Skyrim: The Lost Scroll
Chapter IV: The Lost Scroll
"Who are you?" asked the Dragonborn. The man lowered his hood. He looked to be around the same age as the Dovahkin and his eyes had the same glint of blood, he was a man who had seen violence.
"I've been sent to collect you and bring you to the person I work for." Said the man. The Dragonborn frowned, he didn't like the way the man used the word collect.
"You were watching me at the Winking Skeever, you've probably been following me for a while now haven't you?" he asked solemnly. The man nodded.
"I had to make sure you were he, and your use of the Thu'Um has proven that."
"You've been watching me for days. Do you see why I may have trouble confiding in you?"
"Dragonborn you must understand I had to exercise caution. Wouldn't you want to take care in a similar situation?"
"I cannot say, tell me what does your superior want me for?"
The man looked around to make sure they weren't being watched.
"A quest." He said seriously. The Dragonborn sighed.
"Damn, I suppose he wants me to go take care of some bandits that are troubling him doesn't he?" he said sarcasticly. The man chuckled.
"Oh no this is a… much more serious matter. Walk with me Dragonborn for he is not far from here."
The Dragonborn rode on his horse alongside the man, who also had a horse. The Dragonborn had no idea where the horse had come from since he had not seen one when he had first met the man. On closer inspection the horse did not appear to be a regular horse. Its skin was black like ebony and he had blazing red eyes like blood.
"I have not seen that breed of horse before," said the Dragonborn. The man looked down at his horse casually.
"Oh well this isn't a horse from around here," he said shortly. The horse neighed but it sounded more like a battle cry.
"What is your name?" the Dragonborn asked the man. The man did not respond for a while, it as if he was wondering whether to trust him with his name.
"Deigmus," he said, "My name is Deigmus."
"Tell me Deigmus, how did you learn that ward? I have never seen anything like it before in Skyrim."
"Ha if you think that's something incredible then you should see the other things my boss has,"
"Speaking of your boss, who is he?"
They rode again for a short while in silence, Deigmus then broke it.
"He is a scholar and a historian. He searches for relics and items of the past,"
"Sounds like a dangerous hobby,"
Deigmus turned and looked straight into the Dragonborn's eyes.
"You have absolutely no idea."
A while later they arrived at a wooden cabin out in the middle of a heavily wooded area. They had passed a sign earlier on that notified them that the Village of Dragon Bridge was a few meters away.
"We're here." Deigmus slipped off his horse. The Dragonborn did so as well.
"There's a stable over there to put your horse in," said Deigmus. The Dragonborn noticed there was only enough room for one horse in the stable.
"How will your horse fit in-"
Deigmus' horse was gone. Vanished.
"Come, he is waiting for you inside."
The Dragonborn looked at the small wooden cabin. A scholar, living here? He doubted it and he started to get suspicions that perhaps Deigmus (if that was his real name) was an assassin after all and this was the place where he would attempt to kill him.
Deigmus raised his hand to knock on the door.
"Are you ready?" he asked seriously at the Dragonborn.
"I hope I am,"
Deigmus knocked on the door three times. Silence. Then the door opened by itself and Deigmus walked inside.
The Dragonborn followed.
By the nine he thought. The cabin was somehow much larger on the inside.
"It's bigger on the ins-"he started but he was interrupted by a new voice.
"Inside. Yes it is."
He was a tall man, with greying hair and a magnificent intelligent look in his eye. But that's not what caught the Dragonborn's attention. Half of the man's face was carved out of wood. The man must have been used to people being in awe at his face because he showed no signs of anger at the Dragonborn's awed face.
"It's the nose isn't it?" he said jokingly, "That's what scares people."
Deigmus chuckled, the Dragonborn was not sure of what to say. The man walked forward and put his right arm out to shake the Dragonborn's hand. The Dragonborn shook his hand but he noticed something odd about it, then he saw that the arm was also made out of wood.
"Dragonborn, it is an honor to meet you," said the man. The Dragonborn only half heard what the man said since he was still processing the man's wooden body.
"I assume that you have many questions, Dovahkin. Go ahead, ask."
The Dragonborn thought for a moment.
"Who exactly are you?" he asked.
"My name is Rejis. I am a historian and I find ancient relics and artifacts that are otherwise too dangerous to be found by others."
The Dragonborn then noticed that the cabin was packed with strange items. The bookshelves were overflowing with books, there were glass cases with claws and skulls in them, there were strange scrolls and numerous pieces of parchment with strange symbols on desks everywhere, and so much more. There was a bed in the corner of the cabin but it was coated with dust.
"How many know of the work you do?"
Rejis scratched his chin, "I would estimate that only 20 people are aware of my work and many of those are the Tamriel rulership and trusted scholars,"
"And now you are trusting me with knowing what you do?"
"Indeed, I have wanted to meet you for a while Dragonborn. But now I have an assignment that requires a man with a particular set of skills, like yours."
"Finally, why exactly have you brought me here? What do you need?"
Rejis walked to a chest and pressed his palm against it. It opened and he dug around it, he then pulled out a large scroll.
"You are aware of the Elder Scrolls and what they are for?" asked Rejis. The Dragonborn nodded.
"Yes. They have prophecies written in them that come true…they foretold the return of Alduin. I myself have had to retrieve one."
"Yes you are correct. Now the exact number of Elder Scrolls cannot be counted. It is impossible."
"Why is that?"
"Whenever the most educated people in the land have tried, the Scrolls change location and number. We do not know why. But very few know this, there is a dark scroll among the Elder Scrolls. While the regular Scrolls simply foretell the future, past and present, this dark Scroll gives the reader power beyond imagining. The user would be nearly omnipotent."
"How do you know this 'dark scroll' even exists?"
"Its existence is mentioned in one of the Elder Scrolls. Here let me read it to you:"
The Dragonborn then realized in horror that Rejis was holding one of the Elder Scrolls.
Rejis cleared his throat and read,
With a power like the Daedric, the dark Scroll burns. After Alduin, bane of Skyrim, falls come the Knights in White with a power to rule. The voice of the Dragon will be heard and restore order to Skyrim.
The Dragonborn was quiet. So what Rejis was saying was fact. Prophecies in the Elder Scrolls always came true.
"Tell me everything you know." he said slowly. Rejis folded the scroll.
"Although the Elder Scroll refers to it as a 'dark Scroll', those who know of its existence refer to it as the Lost Scroll because it has been lost for a long time. The last time its use was recorded was several hundred years ago."
"Why has it been lost for so long?"
"The Scroll changes location every 2 weeks. I think you can assume why it's so difficult to find now."
"But you know where it is now?"
"I have a good idea, now as I was saying, whoever wields the Scroll would have power equivalent to that of a divine. Nothing would be impossible to them. This is speculation of course, I've been able to track the scroll down to an ancient temple far from here, near Riften."
"I have been all throughout Skyrim. If there was such a temple near Riften I would have found it,"
"Oh it is quite well hidden."
"I assume that someone else wants the Scroll,"
Rejis' expression darkened.
"Yes. They are the Knights in White the prophecy spoke of."
"Who are they?"
"They are… an ancient group of collectors who seek to find the Scroll and use its dark power to rule,"
"You've met them before?"
"They are the reason for why I look like this," he said darkly. The Dragonborn saw pain in the man's eyes.
"So you want me to retrieve the Scroll and to not let the Knights get to it?"
"Yes, that is it."
"And what will you do with the Scroll if I get it for you?"
"The Scroll will be handed over to the Empire for safekeeping. If I were to have it in my possession… word would get out somehow."
"So you want me to find the Scroll, and bring it to you?"
"Yes, that sounds correct."
"What do you have to offer if I do it?"
Rejis thought for a moment, "I have no gold to offer but I have something I believe you'll value a whole lot more."
"And what is that?"
"New knowledge, I offer you a part of my collection. And if you do the quest, I assure you that you will experience something you have not felt in a long time."
"Which is?"
"A challenge."
The Dragonborn did not even have to think about the matter, those last words had summed it up perfectly for him.
"I'll do it."