"I'll need another blasted soul gem to test this," Nelacar whined. "At least a filled lesser soul gem."
Torina rolled her eyes at her research companion. "I've another of those, Nel. The whining is unnecessary."
Nelacar shot her an annoyed look and took the gem Torina offered. Placing it on top of the modified enchanter's table again, the pair waited while the rune he imbued with power took effect. Next to the gem with the white lesser soul of some hapless restless draugr lay a similar soul gem marked by a fine line of dried and crushed snowberries along the top. The enchanting fortification properties of the fruit was meant to help boost the tests Nelacar was performing but hadn't produced results yet.
The gem covered in snowberries held the soul of a Falmer Torina had slain with a bound weapon in a Dwemer ruin months ago, long before traveling to the Vale. Nelacar now knew exactly what she was after with these experiments, her final goal, and was treating that gem with the utmost care. It helped that Torina watched him like a hawk each time he did anything with it.
"I think something more potent would be better," Torina said after another failed experiment. At least this time the gem she provided wasn't destroyed.
Nelacar looked even more frustrated at her suggestion. Though, he commonly appeared frustrated. That was Torina's overarching impression of all Altmer.
Torina sat back in her chair in Nelacar's room, her legs folded beneath her and her chin resting on her hands. Her body ached still from the trip through the cold mountains of the Pale and Winterhold. Even the stamina potion she drank that morning couldn't quell the chill in her bones. With fingers stiff with cold she'd managed to coerce her hair into a bun tied with a leather strip at the crown of her head but it still threatened to fall apart. Months constantly on the road had taken a toll on her once well-cared for raven hair. A brush or comb hadn't touched it for longer than she could recall.
With his typical slight frown, Nelacar scrutinized her. "What do you suggest? It would take at least a week for you to go to another hold to get the stronger ingredients and return here, unless you have something else in mind?"
Without context for what they were doing, she didn't rightly know what to suggest, but had a gut feeling they were missing something. She was glad Nelacar didn't think to suggest going up the hill to the College for help or supplies. Even thinking about that made her stomach turn.
"I don't, not yet," she admitted. "But this isn't working. Each test goes nowhere. Something about the Falmer's soul is unlike the other ones available to collect."
"Obviously," Nelacar said.
"Don't be a pain, Nel. Regardless, it's obvious that their souls have gone from being black souls to great, common, or even lesser white souls. It's frustrating."
"Only a daedric prince or aetherial god could possibly alter an entire species' soul capacity," Nelacar mused.
Torina sat straight up in her chair, gripping the edge of the table where the enchanter's table rested to contain her frustration. "Yes, exactly as I said. Something happened with the Dwemer indirectly or with the Falmer themselves and a daedra or aedra. The problem is, what? The princes aren't known to hide what they think are great accomplishments."
"Unless," Nelacar started to say, then paused. After a moment he continued. "Unless the Falmer losing their status was unintended, or a mistake. These mer were known as impressive to say the least, and also obviously had their own society and language. Those books you showed me proved that. We don't have record of any quarrel between them and any Aedra or Daedra, not like the Dwemer. I'm not certain that any prince or god would want to admit they'd affected an entire race this way. Even one that enjoys chaos, like Sheogorath."
"Azura saw no issue with that," Torina added, referencing the way the daedra cursed her Chimer ancestors.
"I was getting to that," Nelacar said, some of the bite returning to his voice. "Except for Azura I am not sure of other records of such a change, not of this magnitude."
"I'm not keen on asking Azura any questions about this," Torina said bitterly. "Changing her artifact did not earn either of us any favors with her."
Nelacar nodded and his mouth dropped back into his usual frown. The Black Star was too big of an elephant in the room regarding Azura. Torina regretted the decision she made those years ago and would face whatever consequences the Daedra set for her when the time came.
"The key to understanding what happened to the Falmer to change them so drastically is hidden either with the Dwemer or with the deities," Nelacar said. "Neither are prone to revealing their secrets."
Torina kept quiet but she considered the chance she knew someone who knew enough about souls that they'd have an answer. Nelacar only saw this as an interesting puzzle to solve, but with no real merit or applicable results. Typical Altmer scholar, that one. Her goal was still to find a way to relieve some of whatever changed the Falmer. The rise of urgency within her was getting harder and harder to ignore every day.
Since releasing some of the memories and pain of her time with Dravynea, Torina had been exhausted and barely able to assist Nelacar. The reminder that the College turned her away, same with the Thieves Guild, before her capture and attempted beheading at Helgen was scabbed over again. She was content to let it be that way and to continue to shove those old wounds down, down, down. Surely both groups would now welcome the lauded Dragonborn with open arms but they'd scorned her at her darkest hours.
A dragon did not soon forget a slight.
But, it had been several days since that episode. To keep her promise, she would need to leave Nelacar with his studies and head back to Castle Volkihar post haste. She hadn't received a courier yet but two weeks were almost up. And she didn't have the space to call Durnehviir within Winterhold. He would no doubt be noticed, at the very least, and she didn't feel like dealing with those questions.
Whatever she promised to Serana, if her friend didn't leave the Soul Cairn with her mother soon she would go back in there to get her out of the grip of whatever held her there. Desire to keep her friend safe was most of her motivation to return, but she could admit she had another idea in mind.
Perhaps Valerica would be able to answer some of her questions.
Huge thank yous to those who keep steadily reviewing this. Reviews make the process more enjoyable by far, to get feedback on the choices I'm making. Let me know what your favorite parts are so far or if anything is confusing! Happy Monday.