Chapter Text
Evren growled to herself, wrapping her coat tighter around herself. She had made a mistake. She realized that now. Unfortunately for her, it was far too late to go back. She had made a fire under the rocks and decided to spend the night there. Her journey to Solitude could wait until the sun had risen. With little more then her rugged bow, she didn't want to travel at night. It would be a foolish death wish.
Cooking the rabbit she had killed, she looked around, careful to not miss anything that she saw in her surroundings. She didn't like the idea of cooking in fear of attracting predators but safety be damned! Evren was hungry and she would eat, wether or not she would be eaten herself. When the meat was done cooking, she dug in, cringing. She used to like it, but Evren had been subject to eating nothing but rabbits for a while though she jumped at the chance of mountain flowers. She hated those too but the empowering effect they had on Evren was addictive and kept her alive. It was like Evren's skooma, though skooma likely tasted better and felt a lot worse.
Evren unrolled her mat, placing her bag beside it and laying down after she ate, putting some water on the fire so it was not as powerful. Closing her eyes as she curled within the thin furs, Evren shivered as the cold permeated her, seemingly trying to consume her very soul.
She missed her home and its warmth, but her search of treasure, knowledge, and money kept her driving on forwards. Yes, she called herself a merchant, though she was far more akin to a traveling bard and though she may not have expressed herself with words through song, she did so in poetry and her journals. If Evren was wise, however, she wouldn't be in Skyrim.
Waking up to her fire extinguishing itself, Evren let out a low groan, "just perfect. Jolly splendid." She muttered to herself as she kicked the coals over themselves and tied her sleeping roll back to her leather backpack, walking forwards towards Solitude yet again. The silence of the hills was eerie and unsettling as she kept her pace down the road. She had no doubt she would run into some sort of bandit, and part of her counted on it for some loot or perhaps and end to this frigid wasteland.
Finally emerging among green trees on the uphill to Skyrim's capitol, Evren sighed in relief, "thank the divines I still have my fingers."
Entering the gates of the city, Evren stepped into the main square, looking to sell off the small trinkets she had discovered on her way. Weary, she paused, noticing a good sign. Bits and Pieces.
"Welcome. Look around. We've got everything you could want in life. At least... that's what Beirand always tells me," the redguard merchant greeted Evren.
"Thank ya, though I'm looking to sell and trade," Evren leaned against the counter, her back burning.
"Of course, let me see what you've got," the merchant nods and Evren set her bag down, putting down a few goblets, potions useless to her, scrolls, and pelts.
"What do ya make'a these?" Evren asked, holding up a horker's tusk.
"These'll catch a good price on the market. Say, you don't sound like anybody around here. Where you from?" the merchant asks as she puts down plenty of gold for Evren's goods.
"Some islands to the south west of High Rock. I regret leavin' for here, I can assure ya that much," Evren shrugged, "say, you got mountain flowers? Any color'll do but blue's preferred."
"Yeah, it gets pretty cold. I can sell you quite a bit for just five septims," Sayma nodded.
"I'll take that deal," Evren nodded, leaving five septims from the rest of the gold she had received. She took the mountain flowers, putting them in her bag, "well I best get goin'. Good doing business with ya."
"Of course, come back any time," Sayma waved as Evren left to find a blacksmith, who she found quickly at the forge. The person was working at the forge as Evren stopped by them, crossing her arms and waiting patiently. When the blacksmith finally drew back from his work, he greeted the islander.
"What do you need, traveller?" Beirand asked.
"A better bow'd be nice, please," Evren took her bow from her shoulders and placed it on the table.
"I see why. I don't have any available right now however. However, I might be able to whip one up for you if you could do a small favor for me," Beirand offered. Evren nodded with a shrug.
"Sure. Whatcha need?" Evren asked.
"Just take some armor and weapons to Castle Dour and pick up my pay," Beirand shrugged, "I'll get started, here's what you need. Just give it to the guard at the entrance and make sure he gives the gold. Tell them it's from Beirand."
"Sounds good. Thank ya," Evren nodded, taking the supplies the short distance to the imperial guard. "This is the shipment from Beirand."
"Ah, I've been waiting. Tell him to hurry it up next time," the guard took the supplies. Evren nodded absent-mindedly, waiting for the pay.
"I'm also here to pick up his pay," Evren frowned. The imperial nodded.
"Tell him to come pick it up himself. I don't trust you," he shook his head, and Evren glared, eyes intense.
"Ya listen here, Beirand told me to get his pay, I'm gonna get it and believe me I have the patience of a dead man," Evren shook her head, "so give me his pay and I'll get it to him. Otherwise, I can stand here for a long time, lest you're a thief."
"Fine, take the gold," the imperial gave her the bag of septims.
"Thank ya for your service sir," Evren nodded, leaving the confused soldier at his post and dropping the gold by Beirand, who was hammering the iron hot grip into shape. "Here's ya money. Anythin' else?"
"Nah, nothing," Beirand shook his head, "I should have this done by nightfall. How about you come then?"
"No problem," Evren nodded, leaving to the inn and indulging herself in some mead and food. She had little to do but wait, get tipsy, and play around with her bracelet. Still, she was having a nice time with mead in her belly and a bard playing to the inn. Deciding to cut herself off to avoid a hangover, Evren pushed the cup away from herself, getting up and stumbling slightly on her way to find a privy.
Evren glared at the darkening sky, cold yet again as she walked to the Solitude forge. Beirand was taking a break. "I take it ya finished the bow?" Evren asked.
"Yes, here it is," Beirand nodded.
"Here, let me pay ya," Evren dug into her coin purse.
"That errand was payment," Beirand shook his head.
"I'll by some arrows off ya then," Evren shrugged and Beirand agreed.
Evren hiked east on her way to some ruins she had been told of in Hjaalmarch, Kjenstag Ruins she heard they were called. She cared little for the name and more for the treasure it could hold. Upon reaching them, she quickly found a table and a chest unguarded behind the wall. Evren knelt by the chest, finding it locked and brandished a lock pick, beginning her work.
Out of the chest, she obtained an enchanted dagger that she decided to keep for herself and some gold. Deciding to move wherever the road would take her now, Evren decided to go to Morthal, wondering when she'd find something really interesting. A painful few weeks and Evren finally found an ancient nordic ruin in the cold of Hjaalmarch. It was strange, a strange symbol on a door, like an octopus. Ignoring the dark aura Evren could feel from the place, she approached.
Finding it unsettling, the feeling she got from this place, only drove her forwards. Dark forces mean treasure, and she would just remember to keep an arrow notched.
"Well this oughta be interesting," Evren looked at the front that jutted from the snowy rocks then back at the frozen marsh. "Well, it's too cold there anyways."
Evren inspected the symbol. Strange. She had seen that symbol in books she had read, of daedric origin if she was not mistaken, but she couldn't place what daedra. Evren felt this was a bad idea. She never thought to interact with such creatures and knew well to avoid them. Still, despite the monstrosity the symbol depicted, it felt inviting like one would simply be walking into the house of an old kindly neighbor. Evren opened the door and was greeted by a strange warmth one would not expect from such a place.
Stepping forward, she kept her arrow pointed and feathers by her cheek. Walking forwards cautiously she immediately noticed the pressure plate and avoided it. Come to think of it, this first room was filled with traps. The only hint at it being anything but storage was a locked door by a table near an old faded piece of paper neatly folded on it. Evren avoided the traps and withdrew the arrow, reading the old faded text of the note.
If this key is found and you pass through the door, beware, for then no light may save you from the corruption that sprouts from the Gardener of Men.
- Savolar Damorvu
"Hermaeus Mora, eh?" Evren muttered, "I bet I need find no key." Evren got to work disabling the door trap before she worked to unlock the door.
"No!" she heard a dunmer shout and turned around, sidestepping when the dunmer ghost lunged with blade in hand. Evren shot an arrow into the lost soul's face and he crumbled.
"Ya must be Savolar then," Evren nodded to herself, then noticed something beneath the table. Leaning down she realized why the spirit was here at all. His burnt corpse curled up stiff and charred beneath the table, nothing organic left to rot. "You were hiding weren't ya? Nevertheless," Evren continued working on opening the lock. She had never seen such a complicated lock before though she was sure worse existed. Hours passed and Evren remained patient, lock pick after lock pick broken, only occasionally muttering to complain. As she had told the imperial, Evren had the patience of a corpse, and she had not lied.
When the lock finally clicked open and fell to the floor Evren opened the door with no hesitation. She had had plenty of time to reflect on her choices and she wasn't going back now. Walking forwards into the room she noticed a long blade on the table and a statuette of the daedric prince who likely owned the blade.
Evren trailed her fingers over the table, not wanting to touch the ebony-like sword before poking it a few times with her dagger. "Ya gonna do anything, blade? No like... defense or anything?" Evren tilted her head, turning it around and over with the dagger. Evren put her dagger away, hand gently grazing the hilt. She yelped when it let out a faint buzz before shocking her hand. She shook her hand, glaring. "Well that's wonderful, I swear."
"Greetings, mortal," a low voice drawled from somewhere, deep, soothing, welcoming, yet at the same time holding a sinisterly evil undertone. It was like a trap to draw you in with strange friendliness. Evren was just grateful she could see past that, feeling the presence of a demon past the lure that was his voice.
At least, Evren was pretty sure it was a he.
"And you are?" Evren looked around, seeing the door behind her closed but nobody there.
"I am Hermaeus Mora. I am the guardian of the unseen, and knower of the unknown. I have been watching you, mortal. You are clever but otherwise fail to impress me," that same disembodied voice spoke again. "You have however, opened the door to this place, a long task to attend. Few mortals are so patient. So tell me, Evren, you want this blade, you want the power in knowledge behind it, wether or not you knew. So then, I shall give you the blade and the knowledge."
"Go on," Evren nodded and the honeyed drawl of Hermaeus Mora continued.
"If you do something for me, I shall give you both and name you my champion," Hermaeus Mora put his offer on the table, "Folium Discognitum, an artifact of Sheogorath. Retrieve it and bring it to me in whatever way you see fit."
"And where might I retrieve it?" Evren asked.
"In the Shivering Isles is where he keeps it. A fool beggar roams Solitude. Accept his task and you shall meet Sheogorath. From then on is up to you," Hermaeus Mora explained, "do you accept?"
Evren paused, thinking. No! She wouldn't trust him and his damn voice! "No. I think I'd rather not hunt down a mad god for the sake of that," Evren walked towards the door to leave.
"Beware. Many have thought as you do. I have broken them all," Hermaeus Mora warned.
"I understand but I've heard quite a bit about you and Sheogorath. I may know barely a fraction but I don't want to mess with him," Evren shrugged, opening the door, finding it locked, "I denied ya. Now let me go." The presence did not leave, instead staying silent. "Very well. Two can play this game, be one immortal or no."
Evren sat down, setting her bag beside her and leaning against the door, closing her eyes.