-Cultural Clash-
[Class is now in Session (1)]
[5E, 42, 15th of Sun's Dawn.]
In the year 122 of the Fourth Era, there was a Geological Disaster that plunged the once prosperous City of Winterhold into near annihilation, formally dubbed by the survivors as The Great Collapse, marking the downfall of the Capital of the region and fuel the Anti-Magic sentiment that was raging at the time due to several factors. Among these is that when the land was ravaged by an unknown series of storms followed by one of the largest earthquakes in the history of Skyrim that destroyed much of the settlement, the Pride of this once-proud and thriving Metropolis, the College along with the cliff it situated upon was inexplicitly left practically untouched when most of everything else sunk into the Sea of Ghosts below, ruining the Seat of Power to the hold that once rivaled Solitude of Haafingar.
Naturally, suspicion arose as a result, with many people believing, and in some cases, blaming the College for the event, an accusation that they vehemently denied, for not even they know why they alone were spared from Nature's wrath that day. From there, the relationship between Winterhold and the Magical Institution grew strained, with what remains of the citizens either stuck viewing the organization and anyone connected to it by association with barely-veiled animosity, which was largely ignored by these Mages, knowing better than to give them a reason to despised them even more, or left lamenting about the Gloden Day of the City, frequently daydreaming about what would happen if the Great Collapse never came to be, wishing that they can return to their former glory.
Up until the Civil War of 201-202, Winterhold continued to stay in shambles, a shell of its former self, all the while keeping their distance from the Mage's Neighbor, who was the sole reason why the Hold even stayed on the map rather than fade from Obscurity, yet still being treated with wary attitude and downright hostility at the time. However, when the Empire emerged victorious in the conflict that was dividing the land, Jarl Korir was removed from his station, and Kraldar, the last member of a Blue-blood Noble Family, was installed in his place. The change in leadership was what laid the groundwork for the eventual recovery of the City, as unlike his Predecessor, Kraldar yearned to re-established the estranged relationship between the City and the College, recognizing that they are why Winterhold has not been forgotten from the mind of the masses, aiming to restore the connection between the two parties for the Greater Good of the Hold, which he attempted to do so by trying to contact the Arch-mage of the Organization, with little success, due to Savos Aren, the Head at the time, could not be bothered to deal with what be believed to be another complaint from the Jarl.
Thankfully, undeterred by the aloof Dunmer, Kraldar continued to try his best, and his Determination and persistence would pay off, for when Louise, having saved the City from another Magical Disaster brought about by an insane member of the Thalmor, was appointed as both the Thane and the newest Arch-mage of Winterhold following the unfortunate passing of Savos, she wasted no time to collaborated with the Jarl in his effort to restore the City with their expertise in the High Art. Masters of Alteration began to use their experienced Manipulation of Reality to temporarily put a stop to the constant snowstorm, allowing supplies to be delivered to the frigid region, while users of Restoration, Illusion, Conjuration, Destruction, and Mysticism share their knowledge with the people, allowing them to use the Spells of these School of Magic to strengthen their weakened Military Power, rectifying the economic problems, as well as how to use them to grow crops in the frozen soil that normally would not allow for anything to grow, contributed by a Member of the Telvanni Great House that happened to study abroad there.
With the newly acquired opportunity to rebuild, Project Wintersun began, with the people and mages settling their differences for once after hundreds of years in a combined effort to bring Winterhold back to its former glory. Though it took decades, and Jarl Kraldar passed away before he could see the fruit of his labor, his son, raised with the ideology of his late father, was able to see the day when their beloved City once again stands proud among nine other holds, where Winterhold rise from the depth of despair to grasp Prosperity once more. Through this accomplishment, the strains between the Nordic Population and the College started to fade, until it was all but gone, bringing forth a new era for the people of Winterhold, now known as the City of Mages.
...Goes the explanation Louise gave to the fascinated group as they passed through the street of Winterhold, where they are treated to a sight completely out of this world for them. Farmers using their talents in Alteration and Mysticism to hasten the growth of their harvest in a matter of minutes, Guards patrolling alongside various elemental beings known as Daedras as the Pink-Haired woman has informed them, and even children playing hide and seek using illusion spells that either distracted their friends or rendered themselves completely unseen to the naked eye. It was a display of Magic completely unprecedented to the Tristainian, one they could not believe their eyes despite being in front of them, even more so when Louise was greeted by everyone they passed by with respect and even veneration to a degree. To see the Zero being admired by the people, is even more unbelievable than any demonstration of the wandless, foreign Magic of this land, of this Tamriel, a land where Men and Elves seem to live side-by-side in harmony.
Speaking of Elves, there was a large number of them here. Some have the same golden skin as Olenmar's, while others have Ashen Gray and blood-red eyes, with a few having a more natural skin tone but appearing to be shorter than the others. Such sight sent a shudder down the spines of the Group, flinching every time they passed through these elves as if they would get attacked by them the moment they took their eyes off of them, while these pointy-haired monsters snorted in amusement or stared in bewilderment at their agitated reaction, wondering what that is all about, though never questioned about it when they saw Louise who waved of their concern with her hand as she continued to lead them through the road that divided a large section of the city that leads to a bridge connected to the college, where yet another Mer was standing at the entrance of, seemingly guarding it, "Ah, Arch-mage. It is good to see you again." The High Elf greeted them, or more specifically, the now former Arch-mage, Louise.
"Faralda, you know I have already retired. Sofie would get upset if you keep calling me that." Returned a laugh from the pink-haired Woman, thinking about one of her adopted daughters, the current Head of the College, a prodigy in the Clever Craft who had shown her innate affinity and talent for the element since she was a little girl after she read a magic tome Louise placed on the bookshelf of their home on one fateful day, leading to her joining the College through the recommendation of her adopted Mother, rising through the rank, and eventually becoming one of the youngest Arch-mage in recorded history after Louise stepped down from the position, "By the way, how is she doing?"
"Fine for the most part. Are you here to visit her?" While that is not the plan, seeing that she is here already, Louise might as well, considering that it has been months since they last seen each other in person, "And who are these?" Now that she has finally noticed the Tristainian behind the former Arch-mage, who flinched when she turned her attention to them, Faralda could not help but question as she eyed the group, noting how one of them resembled Louise by quite a bit. Family perhaps? The Commanding General of Skyrim's branch of imperial legions never talks much about her family aside from when she is too deep in her cups to care about keeping it a secret, in which case she would cry out her deep-seated frustration with those she calls her parents. After that particular incident, many professionals started to express their sympathy for their student, even if she had no idea why, having recalled none of what happened prior.
"Just acquaintances of mine." Thrown off by how indifferent Louise was to them, especially Karin and Centurion, the Tristainian stared a glance at each other, feeling rather disturbed by how much emotions Louise held in her voice when she talked about them, which is close to none save for the slight irritation hidden in the edge of her voice, giving the Altmer the impression that while she said they are merely what she claimed to be, there might be more than just that. Maybe she doesn't have a good relationship with them, "I'd like to recommend them to be enrolled in the College." Yet another surprise for them, hearing those words coming from her mouth. Did she bring them here for that purpose? Then why? Wasn't she telling them that they came here to send them back to Halkeginia?
"Hold on! We didn't agree to this!" Not even needing to turn around, Louise already knew who was it that just called out in protest, causing her to sigh in exasperation. Really, the Zerbst doesn't know when to stay silent, does she? Then again, she did not exactly tell them about this, so she is partially at fault, not that she would ever admit that to their faces mind you. She'd sooner jumped into the depths of Oblivion, to the deadlands and Coldharbour before she ever acknowledged these fools.
"I'm afraid I must agree with Miss Augusta on this. It's not that I am against it myself, but it is quite unexpected. You could have informed us beforehand Miss Valliere. Besides, I think I'm too old to attend such a place." As much as Colbert wished to learn more about the Magic of this land, such a chance might not be possible given that he is rather old, and if this place is anything like the Academy, there might be an age limit to when you could attend it. Though he could see himself joining the faculty of this establishment, sharing what he knew about Helkaginia's Magic in exchange for their knowledge. The Prospect was more likely. Fortunately, he would not have to worry about that, as Louise already knew what to say next.
"Worry not, You can attend regardless of your age." As long as you show an aptitude for the High Art, there is nothing stopping you from joining the College of Winterhold. Sure, it is highly recommended that you are at least an adult to begin practicing magic, but it is not exactly enforced as a rule, as even children and elderly with no experience in the art can attend so long as they are recommended and looked after by a senior member of the Organization, and with Louise as their sponsor, they can join without much of a hassle, the information of which brought a gleam of hope in Colbert's eyes, excitement mounting by the minute, clearly looking forward to it unlike the others, "And this place can help you with your circumstances. It is one of the safest locations in Skyrim too. Well-defended, secure, and surrounded by countless experts, you will have nothing to fear here, unlike the wilderness." Especially during the dark. There have been reports of werewolf sightings that are not connected with the Companions roaming during moonlit night. And even though she has no love for this group, fewer people dying means a lot less work to do for her.
"Hmmm...Very well. Follow me." Not the first time the former Arch-mage brought someone to the college because of their Potential, and if they were recommended by Louise, then they just earned the Privilege of passing the standard entrance test without needing to do a thing. In all honesty, Faralda was glad she didn't have to waste her Magicka Reserves to test each one of them, allowing her to use them in refueling the focal point of the bridge, which gleamed when she imbued them with energy from her Magelight spell, illuminating the path forward through the heavy snow storm, which with her enchanted garbs, the Altmer barely felt a thing, "You'll want to speak to Onmund, our Master Wizard. He is in charge of new students. Go to him if you have any questions."
"Will do." Colbert could barely keep the excitement from his tone, eager to meet this Master Wizard the High Elf has spoken of. If he could learn how the former managed to accelerate the growth of their crops, then he could use this to help with the Famine problem back in Halkeginia when they find a way back to the place. Soon enough, they reached the iron gate that separated outside from the building within, which swung open on its own, to the further astonishment of the Tristainian, welcoming their arrival to the esteemed College of Winterhold, where the first thing that greeted them was a massive statue of a cloaked Mage, arms outstretched at she stands before yet another one of those magical well that the Bridge is decorated with, "Oh my, quite an impressive carvings. May I ask who it is that this effigy is modeled after?"
"That would be Shalidor, one of the most powerful mages in Skyrim's history. Not in Elseweyr though, that's for certain, for that would be J'zargo." A Brand new, and rather odd-sounding, voice informed them, causing everyone's attention to turn to the source, which is that of-
""A TALKING CAT?!"" Indeed, the person who told them just now was not a person at all, but a Cat, a humanoid cat that walks on two legs, wears clothes, and speaks like a Human.
"What? Never seen a Khajiit in your life?" The cat chuckled, enjoying their jaw-slacked expression greatly, not at all bothered by their comment that would have ticked off any other Khajiit. The feline race of Elsweyr is quite an uncommon sight in the land of the Nord after all, with J'zargo being the only Khajiit in Winterhold in general, so there might be a real possibility that these folks have, in fact, never seen his kind before, something he cannot fault them for when they mistook him for much more ordinary housecat, "Though J'zargo should tell you to refrain speaking like that in the presence of his kind. They may find it offensive. And greeting, Louise. Been a long time."
"The feeling is mutual, J'zargo, and before you ask, no, I won't be testing any new spells you made." The two shared a laugh, recalling the last time Louise volunteered to help her colleagues with their newly developed spell. Let's just say, it is a blessing that the Robe of the college was enchanted to be invulnerable to explosions.
As for the Tristainian, they were left completely speechless yet again today. First Elves, then Wandless Spell, everyone able to use magic followed right after, now a talking cat?! WHAT IS THIS PLACE?! What's next, they would meet Zero's children here or something?!
In the Arch-mage quarter, a Nord Woman sneezed loudly.
To be Continued...
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