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Chapter 29 - Retrieving the Crown

Tolvald's Cave was nothing special on the outside, and Yssha was expecting pretty much the same inside, except for it being only the two of them this time. It surprised her when Marcurio sopped perhaps ten feet inside the entrance and said, "I've got a very bad feeling about this."

She turned to him, frowning. "Is it anything specific, or just general unease?"

"Not exactly either," he said slowly. "This is supposed to be a fairly routine retrieval and Falmer-restoration mission, but as soon as we walked in, it felt like a giant trap. Not Thalmor, though ... more of a Daedric feel, like around Mephala and Mehrunes Dagon."

"We shall have to be particularly careful, then." If there was Daedric influence here, it was most unfortunate that Nevan and Serana were away in Cyrodiil. "Do you wish to leave, and come back later?"

Marcurio shook his head. "I'm not sure we'd be allowed to. But I suppose we can try."

That statement seemed to trigger a landslide behind them, and the cave entrance filled with rocks and dirt.

"It seems you were right, beloved," Yssha said. "So we go on, and hope for another way out. I could teleport us home, normally, but if something powerful enough to cause a landslide on cue is involved, I would probably be blocked. And we have our missions to accomplish, anyway."

"Probably," Marcurio agreed. "Let's go, then."

More cautiously than usual, they moved deeper into the cave. Not surprisingly, the first thing they ran into was a bear who was using the cave as a den, which was no problem. When that was dead, Yssha noticed an abandoned camp with a journal on one of the bedrolls.

"After trailing the beasts for several days, I think we've finally found their lair. It seems like their den is further in this cave. There may be more of them than we first thought, but after seeing the strange columns and pipes, there may be some sort of ruin here.

"My Gran always said those places were full of treasures just waiting for the first person to find them. We've decided to make camp and try to clear out the animals and see if there is anything worth taking."

"'Strange columns and pipes' sounds like a Dwemer ruin," Marcurio commented. "Not that it's all that unusual to have Dwemer ruins and Falmer together."

They made their way deeper into the cave, dodging bear traps - one holding a dead bear - and bone chimes, then Yssha spotted a couple of ore veins, one iron and a silver. She ignored the iron, but mined the silver.

Further on, they came to an ornate iron door, which she unlocked, then disarmed a trapped chest. Falmer passages led them up to a higher chamber, where they found an alchemy lab ... and three badly-mangled Falmer bodies. After checking them out, Marcurio said, "Looks like vampires - and those do not belong with Falmer, or in Dwemer ruins."

Yssha nodded. "Vampires, and you sense a Daedric taint to this place ... something to do with Molag Bal, then, would be my guess."

"That seems likeliest, yeah. Too bad Meridia gave Dawnbreaker to Serana; it'd come in very handy right now."

"That is true. On the other hand, we both know the Stendarr's Aura and Vampire Bane spells, thanks to Florentius."

"And we'll probably need them. In the meantime, I'd feel more comfortable sneaking."

"As you wish." Yssha had long ago learned to pay attention to Marcurio's instincts, so she promptly went into stealth mode, following his lead, and they kept going.

The next chamber was quite a bit larger, with several more mangled Falmer, and a few vampire remains as well. As they made their way through it, Yssha heard some moans, and followed the sound to find a female Falmer and a young boy, badly injured but still aware. She couldn't comfort them in their unRestored form, but she could ease their pain. Speaking just loudly enough for them to hear, she focused her intent into a very soft Shout. "Sot ... Gein Daal!"

When they lost consciousness, she dug into her pack for two of her strongest healing potions, starting to just leave them, then she changed her mind, and crouched down to wait.

"What - " Marcurio murmured.

"I do not know if they know what healing potions are. We can afford the few minutes until they wake."

He looked dubious, but didn't argue. Five minutes later, the Restoration was complete, and the two, now Odmer, began to wake. As soon as their eyes started to open, she murmured, "Remain silent, and drink these." She handed them the potions, pleased when they obeyed without hesitation.

"So this is what the shaman meant," the woman whispered. "What now, Favored of Auri-El?"

"Go to the entrance of the cave - it is currently blocked - and hide somewhere nearby. We will be back for you, and get you to safety."

Silently, the two obeyed while Yssha and Marcurio went deeper into the cave. They encountered a giant frostbite spider at a narrow part of the chamber, then it widened out again, and they saw an encounter between a dozen Falmer and half that many Vampire Lords. Yssha promptly un-stealthed and cast Stendarr's Aura, then waded into battle, her mace swinging.

Marcurio followed suit, his battleaxe doing nearly as much damage as the Aura. With the two of them in action, the vampires were soon truly dead, but not before one snarled at Yssha. "You'll not leave here, Dragonborn - except as Molag Bal's!"

When the fight was over, Yssha used the Restore Falmer Shout on the eight who survived, handing out more healing potions and giving them the same instructions she'd given the first two, but one of them balked. "I am the priest, Dovahkiin. I have been instructed to help and protect you, so I must go along. What do you seek?"

"We came here seeking the Crown of Barenziah," Yssha replied, "and to restore your folk to their true heritage. Now it seems we must also defeat more of Clan Volkihar's vampires. And avoid Molag Bal claiming me, though I am sure Bormah Akatosh would have something to say about that."

The Odmer laughed. "I'm sure he would, Favored. But we do not have a library here - would you have a name I may use?"

Yssha thought for a bit. "I do not know Odmer names, but I believe Altmer ones are close. However, the only ones I am familiar with are currently in use, or belong to dead Thalmor, and may have negative associations in the outside world."

The Odmer priest smiled. "Perhaps I can rehabilitate one of those."

Yssha returned the smile. "Perhaps you can. Then I offer you the name Ancano. It definitely needs rehabilitation."

"I am Ancano, in that case, and will do my best. It should be a pleasant name, from the sound."

"Very well, Ancano. Are you ready?"

"I am. Follow me."

They did so, discovering that an escorted trip got them quite a bit more treasure than bumbling around on their own - and also got them much better vantage points to attack their enemies.

With Ancano's guidance, it took less time than she'd expected to get to the chamber where he said Barenziah's Crown was, even though they had to pause a few times to fight vampires. and when they got to the final chamber, he cautioned them about some ghosts.

They found some skeletons first, one with a faded diary near telling of its owner's brother being killed by the eruption of Red Mountain and the survivor fleeing to Skyrim. The other had a fragmentary journal, which mentioned a white elf, and then being held prisoner by a group of them. A third skeleton, this one crushed, had a Staff of Firebolts, which she gave to Marcurio.

Then Ancano pointed out a heap of rubble, and Yssha saw a gleam of gold. Before she got to it, though, three ghosts in Elven armor appeared, attacking. Ancano used wards to defend himself while Yssha and Marcurio defeated the ghosts, then she sent the Odmer to join his friends at the entrance while she went to retrieve the crown.

she'd barely touched it when half a dozen vampires came out of concealment and attacked. One of them was wielding a green-glowing mace, and came right at her. "Molag Bal wants your soul, cat, and his mace will take it!"

Yssha cast Stendarr's Aura, then used her own dragonbone mace to defend herself from the Daedric weapon. The vampire was strong, and she was tired from their earlier fights, so it took longer than usual, and she was pretty sure she had a number of bruises and cuts, despite her armor. Between Stendarr's Aura and her mace, though, she finally managed to take it down, then help Marcurio with the rest.

She was panting and had to heal herself when it was over, and Marcurio was in no better shape. "I think we have spoiled ourselves, beloved," she said when she'd caught her breath. "That would have gone much better with the full team."

"Yeah, it sure would've," he agreed. "It's not bad to know the two of us can still handle ourselves against bad odds, but it's sobering to find out just how much harder it is at half strength."

Yssha nodded, then picked up the Crown and put it in her pack, then stared down at the glowing mace. "I think that is one of the artifacts Nirn would be better off without."

Talos appeared, smiling. "So be it, briinah." He picked up the mace. "You don't have to worry about any of the Daedric Princes claiming you, you know. Even Hermaeus Mora, despite what he told you in Apocrypha, can have no claim on you, as his champion or anything else."

"I thought not, but it is good to be certain. Thank you, zeymah."

He chuckled. "My pleasure. Now, what're you planning to do with Barenziah's coronation crown?"

"I am supposed to return it to Vex, who will restore it to its original condition, and it will act as a paragon for the Thieves Guild."

Talos laughed. "That sounds appropriate. She was a very good queen, but she was also a very good thief, and that part still runs in the family. I don't think she was ever a Nightingale herself, but her daughter Dralsi was, and her granddaughter Karliah still is."

Yssha was startled, and showed it. "Karliah? Barenziah's granddaughter?"

"Oh, yes indeed! She never told you?"

Yssha shook her head. "The subject never came up."

"If I may, sir," Marcurio said, "can you tell us if there's a back way out of here?"

"I'm afraid there isn't," Talos replied. "You'll have to go on for a bit, to restore the rest of the Falmer deeper in, then find the exit to the first part of the cave. The atronach Bal sent to start the landslide is long since gone, and Bal's been, ah, rebuked for his interference with Bormahu's restoration project."

Yssha chuckle-purred. "That part I do regret, but his vampires did not keep us from the Crown, and he loses his mace in the bargain."

"Since Bal interfered by trapping you here, I'm untrapping you." Talos paused for a second. "There, the landslide is gone, so you can finish up here." He vanished with the mace.

"Shall we continue as we were told, beloved?" Yssha asked with a grin.

"Of course, now that we have a way to get back out."

Since she'd sent Ancano to the entrance, they were back to exploring their way along, over a grating past a waterfall into a large cavern with a Falmer village. There were no mangled bodies here, so the vampires hadn't come this far, which was a relief. When the Falmer began their attack, she Shouted at them, with the usual results.

The rest of the trip, except for a couple of chaurus encounters and three more Restore Falmer Shouts, was uneventful, and an hour or so later, they were back at the now-cleared entrance. She told Ancano about Winterhold, the Sightless Pit library, and Helgen, then called Odahviing for the trip to Riften.


She grimaced at the smell as they entered the Cistern, but did her best to ignore it until her olfactory nerves got deadened temporarily, making her way to the Ragged Flagon and Vex.

She handed over the Crown, then said, "You called this a paragon, but I do not understand completely. Just what is a paragon, and what does it do?"

"A paragon's an object that enhances our thieving abilities." Vex shrugged. "At least, that's what I'm told it does ... there hasn't been a paragon in this Guild for hundreds of years. I guess we'll all find out together, as soon as I get this thing put back together."

Yssha chuckled, nodding. "All right, then get to work!"

"Of course, Boss - then I'll take care of a couple of jobs to check it out." Vex grinned. "More coin is one of my favorite things, you know."

Yssha chuckled again, then went to borrow Anskar Ember-Master's workbench and grindstone, after buying supplies from Syndus, Vanryth, and Anskar himself. As long as she was here anyway, she might as well take advantage of the fence and merchants, which if she wanted the best prices, meant doing repairs and improvements to weapons and armor first.

She didn't rush, taking the time to do a good job, but once her business was done, she and Marcurio wasted no time getting into the fresh air, then home to wash the smell out of clothes and fur.