TESIV: Oblivion REMASTERED recently released (you can play it on Gamepass, btw!) and I very quickly dove head-first into the fiery depths of nostalgia.
In my last post we met Caelyra, wood elf thief, and followed her on her journey to fulfill a dying man's last wish.
Though a thief, she was a woman of her word and would see this through. "This" was finding Martin, illegitimate son of the late Emperor, and bringing him to safety before any assassins could strike him down.
She hurried to Kvatch where Martin had taken up as a Priest of Akatosh... only to discover that something horrible had happened.
In a makeshift camp outside the city, the last remaining cityfolk of Kvatch lingered, weeping and frightened. After questioning a few, she learnt that they had been attacked by daedra! Demonic beasts from Oblivion itself! And only a few of the people had survived. Caelyra asked after Martin the Priest, but only got referred to speak with the captain of the guard. If anyone knew where Martin was, it was the guard.
After realising the traumatised people were of no help to her, she followed their suggestions and made her way to the city gates where the guard valiantly slew daedric scamps pouring out of an evil looking portal.
Caelyra helped put down the scamps then sought the captain to ask after Martin. He told her how he had witnessed a Priest shuffling a group of people into the temple, but he didn't know if they still lived, and there was no way of telling while this portal barred the city gates and stopped them from entering the city.
The captain asked for her help. She was clearly a trained combatant, having taken down those scamps with ease. He had sent some men into the portal before to work out a way to close it, could she go in there too and help them?
This was not what she'd signed up for.
She was here for Martin, not to step into a dark and fiery other-world.
And yet... she felt as though she had no choice.
Stepping through the gate was both the bravest and stupidest thing she had ever done. Here's hoping she could make it out alive. After this, she'd have definitely earned her new life.
One of the captain's guards was fighting scamps down below, and shrugging down her fear she raced towards him to help.
Apparently he was the last man left - all the rest had been captured by the daedric forces. He was about to race out of the portal and leave her alone, but she managed to convince him to stay and fight by her side - after all, he had been tasked with closing this portal hadn't he? He couldn't leave without doing his duty, and his fellows might still be alive!
He came to his senses and agreed to continue on with her instead of fleeing.
They crept across the rugged stone and into the towers, and before long found one of the men encaged.
The man told them to hurry. They had to reach the top of the tower. Up there, a stone was powering the entire gate, and once it was removed the gate would crumble.
Caelyra took the man at his word, not bothering to find out just how he had acquired this knowledge, and hurried further up the tower towards this magic stone.
Daedra were at every turn, and scamps were at every corner. But soon she climbed the tower and found the stone the prisoner had told her about. Grasping it firm in one hand, she removed it from its pedestal and a blinding light flooded the realm.
She had done it. Her actions had closed the gate.
And she had killed so many Daedra. Surely that shouldn't have been possible. She was just a mere little wood elf...
There wasn't much time to ruminate on the situation. The captain of the guard raced over and congratulated her on her success, then motioned for her to join them as they re-took the city from the remaining evil.
Right. The city. She needed to get in there to find Martin. Then, and only then, could she take her leave of this madness.
Following the guard through the city, they came up to the temple where a few survivors remained. One of them was Martin. He was shocked when Caelyra told him about his birthright, but finally, after a bit of cajoling, agreed to accompany her to Weynon Priory to be entrusted into Jauffre's care.
Then the captain turned to her and implored her for some more help.
She had to stand her ground. She was here for Martin and that was all. She had taken care of the gate and most of the daedra, by some divine miracle, and the rest was up to the guard.
Taking Martin, they left the burnt remains of the city and headed back to Jauffre at Weynon Priory.
Only when Caelyra and Martin arrived, they found that the Priory was now under attack!
She couldn't catch a break.
They fought through the enemies and found Jauffre in the church, still alive, but the Amulet of Kings had been stolen. She closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh. She was going to be stuck with these people forever, wasn't she?
Proving her disillusioned thoughts, the man asked her to help him take Martin to Cloud Ruler Temple... it'd be the safest place for the last heir of the Emperor. Caelyra grudgingly agreed. And hoped that this would be the end of it.
Mounting up on the Priory's horses, the three of them took off, galloping as fast as the horses would allow.
Through the forests of Cyrodiil and into the snow that spoke of Skyrim's nearby border.
And with no altercations bar that of hungry wolves nipping at their horses' heels, the three arrived at Cloud Ruler Temple unscathed.
The Blades stationed there welcomed Martin as their new future Emperor and swore themselves to him. Martin didn't really know how to respond, having only just discovered that this was his destiny, and Caelyra didn't really know either - this was entirely out of her realm.
Before Caelyra could turn to leave, Jauffre called her over and officially asked her to join the Blades. After her actions the past couple of days, he could think of no finer person of being recruited to such a role.
Caelyra paused. She had never really been part of any organisation before, having fended for herself over many, many years... she told him that she would consider it. In the meantime, he tasked her with hunting down the stolen Amulet of Kings.
Sure, she would get right on that...
Taking advantage of the Blades' hospitality, Caelyra bunked down in the barracks for the night and awoke fully refreshed the next morning.
Standing on the precipice of the Temple, watching the sun creep over the horizon, she looked out over the region and breathed in the chilled air. Jauffre had begged her to find the stolen Amulet of Kings, to find the Blade she had spoken with back in the Imperial Prison, but all she wanted to do right now was live her own life.
This moment had been a long time coming.
