Last Of Our Kind

Chapter 1: Darkfall Cave

"I'm not sure about this Serana." I said, warily looking over the edge of the cliff face. "That's a long way down... and I'm not too good with heights. Maybe there's another way across-"

"We have to find Auriel's bow, remember?" She reminded, glancing from me to the bridge. I sighed. How could I forget? "We'll be fine. Let's just get across and see what's on the other side." She encouraged, nudging me forward.

I took a deep breath and carefully walked over; keeping my eyes fixed on the other side. The sound of rushing water and the creaking boards didn't exactly comfort me.

"I don't like the look of this..." I heard her mutter from behind.

"You pick now to say that?" She rolled her eyes.

I sighed in relief as we made it across, however all we found was an old-looking wooden table that held a dimly lit lantern and dusty pickaxe. Apart from that, there weren't any clues as to where the bow was located.

"Well, that was a waste of time."

She sighed. "Perhaps we should go back to the Dawnguard. Maybe we missed something."

"Alright."

I crept back onto the bridge. All of a sudden the rope behind snapped and the floor vanished. Within seconds we were submerged; the ever-flowing rapids holding us down. I managed to struggle to the surface and gasp for air but immediately stopped when I saw the water's end and hanging spiders ahead of us.

"Feim!" I shouted before we fell once more.

My screams echoed the tunnels as we drifted off into the unknown. The rushing water blurred my vision and made it impossible to control my arms and legs.

Water splashed the jagged rocks at the end of the tunnel and we were flung over the edge and back onto solid ground. My mage robes clung to me and I immediately felt the cold bite at my skin.

"Emelin, are you alright?" Serana asked as she tried to stand.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I grabbed my head to try and stop it from spinning. "Let's never do that again."

"Agreed."

We looked around. "Where are we?"

I shrugged. "No idea."

The cave was incredibly dark. The water from the fall split off into two slow-moving streams that led further into the cave. A ball of light appeared in my hand and I threw it up into the air. It floated above my head, lighting the way.

I glanced back. "I guess the only way is forward."

Without warning, two large eight legged creatures were thrown out of the tunnel and landed next to us.

"Where did you come from?" Serana shouted, unsheathing her dagger and getting her magic ready in her other hand.

I jumped back and my palms filled with ice. The spiders quickly stood and launched at us. With flicks of my wrists ice spikes bolted towards them and lodged into their bodies; earning painful cries from them. In a matter of minutes they were dead.

I backed away from them. "By the nine, I hate spiders!"

"You're not the only one." She sheathed her dagger. "Come on, we better go." I nodded and led the way.

We passed through several caves and tunnels and tried to stay away from the cave-dwelling trolls that seemed to thrive there. We noticed that the level of light began to increase as we ventured deeper. As the light grew, a shadowed, masculine figure came into view. The figure quickly formed into a very tall man who seemed to pray at a peculiar looking alter.

His head turned to our direction and he called us over. "Come forward. You have nothing to fear here." I lowered my hands, extinguished my magic and slowly walked towards him.

The first thing I noticed was his pale complexion and piercing blue eyes. I never saw an elf like him before. He had several features that were similar to many Altmer I had come across in my travels, but he was obviously different.

Serana motioned to the strange looking stone monument behind him. "What's that? I can feel some kind of power from it."
I looked at it and shrugged.

I turned my attention back to the elf. "I am Knight Paladin Gelebor. Welcome to the great chantry of Auri-El."

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "This cave is a temple to Auriel?"

"Auriel, Auri-El, Alkosh, Akatosh... so many different names for the sovereign of the snow elves."

My eyes widened in disbelief and my mouth dropped. "S-Snow elves? You're a Falmer?" I couldn't believe it. He didn't look like the beasts I had come across before.

His eyebrows narrowed. "I prefer snow elf. The name 'Falmer' usually holds a negative meaning to most travellers. Those twisted creatures you call Falmer, I call the Betrayed."

"I... imagine you know why we're here."

"Of course. You're here for Auri-El's bow. Why else would you be here?" He paused as if in thought and crossed his arms. "I can help you get it but first I must have your assistance."

I eyed him warily. "Do I have a choice?"

"Absolutely. You could turn around and travel back from wherever you started empty handed, or you could assist me."

I knew I couldn't go back, not after all Serana and I had gone through, and also because of the look in his eyes. Those tired eyes held disappointment and a growing lack of hope. He must have had the same conversation many times before.

"What type of assistance do you need?"

His features saddened. "I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur," he sighed heavily, "my brother."

"Kill your brother, why?"

"The kinship between us is gone. I don't understand what he's become, but he's no longer the brother I once knew. It was the Betrayed. They did something to him. I just don't know why Auri-El would allow this to happen."

"Alright. What exactly did the Betrayed do?"

"They swept into the Chantry without warning, and began killing everyone without pause."

"Didn't you fight back?"

"The Chantry was a place of peaceful worship. I led a small group of paladins, but we were no match for the Betrayed's sheer numbers. They slaughtered everyone and stormed the Inner Sanctum where I believe they corrupted Vyrthur." He lowered his gaze.

"You don't even know if he's alive."

"He's alive. I've seen him. But something's wrong. He never looks as though he's in pain or under duress. He just... stands there and watches, as though waiting."

"Waiting?" I didn't like the sound of that. "Have you tried getting into the Inner Sanctum?"

"Leaving the wayshrines unguarded would be violating my sacred duty as a Knight-Paladin of Auriel. And an assault on the Betrayed guarding the Inner Sanctum would only end with my death."

I looked around before replying. "Wayshrine?"

"Yes. Let me show you."

He turned and walked towards the stone monument behind. Serana and I glanced between each other before following. He threw a ball of light into the air which landed on the alter which was on top of the monument. Without warning the ground began to shake and the monument rose, creating a much larger building. I looked at it in amazement.

"By the nine..."

Serana wandered over to the wayshrine. "So, this is snow elf magic? Incredible."

Gelebor smiled. "This structure is known as a wayshrine. They were used for meditation and for transport when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment. Prelates of these shrines were charged with teaching the mantras of Auri-El to our Initiates."

"What's that basin in the centre signify?"

He turned to her. "Once the Initiate completed his mantras, he'd dip a ceremonial ewer in the basin at the wayshrine's centre and proceed to the next wayshrine."

"So these Initiates had to lug around a heavy pitcher of water. Marvellous. How long would they have to do that?"

"Well, once the Initiate's enlightenment was complete, he'd bring the ewer to the Chantry's Inner Sanctum. Pouring the contents of the ewer into the sacred basin of the Sanctum would allow him to enter for an audience with the Arch-Curate himself."

"All that just to end up dumping it out? Makes no sense to me."

Gelebor frowned. "It's symbolic. I don't expect you to understand."

I looked between the both of them before coughing. "Right... so..."

Serana rolled her eyes. "So let's get this straight. We need to do all that nonsense to get into the temple, so we can kill your brother and claim Auriel's Bow?"

"I know how it all sounds, but if there was another way I'd have done it long ago. The only way to get to my brother is by following in the Initiates' footsteps and travelling from wayshrine to wayshrine just as they did. The first lay at the end of Darkfall Passage, a cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment."

"How many more wayshrines are there?" I asked curiously.

He turned his attention back to me. "There are five in total, spread far apart across the Chantry."

"The caves must be massive."

"Caves? Oh, no. The Chantry encompasses far more than a few caves, as you'll soon discover. But before I send you on your way, you'll need to Initiate's Ewer." He handed the ewer over to me and I just managed to fit it into my pack.

"So..." I pulled my pack over my shoulders. "I need to fill this at each wayshrine?"

"Once you've located a wayshrine, there will be a spectral Prelate tending to it. They will allow you to draw the waters from the shrine's basin as if you've been enlightened."

"Well... I'll be off then."

"This may be the last time we're able to converse. If you have any questions before you leave, I suggest you ask them. Otherwise, all I can do now is grant you my hopes for a safe journey."

He turned away and walked back over to his alter.

I made my way over to Serana. "I'll just be a minute."

She nodded. "Alright, but don't take too long."

"Gelebor..."

He glanced in my direction. "Ah, questions? I expected as much."

"Who are these spectral prelates you were talking about?"

"They're ghosts of the snow elf priests that tended the wayshrines before being slaughtered by the Betrayed. Through the grace of Auri-El they were restored to their spectral form to enable them to continue their duties."

"Well, it's good they can help."

"I'm afraid in their current form, they still believe the Chantry to be an active centre of worship. They won't respond to you in any way other than believing that you're an Initiate and you're undertaking the journey to the Inner Sanctum."

"Oh... great... makes things so much easier." I chuckled. He gave me an apologetic smile.

"So, what is the chantry of Auri-El?"

"This is, or was, the epicentre of our religion. Most of the snow elf people worshipped Auri-El. The Chantry was constructed near the beginning of the First Era to provide a retreat for those that wished to become enlightened. Our empire had temples to some of the other deities: Trinimac, Syrabane, Jephre and Phynaster rounded out the rest. But those temples paled in comparison to the glory of the Chantry and its wayshrines."

"Are the wayshrines part of the chantry?"

"Oh yes. They were an important part of the process here. They represented the steps the Initiates took on the path to total enlightenment. Sadly, the magic used to construct these wonders were lost long before I arrived here."

"Emelin." Serana called from behind. "Let's go."

I nodded. "I guess we'll see you later then Gelebor."

"Good luck my friend. May Auri-El's light illuminate your darkest hour."

I wandered over to the wayshrine and touched the portal.

"Ready for this?" She asked from my side.

"No, but do we have a choice?" I took one more look at Gelebor before entering the portal.