ArchBishop Dialogue #2 COMPLETE. NEED MISC.

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COMMENTS IN BRACKETS {} ARE SPOKEN/DONE BY THE PLAYER
COMMENTS IN BRACKETS [] IS WHAT THE PLAYER IS DOING OR WHERE THEY ARE

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ArchBishop of Evermore:
Knowledgeable and in high position of power
Dedicated to divines
Expert in magics
Around 60 years old
First talked to at Main Quest 7 or side quest involving necromancers, gives you sufficient information to tackle task.

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{Do you know anything about that necromancer that terrorized The Divide?}

The divide has yet to deal with that matter? What happened to the mercenaries they hired?

{I wasn't told of anyone else dealing with the issue}

Yes figures, the dead seem to be where the threshold lies when it comes to their work.

Though now a more startling revelation has come to the fore, that those dark mages not only inhabit the hidden crannies of the east - but on our very doorstep.

{How do you know this?}

If you can recall the Divide's Priest, an elderly gentleman named Fenig - he was the one who made us aware that their devious ilk have made themselves our neighbors.

"Right under our noses" as Fenig stated. Though with further inspection, a correction had to be made. For they exist above.

Occupying the frozen rubble heap of Spinster's Peak.



{What is Spinsters Peak?}

An old rebel fort, the Empire couldn't raze all of the memories of our fractured past. There are still many forts dotted around High Rock.

A near ancient Rebel fort, built by our feuding forebears - probably making the capital of many bygone kingdoms.

Yet when the Empire had sought to partition High Rock for its own means, those kingdoms of yore were dissolved. Razing their respective capitals.

Now these ruins shelter only the wretched of our land, normally those of petty repute will get to them first.

But when they don't, more sinister parties will fill their decrepit halls. As has been seen with past necromancer cults.



{I will see if anyone dwells within.}

I advise great caution on this expedition, necromancers are the most dangerous foe - audacious displays will be your undoing.

That's not to dissuade you from your journey, as your eagerness itself is a sign of immense bravery. Pray before heading out, the gods will be needed in this perilous task.

Make preparations to shield yourself from their magic too, or else your chances are slim. I'll make a prayer so that the gods may watch over you.

{I've dealt with the necromancer problem, their leader was some giant frog thing.}

They always describe them like that. The thing you encountered was a Sload, terrifying creatures when they're on land.

Necromancers? In the city?

{No, those at spinster's peak, where you sent me}

Hmmmmm, Oh yes! Forgive me! You would think such a pressing issue would reside in the memory a while longer.

Yet something I do remember from the study in my earlier years is that creature you detail...

Sloads; descriptions of their appearance never differ when spoken by the unaware.

{What are these Sloads?}

The most sinister among the corpse-weavers, their magic goes beyond the dark arts conjured by men.

It's said that they can tear those souls, who've already established themselves in the afterlife, into estranged bodies here. Defying the very laws of the gods who covets said souls.

Yet these sloads are water bound, their being becomes increasingly moribund the further they are from the seas. How has this particular sload persisted so high in the mountains?

{Magic?}

Magic only explains so much, yet without any other explanation, it will suffice.

{Do you think these necromancers had anything to do with this plague?}

Of course! I've skirted the principal fear of the sloads, their uncanny ability to summon the most fatal miasmas. A startling development!

In fact, this very plague shares a resemblance to that which left Elswyr stricken all those years ago. Going further, the same death-bringer who set loose that plague could be the one you've slain.

Some say they can live indefinitely, becoming the terror of a great many cultures and people.

{So what now?}

Collate the evidence and receive counsel from the Priests of Daggerfall, as this particular subject lies beyond my purview.

Maybe now, after all the setbacks and wasted lives - we can finally make progress. If we can gather the supplies from spinster's peak, then maybe a cure?

Wishful I know, but it remains our only hope to stall this deathly mist that grips the reach.

{I hope something comes out of this at least}

Only time will tell, however you can have this immediate reward for your contribution. It wont compare to risking your life, but then again, what will?

And not due to their physical might, but the plagues and diseases they concoct to set loose upon the people close by.

I wouldn't be surprised if the very plague we're dealing with was of their doing. A similar pox devastated elswyr long ago.

And I wouldn't be surprised if they shared the same origin. Those sloads can live for eons without succumbing to their enormous weight.

{What will you do now?}

Send a message to the priests at Daggerfall telling of the creature we had you slay. To see what similarities this Pox has to those that went before.

Sloads hardly deviate from their usual formula when creating these afflictions, because they know them to be so effective at what they do.

So with that knowledge, hopefully we can finally stem the tide of this disease, and maybe cure those already stricken with it.

You've been a great asset to this Kingdom, I'll make sure Daggerfall hears of your name too.

{I come at the behest of the priest at Arnima, to talk of Mortifayne.}

Oh, these weary eyes mistook you for another Pilgrim. Yes I've heard of you already, the priest has sung nothing but praise for your name.

And lest we slip into bad habits, that town is called Raven Spring. "Arnima" is an alien moniker, almost sinister.

Before I lose myself.. Mortifayne, that perennial question that hasn't found an answer, until now. Sigmayne has finally realized his madness for himself.

Not that it wasn't apparent for those subjugated to the mad lord, but their cries fell on death ears. Almost three decades of tyranny, with so much cruelty...

Ever since the Orsimer sacked the fort of Grey Belmor while laying siege to the Reach, Mortifayne has shown acts of extreme cruelty.

{Of what kind?}

I needn't tell you what happened to the Halon family? In one of Mortifayne's paranoid streaks, he accused Geffir Halon of high treason.

Ever heard of the Halon Family? One of the most infamous demonstrations of Mortifayne's sadism, sundering every heart who was witness.

Geffir was accused of High Treason, with little evidence other than the lord's paranoid suspicion. Bypassing trial toward execution.

Yet it wouldn't be Mortifayne if there were just a single execution, no, the lord was ravenous on that day. As the Raven Spring people said "He had a hunger in his eyes".

{Others were executed?}

Indeed, Geffir's family was brought before him, and the Lord forced Geffir to see. Drawn and Quatered, beginning with his youngest daughter. Mortifayne had hand-picked his dearest executioner, the butcher who would become his chef.

One by one they were mutilated, until death had finally came for Geffir. Word was that Geffir had lost the energy to scream when his turn came - a silent resignation.

What remained of the bodies was hoisted in the streets, there was no where to look without seeing his grisly handiwork..

{That's terrible, why was he not replaced then?}

Sigmayne has the misplaced belief that Mortifayne is a necessary evil, that his is the order that can tame the reach.

He assumes that a gentler lord would fall to the myriad threats posed on that town. As Raven Spring is our most important asset in the east, it's fall would have us eventually follow.

{And the rumor of Namira's involvement?}

It would be a great folly to continue dismissing it, there comes a time when the evidence transforms rumor to reality.

Just the nature of her relation with Mortifayne is a mystery, what could possibly be derived from that despairing entity?

The priests have been worried about daedric plots for some time, yet most were confined to individual victims. However the reports we hold on mortifayne conform to a far grander scheme.

A plot targeted at Ada-mantia itself.

{The direnni tower?}

It has many names, holding its own unique value to every culture. Now that tower happens to be one of the last, others across Tamriel have since been destroyed or made dysfunctional.

Compounded with the waning Liminal barrier that separates us from Oblvion itself, we have a recipe for disaster. It seems Martin's sacrifice 200 years ago did not make certain our survival.

The priests discussed this heightened activity as being her move upon the last tower, the Direnni Tower.

As the barrier between Oblivion and Nirn has been weakening ever since the amulet of kings was used to prevent another Oblivion crisis.

Tower after tower falling, with only one left, the only one we know of anyway. We're not sure what horrors could be laid upon Nirn if it ever falls.

{What are the towers?}

I'm sorry, I was getting ahead of myself. That's a conversation for another day, or maybe two days considering the complexity of the topic.

Pardon me, a week of thorough education would be needed to broach that subject. Such sheer complexity would surely distract us from this most urgent matter.

What you need to know is that whatever is happening in Raven Spring can spell a doom unseen since the beginning of our times.

Worst comes to worst, we've a strategy to prevent complete chaos descending onto this Kingdom. Knowledge from the Oblivion Crisis has been instilled in every Priest's mind, in case it may ever transpire again.

{Is that all, bishop?}

I shouldn't delay you any further - Horustair was seen departing for Raven Spring with his party. They'll be convening with Merosa before ousting Mortifayne from his throne.

You should hurry, your presence may halt tensions from boiling over.



Fortunately, if the worst does happen, we've prepared. Ever since the Oblivion crisis claimed so many lives and razed so many cities.

We had the chance to understand how to prevent something so cataclysmic happening again, thank the gods that we could study those Sigil Stones.

You should head back to the town and consort with Merosa, she's leading a party to confront the lord.

{Greetings, Damian has asked me to retrieve a certain staff in your possession, Dirennian in design.}

I know just the staff - though may I ask, what will it be used for? It's an invaluable relic that shan't be damaged if possible.

{We're planning to use it to lift the curse at Grey Belmor, a supposed Direnni construct lies dormant which this staff can wake.}

Yet another foray into that ill-fated land? I hope they've learned from former excursions on what not to do. That martial prowess alone isn't enough.

I'll pray for your party's safety, please make sure not to damage the staff if given the chance - it still has a use today in lighting many other ancient constructs.

{I assume you're here to take the children off my hands?}

As with every batch of younguns the city receives - nothing is more important for the kingdom than the propagation of its virtues through the next generation.

As with every young batch this city receives - there is no higher priority than the propagation of our virtues to the next generation.

And we priests are best fitted to carry out that education, so yes knight I will be taking them.

And for your knightly deed; trust and gratitude.

{You're so generous, Bishop}

Before we forget your past vocation - I assume you're looking for a more tangible reward? A raise to your monthly earnings should suffice.

And for your knightly deed; trust and gratitude, which will be reciprocated in haste, however I digress from a more pressing event. An Orc from Daggerfall speaks at the stage near the brothel. You should have a listen, such politics may be of use to a knight.

{The king doesn't need me for anything else?}

His majesty hasn't informed me of any further duties to impart on you, so you're free to enjoy your time as you wish.

If you're not too busy, then you can attend the show within the city's center - some Orc from daggerfall is scheduled for a speech. One of the more erudite of his kind.

Have a listen, may be his insight will come of use to a knight.



[Player enters temple]

You're in the sanctum of the Divine now, you can find the icons of prayer in the hall. If you need consoling, then I am here, relieve your burdens with the gods.

[PLANS FOR EXTRA DIALOGUE]

{Have we made preparations in case of an event with oblivion?}

Of course, such devastation warrants the most thorough contingency plans in case of it happening again.

And we're not quite assured by the words of those from Cyrodil, in that the barrier was sealed by Martin's great sacrifice within their capital.

Better safe than sorry.

{So what did you do after the oblivion crisis?}

Death had become life in those long nights following the calamity, suffering had percolated into every corner of our province. Destruction so total that no kingdom could muster the forces to invade another.

There was a glimmer of hope however; heroes who battled back the demons within their own wretched hellscape had brought us invaluable information.

Telling us of the principal importance of the Sigil stones - stones which maintain cohesion within their realms, and upon taking these very orbs, their world crumbles. And any foreign body found on their hellish shores will be pulled back onto ours.


{Heroes?}

We had heroes spanning from border to border within High Rock but none so inspiring to the Reachmen than the daring trio who graced us.

A band of mettlesome paragons, each with their respective craft; He who mastered blade and shield, she who weaved wicked sorcery and he whose speed was unparalleled.

The warrior and the mage had relented against Dagon's terrible onslaught, not giving an inch to the red horde - while the rogue had slipped passed their ranks and went on the most perilous journey any mortal could embark.

{He went into oblivion?}

That is what the tomes show - right into the heart of their dark army, to the peak of their tower, ripping the stone from its socket. And from what could we infer, without notice.

Upon the towers collapse, the demon horde fell and the gates had congealed. The rogue was never seen again after that valiant feat. We've commemorated his role in our defense, as honor dictates. His effigy stands at Reach's Rest.

Now their legacy lives on in their knowledge, that we've taught to the militia in the event that another crisis spills into our realm.


{Why only harbor the children? What about the adults?}

For reasons unclear, this affliction leaves those in their prime unharmed. Pervading only among the old and the young, reaping both shortly after initial signs of the disease.

And I needn't overstate the importance of coveting the children of the kingdom. An act that both seeks to protect the future and engender favor from the gods, so that this kingdom never wanes in strength.

{And where do you take them?}

We have them washed down and deloused, meticulously seeking out any signs of plague through their bodies, and their souls. As the nature of this plague isn't fully understood.

Surgeons work on the temporal aspect of the affliction and priests banish the spiritual ailments that burden them. We have to be thorough, else we risk having an outbreak within these very walls.

The children are then sent off to a select few foster homes that will harbor them until the plague subsides, once it does, physical contact will be reestablished with the parents.

{Are there no mages guild around here?}

You're an era late on the news - the mages guild has long since dissolved and is now of fleeting importance. They were succeeded by the priests circle, who has adopted many of the same practices save for the unsavory arts.


{And what is your position in this circle?}

The archbishop of Evermore, chief among the clergy in the east - who confers meetings with other holy sects across the province. Which acts as a form of diplomacy between the kingdoms as well.

If the king wishes the ice to be broken between a kingdom who once abhorred our presence, he will ask me to talk on his behalf.



{What is this barrier that hangs over the city?}

Grand isn't it? Ancient magics spawned from the dirennian construct found beneath the earth. From what we deduced from those excavations, these old wells were employed in some bygone defense.

Against what foe would such measures be needed? We've yet to find out, though it must have been a most intimidating beast indeed.

Yet this same barrier has procured us shelter against the plague that's left the reach stricken. I fear the day that this barrier may cease, for whatever reason. The city cannot run the risk of infected.

{Do you have any work for me?}

A simmering curiosity has harried my thoughts for a good while now, still unfulfilled, maybe you can sate it. There is a Dirennian ruin north of this city; Umbasir.

A vault of unmolested wonder, there would be an ineffable wealth in learning if we could divulge in its halls.

We have attempted to excavate the city before, yet curses and ancient augers have precluded such activities. It is simply too dangerous to follow up on our interests there. Until someone can break through their vanguard that is.

Maybe you can be the adventurer we seek, a sole interloper may not evoke the same attention that an entire party will. Go and see what lies beneath.

{I return from Umbasir [Tell story]}

An immense journey. I was sure to listen to every detail as this will be recorded. Not content with an economy of mortals, these Direnni sought gods themselves to fetch the greatest haul.

I'm sure you've taken your fair share from their treasures?

{No, I still expect a reward here}

What we can offer pales to what you saw in their vaults, yet who are we to forgo our debts. Take these, I wish to work with you again on any further research. Thank you.

{Yes, I've got enough}

Surely! The tailors will be very busy with your pockets I bet! I cannot express enough gratitude for your contribution to our research.

Remain well friend and good journeys.

[Misc dialogue]


[NPC REACTS TO PLAYER STEALING]
The gods have naught but disgust for thieves, return that this instance.


[NPC DYING WORDS]
My service is over...
Mara, is this my time?

[NPC REACTS TO FRIENDS DEATH]
Those who spill blood are condemned to suffer!
Hideous agent of discord!

[NPC ATTACKED]
Halt at once!
Have you no heart?!
Stendarr shield me!
Mercy!
Agh!

[NPC BLOCKING ATTACKS]
I have the aegis of stendarr.
It'll take more than that.

[NPC BLEEDING OUT, ON KNEES]
Mara... We are soon to meet...
I must continue to serve...

[NPC ATTACKING PLAYER/ENEMY]
The right arm of stendarr!
Gods, grant me conviction!
Blasphemous swine!
Agggh!
Submit to divine authority!
Begone demon!
Back to your foul mistress!
Let us be ridden of your malice!

[NPC REACTS TO CORPSE]
May you find solace within mara's gentle sea.

[NPC REACTS TO PLAYER SWINGING WEAPON]
Careful! We don't want anymore spilled blood.

[NPC REACTS TO PLAYER SPELLS]
Magnificent display!
A talented mage are we? Should put your use in helping us priests.

[PLAYER SHOVES NPC]
Careful!
Ugh!


[NPC SAYS GOODBYE]
Blessings for your future journeys.
Gods-speed, knight.
Farewell.
Good fortunes.

[NPC SAYS HELLO]
Greetings, stranger. Are we in need of consolation?
Come for aid?
Good day!
We meet again, how fare you?
Doing well, knight?
Speak with the Arch-bishop, he may elaborate on what we're up against.
Have we made progress?
Are you in need, friend?
We should hurry.






{Bishop talks of training and knowledge he gave to other priests and guards in case of an oblivion crisis, that they should aim for the tower and take the stone immediately if they hope to return back to nirn. How foreign bodies don't stay in that realm once stone is taken. That situation is incredibly desperate so this is the only chance they have.}

{Bishop talks about the need to educate future children and have them better the kingdom, their location once they are retrieved into city. He tells you that they are first inspected for any signs of plague in facility, that you can't enter because high risk.}

{Bishop talks about priest circle in daggerfall, its relation to mages guild and how they have prominent positions next to royalty. Talk about history of priest circle and how its leftover of powerful theocracy. Maybe link magic to Direnni and talk about magical barrier - that the magical barrier is direnni in design and that the bretons built around previous tower. Maybe give hint that barrier was installed by direnni in fears of Ayleid king maybe encroaching on tower if he defeated allesians.}

{Bishop tells you to investigate Direnni ruin of umbasir, given as misc quest. You investigate and get another dialogue option telling him what you discovered. Talk of knowledge and then Bishop says he may send excavators there, warn him it's dangerous}