Mere-Glim

Mere-Glim (a.k.a. Wuthilul or Glim), an Argonian male with muddy-green scales and chocolate-brown spines, lived in Lilmoth, Black Marsh, four decades after the Oblivion Crisis. Annaïg Hoïnart, a Breton girl, was his friend and partner-in-adventure.

Since she was sharing her father’s wine with him after an exceptionally adventure-filled evening, he told Annaïg of his cousin Ixtah-Nasha’s stories from aboard the Wind Oracle; stories of a large island floating in the air with a city atop it (Umbriel), heading in the direction of Lilmoth.

The next day, they talked to her father about it; he told them that “The city tree said it was nothing to worry about.” Glim remarked that this choice of words was peculiar since the Hist should all be of the same mind, there should be no reason to distinguish the city tree from any others. When Annaïg attempted to start conversation on the subject, her father told her he’d made arrangements for her to travel to her aunt’s place in Leyawiin, though he hadn’t the money to send Glim as well, who said that he wouldn’t go anyway. Annaïg sent Glim to see what the Psijic priest Urvwen had to say about the matter, while she went to Hecua to fine-tune her potions.

On the way to see Urvwen, Glim stopped and had a moment with the Hist, or an exposed part of the tree connected to the Hist. Glim was troubled by the fact that the tree seemed to cut off whatever vision the Hist had sent him before it had run its course. Once at his destination, the old Psijic priest told Glim that “Something has been removed from another world. And it has come here.” before sending Glim away. He left Urvwen to go to his cousin’s place for Theilul, a liquor made from distilled sugarcane. After leaving there, he found that Annaïg had sent Coo, her magical metal bird, after him. Opening the door on the bird through which he could normally communicate with her, he instead heard evidence that her father was having her kidnapped to get her away from the city. Shortly afterward, he spoke with Annaïg through Coo, and learned she was on a boat. Glim rescued her from the boat and led her through the water, past a close-call with a sea-drake, and through a cave tunnel. On the other side, they saw Umbriel. Glim was transfixed by it, and seemed to be unable to stop himself from moving toward the ground underneath it. She used her flying potion on them both and tried to pull him away from it, but couldn’t, so compromised by pulling them toward the mass itself, into the deepest crevice she could see.

On Umbriel, they saw below and watched as Umbriel’s forces battled with and killed Lilmoth residents, then the dead rose and joined the invading army. Annaïg sent Coo to Prince Attrebus Mede, to inform him of the horrors they witnessed. Then they met members of what Annaïg initially thought was a “resistance” movement; they turned out to be cooks for the lords of this world, and took Glim and her captive. They were separated, and he was interviewed by a man curious about his physical form. When he learned Glim could easily propel himself through water and could breathe water indefinitely, he decided Glim would be a skraw and would work in the sump.

Glim met Wert, another skraw, who explained to him that he and the others here have to consume “vapors” to be able to work in the sump. He explained that the sump is where everyone came from, and where everyone would go when they die. It was an almost perfect circular lake at the bottom of a conical cavity. Wert showed Glim the conduit in the sump to the ingenium, and explained that it “takes care of our souls and keeps the world running”. Wert also showed Glim thousands of translucent sacs stuck to the wall, which he explained are the people of Umbriel being born. A sheartooth, a type of fish that lived in the sump, took a particular dislike to Glim and he had to fight it off, and then he rescue Wert from drowning as his vapors wore off because of the struggle.

As he worked in the sump, he understated his swimming abilities and took some extra time to explore. He found a forested area on the surface of Umbriel, the Fringe Gyre. In contact with one of the trees, he realized that it’s similar to the Hist; not exactly the same, but possibly related. He met a girl there named Fhena with skin the color of Dunmer. She said she had a friend that delivered to the kitchens, Kalmo, and Glim asked if she can get word of Annaïg. When looking for the items he’d been sent for on his way back, he found the bodies of the people that worked in Annaïg’s kitchen, and though he found no trace of her, he did find her locket. Back at the overseer, Eyrob, he was chastised for being late, and Glim bristled at him, talking back, until Eyrob used some sort of magical force to topple Glim with pain.

When next he went to the Fringe Gyre, he saw that they were well out of Black Marsh and over the ruins of Vvardenfell. He met Fhena again, who had question after question for him about the world he came from. When he prepared to leave, she said that she received word of Annaïg, that her kitchen was attacked by another to capture her because of her skill, and that she now worked for the Toel kitchen. That evening, he was woken from his sleep by Wert, who wanted to speak with him along with the other skraws. They explained to him that they’d never considered that their lives might be better, but now that he’d brought it up, and shown that he had the guts to stand up to the overseer, they couldn’t deny it. They asked Glim how they could take a stand, and he explained that they simply stop doing as they’re told. The lords and ladies couldn’t kill them all, since they need them to run the sump. All they ask for in return is something better than the vapors. Glim then used the opportunity to ask them to make maps of the place, though he had to follow the request by explaining what a map is.

Glim sent Annaïg’s locket to her by way of another skraw, in a bucket of ingredients and along with a note. In this manner, they communicated and decided to meet the following midnight, at the dock. There, they consumed flying potions Annaïg had made, and begin to fly away from Umbriel, only to find that they had become like the other residents of the city; if they traveled too far from Umbriel, they began to lose their substance. Though they were very confused, they were determined to figure out a way to leave Umbriel.