The Gospel of Saint Aralor

The century before the razing of Mournhold was hard for the children of Veloth. Incursions of outlander hordes caused great strife in the borderlands. Fields lay desolate, eggs were not harvested and starvation was commonplace. Such times give rise to great heroes but also to evildoers, and Aralor was one such villain. He was an orphan of unknown lineage, but it was said his drive and ambition suggested that Indoril or Hlaalu blood coursed through his veins. Unlike the true-born nobles of those Houses, however, Aralor directed his energies towards crime and self-gratification.

He took control of a pack of brigands, one of many that roamed the land during this dark time, and made a name for himself as a fearsome and merciless robber lord. He ransacked settlements, burned temples and slaughtered slave, commoner and priest alike. The lawful armies of Morrowind were preoccupied with defending the nation's borders, and the people turned to Nordic mercenaries and even the Imperial warriors of Cyrodiil to protect them. He mocked every divinity and indulged every vice, from impiety to torture, from partaking of sugar to consorting with beastfolk.

On one occasion Aralor and his men came upon a village that was entirely deserted, and stripped of what meager valuables it had contained. The robber lord saw the entrance to a mine nearby and said, "Look! The villagers have fled under the ground, to hide their wealth and their daughters! Do they not know that when Aralor and his brothers attack, they descend like the burning ash that pours from Red Mountain? We will darken the land, and seep into the earth to choke them as they cower." And with that he drew his sword and strode through the mine entrance, with his followers close behind.

All at once there was a great rumble, and the bandits were thrown from their feet. Many great rocks fell in front of Aralor, blocking the tunnel ahead. At the same time, the ceiling behind him collapsed, slaying those who had entered the tunnel with him so he was alone and trapped. He called out to his brothers who were still on the surface, saying, "Help your leader! He is trapped beneath the ground, and can go neither forward nor back!" But through the rock he heard his companions laugh and bid him farewell, because they coveted the gold he had left at their camp. Hearing this Aralor became enraged, and called down the curses of Malacath upon the heads of his traitorous followers. After many hours of fury and bitterness he fell silent, and soon he was afraid. "What am I to do?" he said. "I am buried here in the darkness, and there is no-one who will help me. I must help myself." And with that he began to use his sword as a tool to dig himself out. When the sword broke he scrabbled at the stone with his bare hands until they were bloody and numb.

As he did this a female voice called out in the darkness. "What are you doing?" it asked.

In his frantic madness Aralor did not question the origin of the voice, but said, "I am trapped. I must free myself from this dark place or be forever lost."

"Yes, I see you are trapped," the voice said. "But why do you wish to escape? Why do you wish to live?"

Aralor paused for a moment, confounded by the question. "I do not know," he finally admitted. "I have no true friends, no family. I have wealth, but that means nothing in this place, on the edge of death. I would rather have a shovel of iron than a vault of gold."

"Perhaps I can help," the voice told him. "I can free you from your prison and more besides, and I can give your life purpose."

"How, spirit?" asked Aralor.

"You have fallen so far, child. I can save your life, but only you can save your soul from the darkness into which it has descended. Even if I free you from this cavern and show you the sky once more, your soul will remain in the shadow of sin and despair. And that is a darker more fearful place than any earthly pit."

"What must I do?" he pleaded, "I'll do anything!"

He stopped, realizing he had not come this far to hear himself recall the failure of his grief to save but to find an end to his despair.

"You must work off your sin," the voice replied. "You must travel far so that others may see your contrition. In doing so you might inspire and help as many people as you have hurt, and then you might truly be saved. Go to the holy places of ALMSIVI, and see how the singular miracle of the Tribunal has been expressed in many forms. If you walk long enough, perhaps you will find me again." With that, there was a sound as if a dozen crystal chimes had been struck at once. The boulders around the mine collapsed like sand and Aralor was bathed in golden sunlight. In his joy he ran and shouted, and praised Ayem at the top of his voice. As the timid villagers emerged behind him, he threw them coins from his purse and even gave up his shoes.

He said to them, "All the things I own, the things I stole and the body I wear, all are as impermanent as the rocks of the mine. Only the soul is ageless, and it is renewed by suffering and the shedding of worldly things." And those who heard these words wondered at them and were enlightened.

Over the course of his life and travels Aralor suffered many hardships, and endured the mockery of others. Despite this he was glad in his heart, a gladness known only to those who have been given a second chance and a righteous purpose. It is said by the faithful that to this day his spirit watches over true pilgrims, guiding their feet and protecting them from harm.