Chapter 2:
Freedom
Johlin followed Ria's directions and wandered through the abandoned halls of the dungeon. As he walked through one empty hallway, he could hear creatures growling around him. Taking a right down the hallway, he found himself face-to-face with a small goblin. The goblin swung its little axe at Johlin, which he quickly dodged and countered with a swing across the abdomen. The goblin fell to the stone floor dead. Despite his weaker condition, Johlin still had years of training under his belt, and knew combat better than any other knight in the Imperial Guard. Rounding the corner, he fought off another group of three goblins and some rats before running down another never-ending hallway.
More growls from goblins and squeaks from giant rats echoed through the maze of hallways. Johlin fought off more goblins, then ran through another empty corridor. He heard something nearby; something that sounded like a shimmer. Johlin was filled with hope, as he knew this shimmer was coming from the shift gate. Jumping over a waterway and through another hall, Johlin found himself in front of the shift gate. It was a massive shimmering portal. He didn't know what was on the other side, but after seeing a horde of goblins come running towards him with their axes in hands, Johlin quickly jumped through the portal.
For a brief second, he felt like he was floating through the very fabric of time and space. Suddenly, Johlin felt thrusted back into reality. He collapsed onto the ground. "Oomph!" he grunted as he fell into the grass. "Wait. Grass?" he thought to himself. Feeling around him, his assumptions were correct. He was in a grassy field. "Freedom! Hahaha!" he burst into laughter, rolling around in the grass as he realized he was free for the first time in weeks. He hadn't seen any nature since before his imprisonment. Standing up, Johlin regained focus. "Now that I'm free, I need to find out where I am" he said to himself.
His distant surroundings were nothing but tall, snowy mountains. Johlin was currently in a large grassy plain. After walking down a road, he found himself on a ridge overlooking more plains. In the center of the plains stood a large town. Its hold stood tall over the rest of the city, which was built on the rising hills. "Is that...Whiterun? I had been here before on one of my tours. Yes...I recognize it. Dragonsreach. Whiterun. I'm in the province of Skyrim. Home of the Nords." Johlin spent ten minutes walking to the massive gates of Whiterun. As he climbed the steps leading to the gate, the guard standing watch gave him a look. "You a traveler?" "Aye. Came all the way up from Cyrodiil" Johlin replied, using this traveler identity as a guise to keep him safe.
"My sister lives in Cyrodiil. Are you from the Imperial City?" "Nay, Kvatch." "I heard that the man who killed the Emperor and General Talin is going to be hanged tomorrow." "Is that so?" "Yeah. Good riddance. Anyway, enjoy your stay at Whiterun. Remember: no lollyigagin'." Entering the city of Whiterun, Johlin walked through the streets, watching the familiar sites of children at play, dogs barking, merchants selling goods. It all reminded him of the Imperial City...of home. Walking through the market district, Johlin noticed a sign on one of the buildings that said, "The Bannered Mare Inn."
Entering the tavern, Johlin was greeted with the sounds of music and laughter. People were drinking at one corner of the inn. A musician was playing the lute and singing by the fire, where more patrons were sitting. He went to the bar, where a man who looked to be the owner was cleaning some glasses. "What can I do for you?" he asked cheerfully. "I'd like a single bedroom." "How long do you plan on staying?" "A week." "That'll be fifty gold pieces. Do you have that kind of money?"
Johlin responded by pouring a pile of gold out of his sack onto the table. Grinning, the owner looked at the gold. "You're rooms upstairs, Sir. Enjoy your stay." Johlin headed up the steps leading upstairs and entered his room. Taking a deep breath, he lied down on the bed and drifted off to sleep. He hadn't had the chance to get any since his imprisonment. As he slept, his mind drifted off into the realm of dream once again, and Johlin found himself floating through time and space again. "Ria?" he called out. "I see you have strengthened your arm and your mind, Johlin. It is time we began this journey." Johlin turned around to see the ghostly image of Ria Silmane approach him once again.
In front of them, an image of a large staff appeared before Johlin. "This is the Staff of Chaos, the one item that can open the door between this world and Oblivion, where the Emperor and Talin have been banished. Tharn used this item to destroy my corporeal form when I tried to warn the Council. He knew that the Staff of Chaos was nigh indestructible, having been made from the essence of the Land itself. But in that he found the key. As the land is split, so did he shatter the Staff into eight perfectly formed pieces. These he scattered across Tamriel. I have been able to divine the location of the first piece, a place called Fang Lair." The Staff of Chaos disappeared from view, and Johlin returned his attention to Ria.
"It is said that Fang Lair was originally built by the Dwemer. Legend has it that a Great Wyrm drove the Dwemer from their home in the Dragon's Teeth, and took the Lair for itself. I only wish I knew the exact location. Perhaps there are sages, or scholars who would know of this place. Somewhere in its dank depths lies the first piece of the Staff of Chaos. I wish you well, Johlin. I do not think THarn knows of your escape, but I can do little else in this form. I have tried to obscure your identity with a spell, but I do not know how well it will hide you. Take care for Tharn may be searching. Go forth with the blessings of the true Emperor, and myself..."
Johlin awoke from his dream, and found himself back in the Bannered Mare. It was now the morning. Walking down the stairs to the tavern, Johlin approached the innkeeper. "Where might I find information on Dwemer ruins?" he asked. "Dwemer ruins? You going treasure hunting through those deathtraps? Well...the Mages Guild in the city might have some books that can help you, but besides that I'm not so sure..." "Thank you." "No problem, Sir."
Johlin did as the innkeeper recommended and headed to the Mages Guild in Whiterun. One of the scholars noticed Johlin enter the building and smiled. "Welcome to the Mages Guild. How may we be of service?" "Do you have any books on Dwemer ruins throughout Tamriel?" The scholar nodded and went over to a bookshelf. She handed him the book, which was titled, "Ruins of Tamriel." Johlin thanked the scholar and sat down at a table to read the book. As he flipped through its pages, he found nothing useful on Fang Lair. But as he looked through the pages about ruins in the province of Hammerfell, he found reference to the Lair. "So it's in Hammerfell" Johlin thought to himself. According to the book, the Lair's location was known only to few, and was a carefully guarded secret of the family that ruled the city of Rihad.
Knowing what he had to do, Johlin closed the book and headed out. As he walked through Whiterun, he noticed a group of merchants standing together. With them was a wooden carriage and several horses. "Where art thou heading?" Johlin asked curiously. "Hammerfell. We're part of a convoy delivering supplies to the people of the Alik'r Desert." That wasn't where Johlin needed to go, but it was close to Rihad. "My destination is in Hammerfell as well. Do you mind if I tag along?" The merchants talked for a minute, then looked back at Johlin. "Alright, traveler. You can come." And so, Johlin was off on the first part of his long journey throughout Tamriel.