He probably wore them as armor. Hence his unkillability.
My Older Siblings Cannot be the Dragonborn (Skyrim SI)
- Thread starter shadenight123
- Start date
- Location
- Dual citizen of SV&SB
...Ha.
And any who look at you become blind, as well.
...just avoid mirrors.
- Location
- UTC -6
There are priests that study Elder Scrolls, they can't even keep count of how many scrolls they have. And then there's Septimus' thoughts...
Article: ...Can we flow through the Scrolls as knowledge flows through, being the water, or are we the stuck morass of sea-filth that gathers on the edge?
...On further thought there might have been a Dwemer sage that knew enough about the Scrolls to explain them.
RichardWhereat
Feanor did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Australia
Depends. Unless knowledge of the Elder Scrolls are imprinted on the soul or mind of everyone born in Nirn, then it takes someone who knows of them, to spread the knowledge to those who don't. Not only to know about them, but to think it's important enough to share. Then it's got to be told in an interesting enough way that they remember it, and think it's worth passing on. Farmers would have more important things on their mind. Then there's the snobbery of knowledge. While Sages, Emperors, Mages, and the Priesthoods would be educated of them, does that automatically extend out to them thinking it's worth their breath telling the unwashed masses?
Last edited:
Chapter Forty-One - Winterhold - 8th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Umbra
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Forty-One - Winterhold - 8th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Umbra
Give man a warm cup of something in the middle of a storm of ice and snow, and he will love you forever. The Frozen Hearth's inn keeper was an okay man, but the smell in the place was absolutely disgusting. My nose twitching in disgust must have been caught by the inn keeper, who quite calmly shrugged and offered to both Berry and I a cup of warm broth to drink without making us pay for it. Outside, the blizzard howled with the strength of a thousand hurricanes.
We had reached Winterhold seconds before the storm reached its maximum power, and now we stood within the inn trying our best to unfreeze ourselves without cracking our skin due to the ice. Never before had I loved my robes that clung to me like a cloak. At the same time, they got so soaked I had no choice but to remove them and leave them to dry.
"What brings you two to this remote place?" Dagur asked, "The college?"
"Yes and no," I acquiesced. "Just..."
"Please come home," a female voice spoke a couple of tables behind us, and as I turned to watch a Nord with short reddish hair and wearing a loose and drink-stained tunic, I realized just whom it was and what it was all about. The woman that was near him had long shoulder-length blond-reddish hair, and was wearing a simple leather dress. I had to wonder if there was something in the Nord's bloodstreams that made them immune to the biting cold around this piece of land, or if I was the one with water in my veins. Did Nords have fire rushing through them or something?
"Can't," the man replied with a small slurring in his voice. "Still got two rounds to go."
"That's Ranmir and Birna, brother and sister," the inn keeper muttered as he realized my attention had been caught by the scene. "Poor man lost the love of his life, and has been drinking himself into a stupor since then," he shrugged. "Don't let it bother you. He keeps to himself."
I blinked. "Ranmir...uh..." I mumbled, before taking a small breath. "Very well. The Divines' wishes are my command."
"Umbra?" Berry asked as I spun on myself and resolutely marched towards the man.
"Oi! Your loved one's name is Isabelle, isn't it?" I snapped curtly, catching him by surprise as he turned to look at me with wide eyes. "Left with a certain Vex too, isn't that right?"
His mouth hung open like a half-dead fish, before he suddenly stood hastily up from the chair. "Y-You saw her!?" he exclaimed, both of his hands grabbing hold of my arms, "Where is she? Is she well? Does she wish to return?"
"Hob's fall cave," I said in a soft whisper, staring straight into his eyes with a grimace settling on my face. "She tried to steal from the Necromancers' within. They did not take well to it."
"They...Necromancers? But..." Ranmir's words came out garbled, "That's nonsense! How do you even know it's her?"
"We came from there," I said, inclining my head towards Berry, "Made a stop near their cave a couple of days back. Not really charming fellows, but they had better things to do than turn away paying customers," I spoke as a hand of mine slowly rested on the hilt of one of my daggers of Woe, but the motion went unseen by the half-drunk man. "They told the story of how this woman came alone trying to steal from them, and they gave her their own brand of justice. Said she died screaming the name of her beloved Ranmir. They left her corpse in display inside the cave. If you don't believe me, then just go have a look." I shook my head. "You won't like the sight."
"Ranmir," his sister whispered from behind him, "I'm so sorry..."
"No," Ranmir shook his head, "No I can't believe this. Isabelle...she can't be...she can't be..." he began to hiccup, his fingers tightening around my shoulders as he lowered his head, tears falling freely from his cheeks as he took a deep shuddering breath a few seconds later, removing his hands from my shoulders and wiping his tears away. "You'd have no reason to lie to me," he whispered in the end. "Thank you for telling me," he turned towards his sister next, the next words croaked out with effort. "Let's go home, Birna."
Birna nodded, and gingerly grabbed hold of one of his arms, dragging him out gently, a worried look on her face.
I returned to my seat, taking a quick glance at Berry's shocked expression.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," I muttered, before raising my eyes towards the inn keeper. "Something strong to drink, and something warm to eat."
"On the house," the inn keeper replied with a nod.
"I'll have mead," Berry said quickly before Dagur left to get our orders. He returned with thick, spicy wine for me and a mug of mead for Berry. The stew that had been cooked in the broth he had offered at our arrival was the main dish of the day, and I had no intentions of leaving even a single scrap of it behind. Bread was offered, and taken, and as I drove chunks into the stew to soften them, I ate quickly, so famished I was.
Berry didn't have my speed, but she did eat quickly herself.
"Where are we going now?" she asked as soon as we were finished.
"The college. We should find Septimus Signus, but North-West of Winterhold can mean anything, and the college's librarian should know something more," I glanced outside the window, at the howling snowstorm. "Perhaps we can wait until the storm dies down," I quipped.
"You sure it's wise?" Berry replied, "Winterhold is infamous for its week-long snowstorms."
I groaned and gurgled out a few choice curses, before dreadfully standing up and paying a highly discounted price for the meal, before getting a room for the night for the both of us and finally stepping outside into the cold blizzard in search of the damn stone bridge that would lead us inside the College, and through the rickety, half-destroyed stone bridge that I was sure would plummet me to my doom.
Repairs, College of Winterhold, have you ever heard of the word repairs?
Winterhold itself was surprisingly one city quite similar to the game itself, mainly due to an actual reason for a lack of people outside, the small amount of buildings, and yet there also was some form of thick increase in the Dunmer population rummaging around, or using magic to shield themselves from the blizzard. Most of them went by uncaring of the cold or the frost, magic trapping their body heat to themselves apparently.
Once more, I cursed the lack of magic. I would have had unlimited power at my fingertips if only I could use Magicka. I could have sundered the storm, brought forth glorious orbital death, crafted comets to strike down my foes, lightning shock waves, acidic sprays, magic missiles...oh, the things I would have done with magic!
We finally found the bridge's main entrance, the symbol of the College of Winterhold etched on the small round gatehouse. Sitting at a table and covered in a thick cloak of sorts was a pissed-off figure that without a doubt had better things to do than stand guard, but which apparently had no choice but to do it. She was an Altmer, and Berry unnaturally tensed by my side as the gatekeeper revealed her golden eyes, her pointy ears and her golden-hued skin.
"Stop," she spoke, "Outsiders aren't permitted inside," she shuddered slightly. "If you wish to join the college, you must give proof of your magical ability."
I raised an eyebrow in her direction. "She's the one joining, and I'm her adjutant," I pointed at Berry. "She's also the Dragonborn, so I guess the Thu'um could work well enough?"
"It would," the Altmer spoke, an intrigued appearance settling on her face, "and very well, if she is capable of shouting, then she may join, and you may follow her around."
I turned towards Berry, and pointed at the floor where the circular symbol of the College stood. "Berry, if you'd please."
Berry huffed, "Obeying the Altmer makes me sick inside," she whispered in a low hiss, low enough that under the howling of the winds, only I managed to pick it up since Faralda didn't seem to change her expression one inch. The Fus Ro Dah of Berry made the gatehouse shake, the snow piled upon its roof falling down by the sides as the Altmer clutched her ears with a wince.
"It's a shout all right," Faralda said. "Welcome to the College, Dragonborn...or do you have a name?"
"I do have one," Berry said, "But I'm not going to tell you. We aren't staying around for long. Let's go Umbra, let's speak to the librarian and get out of here fast."
"You sure you can find your way around?" Faralda asked, nonplussed at Berry's curtness. "The road ahead is treachery without guidance."
"You'd know something about treachery, wouldn't—" as Berry began to speak, I hastily put a hand to cover her mouth and grinned awkwardly.
"Apologies!" I said as I began to drag Berry past the gatehouse, "I'm trying to temper her political views but it's a work in progress!" and as hastily as I said that, I also managed to slip on the icy corridor and fall backwards, only to hear the telltale sound of something clattering to the ground behind me as a pair of arms held me up with a bit of an effort.
"Sorry, sorry," I said as I turned to gaze at the person I hadn't seen, "Just dragging the wayward child through..." my next words died in my mouth.
"Umbra!" Hirume chirped happily, her arms engulfing me in a tight hug as she rubbed her cheek all over my forehead, "You've come to visit me!" she cooed as I simply let go of Berry, the Dragonborn standing hastily back up with an embarrassed expression on her face. "I'm so happy! Oh, Berry's here too! So, where are Ralvas and Sharrum?" she asked next, looking past Berry as I suddenly realized one very terrifying thought.
No, well, I realized two very terrifying thoughts.
The first was that I had left Ralvas and Sharrum behind.
The second was that Hirume was supposed to be at the embassy in Solitude, not here in Winterhold.
And the third one —even though I had thought two thoughts, there clearly was a third one— was that if she was here as a liaison with the Thalmor, then there was no Ancano.
Oh, well, things were going better than I expected, weren't they?
"You've got to meet my future husband too," Hirume next words made my soul go cold. "Ancano will be so happy to meet you!"
Ah, I see how it is Nine Divines.
You allowed me to enter the Dark Brotherhood to recover a few choice weapons because you wished to give me an opportunity, an opportunity to kill a bastard.
And who was I to go against the will of the Gods?
Give man a warm cup of something in the middle of a storm of ice and snow, and he will love you forever. The Frozen Hearth's inn keeper was an okay man, but the smell in the place was absolutely disgusting. My nose twitching in disgust must have been caught by the inn keeper, who quite calmly shrugged and offered to both Berry and I a cup of warm broth to drink without making us pay for it. Outside, the blizzard howled with the strength of a thousand hurricanes.
We had reached Winterhold seconds before the storm reached its maximum power, and now we stood within the inn trying our best to unfreeze ourselves without cracking our skin due to the ice. Never before had I loved my robes that clung to me like a cloak. At the same time, they got so soaked I had no choice but to remove them and leave them to dry.
"What brings you two to this remote place?" Dagur asked, "The college?"
"Yes and no," I acquiesced. "Just..."
"Please come home," a female voice spoke a couple of tables behind us, and as I turned to watch a Nord with short reddish hair and wearing a loose and drink-stained tunic, I realized just whom it was and what it was all about. The woman that was near him had long shoulder-length blond-reddish hair, and was wearing a simple leather dress. I had to wonder if there was something in the Nord's bloodstreams that made them immune to the biting cold around this piece of land, or if I was the one with water in my veins. Did Nords have fire rushing through them or something?
"Can't," the man replied with a small slurring in his voice. "Still got two rounds to go."
"That's Ranmir and Birna, brother and sister," the inn keeper muttered as he realized my attention had been caught by the scene. "Poor man lost the love of his life, and has been drinking himself into a stupor since then," he shrugged. "Don't let it bother you. He keeps to himself."
I blinked. "Ranmir...uh..." I mumbled, before taking a small breath. "Very well. The Divines' wishes are my command."
"Umbra?" Berry asked as I spun on myself and resolutely marched towards the man.
"Oi! Your loved one's name is Isabelle, isn't it?" I snapped curtly, catching him by surprise as he turned to look at me with wide eyes. "Left with a certain Vex too, isn't that right?"
His mouth hung open like a half-dead fish, before he suddenly stood hastily up from the chair. "Y-You saw her!?" he exclaimed, both of his hands grabbing hold of my arms, "Where is she? Is she well? Does she wish to return?"
"Hob's fall cave," I said in a soft whisper, staring straight into his eyes with a grimace settling on my face. "She tried to steal from the Necromancers' within. They did not take well to it."
"They...Necromancers? But..." Ranmir's words came out garbled, "That's nonsense! How do you even know it's her?"
"We came from there," I said, inclining my head towards Berry, "Made a stop near their cave a couple of days back. Not really charming fellows, but they had better things to do than turn away paying customers," I spoke as a hand of mine slowly rested on the hilt of one of my daggers of Woe, but the motion went unseen by the half-drunk man. "They told the story of how this woman came alone trying to steal from them, and they gave her their own brand of justice. Said she died screaming the name of her beloved Ranmir. They left her corpse in display inside the cave. If you don't believe me, then just go have a look." I shook my head. "You won't like the sight."
"Ranmir," his sister whispered from behind him, "I'm so sorry..."
"No," Ranmir shook his head, "No I can't believe this. Isabelle...she can't be...she can't be..." he began to hiccup, his fingers tightening around my shoulders as he lowered his head, tears falling freely from his cheeks as he took a deep shuddering breath a few seconds later, removing his hands from my shoulders and wiping his tears away. "You'd have no reason to lie to me," he whispered in the end. "Thank you for telling me," he turned towards his sister next, the next words croaked out with effort. "Let's go home, Birna."
Birna nodded, and gingerly grabbed hold of one of his arms, dragging him out gently, a worried look on her face.
I returned to my seat, taking a quick glance at Berry's shocked expression.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," I muttered, before raising my eyes towards the inn keeper. "Something strong to drink, and something warm to eat."
"On the house," the inn keeper replied with a nod.
"I'll have mead," Berry said quickly before Dagur left to get our orders. He returned with thick, spicy wine for me and a mug of mead for Berry. The stew that had been cooked in the broth he had offered at our arrival was the main dish of the day, and I had no intentions of leaving even a single scrap of it behind. Bread was offered, and taken, and as I drove chunks into the stew to soften them, I ate quickly, so famished I was.
Berry didn't have my speed, but she did eat quickly herself.
"Where are we going now?" she asked as soon as we were finished.
"The college. We should find Septimus Signus, but North-West of Winterhold can mean anything, and the college's librarian should know something more," I glanced outside the window, at the howling snowstorm. "Perhaps we can wait until the storm dies down," I quipped.
"You sure it's wise?" Berry replied, "Winterhold is infamous for its week-long snowstorms."
I groaned and gurgled out a few choice curses, before dreadfully standing up and paying a highly discounted price for the meal, before getting a room for the night for the both of us and finally stepping outside into the cold blizzard in search of the damn stone bridge that would lead us inside the College, and through the rickety, half-destroyed stone bridge that I was sure would plummet me to my doom.
Repairs, College of Winterhold, have you ever heard of the word repairs?
Winterhold itself was surprisingly one city quite similar to the game itself, mainly due to an actual reason for a lack of people outside, the small amount of buildings, and yet there also was some form of thick increase in the Dunmer population rummaging around, or using magic to shield themselves from the blizzard. Most of them went by uncaring of the cold or the frost, magic trapping their body heat to themselves apparently.
Once more, I cursed the lack of magic. I would have had unlimited power at my fingertips if only I could use Magicka. I could have sundered the storm, brought forth glorious orbital death, crafted comets to strike down my foes, lightning shock waves, acidic sprays, magic missiles...oh, the things I would have done with magic!
We finally found the bridge's main entrance, the symbol of the College of Winterhold etched on the small round gatehouse. Sitting at a table and covered in a thick cloak of sorts was a pissed-off figure that without a doubt had better things to do than stand guard, but which apparently had no choice but to do it. She was an Altmer, and Berry unnaturally tensed by my side as the gatekeeper revealed her golden eyes, her pointy ears and her golden-hued skin.
"Stop," she spoke, "Outsiders aren't permitted inside," she shuddered slightly. "If you wish to join the college, you must give proof of your magical ability."
I raised an eyebrow in her direction. "She's the one joining, and I'm her adjutant," I pointed at Berry. "She's also the Dragonborn, so I guess the Thu'um could work well enough?"
"It would," the Altmer spoke, an intrigued appearance settling on her face, "and very well, if she is capable of shouting, then she may join, and you may follow her around."
I turned towards Berry, and pointed at the floor where the circular symbol of the College stood. "Berry, if you'd please."
Berry huffed, "Obeying the Altmer makes me sick inside," she whispered in a low hiss, low enough that under the howling of the winds, only I managed to pick it up since Faralda didn't seem to change her expression one inch. The Fus Ro Dah of Berry made the gatehouse shake, the snow piled upon its roof falling down by the sides as the Altmer clutched her ears with a wince.
"It's a shout all right," Faralda said. "Welcome to the College, Dragonborn...or do you have a name?"
"I do have one," Berry said, "But I'm not going to tell you. We aren't staying around for long. Let's go Umbra, let's speak to the librarian and get out of here fast."
"You sure you can find your way around?" Faralda asked, nonplussed at Berry's curtness. "The road ahead is treachery without guidance."
"You'd know something about treachery, wouldn't—" as Berry began to speak, I hastily put a hand to cover her mouth and grinned awkwardly.
"Apologies!" I said as I began to drag Berry past the gatehouse, "I'm trying to temper her political views but it's a work in progress!" and as hastily as I said that, I also managed to slip on the icy corridor and fall backwards, only to hear the telltale sound of something clattering to the ground behind me as a pair of arms held me up with a bit of an effort.
"Sorry, sorry," I said as I turned to gaze at the person I hadn't seen, "Just dragging the wayward child through..." my next words died in my mouth.
"Umbra!" Hirume chirped happily, her arms engulfing me in a tight hug as she rubbed her cheek all over my forehead, "You've come to visit me!" she cooed as I simply let go of Berry, the Dragonborn standing hastily back up with an embarrassed expression on her face. "I'm so happy! Oh, Berry's here too! So, where are Ralvas and Sharrum?" she asked next, looking past Berry as I suddenly realized one very terrifying thought.
No, well, I realized two very terrifying thoughts.
The first was that I had left Ralvas and Sharrum behind.
The second was that Hirume was supposed to be at the embassy in Solitude, not here in Winterhold.
And the third one —even though I had thought two thoughts, there clearly was a third one— was that if she was here as a liaison with the Thalmor, then there was no Ancano.
Oh, well, things were going better than I expected, weren't they?
"You've got to meet my future husband too," Hirume next words made my soul go cold. "Ancano will be so happy to meet you!"
Ah, I see how it is Nine Divines.
You allowed me to enter the Dark Brotherhood to recover a few choice weapons because you wished to give me an opportunity, an opportunity to kill a bastard.
And who was I to go against the will of the Gods?
TimeLordLucario
The Oncoming Aura Storm
- Location
- Australia
I bet Ancano is completely different due to Past!Umbra's actions.
- Location
- Ireland
Yeah, people who try to speak up for the Thalmor tend to forget that their overall goal is worldwide genocide.
Madou Sutegobana
Autocorrupt has been disabled.
- Location
- Twin Realms Mandala
Could the Lover's fate have not been butterflied away?
RichardWhereat
Feanor did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Australia
She is far too sweet and innocent. My vote is that she's Mephala.
Also; Umbra, YES! Kill him with violence and murder! Make him choke on Cheese! Rip his balls off and burn them as an offering to Talos!
Also; Umbra, YES! Kill him with violence and murder! Make him choke on Cheese! Rip his balls off and burn them as an offering to Talos!
Science
If you're reading this, omae wa mo shindeiru.
- Location
- Killeen, TX
Ancano Redemption Arc, ara ara...
Either that, or Umbra tries to kill Ancano in a series of complicated plots, comedy-style, and Ancano Onii-san laughs it off and tolerates it because he thinks it's cute how overprotective Hirume's little brother is.
Either that, or Umbra tries to kill Ancano in a series of complicated plots, comedy-style, and Ancano Onii-san laughs it off and tolerates it because he thinks it's cute how overprotective Hirume's little brother is.
- Location
- USA
Yes Shade... Complete the dream of male siblings everywhere and kill the dirty no good bastard trying to put his mitts on your sister!
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- They/Them
- Location
- United states
i see no difference
Chapter Forty-Two - Winterhold - 8th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Umbra
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Forty-Two - Winterhold - 8th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Umbra
Hirume had words. She had quite vivid, quite candid words about what Ralvas had done, and what punishment she would mete out to him. At the same time she was worried, and angry, and prone to bouts of muttering. I stared with quite the vivid and interested expression as she made her way back towards the College, grabbing hold of my hand as if I were a child when it came to crossing pieces of it that had probably last seen repairs when Tiber Septim ruled the world.
"Shouldn't they put some form of railing?" I cried out as I managed to hop past a peculiarly vicious part of the College, turning to catch a hold of Berry's outstretched arm and pull her past.
"I can manage by myself!" Berry snapped hotly even as she had actually cleared the jump herself.
"Better safe than sorry and dead after falling to our deaths!" I snapped back in turn, glaring at the snowstorm around us. "Why can't you just make it stop with the Thu'um!?"
"How!?" Berry snarled, and I couldn't help but laugh bitterly up in the air.
"Just use the same Shout you used for Paarthurnax!" I yelled through the howling winds, even as Hirume pulled me along. Berry stared at me for a brief instant, as if unsure, and then stared up at the sky.
"I like this weather," she said in the end, which made me actually wish I could wring her neck out, but she was the Dragonborn, and...somehow, the image of Berry wearing Elsa's blue shimmering dress while singing the cold never bothered me anyway made its way into the back of my head.
When the rickety bridge of death and doom was finally left behind us, the courtyard of the college welcomed us together with the statue of a mage with its arms wide open. The shimmering fires that lit the halls burst into light balls, only to flicker and die as we went past them. The Hall of the Elements burned with energy as we stepped inside, and as the feeling made my skin tingle my pace increased as I came face to face with the giant, floating, Eye of Magnus in all of its magnificence. The Eye itself was a beauty to behold, a deadly beauty the likes of which I couldn't help but be transfixed with.
"That's the artifact that was recovered from Saarthal," Hirume spoke with an amused voice. "I knew it would catch your interest, Umbra. Isn't it pretty? All shiny and blue," she giggled. I barely nodded to her, my eyes drawn to the lines that seemed to pulse with a power of its own. Symbols written in a foreign language had been scrawled across it, and while the tongue was foreign, and beyond my abilities, the hair at the back of my neck rose all the same.
It was power.
It was—there were so many theories behind it that all failed to explain the most obvious truth about such a thing.
It was powerful, thus it needed to be properly handled, and having a Thalmor ponce zap it was not the correct way to go at it. Ancano was a fool, an arrogant fop, and I should probably slice his neck just to keep the Eye away from him.
"There was this cute amulet I found in the ruins," Hirume continued speaking nonchalantly, "I picked it up and guess what I found?"
"A secret door that lead to the Eye," I replied without much thought, my mouth going before my mind as I merely tried to reel back from the revelation that somehow, even without the interference of the Dragonborn, the plots were progressing. Course, the Eye might be an exception since it was hidden by a simple secret door and a few Draugr that would prove no match to an experienced group of mages, but for the rest...what about the Companions? Would they end up killed by the Silver Hand without help from Berry? The Dark Brotherhood was on its own, but the Thieves' Guild? Would bad stuff happen all the same, even without Berry's intervention? Would the Skeleton Key get recovered?
"Uh? Well, yes Umbra but...it's just speculation that this is—"
"The Eye of Magnus," I spoke calmly, staring at it. "It's a conduit to unfathomable power, isn't it? I can feel it from here," I turned to look at Hirume, who was awkwardly averting her gaze from mine. She seemed to be suddenly wary, her eyes half-closed as if expecting some form of outburst. I blinked. "What is it?"
"Ah, right, you're...still amnesiac," Hirume said with a small sigh of relief. "In times like these...you would normally start screaming about how stupid it was of me to act without thinking." She smiled weakly. "I forgot you're not...you."
I shrugged, "I'm not going to yell at you," I jabbed my thumb in the direction of the eye. "I'll yell at whoever touches it improperly."
Hirume laughed gingerly. "It's in the hands of my sweetie-roll, so they're the best hands there are. He'll tell you himself, you just wait and see," she furrowed her brows and looked around the hall. "He was supposed to be here."
In the Hall, a few wizards were throwing spells at straw mannequins that seemed to shine with an unnatural green glow, but there wasn't much in the way of a lesson. My eyes however hadn't bothered with the rest of the hall because they had literally glued themselves to that of Magnus, which levitated with ease and a thrumming, dull sound right in front of me. It was beauty. It was a beauty beyond all others, a sense of fulfillment and power the likes of which I had never felt, nor seen before.
A hand shook me out of my reverie, Berry gazing up at me with a puzzled expression. "Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied, glancing back at the eye. "For the moment it is," I clenched my fists, "But only just. This isn't good, but we can't waste too much time on this," I took a deep breath. "We—"
"Aren't going anywhere," Hirume said with a giggle as her arms snaked around my neck to hold me still, her chin dropping down on the top of my head. Man if she wasn't tall. "Sharrum and Ralvas were supposed to be looking after you both, and they aren't here. You have to tell me what happened still, Umbra," she pouted. "And I can't believe you'd just ignore me like this! Don't you want to play with my shiny hair?"
"Hirume," I replied while coughing, "Shouldn't you let me go? It's embarrassing! There are people watching!" I hissed out as I realized a few students were actually gawking at the sight of the Thalmor lady hugging the Imperial in a black cloak from the back who was also wildly flailing his arms in an effort to free himself from the madwoman's grip.
"I need to recharge my big sister Soul Gem charge!" Hirume whined before I managed to disentangle myself. Much to my shame, Hirume actually extended her arms in a sort of give me, give me, motion while whining ever so slightly. Her arms ended up grasping around Berry, much to the Nord girl's widening eyes and shock, "You'll do!" Hirume chirped next, "How have you been Berry-Berry? Did Umbra here do something bad while I wasn't looking? Did he join a cult? End up kidnapped by necromancers? Made serenades to ghosts?"
Berry's face actually blanched as she did her best impression of not knowing anything. Hirume, cheerful, absent-minded Hirume, actually understood Berry's silence and turned her head sharply towards me. "Umbra!" she shrieked out, "What did I tell you about following vampires offering you sweet rolls!?"
I emitted a half-strangled scream as I raised both hands in the air. "I don't know!"
Hirume's eyes widened. "Oh no, oh, right!" she gasped as she let go of Berry, "I need to explain it back to you! All the things you mustn't do, like sing in a graveyard, or sing at night, or go with the funny-smelling men wearing black, or the pale women and men with sharp fangs! Silly me, I know I can be a bit of an absent-minded big sister, but you really, really, can't follow strangers no matter who they claim to be or what they want out of you!" she grabbed my hands and pulled me away from the Eye, my eyes sending a secret and silent plead for aid from Berry, who merely watched me go by with an awkward look.
Traitor.
Berry, you are truly a traitor.
"And when a pretty lady looks at you and says Oh, how sweet you look, I'd gobble you up! She's definitely a vampire," Hirume spoke as she kept dragging me away from the Hall of Elements, and up one of the long spiraling staircases that lead higher, perhaps to the rooms the apprentices shared, or perhaps to wherever it was that she and Ancano slept. "Or if someone's praising your singing and wants to offer you some Septims, but left his purse at home and wants you to follow him, the answer is no, Umbra. Do you understand me? Bad things happen to pretty little kids when they follow foul-smelling old men back to their homes."
I bristled. "I am not that stupid."
Hirume stared at me, having stopped her dreadful pulling long enough to actually stare deeply into my eyes. "You...actually did it, Umbra. If it hadn't been for Mansel making a ruckus and catching his attention, who knows what the old man would have done to you."
"I...I must have had a reason?" I hazarded weakly.
Hirume didn't say anything as she let go of my hands once the target of her pulling became obvious. There were a few chairs on the upper floor, and some tables on which neat stacks of books rested. This was the library, or at least, an antechamber to the library proper that yet had more than enough shelves and tables to make it look like we had arrived. A few students milled about, or perhaps actual teachers barring the obvious ones of the game. The tall Altmer took a seat by one side of a small table, and as I took the other, Berry sat down quietly behind me, the traitor that she was.
"Listen, Umbra," Hirume awkwardly shifted on her seat. "I know it must be daunting to have people you don't remember tell you they're your family, and that you can rely on them," she began in a hushed whisper, "But you need to understand that it's because we care about you. I know I might feel like a stick in the mud, but I'm really worried about you. You don't have to think you're being a bother, or a weight," she continued with a small smile. "I would really be a poor big sister if I didn't know there's something bothering you. I've known you the best after all," she giggled. "But first, you need to tell me everything that happened. How am I supposed to help you if you don't tell me what's wrong?"
Nothing's wrong, Hirume.
I just need to ask the Augur of Dunlain how one fucking turns off the frigging Eye of Magnus.
I'm sure the Augur will know the answer, and if he doesn't, then I'll do what I do best.
I'll improvise.
Hirume had words. She had quite vivid, quite candid words about what Ralvas had done, and what punishment she would mete out to him. At the same time she was worried, and angry, and prone to bouts of muttering. I stared with quite the vivid and interested expression as she made her way back towards the College, grabbing hold of my hand as if I were a child when it came to crossing pieces of it that had probably last seen repairs when Tiber Septim ruled the world.
"Shouldn't they put some form of railing?" I cried out as I managed to hop past a peculiarly vicious part of the College, turning to catch a hold of Berry's outstretched arm and pull her past.
"I can manage by myself!" Berry snapped hotly even as she had actually cleared the jump herself.
"Better safe than sorry and dead after falling to our deaths!" I snapped back in turn, glaring at the snowstorm around us. "Why can't you just make it stop with the Thu'um!?"
"How!?" Berry snarled, and I couldn't help but laugh bitterly up in the air.
"Just use the same Shout you used for Paarthurnax!" I yelled through the howling winds, even as Hirume pulled me along. Berry stared at me for a brief instant, as if unsure, and then stared up at the sky.
"I like this weather," she said in the end, which made me actually wish I could wring her neck out, but she was the Dragonborn, and...somehow, the image of Berry wearing Elsa's blue shimmering dress while singing the cold never bothered me anyway made its way into the back of my head.
When the rickety bridge of death and doom was finally left behind us, the courtyard of the college welcomed us together with the statue of a mage with its arms wide open. The shimmering fires that lit the halls burst into light balls, only to flicker and die as we went past them. The Hall of the Elements burned with energy as we stepped inside, and as the feeling made my skin tingle my pace increased as I came face to face with the giant, floating, Eye of Magnus in all of its magnificence. The Eye itself was a beauty to behold, a deadly beauty the likes of which I couldn't help but be transfixed with.
"That's the artifact that was recovered from Saarthal," Hirume spoke with an amused voice. "I knew it would catch your interest, Umbra. Isn't it pretty? All shiny and blue," she giggled. I barely nodded to her, my eyes drawn to the lines that seemed to pulse with a power of its own. Symbols written in a foreign language had been scrawled across it, and while the tongue was foreign, and beyond my abilities, the hair at the back of my neck rose all the same.
It was power.
It was—there were so many theories behind it that all failed to explain the most obvious truth about such a thing.
It was powerful, thus it needed to be properly handled, and having a Thalmor ponce zap it was not the correct way to go at it. Ancano was a fool, an arrogant fop, and I should probably slice his neck just to keep the Eye away from him.
"There was this cute amulet I found in the ruins," Hirume continued speaking nonchalantly, "I picked it up and guess what I found?"
"A secret door that lead to the Eye," I replied without much thought, my mouth going before my mind as I merely tried to reel back from the revelation that somehow, even without the interference of the Dragonborn, the plots were progressing. Course, the Eye might be an exception since it was hidden by a simple secret door and a few Draugr that would prove no match to an experienced group of mages, but for the rest...what about the Companions? Would they end up killed by the Silver Hand without help from Berry? The Dark Brotherhood was on its own, but the Thieves' Guild? Would bad stuff happen all the same, even without Berry's intervention? Would the Skeleton Key get recovered?
"Uh? Well, yes Umbra but...it's just speculation that this is—"
"The Eye of Magnus," I spoke calmly, staring at it. "It's a conduit to unfathomable power, isn't it? I can feel it from here," I turned to look at Hirume, who was awkwardly averting her gaze from mine. She seemed to be suddenly wary, her eyes half-closed as if expecting some form of outburst. I blinked. "What is it?"
"Ah, right, you're...still amnesiac," Hirume said with a small sigh of relief. "In times like these...you would normally start screaming about how stupid it was of me to act without thinking." She smiled weakly. "I forgot you're not...you."
I shrugged, "I'm not going to yell at you," I jabbed my thumb in the direction of the eye. "I'll yell at whoever touches it improperly."
Hirume laughed gingerly. "It's in the hands of my sweetie-roll, so they're the best hands there are. He'll tell you himself, you just wait and see," she furrowed her brows and looked around the hall. "He was supposed to be here."
In the Hall, a few wizards were throwing spells at straw mannequins that seemed to shine with an unnatural green glow, but there wasn't much in the way of a lesson. My eyes however hadn't bothered with the rest of the hall because they had literally glued themselves to that of Magnus, which levitated with ease and a thrumming, dull sound right in front of me. It was beauty. It was a beauty beyond all others, a sense of fulfillment and power the likes of which I had never felt, nor seen before.
A hand shook me out of my reverie, Berry gazing up at me with a puzzled expression. "Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied, glancing back at the eye. "For the moment it is," I clenched my fists, "But only just. This isn't good, but we can't waste too much time on this," I took a deep breath. "We—"
"Aren't going anywhere," Hirume said with a giggle as her arms snaked around my neck to hold me still, her chin dropping down on the top of my head. Man if she wasn't tall. "Sharrum and Ralvas were supposed to be looking after you both, and they aren't here. You have to tell me what happened still, Umbra," she pouted. "And I can't believe you'd just ignore me like this! Don't you want to play with my shiny hair?"
"Hirume," I replied while coughing, "Shouldn't you let me go? It's embarrassing! There are people watching!" I hissed out as I realized a few students were actually gawking at the sight of the Thalmor lady hugging the Imperial in a black cloak from the back who was also wildly flailing his arms in an effort to free himself from the madwoman's grip.
"I need to recharge my big sister Soul Gem charge!" Hirume whined before I managed to disentangle myself. Much to my shame, Hirume actually extended her arms in a sort of give me, give me, motion while whining ever so slightly. Her arms ended up grasping around Berry, much to the Nord girl's widening eyes and shock, "You'll do!" Hirume chirped next, "How have you been Berry-Berry? Did Umbra here do something bad while I wasn't looking? Did he join a cult? End up kidnapped by necromancers? Made serenades to ghosts?"
Berry's face actually blanched as she did her best impression of not knowing anything. Hirume, cheerful, absent-minded Hirume, actually understood Berry's silence and turned her head sharply towards me. "Umbra!" she shrieked out, "What did I tell you about following vampires offering you sweet rolls!?"
I emitted a half-strangled scream as I raised both hands in the air. "I don't know!"
Hirume's eyes widened. "Oh no, oh, right!" she gasped as she let go of Berry, "I need to explain it back to you! All the things you mustn't do, like sing in a graveyard, or sing at night, or go with the funny-smelling men wearing black, or the pale women and men with sharp fangs! Silly me, I know I can be a bit of an absent-minded big sister, but you really, really, can't follow strangers no matter who they claim to be or what they want out of you!" she grabbed my hands and pulled me away from the Eye, my eyes sending a secret and silent plead for aid from Berry, who merely watched me go by with an awkward look.
Traitor.
Berry, you are truly a traitor.
"And when a pretty lady looks at you and says Oh, how sweet you look, I'd gobble you up! She's definitely a vampire," Hirume spoke as she kept dragging me away from the Hall of Elements, and up one of the long spiraling staircases that lead higher, perhaps to the rooms the apprentices shared, or perhaps to wherever it was that she and Ancano slept. "Or if someone's praising your singing and wants to offer you some Septims, but left his purse at home and wants you to follow him, the answer is no, Umbra. Do you understand me? Bad things happen to pretty little kids when they follow foul-smelling old men back to their homes."
I bristled. "I am not that stupid."
Hirume stared at me, having stopped her dreadful pulling long enough to actually stare deeply into my eyes. "You...actually did it, Umbra. If it hadn't been for Mansel making a ruckus and catching his attention, who knows what the old man would have done to you."
"I...I must have had a reason?" I hazarded weakly.
Hirume didn't say anything as she let go of my hands once the target of her pulling became obvious. There were a few chairs on the upper floor, and some tables on which neat stacks of books rested. This was the library, or at least, an antechamber to the library proper that yet had more than enough shelves and tables to make it look like we had arrived. A few students milled about, or perhaps actual teachers barring the obvious ones of the game. The tall Altmer took a seat by one side of a small table, and as I took the other, Berry sat down quietly behind me, the traitor that she was.
"Listen, Umbra," Hirume awkwardly shifted on her seat. "I know it must be daunting to have people you don't remember tell you they're your family, and that you can rely on them," she began in a hushed whisper, "But you need to understand that it's because we care about you. I know I might feel like a stick in the mud, but I'm really worried about you. You don't have to think you're being a bother, or a weight," she continued with a small smile. "I would really be a poor big sister if I didn't know there's something bothering you. I've known you the best after all," she giggled. "But first, you need to tell me everything that happened. How am I supposed to help you if you don't tell me what's wrong?"
Nothing's wrong, Hirume.
I just need to ask the Augur of Dunlain how one fucking turns off the frigging Eye of Magnus.
I'm sure the Augur will know the answer, and if he doesn't, then I'll do what I do best.
I'll improvise.
Madou Sutegobana
Autocorrupt has been disabled.
- Location
- Twin Realms Mandala
They're all vampires and they've been smirking at the clues they've been leaving Umbra.
Raviollius
...but what happens afterwards?
- Location
- .
I didn't quite catch the thing about Paartunax. Did Berry feel bad for him to have died, or has she skipped a shout that she was supposed to learn from him, since he was dying and all? I see no other reason for her not to use Clear Skies there.
The pre climax to the story will probably be Umbra remembering. He will not like Berry or his situation. At all.
Dragonskyt
Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?
- Location
- Kiln of the First Flame
Little did they know, it was Umbra building up his Network of Vampire-Onee-sans.
Draconite101
That Guy
- Location
- Unknown
I have a feeling that this Ancano is going to be a lot different from canon, because he probably couldn't handle Hirume otherwise.
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
Better he take a nice long walk and swim north of the College without magic just to be sure.
Though I cant imagine and Umbra with a mage altmer big sister not going to great great lengths to tell her about the Thalmors they want to kill you little brother plan.
Though I cant imagine and Umbra with a mage altmer big sister not going to great great lengths to tell her about the Thalmors they want to kill you little brother plan.
- Location
- New York
My idea was that she forgot she could do such a thing, and instead of doing so and admitting it, decided against it to save face.