Guild of the Dragonborn
Chapter 8: Dungeon Delving part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim, just the concepts for the different Dragonborns and their companions.

Hidirion strolled the open courtyard of the Mage's College, a stack of books tucked under one arm. He was humming a light tune to himself as he turned a corner and approached the Hall of Attainment.

"Hidirion! Might I have a word!" Tolfdir's voice called to him.

Hidirion turned and saw the elderly professor approaching him.

"Of course Master Tolfdir, what do you need?" Hidirion asked him.

"I'm looking to host an expedition into the ruins of Saarthal this afternoon and I was wondering if you would like to act as a second chaperone?"

Hidirion tilted his head as he considered the request, he had planned to spend the afternoon indoors studying. The cold, northern climate of Winterhold hadn't agreed with him lately, so he was looking for an excuse to stay out of the weather.

Hidirion's shoulders slumped imperceptibly, "Of course Master Tolfdir, when do we set out?" He asked.

"Very soon, the students will be gathering in the Hall of the Elements now. I expect everyone will be there soon enough, and we'll set out once they've all been accounted for."

Hidirion nodded his understanding, "Then allow me to deposit these books in my room and I'll be along shortly."

Tolfdir smiled at him and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you, my boy. This class is abnormally large with your friends included, so it's nice to have a second set of eyes to keep a watch over everyone."

Hidirion nodded again and Tolfdir released him before turning back to the Hall of the Elements.

Hidirion turned on his heel and entered the Hall of Attainment, quickly entering his room and storing his books on the small bookshelf he had beside the door. He grabbed his traveling pack as well and made his way back to the Hall of the Elements.

As he entered, he found Lili, Hudien, Viren, Diren, and Tsunaya waiting for him. In addition to the other three students currently attending the college.

"Tsunaya? What are you doing here?" Hidirion asked as he approached.

"Well, everyone had somewhere to go. I took to wandering Skyrim. I happened to be in the area when I heard about the expedition. I'm already an enlisted student so I figured I'd take the opportunity to tag along," she explained.

"Are… you sure?" he asked.

"Of course! What, you think I can't hack it as a mage?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"No! No, not at all. I just wasn't expecting you is all, and I know you have a… um, unique approach to combat," He said.

"You don't expect us to be fighting anything there do you?" Hudien asked.

"We can't be sure, the ruins have been mostly explored, but there are a few remaining pockets where Draugr and other hazards could be waiting for us," Hidirion explained, "So I want everyone to be careful and be on your toes," He said.

The group nodded their understanding.

"Good, with that said. I think it's best if we partner up. Lili, you'll be with me. Viren and Diren are obviously together. That leaves Hudien and Tsunaya."

The last two looked at each other, Hudien had a disgusted look on her face while Tsunaya had been smiling until she saw her companion's look.

"Excellent, everyone's here!" Tolfdir said as he entered the room.

Hidirion's group turned to him as he came closer.

"If everyone's ready, we'll make our way to the ruins now," Tolfdir told them, "I want everyone to be on the lookout. While the road is fairly safe, and the ruins are explored and secured, for the most part, but it never hurts to be careful."

The group all voiced an agreement and Tolfdir turned around and led the way off the college grounds. The trip to Saarthal was uneventful, and once the group had entered the ruins Tolfdir divided them into teams. Hidirion explained the pre-formed groups he had given for his crew and Tolfdir agreed to keep them together.

Hidirion and Lili were exploring a series of chambers that had not been fully searched, looking for magical artifacts that may hold value. As they continued through the long hallways they found a small room with an amulet hanging on the wall in a strange, carved, formation.

"What do you suppose this is?" Lili asked, indicating the amulet.

"I'm not entirely sure," Hidirion said as he approached it.

He reached out, slowly, waiting for some kind of magical trap to activate. When he grasped the amulet, he felt power surge through him.

Lili heard the sound of metal scraping on metal and turned around just in time to see a pair of solid iron gates slam shut behind them.

"What was that?" Tolfdir shouted to them from down the hall.

He came running up to the gates as Hidirion approached from his side.

"What happened?" Tolfdir asked.

"We were retrieving this amulet, and as I grabbed it these gates slammed shut."

"Really? How strange, there shouldn't have been any connection from that amulet to the gates.

Lili had been listening to their conversation, but she felt something, like a presence in the back of her mind. She looked over her shoulder and gasped.

A figure was standing in the room with them, clothed in yellow robes. His face was hidden by his hood, but he seemed to notice that Lili had spotted him. He turned to his right and stepped through the carved portion of the wall, and as he did a red energy began to pour off it. Lili noticed the same energy pouring off the amulet in Hidirion's hand.

"Hidirion, Master Tolfdir, look!"

The two looked at her as she suddenly spoke up, then turned their gaze to the amulet she was pointing to. They saw the red energy as well.

"It's also on the wall there," She said, indicating the carved portion.

"So it is, see if maybe the two are connected somehow," Tolfdir told them.

Hidirion nodded as he approached the wall with the amulet. He pressed it to the stone, but nothing happened.

"What if we tried applying our magic to it?" Lili asked.

Hidirion nodded before taking a step back. Flames suddenly appeared in his hand, then he turned and launched a torrent of fire at the wall. The energy from the amulet poured around the fire and shattered the wall. At the same time, the metal gates lifted, and the rest of the Guild members arrived on the scene.

"What's going on?" Tsunaya asked.

"It would seem your friends found something important," Tolfdir explained, "It was sealed away behind that fake portion of the wall."

The group looked past him towards Hidirion and Lili and saw the broken pieces of the wall lying about.

"Listen to me students, I want you to go down this hallway and see what waits at the end. I'm going to gather a few other members of staff from the college and bring them back here to investigate further. Be careful in there, who knows what awaits you," Tolfdir told them.

The group nodded and began to make their way through the broken doorway. As they progressed through the winding, twisting hallways, they came upon a room that seemed to be a dead end. Suddenly, everyone in the room froze except Lili. She looked around as the room seemed to become bathed in a faint, blue light, and as her gaze passed across the far side of the room, she saw the yellow-robed figure from before.

She cleared her throat before asking: "Who are you?"