"I am surprised to find you back here for such a reason, child."
The old priest muttered while lighting several of the candles decorating the small temple. Aeyrin barely remembered the place from her last visit – she was rather delirious the entire time of her stay there.
The place was much more cramped than any other temple she's visited so far, especially the one in Solitude… although she didn't get to admire that one much either. There were only a couple of cots for the wounded, a large statue of Talos in front of a few pews and several small washbasins for the healers.
Bishop didn't accompany her to the chapel. He seemed hardly interested in religious talk and he decided to scour the markets to see if there were any people still selling things outside. They needed to refill their supplies for their journeys.
"Now, why does an elf want to know more about Talos? You do understand that while the rebellion stands, the Thalmor cannot dictate what this congregation does? And I'll be damned if I let…" the old priest was starting to get somewhat worked up, but she managed to interrupt him early on.
"Master, I assure you I'm not here to question the legality of the temple. If anything, I'm relieved I was able to find one still in place," she stopped his outburst. She was hoping that their shared background could make for some headway with him. At least he didn't throw her out outright for having pointed ears.
"I'm actually a cleric in the church of the Eight and I traveled to Skyrim on a pilgrimage to find out more about Talos. Despite what the Thalmor demand, it would be a shame if an entire branch of religion disappeared and I… appreciate your resilience," she smiled at him, hoping her demeanor would erase that scowl from the old Nord's face. He did seem to soften a little, but he still looked her over in suspicion when she continued. "I was hoping to collect some knowledge, learn more of the ways of Talos and tell my congregation back in Cyrodiil what I've learned. Even if… even if worship of Talos remains banned, it would be tragic if it were forgotten. If nothing else, it deserves to be preserved for history's sake," she pleaded her case before the priest further.
After Hadvar's reaction about her pilgrimage when she first arrived in Skyrim, she feared it would be impossible to find any sources useful to her. It never occurred to her that if she found someone preserving Talos's worship publicly, they might actually be reluctant to help because of her race. But why was she even surprised? This was Windhelm, after all…
The priest gave her a long pondering look, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion, searching her face for any duplicity.
After some time he sighed and headed towards the large statue, fishing something out of a wooden lectern in front of it.
He returned to her, still silent, but he handed her three thick tomes, all of them leather bound and with no actual titles imprinted into the covers.
"There is plenty of lore preserved of our faith. We do not let the elves dictate our lives. And before you even think it, girl, this congregation is plenty official and the Thalmor already know about it. Not like they can do anything. So don't be thinking you hold there some sort of 'evidence'," the man grumbled at her, pointing at the books. She wondered if he was similarly unpleasant to Bishop when he dealt with him while she was sick – but she already knew that this was likely a reaction to the fact that an elf had expressed an interest in the forbidden religion.
"May I keep these?" she asked him carefully after a while. She curiously looked over the books, opening the covers and peering inside. Each of them mentioned Talos in some measure but she didn't really spend time studying them thoroughly yet.
"Keep 'em. There's plenty more around here somewhere. Like I said, we are not intimidated by the elves. But if you are really interested in learning more of the ways of Talos, you came to the wrong place. There is a much more suitable opportunity at the Palace," the old man smirked slightly and shook his head at her as if he knew she wasn't exactly welcome there.
"How so?" Divines, hopefully he didn't mean Ulfric. If that man was considered some sort of paragon of a Talos worshiper…
"War, child. War is the way of Talos. Righteous battle and fighting for a cause. Until you know these things, there is no knowledge to be gained from books," again he gave a disdainful snort, as if he was doubting her ability to ever comprehend his philosophy. It was getting annoying… and discouraging. She didn't exactly have a lot of inclination to ask him more of his faith after that behavior.
"Why do you assume I've not experienced this? Ulfric's rebellion is hardly the only cause and the only war waged in this country. I have assumed that Talos's doctrines were about perseverance and conviction, rather than continuous bloodshed…" she scoffed right back at him.
"You understand nothing, child. People would speak of internal battles when they've experienced none, they would speak of overcoming challenges while having no concept of the word. You wouldn't know what it is to fight for a cause until you are left with no choice but to spill blood. That is what Talos understood. Any means necessary," the man turned his back to her and walked back towards the candles. He continuing lighting them disinterestedly, practically ignoring her.
Not that she exactly wanted to argue with him further. He seemed so single-minded. She could definitely imagine someone like Ulfric seeking guidance from this man.
Maybe there was something to what he said, maybe she really could not understand until she experience the hardship of war, but the whole 'any means necessary' always felt like an excuse to her. Perhaps the books would provide something more relatable, despite what the priest thought.
She turned on her heel, completely forgetting about the other matters she wanted to discuss with the man. He soured her enough for the day. Before she left the temple entirely, she noticed a young woman, clad in the same robes as the priest, standing by the exit. She was looking directly at her.
Aeyrin walked past her adamantly, but the woman followed her outside. After several paces, she stopped her a short distance away from the temple.
"Excuse me, could we speak for a moment?" the priestess gave Aeyrin a kind smile from behind the dark brown priest hood, positioning herself right in front of her to block her path.
Aeyrin only nodded and looked at the woman expectantly.
"Please, excuse Master Lortheim, he is… well… let's just say that, at times, age brings us great wisdom, but at other times, the painful experiences of a long life leave one more… jaded to those around them…" she sighed slightly as the kind smile returned to her face a second later. "I must admit I have overheard much of your conversation and I was pleasantly surprised by your curiosity… and by your willingness to preserve the worship of Talos. The perseverance in defending one's cause truly is one of the most important lessons Talos bestows upon us, but sadly, that often means battling it on two fronts – protecting it from those that would see your ideals trampled to the ground as well as those who would twist them to their own selfish purposes."
Was she referring to Ulfric? Did a priest of Talos actually see through his political schemes?
"Luckily, you may find many answers in the books that Lortheim provided, but I was hoping to propose something to you," the priestess gave her a conspiratorial look, peaking Aeyrin's curiosity. After the exchange with the temple's Master, she really didn't expect someone this priest to come out of that place. She couldn't help but feel a little suspicious, but there was no harm in hearing her out.
"You were hoping to inform your own church on your findings? I was thinking that perhaps, even in the midst of this war, even with the Concordat, there would be a chance to preserve our faith. No matter the outcome. If someone like you were to… find people… those sympathetic to our cause and those willing to learn, or perhaps even make pilgrimages like you have, well… I'd be happy to welcome anyone here. I could answer their questions and teach them of our beliefs…" the woman bit her lip a little nervously, searching Aeyrin's face for a reaction.
Did she mean…?
What she was proposing… finding people who would keep Talos worship alive beyond Skyrim's borders… That would mean going against the Concordat. It would create a chapter of dissident priests.
That was so dangerous! If the Thalmor found out about something like this, they would bring down all their might upon them!
But it sounded so… noble. So worthwhile. There must have been people like her in other provinces, people who were willing to go against the Dominion in order to preserve knowledge and provide freedom of religion.
And hopefully, it would be much less bloody than Ulfric's approach. There was no need to make your point by brute force and war.
She could start slow. Perhaps she could write to Master Therien and see if he knew of others on their pilgrimages who would be curious about Talos too. That couldn't hurt, could it? That wasn't too dangerous.
"Aren't you afraid I'm a Thalmor spy? Your Master certainly seemed to be," Aeyrin narrowed her eyes at her after a while of pondering. The woman was surprisingly forthcoming.
The priestess chuckled lightly, but there was a small hint of fear in her eyes: "As Master Lortheim mentioned, our temple is well known and for now… in a… grey area of the law. If Ulfric succeeds, it could be a haven to all the believers… or it could be a cradle of a new faith… twisted in its nature. And if he fails… our lives are not likely to be spared. There is nothing to lose by making every attempt to nudge events into the most promising direction. Protecting one's cause… waging a battle that the eye cannot see."
The look the priestess gave her was wistful, even hopeful. Aeyrin couldn't help but nod at her. Perhaps it was naïve of her, but what if in time, their efforts bore enough support to be recognized even by the Empire? What if the secret worship got so widespread even the Thalmor couldn't stop it.
"If you still have questions…" the priestess smiled, inclining her head back towards the temple. Aeyrin noticed the old priest in the corner of her eye. He was leaving the building and heading towards the direction of the Palace.
"I do… and there were some other things I've been meaning to discuss."
…
"Jora said that every time the victim was missing a different… part. Apparently the priestess of Arkay thought it was a work of a necromancer… collecting body parts for some reason."
Aeyrin shuddered, a disgusted sneer on her face. She's been telling everything she learned from her talk with the priestess to Bishop while they were having lunch at the Candlehearth Hall.
He was less than pleased about her plans to start her own 'priestly resistance'. Well… that wasn't exactly it… he was kind of pleased. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he looked even impressed and almost… proud. But he grumbled incessantly about the dangers and how she was making an enemy out of the Dominion. She assured him that all she was going to do for now was contact Master Therien again and ask him for guidance with this. He still grumbled, but he seemed at least a little less angry.
They moved on from the subject after a while and returned to discuss the murders again.
"Why only young women? Why would a necromancer care?" Bishop pondered, downing the contents of his tankard. It sounded more like it was some perverted freak that couldn't get a live woman. But the cutting off of parts didn't add up then.
"I don't know… maybe they were easy targets? Maybe it's a coincidence… they thought it was only Nord women at first too," Aeyrin shrugged. "It's still odd though… what would a necromancer do with parts only? Wouldn't they want a whole body? It's likely just the usual 'magic is bad' thing…" she sighed, turning her attention back to her meal.
"Maybe the parts… fell off… after the experiments…" Bishop shrugged with a slightly disturbed smirk on his face. Who knew what necromancers did with the corpses and how much they damaged them? Or how long they kept them…
"The bodies weren't rotted at all though… they were gone for only a few hours before they were dumped. Every time in a different place… which makes sense… the guards would always be all over the previous spots…" she pondered further, her brows creased deep in thought.
Not like she could figure out who the killer is like that. And he sorely wished she would let it go already. The more invested she was getting, the higher the probability was that she would try something stupid and get herself caught by that sick freak. It didn't matter how capable she was or if she could Shout the killer to pieces – they had no idea what they were dealing with! Who knew what the Butcher was capable of? And it wasn't as if Ulfric's men would let her meddle. It would have been best to leave well enough alone.
"It's likely they'll catch them soon. The whole city's on alert and unless the fucker left already, it won't be long now," Bishop shrugged. He wasn't really convinced of that – if the person was smart enough, they could avoid the guard for as long as they needed. He saw it himself – the ramparts were almost empty – the only two guards on them were staring outside the city walls. The Grey Quarter had numerous access point to the roofs. It would have been an easy vantage point to follow an unsuspecting victim without being spotted. After that, it would only be a matter of waiting for an opportune time – a lull in the patrols, a shadowy corner… the guards never counted on someone watching them.
She gave him a skeptical look, but she still smiled a little gratefully at his attempt to ease her mind.
"Well… maybe there's still something more we can find out from the elves…"
…
"I don't know… I'm starting to have second thoughts…"
Susanna shuffled her feet nervously when they stopped in front of the cornerclub. She was staring at the rickety door, biting her lower lip in hesitation.
"I bet you ten drakes they don't even remember whatever it was they were pissed at you for," Bishop smirked at her. Surprisingly enough, he sounded more encouraging than annoyed.
Susanna gave him a skeptical look, her brows remained deeply creased: "I doubt that…"
"Come on, there's nothing to lose. It can only get better," Aeyrin gave her a smile and headed towards the tavern uncompromisingly. It was best for Susanna to get the first moments over with. It surely wouldn't be as bad as she made it out to be.
There were a lot of elves already present at the cornerclub.
It appeared most of the Grey Quarter residents didn't intend to return to their homes after sundown – it was nice to see that the curfew didn't change this as much as they feared.
"Look who's here!" Ambarys gave them a wide grin when he saw them enter, but there was still some palpable weariness in his eyes, just like in Susanna's. In fact, it was apparent in all the patrons – the severity of the situation in Windhelm was obviously getting to all the citizens. Well, maybe not all. Ulfric's men were likely thriving.
"Hey, Ambarys… we brought a friend…" Aeyrin feigned an innocent smile – maybe they really didn't remember anymore.
All the patrons along with the elf behind the bar turned their eyes to Susanna, who promptly tried to hide behind Bishop, rather ineffectively.
"Sorry, hla-aka, she's not welcome here," Ambarys narrowed his eyes at the barmaid instantly. All the other patrons started to whisper among themselves, throwing disgruntled looks towards the girl.
"Come on, Ambarys, don't be like that! I'm don't know what happened, but Susanna's been so nice to us… and she's one of the few Nords around here who actually care about how you guys are treated," Aeyrin tried to placate him when Susanna didn't seem eager to talk. She was only staring at the ground with a somber expression.
"Tss how it star's... acts all… fr'ndly then BAM! 'er Stermclerk fr'nds come… an' kill yah!" Malthyr slurred, already drunk. He was barely staying atop his chair, swaying around wildly.
"I-it wasn't like that! I… I never meant for any of that to happen! I would have never…" Susanna piped up, despair etched on her face as she looked frantically over all the patrons to see whether any of them would believe her.
"Save it girl, we know what happened. Not like you can't take care of yourself hla-aka, but I wouldn't trust her good intentions…" Ambarys scoffed derisively, pointedly turning his attention to cleaning dishes and pouring drinks.
"I didn't… it wasn't like that…" Susanna sighed defeatedly. She almost looked on the verge of tears. Ambarys threw her another contemptful look, and creased his brows at her expression.
He shook his head with a sigh after a while, avoiding her eyes and rumbling disgruntledly.
"Nchow, not like I'm gonna throw her out. We don't do that here. Doesn't mean she's welcome…"
Susanna looked ready to leave but Aeyrin ushered her to one of the tables instead. Perhaps she would be able to talk of what happened in a bit and things could be cleared up.
Bishop's interest in how things unfolded waned considerably since his eyes were set on the decorated yellow bottles on the shelves behind Ambarys.
"Three. For real this time," he gave the barkeep a wide cheeky grin, eliciting a snort from the elf.
"Right… we're gonna be dragging the n'wah from the floor tonight," Ambarys chuckled before passing him one of the bottles.
"You do realize that I know what that word means, right? I know it's meant as an insult…" Bishop took the bottle from him with a smirk. That earned a hearty laugh from both the barkeep and Revyn, who was sitting at the bar and drinking some unidentifiable liquid from an unlabeled bottle.
"Busted, Amba! If I were you, friend, I'd demand some compensation," Revyn snickered, eliciting an annoyed groan from Ambarys.
"No need. I don't give a fuck what he calls me. But I get my reward after I finish the third bottle. You better think of something real good, Ambarys," Bishop gave him a sly wink and pointedly took a deep swig of the hard liquor straight from the bottle.
"You're on, n'wah."
