Legate Emmanuel Admand: Defense of Markarth Part Two
Legate Admand and the blacksmith, Moth gro-Bagol made their way through the Dwemer Museum, finding the bodies of both Falmer and city guards littering the floor.
The Legate looked around noticing all of the Dwemer artifacts Calcelmo had collected over the years from his studies of the Dwemer.
The biggest unsolved mystery was the Dwemer's disappearance.
Legate Admand stopped and picked up a newly written book by Calcelmo explaining this happening and recent events relating to it.
"It appears all members of the Dwemer race were simply removed from the world. When the previously untouched Dwemer ruins of Bamz-Amschend in Mournhold were rediscovered, numerous piles of ashes were present next to weapons and armor, on chairs, and in beds, suggesting the Dwemer's bodies were suddenly reduced to ash in some way.
In 4E 201, Arniel Gane, a researcher at the College of Winterhold in Skyrim, attempted to recreate the circumstances of the Dwemer's disappearance after obtaining Keening, one of Kagrenac's Tools, but vanished suddenly in the process, strengthening the theory that Kagrenac's use of the tools was the cause of the disappearance.
Some scholars still resist the notion that the Dwemer disappeared all at once.
A theory also exists that their sudden extinction was caused by their reversal of the usual processes involved in the Earth Bones, the laws of nature. Rather than creating the profane by commanding the sacred, such as in Conjuration magic or Daedra worship, they sought to create Anumidium, their own sacred, from the "deaths of the profane".
Vivec, the warrior-poet god of the Dunmer, similarly believes that the disappearance of the Dwemer is in some way owed to their "divine sin"—attempting to create a god for their own purposes from the remains of the god Lorkhan. Whether their use of Kagrenac's Tools in this process or simply their intentions resulted in their extinction remains unclear in this theory.
The Dwemer purportedly possessed an ability that was known as "The Calling", which seems to have been similar to telepathy. It allowed the Dwemer to communicate with each other over great distances. It has been suggested that, in the last moments before they disappeared, Lord Kagrenac used The Calling to summon all of the Dwemer people and rally them to carry out his plans to transcend the Mortal Plane. Whether this was related to their demise or not is uncertain."
He put the book down and the two men continued on their way.
"Legate, before we proceed any further, I would just like to point out this place is filled with many traps and other unknown defenses. The Jarl probably had Calcelmo or his nephew put up those defenses to keep the Falmer from reaching them. We should really be careful from here on out." The blacksmith stated.
"We'll be extra careful. Now, let's see if we can't find them." The Legate said, opening another set of doors.
Inside he saw two halls, one leading down and another leading to their left.
"Which one shall you take?" the Legate asked the blacksmith.
He contemplated his options for a moment.
"I will go down there. You go to the left." The blacksmith answered, making his way down a level.
The Legate advanced down the left hallway.
A two-sided blade rose from the floor and began spinning and heading in the Legate's direction.
He ran towards it and just before it reached him, he jumped over it.
He made his way to the end of the hall and waited for the blacksmith.
After a few minutes, the Legate decided to see where the blacksmith had gone.
He descended down to the lower hallway and found the blacksmith lying face down and a green mist filling the hallway.
He pulled a lever and the vents opened, clearing the room of the toxins.
He ran over and checked on the blacksmith.
Dead, this is my fault. I should have taken this way instead, the Legate thought to himself as he turned back around and continued through Calcelmo's laboratory.
The next room was engulfed in flames.
Must be another trap. There must be a lever or something around here to put out the fire, the Legate thought as he began his search.
He looked around and saw a red valve and turned it. The flames ceased and he proceeded through the room.
The Legate opened the doors, leading to Wizard's Balcony.
This would be a spot for archers to fire upon those Falmer, the Legate thought as he entered the next set of doors.
Just as he entered the room, an arrow zoomed past his head hitting the door behind him.
"Hold your fire! I am Legate Emmanuel Admand of the Imperial Legion!" the Legate shouted.
"Cease fire men! I apologize Legate. We expected the Falmer to finally reach us, but it looks like the Museum's defenses have kept them at bay. Come in Legate." Jarl Igmund said.
The Legate entered the room. It was Calcelmo's personal tower, where he did much of his work.
The Legate looked around and saw guards on each side of the entrance.
"This is quite the defendable spot Jarl. We could last for quite some time here. Well-placed archers on either side of the door and just on that ledge could keep the Falmer at bay." The Legate was saying as he walked up the stairs into Calcelmo's personal study.
"What is the situation Legate?" Jarl Igmund asked.
"The main gates have been overrun. A lot of good men have died today. The Falmer aren't the only ones who have been killed by these defenses. I lost a good man on the way up here. His name was Moth gro-Bagol and he was the Keep's blacksmith. I hope we are able to defeat these Falmer or all of these deaths will have been for nothing." The Legate replied.
The door opened once more and the Legate ran over to the ledge to see who it was.
"Hold your fire!" the Legate said as he saw a set of furry ears sticking through the doors.
The group consisted of Khajiit, Nords and Imperials.
"State your names." The Legate shouted.
They stood there for a moment before one of the Khajiit stepped forward to answer his question.
"My name is Vigarr and we are here for your help."
Vigarr and his group of survivors have finally reached the Legate. They are all now in Calcelmo's Tower.
Can the Museum's defenses keep the Falmer out or will they find a way around them and reach the survivors? What will the Legate say about Vigarr's plan to escape the city? Leave your comments on the past two chapters below.