Northbound Pilgrimage III

Chapter XXX - What Awaits Ahead

This was the place.

Their last important bit of business before they could head to Bruma, rest, restock, and then finally go home.

But first, they had to deal with this.

It was fortunate that their plan for the journey worked out well. They did make it to Roxey Inn shortly after nightfall and they spent a pleasant and peaceful night there. Now that they were far from Leyawiin and the memories of it, it was a bit easier to enjoy the hospitality of the Cyrodiil inns. Though not entirely. It was still quite disappointing that their trip did not end on a very positive note. That so many people died along the way.

But that seemed to be the way of things no matter where they were. Nothing ever went as they'd hoped. A simple act of killing two despots was not a way to free a tormented family, it was only a way to invite even more trouble and death onto their own doorstep. And a simple visit to a beloved temple could not just be a happy reunion. It just had to involve the Thalmor, a secret prison and so much more death.

It'd been too naïve to think things would be easier here than in Skyrim.

But despite it all, it had been a good respite from their northern problems. Though those were encroaching on their feet more and more now. First there were those soldiers...

And now they were here.

The Temple of the Ancestor Moths.

The cold wind and the fresh snow already reminded them of Skyrim, but the sights in front of them made it very clear where they still were.

It was more of a small settlement. There were simple houses everywhere around the actual chapel. The main building towered above them imposingly. It was quite impressive, though it was even more impressive how hidden it was. They found it with the help of their map, but the mountains around it kept it fairly secure from any curious explorers. One had to know where they were going to find it.

It was a simple errand they wanted to do. They just wanted to know what the holdup was with the priest. Esbern had asked for one ages ago and there was still no sign of them arriving in Skyrim. And no answer from the Order of the Ancestor Moth either.

"It's quiet here," Bishop looked around uneasily. He didn't like it. There were buildings, but no people to see. Nobody was working outside, walking around. It was weird. Maybe something happened to the priests.

Or maybe he was just being paranoid.

"Let's just go in," Aeyrin smiled a bit. There was nothing easier than that after all.

They headed straight for the main chapel to see if they could find someone inside. They had no idea if the place was just for... priestly stuff or for living too. Were the Moth Priests really even priests? They were surely not like the others in the Church of the Eight, were they? Who did they worship? What did they preach? The only thing they knew of them was that they studied the Scrolls.

But maybe they would find out soon enough.

When they entered the chapel, they were surprised to see that it looked nothing like the chapels in the cities. It wasn't as big, though they could tell from the outside already, but instead of the pews, statues, stained glass or columns lining the halls, there were only bookcases everywhere. Up to the ceiling. There were several long ladders around to make all the books accessible. It was a pretty impressive library. But there was nothing more in the chapel except for a large mosaic at the one free wall straight again – a moth.

They looked at the chamber for a while, unsure what to do now and a little caught off guard by what they found here. But after a while, the door behind them clicked open again and they turned around sharply.