Prologue
The snow came early this year in the northern reaches of the Cyrodiil. It blanketed everything, turning all the green forests into planes of white. The cold also came with the snow; everything seemed to freeze over in the night. With the snow and the cold, came a reminder of her homeland; A place she would likely never see again.
-Celestra, what are you doing with yourself?- She wondered now as she tread through the deep snow. Celestra Bane, a Nord of Skyrim, or at least once was before the exile. It had been almost 300 years since the curse was placed on her, threatening to destroy her if she ever came close to its borders. As of late, she had treaded hazardously close to these borders; she could, even now feel the magic that threatened to destroy her. She subconsciously looked to her left hand taking in the magicka symbol for banishment which was burnt into her skin; it had faded with age leaving a thin washed out outline of the mark. She wondered if it would ever truly leave her.
There was a shuffle in the snow.
Celestra pulled her bowstring back and watched. The forest became silent, a sound she had gotten used to since leaving Skingrad and coming up here.
Bruma, the closest thing to home she could come by as it was just a few miles south of the border. She could at least feel the northern wind she had grown up with centuries previous. It was refreshing to be able to feel something nostalgic; since the war and the disappearance of Janus Hassildor, an old and dear vampire, she was beginning to lose connections with her past life. She had lived with Janus in Skingrad castle for a while. Janus had been kind to her since she helped deal with the excessive vampire nuisance in the surrounding country side and also helped him cure his wife ofPorphyric Hemophilia; or vampirism the common word for it.
She watched as snow began to fall and cover her black hood in flakes. The forest around her was quiet, and then she saw it. A deer stood several meters away, it seemed to be watching her. Celestra released her grip on her bow string allowing the arrow to glide through the air and pierce the deer's flesh. Blood gushed out of wound and the creature fell over.
"Yes!" Celestra grinned as she ran up to the creature. She was never that good with a bow, and could not understand why she had bother to become a hunter for a living in Bruma. Snowflakes began to pile onto the creatures corpse. Celestra took out a knife and created a large cut along the creatures belly; The deer bled out. She then stuck her hands in and pulled out the creatures organs and then began to skin the creature.
Since moving to Bruma she had taken the job as a hunter for the local general store. It provided to be a steady paying job, but it was nothing like being a listener for the Dark Brotherhood. After the Count of Skingrad's disappearance she decided it was time to look away from the dark brotherhood and see what else she could do in the world.
A strong wind blew in from the north causing Celestra to drop her knife. She could feel this uneasy wave of magicka filling the air. Her eyes wandered to the north; something was different, really different. She found herself moving closer and closer to the border. Curiosity moved her onward, leaving the carcass of the deer. There was another wave of magicka but with this one came with a loud roar piercing the sky.
She found her foot prints moving further and further apart in the snow, as she broke into a run and dropped her bow. Excitement filled her as she moved closer and closer to the border.
She began to push by dead branches as she entered deep forest. The sound of snapping and cracking filled her ears as she pushed by. She scared away some foxes with her movement until finally she burst into an opening in the trees, she suddenly stopped.
Realization washed over her.
"What in Oblivion am I doing going north?" She had gotten into a bit of a habit talking to herself out loud, " I can't enter Skyrim, why bother?" She looked behind her at the foot prints which were filling which snowflakes as she watched them; and then ahead of her at the empty path.
There was another cry and this time it sounded as if the creature was heading away from this area.
She looked to her left hand and traced the faded magicka mark and looked to the north. Celestra decided it was time to take a chance, time to join the adventurers life again. She dropped her bag so she wouldn't be weighed down and then took a large first leap and began to run.
