You finally emerge from the darkness of the storm drains into a sunny afternoon—the first real sunlight light after weeks in a cell whose bars were long obstructed by grime and debris. It's so bright to be blinding, forcing you to pause to adjust, and think about how different it was to be out now. Days spent fleeing through old passages and older caves, first trying to scramble by and avoid alerting every goblin in the area, and later with the Emperor and his dwindling cadre of bodyguards.

An Emperor that was no longer amongst the living, his final request a very physical weight against your body. A single, crystalline amulet, warm and humming even through the cloth Baurus had hastily wrapped it in, hiding it as best as possible before tasking you with conveying it to its rightful owner. This, perhaps, is the one guarantee that the dark, dank underground was real, out in the humid warmth of the Nibenay Basin.

As your eyes recover, you can make out a robed figure standing just ahead, the waves of Lake Rumare lapping against the hem. Was this it, then? Had the assassins found you already, beaten you through the winding paths out of the city? No: your eyes adjust more, and it's clear that this isn't the heavy, red robes the assassins had been wearing, rather the faded and travel-worn ensemble of a travelling hedge mage or simple conjurer, its original colours long faded to muted greys and browns.

This stranger was tall—obviously of high elf descent, her skin a burnished bronze far darker than the usual high elf. Perhaps part dark elf? The silver-white braid wasn't any better a clue. And as she steps closer, it's clear that even for such an elf she's abnormally tall and lean, almost impossibly tall for a man or mer. Yet more imposing than the height is her eyes, almost-glowing shards of blue glass that fix you in place.

"You aren't who I was expecting to meet here. The Emperor, perhaps… or failing that, one of his guards. None have entered in weeks, which means… tell me, what leads you to flee the city this way? Your attire seems… ragged." The stranger's voice is sharp, and even if she weren't armed—the sword belted at her hip is unmistakeable, and of finer make than anything you've seen the city watch carrying, and that's not counting the staff—you've met more than enough magical cultists and even goblin shamans over the past weeks for the robes to be a warning of their own.

@VitaVitaAR

... It's bright.

It's hard to really explain how bright it is. It's something I hadn't really prepared for after scrambling in the darkness. I'm drenched in sweat, and probably other things as well. I'm sure there's plenty of red stains on my ragged clothing.

---It doesn't really make sense how I got here. That mistake that imprisoned me in the first place was just a mess, to be honest, the sort of thing that never should have happened and yet unfortunately did.

But things have changed so drastically, so quickly.

The Emperor came before me. The Emperor died before me.

And he left it behind, the crimson, warm gem wrapped in cloth. The unmistakable Amulet of Kings.

It doesn't make sense. It truly, truly doesn't.

But I'm here. There's been far too much reality to claim it's a mere dream.

The stains on the edge of my dagger are certainly, abundantly, very real.

And so is this person standing before me. I'm glad she's not one of those assassins, even if I wasn't about to simply let her have her way if she was.

To be honest, she's someone far more worrying then that. I have no idea what kind of elf she is. Half high elf, half dark, maybe? Possibly? But I'm not sure if that even makes sense looking at her now. It feels like she's trying to look through me, too.

---She's definitely not one of the assassins. She's far, far more dangerous than that.

That blade on her hip is something I only vaguely recognize, a weapon far surpassing anything that any warrior I've ever seen could hope to wield. The staff, too, makes it eminently clear that it's not just a blade I'd have to worry about---

If she wants to kill me, it's going to happen. I hate admitting it to myself, but there's no way I'd survive if she wanted to simply end my life.

But she's not doing so.

She's clearly here to meet the Emperor. Well, I have bad news for her if that's the case. Bad news for everyone.

I don't know what to say. I can't exactly just blurt out that the Emperor is dead, can I? I can barely even grasp that fact myself.

"... There's..."

I take a deep breath.

"---Th-the Emperor is... no longer... around."

---Brilliant. Excellent way to try and explain what's going on, Vivienne. Truly, you are a mistress of words, skilled in delivering vital information gently, carefully, and with discretion.

"Then the Emperor is dead, and the Dragonfires lie unlit for the first time since the Interregnum," the elf surmises, tearing her gaze from you and affixing her gaze to the tower rising over the city behind. As she thinks this news over, the weight of her attention being removed is a relief—before it flicks back, cold and heavy as ever. "Still, then, there is some time before the Daedra are free to interfere, even with the events of Red Mountain…"

Her proclamation is ominous, along with confusing. How could a far-off location and the Emperor's lack of an heir possibly tie back to the Daedra? But such is the nature of wizards, to know much and explain little, and she carries on without a break, her look decidedly more interrogative. "And what of you? You are manifestly not one of the Emperor's bodyguards, nor do you have the bearing of a spy, and a successful assassin would have left through the same means they arrived, not followed this route to its end."

Given that a cursory exploration would easily have showed that there was no way for the assassins to get in aside from this woman's assertion that nobody had entered in weeks—and the lack of evidence that they had been camping along the path, waiting for the Emperor's group to pass—it does seem likely that any successful assassin must have used some magical means to enter. And if they could get in that way, why not leave the same? It makes sense.

"So, one group or the other must have permitted your survival. But why?"

Well, it's not as if it wasn't obvious.

The mental image of the Emperor's death scrolls through my mind once more. To be honest, it seems like some sort of terrible illusion then anything. But I witnessed it, no doubt.

The Dragonfires hadn't even entered my mind until now. What's about to happen?

I shake my head, sucking in a deep breath and clearing my thoughts as much as I can manage. My survival---

Is there any point in trying to mislead her? She clearly knows everything that's already happened. Lying to her seems stupid more than anything.

I have to keep the Amulet of Kings safe, but dying here because I refuse to tell the truth doesn't help me do that.

I'm perfectly aware of what will happen if she attacks, but at least I can go down fighting if I have to.

I'd really rather not, though.

"---I... The Emperor's guard entrusted me with something precious. I have to deliver it."

I can't bring myself to be more direct. But at the same time, I'm certain she'll guess what it is that I'm carrying.

Once again, the elf wastes barely any time before concluding the truth of what happened down there. "The Chim-el Adibal? Or rather, the gem and its housing both; the Emperor entrusted you with bearing the Amulet of Kings."

Then she pauses, hand raised to her mouth in thought—but despite having identified your package and even your own wariness, she makes no move to attack or take it. "Strange, though, that the Emperor would entrust you with it. Tell me, have you tried wearing the amulet at all since you have received it?"

A curious question—Baurus' explanation after the Emperor's passing had been that supposedly only the Septims can wear the Amulet of Kings. But this strange mage seemed unaware of that, despite all else she had known, or perhaps she knew more of the matter than one of the Blades would to expect that you may have had more success after all.

Whatever your answer, it seems quite clear that the truth of your mission, to convey the amulet to the order's grandmaster and thus the hidden last Septim, is unlikely to remain secret for long.

I knew there was no point in trying to hide it.

Not with this strange elf seemingly knowing everything. I can't help but sigh a little to myself, though. I'd hoped that I could have kept it concealed, but there's really no hope of that with this lady, is there?

"Wh---"

Before I can speak, she asks a question that comes completely out of left field.

Putting it on?

Why would I ever try that? It's not as if I'm anything close to related to the Emperor. I don't even know who my parents were, but they certainly weren't nobility or even close to it. I can tell that much.

What would the point be in me attempting to wear the Amulet of Kings when only Septims can wear it?

"O-of course not," I reply, her question nearly setting me off balance not just mentally, but physically as well, "Why would I bother? Do I look like a Septim to you?"

Really---

Why would I even waste my time on it?

"Of course not," the woman sighs, looking like your answer actually pains her, "But even I know that the Imperial Cult still teaches enough history to know that the Amulet long predates the Septims. Before them, it was worn by the Reman emperors, and before that it was the regalia of the Empire of Cyrodiil. Ever since the death of—"

Realising the last name means nothing to you, the elf pauses in her lecture, stopping the pacing that she had stopped. "Paravant? Al-Esh? Ah… fine, to use the modern corruption of her titles, Alessia. The Amulet and the covenant it represents are a bond forged between Akatosh and Alessia, between the Dragon and Men. No single bloodline can lay claim to it; should a new line of the dragonborn be born, then the Amulet would be as much theirs.

"Of course, the Septims have had no interest in reminding the populace of the truth. Why would they? No ruler likes a usurper, especially not since the Simulacrum so recently… but now you know. Perhaps, to have arrived here at this time, you have been chosen," Another statement without an explanation. The stories about unhelpful mages are making more sense by the second, "Or perhaps you are indeed just a messenger. Although, if your hope is to convey something so valuable across the province or beyond…"

Once again she looks you up and down.

"Even if you stick to the highways for safety, you look as if you'd starve halfway to Bravil."

Well, she's right, but who aside from the Septims could lay claim to that capability in these modern times? It's not as if there's any Dragonborn running around willy-nilly at the moment---

It's mostly just a brief history/theology lesson. I guess whoever this elf is, she's really into that sort of thing. At least she's not trying to take the Amulet from me.

But, is she really suggesting... chosen? No, there's absolutely no way. It's by pure chance that I was there at the right time. Despite that, I have to fulfill the duty given to me. The stakes are so high I can barely wrap my mind around them, after all.

"I-I'm not that we-"

It's at this very moment that my stomach chooses to growl.

The elf continues to stare at you for a second, then sighs and... did she just reshape the ground into something resembling a bench? It was barely a gesture with the staff, but the loamy soil had risen up and hardened, giving her somewhere to sit down.

"Sit. I have supplies, and I'll be coming with you on your journey," she states, holding up a hand to forestall your objection as her other rummages around... in the air? A minute later she pulls out a pot, then some jerky, and then even some vegetables. "I have business with whoever wears the Amulet, and the roads are always safer when travelling together."

"Get some water from the lake and I'll get a fire going," she says, "We can introduce ourselves while this cooks, and plan the journey. Magical transport is out, not in these conditions."