Poison Song The Poison Song is a book series in and . Content . Book I . It was beginning again . Even though everything seemed serene ( the last embers crackling in the hearth ; young servant girl and her child slumbering in a chair by the door ; a tapestry half - finished against the wall , waiting to be completed tomorrow ; one of the moons visible through a milky cloud outside the window ; a lone bird , out of sight in the rafters , cooing placidly ) , Tay heard the first chords of the Song strike dissonantly somewhere far away . The bird in the rafters croaked and took flight through the window . The baby in the girl ' s arms woke and began to scream . The Song swelled in intensity , yet still remained subtle and stately in tempo . The movement of everything seemed to take on the rhythm of the music as if strange choreography had been staged : the girl rising to the window , the clouds reflecting back red from the inferno below , her scream , all muted , consumed by the Song . Everything that came thereafter Tay had seen so many times , it had almost ceased to be a nightmare . He did not remember anything of his life before coming to the island of Gorne , but he understood that there was something different in his past that set him apart from his cousins . It wasn ' t simply that his parents were dead . His cousin Baynarah ' s parents had also died in the War . Nor were the other Housemen on Gorne or nearby Mournhold unusually cruel to him . They treated him with the same polite indifference that any Indoril has for every other eight - year - old boy that got underfoot . But somehow , with absolutely certainty , Tay knew he was alone . Different . Because of a Song he always heard , and his nightmares . “ You ' re certainly imaginative , ” his aunt Ulliah would smile patiently , before waving him away so she could return to her scriptures and chores . “ Different ? Everyone in the world thinks they ' re ' different , ' that ' s what makes it such a common sentiment , ” said his older cousin Kalkorith who was studying to be Temple priest and had a firm grasp on paradoxes . “ If you tell anyone else that you keep hearing music where there ' s no music to be heard , they ' ll call you mad and bury you in the Shrine of Sheogorath , ” his uncle Triffith would snarl , before striding away to attend his business . Only his nursemaid Edebah would listen to him seriously , and just nod with a faint look of pride . But she would never say another word . His cousin and chief playmate Baynarah was by far the least interested in the stories of his Song and his dreams . " How tiresome you are with all this , Tay , " said Baynarah , after luncheon the summer of his eighth year . He , she , and a younger cousin Vaster walked into a clearing in the midst of flowering trees . The grass was very low , barely up to their ankles , and there were big black piles of leaves from the previous autumn . “ Now , shall we get back to it ? What shall we play ? " Tay thought for a moment . " We could play the Siege of Orsinium . " " What ' s that ? " asked Vaster , their constant companion , three years their junior . " Orsinium was the home of the orcs , off in the Wrothgarian Mountains . For hundreds of years , it kept growing bigger and bigger and bigger . The orcs would come down out of the mountains and rape and pillage all over High Rock . And then , King Joile of Daggerfall and Gaiden Shinji of the Order of Diagna and someone else , I forget , from Sentinel all joined together against Orsinium . For thirty years they fought and fought . Orsinium had walls made out of iron and , try as they might , they couldn ' t break through . " " So what happened ? " asked Baynarah . " You ' re so good at making up things that never happened , why don ' t you make it up ? " So they did . Tay was the King of the Orcs , perched up in a tree they called Orsinium . Baynarah and Vaster played King Joile and Gaiden Shinji and they threw pebbles and sticks up at Tay while he taunted them in his most guttural voice . The three decided that the Goddess Kynareth ( played by Baynarah in dual role ) answered the prayers of Gaiden Shinji and drenched Orsinium in a torrent of rain . The walls rusted and dissolved . On cue , Tay obligingly fell from the tree and let King Joile and Gaiden Shinji mangle him with their enchanted blades . For the most of that summer , the year 675 of the First Era , Tay was nearly insensible by the power of the sun . There were no clouds , but it rained most every night , so the vegetation on the island of Gorne was bewildering lush . The stones themselves seemed to glow with sunlight , and the ditches burned with white meadowsweet and parsleydown ; all around him were soft smells of flower and tree untroubled by wind ; the foliage was purple green , blue green , ash green , white green . The wide cupolas , twisting cobbled streets , and thatched roofs of the little village of Gorne , and massive bleached rock of Sandil House all were magical to him . Yet the dreams haunted his nights and the Song continued whether he was awake or not . Against Aunt Ulliah ' s admonishments , Tay , Baynarah , and Vaster had breakfast outdoors every morning with the servants . Ulliah would hold an interior breakfast for herself and any visiting dignitaries : guests were rare , so she often ate alone . At first the servants would dine in silence , attempting gentility , but they broke down and would regale the children with gossip , reports , stories , and rumors . " Poor Arnyle is laid up with a fever again . " " I ' m telling you , they ' re cursed . The whole lot of ' em . Piss on the faerie and they piss right back on you . " " Doesn ' t Little Miss Starsia look , oh , just a wee bit tight around the belly region late - ly ? " " She ' s not ! " The only servant who didn ' t speak at all was Tay ' s nursemaid Edebah . She wasn ' t pretty like the other maids , but the scars on her face did not deform her . Her poorly set broken nose and her short hair gave her a certain alien mystique . She would merely quietly smile at the gossip , and look at Tay with almost frightening love and devotion . One day , after breakfast , Baynarah whispered to Tay and Vaster , " We have to go to the hills on the other side of the island . " She had used such imperatives before and always had something wonderful to show : a waterfall , tucked away behind ferns and tall rocks ; a sunny grove of figs ; a discreet still some peasants had set up ; a sickly oak , twisted into a kneeling human figure ; a collapsed stone wall that they imagined was thousands of years old , the last refuge of a doomed princess they named Merella . The three walked across through the forest until they came to a clearing . A few hundred feet beyond , the meadow sank to a dry creek bed , filled with small , smooth stones . They followed that into the dark woods where trees canopied high over their heads . Sporadic red and yellow blossoms burst along the moist underbrush , but they became rarer and rarer as the children marched on under the umbrageous oaks and elms . The air crackled with birds ticking a staccato choral piece , a minor chord of the Song . “ Where are we going ? ” asked Tay . " “ It ' s not where we ' re going , it ' s what we ' re going to see , ” replied Baynarah . " The forest surrounded the three children completely , bathed them in its tenebrous hues , and breathed on them with wet chirrups and sighs . It was easy for them to imagine that they were within a monster , walking along its twisted spine of stones . Baynarah scrambled up the steep hill and peered through the thick mass of shrub and tree . Tay lifted Vaster out of the creek bed and climbed out , gripping soft grass for support . There was no path through the forest here . Brambles and low hanging branches struck at them like the claws of chained beasts . The cries of the birds became ever more stentorious , as if angered at the invasion . One limb drew blood on Vaster ' s cheek , but he didn ' t cry out . Even Baynarah , who could pass like an ethereal creature through impenetrable forests , had a braid catch on a bramble , ruining the intricate pattern a servant had woven hours before . She paused to pull out the other braid , so her bright unruly tresses fell freely behind her . Now she was something wild , a nymph guiding the other two through her woodland domain . The Song began to beat like a wild pulse . They were on a shelf of stone below a cliff overlooking a tremendous gorge , staring over an expanse of cinder . It looked like the scene of a tremendous battle , a holocaust of fire . Charred boxes , weaponry , animal bones , and detritus too annihilated to be identifiable littered the ground . Speechless , Tay and Vaster stepped into the black field . Baynarah smiled , proud that she had finally found something of true wonder and mystery . “ What is this place ? ” asked Vaster at last . “ I don ' t know , ” Baynarah shrugged . “ I thought at first that it was some kind of ruin , but now I think it ' s a junk pile , just not like any junk pile I ' ve ever seen . Just look at this stuff . ” The three began an unorganized survey of the dusty mounds of refuse . Baynarah found a twisted sword only lightly blackened by flame and began polishing it to read the inscriptions on the blade . Vaster amused himself by breaking brittle boxes with his hands and feet , imagining himself a giant of unbelievable strength . A battered shield attracted Tay : there was something about it that reverberated with the sound of the Song . He pulled it out , and wiped its surface clean . “ I ' ve never seen that crest before , ” said Baynarah , looking over Tay ' s shoulder . “ I think I have , but I don ' t remember , ” Tay whispered , trying to conjure the memory from his dreams . He was sure he had seen it there . “ Look at this ! ” Vaster cried , interrupting Tay ' s thoughts . The boy was holding up a crystal orb . As his hand moved over the surface , brushing away grit and dust , a key in the Song rose which sent a shiver through Tay ' s entire body . Baynarah ran over to look at Vaster ' s treasure , but Tay felt paralyzed . “ Where did you find that ? ” she gasped , gazing into the swirl beneath the crystal surface . “ Over in that wagon , ” Vaster gestured toward a heap of blackened wood , barely discernible from the other piles but for its cart spokes . Baynarah began digging into the half - collapsed structure , so only her feet could be seen . The Song built in potency , sweeping over Tay . He began walking toward Vaster slowly . “ Give me that , ” he whispered in a voice he could barely recognize as his own . “ No , ” Vaster whispered back , his eyes locked on the colors reflected in the heart of the globe . “ It ' s mine . ” Baynarah dug through the remains of the wagon for several more minutes , but she could find no treasures like Vaster ' s . Most everything within was destroyed , and what remained was common - place by any standards : broken arrows , armor shards , guar bones . Frustrated , she pulled herself out into the sunlight . Tay was alone , at the edge of the great gorge . “ Where ' s Vaster ? ” Tay blinked and then turned back to his cousin with a shrug and a grin : “ He went back to show everyone his new plunder . Did you find anything interesting ? ” “ Not really , ” said Baynarah . “ We probably ought to get back home before Vaster tells them anything that ' ll get us in trouble . ” Tay and Baynarah started the walk back at a quick pace . Tay knew that Vaster would not be there when they got back . He would never be returning home again . The crystal globe rested snugly in Tay ' s satchel , hidden under a pile of junk he had picked up . With all his heart , he prayed for the Song to return and drown out the memory of the gorge and the long , silent fall down . The boy had been so surprised , he hadn ' t even time to scream . ' I ' m here . The Gorge will know me by Miz . And so will you . ' said a voice inside Tay ' s head . ' You shall die as in the suffering slavery of Ann Marie . . . ' Tay collapsed to the floor , unable to escape his uncontrolled terror ' Or . . . become a soldier , and you will become the most powerful , yet the most hated mortal in Tamriel . ' After waking up a few moments after constant surroundings of the maids and Baynarath , Tay knew that he would be part of the siege . Tay heard the fading voice with the last words ' You . Are . Miz . ' ' What is to come is his inevitable , yet unpredictable fate . Through madness , therefore his corruption slowly builds , with the song . ' Book II . Tay felt no guilt , which frightened him . All through the long , fast walk away from the gorge , through the woods , across the dry creek bed , he chatted merrily with Baynarah , fully aware that he had just committed murder . Whenever his mind strayed from the conversation , and he thought back on the last moments of Vaster ' s short life , the Song would soar . He could not think of the boy ' s death , but Tay knew he was responsible . “ You ' re a mess ! ” cried Aunt Ulliah the moment she saw the two children emerging from the woods onto the grounds of Sandil House . “ Where have you been ? ” “ Didn ' t Vaster already tell you ? ” asked Tay . The scene played itself out as Tay knew it would , every dancer in the Song performing their steps as choreographed . Aunt Ulliah saying that she had not seen Vaster . Baynarah , not yet frightened , making up an innocent lie about the threesome not having strayed far , saying he must have gotten lost . A slow but steady rhythm of panic intensifying as night began to fall , and Vaster had not yet returned . Baynarah and Tay tearfully ( he was surprised how easy it was for him to cry without feeling ) admitting where they had been , and leading Uncle Triffith and a crowd of servants to the junk pile and gorge . The tireless search through the woods as night turned to dawn . The weeping . The light punishment , merely cries of anger , that Baynarah and Tay suffered for losing their young cousin . It was thought , from their stricken expressions , that the children felt guilty enough . They were sent to bed at dawn while the hunt through the woods continued . Tay was drifting to sleep when his nursemaid Edebah came into his room . The look of unwavering love and devotion had not left her eyes , and he sank gratefully into his dreams and nightmares with her holding his hand . The Song wafted almost imperceptibly through his consciousness as he again had the vision of the room in the castle . The girl and her baby . The bird in the rafters . The dying fire . The sudden explosion of violence . Breathless , Tay opened his eyes . Edebah was stealing out the door , softly humming the Song to herself . In her hand was the crystal globe from his satchel . For a moment , he hesitated , about to cry out . How did she know the Song ? Was she aware that he had murdered another boy to get the globe ? Somehow he knew that she was helping him , that she knew all and loved him and sought only to protect him . The next day , and the next week , and the next month were all the same . No one spoke very much , and when they did it was to suggest new places to look for the missing boy . Everywhere had been searched thoroughly . Tay was curious why they never looked in the gorge , but he understood how inaccessible it was . A side - effect of Vaster ' s absence was that the tutorial sessions with Kena Gafrisi took on a more serious , even academic quality . The younger boy ' s high spirits and meager attentiveness had always cut the lessons short , but sensible Baynarah and quiet Tay were ideal pupils . He was particularly impressed by how focused they became during a rather dry history lecture about the heraldic symbols of Houses of Morrowind . “ The crest of the Hlaalu features a scale , ” he sniffed disdainfully . “ They see themselves as the great compromisers , as if that were something honorable . Many hundreds of years ago , they were the tribesmen following Resdayn who chose - - “ “ Pardon me , Kena , ” asked Baynarah . “ But what is the crest with the insect on it ? ” “ You don ' t know House Redoran ? ” asked the tutor , lifting up one of the shields . “ I know you have a sheltered life on Gorne , but you ' re surely old enough to recognize - - " “ Not that one , Kena , ” replied Tay . “ I think she means the other crest with an insect . ” “ I see , ” nodded Kena Gafrisi , brow furrowed . “ Yes , you would be too young to have ever seen the crest of the Sixth House , the House of Dagoth . Our enemies together with the accursed heretical Dwemer in the War of the Red Mountain , now totally destroyed , thanks be to Lord , Mother , and Wizard . That House was a curse on our land for millennia , and when at last their pestilence was snuffed out , the very earth itself breathed a cloud of fire and ash in relief , bringing night to day for over a year ' s time . ” Baynarah and Tay knew they could not speak , but they exchanged knowing glances at one another as the tutor enlarged on the theme of the great wickedness of the Dwemer and the House Dagoth . As soon as the lesson ended , they walked silently out of Sandil House until they were far from all ears and eyes . The afternoon sun stretched out the shadows of the spear - like trees surrounding the meadow . Off in the distance , they could hear the sounds of the workers beginning their preparations for the autumntide harvest , yelling to one another unintelligibly in coarse and familiar accents . “ That was definitely the symbol on that shield you found at the garbage heap , ” Baynarah said at last . “ Everything there must be a remnant of the House Dagoth . ” Tay nodded . His mind was on the strange crystal globe . He felt a light vibration of soundless music touch his body , and knew he was discovering a new cadence of the Song . “ Why would our people have burned and discarded all that ? ” he asked thoughtfully . “ Do you think the House Dagoth was so evil that everything associated with them could have been cursed ? ” Baynarah laughed . At the height of day , all talk of curses and the evil Sixth House were pure supposition : something to add romance to one ' s life , but nothing to worry about . The two children walked back to the castle for yet another in a series of cold , quiet dinners . As the night fell , Baynarah looked through the treasures she had picked up in the junk heap . By the light of the moons , the small jars , the torc with orange gemstones , the bits of tarnished silver and gold of no obvious purpose , all took on a sinister aspect . Revulsion overtook her feeling of admiration instantly . There was a strange energy to them , a tincture of death and corruption that was undeniable . Baynarah ran to the window and vomited . Looking out to the dark open lawn below , she saw a figure below lighting an arrangement of candles in the shape of a large insect , the symbol of the House Dagoth . When it looked in her direction , she pulled back , but she saw the face illuminated by the tallows . It was Edebah , Tay ' s nursemaid . The next morning , Baynarah left the castle grounds early , bearing a large sack filled with her treasures . She carried them to the dumping ground and left them there . Then she returned , and told her Uncle Triffith what she had seen the night before , leaving out only what had made her sick in the first place . Edebah was banished from the isle of Gorne without discussion . She wept , begging to be allowed to say goodbye to Tay , but all believed that would be too dangerous . When Tay asked what had become of her , he was told she had to return to her family on the mainland . He had grown too old for a nursemaid . Baynarah never told him what she knew . For she was afraid . Book III . Tay was eighteen in the year 685 of the First Era when he first saw Mournhold , the city of spires , home of the goddess . His cousin Kalkorith , already a senior initiate in the Temple , gave him a couple rooms on the ground floor of the house he had purchased . They were small and unfurnished , but bittergreen grew outside the windows , and when the wind blew , they filled his bedroom with a lovely spicy air . The chords of the Song did not trouble him anymore . Sometimes he was even unconscious to it , so low and melodic it had become . Occasionally when he was passing through the streets on the way to the Temple for his instruction , someone would pass him and the Song would rise in intensity before falling away again . Whatever was different about those people , Tay never tried to ascertain . He remembered the last time he had let the Song lead him , and called for him to murder his young cousin Vaster . The memory did not trouble him unduly , but he did not want to hurt anyone again unless he had to . House couriers regularly brought Tay letters from Baynarah , still back in Sandil House on the island of Gorne . She might have gone to study at the Temple , she was certainly intelligent enough , but she chose not to . In a year or two at most , she would have to leave and assume her place in House Indoril , but she was not in a hurry . Tay welcomed the trivial gossipy news the letters brought , and responded back with news of his own studies and romances . In his third month in Mournhold , he had already met a girl . She was also a student at the Temple , and her name was Acra . Tay wrote enthusiastically about her to Baynarah , describing her as having the mind of Sotha Sil , the wit of Vivec , and the beauty of Almalexia . Baynarah replied back merrily that if she had known how blasphemous students of the Temple were allowed to be , she might have become an initiate herself . “ You are very devoted to your cousin , ” Acra laughed when Tay showed her the letter . “ Am I looking at the last remains of a thwarted romance ? ” “ She ' s lovely , but I never thought of her that way , ” Tay scoffed . “ Incest never particularly interested me . ” “ Is she a very close cousin then ? ” Tay thought for a moment : “ I don ' t know . Truthfully , no one spoke much of either her parents or mine , so I really don ' t know how we were connected . They were casualties of the War of the Red Mountain , that I know , and it seemed to cast rather a pall on the adults ' humor whenever we asked about her parents or mine . After a while , we stopped asking . But you ' re an Indoril too . Perhaps you ' re a closer cousin to me than Baynarah . ” “ Perhaps so , ” Acra smiled , rising from her chair . She uncoiled her hair , which had been pulled up in the formal arrangement reserved for well - born priestesses . As Tay watched transfigured , she removed the small brooch that fastened her robe to her shoulder cape . The soft silken fabric slipped down slowly , exposing her dark , slender body to him for the first time . “ If we are , does incest particularly interest you now ? ” As they made love , the Song began a slow , rhythmic ascension in Tay ' s head . The vision of Acra before him darkened and was replaced by images from his nightmares before returning again . When finally he collapsed , spent , the room seemed filled with the fiery red clouds of his dream , and the scream of the woman and her child facing death echoed in his head . He opened his eyes , and there was Acra , smiling at him . Tay kissed her , grateful to have her in his arms . For the next two weeks , Tay and Acra were never far apart . Even when they were at study in opposite wings of the Temple , Tay thought of her , and somehow knew she was thinking of him . They would rush to be together afterwards , ravishing one another in his rooms every night , and in a private corner of the Temple garden every day . It was while Tay was rushing to see his beloved one afternoon that the Song rose up in powerful strident tones at the approach of an old , ragged woman . He closed his eyes and tried to quiet it , but when he looked again at her purchasing corkbulb papyrus from a street vendor , he knew who she was . His old nursemaid from Gorne , Edebah . She who had abandoned him without even a farewell to join her family on the mainland . She didn ' t see him , and as she passed down the street , Tay turned and began to follow . They walked through shadowy passageways into the very poorest part of the city , a quarter which was as alien to him as the wildest principality of Akavir . She unlocked a small wooden door on a street without a name , and he finally called out her name . She didn ' t turn , but when he followed , he found that the door had been left ajar . The chamber was murky and damp like a cave . She stood facing him , her face even more wrinkled than he had remembered it , etched with lines of sorrow . He closed the door behind him , and she took his hand and kissed it . “ You are so tall and strong , ” Edebah said , beginning to weep . “ I should have killed myself before I let them take me away from you . ” “ How is your family ? ” Tay asked coldly . “ You are my only family , ” she whispered . “ The Indoril pigs forced me to leave , thrusting their blades in my face , when they discovered that I serve you and your family , not them . That bitch girl Baynarah saw me at a prayer of mourning . ” “ You ' re speaking like a madwoman , ” Tay sneered . “ How could you love me and my family , but hate the House Indoril ? I am of the House Indoril . ” “ You are old enough to know the truth , ” Edebah said fiercely . Tay had bitterly joked about her madness , but he saw something close to it burning in her ancient eyes . “ You were not born of House Indoril ; they brought you into their house after the War , like they and the other Houses brought in all the orphans . It was the only way they saw to erase history and remove all traces of their enemies , by raising their enemies as one of them . ” Tay turned toward the door : “ I can see why you were taken away from Gorne , old woman . You are delusional . ” “ Wait ! ” Edebah cried , rushing to a musty cabinet . She retrieved from it a glass globe that shimmered with a spectrum of color even in the chamber ' s gloom . “ Do you remember this ? You slew that little boy Vaster because he possessed it , and I took it from your room because you were not ready to face the facts of your inheritance and responsibility then . Did you not wonder why this bauble drew you so ? ” Tay gasped , and though he did not want to , he said , “ I hear a Song sometimes . ” “ That is the Song of your ancestors , of your true family , ” she said , nodding . “ You must not fight it , for it is a song of destiny . It will lead you to do what must be done . ” “ Shut up ! ” Tay howled , “ Everything you say is a lie ! You ' re insane ! ” Edebah threw the globe to the ground with all her might , shattering it with a deafening retort . The shards melted into the air . All that was left was a small silver ring , simply wrought with a flat crown . The old woman quietly picked it up and handed it to him , while he stood with his back against the door , trembling . “ This is your inheritance , as the bearer of the Sixth House . ” The ring ' s crown was meant for stamping and sealing official House proclamations . Tay had seen his uncle Triffith ' s similar ring , crested with the wing which was the seal of House Indoril . This ring was different , with an insect design which he remembered from the day when Kena Gafrisi had taught the House heraldry to Baynarah and him . It was the symbol of the accursed House Dagoth . The Song took over all of Tay ' s senses . He heard its music , smelled its horror , tasted its sadness , felt its power , and the only thing he could see before him was the flames of its destruction . When he took the ring and placed it on his finger , his mind was not aware of what he was doing . Nor was Tay aware of anything but the Song when he removed his dagger from its sheath and thrust it into his old nursemaid ' s heart . Tay did not even hear her final words , when Edebah fell bleeding to the ground , and groaned with a blood - streaked smile , “ Thank you . ” When the veil of the Song lifted , Tay did not realize at first he was no longer dreaming . Before him had been flames , the very ones that destroyed the home of his birth , and flames were before him again . But they were flames from a fire he had struck outside the crumbling tenement that were already bursting through walls , consuming the body of his old nursemaid . Tay fled through the streets as people began to call for the guards . Book IV . Acra sat by the hearth in Tay ' s room , reading her book by the fire . It concerned some minutiae of theosophy that she did not believe in , but nevertheless found morbidly compelling . When the door opened and she heard Tay enter , she finished the paragraph she was reading before looking up . “ I ' ve been here for hours , darling . If I knew you were going to be so late , I would have brought more books , ” she giggled . When she saw Tay ' s face and the state of his clothing , her manner lost all frivolity . “ What happened to you ? Are you all right ? ” “ I ' ve been to see my old childhood nursemaid , Edebah , ” he said in a strange voice . “ It was a sudden change of plans . I hadn ' t realized she was in Mournhold . ” “ I wish I had known where you were going , ” she said , rising slowly from her chair . “ I would have loved to have met her . ” “ Well , it ' s too late now . I ' ve killed her . ” Acra inhaled deeply , studying Tay ' s frozen face . She took his hand . “ Perhaps you ought to tell me everything . ” Tay let his beloved lead him to the hearth , where he sat blinking at the fire . He looked down at the silver ring on his finger . “ Before I killed her , she gave me this . It ' s the sealing ring of the House Dagoth . She told me I was the bearer of the inheritance , and the Song I hear all the time in my head , the one that called me to kill another boy when I was young , and then Edebah herself , is the Song of my ancestors . ” Tay fell silent . Acra knelt by his side , stroking his ringed hand . “ Tell me more . ” “ My tutor Kena Gafrisi taught us that the House Dagoth was a curse on Morrowind . He said that when they were all destroyed at the end of the War , the very earth itself breathed in relief , ” Tay closed his eyes . “ I can see the obliteration . I can even hear it in the Song . Edebah told me that the five Houses adopted the orphan children of Dagoth , raising them in their own traditions . I thought she was mad or a liar , but the real lie was all those years I thought my family was House Indoril . ” “ What are you going to do ? ” Acra whispered . “ Well , Edebah told me to follow the Song to my destiny , ” Tay laughed bitterly . “ But the Song led me to kill her , so I don ' t know if she ' d still give me that recommendation now . I know that I need to leave Mournhold . Before I knew what I was doing , I set a fire in her tenement . The guards were called . I just don ' t know where I ' d go . ” “ You have many friends to shield you if you prove yourself to be the new leader of the return of the Sixth House , ” Acra kissed the ring . “ I will help you find them . ” Tay stared at her . “ Why would you help me ? ” “ When you thought I was your cousin of the House Indoril , you did not mind having me though it might well have been incestuous , ” Acra replied , meeting his eyes . “ I have heard the Song too . It is not as strong with me as it was with you , but I never chose to ignore it . It taught me more than the ridiculous Temple priests and priestesses ever could . I knew that my true name was Dagoth - Acra , and I knew that I had a brother . ” “ No , ” Tay said through gritted teeth . “ You ' re lying . ” “ You are Dagoth - Tython . ” Tay shoved Acra hard against the wall and ran from the room . As he fled through the hall , he heard the sound of Kalkorith ' s footfall on the stairs behind him , a percussive instrument in the Song that was rising in his heart and head “ Cousin , ” the senior initiate was saying . “ Have you heard about the fire - - " Tay unsheathed his dagger and turned , burying it to the hilt in Kalkorith ' s throat . “ Cousin , ” he hissed . “ I am not your cousin . ” The streets of Mournhold were lit by the red glow of the tenement fire , spreading through the tight alleyways by a steady and intense gust of wind . It was as if Dagoth - Ur himself was looming over the city , fanning the flames his heir had struck . A House guard , running toward the blaze , stopped at the sight of Tay , standing uncertainly , swaying , before the front door of Kalkorith ' s house , a bloodied blade in his hand . “ What you done , serjo ? ” Tay ran for the forest , his cape whipping behind him by the force of the howling wind . The guard clambered after him , sword drawn . He had no need to investigate the house to see the murder . He knew . For hours , Tay raced through the wilderness , the Song pushing him onward . The sound of his pursuer faded away . At last , the trees thinned , and he saw nothing before him but air and water . A cliff , a hundred foot long plunge into the Inner Sea . The Song told him no . It pulled him north , sweetly promising a place to rest among friends . More than friends - - people who would worship him as the heir of Dagoth . As he slowly walked toward the edge of the cliff , the Song became more threatening , warning him not to seek to avoid his fate . There was no escape in death . Tay spat a curse upon his House and threw himself head first over the cliff . It was another glorious day on the island of Gorne , the first one in weeks that Baynarah could truly enjoy . Uncle Triffith had important company , Housemen from far away , and she had been required to attend every dinner , every meeting , every ceremony . As a child , she remembered , she had hoped for some attention . Now nothing was more blissful than time away from her duties . There was only one thing she wanted to do that she had to do indoors , and that was writing a letter to her cousin . But that could wait until the evening , she told herself . After all , he had not written her in many days . It was the influence of that girl , Acra . Not that she seemed disagreeable , but Baynarah knew how one ' s first love can be all - consuming . At least , she had read about it . As she walked idly through the wildflower meadow , Baynarah was so distracted with her thoughts that she did not hear her maid Hillima calling . She was quite startled when she turned to see the young servant running up . “ Serjo , ” she said , breathlessly . “ Please come ! Someone has washed up on the shore ! It ' s your cousin , Serjo Indoril - Tay ! ” Book V . For two days , the House healers attended Tay in his bed , and Baynarah sat by his side , holding his hand . He was feverish , neither asleep nor awake , screaming at invisible phantoms . The healers complimented the young man ' s fortitude . Bodies had washed ashore on the island of Gorne several times , many during the War , but never once had they seen one that lived afterwards . Aunt Ulliah came in several times to bring Baynarah food : “ You must be careful , dear , or when he ' s all well , he ' ll have to attend you on your sickbed . ” Tay ' s fever broke , and at last he was able to open his eyes and see the young woman with whom he had spent seventeen years , all but the first year of his life . She smiled at him , and called for food . In silence , she helped him eat . “ I knew you wouldn ' t die , cousin , ” she whispered fondly . “ I hoped to , but somehow I knew I wouldn ' t either , ” he groaned . “ Baynarah , do you remember all those nightmares I told you about ? They ' re all true . ” “ We can talk about it when you ' ve rested some more . ” “ No , ” he croaked . “ I must tell you everything now , so you ' ll know what kind of a monster you call your dear cousin Tay . If there was some way you could have known before , you might not have been so eager to see me well again . ” A tear rolled Baynarah ' s cheek . She had grown into a beauty , even in the few months he had been away in Mournhold . “ How can you think I would stop loving you , no matter what you ' ve done ? ” “ I saw my old nursemaid Edebah , and spoke to her . ” “ Oh , ” Baynarah had feared this moment . “ Tay , I don ' t know what she told you , but it was all my fault . You remember when Kena Grafisi taught us about the House Dagoth , and its corruption . That night , I saw your nursemaid making some kind of altar out on the north lawn , using the symbol of the Sixth House . She must have been doing it for years , but I never knew what it meant . I told Uncle Triffith , and he sent her away . I ' ve wanted to tell you so many times now , but I was afraid to . She was so devoted to you . ” Tay smiled . “ And didn ' t it frighten you even more to wonder if there was any connection between her devotion to me , and her devotion to the accursed House ? I know you , Baynarah . You ' re not one of those women who doesn ' t choose to use her mind . ” “ Tay , I don ' t know what she told you , but I think she was very troubled , and whatever she thought about you and the Sixth House was wrong . You have to remember that . The ramblings of one madwoman are proof of nothing . ” “ There ' s more , ” Tay sighed , and held up his hand . For a moment he blinked , and then turned to Baynarah angrily . “ What happened to my ring ? If you saw it , you must have known already that everything I ' m saying to you is true . ” “ I threw the filthy thing away , ” Baynarah stood up . “ Tay , I ' m going to let you rest now . ” “ I am the heir of House Dagoth , ” Tay was wild - eyed , almost screaming . “ Raised after the War as House Indoril , but driven by the Song of my ancestors . When we were young , I killed Vaster because the Song told me he had stolen my inheritance . When Edebah told me who I was and gave me this ring , I killed her and burned her house to the ground , because the Song told me she had served her purpose . When I returned to Kalkorith ' s house , my love was there , telling me that she was of the House Dagoth too , and my sister . I fled , and when Kalkorith tried to stop me , I slew him , because the Song told me he was an enemy . ” “ Tay , stop , ” Baynarah sobbed . “ I don ' t believe a word of it . You ' ve been feverish . . . ” “ Not Tay , ” he shook his head , breathing heavily . “ The name my parents gave me was Dagoth - Tython . ” “ You can ' t have killed Edebah , you loved her . And Vaster and Kalkorith ? They were our cousins ! ” “ They were not my true cousins , ” Tay said coldly . “ The Song told me they were my foes . Just as it ' s telling me now that you ' re my foe , but I won ' t listen . And I ' ll keep from listening . . . as long as I can . ” Baynarah fled from the room , slamming the door behind her . She took a key from the her startled maid Hillima , and secured the lock . “ Serjo Indoril - Baynarah , ” Hillima whispered , with great sympathy . “ Is all well with your cousin , Serjo Indoril - Tay ? ” “ He ' ll be perfectly fine once he rests , ” Baynarah recovered her dignity , wiping the tears from her face . “ No one is to disturb him under any circumstances . I ' ll take the key with me . Now I have much work to do . I don ' t suppose anyone ' s spoken to the fishermen about restocking Sandil House ' s supplies ? ” “ I don ' t know , serjo , ” said the maid . “ I don ' t think so . ” Baynarah marched down to the docks , and relieved her troubled heart the only way she knew how , by concentrating on small things . Tay ' s words never left her , but she found temporary comfort talking to the fishermen about their haul , helping determine how much should be smoked , how much should be sent to the village , how much should be delivered fresh to the House larder . Her aunt Ulliah joined the discussion , oblivious to Baynarah ' s well - disguised agony . Together , they discussed how many provisions Uncle Triffith and his commanders had devoured during their weeks on the island , when they would be expected to return , and how best to prepare . One of the fishermen on the docks called out , interrupting . “ A boat is coming ! ” Ulliah and Baynarah greeted the visitor as she arrived . It was a young woman dressed in the robes of a Temple priestess . As she docked her small boat , Baynarah marveled at how beautiful she was , and strangely familiar . “ Welcome to Gorne , ” said Baynarah . “ I am Indoril - Baynarah and this is my aunt Indoril - Ulliah . Have we met before ? ” “ I don ' t believe so , serjo , ” the woman bowed . “ I was sent by the Temple to inquire whether word had come from your cousin , Indoril - Tay . He has been missing from his classes for some days now , and the priests have become concerned . ” “ Oh , we should have sent word , ” Ulliah fretted . “ He came here a few days ago , half - drowned . He ' s better now . Let us escort you up to the house . ” “ Tay ' s resting now , and I asked that he not be disturbed , ” Baynarah stammered . “ Actually , I know it ' s dreadful manners , but I need to talk to my aunt for a moment . Would it be too terrible if I asked you to wait for us at the house ? You have only to follow the path up the hill and across the lawn . ” The priestess bowed again humbly , and began the walk . Ulliah was scandalized . “ You know better than to treat a representative of the Temple that way , ” she snapped . “ You can ' t be so exhausted from tending your cousin to have lost all sense of civility . ” “ Aunt Ulliah , ” Baynarah whispered , drawing the woman away from the ears of the fishermen . “ Is Tay truly my cousin ? He believes himself to be . . . of the House Dagoth . ” Ulliah took a moment to respond . “ It ' s true . You were just a baby yourself during the War , so you couldn ' t know what it was like . There was not a part of Morrowind that wasn ' t ravaged . There was even a battle here on the island . Do you remember that burned pile of wreckage you and Tay and poor little Vaster discovered so many years ago ? That was the remains . And after the War , when that accursed House was finally defeated , we saw the little innocents , the orphans whose only crime had been born to wicked parents . I admit there were some in our armies , the combined forces of the Houses , who would have had them all slaughtered to annihilate the legacy of Dagoth . In the end , compassion prevailed , and the children of the Sixth House were adopted into the other five . And so we thought that we had won the war and the peace . ” “ By the Mother , Lord , and Wizard , if all that Tay believes is true , then there is no peace , ” Baynarah trembled . “ He claims that the Song of his ancestors called to him , and forced him to slay three people , two of them our Housemen . Cousin Kalkorith and . . . when he was a little boy . . . Vaster . ” Ulliah held her hands over her tearful face and could not speak . “ And it is only beginning , ” said Baynara . “ The Song still calls to him . He said there were others who knew , who would help him raise up the Sixth House . His sister . . . ” “ It must be an evil fantasy , ” Ulliah murmured . She noticed that Baynarah ' s gaze was now upon the path leading from the docks towards the house . “ Niece , what are you thinking ? ” “ Did that priestess give us her name ? ” The two women ran up the path , calling for guards . The fishermen , who had never seen the mistresses of the house so undone , looked briefly at one another and then followed quickly behind , pulling out their hooks and blades . The front gate to Sandil House stood wide open , the first of the corpses lying close within . It was now an abattoir , painted fresh with blood . There was Aner , uncle Triffith ' s valet , gutted but still seated at the foyer table where he had been enjoying his afternoon glass of flin . Leryne , one of the chambermaids , had been decapitated while carrying some once - clean linens up the stairs . The bodies of guards and servants sprawled about the hall like blown leaves . At the top of the stairs , Baynarah had to hold back a sob when she saw Hillima . She lay like a broken doll , slain as she tried to pull herself out onto the narrow window ledge . No one spoke , not Baynarah , nor Aunt Ulliah , nor the fishermen , as they walked slowly through the blood - drenched house . They passed Tay ' s sick - room , its door broken open , and no one within . When they heard the sound of footsteps in Baynarah ' s room down the hall , they approached slowly , cautiously , with great dread . The priestess from the docks was standing by the bed . In her hand was the silver ring Baynarah had taken from Tay ' s finger . In her other hand was a long , curved blade , splashed like her once pristine gown , with gore . She smiled prettily and bowed when she saw she was no longer alone . “ Acra , I should have recognized you by Tay ' s description in his letters , ” Baynarah said in her steadiest voice . “ Where is my cousin ? ” “ I prefer to call myself Dagoth - Acra , ” she replied . “ Your false cousin , my true brother , has already gone to fulfill his destiny . I ' m sorry you were not here so he could give you a more permanent farewell . ” Baynarah ' s face twisted in fury . She motioned for the fishermen , who advanced with their weaponry . “ Tear her apart . ” “ The Sixth House will rise again , and Dagoth - Tython will lead us ! ” Acra laughed . Her words were still echoing as she gave the sign of Recall and vanished like a ghost . Book VI . The magnificent sprawl of the stronghold of Indoranyon was aglow in the light of the setting sun . Commander Jasrat watched it slowly disappear into the horizon as he led the caravan southwestward . It was a strange practice for him to lead a night operation , but scarcely more bizarre than anything else he was facing . He was only seventy years of age , far from old for a Bosmer , and yet he felt like he belonged to another era . He had known the land of east Vvardenfell his entire life . Every forest , every garden , every small village between Red Mountain and the Sea of Ghosts had been home to him . But now it was all different , twisted into a world he did not recognize since the eruption and the year of Sun ' s Death . It made night travel all the more treacherous , but it was a risk he was ordered to take . The ashmire appeared quite suddenly . If a sharp - sighted scout hadn ' t seen it and given the signal , the entire caravan might have been swallowed whole . Jasrat cursed . It had not been on the map , but that was hardly surprising . It was a huge unnamed scathe stretching as far as anyone could see . The commander considered his options . He might lead his party to the southeast toward Tel Aruhn and then try an approach due west . As he consulted his map , he noticed a glimmer of a campfire in the distance . Accompanied by his lieutenants , Jasrat drove his guar forward to investigate what appeared to be an Ashlander man and woman . “ This is no longer your realm , ” he bellowed . “ Don ' t you know it ' s been ruled by the Temple that these are House lands now ? ” The couple shuffled to their feet , and began quietly walking away , toward a narrow ridge between hill and ashmire . Jasrat called them back . “ Do you know a way around the scathe ? ” he asked . They nodded , their eyes still to the ground . Jasrat signaled to his caravan . “ You will lead us then . ” It was a treacherous winding crossing , almost too tight for the guars . The wagons themselves scraped as the drivers pulled to avoid the ashmire . The Ashlander man and woman whispered to one another as they led the caravan . “ What are you mumbling about , n ' wah ? ” Jasrat hollered . The man did not turn around . “ My sister and I were talking about the Dagoth rebellion , and she was guessing that you were bringing arms to the stronghold at Falensarano , which is why you chose to cross the ashmire rather than taking a road . ” “ I might have known , ” Jasrat laughed . “ You Ashlanders are so hopeful whenever you see signs of trouble in the Houses and the Temple . I hate to dampen your spirits , but what you ' re speaking of is hardly a rebellion . Merely a few isolated incidents of . . . unpleasantness . Tell your sister that . ” As they plodded onward , the narrow ridge began to taper even more . The Ashlanders found a low jagged crevasse in the hills , a crack from a lava flow even predating Sun ' s Death . The caravan scored the rock walls at it moved through . Commander Jasrat , after twenty years of uncertainty in a land he did not understand , felt a twinge of his old instinct . This , he thought to himself , would be a fine place for an ambush . “ Ashlander , how close are we ? ” he shouted . “ We ' ve arrived , ” Dagoth - Tython replied , and gave the signal . The assault was over in mere minutes , as it had been calculated from the start . When the last body of the House guard had sunk beneath the ashmire , only then was the inventory of the caravan revealed . It was better than they had hoped , virtually everything the rebellion needed . Daedric swords , dozens of suits of armor , quivers of fine ebony bolts , and rations enough to last for weeks . “ Go on ahead to the camp , ” Tython smiled at his sister . “ I ' ll lead the caravan . We should be there within a few hours ' time . ” Acra kissed him passionately , and gave the sign of Recall . In an instant , she was back in her tent , exactly as she had left it . Humming the Song , she removed the Ashlanders rags and chose an appropriately diaphanous gown from her trunks . Precisely the sort of dress Tython would love seeing her in when he returned . “ Muorasa ! ” she called to her servant . “ Summon the troops together ! Tython and the others will be here very soon with all the weapons and rations we need ! ” “ Muorasa can ' t hear you now , ” said a voice Acra hadn ' t heard in weeks . She turned , expertly removed every trace of surprise from her face . It was indeed Indoril - Baynarah , but not the quivering creature she had left behind at the massacre at Sandil House . This woman was an armored warrior , who spoke with mocking confidence . “ She wouldn ' t be able to summon the troops if she could . You may have weapons and rations , Acra , but there ' s no one left to arm or feed . ” Dagoth - Acra made the sign of Recall , but nothing happened . “ The moment we heard you banging around in the tent , my battlemage s cast a diffusion of all magicka , ” Baynara smiled , opening the tent further to invite a dozen House soldiers in . “ You won ' t be leaving . ” “ If you think that my brother will walk into your trap , you underestimate his allegiance to the Song , ” Acra sneered . “ It tells him everything he needs to know . I have convinced him to no longer fight it , and let it lead him and us to our ultimate victory . ” “ I ' ve known him longer and better than you ever did , ” said Baynarah coldly . “ Now , I want to hear what the Song is saying to you . I want to know where I can find Tay . ” “ Tython , my lady , ” Acra corrected her . “ He is no longer a slave to your House and the Temple ' s lies . You can torture me all you wish , but I swear to you the next time you see him , it will be because he wishes it , not you . And that will be your very last moment alive . ” “ Don ' t you worry , serjo , ” Baynarah ' s nightblade winked at her . “ Everyone says they won ' t break under torture , but everyone always does . ” Baynarah left the tent . It was all a part of warfare , she understood that , but there would be little relish in witnessing it . She could not even watch as the House soldiers disposed of the rebel corpses . She had hoped she would grow numb to the bloodshed after weeks of following Tython and Acra , massacre after massacre . It didn ' t matter to her that now the bodies were of her enemies . Death was still death . She had only been in her tent for a few minutes when her nightblade appeared . “ Not so tough as she appeared , that one , ” he grinned . “ In point of fact , all I had to do is ask her nice and point my dagger at her belly , and she was blubbering everything . Not too surprising really . It ' s always the ones that talk big that crumble fast . I remember way back a couple years ago , before you was even born - “ “ Garuan , what did she say ? ” Baynarah asked . “ The Song , whatever that is , told her brother that she got herself caught , and not to return to camp , ” the nightblade replied , only a trifle annoyed at having his fascinating story cut short . “ He ' s got a half dozen mer with him , and they ' re going to try to assassinate the fella that led the Indoril army in the War . General Indoril - Triffith . ” “ Uncle Triffith , ” Baynarah gasped . “ Where is he stationed now ? ” “ I ' m not sure myself , serjo . Do you want me to ask if she knows ? ” “ I ' ll come with you , ” said Baynarah . As they walked towards Acra ' s tent , cries of alarm sounded . The situation became abundantly clear even before they reached the site . Three guards were dead , and the prisoner had escaped . “ Interesting woman , ” said Garuan . “ Weak heart , but a strong arm . Should we send word of warning to General Indoril - Triffith ? ” “ If we can find where he is in time , ” said Baynarah . Book VII . Triffith stood the parapets of Barysimayn and considered the volcano . Metaphors the poets used fell rather flat in his view . A festering wound it could be called with its blood - like lava . The King of Ash , too , could be applied , when one looked at its perpetual crown of smoke . And yet , none of that would do , for nothing in his experience could convey the sheer magnitude of the mountain . Red Mountain was many miles away from the fortress , and yet it filled the horizon utterly . Before he could feel too small , however , he heard his name being called within . It was some consolation that though he was insignificant compared to the mountain , he was still in possession of certain power and influence . “ General Indoril - Triffith , ” said Commander Rael . “ There ' s trouble at the east gate . ” The trouble was scarcely more than a skirmish . An Ashlanders , drunk perhaps on shein , had begun a fight with the House guards at the back gate . As they tried to drive him away , his cousins joined him , and soon there were six Ashlanders altogether brawling with a dozen of Triffith ' s guards . If the n ' wahs had not been well - armed , the fight could have been finished almost before it began . As it was , by the time the General arrived with more of his guards , two of the Ashlanders were dead and the others had taken flight . “ It ' s the smoke in their brains , ” Rael shrugged . “ Makes them mad . ” Triffith climbed back up the stairs and returned to his chamber to dress for dinner . General Redoran - Vorilk and Counselor Hlaalu - Nothoc would be arriving very shortly to discuss the Temple ' s plans for reorganizing the House lands of Morrowind . Mournhold was to be renamed Almalexia . A great new city in honor of Vivec was to be built , but with whose gold ? It made his head hurt . There were so many details , a long night of argument , threats , and compromises were ahead . The General ' s mind was so occupied that he nearly put his House robes on backwards . He also did not notice the shadowy figure steal out from behind the tapestry and close the door to the bedchamber . It was not until Triffith heard the sound of the latch - bolt fall that he turned around . “ Slipped in when I was distracted by the fracas at the back gate . Very clever , Tay , ” he said simply . “ Or do you call yourself Dagoth - Tython these days ? ” “ You should know all my names , ” the young man snarled , unsheathing his sword . “ I was Tython before you butchered my family and sought to dispel my tribe . I was Tay when you brought me into your House to poison me against my own people . Now you may call me Vengeance . ” There was a knock on the door . Tython and Triffith did not move their eyes from one another . The knocking became a loud pounding . “ General Indoril - Triffith , are you well ? Is there something wrong ? ” “ If you ' re going to kill me , boy , you ' d best do it quickly , ” Triffith growled . “ My men will have that door down in two minutes . ” “ You don ' t tell me what to do , ' Uncle , ' ” Tython shook his head . “ I have the Song of my ancestors to instruct me . It tells me you made my father beg for his life before you killed him , and I want to see you do the same . ” “ If your ancestors are all - knowing , ” Triffith smiled . “ Why are they all dead ? ” Tython made an inhuman noise in the back of his throat and advanced . The door began to buckle at the pounding , but it was sturdy and secure . The general ' s estimate of its life expectancy at two minutes seemed clearly erroneous . The pounding suddenly stopped . A familiar voice replaced the sound . “ Tay , ” called Baynarah . “ Listen to me . ” Tython smirked , “ You ' re just in time to hear your uncle beg for his miserable life , ' cousin . ' I was afraid you ' d be too late . The next sound you ' ll hear will be the death rattle of the man who slaved my House . ” “ The Song is what ' s enslaved you , not Uncle Triffith . You can ' t trust it . It ' s poisoning you . It let you be manipulated first by that mad old woman , and now by that evil witch Acra who calls herself your sister . ” Tython pressed the tip of his sword so it touched the general ' s throat . The older man stepped backwards and Tython advanced . His eyes followed the length of his arm to the grip of the blade . The silver ring of Dagoth caught the red light of the volcano from the battlements outside the window . “ Tay , please don ' t hurt anyone anymore . Please . If you just listen to me , and not the Song just a moment , you ' ll know what ' s right . I love you . ” Baynarah stifled her sobs to keep her voice clear and calm . There was a noise on the stairwell behind her . The general ' s guard had finally arrived with the battering ram . The door splintered and burst open in two strikes . General Indoril - Triffith was holding his throat , staring out the window . “ Uncle ! Are you all right ? ” Baynara ran to him . He nodded his head slowly , and removed his hand . There was only the barest of scratches on his neck . “ Where ' s Tay ? ” “ He jumped out the window , ” said Triffith , pointing out into the distance where a figure was riding a guar toward the volcano . “ I thought he was going to kill himself , but he had an escape figured out . ” “ We ' ll get him , serjo general , ” said Commander Rael , calling to the guards to get their mounts . Baynarah watched them go , and then kissed her uncle quickly and ran out to her own guar in the courtyard . Sweat drenched Tay ' s body as he rode closer and closer toward the summit of Red Mountain . The guar was breathing hard , trudging along even more slowly , letting out little grunts of complaint about the heat . Finally , he abandoned his steed and began to climb the near vertical surface . Ash blew down the face of the volcano into his eyes . Near - blind , it was almost impossible to ignore the persistent , clamorous notes of the Song . A silken stream of crimson lava studded with crystalline formations surged a few feet away , close enough that Tay could feel his flesh begin to burn and blister . He turned from it , and saw a figure emerge through the smoke . Baynarah . “ What are you doing , Tay ? ” she cried over the howl of the volcano . “ Didn ' t I tell you not to listen to the Song ? ” “ For the first time , the Song and I both want the same thing ! ” he yelled back . “ I can ' t ask you to forgive me , but please try to forget ! ” He pulled himself higher , out of Baynarah ' s sight . She screamed his name , scaling the rocks until she found she was close to the open crater . Waves of boiling gas washed over her , and she dropped to her knees , gasping . Through the rippling miasma , she saw Tay standing at the mouth of the volcano . Flames erupted from his clothes and hair . He turned to her just for a moment and smiled . Then he leapt . Baynarah was in a daze as she began the long , treacherous climb down the volcano . She began to think of the projects ahead . Were there enough provisions in storage at her house in Gorne for the meeting of the Houses ? The councilors were bound to stay there for weeks , maybe months . There was much work to be done . Slowly , as she descended , she began to forget . It would not last , but it would be a start . Dagoth - Acra stood as near to the mouth of the volcano as she could stand , blinking her eyes at the ash , soaked by the heat . She watched all , and smiled . On the ground was the silver ring with the seal of the House Dagoth . Tython had been sweating so much , it had slipped off . She picked it up and put it on her own finger . Touching her belly , she heard a new refrain of the Poison Song of Morrowind begin .