[Old Ebonheart] Documents of Variably Classified Nature

[Rats]

Here are some one-off documents of variably classified nature to add flavor and mystery to the Castle Old Ebonheart. I'm also putting up a link to [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=24612]Xui'al's Requisition Orders, 3E 282[/url], an excellent work of similar nature, which also should appear in Old Ebonheart.

First two documents are for the Legion Headquarters. First one is a little more classified than the second one.

Committee Report on the Battlespire Program
3E 399

Commissioned by: the [OMITTED] Council.
Investigation carried out by: [OMITTED] Committee.

The total cost of the manned reconnaissance missions into the Void conducted between 3E 334–399 is still pending, but a rough estimate from [NOMENCLATURE OMITTED] suggests a yearly cost of 16.000 per-capita. The Committee also deems noteworthy that the decades of non-intelligence gathered from the Battlespire program does not recognize any credible out-of-this-world threat as imminent.

Based on these findings made by the Committee a gradual termination of the Battlespire program and collapsing of the associated transplanetary pockets is couraged. [RANK OMITTED] [NOMENCLATURE OMITTED] personally advises strongly for the termination of extreme prejudice of the remaining mananautii of Battlespires X002–007, due to long exposure times to Daedric influences. For similar reasons a thorough purging of the Battlemage school is endorsed by the Committee entire.

In conclusion the [OMITTED] Committee advises that the training of the future Imperial battlemages is to be organized by a joint-effort of the Arcane University and the Legion in the Imperial City. Furthermore, any out-of-this-world scouting operations should be conducted with a within-this-world principle and concentrate on locating the remaining Battlespires listed MIA for wreck salvage and scrapping purposes only.

[SIGIL OMITTED]


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War-Engineer's Disassembly Report
5th of Second Seed, 3E 66
Fort Wariel, Siege Workshop

Broken remains of a mechanical automaton or other contraption of that nature have been brought to the workshop for disassembly and study by the Imperial legion patrol. The patrolmen claim that the wrecked thing was flying high above ground so that they had to shoot it down with an arbalest effectively breaking it.

According to the two men who made first contact with the wreckage there was a cloak of parchment-like feathers attached to the so-called back and limbs of the wreck, but it self-combusted upon approachal. The flame purportedly burned pale blue. No smoke. The shape is vaguely human, not unlike the Dwarven automatons found in Hammerfell--though considerably less brutish in appearance.

Upper layer of the wreck is seemingly one mesh, but upon closer examination proves to consist of a set of one, two, three... sixteen separate plates, bolted together with excellent craftsmanship. The material is brazen, evenly colored metal alloy. Gold is undoubtedly prevalent, though it doesn't explain the strength and durability of the alloy. The wreck is only slightly dented from where it was struck by the war-bolt, but there are no scrapes or other damage visible from the crash landing.

Unscrewing the bolts yields a thick mud-red liquid dripping out of the screwholes. Not unlike oil.

Encased within the golden plate armor is a mummy-shaped figure in blackwood. No limbs, rather what looks like an intricate network of roots connected to the outer metal casing. I believe there are important mechanisms hidden within these roots. There are patterns of fine, swirling markings on the wood's surface: quite possibly writing, but not in any language I can read. A job for a linguistic, then.

There is a figurehead carved to resemble the face of a woman sleeping. Material: ivory. Expression: serene.

A faint repeating sound emits from within the wood. Drum-like. Apparently some of the wreck's mechanisms are still at work. There are no seams visible, so hammer and chisel are required to make an opening.

Within the wooden figure is a dark iron cage protecting the inner workings of the wreck. The craftsmanship here is far cruder than the rest of the wreck. The violently twisting claw-like bars that make up the cage look as though they were forcibly coldforged by a troll.

I'm ripping through the iron cage with cutters. The mud-red oil mentioned earlier bleeds from the inside of the broken bars making it challenging to make observations.

There are, what appear to be, a beating heart and two stomachs in here. Disturbing.

The figurehead weeps oil.

I will continue the disassembly with the presence of an Imperial battlemage and an illustrator from the Scenarists' Guild at a later date.

Note: The 'later date' disassembly never took place as the wreck was stolen from Fort Wariel by a party that even after weeks of torturous investigation remains undetermined. This document is one of nine copies of the original disassembly report for the use of the Legion in the provinces in case of future sightings of a similar automaton. The document has undergone cryptographic treatment. Needlessly unsettling passages may have been omitted.


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This one is either for the King's quarters or the High Rock mission:


Royal Spies' Report

For the King's eyes only. Messenger should be either blind, illiterate or put to death upon delivery.

Your Royal Highness!

In Wayrest HRH Queen Elysana remains unpopular as ever. In the streets of Wayrest the rabble call the Queen an 'orc-face' and a 'foolish witch' and they think back with great fondness to the good old days when the wolf banner flew alongside the three roses above the towers and walls of the city. The people long for your return, my King.

Our spies within the household of Castle Wayrest tell that HRH Queen Elysana is growing increasingly paranoid. She has recently hired a new taster of noble birth out of fear that her would-be poisoners could use a poison that only affected aristocrats. Last month also saw a summary execution of a blacksmith's apprentice who was unfortunate enough to cross paths with the Queen's carriage twice on the same afternoon, which made him a likely assassin. We are requesting permission to fuel the Queen's paranoia with a few of strategically (mis)placed daggers.

In Firsthold a conversation between HRH Queen Morgiah and an unidentified party was successfully eavesdropped in the palace ice gardens by our spy. Reportedly, the Queen told the other party that she was â€Â￾unto to 'them'â€Â￾ and that she â€Â￾would have to contact 'him'â€Â￾. She then went on to declare in an exaggeratedly loud voice that any spy listening in the conversation should whilst writing their report make sure to spell 'them' with a capital 'T' and spell 'him' as 'Mannimarco, the King of Worms'. Our spy concludes his report by saying that he believes his cover has been blown and requests immediate assistance, and indeed: we haven't heard of him since. We believe that he has resorted to the â€Â￾invisibility potionâ€Â￾ we supplied him with and have already made the necessary arrangements to find a replacement.

Long live the King!



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The last one is for a Blades operative:


A Hypothetical Blades Document

Everything suggested in this document is hypothetical and therefore cannot be used as incriminating evidence in any court of any kind: Law or otherwise. This document is classified. Unauthorized readers are adviced not to read any further or prepare themselves for an impending death.

On the hypothetical situation that a Numidium-related Event should take place in the province of Morrowind:

First off, the Morrowind Operatives commend the actions of the Operatives within the Black Horse Courier and in the Iliac Bay region for being able to persuade the general public away from using negative terms like â€Â￾the Reality-shattering Cataclysmâ€Â￾ and â€Â￾the Heterotopian Disasterâ€Â￾ when talking of the Event of 3E 417– and ensuring names with much more positive connotations like â€Â￾the Miracle of Peaceâ€Â￾ have become normative. Should an Event occur, part of the damage control should be to ensure that a similarly non-panic-inducing name became the established name for the Event. â€Â￾The Miracle of Eastâ€Â￾ is proposed for consideration.

Should an Event take place in Morrowind our knowledge of the Event of 3E 417– has convinced our Operatives that all the related Parties should be eliminated. In the Event of 3E 417– one of the things that might have attributed to the creation of a Heterotopian Ground Zero was the neglective failure to eliminate the Parties who acted/continue to act as loose-ends for each of the conflicting timelines.

The two Parties codenamed â€Â￾Nâ€Â￾ and â€Â￾Vâ€Â￾ are the most unpredictable of the Event-related Parties. Depending on their combined, conflicting and co-operative hypothetical actions the things may turn out either Event-less or Event-ly. Should an Event take place and either one of these Parties pass uneliminated the Morrowind Operatives have agreed that the eradication of the Heterotopian landmass itself is to be considered.

For the Blades and the Emperor!

End of document.

[arvisrend]

The last one is a kind of eye-averter that is deliberately ridiculous and implausible so as to cast doubt upon any other documents that might leak along with it?

Nice stuff, generally, although I ignored the scifi parts. I liked the "invisibility potion" in particular :) Some grammar needs to be improved here and there, and this sentence seems corrupted: "The Committee also deems noteworthy that the decades of non-intelligence gathered from the Battlespire program does not recognize any credible out-of-this-world threat as imminent."

[Xui'al]

I've made a few edits. Let me know if you have trouble opening the file.