A New Dawn 1
It had been several days since the events at Ancestor Glade. After learning the location of Auriel's Bow and repelling the vampires' attack, Aeros and Serana had set out immediately for Darkfall Cave before the vampires could regroup. Relying on Aeros's knowledge of the region and the knowledge imparted to him by the Elder Scrolls, the two of them had made good time, quickly covering the distance that lay between them and their goal.
Aeros shaded his eyes as he studied the land around them. They had long left the forests of Falkreath behind and entered the harsh landscape of the Reach. They had made better time than Aeros had expected, not only managing to lose their vampiric pursuers amongst the land's many hills and ridges, but somehow managing to avoid encountering any of the roving bands of Forsworn that prowled the region as well. As a result, the twisted crags and foothills of the Reach soon started to give way to gentler slopes and wide swathes of forest, as they neared the border with Haafingar.
"I think we're almost there," he said to Serana. "A couple more hours and we should be at the cave entrance."
She nodded. "Good, the sooner we get out of this sun, the better."
Aeros glanced over at her. She had her hood up, shielding her from the rays of the sun, but despite that, she actually looked paler than normal, and slightly ill. Not only that, but she had been feeling increasingly lightheaded and woozy ever since they left Ancestor Glade. It worried him, but Serana stubbornly insisted that she was fine.
"Are you sure you don't want to find somewhere to rest and continue once it's night?" he asked, concerned.
Serana shook her head. "No...let's keep going. It's been so long since I last fed that day or night doesn't really matter at this point. The sooner we reach this Darkfall Cave and find Auriel's Bow, the better."
Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind, Aeros sighed heavily, before climbing back into his saddle. Once he was situated, they suited action to words, and continued onwards. They stopped around midday so that they could refill their waterskins from a nearby stream. Aeros dismounted from his horse and crouched down next to the water's edge while Serana stayed on her horse.
"We should be less than an hour from Darkfall Cave," he said over his shoulder as he filled the skins. "I don't know how big or extensive the cave system is, but hopefully we'll be able to find the bow without too much trouble. Plus, you'll be able to get out of the sun for a bit, which I'm sure will be a welcome relief for you."
Expecting a response, Aeros was surprised when Serana didn't say anything. He was just about to comment on it, when he heard the dull thud of a body falling to the ground.
He spun around and saw Serana lying unconscious on the ground. "Serana!" he yelled, dropping the waterskins. He lifted her off the ground. "Hey, Serana! Wake up!" But Serana didn't stir, barely breathing, and to Aeros she looked ever paler than before.
He looked around frantically and saw an old abandoned shack not too far away. As gently as he could, Aeros picked Serana up in his arms and stood. Needing to move as quickly as possible, he shouted.
"WULD NAH KEST!"
The two of them flew across the ground like a gust of wind, stopping practically at the entrance of the ramshackle building. Aeros hurriedly carried Serana inside and out of the sun. Carefully laying her on the ground, he attempted to cast a restoration spell on her. A golden glow enveloped Serana, but other than that, there was no change. Her breathing was still shallow and she still looked deathly white.
"Damnit!" he swore in a combination of frustration and fear. He couldn't see any visible injuries, and even internal ones should have been healed by his magic, so why wasn't she waking up? What else could it be?
As he tried desperately to think of a solution, something clicked as he remembered what she had said only a couple hours ago. It's been so long since I last fed that day or night doesn't really matter at this point, was what she had said. He had never given it a thought before, but he had never seen Serana feed. A normal vampire began to weaken after several days without blood. But if Serana had not fed once since she had started traveling with him, it had to have been at least several months since she last drank blood, possibly even longer if the last time she had fed had been before she was sealed away in Dimhollow Crypt. A terrifying thought occurred to him then. Could a vampire starve to death?
"No! I'm not going to let that happen!" he growled in determination. Deftly removing one of his gauntlets, he pulled her dagger from its sheath and without hesitation, slit his wrist open. Gingerly, he lifted her head up and held his wrist to her mouth.
The smell of blood finally managed to pull Serana back to consciousness, her eyes fluttering open slightly. Of course, they snapped wide open when she realized the origin of the blood and what Aeros was doing. She tried to push his wrist away, but she was so weak that there was barely any strength behind it, and Aeros had no problem keeping his wrist in place.
Finally she gave in, and started drinking his blood. It was weak at first, but slowly it seemed like she was regaining her strength. But by that point, her vampiric nature had completely taken over, and she began drinking hungrily, wanting nothing more than to keep drinking such delicious blood.
Aeros could feel himself growing weaker as she drained more of his blood, but he didn't move, unwilling to risk her collapsing again. Right when he felt like she was going to drink him dry though, she regained control of herself. Her eyes widened in horror and she threw herself backwards away from him.
Aeros slumped backwards against a wall. Serana was sitting across from him, on the verge of tears, and her mind filled with worry and fear. She was afraid of how easily she had lost to the hunger within her, and of how close she came to drinking Aeros dry. But more than that, she was terrified that she might have finally pushed Aeros away, that he would no longer see her as a human being, but instead look at her with loathing and disgust and see her as a monster.
Her fears were dispelled when Aeros slowly opened his eyes and grinned weakly at her. "Hey. Welcome back." His eyes still held the same warmth and kindness that they always had, without a trace of resentment or loathing.
Serana flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. "You horker-brained idiot," she whispered, her voice trembling. "What if I had killed you?"
"I don't care," he told her quietly, returning the embrace. "I wasn't about to just sit there and let you die, even if it had cost me my own life."
Serana didn't say anything else, just wrapped her arms around him tighter and buried her head in his shoulder. Aeros could feel a dampness against his shoulder as Serana's body shook with sobs. Not minding her tears, he simply held her in his arms as she cried, allowing her to let all of her pent-up feelings out.
Finally, her sobs quieted, and she raised her head to look up at him. She gave him a watery smile.
"Thank you," Serana whispered. "For everything. It's just...I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
"Don't worry," he said reassuringly, a comforting smile on his face. "I'm not planning on going anywhere."
The two of them became suddenly aware of how close they were to each other; Serana was practically sitting in Aeros's lap. Instead of separating though, they stared intently at each other, a mysterious tension hanging between them as they slowly drew closer together.
But before either of them could say or do anything to act on the charged emotions churning around inside of them, the roar of a nearby sabre cat cut through the air. The two of them jumped, and Serana hastily moved herself so that she was no longer sitting in such a compromising position. Instead, she moved next to Aeros, and leaned against him. The two of them sat there for a long time, content to just be next to each other, and to, for the time being, forget about their troubles.
Eventually though, they realized they had to keep moving forward, and find Auriel's Bow. Serana climbed to her feet and looked on in concern as Aeros slowly climbed to his feet, moving like a man thirty years older.
"Are you sure you're all right, Aeros?" she asked worriedly. "We don't have to make it to Darkfall Cave today. We can stay here or find somewhere else to camp…"
Aeros waved her off. "Don't worry, Serana, I'm fine. A little weak right now, but it'll pass. Look, I've already healed the cut on my wrist." He held up his wrist to prove it. "I'll drink a potion or two on the way, if it makes you feel better. But I want to give your father as little time as possible to catch up to us."
Serana nodded reluctantly, knowing he was right, but still not liking it. She resolved to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't overdo it.
When they emerged back outside, they were shocked to see only a little over an hour and a half had passed. Fortunately, their horses had not wandered far in the time they had been gone and were grazing nearby. Serana mounted hers with ease, doing much better than she had been before, which Aeros was glad to see.
Aeros himself was a different story, however. He felt completely drained and lethargic, even more so than when he had lost part of his soul. He wasn't going to let Serana realize that though. She already felt guilty enough about drinking his blood, the last thing she needed to see was just how much it had affected him. When he was sure she wasn't looking, he managed to laboriously pull himself up into his saddle.
As they set off again, Aeros kept his word to Serana and uncorked a fist-sized, red potion bottle, drinking as much of it as he could manage, his lips twisting at the bitter taste. And he had to admit, he did feel better afterwards, as a little bit of his strength returned and he no longer felt quote so exhausted. They rode on for another half hour before they spotted a cave entrance up ahead, an unobtrusive hole set against an outcropping of rock. There was nothing whatsoever to indicate that this was where Auriel's Bow was hidden, but Aeros instinctively knew that this was the right place.
"We made it," he said. "Darkfall Cave." He clambered down from his horse, and tied its lead around a nearby tree. "Now let's see if we can find Auriel's Bow." Nodding, Serana dismounted her horse and tied it up next to Aeros's.
The two of them slipped inside the cave entrance, pausing momentarily to let their eyes adjust to the dim light. They cautiously made their way through the cave, but their passage was unmolested, with the only thing they encountered being an undersized frostbite spider that skittered out of sight as soon as they got close. And then they reached a dead end.
"This can't be it!" Aeros said in frustration. They had emerged on one side of a giant hole, a frail rope bridge stretching the distance, while far below, a swift moving underground river swept along. And on the other side of the chasm from them...was a blank wall. "There's got to be something else here," he continued. "A hidden door, a switch, something!" He began walking across the bridge, ignoring how frayed it looked.
"Aeros, wait!" Serana cried, trying to stop him. She managed to grab his arm when they were about halfway across the bridge, and forced him to stop. He tried to keep going or at least pull his arm free, but he could not budge Serana's grip. With the transfusion of his blood, Serana's vampiric powers were back in full force, including her supernatural strength.
"Aeros, come on. I don't like the look of this…" she said, looking down at the bridge. "Let's turn around and see if we can find another way."
"I just want to check the other side," he promised her. "Then we can turn around. Besides," he said with a laugh, "what's the worst that could happen?"
Serana opened her mouth to give a response, when they heard a loud snap as the bridge gave out beneath them. For one ridiculous moment, they hung there suspended in midair, before they were sent plummeting towards the raging currents below. They hit with a giant splash, the cold water stealing their breath. Before they could even surface, the current swept them along.
The two of them kept their heads out of the water as best they could as they were jostled this way and that. What was up ahead though, almost made them wish they had kept their heads underwater.
"What is that?!" Serana yelled. Aeros didn't even have to answer, as they saw a cloud of mist ahead of them, accompanied by the sound of water rushing over a cliff. They both shouted as they spilled over the side of the waterfall, falling head first into the water down below. And then they were off again, swept along by the current.
Fortunately, the second stretch of their unintended dive was much shorter than the first, and a few seconds later, Aeros was thrown unceremoniously over the edge of another waterfall and deposited onto the cave floor.
"Ow…" Aeros groaned, as he laid on the floor. He hadn't exactly fallen gently, and every muscle in his body was currently protesting the rough swim it had just been put through and the even rougher landing. As he went to push himself up off of tje ground, he heard a loud shriek from behind him, followed immediately by something crashing into him and forcing him back onto the ground.
As he was forced back against the ground again, he smacked his head against the solid stone floor, and while his helmet protected him for the most part, the impact was still enough to leave him dazed and seeing stars. Shaking his head to try and clear it, Aeros tried to get back to his feet, but realized he was still pinned beneath something.
"Ugh…" he heard a familiar voice groan from behind him. Or rather, from on top of him. Well, now he knew what had hit him.
"Let's not do that again, okay?" Serana asked, sitting up.
Aeros wished he could look at her, but that was kind of a problem since she happened to be sitting on him.
"Serana," he groaned, "could you please get off of me?"
"Oops!" Serana said with a giggle, jumping off of him. She helped him climb back to his feet.
"Thanks," he said, as he stretched the kinks out of his back. He looked around them curiously. "So now where are we?"
Serana shrugged. "I'm not sure. Probably deeper in the cavern. Either way, I don't think we're going back the way we came."
"Then I guess that means we'll just have to keep going like usual, huh?" Aeros said with a lopsided grin, unconcerned about the fact that they might be stuck.
"Sometimes, I think you like getting in these situations." Serana accused with mock exasperation, but she was grinning too. They started moving again.
This section of Darkfall Cave was definitely larger than the previous section, and darker as well. The only sources of illumination was the soft luminescence of the glowing mushrooms that grew on the cave walls, and the steady glow of Aeros's lantern. With no better option, they followed the trickling stream of water flowing around their feet deeper into the cave, hoping that it would lead them to their goal.
As they neared the far end of the cavern, they were surprised to see a lit brazier ahead of them, its flames still flickering. Next to the brazier was a passage sloping upwards, and Aeros could just make out a flickering light up ahead. He and Serana looked at each other curiously. "It looks like the light from a campfire," he said. Serana nodded in agreement.
"But why would anyone want to set up camp in a place like this?" she questioned. Aeros didn't have an answer for her, and could only shrug. Curious, they followed the passage up the slope, hoping to learn who else was down here, and why.
At the top of the slope they found the remains of a campsite, with several crates of supplies and two bedrolls. Two bowls of stew sat next to the campfire, untouched. And lying next to it all, at the mouth of another tunnel, was a dead Breton woman lying in a pool of blood. She looked as if she had been savaged by wild beasts.
They both froze in shock. "These people were...just what happened here?" Serana questioned. "What could have killed this woman?"
Aeros spotted a note clutched in the woman's hand. Kneeling, he gently extracted it from her grip. He scanned over it, before he shook his head in disgust. He tossed the note to Serana.
She smoothed it out to read it. It read:
"Sister, I know that you'll come find me, but it will be too late. If you find this letter, get out of this forsaken cave as soon as possible. We were fools to think that we could live so close to such creatures and live peacefully.
I should've headed back to camp with you after we placed the torches down here. I thought these trolls would be different, that they would somehow understand that we didn't want to hurt them.
I am now cornered and it is only a matter of time before one of the trolls decides to finish me off. I hope it's a quick death.
Farewell, my dear sister."
By the end, she was shaking her head in just as much disgust as Aeros. "It's sad to know what happened to these two," she said, "but did they actually think that the trolls wouldn't try and attack them? The things aren't exactly intelligent, and everyone knows they'll attack and eat anything that crosses their path."
"I don't know what they were thinking," Aeros said with a sigh. "But it's too late for them now. Let's just keep going."
"Sure," Serana said, replacing the note in the Breton woman's hand. "But who knows, maybe we'll find these trolls the note mentioned." That perked Aeros up. Serana laughed and, after a quick prayer for the souls of the two unfortunate Bretons, they moved on, heading deeper into the cave.
It wasn't long before the tunnel began to widen around them, and they could hear the sound of water ahead. Turning a corner, they found themselves entering a large cavern. The floor was hidden underneath a layer of water that covered the entire cavern, but it turned out to only be a few inches deep. Besides that and a few columns of stone, there wasn't anything really remarkable about the cavern. That is, unless you counted the smell.
"I think we found our trolls," Serana said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. But despite the smell, she couldn't help but feel a rush of eagerness. They hadn't encountered any kind of trouble on their way here from Ancestor Glade, and they were both a little eager for something to fight.
"I'd say so," Aeros answered with a predatory grin.
"So how do you want to do this?" Serana asked, although she already knowing what his answer would be.
"Hmm," Aeros pretended to think about it. "How about charging in swords swinging and magic blazing?"
"Do you even know the meaning of stealth?" Serana asked with a laugh.
"Of course I do," Aeros replied with a smirk. "But that takes all the fun out of it!" As he spoke, Aeros drew his swords, and got ready to charge. "Now come on, let's go teach these trolls why eating people is bad for their health!" And with that, off he went, whooping and sprinting the length of the cavern towards where the smell was strongest.
Serana shook her head, but she followed him anyways, spells in hand.
The trolls never knew what hit them. Aeros slammed into one before it was even aware that he was there, knocking it off balance. Even as it tried to recover, Aeros was already swinging his swords, cutting deeply into the troll's side. The troll bellowed in pain as the swords bit into flesh and bone, the sound only increasing when one of the blades began to burn like fire, preventing the troll's flesh from regenerating.
The troll's cry of pain attracted the attention of another troll that was nearby. The smell of man flesh filled its nostrils, and it slammed its arms against the ground as it bellowed in fury. But as it went to join the fight against the intruder, its limbs began spasming uncontrollably as lightning arced up and down its body. The troll roared in pain and confusion, before being put out of its misery by an ice spike crashing into its head. As the troll fell, Serana turned and saw that Aeros had similarly finished off the troll that he was fighting, slashing its throat before driving both swords through its gut. Using the monster's fur to wipe the blood and gore off of his blades, Aeros returned them to his sheaths. He turned towards Serana with a grin.
"Shall we?" he asked. Serana grinned back at him as she nodded and they walked further into the cavern. As they approached the far end, they both shivered suddenly. It felt as if they had just crossed some sort of threshold or passed through a barrier of some sort, but when they stopped and turned around to look, they saw nothing. But as they continued onwards, the cave seemed to grow brighter and cleaner, and both of them felt more at ease. Up ahead, they could see some sort of mysterious structure.
"What is that?" Serana wondered aloud. "I can feel some kind of power from it…" They made their way towards the structure, curious. They stopped however, when they saw a figure blocking their path. They both stiffened and readied themselves for a fight.
"Come forward," the figure called to them. "You have nothing to fear here."
Aeros and Serana exchanged a look, before slowly taking their hands off of their weapons. They moved forward into the lit area in order to get a better look at the figure before them.
He definitely wasn't a man, looking more like an elf, but not like any sort of mer either of them had ever seen before. His skin was pale, almost white, and his hair was only a shade darker. Two shockingly pale blue eyes gazed at them, an unfathomable age and wisdom lying in their depths. The mysterious stranger also wore an ancient looking set of armor crafted in a style that neither Aeros nor Serana had ever seen before. He did not appear to be armed, although Aeros sensed a hidden strength about him.
"Hello there," Aeros said, deciding to take the diplomatic approach in determining if this mysterious elf was friend or foe. "I'm Aeros, and this is Serana. May I ask what your name is?"
"Greetings, Aeros and Serana. I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor," the elf replied politely. "Welcome to the Great Chantry of Auri-El."
"This cave is a temple to Auriel?" Aeros questioned, looking around. He wasn't stupid enough to say it out loud, but this wasn't exactly what he pictured a temple of a god to look like.
"Auriel, Auri-El, Alkosh, Akatosh…" said Gelebor, waving a hand dismissively. "So many different name for the sovereign of the snow elves."
And that final comment made everything fall into place for Aeros and Serana. "Snow elves? You mean you're a Falmer?" they asked at the same time, incredulous. Even Serana was aware of the legends from the Merethic Era of the great war between the Snow Elves and the ancient Atmorans. The Falmer were all either slaughtered or driven underground, where they eventually devolved into the twisted beings they were today. Or at least, that was what everyone had believed.
"I prefer snow elf," Gelebor said mildly. "The name 'Falmer' usually holds a negative feeling for most travelers. And those twisted creatures you call Falmer, I call the Betrayed."
"I'm sorry if we are intruding on sacred ground," Aeros apologized. "That was not our intent, but Serana and I are searching for an artifact that is said to be hidden here. Do you have any idea if something like that is here?" To meet an actual living snow elf was a wonder in of itself, but that wasn't what they were there for, and Aeros had the feeling that there wasn't a lot of time left.
"Of course," replied Gelebor, seemingly unsurprised by the question. "You're here for Auriel's Bow, why else would you be here? You are not the first to come seeking it. I can help you get it, but first, I must have your assistance."
Again, Aeros and Serana exchanged a glance. This was going better than they had hoped. "What type of assistance do you need?" Serana asked.
"I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur...my brother." Gelebor said bluntly.
And now it was taking a turn for the worse. Aeros and Serana both opened and closed their mouths a couple times, speechless. "Kill your own brother?" Aeros finally croaked. "By the gods, why?"
"He is my brother in blood only," Gelebor explained. "The kinship between us is gone. I don't understand what he's become, but he's no longer the brother I once knew. It was the Betrayed...they did something to him. I just don't know why Auri-El would allow something like this to happen!"
"What exactly did the Betrayed do?" Serana asked.
Gelebor was silent for several moments, before he gave a great sigh, seeming saddened by the memory. "Many years ago, this Chantry was the epicenter of the snow elf religion, a retreat for those who wished to become enlightened. The Chantry has always been isolated from the events of the world around it, and even after the fall of my people, there was still a number of snow elves living within the Chantry borders. That is, until the Betrayed came...they swept into the Chantry without warning, and began killing everyone without pause."
"Didn't you fight back?"
Gelebor shook his head. "The Chantry was a place of peaceful worship. I led a small group of paladins, but we were no match for the Betrayed's sheer numbers. They slaughtered everyone and stormed the Inner Sanctum where I believe they corrupted Vyrthur. In the end, only I and my brother were left alive."
"How can you be sure that he's still alive?" Aeros asked. If the Chantry had been organized similar to other religious orders in Tamriel, then Arch-Curate Vythur would have been more of a cleric or priest than a warrior. Even if he turned out to be trained in the ways of combat magic, it would have been miraculous for him to survive a horde of Falmer storming this Inner Sanctum, wherever that was. He knew from personal experience that the Falmer were brutal and bloodthirsty creatures, and were relentless in their assault.
"He's alive," Gelebor assured them. "I've seen him. But something's wrong. He never looks as if he's in pain or under duress. He just...stands there and watches, as though waiting."
"Have you tried getting into the Inner Sanctum?" Aeros had to ask.
Another shake of the head. "Leaving the wayshrines unguarded would be violating my sacred duty as a Knight-Paladin of Auriel. And an assault on the Betrayed guarding the Inner Sanctum would only end with my death."
"Wayshrines?" Aeros and Serana asked simultaneously.
Gelebor nodded. "Yes, let me show you."
He led them in front of the mysterious structure that they had noticed earlier. It appeared to be a domed structure centered upon a stone platform, and they could see now that there was a stylized sun on the top, no doubt a symbol of Auriel, but beyond that, there was no discernable purpose for it. He motioned for them to stand back, and then raised one of his hands, concentrating.
They watched as magicka gathered in his palm, coalescing into a bright ball of light that glowed like a miniature sun. When the ball of light was done forming, Gelebor opened his eyes. He tossed the spell into the air. It floated up, and then with a flash, disappeared. At first, it seemed as if nothing had happened, but before Aeros or Serana could comment on it, the sun on top of the structure glowed brightly, as the cave around them began to rumble.
Slowly, the structure rose out of the ground, climbing higher and higher as more of its surface was revealed. "So this is snow elf magic," Serana breathed. "Incredible." Aeros nodded; it certainly was unlike anything that he had seen before, and he could see why there were so many tales about the snow elves and their wondrous spells and enchantments.
At last, the structure stopped climbing, now standing more than three times Aeros's height. It was now a six sided structure, with the side facing them open and serving as a doorway. The sun on top of the domed roof was now practically scraping against the cave ceiling.
"This structure is known as a wayshrine," Gelebor explained as he turned back to face them. Despite the amount of magicka it must have taken to raise the wayshrine, he did not seem to be even slightly fatigued or drained. "They were used for meditation and for transport when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment. Prelates of these shrines were charged with teaching the mantras of Auri-El to our initiates."
"Did you say that these were used for transport?" Aeros asked curiously. Gelebor nodded.
"Indeed. The Chantry's wayshrines are all connected to each other by a complicated spell linking the different locations and forming passageways between them. Using one wayshrine, it was possible to travel instantaneously to another, even if the two lay on opposite sides of the Chantry from each other. Unfortunately, all of the wayshrines were deactivated after the Chantry fell."
"What's that basin in the center signify?" Serana asked, pointing. Peering inside, Aeros noticed what she was talking about. In the center of the wayshrine, stood a large metal basin filled with water.
"During an initiate's journey to enlightenment, they would travel across the Chantry, meditating and fulfilling their mantras at each wayshrine," Gelebor explained. "Once the initiate completed his mantras, he would dip a ceremonial ewer in the basin in the wayshrine's center and proceed to the next location."
"So these initiates had to lug around a heavy pitcher of water and fill it at each wayshrine?" Serana's voice said what she thought of that idea. "Marvelous. How long would they have to do that?"
"Well, once the initiate's enlightenment was complete, he'd bring the ewer to the Chantry's Inner Sanctum. Pouring the contents of the ewer into the sacred basin of the Sanctum would allow him to enter for an audience with the Arch-Curate himself."
"All that to just end up dumping it out?" Serana asked skeptically. "Makes no sense to me."
"It's symbolic," Gelebor said stiffly. "I don't expect you to understand."
"So, let's get this straight," Serana said. "We need to do all that nonsense to get into the temple, so we can kill your brother and claim Auriel's Bow?"
"I know how it all sounds, but if there was another way I'd have done it long ago. My brother took great pains to make it difficult to reach him. The only way to get to my brother now is to follow in the Initiates' footsteps and travel from wayshrine to wayshrine, just as they did. The first lays at the end of Darkfall Passage, a cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment."
"How many wayshrines are there?" Aeros asked suddenly. He could tell Serana was less than pleased with this development, and figured he better step in, or else she might just smack one of the last snow elves in existence over the head.
"There are five in total, spread far apart across the Chantry," Gelebor answered.
Aeros whistled in appreciation. "These caves must be massive."
"Caves?" For some reason, Gelebor sounded greatly amused by that. "Oh, no. The Chantry encompansses far more than a few caves, as you'll soon discover. But before I send you on your way, you will need the Initiate's Ewer."
From inside the wayshrine, he removed a ceramic ewer and handed it to Aeros. Aeros examined it curiously; it was far more ceremonial looking than a normal ewer, but other than that, he didn't see much of a difference between it and a normal ewer.
"This is the ewer that an Initiate would have to carry with him on his journey of enlightenment through the Chantry."
"So I need to fill this at each wayshrine?" Aeros asked, turning the ewer around in his hands as he examined the intricate designs carved on its sides.
Gelebor nodded. "Once you've located a wayshrine, there will be a spectral Prelate tending to it. They will allow you to draw waters from the shrine's basin, as if you've been enlightened."
"Who are these spectral Prelates? I thought you said everyone was killed when the Fal- the Betrayed attacked."
"They're ghosts of the snow elf priests who tended the wayshrines before being slaughtered by the Betrayed. Through the grace of Auri-El, they were restored to their spectral form in order to continue their duties."
"Good, then they should be able to help us," said Aeros. He was not so sure that he would call it the "grace" of Auri-El to be partially brought back to life and made to eternally watch over the wayshrines of a dead chantry, but that was not his place to say. Hopefully, these spectral Prelates would be able to direct them to each wayshrine, so that he and Serana were not forced to run around the entire Chantry looking for them. Then again, how hard can it be to find a bunch of wayshrines inside a cave system? he thought to himself.
Those hopes were dashed as Gelebor shook his head. "I'm afraid in their current form, they still believe the Chantry to be an active center of worship," he said. "They won't respond to you in any way other than believing that you're an Initiate, and you're undertaking the journey to the Inner Sanctum."
"So we're on our own then," Aeros summed up. He sighed and shrugged. "Well, it's not like we're not used to it. We'll be off then. Thank you for your help, Gelebor." Hefting the ewer in his hands, he nodded to Serana.
Together, they entered the wayshrine. The far wall shimmered, displaying an image that definitely didn't belong there. Instead of showing their reflections, or an image of the cave behind the wayshrine, it showed a dark corridor, devoid of light except for a few odd, purple lights.
Deciding to hurry up and get it over with, Serana took a deep breath before stepping through the portal. Aeros watched her appear on the other side and look back towards him. With a nod to Gelebor, Aeros stepped into the portal. The last thing he heard before entering it was Gelebor.
"Good luck, my friends. And may Auri-El watch over you."
Author's Notes: And here's the first chapter of A New Dawn! Like I said before, this arc is going to focus on the final part of Aeros's and Serana's quest for Auriel's Bow, and the Dawnguard's assault on Castle Volkihar, since I felt like both of these deserved more than just a single chapter or two.
On a side note, I've always wondered about the fact that you never see Serana drink blood during gameplay, and that the last time she must have fed was most likely before Valerica locked her away. So I decided to write down what I thought would be the result of that, with Aeros sacrificing his own blood to nurse Serana back to health. Of course, this may have more of an effect on him than he's willing to admit…
Characters:
Knight-Paladin Gelebor: One of the last Snow Elves, and the brother of Arch-Curate Vyrthur. Asks for your assistance in slaying his brother, who he believes has been corrupted by the Betrayed.
Dragon Language:
Wuld Nah Kest = Whirlwind Fury Tempest (Whirlwind Sprint Shout)