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29th of Last Seed, 427 3E
All my life I have heard about Dagoth Ur and what he's doing to Vvardenfell, but I never really thought about it until today. Even during this past two weeks I didn't really think about the blight due to being so focused on simply surviving. What brought Dagoth Ur and the spreading of the blight to mind was the reminder that there is a quarantine in place, which means that no one can easily leave Vvardenfell. Once you are here, you're stuck. Just as I am stuck.
This morning was like any other; Rey and I got up and took the short walk west to the Bitter Coast and began searching for game along the shore and around the muck pools. Once again the mudcrabs in the Seyda Neen wilderness were plentiful and I managed to easily make my quota of crab meat so it was early in the afternoon when I went into the village to sell my catch.
An Imperial whom I recognized as Vodunius, the man who had recommended the silt strider, came out of a house that was near the center of Seyda Neen. Seeing me, he said, "I remember you. I'm surprised that you came back here, especially since there isn't much that's of interest in this little back water."
Although I wanted to head back to Pelagiad, ignoring him would have been rude so I explained, "The mudcrabs are numerous around here, and hunting them is how I earn a living."
Sliding his hands into the worn pockets of his trousers, Vodunius replied, "Well I admit that makes sense. You're making out better than I am. When Vvardenfell was opened for expansion I thought it would be advantageous to be among the first arrive and reap the opportunities that awaited us westerners. It was promising at first, but Seyda Neen seems to have peaked and settled into a routine. That may not sound so bad, but for one of my trade it is not what you want to see. I don't know how much longer I can afford to stay here."
I inquired, "Was Seyda Neen expected to grow into a larger town?"
He nodded and answered, "Originally there may have been plans for a Legion fort this area. That would have been a boon to Seyda Neen's economy. Either it was considered too near the fort in Pelagiad or moved there in the first place. Whatever the case, the loss of it stunted this town's growth in a way that is does not seem likely to recover."
Admittedly I know nothing about fort construction, but that small swampy area doesn't look like a good place to built a fort to me. There are muck pools everywhere, and the ground is rather soft and spongy. Unable to imagine how "Fort Seyda Neen" could have possibly worked, I asked, "What is it that you do that is affected by this place remaining a fishing village?"
He explained, "I'm carpenter. There was plenty of work for me when the Empire first came to Seyda Neen with their ambitious plans. I had a part in the construction of half this town, and I'm not talking about the shacks along the shore. Now I have to take repair work just to try to get by. But only barely get by."
"Yes, I can see that this wouldn't be the best place for a carpenter. Darvene mentioned that she didn't think you were happy here."
Vodunius replied, "Honestly, no I'm not. If I had one hundred drakes I'd be on the next boat to Narsis. I came here to make my fortune, and all I've got is this cursed ring. Say. Would you give me one hundred drakes for it? The ring itself is worth more than that, but the enchantment is cursed, and no one will buy it. The enchantment helps you run faster, but it sucks the blood right out of you every time you use it. Please? You'll be doing me a real favor."
I glanced at the house that I had seen Vodunius come out of and asked, "Isn't that your home right there? Can't you sell it to get the money you need?"
With a brief shake of his head, he answered, "If only it were so, I would not have to part with my ring. Arrille owns the house. I've just been renting it from him. When I came to town I needed a place to stay. I fully expected to earn enough working to buy the place from him, but my fortunes fell along with Seyda Neen's."
By his own admission the ring is useless, but I know how it feels to be stuck on Vvardenfell. Plus over the last few days I've rebuilt my savings by a fair amount, so after taking a brief moment to ponder, I counted out one hundred septims and said, "Here. I'll take the ring."
With a sigh of relief, Vodunius said as the ring and gold changed hands, "Thank you so much. I'll be on the next boat out of here." He glanced around before adding, "As I'm sure you know, the Legion controls who can come and go from the island, but I made some special arrangements. That's why it's costing so much to travel from here. Thanks again, and I hope your luck here is better than mine was."
Now appearing to be considerably cheered up, Vodunius hurried into his rented house, no doubt to pack for his journey off of Vvardenfell. No matter what arrangments he had made, I knew that it would not be easy for him to sneak off the island, not with the quarantine in effect.
And that was when the realization hit me that even if my father were to decide to forgive me, as King he could not allow me to return to the mainland, not now that I have been living on Vvardenfell where Dagoth Ur is spreading the blight disease from Red Mountain. And Rey...I would never be permitted to take him back to Mournhold with me. He would have to either remain here on Vvardenfell on his own, or worse he would be put down "just in case" he had come into contact with the blight.
I was thinking about this as Rey and I began our walk back to Pelgaiad. Like many Morrowind natives, I have often wondered why the Tribunal are not doing anything about Dagoth Ur. His threat to Morrowind did not start recently. The Tribunal erected the Ghostfence around Red Mountain when I was infant, and that was twenty years ago. Now all three of the Living Gods have gone into seclusion while Dagoth Ur continues to send out a blight cloud from the mouth of Red Mountain's volcano. Dagoth Ur is not going anywhere. Neither is the blight disease that he has created and is doing his best to spread. He may very well still be around for another twenty years.
When Rey and I got back to our rented hut, I sat down on the bed and fully realized that, like Dagoth Ur, I'm not going anywhere. Indeed like everyone else who comes to Vvardenfell, I am now quarantined here, very likely for many years to come.
*~*~*
All my life I have heard about Dagoth Ur and what he's doing to Vvardenfell, but I never really thought about it until today. Even during this past two weeks I didn't really think about the blight due to being so focused on simply surviving. What brought Dagoth Ur and the spreading of the blight to mind was the reminder that there is a quarantine in place, which means that no one can easily leave Vvardenfell. Once you are here, you're stuck. Just as I am stuck.
This morning was like any other; Rey and I got up and took the short walk west to the Bitter Coast and began searching for game along the shore and around the muck pools. Once again the mudcrabs in the Seyda Neen wilderness were plentiful and I managed to easily make my quota of crab meat so it was early in the afternoon when I went into the village to sell my catch.
An Imperial whom I recognized as Vodunius, the man who had recommended the silt strider, came out of a house that was near the center of Seyda Neen. Seeing me, he said, "I remember you. I'm surprised that you came back here, especially since there isn't much that's of interest in this little back water."
Although I wanted to head back to Pelagiad, ignoring him would have been rude so I explained, "The mudcrabs are numerous around here, and hunting them is how I earn a living."
Sliding his hands into the worn pockets of his trousers, Vodunius replied, "Well I admit that makes sense. You're making out better than I am. When Vvardenfell was opened for expansion I thought it would be advantageous to be among the first arrive and reap the opportunities that awaited us westerners. It was promising at first, but Seyda Neen seems to have peaked and settled into a routine. That may not sound so bad, but for one of my trade it is not what you want to see. I don't know how much longer I can afford to stay here."
I inquired, "Was Seyda Neen expected to grow into a larger town?"
He nodded and answered, "Originally there may have been plans for a Legion fort this area. That would have been a boon to Seyda Neen's economy. Either it was considered too near the fort in Pelagiad or moved there in the first place. Whatever the case, the loss of it stunted this town's growth in a way that is does not seem likely to recover."
Admittedly I know nothing about fort construction, but that small swampy area doesn't look like a good place to built a fort to me. There are muck pools everywhere, and the ground is rather soft and spongy. Unable to imagine how "Fort Seyda Neen" could have possibly worked, I asked, "What is it that you do that is affected by this place remaining a fishing village?"
He explained, "I'm carpenter. There was plenty of work for me when the Empire first came to Seyda Neen with their ambitious plans. I had a part in the construction of half this town, and I'm not talking about the shacks along the shore. Now I have to take repair work just to try to get by. But only barely get by."
"Yes, I can see that this wouldn't be the best place for a carpenter. Darvene mentioned that she didn't think you were happy here."
Vodunius replied, "Honestly, no I'm not. If I had one hundred drakes I'd be on the next boat to Narsis. I came here to make my fortune, and all I've got is this cursed ring. Say. Would you give me one hundred drakes for it? The ring itself is worth more than that, but the enchantment is cursed, and no one will buy it. The enchantment helps you run faster, but it sucks the blood right out of you every time you use it. Please? You'll be doing me a real favor."
I glanced at the house that I had seen Vodunius come out of and asked, "Isn't that your home right there? Can't you sell it to get the money you need?"
With a brief shake of his head, he answered, "If only it were so, I would not have to part with my ring. Arrille owns the house. I've just been renting it from him. When I came to town I needed a place to stay. I fully expected to earn enough working to buy the place from him, but my fortunes fell along with Seyda Neen's."
By his own admission the ring is useless, but I know how it feels to be stuck on Vvardenfell. Plus over the last few days I've rebuilt my savings by a fair amount, so after taking a brief moment to ponder, I counted out one hundred septims and said, "Here. I'll take the ring."
With a sigh of relief, Vodunius said as the ring and gold changed hands, "Thank you so much. I'll be on the next boat out of here." He glanced around before adding, "As I'm sure you know, the Legion controls who can come and go from the island, but I made some special arrangements. That's why it's costing so much to travel from here. Thanks again, and I hope your luck here is better than mine was."
Now appearing to be considerably cheered up, Vodunius hurried into his rented house, no doubt to pack for his journey off of Vvardenfell. No matter what arrangments he had made, I knew that it would not be easy for him to sneak off the island, not with the quarantine in effect.
And that was when the realization hit me that even if my father were to decide to forgive me, as King he could not allow me to return to the mainland, not now that I have been living on Vvardenfell where Dagoth Ur is spreading the blight disease from Red Mountain. And Rey...I would never be permitted to take him back to Mournhold with me. He would have to either remain here on Vvardenfell on his own, or worse he would be put down "just in case" he had come into contact with the blight.
I was thinking about this as Rey and I began our walk back to Pelgaiad. Like many Morrowind natives, I have often wondered why the Tribunal are not doing anything about Dagoth Ur. His threat to Morrowind did not start recently. The Tribunal erected the Ghostfence around Red Mountain when I was infant, and that was twenty years ago. Now all three of the Living Gods have gone into seclusion while Dagoth Ur continues to send out a blight cloud from the mouth of Red Mountain's volcano. Dagoth Ur is not going anywhere. Neither is the blight disease that he has created and is doing his best to spread. He may very well still be around for another twenty years.
When Rey and I got back to our rented hut, I sat down on the bed and fully realized that, like Dagoth Ur, I'm not going anywhere. Indeed like everyone else who comes to Vvardenfell, I am now quarantined here, very likely for many years to come.
