22 - Victoria - Frostcrag Spire:

Upon entering I was confronted with a curved stone wall. Judging from the scale of the tower from the outside, this wall blocked my path, but it appeared to have no particular features allowing for interaction. A number of glowing plinths lay in a half circle, each low upon the floor, while at the centre of the room a hand sculpted in ice held aloft a dark leather bound book.

I lifted the tome, its pages untouched by frost, and opened it. The book appeared to be a cross between a set of abridged memoirs, and information for me regarding this tower. The writing was jagged and shaky however, appearing rushed, and indeed the wording at times seemed...alarming. What circumstance had gripped the author as they wrote this? Something was not right here, but the immediate cause was not apparent to me. It was at this moment that the curved wall began to move, and I cast the book aside, readying myself for what ever awaited me in the next room.

Nothing, or nothing to cause alarm. Rather I beheld the ground floor of the tower. Although bare of furnishings, there were a number of items of note. The first of these was an elevated alter, which stood upon a raised dais on the opposite side of the room, flanked by two golden magical structures. Approaching, they were revealed to be alters of enchanting, and of spellmaking. This alone served to intensify my interest in this tower – what could be more convenient than my own private facilities? This would serve to sever my reliance upon the good will of the Mages Guild – which had previously been necessary for arcane development. However, both alters lacked the magical candles which fuelled them – I would clearly have to find these elsewhere.

The alter itself appeared to be one of summoning, replete with a slot for placing alchemical ingredients within. The memoirs had mentioned that Atronachs could be summoned forth with this, however my mind began to race at the prospect of...other...items, which I might use for summoning. Here, distanced from the populace of Cyrodiil, and the sadly regressive policies of the Arch-Mage, perhaps I could begin my own research. I cast my mind back to the black soul gems I had seen...they too were worthy of investigation. However I had yet to explore the remainder of the tower, and the teleportation portals beckoned.

The first portal moved me below the ground, into what appeared to be a storage facility, or vault. At least, that is the use that sprang to mind – it was currently bare, and I had no desire to simply throw my items upon the ground. The upper floor meanwhile held a small garden of ingredients, lit from a shaft high above. It was here that the living quarters had been housed, but again was now bare. It was clear I would indeed have to purchase furnishings myself, likely from the Imperial City. I also felt here would be the ideal floor to house an alchemy lab, and filed this idea away until I was back in the Imperial City. The obvious difficulty was how I could possibly bring bulky furniture here, if I so chose – particularly without publicising the location of the tower.

Also upon this floor was an exterior balcony, and here I found the other key feature of this tower – it allowed teleportation to each of the Mage Guild halls in Cyrodiil, in addition to the Arcane University. The teleportation fortunately appeared to be one way – meaning I would not received unexpected visitors. However this was a double edged sword – I had not forgotten the difficult journey required to reach here, and looking down even now I could see Shadow huddled against the shelter of the wall, from the biting wind. I could not remain here long.

One area remained, the roof of the tower itself, and I entered the final portal. The roof held its own mystery, or perhaps a cryptic answer to a previous one, for upon it lay the stripped corpse of a man. His age appeared advanced...to an exceptional extent. He looked older than I had believed an ageing mortal could live, sagging and wrinkled skin, appearing dry and chalky even in the storm, lay loose upon his body. His face too appeared unusual – his eyes were missing, as if they had rotted away. This all seemed strange, but as I reached across to touch his face I realised the body was still warm. Judging from the ambient air temperature this far to the north, and at such an exposed and elevated location, I judged that he must have been alive until at least the time of my arrival. Stranger still.

Lifting the light corpse slightly, I beheld a scroll lying beneath him. Opening it, I found it contained a spell of teleportation, which would allow the owner of the tower to teleport here instantly. The writing appeared different from that of the memoirs below, this time a crisp and flowing script. I could not waste time however, for it would not do to leave Shadow here, and I therefore lifted the body and, with some effort, carried it through the teleportation portal. I decided to place the corpse within the vault for now, before again studying the spell I had found. Judging from its composition, only the legal owner of the tower could teleport through the wards surrounding it, and after further examination I concluded that it was safe to use – moving me to where ever I wished to appear within, or upon, the tower.

Now I appeared to have the ability to travel both to and from my tower near instantly, which exceeded any reasonable expectations I had held prior to arriving here. It would be my home, I decided.

Exiting the main chamber, I approached the wall and whispered in Shadows ear. The words drew upon my knowledge of magic, although they were not magical themselves. In this case they were simple, providing instruction for Shadow to return to the Imperial City alone, and dwell in the vicinity until I called him forth. Finally, I took the saddle bags, and cast them into the main chamber of the tower. By now Shadow had departed, and I decided to use the portal to the Arcane University.

I achieved the purchase of my vault storage, book shelves and bed, in addition to some ornamentation, from the Mystic Emporium. Finally I had a rather specific request, which I made to Aurelinwae – my own alchemy lab. Despite the spells of charm I had used during this acquisition, the purchase of this enchanted laboratory consumed the remainder of my gold reserves – and I now held barely the amount I had exited the prison sewers holding. Nevertheless I had now achieved much of what I had set out to do – including acquiring entry to the Arcane University, and possession of a steed, and a residence – the latter two in particular having met my exacting standards.

The movement of the furniture was surprisingly simple considering the distances involved – I simply placed a hand upon what I wished to bring, focused upon where in the tower I wished it to go, and used the teleportation spell to move it there. Soon my residence seemed a deal less empty, although it remained deliberately Spartan.

Having purchased enough food to last nearly a month using the very last of my money, I finally withdrew to the tower, securing my possessions in the vault. I now look forward to an uninterrupted period of training, and perhaps, in time, research – and the investigation of the mysteries surrounding the tower itself.

21 - Victoria - The Road to Frostcrag Spire:

The deed paper held my attention, claiming I had 'inherited' Frostcrag Spire, an isolated wizards tower located to the far north of Cyrodiil. I had mixed thoughts regarding such distance – while I value solitude and security, it would surely be inconvenient to travel back and forth. Further, having explored northerly regions in the past, I am well aware of the inhospitable weather – and as the tower was unlikely to come with en suite stables it was likely that Shadow could not stay there, doubling the travel inconveniences. The closest town is Bruma, whose stables could be used, but it would be a compromising solution. Nevertheless, this tower was certainly worth investigating – I did, apparently, now own it – and it was always possible that I might find solutions to the difficulties I anticipated.

I had rested in the Arena Bloodworks for a time – it was a familiar place, and I was more confident of my safety there than I was sleeping at the Arcane University. Hopefully I will soon have the peace and security of a permanent residence however, and it was with this in mind that I left the Arena in mid afternoon, walking through the Palace gardens – which lay between the Arena and Talos Plaza, where the main gate could be found. It was the first time I had entered the 'Green Emperor Way', as it was named – and it was a refreshing change from the bustle of the market districts, with not a beggar in sight. Instead I was treated to the elegant but massive presence of the Imperial Tower, surrounded by green gardens, with gravestones dotting the lawns like teeth. Palace guards garbed in silver plate mail adorned with gold etchings stalked the pathways reverently, keen to maintain aesthetics as much as order, for few citizens were present. It was likely that following the assassination of the Emperor the level of protection had been stepped up, while idle visits were simultaneously discouraged.

As I exited into Telos Plaze rain began to fall, impelling those whose presence was not a duty into shelter, while the guards grumbled and muttered amongst themselves. Scattered words such as “rust” and “join the army they said, it's a man's life they said” were all that could be heard above the deluge – following the death of the emperor and his known heirs, morale was at an all time low. Of course I supposed it could yet get lower, that is if the prophesies of doom had any basis – although at least that would give the guards something to lay down their lives for, in a futile effort to prove their 'valour', ironically perhaps raising morale among them.

Leaving the main gates, I mounted Shadow, and we rode down the road and across the bridge. The weather combined with the presence of Lake Rumare contrived to lay a thin mist over the land – enough to cloak my movements perhaps, although it would do the same to any foes that lay in wait. However, I suspected that I would leave this humid climate, and its accompanying weather, behind as I climbed to the north of the land, turning now up the lake side path with the intent of ascending above Lake Rumare, and taking the Silver Road towards Bruma.

Upon leaving the Imperial City I had placed the greater part of my possessions in the Shadow's saddle bags, including all my ingredients (aside from the two Nirnroot I had found thus far), a number of the Welkynd stones (for emergency use), and of course the Stone of Miscarcand, which I kept ever close. The truth of the matter was that on top of the previously mentioned reasons for a residence, such as training and security, it would also prove useful as a location to secure valuable items which had no immediate use – chief among these being spare clothing, books, keys, and of course my alchemy equipment and reagents. Weighing down the fastest steed in the land with miscellaneous items seemed a great waste, and I intended to throw the saddle bags away for good upon securing permanent storage facilities.

Although this journey was intended so as to allow me to survey my property, and perhaps home, there was every chance I might have to pay for internal improvements – or a different residence if this proved inadequate. I had therefore determined that I would attempt to acquire as many valuables as I could carry while en route. Therefore instead of simply passing the ruins of Fort Empire I chose to investigate, to determine whether it was again inhabited (I had cleared it out on my last visit) – and perhaps scour it of wealth again, if it was. With this in mind I dismounted Shadow at the crumbling archway which had marked the periphery of the fort, and entered the interior of the ruins, having seen no signs of life while outside.

My eyes had barely began to adjust to the gloom when I felt as much as heard a movement behind me, and I dived to the right, my free hand instinctively moving to summon forth a lesser Atronach. It was fortunate that I did so, for it transpired that a troll, whom had gone previously unseen, had followed me in to the ruins. Trolls are stubborn foes, and while my minion took the greater share of the blows, I was still wounded in the conflict. Calling forth healing magic, I felt the influence of the restoration magic rushing down my body like a waterfall, painfully binding together torn flesh and flayed skin in a mere second of agony. This spell was of greater power than the variant with which I had emerged from the prison, but it was similar in that the healing was rushed, rather than working over a long duration. The lasting ache in my limbs was enough to lead me to set aside my previous bold intentions, and I therefore limited myself to a little scouting.

Descending to the base of the opening passage silently (the sounds of the fight having apparently drawn no attention), I hugged the wall and peered around, my detect life spell having already determined that two creatures were present, both some distance away. The closer of the two was a Troll, but I had no time for it, my attention instead being drawn to the shape drifting in the distance. It was as no creature I had seen before, my spell having established that it was indeed alive, despite looking more like a spell than a being with corporeal form. It was like a wisp of glowing mist, gliding above the ground in a swirl of glowing light – and senses other than my eyes prompted me to give it an examination of a different kind. Focussing my mind, I attempted to read into the thing before me. Such senses are best used in understanding magic, but proved particularly effective here – upon what appeared to simply be a form of malevolent living magicka. As I explored deeper my perception began to lose focus, but this itself was a clue as to the abilities of the wisp – it could drain mental and magical attributes. Shaking my head a little to clear it, I withdrew. Although I felt I could, through the use of spells and magical weapons, defeat this foe, that was not what I was here for. Besides, I needed all my wits about me for this journey, and didn't want them diminished in a pointless conflict. In time I would surely encounter one of its kind again, and use my newly trained skills against it, but for now that could wait.

Having given a detailed account of my short and tentative exploration of Fort Empire, I shall be brief regarding the following section of my journey. Riding along the path I encountered two bandits and a mountain lion before I arrived at the crossroads – the former proving stubborn, while the latter transpired to be extremely dangerous, its ripping claws leaving an ache despite and in consequence of the healing magic I was forced to use. I then paused for a time at the crossroads, exploring a small set of Elven ruins - for the second time, for I had been here some time ago. They had since been repopulated by bandits, and I again killed them all, claiming several sets of chainmail and mithril in the process. The only fight of particular note however was against the bandit ringleader, a female redgaurd. She was equipped with an enchanted shield and mace, and continued to target me despite the more immediate presence of my minion. For all that she died fairly quickly, and I departed the ruins with as much as I could carry unaided, including a number of Dwemer arrows.

The excess weight proved sufficient to slow our journey north, leading me to again hope for a time when I had a permanent storage location. Little of note occurred in this stage of the journey, although we came across an obelisk, glowing with a pale green light. I had seen similar structures in the past, but never from this close, and I recalling that the lecture I had passed at the Arcane University had been regarding such stones. Perhaps I would give them some study in the future, but for now the mounting cold impelled me to press onwards.

The road was relatively bare, with scattered camps marking the side of the path as we advanced from the east of Bruma, a chill now setting in. Ominously enough the camps I came across were completely deserted. Did those who use them only remain during the day? Or perhaps something had happened to them. Again however I chose not to pause to investigate, continuing onwards.

Frost clung to the grass and trees as we traversed the mountainous terrain, until after much path searching, I finally sighted Frostcrag Tower. In all honesty if I had not known its location in advance it is unlikely that anything short of a lengthy search would have found it – that in spite of its elevated position, providing a stunning view of much of Cyrodiil. The tower was circular, with steps leading up from its base, the peaks adorned by slowly spinning arcane ornamentation. Or inane decoration. It was hard to tell from here. As I approached rain began to fall, the chill of the location combined with this rising storm proving to create an almost unbearable, penetrating sensation. It was at times like this I wished I could control the weather... One thing was for certain however, Shadow could not survive long in such an exposed location, particularly due to the lack of grass – if it was present, then it was doubtless underneath several feet of ice. I would therefore have to be quick before I sent Shadow away – or indeed myself rode back.

Approaching the base of the tower, I ascended two flights of stairs, until I stood at the door - which appeared sealed. Drawing forth the deed of ownership from my robe, I pressed it against the entrance, while simultaneously speaking a basic word of opening. Such spells are not difficult, being more a statement of general intent as used in all unsealing spells – after which the specifics designed to defeat the locks are generally uttered. Such was unnecessary in this case, which was fortunate – as I judged that no spell alone would unseal this gate. The deed of ownership proved sufficient however, and the door yawned forth, providing an exit from the torrential downpour. With a final glance toward Shadow, who stood alone against the onslaught of the elements, I entered.

20 - Victoria - Back to Square One:

The need to acquire more gold... it seemed a perpetual concern of mine. Unfortunately I had never been paid for any of my tasks for the Mages Guild, and the rewards for advancement in the Arena had proved pitiful. Looking back, the only serious income had occurred through the sale of items procured from ruins, and I realised it was this that I should now turn to. I was spoilt for choice considering the number of ruins I had rode past on my travels, but had no way to determine which possessed the greatest treasure. All tombs being equal, I now thought back to my exit from the sewers, upon escaping the prison. A ruin had lain across the lake there, and it was likely the closest. In addition, I was curious to see what would have awaited me had I ventured across immediately upon escaping the prison, rather than advancing to the Imperial City, as I had.

It would be quicker to exit the City by the road leading to the Prison, and Shadow would serve no purpose for such a short trip – especially considering the rough terrain, and the fact that I would have to travel across the lake. With no reason to wait, I began the walk to where I had first emerged, the lay of the land bringing back memories. Finally I stood above the grille from which I had exited, and looked down upon the pier, and the ruins across the lake. The only visible activity were a few mud crabs, which brought to mind my first act upon escaping – summoning a skeleton to kill a mudcrab. Doubtless such a fight would be even more one sided now, due to my ability to summon forth lesser Atronachs, but I now had no need to test the ability of my summon, and determined instead to cross the lake.

When I had emerged I had been wearing these same assassins robes, but there were noticeable differences between the me then and the me now. I have now regained the greater part of my strength, and recovered much of my arcane ability – a week or so of uninterrupted training would surely solve any remaining deficiencies. More obvious perhaps is the presence of new spells in my repertoire – for I crossed the lake using a spell of water walk, disdaining the cold and leaden weight of the water. It is a strange sensation, not like walking on ice (as people often imagine), but more as if walking upon silk being dragged across a slightly uneven surface. For all that it is not difficult to balance, at least on these calm waters, and at a mere walk.

The day was overcast, a low mist hanging over everything, probably a consequence of the presence of the lake. Such conditions suited me perfectly – a detect life spell highlighting the presence of bandits from beyond the range of simple sight. That is, I assumed they were bandits – as it is rare for any other type of person to hang around such a location – not that it mattered, whoever they were, I would kill them all the same. I wasn't here to exchange social niceties, simply to acquire wealth. Clearly the more efficient way to acquire valuable items is to let the bandits do the harvesting for you – they then collect it at one convenient location (in this case, here), and then I can collect it with minimal effort. Well, minimal travel effort anyway – the concentration of wealth generally correlated with the number of enemies defending it...

Crouching behind the low slung walls I summoned forth a Daedric bow – more deadly than any other bow I had yet possessed, and with no weight. Unfortunately you cannot summon arrows in a similar fashion – however they can generally be recovered from the remains of your target. Such was my intent in this case, allowing me to minimise the number I had to carry around. Leaning around the corner, I observed that the presences my spell had detected did indeed appear to be bandits, meaning that the law was unlikely to frown on my actions. They appeared to have established a minor camp on the surface of the ruins, including a pair of bed rolls with coverings hanging above to protect them from rain. Oddly enough one of them had a clove of Garlic hanging above it – were there vampires in the vicinity, or was the occupant simply paranoid? I supposed I might find out in due course, but I dismissed that train of thought for now, focussing upon my target.

A man. Hardly surprising, they seemed to be over represented within the bandit ranks. I doubted my upcoming actions would change the overall sex balance that much however, as I am an equal opportunity killer – meaning it is unlikely there will be proportional changes in the relative balance between bandit males and bandit females... He wore fur armour, while his companion stood a short distance away, himself clad in leather. An inauspicious start then, for neither article was likely to fetch a price worth speaking of, but I would have to kill them all the same – I currently lack a spell of invisibility, and would have to go through them to enter the ruins. Besides, it made good target practise.

The first arrow was also the last as far as the fur clad bandit was concerned, as he fell chocking, the silver arrow lodged in his throat. Considering idly that the silver in his throat would provide protection from werewolves, complimenting the existing herbal ward against vampires, I turned to his friend. Well...former friend anyway, although they would be reunited soon enough – whether such would be a meaningful turn of phrase remained to be seen, but not by me.

As my bow evaporated in my hands I summoned forth my flame Atronach, allowing her to deal with the remaining foe. I suppose being consumed by fire could be considered a cruel way to die, but at least it was a swift death – relative to the earlier bandit at least, who still lay choking, as his friend's corpse swiftly ceased struggling and began to smoulder. His armour would have even less worth now, scorched as it was, and I turned to my earlier target, his eyes staring at me desperately, pleadingly. I approached, running my hands over his shuddering frame. Unfortunately he possessed nothing of value, besides the silver lodged in his throat. That at least was easily recovered, and I tore it forth with a twist, a bubbling exhalation accompanying it from its previous owner. Wiping the arrow upon the grass I turned towards the entrance to the ruins, hauled the doors open, and entered.

As with earlier Elven ruins, illumination was provided by glowing stones, casting a chill light upon the cold stones. The upper levels contained only bandits, however I was in luck – the occupants wearing chainmail armour, and Mithril. Such should sell for a good price, and indeed I even considered wearing it myself for a moment. However doing so would obstruct my casting abilities, as I was relatively untrained in its use, and I therefore simply secured it for later sale. Besides this I collected a number of items, none of singular note, but all of which would provide at least some income – aside from the Welkyd stones, which I again chose to keep.

The deeper I delved into the ruins the colder it became, until at last I saw no more bandits – and began to suspect that the lower levels might be populated by the undead. Would a detect life spell illuminate them, being dead as they were? The answer seemed to be a yes, as I perceived the lumbering shapes of zombies and skeletons through the thick stone walls. Perhaps here even greater treasures would be hid, and while I had been forced to use a relieve burden spell, I still thirsted for more. Indeed this spell of relief proved of some irritation during my exploration, as I had to recast it every couple of minutes before it wore off. Here clearly was another spell I had to create at the University Alters – a longer lasting and greater magnitude spell of relieve burden.

The undead proved more fearsome opponents, absorbing large amounts of damage before finally collapsing in a heap. Indeed I found that headless zombies seemed to be tougher than their more complete counterparts – perhaps a selective process caused this, although it threw aside the myth that only damage to a zombies head would kill it. I myself consider fire to be the most deadly tool – and employed it both myself, and via my summoned servants.

The lowest level of the ruins contained a number of traps, including pressure plates which released more undead guardians. However the most notable trap proved to be a large section of floor, which would fall away into a spike pit following pressure. Fortunately I had perceived it, using it instead against the mindless undead who advanced upon me, however it was clear that something was being protected. It was here that frustration struck – I came up against doors which I could not unseal, lacking both the spells and ability to do so. Such was another cause for my need to train, and acquire a residence to do so within. It was clear then that I could advance no further, and I reluctantly began the ascension.

The most valuable fruits of my labour were a pair of enchanted gauntlets (the "Infiltrators Gauntlets"), and a Dwarven Claymore (which had weighed me down significantly). Having returned to the city proper, I sold both at the Fighting Chance, along with the armour I had acquired, and any other items I felt welling to sell. Ultimately the sale increased my wealth to forty seven hundred gold – just shy of the quantity needed to secure the purchase of the Manor I had been considering. The slight shortfall didn't concern me greatly, I felt confident that I could acquire such an amount during the long journey to the west.

However as I was about to head for the city gates, and my horse, I heard footsteps behind me. It was an Apprentice from the Arcane University, judging from the green robes and naive expression. He bore a scroll which he handed to me wordlessly, before departing as swiftly as he had appeared. Cautious, I probed the paper with my native magical perception, wary of any traps as might have been implanted by Raminus Polus, or those of a like mind.

Detecting nothing, I at last opened the scroll, scanning the page in a swift glance. It was unexpected, in that it claimed I had inherited a property, but expected in that it was surely a trap. However, the fact that it was a Wizard Tower caught my attention, perhaps I will talk into this trap with eyes open, it would certainly prove a fitting residence...