When a bandit force appeared in the Riverlands, in the far north of Westeros, the land of eternal winter, where the legendary King of the Others, whose presence could make children stop crying and nobles uneasy, knelt motionless in the ice and snow with dozens of his followers.
The King of the Others, self-proclaimed as the most powerful magical being in the world, was completely immobilized by an unknown pressure. Aside from his eyes, not a single muscle could move. Fortunately, the Others did not need to breathe, or else the King and his followers would have already suffocated.
A giant blue ice spider, larger than a horse, sunk its mandibles into one of the Others, but despite its efforts, it was unable to draw any sustenance. It walked off in disinterest.
Given the abilities of the King of the Others and his followers, they could have easily killed the ice spider, but it was clear that something else was keeping them restrained.
"Great Spider Queen! Please grant your faithful your support! I will lead my people to restore the Queen's former glory."
The King of the Others' words had gone from arrogant boasting—commanding the ice spiders to obey him—to humble begging. The pressure that had kept him immobile for months made the King of the Others realize the opponent was far beyond him. There was no shame in it.
After months of pleading, today finally brought results.
The snowflakes falling from the sky froze in mid-air. Several ice spiders used their massive legs to push some of the Others away from the King. They wrapped the King in silk, turning him into a white cocoon, leaving only his crown-shaped head exposed.
The Others were worried that the ice spiders would harm the King, as their strength came from him. If he were to die, all of them would crumble into ice shards until the next generation of Kings emerged, hundreds or thousands of years later. But, powerless to move, they could only watch as the ice spiders pierced the King's head with their mandibles.
The King did not resist. If the ice spiders were truly out to kill him, they would not need such a dramatic setup. He calmly accepted the mandibles entering his head.
In the next moment, the frozen wasteland of the far north was replaced by a vast underground cavern. The King looked at his hands and feet, finding no bindings.
"No, my body is still where it was. This is just an illusion brought by the ice spiders. Someone wishes to communicate with me!"
The King walked deeper into the cavern, examining the enormous space.
The dark rock walls were covered in mushrooms larger than him, and deep red crystals glowed faintly, casting just enough light to illuminate the cavern.
Turning around a narrow opening, he saw a sprawling complex of buildings. It resembled a city, with a cold lake at the bottom. The water bubbled with bones rising to the surface, and the black stone structures were spread unevenly across the cavern floor. The glowing mushrooms and deep red crystals were scattered haphazardly on the buildings. Though the complex seemed arranged in some pattern, it appeared strangely distorted.
Various bizarre spiders and creatures the King had never seen before crawled across the buildings. In comparison, the ice spiders were a minor part of the grotesque population.
"My loyal followers, come to the center of the web!" A woman's voice whispered in the King's ear.
The voice carried the weight of a command, compelling the King to walk towards the central tower. As he passed, the various monsters hissed at him but did not attack.
The buildings all seemed to radiate from the central tower like a spider's web. With every step through the areas, the King felt emotions he had never experienced before—lies, jealousy, temptation, fear, betrayal, murder, desire, and anger. These emotions forced themselves into his mind. His steps became uncontrollable, driven by these feelings, until he reached the tower at the center.
After experiencing such overwhelming emotions, a new concept entered the King's mind: release. The King of the Others, a soulless being, suddenly desired rest for the first time.
Meanwhile, his mental and cognitive abilities grew immensely, though he was unaware of it.
The King forced himself to focus, raising his head to decipher the carvings on the tower. A wave of intense fear flooded his consciousness.
Ah~~
Unable to bear the mental strain, the King collapsed to his knees.
"Do not attempt to understand the name of the tower, my humble follower!" The woman's voice came from within the tower.
As her voice resonated, all the negative emotions vanished. The King, kneeling on the ground, lifted his head. "Spider Queen?"
"My humble follower, having passed this small trial, you have earned the right to know my true name."
The pale white doors at the base of the tower slowly opened, and a figure emerged from the darkness.
Staring at the figure illuminated by the glow of the mushrooms and red crystals, the King of the Others felt disgusted and twisted.
The pale body had some red spots, with the head of a beautiful human woman, but instead of a mouth, there were two spider fangs and a split mandible. The body, which should have been upright, was tilted to the side. The right arm was a human arm, but the left side had grown a leg, both of them supporting the creature's weight. The lower body sprouted three arms and three legs from different places, and as it walked, the body twisted, its eight limbs touching the ground in sequence as if rolling forward like a mass of flesh.
"Oh, interesting, this is how you see me!" The mass stood up, towering over the King of the Others, its female head turning sideways to look at him.
Another wave of information flooded the King of the Others' consciousness. The being before him had many titles: the Weaver, the Spinner, Mistress of the Secret Arts, Queen of Eightfold Shadows, the Silver Spider, the Spider Goddess, the Dark One, the Whisperer, the Lady of Whispers.
"Queen Mephala!" The King of the Others knelt on one knee, paying homage to his new queen.
In his mind, this being was clearly a true god, many levels above him. She could kill him with a single gesture. He mentally acknowledged the most fitting title for her.
As an ancient demon from the Elder Scrolls world, Mephala was indeed powerful, but she wasn't quite capable of easily slaying the King of the Others. She only connected with him after he had let down his guard and opened his mind. Everything here was merely information she had implanted into his consciousness.
Mephala was a master of murder, lies, deceit, sex, and forbidden knowledge. Having deceived the King into becoming her follower, she derived a small pleasure from it.
The King of the Others looked at the grotesque mass. "Your Majesty! Please grant your most loyal follower your support. I will lead my people to reclaim our homeland and conquer the entire continent!"
"My faithful follower, I know your request. You were born in extreme cold, and my lovely ice spiders can assist you," Mephala replied.
This low-magic world was beneath Mephala's interest; Nain was the land worth fighting for. Sending a few ice spiders to entertain the King was sufficient.
"My faithful follower, I will grant you the ice spiders, but first, you must do something for me. You must investigate a matter for me. Can I rely on you?"
"Your Majesty, please instruct me!" The King of the Others remained kneeling.
Mephala spoke again, "My ice spiders tell me that your world has experienced two magical storms, one small, one large. Someone is stealing magic from my world. Go and uncover the reason."
"Your Majesty! My people can only live in cold regions. This war was sparked by the cold wave. We cannot reach other regions," the King of the Others replied.
Trust was a foreign concept to Mephala. She brought her head close to the King's face, and her beautiful features cracked open. Six new eyes opened on her cheeks, forehead, and nose, glowing with a faint purple magical light. The total of eight eyes fixed unblinking on the King of the Others, and at that moment, he involuntarily recalled the past. All his memories were drawn out by Mephala.
Dragonborn!
Through the King's memories, Mephala saw the scene of Wright Baratheon and the Others battling in the icy wasteland. The roars of dragons seemed to echo in the air.
The last Dragonborn was quite famous. Even among the Daedric lords, he was known as a formidable worm, for he had used treachery to kill Alduin.
Another Dragonborn had discovered this world, and among the Daedric Princes, only Hermaeus Mora had servants active here, collecting knowledge. Mephala and Hermaeus Mora had exchanged some knowledge, and he had spoken briefly about this Dragonborn. The man was a difficult opponent, unpredictable and difficult to understand.
The King of the Others spoke, looking at the deep in thought Mephala, "Your Majesty, this so-called Dragonborn is the greatest obstacle in my path and the path of my people to the south."
"I see your thoughts. You wish to kill these humans. There are a few who may find this interesting," Mephala said, then began casting a spell in the open space in front of the tower.
Soon, another projection appeared. It could barely be called human. The decaying body was covered in crawling insects, and the black magical energy flowing from it carried a strong stench of blood, even in its projected form.
The "humanoid" figure stared at the King of the Others and a female voice emerged.
"Cold, darkness, and defiance—these should be the traits of my humble servant! Mephala, your lies have stolen one of my toys."
Mephala replied, "Namira, he wishes to do something that might interest you."
Mephala shaped a magical ball and handed it to the figure.
"I am the true god of darkness, you filthy servant!" Namira's voice echoed, and an overwhelming wave of darkness and bloodlust rushed towards the King of the Others. His body began to tremble uncontrollably. Having chosen the wrong god and the wrong master, the King of the Others lowered his head and dared not speak.
Mephala spoke to the projection of Namira: "He can make my ice spiders breed in large numbers in this world, and he can bring darkness, cold, and death to the land."
A piece of information that the King of the Others couldn't see or hear passed between the two demon gods.
Namira said, "Mephala, you made agreements with other Daedric princes before. Why not cooperate again? This world is so primitive, but my servants can bring death and darkness here. I would enjoy that."
Mephala replied, "Neither of us is skilled in combat. The plan could fail due to the interference of the Dragonborn. We need another one to join."
Namira responded, "My servant's body is extremely cold, and Mehurunes Dagon's fire attributes are the opposite. Another being aligned with darkness would be perfect."
Mephala cast another spell, and once again, a projection appeared in front of the tower.
The figure had no skin, and its strong black muscles were exposed. The legs were bent backward, with claws at the end of its toes, and a long tail covered in spikes dragged behind it. Its waist was adorned with skulls, and it held a pure black mace. Four horns protruded from its head: two pointing backward, two forward. It had no lips, and when it opened its mouth, countless sharp teeth were visible.
"Who is calling me!" the figure bellowed.
The King of the Others, kneeling nearby, saw this projection. While the first two figures had been strange and bloody, this one could easily crush him with a single slap, even in his mind.
"Molag Bal, a dark servant requires our help," said Namira.
"Ah!" Molag Bal shouted, grabbing the King of the Others by the head.
Molag Bal, the God of Deceit, Soul Reaper, Lord of Domination, Lord of Cruelty, and Devious Lord of coldharbour. His domain was the rule and enslavement of mortals, and his ultimate desire was to harvest all mortal souls. This was the information Mephala transmitted to the King of the Others.
"Pathetic world!" After scanning the King's mind, Molag Bal prepared to leave.
Mephala spoke, "Molag Bal, if you don't come, I'll have to go to Mehurunes Dagon."
Molag Bal grinned, "Mehurunes Dagon? Hahaha, over two hundred years ago, he was beaten back into his own domain by humans, and he hasn't recovered since. He even made a pact with humans to survive, allowing them to summon his servants. Mehurunes Dagon has turned toward the light; he is unworthy to stand with me!"
Mephala replied, "Another Dragonborn has appeared in this world!"
"Dragonborn are just bigger maggots! Weaklings must be punished by the strong!" Molag Bal said.
With a snap of his hand, a strange bowl appeared in the King of the Others' hands. It felt like black stone, with a long metallic needle in the center.
"Blood pact," Molag Bal continued. "Spread my thoughts, find a human follower loyal to me, and have him sign a pact with his blood. He will become a powerful vampire, your greatest ally!"
After finishing his words, the projection vanished.
Meanwhile, in Nirn, a fleeing criminal grew increasingly powerful and was about to trouble Molag Bal, leaving no time to deal with this remote region.
"We offer you help, but you must repay us with your actions!" Mephala said, causing the King of the Others' consciousness to return to his body.
The King of the Others woke up, and his fellow Others were already on their feet, while he still maintained his original position, the snow and wind once again falling upon him.
The Others never dream, but everything that had just occurred felt like a dream to the King of the Others, as described by humans. He stood up and noticed a few things lying in the snow before him.
He picked up the black stone bowl, and once again, a piece of information entered his mind: the faith of Molag Bal, the blood ritual magic, and vampires.
Under the bowl was a bone ring, which the King of the Others placed on his right index finger. A whisper reached his ears: "All mortals are bones, flesh and blood build cities, and ghouls roam the earth!"
Nearby, a few ice spiders brought over bags woven from spider silk and placed them next to him. Inside were hundreds of white spider eggs.
The largest of the ice spiders spit out a slender sword and a ring.
The sword was thin, single-edged, with a slight upward curve at the tip, resembling a knife more than a sword. The hilt and base of the blade were covered in complex magical runes.
The ring had a large yellow gem, and as soon as the King of the Others wore it, he sensed its power, enhancing invisibility, silence, and rapid movement.
"South! Hatch the spider eggs," the King of the Others commanded to the Others.
His mind was active as he thought. In coming to the far north, he had gained a queen, Mephala, a master, Namira, and a ruler, Molag Bal.
The Draedic Prince had not directly descended, but as long as he worked hard enough to attract their attention, he would no longer be a humble servant. He could become their representative, the ruler of this world!