Our return to Winterhold was met with rampant celebration by the residents. The fact that everything we did down there was for the college and personal profit seemed to fly over everyone's heads but I guess that their relatives coming back with great riches might have had something to do with their elation.
The adventurers that came back with us were definitely happy to be welcomed in such a way in any case.
Once we arrived at the college things were far more subdued, duties and schedules were dolled out, relics placed in vaults and under potent wards, projects started, and so on. We were, after all, just a bunch of nerds and if someone wanted to go and carouse there was an entire town getting drunk just outside.
Savos didn't even complete his final sentence before Phineas just teleported out of the room to resume his frantic attempts at creating a false body, much to mine and Tolfdir's amusement.
I quickly settled into the good old life of a mere surfacer, after such a long time underground the presence of the sun felt odd but welcome, speaking off... The moment we stepped out of my teleportation room and into said sun Nightshade reacted as you'd expect, with good old happy wailing and pained hissing.
Took me ten whole minutes to calm her down and explain that her eyes hurting because she looked straight at the sun did not mean she was scorned by Auri-El...
I also had to create a massive underground chamber to hold all of the damn Falmer I took under my wing, and when I asked Savos how I should go about getting permission to dig just under the very fragile-looking cliff face he just looked at me like I was an idiot and told me to just mask the whole thing with wards and not care about something so plebian as permissions.
Cheeky old fart.
Speaking of all things cheeky, my agents had spotted an annoying little gnat sniffing around my lands, the vibe they gave off was that of a thief so it was probably not the Dark Brotherhood sending another one of their 'family' to commit extra complicated suicide by angry knife-ear, so naturally I sent the instructions to invite the offending idiot for a meeting.
A meet-and-greet I will happily hold just as soon as I got done with reading the spam mail the damn Black Briars kept sending me in an attempt to set up a meeting, the leader of said Riften clan constantly bothering me about 'cooperating' and 'mutually beneficial agreements' as if I ever needed anything from a distillery.
Still, I might as well see what the machiavellian annoyances wanted from me.
'Right then, might as well get this out of the way' I shrug and unroll a clean scroll and dip my metallic feather into a small vat of ink 'Dear Maven...'
(Karliah POV)
I wake up slowly, my mind groggy from whatever I breathed in before falling unconscious...
Wait a bloody second!
Adrenaline pushes into my veins as my eyes snap open and I frantically look around, only to realize my legs were tied to my chair via magically bent metal. Another quick look around and I notice that I am in some kind of lavish dining room, tapestries of Morrowind saints and heroes hanging from the walls...
Why in oblivion is the centerpiece of the whole thing an icon of Saint Jiub?
Finally, the rush leaves me and I realize that I am not alone in the room, I try and hide my shame at being so easily distracted and quickly observe those present while pretending I am still disoriented.
Alright, three guards behind me, likely spellswords of some variety, a short Dunmer in lavish but functional clothing sitting to the left side of the table while a figure wearing a white and gold robe covered in sun motifs sits on the right, and a mass of shadows at its head.
"Are you quite done gawking?" A deep voice comes out of the shadowy figure.
(Reyvin's POV)
I was not terribly surprised to find out it was Karliah, the 'helper' from the Thieve's Guild questline, who snooped around my home, honestly at this point I think the world itself finds amusement in bothering me with minutiae that I could just send a subordinate to deal with.
Then again, there is a rather nifty little artifact at the end of that specific quest...
The way the supposedly renowned thief flinches at my most polite greeting makes me feel all kinds of disappointed, at least she composes herself with respectable quickness.
I disperse the shadows surrounding me, my helm still hiding my face, and drawl in greeting "How honored we are to receive one of the honored Indoril name in our humble abode." Girl was said to be straight up descended from Nerevar so at least some courtesy was owed.
She flinches for a split second before once more composing herself and responding through gritted teeth "And how surprised we are to find ourselves the guests of Lord Dagoth himself."
Oh, has teeth this one... "And we do so hope that selling your soul to a Daedra for all eternity just to be able to get that information was worth it." I drawl once more and she glares at my insinuation but soon accepts her defeat as her shoulders slump.
"Now" My voice takes on a tinge of menace "Why were you snooping around my home, little thief?" She could have never even entered after I upgraded the wards with my masterful enchanting skills but I might as well let her believe she had a chance out of pity.
She tilts her head and shrugs carelessly "What does a thief do but steal?" The fool seems to believe I am some kind of idiot...
"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow "And are you quite sure you have the luxury of being cheeky with me right now?" My full presence slams on top of her, the rather expensive chair under her creaking audibly.
She bites back another snarky comment and after some silence mutters "I noticed that the Black Briars were attempting to contact you and wanted to see if I could follow you to get more information on them."
Quite a bit of the truth but not nearly enough of it "And the fact that you are chasing after one Mercer Fray for vengeance and the Daedric artifact he stole from Nocturnal's lair has nothing to do with his presumed connection to the mead makers?" I ask with a shit-eating grin, my telekinetic pressure slowly dissipating.
Karliah grits her teeth in frustration "What do you want?"
I shrug "I want many things" And before she can even glare at me I continue "But in this instance I want to make a deal with you" She raises a reluctant eyebrow "See, the only reason you are not pig food at the moment is the fact that I would rather not piss Nocturnal off in some vain attempt to take her frankly otherwordly key for myself."
She shivers but I continue without a care "See, a Nightingale is needed to return said artifact to her temple, the Twilight Sepulchre if memory serves, and you count yourself among said band of idiotic fools."
"Must you throw in petty insults with every word that leaves your mouth?" She asks tiredly.
"Yes" I deadpan "Now then, all I want is a single use of the key before you toss it back to gather dust in the temple, that fair?"
She tilts her head "What would you even want to unlock that you cannot get with your kind of wealth?"
"That is none of your concern." I reply firmly "Now do we have a deal?"
Karliah shakes her head "I cannot promise anything in the name of my patron."
"And if I could get said agreement?" I ask cheerfully.
For a moment she looks at me like I am an idiot but when she realizes I am serious she blinks dumbly "If you are able to get her agreement then who am I to go against her will" She seems to think she is being smart but I can hear the derision in her tone.
"Alright" I nod "Be right back" And send a quick prayer to my patron.
=====================
Immediately webs cover my dining room in their usual haphazard manner, yet this time they seem to complement my lavish home rather tastefully in their arrangement.
Mephala appears sitting right next to a shivering Davos who somehow also ended up in the projection, my best servant merely looks into the distance and pretends he is not here as the Prince of lies greets me "Reyvin" She smiles cheerfully "How nice of you to call! How may I help my favorite mortal?"
Her praise sends a shiver of satisfaction down my spine but I whack that into submission immediately and ask "I hear you are tight with Nocturnal, yes?"
She hums "Tight is... a very nice choice of words." I swear I hear a light moan behind her casual tone, I feel like she missed the point but arguing would just be like trying to convince a wall it is sentient.
I deadpan at the horny ass Daedra and go on "Right, I trust you already know what I would like to get from her." I do not believe for a moment she was not listening in to our entire conversation moments before.
She nods cutely "Of course, but what do I get out of it?" a playful smile stretches her lips with the question.
I force my eyes not to roll in annoyance as I answer "You get to watch the drama of Mercer getting his due from the friend he betrayed oh so long ago?"
She is silent for a moment but then smiles happily "Oh you just know exactly what to say to butter me up, fine I will ask her nicely."
"You have my thanks." I incline my head.
She nods and just as she is about to close the projection she smirks at me "Oh and Reyvin, good luck."
She is gone before I can ask what she is on about.
=========================
Barely a second had passed during my conversation, and before Karliah could compose herself I spoke again "Message sent."
Her expression turns bewildered for a moment but then I feel a faint aura bubble somewhere around my guest and moments later Karliah looks at me like I have grown a second head.
"So, what did she say?" I ask with false cheer.
The thief is lost for words for a moment but then gathers herself once more "She said you can use it but not to touch anything above your station."
So don't fuck with the world itself, go it "Good enough" I agree immediately.
"What lock would you even need the key for?" She asks, still completely dumbfounded by the entire situation.
So she is unaware of the key's true capabilities then? Mercer is probably unaware as well... "Ah, but Karliah, telling you that would be above your station" I smirk cheekily and ring a small bell next to my chair "Now since we are going to be working together we might as well enjoy a nice meal."
My mask disappears and the room grows far less tense as my servants enter with a full-course meal for everyone.
---------------
Days later I finish setting up the meeting with the Black Briars in their estate at Riften, they might consider it some kind of power play but that just means it will be even more entertaining to watch all of their attempts at coercion fail.
A light knock comes from the door to my office "Yes?" I ask.
The voice of my maid Alissa comes from the other side "Someone is here to visit you Serjo, they seem important."
Who could it possibly be? If it was someone I knew I would have informed my servants of their identity so it was someone seeking me out...
Why am I even wasting my time with pondering this, I have a nifty little spell just for this kind of situation.
The moment I take a look at my new guest I immediately regret giving my servants any autonomy on who they send my way.
Clad in the robes of Azura's priesthood, with a polite smile on her face, an old Dunmer woman stood before my door.
So that is what she meant by good luck...
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300k words bois, let me see them stones!
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