First thing next morning, I climb the narrow stone stairs up to the Arcanaeum. It feels like years since I came here for the first time, when in reality it's no more than a few months at most. Urag is where I expected to find him – behind the desk, reading a book.

"Yeah?" He grumbles upon my approach.

"I need to learn about something we found in Saarthal."

"I know what you want. Word travels fast around here. Discovered some big mystery, huh? Well, you don't even need to ask. No, I don't have anything for you. Not anymore, anyway."

"You don't have anything that can help?" I ask incredulously.

"I said not anymore." The librarian snaps. "Orthorn stole a number of books when he ran off to Fellglow Keep to join those summoners. Some kind of peace offering. I think one of those volumes may have had some relevant information. If you want them, you'll have to talk to Orthorn."

"Who is this Orthorn?"

"He was an apprentice here at the College. Not very skilled, but got involved with a group of mages who took a liking to him. When they left, he took off after them. Stole supplies and books from the College, I suppose as a way to ingratiate himself."

"Doesn't anyone care that Orthorn stole things from the College?"

"Not enough to bother with it. Arch-Mage Aren's approach to these things is to just let them sort themselves out. Although now it looks like you'll be doing the sorting. Good luck with that." Urag returns his attention to his book, and I turn and carefully descend the stairs.

After making my way back into Winterhold, I summon Arvak, who has been very helpful these past weeks when it comes to travel, and we start off towards the centre of the country, where a faint splotch on my map points out Fellglow Keep. So many old forts and castles and so few of them manned.

Since I'd last visited the town there must have been a battle between the Empire and the rebels, as Winterhold's guards have been replaced with Imperial soldiers. They don't do much different than the original hold guards, and even have the same complaints, so I honestly doubt anyone has even really noticed the change of command.

Just past a small mine, a trio of Solstheim cultists have a go at me – I really should deal with this at some point – and prove as futile in their endeavours as their now deceased friends. Arvak helps as best he can before the summons wears out – I still haven't quite gotten hang of mounted combat – and I finally slay the last one alone. The hold guard then ambles past as though nothing happened at all. Thanks for the help!

I pass Fort Kastav to the expected anti-social chorus from the soldiers stationed there, and head towards Windhelm, then turn right at the junction before the city bridge, heading now towards Whiterun. I dodge around an Imperial prison convoy and outrun a bear, and use the now deserted Valtheim Towers as a bridge towards my destination.

I dismount, and give Arvak a pat on his bony nose as the spell wears off again. Making the rest of the trek on foot, a wolf is my first opponent, springing out from behind a rock and latching onto my spell arm. Good thing my sword arm is still free, and I'm agile enough to use my foot to kick the canine free before running it through. I always feel a little guilty when I have to kill a wolf, but I do what I must. They're the only creature I haven't become fully desensitised to killing.

I reach the keep and am assaulted by a pair of mages with a flame atronach. Quite the warm welcome!

I don't think I'll be joining the Bard's College any time soon.

Leaving a smouldering heap and a pair of black-robed corpses behind me, I head into the fort's interior. My first opponents are a pair of spiders with their mage trainer, though he doesn't seem too upset when I electrocute them both to death. He's even foolish enough to stay put when I charge at him with my sword raised.

The next room is guarded by another inept mage, and once he's dead, I release the trio of vampires they held captive – for experimenting on, most likely – and they charge through another door to deal out their revenge on their captors. If it means fewer enemies for me, I'm all for it. And if the only way they show gratitude is by ignoring me, so be it.

Once the commotion has died down, I enter the large room to discover there were no survivors of the fight. Ah well; dying fighting is a better way to go than of starvation, torture or both, in my opinion. Leaving the mess behind, I follow the next passage and create one of my own when a mage sets his wolves on me. As I finish off the last of the unfortunate beasts, I spot in one of the cages a worried looking mage who can't be too much older than Onmund. This must be the infamous Orthorn. I pull on the levers in the centre of the room, opening all of the cages.

"Oh, you've saved me!" The man cries, stumbling out of his confinement. "Thank you so much. Who knows what they'd have done to me if you hadn't come along. I promise I'll help you get out of here."

"I don't want your help." I say as kindly as I can.

"Ah; I see. Well then I'll just stay behind you a little bit, and follow along quietly."

"You should get yourself to safety."

"Don't you need my help?" Orthorn asks almost dejectedly.

"I can handle this on my own."

"Well, I… if you're sure. I'll just be on my way then. Please do be careful, and thank you." He heads out the way I came in, and I head down the passageway nearby.

The rest of the ruins are filled with angry mages and atronachs, and even a few skeletons raised by a panicked wizard. I find a small library, so I take all of the legible books – Urag hadn't told me the titles of the ones stolen, and I'm sure he'd be grateful for a few extra copies of any others. One of the books I find is named 'Boethiah's Proving', and an interested skim provides me with the location of the shrine in Skyrim, so I make a note and continue my search.

I soon find myself in the central tower, and upon entering the uppermost room I find myself face to face with a person I'd overheard earlier being referred to as the 'Caller'.

"So, you're the one who barged into my home and laid waste to my projects. How nice to meet you." She says, sarcasm dripping thick.

"I'm here for the books from the College." I explain. Upon three pedestals arranged around the room are three well looked after books. These are most likely the ones Urag was talking about.

"So you're just one of Aren's lackeys." The Caller is saying. "That's disappointing. You show real promise. You come here, kill my assistants, disrupt my work. You've annoyed me, so I don't think I'll be giving you anything."

"Perhaps we can come to an arrangement?" She looks stronger than her 'assistants'.

"I'm afraid you don't have anything worth trading. Now, you can go back to your College and leave me be, or I can kill you. Your choice."

"May I please have the books?" I struggle to keep exasperation out of my voice. I don't want to have to fight her, and my opponents don't usually want to die, with the exception of the occasional Orc.

"Oh, now we're all please and thank you, are we? I'm afraid we're well beyond pleasantries. I'll allow you the opportunity to turn around, walk out that door and never come back. I suggest you move quickly."

"Look, I didn't want to kill your assistants; they attacked me and I had to defend myself. You can easily replace the books, so let me leave with them and there won't be any more trouble."

The Caller sighs and crosses her arms. "Fine. Take them and be gone. Never return here, or else you'll face my full wrath." She struts off through a door at the back of the room, slamming it shut behind her, much like I did when I was a teen in Mournhold and upset at my family.

I grab the books and leave the fort. Upon reaching the road again, I summon Arvak and point him in the direction of Whiterun, then open up the one that caught my eye the most; 'Night of Tears'. This must be the one I needed most; it speculates on what happened when Saarthal fell to the elves and why, with a theory that the elves were after something hidden in the city.

Arvak's original owner was right; he is a very intelligent horse. I'd almost completely zoned out in my reading, and only came back to reality when the bony body beneath me stopped moving. I look up, and we're right outside the gates to Whiterun. I dismount and he vanishes with a quiet nicker.

I beeline to the Bannered Mare and rent the usual room.