Chapter 1Edit
I slept in Uespa's Net that night, and in the morning left with Nephele. She led me through Vivec, travelling north to the Foreign Quarter and the Mages Guild. "Guild guides," she noted aloud, "are the easiest way to get around. Most of our inns are in towns that have Mages Guilds." She paid the guide for my trip to Caldera, and the guild guide quickly wisked us away.
We landed in Caldera at the guild guide stand in their Mages Guild. All the members of the guild greeted Nephele warmly, and she in turn seemed to glow under the attention. "I once did them a favor; no one in Caldera works weather with any skill, and that's a speciality of mine."
"Ah," I said, vaguely interested. "Hey, how'd you become an Editor, anyway?"
Nephele chuckled gently. "Well, I was up near Tel Vos, researching some spell effects, when a Dunmer who looked like an Ashlander asked me if I'd ever read a book by a one-eyed Breton." She looked at me. "That's a code phrase we sometimes use. I simply said no, and he walked on. But curious, young girl that I was, I cast a Chameleon spell and followed him. He met up with another Altmer, Haldanya, and she replied properly. He was giving her the information to pass on to a publican when my spell wore off."
"Oh, no!"
"Oh, yes. And the Dunmer, Yeheshua Benyosevimariya, was more amused than angry about it. He had Haldanya take me with her to the Wiki. She was my mentor for a few years, but she was killed by a member of the Blades two years ago. Yeheshua's still around, though. You'll like him." She led me through the town to a small hole-in-the-wall inn marked by a sign above the door depicting a cliff racer with a quill in its claws, flying away from an open book. The Pages, indeed.
As we entered, I took stock of the inn: fireplace along the back wall, bar to the right, and a set of wooden stairs leading up stood to the left. Behind the bar was an Imperial dressed richly and somewhat "primped". He nodded at Nephele, and raised and eyebrow at me.
"She's with me, Robius. By the way, Jobasha's raving about your latest book," Nepehele cooed, taking a seat at one of the wooden tables, and gesturing for me to do the same. "Robius, this is Alegna Vas-Cherchez. Alegna, this is Robius Herbius, also known as the criminal author R.P.E.H., author of Lack of Absolutes and Godless Summer."
"Criminal author?"
"She means," Robius explained, "that every religious organization down to the Dissident Priests is against my writings, and they've gotten them banned in every town in Vvardenfell."
"Ah." I looked around as Nephele and Robius talked for a couple moments, apparently gossiping, wondering what type of ghost was haunting the inn. She could feel the heavy air pressure that often signified spiritual presences to her.
Robius turned to me after Nephele made a comment about my skills. "So, you think you can rid me of that vile ghost? Well, good. I've been unable to get anything out off the storeroom under the stairs for ages." He pointed toward the offending room, his face set in a grim frown.
Chapter 2 of Guild's-knightEdit
So, a week later, I found myself in the South Wall cornerclub. Hecerinde told me that the Guild's-Knight would come in after sunset, wearing a green cloak. It was approaching dusk, so I was watching every person who came downstairs to the common area of the cornerclub. Thusfar, the only one to walk in with a green cloak was a female Bosmer who held the cloak in question tight around her. Her hair was blonde, peeking out from under a brown headscarf. Her eyes were a dark golden color that might have betrayed some Altmer ancestry.
I approached her cautiously. "Um, are you the one I'm here to meet?"
She looked up, blinking once or twice. "That depends. Are you looking to meet a high-ranking member of the Thieves Guild, one who has sway within the organization? Someone who can bring it down from within? Someone who is naught more than a tool for what purpose you bring me?"
I thought for a long moment before answering, my reply a mere murmur. "No, I'm looking for you, though I'm at the disadvantage of only knowing your title, and not your name."
She blinked at me twice more. "My name? I am Rowan Carlihaniel." She frowned, as though the question was nothing she had expected.