"Saarthal holds a prominent place in Skyrim history, even if most do not remember it by name. It is of course the site of one of the first major Nord settlements, one of the first cities of men in Skyrim, and the earliest known capital of their civilization. It was also the site of terrible bloodshed, when the elves attempted to drive the Nords out of Skyrim, to succeed only in incurring their wrath in the form of Ysgramor and his fabled Five Hundred Companions, who swept the elves from Skyrim and firmly established it as the home of the Nords.
All this is known, but little else. What happened on that Night of Tears, when Saarthal was razed to the ground? What provoked the elves to such a deliberate, vicious attack, and what prompted such a severe response from the Nords?
Vingalmo's Treatise on the Altmer Antecedent suggests that the elves of the Merethic Era, along with their counterparts the early Dwemer, possessed a degree of sophistication unparalleled in Tamriel. They displayed power beyond what could be expected of the time. While a distinct explanation is not given for this, I believe that this work, compared with the early writings of Heseph Chirirnis, suggest that something greater was at work on that night in Saarthal.
The true motives behind the Night of Tears have been obscured to us by the passage of time, but I believe this was not a simple war of territory, or of control of Skyrim. I believe that what happened was a significant event based around something very particular.
The Nords found something when they built their city, buried deep in the ground. They attempted to keep it buried, but the elves learned of it and coveted it for themselves. Thus they assaulted Saarthal, their goal not to drive the Nords out but to secure this power for themselves. I believe Ysgramor knew something of what the elves would find under Saarthal, and rallied together his people to keep the elves from gaining it. When Nords once again controlled Skyrim, this power was buried deep below the earth and sealed away.
Time has kept this knowledge from us, but it is my hope that Time will also reveal the truth of these words. Every effort will be made to relocate Saarthal, and find that which has been lost to us.
- 'Night of Tears', by Dranor Seleth"
Tolfdir paced the floor of the Hall of Elements as he addressed the students before him. He looked towards Cura, Serana, Inigo, Lucien, Onmund, Brelyna, and J'zargo in particular. "Ah, just who I was hoping to see! This is excellent! It's good to see that Skyrim has such fine young people! It gives an old man hope."
"We heard about the field trip." Cura explained. "I think I can speak for everyone here when I say we're very interested in it." As this would be her first field trip at the College of Winterhold, Cura was quite excited by the notion of it.
"I just hope you haven't had too much to drink yesterday, Miss Cura and her friends. I cannot guarantee that there are no loud noises to be heard today." Tolfdir forewarned. Immediately, Onmund and Inigo cringed.
"I always wanted to have my head explode." Inigo responded sardonically. "I've come close before, but I am thinking this may finally be the day..."
Onmund grit his teeth as he began to massage his temples in attempt to soothe the raging headache he'd developed that morning. "Maybe the darkness of the tomb will help my head a little... the lights in here certainly aren't doing me any favours."
"You shouldn't have taken part in that drinking contest." Brelyna admonished his crude behaviour. "Honestly, what were you thinking?"
Inigo jumped in to his defense. "Well, if his reasons matched my own, it was to show those Nords that we can drink more than just milk!"
Onmund nodded. "Yeah, that was pretty much it."
Tolfdir cleared his throat and began his speech. "I think perhaps we're ready to begin exploring some of the various applications of magic throughout history. The College has undertaken a fascinating excavation in the ruins of Saarthal nearby. It's an excellent learning opportunity. I suggest we meet there, and see what awaits us inside. That's all for now, thank you." He walked around the antsy group and headed out through the entry doors.
Cura turned to her friends and colleagues. "So! Saarthal. I've heard stories about it, but I've never been before. Shall we trek there together, or meet up?"
"Together!" Onmund said loudly, surprising the others and prompting him to take a lighter explanation. "Well... it's safer going through the snowfields if we're in a group."
Lucien nodded. "I agree. Best to get there alive first and then we can see where it goes from there."
"If you will spend the day discussing this, J'zargo will have no part in it. J'zargo does not need you! He will go himself. His Flame spell is more than sufficient." the arrogant cat marched past the group.
"J'zargo, really?" Brelyna placed her hands on her hips irritatedly. "We're classmates! We should go together! This is a field trip, after all."
The Khajiit rolled his eyes. "Then these ones will need to walk faster to keep up with J'zargo." He pushed open the double doors and the rest of the group ran to meet him.
The group followed him outside onto the college grounds, where they nearly ran into Mirabelle and Ancano, who were having another brow-beating session.
"Accursed rats! Watch where you're going, blast you!" Ancano sneered as his arm was brushed by Serana, who dashed past him, at the back of the group.
"Ignore them." Mirabelle brushed it aside and pointed a finger at him. "I will remind you, again, that you are a guest at our College. You are not to wander into the Middens or into the Arch-Mage's quarters unless invited. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, I understand." Ancano dismissed her scolding, allowing the warning to slide off his shoulders.
"We will not have this conversation again." Mirabelle concluded as she walked towards the Hall of Countenance.
Ancano narrowed his eyes in her direction, mentally cursing the meddling Breton for constantly monitoring his affairs. Most of the time he could not even figure out how she did it.
Regardless, it did not matter. Someday he'd find a way to get her out of his.
Cura and her allies hurried through the mild stirring blizzard, through the open fields, where they made short work of attacking Wolves and a Saber Cat. With well-placed Firebolts, the animals didn't even have the chance to close in.
The travel was pretty smooth, with Inigo and Lucien's singing, discussions among the class concerning their magical experiences, reminiscing about how fun Cura's party was, and about how Skyrim was faring.
Lucien walked onto a small bluff, overseeing the ice caps off in the distance, over the frozen hills below him, and he sighed graciously as he took in the province. He turned to Cura, who approached him to bask in the view momentarily, as well. "I have to say, I'm rather surprised at how much the adventurer life seems to be growing on me." the Imperial stroke the scruff on his chin. "Exciting things tend not to happen to the Flavius family. Not many of us, anyway."
"Really?" Cura asked.
"I mean, mother fought in the Great War, granted, and then of course there was old Octavius, way back in the Second Era..." Lucien began to slowly redact his point, though he quickly painted a blander picture. "But the rest of us tend to live really quite unremarkable lives. I'm rather chuffed to be the odd one out."
Cura gently patted him on the shoulder in a friendly and consoling gesture. "Well. you're the most remarkable Flavius I know."
Granted, he was also the only Flavius she knew.
"Ha! Well you're not wrong there. But thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, however vacuously true it may be." Lucien responded in kind.
"You may be odd, but I like you." Cura chuckled. With him, Inigo, and Serana around, it surely was never dull around. Cura wondered then what she contributed to the group, aside from being the common denominator.
"Aw, I like you to." Lucien almost sung it before realizing that he was sliding backwards. "Not in a weird way. I just... you know. You're not too bad."
Cura scoffed lightly. "Good to hear. If I were bad, I shudder to think of how Alduin would see me."
Lucien had no argument to counter that. If she were bad, morally, then she'd most likely beat Alduin at his job. If she were incompetent, Skyrim would implode upon itself, probably.
Thankfully, she was good, on all accounts. Not stellar, but good was all they could hope for at this point.
"Let's get back on the trail." Lucien said as he descended the small peak, and Cura followed suit.
After about an hour's travel over the treacherous landscape, the group found themselves gazing down upon an open pit with excavation scaffolding and wizards utilizing Storm Atronachs and Frost Atronachs to clear away rubble and break stone and dirt.
As Cura and her friends walked across the tight wooden platforms and bridges, they descended to the bottom, where there stood Tolfdir before an Ancient Nordic metal door, reminiscent of the one leading into Ruunvald. From this detail, Cura could extrapolate that it must have been constructed around the same time. Maybe Ruunvald was near in age to Saarthal.
Serana marveled at the sight of it, herself. "Wow... I've seen architecture like this before, in my time. This place was the first Human settlement in Skyrim."
Lucien nodded. "And according to some folks, Tamriel. But with these legends you can never really know. They're often marred with propaganda and alternate retellings from various angles. I think it'd be good to see for ourselves why it was that the Elves attacked the Nords."
Cura cringed at the thought of it. Why it was that the Elves attacked the Nords. The mere thought made her feel icky inside.
Tolfdir noticed the band of merry adventurers approach and addressed them. "And here we all are. Shall we step inside?"
Cura spoke on behalf of the group. "I think we're all ready. Let's go."
"All right, please stay close to me while we're inside. It should be safe, but it's always better to be cautious." Tolfdir forewarned as he cracked open the large doors. A vacuum wave nearly pulled the group inside, as violent winds whirled around them.
Once they set foot inside, the storming gales pushed close the doors behind them with a loud slam!
Cura exchanged a glance with Inigo, who stood close by as she walked behind Tolfdir through the narrow cavernous passageway. It was cold and damp, and water droplets from melting permafrost fell upon the enterers.
Lucien took a few steps into the dungeon and rubbed his nose to stop its tingling. "So, this must be Saarthal. Decrepit, webby, and dusty. Just lovely."
Serana tapped Cura on the shoulder. "Keep your guard up - just as with any Nordic ruin we delve into."
Cura nodded in agreement. "Draugr could lurk around any corner."
"Oh, don't say that!" Inigo shuddered. "I do not like those things one bit!"
"Don't worry, Inigo - my Circle of Protection will keep you safe should we encounter any." Cura reassured her friend. "Plus, I have Dawnbreaker!" She held up Meridia's sacred sword, reminding them that the dead had more to fear than they did.
"Err, Cura?" Serana raised a hand. "Maybe not in these tight quarters?" She called attention to the fact that she was also among the Undead.
Cura's jaw hung open for a second. "Oh, right! I... I actually forgot that. Well, I could use one of the Spells Colette taught me, like Meridia's Wrath, so I could focus the light into a controlled beam of energy."
"Fine, you could do that." Serana nodded. "I'll just take care to stay in the back. Whether you do or not, Meridia doesn't discriminate between me and Draugr. It will certainly hurt."
Tolfdir stopped walking once they reached the top of the interior excavation site, and he stood atop the inner scaffolding."Well, are there any questions before we begin?"
"What's so important about this place?" Cura asked. "I know Saarthal has great historical relevance, but what does this have to do with our studies?"
"We're particularly interested in the prevalence of magical seals placed on the tombs here. It's rather unlike anything we've encountered." Tolfdir expressed his intrigue concerning the place.
"Wait... we're not robbing graves, are we?" Cura raised an ethical concern. "I don't think..."
Serana ducked under the red tape and cut to the chase. "What are we looking for?"
"Anything! Anything at all that might be of interest. That's why I adore this location... we have no idea what we're going to find." Tolfdir's enthusiasm was all over the place, as was his bitter chastisement. "And if, along the way, my message about the dangers of magic should happen to sink in for a few students, that would be a happy coincidence."
"Would you mind not looking at J'zargo when you say this?" the gray Khajiit expressed his displeasure as Tolfdir stole a glance at him in particular.
Cura sighed and stood directly before the professor. "I don't have any more questions. What would you like me to do?"
"Ah, yes. Hmmm. Well, why don't you see if you can assist Arniel Gane? He's one of our scholars, here working on cataloging our finds. I expect he'd appreciate some help in locating any additional magical artifacts here in the ruins. Any enchanted items will do; the usefulness of the enchantment is irrelevant. If you find anything, the class can look it over." Tolfdir handed out the general task as he stole some paces ahead of the group and began to descend into the ruins proper. "That goes to all of you."
Lucien whispered to Brelyna. "Tolfdir definitely has... unconventional teaching styles."
"Yes, but he's still our professor, so I guess we just have to deal with it." Brelyna responded harshly as she walked faster to keep up with the old Nord.
Tolfdir spun around and quickly addressed the Dunmer, as he'd forgotten moments prior. "Brelyna, my dear, why don't you search for warding magics. Anything designed to keep people out. Don't interact with them, just identify them. All right, everyone. Let's be careful, but have fun!"
"Yeah... fun." J'zargo slumped.
Onmund walked closer to Cura and expressed his discomfort. "I'm not so sure we should be here."
Cura could understand the sentiment, but she was curious to what he wanted to say on the subject. "You're not happy about being here?"
"No. There's no chance anyone in authority approved this. Our ancestors should be allowed to rest in peace." Onmund decreed as he sulked.
He could tell she was half-Nord? Well, it wasn't much of a surprise. The Altmer could see she was half-Altmer, after all.
Cura made sure to speak lowly so that Tolfdir could not hear her. "Why do you think we're here?"
"Hopefully we can learn something from the experience. How the ancient Nords used magic, maybe even what happened to this place." Onmund mused as he gestured with open arms outstretched into the cluttered mess of giant stone pillars and stairs, and rubble and destroyed statues and workspaces that surrounded them from top to bottom under the murky torchlight.
"It is a shame, what happened here..." Cura agreed, empathizing with those who were butchered in these halls aeons past.
"Can you imagine what it was like, living here so long ago? The first men in Tamriel, here..." Onmund expressed wonder as he continued to eyeball their surroundings. He then nervously chuckled as he placed both his arms in their opposing sleeves when he crossed his arms across his chest. "I wonder if everyone else would be so happy to rifle through the bones of their ancestors."
Cura cringed lightly. "I don't enjoy the thought of it. I'm not going to be opening any sarcophagi. I'll just search around the rubble."
"Why do you have qualms with looting the tombs?" Onmund asked. "Is it a religious thing?"
"Not exactly." Cura responded. "The dead do not need their gold, or their treasures. It does not go with you. My reasons are more that there could be curses upon objects buried with the dead, or just for the sake of general decency, I would refrain from it."
"You're really weird sometimes." Onmund shook his head as he weaved around her and continued down the spiral staircase that arced around one of the large, circular pillars.
Brelyna and Serana walked behind them, and Serana mused by her surroundings to her Dunmer acquaintance. "This place is old. Like, really old. Much older than myself, even."
Brelyna seemed mostly unimpressed, but more than a little somber as they traversed the tricky platforming. She noticed Lucien carefully meandering about, watching every step he took. She decided to take a crack at him. "This is better than sitting around talking about magic, don't you think?"
Lucien tried to ignore his anxiety. "Are you nervous about being here?"
"Why? Because it's old, and full of dead things? Clearly you've never spent any time in Morrowind." Brelyna said with an amused laugh before her attention was diverted upon seeing a human skull staring at her between two stones in the wall, separated from its body. The dark elf felt a little bit out of place here. "To think, my ancestors destroyed the homes of Onmund's ancestors. So much bloodshed." She looked down at her Nord friend, who was further down on the ground floor with Cura, Inigo, and J'zargo and she felt a little ashamed.
It seemed strange to have a Dunmer in Saarthal with Nords and Humans, considering what the Elves had done during the Night of Tears.
But she and Onmund were friends, and the past could stay where it belonged, and all its troubles with it. She didn't care that he was a Nord, and that she was a Dunmer. They were all friends here; even with J'zargo. And with Serana, Inigo, Lucien, and Cura.
She then looked at Cura. She'd seen her without her hood; she may pose as one, but she was no Breton. She was a hybrid between an Altmer and a Human. A true Manmer. How did she feel being at the site where her ancestors fought themselves? Her blood against her blood. It must be difficult to fathom for her.
If only Brelyna knew.
Cura carried the blood of Ysgramor himself in her veins.
Cura herself had conflicted emotions on this place; it was true that through her father, Ysgramor was her ancestor. She was a member of the Companions in the Fourth Era. She was also a descendant of the elves he hated so much. Follower of Stendarr, the apologist of men, and Meridia, patroness of the Ayleids. Standing on this defiled ground, tainted by the bloodstains of her ancestry was a tad overwhelming.
The connection she felt ran deep through her bones and pierced her mixed blood. The discomfort gnawed at her from within.
Why?
Why did the elves hate the humans so much?
Why did they massacre the Nord people within this place?
She could not understand it. How did things come to be this way? And even now, with the Aldmeri Dominion and the Great War, it would appear that same hatred moored itself over the surface of the land even to this very day.
Inigo walked beside Cura and pointed at their Imperial friend. "Lucien smells frightened, my friend. It is good to know he takes this place seriously." He shuddered and began to whine as he ducked under suspending cobwebs as they turned the corner. "Why are we here? I already got scars in a place like this. I do not wish to earn any more."
Cura gently shook his shoulder. "You've got a Humanoid Dragon beside you. If you see any Draugr, point to them and I'll make short work of them, I promise."
After a few seconds passed, Inigo had a naughty idea. He saw J'zargo off in the distance searching in the pitch dark for anything interesting. The Blue Khajiit traded his cheeky grin for a look of terror as he thrust his finger forward towards J'zargo's silhouette in the blackness. "DRAUGR!"
Cura immediately spun her face in that direction. "FUS RO DAH!" A violent torrent of wind blasted through the ruins, clearing debris out of the way, and slamming J'zargo into the wall and causing him to ricochet and fly backwards and slide across the floor.
"My word! Was that the Voice?" Tolfdir clenched his chest as his heart began to race within its confines.
Cura quickly began to fire lightning bolts to follow up, and fortunately missed with both of them when she realized that it was an ally. "Gasp! J'zargo?!"
"Oops. My mistake." Inigo played the fool as J'zargo pulled himself up onto his feet.
"Does this one have rocks in her head?!" J'zargo exclaimed angrily as he charged up elemental bolts in both hands.
"Now, now! It was an honest mistake! No fighting amongst ourselves, please." Tolfdir intervened quickly, diffusing the potential fight.
"An honest mistake?!" J'zargo exclaimed in frustrated disbelief. "Is this one so bat-blind that she cannot see a Khajiit searching the rubble?"
Tolfdir clapped his hands together and summoned a Magelight, which he casted into the darkness, illuminating that corner of the ruins. "There. Now, everyone, I want you to do the same. Hopefully we can avoid killing each other on this expedition."
The group followed suit, casting Magelights into the shadows and turning the dark cavern into a Saturalia hall.
"I'm sorry, J'zargo." Cura apologized humbly. "I didn't mean to do it, I promise."
"J'zargo knows you cannot help yourself, and so he will forgive this once." the proud Khajiit dismissed the gaffe. "But only this once, and never again." He walked on ahead.
Cura sighed and then turned around and glared angrily at Inigo. "Why, Inigo? Why did you make me do that?"
"I thought it would be amusing." the blue Khajiit confessed awkwardly. "Everything here is so tense! I only wanted to lighten things a bit with some humour."
"Then go back to telling jokes!" Cura snapped at him angrily and stomped away.
Eventually, she came upon a small cavern, where Arniel Gane stood over a table, pouring over a basket filled with old parts of undiscernible objects. "I'll be amazed if we find anything useful here." he muttered to himself as Cura approached him from behind and tapped him on the shoulder, causing the Breton man to jump."Sheor's Bones!"
"Sorry about that, Arniel." Cura attempted to calm his throbbing heart. "Tolfdir sent me to help you."
"What? Ah, yes. You. I remember you." Arniel hadn't exactly gotten around to conversing with Cura, but he did enjoy much of the desserts at her birthday party the day before. Clearing his throat, he regained his composure. "You're going to help? That's fine. Just... Just don't make a mess of my work. I've only looked through a portion of this section. You, uh, you can look around in the chambers just north of here. Try and be careful, all right? We don't want to damage anything." He waved her off to his right, gesturing towards the cell-like nooks in the cavern wall not too far off in the distance.
Cura looked out of the cranny and could see her fellow classmates and friends below searching for other objects, and she continued onwards to the small area Arniel guided her to and began to scrounge about, herself. There was nothing really noteworthy, just a few enchanted rings laying about, and ruins of old beds and living spaces buried under stone, surrounded by dust and decrepit bones.
Cura wiped some of the dust off a collapsed stone and pried it off the ground, and tossed it backwards without thinking.
"Whoa! Be careful!" Lucien's voice exclaimed from behind her, as he narrowly stepped out of the stone's way. He then conjured up a Magelight and tossed it onto the nearby wall, illuminating their surroundings. "Gosh, maybe I'll have to revoke your nickname, Candle. You sure like to work in the dark."
"I find it a little more comforting, in some weird way." Cura expressed her odd choice of surroundings. "I can be sure that if I can't see my foe, then they most likely can't see me, either. It feels oddly... peaceful. Like I can work without being ambushed."
"Cura." Lucien's tone dropped. "We're all friends here. You don't need to be evasive with us around."
The half-Elf nodded. "No, you're right. You're right... it's just..." she hadn't quite found a proper way to articulate it, but she would try and make her case regardless, through improvised speech. "I feel some strange aura about this place. I'm not welcome here. I'm human, but I'm elf. I... don't know how to put it, exactly..."
"Ohhhh, I see." Lucien discerned her gibberish. "You feel ill at ease due to your mixed heritage in the face of the infamous massacre and centuries of hatred between men and mer that resulted from this conflict."
"I... yes. Yes, that's it." Cura agreed with his judgment. "Whatever may be left behind here does not welcome me."
"You're the sum of centuries of enmity." it dawned on Lucien. "I mean, Elves and Humans mixing is not a new phenomenon. The Direnni Elves in High Rock experimented with such, creating the Bretons we all know and love."
Cura nodded. "Only it wasn't as gentle as you made it sound. Again. Men and Mer. Hatred. Conflict." She waved towards the environment around them. "It may have all started here."
Lucien gently took Cura's hand. "Then whatever it is, maybe we're here to solve it. What do you say, Candle? Want to solve the mystery behind Saarthal with me?"
Cura smiled as her qualms slowly subsided. "Sure, Lucien. Sure."
'They attempted to keep it buried, but the elves learned of it and coveted it for themselves. Thus they assaulted Saarthal, their goal not to drive the Nords out but to secure this power for themselves.'
Nearby, Cura saw Brelyna touch the walls in the many-chambered excavation pit, running her hand along the grooves in the stone. "I'm not seeing any signs of warding magics at all. Either they're not here, or they were removed long ago."
Serana shook her head. "I can sense something... but it's much deeper inside. I can't quite put my finger on it..." she looked at Cura, who was scavenging the ground for any objects of interest. "Let's just be careful, all right?"
Cura agreed. "Of course."
Serana shook her head. "Don't say 'of course' when I know you'll be the first one getting into trouble."
"That's not true; we have Inigo and J'zargo here." Cura said with a cordial grin. "I have some good competition on that front."
Serana scoffed. "After what happened earlier, I'm not so sure."
Cura furrowed her brow, and Brelyna quickly changed the subject. "So, Cura, what do you think about Saarthal?"
Cura crossed her arms and pondered for a second. "I hate it." She walked past Serana and Brelyna to return to Arniel with the enchanted rings she'd found.
"This was all I could find. " Cura laid the rings down onto the table in front of the old man.
Arniel's face fell as he looked at the unremarkable jewelry. He took a damp cloth and scrubbed some of the dust off of one, allowing its silver to glisten under his hung lantern. "I see. It probably doesn't even matter now, what with the mess that's been made in here. I'll add this to the rest of the items. I don't think there's anything further I need from you."
"Are you certain?" Cura asked.
"Positive." Arniel responded. "The exact nature of my research is a secret, I'm afraid, but it really is quite valuable."
Cura understood. "Very well. I guess I'll just look around. Do some sightseeing in this Godsforsaken place."
"Just take care not to damage anything!" Arniel exclaimed as she headed out. He turned his attention back to the collection of clutter before him and placed a hand on his forehead. "It's going to take forever to sift through all this."
Inigo walked up to Serana, who was examining the body of a collapsed Draugr in the chamber past the supposed living spaces they'd been investigating so far. "Why do the dead have glowing eyes? The lights may be on but no-one is home."
"You mean Draugrs, right?" Serana looked back up at Inigo as she focused her attention. She wanted clarification, lest she take offense.
"Yes." Inigo stated bluntly as he kicked the defiled undead out of his path before following Serana, who was following Cura and Lucien into a small room.
Cura's eyes were immediately caught by a strange distorted energy field. She saw what appeared to be a decorative Amulet hanging on the wall, emitting energy. It was flat and rectangular in its shape, and had strange ornamental pieces threaded throughout.
Her first instinct was to grab the thing, which then caused iron bars to drop down behind herself and her friends with a loud smashing sound.
Serana placed a hand on her brow and sighed. "I can't say I'm surprised. I warned you, Cura."
Cura looked at it. "Well... I..." She meant to say she'd never seen anything like it before, but the words evaded her.
Lucien looked at the Amulet with awe. "Wait... this caused that?" he pointed to the energy field that remained on the wall nearby. "You thought it wise to stick your hand in a magical barrier?"
Cura shrugged. "I thought I'd have some resistance to it, which I did."
"That's a very dangerous game you're playing." Serana exclaimed. "But, oh, look at the bright side. You've defeated Inigo and J'zargo."
Cura rolled her eyes in response to the sarcasm directed on her. "Well, it had to happen sooner or later, I guess."
Tolfdir approached the bars from the other side, and Inigo clung to the bars, pretending to be a frantic prisoner. "Help me, old Nord man! I am captured and I must be released!"
"What in the world was that racket? Everything all right?" Tolfdir wanted to see if everyone on the other side was still alive. This attracted Onmund, Brelyna, and J'zargo's attention, as well.
"Whoa, these idiots got themselves captured! Hahaha! This is what happens when you do not bring J'zargo along!" J'zargo laughed mockingly.
"I wouldn't laugh if I were you." Lucien retorted back. "You tried to challenge a Dragonborn Breton to a magic duel. That blunder outdoes this by a longshot."
Cura walked close to the bars and showed the strange medallion to Tolfdir. "I pulled an amulet off the wall, and this happened."
"Really? Perhaps the amulet is important somehow. Is there some way you can use it?" Tolfdir scratched his beard as he watched in awe.
"I... I hope it's not cursed." Onmund stated, beginning to wonder on what Cura had said earlier. "Don't put it on!"
Lucien took the Amulet from Cura's hands. "Don't trouble yourself, Candle. You look much better in the Drinking Horn of Stendarr, anyway," He quickly slipped it over his head, much to everybody's horror and awe.
Suddenly, the ward on the wall began to crackle and sputter like a broken electric generator, and Serana moved as far from it as she could in their limited enclosed space.
Brelyna bit her thumbnail nervously as Onmund and J'zargo watched with great surprise.
Tolfdir called immediate attention to the correlation between the instances. "Do you see that? Some kind of resonance... you and the wall. It must be connected to the amulet! I wonder... what effect might your spells have?"
Inigo grunted as he squeezed between Cura and Lucien and leaned against the furthest wall behind a natural pillar. "Oh, hell no!"
Serana backed as far off as she possibly could, and turned away, and covered her ears.
"Do it! Do it! Do it!" J'zargo clamoured.
Cura stood beside Lucien and pulled Spellbreaker out to guard her friend from any magical rebound. "All right, go for it, Lucien."
The Imperial nodded and launched a lightning bolt into the wall and its sputtering ward, causing the stone to explode and the pieces of it to fly around in many directions. The porticulis bars lifted and the group was free to exit two ways: the way they came, or to advance further in.
Cura and Lucien looked at one another and nodded.
They were definitely going in.
"Tolfdir, did you see that?" Lucien called to the professor's attention.
"Well would you look at that! This appears to lead somewhere. Let's see where it goes." Tolfdir invited the class through the gaping hole in the wall.
Serana tapped Cura on the shoulder. "I was always taught to avoid these types of ruins. I think I see why, now."
The next area held dead Draugr wrapped in linen lining the floors, as well as deliberate pathways and overturned sarcophagi. Tolfdir had his own thoughts on it. "Well, this is highly unusual. And very interesting. Why in the world would this be sealed off? What is this place? I'm not sure what to expect here. Please be on your guard."
"Oh, I just can't wait to have my eyes gouged out by Draugr. Really." Lucien shuddered.
J'zargo summoned fire in his hands, ready for anything, and Brelyna and Onmund followed suit.
They continued onwards until they reached a small room with what appeared to be a strategy table in the center with three sarcophagi in the north, west, and east enclaves of the room. It looked a dead end to most, but Cura knew from being in these kinds of ruins before that there had to be more to it.
Little did she expect, however, what would next occur.
Time itself began to slow as Cura found herself in a liquified space, where she could see everyone around her slow to a stop and the world grew a cold blue hue. "Wh...what...?"
A strange Altmer made himself manifest before her; he wore hooded robes of white and beige cloth and lined with red and silver accents. He held out a hand towards Cura and pointed at her, and her alone. "Hold, mage, and listen well... Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgment has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you. This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. Take great care, and know that the Order is watching."
"The Psijic..." no sooner did the words escape the befuddled Breton's mouth than the monk vanished into thin air and time resumed like normal. The coffin lid against the wall collapsed in front of her and a dead Draugr lay face-first on the ground and another tunnel opened behind it.
"Whoa! That was strange." Serana exclaimed, having felt something out of the ordinary while the others looked on confused.
Tolfdir noticed it, as well. "I... I swear I felt something rather strange just then. What just happened?" though the old man was mostly outgoing and positive, even in the face of uncertainty, he could not hide the fear in his eyes this time around.
"Some sort of ghost or apparition appeared. It spoke to me." Cura stated.
Onmund rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! You expect us to believe that?"
Inigo defended his friend swiftly. "I believe her! After all of the bizarre things we have seen - ghosts included - I have no reason to doubt it!"
"Indeed. We should hear her out." Brelyna agreed.
"I'm afraid I didn't see anything... Can you tell me more about what you saw?" Tolfdir asked.
"I felt it too, Cura. I didn't see it, but I felt something change." Serana informed her.
"Thank you." Cura expressed gratitude to her faithful friends before continuing. "He said something about danger ahead, and the Psijic Order."
"What was... that? You talked to the Psijic Order?" Serana could not fathom how remarkable such a thing could be. Surprise lined her face and her voice dropped in awe.
"The Psijic Order? Are you quite sure about that? That's very odd. And danger ahead? Why that doesn't make any sense at all." Tolfdir furrowed his brows with sheer skepticism. "The Psijics have no connection to these ruins. And no one's seen any of their order in a long time."
Inigo raised his hand. "What's the Psijic Order? Is it like an exclusive party club for wizards?"
Everybody else looked at him, befuddled.
Serana shook her head. "No! They're... an ancient order. Of elven wizards. I've heard of them... even back in my day. I didn't think they'd still be around - especially after I'd heard about what happened to Artaeum." She looked to Cura again. "I wonder why they only spoke to you too - and not Tolfdir and I."
"They were a group of mages with history that pre-dates the Empire." Tolfdir elaborated. "Very powerful, very secretive. No one's seen them in well over a hundred years. They vanished, along with their sanctuary on the Isle of Artaeum. I have no idea what connection they'd have to this place."
Cura could see excitement on Lucien's face; as though he was itching to add something. "What do you know about the Psijic Order, Lucien?" She offered him a gateway.
"I'm familiar with a little of their history - not that there's much to be found. They're reallt quite mysterious." Lucien admitted, but since he had a platform, he decided he'd use it. "What I can tell you is that it was started by a group of Altmer rebels who settled in Artaeum, away from the main group in Summerset and Auridon. Their magic is extremely powerful - to the point that they're able to make their entire island vanish from Nirn at will."
Brelyna crossed her arms. "House Telvanni would certainly relish power like that."
Lucien continued. "Members of note include Sotha Sil, Divayth Fyr, Vanus Galerion, who started the Mages Guild, and, of course, Mannimarco, the King of Worms. The main point is - the Psijics are a big deal. For them to be involved with this probably means there's more going on here than any of us understand."
"Happy birthday, Cura." Serana nudged her friend humorously. "I'll bet this was something you hadn't wished for."
"There are a lot of things I haven't wished for." Cura responded dryly. "Let's just keep moving." She took the lead and stepped through the small craggy tunnels. After some distance, Cura turned back to her professor for guidance. "Why is the Psijic Order contacting me?"
"I have no idea, but it's fascinating. Assuming it's true, of course." the old Nord still disclaimed his skepticism. "The Isle of Artaeum disappeared over a hundred years ago, and no one has seen them since. And yet now, suddenly, they have chosen to contact you? Why, it's intriguing! If nothing else, I'd take it as a compliment. The Psijics have only ever dealt with those they feel worthy."
"I guess it's because I'm Dragonborn. It always seems to be." Cura sighed.
If she weren't, her life would hardly be so eventful.
You alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. What disaster? Could she prevent it? She hoped she could, but without more to go on, it felt overwhelming.
J'zargo scoffed in annoyance. "Yes, because this one is soooo special!" He spat bitterly on the floor.
"Don't start that again." Serana pointed at the cat threateningly.
"J'zargo could care less anymore. He does not need to be tied to prophecy to be great." J'zargo sneered as the group continued moving onwards.
Cura walked ahead of the group. She would be judged for her actions? By who, the Psijics? By what authority?
She shook it off. There were other issues at hand for the moment, and she had a great deal of experience with the Undead, and as a Vigilant of Stendarr, could deal with them appropriately, if in a moderate group. As well, she was just itching to put her magic to more use than just healing. She headed past Tolfdir and pushed open a cobweb-blighted door and revealed a large, round room with a bridge over the center, a couple of pull chains on the walls and beside the door, lit candles, a water grate on the floor, and many, many sarcophagi lining the walls.
"Does the air feel... heavy down here? Somehow, it's not helping my confidence at all." Serana shuddered.
"A vampire is afraid of an old crypt?" Onmund stated in disbelief.
"Hey, just because I'm undead, it doesn't mean I enjoy the company of other undead." Serana justified herself. "Besides, if you could sense what I'm sensing... you wouldn't feel comfortable, either."
Tolfdir drank in their surroundings and marveled. "I've never seen anything like this in Nordic ruins before. Why, just look at all these coffins! This bears closer inspection. I'd like to stay a while and examine this. You, however, should press on. See if you can find whatever this vision of yours mentioned. But if it is truly dangerous, be careful. Go on ahead. I'll be sure and catch up with you before long."
After catching up to Cura, Inigo observed the long line of sarcophagi leading around the circular subterranean room they were in and shuddered. He tapped his friend on the shoulder to get her attention. Swallowing hard, the Khajiit wondered. "Where did the ancient Nords bury their children?"
Cura furrowed her brows in response. Though, there did only seem to be adult Draugr. Perhaps they were merciful enough to not condemn their children to such a cruel eternity.
"Why did I say that?" Inigo slapped himself in the forehead in fearful frustration. "If a little dead girl appeared I'd probably perform an evasive suicide."
Cura scoffed. "Oh, Inigo, calm down! You've faced Vampires! Don't be afraid of some rotten old Draugr!" As soon as she moved towards the door, metal bars dropped down in front of it.
As if on cue, the coffin lids plummeted to the floor, kicking up dust, and Draugr began to grunt as they woke to the sounds of mockery and intrusion.
"Oh. How lovely." Onmund reacted accordingly as their ancient ancestors began to pour out their wrath upon the group.
"Bolog aaz, mal lir!" One of the Draugr spat as he shuffled towards Cura with his battleaxe.
"Kii wah kii, viiz wah viiz!" Cura retorted as she summoned Meridia's Wrath and a long, focused laser emitted from her left hand, scorching the undead and then burning into the others as she moved her hand along with focus.
"Whoa! What did she say?" Lucien asked as he took out his journal.
Cura took a moment to address him. "The Draugr called me a worm, and I said 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust'. You're welcome." She quickly deflected another block from a Draugr war axe, and Serana cast a Fireball at the zombie.
Inigo stood at the far back and gestured to Cura. "Cura, now would be a good time for your Draugr-warding circle thing!" He leapt backwards to dodge another wrathful undead and knocked J'zargo over as he was casting Unbound Fire on the enemy, distracting the gray Khajiit.
Cura made her way to her friend quickly and cast the Circle of Protection on the ground.
Tolfdir gestured towards his students. "Have no fear - use your Oakflesh, or your Stoneflesh!" He himself was surrounded with a turquoise-hued aura and his flesh was of stone. He cast fireballs towards the small horde, as well.
Brelyna summoned a Frost Atronach the way Serana had instructed way back, and the ice golem began to smack the undead around.
Onmud cast a healing spell on Cura, who had taken a couple of slashes. "Here, thought you might want to remember your health." He then quickly brought up a Ward to protect himself from the icy onslaught from a Draugr Mage.
"Thanks, Onmund." Cura expressed as she cleaved a Draugr's head off with her shield.
Onmund smiled as he summoned a Bound Sword and began to clash with the dead wizard before ramming it through its chest.
Lucien snuck up from behind a Draugr as his Invisibility wore off and he slit its throat, rendering the corpse dead, once again. "Nighty-night!"
Inigo fired Flame Arrows into the forehead of another with gleeful giggles, emboldened by Cura's Circle of Protection. "Ha... hehehe... ha, HAHAHA! You are not going to use my face as your personal scratching post!" He quickly nocked and fired another at one of the others.
Eventually, the battle concluded and the group, per Tolfdir's request, decided to take a moment to rest.
Lucien began to sing to himself as he sat down in an area where no dead Draugr lay. "Oh, there once was a hero named Lucien the snug, who was really quite scared and in need of a hug..."
Cura decided to sit down beside him, and she laid her shield on the floor for the moment as she began to relax. She cast a healing spell on his seemingly bleeding shoulder.
"Oooh, I love how that tickles!" Lucien expressed his joy towards the golden light. "I'd take Heal Other over Welling Blood any day. Know what I mean, Candle?"
"Oh, yes." Cura recalled Colette's harsh lesson quickly. Once she finished up, she moved her neck and shoulders to relieve tension. She'd spent so much time studying magic that her muscles had forgotten how to stay sharp.
"Ooh, I get that too sometimes." Lucien informed her. "I... know a good massage, if you don't mind."
Cura furrowed her brows for a moment, but relented. "All right. Thank you." She turned her back to him and leaned forward.
Lucien crossed his arms. "The thing about a massage is that it can't be done through armour. Do you mind?"
"Right." Cura awkwardly reached her hand under the top of her robe and loosened the armour's shoulder straps, allowing the cuirass to slide down. She then unfastened the shoulder surcape of her Apprentice robes, moving the leather out of the way. Her robe was going to stay on, however.
Lucien gripped her shoulders with both hands and began to rub the tense point near her neck. "Oh, gosh... you really don't do any stretches at all, do you?" he asked.
"Not really." Cura admitted. It felt very good; though slightly painful.
Serana and Brelyna seemed to chuckle as the Dunmer pointed to the Imperial and the 'Breton' in the corner.
J'zargo himself watched, slack-jawed.
Cura closed her eyes and allowed the relief to pass through her upper body as tightened muscles began to unknot themselves.
"Wow... you must have had many injuries in your life..." Lucien marveled. "Does it hurt?"
"No, it's fine; thank you, Lucien." Cura moved her shoulder in a circular motion and heard a popping sound.
Perhaps something residual from her battle back in the Redwater Spring.
"Tell me about Octavius." Cura wondered about this mysterious ancestor Lucien had brought up hours ago. Since she'd been here, all she could think about was the past and all that occurred in that time, what with her ancestry and all. It would be fascinating to learn of one of her friends'.
Inigo did not know his heritage, per se, and Serana was basically her own ancestor if they divide the generations by time - and she knew Harkon and Valerica directly. Lucien, however, hadn't spoken much about his family beyond his parents and lack of siblings.
"He was an ancestor of mine! To be precise, my great great great great great great... ever so many greats... but eventually grandfather." Lucien stated. "Nice chap. The first great Flavius adventurer! That we have on record, anyway. He was around in the Second Era. Got involved in all sorts of things - the Alliance War, Molag Bal's Planemeld, a disproportionate amount of crocodile fighting..." He continued to push against Cura's knotted upper back. It was clear she had undergone many trials along her way.
But, so too did he, and Inigo, and Serana. They all grew so much together in the short time they've known each other.
He continued to think on his ancestor. "His diaries aren't in the best state, to be honest, so we don't know all that many details on just how involved he was. And also, he strikes me as being somewhat prone to... shall we say narrative embellishment? Not something you'd ever catch me doing, of course." If Cura squinted her eyes, she could see the halo appear above his head. He continued. "What we do know is he went on a lot of adventures, so I'm delighted to be giving him a run for his money."
Cura grunted as he hit a sharp spot, and the Imperial backed off. "Oh! Sorry, Candle - didn't mean to be a pain in the neck."
"He cannot help himself." Inigo laughed from some distance away as he sat atop the small decorative bridge in the center of the room.
"Oh, shut up, Inigo!" Lucien scolded him as he finished up the massage.
"My friend, did you expect a massage today?" Inigo laughed.
"No, but it was very much needed." Cura expressed her gratitude by handing Lucien an Amethyst before she reached under her robe and refastened her Spell Knight Armour underneath her robes. It was tricky, but she was getting the hang of it.
"Oooh, shiny! This should fetch a pretty penny!" Lucien examined the stone gleefully.
"Where did you find an amethyst?" Inigo asked Cura.
Cura shrugged her shoulders. "Probably in one of the caverns we've visited in the past, I guess. Maybe Dimhollow Crypt or even Bleak Falls Barrow, for all I know." Truly, she had it sitting in her satchel for months, with various other stones and gold, and a few books and ingredients. It was all far beyond her scope of memory.
Eventually, when the rest stop ended, Onmund yanked the pull chain on the wall and the bars over the door receded. "If you lovebirds are ready, we're heading out."
Lucien and Cura both blushed, and Cura quickly headed to the door. The group followed quickly.
"This Nord ruin goes deeper than I thought. If I were a betting woman I'd say something is either being guarded, or trapped here." Serana proclaimed as they entered yet another large empty hall past the doors. "That usually is the case with these kind of ruins, right?" She seemed to drop a hint towards their first meeting.
Cura nodded. "I hope whatever it is is as friendly as you, Serana." She gave her mace a twirl to loosen her wrist as she walked ahead.
Inigo began to bite his claws nervously. "What if my fleas die here? Will I have a bunch of zombie parasites living on me? Oh Gods."
J'zargo hissed at him. "Stop! Do not jinx us!"
After an hour of meandering through twisting and turning halls that descended deeper and deeper, and fighting off many more Draugr along the way, Cura stepped first into a large antechamber. She stood on a platform above with crooked wooden support beams extending to the ceiling and two wooden stair ramps descending two separate ways downwards. She could see an odd turquoise-hued light illuminating the entire area.
When everyone gathered closer they moved forward and could make out the source of the light as being a ginormous teal-coloured orb with black marking surrounding its form. A powerful turquoise barrier surrounded it like a powerful vortex.
"Well now... would you look at that. I never imagined we'd find something like this. Why is this buried so far within Saarthal?" Tolfdir remarked as he looked the object in the back up and down from his place.
Below was a Draugr with a black, horned helmet sitting on a chair before a table with his head down. It immediately turned its head upwards and saw the group.
"Oh, no." Lucien shuddered.
"FUS RO DAH!" the Draugr shouted with its violent, raspy voice. A violent wind tunnel destroyed the platform they stood on, causing the group to fly against the walls and drop to the floor both.
Cura quickly scrambled to her feet and responded in kind, throwing her head up. "FUS RO DAH!" her own violent air vaccuum swept the Draugr off his feet.
Being their first time witnessing it in close combat, the Winterhold students were awestruck by the power of the Thu'um.
"The Ancient Nord art." Tolfdir expressed his respect for the old magics. He saw that the undead was already standing back up, and more furious than ever.
Inigo fired a Lightning arrow at it and Serana cast flames. Brelyna summoned a Flame Atronach that joined her in hailing a volley of Firebolts.
Onmund conjured a Bound Sword and began to clash with the fiend, but nothing seemed to damage it.
J'zargo created a Flame Cloak around himself and conjured a Bound Sword, himself and began to attack.
Cura had attacks in mind, but no room to lay any in without harming her allies. That was when she noticed something strange.
Dawnbreaker was pulsating with energy, oddly. She could see teal sparks shooting from its blade and she withdrew it for quick examination as she cast a Circle of Protection around her allies.
She held the sword up towards the floating orb, and the objects seemed to acknowledge one another.
"Meridia?" Cura could only speak the Magna-Ge's name in awe.
Tolfdir became frustrated as he watched his students get knocked to the floor. "Nothing seems to work! Keep it busy. I'll try to drain some of its power!" he grabbed a Staff that he noticed was drawing power from the strange vortex in the back of the room and pointed it at the Draugr, and blasted it. "There! Now attack it!"
Lucien's Elemental Bolt blasted the fiend and caused it to stagger backwards, opening it up to more attacks from Onmund and J'zargo, which it angrily responded with another "FUS!", knocking them backwards and slashing them with a follow-up swing of its waraxe.
Inigo planted an arrow in its shoulder from a safe distance and Lucien and Serana fired icicles to slow it down.
The Draugr momentarily vanished, only to reappear behind Inigo and knocked him off the ledge he stood on and sent the Khajiit tumbling down to the ground. The fiend then cast a Flame Cloak around itself as it teleported to J'zargo and grabbed hold of him, causing the Flame Cloaks to clash and burn them both.
Only difference was the living could feel pain, and J'zargo cried out as his fur caught blaze.
"Let him go!" a Cura fired a Rift Bolt at the fiend, causing its bones to become paralyzed momentarily. It dropped J'zargo to the ground and he began to roll in attempt to extinguish the anguishing flames. Cura left her Circle of Protection and quickly passed Spellbreaker to Serana. "Please, cover yourself, Serana!"
The vampiress did as she was instructed as Cura raced over into the fray to Onmund and J'zargo's aid.
"You bastard!" J'zargo hissed at the undead as his Bound Sword was broken.
A necklace around the Draugr Deathord's neck glistened under the light and Tolfdir cast a Paralysis Rune under its feet, keeping it still before it could bring down its waraxe on J'zargo.
Cura lunged forward with Dawnbreaker and impaled it through the chest, causing the Draugr to scream like a banshee as the Divine light consumed it and a shockwave of blue flame propelled from it.
Serana hid behind the protective barrier of Spellbreaker as Cura requested.
Cura stood there with her blade buried in the fiend's chest and caught her breath.
The Draugr whimpered one final time as it spoke to her: "Hi dreh ni mindok suleyk do faal Miin do Magnus, mey!" His voice was so distorted and raspy that Cura could barely understand him in her best attempt.
"Excuse me?" She asked for clarification, but there was none to be had, as it disintegrated in her hands, leaving only its amulet behind.
J'zargo caught his breath and approached Cura. "You... you saved my life!"
Cura smiled at him. "You've been a pain in my neck, but there was no way I was going to let you be killed."
J'zargo looked to the floor shamefully before returning his gaze to the Half-Elf. "I... I thank you. You really did not have to..."
"I'm not the only one seeing this, am I? Why, this is utterly unique." Tolfdir cut the calm in half as he called attention to the disappeared vortex and the luminous orb that hovered there in the room.
"This. This is it." Serana shuddered. "I feel it just radiating with terrible power."
"Dawnbreaker reacts to it." Cura pointed out as she received Spellbreaker from Serana. She held the sword forward. "It... it must have some kind of Divine power..."
"So this was what the elves tried to kill the Nords for." Onmund mused. "It... it's... different."
"Look at that! Fascinating! Simply fascinating!" Lucien marveled the giant orb.
Cura approached the scholar for insight. "Do you know what this thing is?"
"Oh, I'd have thought it was obvious. It's a big floaty glowing rock." Lucien responded with the obvious. "If you want more than that, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. For once in my life, I'm completely and totally stumped. Isn't that exciting?"
You alone have the potential to prevent disaster.
"No... no, it's not." Cura approached the orb warily as she searched it. "This must be the start of the chain of events..."
"Inigo keeps sniffing me. It's very concerning." Lucien shuddered.
"I smell the fear on you." Inigo expressed. "I am glad I am not the only one."
Cura made a beeline for the professor, but Brelyna beat her to it, and asked. "What is this thing, professor?"
"I have no idea! This is amazing. Absolutely amazing. The Arch-Mage needs to be informed immediately. He needs to see this for himself. I don't dare leave this unattended. Can you return to the College and inform Savos Aren of this discovery? Please, hurry." He tasked Cura with it immediately.
Swallowing hard, the Breton contemplated whether or not this was the right choice, but Serana approached her. "We need to tell the Arch-Mage. If anyone will know what to do about this, it'll be him."
"What should I tell the Arch-Mage?" Cura wanted to be very clear.
"Let him know that we've unearthed something... Well, I'm not sure. Something unique, let's say. It's clearly magical in nature, but like nothing I've ever seen before. He should be most interested." Tolfdir expressed.
Cura agreed. "All right. Let's go, team!" Lucien and Inigo hurried to follow her, but Onmund, Brelyna, and J'zargo elected to stay behind with Tolfdir as extra security.
When the group reached the outside, they wasted no time and Fast Travelled to the College and raced through the Courtyard, into the Hall of Elements, up the stairs, and down the Hall into the Arch-Mage's office, causing a ruckus past Mirabelle's own, alarming the Master Wizard and causing her to spill her paperwork onto the ground.
Cura threw open the Arch-Mage's door and rushed inside.
It was a quaint little room with an Alchemical Garden at the center and an Arcane Enchanter to the east, an Alchemy Table to the west, an entire shelf for Soul gems, a king-sized bed and many shelves, bookshelves, and wardrobes around with a small wall obscuring half of the room past the alchemy garden. Magelights hung in the air above.
The Arch-Mage was seated on a chair, reading a book before looking up to see Cura and her friends approach. "Yes?"
Cura was heaving for air, as she hadn't stopped running since her Fast Travel. Between extended gasps, she spoke. "S-Saarthal... I need.. to speak to you... about... Saarthal."
The Arch-Mage flipped shut his book on his crossed leg and sighed. "Please don't tell me that another one of the apprentices has been incinerated. I have enough to deal with right now."
Lucien took the liberty to continue. "We found some sort of... orb. Tolfdir wanted you to see it."
Cura coughed and nodded to confirm.
"I... see. I trust that Tolfdir will provide a more... specific explanation." the Arch-Mage raised an eyebrow. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Tolfdir normally looks after your little group, yes? Since he's apparently occupied, and I will need to see this discovery for myself, I think perhaps you should begin researching the subject. Speak with Urag in the Arcanaeum. See if he is aware of anything that matches your discovery. And... good work. The next time you find yourself exploring Nordic ruins, perhaps this will be helpful."
He handed each of them bags containing 100 gold coins and he passed Cura a ring with a Magicka enchantment on it.
"Thank you..." Cura exhaled.
Serana walked past her friends and marched up to the Dunmer. She had to know. "Have you ever met with the Psijic Order?"
"Personally? No, not I. One of their number used to advise the Arch-Mage when I was but an Apprentice here. But that was a great many years ago, before all the members of the order were called back to the Isle of Artaeum, and it disappeared entirely." Savos spoke as though it were a disappointing time in his life, expressed through lack of energy.
"What are you doing in here?! You are not to disturb the Arch-Mage! How dare you come thundering through these halls with such flagrant disrespect! I should have you all expelled!" Mirabelle stormed into the chambers and barked at the students.
Savos Aren lifted a hand to signal for her to calm down. "It is all right, Mirabelle. Tolfdir sent them directly to me. It concerns important matters."
Mirabelle was breathing heavily and moved the stray hair that dangled in front of her flustered face back behind her ear. "Oh... I see. My apologies, Arch-Mage." She nodded to the students before heading back out. "Carry on, then."
Lucien exchanged a worried glance with Inigo, who swirled his index finger in a circular motion on the side of his head.
The Arch-Mage continued. "Why are you asking about the Psijic Order?"
Serana thought it best not to go into too much detail. Instead, she would allow Cura to explain however she wanted.
"I... met with one. I think." Cura explained. "Or an apparition of one. He warned me of danger ahead."
"Danger? Hm... nothing new under the sun." Savos scoffed. "Do you know any specific details? That would be most helpful."
Cura shook her head. "I don't think there was enough time for him to explain. Please, be careful, sir."
"You as well, Cura." Savos stated. "Now, return to your affairs."
Cura half-bowed as she dismissed herself and her group followed suit. As they walked down the hallways, the air hung above them with great stillness.
"I wonder what we will be doing with that orb." Inigo mused. "You don't suppose I will be allowed to chase it around the room, will I?"
"Absolutely not." Serana rolled her eyes.
Cura felt every muscle in her body tense up.
She could feel it.
It was unmistakable.
The feeling of dread, when there should be the sensation of triumph.
This new conundrum they would soon face was only just beginning.