Chapter 61: The priest of Arkay

[15th – 17th of Evening Star 4E 201]

We, that is Athis, Antonius, Janina and I, had found Fiona, the Dragonborn, and her two housecarls close to the Thalmor Embassy, and we were getting back to Solitude now. We had passed the statue and temple of Meridia, and the cold and snowy area was behind us. Once we had turned left on the main road, we approached the branch where the road to the Thalmor Embassy started, and a group of the Altmer warriors came down from there. The group was lead by a Justiciar, judged by the clothes he wore, and when he saw us he called out:

"That's the Dragonborn over there! Make sure that we get her this time!"

We had just had a quick break and a snack, and Fiona and I had been walking a little bit ahead of the others, but the Justiciar՚s loud shout had been heard, and immediately I could, from the corner of my eye, see Fiona's housecarls reacting and rushing towards us. Before I could even think about what to do and which weapon to use, a fireball was coming in our direction, and I barely managed to push Fiona to one side and throw my own body to the other side, so that the fireball passed between us, close enough so that I could feel the heat. While Hanni and Nanni already ran forward, I summoned Spirit, who followed them in an instant. My saber cat cubs attacked bravely, but while they managed to distract a single Thalmor and kept him busy, there were quite a few more of them; the Justiciar had six or seven of them with him and they were quite close already; maybe they had guessed that we were going to take this road and had hurried to find us here.

Fortunately they had not learned their lesson and ran towards us in a close group, and Fiona used that opportunity to shout her 'FUS RO' right into that group. That gave our friends enough time to join, and the fight was on. Antonius and Athis had their bows out and started to release arrows from a slightly elevated position, but the Thalmor had two mages with them, and as it turned out we needed to pay attention to them, as they managed to cast dangerous spells. Not only were they capable of throwing powerful fireballs, but they could also paralyze if the target person was hit by a greenish spell. Only the relatively slow speed of the paralyze beam saved me from being the first one to succumb, but one of my saber cat cubs was less lucky; she dropped to the ground and was unable to fight any further.

Now I got really angry; that was the second Thalmor attack within a few hours, and I did not like that one single bit. Rather than getting into close distance combat, I stepped on a rock, got my crossbow out and started to release bolts as fast as I could. The bolts were strong and fast enough to penetrate the armor the Thalmor wore in some parts at least; while many of the arrows from Antonius and Athis got stuck in the Elven armor, I was able to cause quite some damage to make the fight easier for my comrades. Specifically Fiona's housecarls made a difference, and Janina fought side by side with Rayya, her fellow Redguard. When Fiona could shout again and did so, we finally got the upper hand in the fight. The Justiciar had been one of the first casualties, and once we had defeated the first mage and two soldiers, the others started to retreat towards Solitude. Right at this time a patrol of five Imperial soldiers came down from Solitude, and while they first stopped and tried to find out what was happening and who was fighting whom, the remaining Thalmor mage blasted at them, killing one soldier and wounding another one. The other three soldiers retaliated, and a few minutes later all of the Thalmor were dead.

After the fight we needed some time for healing, and I also handed a potion to the wounded Imperial soldier. One of the soldiers asked why the Thalmor had attacked us, and Athis took that one:

"We do not really know, they seem to have an issue with the Dragonborn here, but why they attacked her on sight we do not know. We are very glad that you came in time to help against this unprovoked attack."

"General Tullius will have to hear about that, and he won't like it at all."

That was quite an ambiguous statement, and while I hoped that it implied that General Tullius would not like the behavior the Thalmor had shown so far, it could also mean that he'd not be happy about us being in the wrong place twice and potentially provoking the Thalmor. We'd see about that and probably find out soon.

The dead soldier was the only person getting killed on our side, although it had been a close call with Lydia, who got a bad wound in the chest. Lydia needed three potions and several applications of our combined healing spells to make it, but we manged to stabilize her. For now, it was clearly time to get to Solitude and rest. We all worked together and helped those who were wounded; Lydia and the injured soldier needed to get delivered to the healers. One of my cubs was still paralyzed, and I wrapped her around my shoulders for now.

Fortunately there weren't any other incidents on our way to Solitude. Back in the city we first brought Lydia and the wounded soldier to the healers in the temple; once this was done, the rest of us found a table in the 'Winking Skeever', where we ordered dinner. The paralyzed saber cat cub had recovered, but was still weak, and I kept her on my lap most of the time; she was almost too large for that, but we somehow managed, and she clearly appreciated me taking care of her like this. Fortunately Corpulus Vinius, the proprietor, did not have a problem with having my saber cats around in the taproom, at least not after Antonius had talked to him. His daughter Minette came over and asked if she could pet Hanni and Nanni, and when she learned that one of them was still weak after the fight, she even volunteered to feed her; she stood next to me for a few minutes and offered selected small pieces of meat to my cub, and each time such a piece was picked up with snout and tongue, Minette giggled, as this tickled, as she claimed. We indulged in the food we got, and when we talked to the innkeeper, we were lucky to find out that a few more rooms were available.

After we talked a little more and enjoyed our meal, we soon retired for the night; it had been a more exhausting day than planned with all of the fighting. Athis and Antonius got the room next to mine, and Janina and I shared again. This night Janina had no bad dream, or at least I did not wake up to notice anything in that direction.

In the next morning Janina and I stayed in our beds for sometime to talk before getting down to have breakfast, and later than usual we met the companions in the taproom. When we had ordered, Sorex Vinius, the innkeeper's adult son, asked us:

"Say, are you going to head up to the Blue Palace anytime soon?"

"We might do that, yes, why?"

"Falk Firebeard, the steward, ordered a special case of rum, and it has arrived. If you could deliver it to him, I'd appreciate that a lot."

"I guess we can do that, sure, why not."

Sorex vanished into one of the storerooms and came back with a small case:

"Here it is – six bottles of Stros M'Kai Rum. Please handle it carefully!"

"We will do that, of course."

While Fiona and her two housecarls stayed back at the inn – the Dragonborn claimed that she needed a day of rest – Janina, Athis, Antonius and I made our way up to the palace immediately, as we did not have any other plans for the day. Right when we entered the palace, the steward was already waiting on the ground floor, and he seemed to be happy to see me:

"Ah, B'lushona, it is good to see you. I was just about to send somebody for you."

"Good morning, Falk Firebeard. At it happens, I have got something for you; Sorex Vinius asked me to deliver this case of Stros M'Kai Rum to you."

"Ah yes, I appreciate that. But, we need to talk. Come with me, please."

He lead my two companions and me into a small side room, and we started to talk:

"So, you wanted to send for me?"

"Yes, my friend, and I'm afraid it's not good news. When you broke up the binding Potema escaped, if I understood correctly. Over the last few days we've encountered some of her minions. Styrr says she's still in spirit form or we'd all be dead already. You've already done us a service in stopping the binding, but I need you to go talk to him, to see if Styrr can tell us what to do next."

"So, who is Styrr?"

"He's Solitude's priest of Arkay, and he lives and works in the city's Hall of the Dead. He's the one who figured out Potema was still around. He'll help as much as he can, I am sure."

"Why me?"

"I'm not really sure. Styrr thinks you may have some sort of link to Potema, and I trust his judgment on this. As a priest of Arkay he's had to deal with necromancy before. Nothing as dangerous as Potema though."

I nodded, and I was somewhat worried about the mentioned danger. Had I done this before, when playing the game? I probably had, as I had managed to get Jordis as housecarl, but I did not recall many details. However, I had started this task now, and I might have to complete it if I wanted to get closer to my goal to become Thane here and hopefully get Jordis or another pretty young warrior lady assigned as housecarl. Thus I replied:

"Sure; we will talk to Styrr, and I will see what I may be able to do to help."

"I wish you well friend. Be careful."

We were dismissed, and we looked for the Hall of the Dead, where we might find Styrr, the priest. As the city was significantly larger than it had been in the game, we needed to ask for the way a couple of times, but eventually we got there. I asked Janina and Athis if they wanted to come in with me, and both agreed; Antonius was asked to stand guard outside.

The building we got into looked like a normal house, though of a lower class compared to some other buildings we had seen so far. It certainly was nothing like the Bard's College from outside, and the interior was also more suited to a simple priest; that was quite understandable. The priest was at home, and he greeted us:

"May Arkay bless you with a long life, a proud death, and a restful grave."

We all nodded and greeted him as well, and I mentioned what the steward had said:

"Falk sent me to talk to you about Potema; he mentioned some problem I might be able to help with."

"Ah Potema, yes. She was the former queen of Solitude and one of the most dangerous necromancers in recorded history. She was responsible for the Empire's near collapse almost five hundred years ago. I believe I have a book or two about her somewhere..."

"And now that Potema has returned? What exactly is the current danger, and what can be done about it?"

"Summoned in spirit form is not raised from the dead. She'll need help before she can return to the living. For the moment, the Wolf Queen has retreated to a place filled with dead eager to serve her. She has gone to her old Catacombs, I am sure. A few days ago, one of her servants busted through a wall into the Temple of the Divines, and one of the priestesses in the temple recognized the signs. We'll need you to go into the Catacombs themselves."

"Why me and not the city guard or the legion?"

"You were at the summoning, you have a connection to Potema now. You must deal with her, I am afraid. I can provide you with help for her minions though. This should help you deal with the Catacombs themselves."

I was not fully convinced by his reasoning, but maybe this would get me one step closer to Jordis? The priest held a spell tome out to me, and when I asked what this was about he told me:

"The catacombs are likely to have many undead around, and by casting the spell 'Turn Undead' you should have an easier time dealing with them."

I nodded, accepted the tome and agreed:

"I can do that, I guess, and I have a few companions I can take with me."

"Good. As for Potema herself, find what's left of her body, likely a skeleton or at least a skull. Remove it from the Catacombs and bring it back to me to be sanctified by Arkay, as soon as you can."

"What else do I need to know about Potema?"

"A curious figure. Unrepentantly evil and nasty, of course, but also astonishingly brilliant, and obviously quite a necromancer at her end. She was always so close to being Empress, but despite her machinations, it was never really to be hers. Ironically, if she were alive today, she'd be the only living member of the Septim bloodline. By all rights, she would now be Empress."

"Is that so? Really?"

"Yes, indeed. Potema was Queen of Solitude in this hold of Haafingar during the Third Era. She was the daughter of Pelagius Septim II and Quintilla, and she got married to King Mantiarcho. Her efforts to claim the Ruby Throne resulted in the War of the Red Diamond, which ended with her being killed in 3E 127, I think."

That was interesting historical information, but I needed to steer the conversation back to the present:

"So, I would start by looking for the entrance to the catacombs in the Temple of the Divines, right?"

"Yes, indeed. One of the priestesses up there will guide you there, I am sure."

I bowed to the priest and we left his house. Outside I asked my companions:

"Are you all up to joining me for this task?"

Janina was quick to agree, but Athis told me:

"Shield-Brother, I believe that it's about time for me to head back to Whiterun. Our original task has been concluded, and while I understand that you want to do this, maybe you can ask Fiona and her housecarls to come with you on your latest quest?"

"Sure, let's ask them first?"

We walked back to the inn and met the Dragonborn and her Redguard housecarl there. Once we had found a quiet corner to talk, I explained what I was supposed to do, and I added:

"Look, I have received that spell time of 'Turn Undead'. Fiona, wouldn't that be an excellent opportunity to extend your magical knowledge?"

The Bosmer nodded and looked at her housecarl Rayya:

"Will you protect me while I practice this spell down in the catacombs?"

"I will have your back, as always, my Thane" was the predictable answer.

So, it was decided. Fiona, Janina and I with our two housecarls – Lydia was still recovering – would go to the temple, and we took our leave from Athis. I told him:

"Tell Kodlak that I intend to be be back in Whiterun, too, soon. I do not think that this business will keep me here for a more than a few days, but of course one never knows."

"Indeed, with the Dragonborn around, one never knows" he smirked.

"Will you be safe traveling back on your own, Shield-Brother?"

"Oh, don't worry; I will take the carriage this time."

"Is that gong to be safe enough?"

"I think so, yes. Since the Civil War started, carriages usually have an armed guard or two with them."

The day was not over yet, and while Athis went to talk to one of the carriage drives about a passage for the next day, Antonius and I used the opportunity to show Fiona and her housecarls around in the city. Before we went back to the inn for dinner, we found a place to sit together and discuss a few details.

Fiona and I had both learned the new spell by reading the tome, with me needing more time than her, but of course we lacked an opportunity to practice casting it here in daylight and lacking undead creatures. I doubted that I'd be able to use it just like that, but Fiona was confident:

"If this is like other spell tomes I have read, it shouldn't be a problem. But, do you know what that spell exactly does?"

I shook my head: "No, I do not. Based on what the priest explained, I think that it's going to make some of the undead, that is skeletons, draugr and such, turn around and flee for a short time, but I am not sure. Let's find out how it works when we are in the catacombs!"

"Yes, all right, but not today!"

"No, I guess that this can wait until tomorrow. Let's make sure that we are fully rested before we go in to face Potema once more."

Our housecarls agreed, and for now we enjoyed a good dinner at the Winking Skeever. Once more several eyes were on Janina for some time, and I to admit that she was, in my eyes at least, by far the most beautiful woman in the room. Not for the first time I wondered if she had some feelings for me, too, but I'd need much more time to talk to her about that. Her behavior in the Palace Gardens recently had been promising, but it was entirely possible that I had misinterpreted what had happened there. That part of my character had not changed; I was still very shy with women.

We met for breakfast early on the next day, said our final Good Byes to Athis who made his way down to where his carriage waited, and once we had eaten, we, that is Janina, Fiona and I with our housecarls, minus Lydia who was recovering, but plus my two saber cat cubs, walked up to the temple, obliging the priest's request. Once we had entered, we needed to stop for a minute or two to give our eyes a chance to adapt from the bright sunshine outside to the semi-darkness in here. The far end had high walls and some high windows, and below those there were a number of niches in the wall, around what would probably be the altar and choir area in a church on Earth. Close to our side there were a few stairs leading up and down on both sides, a couple of tables with various brochures and pamphlets, and a few potted snowberry bushes. In the center area there were two rows with wooden benches, and further forward we noticed side aisles with bookshelves and a few side rooms; one of the priests stepped out of there now, greeting us:

"We welcome you to worship the Eight Divines, freely and openly."

We all nodded, and I asked:

"Thank you, we will do that. Can you please tell us how to get to the catacombs?"

The priest's eyes darkened, and he asked back:

"May I ask what business you might have there?"

"We have talked to Falk Firebeard and Styrr, and they have asked us to look into the issue of Potema potentially hiding down there."

"Ah, is that so? Yes, Styrr has told me that he's trying to get the right people to look into that. The noise we have heard from down there lately has been disturbing, and we're afraid that more undead may break through at any time. We are ill prepared to handle them here, and any attempt to restore the peace and order down there is more than welcome. Please follow me; I will guide the way and unlock the door for you."

The priest turned around and walked towards the other end of the temple, before he took a left turn towards a small set of stairs to our left. Rather than following him, I stopped and looked around, taking in the view of the nine niches and eight shrines. All of a sudden I noticed that this looked a lot like the environment I had seen in my last memorable dream back on Earth, the one where Akatosh and some other Divines had spoken to me and invited me to Skyrim, and I just had to kneel down close to the main altar and let my thoughts go free for a few moments. Here in Skyrim I was not fully sure of whom to pray to, though. Were the Eight or Nine Divines some entities I was supposed to consider 'demigods' or something like that? I mean, the one and only God, who had showed Himself on Earth in His three aspects of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ruled the entire world and not just one planet or one solar system, right? And accepting the Tamrielic Divines did not make me guilty of polytheism, I hoped. Nonetheless I felt obliged to also give thanks to Akatosh in my mind, and not only to him; I also owed Kynareth, for instance, for allowing me to learn the 'KAAN' shout.

"You need a few moments of prayer and contemplation first? But of course; take all the time you need!"

The priest had noticed and accepted my behavior, and I knelt for maybe ten minutes. Just when I felt that I had prayed enough, something invaded my mind, and I felt a voice speaking in my head:

"Mortal, you have done a good job so far. I requested that you protect and assist the Dragonborn, and you have done that faithfully. Keep on the good work, and you shall be rewarded!"

This had been clearly Akatosh; I recalled his voice from the earlier dream, the one I had had back on Earth. This time there were no comments from the other Divines, but the short statement from the Dragon God encouraged me and gave me strength. Akatosh seemed to be pleased with me, and that was good enough.

When I had managed to get back to reality and had calmed down again, I slowly stood up, and before we moved on I noticed that Janina had apparently prayed at the Shrine of Mara. Maybe she had a lover or even husband waiting for her to return and prayed for him and their relation? We followed the priest downstairs and around a couple of corners, until we got to a sturdy looking gate and a door behind it. The priest unlocked gate and door for us and we passed through, closing the door behind us.

[Author's Notes: Facing Potema for the second time will be a challenge, even with the Dragonborn in the team.]