Author's Note: Apologies guys, it's been a lot longer than we got used to during quarantine from me, huh? No nothing is cancelled or abandoned or even going on hiatus haha, I just could only really find the time for things I could whip up with low research intensity during downtime.
Sidenote- anyone ever use the Papyrus software for writing organization? I'm considering looking into it.
Also full disclosure these are, as an Atheistic Pagan myself, not my actual feelings on Atheism, simply a reflection on how Atheism might be seen in a world that has actual tangible higher beings and "gods". Also not to be confused with Iconoclasm, which is a different, semi-Atheistic philosophy in these kinds of settings which I may touch upon later.
Chapter 25: Journey to the Nook
The next few weeks passed by rather quickly for Harry as he expanded his horizons with his studies and grew close with his study group to the point where he felt comfortable calling them his friends.
Yes, even the arrogant and impetuous J'zargo was one he counted himself relatively close to.
Perhaps more like Neville but with Draco's personali-he shook that thought away. Bad combination.
Regardless, he now considered those peers his friends. J'zargo's confidence actually was growing on him, it helped that J'zargo considered him an equal and enjoyed a kind of friendly rivalry that Harry while not encouraging did not exactly dislike either.
Brelyna had an odd mix of haughtiness and a kind of social awkwardness that always brought some interesting mishap or mix-up into their study group sessions, as well as her own interesting magical experiments perhaps putting him closer to being able to replicate Transfiguration.
And Onmund took the stereotypical Nordic diligence and hard-working attitude and applied it to both his studies and in his friendships. An oddly soft-spoken, for a Nord, young man at times, and yet at other times fiercely opinionated and protective when the correct lever was pulled.
And as Harry was learning, Onmund shared another major trait, often considered a flaw, with Harry.
They were both stubbornly independent and very insistent on solving their own problems with no help from others.
"So, you sold your family amulet to Enthir for the greater soul gem for that last Enchanting experiment and now you feel guilty and want it back, but you think he's probably going to hike the price up if you yourself went to get it back?" Harry summarized back to his friend exasperatedly.
"Umm...that sounds a bit more concise than I laid it out when you put it that way. And a lot less difficult and complicated," Onmund admitted.
Harry put his hands onto his knees and pushed himself up out of the desk chair in his little dorm room, "Sure, I'll get it, no problem. You'll just pay me back whenever you have the spare. I'm still a bit flush from the Gildergreen reward so there's no time pressure,".
"Flush?" Onmund blinked back at him confused.
Oh, Harry thought, no poker here so Vernon's poker terms probably aren't going to make sense.
"I'm not hurting for coin," He reiterated, "So you can take your time paying me back,".
"Oh! That makes sense! I'll put some extra time in with the enchantment laboratory and try and have it this season, even so!"
Onmund was an honest Nord, and Harry certainly appreciated that.
"Well if all goes well I should be able to just kip over with my coinpurse and be back shortly," Harry grabbed the aforementioned purse off of his desk with a swipe of his hand and took off towards the stairs.
It turns out, Harry soon learned, that jinxes in the vaguer sense of the term were quite real in this reality.
Because, ten minutes later as he stood in front of Enthir, he was getting shaken down.
"Oh no no, that won't work at all young mage! I know you're one of that boy's friends, just trying to get it back for him. Well I don't do buybacks here!"
The dark elf was truly getting on Harry's nerves now with his smarmy and weasley condescension.
"I see where this is going," Harry muttered to himself, though obviously loud enough for the elf in front of him to hear as well, "Alright, what do you want, Enthir?"
The grin that graced the dark elf's face could have greased a cart's axle by itself, "I have heard tell that you are quite the adventurer, my good friend, and I just so happen to know the...general location of a fascinating piece of treasure,".
Harry took a long, deep, calming breath.
"What and where?" He sighed in resignation.
By the time Harry finished explaining the situation to Onmund when he returned to his friend, the young man was about ready to pull his hair out.
"So all he had was the name of the artifact and a list of three possible places spread all around eastern Skyrim?!"
Harry nodded in frustration, "Indeed, the only upside here is that Enthir promised the places would all be full of 'all sorts of treasure on top of the staff!' If you believe him of course,".
His tone betrayed the fact that he did not necessarily believe the elf.
"Well, then I am going with you!"
That surprised Harry. And it apparently showed on his face.
"It's my amulet so this whole mess is my fault! If you're going out there I'm going with you! Besides my Shock, healing, and warding magicks are all up to par! Plus I'm no poor hand with a bow from hunting around the mill!"
"Well I suppose we could get permission for a small quest. We'll be gone near a month if it is in the third location though, are you up for that?"
"Well, I believe we'll all have to be," A voice like wind-swept branches of a willow tree rubbing together spoke up from the doorway.
Both men turned in surprise to see Brelyna standing there, with J'zargo waiting impatiently behind her, tapping his foot.
"This one thinks a magical treasure hunt is just the adventure needed to test some very destructive scrolls," The khajiit explained, as if he had no personal stake in his friends going off on a dangerous quest.
"But Harald, being the teacher's pet," J'zargo continued, "Should ask permission from Tolfdir for this one's entire party,".
Brelyna raised an eyebrow at that, "That one's...party? Be realistic, J'zargo,".
A clawed hand waved through the air, "Bah! Fine! Harald is the adventurer of experience, Harald is then...this one's head bodyguard who shall take point on this quest!"
The smirk on his face belayed the joke and all four friends fell into laughter.
It even proved rather simple to get permission for the four of them to leave.
"Oh good," Tolfdir remarked when Harry came to him with the proposal, "Anything extra you find, bring back for College research, you hear? Honestly my boy I was just about to ask if you wanted to start taking apprentices out on little errands, basic tome and item retrievals and the like. This is slightly more elaborate of course, but with all four of you going I feel comfortable approving this. I've not heard of any particularly disastrous dangers near any of these locations but you can hand most of what Skyrim can throw our way, regardless!"
Harry appreciated the vote of confidence and as he began gathering supplies he pondered how casual everyone was about it and decided that this must be a cultural difference he hadn't been fully aware of.
Even outside of the Companions, adventuring of the smaller variety appeared to be quite common. He had not quite expected that.
The Companions obviously took the bloodier work more often, but searching out magical items and tomes appeared to be commonplace.
Two days later found them ready for their first leg of the journey.
"Alright," Harry said, geared up with a heavy fur cloak over his armor and his bag full of potions and supplies, for even the summer melts did not allow Winterhold and the surrounding areas above what he estimated to be at most ten degrees centigrade. Barely above freezing, a temperature he'd have expected around Halloween, not midsummer, back at Hogwarts in Scotland.
The party of four stood at the gates of the College, just before the long and winding stone bridge.
"We're off into the wilds of Skyrim," Harry began, "It's all tundra between here and our first destination. Full of wolves and ice wraiths. Onmund keep your bow handy, Brelyna and J'zargo stick to mostly Flame spells and Conjurations. We head for Journeyman's Nook, it used to be a waystation of a kind back in days where more traveled the roads to Winterhold. Enthir's research indicated that the staff was there at some point before the eruption of Red Mountain, unfortunately he could not figure out which of the locations its owner visited last, the proper order of the year of travel the mage took remains a mystery. Thus we're going to start with the Nook and move on into Eastmarch towards Mara's Eye Pond, we'll likely take a break in Windhelm and...much to my frustration, if the staff is not at either of the first two locations we'll be heading into the Rift,"
Harry grimaced at the last part.
"Uh...what's wrong with the Rift?" Onmund asked, blinking.
"Bad memories, hagravens, giants, sulfur pits, take your pick honestly, let's get going!"
With a gesture they began to move out of the College and across the bridge.
Harry and Onmund were somewhat accepted in town, thus they were the ones that purchased the horses at the stables. Should they return the horses in good condition they would get a portion of their fee back.
The quest, Harry thought, was already costing far more than the coin Onmund had gotten out of selling that family amulet.
Luckily, with Harry and Onmund doing the talking they had no real issues with the acquisition of mounts.
Four sturdy and shaggy horses of good north-eastern Skyrim stock. Two and two of geldings and mares.
J'zargo insisted upon having one of the geldings, and both Onmund and Brelyna, not very experienced on horseback immediately went for the mares, which left Harry with a shaggy spotted gelding who seemed content to stay as far away from the khajiit as possible.
Harry barely withheld a snort as once they started moving J'zargo almost fell off of his horse, having awkward positioning with his saddlebags.
But it was no matter, as they were able to depart post haste and make good time on the fragmented and oft ruined road to the southeast.
Brelyna in particular took note of all the scenery around them as they traveled. Pointing out Nordic ruins and particularly once they began nearing mid-afternoon and passed the fork in the road, the peak of the mountain where a shrine to Azura stood.
"The ashen ones went back to worshipping the old Daedra when the Tribunal collapsed did they not?" J'zargo questioned when she mentioned the shrine.
The dark elf's head wavered back and forth indecisively.
"Both yes and no? There's a sizable Nerevarine cult as well and then even considering that a still larger number of House Telvanni in particular lost all faith in any except their own ancestors and power in magic," She replied after some internal debate.
"You are Atheists?" Onmund interjected in surprise, knowing that Brelyna's family came under that house of magisters.
"No!" She bit back more sharply than normal. Atheism was a serious accusation in Tamriel. It was not illegal, however it was taken as a sign of insanity as there was ample evidence for higher powers from the Aedra, to the Daedra, to the Celestials, all over the continent.
"It is more like...they decided that while the Aedra and Daedra exist there is nothing to be gained in the long term by worshipping them. Deals with the Daedra never end well and faith in the Aedra is not rewarded in comparable amounts. It is more rewarding, to these philosophers, to grow personal and societal power and not rely on capricious higher beings to interfere!"
J'zargo nodded along, "This one can understand that outlook, he believes that the Lunar Lattice is simply the structure. What one does with their framework is up to them!"
Harry nodded as well, "I have heard many times in my old homeland that 'fortune favors the bold', perhaps that is a similar though less theological idea,".
Onmund slowly turned over the concepts in his head and then replied, "I can see the wisdom in that, I think. There is no god of slothfulness, in fact it is seen as a vice, so none of the Eight would reward such I imagine,".
Before the conversation could continue but after Brelyna let out a relieved breath at her friends not judging her family's philosophy a form stumbled out from behind a rocky outcropping on the side of the road ahead of them.
Harry halted his horse and drew his Skyforge Steel, forgoing magic as he did not want to spook an innocent traveller should that be the case.
It appeared to be a bedragged Nordic hunter who stumbled closer to the group, clutching at a small wound upon his neck which blood seemed to slowly be seeping out of.
"H-help!" His left hand raised, palm forward, indicating peace.
Quickly Harry sheathed his blade and dismounted, the man was obviously injured and in distress.
"Stay on guard, if he was attacked his foes may be nearby, I'll aid him!" Harry commanded his party.
Onmund, who had been about to dismount, had his eyes widen and then panickedly began searching the nearby hillsides for enemies.
"I am a mage of the College of Winterhold," Harry explained as he began to pool the energy for the Healing Hands spell in his hands, "I can heal that, what struck you, hunter?"
"A foul beast!" The man hissed out as Harry closed the odd wound on his neck, "Eyes as red as blood! A vampire! Please do you have any sort of potion that can purge the disease before it twists me?"
The man was now grasping at the ridge of Harry's cloak in desperation.
"Yes! I have a potion, please calm down my good sir, it is not too late to stem the tide of the corruption!"
Harry, after calming the man and removing his hands from his cloak reached into his pack and retrieved a Potion of Cure Disease.
"This should do the trick, now," Harry paused to allow the man to greedily and desperately guzzle the potion down, "Where were you attacked?"
"There's a cave I took shelter in, in the center of Mara's Eye Pond down south!" The man said, "The creatures were there and chased me as I fled, likely to try and conceal their foul presence!"
The young mage took a long and deep calming breath. Of course there were vampires at one of the possible locations they needed to search. Unless the staff was at the first place, though he was not very confident about that.
"Are you safe to return to Winterhold or some other settlement?" The hunter nodded at Harry's question, "Good, we were headed towards that area, so we shall purge the den and then report over to Jarl Ulfric in Windhelm. You have done Skyrim a great service today, merely by surviving to give us this news,".
The hunter bowed gratefully, now feeling much better and less afraid, "Who shall I say was my savior, kind mage?"
Harry grinned, "Harald Secret-Fire of Whiterun, and his fellow mage students from the College of Winterhold. Onmund of Falkreath, Brelyna of Morrowind, and J'zargo of Elsweyr!"
The man bowed once more to all of the mages this time, "I thank you all! May the blessings of Kyne go with you into the den of those demonspawn!"
Harry turned back to his party as the man made off back towards civilization.
"Even if we discover the staff in the Nook we now are honorbound to purge the vampires by Mara's Eye. Any who do not wish to join me can, once we near, make off towards Windhelm and wait for the rest of us there, who is with me and who will wait at Windhelm?"
None of his friends moved.
"We're with you, Harry," Brelyna stated airily.
"This one thinks the Flame Cloak scrolls will be especially useful against vampires, it is an academic interest now," J'zargo replied.
Onmund just shrugged, "We're in this because of me, I'd be a poor Nord to turn tail in any difficulties in our quest!"
Harry nodded, "I thank you all!"