Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

48 2. THE ELDER SCROLLS CHAPTER 2: DAGGERFALL
LHEBAN: Good, good - can't trust those Mages, you know ... old fossils would turn their own
mothers into sludge-toads, just for a bit of gold! Gold-mad, power-mad, Mad-mad, the whole
rotten lot of them! But then they don't have mothers!
RAIC: Excellent. Seems to me, friend -- or, can we call you partner? Yes? Excellent. Seems
tome, partner, that my brother priests and you should do some digging and poking around -
see if we can get to those veins, those deposits, eh!
ADVENTURER: Yes indeed, partners! But it would cost a fair pile of gold to get up there --
weapons, spells, women, clothing, carts and horses, women, food, potions ... Best go wellprepared,
up there.
LHEBAN: No problem, partner. Our Temples have ... certain resources, such that if we were
guaranteed ... sole access, sole knowledge of the location, then we could finance someone ...
someone with the requisite skills, such as yourself? Just by happenstance, I am Keeper of the
Books ... you see the opportunity?
ADVENTURER: Oh yes! Oh yes! Well -- lets split a last bottle, and shake on an agreement?
LHEBAN: Indeed, let us! We first need information -- who knows about the site up there,
where it is, how to reach it ... Why don't we meet back here in, say, a week, to the hour. And
see what we can learn, meanwhile?
RAIC: We need to find a merchant, too. Someone who can handle it for us ... warehouses,
distribution ...
LHEBAN: And keep a shut mouth!
ADVENTURER: I'll make some inquiries about merchants ... got a contact or two ... Trouble
is -- well, you know how these things go -- few golds here, few there, before you know it
you've bribed half the town, or so it seems. Now, as luck would have it, I don't have much --
got swindled by a wretched Mage, some town south of here, and lost most of my belongings
in a shipwreck ...
LHEBAN: Ah Yes! You need some ... seed money as it were.
RAIC: (To Lheban) Let me lift old Stete's purse, he made a lot renting out his sister last week
...
LHEBAN: Thank you, Raic. Here, about 100 gold -- enough ?
ADVENTURER: Oh yes, more than enough for a start, Gentlemen. Good, good, good ... so
we have a deal?
ADVENTURER: Yes! It's agreed. One week!
(Exit Lheban, Raic dragging Stete) (Exit the Adventurer)
(Enter Epilogue)