Meara's Diary : 12th Rain's Hand
It's rough writing with a bandaged hand, healing potions and spells only work so well and some injuries take time to heal. My heart will take time to heal, first Tully and now... let me write this properly.
We got back from Cheydinhal and The Whitefire ordered that my Katana have the Sigil stone removed. It's a shame to lose it, particularly as the Hero of Kvatch my ancestor retrieved it. My reward was to have the Hand's Master Smiths and Enchanters spend a day on that old Katana. The blade now seems keener, it slices the air almost whistling as it cuts, whilst the Disintegrate enchantment has been removed the Enchanter says it will now absorb health on striking an opponent. That seems good to me, I get stronger as my enemies get weaker. I've proved that overnight.
We needed to find where BB's family are hidden, there was only one way and that was to find where this Phaegol keeps his notes. The Whitefire had details from one of the Imperial informants that Phaegol's office is in the old Arcane University buildings. We started at dusk and moved out, towards the Imperial City silently submerging ourselves into Lake Rumare and swimming under water to reach the edge of the buildings. It was then that Hey Gal displayed some very fancy acrobatic skill to get to the top of the wall. She dropped a rope to help us get there, we had potions of muffle and invisibility to get us in, we then hid in a pattern around the walls, it was good each person was covered by two others, then we waited. We silently observed the comings and goings and finally identified Phaegol as he left the University. A typically haughty looking Altmer but with a crueller brow than most and an unusual red-brown colour to his hair. He looks fastidious, his hair was glossy as were his Thalmor mage clothes which were shinier than spotless. Not like us dirty Fiddlers, particularly after swimming Lake Rumare, I think we smelt a bit of the Slaughterfish we'd killed as well. Hopefully anyone picking up our smell would just think we were a bad wind from the Waterfront. A pity we had to disintegrate those fish to stop anyone seeing their bodies, Slaughterfish steak with a good Alto Wine mmmmmm.
We headed to the doorway where Phaegol had come from. As ever Hey Gal led the way, I swear she is part ghost! You'd never know she was there. She carefully unlocked the door and we headed in. Methodically we travelled room from room, in the pantry with the food we found this poor Redguard. His torment still brings makes me feel rage and sadness. Some cruel Thalmor, most probably Phaegol, had ripped his tongue out, sadistically blinded him and then with a brutish cruelty broken his arms and legs. Resetting them so that he could only, slowly and in pain, shuffle in movement and his hands were arthritically remade such that his fingers were useless. There were also scarred hollows from what we could see of his arms and legs as if something had bitten chunks out of him. This had all taken time, with the final brutality being to take his willpower from him. It was obvious he was dominated.
Yet, when I stared at him there was a set to his mouth that suggested some part of him knew what was happening to him, that he had once had power and influence and that this was the worse ignominy. Through some remainder of sense he seemed to know Shaker and I had opened the door and deliberately turned, moving past us to shuffle out so that whomever had control of him would not know we were there.
More curiously he seemed to want us to follow him. As we left the room we signalled Hey Boy and Hey Gal to follow him too.
We sneaked after the broken Redguard, who slowly moved, almost randomly waving. At each random waving here was an alarm or trap for us to disable. Finally we came to the room at the top of the stairs. With some effort he produced a key and holding it between is broken hands pushed it into the lock, this was taking time but by some magic Hey Gal helped him turn it in the lock and the door opened.
To a plush, almost beautiful red, gold and wooden office room. A well appointed magic lab as well. He then turned and started to shuffle slowly down the steps.
We started to scour the room, reading through books, scrolls and notes. We had to be careful not to disturb anything though, we didn't want that bastinado to know we'd been there if at all possible.
Finally Hey Boy found a note about a meeting at the Aetherius Doomstone. We also found the Great Welkynd stone, but not the Sigil stone, that Phaegol must use for access. It was time to leave, we returned the way we came. Resetting the traps as we came. Standing at the base of the stairs was the Redguard, he seemed to be motioning for us to kill him. Hey Gal whispered that for us to defeat Phaegol he must not know of our being here.
A single tear leaked from the ruined eye socket of the Redguard. The emotion slowed us as a Thalmor Captain walked in through the door.
He fired a shock blast and with a speed that seemed impossible seconds earlier the Redguard stepped in front of it. Taking the full blast and dying instantly.
Hey Gal shut the door and it was one Thalmor against four angry Fiddlers. Someone was to pay for the Redguard's torture and this Captain took our full force, he didn't stand a chance. I went in first, as he was closest. I could feel the shock hitting me until I struck with the Katana... that felt better, he looked worse. I struck again and hit him with a firebolt just as Hey Gal stabbed him from behind.
We hid his stiff body, taking the Redguard's body with us. Maybe, just maybe that Phaegol would think his dominated servant had broken loose.
After that it was a simple task to retrace our steps and sneak out of the Imperial City.
But my heart, will it heal for seeing the inhumanity of that Altmer? It seems that we are less than animals for their cruelty, before I had thought that my Mer side may have contained a higher Aedric soul but now they seem capable of more cruelty than Man.
Magister Phaegol walked with purpose but without haste, a candlelight spell hovering about his head, across the circular green of the Arcane University. His brow frowned with concentration and he appeared distracted. It was late and Masser and Secunda were glowing in the clear sky but the impressive view did not affect the Altmer's focus. He continued in, his body working in a trance until he reached the doorway to his apartment. Unconsciously he unlocked the door.
Entering the building he continued up to his office, not glancing left, right, up or down. He then sank into one of the chairs and distractedly chewed on a honey nut treat. He then started writing on a blank note...
Where is Vivheim?
Why is Captain Valmer under orders?
Which of those Bosmer has berated me to Lord Naarifin?
Why have my successes against the Reivers stalled?
He studied the questions for a while and then called out
"Salwehr can you bring me my records..."
the faraway look receded from his face and his focus came onto the room. He looked at his desk, studying for certain differences. He called out again
"Salwehr, SALWEHR!"
Then his focus changed and a muttering
"where is that accursed man, why can I not feel his dominated mind?"
Phaegol got up and hastened down to the storeroom, flicking the torches on as he went. As he reached the bottom he saw the blood trail along the floor. Flinging open the door he saw Salwehr's body burnt and robbed with an obvious use of magic.
"What... Salwehr dead and no Relinic! It can't be, that Relinic broke my command spell! Surely not, yet I cannot sound the alarm it will let the General know of this failure."
Phaegol cast an incantation and ghostly blue light emanated from his fingers and flowed towards the outside door. He cast another incantation and Salwehr’s body rose and stumbled towards him and the door. They headed towards the door, it opened and he headed out into the mist rising from Lake Rumare.
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