Downstairs in Aunt Delphine's secret basement under the Inn in Riverwood, we look over the map of dragon burial mounds she visited and found empty and the ones still presumably holding dragon skeletons. While she's convinced the Thalmor are behind the dragons coming back, I'm a little skeptical but willing to go along with the idea. When she offers to use her contacts to forge an invitation to the next Thalmor Ambassadorial party I ask "Does it has to be forged? I could get myself invited as Vittoria's guest, I'm sure, since several other company officers go from time to time." The only potential downside is whether a loss of cover if anything goes bad is worth it, but we decide that leaving her contacts in place is better for the long term. As a traveling agent for the EETC, no one really knows who I am and I have no home or other family to threaten.

Aunt Delphine will need to contact a few people on the inside to make sure I can move around the property. We also need an early look at the guest list so we can devise a plan for leaving, and hopefully returning to, the party. Relocating to Solitude, we find out the Erikur, a local thane and business rival for the EETC due to his underhanded and potentially treasonous dealings with the Stormcloaks and other law breaking groups, will be at the party. I procure an alchemical concoction that hopefully will be enough to drive him to a temporary madness and create an embarrassing distraction, with no lasting, or betraying, side effects. Vittoria's willingness to invite me to the next party and the presence of Orthus and another trader will give me enough cover to sneak out and back in. If not, they may be able to cover my non-presence when they leave. I have advised them not to take any chances with their own lives, but I don't tell them I'm planning to do a bit more than make Erikur look bad and stash some documents elsewhere in the house with his name on them.

To see what happened at the party, check out this entry.

Distraction made, Delphine's mole (a thalmor hating wood elf named Malborn) snuck me out of the party and out the back door. Slipping around the courtyard, I made my way to the building in the compound holding Elenwen's private apartments and office. Finding a likely window on the second floor I made my way in through a variety of acrobatics, tree climbing and Muffle spells.

[ Yeah, in the game you have to go in the door, but that makes little sense when I can write the story how it should go. Big, expensive places have windows that open to let in nice breezes so the rich people don't get stuffy in the summer. ]

Failing to find any incriminating paperwork on this level, I silently move down the stairs, avoiding a patrolling guard with a spell of Invis. Pausing outside of an office, I eavesdrop on a conversation between an apparent informant and a Thalmor 'inquisitor' questioning his former friend. Waiting for the informant to leave and the elven torturer to head back, I overhear the quisling muttering to himself about an old man knowing about dragons, thalmor paying too much and being worried themselves. Thinking I'd better take a chance and find this old man myself, I slip into the office, intending to find the way downstairs to the basement and cells. Stopping briefly to check the chests for any correspondence and notes the Thalmor might have from his questioning, I do find a couple dossiers that look important. Swiping the ones on my own Aunt Delphine and Ulfric to read later, I have to hurriedly hide as two thalmor guards enter the building and head for another set of stairs downward. Sneaking a peak, I see they are dragging the bosmer waitress, Brelas, whom I'd volunteered into my plan against Erikur, between them. Not expecting that she's being brought here for medical treatment, I slip along behind to follow.

When we enter the basement, my fears are confirmed as one of the guards announces to the torturer that they have a possible traitor for him to punish when he has time. Now with two people to rescue, I hide in the shadows until the extra guards depart before stealing up behind the thalmor I've learned is named Rulindil, and put an end to his ways. Swiftly moving to the patrolling guard, I eliminate the last threat before checking on the prisoners and freeing them. A few quick questions of the longer term guest and I return to Rulindil's side and retrieve the last bit of information I need, notes on Esbern: a Blade in hiding and dragon lore historian. Leading the freed prisoners out the dungeon through a trash slide, we make our way down to Solitude to the safe house, before sending them on to a safer location. I am happy to hear that my EETC confederates managed to leave without issue, though that was partly due to Elenwen's suspicion of Brelas as the cause of Erikur's actions and not their own. Her actions toward Brelas likely wouldn't have been directed toward more important personnel and they could have passed the incident off as a prank, but that just shows the inhumanity of the Thalmor.

Aunt Delphine and I pore over the intelligence documents I retrieved and are somewhat surprised at what they know. While we're both relieved that the thalmor are not in control of such a dangerous element represented by the dragons, it means we have another unknown party in play we know nothing about. Delphine wants to go see Esbern herself but feels I would have a better chance of slipping in and getting him out while she lays down some false traces and further confuses the Thalmor. I head for Riften immediately, not knowing just how much information Rulindil left behind but knowing from his reports that Elenwen is aware of what he learned and I might have company of an unwanted sort waiting for me.

In case you missed it, flashback to some Riverwood Fun

Next, On to Riften