Tes4Mod:Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul/Sun Child

(Foreword: This book is a somewhat free reconstruction of the story of my most esteemed forefather, Ulvir Meltraden, a royal guard of Mournhold, based on his very will and point of views of distant family members.)

This is the story of Ulvir Meltraden, a royal guard of Mournhold. He was a proud Dunmer with fiery eyes and long charcoal hair who was respected by all the men in his garrison. The King spoke greatly of him and although he was not his personal bodyguard, he saved him on many assassination attempts. He served him trustfully for many years and one day, feeling that he was no longer up to the task, he asked the King for a favor: retirement in the Imperial Province. As a token of gratitude for such a devotion to His reign, he was granted a fair sum of money to settle down comfortably and a beautiful elven long sword called Sun Child. It is said that the handle of the blade was as red as the lava of Oblivion itself and the blade as bright as the midday sun.

After a long journey between Mournhold and the Imperial City, where he bought the deed to an unsettled piece of land in the Imperial Reserve, his beloved and their three children set forth to their new home. After months of tedious work, they finally managed to start a peaceful life, only disturbed now and then by bandits and wildlife creatures that were of course no match for a warrior of his stature.

But one day, as he was out hunting and gathering some wood, the settlement was attacked. He could hear the shouts coming from over the hill. He rushed back, feeling deep inside that something terrible had happened. The way he chased off the bandits made him fear that they came back in far greater number, patiently waiting for him to go away.

After an exhausting run he arrived only to see his home ransacked and burning. He threw himself in the crumbling house to witness the saddest of sights; his wife and children, lying lifeless on the floor. Despite his shock he could hear the beams cracking, menacing to fall down at any minute. He knew he could not get their corpses out in time and give them a proper burial, but he had to get his blade so he could at least have his revenge. He raced up the stairs, opened the chest and grabbed the sword and threw himself through the window falling unconscious on the ground. He woke up hours later, clutching the blade and cursing at the gods for letting this happen.

Before he would start hunting the murderers, he wrote a note to his distant family in Balmora, quickly explaining what he was about to undertake. He gave it to a worshiper of Sanguine who in turn gave it to a courier in Skingrad.

With his will sent, his first task would be to look for clues as to who the assailants were. He was looking for footprints, but what he found was much more disturbing - hoof prints. There was no mistake possible: a tribe of minotaurs was responsible for this massacre, but what puzzled him was the fact that the house was burning. He always believed that minotaurs could not harness magic, so maybe a more potent warlock was behind all this. But why? He was a retired guard from Mournhold. Sure he made some enemies over the years, but nothing that would warrant such a barbaric act.

He made up his mind and decided to get revenge by himself, even if it meant losing his life in the process. From his equipment, he only saved his blade, but that would have to be enough.

Dear reader, what happens beyond this point is pure speculation. This book is based on his will and the recollection of some distant family members. The only sure fact is that he perished as he never returned to Balmora, as he promised he would.

I am but a scholar, but I vowed to find clues concerning the whereabouts of this heirloom. I have travelled the whole empire in the search of this blade. I went to Balmora to speak with my distant cousins, and they gave me a copy of his will. I sought the help of seers, of magicians, of books to try and pinpoint the location of his settlement. After many years of hard work, I have gathered tangible proofs as to where he might have lived. I was granted access to the archives of the Office of Imperial Commerce. After countless hours of research, comparison and deduction, I have come to the conclusion that he lived somewhere north of Sanguine's Shrine, which would explain how he could have his note sent to Skingrad and so forth up to Balmora.

In his will he stated that he went further north in the pursuit of the minotaurs. The good thing is that minotaurs are great beasts, so that rules out lesser caves and mines. I've paid several scouts to find noticeable landmarks in the Imperial Reserve, and only two of them seem worthy of attention in this area: a fort not too far from Sanguine's Shrine and an Ayleid ruin even further north-west. I tried offering some adventurers a hefty sum of money to retrieve the sword, but they refused. Apparently the Imperial Reserve is a very dangerous place.

If you read this book and are a seasoned adventurer or a greedy tomb raider, maybe you will be tempted to retrieve the sword. I warn you though. My research could be wrong but considering the time and money I spent, I like to believe I'm correct. Keep in mind that my forefather, a royal guard, fell in this godforsaken place.