Skyrim Day 013 - Rekindling Meridia's fire

29 Last Seed, 4E201

Solitude

~~~

Free of Barbas at last! I have yet to return the Axe, but he had only agreed to accompany me to the Axe, not until I returned it. Therefore, he and I parted ways this morning, I staying in Solitude to explore for awhile and he to Clavicus Vile's shrine to await my return. He assured me I need not hurry back, so I shall certainly enjoy wandering by myself once again.

Having cleared the grotto yesterday with Barbas, my first task of the day was to see the local Steward about the bounty he had posted upon the pirates. While walking to Solitude's 'Blue Palace' I stopped along the battlements to admire the view of Skyrim. It reminded me that despite my considerable age I have not widely traveled and no doubt have a long path yet ahead of me.

Access to the Blue Palace was surprisingly open given Skyrim's troubles and the widowed Queen of Skyrim, Elisif the Fair, was holding court as I arrived. She was discussing a matter of supplies for the city and was bathed in a shining ray of light from a nearby window which I assume made sitting on the throne quite uncomfortable.

My business was not with the potential Queen, but her Steward who was standing nearby. For the combined efforts of dog and Khajiit I was paid one hundred Septims and given the opportunity to lay claim to another order of business.

Just before my arrival a resident of Dragons Bridge had come to the Blue Palace to request that Solitude send guards to a nearby cave the locals named 'Wolfskull'. According to the requester, people have been disappearing from the town and unexplained lights have been seen near the cavern's entrance. Solitude's steward, Falk Firebeard, assured the nervous man that Solitude would post extra guards to Dragons Reach, but admitted to me that Solitude's guards were already stretched thin and no help could be spared for the town. Having said that, he requested that I go to the cave instead and investigate the man's claims. Falk's directions place 'Wolfskull' somewhat north of Meridia's statue, so it is not far. The disturbance is likely just bandits, so I agreed to take the job, much to his relief.

While on my way out of the city I was stopped by a haggard beggar who I assumed wanted some coin. But he waved away my Septims and asked if I had seen his "master" recently. The man was obviously insane, handing me a pelvic bone from some skeleton and telling me that this master of his was in the 'Pelagius Wing' of the Blue Palace and that the bone was required for me to gain entrance. His entire story is utter nonsense, but I told him I would look into the matter lest he fly into a rage and attack me.

Today was apparently the day for people to walk up to me and tell me what they needed me to do. As I proceeded to attempt to leave Solitude I was stopped once again, this time by an Altmer who disdainfully told me my clothes were suitable for a farmer. This was true, I intentionally chose the clothes in order to appear poor and someone to be overlooked. But she insisted I could do better by visiting the 'Radiant Raiment', a clothing store run by herself, Taarie, and her sister Endarie. Having heard her advertisement I tried to excuse myself, but she told me to wait, stared for a few moments, then asked if I was willing to do her a small favor in exchange for some coin.

I already had a madman's master to find, the beacon and an axe of two Daedric Princes to return, a cavern to investigate, and not forgotten, a blacksmith in Falkreath that was wondering what happened to the dog he asked me to find. What was one more job?

Fortunately Taarie's job really was a simple one: she asked that I wear an article of clothing from her store and parade it in front of Elisif who has an eye for such things. I felt a little silly, but I agreed and received a heavily quilted gown in return. If Elisif was surprised to see me back in the Blue Palace so quickly she did not show it and allowed me to show off the gown. I made sure to mention that it had come from her local 'Radiant Raiment' and she assured me her personal orders would be arriving shortly.

This was worth a surprising four hundred Septims plus the gown itself...which I did not want to keep. I sneaked into Taarie's shop while she was looking away and sold her gown back to her sister, choosing instead to purchase a complete outfit from Hammerfell. The loose fitting clothing does not provide much protection from the cold, but the hood and high boots will keep snow from collecting on my ears and feet.

Having clad myself a foreign mercenary I was able to make it out of the city without being stopped by anyone else and made my way towards Mount Kilkreath where the shrine of Meridia awaited its beacon.

The column blue light emitting from the statue's hands made it very easy to find. As I approached Meridia's voice began again in my head, bemoaning the state of her shrine and the shifting hearts of her former followers. I placed the beacon on its pedestal at the foot of the statue and it rose up along the column of light until it was between the statue's hands.

Suddenly, the entire world seemed to go white and when my vision returned I found, to my great dismay, that I was floating hundreds of feet above land while being confronted by Meridia's manifestation in the form of a glowing ball of light. I cannot recall what it was she said or asked me to do other than to clear her shrine of evil for I was much too preoccupied with panicking and wishing I was back on the ground.

After what felt like an eternity there was another flash of white light and I was gratefully back on the ground in front of the shrine's entrance.

The problem was immediately apparent once I stepped inside. An oily-looking black haze clung along the floor, ceiling, and walls and the bodies of Imperial Legionnaires cluttered the entire shrine. Many of the bodies had been desecrated: eyes, nose, and lips removed, arms broken, legs missing, a gruesome display of depravity that repeated itself throughout the complex.

Opposing me were spirits that looked to be composed of the same oily haze that was oozing everywhere. Because of this the spirits were difficult to spot unless one was looking right at me with its brightly glowing red eyes. This was not helpful, as by that time it was usually charging at me with a weapon of the Imperial Legion clutched in its bony claws.

My task however was not the elimination of these corrupted things, but the guidance of Meridia's light deeper into the shrine. The beacon I had returned emitted a beam of light which the Daedric Prince sent into the shrine which I needed to guide along by turning similar beacons around to catch the light and reflect it further on.

This light briefly sent me outside to a stone bridge spanning a gap in the hillside, but the bridge was being patrolled by an Imperial soldier wearing incredibly old armor the likes of which I can only recall seeing in historical documents and tapestries. His Altmer sword and shield marked him as a high-ranking officer, possibly the commander of the dead soldiers, but he was closer to the corrupted spirits in form than he was to former self. As such he moved slowly and awkwardly and could not use his sword or shield as effectively as he likely did in life. My usual strategy of dancing away from a stronger opponent's blows worked well and the malevolent force powering his corpse evaporated after I circled around him and plunged my Orsimer dagger into his back. On a whim I took his Altmer equipment with me.

I re-entered the shrine via the door he had been guarding and proceeded through several more rooms, each with their undead, oily guardians. Meridia's light guided me deeper into the shrine and to the final chamber where the necromancer Malkoran was occupied with his foul work alongside six spectral guardians.

None of them noticed me until I fired an arrow into the necromancer's back. His magical shield rendered my shot non-lethal, but it still had enough force to lodge into his back. With a roar of pain he whirled around and fire a massive ball of ice at me through the door, but I ducked out of the way and re-emerged into the doorway to duel with his six bodyguards. The undead Imperial Captain's sword served me well here for each strike against the spirits set them afire and quickly extinguished their lifeforce. As they were forced to engage me one-on-one in the doorway the battle was far easier than it could have been. My duel with Malkoran was a more difficult matter.

He was content to leave me to his guardians while they were still engaged, but resumed his attack at the defeat of the final spirit. He relied on a spell which sent a giant ball of ice hurtling through the air which froze everything it touched, including the floor. Stepping on these patches of ice sent shocks of cold into my feet and up my legs, making it difficult to move quickly for several seconds. I made sure to make that mistake only once.

I could only hope to defeat him by leaving the safety of the doorway and entering the chamber in order to engage him in melee to prevent him from using his spells. After he launched another ball of ice through the doorway I leaped through it over the trail of ice the spell had left and charged at him, shield up and sword at the ready.

He was caught off-guard and I smashed the shield into his face and delivered against him a terrific slash. The enchantment within the sword ignited his robes and after a quick stab to his middle the man's body burst into flames as well.

Yet that was not the end of it. His body was still on fire as he collapsed, but an unearthly shrieking filled the chamber and his own foul spirit rose from the smoldering corpse looking very much like a larger version of the spirits I had already put to rest.

But his spirit was just as susceptible to the sword's enchanted fire as the others and it evaporated with a frustrated scream without having a chance to do anything at all. Meridia's satisfied voice erupted inside my head, telling me that the shrine was now clear and that I was worthy to claim her sword 'Dawnbreaker' which the necromancer had been trying to find a way to claim for himself. With the her blessing the sword slid easily from its pedestal at the center of the room.

There was a flash of light and once again I was unfortunately very high above Skyrim, talking to a glowing ball of light.

I kept my eyes closed and pretended I was still on the ground as Meridia droned on about the responsibilities that came with wielding 'Dawnbreaker' and how everyone would revere her as I struck down the enemies of undeath and corruption. After I was reunited with the ground I examined 'Dawnbreaker' more carefully and have come to the conclusion that I can never use it. The blade is exceptional and the weapon well-blanced, but the hilt has a small gem that constantly glows and would not serve me well while trying to stay hidden. I will carry it with me until I have a place to keep it, but I shall stick to my combination of bow and dagger for now. I left the equipment I borrowed from the former Imperial commander at the foot of Meridia's statue, having no use for it and it being too cumbersome to take with me.

It is early in the morning now and I still have a long list of things I need to accomplish. I thought I would be returning to my life of cutting lumber and doing odd jobs around Skyrim, but it appears I have sunk back to my old life once again.

Oblivion Day 13 - Fetcher of Mages

9 Heartfire, 3E433

Skingrad
~~~

The decision was made to pursue my Mage Guild tasks in Skingrad and Anvil first, then visit Bravil and work my way around the province, counter-clockwise. Along the way I shall close any gates I come across and, should I find a teacher, practice my Illusion magic, which I am sorely lacking in skill after languishing in prison for so long.

My horse had miraculously returned to the stable after abandoning me outside of an Oblivion gate several days ago, so I elected to save time by riding directly to Skingrad, past Hackdirt and through a lot of untamed wilderness. I only hoped that I did not run into another Oblivion gate on my way there.

I passed the ruins of the gate by Hackdirt which I closed yesterday and all that remained of it was a smoldering pile of stone and a few dead Scamps.

I also found a shrine to some Daedric Prince, though I could not tell which one. Three worshipers were gathered around the shrine, chanting and gesturing towards the statue of whichever Prince the statue was of. Cultists though they were, they left me alone and I had no desire to start a fight where one was not warranted, so I left them in peace.

I had just passed a small farm with a large church next to it when the sky began to turn red, exactly what I had been hoping to avoid. There are more signs inside the Gates that other people have started to try to close them, but so far I have not seen any sign of that success. This Gate had the body of a horse just inside the entrance, with two Scamps having a terrible feast of the animal's body.

Fortunately, the Gate was another small one, just three towers, two of which conspired to keep two gates leading to the third tower closed, but after opening the gates there was little opposition against my ascending the third tower and yanking the stone from its fiery pedestal. Another Gate destroyed, though the apparent ease at which they open diminishes the accomplishment somewhat. The rest of the trip to Skingrad passed uneventfully.

My first exposure to the Skingrad Mages Guild was that of Druja, an Argonian who warned me that the head of the guild, Adrienne, hated being pulled from her reading and would likely be annoyed at my request for a University recommendation. I was in luck though, for Adrienne was not reading when I arrived, but instead was speaking to a guild member, fretting about Erthor, a member whose absence was "disturbing her research", as she put it. 

She was of no help telling me where to even start looking for the man, but the other members of the guild were well-educated in Adrienne's absent-mindedness and told me that she herself had told the Bosmer to leave the guild, as his experiments had been disturbing her reading. He had made it known to everyone (including Adrienne) that he was to be found in a nearby cave called 'Bleak Flats' where he was continuing his experimentation.

When I reminded Adrienne of her order, she brushed it off and said that something should be done about it, that "something" being my visiting Erthor and bringing him back to the guild. Bleak Flats was not terribly far from Skingrad, so it was much to my displeasure when I found another Oblivion gate lit up a hundred yards or so from the cave.

But Erthor's return was my highest priority, so I tied my horse outside the cave and stepped inside. Immediately my nose was assailed by the smell of rotting flesh and I feared the worst for the Bosmer, but the place had been invaded by zombies, somehow lured by the careless mage's experiments. He was relieved to hear they had been dispatched and asked that he be allowed to follow me back to town. I had been planning on closing the gate immediately after, but agreed figuring that his accidental death while on his own would be a large problem towards my access into the University.

We reached the town without incident and Adrienne gave him quite a cold reception, but I could tell she was happy to have him back. She agreed to write my recommendation in-between her books and I left the guild, intent on closing the Oblivion gate. There seems to be at least one near every town I have visited and closing these "invasion" gates as I canvass Cyrodiil is my highest priority, even moreso than gaining entrance to the University and determining what these stones are.

Curiously, this gate had another dead horse within it, but the area was not the same as the previous horse-gifted plane of Oblivion. It was just as easy though and until I stop facing tiny Scamps and the occasionally lonesome Dremora I will not have anything further about the gates to really speak of. The pattern to close them remains the same: gain entrance to the tallest tower, ascend to the top level, and snatch the stone. Sometimes getting to the tower means extending bridges, other times opening gates, and still other times just plain fighting my way to the top. Perhaps things will change eventually.

But my time in Skingrad, though short, is now complete. I must keep moving. Tomorrow is scheduled for Anvil, the reaching of which promises to take up much of the day and after that will be Bravil, the trip to which will certainly consume an entire day. From what I have been told, the Bravil Mages Guild should be of particular interest to me, as they specialize in Illusion spells. Perhaps I can find a reason to dally a day or two in Bravil once I'm there.

Morrowind Day 13 - Last Day of Practice

28 Last Seed

~~~

Another day of practice and training before I start what will likely become my larger part in service of the Empire. I spent all morning working on Illusionary magic with Estirdalin until I finally was able to cast my basic spells successfully.

I walked into the Fighter's Guild after lunch, intending to find someone to help me train either my skills with the bow or the shield. I probably could have found someone to train me, but one of the guild members, Wayn, distracted me with an Adamantium shield he was peddling. The shield is a smaller round shield compared against the more common rectangular Adamantium tower shield and I spent just over three thousand Septims to acquire it, which left me with no money in my budget to train my skill in using it.

No one in the Fighters Guild could help me with my bow, which came as a surprise. The Thieves Guild was similarly unhelpful, though this was likely due to my not being a member. I have always fought against the prejudice Khajiit receive in assuming we are all thieves and I could not bring myself to break my small, admittedly pointless contribution towards equality by joining now. 

While I was contemplating buying two hundred arrows from The Razor Hole and peppering trees with them, I remembered the fletcher in Vivec, Aradraen, from whom I purchased my bow from. She had a straw dummy set up in her shop, so I teleported to Vivec via the Mages Guild to see if she would be willing to earn a few Septims training me. At the very least I figured I could negotiate the usage of the dummy and practice a little.

She was glad to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening coaching me with the bow. It cost me the rest of my money, just under one thousand Septims, but she is an effective teacher and I am much more confident about using the bow. I'll never be using it as my primary weapon, but if I can soften up my opponents before closing in with my spear or sword, then the lessons were worth any amount of coin. 

I'm spending the night at the Vivec Mages Guild and tomorrow I will be starting on whatever task my "guild" has for me. I also want to find out more about the Imperial Cult, but I feel my responsibility to my duties will have to come first, at least for a while.