Warrior Mage

I'd kept quiet long enough, following her without complaint as she'd taken me on a tour of the College. When she finally stopped talking, I called her to stop. "Look, Miss Ervine…"

"Please, just call me Mirabelle."

"Fine, Mirabelle. Listen, you don't know the whole story of why I'm actually here."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm the Dragonborn."

"Oh… You are?" Then she paused, eying me curiously. "So? You do want to be a student here, correct?"

I shrugged myself. "I guess. To be honest, I hadn't really given it a thought. It's just that, well, I was actually only here to find out about an Elder Scroll."

"An Elder Scroll? Whatever would you want with one of those for?"

"I've been told finding a particular Scroll will help me with the dragon crisis."

She was silent for a few moments. "So it's all true?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. Dragons have returned to Skyrim. And I'm the Last Dragonborn. Have you ever heard of the prophecy?"

She shook her head. "No… By the Divines! And we're not even prepared."

"We may not be but I'm doing what I can to bring it to an end. So I need to know about the Scrolls. But…" I trailed off, unsure whether I should ask.

"But?" She sounded curious.

"What's the Thalmor doing here?" I asked bluntly.

"You don't like them either?" she asked, a slight smirk.

"You haven't seen what I've seen." I kept it cryptic. She was smart, understanding immediately. "So, while I was originally only here about the Scroll, I'm intrigued about this Thalmor. What's his name?"

"Ancano. He's a meddling, arrogant…" She trailed off. "Forgive me, but there are ears here who may be listening," she whispered. "I have no doubt he's a spy, but there's nothing we can do about it," she added.

"As I said, I was only worried about the Scroll but, I'll admit, I'm intrigued as to why the Thalmor is here. I've had… one or two run-ins with them."

She nodded. "Come with me. It would be best if you fit in if you want to stay." She led me back to the room she had shown me earlier. "You'll find robes and a hood in the wardrobe. They should fit over your armour. I think it would be best if you attended some lessons so you don't arouse suspicion."

"I can do that."

"How adept are you in regards to magic?"

"Honestly?" She nodded. "I know about half a dozen spells."

"Okay, we can work with that. I'll speak with Tolfdir, ask him not to put any focus on you whenever you're in group sessions. I'll leave him a message in his quarters, explaining who you are and what you're actually doing here."

"And the Scroll?"

"You'll want to speak to our librarian, Urag gro-Shub. You'll find him in the Arcanaeum. But, as I said, you should attend at least one or two lessons before going to see him."

"I agree. I might actually learn something at the same time."

She sighed with relief. "Good. Thank you. Tolfdir, one of our professors, will likely be in the middle of a lesson in the Hall of the Elements. Join his class there. I'll help however I can going forward."

I thanked her for the assistance and, after putting on the mage robe and hood, exited to the hall where Tolfdir was in the middle of a lecture. I had hoped there would be more people so my arrival would go unnoticed, but there were only half a dozen or so other students, so he stopped speaking for a moment as I lined up with the others before he continued on with his lecture. I'll admit I barely gave whatever he saying half an ear, my own mind thinking of what exactly I was going to do next. 'I should really be focusing on the dragon crisis but if the Thalmor are interested in the College, that can only be bad news.'

"What do you think?"

"Huh?" I looked up, seeing all eyes now on me. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"I asked what you think about the dangers of magic?" Tolfdir asked, "Should we be safe or do something practical?"

I looked at the eager young faces and shrugged. "My old guild-master in Chorrol always stated that practice makes perfect."

"Did he?"

I shrugged and he turned his attention away from me. I silently thanked him, my mind wandering again. I hesitate to use the word turmoil, because while I was worried, I wasn't going to turn into a nervous wreck. It just… wasn't easy. He had the group performed a magical experiment, not involving me, hearing him speaking about something to do with wards. No idea what those were, and I guessed I could learn about it later. I watched on silently as he had at least three of the students show their abilities. Then Tolfdir said something which, I'll admit, finally interested me.

"The College has undertaken a fascinating excavation in the ruins of Saarthal nearby. It's an excellent learning opportunity. I suggest we meet there tomorrow morning and see what awaits us inside." He looked across all of us. "That's all for now. Until tomorrow morning then."

I dispersed with the group, and while they all headed to their quarters, I took the bridge back to Winterhold. I entered the inn, four faces turning to meet mine, which all then burst into laughter. I'd completely forgotten I was still wearing robes and a hood, taking off the hood as I approached their table.

"Alright, laugh it up, you lot."

"I didn't think you were joining!" Lydia stated through her laughter.

"I wasn't intending to but a discovery I made led to me changing my mind, at least for the time being."

"What discovery?" Farkas asked.

"One word. Thalmor."

"What is a Thalmor doing at the College?" Lydia wondered.

"That's what I intend on finding out. But it is secondary to discovering the location of the Scroll. Anyway, I won't be leaving just yet. As I don't want to raise too much suspicion, I'll be joining in with a couple of lessons until I feel comfortable enough to start asking questions. So, tomorrow morning, I'll be heading to Saarthal. The question is, do you wish to remain here or head back to Whiterun?"

"We'll wait here, Harbinger. You may still need help in finding the Scroll, after all."

I looked at Lydia. "You think I was going to actually leave, my thane."

I waited outside the next morning for Tolfdir to walk past. I'd looked over the maps Lydia had brought along so I knew where the ruins of Saarthal were. The reason I was waiting is that I wanted to speak to Tolfdir, hoping he had read the note left by Mirabelle so would understand I was more than just a simple student. I had no idea what Lydia and three Companions were going to do while I was gone but they insisted that they would happy waiting until I was done.

I had only been waiting a few minutes when I noticed the professor walk by, and after a friendly greeting of 'Good morning', we walked together towards Saarthal. He mentioned reading the note and he knew who I was. He was intrigued as to why I'd joined the College. Not wanting to involve him too much, I simply said I had limited knowledge of magic and wanted to learn some as I thought that might help me fight dragons.

The ruins of Saarthal were buried within a snow covered mountain chain. The walk with Tolfdir had taken place without incident, the walk up the mountain not particularly arduous and the plateau we crossed was wind-chilled but otherwise passable. There had been some building work around the entrance, wooden platforms and stairs being built where some artefacts had already been stored, reading for cataloguing and likely transport back to the College.

One or two of the students were eager, already waiting for us, and we didn't have to wait long for the rest to arrive, something we were all grateful for as the wind started to blow furiously, causing us to huddle closer together for warmth. Once all students were present and accounted for, Tolfdir finally explained why we were there.

"Why are we here exactly?" asked one of the students.

"A good question. We're particularly interested in the prevalence of magical seals placed on the tombs here. It's rather unlike anything we've encountered."

"What sort of magical seals?" another student asked. 'Should really learn their names.'

"That's what we're here to discover. Are you all ready to go?" We all nodded. "Very well. Be careful once we're inside. The ruins are unstable in certain areas."

Though there were lights within Saarthal, the ruins were shrouded in darkness, meaning we all had to be careful of where we placed each foot going forward. The ruins must have been thousands of years old as sections had collapsed or crumbled away, the excavators having installed wooden platforms or walkways in most sections. As we wandered forward, Tolfdir explained the history of Saarthal, which I knew absolutely nothing about. I'd never even heard of the place before. Apparently it was one of the very first Nord settlements upon our arrival in Skyrim, though what actually happened to it after the place was sacked by the elves has been lost to the ages.

Once at the bottom of the excavation, Tolfdir gave us a series of mundane tasks to complete, nothing magical about them whatsoever, and I heard the grumble of my fellow students as we dispersed. I eventually found a colleague of Tolfdir, who instructed me to search for any enchanted items.

"And I suppose I'm just going to find them lying around on the ground?"

He heard my sarcastic tone but actually laughed. "Look, I know it's boring but it'll keep you out of my hair for a while at least."

Part of me thought this was completely pointless and I was ready to just walk out. But I had to keep up appearances so did as I was told. I actually managed to find one or two trinkets on the ground and I had to prevent myself pocketing them as they looked exquisite, and expensive. But it was finding and taking an amulet hanging on a wall where my day took a turn for the worse. No sooner had I removed the amulet that the gates leading into the room I was in descended, locking me in. I could only groan to myself, thankful that at least I had a torch nearby to provide some light.

"Are you alright in there, Ragnar?" I heard Tolfdir call.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Trapped, though."

"How did that happen?"

I gestured to the wall and held up the amulet. "I removed this from there and the gate descended."

He stroked his chin for a moment, obviously in thought. "Hmm. Perhaps the amulet is connected to the wall somehow. Do you think you can use it?"

"You mean put it on?" He nodded. "Okay then." I put the amulet around my neck and head a noise behind me, turning to see the wall resonating with something. Something magical.

"You see that, Ragnar?"

"I do. What is it?"

"The wall must be connected to the amulet. Try one of your spells and see what happens."

I thought he was mad but, considering I was trapped in here otherwise, I figured I had no other choice. I summoned a flame spell and aimed it at the wall, right where the amulet had been hanging. As soon as the flames hit the wall, it disintegrated into pieces. I also heard the gate ascend behind me, Tolfdir joining alongside me as we looked beyond the gap.

"What should we do?" I asked.

"I think we should follow wherever this goes. There has to be a reason why this was blocked off."

"Okay. Let's see where it goes. Who knows what discoveries we might find?"

The old man seemed rather excited by the discovery and, I'll admit, it was rather infectious. Still, my hand grabbed the hilt of my sword as we followed the dark path ahead. We didn't walk alone for long, eventually ending up in a small burial room, wondering why this was cut off from the main site. Tolfdir was walking in behind me when something strange happened. The room was suddenly filled by a bright light, turning to see Tolfdir was frozen in place. Just as I was about to wave my hand in front of his face, the light turned even brighter for a second before a ghostly figure appeared in front of me.

"Hold, mage, and listen well…"

"Who the…?"

I'm not sure he heard me as he continued without any real pause. "Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped." I turned to Tolfdir, who was still frozen in place. "Judgement has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. However, judgement 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."

And, with those final words, the figure disappeared. I had to shake my head, thinking I'd just dreamed all of it. Or maybe I was going mad? Who knows? I turned to see Tolfdir was looking at me with a quizzical look on his face. "I swear I felt something rather strange just then. What happened?"

I scratched my chin. "Some sort of apparition just spoke to me. Said he was part of the Psijic Order."

He looked at me with a curious eye. "The Psijic Order? Are you sure?" I nodded. "That's… very odd. They have no connection to these ruins and nobody from the Order themselves has been seen for over a hundred years. Anything else?"

"The only other thing is that he gave a warning of danger ahead. But he didn't specify what."

"Well, these sort of ruins are always full of traps but we've handled those so far. Perhaps we should move forward and see what we find."

And then the draugr decided to wake up. After taking down the two that woke up in the small burial chamber we were in, Tolfdir proving his mastery of magic with his spells, we decided to delve deeper into the hidden ruins, wondering just what we would find ahead. What we found first was another burial chamber, full of skeletons. I counted at least half a dozen, maybe more.

The way ahead was barred by a gate, pulling a nearby lever to open it. I walked through, sword in hand as I tried counting the number of sarcophagus surrounding us. 'Too many for just two of us.' A small bridge crossed an opening in the middle of the room, glancing back at Tolfdir, who simply gestured for me to move forward.

I knew it was a bad idea as soon as I stepped forward as at least two lids dropped, followed by the growls I knew oh so well by now. I wasted no time, charging forward, not giving the draugr time to prepare for my attack. The first I cut down without a problem, the second was armed as it rushed towards me. It was a simple of weaving, ducking then killing. More lids dropped and thankfully Tolfdir was able to assist, flinging destruction spells across the room from his position in the middle of the bridge. It wasn't a bad idea as I joined him as we allowed the draugr to come towards us, cutting each one down as we mixed up our tactics. I was hoping that not all the lids would open, but of course they did, bodies of draugr piling up around us before we were finally done.

"You have quite the arm," Tolfdir stated.

"I've killed plenty of draugr since arriving in Skyrim. I'm not going to say this was nothing but…" I trailed off as I saw his attention taken by something else.

"Look up!" I did and could see all the sarcophaguses above. 'Shor's bones! How many are there?' "I've never seen anything like this in Nordic ruins before. Look at them all!"

I shrugged. "Ruins like this are usually full of draugr."

"Really?" I nodded. "But this was a full functioning city. It wasn't built as a tomb. I wonder why they are all here?"

"You think we should investigate further?"

"I think you'll be capable of handling whatever is ahead yourself. Correct?"

"I guess."

"I'd like to stay here and inspect some of these but I'll catch up later."

For the first time in a long time, I was on my own as I walked through the iron doors. Working for the Companions, I always had a Shield-Brother with me. Otherwise, I'd have Lydia beside me. But I trusted my arm, my skill and, if I was ever in trouble, I could trust my Shouts. I didn't like using them constantly, thinking it was an abuse of my power. A personal thing but also something I had taken from my lessons with the Greybeards.

What I found is that Saarthal was like any other ruin I had explored since arriving in Skyrim. Full of draugr just waiting for the unwary or idiotic to stumble in. I considered myself a bit smarter than that nowadays so was cautious with each step, on the watch for any sort of trap that could end with my skewered by pikes coming out of the floor, the walls or the ceiling.

The one thing I was thankful for is that I never met large groups of draugr. I met them in dribs and drabs. One draugr I could handle without a problem. Two could be difficult while three was hard. Any more and I had to think hard, though I usually had to Shout to clear some killing space. The burial chambers were the worst, as usual, full of draugr just waiting for someone to clatter by and wake them up. I'd learned over time that I had to move stealthily through these areas, and even then success wasn't always guaranteed. Whenever one did wake up, I tried to kill it as quietly and quickly as possible in an attempt to wake the others. It usually worked. Usually…

The obvious thing is that Saarthal had not been explored in thousands of years. The entire complex appeared on the verge of falling apart. Each room or chamber I entered had walls or ceiling caving in. What did surprise me was finding a puzzle room, and this one took some thinking. I had nothing to help me choose which symbol so it was simply guesswork. The first time I pulled the lever ended with the gate not opening and poison arrows shooting my way. Luckily I was ready to move in case the gate didn't open, so I didn't get hit. A second attempt ended the same way but third time was a charm and the gate opened.

I hate puzzle rooms.

More draugr waited ahead though they appeared to be thinning out. I had figured out the draugr were guardians of these tombs, crypts or whatever you wanted to call them, so still didn't know who or what they actually were. Undead warriors? Undead servants? Undead poor bastards in servitude in life, death and in between? All I knew is that they were vicious when armed though not particularly smart.

I eventually stumbled upon a second puzzle room, and while this one had hints for me, rather bizarrely I might add, the devices I had to move had a mind of their own, and it took many minutes of frustrating turning before I finally had the symbols correct, the door opening again once I pulled the lever.

I really hate puzzle rooms. Next time, I was going to make sure I had someone with me.

Just as I was about to descend even further into the ruins, I heard someone call from behind, swinging around with sword ready to see Tolfdir walking towards me. He stopped for a moment, eyes on my sword. I muttered an apology as I sheathed it.

"Looks like you've been busy, Ragnar."

"Had may run-ins with draugr?"

The old man laughed. "I'm glad to say I spend most of my days behind the safe walls of the College."

"Ruins like this are always full of them. They can be annoying in packs but easy to pick off in ones and twos. Probably looks worse than it actually was."

"Found anything to suggest what's here?"

"None. I can only assume it's further on."

"Lead the way."

Unsheathing my sword again, probably leaving Tolfdir in no doubt that I wasn't a mage, we moved on. We continued to descend through numerous empty rooms until I could see a faint light ahead. Wondering what it was, I jogged forward, coming to a halt when we entered another large chamber. In the middle of the room was an enormous green orb. 'This must be what they were hiding down here.'

"Why is this buried so far within Saarthal?" Tolfdir wondered.

"Good question," I stated by way of reply, "But I'd be concerned about that," I added, pointing to the draugr sat on a throne in front of the orb.

"We should be careful," the old man stated quietly.

"Agreed."

I took the lead, moving carefully, hoping we wouldn't wake the slumbering draugr. But we hadn't even walked halfway down the stairs when the draugr stirred and stood tall. It was dressed in ancient armour, and had the tell-tale helmet of being a difficult draugr to take down. It didn't arm itself with a weapon, though, which caused a moment of consternation in my mind as it unleashed a frost attack. I lifted my shield and thanked whoever had placed the enchantment on it as the attack barely touched me. Once it lowered its arm, I attacked, striking at its arm.

My attack did nothing.

"Um, Tolfdir…"

I attacked again, striking as hard as I could, sure I would hit. But no. My sword appeared to go straight through its body.

"Tolfdir!" I yelled as the draugr attacked me in return.

"The orb, Ragnar! It must be connected to the orb!"

"Well, do something about it!" I yelled as I retreated, shield up as I blocked numerous magic attacks.

With the draugr having eyes only for me, I had no idea what Tolfdir did for the next thirty seconds to a minute, but whatever he did worked as there was a noise came from the orb that caused both myself and the draugr to stop. It almost looked unsure, it's arm still outstretched… which I then chopped off.

"My turn," I growled as I stepped forward, plunging my sword into stomach of the draugr, full through to the hilt, the breath of the draugr in my face. I twisted the sword and the face looking at me creased in pain before I withdrew. I stepped back as the draugr fell to its knees, still looking at me.

I made sure of the job and took its head. I checked the body, finding a strange fragment around its neck. I didn't normally look for too many coins or treasure but this appeared exquisite, and rather unique, so I took it, putting it in my pocket. I then checked the table and found a tattered old note, though I could still read the scrawl.

'Be bound here, Jyrik, murderer, betrayer

Condemned by your crimes against realm and lord.

May your name and your deeds be forgotten forever

And the charm which you bear be sealed by our ward.'

"By Oblivion, whatever did this Jyrik do?" I wondered aloud to myself.

"What was that, Ragnar?" Tolfdir asked. I handed him the note. He looked up in surprise once done reading. "Do you think it has anything to do with this orb?" I shrugged. "You'd better return to the Arch-Mage and let him know what we've found. It's clearly magical as it radiates magicka."

"What about the others?"

"Take them back as well. I'll have to stay here and watch the orb. I should be okay for now."

I found a word wall upon exiting the chamber, again not understanding any of the writing but the single word was highlighted. I tested the Shout once I'd learned the word, interested to see that it appeared to turn things to ice. 'That might come in handy later. Though I do prefer fire.'

I gathered the rest of the students, most of whom were sat around, bored out of their brains, and thankful that I would be escorting back to the College. The sun was setting as we climbed out of Saarthal and we walked briskly back to Winterhold, eager to avoid the wild beasts that come out at dusk in these areas. Still, darkness was overtaking us by the time we walked past the inn. I was ready to stop and speak to Lydia and the Companions, but I had a feeling reporting to the Arch-Mage was a matter of urgency, so figured I'd catch up with them later.

The door to the Arch-Mages quarters was closed. I was polite enough to knock once, then twice, but hearing no reply, I opened the door to a large personal quarters, including a sitting area and bedroom. There was also a small herbal garden. The Arch-Mage was sitting by himself at a table, eyes glues to a dusty old tome. I cleared my throat and he looked up, surprised to see me.

"Yes?" Then he looked me up and down. "Oh, you're one of the new students, are you not? With Tolfdir's group?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. I've just returned from Saarthal."

He stood up and held out a hand. "Savos Aren. Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold."

"Ragnar of Whiterun. The Last Dragonborn."

"Oh, so you're the one Mirabelle was talking about."

"Yes, sir."

He gestured. "Please, take a seat." I took a seat opposite the Arch-Mage. "So what is it that brings you the College?"

"I'll be honest, sir. I originally only came here to learn of the location of an Elder Scroll."

"What do you need a Scroll for?"

"To help me defeat Alduin, the World-Eater."

He nodded. "Speak to Urag. He'll certainly point you in the right direction."

"Thank you, sir. But, right now, I'm actually here for another reason. We found something in Saarthal that Tolfdir thinks is important. It's an… orb of some kind. Tolfdir was very excited."

"Can you describe this orb?" I did my best to explain what little of it I had seen. "Very well. Speak to Urag downstairs about this as well. See if he had any texts about Saarthal."

I thanked the Arch-Mage for his time and headed to the library. I had a feeling it was time to do some reading.