Skavild the Wizard (4)

Skavild the Wizard (4)

Feb 09, 2022

The story so far:

Eldaline, definitely Nirn's cruellest living librarian and second most intimidating librarian after Urag-Gro-Shub, has sent her library assistant Skavild to Winterhold to learn some spells.

Last time, Skavild found a mysterious amulet on a draugr who shouted his name, as well as a giant glowing orb in Saarthal.

He has also made a new friend called Lylinar, who is keeping an eye on the college on behalf of the Psijic Order, and trying to prevent the Thalmor from stealing their research.

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Skavild was enjoying his field trip with his friend Lylinar. Lylinar never called him an ungrateful human and never forced him to be friends with daedra. After making their way to Whiterun, they were now off in search of some stolen books, taken by a former College apprentice. With these books, they hoped to find out more about the giant glowing ball from Saarthal.

"Why steal books?" Skavild mused. "There are so many artifacts of enormous power at the college. Why didn't he steal a bag of soul gems, or an enchanted staff, or a whole wizard?"

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"Books can be artifacts of enormous power too." Said Lylinar.

"Imagine, if you needed a book for the toilet, and if the only thing you had was a necromancer's darkest spell tome, or some conjurer's grimoire, just imagine, Lylinar, it's not very nice, when you think about it."

"I try not to think about it." Said Lylinar. "I don't think you should do that."

"I'm glad I know you, friend." Said Skavild. "It's nice to finally meet someone I can bounce my ideas off."

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"Thank Auri-El, there's a wolf up ahead." Said Lylinar. "I mean, look out, there's a wolf up ahead."

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In the dark and forbidding keep, they could often hear nothing but the squeaking of bats, the dripping of water from the ceiling, and the occasional swearing of distant skeletons and zombies.

"Vampires!" Said Skavild. "Locked in cages! I was nearly a vampire once. But I changed my mind."

"Wot?" Said the vampire.

"Do not be afraid, wretched creatures of the gloom." Said Lylinar. "We will release you if you give us directions to the library."

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"Through that door, past all the dead mages." Said the vampire. "And I'm not going nowhere, so you can both get lost."

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"You do not wish to go free to pursue your own desires?" Said Lylinar.

"Not until I know for sure that that rude murderer's gone." Said a different vampire. "Push off."

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"Very mysterious." Said Lylinar. As the vampire had said, there were dead mages everywhere.

"There's another chamber through here." Said Skavild.

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"Hello." Skavild said to the elf in the cell. "Are you Orthorn? Where are those books you stole?"

"She took them! The one called the Caller. She lives at the top of the tower. I told the other one the same thing, and even offered to help her, but she just threatened to kill me and even hit me with a dismembered arm!"

"Here, you are free to go now." Said Lylinar, trying to open the cell door.

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"No, I think I'll just stay in here for a few more days, if it's all the same to you." Said Orthorn. "Good-day."

"But..." said Skavild and Lylinar.

"I said GOOD DAY." Said Orthorn, pulling the door closed again and going back to bed.

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The next floor they reached had some books. They searched through them and for at least two hours they found nothing of interest. Until Lylinar suddenly said: "Skavild, this is not what we are looking for, but there was a picture of your mysterious amulet on the cover of this book."

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"Does the book say what the picture represents?" Said Skavild.

"Not immediately." Lylinar replied, flicking through the book. "We should take this book with us, though."

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"Very nice." Said Skavild. "It'll be nice bedtime reading for me, if we ever get out of this blasted hive of necromancers."

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"Be very careful when we get through this next door." Said Lylinar, when at last there were no more stairs to climb. "The lock has been broken apart with a potent alteration spell. And I can smell otherworldly plasm, as though a creature has been summoned from the planes of Oblivion. This rude murderer may still be here."

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There was only one person in the room when Skavild and Lylinar appeared in the doorway.

"Ahem." Said Skavild.

The robed figure said nothing.

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It was an elven woman, they could see, as they approached her. Still, she did not speak.

"Hello." Said Skavild, now slightly nervous. "Don't tell me. You're frightened of the murderer too. Well, we're not murderers, we're both wizards, except for me."

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THE ROBED FIGURE SAID NOTHING

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Lylinar gently took hold of the woman's arm, and then dropped it again. He looked into her eyes.

"Ah." He said.

"What do you mean, Ah?" Said Skavild.

"She's dead." Said Lylinar.

"Ah." Said Skavild.

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"And there is no sign of the books." Said Lylinar.

"She's dead. Doesn't this alarm you?"

"Of course it alarms me. She has been dead for hours. Just standing here. A great deal of residual magicka is emanating from her body. She was clearly a mage of great ability, which means that a powerful necromancer has been here ahead of us."

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Skavild looked thoughtful and grave. "Powerful necromancer, daedric summoning, expert breaking and entering, unbelievable rudeness, and people have been hit with severed arms. This has all the hallmarks of Eldaline's work."

"What did you say?" Said Lylinar.

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"I said I think it was Eldaline, who I organise books for. She's got the books Urag sent us to fetch back."

"Yes, I thought you said this name." Said Lylinar.

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"You're going to tell me that was your dead sister's name, aren't you?" Said Skavild. "Your sister who was captured and killed trying to overthrow the Thalmor."

"That's exactly what I was going to say, at some point." Said Lylinar.

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"Eldaline is quite a common name in the Summerset Isles, I imagine."

"Not really." Said Lylinar. "Our grandmother complained that it sounded like a spirit vinegar-based mixture for cleaning windows."

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"Hey. Lylinar. If you stand here, you can see up Shalidor's skirt." Said Skavild.

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"Very good." Said Lylinar. "If you don't mind, Skavild, I will return to my plants for the rest of the day."

Skavild sighed. "All right, Lylinar. You take it easy. Leave the books to me, I'll get them back, I promise."

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Skavild arrived in the Hall of the Elements at a bad time. The giant glowing orb from Saarthal was being moved into the centre of the room, and there was a screaming argument taking place between Eldaline and Ancano, who wanted to register a concern about her official uniform.

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"Hello, Eldaline." Said Skavild. "I see you're looking at my orb."

"Stay back human interloper." Said Eldaline, suddenly moving to defend the artefact. "I see you're calling it Your Orb already."

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"Eldaline! What do you think you're doing! I'm not an interloper, I'm your library assistant. It's me, Skavild." Said Skavild. "And who do you think you're threatening with that Magelight spell?"

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"Oh." Said Eldaline. "Yes. Of course. There you are, Skavild. How can I help you?"

"Oh, just off researching." He said. "There were a couple of books, maybe three, that I thought maybe you'd seen..."

"You can have the books after I have finished with them." Said Eldaline. "And after Ancano has finished with them, and not before. I hope that is clear enough for you. Oh, don't look at me like that. I know where you've been, and with whom."

"What?" Said Skavild.

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"Oh, yes." Said Eldaline. "You've been gallivanting into town. With Mirabelle Ervine."

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Skavild was annoyed. This was not the problem he had expected, but that made it harder to solve. And when he went to ask Lylinar for advice, Lylinar wasn't tending to his plants at all, but staring out of the window.





continues!

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