URSHILAKU CAMP
Tussurradad
"What do you want, outlander?"
:Nerevarine prophecies:
"What does an outlander have to say to an Urshilaku of the Nerevarine prophecy?"
Faern Sargtlin
"Say I fulfill the Nerevarine prophecies, and wish to speak to Sul-Matuul and Nibani Maesa."
Tussurradad
:Nerevarine prophecies:
"I do not believe what I am hearing. You think you are the Nerevarine, and you wish to speak to Sul-Matuul and Nibani Maesa. You do not look like the Nerevarine. But you do not speak like a fool, or a madman. This is a puzzle. I tell you... go speak with Zabamund in his yurt. He is a gulakhan, Sul-Matuul's champion, and he will decide what is right. If Zabamund gives you permission, then you may enter the Ashkhan's Yurt and speak with Sul-Matuul."
Faern Sargtlin
(enter the Zabamund's Yurt)
Zabamund
"Talk, outlander. Speak with respect, and I will listen."
:Nerevarine prophecies:
"The Nerevarine Prophecies are not for outlanders. Why should Sul-Matuul and Nibani Maesa speak to you about these things? Who are you, that we should trust you?"
Faern Sargtlin
Tell all I have learned of the Sixth House and the Nerevarine, and ask humbly to speak to Sul-Matuul
Zabamund
:Nerevarine prophecies:
"Hmm. These are not simple matters. You know a great deal more than I would have thought. And some of what you say is news to me. I believe you should speak to Sul-Matuul. Perhaps he will be angry with me. But I think I can bear that. Go to the Ashkhan's Yurt and speak with Sul-Matuul. Ask him your questions, and tell him I have sent you."
Faern Sargtlin
(enter the Askhan's Yurt)
Sul-Matuul
"So. My champion Zabamund has sent you to talk with me about the Nerevarine prophecies. Then go ahead, Faern Sargtlin. Talk. I am very curious."
:Nerevarine prophecies:
"You think you fulfill the Nerevarine prophecies. You wish to be tested to see if you are the Nerevarine. No outlander may join the Nerevarine cult. If you were a Clanfriend, an adopted member of the Ashlander tribes, then perhaps. I have an initiation rite in mind. If you pass this rite, I will adopt you as a Clanfriend of the Ashlanders. And then I will submit you to Nibani Maesa, our wise woman, who is skilled in oracles and mysteries, and who will test you against the prophecies."
:initiation rite:
"To be adopted into the tribe, you must undergo a harrowing. In a harrowing, you will be judged by the spirits and ancestors to see if you are worthy. Go to the Urshilaku Burial Caverns and fetch me Sul-Senipul's Bonebiter Bow. Sul-Senipul was my father, and his spirit guards his bonemold long bow deep in the burial caverns. Return to me with this bow, and I will adopt you into the Ashlander tribes as a Clanfriend."
:Urshilaku burial caverns:
"The burial caverns lie to the south-southeast of the camp, a north-facing door in a little hill halfway between us and the slopes of Red Mountain. Go north from the camp to the water, then turn east. At a rock cairn on the beach, turn and head straight south until you find the door. The spirits of our ancestors guard the caverns. They will attack, and will kill you if they can. Force your way past them, or evade them, get the bow, and return to prove your worthiness."
Faern Sargtlin
(go to Urshilaku burial caverns, and retrieve Sul-Senipul's Bonebiter Bow)
(go back to Askkan's Yurt)
Sul-Matuul
"So, outlander. Have you completed the initiation rite?"
:initiation rite:
"This is my father's Bonebiter Bow. You have completed the initiation rite. I name you Faern Sargtlin, Clanfriend of the Ashlanders. Keep my father's bow, and bear it with honor. You are a friend of our tribe, and may rest in any Urshilaku bed, but do not harm other tribe members, or take their things. And now I will fulfill my other promise. Go to the wise woman's yurt, and Nibani Maesa shall examine you, and test you against the Nerevarine prophecies."
Faern Sargtlin
(go to Wise Woman's Yurt)
Nibani Maesa
"So. They've told me of you, outlander. Or, shall I say, Clanfriend. You are hard-headed. And ignorant. But perhaps it is not your fault. My lord ashkhan says you will ask me about the Nerevarine prophecies. He also says I will test you against the Nerevarine prophecies. I must do as my lord ashkhan says. So ask your questions, and I will test you."
:Nerevarine prophecies:
"There are many Nerevarine prophecies, and they suggest many things. Aspect and uncertain parents. The moon-and-star. Sleepers. Seven curses. The curses' bane. The prophecy of the Stranger. The prophecy of the Seven Visions. The lost prophecies."
"Ask me of these things. If you are patient. If you would be wise. Or, if you are impatient to know, just ask: 'Do I pass the test of the Nerevarine prophecies?' Go ahead, outlander. I am the wise woman. Ask your questions. And I will answer."
:aspect and uncertain parents:
"If what you say is true, you are indeed born on a certain day of uncertain parents. This is part of the prophecy. But many have the same birthday, and many are not sure of their parents. It is interesting. But it does not make you the Nerevarine."
:the moon-and-star:
"Legend says Indoril Nerevar's family standard bore the moon and star, and Nerevar's armor and weapons bore this sign. Some say he bore a moon-and-star birthmark. Some say he has a magic ring marked with a moon-and-star. Others say he was born under a moon-and-star. In any case, I think the moon-and-star is the mark of the Nerevarine, and you do not have this mark. So you are not the Nerevarine."
:Sleepers:
"Rumors say that in the towns, mad cultists called "sleepers" are attacking people, saying that Dagoth Ur has awakened, and will drive the outlanders from Morrowind. Perhaps it is just a coincidence. But I think it is a sign of the Nerevarine. Not necessarily a sign that YOU are the Nerevarine. Perhaps the time of the Nerevarine has come. And you have come at the same time. This is not passing a test. But it may mean you have some part to play in the coming of the Nerevarine."
:seven curses:
"It is another Ashlander prophecy of the Nerevarine. It is called "The Seven Curses of the Sharmat." But I do not know it, and I know no one who does. It may be lost. Such things happen. A wise woman dies, or forgets, or a clan is wiped out. Perhaps someone knows, but is keeping it secret. Perhaps it is in one of those many books of your settled peoples. I have heard that the Dissident priests of the Temple may have such books."
:the Curse's Bane:
"I don't know. Which curse's bane? There are so many curses. The seven curses seems likely. But I don't know."
:the Stranger:
"This is the best known of the Nerevarine prophecies. We call it 'The Stranger'."
"When earth is sundered, and skies choked black,
And sleepers serve the seven curses,
To the hearth there comes a stranger,
Journeyed far 'neath moon and star.
Though stark-born to sire uncertain
His aspect marks his certain fate.
Wicked stalk him, righteous curse him.
Prophets speak, but all deny.
Many trials make manifest
The stranger's fate, the curses' bane.
Many touchstones try the stranger.
Many fall, but one remains."
:the Seven Visions:
"The full title of the prophecy is "Seven Visions of Seven Trials of the Incarnate". Listen, and I will tell you the verses."
"Seven trials
What he puts his hand to, that shall be done.
What is left undone, that shall be done.
First trial
On a certain day to uncertain parents
Incarnate moon and star reborn.
Second trial
Neither blight nor age can harm him.
The Curse-of-Flesh before him flies.
Third trial
In caverns dark Azura's eye sees
and makes to shine the moon and star.
Fourth trial
A stranger's voice unites the Houses.
Three Halls call him Hortator.
Fifth trial
A stranger's hand unites the Velothi.
Four Tribes call him Nerevarine.
Sixth trial
He honors blood of the tribe unmourned.
He eats their sin, and is reborn.
Seventh trial
His mercy frees the cursed false gods,
Binds the broken, redeems the mad.
One destiny
He speaks the law for Veloth's people.
He speaks for their land, and names them great."
"What does this prophecy mean? It tells us who the Nerevarine will be, and the trials he must undergo before he fulfills his destiny. Some parts I understand. Some parts I do not. I will answer your questions as best I can. But I cannot pretend to understand it all."
:One destiny:
"Veloth's people are the Dunmer, all Dunmer, Ashlander and Great House. The last time the Velothi were united were with Nerevar at the Battle of Red Mountain. Now Nerevar will come once again and unite the Dunmer. He will restore Morrowind to the Dunmer, and restore the former greatness of the Velothi people."
:lost prophecies:
"There are Nerevarine prophecies that have been lost. The Seven Curses. And others. Some are forgotten. Some hidden. Some deliberately lost. The wise women are the memory of the Velothi people. But it is a faulty memory, and we are mortal, and our knowledge dies with us. But we hear that the Dissident Priests of the Temple study our Nerevarine prophecies, and record them in books. Such written words never die. You must go to them and ask for these books, and bring what you find to me."
:First trial:
"This refers to your birthsign -- to your birth on a certain day to uncertain parents, just like in the Stranger prophecy."
:birthsign:
"In Tamriel, persons born under certain constellations are said to be 'fortunate in their aspects'. Such persons are often blessed -- or cursed -- with remarkable abilities or weaknesses as a result of the magical conjunctions of celestial influences."
:Second trial:
"I'm not sure what this means. Will the Nerevarine come as a spirit who is not harmed by blight or age? I don't know. But I think Curse-of-Flesh means the blight disease corprus, which causes terrible, distorted growths on its victims. Perhaps the Nerevarine can heal this disease. Perhaps that will be a sign of the Nerevarine."
:Third trial:
"In legend there is a shrine to Azura called the Cavern of the Incarnate. There are secrets I may not tell you about this cavern. Do not ask."
:Fourth trial:
"A "Hortator" is a war-leader chosen when Dunmer great houses must put aside their normal feuds to unite against a common enemy. This has not happened since the Empire invaded our land."
:Fifth trial:
"The Ashlanders are sometimes called the Velothi, for the prophet Veloth who guided us to this land many, many centuries ago. And the Four Tribes are the four tribes of Vvardenfell, the Urshilaku, the Ahemmusa, the Zainab, and the Erabenimsun. It would truly be a miracle to unite these four tribes who have so long raided and warred with one another. But the Nerevarine must be one who performs miracles."
:Sixth trial:
"I am not sure. "The tribe unmourned" may mean the Sixth House, House Dagoth, which was exterminated after the Battle of Red Mountain. But it may also mean the Dwemer, or the Dwarves, as Westerners call them. And "eating sin" is doing atonement for another's sin."
:Seventh trial:
"'The cursed false gods' must be the Tribunal. They are surely false gods, evil sorcerers and necromancers, and they murdered Nerevar so they might set themselves up as gods. "Binds the broken" must refer to Nerevar's broken promise to the Ashlanders to honor the ways of the Spirits and rights of the Land."
:pass the test:
"You are not the Nerevarine. You are one who may become the Nerevarine. It is a puzzle, and a hard one. But you have found some of the pieces, and you may find more. Do you choose to be the Nerevarine? Then seek the lost prophecies among the Dissident priests of the Temple. Find the lost prophecies, bring them to me, and I will be your guide. And take these copies of the Stranger and the Seven Visions. Now. I have told you all I know. Go. Think on what I've told you. And do what must be done."
Faern Sargtlin
(retrieve "The Seven Visions" and "The Stranger")
Nibani Maesa
:disturbing dreams:
"This is a strange dream, indeed. The Sharmat Dagoth Ur speaks to you, in the voice of prophecy. He curses the three betrayers, the three false gods, Vivec, Almalexia, Sotha Sil. He calls you to drive the outlanders from Morrowind. This is a very strong dream, very cunning, a dream to stir hearts. This is a very good lie. He called you Nerevar. And the dream of the Nerevarine is very strong, and very dangerous, for you, and for all my people."
:Nerevar:
"In ancient days, the Deep Elves and a great host of outlanders from the West came stealing the land of the Dunmer. In that time, Nerevar was the great khan and warleader of the House People, but he honored the Ancient Spirits and the Tribal law, and became as one of us. So, when Nerevar pledged upon his great Ring of the Ancestors, One-Clan-Under-Moon-and-Star, to honor the ways of the Spirits and rights of the Land, all the Tribes joined the House People fighting a great battle at Red Mountain."
"Though many Dunmer, Tribesman and Houseman, died at Red Mountain, the Dwemer were defeated and their evil magicks destroyed, and the outlanders driven from the land. But after this great victory, the power-hungry khans of the Great Houses slew Nerevar in secret, set themselves up as gods, and forgot Nerevar's promises to the Tribes. But Nerevar will come again and cast down the false gods, and by the power of his ring will make good his promises, honor the Spirits, and drive the outsiders from the land."
:Dagoth Ur:
"Dagoth Ur is the Devil and the Enemy. Dagoth Ur and his beasts and servants are the source of many evils that beset the Dunmer and Morrowind. Dagoth Ur dwells in fiery caverns beneath Red Mountain, served by his kin, called ash vampires, and by legions of deformed monsters."
:Red Mountain:
"Red Mountain is the great mountain of fire in the center of Vvardenfell. The outer slopes are steep and rugged, and the crater is deep and filled with burning rock. Beasts and servants of the Devil Dagoth Ur live on Red Mountain. The settled people built a magical barrier called Ghostfence to keep the evils inside. Within the Ghostfence, rain never falls and the sun never shines; the only weather is the red and deadly ash-blight."
:Ghostgate:
"Ghostgate is a great warrior's fort of the settled people. It blocks the only hole in the magic wall that keeps Dagoth Ur and his evil trapped inside. These warriors serve false gods, but they are brave fighters."
:Ghostfence:
"The chiefs of the settled people -- Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil -- are false gods, but they must be mighty sorcerers to create and feed the powerful magic of the Ghostfence. The Ghostfence is a magic wall around Red Mountain. The settled people created this barrier to keep the Devil Dagoth Ur and his beasts and servants trapped in Red Mountain."
:Morrowind:
"Morrowind is the ancient homeland of the Dunmer people. Once, long ago, this was our land, but now the creatures from the West have come, and the House Dunmer have meekly submitted to their rule. Now, in all the lands of the Morrowind, only the Ashlanders still lead the free, reverent lives of honor of the ancient Dunmer."
:Dunmer:
"We are the Dunmer, the dark-skinned, red-eyed Elven people who followed the Prophet Veloth out of the southwest generation upon generation ago, settling here in Morrowind. We are the true Dunmer. We have remained true to the sacred rites and customs of our forefathers. The House People, also called the Settled People, called 'Dark Elves' by the outlanders, are also of the ancient lineage of the Prophet Veloth."
:Altmer:
"Altmer are the tall, light-skinned Elves of the West. They were once like us, but they became soft and foolish. They abandoned their ancestors and put their faith in big buildings and sorcery. The greatfathers of our greatfathers were kin of the Altmer, but the Prophet Veloth led us out of the West and brought us here so our rites and customs could remain pure."
:Bosmer:
"The Bosmer are foreigners, outlanders. They live in trees and eat nothing but meat. We have no forests here. Why don't they go back where they came from?"
:Breton:
"Bretons are outlanders, foreigners, Westerners. They don't belong here. They should go back where they came from."
:Imperial:
"The Imperials came out of the West and tricked the gods of the settled people, the false gods called the Tribunal. Now the Imperials act like they own Morrowind, and they claim we are ruled by their chief, the one they call Emperor. We think nothing of this foolishness, but they have great armies of soldiers in armor who come and burn our yurts and slay our children. So we hate them, but we must remember to be quiet and patient and cunning, as Boethiah has taught us."
:Nord:
"The Nords of Skyrim are the ancient enemies of the Dunmer. In the time of the Prophet Veloth, the Nords invaded our lands and drove us out of the good places. Later we grew strong and cunning, and we came down and slew them, and took our land back. Since then, we have kept our land free of the Nords, but they are always scheming to return and steal our good places."
:Redguard:
"Redguards are outlanders, foreigners, Westerners. They don't belong here. They should go back where they came from."
:Orc:
"The Orcs are savage half-men that the Westerners call 'human'. They should go back to their mountains in the West and leave us alone. The Emperor uses them as his soldiers, and they are indeed fierce warriors, cunning with leather and steel."
:Argonian:
"Argonians are the savage half-men of the southern marshes. Our peoples used to keep them as slaves, but they are useless. The settled people still keep them as slaves to grub in the soil. They are dirty and wicked, and we should drive them all back into the swamps they came from."
:Khajiit:
"The Khajiit are savage half-men of the southern deserts and jungles. They are ignorant and superstitious, but they are clever and dangerous. Our fathers used to keep them as slaves, but they are sneaky and untrustworthy. The settled people still keep them as slaves to feed them and keep their great houses clean."
Faern Sargtlin
(go back to Cosades' house)
