Chapter 6: Forgotten Memories

On our way to Riften to find Salthasar, we passed by a small town called Shor’s Stone. Just a few miles from the city. I checked in with the town’s blacksmith, and he said he hopes we didn’t come to work in the mine. I asked why, and he said that a group of spiders had infested the place. “Don’t worry, sir,” I said. “Leave it to the Ember Knights; we’ll clear out those spiders for you. “ “The Ember Knights?” he asked. “Yup, we’re a new guild stationed right here in RIften Hold,” I responded. “Well, I’ll be. It would be nice for Riften to be known for something other than the Thieves Guild and that wench Maven Black-Briar.” I took that as a complete. “Say, if you and your guild could handle those spiders for us, I can see about getting you lot a reward.” “This is it,” I thought—our first official request as a guild. We marched down to the mine’s entrance, where a guard was blocking the way. I told the guard that the local blacksmith hired our guild to eliminate the spiders in the mine. “If you think you can do better than the legion of guards here, be my guest,” she said in a condescending tone. I’m starting to think the guards in Skyrim don’t care about protecting the people.

The guard stepped aside as we went in. The number of spiders was few, so clearing them out didn’t take much time. We returned to the blacksmith afterward, and he rewarded us for our efforts. We made our way to Riften and arrived within a few hours. Inigo knows the city like the back of his hand and pointed us to the Ratway. “The only rats I smell down here walk on two legs,” Inigo said as we entered through the gate. While walking down the corridor, we overheard two thugs talking. One of them said that he was going to check the Ratway’s entrance. We tried walking past him, but he stopped me and said that I should turn over all of my valuables. Of course, he would choose me; I’m the youngest of us and wearing expensive armor. I asked how much it would cost to let me pass, and he said the only way I’m getting out of here is by giving him everything I have or being cut down.

“Inigo, now!” I shouted. Inigo charged in and struck the thug in his side, catching him off guard while I went in for the killing blow. His partner came from around the corner, and I took him out with a single swing of my Excalibur. After the battle, we navigated through the Ratway to the Ragged Flagon. The Ragged Flagon, home of the thieves guild. I told everyone to make sure they kept a close eye on their coin purses. We split up and asked if anyone knew a jeweler by the name of Salthasar. With the right price, I was able to get a thief to point me in the right direction. Salthasar was an older Argonian male. “Are you Salthasar?” I asked. “What do you want,” he responded. I swear the people down here don’t have a friendly bone in their bodies. I told him about the ring and asked if he could look at it. Salthasar said that he could appraise it and give me general information, but I would need a mage to check for enchantments. “ I don’t care about money; I just want you to tell me what you know about it.” “ Not so fast,” he said. “I provided you a service, and now I need payment.”

I informed him that it was an emergency. Without this ring, M’rissi won’t be able to get her memories back. He said that he’d help us, but only if he can have a night alone with M’rissi. I told him that if he so much as touches her, I will burn his scales off one by one. “Easy, no need for violence,” He handed over his notes from a book he found. A lot of the information was either missing or difficult to read. From what I could make out, the ring belonged to the chief of M’rissi’s clan, Ri’virr. While the rest of the Khajit submitted to the Thalmor and joined the Aldmeri Dominion, M’rissi’s clan refused to bow to their new overlords. Ri’virr resisted Thalmor control. They were able to hold their own until Ri’virr’s younger brother, Ra’sadir, abandoned them, taking a significant amount of their clan with him. With Ra’sadir’s help, the Thalmor overthrew Ri’virr and captured M’rissi and her people. Not only that but as a show of good faith, the Thalmor had Ra’sadir kill his older brother, Ri’virr. This unusual ring is a symbol of the uprising that happened that day. Now I know why the letter in M’rissi’s satchel told her not to trust other Khajiit. But none of this explains why she looks so much like a human.

I went back to Salthasar and told him that a lot of the information is missing. I also asked him where he got the book. “Honesty is a liability in this line of work,” he said. “How can you sleep at night knowing you deprived an innocent woman of her memories?” I responded. He said that I was a tough friend and told me he got the book from some guy named Creep here in the warrens. He also mentioned that Creep broke the rules to get it. We searched the warrens for this Creep guy and found him sitting by the entrance. “Are you Creep?” I asked, “who wants to know,” he responded. “I need to know where you got this book,” “Why should I help you?” “I’ll pay you,” “works for me.”

Creep said that he was out searching for a mark when he came across an old Khajit. He pulled out his dagger and told the Khajit to stay put. “Take whatever you want, just not this book,” the poor Khajit cried. Thinking the book was valuable, Creep took it anyway. When the Khajit tried to stop him, Creep struck him. “You struck him!? With your dagger!?” I said as I could feel my anger rising. “I was only trying to hurt him. I didn’t mean to kill him,” Creep cried. “YOU KILLED HIM!” I shouted as the temperature in the air began to rise. “Where did this happen?” I asked him.

“I’ll tell you if you promise to let me go,”

“Are you afraid of fire?” I asked as my hand became engulfed in flame.

“Uh oh, looks like Soare just got fired up,” Sofia said.

“Simmer down, my friend; your fire is singeing my fur,” Inigo added.

“I’ll simmer down when this weasel talks.”

“Okay, okay. The old Khajit was living out of a shack; here I’ll mark it on your map. You’re going to let me go, right?”

“That’s not up to me,” I said as I began to cool down.

“M’rissi?”

“How dare you hurt my kin!” M’rissi shouted as she stabbed Creep in the heart.

“That was rather dramatic,” Lucien said.

“Don’t mess with M’rissi,” Sofia added.

“The bastard had it coming,” Khash chipped in.

“I don’t like it here. Let’s go,” I concluded as we exited the Ragged Flagon.

Once we made it back outside, Inigo was worried about me. “I have never seen you that angry before, my friend. Is everything alright?” he asked. I said that I was fine; it’s just people like Creep make my skin crawl. Usually, I believe in second chances, but there is no redemption for the people that live in the Ratway. That place is filled with scoundrels who have nothing but greed in their hearts. They only care about satisfying their base desires at the expense of everyone else. I will save Riften if it’s the last thing I do. Right now, I have to help M’rissi and stop the dragons.

We made our way to the old Khajit’s shack. The road was treacherous. We fought off spiders, Skeevers, and hoards of overconfident bandits before we ever laid eyes on the place. But when we got there, the unexpected happened. The Khajit’s ghost still lingered. He asked me if I was an alchemist, and I assured him I was not. I thought the question was weird until I looked around and realized that this was an alchemist’s shack. I told him everything that I knew about M’rissi, the ring, and the book Creep stole from him. The Khajit already knew who M’rissi was as he was from the same clan. He said that M’rissi is the daughter of Ra’sadir. “The trader who killed his brother and helped the Thalmor capture M’rissi’s clan?” I asked. “People do not pay enough attention to that story,” he responded. The Khajit told me that he was the Lorekeeper for his clan. His job was to pass on memories from one generation to the next, but the chain ended when Creep killed him. The real story is that when the Thalmor attacked, Ra’sadir helped the women and children escape so they would survive, but Ri’virr and several of his companions were captured. To prove his loyalty, the Thalmor had Ra’sadir kill Ri’virr.

The more I learn about the Thalmor, the more I want to stop them. They have a stranglehold on not just the empire but the Khajit clans as well. Just exactly how much influence do these elves have? The Khajit, or rather, the Lorekeeper, asked how I met M’rissi. I said that I protected her from a Thalmor Justiciar. Isael, I think her name was. “Isael is a Daedra in elven skin,” the Lorekeeper said. “If she captured M’rissi, then that means the women and children I was tasked to protect were taken too.” He told us that Isael is dangerous, and she was the one who lead the attack on their clan. If I come face to face with her, I better be careful. He also said that the ring is sacred to their clan. We can use it to restore M’rissi’s memories, but we need to go to Winterhold and find a restoration mage. After that, he left to search for the women and children. If isael got to them, they are most likely dead.

It was a lot of information to take in, but we knew where we had to go next.

“Perhaps it would be wise if we avoid this Isael woman,” Inigo said.

“I’m with Inigo; she sounds scary,” Lucien agreed.

“Are we going to be okay?” Khash asked

“She can’t be that bad, can she?” Hjoromir added

“Come on, guys. The seven of us against one elf; we can take her!” Sofie exclaimed.

“I’m going to try and talk to her, but we should be ready for a fight if things go bad,” I said, feeling kind of worried.

We made our way back to the Riften stables and took a carriage to Winterhold. “It’s freezing out here,” I thought when we arrived. “If we’re looking for a restoration mage, we should check the college,” Lucien suggested. “I have always wanted to see the college. I bet there is a lot of information in there.” I told Lucien that once we have helped M’rissi and stopped the dragons, we can come back and look around. As we approached the bridge, a woman named Faralda stopped us. “May I enter the College?” I asked. “That depends. What is it you seek inside?” I said that I needed to find a restoration mage who can help restore my friend’s memories. Faralda told me the college could help me, but I had to offer something in return. I said that I would give anything to help my friends. “How noble of you,” she responded. “All you have to do is pass a simple test.” “What’s the test?” I wondered. Faralda said to cast a spell at the sigil on the ground and asked me what school of magic I practiced. I didn’t know how to answer that as I never really studied magic. All I know is that I can control fire like my mom. “From what I have observed, you seem to be quite adequate at fire destruction magic,” Lucien deduced. “In that case, the Firebolt spell is common for someone who specializes in fire magic,” Faralda said.

“But, I don’t know that spell,” I responded calmly.

“WHAT!!!!” everyone yelled simultaneously.

“I have seen you cast far more complex spells,” Lucien said, feeling perplexed.

“Yes, my friend, your fire is a sight to see,” Inigo encouraged.

“I can feel the heat from miles away,” says Khash.

“I usually have to stand a few feet back to keep from getting burnt,” Sofia complained.

“You must know this spell so she can get her memories back,” M’rissi said impatiently.

“Honestly, I have never read a tome in my life. As I get stronger, spells just come to me. I don’t know how to explain it, but I think it’s because I’m half-dragon.”

Everyone was surprised to hear this news, but it’s true. I’m half-Imperial and half-dragon. It’s why I have such an affinity to fire. I don’t know how it happened, but Dad says it has something to do with my mom. Faralda intervened, “If what you say is true, then you should have no problem learning the spell. Here I have a copy of the tome.” I opened the tome, and it felt like the knowledge of the spell flowed straight to my mind. Once I knew how to cast it, the tome burst into flames and disappeared. I had a minor headache after, but other than that, I was okay. I just learned a new way to get stronger. I said the name of the spell in my mind, “Firebolt!” and shot a bolt of fire at the sigil. We all watched as the sigil lit up. “I don’t know about this half-dragon business, but you have a talent for fire magic,” Faralda said. “So, did I pass?” “You performed splendidly.”

Faralda guided us across the bridge and said that I should report to Mirabelle Ervine for a tour. Lucien was excited about the tour, but I had to remind him that we were here to help M’rissi. We searched for a restoration mage and found Riane. She said she is a disciple of Colette, the College of Winterhold’s master restoration mage. I showed Riane the ring and asked if she could use it to restore M’rissi’s memories. She said yes, but she was too busy. Riane needed to get supplies, but she couldn’t afford to buy them herself. I told her that it was an emergency, so she asked if I could gather the supplies and prepared to give me a list. I offered to pay her the gold needed to buy them instead. “That works too,” she said. Riane told M’rissi to stand still while she cast a spell on her. A yellow aura surrounded M’rissi as Riane worked her magic. She told me that M’rissi’s memories had been locked away, and to restore them, she needs the correct password. Any attempt to restore the lost memories without it would result in erasing them forever. The only person I could think of that would cast such a spell on M’rissi is Isael.

Riane says that Isael is the leader of the Thalmor in Skyrim and has a headquarters in Solitude. It looks like we will have to confront her after all. I talked to M’rissi and suggested that she stay behind at the college. She wanted to go, but if we walked in there with her, the Thalmor would attack us on site. Eventually, I was able to convince her. I hired a carriage to take us to Solitude right away. We got there just in time for Rogvir’s execution. The guards say that Rogvir opened the gate for Ulfric after he murdered High King Torygg, letting him escape. Rogvir says that Ulfric challenged Torygg to a battle and won. Regardless, I think there is more to the story. We arrived at the Thalmor headquarters and braced ourselves. As we entered, no one attacked us, luckily. I requested to speak with Isael, but she wasn’t there. One of the Thalmor said that she had a message for me in the commander’s room.

We walked up the stairs to the room. As soon as we went in, a fire lit up next to a small casket. It was like someone wanted us to open it.

“I have a bad feeling about this, my friend,” Inigo said worriedly.

“Tread carefully; I would hate it if you died,” Lucien followed.

“DON’T OPEN IT! DON’T OPEN IT!” Khash shouted.

“OPEN IT! OPEN IT!” Sofia shouted louder.

“Oh, boy,” sighed Hjoromir.

I opened the casket, and there was a journal inside. As soon as I picked it up, an invisible force dragged me to the center of the room and trapped me in some type of prison. I tried to escape. “There is no use in struggling,” a disembodied voice said as Isael appeared before me. “Isael! you set me up, didn’t you!?” She said that she had been waiting for the right moment, and now that I’ve been separated from M’rissi, she was going to get her toy back.

“If you so much as lay a finger on her…”

“You’re going to what,” Isael interrupted. “You’re not going anywhere, and when I get back, you and your friends will be my playthings too.”

“Oh, and I know that you were looking for the password to unlock M’rissi’s memories. Its power, not that it’ll matter anyway.”

“Isael!” I yelled, but she had teleported away.

“Don’t worry, my friend, we will find a way to get you out of here,” Inigo said, trying to reassure me.

Lucien studied the prison, trying to find a way to break the spell. I told them to forget about me; M’rissi is in trouble, and somebody had to protect her. But no matter what I said, they refused to leave me behind, then something happened. We were all teleported to a small mountainside just a few miles from Solitude. “Did somebody help us?” I thought. There was a table in front of me with a note on it. It said that Isael is too strong for me, but there are people that want to help bring her down when the time is right. The letter was signed by someone named Ulquarion. I don’t get it but now was not the time. I had to get back to M’rissi.

We went up to Solitude, and I paid the carriage to take us to Winterhold as soon as possible. During the ride, I decided to read the journal I took from the casket. It was Isael’s case notes. The journal detailed all of the sick and horrible things Isael did to M’rissi and her people. It was beyond torture. I could only imagine the mental anguish she must have felt. What surprised me the most was why M’rissi looks so much like a human. Isael cast some kind of experimental alteration spell on her that forcibly changes the target’s form. According to the notes, it’s excruciating. I didn’t think anything like that existed. I couldn’t stomach to read anymore.

When we got back to the College, M’rissi was still there waiting for us. You can’t imagine how relieved we all were. I pulled her aside and let her know that I found out the password, but there was something important I needed to tell her. She was so excited about getting her memories back that she wouldn’t let me get the words out. “Hurry and go get the mage. She will finally know who she is,” M’rissi said with glee. All I can do is comfort her when she finds out the truth. I got Riane and told her the password. She said we should go up to the roof where we won’t be disturbed. Riane recited the password and cast the spell to restore M’rissi’s memories.

Just as I thought, M’rissi was distraught. As the memories came back to her, she started to scream, “No, please!” I tried to comfort her, but she ran away. I chased after M’rissi, and she climbed onto a ledge. “M’rissi, it’s me, Soare. You don’t have to be afraid,” I said calmly. “Please, Mistress, no more!” she cried. I reached my hand out to her, but as she tried to back away, M’rissi slipped and fell off the ledge. “M’rissi!” I yelled as I tried to save her. You could hear the impact as her body hit the ground. We ran downstairs as fast as we could to check on her. Thank goodness she wasn’t dead. Together we carried her to Riane’s room.

I thought I was doing the right thing, but maybe I made a mistake. Riane and the others tried to comfort me. It’s nice having friends around. RIane told me that M’rissi’s mind collapsed from the trauma of her past. The fall didn’t help either. She said that she could heal M’rissi’s physical and mental wounds, but she wouldn’t be the same. I asked Riane what she meant, and she said that M’rissi would be unable to tell the difference between her memories of Isael and those of me. She may never be able to look at me without running in terror. I was okay with that. I will gladly sacrifice the memories we made together if that meant she could live. Riane said that it would take at least three days for her to recover. “ There isn’t much you can do here, so your time would be better spent elsewhere.” I discussed it with the others, and we all think it would be best if we went to Fort Pale Pass and helped Legate Varro. By the time we get back, M’rissi should be healthy. At least as healthy as she can be in her state.

I decided to take everyone back to the guildhall before seeing M’rissi; having that many people around when she wakes up will only scare her. She is in a delicate state right now. I suggested that everyone spend their time fulfilling requests for the guild. Hopefully, it will take their minds off of things. I immediately made my way back to Winterhold to check on M’rissi. Everyone will be waiting to welcome her home. When I arrived, Riane told me that to heal M’rissi; she had to remove her memories again. She will only remember bits and pieces in the form of raw emotions. We went through all of that to return her memories just to have them erased all over again. I’m just glad she is okay. When M’rissi woke up, she begged me not to hurt her before remembering who I was.

“I’m sorry she made you worry,” M’rissi said in an apologetic voice.

“Don’t apologize, M’rissi. I’m just glad you're safe,” I responded, feeling relieved.

M’rissi said that she is hungry and suggested we go to the local Inn for some food. I was more than happy to treat her. She dashed for the door, and I ran after her yelling, “wait up, M’rissi!.” When Riane and I made it outside Isael was there with a group of Thalmor soldiers. She caught me off guard with a lightning spell and escaped with M’rissi. When I woke up, I was in Riane’s room.

“I Have to save M’rissi!” I yelled desperately.

“Hold on! I’m not done healing you.” Riane said as she pushed me back against the bed.

“Hurry! Who knows what terrible things Isael is doing to her!” I rushed.

“Relax. I’m done. Do you even know where M’rissi is?” Riane asked.

“The only lead I have is this note,” I said as I handed Riane the letter that was left back in solitude.

Riane examined the letter closely. “This isn’t just a letter; it’s a scroll.” She said it is hard to tell at first glance because the spell is so well hidden. “This incantation is a teleportation spell. I have no idea where it leads though,” she explained. “Thanks, Riane. I guess there is only one way to find out,” I opened the scroll and was instantly teleported to a strange room. Inside was a High Elf wearing Justiciar robes and a man in full ebony armor.

“About time you showed up,” The Elf complained.

“Are you the one who freed me from Isael’s trap?” I asked.

“Of course I am. My name is Renly, and you’re not the only one who wants to be rid of Isael,” He responded.

I thanked him for rescuing me and said that if it is to take down Isael once and for all, I would gladly help him. “I’m glad you agreed to help, not that you had a choice anyway,” Renly said with conceit. The ebony soldier said that Isael has M’rissi locked up in her private torture chamber at the Thalmor Embassy. Renly told me not to worry as Isael likes to take her time, which only made me worry more. We went over the battle plan. The ebony soldier and his men would distract the guards outside the embassy while I sneak in and confront Isael. The plan was solid and executed over the cover of night. The ebony soldier and his men’s dark armor made them hard to detect. While the battle raged on outside, I was able to slip in undetected. To my surprise, Sofia somehow caught up to me.

“How did you know I was here?” I asked, feeling surprised.

“I knew you would do something reckless, so I followed you. Did you think you could have all the fun without me,” Sofia responded?

“Nevermind that,” I said as I barred the door to keep Thalmor guards from coming in. As I turned around, we were surrounded by Thalmor soldiers. “Who invited you guys to the party?” Sofia asked jokingly. “Who cares. I’m going to burn them until they tell me where M’rissi is.” I said furiously. We were outnumbered but not outmatched. Sofie with her sword and magic and me with my Excalibur and fire are more than enough to handle them. Once we cleared them all out, Isael finally made an appearance.

“Wow, I didn’t think you were foolish enough to come and confront me. Did that little feline influence you that much. It’s a shame you came all this way to die.” Isael said boldly.

“I’m going to burn you so much there won’t even be ashes left!” I responded, letting my anger get the best of me.

I told Sofia to stay out of it. This is between Isael and me. She slung a barrage of consecutive spells at me, and I countered with my flames. Her magic and my fire clashed, leaving massive damage to the inside of the embassy. The battle raged for what felt like hours. Eventually, we both were low on stamina and Magicka. It’s down to the wire. Isael and I unleashed one final attack. She almost overpowered me, but there is no way I’m going to lose to her. I put every ounce of my strength into my attack and finally defeated her. It’s over. Isael is done.

After the battle, Sofia and I searched every inch of the embassy until we found the portal that leads to Isael’s torture dungeon. We found M’rissi bound in Isael’s chamber.

“I knew you would come for her,” M’rissi said with relief.

“There is no way I would leave you behind,” I said, feeling like a giant weight has been lifted off of my chest.”

“We knights gotta stick together, ya know,” Sofia added.

M’rissi said that we couldn’t leave without the “other one.” I told Sofia to stay with her while I checked the rest of the dungeon. As I was looking, I found a female Khajit in one of the cells. After I opened the door with Isael’s key, I realized that it was S’hara, the one who told me to look for M’rissi in the first place. I removed her shackles and woke her up.

“I’m sorry, S’hara. If I had known you were here, I would have come sooner.” I apologized.

“It is okay. You cannot read minds. You are here now, and the young one is safe.” S’hara comforted.

It’s time to go. I caught up with Sofia and M’rissi, and as we were about to leave, that ebony soldier found us. He told me that the battle was over and congratulated me on defeating Isael. When I asked if the soldier could tell me his name, he said that he is a soldier in the imperial legion who handles discreet missions.

“You’re a Legionnaire? Can you tell me about my father, Legate Artemus? He is an imperial Legion captain who is supposed to be fighting in the civil war, but I can’t find him.” I asked eagerly.

“Sorry, kid. As I said, my men and I handle discreet missions of a sensitive nature; we don’t deal with the front lines. I don’t know your father, but if he is strong enough to become a Legate Captain, I’m sure he is fine. Now, are you ready to go?” He responded.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” I answered, disappointed.

Now that we have escaped. S’hara once again thanked me for rescuing her and protecting M’rissi. She said that she was a servant for M’rissi’s family before the Thalmor attacked their homeland and took care of her when she was young. S’hara asked for one more favor if she could see M’rissi from time to time. “I’ll do you one better. Why don’t you come back to the guildhall with us? That way, you can see M’rissi all the time.” I offered. “You mean it? This one can work in your home as housekeeper? I have plenty of experience doing that. Thank you, you are a kind one.” She responded with glee.

When we arrived at the guild hall, everyone was excited to see us. We threw a huge welcome home party for M’rissi and S’hara; it was terrific. Having a guild truly is the best. S’hara said that she would cook for us so Clara can focus on guarding the place. Everything appears to have worked out for the better.

The ebony soldier, er, Imperial Commander, mentioned a group of Khajit travelers near where we met the Lorekeeper’s ghost. We returned there to meet up with the Khajit, and they wanted to take M’rissi and her ring back to Elsweyr. I told M’rissi that whether she wants to go or stay is her decision. One of the Khajit whispered to me that their homeland wouldn’t be very welcoming to her due to her father’s actions and her current appearance. They will scorn M’rissi, and it will be a very unpleasant experience. The truth is that he only needed the ring. I gave it to him and said to speak negatively of his homeland. Hopefully, that will be enough to convince M'rissi to stay. She has already been through so much. The Khajit agreed. He spoke ill of his homeland and said Skyrim was better, and then left with the ring. M’rissi is disappointed she can’t go home with them, but I think this is for the better. I told her that one day she would see Elsweyr again. She doesn’t seem ready to leave my side just yet.