Poison Song , Book IV Content . 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 ! ”