A Mages Brew

Krist · October 2015

Cardone looked about, sword ready. He knew this area well, he was in the Imperial Army for some time, until the dead started joining. Truth be told, he stuck around even then though they creeped him out.
Then the Daedric. That he could not stomach.
"It's clear enough, from the looks here. You never know what we will find below," he said, looking back to his benefactor. He said his name was Hughe, but it just as soon been anything else. Cardone was not sure the man would live if they actually met up with trouble.
Hughe climbed from his horse tenderly, cursing the gods, all of them, for the pains in his buttocks and groin. The ride was long, and this merchant was no doubt used to the comfort of his home, or sitting in front of a fire reading a tome of some sort. Cardone fancied him a sorcerer, as they met outside of the Mages Guild in Daggerfall City. The man had gold, and that was enough.
"We will need to enter the site. There is a book down there," the man said.
Cordone nodded, but he wanted to shake his head. He already lead this purple robed potion mixer through fields of recent fighting, avoiding the keeps and anywhere that the armies may be. Now they were to enter a grave of sorts. These underground ruins usually housed something nasty. The armies usually avoided them like the plague.
Well, a plague was another worry.
Cardone looked to the large wooden door, hoping he was not meant to chop it down. It was sturdy, with a magic mark on the outside, obviously meant to keep people out. Grass had grown up around it, so it was not used in some time. He knew of it, and never went down there. His army camped near it one night, and the sounds they heard beneath their tents, coming from underground, kept them from a good nights sleep. That was before it became quite common to hear those noises, as the dead walked with them.
"Step aside," Hughe said, brushing past the warrior. "Watch our backs."
Cardone never understood how the man's staff always just....appeared....in his hands. A trick, of sorts? Slight of hand? Cardone was unsure. He didn't really care enough to ask.
"As you wish," Cardone said, turning about and watching the fields. Truth was, not much was happening. He could see the very top of a keep in the distance. It was Blue Road Keep, if he remembered right. They were well away from it, and hidden behind the rolling hills of he north.
He continued to scan the area. He looked back to see the mage looking in a small book, a book of personal notes no doubt. The words were beyond him, but they made him feel strange. His head began to spin a moment, but the mage looked back to him, his green eyes boring into him.
"Pay attention to your job, not mine," Hughe admonished.
Cardone nodded, and went back to scouting. He walked a bit away from the mage, and decided to just not listen. It wasn't until he heard the creaking of the old door that he turned back around. It was as if the tomb breathed when the seal was broken and the door began to open.
The mage whispered something to the head of his staff, and it lit up like a powerful torch. Cardone began to believe this man was not what he thought of him.
"Come," Hughe motioned, and Cardone followed.

Krist · October 2015

Ayleid ruins dot the landscape in Cyrodiil and are known to contain valuable treasures, but they’re often protected by brigands ..... or much worse.

Hughe entered cautiously, the light from his staff helping he and the mercenary navigate the stairs down. It was cramped quarters, and the warrior seemed to clink and clank all the way. Hughe was not exactly pleased with this, but knew it was unavoidable.
"What are you looking for," Cardone asked.
Hughe did not answer, but instead kept heading down the stairs. Now and again he would stop at a strange stone, look it over a bit, then move on.
"Others have been down here, but the door was sealed. It looks as if it has been looted, the stones that would light the way are gone," Hughe finally said, as they came to the bottom of the long spiraled staircase.
Cardone simply nodded. He had not traveled into these dangerous ruins before, not seeing any reason to in the past. He made his gold by fighting above ground, either for an army, as a mercenary, or a body guard. This was a bit different.
"Gold is gold," Cardone mumbled to himself. Hughe did not even acknowledge him.
The first room was not in good shape. Much of it had caved in over time. The rubble, however, had been cleared enough for a person to walk through.
The next room was a hallway, and in much better shape. It was apparent that things had been looted. There was little of value in the hall, and looked very bare.
Hughe and Cardone walked down some steps and the hallway opened into a grand hall. Hughe looked about, then spoke a word of magic. The place lit up.
"Welkynd Stones, not looted yet," Hughe said.
Cardone nodded, thinking of how this would save them some time now. Light was always a good thing.
"This is not a good thing," Hughe said, as if reading the mercenary's mind.
Cardone looked to him for an explanation.
The mage rolled his eyes, and motioned about.
"Whoever was trying to loot this place did not make it past here. I don't see any bodies either, so either they fled, or something far worse happened. If they fled, a mage was smart enough to seal the door again. If, well, something else happened, then something down here is powerful, and sealed the door themselves."
Cardone was starting to get the picture.
"Since the Sunder, the dead have risen. Keep a close eye out, my friend. Bandits and thieves are the least of our problems," the mage added.

Krist · October 2015

During the middle of the Merethic Era, some Aldmer groups departed from the Summerset Isles and relocated towards Tamriel. The ones who traveled towards pre-modern-day Cyrodiil became the Ayleids, where they established the first empire on the continent. During this time, the Ayleid civilization flourished and expanded.

Cardone wiped the old black blood and the gore from his blade, tossing the soiled cloth down afterwards. He and the mage found the undead, as the mage predicted.
He wished they had not.
"Well done warrior," Hughe said while leaning heavy on his staff. Truth was they both fought well, and cleared a room of the zombies that filled it.
Hughe walked around, examining the bodies closely, though careful not to touch them. He was disgusted by the smell and the ichor. Cardone watched him, and saw the look of revulsion on his face as it was apparent he did not find what he searched for.
Hughe's eyes turned to a throne type chair, where a body sat, hand grasping what appeared to be an Ayleid stone. His frown deepened, as he turned his eyes to Cardone.
"This is it," he said, but did not sound as pleased as the warrior thought he should have. "It appears the stone is out of power, I will have to recharge it."
Cardone just nodded. He had no idea really what the man was talking about.
While the mage checked the stone, Cardone took the time to check over a cut or scratch or bite, or whatever it was, that one of the undead did to him. He cleansed it with a healing concoction he bought from a traveling alchemist, and took a sip of it himself. He could feel the revitalizing effects almost immediately.
"I will need your assistance with this my friend," Hughe said after a bit of studying. "Nothing difficult. I just need you to take this stone when I tell you to."
Cardone nodded, and took another drink of his potion before discarding the now empty bottle.
"I don't know anything about magic," he told Hughe, standing with him, looking at the crystal like stone.
"That is a good thing, it means you cannot possibly mess things up," Hughe offered a reassuring smile.
Hughe removed the remains of the corpse. It was still in pretty good shape, unlike most of the zombies that were missing limbs or had traumatic wounds to the skulls. It wore some fine red robes, marking it as something of a mage or scholar. Cardone could not tell. He watched as Hughe searched the pockets, but did not find what he was looking for.
"Well, this cannot be helped," Hughe said, shaking his head a bit. "Have a seat on the chair, and place your hand on the stone."
Cardone looked at Hughe suspiciously, not sure if he wanted anything to do with this magic.
"Relax," Hughe said with a wave of his hand. "Watch, nothing will hurt you."
Hughe sat on the throne and placed his hand on the stone.
"See," he offered, a slight smile on his face.
Cardone nodded and did as the mage said, finding that the stone was cool to the touch, and much smoother than he thought, but otherwise nothing happened.
"What now," the warrior asked, looking to the mage.
"Now we will enter the past, because there is an object there that I most certainly need," the mage offered, then placed his hand on Cardone's. With that, magic flowed through Cardone's hand into the stone, that began to light up upon touch.
"What is happening," Cardone began to ask in the present, but suddenly found himself in a room that was fully lit, bright, and new. He looked to Hughe, his brows furrowing.
"As I said, we are in the past," the mage offered, then let his hand go. As soon as he did, Hughe left headed toward a hallway. Cardone tried to get up, but was unable to move. People began to just appear in front of him, as if they were there the whole time, but still Cardone could not move. They were a strange people, elven by all appearance.
Cardone again tried to will his muscles to stand, but he could not. He was aware. He saw, he heard, but could not move or interact in any way. In fact, the strange people, dressed very flamboyantly and bright, just passed him by without any notice.
Cardone tried to yell, but could not.

"In the caverns of lore, ugly and obscure, shines the gold of truth."
―Ayleid Reference Text

Krist · October 2015

Days had passed, though they felt like years to Cardone. Truth was, he did not feel uncomfortable. He felt nothing. No bodily functions bothered him. No aches. No pains. The only torture was in his mind, because he could not move, as if he was only made up of thought. He entertained himself by watching the people that passed. He determined that they may very well be Ayleids, and from studying the place, was the ruins he was in before, only they were not ruined.
"Now we will enter the past," the mage had told him. So it made sense, that is where they were. If he could find a way to free himself, the mage would never leave this past.
He thought on many ways to kill the mage.
It was in middle of these thoughts that Cardone saw the mage appear, or he was sure that was him. He was walking hastily toward the warrior, nodding respectfully at some of the elves as he passed. He was was wearing some type of outrageous outfit. It was golden over robes with a hood pulled up.
He was pretending to be one of them. Cardone was sure of it. He just wished he could yell to elves and let them know this man was in their mist, and probably not up to any good at all.
Of course, he could not.
Hughe walked right up to Cardone, but looked almost through him. The mages eyes squinted a bit, as a look of fear shown on his face. He suddenly looked relieved, after apparently seeing what he wanted to.
"You are still here," the mage said.
If Cardone could speak he would have asked the mage where in the Abyss would he be, having been stuck to this infernal chair.
Alas, he could not speak.
Hughe was hesitant as he lifted his hand, and moved it toward the Alyeid stone. He bit his lower lip a moment in apparent indecision, or lack of confidence. Then he put his hand on the stone, very forcefully, as if to keep himself from stopping.
Then pain.
Then white.
Then darkness.

Cardone did not open his eyes, as they were already open. Instead, he came into awareness of his surroundings. No more were the people talking and chatting. No longer was the room alive and vibrant. Instead, it was dark and diseased. It was a ruins, barely lit by the Ayleid stones that were now ancient.
Cardone could also feel his body now. The weight of it on the chair, sitting in one position for so long. His back hurt, his legs hurt, his neck hurt.
Everything hurt.
Cardone could see the mage laid out on the stone floor, apparently unconscious. One part of him hoped the mage was dead. However, if Cardone had a chance of being released, the mage would need to be alive, so he began to pray the man was still alive.
When he was free, he would insure the man would not be alive for long. He would leave the evil mage here to become an undead.

Hughe woke up. The magic was hard on the mind, more than the body. Being ripped from one time to another was no easy feat, and it was not something he could do on his own.
Ayleid magic however was very strong. That was why it was so coveted.
Hughe looked to the warrior on the chair, stuck, completely inanimate. He was not sure if the man could see, hear, or anything else for that matter. He actually hoped not, because the man would be there for a long time.
"I don't know if you can hear me, Cardone, but I did not intend this for you," Hughe said, as he rose. "I did, however, know that this could be a result, if I am to be honest. I can only tell you that you allowed me to get an artifact that will save another's life."
Hughe stood to his feet, a bit wobbly.
"If I can find a way to release you, I shall. However, at this point, to release you, I would have to take your place. I am willing, but cannot be sure that you would follow my directions after. I must leave you here. I will not return. I am not so foolish as to think that you would be forgiving of this predicament. However, I will keep my promise, and send someone to free you, if I can find a way."
With that, the mage walked away, leaving the dim, broken ruins with it's sole living inhabitant.

Cardone's mind was screaming all sorts of profanity as the mage left, and would for days after. Then months would pass. Then years. It was not until the Ayleid stone that his hand was touching began to dim, and lose it's light, that Cardone's body began to die. First thirst, then hunger. Cardone's mind, however, was long gone into madness.

The End