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Hey, this is one more from your boy, Fenrir.  

 

...Sorry, I figured all the best quest journals' hosts were saying it, thought I'd give it a try.  It's 216, the 14th of Sun's Height (7th Month).

Damien and I are looking for Ancient Dwemer tomes.  Why?  Well, originally I was looking for Dwemer ruins to raid and learn more about their amazing technology and history.  But I'm also now fully invested in finding these philosophy books.  Maybe the real Dwemer ruins were the ones we found along the way.  Or something.

 

Anyway, we headed to the Moorside Inn in Morthal.  I spoke with the Innkeeper, Jonna, and Ange the Song-Bearer (whose voice bore a resemblance to Sofia's, curiously, but she wasn't telling dick jokes).  Then again, I did ask her for a song and she just walked away without playing it.  Glad I didn't pay.

 

 

 

A couple strange things happened before we found Gottfried: I was challenged to single combat by a random guy.  I beat him handily.  Then I got attacked by two guys in weird dragon priest-esque masks.  Sadly for them, Morthal is now fairly populated (despite it being in a swamp), and I think at least some of the people here recognized me or Damien and swarmed on the guys.  We barely even got a shot off.  One of the random teens got wounded, but Damien patched him up.  Then I found him wandering amongst the crowds.

 

 

"Sticks-and-Stones sent me.  She wants the Lusty Argonian Maid with the misprint," I said.

Gottfried sighed, "By the nines, is that lizard completely insane?  I knew this would happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, if she refuses to come here, how can I give her the book?"

"That's why she sent me," I said.

Yes, I understand.  But she sent me the gold months ago."

"That's a good point," I said.

"I don't have the book anymore," he said.

"What happened?"

"It got stolen."

I raised an eyebrow.  Not a lot of people would know the value of the book.  I bet he sold it.

 

"The book got stolen," I paused, "C'mon, tell me the truth, she's going on here?"

"Alright, alright.  I sold it to someone else.  I never thought Sticks would send someone.  She made me wait for four months!"

"Where is it now?"

"I sold it to a man named Sam Shelling.  I honestly don't know anything else."

 

I turned to Damien as Gottfried disappeared into the crowd.

"Dude, wanna work on your next teleport lesson?" Damien asked.

"No.  No thanks.  Not yet," I said.

"Back to Solitude?" He asked, but he grabbed my arm and just casted it.

 

We walked into the Winking Skeever (much less crowded, as it was midday) and I found Sticks at a table enjoying breakfast.

"Gottfried sold your book to someone else," I said.

"That backstabbing liar.  I should've known.  Do you know whom he sold it to?"

"Sam Shelling."

"Ha!  The most pretentious man in Tamriel.  He's the founder of a philosophicl collective, the Real Idealists.  Here to enrich Tamriel's soul with literature and philosophy.  Pompous swines.  Their gathering place is notoriously difficult to find, but I know that their steward, the idiot Carl Purehart, hands around the Nightgate Inn.  Go talk to him, if he can talk.  Ha!"

 

I folded my arms, silently.

Sticks stared at me for a moment, then said, "What?"

"Make any progress finding a book about how to talk to people?  Have you read the chapter on how to ask nicely for things?"

She groaned, "......please?"

I smirked, "Thank you."

 

Damian and I were off to Nightgate which was.... 

"Where's Nightgate Inn?"

"Heljarchen, which I know the teleport for," Damien said, charging his spell.

"Thanks bro," I said.

"No prob, dude.  Not like I have a lot going on right now," Damien chuckled.  

 

 

I approached him in the Inn.  

"What do you want?" He asked, nearly spilling his beer.

"Are you Carl Pureheart?"

"Yes I am, Carl Ptolemeus Pureheart, honored steward of the Ideal Realists."

"Aren't they the Real Idealists?" I asked.

"Um... yeah, I um...  What can I do for you?" He asked.

"I would love to join!"

"Really?  That s so... you know... that is.  Sam, I mean, the enlightened philosopher Sam Shelling has told me I should test your creative mind.  SO um... demonstrate your creative mind."

"Right now?" I asked.

I thought of something that sounded like it belonged in a fortune cookie, "The beginning is also the end, since the end is also the beginning."

Which, with Talpas, may be true?
 

"Wow.  Deep.  You sound as clever as Sam.  I mean the enlightened philosopher Sam Shelling.  The hidden whimsey is underground.  That's irony, I think.  You'll need this key," he said.

 

 

We teleported to Falkreath and hoofed it towards the Hidden Whimsey.

Down the road a bit, there was a stray door in a cliffside.

"Fight cave?" I asked.

"Oh, hey, that's the underground arena from when mom restored Helgen," Damien commented.

 

 

"I think the Falkreath Brotherhood Sanctuary is around here too," I said.

"It's kinda weird all the stuff that goes on without you or I being involved."

"How do you mean?" I asked as we continued down the path.

"You know, in all the old fantasy stories, like Tiber Septim.  HE was the thing.  Everything is centered around him in his story," Damien scratched his chin.

"Yeah well, history is centered around the biggest personalities.  I'm sure there was other stuff going on when the Champion of Cyrodiil was doing his thing, or the Nerevarine.  I mean, c'mon, do you really think mom could be the Archmage, and the Guildmaster, and the Harbinger, and the Queen, etc etc all at the same time?" I asked.

"Not really realistic," Damien shrugged, then he pointed into the woods at a figure hefting an axe.

"Huh, I thought minotaurs were extinct," I shrugged back at him.  I drew my sword and shield, as the thing had nearly closed the distance.

He brought his greataxe down but I deflected the blow with my shield and sidestepped, giving him a slash across the chest.

 

 

This went on a couple more times before the Minotaur was on his back.

I sheathed my sword, "Aren't they intelligent?"

"What do you mean?" Damien folded his arms.

"I mean he kept trying the same thing and I kept sidestepping him.  Also, why didn't you help?" I squinted at him.

"I knew you could handle it," Damien replied, "As to your earlier question, yes, minotaurs went extinct on Nirn.  That one was from another world.  Mom told me she saw one at Echo Deep Mine.  From what I can tell, that's where they're coming from."

 

After a little while we found the entrance, and I was attacked by a group of bears.  I shrugged, taking them down from a distance, except the last one, who I finished off with my sword.

Then a Spriggan attacked, but Damien (still far away) blasted him down with Elemental Blasts and I used my launcher, then we continued inside a small manhole, concealed by the dense brush of the forest.

 

Inside was a hewn cave complex.  The first man to see us greeted us with, "Reason is but subjected by the automated grips of a subversive reality that drowns the dreams of the intuition."

"So I guess we're in the right place, then," I said.

 

 

"Yes, this is the Hidden Whimsey, a place where we partake in mental battles."

"You seem quite excited to be here," I said.

"And you should be as well!  This is the vortex, the ultimate place of philosophy!"

I picked another man to talk to, and he started reading his poetry to me, to which I slowly backed away and picked a third person to talk to.  The woman sitting at the table.  She looked like a normal person, maybe.

 

"My, my.  It seems we're letting anyone and everyone in these days."

"You remind me of someone.  Sticks-and-Stones."

"I'm bored.  Provoke my mind," she said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Provoke my mind."

"Okay, if a tree falls down in the forest, but no one hears it, did it make a sound?" I asked.

"I heard that one before.  It can be found in Odd Dwemer Riddles written by Aurelius of Kvatch."

"Well it's still a good riddle," I said, "What is this place?"

"Isn't that amusing?  A new member who doesn't realize what this place is.  This, new blood, is the Hidden Whimsey.  The final resort for those who dare question the unquestionable.  Who dare criticize the uncriticizable," she said, "Blah... blah... blah..."

Obviously getting bored of even hearing herself talk.  I responded, "You don't seem overly fond of this place."

 

"Don't you worry, I love it here.  I'm just tired of the façade."

"Façade?  What do you mean?"

"Nothing.  Just that some here are a bit too pretentious."

"Oh really?" Damien said under his breath.

"Now allow me to finish a thought," she said, waving us away.

I approached another guy, but he seemed like he was just here to provide music, not to ruminate.

 

Then I approached the last man in the room.

"What has become of Tamriel?  All these cultures are flowing through each other like different wines."

I blew out a breath.  Always gotta be one of these guys.  I am half Redguard, half Nord.  Raised by a daedra.  And now I'm listening to a guy talking about how racial and cultural mixing is bad.  

 

He continued, "And what happens when different wines flow through each other?  What remains is a watery mess!"

I put on the most-false smile I could muster and said, "Are you enjoying yourself this evening?"

"Joy?  Life is no joy.  I was in Windhelm recently.  The cold, white WIndhelm, like my mother's love.  It was there where I saw - no - where the problem dawned upon me.  Like a young bird emerging from lush grass."

"So what's the problem?" I asked.

 

"Those Dunmer refugees, you fool!  Slowly they merge with the Nords, diminishing their cultural awareness.  Next is Cyrodiil, then High Rock!"

"I think... you're paranoid."

"What happened to the ideal of a nation?  Tamriel is only strong as long as she is divided into clear bordered nations.  We need strong pure nations!"
"Ugh," I stepped back.

 

I grabbed a red bottle of wine from the table and walked around the divider to the back room (marked Carnal room?).  Think I'll be needing this if there are any more guys like these.

The door was locked, but that was no problem.  I may not be a thief, but I'm great with locks.

 

 

There was a scantily-armored Redguard woman there, talking about the Psijics and the Gates of Oblivion.

 

 

"The Eye of Magnus is with the Psijics," Damien said from the corner.

"Dude, this woman is clearly on something.  I don't think she cares that you did the Mages' Guild Questline years ago," I replied.  I peered down at her as she sat on a bench.  And part of me considered 'getting to know her' a little better.  But no, that'd be uncool.  She was drugged out of her mind.  And if anybody's wondering, Valiana and I have mentioned having sex with others if the want arises, but I mostly don't want to.  At this point it's more 'well, Val's not here, and this could be slightly better than masturbation.'  So in that case, I guess I would.

 

We searched the room and found a few interesting treasures, including a copy of the Lusty Argonian Maid.  But it seemed like that was not the right copy, so we decided to continue on through the next door.

 

As I've said before - I'm not the best at stealth.  So as soon as I picked the lock and we ventured to the next area, I'd made enough of a clatter that I heard voices saying, "What was that?!"

It was down the hall.  We quickly bustled back through the door, Damien re-locking it with a lock spell (instant) and then we walked back into the common room with the philosophers, but behind the barrier.

 

"Guess they get mad if we go back here without permission," I shrugged.

"Well, they didn't see us," Damien said back.  

"Guess we need to get in there legitimately," I said as we walked toward Sam Shelling, on a pedestal.

 

 

"You must be the enlightened philosopher himself," I said to him.

"Indeed I am.  I see you've passed my loyal steward's test.  So you want to join the Real Idealists?"

"Yes please."

"It is always a pleasure to welcome a new eager sophisticated mind," he said, "But you are not a member yet.  My mind craves new exciting knowledge.  Give it to me and I just might consider your application."

"So what do you need exactly?" I asked.

"Well a simple gossip might do.  Why don't you talk with my minions... I mean.. partners."

 

Am I going to exploit their deepest, darkest secrets?  Yes I am.  I hopped down and talked to Nouveau first, the poet from before.  

 

 

"So you're a poet, right?"

"True, my little curious foxhound, but I never wanted to become a poet.  It was forced upon me by the demands of my audience.  My poor wretched life."

"What did you want to become?" I asked.

"To be honest, little foxhound, I wanted to become a confectioner.  In search of creating the best sweetroll possible," he explained.

"Maybe one day."

"Maybe, but until then, my life remains simply..." he started. 

"...horrible," I said.

"We share a soul bond!" He smiled.

 

Next I approached Tristan Baudet, the one who hates the mixing of cultures.

"Something wrong?" I asked.  He looked distressed.

"Yes there is, to be honest.  I feel like a horse in water trying to get out.  Struggling, failing," he replied.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you, I must stay silent," he replied.

"Your secret is safe with me."

"Alright, you convinced me.  And it would be a weight off my shoulders.  I am deeply in love with Brandy.  I know she's old, I know she's married.  But my heart aches for her.  She's my tender flower.  Please me silent about this."

"Your secret is safe," I said.

 

Alright.  Next, I approached Brandy, the woman at the table.

"I'm curious about that façade you mentioned," I said to her.

"It is nothing, new blood.  Sometimes asking too many questions can be dangerous.  Especially with Camille.  Now hush, off you go!"

"Well, how are you doing though?"

"My mind is entertaining deep memories.  Aren't you hunted by your past?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"A dark secret... a very dark secret."

"Tell me."

"My secrets are my own.  You little nosy badger," she replied.

 

Then I approached Camille.  We discussed the reason he was wearing Mythic Dawn robes - it was meant to be ironic, but a lot of people died to men in those robes.  Then taking a shot in the dark, I said, "Can I be frank with you?  I believe you're just pretending to be a deep thinker."

He blinked, then a look of anguish crossed his face, "It's true.  Please, please don't tell Sam."

"Your secret's safe," I replied.  Was it?  Yeah, I was thinking the love thing would be my go-to.  Nothing wrong with love.

 

I returned to Sam Shelling and said quietly, "Tristan is in love with Brandy."

"That brings joy to my mind.  Here's a little something for you," he said, "Go check out the room behind the fence and have your joy.  In the end, the best joy is carnal."

I squinted, was the barely-dressed woman in the carnal room meant to be a kind of village bicycle for these guys?  I thought on it for a moment.  

 

I was able to unlock a new door by the entrance that also led into the deeper Hidden Whimsey, but there was another door, still locked.  So we made our way in.  

 

 

And as soon as we were in, I turned the corner and a female guard met eyes with us.  Damien turned and blasted her with Elemental Blast - as a reflex.

"Dang bro, I was trying to avoid killing everybody," I said.

Out of the haze over her dead body, another guard emerged with a polearm.  That explosion could've waked the dead.  I blocked him with my shield, but he went for Damien.  Damien was caught off guard, but I grabbed the guard from behind and slit his throat with my sword.

 

 

"Yeah well, they saw us.  What are ya gonna do?" Damien shrugged.  He was already burning a third guard alive with Flames.

"Guess that plan's down the drain," I commented.

 

We walked around a corner to find another guard, looking away this time.  I loaded a bolt in my crossbow.

"Is someone there?" He drew his weapon, but I put the bolt in his back before he turned.

"Man, you are lousy at stealth," Damien chuckled.

 

"True," I admitted.

We walked into the next chamber, that had stacks of books and a bigger statue.  We stuffed everything of value into our dimensional bags before Damien held up another copy of the L.A.M.  Our target.

 

 

"Hey, are we the bad guys in this situation?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Damien asked, handing me the book.

"We're just breaking in and stealing all their things.  And we've killed a few people," I said back.

"Good, evil.  Whatever floats your boat," Damien smirked.

 

I shook my head, "No comment."

We found another room off the circle with a single guard left, sleeping.  And apparently I was so loud I woke him up, but I put him back down with a bolt.  We got everything of value again.  As we traveled the circle, we found the last room, with two vampires there.  Damien blasted the first with an explosion, and I a second with my launcher.  

 

 

"Vampires.  Strange.  I wonder if the philosophers had a deal going with these guys," Damien said.

We came out the final door, and found Ariadne there, in the carnal room.  We shrugged at each other, ready to leave inconspicuously.  They all drew weapons as we walked out from behind the divider.

 

 

"You're not leaving here alive," one of them said.  I sighed, pulling out my crossbow again.

Damien was quicker on the uptake this time, blasting Brandy and Camille immediately.  I used the divider as cover, taking out the bard, then Tristan.  Still running at us even though we'd wiped clean his entire order for attacking, Sam Shelling was laid low by Damien.

 

We looked at their bodies, then I said, "How sad.  They didn't need to die."

"True, but half them had a death wish anyway," Damien replied. 

 

Nouveau peeked into the room and in a rage he drew his dagger.

"C'mon, guy.  You don't need to die," I sighed again.

"I'm going to kill you!" 

I pincushioned him with my autocrossbow.

 

"Let's get the hell outta here, after we pick up all their books and goods," I growled.

 

We teleported back to Solitude to give Sticks the book, and had a few drinks to finish off our day.

Sticks-and-Stones was actually nicer this time.  She gave us four rare books from her collection.  Then told us about Michael Sebastian.  Third person who'd told me about M.S.

 

The next morning we headed to the college instead.  I wanted to set down all these books and skim through them.  M.S had said there would be clues in books related to Ludz.  The library was packed as ever.  Damien went off to catch up on his work.

 

I took stock of the books I'd collected -

Mortal Questions by Michael Sebastian

Novum Organum

Lessons of Heraclitus I

Bibliographica Philosophae

Sam Shelling's Journal

Odd Dwemer Riddles

An Ancient Dwemer Tome

 

I looked through the college's supply of books one more time, just to make sure they didn't have what I was looking for, and I actually found some stuff this time!  They had been buried under the scroll-making table.

Lessons of Heraclitus II and III, On Solipsism, Tamrielic Philosophy and The Way of Truth.  I eagerly snatched them up to take them to the table I'd picked.

"Hey, that isn't yours!" Hannah said to me angrily.

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, this is a library.  Where people typically go to check out books.  Or atleast carry them to a table to read."

I squinted at the crowd, now looking at me.  I reached down and picked up a second one of the books.

"Hey!  Hands off!" Colette yelled.

"Dude, don't worry about my hands being clean.  I washed them before this," I said.  Then I picked up a third book.

"What do you think you're doing?" Colette demanded.

"Research.  What's it look like?" I responded, picking up another book.

 

"By order of the Jarl, stop right there!" A College guard put his hand on my shoulder, whipping me around.

I raised an eyebrow, "So you're saying even picking up these books to read is a crime here?"

"Stealing is a crime everywhere, friend," he replied.  

I still had the big stack of books in my hands.  

"You guys sure are strict.  Do you even know how libraries work?  I'm not stealing them.  I'm going to read them and put them back.  Or give them to Eleanor or Urag," I said.  While I talked I'd been backing away slowly. 

 

"I said stop," the guard said again.

I slid the stack of books into my pack, quickly whipped out the knowledge I'd just learned a couple days before and cast Recall.

I appeared in the Hall of Elements.

"Well I'm glad you figured out at least one of the spells I tried to teach you," Damien said from the class he was teaching.

"Hey, um, do you know a place where I can study that's quiet?" I asked.

"Archmage's quarters," he replied, "Oh, actually, here."

He handed me a key, "This goes to the restricted section in the library.  I've been meaning to look there also.  Meet you there in half an hour."

 

So I casually walked up the stairs, not arousing attention and let myself in to the restricted section, shutting the gate behind me.  I peered off the balcony to find nobody seemed to be looking for me.  Good.  I set down to read.  

 

 

Several hours later, after Damien'd come and lent a hand, I got to the last book: the Ancient Dwemer Tome.  But it was all in dwemer.  

"I wonder if Hannah or somebody knows how to read this," I said.

 

I found her in the courtyard.  Everybody seemed to busy too care about the heinous crime of me picking up books to return them later.  

"Any interest in an ancient Dwemer Tome?" I asked.

"Absolutely," Hannah replied, "If i wasn't so busy studying and writing I would be hunting those books myself."

"What are you willing to pay for it?"

"Well, considering no one else in Skyrim would buy something they couldn't possibly read I'd say you don't have much of a choice," she smiled at me, "I'll pay you a thousand septims.  I'll even throw in a translated edition I have for free.  What do you say?"

"Deal."

 

She handed me the translation and a sack of coins, saying, "There's a strange passage at the end of the book."

Seeing the vein running through all these book people, I asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Actually there is!" She replied, "Before i came here, I visited the shrine of Azura.  When i finally arrived here in the college I realized I lost my necklace.  Normally, I don't really care for material belongings.  They only burden the mind.  But this necklace was given to me by my mother just before she died.  It would mean a lot to me if you could find it for me."

 

I asked, "How do you know for sure it's at the shrine of Azura?"

"I believe it is... for I... well... you know," she was nearly blushing.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Promise not to tell this to anyone?"

"I promise."

She eyed me warily, but revealed her secrets anyway, as people seem want to do, "As a student I learned that there were Dunmer who would please Azura in a certain way.  They would take off their clothes, their jewelry, anything they were carrying, and they would dance for their lady of twilight."

I smiled at her conspiratorially, "You danced naked in front of the statue of Azura?"

She smiled back at me a little angrily, a little embarrased, "Quiet!  I believe there are Argonians in the Black Marsh who couldn't hear you.  And don't judge me all i wanted was an authentic experience and I got it.  Anyway... will you find my necklace?"

"Sure," I replied. 

"Great.  And when you arrive at the shrine, don't forget to marvel at the sight of the statue.  It is magnificent."

 

Damien still had some work to catch up on, so I traveled south on foot.  I passed through Amol City, one of the newer towns rebuilt from the Great War.  

 

 

 

Just a trek up the path, killing an attacking bear along the way, and I was at the Shrine.

 

 

There were a few people around:  the priestess at the top, a khajiit monk milling about on the right side, and a strange man off to the left.  I figured I'd talk to the weird guy first.

"Sorry to disturb you.  I'm looking for a necklace.  Someone lost it here."

"Necklace you say?  Hedgedecker knows nothing about no necklace.  Now leave me alone," he said.

Hedgedecker?  I had him pegged right.  Weird.

 

"What are you hiding?" I asked.

"Nothing.  Leave me be.

"I am just curious you don't want me to become angry, do you?" I asked.

 

"All right, all right.  Don't be pushy with Hedgedecker.  Hedgedecker is just a bit angry sometimes.  Hedgedecker found a necklace but Hedgedecker sold it," he replied.

"Sold it, to who?" I asked.

"Sold it to to a merchant.  Eckart Silvanor was his name.  An elf by blood.  Now leave Hedgedacker be."

 

Alright, I shrugged.  Maybe go back to Sticks and tell her the situation.  I figured I might see who else was hanging out, since I made the trek.

I approached the Khajiit.

"Greetings, traveler.  I am Qa'dojo, a monk making the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Azura."
"Not everyday I meet a daedric monk."

"Then today will be no different than any other.  I'm the regular kind," he replied.  He started explaining his doctrine, but I decided I didn't have time for a long-winded explanation.  I approached the priestess.  

 

 

"Azura has seen your coming, traveler.  I am Aranea, I keep the statue," she said.  The silver-eyed Dunmer was beautiful, and now had my attention.

"Seen my coming?  What do you mean?" I asked.

"Azura has given me the gift of foresight.  I had a vision of you walking up the steps to this altar long before you were born."

Oh, right.  Elves.  She's probably waaaaay older than me, even through she looks like a hot twenty-something.

"You've been chosen to be her champion.  I know it's unexpected, but do not worry.  It will all unfold as she has predicted."

 

I think what she meant to say is I'm the first rube that came up here.  But i might as well.  Azura is one of the more agreeable Daedric princes (princesses?)

"Very well what does Azura need?" I asked.

 

"You must go to a fortress endangered by water yet untouched by it.  Inside you will find an elven mage who can turn the brightest star as black as night.  It is cryptic, I know but Azura's signs are never wrong."

Hard to be wrong when you're so cryptic.

"I believe the fortress may refer to Winterhold ask if they know this elven enchanter," Aranea continued, "This has all been foreseen and we must play our parts."

 

I used Recall to get back to the college, then walked up to the library.  Fearing they'd try and take me to jail again (the books were still piled in the private room) nobody paid me any mind.

I approached Hannah, "I'm afraid your necklace is no longer at the Shrine."

"What do you mean?"

"A strange man named Hedgedecker found it and sold it to a man named Eckart Silvanor."

 

She thought for a minute, then she said, "Wait i know that man.  He trades books with Sticks-and-Stones, a former fellow student of mine.  She is a cynical Argonian who has perfected the art of giving insults.  Don't take it too personally if she insults you.  It's just her style."

I smirked, "Met her.  May have taken her insults too personally."

"Anyway, Eckert might just be in the Winking Skeever."

"Alright," I replied.

 

I found Damien still up at the stacks and he agreed port me to Solitude, but headed back to the College.

 

I found the man, sitting across from Sticks.  He got up as I entered and I crossed paths with him near the stairs.

 

 

"Yes?" He turned, realizing I was here for him.

"Excuse me, did you buy a necklace from a man named Hedgedecker at the Shrine of Azura?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I would love to have that necklace back.  It belongs to a friend of mine."

"Well, I'm sorry then.  I don't have that necklace anymore.  I was robbed a couple of days ago while travelling to Solitude."

"That sucks," I said.

"They left me my books but took all my septims and that necklace. 

"You know where these bandits might be?" I asked.

"I was robbed near the old Kilkreath Ruins, near Dragon Bridge.  I managed to put up a fight but they were simply stronger."

"Lucky to be alive, how Skyrim bandits usually are," I commented.

"I did however manage to track them down.  If you're thinking on going after them, I can mark their hideout on your map," he said.

 

"I'll get your money back too."

"That would be very nice of you, but don't get yourself killed because of me."

I checked where he marked on the map.  Dragon Bridge was relatively close, but their hideout was in the Rift!  And Damien was back at the college.

Not yet having enough courage to try teleportation again, I decided I would take the carriage to Shor's Stone and take a nap.

 

Right off my nap at the outskirts of Shor's Stone I found two gray wolves attacking a man and his horse.  I took them down with my crossbow.  He thanked me and I ventured into the wilderness.  An old ruined tower.  I traveled up the hills a bit, fighting a tiger, a boar, a bear, a bobcat, a panda (not hostile... but... why?) and an Ancient Spriggan Patriarch.  I didn't have a lot of trouble, per se, but the spriggan did launch me up into the air.  Thank the gods for my cushioned boots.  I fell to the ground harmlessly.  But it still hurt my pride!

 

 

 

 

I sprinted back up the hill, not encountering the Spriggan again.  Instead, I found a couple ogres at the base of the tower, that I misidentified as giant Goblins.

 

 

 

After I dispatched the ogres, I used my hookshot to ascend to the top of the tower.  What I found was... a lady giving a man a massage.  The man was a dark-skinned daedra.  And an orc bandit was trying to slash him up, but the daedra was paying absolutely no attention to his assailant.

 

 

"You... ok?" I asked, confused.

"Meh.  Sensation is good.  I can barely feel it though," he shrugged.

I tilted my head.  In any case, it seemed this man was all that remained of the bandit group that'd robbed Eckhart Silvanor.  I quickly downed him and grabbed the necklace.

"There's liquor if you want to pull up a chair, traveler," he said.  He sat down, and I shrugged, figuring I could do the same.

I sat and he said, "Batheru usually sends Nords up here so I can maim them and feed the to the wolves.  I'm Dravos.  For the time being, anyhow.  That crabby dunmer below thought I should have one.  Thankfully a really smart fellow invented lies, or else this charade would be impossible."

"You don't serve Mehrunes Dagon or whoever?" I asked.

"Well, I did.  I was Kynval.  It all changed when I was summoned to the mortal plane by a man carrying a large staff shaped like a rose."

 

I scratched my chin.  Damien had it when he was time-displaced.  It passed through a few hands since then.  I think mom currently still has it from when she got into a drinking contest with Sanguine.  So Dravos had been on Nirn for 20 years or more.

 

"This old man wanted me to crush bandits.  Something about his son being beaten to death by them.  Real boring stuff.  These guys didn't fight like bandits.  Didn't look like bandits.  And they all had a lot of wine," Dravos explained.

"What happened?"

"I started getting weird tingly feelings.  Mortals call it free will.  I was tired, and I wanted to rest.  Turns out the old man was Sanguine," he chuckled, "He offered me a beer."

I chuckled loudly, "That sounds like him.  Damien's father."

 

I didn't say much to the dunmer downstairs.  He talked my ear off about killing Nords to pay them back for treating them badly.  I'm half nord, so I just kinda left.

 

I Recalled again, returning to the college library.

"I found your necklace," I said to Hannah as she stood on a table in front of me.

She smiled at me brightly, "You're amazing!  Thanks!  When i was a little girl I used to collect small shiny objects.  I thought they were so beautiful.  Here, have one.  I also throw in a book from my personal collection.  It is quite provocative.  It's from an old friend of mine.   By the way I heard Michael Sebastian of Bruma is meditating in the Biosas Late."

I nodded.  

 

 

I found Damien in the restricted books area, "Find anything?"

"Not really," Damien replied.

"It's all right.  I think we need to go back to Michael Sebastian.  Three separate people told us to go there.

He groaned, "That blowhard that refused to tell us where the university was though he clearly knew it."

"That's the one," I replied.

 

We traveled back there quickly and found him enjoying a drink at the downstairs bar.

 

 

"I'm having a lot of trouble finding the key and the academy," I said.

"I had a feeling the task might be a bit difficult, you know.  I'm willing to help you.  A little nudge you in the right direction, so to say.  It will be clear to you where the key and academy are but you still have to find them yourself.  It does take away the fun and satisfaction of solving this yourself, however.  Do you want me to nudge you in the right direction?"

 

"Wasn't it you wanted me to find it?  If you knew where it was the whole time...." I sighed, accepting the help, "Yes please.  Help me however you can."

"Just follow your intuition you will find them," he said, seeming to offer very little actual help.

I blinked, "The key is in High Hrothgar."

Damien furrowed his brow, "I have no idea how you came to that conclusion."

"Intuition!" Sebastian said.

 

"By the way, we've been inside the hidden whimsy," I said.

 

"When people share a set of beliefs, I have nothing against it when they group together.  But this group is mostly motivated by a fear for the loss of cultural integrity by refugees and persons from other cultural backgrounds.  In order to resist this threat they group together and continuously confirm each other's convictions.  Without criticism, a thought becomes still but why should one care anyway?"

"That was the impression I got as well.  Besides, I'm not into cultural purity, myself," I replied, "What do you have for sale?  Anything new?"

 

He showed me his stock of books, and he'd really been moving product.  Most his old stock was gone, and he had more books I needed now.  Including the ever popular Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus!

 

We teleported to Whiterun and Damien flew me up to High Hrothgar (gods, he makes this stuff so easy).  The key was hidden behind a small stone, but also beside another relic chest.

 

We returned to Winterhold.  Damien, going into the college, and me looking to find this mystery elf for Azura.  

 

I want to add that on my way to find Azura's Star later, I stopped by Ebonvale.