Phyllis
"I could see if I can get backup, at the least some Redoran Guard, at the most maybe the Arch-Mage." He says, "Otherwise any doubts should be left here. Whatever's down there needs to die."
Gloria
"Whoever you deem Necessary... I just... I feel ill being here. It's... Like the mere presence of the energy is hurting the Divine Metal in my body..."

*He stepped back from the door just past the statue. Just around it, someone was speaking.

"What are you? Where is this place? I'm so tired, LET ME SLEEP!"*
Phyllis
He opens a portal, as if they were already informed a squad of Redoran Guard step through, "I have reason to believe that the Demon of Dagoth has a hand in this cult. Move with caution, ignore any whispers, and kill any ash monstrosities."
Gloria
*He didn't worry much about being killed for heresy himself. He had been to Solstheim to speak with Neloth before. Ahead of them was an Ash Zombie and an Ash Slave, guarding the primary chamber where the chimes and drumming came from. The slave was babbling about furniture, and neither could see the group in front of them.

"The chairs. The tables. All confused. We hear the words, and must speak them. We take them, and arrange them, but still, they will not be quiet."*
Phyllis
"ELEMENT OF SURPRISE!" He shouts, casting a frost spell, filling the area the Ash Monstrosities are in with icicles, making the ground treacherous, "Archers! At your ready! *Fire!*" He shouts, as the Redoran guard loose arrows upon the monstrosities
Gloria
*The lurker moved forward grabbing the Zombie, and an arrow hit the slave dead in the forehead. But the drumming continued. That drumming... It only got closer as they would enter the main chamber. In the center, between two ash ghouls, hitting bells with hammers, was an abomination not seen on the face of tamriel in ages. What once was a dunmer was now a contorted mess of flute-like tentacles. Surrounding them were around 12 ash zombies beating crude drums in unison.

"It is just dream and waking over and over, one appearance after another, nothing real. What you do here means nothing. Why do we waste our breath on you?"*
Phyllis
He makes a disgusted sound, "I thought the Disaster at Red Mountain wiped these abominations out." He says, "That and Nerevar." He downs a magicka potion and begins channeling a frost magic ritual, "This'll take me a moment, keep them off me for now."
Gloria
*Byleth moved forward. One by one the Ash Zombies rose. A trivial foe. He cast Chain Lightning on one, and it passed throughout the ring in a flash, all of them falling just as they had risen. But the Sleeper has paralyzed him. He was unmoving.

"What are you doing? You have no idea. Poor animal. You struggle and fight, and understand nothing." Said the Sleeper.

The Two ghouls approached him with their bell hammers. Despite their lack of eyes, or nose, they knew he was there.*
Phyllis
He unleashes the spell, a raging storm of frost fills the room, shards of ice slash against anything in the field, the bitter cold slows and blinds. The Redoran guard move to guard Byleth, shields raised and swords ready
Gloria
*One of the Ghouls had fallen from the spell, the other was about to swing at Byleth when he broke free of his Paralysis and stabbed it with his Pneumatic staff, nearly exploding its head. The Sleeper had covered itself in a cloud of Toxic gas. Byleth conjured a Seeker to get through the gas, but the Sleeper expelled it.*

"Archers!"

*He began flinging lightning bolts at it, but it was strong, it was absorbing his spells.*
Phyllis
"You heard him! Give him some support!" The Redoran Guard switch to their bows, firing upon the Sleeper. Galdres casts Dire Noise, filling the Sleeper's mind with a loud ringing only it can hear, distracting it from its magic
Gloria
*An arrow entered one of its head holes and it fell, not after hitting Byleth with a bolt of Lightning. He took a knee, making sure his prosthetics still functioned.*

"It's dead."

*All that was left was its skull, which was sitting there with the rest of the corpses. The only sound in the room was a faint chiming coming from little wind chimes hung throughout the chamber.*
Phyllis
"Guard! Sweep the area, make sure nothing is alive, if you find any people, arrest them." He orders, "You alright?" He asks, putting a hand out, "Can't imagine lightning is good for your prosthetics."
Gloria
"Fine. Just fine."

*He was opening and closing his hand, pumping magicka through his body. As they swept the compound, they would find people turning into ash zombies, suffering the beginning of the transformation. It wasn't exactly the blight, it was a sinister, more ancient evil. They were in agony, their heads ready to burst from their foreheads.*

"Take me to this... Mask chamber. Wherever it is."
Phyllis
"It's over here." He says, moving to the corridor, a bittersweet silence falls in most of the compound, as the Redoran Guard begins mercy killing the soon-to-be ash zombies
Gloria
"Its all we can do for them... Killing them. It isn't corprus. Then they wouldve had hope."

*He said, solemnly. They entered the armory chamber.*

"How does it go? Alm-Si-Vi?"

*He pointed, middle, left, right. This was correct. He went around placing the masks. The false wall opened.*

"I'll let you have a look."
Phyllis
"You probably could've just looked at your hand." He says with a chuckle, "Don't think I didn't notice the inscription on it." He says, walking into the room, stopping short of the entrance and looking around
Gloria
"I bear the Inscription as you bear that armor, poet. It's a part of both of us, regardless of how we are now."

*He entered the room behind the false wall and opened the chest within. A note, and two blades.*

"What a pleasant surprise."

*That was all he had to say.*
Phyllis
"Hopesfire and Trueflame..." He says out loud, pickiing up Trueflame, "The Blade of Nerevar" He inspects the blade, the intricate design, the red gems, "Said to have the power to kill a god, if wielded with noble intent." He swings it in the air a few times, the flames arcing with the blade, "This is staying with me." He says, "I'll have the guard confiscate Hopesfire at once, the Temple can decide what happens to it." He hands the note to Byleth, as he inspects the room for any other artifacts or oddities, "Why Solstheim, I wonder. Odd that all these artifacts are here. I chose to live hear specifically to avoid major historical events."
Gloria
"I would leave it at the College. I don't trust the temple not to destroy it. They already tried destroying me... Well... One fanatic."

*He laughed.*

"I wandered to Skyrim to get away from Hammerfell, now look at me. Your time isn't up, if Nereva meant what she said about Miraak."

*He grabbed the note and read it.*

"The one with the Mask of the Sharmat is near Tel Mithryn. If he's still there when we get there, I'll have words for Neloth."
Phyllis
He sighs, "Even on an island as small as Solstheim these *Fetchers* Find some way to be as inconveniently far as possible." He says, "I almost think it's intentional." He opens a portal, taking Hopesfire and placing it onto a table inside the College, Jo'Del can be seen briefly through the portal, he waves a paw as the portal closes. "I suppose we won't be informing the New Temple of all the Tribunal Artifacts we're just giving away to the College?"
Gloria
"It's too important to our history to be given away to potential fanatics. Some in the New Temple would like to see every piece of the Tribunal erased."

*He looked around the armory behind them.*

"They can keep everything in here, and send the weapons to the Museum in Mournhold."
Phyllis
He nods, "Get to work, send word back to Raven Rock, have them bring carriages and crates. Box up weapons and armor and have it all shipped off to the Museum in Mournhold. Otherwise leave it. Maybe have the complex incinerated, I don't really care." He begins opening a portal to a point right outside Tel Mithryn