Teresa of the Faint Smile, Adventures of a Stringy Bosmer Options

[Linara]

So that's where all the rich people keep their money! No wonder we couldn't find it in their pockets... Teresa is looking pretty fine with her new shirt and hair. This chapter has been a nice reminder of why this is one of my favorites, the viewpoint of a common adventurer after the Oblivion Crisis. Not that Teresa is your average adventurer. I liked it a lot!

[treydog]

The way you bring the city to life is always a joy to read. Case in point is the entire “banking industry” based on Zenithar. Which makes perfect sense, now that you have created it. Even more enjoyable are Teresa’s reactions and thoughts to this entirely new circumstance- and best of all is her reason for earning the money in the first place.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: I understand that in Daggerfall money actually had weight, so you had to put it in banks (whoever would have imagined that gold could be heavy!). IRL the banking industry started in temples, so it was a natural fit for the TF.


Destri Melarg: I thought about doing the blood thing, but I imagine that a lot of customers would be squeamish about being hacked up. Funny thing about irl banking in temples is that in many religions charging interest was forbidden. That made the churches a popular alternative to individual usurers.

Methredhel is probably the reason they have to do the dna typing with the hair samples!


Acadian: I thought you might feel that way about men!


Linara: You can say it, Teresa is your average adventurer. Except of course for the spirit guide, Emperor stuff, being a self-taught alchemist, being friends with a wolf, learning spells as a child... Okay, she's not your average anything!


treydog: I am glad the last segment was interesting, rather than boring. I would have simply glossed over the entire thing with just a few sentences, except I wanted to use the opportunity to both build the setting, and also dwell some on the effects of Teresa moving up the economic ladder from street urchin.


Next: With her money safely ensconced in the coffers of Zenithar, Teresa pays a visit to the Arcane University.

* * *

Chapter 21.3 – The Last King Of The Ayleids

Teresa strode across the small bridge separating the Imperial City from the Arcane University. In all of her life, she had never imagined herself going there. Then again, ever since Uriel Septim came and went through her life, she had done so many things she never dreamed possible. Thinking of the Emperor made her bite her lip. She could still see him in her memory, standing in the guttering torchlight in the ancient passageways beneath the Imperial Prison. If only she could have stopped his assassin before it was too late…

Teresa sighed. What was it Jauffre had said to her? "Could have, would have, should have... Play that game with yourself and it will drive you mad." Yet now Jauffre was dead too, along with Martin, and so many others.

Teresa shook her head. Why the dark mood, she wondered, life was going well for once, and it looked like it would only get better. She should not be brooding over the past, but looking to the future. That was what the Emperor would have wanted after all.

With that thought she straightened up and forced a faint smile to her lips. She followed the crowd to the open metal gates of the school. To either side of the wide entry stood soldiers. Not ordinary legionaries however. Rather these men - and Teresa noted women as well - wore mail of glittering mithril and carried staves in their hands. Battlemages, the forester knew, for she had seen them before at Bruma.

No one paid her any mind as she walked through the gateway and onto the school grounds. She did not know if it was because she was dressed like an ordinary person, or if it was simply the sheer volume of traffic going to and from the university. For even though there were no horses or carts, the street was filled with people, and most of them even younger than herself.

Teresa found herself standing within a small city of stone buildings. Insulas lined the high wall that circled the school, rising three stories up, nearly as high as the parapets surrounding them. Within the stone ring they created was a jumble of basilicas and other buildings. Some even reminded her of the country villas that the wealthy possessed outside of the Imperial City, along the road to Sideways.

Directly before her - in the very center of the sprawling community - rose a tall spire. It reminded her of White Gold Tower, except that it was nowhere near as high. Even still, Teresa thought, it must have stretched hundreds of feet into the blue sky. Simply amazing.

That must be the Arch-Mage's tower, Teresa thought. What else could it be? She found that most of the crowd was heading that way and went along with the flow of traffic. It seemed as good a place to start as any, seeing that she had no clue where to begin.

Looking at her fellow pedestrians, she saw that many wore robes of varying colors. Those younger than her, some only children, wore green garb that looked so bland and shapeless that they might as well be sacks with holes cut in them for arms, legs, and head! Some of the adults wore the same green, but most were clad in the typical blue mage robes that she was accustomed to seeing around the city. Here and there she saw a few in other colors, such as one silver-haired Imperial in gleaming white, and a few elves wearing robes of nearly glowing aquamarine silk.

Following the herd of magicians into the tower, Teresa found herself within a huge, circular chamber. The floor was of polished marble, and the high, domed ceiling seemed to float in the air with no support. A pebble mosaic depicting a high elf wearing robes and carrying a staff stretched across the surface of the dome, and Teresa wondered who that might be.

Kiosks had been set up all along the walls of the massive room, and were filled with mages in robes of many colors. Each had signs overhead reading things such as Beginner Mysticism, Understanding Enchanting, Alchemy for Learners, and many, many more. Standing before all of them were long queues of people. Many were only youths, and Teresa imagined that the older folk who tended to cluster around them were their parents. Many of the young ones were clad in the ugly green robes, while their parents wore ordinary clothing as Teresa did.

It seemed to be some kind of enrollment. Was this how they decided what classes people took? But that was not what she was looking for. Teresa wondered where she should go next, and found her eyes drawn back to the dome high above and the golden-skinned Altmer depicted upon it.

"Your first time in the Arch-Mage's Tower?" the voice of a man came from behind her. "That is Vanus Galerion, the founder of the Mages Guild and Arcane University. Everyone stares their first time in here."

Teresa turned to see an Imperial wearing a plain blue mage's robe. His dark hair was just beginning to show grey at his temples, and a smattering of crow's feet lurked at the corners of his dark eyes. Otherwise he seemed to be in his prime, and as the forester looked him over, she could not help but feel that there was something familiar about him.

"Yes," she answered truthfully. She tried to put her finger on just what it was about him that tickled her intuition. Yet nothing sprang to mind. "I was hoping to learn a bit about late Ayleid history."

"A scholar then, excellent," the Imperial smiled. He placed an gentle hand on the small of Teresa's back and lead her across the great hall to one of the kiosks. Teresa looked above the booth to see a sign reading Early Arcane History. "So many of our students these days are only interested in blowing things up or summoning monsters. It is refreshing to meet someone for whom knowledge itself is the goal. I take it you have already passed the entrance examination and gone through the initial orientation?"

Teresa imagined it would not be a good idea to explain that she only wanted to learn about history to have a better idea of where to look for loot. That is when it struck her that the Imperial thought she was a student!

"Oh no," she breathed. "I'm not in the University. I just wanted to find someone I could talk to about Ayleid history. Someone who could tell me the right books to read. There are so many, and I don't even know where to really start."

"Ahh, I see," the Imperial nodded. "My apologies, I mistook you for one of our apprentices. I was sure I had seen you before. One does not meet too many elves with features like yours."

Teresa bit her lip and found herself staring at her feet. He meant her pale skin of course. People always said she looked like a ghost, or a corpse. For not the first time, she wished she had been born like everyone else.

"What you need is a tutor then. We have many current and former students who provide such assistance. For a nominal fee of course." The Imperial led her back to the entrance of the great tower, where the walls curved away from the double-doors leading outside. There a large board made of cork hung to one side, filled to the brim with parchments pinned to its surface. "I know just the person - Herminia Cinna. She was one of our best students, and still gives guest lectures here on Ayleid history."

Scanning the sea of papers, the magician took one down and stepped to a small table nearby where blank sheets of parchment were neatly stacked. Picking up one of the pages, he placed the hand bill atop it. Then he set one hand on top of them, and a yellow glow sprouted from his fingers and dripped over the papers. It faded a moment later, and the magician handed Teresa what had been the blank page, now covered with writing. Teresa stared with wide eyes as she realized it was an exact duplicate of the first.

"A very handy spell when making quizzes," the Imperial chuckled, "not to mention printing books. This has Herminia's address and the hours you can visit to set up your study schedule with her."

Teresa stared up from the broadsheet that advertised the tutor's services, and into the Imperial's dark eyes. Just like that she knew who he was.

"Raminus Polus!" she exclaimed. "I mean, Lord Polus. That's who you are!"

"Guilty as charged your honor!" the magician laughed, his eyes dancing with light. Then his stare turned more intent, and his brows huddled together in concentration. "Wait a moment. You are the girl from the Arena, aren't you? When was that, ten years ago? But you were just a child then."

"Yes!" Teresa found herself bubbling. "It's me, Teresa. You taught me my first spells. I can't believe I am actually meeting you again! But your fiancé did say you were a sage here."

"Headmaster these days," the Imperial practically glowed. "At least until they find out what a slacker I am! But it looks like I am not the only one who has done well for themselves. Look at you, all grown up into a scholar! I always hoped you would do well. For someone your age, you learned that Flare and Heal Minor Wounds spell very easily. Most adults have trouble learning just one spell in a day, and you managed both in a single afternoon!"

"Umm, thank you." Teresa stared down at her shoes, feeling a familiar warmth spread through her cheeks. Then she forced herself to raise her eyes and look back at the headmaster. "I mean for the spells. They saved my life, more than once. They were worth more than any amount of gold ever could have been."

"I had hoped so," the Imperial nodded, a look of satisfaction crossing his features. "I have always loved teaching. It is good to know that what I taught made a difference in someone's life."

"Headmaster Polus!" came the booming voice of a silver-haired Imperial, and Teresa realized he was the same one she had seen outside. He was wearing a white robe made of silk and decorated with silver buttons, and strode across the wide chamber toward the pair. "I must protest, this is an outrage!"

"Irlav again," Raminus grumbled under his breath as he glanced at the oncoming magician, and then looked back to Teresa "You will have to excuse me, the champion of Imperial pig-headedness has arrived."

Teresa stifled a faint smile as the headmaster stepped away from her and greeted the older man warmly. Even she could tell his smile was forced however. As the pair walked off, Teresa was able to hear the silver-haired mage complaining about Khajiit and Argonians, but missed the rest. She shook her head as she walked away. Some things never seemed to change, no matter where you went.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 29 2010, 02:54 AM

[haute ecole rider]

That last sentence is so true!

And we meet Raminus Polus again! How wonderful to see him like this!

So Teresa walked into Enrollment Day at the University. Ah, takes me back to my college freshman orientation!

[SubRosa]

OOps, I forgot to mention something. In the past I think I said that Ellen Page would be perfect to play Methredhel in the TF movie, and of course Ray Stevenson as Vols. I think I finally found the actress to play Teresa. The other night I was watching Speak and Kristen Stewart seemed perfect. Funny thing is I saw her just a week ago in The Runaways, where she played Joan Jett. I understand she is in the Twilight movies too, but then again, so is every actress under 25...

In any case, in Speak she was Teresa to a tee. Quiet, never smiling, biting her lip, fighting to overcome her own fears and insecurities. She even had red hair and green eyes. The only thing missing was the pale skin.

A pic
Trying to smile
Biting her lip
Bloodied and bruised, but triumphant

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 28 2010, 11:13 PM

[Linara]

Oh no, Kristen Stewart! I mean, umm, anyway, the story. I liked it. For some reason I forgot about the Arena incident until Teresa said his name, and I then I remembered it. One of my favorite flashbacks, and you write Raminus Polus really well. I've always been annoyed with him because he uses my characters to kill necromancers at every opportunity, but this is a nice, different portrayal. And now Teresa is a history student!

[treydog]

Those younger than her, some only children, wore green garb that looked so bland and shapeless that they might as well be sacks with holes cut in them for arms, legs, and head!

The return of Buffy’s “green bags”! Better yet, the return of Raminus Polus, complete with a very handy spell. I wonder if the command word is “xerographica”? It is good that he remembers the stringy elf- Teresa has had more of an impact than she knows. And a cameo of the bigoted Irlav Jarol, too.

Your depiction of the Arcane makes me feel a little nostalgic (but only a little) for my own university days. I applaud Teresa for deciding to do some research before she plunges headlong into more ruins. Might I also recommend some silvered or magical arrows?

[Acadian]

WooHoo! I was smiling (more than a faint one ) this whole episode. It was like homecoming for Buffy and Acadian! Back at the University, and guided by someone who sees the place reasonably similar to my vision.

I thank you for the green bag tribute. Oh, and Raminus was perfect - I loved how you presented him is a good light. I like him a lot.

I'm so pleased that Teresa has decided to do some 'book learnin' afore she continues seeking those Ayleid statues. Buffy will attest to its value, as it has helped her so much, especially in her study of Daedra Lords/Shrines. I can't wait to meet her tutor.

This was just such fun!

Nit:

She did not know if it was because she was dressed like an ordinary person, of if it was simply the sheer volume of traffic going to and from the university.

I'm sure you want an 'or' instead of the 'of' you have now.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: It is always fun writing Raminus, he was always one of my favorite npcs in the game. Being able to finally portray him in his natural environment (i.e. the school) was a real treat for me.


Linara: But killing necromancers is fun! Okay, I have a strange idea of fun...


treydog: I have been wanting to show that copy spell for a long time. I came up with the idea a long, long time ago. It is one of those consumer-driven spells that in reality would dominate the practice of magic.

Irlav was a nod to Cardboard Box's Ra'jirra story. He so firmly etched Irlav Jarol in my mind as a stuffy, self-important bigot that it is hard for me to imagine him otherwise anymore.


Acadian: I knew you would like the green bags! Ever since Buffy pronounced them so, I have not been able to look at them and think of anything else. The book learning is finally coming too, starting with this segment.


Next: Having visited the Arcane University, Teresa now goes to meet her new tutor. Note- The rest of the chapter will be heavy on world-building. The history that will be portrayed will not be the same as what you are used to seeing in the ES lorebooks.


* * *

Chapter 21.4 – The Last King Of The Ayleids

Teresa knocked on the wooden door before her. It was of plain elm, a tree she had often seen in her journeys on the City Isle. It opened a few moments later, revealing a simply dressed Imperial with a bald pate and curly grey beard.

"Whatever you're selling, we don't want any," the old man grumbled, and made to shut the door.

"I'm here to hire Herminia Cinna!" Teresa quickly blurted out, reflexively putting out a hand on the face of the door. With her other hand she held up the parchment advertising the tutor's services. "The landlord said this was the apartment."

The old man stared back at Teresa. If he was a cow, she would have sworn he was chewing his cud. "'Nother mage?" he muttered. "Alright then, c'mon in. You just make sure that nothing makes its way into that bag you're carrying."

Teresa stepped in at the man's gruff invitation. Within she found little worth stealing. Like the rest of the insula, the apartment was plainly appointed, with worn furniture, tarnished metal lamps, and a few plants in painted clay pots. An open doorway led off to what Teresa imagined must be the kitchen, given the cold box and cupboards she glimpsed within. A short hallway yawned beside it, and it was to this that the old man walked.

"It's another one for you 'Minia," he called out. "Must be thick as a post too, since the classes ain't even started up yet."

Teresa did her best to ignore the old man's gruff speech. Somehow she had the feeling it was not aimed at her in particular. Rather she had the impression he was that way toward everyone who walked through the door.

An Imperial woman appeared in the hall a few moments later. She wore an ordinary linen skirt and bodice much like Teresa's own. Her raven tresses were tied behind her head with a red cord, but a few stray locks spilled errantly across one side of her smooth, olive features. Her dark eyes were small, but kind, and shone above high-cheekbones and narrow lips. She was not what most would call beautiful, but was far from unattractive either.

"Greetings stranger," the woman said, and Teresa could not help but to notice that she was staring at her. "I am Herminia. Please ignore my grandfather, he does not approve of anyone, or anything for that matter."

"And well I should not!" the surly old man declared. He pushed by Teresa and flopped himself down into a chair. "No Emperor, and the noble idiots on the Elder Council have their heads up their collective rumps as usual. One fart and they'd all choke, and we can't even get them to serve cabbage at the palace…" He lifted a thin drake novel in his hands and began to read, pointedly ignoring the pair.

"Um, my name is Teresa." The forester looked at Herminia. "Lord Polus said you might be able to help me learn more about the Ayleids."

"Indeed I can, that is my specialty after all!" Now the woman gestured for Teresa to follow, and led her down the short hall to one of the rooms that branched from it. Within she found a simple chamber. To one side was a plain rattan bed, a dressing table, and chest of drawers. To the other was a writing desk and a bookcase stuffed with volumes. More books and scrolls were piled up around the room, and the Imperial was obliged to sweep up one such stack from a chair before offering the seat to Teresa.

"I must admit I am little surprised to be seeing someone," Herminia said as she sat in the room's only other chair. "The Summer classes ended a week ago, and First-Year sign-ups only began yesterday for the Fall courses. Usually this is my free time."

"Well, I'm not a student at the University," Teresa explained. "I just want to learn more about the Ayleids is all. Especially about the later Ayleid period."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the Imperial said. "Most of my clients are students having trouble passing the required history studies. I rarely meet someone who wants to learn more just for its own sake! But then again, when I first set eyes upon you, I almost thought you might be one of the star elves yourself!"

"The star elves?" Teresa asked through beetling eyebrows, "what are they?"

"Well the Ayleids of course," the other woman explained. "Or to be proper and use the term they did - Arimer. Aris being the Old Aldmeris word for 'star', and of course mer meaning 'people'. The word 'Ayleid' only came about during the Alessian Revolution. It is an amalgam of the Old Aldmeris word ayrel - which is used for those elves who departed Summerset in the Mythic Age - and the ancient Nordic word leidr, - which means 'hateful'. It was a word only used by humans, and never by the elves."

Teresa blinked. Raminus Polus had been right, this was clearly the person to talk to about the Ayleids - the Arimer - she mentally corrected herself.

"I never knew any of that," Teresa admitted. "Why do I look like them?"

"Well, that pale skin of course," Herminia declared. Rising to her feet, she stepped past Teresa and rummaged in the bookshelf for a few moments. Drawing one down, she leafed through its pages and finally handed it to Teresa. Looking within, the forester saw a page rendered in brilliant color, showing a regally dressed elven woman sitting upon a throne. Her skin was pale as moonlight, and her eyes green as jade. To either side of her stood elven courtiers with the same wan skin. Standing behind her was a plainly dressed human girl, with long dark hair and a downcast face.

"That is Queen Tenyeminwe, the last ruler of Lipsand Tarn, and one of the greatest magicians of the Arimer," Herminia said, pointing at the seated woman. Then her finger moved to the human behind the Queen. "And that is Alessia herself. She was Tenyeminwe's handmaiden, and unknown to the Queen, she taught herself magic by observing her mistress."

"Oh my." Teresa stared at the page with rapt attention. She could not help but to notice the similarity between herself and the elves depicted within. Did that mean anything? she wondered, or was it just mere chance? It was not like she was the only person in the world with pale skin after all. The Nords were all light-toned, and the Bretons at least fair-skinned. Just because these Ayleids - or Arimer - were white as cream, it did not mean she was one of them after all, did it?

"It's nothing strange really," Herminia lifted the book from Teresa's hands and placed it back on the shelf. "Many Arimer refugees fled to Valenwood to escape the rising Cyrods. They integrated into Bosmer culture, and simply faded into history. One of your ancestors might have been one, way back in the First Age."

Teresa stared down at the pale skin of her hands. Yes, it must be a simple as that, she thought. What other explanation could there be? It was not like there were any of the Ayleids left in the world after all, were there? Her mother could not have been one. Nor could she be. That was all there was to it.

"I suppose I am getting ahead of myself," the Imperial woman stepped past Teresa once more and sat again. "My fee is five drakes per hour. I am sorry to sound so blunt, but I have to pay the rent after all."

"Oh of course," Teresa blinked from her reverie. Reaching into her purse, she took out a gold piece and handed it to the other woman. "Here's a septim, that should be a good start."

"Ah, indeed it is," the Imperial said as she made the coin disappear into her own clothing. "You just bought yourself two hours of the finest historical advice this side of the First Age."

"Oh, and I brought you something I thought a scholar on the Ayl- I mean Arimer - might like." Teresa opened the small bag at her hip - the same she had used to carry the Shadowbanish wine to Nerussa, and her earnings to the Temple of Zenithar - and produced a glowing welkynd stone. "I found this in Nagastani."

Herminia's eyes nearly glowed as brightly as the magical crystal as she took it in her hands. "Oh my goodness!" she breathed in obvious joy, her face bathed in its soft glow. "This is simply magnificent! I haven't seen one of these since I was a student. I can feel the Power within it."

She gently set the gem with its metal base down astride the writing desk. "Now I shall have starlight even during the day," she said, staring at the ancient crystal, then turning back to Teresa. "I do not know how to thank you. Some of my clients have brought me an apple before, one even proposed marriage! But no one has ever given me something like this, so completely out of the blue. However did you acquire it?"

"Like I said, I found it in Nagastani," Teresa shrugged, keenly aware of how the other woman was beaming at her. "It was one of half-a-dozen I found in the lower chambers of the palace. I was going to keep it, but it's just too big to hang from my belt and walk around with, and no use if its stuffed in my pack."

"So you're an explorer then," Herminia observed. "I do not believe I have ever had a student who was. How very exciting! What makes you so interested in Ayleid history? See, there I said Ayleid too, everyone does."

Teresa smiled faintly as the other woman winked at her. "Well, just wandering around the countryside hoping I will blunder into a ruin does not sound like a very good idea," she said. "Besides knowing who they were seems as important as what they left behind." Should she tell Herminia the full reason? Probably better not to, Teresa reasoned. If Herminia knew that she was being paid a hundred septims for every Ancestor she brought back, the scholar would probably want a lot more than five drakes an hour for her services!

"Well that is very thoughtful of you Teresa," the Imperial woman rose once more and stepped to the door. "Most of the people who come to me only want to pass their exams! They could really care less about history. Now give me a moment and I will bring us some tea and then we can begin."

The Imperial vanished from the room, and Teresa stared at the books all around her. She imagined that there must have been hundreds of them all crammed into the little room. Such a contrast to the few that she owned herself. It made her keenly aware of how little she knew of the world, in spite of living in it for eighteen years. Teresa imagined that Herminia must think she was an ignorant thug, good for nothing but killing.

Yet if the Imperial did think less of Teresa, she certainly did not show it as she returned with a simple iron tea pot and a pair of ceramic cups. Pouring out a serving for each, she handed one cup of the dark liquid to the forester, and sat back in her chair with the other cradled in her lap.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Nov 8 2010, 07:19 PM

[D.Foxy]

Gods....

What a teacher that woman is! As one who also gives lectures from time to time, I can really appreciate her.

[Acadian]

This was wonderful!

I see you may be headed somewhere with Teresa's physical similarities to the Ayl- er, I mean Arimer! I have long suspected there was more to her fascination even than gathering statues for Simplica's future home.

I was pleased to see Red control her temper at the surly welcome from the old man. I believe she wisely assessed him properly by not taking it personally.

I fully expect Teresa does not appear at all as a thug to Herminia. As she says, 'tis rare indeed to see a pupil there for knowledge only. And what an appropriately thoughtful gift to an Ayleid Arimer scholar!

Since Teresa does not have access to the wonderful Tar-Meena and the Mystic Archives of the University, it is so wonderful that she has such a knowledgeable tutor. I like Herminia and hope she and Teresa can become friends. I imagine Herminia would love to be kept abreast of Teresa's Ruin crawling expeditions. How exciting!

Within she found little worth stealing. Like the rest of the insula, the apartment was plainly appointed, with worn furniture, tarnished metal lamps, and a few plants in painted clay pots. An open doorway led off to what Teresa imagined must be the kitchen, given the cold box and cupboards she glimpsed within. A short hallway yawned beside it, and it was to this that the old man walked.

I found this a particularly effective 'progressive' description, as it led Teresa and the reader through the apartment.

Nit?

"No Emperor, and the noble idiots on the Elder Council have their heads up their collective rumps usual. One fart and they'd all choke, and we can't even get them to serve cabbage at the palace…"

Aside from being a terrifically clever passage and conjuring images of Ocato being assassinated by a cabbage fart, I believe you want a 'as' in between the bolded rumps & usual.

[haute ecole rider]

I always love your world-building chapters - they are wonderful stuff and really bring Tamriel alive for me.

I always found Herminia Cinna an unsatisfactory character in the game. By that, I mean there should be more in the PC's interactions with her, even the potential to learn something about Ayleid - I mean Arimer - history from her.

I agree with Acadian that it was wise of Teresa to not take the old man's gruffness personally. So many young people these days (and plenty of older ones, too) tend to take too much to heart, instead of shrugging it off. Oh well. It makes Teresa even more likable in my book.

[Destri Melarg]

Chapter 21.3 – The Last King Of The Ayleids

It seems you have a warm spot in your heart for Raminus Polus (wow, does that sound dirty?! ). Even though it was a while ago, the first mention of him brought back the memory of their first meeting in the Arena all those years ago. I wonder if this foreshadows a meeting with another whose path Teresa crossed that day?

I have nothing more to add to what everyone else already said. I just wish that Teresa and Raminus could have spoken more, but that idiot Jarol showed up!

Chapter 21.4 – The Last King Of The Ayleids

In the space of a single paragraph you prove that the decision to hire Herminia was wise indeed. You know how I feel about any history lesson! This one was simply great. I am going to have to remember all of this if I ever get around to writing about the Alessian Revolt.

How exactly did Tenyeminwe go from ordering her handmaiden Alessia around to hanging out in a corner of Dirty Muriel’s in Sadrith Mora?

[SubRosa]

D.Foxy: You might change your opinion when you find out how, well, opinionated she is!


Acadetor: Would I make something of Teresa's pale skin? Just because all the Ayl-, erm Arimer she has seen in her visions look the same, and they are portrayed that way in old books...

I am sure Teresa does not appear to be an ignorant thug to Herminia as well. But you know young shelfs, they have habit of not appreciating their true worth.

And you straightened out the Elder Council's rumps, as usual.


haute ecole rider: I was always disappointed that you could not do more with Herminia too. She is featured in the end of the Collector quest, but otherwise she is just there. I always wanted to do something with her in the TF 1.0. That is why I did not pass up the opportunity to finally put her in the story.


Destri Melarg (returns): I do have a warm spot for Raminus. He was always nice to me, and gave me promotions and magical trinkets. For me it is not in a dirty sense, but for my first magician character Saya, it definitely was! She went through the entire game scowling at every npc around her, except Raminus. She always had these huge smiles whenever he walked near.

Let me guess, that single paragraph that Herminia distinguished herself was when she said she was going to get tea?

Perhaps the rest of the chapter will reveal how Tenyeminwe ended up in Morrowind. Or I could just fess up and admit that I take many of my character names from the previous ES games.


Next: The history lesson gets in full swing, and Teresa is surprised to learn that the history she learned as a child was not exactly accurate.

* * *

Chapter 21.5 – The Last King Of The Ayleids

"Now where shall we start?" Herminia mused aloud. "How much do you already know about Arimer history?"

"Well, not much really," Teresa frowned, staring down at her tea cup. "I know all the bard's tales of course. How Alessia started the revolution, how Kynareth sent Morihaus to help her, and how Pelinal Whitestrake killed the Ayleid high king. A few days ago I tried to read a book called Glories and Laments, but I just could not get through it."

"You poor woman, you actually tried to read that garbage?" the Imperial exclaimed with wide eyes, then reached for a piece of parchment and began scribbling upon it. "To call it tripe would be an insult to stomach lining! Here, let me make you a list of decent books to read, starting with my own of course. "

"You wrote a book?" Teresa stifled a faint smile, and suddenly did not feel so bad about the her struggles to read the book a few days earlier. "I'm sorry, I did not know. There are so many books at First Edition that I have no idea where to start."

"And that Redguard who runs it is no help at all, is he," the Imperial commented as she wrote. "All he ever does is sneer at you. I always want to make a face at him when he says 'good day', like you were something he found on the bottom of his shoe."

Now Teresa did allow a smile to sneak its way past her lips. The snide Redguard had said exactly the same thing to her, in just that way. She had thought it was because she was a Bosmer, or her pale skin. It was good to know that she was not the only one.

"Here, take this and see which ones you can find." The Imperial handed the list of half-a-dozen books to Teresa.

"So you wrote The Last King Of The Ayleids? That sounds like exactly what I am looking for!" Teresa noted, then scanning down the list, one of the author's names leapt out at her. "Hey, Irlav Jarol's Magic From The Sky? He's the same man who wrote that other book that was so bad."

"I know, but he didn't write Magic From The Sky, except for the last chapter that denounces all the magical achievements of the Ayleids." Herminia leaned back in her chair and took a sip from her tea. "His students wrote it. He just took all the credit."

"How can he get away with that?" Teresa wondered, and took a sip from the tea herself. It was strong, and a little bitter, but not too much so.

"He's a patrician, that's how." Herminia's comment was as sour as month-old milk. "Not to mention a member of the Mages Council and the history department head at the University."

"The Old Boy's Society then." Teresa nodded to herself. Apparently life was just as unfair in the highest halls of academia as it was down in the gutter. Looking back to Herminia, she wondered if that was why the Imperial was not a sage at the University? She thought of asking, but it did not seem like a wise idea.

"Some things haven't changed since the First Age," the other woman sighed. "But that's life. Speaking of the First Age I think we should go over a bit of the Middle Ayleid Period before we get to the Late Era. In order to understand events, you need to know the history that proceeds them. Sort of like looking at the foundation of a building can tell you why it was built the way it was."

Teresa nodded and took another sip from her tea as the scholar went on. "To understand the final days of the Arimer, we need to start at the point they began to be called Ayleid: Alessia's Revolution. You have probably heard that it began in the year 231 of the First Age, in Lipsand Tarn. There Alessia - now a magician of prodigious might herself - overthrew Queen Tenyeminwe and seized control of the city."

"Where is that?" Teresa asked. "I have heard it in the stories, but have never had any idea where it, or any of the other places, actually were."

"Let me see if I can dig out a-" The Imperial rose and moved to the bookshelf, but stopped when Teresa withdrew a piece of parchment from her bag and began unfolding it, revealing a large map of Cyrodiil. "My, you did come prepared didn't you?"

"I just bought this yesterday. It's one of Natalia Dravarol's maps," Teresa said, feeling her cheeks turn warm at the scholar's praise. "I have been told that hers are the best."

"Indeed they are," the Imperial breathed. Leaning down beside Teresa, the forester breathed in the soft jasmine of the other woman's perfume. Glancing at the finger the scholar used to point on the map, she noted that Herminia did not wear a wedding band. She was tempted to reach up and put her arm around the other woman's waist. It was what Nerussa would do, Teresa thought. Yet she was not as bewitching as the former courtesan, and the Imperial would probably be offended.

"No one can be exactly certain these days," the scholar went on, seemingly oblivious to Teresa's thoughts, "but it should be right about here, due north of Chorrol, high in the mountains near where Cyrodiil, Skyrim, and Hammerfell meet. It was not far from the fortress at Sancre Tor, which the rebels built a year later at the foot of Serpent Pass, which leads through the Jerall Mountains to Skyrim."

"From their new fortress at Sancre Tor, the rebels were able to attract many Nordic adventurers and mercenaries to their cause. With their help, they were able to take the nearby city-states of Ninendava and Moranda in the following years, and more followed after that, until eventually the entire region surrounding modern day Chorrol was in Alessia's hands." Herminia sat down once more, and took a sip of her tea. "However, it was not until eleven years after the beginning of the revolt that High Chieftain Vrage of Skyrim officially recognized Alessia as the Queen of the Cyrods and made formal alliance with her. This was a key event, as it meant his army would now join Alessia's, and most especially his gold would help keep her new government from collapsing upon itself."

"But I thought Pelinal Whitestrake killed all the Ayleids in the Imperial City just a year after the revolution began?" Teresa wondered aloud. "But you say eleven years later they were still in the mountains?"

"As Sotha Sil once said: Trust not the words of a poet, as he is born to seduce." The scholar made a face. "They are not known for their research, but rather for what sounds dramatic. The Alessian Revolution was not the sudden avalanche across Cyrodiil that many like to believe, but rather a very slow and steady expansion, taking advantage of the inherent instabilities and rivalries between the Arimer city-states."

"I have heard that too," Teresa said. "That the Ayleids were not really one country, like Cyrodiil is now. Instead it was just a bunch of separate little cities, right?"

"Indeed," Herminia nodded, as in approval. "Each city was a state in its own right, minting its own coinage, making it own laws, and following its own policies and traditions. They were united by a high king here in the Imperial City. At that time it was Umaril. But his power was very limited. In fact, what many people do not realize is that several Ayleid city states allied themselves with Alessia."

"What?" Teresa questioned. "But why would they do that? I mean, they kept humans as slaves, tortured them for entertainment, and sacrificed them to the Daedra."

"That is what we are told, and some of those stories are without a doubt true," Herminia spread her hands and shrugged her shoulders. "But some of those tales are certainly just war propaganda as well."

"We do know for a fact from Alessia's letters, and others found in Ayleid sites, that some of their monarchs did indeed make treaties with her, and march in her armies. As to why they would turn on their fellow elves for the sake of human slaves, I doubt that is how they viewed it. Most probably saw themselves as using Alessia's army as a tool against their rivals. They probably thought the Alessians would never last, and planned to be the last ones standing when the dust cleared."

"Others may very well have abolished slavery and possibly necromancy too. We know that in the early period of Ayleid history, neither were a part of their culture. So doing so would simply have been a matter of returning to their cultural roots. For those city states where plantation-style farming was not feasible, the keeping of vast hosts of slaves was probably not economically viable. So freeing them would not be much of a blow. Besides, a government can still suppress and marginalize a people without them being slaves."

Teresa nodded at the latter. She had certainly seen that living on the streets, and especially in her three years in the Waterfront shantytown.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Nov 3 2010, 04:06 AM

[Linara]

Yay, a history lesson! Hmm, I don't think Linara has run into Herminia yet, although she sounds interesting, although Herminia's father is my favorite in this chapter. Very nice history though. Is there actually an in=game book?

[haute ecole rider]

Great job of world-building here. Loved the history lesson, even though it's not necessarily true to Lore. However most RL rebellions are long, grinding drags (look at our own!) that take several years to succeed.

A couple of nits:

"To call it tripe would be an insult to stomach lining!

Seems to me you're missing a word here - maybe your?

The Alessian Revolution was not the sudden avalanche across Cyrodiil that many like to believe, but rather a very slow and steady expansion, taking advantage of the inherit instabilities and rivalries between the Arimer city-states."

This time, the word morphed from inherent to something implying Dad's treasure.

Now for some things I liked:

I always want to make a face at him when says 'good day', like you were something he found on the bottom of his shoe.

Ain't that the truth!

"His students wrote it. He just took all the credit."

Sounds like a chemistry prof I had in college!

"Indeed they are," the Imperial breathed. Leaning down beside Teresa, the forester breathed in the soft jasmine of the other woman's perfume. Glancing at the finger the scholar used to point on the map, she noted that Herminia did not wear a wedding band. She was tempted to reach up and put her arm around the other woman's waist. It was what Nerussa would do, Teresa thought. Yet she was not as bewitching as the former courtesan, and the Imperial would probably be offended.

This whole paragraph is a wonderful insight into Teresa's character and how she is maturing!

Loved this chapter segment!

[treydog]

Herminia’s grandfather is a delight- in his own grumpy way.

the Elder Council have their heads up their collective rumps as usual. One fart and they'd all choke, and we can't even get them to serve cabbage at the palace…"

And your depiction of the scholarly Herminia is excellent, as well. Your descriptions of the room and of Teresa’s reactions allow us to see and feel what she does. And then there is the mystery of her pale skin- and a possible explanation.

"And that Redguard who runs it is no help at all, is he," the Imperial commented as she wrote. "All he ever does is sneer at you. I always want to make a face at him when says 'good day', like you were something he found on the bottom of his shoe."

Confirming my feelings about him.

Irlav taking credit for the worthwhile scholarship of others is no surprise- and I have unfortunately seen it in RL, too.

The entire history lesson is brilliant. Lots of interesting bits of “lost” lore to keep it fresh- and you do world-building in a wonderfully entertaining fashion.

[Acadian]

Herminia is wonderful and you have really brought her to life. As I have said before, our 'she-elves' seem at their best when used as vessels to draw forth the personalities of others. Certainly that is the case here!

"Indeed they are," the Imperial breathed. Leaning down beside Teresa, the forester breathed in the soft jasmine of the other woman's perfume. Glancing at the finger the scholar used to point on the map, she noted that Herminia did not wear a wedding band. She was tempted to reach up and put her arm around the other woman's waist. It was what Nerussa would do, Teresa thought. Yet she was not as bewitching as the former courtesan, and the Imperial would probably be offended.

Goodness. It seems Teresa agrees about Herminia being wonderful. Daydreaming while under instruction? And not about horses either. Regardless, I have no doubt Teresa is learning much here.

[Destri Melarg]

History is invariably written by the winners. It would be interesting to hear how the Ayleids viewed the Alessian Revolt. I think the closest we will come to knowing is through Herminia in the TF. As much as I am a fan of Elder Scrolls lore, I have always enjoyed those subtle moments in which you choose to diverge from it. Leave Umaril for Pelinel, Queen Tenyeminwe is a brilliant addition because she gives Alessia a flesh and blood adversary to contend with in her struggle for power and freedom.

“And that Redguard who runs it is no help at all, is he,” the Imperial woman commented as she wrote. “All he ever does is sneer at you. I always want to make a face at him when says ‘good day’, like you were something he found on the bottom of his shoe.”

Phintias, skewered! I love it!

“Besides, a government can still suppress and marginalize a people without them being slaves.”

QFT! Nearly a hundred and fifty years ago in the United States they called it ‘reconstruction’. A hundred years ago it was called ‘Jim Crow’. And fifty years ago it was still called ‘segregation’.

[SubRosa]

Linara: There are a bunch of books in the ES games about the Alessian Revolution. Your best places to start are probably the UESP Wiki page on The Ayleids, Alessia, and The Song of Pelinal. The first two have links to a bunch of game books. And of course the Imperial Library's Timeline of the First Era.


haute ecole rider: Quite right that dad's treasure was not supposed to be there, but the tribute to stomach lining was meant as it was, as it is about tripe in general. It is actually a line I heard in a movie recently, but I cannot remember which.

I see I am not the only one annoyed at Phintias as well. I wonder if they did the voice-acting that way on purpose, of it was just accidental that he sounds like a snobbish boat.


treydog: The mystery of Teresa's pale skin? There is no mystery. It all just pure, random chance. Teresa will tell you herself. Its not like she's an Ayleid after all! Nope, not a chance.

Looks like there is a lot of love for Phintias out there!


Acadian: When you say "under instruction" it brings to mind an entirely different image than I think you intended! Funny you should mention horses though, because in the chapter I am currently working on two interesting horses make an appearance.


Destri Melarg: And rewritten again by the victor's descendants! Sometimes the only way to really tell what happened is to borrow H.G. Well's time machine.

Well, the subtle divergence from ES lore has ended. It is much more dramatic from here on out. But hopefully it all hangs together. If you like Tenyeminwe so far, wait until you read this post. Plenty more about her flesh and blood, as well as Alessia, Morihaus, and Pelinal.


Next: Herminia gets on a soapbox, and Teresa learns some shocking revelations about the Alessian Revolution.

* * *

Chapter 21.6 – The Last King Of The Ayleids

"In 243, a year after the great alliance, Alessia marched upon the Imperial City, then known as Aduial by the star elves. The name meant 'eventide' or 'the herald of the stars'. Pelinal Whitestrake was slain there, along with High King Umaril. But the city was taken by Alessia. It is said that she was the first to stride through its gates after her spells destroyed them. Although that is probably hyperbole."

"For the rest of Alessia's life her armies slowly conquered western Cyrodiil. By the time she died in the year 266 all of what is now Colovia and the Gold Coast was in her hands. Much of the area was settled by Nordic mercenaries and their families, who joined her cause for the promise of such lands. That is why modern Colovians tend to have fair skin and light eyes, where we Nibeneans are all dark."

"So that left eastern Cyrodiil still Ayleid then? Cities like Vilverin and Belda?" Teresa asked. This all sounded so different from the grand stories that the bards told of Pelinal Whitestrake single-handedly wiping out entire Ayleid cities, seemingly at random across the province.

"Indeed, and while still technically at war, a sort of unspoken truce existed between the new Empire of the Cyrods and the Arimer City States. In fact, trade between the two was common," Herminia went on. "You mentioned Vilverin. Queen Aldudenie of that city-state had very close economic ties with the newly renamed Imperial City, and was probably the human kingdom's strongest ally among the elves."

"This is where the Late Ayleid Period is often said to begin," Herminia explained, "although some put it at the beginning of the Alessian Revolt. The timing always revolves around Alessia, for she was the driving force of the Great Revolution and early Cyrod Empire. She was one of the greatest magicians of the age, and an excellent strategist as well. Without her the Empire could only sputter along, like a lamp out of oil."

"But what of the heroes, like Morihaus - the cosmic bull - or Pelinal," Teresa asked with beetling eyebrows. "Weren't they the ones who conquered Cyrodiil?"

"Hardly," the Imperial snorted. "Morihaus was a bull alright, but not some magical being sent by the gods. He was a field slave that Alessia took a liking too. Apparently his stamina was legendary, enough so that in time he became her favorite in bed. Although she still seems to have continued her relationship with Queen Tenyeminwe as well, for Alessia still kept her as a prisoner. In battle Morihaus seems to have been an excellent fighter, large and strong, and was popular among the troops. But he never showed the slightest bit of actual skill at tactics or strategy."

"Wait a moment, Alessia had a relationship with the queen who enslaved her, after she overthrew her?" Teresa blinked.

"Yes indeed," Herminia smiled. "This is one of the things many historians like to pretend never happened. As Tenyeminwe's handmaiden, Alessia would have served her Queen in bed as well as in other ways. That is typical of all elven courts. By all accounts Tenyeminwe was Alessia's first lover, and a real fondness must have existed between the two. Alessia refused to have Tenyeminwe executed after she overthrew her, even though most of her advisors badgered her to do so. She was too dangerous a magician to let go, so Alessia kept her as an honored prisoner, with the equivalent of a modern Dunmer slave bracer to prevent her from using magic. In fact, Tenyeminwe lived in more comfort and opulence than Alessia herself did. When she was not on campaign, Alessia often visited her old queen in private. One can only imagine what they did, but given that they were lovers in the past, I doubt that would have ended. In fact it was not until Alessia herself died that Tenyeminwe did as well, for she was murdered by Alessia's successor, Belharza."

"Wow," Teresa thought, trying to imagine what it would be like to have to fight Nerussa, and be faced with the choice of whether or not to kill the high elf. But something like that could never happen in the first place, could it? What could make someone fight the person they loved? Slavery, torture, and murder, Teresa thought. "But I would have thought Alessia would have hated Tenyeminwe, and all the Ayleids?"

"As the leader of the rebel cause, hatred was a weakness that Alessia could not afford," Herminia explained softly. "She still had to deal with the Ayleid rulers and their representatives, and manage alliances with them in order to succeed. Besides, she was still human, still a woman. She felt love, just the same as anyone, and still needed to be loved in turn. Even if by an enemy."

"We also must keep in mind that Tenyeminwe was not a fool," Herminia continued. "If Alessia had been nothing but a vessel of burning hate, the queen would have sensed it and simply killed her. Alessia must have used her own tender feelings for Tenyeminwe to mask her true intentions. It must have been an incredible tight-rope to walk. I do not envy her."

"Pelinal Whitestrake, on the other hand, had no idea what love was," Herminia went on in stronger tone. "He was clearly not human, and possessed great magical powers. When it came to killing he had no equal. Some even think he was an aspect of Lorkhan, given not only his power, but also his absolute hatred of the elves and the bouts of pure murderous insanity that he often suffered from. The latter eventually made him more of a detriment than an asset to the rebels. It is quite possible that his death at the Battle of Aduial was engineered by Alessia in fact, or that she at least allowed it to happen."

"What!" Teresa sputtered, and almost spat out her tea. All of her life she had heard Pelinal Whitestrake idolized as a near god. The great hero of the revolution who had almost single-handedly killed every Ayleid in Cyrodiil!

"Sounds quite different from what you normally hear isn't it?" Herminia smiled. "That is what history is like. When you really delve into it, you discover that much of what you were taught as a child was false. Or so warped by politics and bias as to be nearly so. In all of Cyrodiilic history, this is never so much the case as it is with the Alessian Revolution and fall of the Ayleids. Pelinal Whitestrake especially."

"For example, when Alessia was conquering the western highlands she had made an alliance with the Ayleid King Sinyaramen of Lindai. Her army's lines of supply and communication ran through his territory, so his cooperation with her was critical. Not to mention his soldiers were serving in her army."

"Well, Pelinal Whitestrake was returning from Sancre Tor with a group of Nordic reinforcements when he stopped in Lindai. Apparently Sinyaramen gave him some sort of slight, and Pelinal flew into a rage and killed the king in his palace. It quickly turned into a battle, and Pelinal and his Nords burned the city the ground after killing everyone that they could catch, humans included. They claimed the humans were collaborating with the Ayleids, and so deserved to die."

"When she found out, Alessia had to segregate the Ayleids from the rest of her army to keep them from learning the truth. In the end she poisoned them to prevent the unavoidable battle. Then she was forced to abandon her siege of Wendir and march back to Lindai to secure her rear. Because now all the Ayleids and humans that Pelinal had failed to kill there were up in arms against her. It was a complete disaster. In fact, it was just the example of human atrocities that High King Umaril needed to fully unite the Ayleid cities against Alessia."

"This was not the first time Pelinal had killed Ayleids who were allied to Alessia either," Herminia said dryly. "He murdered Enelye of Hrotanda Vale, one of the rebel cause's greatest heroes. Or someone who should have been so. For Enelye was the one who trained the newly created human army to fight as professionals, rather than an armed mob. Perhaps even more importantly he taught Alessia herself the arts of strategy and tactics. Yet Enelye was still an Ayleid, and when he took a human wife Pelinal went mad and decapitated him and his bride on their wedding night."

"Pelinal was too popular with the rank and file of the army for Alessia to remove him," Herminia went on. "The Nords especially, as they thought he was Shor's gift to them, if not Shor incarnate. Shor being their name for Lorkhan of course. But he had clearly become more of a threat to her own army than the Ayleids were. So I think when Alessia had the opportunity, she held back the army from the gates of Aduial and let Umaril finish him off. Supposedly the army was too terrified of the Ayleids to advance, and only Pelinal had the nerve to meet Umaril on the field of battle. But that is just plain horse manure. There were no cowards or shirkers in Alessia's army. They had been fighting for over a decade. The Cyrods had scores to settle with their former masters, and the Nords all yearned for fame, glory, and land. In fact, keeping them back had always been Alessia's problem, not making them attack."

"Wow, I never imagined Pelinal Whitestrake that way," Teresa admitted, "he sounds like a monster." She had never heard of Enelye, or Lindai, or Hrotanda Vale. She wondered how much of the rest of the stories that she had been told were just that, stories, rather than truth. Looking across her teacup at Herminia, she could now see why the scholar was not a sage at the University. Saying things like this would quickly alienate her from the Old Imperial Boys Club, that was for sure!

"He was a monster," Herminia said, "who fought other monsters. But that does not make him a hero. It was Alessia who was the hero of the Revolution, along with the real Morihaus, and the thousands of others who gave their lives in her cause. They fought and sacrificed to bring freedom and justice to an oppressed people. Pelinal Whitestrake fought for nothing but his own bloodlust. The way he is idolized today is a disservice to those with whom the true credit belongs."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 10 2010, 12:26 AM