Affair of The Advisor

Chapter One

Heavy snow covered the ground of Winterhold, crunching as you walked through it to get to the place of your dreams- The College, where aspiring mages went to become powerful, knowledgeable individuals, without all the warhammers and sweat. It was almost magical to finally see the college and enter it, as ironic as that may sound. The metal gate creaked as you opened it, and a few people in the courtyard looked in your direction then back to what they were previously doing. You noticed a tall altmer male and a shorter female Breton having an...intense conversation. It became clear what they were saying once you moved closer. "I believe I made myself rather clear," the Breton said, her patience obviously thinning. "Yes, of course. I'm simply trying to understand the reasoning behind the decision." The altmer stated. With furrowed brows, the woman replied with finality, "You may be used to the Empire bowing to your every whim, but you will find the Thalmor find no such treatment here. You are here at the pleasure of the Arch-Mage. I hope you appreciate the opportunity."

The man had a glint in his eyes, one of unmatched displeasure. Defeated for the time being, he replied, "Yes, of course. The Arch-Mage has my thanks." The Breton's face softened. "Very good. Then I think we're done here." She said, before walking in your direction to greet you. With a smile, she reached out to shake your hand. "Another new student... I'm surprised at how many of you there are lately. Well, first you'll need these. While you're not required to wear them, you may find them more to your liking than your current clothes. I'll give you a brief tour, and then we'll get you to your first class. Are you ready to begin?" You nodded. "Yes, I'm ready." She walked towards the entrance and motioned for you to follow her. "Wonderful. Please follow me, and don't wander off."

-

After your tour, you entered the Hall of the Elements to attend your first class. Bounding inside, you passed by the Altmer you saw arguing with Mirabelle when you first arrived, who was leaning against the wall near the door to the Arcaneum. He had a feeling about him, one that made you hesitant to speak with him. Being polite, you stopped and turned around to greet him, despite your anxiety. "Hello, my name is Y/N. What do you do here, sir?" He looked up at you, surprised that someone finally called him 'sir.' It was about time someone recognized his superiority and authority. That feeling of uneasiness seemed to melt away. "...hello, Y/N. I am Ancano, the advisor to the Arch-Mage. You are another new apprentice, yes?" He asked. Nodding, you answered, "Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you, Ancano." You smiled. You would have sworn you saw the smallest smile grace his pale face before he continued, "It's nice to meet you as well, Y/N. If you learn of any suspicious activity, it is your obligation to report it to me, as I report to both the Arch-Mage and the Aldmeri Dominion." You nodded once more. "Of course, sir," you answered. "Good," he said. "Not to be rude, but you may want to get going to your first lecture. Tolfdir is about to begin." You widened your eyes. "Oh! I'd best be off, then. I look forward to seeing you around," you said with a smile. "As do I."

-

You approached the man you presumed to be Tolfdir, who was accompanied by three students. A Nord, a Khajiit, and a Dunmer. Tolfdir looked at you and smiled. "Welcome, welcome! We were just beginning. Please, stay and listen," he began. "So, as I was saying, the first thing to understand is, that by its very nature, magic is volatile and dangerous. Unless you can control it, it can, and will destroy you." He stated with a tone of warning. The Dunmer spoke up. "Sir, I think we all understand that fairly well. We wouldn't be here if we couldn't control magic." She said with a hint of impatience. Surprisingly, it rolled right off of Tolfdir and he continued. "Of course, my dear, of course. You all certainly possess some inherent natural ability. That much is not being questioned. What I'm talking about is true control. Mastery of magic. It takes years, if not decades of practice and study." The Khajiit was next to interrupt. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" He said with eagerness. Tolfdir put a hand up. "Please, please. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Eagerness must be tempered with precaution, or else disaster is inevitable." He stated politely yet firmly. The Nord was the third to interrupt. "But we've only just arrived here! You've no idea what any of us are capable of! Why not give us a chance to show you what we can do?" Tolfdir, running low on patience, asked you, "You've been quiet so far. What do you think we should do?" You answered, "Safety should be more important than anything." He smiled, as you were the first to show any signs of taking his precaution seriously. "Well, your certainly seem to disagree with you." He kept the lesson going. "In continuing with our theme of safety, we'll start with wards. Wards are protection spells that block magic," he began. "I'll teach you all a ward, and we'll see if you can successfully use it to block spells." He turned to you again. "Would you mind helping me with the demonstration? Are you at all familiar with ward spells?" He asked. You nodded, having experience with several necromancers on the way to Winterhold. "I already know it, and I already know how to use it."

"Well, then this should be no problem at all for you."
"Now, if you'll just stand right over there, I'll cast a spell at you, and you block it with the ward." You stepped to the spot he needed you to be. "Here we go. Now, cast the ward spell, and keep it up. Hold still." You casted the ward and kept it up with ease and deflected the fireball he sent your way. "Excellent work!" He complimented. "Well, I think this is an excellent start. I'd like you all to continue practicing with wards, please. I think perhaps we're ready to begin exploring some of the various applications of magic throughout history. The college has undertaken a fascinating excavation in the ruins of Saarthal nearby. It's an excellent learning opportunity. I suggest we meet there in a few hours and see what awaits us inside. That's all for now, thank you." As the lecture wrapped up, you decided to greet the other students, first the Dunmer. "We haven't really been introduced," you said with a welcoming smile. "I am Y/N, here to study restoration, destruction and alteration. What about you?" You asked. She smiled. "No, I suppose we have not. Brelyna Maryon, of House Telvanni. First of my family to leave Morrowind in a long time. Now I'm here to study Conjuration. That's what's important." She answered. Before you could say anything more, she spoke. "By the way, earlier when you entered the Hall of the Elements, I saw you actually getting along with Ancano, how did you manage that? He never acts so nice to anybody else, not even the Arch-Mage," she asked. You were surprised, he was rather kind when speaking with you. "I just spoke politely is all I know," you answered Brelyna. She furrowed her brow. "Hmm..that's odd, considering..." she said, tilting her head downwards in brief thought. Looking back up at you after a moment, she spoke. "You should probably get settled into your quarters before we leave for Saarthal, I don't know how long we'll be there."

-

You set your pack containing things brought from home on your bed and unpacked. You placed alchemy ingredients on a small table, soul gems on a shelf, your journal on your nightstand, clothes in a dresser, and kept your gold on your person. You grabbed a nearby quill and inkwell, sat on your bed and began writing the events of today.

Today, I finally managed to arrive at the College of Winterhold. I was greeted by a Breton woman named Mirabelle, assigned a room to stay in, given my first lecture and assignment by a man named Tolfdir. We will be off to the excavation site of the Saarthal ruins in a few hours. I look forward to learning what is offered here, and getting to know an Altmer I met while entering the Hall of the Elements, Ancano. We spoke briefly, as I was about to attend my first class, but he was very kind. One of the students seemed astonished that I got along with him, stating that he does not treat the Arch-Mage as he did me. That doesn't bother me, he is most likely a reserved person that only becomes friendly with certain people. He is quite handsome as well...

You allowed the ink to dry and your face to cool down before shutting your journal and placing it in a drawer in your nightstand. You stood, stretching your limbs. It'd be a great time to get going to Saarthal.