Episode 3
Sheogorath
Good work, mortal! I haven't laughed that hard since I made king Euryl marry a cabbage! Don't worry, it was a really pretty cabbage.
Your next nut to crack is one Baron Navir. Spoiled, arrogant little mortal, who's had everything handed to him -- money, power, fishsticks, several large rocks, you name it. But I think he craves even more.
Play on his ego. Play on his imagination. Play on his drums, I hear he hates that. Scramble his brains up good, and you'll be one step closer to curing your pathetic kid.
Baron's Palace
Baron Navir
What do you want, peasant? I've a busy day of lounging about ahead of me.
Talym
My lord, I have made pilgrimage to bear witness to your mystical powers. For lo, I have seen the stars that you are the prince of prophecy.
Baron Navir
What nonsense is this? I have land, title, and wealth, but mystic powers? I'm no mage. Go bother the Telvanni.
Talym
The Telvanni's might comes from books my lord. Yours is far greater. See for yourself. Make three decrees and watch as they come true.
Baron Navir
Ha! What foolishness! Very well. I decree that the Kwama in my mines shall begin laying eggs of gold. That my rival Meliel's lands shall be ravaged by his own peaceful netches. And that... oh, let's say that there is a terrible blizzard in this summer heat. There, is that enough nonsense for you, peasant?
Talym
We shall see, my lord. We shall see.
Talym must now make these "miracles" happen. He starts with making the Kwama lay gold eggs.
Kwama Mine
Cyriel
How are we supposed to make these Kwama lay golden eggs?
Luzrah Gro-Shar
Oh, that's easy. Did I ever tell you I used to be a painter?
The gang sneak inside the mine, defeat the Kwama guarding it, and paint an egg gold. Then, they sneak back out.
Talym
My lord, see what was found at your egg mine this morning.
Baron Navir
What? Golden eggs? That's impossible, but... if Meliel found out, he might raid my lands. Tell no one about this, you understand?
Talym
Of course, my lord.
Next, they choose to make it snow in the summer. To do that, they head to a nearby Telvanni tower.
Mushroom Tower
Luzrah Gro-Shar
What are we doing at this Telvanni mushroom tower?
Talym
Hopefully making it snow. Word is the mages here have a magical amplifier high in this tower. With it, we should be able to cast a blizzard spell over the Baron's lands.
Cyriel
And you think they'll just let us waltz in and use it?
Talym
No... that's going to be the hard part.
Inside the tower, Talym and the crew defeat a Telvanni Mage. With him gone, they can use the magical amplifier to make it snow.
Baron Navir
By... by the g-g-gods! Snow! It's actually snow! I-i-in hottest summer! Perhaps this was not my w-w-wisest wish. But still! Snow!
Meliel's Farm
Finally, the gang heads to the land of the Baron's rival to make his netches hostile.
Cyriel
Those giant things are tame? They look like monsters.
Luzrah Gro-Shar
Oh, netches are the gentlest creatures you'll ever meet.
Talym
Usually. My neighbor is a netch farmer. Said that when a Betty is afraid, she'll secrete an oil that drives the bulls mad. So we just need to spread some of the oil around Meliel's lands.
Talym defeats the Netch Herder and murders several Betty netches to enrage the Bulls.
Baron Navir
What's this? Meliel's netches are attacking his farmers? It's just as I decreed!
Can it be? The blizzard, the eggs, the netches -- all just as I decreed! How is this possible?! Perhaps I do indeed have powers! Perhaps I am indeed the Prince of Prophecy!
I shall go demonstrate these powers in Meliel's lands!
Luzrah Gro-Shar
Uh Oh. We better go follow him.
Meliel's Garrison
Baron Navir
I hearby declare these lands mine by right of conquest. Let any who would oppose me taste my mystical might!
Talym
I guess I'm providing the mystical might...
Baron Navir and Meliel fight. Talyn protects the Baron and defeats his rival.
Baron Navir
None may hurt the prince of prophecy!
Hahahaha! Behold my power.
Talym
Talym defeats Meliel, and the Baron is ecstatic.
Baron Navir
BWAHAHA! YOU SEE! That peasant spoke true! I AM the prince of prophecy! I can do ANYTHING! I know -- next I shall fly! I've always wanted to fly.
Luzrah Gro-Shar
Wait, NO!
Talym
It had been almost fun deceiving the Baron, inflating his already massive ego, until he hurled himself from a cliff, believing he could fly. Luzrah was horrified, and said she would no longer do Sheogorath's bidding. But I couldn't stop. I was only one mind away from curing Novos.
Episode 4
Sheogorath
I've saved your best victim for last! It's the Imperial spymaster Porcia Loran -- oh your old boss, if I'm not mistaken. And I'm usually taken correctly. She's currently attached to an Imperial phalanx that's preparing for battle against a pesky clan of Reachmen invaders.
Talym
No. Porcia is a good person. She doesn't deserve --
Sheogorath
Deserve what? A little insanity? Take it from me, insanity's more fun than popping pimples with a hammer! You really ought to try it some time.
But the choice is yours! You can go back to your poor, crazy son and forget all of this ever happened. Little Novos will never know you could have saved him.
Talym
You know I won't do that. Just… just tell me what you want me to do.
Sheogorath
Only what you do best, Tally-boy! Get snuggled up nice and close to your target, and then ruin them. The Reachmen are holed up in that Dwemer ruin there. I'm sure you can figure it out from here.
Oh, and I've just decided: You've got three days to do the job, or the deal's off. Chop chop!
Druadach Pass
Cyriel
So what's the plan?
Talym
Porcia's whole life is her work. So if she's trying to get intelligence from the Reachmen, so are we. And as luck would have it, I see one of their couriers coming now.
Talyn and the gang ambush and defeat the Doomfang Courier, and take his information.
Cyriel
This letter -- if I'm reading this right, the Reachmen have created a deadly poison gas! They're going to send it into battle on the back of some of those Dwemer machines. Talym, we've got to tell the Imperials about this.
Talym
No, our target is Porcia. We've got to make sure she fails. We'll plant false intelligence, maybe something about a false antidote. I believe I once heard about a sacred flower growing nearby...
Cyriel
You can't be serious! That entire army could die!
Talym
And? We don't have time to find the perfect plan -- Sheogorath saw to that with his little 24-hour whim. And I would sacrifice a hundred armies -- a thousand! -- to save my son. Do you understand me?
Cyriel
Yeah. I understand. But I won't be a part of it, no matter what Sheogorath promised or threatened. Goodbye, Talym. Here's your stupid coin purse back.
Bthardamz
Talym
If I know Porcia, she could be here any minute. I need to get in, plant the false intel, and get out before she arrives.
Inside the ruin, Talym defeats the Bthardamz Defenses, which are a variety of Dwemeri constructs. He then plants the false info.
Made it just in time. There goes Porcia...
Reachman
I know I heard some traps going off over here... Look, there, an intruder.
Porcia
Too many of them to fight. Why were they on such high alert?
Talym
Nchow, they've captured her! Time to play hero, for once.
Talym attacks the Reachmen.
Porcia
Talym Rend! What are you doing here?
Talym
Heard you might be in trouble. Hang on, I'll get you out of here.
He defeats the reachmen and frees Porcia.
Porcia
I didn't think I'd ever see you again after... what happened. I'm so sorry about Novos.
Talym
It's... it's not your fault. Now what do we know about the Reachman threat?
Porcia
I found this message inside. It says they plan to attack the Shrine of Mara, because the sacred flowers growing there represent the only cure for a poison gas their warleader has devised.
Talym
Sound like we better get there first.
The two of them head for the grove.
Grove of Mara
Priestess of Mara
Absolutely not. Our order has guarded this grove for generations. We will not allow its sacred flowers to be used for war.
Porcia
The Doomfang clan is coming here to kill you and burn the grove!
Priestess of Mara
Then we will die. Better that than to surrender the flowers.
Talym
We'll have to find another way then.
Porcia
No, these people are dead either way -- and those flowers mean life for our troops.
Talym
Porcia, you don't want this on your conscience.
Porcia
For the Empire, I will bear the guilt. We attack. And may the gods forgive us.
Porcia and Talym fight and slay the Priests of Mara.
Divine mother, forgive me.
Talym
You did what you have to do. Let's collect the flowers and go.
They take the flowers back to the Dwemer ruin.
Bthardamz Secret Passage
Porcia
Our alchemists have managed to refine the flowers into a gas that, if our intelligence is accurate, should negate the poison. But we don't have much of it. We have to contain the situation.
Talym
There's a secret passageway that will allow us to attack the ruin. I think it's the only way to move our troops in, but I'd bet they know about it.
Porcia
Then it's settled. You and I will guide the troops into the passage. My guess is that they'll wait until we've committed the bulk of our forces to release the poison. and that's when we'll deploy the antidote.
Talym
And if the antidote doesn't work?
Porcia
My intelligence was sound. It will work. It has to.
Talym
Let's go then.
They attack the Reachmen. When their chieftain was overwhelmed, he released the poison gas.
Porcia
They've released the poison. Quickly, use the antidote!
They're reacting but... Something's wrong. No! Get down!
Instead of neutralizing the gas, the "antidote" instead explodes, injuring Reachmen and Imperials alike.
Talym
The explosion and the gas conspired to kill most of the Reachmen, along with the Imperials. Technically, her mission was a success.
But witnessing such a massacre, with the murder of the priests weighing so heavily on her soul, was too much for Porcia to bear.
I hear she did not speak after that day, afraid to utter another command, or to share another secret, that might hurt someone.
Talym
She was, in other words, a better person than I. After all, I was the true architect of the atrocity.
I hadn't been sure the flowers would react violently with the poison... but had known they would not cure it.
Talym
Yet as I journeyed home, my guilt was a whisper, next to the expectant joy of seeing my son whole again.
Talym
Imagine then my horror, when I found my house empty. I ran to a neighbor, desperate for anyone who could tell me about my son.
Neighbor
Talym, what are you saying? Novos is dead. He's been dead for more than a year. Don't you remember?
We buried him... together.
