Chapter 3: Bruma's Knight in Shining Armor

That night I had a strange dream. I was grieving over the death of Alicia when I heard a voice. I looked up, and there was a horse equipped with Knight gear. It said its name was Hashire and that it was a spirit who heard my cries and came to comfort me. I always knew spirits were real, but I never thought I would see one. It also said that Alicia is in a better place now and that If I make a contract with it, I will never have to suffer such loss again. I was in so much pain that I would have agreed to anything. “Yes!” I shouted, “I’ll make a contract with you!” “Then it shall be done. When you need me, simply call my name, and I will be there.”

I woke up in a state of shock. I couldn’t believe what just happened. When I walked outside the inn, a Dunmer named Alammu approached me. That would be a dark elf if you didn’t know. She asked me if I would be so kind as to go to the Frozen Grotto and retrieve her family heirloom. It meant a lot to her. Naturally, I couldn’t turn the woman down, so I agreed to help. The Frozen Grotto was to the far east of Bruma, and it would take a few days to get there. I departed immediately. When I reached the city’s entrance, I remembered the dream I had about Hashire. I decided to call its name, and sure enough, it appeared before me. It was the same horse I saw in the dream. Knowing that I had a spirit on my side, I soldiered on with a renewed sense of excitement. Along the way, a Troll attacked me! It was big, hairy, and ugly. I drew my sword to take it out, but then Hashire shot lightning at it. The troll went down in an instant. “WOW! Hashire that was insane!” I shouted. I knew it was a spirit, but I didn’t expect it to pack that much of a punch.

When I arrived at the Frozen Grotto, it looked like someone had been staying there. There was a bed set up on the ground, along with a lot of equipment and supplies. I assumed the stuff belonged to a bandit that set up camp here. Probably the one who stole the Heirloom in the first place. I was wrong. I opened the chest, and instead of finding an heirloom, I had a dagger pointed at my back. A Dunmer called Neldum had used an invisibility potion to sneak up on me. He said my only options were to help him deliver a package to his partner Alammu or die, and if I tried anything, he laced his dagger with a lethal poison. I was in no position to resist, so I agreed to help him. He let me go, and I left the Grotto. As soon as I returned to the city, I went to the nearest guard to report the crime. She told me that Captain Adius was looking for me before asking what I needed. I told her that I would go check in with the Captain, but I had to report a crime first. I told her everything I knew about Alammu and Neldum. It turns out that they had seized contraband from Alammu’s house, and, with my report, we’re ready to make a move on her. We found Alammu chopping wood by the Jerall View Inn. The guard told her about the raid on her home, arrested her, and rewarded me for reporting the incident.

Afterward, I went to check up with Captain Adius. He told me that there was a problem, and when I asked what it was, he said it was Talos Worshipers. Dad told me all about the White-Gold Concordat. I know the Empire was in a tough spot, but I still think people should be able to worship who they want freely. He told me that he didn’t want them to stop worshiping Talos, just to be more subtle about it. Ultimately it was up to me how I handled the situation. When I arrived at their camp, the leader of the Devouts, Aera, approached me. She pulled a dagger on me and asked if I was working for the Thalmor; I assured her I’m not. She told me I was welcome in their camp, but she would be watching me. I told her why I was here and what the Captain had requested of me. She said that she thought Captain Adius was a man of honor and questioned his integrity. I informed her that the Captain didn’t want her to stop worshiping Talos, just to lay low while there are Thalmor in the city. She agreed.

Shortly after the conversation, the Captain showed up and asked how things were going. Aera told him that they will be more discreet from now on. He thanked me for my help but was concerned as to whether we made the right decision. Honestly, I think we made the right call. Arresting and killing people because of their beliefs is just wrong. I decided to spend the night with Aera and her Devouts before heading back to the city. Aera and I talked about many things. She taught me the word of Talos, and I taught her the word of Akatosh. She also told me how a group of bandits stole her amulet. I need to do something about all these bandits running around. “I’ll get that amulet back for you, no problem,” I told her. “By the name of Talos! Thank you!” she said with glee. “No problem, it’s a Knight’s duty to help people.” “ A Knight eh, well thank you kindly for your assistance squire,” she replied.

That morning I said goodbye to Aera and set off to return to the city. When I arrived, one of the guards told me that Captain Adius wanted to talk to me about something. I found him waiting at his usual spot by the stairs leading to Bruma Castle. He said that it’d been a while, and he wanted to catch up. I told him that I would love that. I’ve come a long way since my time as a Bruma Guard Trainee. He said to meet him at the Jerall View Inn between 4:00 PM and 12:00 AM. Until then, I decided to go and retrieve Aera’s amulet. She said the bandits are in Capstone Cave. It was so surreal being back there.

The first time I entered that cave, I was a Bruma Guard Trainee investigating Count Carvain’s artifacts’ theft. There were way too many bandits for me to take care of then, but now I’m ready. Before I went in, a Dunmer with a group of thugs approached me. It was Neldum! He must have evaded capture when the guards came for him. He tried to jump me, but luckily, Hashire distracted them, and I was able to take them all out. I entered the cave, relieved that I had finally seen the last of Neldum, and went searching for the amulet. I came across that same group of bandits I left behind.

There were a lot of them, so I threw in a fireball to catch them off guard. Then I went in for the kill. They outnumbered me. It was a struggle, but I managed to come out with only minor injuries. I took the amulet out of the chest and left the cave. When I made it back outside, it was about time to meet up with Captain Adius. I went to the Jerall View Inn, and there he was in the back waiting for me. “I see you have been busy since you left the guard Soare,” he said. “I’ve just been doing what I can for the people of Bruma,” I replied. “And we are ever grateful for your service; you are quite skilled for someone as young as yourself.” “ I had a good teacher.” “Yes, your father would be proud; could he see how far you’ve come.” We talked for what seems like hours, but then things got serious. He told me that there was a severe problem we were facing. Thorina”s Cutters have been making life miserable for our people. He opened up about a close friend he lost due to a bad call he made. It was Thorina’s Cutters. I promised him that I would put an end to the Cutters for good. He told me that they turned an old fort into their Homebase. Bandits call it Cutpurse Hideout. I made a promise to protect the people of Bruma, and that’s what I intend to do.

I arrived at Cutpurse hideout, but there was a Cutter guarding the entrance. A fireball made short work of him. When I entered, the place was like a fortress. It had watchtowers and fortified walls. It was also heavily guarded. I had to be smart about my approach; one wrong move and I could get swarmed by enemies. I ran through the wooden gate dodging countless arrows. When I made it to the other side, Cutters were waiting for me. They were strong and gave me some trouble. I made my way to the door on the other end of the Hideout, fighting through an army of Cutter warriors and spell slingers. I finally made it to the door, but I needed a key to open it. Down a flight of stairs was a door leading to the dungeon. Three Cutters were waiting on the other side. They were very skilled. I defeated them, and one of them had a key on her. I took it and made my way back to the Cutpurse Sanctum Door. I went inside, and there was a locked door to my left and another down a flight of stairs. I went down the stairs and through the door.

I had to fight off Cutters and grab the key to the locked door again. When I unlocked the door, Thorina was there along with three of her Cutters. They tried to surround me, but I outmaneuvered them. I dodged and weaved, trying to avoid any fatal blows, and took out the Cutters. Then it was just Thorina and me. “You got some nerve trespassing in my hideout and killing my men kid. You may have skills, but you're still just a foolish child!” she taunted. “This child is going to stop you and your band of murders once and for all!” I claimed.

It was a mighty battle. Thorina was good; I mean really good. But in the end, I came out victorious. A letter fell out of her armor when she hit the ground. It was from someone named Tharn. According to the letter, it seems like she was working for somebody. I don’t know who this person is, but they seem like trouble. When I returned to the city, Captain Adius met me at the entrance. He congratulated me for my victory over Thorina’s Cutters and told me he had a reward for me. We walked together to Bruma Castle, where Count Carvain and the nobles through a celebration for me. The Count named me “Friend of Bruma'' and gave me a new weapon to serve as my “badge of office.” I will wield it with honor. The Captain walked me out when the Thalmor Justiciars in charge of Bruma greeted us. They told Captain Adius that they were taking him to Blue River to hide Talos worshipers from them. I remember the Captain telling me about that place. It’s the Thalmor prison camp in Cyrodiil, where they send “dissidents'' and “troublemakers.” I wanted to do something, but one of them hit me with a spell that knocked me to the ground. The Captain told me that this would probably be the last time we see each other and entrusted me to keep the people of Bruma safe. Damnit! He is the last person who deserves to be in such a horrible place. I see now that the Thalmor are just manipulating the Empire. I promised him the same way I did Dad, that I would protect the people of Bruma no matter what before the Thalmor teleported away with him.

At that moment, I made an oath. I’m going to put a stop to the Thalmor and destroy their stranglehold over the Empire. I just remembered, I still have Aera’s amulet. I should check her camp to make sure they are alright, but first, whatever spell that Thalmor cast damaged my armor. I need to stop by the Northern Arms and see if Hulgard can repair it. I stopped by the Northern Arms, and when I entered, Hulgard was working the forge, and Eddvia was handling the shop. “Look who it is!” Eddvia exclaimed, “the Knight in training has returned.”

“Hey, Eddvia, how are you guys doing?”I asked. “Just fine; actually, Hulgard was hoping you would come back,” she answered. I asked her what was going on, and Hulgard told me that they heard about how I finally got rid of Thorina’s Cutters and got myself a fancy new title. They wanted to do something special for me, but they weren’t sure what. Eddvia asked around town, and people noticed that I go to the cathedral every morning and pray to the shrine of Akatosh, which is true. They put their heads together and crafted me a new armor set and called it “The Knight of Akatosh.” It was a beautiful silver and red piece. I was very thankful and wanted to do something in return, but they told me to keep helping Bruma’s people. “You’ve done right by the people of this city, the least we can do is make sure you’re protected while out there fighting for us.” Hulgard and Eddvia have been supporting me since I first started this journey to become a Knight, and I don’t know what I would do without them.

Now that Captain Adius was gone, it was up to me to help the guards keep Bruma safe. I patrolled the city, helping citizens with whatever they needed. I decided to check up on the Eastern Watchtower and see how things were going. I talked to my old commander Ereia, and she told me that a new group of bandits showed up and had been causing trouble in the Jeralls. I offered to take care of them. She said if I did to bring back the leader’s magic sword so she could use it to impress the nobles and get reassigned. I wasn’t too keen on helping her with her personal goals, but I need to deal with those bandits. I tracked them down and, with Hashire, took them out quickly. I’ve gotten pretty strong. After the fight, a guard approached me. He was disappointed that he didn’t have the glory of taking out the group himself, but that was neither here nor there. He said that commander Garceus of the Western Watchtower has wanted those bandits taken care of for a while. The morale is low, probably because of what happened to the Guard Captain Adius, and Garceus could use the win. Ereia, on the other hand, only wanted the sword to make her look good in front of the nobles. It was apparent to whom I should give it. Afterward, I overheard an Argonian beggar complaining about Renod Even-Toned horrible screeching he calls singing. His name is Rein-Tei, and when I talked to him, he told me about how both the Jerall View Inn and The Restful Watchmen kicked Renod out and how his nightly sessions have been keeping people up. I told Rein-Tei I would talk some sense into Renold.

I visited Renold at his home, and the man is entirely delusional. He thinks he is some great bard, but he is terrible. When I told him people were complaining about his singing being a nuisance and keeping them up at night, he was rude and belligerent, saying that they should have requested a lullaby instead of telling him to stop. I asked how I could convince him, and he mentioned his stolen Lute. I agreed to get the Lute back if he promised to stop making noise, and he told me to hurry up and fetch it. This guy is a real piece of work. The Restful Watchmen is a hotspot for thieves and undesirables, so I figured someone there would know something.

I talked to an Argonian called Crouches-N-Crevices, a weird name if you ask me, and he admitted to stealing the lute and selling it to some business partners at Capstone Cave after I convinced him to tell me so Renod would shut up. I went to Capstone Cave for the third time, and I caught the bandits as they were leaving. I skipped the formalities and took them out. Afterward, I took the Lute off of the leader’s body and brought it back to Renod. I again mentioned our agreement, and he said he would save his practicing for the morning. At least now, people can sleep at night. I told Rein-Tei about my success, and he had gone around town, collecting a reward just for me. I told him to keep it, and he was very thankful. He needs it more than I do. He asked what to do with all that gold, and I suggested starting a new life. He decided to do just that and leave Bruma. I hope things work out for him.

Well, I did it. Bruma is safe. I have taken out all of the influential bandit groups in the region and helped make people’s lives better. However, there are still things that I don’t know. What are the Thalmor’s true intentions? Are they just using the Empire to achieve their goals? Could they be responsible for the civil war in Skyrim? If the Empire and the Legion are being lied to and manipulated, they must know about it. And what about my dad? I haven’t heard from him since he transferred to Skyrim. I need answers. I’ll start at Fort Pale Pass; maybe the soldiers there can tell me more about what’s going on.