Eighth Arc: Written in Stone

~More Questions than Answers~

-Void Within: Though the Night Mother’s Sarcophagus is gone, Ylgar can still feel the magical potential that was present in the Sanctuary; Nihlus, though no longer being overwhelmed by Void currents, can feel that same potential when he directs his senses inward.

-Nihlus also reads Cicero’s final journal, located at the Sanctuary, and, uh, it hurts.

 

-Anticipation: The group discusses questions of how and when precisely the end of the world will occur, and what role the Thalmor are playing in Namira’s incursion. They decide that, at present, their best chance of learning these answers is from Paarthurnax, and set out for the Throat of the World.

 

-Yokudan Memories: Nevetrius accesses ancient Yokudan training via a Memory Stone; the Lord of Blades within his dream observes that two minds that look out from the warrior’s eyes.

~Ancient Religion (Concludes roughly around the End of Last Seed)~

-Greybeards: The group is greeted warmly by the Greybeards, who freely give them answers where possible; they learn:

-Paarthurnax has been absent for three weeks; the Greybeards do not know where he is, or when he shall return.

-The Towers, Adamantia in particular, metaphysically shape and hold up reality; though some were created by the Aedra, most of the Towers were created alongside the races of Tamriel, influencing the lands to reflect the peoples they were tied to.

-Towers are “powered” by a Stone (Amulet of Kings, Heart of Lorkhan, etc); removal or destruction of that Stone deactivates the Tower.

-Stones do not function without the Will of their creator.

-Arngeir believes that Snow Throat is the Nords’ Tower, and having lost its Stone long ago, is one such “dead” Tower.

-Ylgar the Blind later reveals that Snow Throat was originally the Tower of the Falmer, and that its Stone, the Eye of Magnus, is not lost, but hidden and dormant.

-The success of Namira’s incursion requires that the Towers fall; most are already inactive, but this seems to be the reason why the Thalmor are looking for a way to destroy Adamantia.

-In conclusion, the group has another task alongside finding and removing Namira’s tethers from Tamriel, or rather, a choice between two; stop Adamantia’s Stone from being destroyed, or create another Tower to bear the weight when Adamantia falls.

 

-Peace Within: Steinn, still struggling to find his center, is guided through meditations on DREM, or “peace;” though this does not solve the problem, the understanding he gains will be a useful tool. Arngeir speaks to Sabin about the resilience of her mer soul to her curse, and seeking cures that focus on this.

 

-Perfection: The group visits the Alaxon camp to gather information and check for Thalmor presence; they learn that while seemingly gentle in appearances, the Alaxon movement is a doomsday cult that stresses the superiority of Altmer in both life and post-apocalypse immortality. The cult works to bring perfection (ie, purging of Lorkhan’s influence) to the Altmer people as a whole, which will allow this ascension to occur with the return of Auri-El.

~Night of the Dead (3rd of Hearthfire)~

-Salt and Wind: The group receives a message that the Antiquarian circle requires a translator at the landing site of the 500 Companions; upon investigation, they find a message from Ylgar the Blind, from which they interpret directions to seek his tomb below Windhelm.

 

-Stormcloak: Nihlus and Steinn, having reasons to avoid entering the city, remain outside while the others seek the High Priestess of Arkay, to gain access to the Hall of the Dead; both groups, however, are sought out and escorted to the Palace of Kings, at the invitation of Ulfric Stormcloak. The King is unexpectedly hospitable, seeming to feel that they share a number of goals, regardless of official alignment; though tempers briefly flare in the discussion of war and information, he does not hold them against their will, and further provides a key to the Hall of the Dead.

 

-Ghosts: On their way to the catacombs, the group encounters ghosts on the streets of Windhelm; a hoard of elf ghosts begins to close in on them, but recoil from frightful visions of Steinn in the moonlight. After following clues left by Geonovos, the group comes to a door with a riddle: "Speak thy name, Ghost, and the name of thy Father, and the name of thy Son." The door opens when Steinn, inflecting his words with the Voice, answers “Shor.”

 

-Anu-Orgon: After descending a hidden staircase, sneaking through a Falmer village, traversing difficult terrain, solving riddles, handling Dwemer security systems, and besting three Ehlnofey guardians (and subsequently uncovering three enlightening passages of the Thegainvalde) the group reaches the true resting place of Ylgar the Blind.

-Throughout these events, Sabin intercepts Thalmor transmissions from somewhere nearby, all of which indicate advanced experiments related to morpholith and explosions.

 

-Blindsided (Mortal Peril: Nihlus): Using the Ring of Dibella, and a swarm of ancestor moths that manifest from nowhere, the Ylgar the Blind rises from his coffin as a draugr. Before they can speak at length, however, they are attacked:

-The fourth Ehlnofey descends upon them; during this battle, another Thalmor transmission heralds a massive quake that fills the chamber with dust.

-Not long after, Nihlus is attacked by a Morag Tong assassin, who turns out to be a skin suit for J’ssi. After clashing in spectral form, the Dro M’athra emerges victorious attempts to tear Nihlus apart in some kind of ritual (possibly one that would allow her to reclaim the Ring of Namira)—however, some force prevents her from doing so.

-Ylgar the Blind utilizes impossible magics(?) to trap and kill J’ssi.

 

~Guidance of Ylgar the Blind~

-Answers: After the group returns to the Saartolr via recall, Ylgar the Blind gives them more concrete directions on their mission to come:

-He confirms the group’s interpretation of the Thegainvalde passages, re: Snow Throat is actually the Falmer Tower; its Stone was/is the Eye of Magnus; Paarthurnax is currently guarding the Stone.

-Snow Throat is not dead, but dormant; when Adamantia falls, holding the world together will require awakening Snow Throat with the Eye; doing this requires an impossibly powerful Will, which the Elder Scroll in the Blades Vault will somehow guide them to harnessing.

-He confirms that Dyus is a subordinate of Jyggylag, and that while they are allies against the incursion of chaos, the group should not mistake them for friends.

-With regard to the tethers, the Ring has been banished, the Night Mother is “in hand,” and the Dark Heart is under the guard of the Thalmor; it shall be the door through which they invite Namira into the world, and though he’s not sure whether it can be destroyed, he knows that in the end the group will find and enter it.

-Their next priority, as he remembers it, was to seek the Vault in Cyrodiil; there, the will find answers even he cannot give them, and an ally that they sorely need.

 

 

-For Each: Ylgar the Blind has particular guidance to share with each member of the party, largely in confidence:

-He tells Nevetrius to seek the Loremaster Esbern to crack the code in his mind.

-He tells Sabin to seek aid from a priest of Y’ffre, and soon, to prevent her succumbing completely to her curse.

-He tells Nihlus that Cicero is alive in Apocrypha and can be saved; he also tells the assassin that, despite appearances, he’s going to be all right in the end.

-He tells his younger self that:

-Steinn is indeed Shor reborn (ie, the Shezzarine), and it will be up to Ylgar to keep him anchored, as their endeavor will ultimately hinge on his state of mind.

-Fate is not set entirely in stone, and there have already been differences between the version of events he remembers and those playing out now.

-He should take all the love and compassion that he can muster when he returns to the past; this includes appreciating the time he has with Thienne here, where their love is easier than it will be/was.

-With Steinn, he discusses the nature of the Thu’um, and the role that Will plays in manifesting a thing into existence; he encourages Steinn to meditate on this process, and when he can no longer meditate, to “grasp the wheel by the spokes and turn it.”

 

-Farewell: After exchanging heartfelt gratitude with one another, Ylgar the Blind bids the group farewell, and his body crumbles into dust on the wind as he achieves his final rest.