure that when my spell went wrong, and was sent across space to Cyrodiil as a result, the Daedra and the Divines felt my arrival in your world, in the Arena. The rest you already know, as we have shared everything on our adventure together."

"So that's the story we asked for in the beginning of this adventure," Rend commented, a smile appearing on his face, "but while I'm sure that we haven't heard the entire story I'm willing to leave it be. Whatever you did in Equus is your business, as your helping us defeat Mehrunes Dagon and not seeking to end our world."

Luna sighed and allowed herself to become silent, so that the three of them could travel without raising the alarm for any members of the Mythic Dawn that could be near them. There was so much more that she could tell her companions about herself and her various incursions into the night, where she defeated and imprisoned many of the horrors of the night so her ponies could live peacefully. She was sure that they would be amazed by quite a number of her tales, though she was sure that she wouldn't be telling them any of them anytime soon.

-----------------------------------

When they finally arrived at Cloud Ruler Temple it was night time again, exactly like when they had returned to Martin to give him the artifact of the Daedric Prince Azura. The guards that were waiting outside saluted them as they climbed up to the training area, which they quickly crossed before they entered the main hall of the temple. Jauffre and Martin were where they had been when the trio had left the temple earlier that morning, though by the look on Martin's face it was clear that he wasn't having any luck on his end.

"The Armor of Tiber Septim himself!" Martin exclaimed, closing the vile book that he was trying to decode and approaching them, where he touched the armor that Shadow carried, "Jauffre will be amazed to see it. You can reassure Jauffre that I will not destroy the armor. All I need is a scraping of Talos's divine blood. The Blades are as touchy as priests about relics of Tiber Septim, it seems!"

Luna could have sworn that Martin ignored that Jauffre was even in the chamber to begin with, though she was quickly reminded that he was there when she heard him cough at Martin's comment.

"What's next on our agenda?" Rend asked, curious as to what they needed to do to acquire the third item that would allow them to open the portal they needed to open to get the Amulet of Kings back.

"I'm afraid that I don't know," Martin admitted, sighing as he faced the evil book, "It's only a matter of time before I decipher the third and fourth ingredients for the ritual, but I don't know how long it will take me to do so. I have heard rumors that some of the Divine chapels around Cyrodiil have been hit by some deranged cultists. I don't know if the Mythic Dawn are trying to weaken the people by attacking places of worship, but someone should look into it before it gets out of hand."

"I shall join the guards and make sure that the temple is safe," Rend replied, turning to Shadow for a moment as if a thought came to mind, "Come to think of it, this happened when we got the book the first time; Pandora and Nightmare, Luna I mean, left for the Door to the Shivering Isles and defeated the Daedric Lord Jyggalag. We're halfway through the book and now a new threat is knocking at our door, in a manner anyway, and we'll have to deal with whoever is doing this."

"It does seem odd doesn't it?" Jauffre commented, adding to the conversation as he approached them, "The door to the Shivering Isles opened and Pandora, who was infected with Sheogorath's Madness, jumped at the chance to travel there and see what was happening. Now chapels across Cyrodiil are being attacked, which is almost like someone is attacking the Divines themselves, and Shadow is the only one among us that is a Priest of the Nine. Shadow, you need to get to Anvil and speak to someone that the people refer to as the Prophet, who might be able to tell you what's going on."

"I shall depart in the morning then," Shadow said, bowing before Martin for a moment before turning to Luna, "So, Luna, seeing how you traveled alongside Pandora in the Shivering Isles, I have something to ask you. Will you travel by my side and see who's responsible for attacking the chapels?"

"I would be honored," Luna replied, surprised that he even had to ask her at this point, "We'll find whoever is behind these attacks and we'll put them in their place."

Shadow nodded and beckoned to the table where they had been eating their morning and evening meals for the last couple of days, where Martin and Rend were moving to. While they ate their evening meal Rend began to tell Martin of the tale that Luna had briefly described to them on their way back, to which Luna told him everything that she had told Rend and Shadow. It was clear that Martin was worried that they had someone like Luna aiding them, to which she told them that her sister could handle things for two hundred more years, when her official banishment would end.

While they spoke Luna mentally sighed and wished that she knew how to return to Equus, so that when they saved Nirn from Mehrunes Dagon she had the knowledge to open the way.

When the evening meal was over Rend, Shadow, and Luna excused themselves, returning to where their bedrolls were located and prepared themselves for some rest. Rend fell asleep in seconds, though while Luna stayed awake for a few minutes, to make sure that nothing was wrong, she noticed that Shadow got up and left the room. She sighed and pulled herself out of her bedroll, silently following after her friend until they reached the area she had confronted him earlier, though she didn't let him see her. Shadow stopped after a moment, as if making sure that the coast was clear, before he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around his body.

Even from where she was waiting Luna could hear the sounds of Shadow biting back his cries of pain, as his body was twisted as he became a creature of the night. It pained her to see it happen to her friend, the shadows wrapping around Shadow's body and empowering him, while distorting the color of his eyes to a blood red color and sharpening some of his fangs, but he had chosen to go through with it. After a few moments of making sure that he wasn't going to charge down the hill and tear open someone's neck, as was the custom of many few vampires on the night of their creation, Luna sighed and returned to the temple, where she settled into her bedroll and dozed off.

A few minutes later she heard the door open and close, all while hearing Shadow settle into his bedroll, though she had to wonder what he had done before returning to the temple. She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting off into the dream world until morning came to her and her companions.

When the morning arrived Luna wasn't surprised to find that all of the Blades that guarded the temple were already out and about, while Rend was strapping on his own set of Blade armor. Luna felt that it was appropriate, as he had been welcomed into the Blades and was no doubt ready to continue protecting the next Emperor of Tamriel. As she got out of bed and stretched her arms she glanced over at where Shadow was, who was beginning to stir and gave her a short glimpse of his new eyes.

"Jauffre informed me earlier that two members of the Blades were slain to the east," Rend commented, not turning around to face his companions as he tightened his swords to his belt, "I'm heading out with him to recover their blades and give them a proper burial, where we'll be sure that the Mythic Dawn won't discover them."

"We'll be sure to return to the temple when we're done with whoever is behind these attacks," Shadow replied, though Luna noticed a small change in his voice, "Don't worry about us Rend; we'll be sure to kill the Daedric worshipers that are behind this when we find them."

Rend nodded and opened the door, before turning around for a moment to wish the two of them luck on their quest and then walking out into the training grounds. Luna cast her head around and made sure that they were the only ones left in this section of the temple before making Shadow stay where he was standing.

"We have to get moving," Shadow said, wondering why Luna wanted them to wait a moment before leaving, "I need to find whoever is behind these attacks and then make sure they're removed from Cyrodiil."

"You need protection," Luna replied, her magic opening her storage area and allowing her to remove a second necklace, which she presented to Shadow, "This is a very special necklace I created for vampires, which will allow them to look normal while it is worn and receive no damage from the sun. Before you tell me you don't need it I'll tell you something; I saw you change last night and I don't want you weakened from having to deal with the sun. You'll still need blood, but this will allow you to be as normal as possible."

"Is there anything you don't have in that storage area of yours?" Shadow asked, taking the necklace and slipping it on.

"There's plenty it doesn't have," Luna commented, sealing the storage area again as she faced her companion, "Let's head to Anvil and see whose behind these attacks. I'm itching to put some more Daedric Worshipers down."

The duo left the temple and traveled to Bruma, where they picked up their horses, where Rend's was currently missing, and got on the road almost immediately. When Luna asked where Anvil was located she learned that it was the city passed Kvatch, just along the coast, and that it would take most of the morning to reach their destination. While they traveled to Anvil Luna was surprised to find that there wasn't too many bandits or wild creatures that wanted them dead, as she had seen when Nightmare had started her journey with Rend, Shadow, and Pandora.

To pass the time Luna inquired about the Nine Divines, wanting to learn as much as she could about the mysterious beings that many people in Tamriel worshiped. It was during this that she learned that Shadow had been in the process of a pilgrimage to the Nine, where he planned on asking them for guidance. He had visited eight of the nine shrines, but before he could visit the ninth one he had returned to the Imperial City, where he had been arrested with the rest of their companions. His plan, he told her, had been to save the shrine of Talos, which was close to the city, for last, as it would take some time to reach the other eight and he wanted the ninth to be easy. The only reason he hadn't completed the pilgrimage was because he was fulfilling the wish of the late Emperor.

-----------------------------------

When they arrived in Anvil, and left their horses at the stables until they found the Prophet, they weren't surprised to find so many people gathering around the chapel. It was clear that they wanted to see what had happened to their place of worship, but Luna could tell that they were also scared for their own safety. As the duo walked around the assembled group, which ended up blocking their view of what happened inside the chapel, they also asked around for the person they had come to see. Many of them had absolutely no idea who the Prophet was, despite the fact that he was reported to be in the city somewhere, until they neared the chapel doors and asked one of the guards that prevented people from entering.

It was then that they were told that the person they sought was actually across the street, preaching about some mythic and terrifying entity that had returned and that a champion was needed to defeat it. Shadow glanced across the street and noticed the person almost immediately, wondering how they had missed the man in the first place. They cut through the crowd and approached the man, who was finishing a segment about someone known as Umaril the Unfeathered, someone that Shadow believed was connected with Pelinal Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader.

"And what can I do for you?" the man asked, beckoning them closer as the crowd began to disperse.

"I wish to stop whoever is behind the chapel attacks," Shadow responded, bowing his head slightly, "I may not be a knight, or have any accomplishments like my companions, but I am a Priest of the Nine and I will not stand to see their places of worship attacked and their priests slaughtered like cattle."

"Maybe you are the one," the Prophet commented, studying Shadow as if he was trying to determine something that only he knew about, "Yes, maybe you could recover the Relics of the Crusader and defeat Umaril the Unfeathered. I would ask of you one thing, visit each of the nine wayshrines and pray to their respective Divine, so that you might receive a vision and begin your quest."

Shadow nodded and accepted the parchment that the Prophet wanted to hand him, knowing it would likely show where one wayshrine, belonging to one Divine each, would be located. His plan was to finish his own pilgrimage, in the off chance that visiting Talos' wayshrine could show him exactly what he needed to know. He beckoned to Luna and they immediately departed from Anvil, returning to their horses before beginning the ride back to the Imperial City. This time when they traveled on the road Shadow remained silent the entire time, leaving Luna to wonder what was going on inside his head.

The only down side to Luna wondering about her companion was that it woke Nightmare up, leaving them to get into a mental conversation that lasted until they reached the Imperial City.

Instead of heading into the city Shadow led them around the long way, passing a couple of people that were getting ready to depart to some part of the province. As Luna discovered some of the wayshrines weren't that hard to find, as Shadow easily traced the way down to the south a bit and they found what they were looking for. Luna had to admit that, while it was okay for the chapels to be fancy and whatnot, the wayshrines were basically a circle that consisted of white pillars, which spoke to the humanity behind the Divines. Shadow told Luna to wait by their horses and approached the wayshrine of Talos alone, kneeling before the shrine and beginning his prayer almost immediately.

Before he knew what was happening his vision dimmed and he felt himself being moved, before his vision was restored and he found himself above the Imperial City, high in the sky above it. In front of him stood a lone figure, one that was dressed in armor that appeared to be different than any he had seen before, yet strangely familiar. That was before Shadow realized exactly who was standing before him and bowed his head in respect, for he was in the company of Pelinal Whitestrake.

"Hail knight!" Pelinal called to him, as if reciting something that he had memorized at one point in his life, "You seek my Relics with a worthy heart! Your prayers have woken me from my endless dream. Or perhaps you have entered my dream, and I still sleep. I think others have sometimes spoken to me, others like you, but my memory is doubtful. Perhaps the others came after you. Your need must be great for the gods to allow us to speak. Has Umaril the Accursed found a way back? The foulest of a foul race. A thousand curses upon his unholy name! I thought I'd won. But I should have known. The Slavemasters are a cunning breed. Umaril found a way to cheat death, as I could not.

If you would seek for my Relics, I know little that can help you. All that has passed since my death is like mist that my mind cannot take hold of. My friends built a shrine upon the site of my death, where the Elves tormented me in a final act of revenge. I can show you where it once stood. Perhaps it is there still. Fare thee well, sir knight. May the gods grant you to destroy Umaril utterly, as I failed to do."

Then, before Shadow could even say anything, he disappeared and his eyes snapped open, revealing that he was still kneeling before the wayshrine. He pulled out his map and found a new location, one that hadn't been marked before their departure from Cloud Ruler Temple, clearly marked for him. He smiled and returned to his horse before leading Luna towards the ruin that had been marked for him, telling Luna about his vision and his meeting with Pelinal himself. Not ten minutes later they stood above the location of the ruins, which was under water at the moment and forced them to dismount the instant they arrived.

Luna, seeing the path to the entrance, summoned her magic and pushed the water back, creating a dry path that they could easily take without drowning the inside as well. Once they were inside Luna released the magic and they moved on, their weapons at the ready as they searched for any enemies that wanted them dead. The first chamber they came to had nothing in the way of enemies for them to fight, which only confused Shadow when they entered the second chamber and found no one as well. As Shadow searched for a way to open the door, of which he sure existed, Luna sighed and touched a spot on the wall, which opened the door for them.

The next area they entered had the enemies they sought, which converged on them the moment they passed through the now opened secret door. Luna smiled and summoned her magic, smashing several of their enemies with lightning and scattering their bones, while Shadow easily carved his foes into pieces. It was during this time that Luna watched her companion wield his new weapon, to which she was surprised to find that he could easily lift and swing it, something that she contributed to the Divines. Once the wave of enemies were taken care of Luna cast a spell and allowed them to levitate to the lower floor, where they found a tunnel that led to another area of the ruins.

They took their time searching the immediate area, cutting and smashing every skeleton that came their way as they considered what they needed to do next. After a few turns they found a camp that looked as if it had been taken apart, with the skeleton of someone resting on the ground and a shield resting nearby. Shadow, feeling that the fallen skeleton was important, searched the bones and removed three items; a special custom made ring, a key to something, and the warrior's skeleton. Once the items were collected, with Shadow slipping the ring on in case it was something needed for the relics, he moved to the railing and looked down at the lower level, his jaw dropping the moment his eyes noticed what was down there.

"What's up Shadow," Luna asked, wondering what was taking her companion so long to move from the railing.

That was before Shadow, not caring for his body at the moment, leapt over the side and hit the floor, picking himself up and approaching the item he had seen. Luna sighed and cast the levitation spell once more, floating down to see her companion standing over a stand with a helmet resting on the top of it.

"The Helm of the Crusader," Shadow said, awe filling his voice as he gently removed the Divinely blessed artifact, "I honestly wasn't expecting to find one of the artifacts here, yet I am pleased to say that I have never been more glad to be wrong in my entire life. This is the first of the eight relics that were lost to be recovered, so we had best get out of here and find where that knight came from."

-----------------------------------

When they emerged from the ruins and got on their horses Shadow admitted that he needed some time to read the journal they had found on the knight's body, as he had no idea where to go next. Luna decided that Anvil was a good place to start, as it meant that they could ask the Prophet any other questions that they might have had still. Though not ten minutes later Shadow closed the book and told her that they needed to head to a location near Skingrad, which meant they had to go back near Kvatch.

As it turned out they didn't stay on the road when they neared the city, as Shadow continued off into the wilderness as the day slowly turned to night. They silently road into the countryside, making sure that the nightlife stayed away from them until they came to a set of buildings that looked like the Weynon Priory. Shadow beckoned to it and they found a place to rest their horses, before climbing off and heading into the main building, which looked almost deserted. As they walked inside Shadow found a symbol engraved on the floor, but he wanted to be sure the coast was clear before they tried to open it.

Once they were sure that they were safe Shadow approached the symbol and pressed the hand wearing the fallen knight's ring against it, allowing the secret passage to reveal itself. He steadied himself before walking down the steps, where they found an undercroft that was protected by eight ghosts, each that looked like they were waiting for someone to arrive. Sitting at the back of the room, protected by an enchantment that was no doubt connected to the eight ghosts, was another relic that Shadow had read about and thought to be lost by many; the Cuirass of the Crusader.

"By the strength and guidance of the Nine," one of the ghosts said, stepping towards them, "who comes before us upon this sacred ground seeking the Cuirass of the Divine Crusader?"

Comments

[Sonata Blaze]

I say that this is a decent start to the Knights of the Nine. I am also beginning to see a pattern here.

[Vigilant of Stendarr]

Ah, the Helm and the Armor of the Crusader. This is getting much more interesting.