Hidden inside the abandoned Hildune house in the fishing village of Northsalt can be found the only entrance to a forgotten mine.  In this tortured realm, no cave or delve remains empty for long, and Hildune’s once secret refuge is now being used as a burrow by House Montclair’s vampiric soldiers, who hide in wait for the command from their necromantic leader, Leidmir Corpse-Caller, to rise and devour the unsuspecting village above.

These living corpses are unencumbered by pity or regret, and care nothing for whomever or whatever their next victims will be.  They are strengthened by the blood upon which they feed, yet for them their savage bloodlust is far more than just survival and sustenance, it as a glory, a splendour, a purpose pure, and a valorous challenge to the confines of mortality.

S.K

To the west of the city of Northpoint, lies the provincial fishing village of Northsalt.  Its quiet solitude is in stark contradiction to the tumult that afflicts the rest of the region.

At its docks tethered fishing boats totter gently upon the soft lapping of the calm waters, their loose canvas sails flap idly with the passing of the coastal breeze.  Gulls strut impatiently about the pier for the next boat to return home with brimming hold.  And from the small rustic cottages, dirty white puffs of smoke rise lazily to meet the ever-darkening clouds clustering overhead.

Tranquillity it would seem, and yet as the first drops of rain fall the villagers begin to jitter and bustle for they know that the winds are sure to follow.  Soon the fishing boats will return to harbour, for they dare not trust the tides.

As I seek my own refuge from the rains, I soon discover that even here people can find no shelter from the storm that besets Rivenspire.

Gendinora, a sickly Wood-Elf, learns of the death of her brother far to the south at the dolmen of Westmark Moor.  In desperate need of money to buy his sisters medicines he foolishly joined the Bitterhand bandits, only to meet with an outlaw’s end. 

The Redguard gravedigger Giran sits alone at a table set for two, unaware that his wife has been lured away by a vampire, and no longer hungers for fried hake or grouper stew.

And alone upon the jetty the widow Granger sits in the rain staring out to sea.  Upon each trembling breath she hangs an unanswerable prayer, ‘blessed Divines return my husband to me…’

S.K

Nobody personifies the Breton maxim, ‘never take an unnecessary risk when you can employ another to take it for you’, more than the Lady Clarisse Laurent.

Here at the caves of Breagha-Fin, the distinguished treasure hunter and her ever dutiful attendant Stibbons, are searching, and by ‘searching’ I of course mean she has hired others to search, for an Emerald Chalice; a supposedly enchanted Mages Guild artifact stolen by a corrupt Nord mage named Malofar.

Before the sluggards disappeared, the esteemed Lady’s hirelings reported that the caves were full of goblins, which begs the question, what became of Malofar and his followers, and where did this hitherto unknown goblin clan spring from?

S.K

Abnur Tharn sends a message from the Mages Guild in Daggerfall, he believes important documents revealing where Mannimarco is holding the swordmaster Sai Sahan prisoner, may be found amongst the ancient Ayleid ruins of Norvulk.

We each have our own reasons for wanting to rescue the Redguard.  Varen seeks a fifth companion to fulfil some prophesy he claims to have seen in the Elder Scrolls before they took his sight.  The battlemage Tharn’s sole concern is the restoration of the Empire to its former glory, and for that he needs the Amulet of Kings, of which only Sai Sahan knows the location.  Titanborn is insistent upon his rescue, yet offers little reason beyond duty; I sense perhaps a deeper, as yet unspoken connection between the two.  

As for myself, I have seen all too often what can happen when ancient relics of power are wielded with nefarious intent.  I care little for this Redguard, yet will gladly ride into the very bowels of Oblivion to prevent him divulging the whereabouts of the Amulet of Kings to the Worm, whether by rescue or bloodlet.

I must try however all to save this man, for my patron Stendarr teaches, ‘never refuse aid you are capable of providing.’  Besides, I think once I cease to see the value of a single life, I may lose the last of my humanity, and become all but soul-shriven.

So I return to the dark vaults of Norvulk with Tharn, to face once more the black and crimson Dremora, and we shall learn what we can.

S.K

With Lleraya’s illusion broken, the nobles of Northpoint are free, and young Lord Ellic Dorell must now face his father and answer for what fell upon the city it was his duty to protect.  Whilst he can be accused of no crime, he must still answer for his mistakes.

The Baron’s forces meanwhile have liberated Northpoint’s streets, but still Montclair’s vampires hold out in many buildings and townhouses.  For them, there will be only retribution.

S.K