Thetric, I

efore you embark on Thetric's journey, let me remind you all that this is all complete fiction. In previous editions of this story, many believed this tale actually happened. All I can say to that is that, this tale is meant to teach a lesson, and nothing more.

A Great Kingdom 
Lord Thetric ruled a vast domain. Spreading from the Dragontail Mountains in the east, to the Kinchel River in the west, the kingdom was ripe with prosperity, visitors flocked there from many lands, and above all, Thetric's people adored him. He was, after all, a hero, as he had saved his people from a great evil, terrifying monsters that none spoke of, called daedra, which haunted the lands far and wide. Thus, Thetric was fully content with his kingdom, and all that belonged to it. As a loving, caring, fellow, there seemed to be no wrong with him, besides perhaps the ever-expanding ego that grew upon his head.

This time of year was a time of feasting, festivals, and of great celebration. After all, it was the end of the harvest, and near the time of the twenty years Thetric had ruled over this dominion. This meant hundreds of visitors: merchants, priests, adventurers from all over various other kingdoms came to visit Thetric's domain. They were all welcome into the home of the prosperous king, selling their wares, sharing their stories, and often becoming people of Thetric's lands themselves.

A Meeting in Mundus 
It would have been an interesting spectacle for a mortal to see. The 16 daedric princes, donning avatars for their respective purpose, sat down to discuss the fate of a noble man. Mephala, her mortal illustration a spider, spun the tale to the others.

"He is a powerful and fair mortal, but he is short-sighted. He views himself as a great hero for conquering these lands, yet no longer wishes to veer away from his kingdom for any sense of adventure. We must show him the true way to create happiness for himself, at the expense of others. I will spin his legend to others lands, and I'll see to it that he resides in a land of excellent stature when he's through. However, it is up to you to get into the details."

Molag Bal, manifesting himself as the horned daedra, schemed at once. "No mortal does not deserve suffering throughout their very lands. I shall send someone from cold harbor to reap death upon his old lands, to teach the hardships he must learn."

It took some argument between the princes until they agreed that Molag Bal's proposal was perhaps the way to start a chain of events. The proposal was adjusted quite a bit however, and various princes were to be involved in the adventure; Thetric himself would be ignorant of the cause. Once he truly found the reason, it would be then that rightfulness would be bestowed upon him once more.

Kingdom at Dusk 
A beautiful, dark-haired woman, clad in a white gown strewn with rose petals, elegantly strolled into the Thetric's Royal Hall. It was dusk, and the lord's watch ignored questioning her, instead admiring her beauty. Thetric was entertaining his dinner guests, until he turned, and froze mid-stare.

"My lady, may I ask your name?"

"That is unimportant, yet if you must call me something, call me Moonshadow."

"What brought you into my abode, my lady? Was it that my kingdom stretches far to the east and west? Or are you just passing through?" asked the lord, obviously boasting.

"I have a request for you, one that you already have prowess in."

"What do you ask of? It shall be fulfilled at once."

The woman, confident, her endearing expression unchanged, said: "I would like you to grant me a feast. This will not do. You must go on a hunt, far from this estate, to prove your worth. I wish of you to form a party, and only when you believe you have fulfilled the great hunt do I wish of you to come back into the kingdom."

Thetric, taken aback by the statement that would normally have made him angry, was still hypnotized by the woman's features. Although it was odd, he longed for love with this beauty known as Moonshadow. "Your request is granted, Moonshadow. My party will go out, and in a day's time, you'll have your feast."

A Hunting Party

After scouting the lands for miles, Thetric and his party of Nords - Hulfgar, Edmund, and Lognaar - had found a group of deer quite fitting for a woman of great beauty. They had began to close in on the pack, taking each animal into account and studying their movements with great care. After a time, they had finally closed and killed the deer and stripped them of their skins.

They planned to return quickly to his towering fortress. All the way, he thought graciously on the strangeness of the woman's request, but then consistently contradicted himself. This woman was of course, the most beautiful he had ever seen, he once again reminded himself of this, and carried on.

Thetric was thinking this over, when he was jarred from his thoughts at the sight of the nearest village, Thormin. It had been burned to the ground, the people all dead around it. In a state of shock, he dismounted and searched for any sign of life. There was none. Heart sinking, he raced back to his grand fort. Although the fields remained golden all around him, the fort lay in ruins. It was as if his domain had been raped of any life that had previously existed. Thetric fell to his knees and cried out to the heavens in despair.