The Amulet of Kings part 1
To distance myself from sweet Augusta for a while, I decided to go about the farmlands and coasts outside the Imperial City walls to see what alchemical plants I could harvest.
I had brewed up a few useful potions for the Imperial City's premier potions store, The Gilded Carafe ("I have everything for the budding alchemist under one roof" was the proprietress's motto), and was low on ingredients. The Main Ingredient in the Market District offered ingredients, but the prices were daunting and in any case I thought I might be able to do without their pricier exotic ones.
The proprietress, a lovely Breton red-head named Claudette Perrick, suggested we make the final negotiations for price and future orders in the early morning. She was looking for a particular plant for a special customer in Skingrad, and could use the help. In exchange, she promised to take me to some of the better spots for harvesting around the Imperial Isle (knowing fully I was the itinerant sort and probably wouldn't hang around to compete with her).
I readily agreed as the thought of spending more time getting to know this pleasant and intelligent woman, very skilled in alchemy (fast becoming my favourite subject), was extremely appealing. I hadn't paid much attention when she mentioned a friend would come along. I honestly thought it was for her own peace of mind, seeing as I was a relative unknown, although we had had a wonderful introduction in her store and settled into easy, familiar conversation as if we'd known each other forever. I expected a big brother or friend from the Imperial Legion. Instead...
"Augusta?" I gasped.
Her jaw dropped.
"Do you know each other...?" asked Claudette.
Then it dawned on her.
"Augusta, this isn't..."
Augusta froze, but recovered quickly. "No."
"Oh, thank the Nine Divines! So how do you know each other?"
"I'm staying at the Tiber Septim," I explained.
"I see! Well then, you may have seen my dear, sweet Augusta horribly abused by some CAD staying there too. He seduced her, then broke her heart by seeing someone else. He even had the nerve to bring the other woman -- some old hag, apparently -- to the Tiber Septim! Imagine that!
"Anyway, I thought it'd do her some good to get out, get some fresh air, and... maybe meet someone nice?"
She had a mischevious smile and gave Augusta a big wink.
*
Somehow we got past that awkwardness and on to herb hunting. Claudette was looking for the elusive Nirnroot, which was a pleasant looking plant that had the peculiar quality of making a soft chiming noise. Her mystery client in Skingrad (she refused to say who, but except it wasn't the Mages Guild, nor Sigrid's distracted alchemist friend Falanu, who ran the store All Things Alchemical in Skingrad) wanted as many as he could get his hands on, and they were dreadfully rare to begin with.
After Claudette gave us both a careful description of the plant (as the chiming sound was often too soft to clearly hear), we split up but stayed in sight of each other while we combed the shoreline. Augusta nonchalantly inched closer to me.
"Augusta, I--" I wanted to apologize again, but she cut me off.
"You touch one hair on her, and I'll 'nirn' your 'root'!"
She brandished the small silver knife she was using to cut plant leaves and stems. The low swishing motion was more than explanation enough.
She had left that threat hanging in the air no more than a second when we heard a horrified squeal from Claudette. We both raced to where she stood by the shore.
I was hoping it wouldn't be anything more than maybe a belligerant mudcrab (which can get rather large) or a really big sewer rat, but I noticed that Claudette wasn't running away. Instead she had her hands cupped over her mouth and she looked like she'd seen a ghost.
Augusta was a half step behind me, and when she saw it, she gasped and turned about immediately. She clutched to me and buried her face in my chest, thereby averting her eyes and steadying herself.
It was a body. Normally it might have floated to the surface of the waters of the surrounding Lake Rumare, but it was weighed down by armor. The same armour that protected most of her body from mudcrabs and slaughterfish, both very common and the latter quite vicious when blood or any thrashing that might be an animal was in the water.
When we'd all collected ourselves enough to take a clearer look, I waded in and dragged the body out. On closer examination, we realized with trepidation that we'd come across the body of one of the Emperor's Blades -- his personal bodyguard and a sort of secret service that answered only to him.
With the Emperor and his sons assasinated, they were without a liege until a new Emperor could be crowned. In the meantime, the Elder Council led by High Chancellor Ocato was running the show amid the Oblivion crisis of gates to Mehrunes Dagon's hellworld popping up all over the place.
For the moment, the Imperial City was safe, but who knew when a gate might decide to open up here?
"There's something in her hand," Augusta timidly pointed out, and looked at me meaningfully.
It took some prying, but I managed to release what was a boorishly large amulet of a single red stone cut into a large diamond shape about half the size of my fist, and held in a gold clasp studded with eight jewels of various colours.
"Isn't that--" Claudette's eyes widened.
She was interrupted by a shadow falling over us. We looked up to see a man and a woman, both with black maces of red-flecked metal, and clad in red robes. Their faces were hard to make out in the dim of the hoods and with the sun behind them.
"We'll take that," said the woman.
The man grabbed Augusta and tried to pull her into an arm lock. Fortunately she reacted quickly, screaming and flailing. He was thrown off balance by her sudden violent thrashing, and Claudette and I leapt into action.
I punched the woman in the face. She staggered back and weakly began to cast a spell. The man, too, cast the same spell. It was some sort of conjuration, and in just a few seconds, they were clad head to toe in a silver-black metal armor.
Claudette completed her own spell and a Timber Wolf coalesced from thin air and a cloud of sparkling yellow light.
For my part, I drew my short sword and thrust at the man. It poked him behind the thigh and wasn't a serious wound, but the poison was deadly serious and he collapsed shortly after. His conjured armour faded away, leaving him once more in red robes.
Claudette's wolf got whacked in the head and collapsed to the ground for the moment dazed. Meanwhile, Claudette and I both had the same idea to cast lightning spells at the woman, counting on all that metal she now wore to conduct the electricity well. We hadn't thought to try to capture her for interrogation by the Imperial Legion, and it was too late. Our two spells combined killed her instantly.
We picked up our things and quickly hurried away, I with the red amulet in hand.
When we got back to Claudette's store and hustled upstairs and locked ourselves in safely, she and Augusta turned to me.
I brought out the amulet from where I had meanwhile hid it in the inside pocket of my vest.
"Do you know what that is?" asked Augusta.
I shook my head.
"That belonged to the Emperor. That's the Amulet of Kings."
I had brewed up a few useful potions for the Imperial City's premier potions store, The Gilded Carafe ("I have everything for the budding alchemist under one roof" was the proprietress's motto), and was low on ingredients. The Main Ingredient in the Market District offered ingredients, but the prices were daunting and in any case I thought I might be able to do without their pricier exotic ones.
The proprietress, a lovely Breton red-head named Claudette Perrick, suggested we make the final negotiations for price and future orders in the early morning. She was looking for a particular plant for a special customer in Skingrad, and could use the help. In exchange, she promised to take me to some of the better spots for harvesting around the Imperial Isle (knowing fully I was the itinerant sort and probably wouldn't hang around to compete with her).
I readily agreed as the thought of spending more time getting to know this pleasant and intelligent woman, very skilled in alchemy (fast becoming my favourite subject), was extremely appealing. I hadn't paid much attention when she mentioned a friend would come along. I honestly thought it was for her own peace of mind, seeing as I was a relative unknown, although we had had a wonderful introduction in her store and settled into easy, familiar conversation as if we'd known each other forever. I expected a big brother or friend from the Imperial Legion. Instead...
"Augusta?" I gasped.
Her jaw dropped.
"Do you know each other...?" asked Claudette.
Then it dawned on her.
"Augusta, this isn't..."
Augusta froze, but recovered quickly. "No."
"Oh, thank the Nine Divines! So how do you know each other?"
"I'm staying at the Tiber Septim," I explained.
"I see! Well then, you may have seen my dear, sweet Augusta horribly abused by some CAD staying there too. He seduced her, then broke her heart by seeing someone else. He even had the nerve to bring the other woman -- some old hag, apparently -- to the Tiber Septim! Imagine that!
"Anyway, I thought it'd do her some good to get out, get some fresh air, and... maybe meet someone nice?"
She had a mischevious smile and gave Augusta a big wink.
*
Somehow we got past that awkwardness and on to herb hunting. Claudette was looking for the elusive Nirnroot, which was a pleasant looking plant that had the peculiar quality of making a soft chiming noise. Her mystery client in Skingrad (she refused to say who, but except it wasn't the Mages Guild, nor Sigrid's distracted alchemist friend Falanu, who ran the store All Things Alchemical in Skingrad) wanted as many as he could get his hands on, and they were dreadfully rare to begin with.
After Claudette gave us both a careful description of the plant (as the chiming sound was often too soft to clearly hear), we split up but stayed in sight of each other while we combed the shoreline. Augusta nonchalantly inched closer to me.
"Augusta, I--" I wanted to apologize again, but she cut me off.
"You touch one hair on her, and I'll 'nirn' your 'root'!"
She brandished the small silver knife she was using to cut plant leaves and stems. The low swishing motion was more than explanation enough.
She had left that threat hanging in the air no more than a second when we heard a horrified squeal from Claudette. We both raced to where she stood by the shore.
I was hoping it wouldn't be anything more than maybe a belligerant mudcrab (which can get rather large) or a really big sewer rat, but I noticed that Claudette wasn't running away. Instead she had her hands cupped over her mouth and she looked like she'd seen a ghost.
Augusta was a half step behind me, and when she saw it, she gasped and turned about immediately. She clutched to me and buried her face in my chest, thereby averting her eyes and steadying herself.
It was a body. Normally it might have floated to the surface of the waters of the surrounding Lake Rumare, but it was weighed down by armor. The same armour that protected most of her body from mudcrabs and slaughterfish, both very common and the latter quite vicious when blood or any thrashing that might be an animal was in the water.
When we'd all collected ourselves enough to take a clearer look, I waded in and dragged the body out. On closer examination, we realized with trepidation that we'd come across the body of one of the Emperor's Blades -- his personal bodyguard and a sort of secret service that answered only to him.
With the Emperor and his sons assasinated, they were without a liege until a new Emperor could be crowned. In the meantime, the Elder Council led by High Chancellor Ocato was running the show amid the Oblivion crisis of gates to Mehrunes Dagon's hellworld popping up all over the place.
For the moment, the Imperial City was safe, but who knew when a gate might decide to open up here?
"There's something in her hand," Augusta timidly pointed out, and looked at me meaningfully.
It took some prying, but I managed to release what was a boorishly large amulet of a single red stone cut into a large diamond shape about half the size of my fist, and held in a gold clasp studded with eight jewels of various colours.
"Isn't that--" Claudette's eyes widened.
She was interrupted by a shadow falling over us. We looked up to see a man and a woman, both with black maces of red-flecked metal, and clad in red robes. Their faces were hard to make out in the dim of the hoods and with the sun behind them.
"We'll take that," said the woman.
The man grabbed Augusta and tried to pull her into an arm lock. Fortunately she reacted quickly, screaming and flailing. He was thrown off balance by her sudden violent thrashing, and Claudette and I leapt into action.
I punched the woman in the face. She staggered back and weakly began to cast a spell. The man, too, cast the same spell. It was some sort of conjuration, and in just a few seconds, they were clad head to toe in a silver-black metal armor.
Claudette completed her own spell and a Timber Wolf coalesced from thin air and a cloud of sparkling yellow light.
For my part, I drew my short sword and thrust at the man. It poked him behind the thigh and wasn't a serious wound, but the poison was deadly serious and he collapsed shortly after. His conjured armour faded away, leaving him once more in red robes.
Claudette's wolf got whacked in the head and collapsed to the ground for the moment dazed. Meanwhile, Claudette and I both had the same idea to cast lightning spells at the woman, counting on all that metal she now wore to conduct the electricity well. We hadn't thought to try to capture her for interrogation by the Imperial Legion, and it was too late. Our two spells combined killed her instantly.
We picked up our things and quickly hurried away, I with the red amulet in hand.
When we got back to Claudette's store and hustled upstairs and locked ourselves in safely, she and Augusta turned to me.
I brought out the amulet from where I had meanwhile hid it in the inside pocket of my vest.
"Do you know what that is?" asked Augusta.
I shook my head.
"That belonged to the Emperor. That's the Amulet of Kings."
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