Palla My Love

The Artifact.

Palla. Pal La. The name rolls off my tongue, it's so smooth like the finest silk.

My name however is rough and Jagged.

Ash.

I joined the mages guild the same way a child would choose to join a convent, I didn't. But an abandoned Bastard is great for sweeping and doing the mundane or "dirty work" the mages consider themselves too good for. But I knew I couldn't survive out beyond the university's walls so I worked for years to earn my keep. A few weeks after I turned 17 a new arch-mage was appointed, he passed by me in the hall one day when I was moving crates. I stared at this majestic gray-haired man donned in fine robes as he looked at me, a rather awkwardly tall, brown-haired, Imperial boy covered in dirt and humble rags. He simply uttered how great my potential was and then as if his every word is law the very next day I was to attend the university not as worker but a student.

Making friends with the pompous students that used to belittle me was more difficult then one might expect. Though I was ready to forgive, the other initiates saw me as a lower being and their proud nature refused to accept me into their ranks and so I stood out from the skinny, well groomed little mages. But I must admit it is amusing to see the whoresons writhe with anger that I am the only one among them to be praised by the Headmaster himself, when they have been working as apprentices for so long. Two months after becoming an illusionist student, my fellow initiates and I found ourselves invited to the Tales and Tallows Ball as it was customary to have Wizards and sorcerers present at a supernatural event.

The day that would change my life started like any other, after morning classes initiates were given tasks.

"Ash!" My instructor barked my name as if I couldn't hear his booming voice from my chambers.
"clean out Magister Tendixus' office, his belonging need to be categorized and don't even think about throwing out something we can use"

"Yes Magister"

It was a difficult and lonely job, Magister Tendixus could only be described as a horder of magical garbadge. I tried my best to organize his belongings and gradually I learned enough to deliver each item to the appropriate department. After one delivery to the Enchanters, I was leaving with my customary lack of appreciation, when Magister Ilther called me back.

"Boy," said the portly old man, handing me back one item. "Destroy this."

It was a small black disc covered with runes with a ring of red-orange gems like bones circling its periphery. It glowed ominously even though there was little light to reflect.

I examined the Jeweled Disc utterly confused "is this not something of value to you sir? "

"Take it to the great flame and destroy it," he quickly spat out, he turned his back on me to walk away. "You never brought it here..."

His reaction piqued my interest, it definitely looked valuable to me, maybe the most valuable thing I've ever held in my own two hands, Something as precious making a stpic man like Magister Ilther flee, I knew there was only one thing that would make him squirm in such a way...

Necromancy.

Ignoring my superiors orders I immediately stashed the disc in my pocket and hurried off back to finish my chore. After sifting through the Magisters notes in search of any information on the Disc or even on necromancy. After a few hours of getting lost in a sea of reports and academic papers I came to understand that my instinct was indeed correct: the disc was a genuine necromantic artifact. Though I couldn't understand most of the Magister's notes, I had also determined that he thought it to be a means of resurrecting a loved one from the grave.

"great" I sighed to myself.

The artifact was indeed useless to me. I had never been close with anyone enough to love them... I considered doing what my masters had ordered and destroy the disc but before I made it to the great flame I was roped into a crowd of frantic students and Magisters preparing for the ball. Desperately we dressed ourselves into our initiation robes and were hurried out the academy gates. Marching along in perfect sync towards the manor of the young hostess, whom had recently moved from Hammerfell to our desolate wooded corner of the Imperial province.

More to come...