Chapter 34: Irene's initiation

[19th – 31st of Second Seed 4E 202]

Our large party had finally managed to get back from the expedition to Raldbthar, and we had brought the three archaeologists back to Whiterun. The three of them needed a few days to recover, and as their main goal was to find a suitable location for a Skyrim branch, they had asked the Jarl for an audience. As Jarl Balgruuf the Greater was currently very busy with both administrative and war related issues, they'd have to wait about a week, but that was fine, as it allowed them plenty of time to get acquainted with the area. Arcadia and Mia were happy, as I had given them a large satchel with many ingredients I had found, and in addition Fiona, Ferwen and I had been able to sell some of the collected valuables to the vendors in Whiterun. Of course I also delivered half of my share to the community chest at the Companions' home.

Meanwhile, an event at Jorrvaskr claimed my attention. Irene, the female Breton, had just returned from her final trial with Aela, and the huntress had confirmed that the Breton was now ready to be a full Companion and no longer a whelp. Normally visitors were not allowed for such celebrations, but Fiona was interested, and her special status gained her access as well; Kodlak himself gave her permission to watch the ceremony as guest of honor, though from the back row.

It seemed to be ages again since Ria and I had been accepted after our trials, and now Fiona and I stood in the background while Kodlak, the Circle members and Irene claimed the center of Jorrvaskr՚s back yard. Hanni and Nanni sat next to me, while Fiona kept her direwolf close to her own side. Most of the other Companions were here as well, with only Athis and Njada being out, and everybody stood to watch when Kodlak started the traditional ritual:

"Brothers and sisters of the Circle, today we welcome a new soul into our mortal fold. This woman has endured, has challenged, and has shown her valor, with both sword and magic. Who will speak for her?"

Aela, who had apparently been her mentor, replied:

"I stand witness to the courage and the values of the soul before us."

Kodlak nodded and continued:

"Would you raise your shield in her defense?"

Aela nodded and responded to that:

"I would stand at her back, that the world might never overtake us."

Kodlak nodded once more and spoke again:

"And would you raise your sword in her honor?"

"That I would, and my sword and bow stand ready to meet the blood of her foes."

"Would you also raise a mug in her name?"

"Indeed I would; I would lead the song of triumph as our mead hall revels in her stories."

"Then the judgment of this Circle is complete. Her heart beats with fury and courage that have united the Companions since the days of the distant green summers. Let it beat with ours, that the mountains may echo and our enemies may tremble at the call!"

Aela quickly replied:

"It shall be so."

The same nodding and confirmation was given by Skjor, Vilkas and Farkas, and that concluded the official part of the ceremony. Vilkas was, as I had heard, not fully happy with Irene's skills, but less because she lacked courage or so but mostly because the Nord disliked her use of magic. The unofficial part was, of course, eating and drinking inside. Being a member of the Companions myself, I was used to that, but I tried to keep my times attending those drinking bouts short. I had to admit that not everybody behaved the same way, though. Torvar was usually getting drunk quickly, but Farkas, that bear of a man, rarely showed signs of inebriation. Nonetheless, Tilma and I were the only ones not drinking mead, ale or wine at all, although some, like Irene and Ria, were only very moderate drinkers. The food was excellent, as always, though somewhat meat heavy; that was, of course, perfectly all right for my Khajiit body and metabolism. There were no vegetarians at Jorrvaskr, and probably very few in all over Skyrim.

During the next few days, I took it easy, spent some time with Fiona to discuss further house plans, and did some more work to earn money. The loot from Raldbthar had helped significantly, and the Dragonborn also donated some of her share to sponsor some of her extra wishes, in particular the tower she insisted to get.

I used the opportunity to visit school once again, this time with Jordis, and we were asked to tell the children a little bit about Dwemer ruins. We had been instructed before by Minolewen, the teacher, to highlight the various dangers, so that the kids were less likely to feel tempted to explore on their own if they got a chance. So, that's what we did, and we told about the various automatons, the lurking Falmer and chaurus, and more. Only a couple of students wanted to learn more, and Thomas actually asked where the Dwemer were now. That was something I could not tell him, of course. Jordis and I were asked if we were available in the afternoon, and when I had nodded, Minolewen announced:

"All right, then let's have a picnic outside of the city together. This is the last week of school anyway, and many kids have been called home to work on farms and such already. What about that?"

There was cheering all around, and Jordis volunteered to get some food. Half an hour later we met at the city gate; the second teacher, Nazdura, was not here today, but that was going to be all right. I could see Jordis smiling a few times with the kids around, and happily we marched out, with only about a dozen students today rather than about thirty in winter; many had already returned home for the summer time. We headed south today, right to Pelagia farm. There we found Harvald, son of the farm's owner, working the fields together with his father, Severio Pelagia, an Imperial. Minolewen had already hinted that they'd show up on some nice day, and the farmer was prepared. He took us on a tour around on the fields and explained the various crops he was growing, mainly wheat and various vegetables, like leeks, cabbage, carrots and potatoes, pointing out specifics like which soil and fertilizer they required for optimized harvest. Clearly he was proud of his work, and at least most of the kids paid attention. As compensation, farmer and son were invited to join us for the picnic Jordis and Minolewen set up on the grass, and a few more questions were asked and answered.

The couple of hours we spent on the tour were quite enlightening for me as well. I had a basic knowledge of gardening, and in my adolescent years I had spent a lot of time helping my grandmother in her garden; I had picked up some background from that time. I also had had a chance to visit a relative's farm a few times in my younger years, but at that time I had been much more interested in driving the tractor than in actually growing and tending plants. On my uncle's private grounds, I had been allowed to drive such a vehicle long before I qualified for my driver's license, and I had loved it.

As I had noticed earlier, the farm plants here in Skyrim were not so much different from those in Central Europe. Most farms grew wheat, and some had a few fields with something similar to oat, mostly for the horses as I got told. Rye and barley were missing, at least in this area, and I did not know if they were unknown or just not preferred. Most of the farm grounds were used for various vegetables, mostly potatoes, cabbage, leeks, onions and such. Again, the selection of vegetables was quite similar to those grown in Germany, those which could actually grow in such a climate. In addition to that, a few farms also grew gourds and snowberries, but that was almost all. I already knew that, once I had my own garden, I might try some variation, and ideally I would want to import some plants from Cyrodiil, maybe tomatoes, lettuce, blackberries or so. Potentially I'd want to set up a greenhouse, but I'd have to find out where to get the glass from. They did have weapons and armor of the 'glass' variety, but those were not really transparent; I had seen glass windows, but only quite small ones.

When we had all eaten, including Hanni and Nanni who had gone hunting on their own, and the last questions were answered by the farmer and the teacher, we got the kids back to the city, and at the school Minolewen dismissed them:

"So, kids, it was good having you here at school, and I hope that I will be seeing most of you again in a few months, after harvest."

"Will B'lushona come to school again?"

I smiled and replied:

"I don't know what my plans are going to be in a few months, but if they allow it, I'd be happy to show up again a few times."

Hanni and Nanni got a quick cuddling from some of the kids, and the school year was officially over now. Minolewen told me:

"You know, you could be a good teacher if you wanted."

"You really think so? I'm not sure that I have the patience for doing that every day."

"Yeah, but you have pets to help!"

"You mean that Hanni and Nanni could intimidate those who do not behave?"

"Yes, something like that!"

"Maybe so. Alas, I've got other things to do; I will be around, though."

Yes, indeed, in my earlier life I could not have imagined that it could be fun to do some part time teaching at a school, specifically an elementary school. But again, this was Skyrim, and things were different here. I could easily understand that my strong and big body helped to impose some respect on the young pupils, and it was actually fun being here, from time to time. I probably would not enjoy it if I had to be here every day, though. All of a sudden I recalled a movie I had watched a long time ago, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in some kind of pre-school, called something like 'Kindergarten Cop'; he had managed quite well, and he had a small pet to help him, a ferret or weasel or so. With Hanni and Nanni, I might indeed do quite well, and for sure nobody would dare to be a bully with one of them growling.

A couple of days later I passed Warmaiden՚s, and when I saw Silvia outside, talking to her mother, I decided to stop and chat. Adrianne and her daughter saw me approaching, and both of them smiled at me. I did not even get the chance to start the conversation with some small talk, as the young Imperial girl jumped up and down a few times and blurted out right away:

"Balu! I managed to do some proper enchantments!"

"You did? Really?"

"Yes! Come, look here!"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the shed behind the main house, towards the enchanting table and a few shelves next to it. My eyes needed a moment to adapt from the bright sunshine outside to the half-light in here, and I saw that one of the shelves had a few rings and necklaces in them. Silvia pointed in that direction and said:

"Mum forged the basic ornaments for me, with the silver you brought a month ago, and she allowed me to do enchanting on them. I already managed three; two with 'fortify magicka' and one with 'fortify health'."

"Was that difficult and hard work?"

"Oh yes, it was; I needed several attempts for each before I got it right."

"And it would not have been possible without the filled soul gems you also brought us, B'lushona" her mother added. "A few days ago my husband sold the first ring in the shop, for good money. Please keep up bringing us silver ore and filled soul gems, when you have some time!"

"Good to hear, and I will keep this in mind. I am curious, though; when you complete an enchantment, is there a way to check if it has been done properly?"

Silvia took this: "Kind of, yes. Mr. Secret-Fire, the court wizard, had heard about my attempts, and he visited us a week ago. He told me that, once the soul gem is used and destroyed, the enchantment is usually successful. He also seems to have some ways to examine the enchanted item with magic, and he appeared to like what I am doing here."

Based on what I heard enchanting items was significantly more complex in real Skyrim than it was in the game, much more complex than clicking a few buttons. Maybe some experts like this guy in Winterhold or the Dunmer wizard on Solstheim, Neloth I thought, could do it in their sleep, not sure. It appeared that not many people were actually able to do enchanting, and maybe some day I'd ask Farengar about that. Silvia's mother added:

"The court wizard strongly suggested to keep the enchanting effects simple, like for health and magicka and similar. Later, when Silvia's skills get better, he hinted that we could help by enchanting weapons and armor with improvements of martial skills, but if we were doing that, he'd need to control whom we sell it to. He'd want to make sure that none of those gets into the hands of bandits or enemies."

"That seems to make sense, indeed. So, Silvia, with all of that enchanting going on, you probably won't have time to get back to school later in the year?"

"Oh, no, I will be back, provided you also come from time to time!"

"I guess I will have to, then. How many years of school do you still have ahead of you?"

Her mother took that: "Not more than a year or two. Our school system is very flexible, and children can stay until either their parents decide that they learned enough or the teachers claim that they can't teach them much more. For Silvia, it's probably going to be the latter; she's quite smart."

That made a lot of sense, and I liked this system. Anyway, lessons at school were different from Europe. Of course kids were taught to read and write, basic mathematics, some history and the basics on geology, flora and fauna. Many specialized school subjects we had had in Europe, like chemistry, physics, information technology and more were naturally missing. I was not sure about foreign languages, but I also assumed that this was not part of the lessons here.

Before I left, I did promise to deliver some more ore and filled soul gems when I had the time, and I got a good-bye hug from Silvia. From the side I could see Doria, Adrianne's assistant, watching me, and somehow she did not look happy at all; there was no way that she could have a problem with young Silvia giving me a friendly hug, right?

When Sunday was around again, I was happy to get a day for myself, mostly for meditation and prayer, as I frequently did on Sundays. The weather was not so great today, with dark clouds and occasional rain squalls, and so I decided to use the spot I had been before with Fiona, on a bench covered by overhanging roof on the wet side of Dragonsreach, close to the spot where Mila had her secret spot and treasure.

Once I had collected my thoughts, I got the book 'The Ten Commands of the Nine Divines' out of my pack, and today I was going to read about Arkay, the second Divine in the list. The book had this:

2. Arkay says: Honor the earth, its creatures, and the spirits, living and dead. Guard and tend the bounties of the mortal world, and do not profane the spirits of the dead.

I had worried about the last part before, when I had first been in a ruin and had not been sure if it was all right to collect loot from dead draugr and such. I had asked Andurs, the Whiterun priest of Arkay, and he had told me that it was all right in that situation, and I only needed to be careful in cemeteries and 'official' places which most cities called 'Hall of the Dead'.

The section on honoring the earth and its creatures was clear to me, and with Kynareth՚s 'KAAN' shout, I had some options for that anyway. Honoring the spirits and the dead as well as guarding and tending the bounties of the mortal world was somewhat unclear tome at this time, though.

I found some content on Arkay a few pages later:

Arkay (God of the Cycle of Life and Death): Member of the Nine Divines pantheon, and popular elsewhere as well. Arkay is often more important in those cultures where his father, Akatosh, is either less related to time or where his time aspects are difficult to comprehend by the layman. He is the god of burials and funeral rites, and is sometimes associated with the seasons. His priests are staunch opponents of necromancy and all forms of the undead. It is said that Arkay did not exist before the world was created by the gods under Lorkhan's supervision/urging/trickery. Therefore, he is sometimes called the Mortals' God. His main chapel was located in the Cyrodilic city of Cheydinhal, and he was one of the more prominent of the gods represented at the Temple of the One in the Imperial City. At his chapels, Arkay saw fit to bless parishioners with increased health. Arkay was honored in the form of statues that could be found in the Arboretum in the Imperial City. The priests of Arkay, along with his temples, were protected by a knightly order known as the Knights of the Circle. Along with his chapels and statues, the God of the Cycle of Birth and Death also had various wayshrines devoted to him scattered across Cyrodiil. In Skyrim, every city has a Hall of the Dead dedicated to Arkay, and he is especially prominent in the city of Falkreath. There are also shrines in his honor scattered across the landscape.

Oh, sure, yes, I recalled that. In the Oblivion game (TES IV), all cities had a main chapel dedicated to one of the Nine Divines; myself being a religious person, I had always enjoyed spending time in those chapels, and I had had a mod playing special music when being in there. I did not recall statues in the Arboretum, though, but the mentioning of the wayshrines also triggered some memories, specifically including the 'Knights of the Nine' DLC. I was aware of the large cemetery in Falkreath, but had not paid much attention to shrines 'scattered across the landscape' yet.

Finally, there was an excerpt of 'The Consecrations of Arkay', apparently used for novices of the Order of Arkay:

To aid us in this, our great work, Arkay has given us his Three Consecrations: Arkay՚s Grace, which we bestow upon birth, to protect the souls of the innocent until they are old enough to exercise their own volition. Arkay՚s Blessing, which we bestow upon the dying, to prevent their souls from being used without consent. Arkay՚s Law, which we bestow upon the deceased, that their corporeal forms may not be raised to unlawful servitude.

So, priests of Arkay were supposed to bestow some kind of grace on newborns, like a baptism? And they were also blessing those who were about to die? Like, maybe, to prevent dying souls from being trapped or so? That might actually be difficult, as I assumed that many people died without having a priest close by, like on a battlefield. A person who was about to be killed by, let's say, a bandit, couldn't really ask for something like 'Can you please wait before you deliver the final blow to kill me; a priest of Arkay needs to be summoned first'? Well, maybe this was more meant for those being sick and already being in a temple.

And finally, they could do something with those who had already died, to prevent zombies or so? I was not sure about the last part; maybe I completely misunderstood that. Reading the section again, I encountered a term I was also not familiar with, in the sentence: 'The priests of Arkay, along with his temples, were protected by a knightly order known as the Knights of the Circle.' Knights of the Circle? What was that? Fortunately I found a footnote explaining:

The Knights of the Circle are the military arm of the Order of Arkay. It is our solemn duty to protect the Order and to fight their Battles. Our devotion to the God Arkay and the Order are complete. Only those of exceptional fighting prowess and unswerving loyalty to the Order and the God Arkay are considered for inclusion in the Knights of the Circle.

Was that something which was actually visible in one of the games or just background lore? Maybe I should talk to Andurs some day to help me understand some of that in a better way.

[Author's Notes: The Companions are growing, and they added a Breton as full member, too; IMO this was about time. Let me know if you have specific suggestions for a new whelp to come in next.]