. "bookskill_illusion3"@en . . "Incident in Necrom"@en . "1"^^ . "\u201CThe situation simply is this,\u201D said Phlaxith, his face as chiseled and resolute as any statue. \u201CEveryone knows that the cemetery west of the city is haunted by some malevolent beings, and has been for many years now. The people have come to accept it. They bury their dead by daylight, and are away before Masser and Secunda have risen and the evil comes forth. The only victims to fall prey to the devils within are the very stupid and the outsiders.\u201D \u201CLet's have one last drink to our poor sorceress,\u201D said Osmic, leading Nitrah out of the room toward the stairs down."@en . "1"^^ . "Incident in Necrom"@en . . . . . . "10"^^ . . "225"^^ . "\u201CThe situation simply is this,\u201D said Phlaxith, his face as chiseled and resolute as any statue. \u201CEveryone knows that the cemetery west of the city is haunted by some malevolent beings, and has been for many years now. The people have come to accept it. They bury their dead by daylight, and are away before Masser and Secunda have risen and the evil comes forth. The only victims to fall prey to the devils within are the very stupid and the outsiders.\u201D \u201CIt sounds like a natural solution to filtering out the undesirables then,\u201D laughed Nitrah, a tall, middle-aged woman with cold eyes and thin lips. \u201CWhere is the gold in saving them?\u201D \u201CFrom the Temple. They're re-opening a new monastery near the cemetery, and they need the land cleansed of evil. They're offering a fortune, so I accepted the assignment with the caveat that I could assemble my own team to split the reward. That's why I've sought you each out. From what I've heard, you, Nitrah, are the best bladesman in Morrowind.\u201D Nitrah smiled her unpleasant best. \u201CAnd you, Osmic, are a renowned burglar, though never once imprisoned.\u201D The bald-pated young man stammered as if to refute the charges, before grinning back, \u201CI'll get you in where you need to go. But then it's up to you to do what you need to do. I'm no combatter.\u201D \u201CAnything Nitrah and I can't handle, I'm sure Massitha will prove her mettle,\u201D Phlaxith said, turning to the fourth member of the party. \u201CShe comes on very good references as a sorceress of great power and skill.\u201DMassitha was the picture of innocence, round-faced and wide-eyed. Nitrah and Osmic looked at her uncertainly, particularly watching her fearful expressions as Phlaxith described the nature of the creatures haunting the cemetery. It was obvious she had never faced any adversary other than man and mer before. If she survived, they thought to themselves, it would be very surprising. As the foursome trudged toward the graveyard at dusk, they took the opportunity to quiz their new teammate.\u201CVampires are filthy creatures,\u201D said Nitrah. \u201CDisease-ridden, you know. They say off to the west, they'll indiscriminately pass on their curse together with a number of other afflictions. They don't do that here so much, but still you don't want to leave their wounds untreated. I take it you know something of the spells of Restoration if one of us gets bit?\u201D \u201CI know a little, but I'm no Healer,\u201D said Massitha meekly. \u201CMore of a Battlemage?\u201D asked Osmic. \u201CI can do a little damage if I'm really close, but I'm not very good at that either. I'm more of an illusionist, technically.\u201D Nitrah and Osmic looked at one another with naked concern as they reached the gates of the graveyard. There were moving shadows, stray specters among the wrack and ruins, crumbled paths stacked on top of crumbled paths. It wasn't a maze of a place; it could have been any dilapidated graveyard but even without looking at the tombstones, it did have one very noticeable feature. Filling the horizon was the mausoleum of a minor Cyrodilic official from the 2nd Era, slightly exotic but still harmonizing with the Dunmer graves in a complimentary style called decay. \u201CIt's a surprisingly useful School,\u201D whispered Massitha defensively. \u201CYou see, it's all concerned with magicka's ability to alter the perception of objects without changing their physical compositions. Removing sensual data, for example, to cast darkness or remove sound or smell from the air. It can help by--\u201D A red-haired vampire woman leapt out of the shadows in front of them, knocking Phlaxith on his back. Nitrah quickly unsheathed her sword, but Massitha was faster. With a wave of her hand, the creature stopped, frozen, her jaws scant inches from Phlaxith's throat. Phlaxith pulled out his own blade and finished her off. \u201CThat's illusion?\u201D asked Osmic. \u201CCertainly,\u201D smiled Massitha. \u201CNothing changed in the vampire's form, except its ability to move. Like I said, it's a very useful School.\u201D The four climbed up over the paths to the front gateway to the crypt. Osmic snapped the lock and disassembled the poison trap. The sorceress cast a wave of light down the dust-choked corridors, banishing the shadows and drawing the inhabitants out. Almost immediately they were set on by a pair of vampires, howling and screaming in a frenzy of bloodlust. The battle was joined, so no sooner were the first two vampires felled than their reinforcements attacked. They were mighty warriors of uncanny strength and endurance, but Massitha's paralysis spell and the weaponry of Phlaxith and Nitrah clove through their ranks. Even Osmic aided the battle. \u201CThey're crazy,\u201D gasped Massitha when the fight finally ended and she could catch her breath. \u201CQuarra, the most savage of the vampire bloodlines,\u201D said Phlaxith. \u201CWe have to find and exterminate each and every one.\u201D Delving into the crypts, the group hounded out more of the creatures. Though they varied in appearance, each seemed to rely on their strength and claws for attacking, and subtlety did not seem to be the style of any. When the entire mausoleum had been searched and every creature within destroyed, the four finally made their way to the surface. It was only an hour until sunrise. There was no frenzied scream or howl. Nothing rushed forward towards them. The final attack when it happened was so unlike the others that the questors were taken utterly by surprise. The ancient creature waited until the four were almost out of the cemetery, talking amiably, making plans for spending their share of the reward. He judged carefully who would be the greatest threat, and then launched himself at the sorceress. Had Phlaxith not turned his attention back from the gate, she would have been ripped to shreds before she had a chance to scream. The vampire knocked Massitha across a stone, its claws raking across her back, but stopped its assault in order to block a blow from Phlaxith's sword. It accomplished this maneuver in its own brutal way, by tearing the warrior's arm from its socket. Osmic and Nitrah set on it, but they found themselves in a losing battle. Only when Massitha had pulled herself back up from behind the pile of rocks, weak and bleeding, that the fight turned. She cast a magickal ball of flame at the creature, which so enraged it that it turned back to her. Nitrah saw her opening and took it, beheading the vampire with a stroke of her sword. \u201CSo you do know some spells of destruction, like you said,\u201D said Nitrah. \u201CAnd a few spells of healing too,\u201D she said weakly. \u201CBut I can't save Phlaxith.\u201D The warrior died in the bloodied dust before them. The three were quiet as they traveled across the dawn-lit countryside back toward Necrom. Massitha felt the throb of pain on her back intensify as they walked and then a gradual numbness like ice spread through her body. \u201CI need to go to a healer and see if I've been diseased,\u201D she said as they reached the city. \u201CMeet us at the Moth and Fire tomorrow morning,\u201D said Nitrah. \u201CWe'll go to the Temple and get our reward and split it there.\u201D Three hours later, Osmic and Nitrah sat in their room at the tavern, happily counting and recounting the gold marks. Split three ways, it was a very comfortable sum. \u201CWhat if the healers can't do anything for Massitha?\u201D smiled Osmic dreamily. \u201CSome diseases can be insidious.\u201D \u201CDid you hear something in the hall?\u201D asked Nitrah quickly, but when she looked, there was no one there. She returned, shutting the door behind her. \u201CI'm sure Massitha will survive if she went straight to the healer. But we could leave tonight with the gold.\u201D \u201CLet's have one last drink to our poor sorceress,\u201D said Osmic, leading Nitrah out of the room toward the stairs down. Nitrah laughed. \u201CThose spells of illusion won't help her track us down, as useful as she keeps saying they are. Paralysis, light, silence -- not so good when you don't know where to look.\u201D They closed the door behind them.\u201CInvisibility is another spell of illusion,\u201D said Massitha's disembodied voice. The gold on the table rose in the air and vanished from sight as she slipped it into her purse. The door again opened and closed, and all was silent until Osmic and Nitrah returned a few minutes later."@en . . "Incident at Necrom"@en . . "3"^^ . . . . . "1"^^ . . . . "60"^^ . . "1"^^ . . "1"^^ . . . .