Session 15 - The Orichalic God and the Curse of Lady Trevassa

General Summary

Our party found themselves working their way down the mountainside after having been deposited on a remote cliff by Nokke, the cursed Nord innkeeper of the Voyager. Departing from the Skooma den they had just finished raiding, the party loaded up the cart and mounted their camels for the journey ahead. As Steve was getting ready to move the cart, he noticed a small tabby cat tail hiding behind the water barrels. Ohmrasha, the Alfiq Khajit who alleged to be the leader of the Skooma refiners was hiding in the cart. Steve not wanting to scare her off, offered to let her sit beside him in the drivers seat, giving her a ride to Skaven which she accepted.

The party would depart and travel for about 30 mins before they came upon an elderly man walking in the road. The man looked to be in his late 60s or so, with his black braided hair streaked with grey and liver spots and smile lines accentuating his face. A long sideways scar could be seen across the front of his face. The man wore a beautiful suit of Orichalic armour, and at his side was a magnificent sword of emerald green.
The man moved over on the side of the road to allow the party to pass, and Peeeeen-Ja offered him a hello and good morning as they approached. Peeeeeen-Ja was overcome with a feeling of warmth and comfort upon looking at the man, and an air of calmness surrounded him that stopped the party in its tracks.
As they spoke with the man, he would address Havem as his “Old Friend” and how good it was to see him again. Confused by this, Havem would be unsure as to why this man claimed to know who he was. At this, Havem was overcome with a feeling of recognition, something was familiar about the man before him and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
As the party walked with the man, he told them that he was on his way to investigate rumours of a Medusa lurking in these remote peaks. He explained to them that a Medusa is a cursed being, always starting as a woman, and becoming cursed to a vile, serpentine form by some powerful being. They are deeply misunderstood creatures, never allowed to embrace their loved ones or look upon their friends ever again.
The man would ask the party what brought them to the remote peaks of the Dragontail Mountains, and after learning about their encounter with The Voyager, would chuckle at the coincidence. Nokke was once a simple Nordic innkeeper from the 1st era. He was cursed by the Archmage Shalidor to wander Tamriel in his inn, never staying in a place more than once, after giving the Archmage terrible service.
Along the way, and as the man continued to tell his story, Havem was again overcome with a feeling of familiarity and recognition of the man. Havem would ask the man who he was and how it could be that they were “Old Friends.” The man would just smile, and say that while he may not know who Havem is, he does know who “Ouroboros” is as they had served together many years ago as the Avatars of their respective gods. Aethrondil would remark that he believed they were in the presence of another Avatar, which the man would confirm.
The party was standing before Diagna, the Orichalic God of the Sideways Blade and the former Avatar of HoonDing, the Make Way God. Diagna explained that during his hay day, he led the charge against the Orcs of Orsinium to Make Way for the Redguards. He was a fierce warrior, and was a commander of armies and men. Today, his power had receded greatly. After his time as the Avatar of HoonDing, he was given permanence due to the prayers of the faithful. In recent times, his power had diminished so greatly that he was a shadow of his former self. He also explained a variety of other factors had led to his power decreasing and his body was beginning to age after so many centuries. Some of the factors included the resurgence in worship of The Darkin Blade, another Avatar of HoonDing, who had become amalgamated and contorted after merging with spirits from the Imperial faith. Prayers for Diagna had become few and far between, as Diagna put it, “Who is Diagna when compared to the mighty Talos? And who is Diagna when compared to the Darkin Blade, an avatar of the same deity?”
Diagna also described the ripple felt through Aetherius that had been felt across the Planes of Oblivion and even felt by Tu’whacca in the Far Shores, originating in Satakalaam. This ripple had sent shockwaves across existence, and Aethrondil understood this to mean that there was a dilation in time itself. This description was similar to the one given to the party by Father Ajax in Morose, who spoke of a coming battle in which the Gods and Daedra had begun to prepare by choosing their champions on Nirn. Diagna couldn’t offer any more insight to the party as to why this was occurring, only mentioning to Aethrondil that this series of events mirrored what occurred in Satakalaam before it was lost to time.
As the party approached the Medua’s lair, they came upon a large gorge with numerous statues scattered around. The party was unable to notice anything amiss as they worked their way towards a stone bridge, and they were attacked by a flock of Cockatrice that had been nesting along the cliffside. A battle would ensure amongst the party, which in turn alerted the lurking Basilisk that was hiding underneath the bridge. The party would be victorious in their fight, not falling victim to any of the petrifying abilities of the creatures they were attacked by. After combat ended for the party, Diagna would show Aethrondil how to use a Basilisk stomach to create potions of cure petrification, creating a single serum to administer should anyone fall victim to the Medusa’s gaze. Steve would ask Diagna if he knew anything about the woman who might be cursed to be a Medusa, and what influence she might have over the creatures they had fought. Diagna recalled that many centuries ago, a woman by the name of Lady Trevessa was said to have resided in this area, and was rumoured to have gone mad.
As the party worked their way through the gorge, they found a cave down the cliffside and revealing the broken ruins of a Temple hidden away inside. The cave complex was completely dark initially, and the party spent the first chunk of their exploring with blindfolds on, exploring foot by foot to ensure they weren’t caught off guard by her petrifying gaze. Due to this, they did not see the giant minotaur that was guarding the entrance and caught them off guard. A combat would ensue, and some of the party would fall victim to the petrifying breath of a great Gorgon that was poking his head through a small face hole in large chamber further into the Temple.
The party would slay the Minotaur quite handily, and after exploring a little further in, they found a simple altar with a large statue of a woman built on top of it. The statue showed a female Redguard woman holding Ouroboros in her hands with the inscription: Ouroboros, blessed she be by name. This temple is dedicated to her and her great victory in Satakalaam.
The party began to theorize that perhaps the Medusa, and Lady Trevessa was a former Ouroboros who had been cursed by some other deity, however they were not totally certain about that.
Further into the Temple, the party would find a large golden chest suspended on a platform across a large gap. A few of the party members would attempt to get into the chest quietly so as not to alert the Gorgon however they were unsuccessful. A melee would ensue and a few of the party members would be petrified, turning into stone statues. The party would manage to defeat the Gorgon, giving themselves just enough time for Aethrondil to craft some petrification potions quickly before they continued onwards.
As the party entered the last main chamber, the Medusa would reveal herself. Steve would call out to her, channelling the Voice of the Emperor to coax her out of hiding and to speak with her, addressing her by the name Lady Trevessa. The Medusa wore simple white robes with green/gold trim typical of a High Priestess of Satakal. She would be cautious at first, demanding to know why they bothered her and killed all of her pets. Steve very skillfully was able to convince the Medusa to return to the surface so that Diagna could cure her of her curse.
Upon reaching the surface, the party would gather around the shattered gazebo to watch Diagna work. Diagna would bless the Medusa, and offer her respite after a millennium cursed as a terrifying monster. The party would watch as the snakes in her hair fell off and her scales blown away. As she was cured, it would briefly reveal a beautiful Redguard woman, different from the statue that they found deep in the Temple. As briefly as her beauty returned, she began to age quickly, the effects of the immortal curse being gone would prove too much for her mortal body and so as quickly as she was cured, so too would she die, in peace. Diagna would say a brief blessing over the woman, explaining to a surprised party that she had suffered much in her time as a cursed Medusa, and it was time for her to join the honoured ancestors in the Far Shores. The party would ponder on this for a moment, wondering about the connection between the now dead Lady Trevessa and the Ouroboros of her time.

Report Date

12 Sep 2022