Day 140: What to do?

I have learned that keeping my journal keeps me calm. It focuses my thoughts. Reminds me of things I may have otherwise forgotten. It is a practice, and a habit. Tonight I can barely bring pen to paper, but I have no idea how else to carry on.

I woke this morning well rested, in the chamber of the vanquished wizard Anirne. My store of magica was renewed, I was well, and armed with a staff that would allow me to claim my place among the elite of the mage's guild. It could easily have been a perfect day. I ignored any possible loot that may have lay with other denizens of the cavern of Sud and cast my recall spell. Even before I returned to Ranis in Balmora to raise my staff and be declared a wizard I wanted to share my triumph with Ahnassi.

Her beautiful eyes, with the slitted pupils of a cat, flew wide as I spoke of my perilous battles to claim the staff. She is funny. She hissed with outrage as I described the ambush in the wizard's outer chamber, but her own styles of combat are all centered in stealth and surprise. She is a Khajiit, and a talented thief.

We had Mebestian Ence in for lunch. He is the local trader and my connection to the unseemly world of the smugglers of Dwemer artifacts. He gave me a suggestion about who I could talk to regarding indexes for the powerful propylons of the ancient Dunmer fortresses. They are rare. I left Pelagiad with a cryptic note from Mebestian to a pawnbroker in Caldera. The note was meaninglessly innocuous to the casual eye, but would introduce me to Irgola as a trustworthy friend. Ahnassi clapped her hands and purred at the thought of seeing such a unique item.

I teleported myself to Balmora and walked proudly down the thoroughfare, the great ebon staff of a wizard thumping against the cobbles with each stride. Edwinna has made at least one trip to Tel Fyr. The survival of a Dwemer has been reported to the headquarters of the guild in the distant Imperial capital. Messages from Trebonius have been received; messages demanding my whereabouts. Ranis reported that I was headed to Sheogorad on a quest for a staff; the truth, nothing more, nothing less. Edwinna has reported that I am waiting for some mysterious translation project to be completed, but she does not know where I am. Skink has reported that I am on a mission for him; to slay a necromancer. After I left Ranis sent word to Trebonius that I would be answering his summons as soon as I picked up some translations. Again the truth, though now I do not know when I will be traveling to Gnissis.

I used the guild teleporting system to travel to Caldera. Irgola was very helpful once he had read the note from Mebestian. He actually had an index in his possession. For a large number of septims he became even more helpful and sold it to me. I turned the metal object over in my hands. It is familiar. I have seen similar objects before, most recently in Tel Fyr. I do not know the symbols, but nowhere on this index are there the symbols I associate with Falasmaryon or Valenvaryon. Neither of the fortresses I am familiar with appears to be the target for whatever propylon this index activates.

I cast my recall spell again in the late afternoon, planning to take Ahnassi to the Halfway Tavern for a celebratory evening of dinner and dance. I appeared in the hallway with the index in my hand, ready to show her. She was not downstairs. I charged up the steps calling joyfully "Look kitten! Look what I got!" She was not upstairs either. There was a note on the table, much to my surprise. Although I have seen her manipulate a lock pick with a delicacy that defies all logic, she claims that 'Khajiiti hands are not made for holding pens'. I picked up the paper. It containes two lines of neat text.

"We have the girl. She will not like Mournhold."