Having arrived at the ruins of Xeddefen, the Bush Nights found that some Grummites and Elytra had taken up residence in this place. The previous residents, long gone, have had their belongings trashed or stolen. Being here for flora and fauna, this didn’t perturb the group, as they slayed every creature to be taken to Nanette Don for magical experimentation. Only one Grummite was spared death, but was tied up for later, just in case. While inside, they found a corpse of a woman in golden armor, at which Grakendo Udico spat and mumbled ‘good riddance’. Having seen this, the group asked about the dead soldier, and the Dark Seducer explained the two sides of the Shivering Isles, Dementia and Mania, and their armies, the Dark Seducers and the Golden Saints. The one on the floor was one of the latter, a sworn enemy of the group’s current ally.
One they got out of the ruin, the group made it back to Passwall, the party visited the Breton mage Nanette Don, the apprentice of a great sorceress called Relmyna Verenim. Nanette was surprised the group had already made it back, and with Udico in tow, no less. She did give the group a lot more information about the Gatekeeper. The materials required to rebuild him are to be harvested at a place called the Gardens of Flesh and Bone, an ancient ruin which is used by her mistress. She also told the group that there should be some instructions there about how to create the creature, as this is where it was originally created. Furthermore, she also told the party that they would need to sacrifice a daedric creature in the process. That one live Grummite they brought back seemed to have been given a purpose, although Nanette did telepathically tell Brother Decimus that a small soul like a Grummite’s is not going to be enough.
