"Michael then decided to ignore my words and cast a spell upon the fleeing elf, obliterating him and the bridge..." Savos says, causing a variety of reactions.
Ulfric and some other Jarls smirk as they imagine the face of Ancano before he was annihilated. All of them had received word of the massive explosion that'd temporarily made the College inaccessible. If anyone deserved such a death, it'd be a Thalmor.
Ambassador Elenwen disagreed of course, "The Thalmor has awaited recourse for long enough, High King, under the laws of this land he should be put on trial and then executed for the murder of a government official." she states, ignoring the twinge of annoyance at the fact her attempt with the Dark Brotherhood hadn't worked.
"And under the laws of this land, you and your allies should be tried the same! Or do you think the happenings in Northwatch Keep had gone unnoticed!?" Ulfric angrily retorts, causing Elenwen's eyes to widen. The torture of Nord civilians and officials in Northwatch Keep was perhaps the most dangerous thing to be revealed... It might just give Torygg enough cause to expel the Thalmor from Skyrim entirely.
Unfortunately for her, her reaction had not gone unnoticed.
"And what is held in Northwatch Keep, Ambassador? I'm sure I only gave permission for it to be used to station the unused Thalmor forces?"
Elenwen shakes her head, "Worry not, High King, it has been used just so. But we will drop the matter of Michael Tahlin if it's such a controversial issue. For now at least."
"Oh, so you won't explain why so many missing Nords were last seen in that area? Or that one Nord claims to have been held in Northwatch Keep's dungeons along with many others? What about the torture and interrogations done there?" Ulfric continues, unwilling to let this go so easily.
"Big words for someone who is likely doing the same at this very moment. How many Nords have died already due to your greed, Stormcloak? Just so you could claim the High King's throne?" Elenwen spits, attempting to draw attention away from Northwatch Keep. "For someone who claims to love Nords and Skyrim, you are responsible for more death and destruction than anyone else this century."
Torygg lets out a sigh, "And do you have anything to substantiate your claim, Ulfric? As you know, I cannot just force my way into what is essentially an Aldmeri embassy."
Ulfric leans back and folds his arms, "Unless you'd take the word of a well respected and honourable Nord who'd once been their prisoner, no."
"Then we should leave this matter for now, and discuss the real subject I called you all here for... Markarth, Whiterun, Windhelm, Dawnstar, and my own Solitude, all have been affected by these Daedric plots. If the Blood Moon wasn't already ominous enough." he explains.
Jarl Igmund nods, "Were it not for Michael Tahlin, I believe most of Markarth would either be dead or still hiding within Understone Keep... He managed to dispatch a Vampire supposedly wielding Molag Bal's Mace, and an Orc who was using the infamous Volendrung, the bastard tore down Markrath's gate with it..."
"Hmm, do you have confirmation that these artifacts are the original ones?" Savos politely inquires.
Igmund lets out a chuckle, "Well, yeah, Michael left Volendrung stuck in the side of a building on the third floor... It's still there to this day, people are actually calling it a blessing from Talos, despite it being a Daedric Artifact." he says, ignoring the slight glower from Elenwen at the mention of the banned god.
"And the Mace of Molag Bal?" Elenwen asks curiously, and with a greedy gleam in her eye.
Igmund shrugs, "No idea, Michael must've taken it. I'd rather it be in his hands than someone else's anyway, so no harm done."
Torygg crooks a brow, "Hmm? He surely did the same with the Mad God's Wabbajack..." he trails off, unsure of what to think of this news
Balgruuf coughs into his fist, "Years ago, one of my citizens was possessed by Mephala's Ebony Blade, causing a litany of murders around Whiterun. Michael Tahlin eventually visited and uncovered the threat after joining the Companions, unfortunately having to kill the possessed person in the middle of the street... It's then that he revealed to me and my Court Wizard that he possessed an artifact, a book, which was seemingly able to seal away Daedric Artifacts...
I named him Blade-Bearer and gave him the responsibility for it, which seems to have worked as we haven't heard of any other news concerning the blade... It makes sense that he might be collecting these cursed items, but perhaps that's what brought the Daedric Prince's wrath down upon us?"
The new Jarl of Riften decides to chime in at this moment, "Yes, but that still wouldn't explain everything else that has been happening. The destruction of Azura's Shrines? Moon Sickness? Clavicus Vile's change in status to a Patron god of Elsweyr? Plus, Michael didn't seal Volendrung either.
If the Daedric Princes were truly doing this in response to Michael's actions, wouldn't they be targeting him instead of attacking random towns? Indeed, it looks to me like it was he who was hunting them." Brynjolf says, bringing many doubts to those who thought they were actually getting somewhere.
Ulfric nods, "This would match what I saw. Two different people serving under different Daedric Lords fighting one another. One belonging to Boethiah, and the other belonging to Clavicus. Clavicus' slave won, and when they did, they ignored me and my men entirely, claiming the Ebony Mail of Boethiah before disappearing instead of attempting to slaughter us as you might expect."
"So... A war between the Daedric Princes?" Torygg speculates.
"It seems so?" Igmund mutters.
"It isn't completely unheard of, though, I believe the Blood Moon itself holds implications that none of you has mentioned yet." Savos states from the side, having researched the topic when the Blood Moon appeared.
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"And what might that be, Arch-Mage?" Igmund inquires.
"The Blood Moon is deeply connected to Hircine, and only appears when a 'Great Hunt' occurs. I believe the recent incidents weren't just random fights between Daedric servants, but an organised event that each Prince participated in via their Champion." Savos explains.
"Hm, seems plausible," Ulfric mutters while cupping his chin his thought.
"This still doesn't explain Michael Tahlin's relationship to it, if you were correct in your assumption then Michael himself may be one of these 'Champions'" Torygg says.
Elenwen perks up at this, seeing an opportunity to change the tone of the discussion, "It's likely, especially with his recent actions. The arrival of those 'Eredar' and the Moon Sickness are too close together to be coincidental. He's probably the one behind all of this if I had to guess."
"Of course you'd think that, you've only spent this entire meeting trying to get him executed or declared a criminal. All while sweeping your own crimes under the table ." Ulfric sourly retorts, despite the reasonability contained in the Altmer's words.
"Be that as it is, Ulfric, we must consider everything... If Michael does have a hand in this, we may be in more danger than I first thought. Never before has someone possessed so many Daedric Artifacts at one time... If he triumphs in this 'hunt', then wouldn't he possess even more artifacts?"
...
The thought of Michael turning out to be some evil mastermind was a terrifying one, especially with how much influence he'd gathered during his relatively short time in Skyrim. Not to mention the Eredar that might just serve as his personal army. Small in number they might be, but word of their talent has already spread far and wide.
Dengeir, Jarl of Falkreath shakes his head, "If Michael is a traitor then you might'as well string up everyone in this room. That boy has done nothing but help the people of Skyrim, unlike the elf-bitch who's lording over us and even our gods damned High King!"
Brynjolf nods, "I'm with you on that, Jarl Dengeir. The law of the land is to be innocent until proven guilty, all we have now are speculations, theories, and the insistence of a rather biased foreign dignitary."
Torygg lets out a sigh, "I'm not claiming to know if Michael is at fault or not. Only that the potential chaos that it might cause should be discussed. Solitude owes him, but even so, we must plan for the worst."
Igmund sniffs in disdain, "Forgive me High King, but if that's the case, shouldn't we prepare for yourself being responsible for all of this then? What if you are the one who's been subverted by Daedric influence?"
Igrod glares at him, "That sounds an awful lot like treason, Igmund, I'd warn you to watch your mouth."
Igmund shakes his head and ignores the hag, "Without just and proper evidence, any accusations can be made, whether they be true, false, ridiculous, or completely impossible. My statement just now is almost as plausible as the one you've levied towards Michael Tahlin. Divines, we could even speculate on the Emperor being the Prince of Destruction's thrall!"
Sybille, who'd been watching all of this with crossed arms speaks up, "Jarl Igmund, it seems that your gratitude towards Michael Tahlin has fogged your mind. The Emperor being a Daedra's thrall and Michael potentially being involved in this mess are nowhere near similar. I am fond of the boy despite the short time I've known him, but we must set emotions aside and let reason prevail."
Savos keeps quiet at the side, deciding to not illuminate Sybille's status as a Vampire, one of Molag Bal's 'children', to the rest of the room. She might be able to keep that fact hidden via many-layered illusions, but to him, it was clear as day, or should he say night.
"Enough! We're getting nowhere like this. Michael Tahlin is innocent until we find true evidence, even then, we'll have to find him... Does anyone know of his location?" Ulfric says and the people in the room shake their heads.
"I believe his last sighting was during his battle here in Solitude..." Torygg states unsurely before looking at Korir. "He resides in Winterhold, does he not? Has he returned since?"
Jarl Korir shakes his head, "No, High King."
"Then let's leave this matter for now and actually discuss solutions, or ways to prevent this from happening again." Balgruuf pauses, "I believe that the Vigilants of Stendarr could act as the first line of defence, as they had done in Whiterun again a summoned horde of Dremora... They would need more men and gold however, their recent losses weren't light."
Igrod agrees, "The Vigilants have always stood against the Daedra, perhaps we could open temples of Stendarr in each Hold? Conscript people to it for a limited time?"
Brynjolf shakes his head, "That's great in theory, but have you forgotten that there's a war going on?" he asks, looking between Ulfric and Torygg.
Dengeir grouses, "Just make the compromise and kick the fucking Thalmor out of Skyrim! Torygg can continue to rule and we'll be rid of our greatest enemy!" he says, sending a harsh glare at Elenwen who return it with spite.
"That's not how it works, Jarl Dengeir. Remove us from this Province and the Empire will have to take action. The White-Gold Concordat is crystal clear in this case."
Dengeir slams his fists onto the hardwood table and stands, "Fuck that cursed-shight! WE NORDS NEVER AGREED TO IT, AND IF THOSE PANSIES IN CYRODIL THINK WE'LL CONTINUE TAKING IT UP THE ARSE THEY'LL SEE ANOTHER THING FUCKIN' COMING!" he roars, jabbing a furious and accusing finger at the elf.
"Sit down you fool! You're making a scene of yourself! We've already heard this codswallop from the traitor!" Igrod grouses.
Torygg palms his face and lets out a tired sigh, "I believe we should end this session for today. Let our tempers cool... We'll begin again tomorrow at noon." he quickly says, not wanting any fights to break out, especially with the tensions already souring the meeting... Should a fight break people may get hurt, or if one of the rebels ended up maimed or dead, his honour would be called into question.
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