Thank you all for entertaining the thought of reading this story. Also sorry if parts of the story appear to be half-assed, I was kinda tired when writing a bit of this.

Meanwhile, here's chapter 2

[Edit Started 2/9/2023/ Edit Finished 4/9/2023]

Faralda kept close watch of the bridge. She stood at the forefront of it, waiting for trouble to show as it usually does. Maybe in the form of those Templar people or bandits coming to raid the place.

Bandits are as they are: greedy little scavengers with no organization. She did find it strange that the bandits she would see in this part of Tamriel lacked any magical allies. Typically bandit encampments would have a wizard or two amongst their ranks, but these had none.

Even in Cyrodiil, Alinor, and... Skyrim of all places bandits would sometimes have mages. Typically as healers, but also as combat support, throwing fire or frost to cover their comrade's flanks. Twelve groups were encountered, three of them attacking the college, not a single witch or wizard was found.

Then there are the Templars. After an exploration party was ambushed by a group of Templars they managed to take a few hostage. The rest either fled or were killed. And it was the funniest thing: the magical knights hate magic! But they didn't call it magic, but something else.

Unfortunately, they attempted an escape. Duneyrr led Onmund and Falion through the Midden to find them, and eventually the Midden Dark. While there may not been any bodies found, a few blood stains on the floor and a caved-in Templar Helmet were enough evidence for them to turn back.

What was particularly disappointing about their deaths was that the college was still in the dark about what a Templar was. The same applies to what or who Divine Justinia was and why they were being called Apostates. Not to mention, they did not know where they were.

The topography of the maps drawn didn't match any known countries, and the names of some locations weren't any she'd heard of. Hinterlands this and Stormcoast that, it was all foreign words molesting her ears.

At one point during a teacher's meeting Phinis and Duneyrr suggested the worst possible scenario: Inter-Planar Displacement. Being the master of Destruction, and not having too much familiarity in Conjuration, she had no clue as to what they meant, but Tolfdir looked like he nearly had a stroke.

Essentially what they had theorized, is that whatever happened to the eye had punched a hole through Mundus and wherever they are now. That much did not need to be explained, as what she did know of Conjuration filled the rest in. The statement left the entire staff in a state of panic, which the two teachers struggled to calm down. But how could they calm her down? Whatever happened to the eye booted them out of their home and into the domain of a foreign pantheon.

The thought irritated the high elf. Sure she may not have been on the best terms with her family back in Summerset, given their devotion to the dominion, but it was still her family. Her brother, her mother, her father... all of them just maybe a world away. That single thought was enough to boil her blood.

She knew she wasn't alone in this matter. If she remembered correctly from Brynjolf's tales, he had started having a bit of fun with another Nightingale. A Dunmer woman, as he described her. No further details were given, likely to protect the identity of the last anonymous nightingale.

The Archmage had a wife in their home world who was expecting a child. She wasn't sure about the other students or teachers, but she was sure they had someone left behind they could no longer reach. But that was only if this theory of theirs was correct.

The only people here who weren't separated from family were Agni and Falion (which is more of a technicality considering Agni is adopted) and Brelyna and her Uncle.

Oddly enough she felt sorry for the Dunmer. Not everyone can say that their uncle is a mad arch-wizard who experiments on living subjects. The only reason he was invited was so he could share his knowledge in staff enchanting, and even then it came with a heavy price. He practically demanded access to the college's elder scrolls whenever he so wished as well as the artifact vault.

'For research' he said. The thought made Faralda laugh. She didn't doubt he wished to research them, but she did doubt his intentions.

Faralda's eyes were taken out of a trance to notice two figures approaching the gate. One wore familiar dark armor: a depiction of a corvid bird on the vest, a long, black flowing cape that reached down to his thighs, and a full face mask that only left his eyes visible.

The other, a human male with a slender build, covered in a mix of plate and cloth armor with a leather harness keeping it all together. The helmet he wore revealed his full face, gentle and clean as it may be. The man was a scout, likely one who was lucky enough to always avoid combat. His hands were blind behind his back.

"Nightingale," she greeted formally in hopes of maintaining secrecy, "who is this you brought to our college."

"At first I thought he was a Templar scout. I incapacitated and interrogated him in a safe location to learn that he's an inquisition scout." Brynjolf finished there as Faralda spoke up before he could.

"Was Duneyrr not ranting and raving about an inquisition raven relieving itself on the statue of Shalidor?" She asked, her eyes narrowing down at the man. She meant no hostility, only mere curiosity. The scout on the other hand immediately tensed up, his face turning into a scowl. "Relax. I'm not the one you need to worry about. I even doubt our Archmage would harm you; he's... extraordinarily angry about it, for only Julianos knows why, but he won't hurt you."

"Should I send him away then? To avoid the wrath of a certain wizard?"

Faralda hummed out a chuckle. "I'd rather not circumvent my superior." She tapped a finger on her chin. "I'll take him in. You plan on staying out in the field?"

"I'll find something worthwhile eventually. Be it gold or valuables."

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then," Faralda assumed.

"Indeed."

"Well, sir scout, are you ready the Archmage?" Her words were less than comforting, sure, but they were straight to the point.

No point in keeping either party waiting at this point. She really did hope Duneyrr wouldn't kill the man.

Duneyrr was surprisingly calm from Faralda's perspective. She even put Tolfdir in the room just in case a paralysis spell needed to be cast.

The tension in the room was minimal, but what tension there was was solely between their Archmage and the scout. The two frost Atronachs flanking either side of the scout didn't help all too much.

"So this is the one that our guest had brought us?" Duneyrr phrased it in more of a statement than a question.

"That would be correct," Faralda answered. "At first he was thought a Templar, but when announced as an Inquisition agent – those who you replied to – he was brought back here. Our Nightingale thought you would actually be interested in conversing with them."

"He guessed right." Duneyrr set his elbows on the table, interlocking his hands and using his thumbs to rest his chin. "So what brings you out to our neck of the... rolling hills, apparently."

"You, actually," the scout replied. Most of the mages in the room raised a brow. "You were the ones who intercepted the message to Redcliffe, yes?"

"That would be correct lad," Duneyrr replied. "So it got back to you?" He smiled wryly. "I assume you're here to answer in person?"

"No, not at all. We were supposed to report on a location and let Lady Josephine handle the rest."

Duneyrr sighed. He stood up and gestured for his fellow wizards to follow him. "Atronachs, if he leaves the table kill him."

"That's a bit much," Faralda commented.

"Don't care. Grab the other teachers." Duneyrr looked back at the man at the table. "I'll be back with a message for this Josephine. Just be patient."

The scout sighed in a panicked state. He watched as the four mages left the room. Soon he was alone with two Atronachs who had been ordered to kill him if he left the table behind.

Every single teacher was present in the Hall of the Elements while their guest was in the Arcanium guarded by flame atronachs. The man seemed to be content before the teachers to sit there while the rest of them conjured up a message to send to their representative.

Duneyrr eyed everyone who entered the room. Aside from Tolfdir, Mirabelle, and Faralda who were already with him, the first to enter the room was Drevis, and behind him came Colette. The last one was Phinis.

Colette was the first to speak out. "I say we send him back with a simple goodbye message. No need to make everyone angry over there."

"I'm in agreement," Phinis spoke out next. "I'd rather not make enemies with an unknown group."

"We don't even know if they're that strong," Faralda stated. "While I agree that we should just send him back unharmed, I don't think a simple 'here's your man back, sorry we kidnapped him' will be enough."

The Archmage turned his head to the elven mage. "You think we should submit to them? Or maybe a gift of reconciliation?"

"A gift of sorts-" Faralda was immediately cut off by the Dunmer that stood just across from her.

"We aren't giving them anything. If they turn out to be enemies in the future they may use it against us in the future." Duneyrr was one to agree with Drevis, but there was one tiny issue with what he said.

People don't just forgive and forget a kidnapping.

"Mirabelle," Duneyrr spoke out, "your thoughts?"

"We kidnapped a scout. I doubt he's that high up in their hierarchy given he's all the way out here. If we send him back without recompense they may respond with a small militia. And if I'm being honest, I'd rather not have any more bodies pile up at the bridge."

It was a point he had to agree with. His students couldn't learn so long as they had to keep defending the college from intruders. While the practice could give them combat experience, these children weren't there to learn how to fight.

He then looked towards Tolfdir. "You haven't said a word, old man. Your thoughts?"

"None that matter. You choose what you believe is best."

Duneyrr thought on it for a while. On one hand, he could send them back his head, but frankly not only would he rather not do that based on it being entirely unnecessary and constructed from spite, Duneyrr doubted it would end well. There was also the option to simply send him back alone with a message, but that would be a fifty percent chance on whether or not they respond with force.

The only alternative he could agree with was to send a gift with him, a sort of apology for kidnapping who was basically a field agent. Even after that he hoped for a neutral standing but doubted it would be left at that. Granted, they would be down an enchanted item but it would probably smooth things over a bit.

The Archmage hummed in thought, leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling as he made up his mind.

"Have you thought over it?" Mirabelle asked.

"Aye," he answered. "We send him back with a small gift of apologies. I say... a circlet. Golden base with emerald gems decorating it. Enchant it with... let's go with shock resistance and physical reinforcement. Use common soul gems."

Drevis didn't look too pleased but appeared to concede in knowing that he would use common soul gems, instead of the more expensive ones.

Everyone else on the other hand either agreed or didn't care. As long as the deed was done.

...

After the other teachers had written a rather extensive apology letter, both for kidnapping an agent and Duneyrr's foul language in the previous one, he handed the scout the message and a small box containing a token of apology. This should surely smooth things over. Or at least he hoped so.

That was at least a day ago. He was not expecting an immediate answer but hoped to get one hastily, if only to confirm any bad feelings.

For the moment, he was in his chambers writing up lesson plans for the novices. He focused the lesson primarily on the utilitarian usages of the Alteration school. While he would be leading the lesson, Tolfdir would be the one teaching. Not to say his skills as an Alteration wizard were terrible, he simply did not see himself as a good teacher of such things. If it were combat then he may excel.

Before they were thrown out of Skyrim, the college saw a small influx of young magelings seeking knowledge. Most of them were from Highrock and Cyrodiil, with a small minority of the rest being from Alinor, Skyrim and Hammerfell in that order. The fact that Skyrim wasn't in last place made him laugh a little.

The students proved to be quite the handful. Examples could range from one boy, trying to impress a female classmate, accidentally freezing over the courtyard. Another involved another student accidentally electrocuting himself with a lightning cloak spell and winding up paralyzed for a few hours.

The worst example he could think of, was a group of younger wizards – probably in their teenage years – trying to turn their friend into a dragon. It almost worked, but they just turned the poor lad into a giant gecko. After involving Brelyna and Tolfdir to undo the spell, they had been forced to attend cram lessons to prevent such a thing from happening again. It reminded him of...that incident.

As to the lesson plan, and what utilitarian purposes alteration has... it's quite extensive. Alteration includes physical and idle transmutation given the ability to turn your skin to stone and turn iron into silver; if applied to wooden weapons, a whole army could essentially grow iron from trees. Telekinesis allows one to defy the gravitational pull of the world and make moving pallets of heavy stone with no physical effort needed.

He could remember having to look for a missing child who had gotten lost in the woods. He used the Detect Life spell to look for the outlines of a creature's vitality. Duneyrr eventually found the child up in a tree, having the joy of his life. He then used telekinesis to get him down and bring him home.

Overall, Alteration has more benefits for civilian life than one would think. What irks him the most is that it's quite often underutilized outside of combat.

He had already written everything he needed down in the lesson's notebook and sent word to Tolfdir a moment ago. The old man was getting some resources from the supplies closet in the Hall of Attainment just to be prepared.

The next lesson would be alchemy. It wasn't even a day ago when one of the students confused a magicka poison for a Magicka potion. Then perhaps after that would be Restoration.

The Next Day

Everyone who wished to attend was present. It was a sizable audience, not too little not too large, but enough to be worth their time.

Duneyrr and Tolfdir had assembled the group in one of the new lecture halls that branched out from the Arcanium via bridge. It was an expensive upgrade, but ultimately worth it in the end. Now they just had to add more space to the dormitories in case more wished to join the college.

They might even need to start taking fees.

Tolfdir stood at Duneyrr's opposite, in the middle of the far front of the room. Using a simple Conjuration spell he had summoned up a table for the wizard to put his stuff on. The old man seemed happy that so many people had taken an interest in his specialization.

With a deep breath, the Archmage began. "Alteration is the school of magic which allows one to interfere with the natural laws of the world. We are taught to see our reality as an illusion, something we can bend to our will. More often than not, this is used to change a battlefield at a moment's notice; raising hills where there were once none, using trees to bind your enemies by extending their branches, and many more examples."

Duneyrr moved over to the table where there were rocks, logs, and more miscellaneous items. "Today, Tolfdir and I will be showing you the more practical applications of Alteration."

He scanned over the crowd, looking at each student in the room. "Who here knows the stone-skin spell?" the wizard asked. Four out of thirteen hands shot up. Immediately he pointed to one of the students who raised their hands. "Come up front."

Duneyrr's finger landed on an elven lad, no taller than himself, yet not at all shorter. "Coming right away!" He announced in an excited tone.

When he arrived at the center stage he immediately recognized his apprentice robes. Not to say he knew who wore them before, but only that he knew the boy could perform some of the more advanced spells.

"So you can perform stone-skin?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Yes Master," the elf replied.

Duneyrr nodded and gestured for him to step closer to the table. "What's your name, boy?"

"Telerion, sir."

"Telerion," he said, picking up a single tree leaf and handing it to him. "Turn this into stone."

The kid looked at him bug-eyed, unsure if he could even do it. "I-uh... I don't think-"

The Archmage placed the stem of the leaf between his middle and index finger and sent magicka flowing through it. Telerion froze in place as he felt the leaf petrify in his hand. He opened his palm to see a folded, crumpled-up leaf in stone form, the design too realistic to have been carved.

Glancing over to Tolfdir, he could see him smirking playfully. "That's an expert-level spell, Duneyrr. Turning wood into stone is far easier." The old man took a step towards the table and tapped it twice. In seconds the entire table turned into quarry stone.

"That was actually called petrification," he explained. "It's a more advanced spell, so I'm not going to hold against you if you can't do it." Telerion, again, appeared surprised. "Try this instead," Duneyrr proposed with a smile, tossing him iron ore. The kid sighed in relief.

He placed the ore between both his hands and focused on it. The process may have been slow, but surely enough it looked to be stone. He sighed, still holding the transmuted iron in his hands.

The Archmage shot it with a lightning bolt to crack it open, still in Telerion's hands. He panicked and dropped it on the floor. A smile made its way across his face; it was stone all the way through.

He looked out to the rest of the lecture room. "Today, we're going to be practicing transmutation. For those of you who don't know the spell, I'm sure Urag has the book somewhere in the library. If you have any questions, me and Tolfdir will be in the area."

A handful of students got up and left for the Arcanium. While they did that, the others stood up to grab an item from the table to practice with.

Tolfdir and Duneyrr sat back and watched, relaxing for once since they'd arrived in this wretched world. No Templars, no Inquisition, no bandits. Just peace.

Lelianna once again was found in her tent just outside the chantry. Reports had begun piling up on the table before her. From the hinterlands of Fereldan to the deserts of Orlais, her scouts have been active all over the map.

It had been four days and still no word from her scouts in regards to the message. However, what could she expect to get done in less than a week?

Josephine had a point when she said they needed all the allies they could get. Having an angry noble, no matter how pompous he may be to get mad about bird poop on a statue, wasn't the best start to the Inquisition. Right now it was about appeasing as many people as they can right now. The Inquisition couldn't afford enemies at the moment, especially on a political stage.

Lelianna sighed, turning around to face the noise of clanking metal. "Cassandra," she greeted. "What brings you?"

"I have returned with the inquisitor from the Hinterlands. We found the Warden Blackwall, but he knows nothing."

"Did he at least come back with you?" Lelianna asked.

"He did," Cassandra affirmed. "If you wish to ask him questions yourself you can find him near the blacksmith."

"Is that all?"

Cassandra put up a single finger and reached for a cylindrical container at her waist. "Another thing: we intercepted one of your scouts on our way here. He gave us these."

On Lelianna's table, Cassandra had placed a letter and a small box. The spymaster eyed the two items, curious of their purpose.

First, she opened the box, surprised to see a small circlet that could fit around one's wrist. It was golden and gilded with three emeralds, all placed at a ninety-degree angle in relation to one another. The circlet also seemed to have a pure white glow to it, as if it were enchanted with some effect.

Lelianna first thought the armlet to be a trap, up until Cassandra commented on the item. "It's not a curse if that's what you seem to think. If Solas is correct, and I do trust his judgement, it has an effect that grants a physical enhancement to the body, in addition to some elemental resistance."

"I would hold off until we can confirm it," Lelianna replied. Immediately after, her eyes landed on the rolled-up message. "Meanwhile."

"We have not read it yet. The Herald thought it would be best if we were to read it in front of Commander Cullen and Lady Josephine."

"Shall we then?" Lelianna asked, gesturing to the chantry behind her.

...

Josephine cleared her throat in a rough cough. She had the letter pinned to a thin, wooden board, held in a position where she could read it.

"A formal apology from the College of Winterhold~

The last letter sent to you was rather unkind and had some harsh language attached. Unfortunately, our Archmage, who has been banned from giving his personal inputs on the missive, can be quite vulgar at times, especially when his anger has been roused. The one writing to you would be the College's master wizard, Mirabelle Irvine, with some inputs from the staff.

It has also come to our attention that one of your scouts had been kidnapped by an unaffiliated agent associated with our Archmage, but not the college. We at first thought him to be a Templar, but after some questioning, we found it to not be the case.

In addition to the letter, you have received a gift with a physical strength enhancement and electrical resistance enchantment. We do dearly apologize for the discourteous acquisition of you soldier. Hopefully, this does not sour your opinion of us, in kind...

Mirabelle Irvine~"

"She seems nice-er," Josephine commented on the letter.

"A better attitude to their... Archmage it said?" Cassandra asked.

Josephine nodded. "It is not a term I'm familiar with, but it's probably a different terminology for a Grand Enchanter."

"Rather tamed for apostates," Cullen noted. "Our man's still alive."

"Josie, what can you pull up on this College?" Lelianna asked.

"When you gave me the message, I pre-read it. When I looked at the sender I... I couldn't find much."

"What did you find?" The herald queried.

"Mostly fiction and folklore. No actual historical documents." Josephine began tapping her foot in thought. "There was The Hold of Winter, a smut book written by an unknown author. Next was some folklore about a cult called the 'Winter Mages' from some backwater part of Fereldan. It detailed some ancient group of witches a few hundred years ago that sought to bring an eternal winter upon Thedas. Beyond that, nothing. Any records of a circle calling themselves the 'College of Winterhold' does not exist."

Cullen hummed in thought. "Cassandra, Lady Herald, did the scout tell you of the location regarding this College?"

"It was somewhere between the Hinterlands and Storm-Coast," Cassandra answered. "Near Jader, I think he said."

"I say we send an expedition through there. We can't have unchecked mages running amok around there," Cullen advised.

"Really, Cullen?" Josephine spoke, slightly apprehensive of the suggestion. "They don't seem to be 'Running Amok', they just appear to be minding their own business."

"They did kidnap a scout, Josie," Lelianna chimed in, seeming to support Cullen.

"The letter did say it was an independent agent associated with their Grand Enchanter, not affiliated with the college," Josephine countered.

"Who's to say their Grand Enchanter didn't ask him to!" The former Templar commander shouted.

It wasn't long before the room devolved into a shouting match between Cullen and Josephine. Lelianna would chime in regularly to attempt to diffuse the argument, but both parties seemed to be set in their minds. Meanwhile, neither Cassandra nor the Herald could interject.

Cullen shouted 'Control the mages' while Josephine yelled back 'Let them be, but don't ignore them'. The Herald couldn't help but agree with both of them.

Cullen had mentioned that he was in Kirkwall and saw the amount of damage uncontrolled mages are capable of. He was also right in saying that gifts are no excuse for kidnapping an inquisition agent, regardless if the unaffiliated party was asked to or not, or if they apologized.

Josephine too had her points. The Inquisition is still in its infancy and cannot afford to make enemies so early. Also, the mages seem to be minding their own business outside of the one incident, but could still not be ignored.

Both Cullen and Josephine had acknowledged that a violent counteraction would be inadvisable, as they didn't seem hostile. The only issue came down as to how they should be handled.

"Josephine! Cullen! Calm down!" The Herald's voice boomed over them both.

"Apologies, Lady Trevelyan," Josephine answered, her voice much calmer than it was previously.

"I'm sorry, Herald," Cullen answered as well.

"Why not a bit of both? Deal with them as if they were a political entity; try to gain their support, because they may be a crucial ally in the future. Still, I want soldiers sent as well, but their purpose is to be disguised."

The herald looked at all three. Josephine seemed to settle and Cullen looked as if he was in half-agreement. When she looked towards Lelianna, she was seen nodding with a small smile.

"Josephine, if you could send a representative-"

"I am the only representative of the Inquisition thus far," she said. Josephine noticed the disgruntled faces of her companions. "I can go myself, but I would be a few days away."

"I'd rather you not leave, just in case something happens and you're needed," Lelianna commented.

"So we just wait for these mages to destroy something?" Cullen hummed out.

"No I don't-" The herald tried to respond before being cut off.

"It's no big deal," Josephine intervened. "You have to go to the Storm Coast soon, correct? To look for the Bull's Chargers? I'll go with you, stop by the college and on your way back to Haven you can pick me back up."

"Can we think of no other ways to do this?" Cassandra asked. A silence lingered over the table, giving the Seeker her answer. She sighed. "Fine. I'll go grab the parchment."

In the meantime, a thought passed through Lelianna's head, 'Perhaps only a few days was enough.' For a moment she decided to be harder on her scouts, but this was most likely a fluke. Anyway, she would still do well to hold her men and women to a high standard, just so long as it wasn't impossible.

The lesson plan had ended up lasting a few more days than he had expected. All of Duneyrr's little magelings had begun to mess around with various forms of Alteration, particularly in transmutation with varying degrees of success. While some students excelled in altering ore and other materials, some students managed to do horribly, like one boy who'd accidentally petrified himself when trying to turn coal into stone.

This was both a cause for celebration and careful monitoring of the boy. While stone skin is a common spell used for combat, to fully petrify oneself has to be on purpose. To do so on accident... that's a screw-up of its own kind.

It took an hour to undo the effect.

Brelyna had been the one to assist in this lesson after being called in by Tolfdir a few hours after it began. She signed up to be his apprentice, ready to take over his position when the human eventually dies within the upcoming decade... or year. Tolfdir was already old, and as a human, his lifespan was shorter than hers.

"Master Brelyna," a young Breton boy had approached her, "I'm having trouble with this spell. Are there any methods you've used when transmuting ore?"

"I'm so sorry I can't help you with this." She took the rock in the boy's hand and placed it in her open palm. "Alteration is just one of those schools you have to practice at," she said, turning the stone to iron, then gold, and back again. "No secret methods, just painful practice."

The boy seemed to be agitated, but content. "Sorry to have bothered you, master."

The students appeared to be doing well overall and- oh, Grim petrified himself again. "Duneyrr!" She called out.

"I see him!" He shouted back, already closer to the boy than she was.

"Duneyrr!" Another voice shouted.

"I already- oh, Phinis!" He greeted back.

"You're..." Phinis took a moment to analyze the situation. "What in oblivion?"

"Second time today," Brelyna commented.

Phinis looked at the petrified boy then two Brelyna and Duneyrr. "When you're done with this, you're needed in the Arcanium."

AN: Sorry to leave you all on a cliffhanger, but I couldn't find a way for the teachers to have a meeting without the whole ordeal just being shit. Sorry if the chapter wasn't up to quality, I tried to find multiple ways to write it and this was the best way.

Thank you for reading, I'll see you next chapter