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SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
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previous day
4-201-12-10 04:20
Proudspire Manor, Solitud, Haafingar, Skyrim
I use the peaceful early morning hours to work on our gear. From those spectral undead in Labyrinthian, we seem to have picked up an amazingly powerful bow. It's even slightly stronger than my Zephyr , but I'll stick to the bow I'm used to and give this one to Lydia.
It's rare to see the palace street empty.
Up in the smithy, I can hear the market traders coming to work. By the time I'm finished, the shops have opened as well. I sell as much loot as I can, use the opportunity to get a blessing of Dibella from the temple in the fortress and visit the palace. You'll be glad to know that things seem to be going fine in the city.
I resist the temptation to chat longer on the marketplace, because we're going to Doltania today. The ships are really quick, so we have a good chance of making it back to Skyrim this evening.
That's one big dog!
The way to that floating ship is so complicated that I'm not sure I would have even reached it without the help from my girls who are much better at navigation than I am. As we cast off, I'm pretty much on the edge already. I can't help it, I just hate places where I can't find my way around. And Doltania, as I remember, is a horror show in this respect. I've told you how that maze of narrow streets is making me claustrophobic unlike any dungeon ever has.
On this second visit, it all comes flooding back – with a vengeance. I'm beginning to think the crampedness isn't even the worst. The worst is the sheer impossibility of getting to places. Something may be ten meters away from you, you can clearly see it, but in order to get there, you 'll have to walk along a narrow street (guessing right which way you need to go), then along a bridge across a canal, along the next narrow street, through a low narrow passage, by which time you have lost sight of your destination as well as all sense of direction. The fine weather, the beautiful well-kept houses and the clean-sweeped streets are like mocking you. "Why do you need to go there in the first place? How about you just stay here and keep us company?"
Imagine you need to get to that door in the center of the picture. Good luck and hope you have plenty of time.
We find the Guilds house relatively easily (with Lydia reading my notes from the last time, stopping to think every twenty paces and then telling me which way to turn). I give Francesca her Mammoth Tusks and get my generous payment. Strangely enough, she is not interested in any further business, nor has she anything new to tell me. About to leave, I remember at the last moment that I have read about caravans traveling between Doltania and High Rock, and ask Francesca about them. She acts like she's never heard of anything like that.
This is weird. Maybe something has happened while I was away, or maybe someone has declared me suspicious for one or another reason? To tell you the truth, I'm beyond caring. Back on the street, I resist the urge to close my eyes, sit down on my knees and scream "Take me away from here!" I can see our ship, but I can't bear the thought of another session of tedious frustrated navigation through this perverse maze. I feel I'm losing it. I'm really losing it. Lydia and Jenassa take my arms and cautiously walk me to the dock. Borgakh remembers the way back. I actually keep my eyes closed a part of the way.
We notice that there's another ship. It's going to Windhelm. Really? That would spare us the journey through almost the entire length of Skyrim.
Good heavens, what is this? Some kind of a weapon?
During the eventless and rather boring trip, I remember about Jaree-Ra. Jordis explains he's is a well-known criminal who has never been caught, because he is extraordinarily sneaky, always letting someone else do the dirty work, preferably someone who is not from Solitud. He wouldn't bother Jordis, of course, but he has tried a couple of times to get Lydia involved in his shady schemes until she threatened to use Jordis's connections to have him tortured in the prison.
The ship takes us indeed to Windhelm.
Curiously enough, this trip takes almost no time. That is, we have the feeling as if time is passing, but after we've landed, we realize the clocktime hasn't changed during our journey. They must be using some kind of magic to stop the time. I can't explain it in any other way. Neither do I care much about such technical things, to be quite frank.
We walk unhurriedly through the Windhelm harbors and enter the city through the western gate. The marketplace is bustling with activity. I can't be together with Yrsarald today, so I just do my shopping and then we head for Winterhold. There are still hours of daylight left.
Just exited through the northern gate. The elven refugee camp is right behind that wall and Winterhold is further in the north.
During our stop in Amol City when I go to pay a brief courtesy visit to the wizard Oyla, I find her in the company of an important-looking man Ulfgar (the ruler of this town, in fact) who has a really big weapon, a war axe. He tells me they have a problem, the solving of which requires discretion. I promise to keep it secret. Now I learn there's supposed to be a bandit leader in this area who claims to be the rightful jarl of Winterhold and is planning on attacking the hold capital to topple the current jarl. I don't understand what makes that bandit a serious claimant to the title. Ulfgar mumbles something about the confusion created when that disaster happened almost a century ago. I tell him I'll go and see if I can kill the bandit leader, but I'm really saying it just to humor Ulfgar. I'm highly skeptical about this whole endeavor. Sure enough, the people in Winterhold are still angry with the wizards, but as to any tension between the jarl and the people – I'm sure that's Ulfgar's fantasy. My instinct says Ulfgar merely told me a story to get some kind of a rival of his eliminated.
Anyway, the bandit resides in the mountains west of Amol City, but we are headed for Winterhold which is in the north. We have to basically save the world, which even Ulfgar would have to admit is much more pressing than some bandit, no matter what he claims to be entitled to.
Just as the thane has left and we are about to, I get into an altercation with a woman named Sotte, apparently Thane Ulfgar's housecarl. That means a bodyguard. With the emphasis on "body".
It's hatred at first sight between Sotte and me. However, even though it's clear she has a generally nasty personality, I don't quite understand why she chose to pick on me just now. On second thought, I do – I'm a lot prettier than she is. I don't bother telling her I don't have the slightest interest in her thane, and she makes is very clear that she has a lot. Fine. How about you just stop pestering me and run after your master, then?
The wizard Oyla calls Sotte in her usual kind and matter-of-factly tone, pretending not to notice the tense standoff. That saves the situation – for Sotte, I mean. I don't fear a little mutt like her. But of course I realize it's a good thing we were able to avoid violence. I keep a neutral face until Sotte is out of sight, and motion my girls to follow me down the steps onto the street and through the northern town gate into the harsh crisp snowy wilderness.
We encounter a Redguard woman halfway to Winterhold. There's a snowbear roaring nearby, so I kill it just in case it might attack her.
In Winterhold, we rest briefly at the inn and then visit Birna's shop and the jarl's house. I enquire cautiously of his daughter Thaena if she knows anything about a possible pretender who wants to oust her father. She doesn't, and she's a very intelligent and well-informed woman even though she doesn't let it show.
That confirms my gut feeling about Ulfgar's quest. I will pursue this matter no further. I might, however, find myself near that bandit's hiding place someday, and then I might choose to kill him. Or not.
But now it's high time we go to the College and kick some... Altmer.
The weather has gotten rather bad.
By the way, note the glow up on the College bridge (somewhat higher than the guard on the left).
Looks like there's something going on.
By the way, note the glow up on the College bridge (somewhat higher than the guard on the left).
Looks like there's something going on.
We have not quite run all the way up the stairs when I see Tolfdir and one or two more people fighting one of those flying blue energy things called Magic Anomaly. Both it and the mages are frantically moving and turning, and it's very hard for me to shoot at the creature, because most of the time it's between me and one of my allies. We kill it eventually.
I approach Tolfdir. He's glad I've got the Staff of Magnus, and he also seems relieved to see me alive. I ask him about Mirabelle. You may remember that she was badly hurt the last time I saw her. Tolfdir says Mirabelle didn't make it, but right now we must do something about that energy barrier created by Ancano which is already out of the College gate and has engulfed half of the bridge. I couldn't notice it from the ground (what can be seen on the last picture was the mages' battle with that flying thing), but up here its pale blue glow is clearly visible.
I take the Staff of Magnus and walk towards the barrier. As I see the energy dissipating before the Staff, I start to run. Before the entrance of the study hall, I stop briefly and glance over my shoulder. Borgakh is right behind me. That's the attitude!
(Lydia and Jenassa are naturally at some distance, as per our usual travel formation.)
The hall looks exactly like I left it the last time – with Ancano standing, connected to the Eye of Magnus by a bundle of thin lightning-like brightly glowing beams of energy. I can see my followers and Tolfdir entering the hall. I'm not sure what I should do, so I just point the Staff of Magnus at Ancano and cast my magical power at him. This doesn't seem to affect him in any way. "Use the staff on the Eye, stupid!" shouts Tolfdir. Right. I redirect the Staff's energy to the big blue ball. Soon I can see the sphere beginning to kind of dissolve. Ancano starts to make strange noises, something between gagging and rage. I'm not seeing him with all my attention on the glowing sphere.
Then I can somehow sense that the energetic bond between Ancano and the Eye of Magnus is no longer there. I turn my head and see Ancano running between the columns, evading my followers and Tolfdir's attacks. I put the staff away and grab my bow. I get to shoot three or four arrows at Ancano and then he's dead. Out of nowhere appear a couple of those Magic Anomalies.
See how it flies, leaving a glowing trail behind like a comet.
It's a lot easier to see than an icewraith, but this is the only good thing that can be said about it.
It's a lot easier to see than an icewraith, but this is the only good thing that can be said about it.
These ones are easily killed, almost as if they weren't really putting their hearts into the fight.
Is this over now? I sit down on the steps, panting, and take out a sweet roll and a jug of milk. Girls, want some?
Tolfdir says: "I knew you could make it!" With my mouth still half full, I ask him what we're going to do next. Tolfdir says he has no idea.
I look at him dumbfound, forgetting to even chew. This is the first time I hear that Tolfdir doesn't know what to do.
A man in a dark yellow (or light brown if it pleases you) robe materializes near the platform in the center. I quickly swallow my last bite and stand up. "We knew you would succeed," he says. I step closer and recognize the psijic Quaranir. He's unshaved and has black rings around his eyes. Been partying heavily, what? He suggests I take this more seriously. Then he says I have proven myself worthy to guide the College of Winterhold.
I beg your pardon?
The Eye has grown unstable and cannot remain here, says Quaranir, ignoring my question. "We shall guard it for now," he says. With the words "You have our gratitude, Arch-Mage," he turns his back on me. Two more men in similar robes appear. They stand in a triangle around the Eye of Magnus and do something.
After a few seconds, they begin to turn blurry. Then they disappear along with the sphere.
I'm still confused from what Quaranir said. But then Tolfdir says he agrees that no one deserves to be Arch-Mage more than me. So I had heard correctly after all.
I'm at loss for words. I'd like to ask Tolfdir if he has taken leave of his senses. Me the Arch-Mage? I can't deny I found the Staff of Magnus and possibly saved the College, but I'm a complete nothing as a mage. Unless of course you want a kind of Acting Arch-Paladin who would take care of unusual difficult missions and leave the wizardry to the others. That I can do.
I know I'd better keep my opinion to myself. It's not like they've decided to chop my head off. I can endure a little glory. That is as long as they don't expect me to stay here and actually direct the College.
I thank Tolfdir and hurry to find Ertzebet. She's in the library, alive and well. It would appear that the blue energy barrier didn't reach so high, so everyone in the library is safe. I ask Ertzebet what's her take on the Psijic Order. In my opinion, Quaranir's last words (as well as his past ones) prove that the psijics were observing this whole affair as amusement. They tossed us the ball to watch us squirm, and took it away again when the game was over. Appointing me the Arch-Mage was probably their way of magnanimously rewarding a peon who had provided them with good entertainment.
The problem with this is that the psijics' divertissement cost Savos and Mirabelle their lives, and that is not amusing at all. How I wish I could twist their self-important necks! But the psijics may well be a kind of daedra, physically unreachable to humans.
Ertzebet is more cautious in her assessment of the situation. For starters, she is sure that the psijics are really human. They have access to some unimaginably powerful forces, that's for sure. What those might be, she doesn't know either.
Whatever. At any rate, this is all over now and we have won. I ask Ertzebet if she would like to join me and my followers. We're going down to The Frozen Hearth inn and get a little drunk.
Yes, she'd love to. We walk downstairs, but then we don't get even across the courtyard. The news has spread like wildfire and we are literally carried into the dormitory. It's party time. I don't mind. We can just as well get drunk here.
If Faralda has hated me in the recent past, she's filled with admiration now. I'm glad her enmity is over.
I begin to think that maybe I was chosen to be the Arch-Mage because I'm well liked both in the College and in the town (including by the jarl), so I could pave the way for a conciliation which, as you will surely agree, is long overdue.
Or it could have been just the whim of the psijics which no one dared to argue against. But the College folks are happy, I can clearly see that.
My new exalted title comes with the use of Arch-Mage's living quarters in the highest part of the College tower. Now I have room to accommodate my followers well away from Nelacar's dubious "studies". Although I doubt Jenassa will appreciate this. [Grin.] She sleeps with us tonight all the same, because Nelacar has left town for a few days on some business. Apart from which, she's really keen to see the Arch-Mage's quarters.
Was it really necessary to kill those poor animals?
Although I have to admit, they make my bedroom look awesome.
Although I have to admit, they make my bedroom look awesome.
Tonight I share the large comfortable bed with Lydia. We settle for a little cuddle. As I close my eyes a little after midnight, my last thought is: "I still forgot to ask who Magnus was."
next awakening
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