Skyrim Mini-Story The Death of Edion Silvarius
Okay, so I randomly decided to do this little story because I am obsessed with Skyrim right now. I felt like it was a pretty fun idea, so I thought I'd share it. Please comment, and do know that it was rushed, so not everything is correct, but do tell me if you would like to see more, and what you liked.
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Edion meandered casually through the market, searching for something to catch his eye. A tall, light-haired young man hailing from the Imperial homeland of Cyrodil, his skin was pale and his gait was long. He was an ordinary looking man, one who had undoubtedly lived most of his life in comfort. This was evidenced by the comfortable, expensive looking finery he was wearing, complete with a beautiful fur cloak and delicate jewelry.
As he walked, Edion felt guilty that he had not yet found a gift for his lover, Meria, but he was certain he would be able to find something suitable. The market of Windhelm was occupied by a wide variety of merchants who sold a wide variety of wares. Stopping by a small jewelry peddler's kiosk, he was immediately interested in an ornate silver necklace, set with a sterling amethyst. He was about to ask the merchant the price for the item when he heard a cry from a nearby alleyway.
"No! Stop, thief! Come back here!" cried the unmistakable voice of a khajiit. With the reintroduction of Imperial law in Skyrim, the cat-folk of Elseweyr were no longer prohibited from entering the cities of Skyrim's nine holds.
Edion turned towards the sound of the voice, running to the alleyway to see if he could be of any help. His family had instilled within him a very strong sense of justice and pride, and he would not allow an innocent victim to be unaided.
"When I find you, I will claw out your eyes, thief!" cried the khajiit in the alley. He was wearing comfortable commoner's clothes, though his clawed feet were bare. His hands were balled up in fists, his tail was fidgeting in agitation, and his light gray fur was on end.
"Excuse me sir, which way did that thief go?" Edion asked when he was closer to the distressed khajiit.
"Ah, a friendly face in this town of thieves; what a most welcome sight," said the khajiit, his tone less volatile then a moment before. "If you have come to recover that which was stolen from R'Savi, then I fear you are too late. The wretched thief climbed the barrels by the wall there, and he has escaped with R'Savi's precious map."
Edion glanced over to the barrels the khajiit indicated. They were stacked so as to allow a quick escape for the thief. "Do you have any idea where the thief might have gone, or who he was."
"As to the identity of the thief, R'Savi does not know, nor does he know where he might be," R'Savi replied sadly.
Edion thought for a moment, and the posed a question towards the khajiit. "Did you say the thief stole a map from you?"
"Yes, he did. A map that was very recently acquired by R'Savi from a bookseller here in Riften. The map is said to lead to a great treasure in the woods to the south of here," the khajiit answered.
"Really? Are you certain the map was genuine?" Edion asked, knowing all too well how devious the merchants of Riften could be.
"To suggest such a thing is deeply disturbing," said R'Savi. "If that is true, then poor R'Savi will be destitute and without coin. He spent many months of research and coin to get that map into R'Savi's paws. Without it, all is lost." The khajiit hung his head in his misery, his tail tucked around his legs.
Edion furrowed his brow as he tried to think of a way to help. Suddenly, it came to him. "This map, do you have any idea where it lead? Any idea at all?"
"Why, yes. It gives the precise location where a chest full of gold and jewels can be found buried and concealed in an uninhabited cave, not far from Riften," R'Savi answered.
"Then it stands to reason that the thief would go to that location, to find the treasure and steal it," Edion said, thrilled with his own plan.
"Yes, of course. That is exactly what a thief would think to do! Exactly what a thief would think...You would not happen to be a scoundrel like the man who robbed R'Savi, would you?" the wary khajiit asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"On the honor of my family, Silvarius, I am no thief, no killer, no coward. I wish only to help," Edion said, standing tall and holding his head high.
"Hmm..." mused the khajiit man. "If what you say is true, perhaps you can indeed help me.
"R'Savi is no warrior. He cannot venture off to fight this robber, much as he would love to rend his flesh. However, this humble khajiit does have a certain gift with his tongue. R'Savi will go to the merchant who sold the map to him, and you will go the cave to find this thief and catch him," the khajiit said, his eyes aglitter with excitement, his tail dancing.
"But what if there is no treasure?" Edion asked.
"Ah. If there is not treasure, than the thief has still done a great wrong to humble R'Savi, and must be punished. However, if the map is true, than R'Savi's new friend is entitled to take a fair amount of the gold as his reward for his honorable service," the khajiit answered with his arms crossed.
"Alright then. I pray that the merchant is an honest man, and that he did not cheat you, but we will see soon enough," Edion said seriously.
"Yes indeed, my friend. What shall R'Savi call you?" the khajiit finally asked.
"Edion Silvarius," the man answered.
"Well then my friend, we shall see what the moons have in store for us. I pray that the thief is a clumsy fool, and that you shall find him in the act of stealing R'Savi's treasure. It would be good if he did the work for us, no?"
With that, the khajiit and the Imperial parted ways, each to complete their end of the task.
**** The cave was dark and quite damp. Large, ghastly white mushrooms grew near the cavern walls, and twisting roots snaked through the passageways, occasionally ensnaring Edion's feet as he walked.
It was a respectable hike from Riften up the nearby hills to find the cave. There were not many completely uninhabited caves so near the city, so it was easy to ascertain the location by asking one of the city guardsman out on patrol. Edion had entered the mouth of the cave with his dagger in hand, ready to apprise the thief and end his crimes.
Edion was quite pleased with himself at the moment. Back home in Cyrodil, there were no adventures to be had in the Imperial City. No ways to prove his worth, no way to make his impression on the world. Here, in Skyrim, he was free to do as he wished. And what he wanted to do now was to show to Meria that he was truly a man worth marrying, and to the khajiit R'Savi that there were honorable men, even in Riften.
All these thoughts coursed through Edion's head when he crept into a large, subterranean cavern. There was a large natural gap in the roof of the cave, through which a bright beam of light shown through. Edion could hear the sounds of digging nearby. Expecting to see the thief right in the beam of light, he was perplexed to see that the thief was quite far away from the spot where the sun hit the ground. Edion had assumed that the treasure would be buried right there; that's how it was in the fables.
Edion could not see very well in the dark of the cave, and the beam of light did not help. He could see a dark shape laboring relentlessly near the ground. Edion carefully snuck forward, pleased that the thief did not notice him. Despite the fact that the Imperial man was not exactly light on his feet, the sounds of the thief's digging covered any sounds he made.
Edion crept closer...Closer...So close he could almost reach out and tough the thief.
"Stop right there, and do not move a muscle," came a familiar voice.
Every instinct in Edion screamed at him to tumble away from the thief, who had suddenly stopped digging, but he felt the cold touch of a blade by his neck, and so did nothing. The blade's icy touch made his heart race, as did the realization of who was holding it.
"R'Savi..." Edion said carefully.
"Yes, my Imperial friend. The poor, humble khajiit from the marketplace. Curious, no? Why would the very man who beseeched you for help now hold a blade to your throat?" said R'Savi.
"You're only in this for the gold. That's all that matters to you, is your treasure!" Edion cried, furious at the deception. "You want to kill me, so you won't have to repay me for trying to help you."
"No, no, my friend. It is not out of greed that R'Savi does this thing. It is out of duty," said the khajiit cryptically.
"What do you mean? Who are you?" Edion demanded angrily.
"My good friend Edion, you suggested quite slanderously that R'Savi is double-crossing you now out of avarice. It is not so. Raji'Dahr, please show Edion the map," R'Savi growled lightly.
The man who was digging in the dirt, who Edion now recognized as a black-furred khajiit, stood up and withdrew a rolled up piece of parchment. He handed it to Edion.
"Open it," R'Savi said icily.
Edion did as he was told, unrolling the parchment to read its contents. What he saw horrified him.
Everything was on here. All his plans, all his movements, all his rests. A complete log of his journey from Cyrodil to Skyrim. How the khajiit had come by this, Edion couldn't fathom. It was impossible. How could they know where he had been every day of his journey? Unless they were following him...? But wait...
"Ha. You've made a mistake with this little scare, cat. This log says I was in Whiterun on Tirdas, but I was actually delayed a day because of a storm. You're information is wrong," Edion laughed, happy that the khajiit were not totally in control after all. Maybe he could escape this...
"What you see is not a lack of documentation, but a lack of foresight. You're uncle's man did not predict that a storm would impede your travels, and so he recorded your travels incorrectly there," R'Savi answered.
"My uncle...What does he have to do with this?" Edion asked in despair.
"They share the same mother, R'Savi and Acren Silvarius. It was by his hand that this contract was struct," the khajiit answered, bringing the blade closer to his throat.
"What contract?" Edion asked, truly terrified now.
"Turn the paper over, Imperial," the khaiit answered.
Edion again followed the command. On the other side of the paper was a large black hand, all in dark ink, and Edion's name. Following that were the words, Lost in the wilds near Riften, buried alive.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Edion demanded, trying to dive away. The larger khajiit who had been digging the hole grabbed him by the neck and began to choke him.
Calm, cool and collected, R'Savi walked towards the hole, laughing softly. "I have revealed to you two deceptions. One, that I am not a helpless fool. Two, that this is not a map, but a contract for your death. And finally, that this hole is not to uncover a treasure, but to conceal a dead body."
Edion's eyes went wide in terror. He couldn't scream, and the lack of air was making him lightheaded. The large khajiit threw him into the ground, where he landed with a heavy crash. He tried to breath, but suddenly his mouth was filled with dirt that was being thrown onto him.
"The Night Mother sends her regards, Edion Silvarius. May you suffer in the Void with Sithis." whispered R'Savi. Those words were the last thing that Edion Silvarius heard before his uncle Acren's contract with the Night Mother was fulfilled, and his life was extinguished.