A Game at Dinner Content . Forward From The Publisher : The history behind this letter is almost as interesting and dark as the story it tells . The original letter to the mysterious Dhaunayne was copied and began circulating around the Ashlands of Vvardenfell a few months ago . In time , a print found its way to the mainland and Prince Hlaalu Helseth ' s palace outside Almalexia . While the reader may conclude after reading this letter that the Prince would be furious about such a work , impugning his highness with great malevolence , quite the reverse was true . The Prince and his mother , Queen Barenziah , had it privately printed into bound copies and sent to libraries and booksellers throughout Morrowind . As matter of record , the Prince and the Queen have not officially stated whether the letter is a work of pure imagination or based on an actual occurrence . The House Dres has publicly denounced the work , and indeed , no one named Dhaunayne , despite the suggestions in the letter , has ever been linked to the house . We leave the reader to interpret the letter as he or she believes . - - Nerris Gan , Publisher Dark Liege Dhaunayne , You asked for a detailed description of my experience last night and the reasons for my plea to House Dres for another assignment . I hope I have served you well in my capacity as informant in the court of Prince Helseth , a man who I have stated in many previous reports could teach Molag Bal how to scheme . As you know , I ' ve spent nearly a year now working my way into his inner circle of advisors . He was in need of friendship when he first arrived in Morrowind and eagerly took to me and a few others . Still , he was disinclined to trust any of us , which is perhaps not surprising , given his tenuous position in Morrowind society . For your unholiness ' s recollection , the Prince is the eldest son of Barenziah , who was once the Queen of Morrowind and once the Queen of the High Rock kingdom of Wayrest . At the death of her husband , Prince Helseth ' s stepfather , King Eadwyre , there was a power struggle between the Prince and Eadwyre ' s daughter , the Princess Elysana . Though details of what transpired are imperfect , it is clear that Elysana won the battle and became Queen , banishing Helseth and Barenziah . Barenziah ' s only other child , Morgiah , had already left court to marry and become Queen of the Summurset Isle kingdom of Firsthold . Barenziah and Helseth crossed the continent to return to Morrowind only last year . They were well received by Barenziah ' s uncle , our current king , Hlaalu Athyn Llethan , who had taken the throne after Barenziah ' s abdication more than forty years ago . Barenziah made it clear that she had no designs on reclaiming the throne , but merely to retire to her family estates . Helseth , as you know , has lingered in the royal court , and many have whispered that while he lost the throne of Wayrest , he does not intend to lose the throne of Morrowind at Llethan ' s death . I ' ve kept your unholiness informed of the Prince ' s movements , meetings , and plots , as well as the names and characters of his other advisors . As you may recall , I ' ve often thought that I was not the only spy in Helseth ' s court . I told you before that a particular Dunmer counselor of Helseth looked like a fellow I had seen in the company of Tholer Saryoni , the Archcanon of the Tribunal Temple . Another , a young Nord woman , has been verified to visit the Imperial fortress in Balmora . Of course , in their cases , they might well have been on Helseth ' s own business , but I couldn ' t be certain . I had begun to think myself paranoid as the Prince himself when I found myself doubting the sincere loyalty of the Prince ' s chamberlain , Burgess , a Breton who had been in his employ since his days in the court of Wayrest . That is the background on that night , last night . Yesterday morning , I received a curt invitation to dine with the Prince . Based only on my own paranoia , I dispatched one of my servants , who is a good and loyal servant of the House Dres , to watch the palace and report back anything unusual . Just before dinner , he returned and told me what he had witnessed . A man cloaked in rags had been given entrance into the palace , and had stayed there for some time . When he left , my servant saw his face beneath the cloak — an alchemist of infamous repute , said to be a leading suppliers of exotic poisons . A fine observer , my servant also noticed that the alchemist entered the palace smelling of wickwheat , bittergreen , and something alien and sweet . When he left , he was odorless . He had come to the same conclusion as I did . The Prince had procured ingredients to prepare a poison . Bittergreen alone is deadly when eaten raw , but the other ingredients suggested something far deeper . As your unholiness can doubtless imagine , I went to dinner that night , prepared for any eventuality . All of Prince Helseth ' s other counselors were in attendance , and I noticed that all were slightly apprehensive . Of course , I imagined that I was in a nest of spies , and all knew of the Prince ' s mysterious meeting . It is just as likely that some knew of the alchemist ' s visit , while others were simply concerned by the nature of the Prince ' s invitation , and still others merely unconsciously adopted the tense disposition of their fellow , better informed counselors . The Prince , however , was in fine mettle and soon had everyone relaxed and at ease . At nine , we were all ushered into his dining hall where the feast had been laid out . And what a feast ! Honeyed gorapples , fragrant stews , roasts in various blood sauces , and every variety of fish and fowl expertly and ostentatiously prepared . Crystal and gold flagons of wine , flin , shein , and matze were at our seats to be savored as appropriate with each course . As tantalizing as the aromas were , it occurred to me that in such a maze of spices and flavors , a discreet poison would be undetectable . Throughout the meal , I maintained the illusion of eating the food and drinking the liquor , but I was surreptitious and swallowed nothing . Finally , the plates and food were cleared from the table , and a tureen of a spicy broth was placed in the center of the banquet . The servant who brought it then retired , closing the banquet hall door behind him . “ It smells divine , my Prince , ” said the Marchioness Kolgar , the Nord woman . “ But I cannot eat another thing . ” “ Your Highness , ” I added , feigning a tone of friendliness and slight intoxication . “ You know that every one at this table would gladly die to put you on the throne of Morrowind , but is it really necessary that we gorge ourselves to death ? ” The others at the table agreed with appreciative groans . Prince Helseth smiled . I swear by Vaernima the Gifter , my dark liege , even you have never seen a smile such as this one . “ Ironic words . You see , an alchemist visited me today , as some of you already doubtless know . He showed me how to make a marvelous poison and its antidote . A most potent potion , excellent for my purposes . No Restoration spell will aid you once you ' ve ingested it . Only the antidote in the tureen will save you from certain death . And what a death , from what I ' ve heard . I am eager to see if the effects are all that the alchemist promised . It should be horribly painful for the afflicted , but quite entertaining . ” No one said a word . I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest . “ Your Highness , ” said Allarat , the Dunmer I suspected of alliance with the Temple . “ Have you poisoned someone at this table ? ” “ You are very astute , Allarat , ” said Prince Helseth , looking about the table , eying each of his advisors carefully . “ Little wonder I value your counsel . As indeed I value all in this room . It would be perhaps easiest for me to say who I haven ' t poisoned . I haven ' t poisoned any who serve but one master , any whose loyalty to me is sincere . I haven ' t poisoned any person who wants to see King Helseth on the throne of Morrowind . I haven ' t poisoned anyone who isn ' t a spy for the Empire , the Temple , the House of Telvanni , the House of Redoran , the House of Indoril , the House of Dres . ” Your unholiness , he looked directly at me at his last words . I know that in certainty . My face is practiced at keeping my thoughts from showing , but I immediately thought of every secret meeting I ' ve had , every coded message I sent to you and the House , my dark liege . What could he know ? What could he , even without knowing , suspect ? I felt my heart beating even faster . Was it fear , or poison ? I couldn ' t speak , certain as I was that my voice would betray my calm facade . “ Those loyal to me who wish harm on my enemies may be wondering how can I be certain that the poison has been ingested . Is it possible that the guilty party , or dare I say , parties were suspicious and merely pretended to eat and drink tonight ? Of course . But even the craftiest of pretenders would have to raise a glass to his or her lips and put empty forks or spoons in their mouths to play the charade . The food , you see , was not poisoned . The cups and cutlery were . If you did not partake out of fear , you ' re poisoned just the same , and sadly , missed an excellent roast . ” Sweat beaded on my face and I turned from the Prince so he would not see . My fellow advisors , all of them , were frozen in their seats . From the Marchioness Kolgar , white with fear , to Kema Inebbe , visibly shaking ; from the furrowed , angry brow of Allarat to the statue - like stare of Burgess . I couldn ' t help thinking then , could the Prince ' s entire counsellorship be comprised of nothing but spies ? Was there any person at the table loyal ? And then I thought , what if I were not a spy myself , would I trust Helseth to know that ? No one knows better than his advisors both the depth of the Prince ' s paranoia and the utter implacability of his ambition . If I were not a spy for the House Dres , even then would I be safe ? Could a loyalist be poisoned because of a not - so - innocent misjudgment ? The others must have been thinking the same , loyalists and spies alike . While my mind whirled , I could hear the Prince ' s voice , addressing all assembled : “ The poison acts quickly . If the antidote is not taken within one minute from now , there will be death at the table . ” I couldn ' t decide whether I had been poisoned or not . My stomach ached , but I reminded myself it might have been the result of sitting at a sumptuous banquet and not partaking . My heart shook in my chest and a bitter taste like Trama Root stung my lips . Again , was it fear or poison ? “ These are the last words you will hear if you are disloyal to me , ” said Prince Helseth , still smiling that damned smile as he watched his advisors squirming in their seats . “ Take the antidote and live . ” Could I believe him ? I thought of what I knew of the Prince and his character . Would he kill a self - confessed spy at his court , or would he rather send the vanquished back to his masters ? The Prince was ruthless , but either possibility was within his manner . Surely the theatricality of this whole dinner was meant to be a presentation to instill fear . What would my ancestors say if I joined them after sitting at a table , eventually dying of poison ? What would they say if I took the antidote , confessing my allegiance to you and the House Dres , and was summarily executed ? And , I confess , I thought of what you might to do me even after I was dead . I had grown so light - headed and filled with my own thoughts , that I didn ' t see Burgess jump from his seat . I was only suddenly aware that he had the tureen in his hands and was gulping down the liquid within . There were guards all around , though I never noticed them entering . “ Burgess , ” said Prince Helseth , still smiling . “ You have spent some time at Ghostgate . House Redoran ? ” “ You didn ' t know ? ” Burgess laughed sourly . “ No House . I report to your stepsister , the Queen of Wayrest . I ' ve always been in her employ . By Akatosh , you poisoned me because you thought I was working for some damnable Dark Elves ? ” “ You ' re half right , ” said the Prince . “ I didn ' t guess who you were working for , or even that you were a spy . But you ' re also wrong about me poisoning you . You poisoned yourself when you drank from the tureen . ” Your unholiness , you don ' t need to hear how Burgess died . I know that you have seen much over the many , many years of your existence , but you truly don ' t want to know . I wish I could erase the memory of his agonies from my own mind . The council was dismissed shortly thereafter . I do not know if Prince Helseth knows or suspects that I too am a spy . I do not know how many others that night , last night , were as close as I was from drinking from the tureen before Burgess did . I only know that if the Prince does not suspect me now , he will . I cannot win at the games he mastered long ago at the court of Wayrest , and I beg your unholiness , my dark liege Dhaunayne to use your influence in the House Dres and dismiss your loyal servant from this charge . < nowiki > * * * * < / nowiki > Publisher ' s Note : Of course , the anonymous writer ' s signature has not been on any reprint of the letter since the original .