Chapter 12: Knight Paladin Gelebor.
"So, any idea on how long she's going to be like this?" Serana asked. The team was in a campsite in Darkfall Cave, used by some adventurers killed by a now dead Frost Troll. While Serana and Tymvir were standing around, Talis was lying on a bedroll in the fetal position, shivering with pelts over her.
"I don't know. We were never ambushed like that before." Tymvir said.
When they first entered Darkfall Cave, everything seemed fine. Sure, there was a Frostbite Spider, but Tymvir quickly dealt with it. When they continued onward, it seemed like a dead end across a bridge. When they stepped on the bridge, it collapsed. Talis wasn't scared at all. What put her in this state came right after.
They landed in a Frostbite Spider den, and there was nowhere to run. So being surrounded by them with a Giant one coming approaching them, Talis fainted, leaving Serana and Tymvir to fight them. After killing them all and the Frost Troll in the campsite, they decided to stop until Talis was better. Even with Serana wanting to hurry to get the bow, Tymvir pointed out that as long as no one has Auri-El's Bow, they keep the advantage.
A few hours later, Talis' eyes began to feel lighter as she woke up. She looked around at her surroundings. She saw Tymvir with two bowls over a cooking pot. "Good morning." He handed her one of the bowls, the smell of cooked venison and potato coming from it.
Talis took the bowl. "Thank you." After taking a few spoonfuls of it, she looked at her friends. "I'm sorry about that. I'm being a burden."
"Hey, don't mention it." Serana said. "Childhood traumas aren't easy to overcome. Trust me; I know a thing about trauma."
Talis smiled at Serana's attempt to make her feel better, and it was working. She went back to eating. "How long was I out?"
"A couple hours." Tymvir told her.
As Talis finished the stew, she placed the bowl back and stood up. After a few stretches, she took a quick look around. "Let's continue onward."
"Are you sure?" Tymvir asked.
"Yeah. I think I'm better now." Talis said.
"Good. Then lead on." Serana said.
The trio continued onward until they reached a strange looking shrine. The centerpiece was a sun on the top. It wasn't a shrine dedicated to any of the Divines and was too beautiful to be one for the Daedra. They also saw someone preying at it. Talis recognized at the unknown Elf from the Elder Scroll's vision at Ancestor's Glade. They sneaked around him, carefully.
The Elf turned around. "Come forward. You have nothing to fear from me." He was dressed in a strange white armor with a maroon belt and undergarments. He had white hair, eyes, and snow pale skin. "My name is Knight Paladin Gelebor. Welcome to the Great Chantry of Auri-El. Who are you?"
Talis began the introductions. "Talis Winter-Blood, Dragonborn."
"Tymvir Stormcloak, Prince of Skyrim." Tymvir introduced himself.
"Serana. Lonely rich kid with lots of issues." The Vampire said.
The Knight Paladin laughed. "So straightforward."
"So, is this place really a temple for Auri-El?" Talis asked.
"Yes, for Auriel, Auri-El, Alkosh, Akatosh…so many names for the sovereign of the Snow Elves." Gelebor said.
"Wait…you're saying…you're a Falmer?!" Tymvir said in shock. The Falmer haven't been quite the same sine Ysgramor came and slaughter them after the event known as the Night of Tears. After that, the Dwemer took them in and kept them as slaves, eventually regressing into the ugly, primal creatures known as Falmer today.
"I prefer the term Snow Elf." Gelebor corrected the Stormcloak. "The name 'Falmer' usually holds negative meaning to most travelers."
"Sorry." Tymvir said.
"Those twisted creatures you call Falmer, I call the Betrayed." Gelebor told the travelers. "I know why you've come. You've come to seek Auri-El's Bow."
"That's right." Talis said. "Do you know where it is?"
"I do. But first, I require some assistance from you: I need you to kill my brother, Arch-Curate Vyrthur." The paladin told them.
The three of them looked at each other in shock and mostly, confusion. "Hold on a second. Did you just say you want us to kill your brother?" Talis asked.
"The kinship is gone between us." Gelebor said, with a bit of sadness in his voice. "I don't understand what it is he has become, but he is no longer the brother I once knew. It was the betrayed. They must have done something to him. I just don't know why Auri-El would allow this to happen."
"I can understand how you feel…when you no longer recognize family." Serana said. Talis and Tymvir both placed their hands on her shoulders.
Gelebor than told the story about the Falmer invading the Chantry and slaying all they could…hear. Due to the peaceful nature of the Chantry, Gelebor and his men were ill prepared for the ruthless and feral Falmer. He also told them that his brother was still alive, but seems unaffected to the outside world. That he seems to be waiting for something. He also told them about the wayshrines, the pathway to the Inner Sanctum where Vyrther was. He raised the first shrine. In the middle was a basin, empty. Inside of it was a ewer. He began to talk about the times when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment, and how all the wayshrines were connected, allowing instant transportation.
"Amazing." Tymvir noted.
Serana looked at the basin. "What's that basin in the middle signify?"
"Once the Initiate completed his mantras, he'd dip a ceremonial ewer in the basin at the wayshrine's center and proceed to the next wayshrine." Gelebor explained.
"So these Initiates had to lug around a heavy pitcher of water. Marvelous. How long would they have to do that?" Serana asked.
"Well, once the Initiate's enlightenment was complete, he'd bring the ewer to the Chantry's Inner Sanctum. Pouring the contents of the ewer into the sacred basin of the Sanctum would allow him to enter for an audience with the Arch-Curate himself." Gelebor continued to explain. "It's symbolic to our people, and it's also the only way to open the front doors."
"Can't we just fill it up with water form here and skip the wayshrines?" Talis asked.
"You could, but taking water from the basin is the only way to open the pathways between wayshrines. Makes for a good shortcut on your way out." Gelebor said.
"In other words, Auri-El or Akatosh is making sure we don't cheat and is giving us a reason to actually go to all these places." Tymvir said.
"So let's get this straight. We need to do all that nonsense to get into the temple, so we can kill your brother and claim Auri-El's Bow?" Serana said.
""I know how it all sounds, but if there was another way I'd have done it long ago. The only way to get to my brother is by following in the Initiates' footsteps and traveling from wayshrine to wayshrine just as they did. The first lay at the end of Darkfall Passage, a cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment." Gelebor explained.
Talis stepped in and took the ewer. "So, how many wayshrines are there?"
"Five." Gelebor said.
"Ok then. Let's get a move on." Tymvir said.