The art of delegation

I spent two weeks following the same schedule as Friga and Nilsine Shatter-Shield. 10 hours of swimming against the current in heavy Armor, then 1 hour of practicing restoration magic and then I drop them off at the blacksmith.

But we have to break that cycle because Nurelion finally had some lead on the white Phial. He tells me that he is certain that the white Phial can be traced.

He tells me " It's buried with its maker, Curalmil, in a long forsaken cave to the west of here. Curalmil was a crafty one, even in death. You would need the skills of a master alchemist to reach his resting place. Luckily for you, I've already made the mixture."

I collect the potion he made and told him that I will leave the next day. I first make my way to Brunwulf Free-Winter. He is a war hero I befriended while hanging out at the candle hearth in. I talk to him about training my students while I'm gone.

All of Windhelm had seen my hellish training so he already respects the girls for having not given up by now. He tells me that his old bones might not be able to keep up with my training. i tell him that he doesn't need to follow my training, just train them for a week , in any way he sees fit.

I invite him for a dinner at candle hearth inn and I tell him that I'll introduce my students to him there. I go to the blacksmith to meet my students. I tell them about my arrangements and that they need to invite their parents for my dinner at the inn.

I book a private table at the inn and ask them to prepare their best dishes.

At the dinner, I introduce my students and their parents to the new trainer and they are happy with my choice. Warhero indeed. I further tell Torbjorn that some of my associates for the logistics company are coming to Windhelm for our deals and that he will need to welcome and care for them if they come while I'm away.

Next day, I and my goat(Scape) leave for the forsaken cave to find the white Phial. On the way, I stop and gauge a few properties I had recently bought, including a mill run by a lady named Aeri. It was passed down to her by her father who died in the war. The mill was under some debt, so I got a pretty good deal for it.

Aeri decided to accept becoming the steward for the mill until I find someone, not wanting to see her and her father's life's work in ruins. I pay her pretty well though, the same amount she previously made as owner, minus the debt. The mill itself won't pay for itself for a while, but it is the first part of my strategy to dominate businesses in Windhelm and even all of Skyrim in future.

By the time I reach the cave, it is already evening. I enter the cave regardless. It turns out it is not just a natural cave, but a crypt full of undead draugr. Typical of any such crypts in Skyrim, it is filled with traps, puzzles, mysteries and treasure.

I collect what treasures I can, arranging them correctly on the pack Scape(goat) is carrying. I eventually find the final boss ,Curalmil. He is the most difficult fight I have ever had. I am strong as a bull, agile like a gazelle and equipped with knowledge of magic. My opponent seemed to have the same benefits with added untiring stamina of undead.

He was so strong that I doubt any warrior could take on him on strength alone. On top of that, he kept throwing ice spikes at me at every opportunity. But his attack pattern was becoming predictable. Eventually, I was able to disarm him, but that's when he pulled out his hidden Ace. 'FUS' he shouted, sending me tumbling back.

It gave him enough time to try to approach his fallen great sword, but I threw a fire ball at it, sending it away from explosion while also hurting the draugr. I conjure my familiar, a massive mountain goats, same size as Scape. It charged at the draugr, hitting him on the hips, pulling it down. That's my revenge for the FUS.

I approach the draugr and start coating him in ice, starting from his legs to reduce his mobility. It is still struggling with my familiar goat while I'm trying to bind him in ice. Just as I reach his chest with my ice, he gives another shout directed at my familiar. ,'KRII' he shouts at my familiar, causing my familiar to be dismissed.

I stuff a dagger's pommel in his mouth as I continue to ice him. Even before I am a businessman, I am a wizard. So I'm not letting this specimen just die without experimenting on it. I've faced and defeated draugr before, but non as powerful as this one

But even before I'm a wizard, I'm a PIMP, so I need to train this bitch before it can help me in my studies. From my research, I know that some regular draugrs Wake up from time to time, pay their respects to the Overlord, like Curalmil here, and then go about cleaning and maintaining the crypt.

I pick up the iced up Curalmil and place him back in his resting place, with my pommel still in his mouth. I further cast the spell Calm on him. I'm only able to cast in on such a being because of my mastery over the subject of illusion magic. It is the school of magic I am most proficient in.

I hide near it and cast my diagnostic spells, while whispering 'LASS' to increase their effect.

One hour later, I see another draugr approaching. I cast a diagnostic spell in both as it approaches it's frozen Overlord. Curalmil is not able to communicate it's predicament as it's servant offers it's life force to him.

I observe this exchange in every detail, trying to understand the methods of their immortality. This whole exchange can't be summed up into one school of magic.

It is using concepts of mysticism and conjuration magic to connect the souls of servant and Overlord. It is then using concepts of Mysticism and restoration magic to create a transfer of life energy from servant to master, using the established connection between souls.

I've already seen similar concepts in my studies. Infact, the conjure familiar spell that I use doesn't bring a spirit from oblivion for me, it brings an aspect of my own spirit from within me. It's almost like I use my own spirit's template , as a virtual soul gem, to enchant my magica into a familiar form. Instead of losing soul power, I use extra magica to achive that.

After my trip to this crypt, I have finally concluded that what we consider conjuration is just creating a telepathic bond between spirits. To invite a flame attronach, I have to contact it's spirit in oblivion. Similarly, to invite a familiar, I have to contact my own spirit within myself. To offer is life force, the servant draugr has to connect with the Overlord.

Considering how the draugr are devoid of true soul, the source of their autonomy is a familiar like virtual soul. Thus opens up the art of necromancy by a lot. Conventional way to animate dead is by using the corpse as a vessel, the caster invites a spirit of oblivion to take it's place. It's more similar to possession rather than reanimation.

I patiently study the draugrs for 3 days before deciding I had enough data. I had even created a spell that I am yet to test. Just like I create familiar using my own spirit, the new spell can create familiar using someone else's spirit, as long as we have a master servant relationship. I hesitate to pratice this on Scape(goat).

I'll probably have to dominate some other animal to perfect this spell before I use it on Scape. I've named the spell 'Conscript', since it uses the servant's spirit as template to create it's familiar. The spell even flexible in using magica from the servant or master for the casting.

I try subjugating the draugrs, but they don't have enough consciousness left in then to accept a new master. With my research done, I decide to finish Curalmil and collect the white Phial.

I leave the cave with many theories that I can't wait to practice. So much so that instead of going back to Windhelm with the broken White Phial, I stalk a pack of wolves to subjugate. With my physical domination through strength and illusion magic, subjugating then is a piece of cake.

I fail a couple of times while trying this spell, but failures don't result in any deaths for the wolves. I finally succeed as I look at the ghostly wolf, starting at me, waiting for my command. I've created this one from the oldest wolf of the pack, just incase the subject died during my testing.

I return back to Windhelm with a bounce in my step. When I reach the sawmill, I see another pack of wolves with black collars. This clues me in on the fact that Isabella and Birna are in Windhelm. I rush back to Windhelm to meet them.

I first go meet Nurelion at the white Phial to give him the broken White Phial. He is pretty sad about the damaged white Phial, but I encourage him to look at this as opportunity to experiment and learn more about the Phial and it's creation.

I offer him to come to college is winterhold, where my friends Colette and Drevis can help him with his growing pains. He can help through his expertise and experimentation on the White Phial. He is a master of his art, I would hate to see his talents go to waste in a small shop like this.

He asks some time to think about this. I tell him my associates are in Windhelm for another week, if he leaves with them, he won't have to worry about the perilous journey.

I then go to Shatter-Shield house to meet my friends. I greet Tova, the matriarch of the family and ask her about the whereabouts of my friends . She tells her that I will find everyone at hollyfrost farm.

I run there to meet them. I find a whole group practicing with weighted sticks. I hug and greet Isabella and Birna. I then ask Brunwulf Free-Winter about the progress of Shatter-Shield twins.

He tells me that since I had only focused on developing physique and getting them used to the heavy Armor, he decided to teach them skills to use any weapons. He used a Bo staff like stick as makeshift weapons and had them spar each other. It won't help them learn any specific techniques, but it will develop their understanding of reach, battle rhythm and timing.

I'm surprised to see that even Isabella and Birna decided to practice here with the twins but they just said they were getting bored otherwise. I see that everyone has made a lot of progress under Brunwulf and praise the twins.

I ask Brunwulf if he could teach me as well. While I don't use any weapons, not plan on using any, this training could be useful for improvised scenarios. I didn't have anyone to teach me in winterhold, so might as well use the opportunity.

That day, after training I had dinner with Shatter-Shield clan and my two associates. We discussed a lot about the logistics business. My wolves can be trained to obey others command but they are not really ideal for a massive operation like one we are planning, since they are carnivorous and require a lot of upkeep.

We decided that goats will make perfect draft animals for our operations. They will be a bit slower than the wolves, but it will require 4 goats to carry the same load as 8 wolves. We will still employee wolves, but instead of 8 8 wolves bearing the load, just 2 of them will be with each cart to act as scouts and help guide and heard the goats from front and behind.

This will make it so that the Cartman will not need to care for 8 wolves but just 2, and those 2 wolves will manage the 4-8 goats easily. The goat based logistics business will have to be headquartered at Windhelm since it is much more conducive to raising and rearing goats than snow covered winterhold.

We need to train the goats, the wolves and the human Cartman. This whole operation might take a whole year before it is self running. Isabella and Birna will train them for the route while Friga and Nilsine will handle recruitment and rearing goats and wolves in the Windhelm area. I've already bought up a lot of farmland for this, probably will buy a lot more.

The farm will grow wheat and blue mountain flower along with other vegetables and fruit trees. I want to get in on that wartime economy before the war even starts.

After our discussions and dinner are over, I leave with Isabella and Birna to candle hearth inn to have my way with them. I've missed them so much. They have to leave in a couple of days , so I let the Shatter-Shield twins train with Brunwulf while I hangout with my old friends.

When it's their time to go back to Winterhold, I hand them a letter for Colette and send Nurelion with them. In the letter I've written to Colette about my diagnosis of him. I also ask her to help me take care of him, since I recruited him personally. He will be a great asset in our joint Ventures of alchemical alcoholic spirits. His old shop will be inherited by his assistant Quintus Navale.

By the next week, I have to decide on my housekarl. I invite Torbjorn to watch a spar between his daughters, reminding him how I told him I would prepare them to one day use Agisbane.

The spar between sisters end in draw, but Torbjorn is happy with their performance. He told them that they should pick among them who should world l wield Agisbane and that he will commission another weapon from the college of winterhold for other.

The girls find it hard to decide. Agisbane was not just an enchanted weapon but also a symbol of their house. On the other hand, a custom enchantment was also tempting, considering the long list of possibilities in this magical world. The girls ask my opinion and I ask them what they each have in mind for the commissioned weapon.

Both of them tell me that if they were to commission one, they would have to ask me for ideas, since I know much more about enchantments and their limitations. I tell them that since they trust me that much, I will commission one myself and we will see which of them suits which weapon once it is here.

I finish the session by declaring that both of them will be my housekarla as well as my stewards. They will have two jobs, but thankfully can share the responsibilities with each other. I take an appointment with Jarl Ulfric to tell him if my selection.

He is satisfied with the pedigree of clan Shatter-Shield and is impressed by their improving skill. Afterall, their training under me and Brunwulf were very public events. Everyone in Windhelm know about this.

While I'm there, I also find out from gossip in the court that the high King has asked Ulfric for a meeting, which will happen on 2 months