I was Summoned by a Mortal Content . By Kynval Zzedenkathik of Clan Deathbringer For as long as I can remember — and like all Dremora my memory is keen , especially for grievances — I have faithfully served the officers of my clan , and through them , My Lord Molag Bal . And yet not always : for once , to my shame , I was compelled to serve another . I was on guard duty at the Endless Stair , an assignment I always enjoy , for I can mock and torment the passing Soul Shriven without being held responsible for them meeting their quotas . Leaping out from behind a claw - pillar while shouting , " There you are , weakling ! " just never loses its appeal . I was lurking behind a Dark Anchor chain link , preparing to terrify an approaching Soul Shriven by suddenly knocking her down and sneering , " No match at all , " when I suddenly felt a strange tingling all over , from my horns down to my toes . I grew dizzy as the plane spun around me , nearly fell into a pool of blue plasm , and then suddenly felt myself hurled into an endless black void . I wasn ' t alarmed at first , because who hasn ' t been hurled into an endless black void ? It wasn ' t until I began to materialize at my destination and got a taste of the air that I had my first misgivings . " I smell … weakness , " I said to myself — and I couldn ' t have been more right . It was then that I first heard the voice of my Conjurer as he said , " Ah , this one looks fairly robust , " and the full horror of my situation broke upon me . For I had been summoned to do the bidding … of a mortal . I turned , aghast , to see who had dared summon me across the infinities to Nirn , and found myself faced with a tall Elf of Summerset . Oh , I recognized the type : I ' d abused more than a few Altmeri Soul Shriven in my time , and with gusto , for they evince a haughty arrogance entirely inappropriate in mere mortals . This one gave me a brief , appraising look , and then turned away , saying , " Follow and fight . There are Worm Cultists that need slaying . " Worm Cultists . Can you imagine the ignominy , fellow kyn ? Not only had I been conjured away from my duty by one of the hated Elven mortals , but I must serve him by slaying the minions of Mannimarco , our Dread Lord ' s lieutenant and viceroy - to - be ! I tried to resist , flexing my indomitable will , but the mortal mage ' s binding spell was too strong — all I could do was say , " No one escapes ! " and follow him past a pair of torches into a subterranean maze of tunnels . " You serve the great Vanus Galerion , Dremora , " my Conjurer announced , quite unnecessarily — for what need had I to know the name of my slavemaster ? But then I reconsidered , and mentally added his name to that long list each of us keeps : the list labeled , " Vengeance . " I followed , not deigning to crouch when my Conjurer hunched over to sneak , merely glaring at him and thinking , " I will feast upon your heart . " In truth , however , it was as well that I had this Elf Vanus to follow , for the tunnels were many and twisting , and though we Dremora are fearless , relentless , and unparalleled among warriors throughout Oblivion , our sense of direction is rather poor . When doing courier duty , I ' ve been known to lose my way right in the middle of the Moonless Walk and wind up back at the Lightless Oubliette where I started . In time this Vanus began to pause frequently , listening , which only increased my irritation and impatience . Finally he stopped , with a " Shh ! " to me — which was completely unfair , as I hadn ' t said a word . But I realized why he ' d stopped when I suddenly heard human speech from the tunnel ahead . Hesitating nary an instant , I drew my greatsword and rushed forward , crying " A challenger is near ! " The Elf cursed and followed , but he had only himself to blame — I was following his orders exactly . The next minute passed in the red fury that all true Dremora feel when they enter battle . But my usual enjoyment of bloody slaughter was tainted by the knowledge that I was killing those my Dread Lord would prefer I didn ' t , and frankly , that just ruined the whole experience for me . As I lopped off the limbs and heads of the Worm Cultists , I was aware of the energies of the Elf ' s powerful magics crackling past me , incinerating the more distant enemies , but I was too mortified to enjoy the orgy of destruction . The Elf came striding up as I subdivided the final Worm Anchorite , gloating , " So much for them . Take that , Mannimarco ! " " There could be no other end , " I replied sourly , then felt the strange tingling again as the conjuration that had brought me to Nirn began to weaken . As the bonds dissolved I took one menacing step toward the Elf , but then the plane spun around me again , and it was back into the endless black void . When I came to my senses I was lying in a pool of turquoise slime , looking up at the smiling face of my superior , Kynereeve Xalxorkig . " So , Zzedenkathik , " he snarled , " straying from your post when on duty , eh ? It ' s the scathe - rings for you , my lad ! " " But , Kynreeve , " I cried , leaping to attention , " I couldn ' t help it ! I was conjured , summoned to Nirn — by a mortal ! " Xalxorkig smiled even wider . " And that ' ll be an extra shift scathing for telling such a hornless lie . Now march , Zzedenkathik , " he shouted , thumping me with his truncheon . " Left , right , left , right , left , right … . " I hate it when Xalxorkig smiles . Kynreeve or not , his name ' s going on my list .