JoS/Henriette/25th Journal - The Forge

Morning Star, 31th, 4E 203

Finally, answers. It was a long discussion, and I'm sure I'll be forgetting some important details, but the revelations I got from Aliya blew my mind away. We have stopped at Four Shields Tavern to talk, and from here, I'll be on my own tomorrow as I deliver the shard to my Master.

Before I get into what I learned today, I want to talk about a very confusing Khajit we came across on our travels. He looked like he wanted to talk to us, but most of the things he said to us either didn't make sense, or sounded irrelevant, or even made up. His name is M'aiq by the way. When he saw the tattoo on top of my stomach though, he said something that caught my attention. "Ah, this one is a sinner, yes?" he said, with a smirk on his face. "It bears the mark of lust."

I asked what he meant, but the only reply I got from him after that was, "M'aiq is done talking." I tried to press the issue because to this day I really have no idea what this tattoo is supposed to be, or what higher power it's attributed to, but Aliya eventually convinced me to not follow this Khajit. "He's harmless", she said. "Pay no mind to him and his ramblings." Yeah, maybe it was for the best to shrug it off. It's not like any of his other ramblings made sense either.

Let's start with Aliya herself. She claims to be the reincarnation of Indoril Neravar, the heroine now known to the land of Morrowind as the Nerevarine. It's a name I had heard beforehand, but I had never looked much into, so most of the things she told me about herself came as a surprise. That makes her kind of a big deal, and in some ways very similar to me. The return of Neravar was prophesied thousands of years ago just as the return of Alduin and the last Dragonborn was. She's obviously pretty old as well, born on year 418 of the third era. How has she managed to keep her youth? Well, she told me: "You contracted Sanguinare Vampiris yourself, right? I caught a different kind of incurable disease. It has never been completely cured, but its negative effects are gone for good, so I don't have to worry about it. It has made me immune to ageing." Huh, I never had any idea such a disease exists… She didn't go too much into it though. "Too many bad memories", she explained.

How about our Master then? Well, he somehow manages to be an even more complicated case. His name is Constantine Quintus, and although he's a mortal, his story begins with his ancestors in the late second era. It was a busy time with Tiber Septim trying to conquer and unite all of Tamriel and Dagoth Ur awakening from his slumber and cutting the Living Gods of the Tribunal away from the Heart of Lorkhan inside the Red Mountain to use it for his own needs instead. One of the keys that allowed Tiber Septim to conquer and unite all of Tamriel was actually the acquisition of Numidium from Morrowind, which was an ancient, powerful Centurion that the Dwemer had essentially created because they wanted to build themselves their own god. Numidium is another whole story and mostly unrelated to this, but Constantine's ancestors operating from behind the scenes had their in this history as well.

In their time, our Master's ancestors were some of the most accomplished scholars specializing in Dwemer history and technology, with their work and contributions mostly involving around how to control and command Dwemer animunculi. Their names may have been forgotten to the annals of history, and whenever it was by design, or by chance, there's no way of knowing. Their texts, researches and books have survived in a secret underground library underneath the research team's head's mansion in the city of Anvil.

By the time Constantine became adult, he inherited a legacy of a once great, now forgotten family. Along with this legacy, he inherited a lot of debt too. His father, and before that his grandfather hadn't been good for their family's legacy, and neither had the Great War. One of the reasons why so few people truly know him by his true name and identity, especially here in Skyrim, is because when he was growing up he had grown to hate his family's name. Even these days, when there's arguably no reason for him to be ashamed of that legacy, he simply goes by his initials "C. Q." when having to go through the trouble of introducing himself.

Constantine though, he was more ambitious and greedy than his two fathers, and would stop at nothing to gain influence in any way he could. He would even go on to align himself with the local thieves guild in Cyrodiil, as well as some bandits too, but not even rapid acquisition of wealth and influence would help him escape the inevitable. He knew that to survive he would have to sell the mansion that had been with his family for over eight hundred years. It was when he was in the process of emptying the house and figuring out what to sell and what to keep that he discovered the underground library that had stayed hidden underneath the house's basement for over centuries.

He was obviously awestruck by the forgotten legacy of his ancestor. Handwritten books and journals filled to the brim with secrets and research spanning over decades, with every single page filled with text being more valuable than an ingot of pure gold, he knew he had something spectacular in his hands. He found something in these texts that also inspired him to come to Skyrim.

The Dwemer only had tribes and states in very select provinces of Tamriel, mostly spread here in the cold north, but also in Hammerfell, but Constantine discovered that there had always been plans and desire for Dwemer expansion into south, as told by his ancestors. History sure would've played out a lot differently had it not been for the disappearance of Dwarves! Anyway, according to some of the research these plans had even gone as far as to building armies of machinery to get ready for the invasion that never happened. Nobody knows where such a warehouse or a factory could lie though. Aliya herself theorizes the main hub of production in the past could've been Avanchnzel, but when she visited that place a year ago, most of the sleeping animunculi were ruined beyond use already with only a handful of constructs still defending the once great city.

Another piece of research that inspired him was one regarding plans for one particular staff that had been recovered from a Dwemer ruin by Constantine's ancestors, a staff that potentially could've been used during this invasion as well. Found in pristine condition, this blueprint pictured an artifact that was capable of controlling Dwemer animunculi more directly. They have been built to be subservient to the Dwarves to begin with so the researchers weren't quite sure why such an artifact was necessary for them to be researched, and perhaps that why this staff was never built. Are there staffs in this world that are able to control some automatons? Yes, there are these "Spider rods" or whatever you want to call them! What makes this different? The potency of its enhancement. Its wielder gains an unrestricted ability to control any Dwemer automaton freely no matter who it wields. Not just the weaker ones either, but also those really large and powerful ones. Once placed under the control of its magic, it can control the construct almost indefinitely, and it can place many machines under its control at once. Basically, whoever wields it holds the power to potentially command an army of Dwemer automatons.

The key ingredient to forging this staff is Aetherium, the precious luminescent metal Dwemer discovered somewhere in Skyrim. The texts say that it was used to craft some of the most potent weapons and tools of its time, even rivaling those that gods themselves have created. In those texts it was even speculated that the Tools of Kagrenac could've been created partially from this material, although there's no evidence for this claim, especially when you considered that those artifacts were created in Vvardenfell and that the tribes of Dwemer in Resdayn and Skyrim were actually at odds regarding many subjects. Then again, she said that "Keening" does suspiciously share the similar shade of blue as Aetherium does, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the same stuff. All that matters is that you can make really fearsome shit out of Aetherium! Dwemer even fought wars over this precious, rare and powerful material. That's how much potential and power there is in them.

Sheesh, my hand hurts, and so does my head… But that's the gist of it. In short, Constantine is looking for Aetherium because he wants to build some staff. What does he need an army of Dwemer animunculi for? In Aliya's words, "It doesn't matter", and that "It can't be anything good". According to her that man in a genuine sociopath with no regard or respect for anything else has his own advancement and growth in both power and in finance. Aliya considers this to be a huge deal, and a big no-no. If there's one thing she has learned from living for over two hundred years, it's that some of the Dwemer secrets and research are better left undiscovered, forgotten and cast into some distant plane of Oblivion where no mortal would dare to go seek them out.

The only question left was, how did Aliya get mixed up in all of this?

"By coincidence", she said. "Katria was my friend. She used to come to Markarth a lot to work with Calcelmo, who in turn has contracted me many times to work for him. As you already know, she spearheaded the research into Aetherium here in Skyrim, which got me interested in the topic as well. I wanted to help her. That eventually led Constantine to her, which in turn also introduced me to him."

She managed to get close to Constantine by posing as a mercenary and by working for him. Some seduction and powerful Illusion magic was also needed to get into that stubborn man's head, but for Aliya, that's just par for the course and business at this point. That's how she has been able to find out so much about all of this true. She believes to have gained his trust, and the fact that he has no idea about just how much Aliya has been able to sabotage his work and set back his quest of creating this artifact of immense power is testament to just how good Aliya is at what she does.

While that does answer a whole lot of my questions, it also raises some. Like, how did he come to learn of me and my crimes? That's something that I still really want to know. What Aliya told me did kind of help me make sense of how that guy has so many connections with the underworld and bandits though. It could also mean that he really isn't as influential as he says he is, unless of course that castle and some of the people in it are really, really corrupt to the core. I know for a fact that many of the guards are, so who knows… Money does rule a lot of things after all, and if there's one thing I've learned about my Master, it's that he has lots of it. Still, even if it was the case that he had less institutional power than I initially expected, he's still too dangerous for me to simply dismiss as harmless. If anything, it could make him even more dangerous in other ways.

Anyway, that's the gist of it all. Aliya will wait here as I head to hand the shard to my Master. What we'll do from there depends a lot on what actually happens between me and our Master, but the plan currently is to go get the fourth shard as soon as possible. It all depends on what happens between me and him in Solitude though. All I know that my debt to him will be gone. I can't wait to see my precious old friends either. I'm just dying to hold them both tight in my arms… I wish they forgive me for letting them get involved in this ugly mess.

Sun's Dawn, 1st, 4E 203

I returned to my master with the piece, alone as was planned. He was surprised by that, asking what came of the rest, what came of the Mercenaries he had hired? I told them that I was the only one to survive. Of course, that was a complete and total lie, and for a moment it looked like he might've seen through it… Luckily though, he accepted my story. "What a shame. I had so much trust in them", he said. "But the good news is that now, with three pieces in my hands, all I need is one more."

He talked about its potential location, but also about how it's without a doubt the hardest piece to find. He talked about how he's been sending Mercenaries to survey the area where he thinks it could be and many close-by Dwemer ruins, but also about how they've had little to no luck yet. Regardless of this, the good news for me was that he has nothing in store for me now.

"I will have to gather a new excavation party to acquire it", he said. "Of course, I want you to be part of it, as you continue to prove yourself loyal and useful. Consider your debt to me for paying off your bounty also paid, but don't forget, you still belong to me."

Then, came the bad news.

You see, he said that he's not willing to release Sofia and Serana from their captivity until all four pieces rest safely in his hands. He didn't outright say it, but there must be some doubt in his mind still about my motivations, even though he says otherwise. Damn it, I should've expected this… It's his insurance policy to make sure I don't get a chance to backstab him. Like really, he brought my story up, didn't he? I'm a little worried, not gonna lie…

Still, the biggest takeaway that's in my favor though is the fact that I get to walk free. Whatever is true, does he trust me or not, it doesn't matter, because he certainly shouldn't trust me anymore. Oh, my Lord, I will come after your life and free myself from your oppressive shackles no matter the consequences…

Now me and Aliya can safely go on with our plan of heading to Raldbthar. We will stop by in Dawnstar to discuss business with the Brotherhood first though. Aliya wants to make it official. She has a full list of names she needs assassinated, and this list of course includes Constantine Quintus. She said that I'll get the full list of names together with my "superiors" later as we get to discussing business. I guess she doesn't actually know my disposition within the Brotherhood? Ah, whatever… I don't need to correct her on such minor details.

Sun's Dawn, 3rd, 4E 203

We got down to discussing business… At least Nazir and Aliya did. I just listened, like the good listener I am… Sorry for the dad joke, my sweet diary…

As Aliya wanted to make this business sound very official, she said that her primary motivation is purging Solitude of its corruption, and described her targets as "slimy cowardly bandits posing as noblemen and -women", which probably isn't too far from the truth. She gave Nazir four targets, out of which the first one is Constantine Quintus, an Imperial businessman. The second one is Constantine's main associate, the current head of the Skyrim branch of the East Empire Company, who according to Aliya is "As corrupted by money as the that crazy preacher in Whiterun is devoted to Talos".

The third target is a young woman who works as secretary to General Tullius himself, an escort on Constantine's payroll. The fourth and final target is just some nobleman who advises Jarl Elisif in political matters as a thane, and is perhaps the least important person on the list, but a high priority target regardless. How is that escort more important of a target than a thane and an advisor to Elisif? Probably because Tullius is more important than Elisif or something? Oh, whatever, it doesn't matter.

These targets really are a testament to how far my Master's influence reaches. However, once this blow would be dealt, the rest would crumble down in the progress and Solitude would without a doubt become a better place. Aliya gave us a payment of five thousand Septim in advance and said that we would receive and additional two thousand and five hundred for each target we would bring down.

Did we accept? To quote Nazir: "You're damn right we accept".

Aliya then got into details. The manners of elimination didn't matter and could be done in secret or in public for all she cared. All that matters is that all four targets are killed within as small a timeframe as possible. Of course, for this, she promised a bonus. She provided us with information, maps about layouts of our target's workplaces and homes, as well as even keys. She also said that whoever would be going after Constantine would also be tasked in retrieving the Aetherium shards for an extra-extra reward, to which Nazir replied, "We're not thieves, but we'll see what we can do".

I can safely head out to Raldbthar now with Aliya. Nazir said that she's a little disappointed that I won't be joining in with the killing, but he also understood that what I was doing with Aliya was also important. He just didn't ask why. Nazir, Babette, Gabriella and Cicero will deal with the killing, and I'm sure Cicero especially will be thrilled to kill someone because he doesn't exactly get to be involved with the killing often as the Keeper. The other members of our Brotherhood will assist in killing any potential obstacles like guards that get in our way as well as securing safe escape routes from the city.

Sun's Dawn, 6th, 4E 203

I actually forgot one very important detail: we had to visit my home too. Why? I have this sinking suspicion that we'll be needing a key. The same Dwemer ball thing that opened the gate in Alfland should also work in Raldbthar.

Sissel was very surprised to see me with a stranger, instead of my two besties. After explaining what had happened, she was mortified, and also sad that there's nothing she can do. Regardless, I told her that we're about to set everything right and headed out for our little Dwemer excavation.

Now, it's just me, Aliya and Katria and a whole lot of Falmer on our little adventure deep into Raldbthar, although as a ghost, Katria hasn't been really capable of doing anything so far. There were some Bandits outside camping, but something tells me they are in no way related to our Master. We did quick work of them.

I'm glad I have at least Aliya as my help though, as I usually have to rely a lot on Serana and Sofia to destroy the constructs here. I'm ill-equipped to deal with them with bows, arrows and daggers, but heavy weapons as well as fire and shock magic do the trick.

I might've already mentioned this before, but Aliya, despite being a mage, is a very good sneak. She also taught me a little trick she apparently learned first while exploring the various Dwemer cities of Vvadenfell, a way to disable the automatons temporarily with magic. Not sure why she showed me this, because it's not like I could replicate that kind of trick even if I wanted to. Still, we avoided quite a few fights because of this. Against the Chaurus and the Falmer, we had no such tools, so we had to actually do our best to kill them. We managed brilliantly.

We did get into some problems though… Well, she did. She may have been adventurer for a long time, but she does her flaws, as we all do. Namely, she can be a little clumsy regarding her surroundings.

There's this large room with a drawbridge. It wasn't working thanks to some bones being stuck in various machineries and cogs spread around this great hall. We had taken care of the enemies and got around searching these dumb bones, when we found a little hive. Falmer were using parts of this room to breed pet Chaurus, and Aliya completely oblivious to the risk of actually being caught by tentacles hiding underground guarding the eggs, got herself caught like a fly in a spiderweb.

I tried to help her, you know, cut the tentacles in half. Since it isn't very easy, I got caught too. In a sense, I guess I ended up helping her by sharing the burden with her, and by making sure that the tentacles get bored of us faster. We managed to drag ourselves out from that hive, a hive that we had no reason to enter to begin with. The stuck bones were all elsewhere. Aliya did some important work here as well, as she could walk on water to reach one tricky bone. There was even one stuck on some machine out of our reach. Before I could even suggest shooting it down, she started levitating in air to grab it.

No, no, let me rephrase that… She started fucking levitating. I asked her where did she even learn a trick like that, to which she simply replied, "Morrowind". When I commented that levitation magic has been illegal since the late third era, she just smirked at me and said, "Sucking blood from mortals is also illegal, but that doesn't seem to bother you." Yeah, she got me there.

We're going to rest for a while, because we can't continue like this. We have made sure that the drawbridge works now, but we're yet to press the button. There's a giant centurion behind it, and we want to be ready for it.