Chapter 34: The College of Winterhold

[17th – 21st of Sun's Dawn 4E 202]

Arriving in Winterhold was always the same. It did not matter if you came in summer or winter, there was always snow on the ground, and more often than not a minor snowstorm was blowing through the city streets. Although the city had once been the capital of Skyrim, little grandeur remained from that time. After the Great Collapse in 4E 122, rebuilding had not been done on a larger scale, and the hold's main city was not much more than a very small town nowadays, surrounded by ruins. With its high and impressive buildings, the college dominated the city, and the few remaining residents seemed to be mostly wary of the college and the mages. I had told my wife before a little bit about the city and the event which was commonly called the 'Great Collapse', which had made part of the former city slide down to the sea, but had mysteriously spared the college altogether, except for minor damage to the bridge.

T'mara looked somewhat disappointed when we walked through the city: "This is Winterhold? Nobody did some rebuilding after the Great Collapse? If the city looks like this, the college sure won't look much better, I suspect..."

Having been there before, I just smiled and guided her towards the bridge which was the only visible access to the college. As usual, a guard was posted, and I recognized Mirabelle Ervine, master wizard and in charge of operations at the college. When she saw me, she smiled and said: "Timotheus, my friend – it is good to see you again! How have you been, and who is the lovely lady next to you?"

Fortunately, most of the wizards at the college did not have any kind of aversion against non mer/men races, like we had seen in Winterhold. I replied, with a grin: "Mirabelle, may I introduce my wife T'mara – T'mara, may I introduce Mirabelle Ervine, master wizard of the College of Winterhold!"

Mirabelle's jaw dropped down: "You got married? To a Khajiit? Wow – that sure is interesting news, and I expect that there is a special story behind it."

I told her: "Yes, there is, and I will be happy to tell it later on. For now, my wife and I would prefer to get inside, as we have a long hike behind us".

Mirabelle responded: "I understand, but you know as well as I do that all newcomers have to be tested for magic, and this does include spouses."

I smirked as this was what I had been waiting for, knowing that the master wizard was in for a surprise: "Yes, of course. Would you mind stepping aside just to be make sure you that are not getting hurt?"

Mirabelle was not sure why but she did step aside. I whispered to my wife telling her to shout 'YOL' into the circle on the road, and she complied. When the shout's echo was ebbing down, Mirabelle's jaw was hanging even lower than before, and she asked: "Was that a dragon shout?"

Both T'mara and I nodded, and the master wizard asked again: "Assuming that you have not spend almost all of your youth at High Hrothgar, and specifically as I have heard rumors that the Dragonborn has appeared and is a young Khajiit, is it possible that you are Dragonborn?"

We nodded again, and Mirabelle asked us to come in; the archmage would sure want to see us. When walking across the narrow bridge, which was the only discernible access to the college, my wife stopped a few times to look around. Naturally clouds and slow limited the view and the setting sun could just be briefly glimpsed, but I told her the vista was spectacular on the few sunny days they got here.

While it turned out that the archmage was busy and had to move our conversation to the next day, we claimed that we did not mind, as we were somewhat tired after our long walk. We met Tolfdir and got some quarters assigned. Tolfdir apologized: "We do not really have special quarters for married mages. Of course you can claim a wizard's room, Timotheus, but your wife either has to squeeze in with you or use a separate, smaller guest room in a different wing."

T'mara looked at me and asked: "What does he imply by 'squeezing in'?"

I smirked: "The beds are not very wide. I hope you are with me that we do not mind?"

My wife looked back at me while smiling: "No, not really – let's see the room!"

Tolfdir had followed our conversation and said: "That's what I had expected. Come on, I'll show you to the room."

At least the wizard's quarters – as I had the official rank of wizard here, I qualified for one of those rooms – had doors, and the bed was indeed not very wide, but fortunately a little longer than normal, as quite a few wizards were tall. T'mara and I quickly agreed that this would be quite all right for us, dropped our backpacks, and followed Tolfdir to the dining area for some supper. We met Colette and Faralda, and we promised to tell part of our story on one of the next days.

Naturally, as we had arrived late on the day before, T'mara was interested to learn more about the college, the wizards, and the various halls and rooms. Tolfdir was about to teach a lecture on destruction magic and wards and invited both of us to attend, so that we walked to the Hall of Elements with him.

He introduced us to the current group of students in his class: "The Dunmer is Brelyna; she is from the House of Telvanni and very dedicated to magic. She specializes in Alteration and Illusion, but without neglecting the other schools. J'zargo, the Khajiit, makes fast progress in destruction magic, and he is somewhat overambitious. Onmund, finally, is one of the few Nords we have here."

Addressing the other students, he continued: "Students, Timotheus was here at the college before and he is a full wizard. His wife, T'mara, has some basic knowledge in magic and wants to improve it here. She is not yet sure which school of magic to specialize in. At least for today, both of them will join us here for an hour or two, and you will see both of them a lot over the next days and weeks."

We had all agreed to not mention that T'mara was Dragonborn, at least for the time being. For now, this was to be kept between the archmage, master wizards, and ourselves.

Apparently there had been some discussion recently on how to continue the lessons, and some of the other students demanded to get more practical.

Tolfdir said that he understood that request: "Of course. You all certainly possess some inherent natural ability. That much is not being questioned. What I'm talking about is true control, mastery of magic. It takes years, if not decades, of practice and study."

J'zargo cut in: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

Tolfdir got his hands up: "Please, please! This is exactly what I'm talking about. Eagerness must be tempered with caution, or else disaster is inevitable."

Onmund objected: "But we've only recently arrived here – you've no idea what any of us are really capable of. Why not give us a chance to show you what we can do?"

Tolfdir stated: "All right, let's settle down. I suppose we can try something practical... In continuing with our theme of safety, we'll start with wards. Wards are protective spells that block magic. I'll teach you all a ward, and we'll see if you can successfully use it to block spells, all right? Whereas warriors can block with a shield or a weapon, the daggers we usually carry are not very suitable for that. Also, weapons cannot normally blocks magic attacks. With a filled magicka pool, a trained wizard can raise a ward to protect from both weapons and spells. Does everybody know how cast a ward spell?"

T'mara admitted that she knew the spell, but that she had never really used it. The older wizard replied: "That's what this lesson is for. Perfect time to try it out. Now, if you'll just stand right over there, I'll cast a spell at you, and you block it with the ward. Here we go. Over there, please. Just opposite me. Wouldn't want anyone else in the way. Now, cast the ward spell, and keep it up. Hold still."

After a few attempts, my wife succeeded to cast a ward spell, although a pretty weak one. She was able to deflect Tolfdir's fireball, and the wizard commented: "Excellent work! You should probably practice more to increase strength and duration for the spell."

Onmund and Brelyna practiced together, and J'zargo approached my wife: "This one would be delighted in help you practicing. J'zargo wants to improve his destruction spells, and maybe you can help." He added: "Have you mastered the Expert level destruction spells yet?"

T'mara shook her head: "That's far beyond my level of skill."

J'zargo replied: "Is it? This is disappointing. J'zargo hoped there might be one who could keep pace with his accomplishments."

My wife was not quite sure how to react to that: "You seem very sure of yourself."

J'zargo nodded: "There is much for J'zargo to be sure of. There is skill in magic, there is charm, and there is a strong will. J'zargo will be successful, of this there is no doubt."

Despite J'zargo's cockiness, my wife was spending quite some time with him; after all, he was a fellow Khajiit. Most of the time she was practicing her wards, and the male Khajiit was throwing different kind of fireballs at her. One hour later, both of them were quite spent, but they had made progress, and I was proud of my wife.

At the end of the lesson I stepped closer to Onmund, as I was curious about what made a Nord study magic. Once I had introduced myself properly and we had exchanged a few words, I asked him: "Is it difficult being away from family?"

He replied: "Not at all. I consider it a blessing. My parents were convinced that coming here was a death sentence, or worse. It took years of insisting that this is what I'm meant to do, and so far I have not had a reason to regret my decision."

We had lunch together with Tolfdir and the other students, and in the early afternoon we visited the library. Urag gro-Shub, the Orc librarian, must have remembered me, but he uttered his standard warning nonetheless: "You need a book, you talk to me. Otherwise you're going to find yourself in a lot of pain."

T'mara was impressed by the library: "This is quite an impressive library."

The Orc explained: "A mage is only as good as what he knows. I try and make sure as much knowledge is available as possible. We've been keeping this collection since the Second Era. Books have come and gone during that time, but the library is mostly intact."

Later on in the day we finally met the archmage, and Savos Aren invited us to his quarters for a chat. T'mara used the opportunity to ask a few questions about the college: "What's the purpose of the College?"

The arch mage carefully replied: "Purpose? I should think it's self-evident. Magic is a true power, not something to be shunned by commoners or treated as an amusing diversion by politicians. It shapes worlds, creates and destroys life... It deserves proper respect and study. The College is a place where we can focus on that, without the pressures of the world weighing down on us."

My wife continued: "I'd like to know more about the College's history."

Savos Aren answered: "I've seen documents dating back to the late Second Era. Beyond that, it's hard to say. Events in the last several hundred years resulted in a significant loss of our history, I'm afraid."

My wife and I elaborated on our background and on her Dragonborn status and tasks, and we explained that we believed she needed to expand her knowledge on magic in order to work on the dragon issues. The archmage nodded and assured us that we could of course stay here as long as we wanted. "Although", he added with a smirk, "it would not hurt if you made yourselves useful from time to time."

I understood what he meant, and at the end of the day we retired to our room again, happily cuddled in our narrow bed, and finally slept.

The following day was mostly spent with showing my wife the college grounds and halls. Based on the poor state of the town she had not expected much, but she was now clearly surprised. We had a long meeting with the archmage and the most senior wizards and told our story, so that they knew our background. T'mara said: "I was really hoping to improve my magic skills here so that I am better prepared for my Dragonborn tasks and quests. I do not know exactly what kind of challenges await me, but fortunately I also have a very capable husband at my side. Thank you for allowing me to stay for a while!"

My wife also used the opportunity to ask Faralda on her opinion on destruction spells, as she had only basic knowledge of them. The wizard replied: "Destruction spells come in different forms, each useful for various purposes. Concentration spells can be cast immediately, though they're weaker. Good for a tight spot, and less costly if you miss. You'll also need to decide whether to devote yourself to a single type of spell. Focusing solely on flame spells will make them more powerful, but you may find yourself at a disadvantage against foes immune to fire."

Mirabelle also offered a few words, when being asked where new spells could be learned: "Faralda can teach Destruction spells, and offers training in that school. Phinis is one of the best Conjurers in all of Skyrim, and can help with spells from that school. Don't let Tolfdir fool you; he's the pre-eminent scholar on Alteration. One of the best in Tamriel, and always willing to pass on his knowledge. If you can find him and focus his attention, there's a great deal Drevis can teach you about Illusion magic. And finally, there's Colette. She may be... difficult to get along with, she's very knowledgeable when it comes to Restoration magic."

Finally I added that I also planned to improve my skills, and that I would occasionally attend lessons or practice on the college grounds. I was kind of looking forward to spending some lazy days here without too much of an adventure. Alas, I should have known of course that lack of adventures was not something waiting for me.

As the sun was shining brightly on the next day, we decided to go for a walk into town for a couple of hours. While crossing the bridge, we stopped a few times and enjoyed the view, which my wife was able to see for the first time in full glory. I pointed out a few points of interest to her, such as the Sea of Ghosts to the north and east, Ysgramor's Tomb to the west, and the Shrine of Azura to the south. Other interesting places not far from here, such as Saarthal, were hidden behind mountain ranges. What the area lacked, though, was trees. Whereas most parts of Skyrim had lots of or at least some trees, Winterhold had only few, just a few coniferous trees and mostly snowberry bushes. In theory there should be at least some dwarf pines or so being able to resist the cold and grow in groups, but even those seemed to be very rare. Sure, there were some smaller groups of fir trees or similar in the city and in the college, but not many outside, and I had yet to see something even remotely resembling a forest in the hold. Sometimes I wondered where the few inhabitants in the city of Winterhold got their firewood from.

While walking slowly towards and getting close to the local inn 'The Frozen Hearth', we encountered a female Khajiit who looked somewhat familiar. T'mara stepped closer and shouted: "M'lissa, is that really you?"

The Khajiit turned around and replied: "T'mara, yes, it is me, indeed! Fancy meeting you here in Winterhold!"

T'mara smiled and replied: "My husband and I have finally managed to travel here and attend the college."

M'lissa looked quite surprised: "You are actually married now?"

My wife nodded and confirmed: "Yes, we are. We missed you for our wedding, but you were out for some kind of guild task, I believe."

M'lissa's face turned dark: "Yes, I was, indeed. Can we find a quiet place and talk?"

We went into the inn and got some drinks. While the innkeeper gave us strange and disapproving looks, T'mara and I both got milk, while M'lissa had mead. She explained:

"I had gained Mercer Frey's confidence, and he ordered me to meet him outside of 'Snow Veil Sanctum' for an important task. We went inside together and finally encountered Karliah, who supposedly had betrayed the guild a long time ago and murdered her companion Gallus. Karliah shot me with a poisoned arrow which paralyzed me, but it did not prevent me to hear the conversation between the two of them. It actually turned out that Mercer was the traitor and the murderer, and Karliah wanted to bring him to justice. Alas, she failed to apprehend him and he could flee, not before stabbing me in the chest. Karliah's poison had slowed down my heartbeat significantly, which saved me, and she restored my health afterwards, but it took weeks to get me back to full health. I finally arrived here a couple of day ago and just spoke to Enthir, a Bosmer merchant and sorcerer who sometimes does trade with the college. We need to get Calcelmo's help to translate an old journal of Gallus, which is written in Falmer language; this might help us to prove Karliah's innocence and Mercer's betrayal."

This was hard to believe, but on the other hand none of us had really known Mercer Frey well at all. T'mara and I were quite shocked and could not speak for a minute or two. T'mara asked with concern if her cousin was fully healed now, and she confirmed that: "Yes, thanks to Karliah I am back to my full health. Karliah turned out to be a very good friend, and I hope to be able to restore her reputation and get her back into the guild."

Thinking about the issue I suggested: "I happen to be acquainted to Calcelmo, court wizard to the Jarl of Markarth, and he owes me a favor or two, I believe. Maybe I should go to Markarth with you and assist in getting the journal translated to speed up the process. T'mara, would you mind staying here on your own for a week or two and continue your magic studies?"

My wife slowly replied: "While I am not looking forward at all to be separated from you for more than a week, this may indeed be a wise choice. I really want to help my cousin M'lissa, and this appears to be the best option. But Bran stays with me – you have got Pammy!"

We went back to the college, and my friend and colleague Tolfdir promised to take good care of my wife and guide here along her studies. He mentioned that he planned to take the students to the ruins of 'Saarthal' in a few days, where excavations and investigations were currently ongoing. "This will be a perfect and excellent opportunity for the students to get their hands dirty and get acquainted with the search for artifacts, which is part of our work here in the college", he said. "After all, Saarthal was one of the earliest Nord settlements in Skyrim, and we plan to spend a few days there. If we are not back from there when you return, you will know at least where to find us, and maybe you can even help us digging and exploring for a day or two."

T'mara and I spent most of the afternoon with some more training, and she also got introduced to most of the other wizards. Unfortunately that included Ancano, the Thalmor, who was officially just visiting and learning, but was supposed to be more of a spy for the Thalmor. He was not liked much and showed a nosy and arrogant attitude. Quite frequently he had to be reminded by the archmage and the master wizards that he was a guest and needed to behave as one. With my size and broad shoulders, towering even over most Thalmor, I usually did not have to say a word and rather succeeded in intimidating him when he was getting too close to me. Most students were not so luckily and were frequently pestered with annoying questions.

When we finally got to bed, I was ready to turn around and start to sleep, considering that I was going to travel again on the next day. My Khajiit wife, though, had other plans: "Timotheus, you are going to be off for ten days or so. I don't care if you are going to be tired and exhausted tomorrow, but this night you are mine!" I pretended to be offended for a few minutes, but soon she managed to get my full cooperation in making love multiple times. To be honest, being tired for a day was a price I was more than willing to pay for such a night.