Winterhold. Skyrim.
I stood close to the large orb that had been transported here and now floated in the centre of the lecture hall. It certainly was an amazing discovery, there was no denying that. It was probably the most unique and powerful magical artefact ever found in Skyrim, perhaps all of Tamriel. I couldn't help but be in awe of it.
If the relic wasn't so dangerous I might try to take it for myself, but I did know how dangerous this object was so I didn't want it in the same dimension as myself as long as there was a chance it would go boom. This was why I had to let events play out as they did in the game, at least for the most part.
Okay, so I had the Staff of Magnus as such I could one day, learn how to control this orb, but I might kill myself trying and the task of handling this thing had fallen to someone else, so I figured all I needed to do was help my Dark Elf friend when the time came.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tolfdir coming over to me.
"I understand that you have been doing research on the Eye," he said.
So far I hadn't been able to find much. Brelyna was doing most of the work and I had my own studies to be getting on with. However, I had come across a little tidbit that she'd missed.
"Yes sir, I have," I confirmed. "I found a book called 'Night Of Tears.' There was mention of an object of great power that men and mer fought and died over at Saarthal. There wasn't any great detail, but it can't be a coincidence that we found this at Saarthal".
Soon Tolfdir would realise what I had known all along, that if people had gone to war over the Eye of Magnus in the past then they might do so again. The College could be in trouble. Groups like the Thalmor would kill everyone here in order to possess the Eye.
"Hmm... that is a rather grim discovery," he said sombrely. "But still, at least no one died over it this time. I'm sure that as long as we treat it with respect and caution, everything will be fine".
I knew that things wouldn't be okay, not unless I ensured it, and I didn't think that he really believed it either.
"What have you learned so far?" I asked.
More information wouldn't hurt.
"Well, why don't you have a look, see what you can tell me," the wizard said.
Not much really, I'd never seen anything like the Eye before, and in reality, it was more alien than I could understand.
"It's big. It's floating. It's glowing" I said "It's a giant levitating sphere".
That wasn't all I had to say.
"The writing on it isn't Aleyid, or Dwemer, or Daedric, or Falmer" I went on to say.
Oddly I couldn't read any of the symbols on the Eye, which meant either they were total gibberish, or something about this relic prevented the enchanted item I wore that translated things for me from working.
I'd already checked out a bunch of written languages from this world, and I could normally understand at least part of what was being said. I would at least recognise a few symbols if it was Daedric despite me wanting nothing to do with them.
"They're unlike anything we've seen before" my teacher was now saying "this marvellous object. It practically radiates Magicka. And yet it's unlike anything I've felt before".
We spent a few more minutes studying the Eye trying to figure out: what its purpose was, where it came from, who made it, and what could be learned from it. Already there was a theory going around the college that it had been given, in the early days, as a gift from the gods to mortals. That this orb was how the first mages got their powers.
I myself postulated about the Eye's practical purposes. Considering that it seemed to radiate Magicka then it stood to reason that, if it were harnessed correctly, it would not only give you great amounts of magical energy it could also increase a mage's power. I didn't need the boost myself, but it could be used as a power source for some great magical construction.
"Arch-Mage Saren and I are working hard on the subject of the Eye," Tolfdir told me "While you are entitled to help as well, it would be advisable for you to continue on with your own work and not get too distracted".
I was leaving the hall when the Thalmor adviser came over to me, and I had to use all my self-restraint not to blast him into atoms. I really didn't like the Nazi elf.
"I'd like to know why there's someone claiming to be from the Psijiic Order here in the College," said the High Elf "More importantly, I'd like to know why he's asking for Brelyna and why he wants you to join her in the Arch-Mages quarters".
From the way he spoke, it was like he thought it was somehow my fault. This whole thing clearly had Ancano more than a little rattled. Unlike me, he hadn't expected one of the Psijiics to appear here. Now that one of them had, he was in a position of ignorance and he didn't like it. He was the kind of man who preferred to know everything that was going on in the world. Or at least that was the impression I got from the elf.
As soon as we were alone my wand came out of my sleeve and I disabled the elf before teleporting us both to Bleak Falls Barrow. Before he could get over the shock of what had just happened I shot the elf and then teleported myself back to the college. I wasn't completely unbothered by what I'd done and I'd been planning to get rid of him for a while. He was no different than Umbridge really.
I headed to my destination as if nothing had happened. It would be a while before anyone reported the elf as missing and the Thalmor Embassy wasn't in any state to handle the mer's disappearance. Even if someone did look into it there was no evidence of anything criminal having happened.
When I entered Savos Aren's quarters I thought that they were very impressive. The room was grandly sized, aligned with display cases containing soul gems, from small to large as well as some interesting items connected to different kinds of magic, such as Vala stones.
An alchemy table stood here as well, laden with ingredients for those with the skill of potion-making.
At the centre of the room was a tree, with plants like lavender and foxglove growing around it, decorated with glowing mage lights. Aren and the Psijiic mage stood in front of it, apparently deep in discussion. They turned at the sound of my footsteps.
I couldn't be sure, but I thought that he was the same Psijiic as could be seen in Saarthal. The one who appeared to Brelyna and warned her about the consequences of finding the Eye of Magnus. If it was him then events were in motion as I'd expected they would be.
"Ah, there you are Macross," Arch-Mage Aren said by way of greeting.
The senior wizard then turned back to the Psijiic.
"Now then, shall we..."
Before he could finish that sentence Aren and everyone else was frozen in place as time stopped, leaving only myself and the Psijiic free to move. Seemingly satisfied the spell had worked, the mage looked at me.
"It is good to meet you in person, Macross," he said to me. "My name is Quaranir of the Psijiic Order".
We shook hands.
"Nice to meet you too," I said while glancing at the frozen form of Arch-mage Savos Aren "Wish I knew how to do this whole time freezing trick".
Somehow I didn't think this Quaranir person would teach it to me just because I asked.
"I've given us a chance to speak privately. I can't do this for long, so we must be brief" he said.
Since there was no sense in delaying the member of the Psijicc Order simply got on with things.
"The situation here at your College is of dire importance," he began to explain, "and all our attempts to contact you have failed".
There were reasons for that, but if they weren't going to share their knowledge with me I was going to tell them what I could do. Perhaps I would get the chance to study with them when I wasn't such a novice at using magic.
"Many in the Order believe, as I do, that if the Eye remains here, it will be misused. We believe something will happen soon that cannot be avoided. Your efforts should be directed towards dealing with that event, but we cannot predict what that will be" I was told "I fear I have already overstepped the bounds of my Order, but I will offer this: seek out the Augur of Dunlain here in your College. His perception may be clearer than ours".
Consulting the Augur happened in the game so it made sense to do so here.
"I am unsure where he is, but he is within the College," Quaranir said to me "Surely one of your colleagues must know where he is. Your fellow apprentice Brelyna has a part of play in all of this so stay close to her".
He was down in the Midden if I remembered correctly. Still, I would double-check that and then take the Dark Elf with me.
"I am sorry I cannot provide further help, but this conversation requires a great deal of effort on my part" Quaranir informed "Now, I'm afraid I must leave. It is within you to succeed, never forget that".
The current of time returned to what it should be, and everyone who had been frozen suddenly seemed a little ill, but the effects didn't last for long.
"I'm sorry, were you about to say something?" asked the Arch-Mage.
He looked rather confused and I didn't blame him.
"There's been a misunderstanding," the monk said innocently. "I clearly should not be here. I shall take my leave".
This was surprising news to the Arch-Mage who made no move to stop his visitor from leaving.
"I feel so strange..." Aren said as he gazed thoughtfully at the tree in the centre of his quarters. "I'm... I'm not sure what happened..."
While I would have liked to have filled him in Quaranir wouldn't have gone to the trouble of freezing time if what he'd spoken about was for more than my ears. Even Brelyna had been frozen in time. So clearly the Order knew that I was no normal mage.
"Sir, do you know anything about the Augur of Dunlain?" I asked.
His expression became more stern at the mention of it.
"Has Tolfdir been telling stories again? I thought I made it quite clear that this was a subject inappropriate for conversation" said the leader of the college "Please don't allow him to continue to discuss the subject".
I knew now to seek out Tolfdir. I might as well go with the flow of events until it was time to act. Ancano wasn't the only fool in Skyrim who might try using the Eye to boost his powers.
"Excuse me, sir, I have studies to attend to," I said to the Arch-Mage "Come along Brelyna".
It took him a few moments to reply and my fellow apprentice was only now starting to come to her sense. Being frozen in time, or whatever it was that just happened to them, had something of a negative effect on people. Perhaps that was why the spell if it was a spell, had to be used sparingly.
"Of course," the Arch-Mage said absently while staring off into space.
Quickly I took my leave with Brelyna in now, heading back down to the Hall of Elements. It was unsurprising to me to see that Tolfdir was still present, studying the Eye intently. He really wanted to figure the thing out.
"Excuse me, sir," I said.
He was so engrossed in it that he didn't hear me.
"Tolfdir!" I yelled.
He snapped his head around.
"Oh, I am sorry my boy. The Eye, it is most intriguing" he said, "What do you need, Macross?"
Yes, something very important.
"We need to find Augur of Dunlain" I answered "Do you know where he can be found?".
It down was in Midden, but if he had directions to the right chamber I'd be grateful.
"Now, there's a name I haven't heard in a long time," he said thoughtfully "I suppose he's still down in the Midden, but I haven't really checked. Are you going to see him?".
Once I had indicated that I was going to do that I got precise directions. I would have to explain to Brelyna why we were going down into the Midden once we were on our way. I wasn't sure how much time we had. Even with me having gotten rid of the Thalmor agent other people would come for the Eye of Magnus soon enough.
"Do tell him 'hello' for me, would you?" Tolfdir requested.
I could do that.
"Thank you for your help," said my fellow apprentice.
With that Brelyna and I got moving.
The Midden. Skyrim.
We'd climbed down into a cave that was coated in snow and found a ceiling that was covered in icicles. Beyond the cold cave was a stone room with a door leading to the next area, and there was something magical in that place. I could sense it.
An eerie, icy mist hung over the ground as we cautiously walked in. A pile of wood was stocked in the corner to the left and, curiously, there was sweeping brush in a basket that was propped next to the door. By the looks of things, someone had been down here doing some cleaning.
Did the college have its own janitor? I couldn't recall seeing one, but there must be at least one person going around doing some cleaning. Maybe they had their own version of House Elves or human-sized cleaning staff who I just hadn't noticed. I really should check on that and find out more about this place worked.
I slowly opened the door and stepped into the room beyond, I saw a draugr come shuffling towards us. Not that this really mattered as Brelyna and I simply blasted the undead thing with fire before it get close enough to strike at us.
Slowly I lead Brelyna into the chamber that housed the Auger. The door opened, revealing a large, floating mass of energy. I should have been more impressed, but compared to the Eye, the Auger wasn't so cool, although I could certainly feel a lot of power here.
"Tolfdir says, hello," I told the Auger.
It didn't reply to that.
"Do you know why I am here?" I asked.
Those who have sent you have not told you what they seek. What do you seek?
Since we required information I figured that I should ask another question.
"Can you tell us about the Eye?" I requested
Be careful of the temptations of power. Your path can be a dangerous one.
Well, that wasn't very helpful. I didn't think that I was going to get a straight answer from this thing and since I had the Staff of Magnus I didn't really need to. I had been hoping for confirmation that I did indeed need the staff and that I could handle this crisis. I didn't think I was going to get it.
"My path?" I asked.
When I got no answer I turned to Brelyna.
"Do you want to ask anything?" I wondered.
She'd been silent this whole time.
"I've been talking to it," she told me "I just don't understand what it is saying. Apparently I don't need to do anything after all".
Since I had the Staff of Magnus there was no reason to leave the college and that foolish elf was gone so perhaps I'd changed things too much. The Psijiic Order seemed to think that something was going to happen. Perhaps their ability to divine future events was limited as was this creature's ability.
"I guess all we can do is try to research the Eye further," I said.
Perhaps I shouldn't have killed Ancano? No, letting him live would have been foolish he could have blown up the planet by messing with The Eye.
We headed out of The Midden and went to check up on The Eye only to find that we'd been gone for longer than expected, so it was now nighttime, and far more importantly The Eye was gone. Giant floating orbs of vast magical power don't just vanish so the staff were busy searching the college.
"There you two are!" called out Tolfdir "Where have you been?".
I answered for both of us.
"We went to see the Auger" I answered "It wasn't very helpful".
Tolfdir looked very worried.
"Ancano is missing as is The Eye," he told us "It seems clear that he somehow took it, but we can't figure out how he got out of the college. The Eye is too big to get out of here unless it went through the front entrance and he would have been seen".
The passageways of The Midden were simply too narrow.
"I think the Psijiic Order is behind this," I said.
If I'd muddled up the timeline they might have decided to act sooner rather than after disaster was averted.
"The Auger seemed to think that the danger has passed" informed Brelyna "Or at least that was the impression I got so I think Macross is right. The Psijiic Order must have taken and hidden The Eye".
Perhaps the Thalmor could have done this, but there'd be some sign of their presence and with the Embassy having burned down so recently it seemed unlikely that they could have acted this soon. Was there some other group involved?
"That does make sense," said Tolfdir "Perhaps Ancano tried to stop them?".
The old wizard stopped to consider the idea further.
"I'll talk to the Arch-Mage about this," he told us "You two should return to your rooms while we finish looking around".
Might as well. I had studies to be getting on with. Brelyna and I went our separate ways. I found Val and Sera, it was important to keep using their fake names even in my own mind, waiting for me in my room.
"Are you both okay?" I asked.
I could tell right away that something was wrong.
"Mother has done something," the younger of the two women told me "I'm not sure if it was good or bad".
I didn't need long to grasp what this was about.
"Did you do something to the Eye?" I asked.
The older woman presented to me the All-Purpose Pocket Dimension, a portable gateway to a private space which is unaffected by the world outside. I'd gifted one to Sera so that she could more easily secure the bow that her father wanted to use with her blood to block out the sun.
"You took The Eye" I realised.
I was both shocked and grateful when Val reminded me that The Eye by itself isn't dangerous unless someone tries to mess with it. It had been safe underground for centuries and could be contained within the Pocket Dimension forever, at least in theory, and she'd taken it for me to care for.
"And no one saw you?" I asked.
Val seemed insulted by my question and to be fair it was rather silly since no one had clue what had happened to The Eye.
"I was practising magic before either of you was even born" she reminded us before explaining herself further "The Eye is too dangerous for this world. It needs to be guarded and you already have the one tool that can even allow someone to even attempt harnessing its power".
She had good points. I could always stash The Eye on a planet where no people were around to mess with it and the Pocket Dimension could keep it secure for as long as we were in this world.
"Good job" I praised.
Perhaps one day I could make use of the Eye, for now, I would be its guardian and go back to my studies. I still had a lot more to learn about magic.
The College of Winterhold. Skyrim.
As I'd predicted the staff here at the college came to believe that Ancano somehow stole The Eye and that resulted in the Arch-Mage declaring that the Thalmor would be turned away from the college in the future. This new policy might cause problems for the college, but the Arch-Mage had little choice in the matter.
Once the fuss died down we students all went back to our studies and while I'd not focused on any single branch of magic I'd been able to make progress in all schools of the arcane art, aside from Conjuration.
"You can speak Daedric?!" Onmund said in surprise "Why would you wish to talk with such foul creatures?".
That subject of discussion had come about due to the morning's lecture on Daedra Summoning, something I had no interest in doing, however, it made sense to learn about what Conjurors, mages who specialised in dealing with Daedra, could do as I might have to fight them.
The lesson had ended but we were all still in the hall expressing our opinions, and Brelyna was trying to explain what was wrong with Onnmund's question. J'zargo and I simply listened.
There is no Daedric language to speak as far as anyone knows. There are Daedric letters that have their Tamrielic equivalents and the symbols are sometimes used to represent aspects of magic. For example, Oht (O) is represented by the symbol for an Oblivion Gate.
"I've always found Oblivion and the many varied realms and entities that inhabit it absolutely fascinating. Why do you think I got into Conjuration?" replied Brelyna the Dark Elf "We know so very little about them even after studying them for centuries. There's still much to learn about Oblivion I'd love to visit one of the planes".
Onmund continued to stare at her, fearful concern for his friend now present in his eyes.
"Summoning lesser Daedra is one thing," the Nord said, "but to actually travel to those evil places you'd have to be mad!".
I didn't even summon Daedra. It simply wasn't worth the risk of being noticed by the Princes.
"I'm not foolhardy enough to actually enter one of them," Brelyna told her Nord friend" I am well aware that the realms of Oblivion are dangerous, but to call them 'evil' is far too simplistic. The Daedra, particularly the Princes, are very different from us and given to extremes, with motivations we mortals can rarely grasp".
She had more to say on the subject.
"They certainly are capable of evil, yes, but they aren't inherently wicked" the Dark Elf was now saying "You have to remember that they aren't different from the Aedra, what humans call the Divines, except that they refused to help create our world. Isn't that what "Daedra" means in Aldmeris? 'Not our ancestors' while Aedra means 'our ancestors'".
That was actually true. The Nine Divines, or eight while the Thalmor were around, were not that different from the Princes. Talos had been human at one point so he wasn't truly an Aedra but he was still a god, which could be confusing for some.
"Some people would call that heresy" Onmund said in a tone which suggested he did.
Nords got really upset about religious matters when other people told them who and what to worship, which was why Ulfric Stormclock had been able to use the issue of Talos' worship to rally so many Nords to his side.
"This isn't about religion, this is about coming closer to understanding the nature of entities that, for better or worse, exist alongside our world. Isn't pushing the boundaries to see what's beyond what being a Mage is really all about?" Brelyna said before turning to me "You agree with me, don't you?"
My policy on this matter was already well known.
"I would never involve myself in the affairs of the Daedra" I stated "But I don't think I have the right to tell other mages what they can and can't do".
Before this could be discussed further someone came over to speak with us.
"Ah good you're all here" Savos Aren the Arch-Mage said upon seeing that were still in the hall "Urag recently reminded me of certain volumes that he would like back in the library, and I think you should fetch them for him".
If I recalled correctly some former students had taken them when they left the college because there were things here that were forbidden for mages to study.
"I heard that some important books have become lost" Onmund stated.
"Before any of you arrived here, a few of our members were involved in research that went beyond what is allowed here" Aren answered "When they wouldn't desist, they were...persuaded to leave, but not before one of them stole a number of books and supplies from the College".
I had to wonder what they were up given that mages performed Necromancy and conjured Daedra down in the Midden. Then upon thinking about it I decided that I likely didn't wish to know what they'd been doing.
"Now that isn't the real issue" Aren went on to say "What really matters is that they are still active and recently they have started causing enough trouble to get the attention of some of the local villages. If they are allowed to keep harassing people then the College's already dubious reputation will suffer even further, but your priority is those books".
Perhaps the staff should go out and deal with this, but given recent events, I could see why the Arch-Mage wouldn't want to leave the college undefended.
"Last I heard, they'd taken up residence inside an old abandoned fort northeast of Whiterun called Fellglow Keep" we were informed, "I'm told your combined talents will be useful for a venture like this, which is why I am entrusting it into your hands".
Sending the students seemed foolish. Mind you this is Skyrim. Life can be violent and short in these lands.
"Sir," asked Brelyna "What did they do?".
Savos Aren gave her a sharp look before answering.
"All you need to know, Apprentice, is that they endangered the safety and well-being of this College and its residents, which is something I will not tolerate," the Arch-Mage said in a harsh tone of voice that soon softened "I'd like this solved peacefully, if possible, but do not let your guard down. Their leader, Aranaea, is particularly dangerous".
This time none of us spoke. I was thinking that it might be time to show more of what I could do. I got on well with them and trusted them to an extent. I didn't want any of them to die because I wanted to hide most of what I could do.
My three fellow apprentices could be useful allies in the future even if it didn't look as if anyone of them would be running this place any time soon. Besides, the risk to me was minimal since I could always go to another part of this world and carry on with my studies if things didn't work out.
"Now this is a volunteer-only task," said the Dark Elf Arch Mage "No one will think less of you if as a group you decided you are not ready".
The old spell caster directed us to go speak with the librarian before we left on our mission, assuming I even went.
Blackreach. Skyrim.
Rather than go off with the other apprentices to acquire some books from dangerous rogue mages, with no reward offered, I was staying devoted to my studies and I didn't feel bad about that as I could just donate more gold to the college.
Since my studies included learning alchemy from Val we'd recently covered some of the more exotic plants including nirnroot and I'd mentioned the existence of crimson nirnroot, a special variant of nirnroot that can be found exclusively here in Blackreach. Similar to regular nirnroot, the crimson variety makes a humming sound that lets you know when a plant is nearby.
Val had apparently never heard of it, or if she had it was a memory lost to time, and so she had more or less demanded that we go out to acquire some. Since she'd acquired the Eye of Magnus for me, which if nothing else I could to keep the Staff of Magnus charged, I'd decided that we would go and acquire some samples for her research.
My first impression of Blackreach was that the place had a certain beauty about it that was unlike anywhere else I'd ever been before. Skyrim was a brutal place, but it had some impressive sites. Plus the game didn't prepare you for the sheer scale of places like this.
What little light there was down here emanated from the giant fungi that had some sort of bioluminescence effect going on, as well as a large and dim sphere that must have served as a fake sun at some point, it had either grown dim over time or it was simply simulating nighttime and would glow brighter at other times.
In the distance, I could see a dark and towering structure, a place I knew had been a stronghold of sorts for the Dwemer (the dwarves) in the distant past. The city was easily equal in size to some of the human settlements of this world. While the possibility of looting the underground settlement held appeal to me, it wasn't the main reason why Sera, Val and I had ventured down here.
We did not immediately begin looking for the special nirnroot as once we had realised the sheer scope of Blackreach, it became clear that we could be here for some time and that we'd have to come back later unless we could find somewhere secure to sleep that could contain the Instant Fortress.
"Let's check out that building" I decided.
Once I had used the unlocking spell to get the door open I led the way into the dwarven-style house before allowing the others to step inside. The ruined Dwemer building had been small on the outside, and the inside was no different. It was clearly meant for a single occupant.
Upon looking around I saw what appeared to be a quaint hovel, at least by my standards. Anything within that was of Dwemer make had to be centuries old at least, and yet it was a good state despite all the time that had passed.
While looking around, I could see the bowls on the shelves still all intact, and shelves that looked as sturdy as they must have done hundreds of years ago. Nothing human-made would be in such a good state after so long.
All the bowls, plates, cutlery, pots and pans found their way inside my bag of holding. The items were rare even here in Skyrim and would be unique elsewhere. Perhaps I would sell them to a collector or use them in one of my homes.
Looking at the non-dwarven stuff I saw that there were the remains of a blanket on the bed, and scraps of cloth scatted about the place as well the rotten remains of a book. Only the items required for alchemy and enchantment remained intact, having been preserved with magic.
I'd seen such magic before. Val had used some sort of powerful spell to keep her alchemy lab in order while she was hiding out in the Soul Carin. I'd have to investigate such magic further once my education in magic had advanced further.
Also, there was a skeleton. Sera examined the body while her mother went over to the ingredients and the enchantment equipment to see what could be salvaged. Such things were never cheap and demand was always high so simply having gold didn't always ensure that Val could purchase what she desired for her potions.
The body had two Dwemer arrows stuck within its ribs, yet the door had been locked, the man, if this was a man, must have been able to stay alive long enough to seal himself in this small building. Impressive considering that he'd had two arrows in his chest at the time. I didn't think the Falmer would have locked him in.
"The skeleton isn't a human's" Sera reported "This was a male Altmer, and he died some time ago as I'm sure you can tell. I can't be precise on long he's been down here, and the cause of death should be obvious".
She must have made an extensive study of anatomy at some point in her life to know someone's gender and species just by looking at their skeleton. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Val had cut open corpses as part of her daughter's education. As long as they hadn't been killed for that purpose or were alive when they started I didn't mind as medical students in my world cut open bodies to learn about human biology.
A journal was clutched in its fingertips, which Sera noticed and tried to remove, when she did the skeleton's hand crumpled into dust, she just brushed the dust off and then handed me the journal so that I could read it.
Given the good state of the journal, it was safe to assume that some sort of preservation magic had also been cast upon it. Being here in Skyrim for real had taught me that there was a lot more to the local magic than throwing fireballs around and summoning daedra.
"His name was Sinderion," I told the group "and he came here looking for Crimson Nirnroot just as we have".
4E 58 Second Seed, Middas
I've spent a large portion of my life unraveling the mystery of the nirnroot and yet I still feel unfulfilled. The trilling sound this strange herb emits seems to taunt me, to push me even harder to discover its secrets. Even after a generous and indomitable traveler became a field collector in my stead, and provided me with five score of the nirnroot, I was only able to muster what I consider a mediocre alchemical creation at best. This only served to strengthen my hunger and whet my appetite for the solution.
It wasn't until over fifty years later that the answer to my prayers was carried into my basement workshop at the West Weald Inn. The first thing I heard was the familiar tone - that unmistakable warble unique to the nirnroot. But when I turned around, my heart leapt and a chill ran down my spine. This was indeed a nirnroot, but of a variety the likes of which I have never seen. The herb was awash in a spectacular array of red hues, each leaf seemingly emblazoned with innumerable variations of crimson. I couldn't move - I was completely transfixed. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a species of nirnroot with such a unique property.
After an awkward silence, I finally managed to stammer out a few questions to the traveler who'd brought me this treasure. He told me his name was Obeth Arnesian, a treasure-seeker from Skyrim. Apparently, he'd been exploring a vast subterranean network of grand caverns called Blackreach and had stumbled across what he dismissed as "a noisy red weed." His expedition was largely unsuccessful and he didn't want to leave the caves empty-handed, so Obeth picked one of the crimson nirnroot to bring home. He said that it took some time, but eventually he was pointed my way and that perhaps I'd pay a fair price for it.
Before I could gather my wits and ask anything else, Obeth offered to sell me the crimson nirnroot sample, a map showing me how to find Blackreach and the strange key needed to breach its outer defences. It took me mere moments to decide. Obeth left Skingrad a thousand septims richer, but I would have easily paid ten times that amount to obtain the sample alone.
It took a year of planning, but I was able to pack up and sell my workshop and make my way into Skyrim. Before delving headfirst into Blackreach, I knew I needed to set up a new laboratory, but wished to do so in seclusion.
After making inquiries at the College of Winterhold, of which I was an honorary member, I was directed to speak to Avrusa Sarethi, a student of botanical alchemy who had a small farm near the city of Riften. By bartering my knowledge of nirnroot cultivation, I was able to secure Sarethi Farm as a launching point for my field research. I kept the knowledge of the crimson nirnroot a secret from Avrusa, but imparted everything else I knew to her in exchange for her hospitality.
A few months passed, but I was finally ready to enter Blackreach. I used the Runed Lexicon that Obeth had provided and descended into the depths. My goal was to gather enough crimson nirnroot to produce my greatest alchemical creation to date - I was certain it would take at least thirty of them to provide the necessary catalyst.
This brings me to the present. My initial research seems to indicate that the crimson nirnroot has a similar affinity for moisture as the garden variety, but also maintains some sort of symbiotic relationship with the enormous fungi that inhabits Blackreach.
It is my guess that the fungi itself is a source of water, absorbing it from the moist subterranean air like a sponge.
This provides the ideal environment for the nirnroot to grow. Unfortunately, the crimson nirnroot appears to have a vastly shortened lifespan, and they are in no way plentiful down here. Gathering thirty of them will be quite the challenge, but hopefully the denizens of Blackreach will allow me to gather my samples unhindered.
"Alas, they didn't," I said once I'd finished reading out loud "Poor man he was so close to getting what he wanted".
Val, who had by now finished packing up everything worth taking including the potted crimson nirnroot, looked over at me. Sera had found me a small object that was called an Attunement Sphere. I'd have to research them as I couldn't recall exactly what they were for.
"Once we get to the college we should finish this Sinderion's work and publish the results" she suggested "We can share credit so that he is remembered".
That sounded like the right thing to do. I was surprised that she was the one to suggest it.
"We need to find out if there is somewhere secure, or somewhat secure, where we can set up the fortress, or if we are better off just teleporting back here later.
There was a lot more down here than crimson nirnroot and I had plenty of pouches of holding and expanded bags to fill.
Blackreach. Skyrim.
After a lot of fighting and a great deal of looking around, we managed to find somewhere down here that was acceptable as a location for our base of operations during our stay. We'd thinned the numbers of falmer who lived down here, but there were still plenty more of them out there so we had to be careful.
I'd set up the wizarding world tent and then put up all the protective spells I'd been able to research using the books on magic I'd brought while in the Wizarding World. I wasn't sure how well they'd work. Still, they were better than not having magical defences and I'd blocked the entrance as best I could.
My companions had also placed magical traps around that acted a little like landmines. I'd not advanced enough in my lessons about the local magic to start making use of such spells so it was good for me that I had companions who were experienced with that kind of magic.
We weren't totally secure, but the monsters down here could be handled, and the danger was limited. The Instant Fortress was too big to set up inside and I didn't want us out in the open in case there were any giants down here. I was sure that there was at least one of them roaming around in Blackreach when I'd played the game.
The dwarves called this place the War Quarters according to the words carved into the stone sign. This was the dwarven version of a barracks and we'd found the building to be devoid of any creatures or automatons, it was also in good shape, the walls seemed solid and there were no holes for anything nasty to use to crawl inside.
These barracks contained a sleeping chamber, with seven beds arranged in a fan formation. Aside from that, there was a room with a stone double bed in an alcove. This was the part of the building where I'd decided to set the tent up. I guessed that the room with the double in it had been for the officer of the troops who would have shared the other room.
The empty room nearby was likely to be some sort of training area or maybe a meeting hall for briefings. The building was nearly empty so it was impossible to know. It seemed likely that treasure hunters had cleaned this place out a long time ago, or maybe it had been emptied by the falmer for some strange reason.
While my companions sorted through the loot we'd collected during our explorations of this wonderful place I began making some notes within my grimoire. I filled the book with more than knowledge of spells and the recipes for certain potions on its pages. I also recorded some of my own thoughts and interesting bits of information that I picked up during my travels.
"Blackreach was originally colonised by the Dwemer of Skyrim. They built a number of Great Lifts to provide quick transport to the surface, and connected Blackreach to three of their settlements: Alftand, Mzinchaleft and Raldbthar".
I'd like to explore them as well, but this plane of existence kept nearly getting destroyed or at least greatly endangered, so I didn't think that we'd be here much longer than it took for me to fully adapt to the local magic. Between the dragons, the vampires, the first Dragonborn and the Eye of Mangus there were a lot of threats in this world to even immortal beings.
"While down here they constructed roads and buildings, going so far as to create the Silent City in the centre of Blackreach" was what I said as the quill wrote my words into the book with no need for me to do any actual writing "By the looks of things Dwarven Centurions were installed to guard the cavern's roads".
Those few we'd seen were inactive and I had no desire to mess with them.
"The Dwemer farmed mushrooms which seem to grow very well in the damp environment. If we ever try to grow some of our own we'll have to try to recreate the environment in a greenhouse" I said to the quill.
The plants down here lived in very different conditions than most other plants, there was no true sunlight in Blackreach or any pollinating insects as far as I could tell. Val was very interested in the local flora and I had more than land back in the Wizarding World for more greenhouses. Letting her grow stuff would keep her out of my hair.
"Blackreach is a deep underground cavern which has developed its own ecosystem due to its unusual size and time spent undisturbed by the rest of Nirn" I recorded "Blackreach has plenty of natural resources that I plan to take advantage of including some interesting minerals".
Some of which the dwarves had gathered, smelted into bars, and then just left lying around after they disappeared from this world.
"The Tower of Mzark, which can be accessed here in Blackreach, contains a device used to transfer the knowledge of an Elder Scroll onto a lexicon" I added to the record "However I'm sure the Dragonborn has used the lexicon and I don't know where to get one of my own. A shame as we have an Elder Scroll that could be read".
I stopped the recording and looked over the bit of paper that Sera had just passed to me. I now had a list of resources we'd gathered down here. The dwarves had left quite a bit lying around.
34 Souls Gems of different sizes
14 bars of Corundum
6 bars of Ebony
4 bars of Dwarven metal
3 bars of Gold
2 bars of Moonstone
3 bars of Orichalcum
3 bars Quicksilver
3 bars of Silver
Pots, pans, knives, forks, spoons, and a lot of junk made from dwarven metal had been found. No sign of any weapons or armour, and that made me think again that we weren't the first party of treasure hunters to come down here.
I looked down the list and found that I was rather impressed by the sheer amount of mineral wealth to be found down here. No wonder the dwarves had built the Silent City and claimed this massive cavern. Blackreach provided a fortune in just soul gems.
Thinking on it I wondered if the goblins of Gringotts, who were famous for their ability to horde and make use of certain metals, would make of these minerals. What would they trade for even a small supply of Moonstone and Ebony?
"We've gotten plenty of that crimson nirnroot that my mother is so interested in" Sera let me know "More than enough to brew up all kinds of potions and she's set herself up in the other room so as not to be bothered by us".
I was pleased to hear this, Val was much easier to live with when she could indulge in her interests.
Not that I had time to dwell on that matter as I soon found myself being dragged to the bedroom part of the tent and I was practically thrown onto the bed by Sera who was clearly eager for my attention. To be fair I had been distracted by my studies quite a lot of the time.
After leaping on top of me like she was still a step up the food chain, her mouth found mine as we made out, only stopping to remove an article of clothing, before resuming our kissing. Despite our mouths being busy we were both naked very quickly and I was already hard. I enjoyed how much warmer her body had become once she'd rid herself of the curse of vampirism.
I began to play with her pussy, checking that she was wet before I gently inserted a finger inside her. She gasped as I did and then smiled at me as she grabbed my cock. It took a bit of effort to try to get off as she used her skilled hands to pleasure me. Sera really knew how to please a man.
My companion lost interest in the foreplay before long. She wanted me inside of her sooner rather than later, and she made that very clear when her following actions. She manoeuvred herself so she was sitting on my cock, pressed against my body, rubbing her pussy along my shaft. She might want me inside her, but she also wanted to tease me a bit more or maybe she was teasing herself. Thankfully not for long.
Grabbing the base of my cock, she lifted herself up and positioned it at her entrance. I watched my cock disappear inside her and not for the first time I wondered how any woman could enjoy being penetrated or even how they had room inside for my cock given all their baby-making equipment.
She placed a hand on my chest and then she began slowly moving her hips. I watched the former vampire slowly ride my dick. I focused a lot on her breasts which looked very large given how close they were to my face.
As she began to move faster and fast her breasts bounced up and down. I did manage to look at her face a few times and unless she was acting it looked as if she was very much enjoying herself. I did have to do anything other than let her ride me. Something she did with great skill.
"If you don't slow down, I won't last much longer," I warned her.
She leaned forward, pressing both hands into my chest, and started to ride me even faster than before, as if she wanted to desperately make me climax.
"Cum inside me," she said.
I did about thirty seconds later, although that was just a guess, and her hungry pussy felt as if wanted to gobble up every drop of cum I had to offer.