The throne room of Tiguna's palace was taken by a heavy silence after the Altmer's outburst, the Maormer Sealord patiently waiting for the self proclaimed Kinlord who had caught his attention to show more of himself while Narsis battled with the realization of just how utterly fucked he was.
He was no mewling child however, and he managed to calm himself swiftly enough, especially after embarrassing himself so openly "I see" He spoke "And who rules Pyandonea now, Sealord?"
The Maormer allowed himself a light smirk "I would declare that I do, however so would the Sealord of every single other city of our fair lands."
It did not take the Altmer much to realize his fellow noble was talking about a civil war, or at least a civil strife of some level "Would that be the reason your subjects outside are so very excited?"
"Noticed that, did you?" The sea elf quirks an eyebrow "You might just actually be who you say you are."
Narsis ignored the jab with a practiced placidity.
"Hm" The Sealord made a vaguely acknowledging noise "As of right now we are preparing for a raid from my fellow Sealord Parondo of Mantu, the plateau island to our east. The young Mer is an ambitious and cruel one, known to brutalize the land he conquers." He scoffs "A rather daunting prospect and one sufficient to make my people move without direct prodding."
"Troubles with the levy, my lord?" Narsis pushed the boundary slightly.
"Ha!" And to his satisfaction, Norevalion barked out a laugh "Our little 'civil war' has become little more than ritual at this point. Everyone seems content to merely raid each other instead of attempting to actually unite our lands, lest they draw the attention of all the other Sealords."
Narsis held back a wince "A troubling state of affairs."
"And one you have managed to preserve, Kinlord." The Maormer gave him a nod.
"Pardon?"
"This morning, when my Serpentguard caught you, you had handily defeated a young Maormer" Norevalion elaborated "That same youth is my younger brother Larnil, the very same brother who tried fleeing from his engagement to the daughter of Sealord Uumernenil of Cato Ydur when he found out about it yesterday."
'So that is why he even bothered talking to me' Narsis' eyes widened slightly before he offered the slightest bow "Happy to be of assistance, Sealord."
"Yes, I am certain you are." The Maormer gave him a bored look "But I still find myself curious. Why would a supposed Kinlord bother seeking Pyandonea? Is your attempt at a Third Aldmeri Dominion failing so miserably that you would seek out your enemies of yesteryear, doubly so since you expected to negotiate with Orgnum of all elves?"
Narsis hesitated, feeling like his next words would be the difference between success and failure. The Sealord had shown himself to be somewhat flippant, only barely interested in Narsis' presence but the Kinlord could see beyond the facade, as the sharp eyes of the blue elf never left him, disassembling his every word and gesture with a cold efficiency.
"We are indeed facing troubles at the moment" Narsis chose to be open, he had very little to lose, and much to gain by being honest "The Empire of Tamriel is growing stronger by the day and the Thalmor of Alinor are pushing for a reopening of hostilities as swiftly as possible. I am here to secure any kind of support I am able."
Norevalion leaned back into his throne "And why would the Mer of Pyandonea care for what happens on the shores of Tamriel? Especially now that our King has died without declaring an heir."
"Because the Empire is growing too strong." Narsis pressed "Should they defeat the Dominion they will not stop there. In fact, I doubt they will ever stop."
The sea elf narrowed his eyes "And why would they seek us out? The humans have barely interacted with us in centuries, and what little success they may find against us will be washed away by the centuries as it had always been."
"Not with a Septim Dragonborn at their helm." Narsis spoke gravely.
Even the other Maormer within the chamber, incapable of speaking Tamrielic as they were, recognized the name the Altmer mentioned, and a heavy silence once more took the throne room.
Norevalion's entire posture shifted, the play he was enacting disappearing in an instant "You are certain?"
"I am" Narsis nodded "But things get even worse."
The Maormer Sealord's expression may as well have screamed 'How does it get worse?!'
Suppressing his sudden bout of schadenfreude, Narsis went on "Just before I left the ports of Shimmerene, it was announced that Titus Mede's adopted daughter, one Minthara Septim, would be marrying the newly risen Hortator of Morrowind, the same elf who had mere months prior removed the curse from their lands."
Seeing the sea elf's expression growing increasingly grave, Narsis pressed "The greatest magi of Alinor, after having analyzed the deeds and abilities we knew the two to be capable of assured me that the both of them are easily capable of attaining immortality."
"And so you came here, seeking an immortal ruler to counter them." Norevalion posited.
"One elder mage would not have made such a grand difference, no offense to your late King's skills of course" Narsis inclined his head "My point was that should the Dominion fail to contain them, it is only a matter of time before they get bored with what they have, as many Septims had before our times, and seek new lands to conquer."
"And Pyandonea is far closer to them than Akavir." The Sealord nodded "I can see the logic behind your words, even if I feel myself being directed to the 'obvious' conclusion."
"It would not be obvious otherwise." Narsis allowed himself just a touch of cheek.
Norevalion directed him with a pointed look but the Altmer could see the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Allow me to be candid with you Sealord." Narsis grasped the momentum he had built "I can see that you value your people's safety and prosperity, and that you disdain the current situation of your fair kingdom."
"And so can a blind child" Norevalion did not appear to like being read so blatantly "What is your point?"
"My point, Sealord" Narsis went on "Is that we could help each other, the Dominion and Pyandonea both. You seek to unite your lands and stop this wasteful civil war, while the Dominion seeks allies and now avenues of trade. An alliance between us is the logical next step."
"And turn myself into laughing stock by allying with Altmer?" Norevalion frowned "The other Sealords would unite against me faster than I could so much as think of making any kind of use of such an alliance."
'That is problematic' Narsis allowed internally 'But' "Then simply do not announce it until it is too late."
"If things were that simple conflict would not exist." The Sealord looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Not my meaning" The Altmer shook his head, forcing himself to ignore the snide comment "I am not so foolish as to propose we bring an entire army to aid you, but what if I were to use one of your ships to summon a number of powerful magi who could hide themselves under illusions? The sudden advantage you would have over your peers would turn the tide of any battle, and too quickly for the others to react."
"Our magi are mostly healers and helmsmen..." The Sealord considered briefly "But that would still be insufficient. I simply do not have the resources to fight all the other cities, even if I were to take them on one by one."
'To think I would be unfortunate enough to get stranded with one of the weaklings' Narsis lamented internally even as his expression remained perfectly polite "Is conquest truly the sole way of uniting your lands? Did King Orgnum leave nothing behind that would give you an advantage?"
The Maormer nearly waved the question off but paused, giving Narsis an evaluating look before answering "There very well could be one chance we could grasp..."
Preempting the inevitable question, Norevalion rose his hand to forestall him "You have convinced me of your station, or at least that you are no simple sailor playing at nobility, and I will not have an honored guest remain standing for so long. Take the time to rest, and we will reconvene within the gardens before sundown."
Before he could get another word in, Narsis was shown out by a sufficiently subservient palace servant, and led to rooms befitting his station where he was given a meal and a change of clothes.
Thankfully not the scandalous garb he had seen outside, insulting his host over such cultural norms did not seem like an overly wise idea but it was a hill he was more than willing to die on.
As he looked up from the flowing robe, Narsis' eyes landed upon a magnificently clear mirror, nearly flinching as he saw his beaten up and tired reflection upon it 'No wonder they did not immediately believe me' He scowled.
He pointedly did not listen to the part of his mind that practically whimpered at the sight.
And then, as one does, he began healing every tiny little bruise he could see, spending far too much time washing out the slightest tangle of his hair so he could retain the barest semblance of his true look.
By the time he was done he looked at least halfway decent... for a lower lord at least.
And yet, as he looked upon his reflection once again, he felt a bone deep weariness nearly overtake him, the constant fakery, the snide jabs of his host, him pretending not to be terrified out of his mind, it all felt oh so exhausting to the Kinlord.
'Except' He narrowed his eyes at his sagging arms 'I have no option but to succeed.'
He glared at his posture, the despair in his expression, and the lack of will in his eyes, and felt terribly furious at himself 'Look at you' He scoffed internally 'So terrified of failure you nearly started begging like a pathetic little peasant.'
'It does not matter.' He ordered himself 'We must do this, for Naerys, and for Alinor.'
He ate through his meal, some form of crab soup, in peace, thoughts drifting between doubts and duty all the while. An hour later he stood before the mirror, practicing his perfect posture and removing any sign of weakness he could find.
By the time the same servant who led him there came back to retrieve him, he looked ready to face the world in its entirety, even if he still felt like he was about to drown.
He was led through the palaces' western wing, and out into a large garden filled to the brim with delightfully organized colorful flowers and trees, the leaves of which danced through the air in an almost magical display.
Sadly, as much as he would have preferred wasting his hours away in admiration, he soon reached his destination and was greeted by the sight of the Sealord and what he could only guess was the Pyandonean equivalent of a great mage of some persuasion.
"Kinlord." Norevalion nodded "This is the lady Ellorien, a mage of some renown and a historian of a much greater acclaim." He waved his hand "My lady, this is Kinlord Narsis of Shimmerene, envoy of Alinor."
"An honor, Kinlord." The woman spoke in clipped Tamrielic.
"Charmed, my lady" Narsis inclined his head and turned to face Norevalion "Before we begin, I am afraid the previous excitement made me forget something." Moving his hand slowly as to appear non-threatening, Narsis cast the inventory spell and his letter of introduction appeared within his grasp.
He did his utmost to ignore the dozen or so marksmen currently aiming at him.
"The letter intended for Orgnum, no doubt?" The Sealord waved his guards down.
"Indeed" Narsis nodded and took his seat as the Sealord offered it, proffering the letter in turn "I apologize for not showing it earlier, but I was understandably frazzled by my experiences."
"Being shipwrecked is rarely a pleasant experience" Norevalion nodded, unfurling the letter as he did "But they can also be a sign of fate in my culture, maybe the waves chose to dislodge you upon my shores because you would not have met success anywhere else?"
'And definitely not because it is the northwesternmost island of the archipelago' Narsis did his best not to roll his eyes "But of course, Sealord. Your hospitality has been as grand as one may hope for given the circumstances."
"Quite." The Maormer (rather slowly) finished his reading, and returned the letter "Now, you asked me earlier if there was a way to declare a true heir of Orgnum to all of Pyandonea, and the good lady here confirmed my thoughts while you rested."
Taking that as her cue, Ellorien nodded "Deep within the ruins of Orgnum's Palace his body still lay untouched, and upon his finger is said to be a ring of pure gold, gold taken directly out of his lost coffer, the last he had ever had it create."
'Orgnum's Coffer' Narsis noted 'The source of infinite coin lost to a Septim fleet an era ago.'
"The ring" The Sealord cuts in "Is said to only be wearable by one of Orgnum's own blood, and luckily for us, every single Sealord is descended from the King no matter how distantly."
"Such is the hope at least." The lady gave him a dry look before continuing "During what you know as the Oblivion Crisis, the Daedra Clavicus invaded Orgnum's sanctum and drowned the glorious King in his legions. No one is truly certain why the Daedra did so but even now the ruins remain inaccessible to all, overtaken by maddened servants and guardians, and Dremora that seem to be without number."
Narsis immediately caught on "You wish for me and mine to retrieve this ring for you, don't you?"
"Quite so." The Sealord nodded "I will not risk my own in breaching the ruined capital, and what better way to prove yourself to all Pyandonea than to retrieve the way for its unification?"
"Indeed." Narsis did his best to keep the dryness from his voice.
"However." Norevalion pointed his index finger upwards "Before any of that can happen, I will need you to prove yourself to my councilors and warriors. Many of them question why I let an Altmer into my halls, and I will not risk my reign for your vague promise of alliance."
'And there it is.' Narsis grumbled to himself.
"You will join me in battling Parondo" Norevalion declared with no room for argument "I will see if you are willing to back your words with your blade, and so will my subjects."
The high elf nodded numbly "Just make sure to have a ship ready for me once we are done, I may be proud of my skills but taking down an obvious Oblivion Gate by myself is not something I capable of."
He will admit, he took an inordinate amount of pleasure in their startled expressions.
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