Books:Greg Keyes Novels/Sul

Sul, an aged Dunmer man with black hair (also called "Ezhmaar" by a former lover), woke in the Lank Fellow Inn in Chorrol after having dreamed of a ship crew that included Iffech and Keem, two Khajiit, and a human woman, Grayne.  They had all three died as they witnessed a city appearing in the sky over the water.  The innkeeper was standing at his open doorway, a sword drawn due to Sul's screams in his sleep.  As he rinsed his face, he noticed two books Azura left for him on a shelf; Tales of Southern Waters to send him in the right direction, and The Most Current and High Adventures of Prince Attrebus to show him who to look for.

Finding the party holding Attrebus captive, Sul killed them all and freed Attrebus.  When Attrebus told him that the city they were seeking was called Umbriel, and that it was heading toward Vvardenfell, Sul spoke of Vuhon and seemed to understand something more.

Attrebus and Sul came upon a pack of Khajiit mounted on monstrous Khajiit as tall as large horses.  They introduce themselves as the F'aashe clan.  Attrebus and Sul struck a deal with the Khajiit, that they'd buy and bring back to them moon sugar in return for protection.  They returned with the moon sugar to find a party of guards waiting for them at the Khajiit camp, whom Attrebus took care of by invoking his name and status with the still-loyally-Imperial captain.  The Khajiit joined their party in thanks.

When Attrebus and Sul discussed again Sul's goal of reaching Vivec City before Umbriel, Attrebus convinced him to explain why.  He explained that when Vivec was no longer available to hold the Ministry of Truth's velocity in check, Vuhon created the ingenium to hold it in place, though it required souls to function.  The ingenium exploded, however, and the Ministry of Truth crashed into Vivec City, causing Red Mountain to explode and hurling Vuhon into Oblivion.  Sul was in the ministry when it happened, and was also thrown into Oblivion; Clavicus Vile's realm, specifically.  When he arrived, he and Vuhon met Umbra, a man who claimed to have once been held captive by Clavicus Vile inside a sword, and had been waiting for this moment to hurl the sword out of Oblivion to keep it out of Clavicus Vile's hands.  Umbra and Vuhon struck a deal; if Umbra would spare him, he'd build another ingenium, which Umbra could use to escape the Daedric Prince.  During this time, Vuhon kept Sul in a torture chamber, where he eventually forgot about him and Sul escaped.  Attrebus remarked that they still wouldn't reach Vivec City in time, and Sul responded that they'd take a shortcut through Oblivion and then left him alone.

At Water's Edge, at the Imperial Garrison, Sul gathered gear for their travel.  At sundown the party arrived at the ruins of an Oblivion gate.  Sul opened a portal to Oblivion and he, Treb, and the Khajiit entered.  They stepped between and beyond the planes of Oblivion, noticing the differences through the pain of the transitions.  Their path through the planes was interrupted in Hircine's plane, and Sul guided the party through Oblivion as Hircine and his drivers hunted them.  One of the Khajiit was killed during the chase, and those remaining stayed behind at the end of the course to delay Hircine from reaching Attrebus and Sul.

Attrebus and Sul exited Oblivion directly into the ruined Vivec City.  There, Sul explained that Azura told him he'd find Umbra here, and that it must be what Vuhon was after.  He moved deeper into the ruined city, finding that the place where Umbra should have been was gone, and realized he'd have to try to contact Ilzheven's spirit.  He saw her materialize, and spoke with her; she called him "Ezhmaar".  He questioned her about Umbra, and she told him that Dunmer found it and took north, toward the Sea of Ghosts.  She begged him to "Let it go", but he told her he could not.

Attrebus' screams brought him to where he left him, to find Umbriel upon them, moving toward them.  They attempted to move back to their entry position, but were transported to Umbriel.  They were suspended in a type of spiderweb-like net in front of Vuhon.  As they spoke, Sul accused Vuhon of murdering his love, Ilzheven, and destroying Vvardenfell; Vuhon contested that it was actually Sul that did that.  It was revealed that Ilzheven had a very special type of soul, and Vuhon was using her to power the ingenium, to hold the Ministry of Truth aloft over Vivec City.  When Sul freed her, it sent the Ministry of Truth crashing into Vivec City, killing Ilzheven and throwing Sul and Vuhon into Oblivion.  Vuhon also revealed that he has an ally inside the Imperial Palace, the person that was trying to have Attrebus killed.  He said he'd need the Imperial City, specifically the White-Gold Tower, and offered him the chance to convince his father to back down.  Through his close relationship with Oblivion; Sul shatters Vuhon's glass world by summoning a massive daedra.  However, he then grasped Prince Mede's shoulder and said "not now," before transporting them out of Umbriel.  

Sul and Attrebus were thrown through various realms of Oblivion, and were separated in Malacath's realm. They were reunited again when the Daedric Prince revealed himself to Attrebus, and they spoke to the Prince of their desire to destroy Umbriel. Malacath knew Sul from the Dunmer's previous dealings with Oblivion and the Prince, and agreed to let them try again once Attrebus pointed out that Sul still craved vengeance against Vuhon. Sul told Malacath that he believed the sword of Umbra to be in Solstheim, and the Prince transported them there.

Upon returning to Nirn, Attrebus and Sul found themselves in the wilderness of Solstheim. They discussed Solstheim for a bit - how Skyrim gave Solstheim to the refugees of Morrowind after the Red Year, and Sul assumed that most of his people have settled in the south of the island. Annaïg contacted Attrebus through Coo, and they moved on afterward.

Two days after Sul and Attrebus' return to Nirn, they came upon the small village of Sathil near the coast. They stayed in the local inn overnight and went up to the castle above the town - owned by Hleryn Sathil - the next day, claiming to be naturalists hoping to stay there while they worked nearby. Sathil's daughter greeted them and had rooms and supper arranged for them. Sul decided they'd wait and see what happened over the next few days before outright asking about the sword Umbra. 

Sul discovered Irinja, a serving maid he and Attrebus had seen earlier, in Attrebus' room. He nearly killed her for recognizing Attrebus, but Attrebus warned him away and spoke to her about his mission; Sul eavesdropped outside. Sul questioned afterward whether telling her was a wise decision.

Attrebus and Sul were later guided through the Solstheim wilderness by a Nord named Fruth, who told them about the wildlife found in the region. A sudden avalanche separated Attrebus and Fruth from Sul, who was joined by Lord Sathil and several of his men. Sathil claimed the avalanche was caused by a Frost Giant, but Sul had his suspicions that Sathil himself caused it. Sathil asked Sul who sent him - if it was "him" - a Daedric prince, as Sul understood it. Sathil was able to detect Malacath on Sul, but not whichever prince he was concerned about, so he promised to leave Sul and Attrebus alone.  After the avalanche ended, Attrebus warmed up in the manor, and Sul talked to him about what had happened with Lord Sathil. 

Irinja led Attrebus and Sul down to where she claimed Elhul was being kept. Nirai Sathil followed them and locked the entrance to the prison behind them, and revealed that she had sent Irinja to seduce Attrebus after Irinja had told her what the young prince wanted. She said that all she wanted was for all their troubles with the sword to be over, for the sword to no longer be in her brother's possession. Attrebus and Sul fought Elhul, and Sul finally defeated him with a spell that caused him to dissolve into acid. They wrapped the sword up, but Nirai refused to let them go unless they left it there. They argued with her about it for a bit and she decided that even if they did claim they'd leave the sword, they'd probably trick her, so she kept them locked up and left.  They knew that they could not escape the prison, so Attrebus suggested that Sul use magic to bring them to Clavicus Vile, and Sul did so.

Attrebus and Sul arrived in Vile's realm, and a talking dog who they later learned was named Barbas led them to the Daedric Prince.  Vile explained that Umbriel was once part of its city (and he refused to use its new name), and that stabbing the being that called itself Umbriel with the sword Umbra would allow Vile to bring the city back to his realm. Clavicus Vile tried to get them to give up one of their souls in exchange for sending them to the Imperial City, but Attrebus pointed out that if Umbriel reached the White-Gold Tower it seemed Vile wouldn't be able to get it back, so that he didn't have a choice, he had to take their offer. Clavicus relented and dumped them at his shrine in Cyrodiil. Sul was knocked unconscious in the fall, and Attrebus dragged him to a boat at the shores of Lake Rumare and began rowing for the Waterfront District. When Attrebus was captured and brought to Minister Hierem, Sul was brought along, but kept asleep because Hierem considered him to be dangerous.

Attrebus woke in his cell and witnessed Hierem traveling through some sort of portal to Umbriel. Afterward Hierem woke up Sul and proceeded to question the two, using some sort of magic that would cause pleasure for telling him an answer he liked and pain for telling him a wrong answer. Sul eventually told Hierem that Vuhon feared the sword, so that Hierem's continued questioning of Attrebus would not break the young prince's mind. Sul suspected they might still have a chance: if things didn't go Hierem's way with Vuhon, he might give them the sword and send them to Umbriel. 

Two people, who introduced themselves as Colin Vineben and Letine Arese, released Attrebus and Sul from their cages and they discussed what to do next. Attrebus told the others that he noticed a rat disappearing when Hierem returned, so he thought that if they stand on the sigil that Hierem had used to teleport, they'd be transported to Umbriel when he returned. Sul replaces his usual sword with Umbra, intending to kill Vuhon with it, and they waited. Hours later, Attrebus' plan succeeded: he and Sul were transported to Umbriel. Sul immediately stabbed Vuhon with the blade, although it didn't kill him, and they began to fight. They fell onto what Sul and Attrebus called the "glass forest", a webbing made of a glasslike material that Vuhon could control, and continued the fight there. Attrebus was pinned and didn't quite see what happened, but suddenly everything shattered around them and they fell into water.

Sul saved Attrebus instead of going after Vuhon - and since the sword wasn't working, he thought something else had caused Vuhon's weakness, and figured it was probably Annaïg's poison. Mere-Glim found the pair in the skraw caves, and Sul guessed who Glim was since he was an Argonian.

Glim returned to Annaïg with Attrebus and Sul to find her fighting with Vuhon. Annaïg revealed to Glim that she'd realized that Vuhon's soul was in the ingenium at the bottom of the sump. Sul summoned a winged twilight to fight Vuhon, and Sul, Attrebus, and Glim headed down to the sump. Attrebus realized that were out of time and reminded Glim that he'd claimed to know how to take Umbriel out of Tamriel using the trees. Glim tried, but could not command them, so they continued their journey downward. Glim pulled the others through the water, and as they descended, Sul went unconscious, so Attrebus took the sword from him and held it ready. They landed in a small room, and Vuhon, who was following, attacked. Attrebus stabbed the ingenium, which stopped Vuhon.  Vile suddenly possessed Attrebus and pointed out that Sul and Attrebus knew the price all along. Sul argued that it wasn't supposed to be Attrebus, and Vile stabbed Sul with Umbra. Sul pulled himself farther onto the sword and punched Attrebus, and Vile let the prince go. Sul told Attrebus that everything was okay, fell onto the ingenium, and vanished, giving his soul to Clavicus Vile.