By Somercy
IntroductionEdit
I was totally lost in Vivec; had no clue what canton I was even in, to be honest. I was wandering blind. So, naturally, when I heard female laughter from that cornerclub, I walked in, expecting a warm welcome.
There were only two people in the cornerclub: a male Redguard, apparently the publican, and a female Altmer, dressed in a well-made blue silk robe. Both turned to me, and neither seemed quite that welcoming. The Redguard spoke first, his voice almost icy. "May I help you, then?"
“Sorry to cause any trouble,” I muttered, caught off-guard by the cold reception. I had been wandering Vivec for hours. I was hungry. I was tired. Gods help me, under the publican's stare, I began to cry, losing all my dignity.
Seing this, the Altmer stood and walked over, wrapping her arms around me. "Lurlock," she muttered, "she's only a child. Look what you did." She walked me to a table, sat me down, and somehow forced a goblet of greef into my hands in one fluid motion. Her eyes were softer now, and she watched carefully as I took a sip of the liquor.
"Thanks," I squeaked.
"Nothing of it. Don't worry about Lurlock; he's grumpy because our boss is in town for the month. Oh, I'm Nephele." She smiled gently at me.
"I'm Alegna Vas-Cherchez. Sorry to start bawling like that, I'm new in town, and absolutely lost."
Nephele nodded, so I continued my story, explaining that I was from Sadrith Mora, and had never left the town before this. But since the Gateway Haunting, I'd felt a need to go exploring, and to meet all the ghosts of Vvardenfell. When I was through, she glanced at Lurlock.
"Do you think Dave would like a spiritualist around?"
Lurlock shrugged. “You’d have to ask him, I think.”
“Ask whom?” The question came from the doorway, a figure in a brown hooded cloak that I hadn’t seen come in. He removed the hood to reveal a weary faced Breton. He sat down, and Lurlock brought him a bottle of liquor. As he uncorked it, Nephele gestured toward me.
"Dave, this is Alegna Vas-Cherchez, of Sadrith Mora. She banished the Gateway Haunt, and is now travelling Vvardenfell looking for ghosts to spook. She got herself lost in Vivec, and ended up here. Alegna, this is Hermit Dave, our wise leader."
"You insult me, Nephele. Wise?" Dave shrugged, and then turned to me, suddenly all business. "You seem bright enough. I'd take it you've heard of the Blades." He didn't wait for my nod. "I used to be one, but I hated how the flow of information was so...one-way. So, I created my own network of informants, the Editors, anchored by four tradehouses and cornerclubs. Information is left with the publicans, and taken by those who need it."
Lurlock nodded. "I run this cornerclub, Uespa's Net. In Caldera, Robius Herbius runs The Pages Inn. Bast'yan in Gnisis runs The Wiki. And in Sadrith Mora, you've probably seen the Community Portal, Wylliam's place."
"That dirthole?!"
Dave laughed at my outburst. "I told him to make it as ugly on the outside as possible; a deterrent. So, are you interested in joining? Robius told me that he's got something in his storeroom he wanted Nephele to look at, but you might be better suited to the job."
Nephele caught Dave's eye. "Why don't we both go, and I can introduce her around?"
"That works," I said. "I need someone to show me the way out, anyway!"