Esbern woke up with someone was banging on his door.
“Rilen?”
“Yes master. I apologize for disturbing your sleep but you told me yesterday to wake you up at this hour.”
“Yeah, yeah, I remember. Prepare the others. I will be down there soon. Just let me wash my face and put on new robes.”
His room was badly organized full of books, artifacts and potions to give him strength to lengthen his time through the nights of studying. He was already an old man that should have died many times in the past. He would’ve already given up many times in the past. Something that took him to the pits of despair and regret, almost jumping to the jaws of Death to end it all.
But his life had regained its youthful vigor. Finally, the dream he always wanted was given to him.
The revival of the Blades.
It’s been 4 years since he was given the authority to take in charge of the Skyhaven Temple for his contribution during the Return of the Dragons. He, and his Breton companion and comrade in arms in the past, Delphine finally came back as Blades in service to Tamriel.
But they were now under the service, not for the Empire who abandoned them... But the dragonborn.
With Delphine and the support of the Jarls... Or rather Kings in Skyrim, it became easy for them to improve the former ruins to its glory. And it would even take a massive turn when several hands had arrived to help them.
10 years ago, he received a message from Mortred’s courier worms which told him that there’s a high chance that there was still more to the Alduin’s Wall.
With this message, he sends a notice of arrival for important guests and scholars that may have the knowledge in helping them. He also made a very important but also strange post script.
I WILL NOT PERMIT ANY INFIGHTING OR DISAGREEMENTS BECAUSE OF THE PAST.
Of course, for the revival of the Blades and in service to their true purpose, Esbern and the other blades accepted. And they weren’t that barbaric or uncivilized to be discourteous to these people. After all they have no will or intent to destroy the reputation of their sacred order again. And as thus, they prepared a welcoming feast. He even asked the help from the nearby jarls for clean furnitures and rebuilding the rooms for the incoming scholars.
Not knowing that the arriving guests, never needed a banquet much more a luxurious room to rest. And he spotted one of them walking or rather, floating upwards in the stairs.
“Master Esbern.” A creepy slowed voice greeted him as he walked down the stairs.
“Master Vahlok.” He replied with a bow.
No matter how many times he meets one of them, he still couldn’t avoid feeling the sense of danger. Not because of fear but out of respect to the tremendous power that anyone could feel when standing in front of them. Beings of power.
Dovah-Sonaak
Or also known as Dragon Lich Priests.
Thousands of years ago, these beings ruled over Skyrim as the proxy rulers in their Dragon master’s stead. In payment for their service, many of them were blessed extraordinary powers, arcane knowledge and status. And in their desire to keep what they had received, most of them reached Lichdom, making them immortal.
After the Dragon War, most of these priests buried themselves in ancient tombs across Skyrim, awaiting the return of their masters to the rule the world once again.
Now a being that could erase Esbern with a flick of its skeletal hand, were now carrying a bundle of books.
“This one needs to find a book about the Daggerfall’s History.” The lich slowly asked as its raspy voice passed through its arcane mask.
“Ah, that one. I shall send that book for you tomorrow. The only copy in our library had been ruined to a state of being unreadable. A raven will be sent to Winterhold to ask for a copy.” Esbern smiled.
“This one sends its gratitude.” The lich bowed.
“It’s a pleasure to help a fellow scholar.” He bowed in answer.
The lich then slowly floated upward again until the spiral stairs hid him as he ascended.
This reminded him again of their first meeting where luxurious line of carriages arrived at their gates. It would still be an old sight for Esbern as a former Blade, bodyguard of the Emperors. Except that the carriages were pulled by undead horses with glaring red eyes in the sockets and the undead soldiers wearing nord armor and weapons were escorting them. This was already a terrifying sight that he forgot himself to stop the fellow Blade members who already unsheathe their blades, thinking they were under attack. Then as if the atmosphere around them shivered and trembled, like reality was being disturbed from its natural stability, the doors in each carriage opened.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
In each forty seven carriages, glide down the forty seven liches. Their golden robes, necklace and arcane crowns glistening in the morning light. Each of them wore varying gold and silver masks of unique designs with probably unique enchantments. If not for their skeletal hands resting in their chests, anyone would think they were still a living floating flesh of power. Then they all floated toward Esbern who was at the time the nearest person to them while also thinking that he was the furthest way from the safety of the gate. The Blades immediately made a move with a yell from Delphine that was in the corner of his ear. He thought of any possibility of the reason for this liches in their visit. Then he remembered Mortred’s letter. Just in time before all hell break lose, he yelled an order to stand down. A confused Delphine, with gritting teeth wanted to refute but was silenced thanks to another visitor they had.
Then one of them handed a scroll towards the still trembling Esbern, standing in shock and fear. As he unrolled while also taking a glance at the liches in caution, it read that they were sent by Mortred with another letter to investigate another potential mural in the Skyhaven Temple. It took almost a day to calm the entire city when the people living inside the walls saw an undead parade on their streets, as a result it was already dark when they were able to let the priest enter.
Forty seven most powerful undead he had met was now helping organize the books, jars, tidy the floors, and artifacts and helping research in the temple. An eerie and awkward sight even if it’s already a daily sight to Esbern and others who only knew that Liches were extremely hostile to the living and things that they considered lesser than them.
He sighed in relief within, then walked downwards till he stepped into the ground floor where dozens of scholars were all studying something.
“I need another brush.”
“Can I borrow your ladder?”
“Maybe if we consult the College…”
“I need help with this inscription.”
“Could someone hand me that tool box?”
A crowd of people was encircling a tall pillar like bees, buzzing with their own as they investigate the mystery and secrets behind it.
Days after the arrival of the Dragon Priests, he received another letter which told him to investigate something that he once thought to be already solved.
The Alduin’s Wall.
The priceless mural that prophesized the future of Tamriel. The mural was displayed in the great hall of the Temple which made it an obvious sight to anyone who entered the temple. It bears the events that happened in the past, the Dragonbreak, the fall of the Tribunal, the Oblivion Crisis, the Great War, the Civil War in Skyrim and the return of Alduin. It was left behind as a gift for the future people of Tamriel, sculpted with the guidance of the long past emperor and the lost people of Akaviri.
However after the fall of Alduin, many questions started popping into his thoughts.
If this is the future, then why does it end on Alduin’s Return?
How did the Akaviri foresee the events?
If this is the future, why did the emperor sculpted the mural in a hidden place instead of his imperial palace?
More and more questions also plagued those who was researching this with him.
He restarted his study about the wall and even invited some fellow scholars from Winterhold and Imperial College of Mages to help him. With his connection and the name of his master, it was easy enough that almost all students and mages who heard his offer had fought each other to be part of the research team. The headmaster and archmage of the colleges decided to send their trusted top students who later arrived weeks later.
His thoughts was interrupted by another scholar who asked him about the part where they will start. After all, the wall of mural that they first found was now a huge towering pillar that almost reached the highest floor of the Temple.
After Mortred sent his letter to search a new possible but unseen part of the Mural, they spent almost a year but fell on a dead end. He almost gave up and started writing a letter to his master when a massive quake shook the temple. The entire city panicked as they were assuming of its sudden collapse. Instead, in their investigation for the damages after the earthquake, they found an exposed a broken mechanism on the sides of the mural wall. He had engineers from Cyrodiil to fix it and finally, right after checking the safety of its activation, they unlocked the new part of the wall. A sudden shaking on the temple once again occurred. This was a very bad scene for the inhabitants below them as they didn’t expect any aftershocks.
Then with slow loud creaking, the floor that they were standing started descending. It took them several minutes before it stopped at the bottom. And what they saw was a magnificent and well preserved mural. Unlike Alduin’s wall, this was covered with intricate and masterfully designed paintings and sculpting. But what they also didn’t expect was the sheer size of this new mural. It was so high that the Alduin’s wall was actually just the tip.
They were given a full tower of prophecy.
The entire hall went ecstatic. Hastily grabbing their notes, tools and staffs to investigate this new discovery.
But months later, they would lose same motivation again. The new part of the mural was almost unreadable to them, even with the help of the knowledgeable translators he brought.
The all have the same complaints and obstruction, the language. Unlike the Alduin’s wall that have sculpted figures, this time almost a two thirds of the mural is covered with unknown script. One of the scholars was able to recognize it do to being related in his past thesis. The language of Akaviri.
Even the mural of Alduin’s wall actually had an additional texts written in Akaviri after the floor was lowered. Dampening his morale.
He actually hoped that the Dragon Priests probably knew of the language, but they denied any knowledge as they also displayed a rare and first instance of frustration even hidden behind their mask. Though, he noticed it, Esbern stayed quiet and sent his gratitude instead.
He sighed as he realized that he went into trance again. Since then, they gained no new discovery after the appearance of the pillar.
But as he goes down, he felt strange as there were no morning noise that he always hear when he was walking near the exit to ride the nearest elevator. He frowned then the scholars around him started running towards the exit with eyes of admiration. He stopped one of the scholars.
“What’s happening?”
“He had returned master!”
His eyes went wide open and also ran to the gate.
The entrance gate was surrounded by a massive garden and trees to cool down those who wanted to enter the Temple. And there he found that all of the scholars, the Blades and even the Dragon Priests were all kneeling to a visitor.
The person’s face was hidden in a mound of red hair as it already reached the lower part of his body. Making the person unrecognizable. But there’s only one person whom these people would kneel in respect and his thoughts was confirmed by a single word from the visitor.
“Hey!”
Esbern kneeled in relief and happiness then bowed deeply.
“My king. The city of Skyhaven welcomes you.”