Nathan shared a curious look with Jack, before listening to Gelebor add nicely. "Before I send you on your way, you'll need the Initiate's Ewer." Gelebor walked away to a chest set beside the shrine statue, allowing Escher to slip in coolly. "Ok. So, we fill this Ewer at each Wayshrine and then pour it all into the basin at the end? Sounds easy enough." Serena rolled her eyes with an unsatisfied groan that made Nathan scowl at her. Why was she being so rude about this?" Gelebor removed the Ewer and walked back up to them, answering openly. "Yes. Once you've located a Wayshrine, there will be a Spectral Prelate tending to it. They will allow you to draw the waters from the shrine's basin as if you've been enlightened. If you have any questions, I suggest you ask them now. This may be the last time we're able to converse. Otherwise, all I can do now is grant you my hopes for a safe journey." Escher accepted the Ewer, looking it over with fascination. Jack moved closer to Gelebor then, gently questioning aloud. "I have one, but it is a bit off topic. So, forgive me but... I'm guessing as a Snow Elf; you are the only one really able to answer this. Who were your people?"

Gelebor crossed his arms in a way that was more like hugging himself, before he said casually. "My people were once a wealthy and prosperous society that occupied a portion of Skyrim. Unfortunately, we were constantly at war with the Nords who claimed the land as their ancestral home." Serana huffed, interjecting bluntly. "It appears the Nords won." Escher turned with a heated expression, but Nathan put a hand out to block his view of her. When Escher looked away, Nate brushed his hand over his cheek to comfort him. Gelebor shifted on his feet, answering in a disheartened tone. "In a manner of speaking. We had an uneasy alliance with the underground-dwelling Dwarves, and when faced with extinction we turned to them for help. Surprisingly, they agreed to protect us but demanded a terrible price... the blinding of our race." Nathan winced at the thought, watching Jack lower his eyes sympathetically. Escher moved closer to Nathan, leaning on him like he didn't want to know or remember the rest. Mark shrugged, asking curiously. "Everyone couldn't have possibly agreed to that."

Gelebor shrugged his shoulders just a bit, telling him grimly. "There were splinter groups that resisted the agreement, and even some that sought alternative alliances. But when it was all said and done, those elves were either slaughtered, vanished or gave up and took the dwarves' bargain. Although... it is possible that some Nords hide them, if a half-breed like you exists." Nathan gave him a small smirk, but his wording left a sour taste in his mouth. Jack's expression turned thoughtful, upon asking. "What turned your people into the Fal-, I mean... The Betrayed?" Nathan and Escher both perked up to listen more closely. Gelebor inhaled deeply, then exhaled out clearly. "I've often asked myself that very same question. The blinding of my race was supposedly accomplished with a toxin. Certainly not enough to devolve them into the sad and twisted beings they've become." Nathan slowly turned to face Jack, uttering out distantly. "You know now that I think about... There was this student in the College. They were reaching a place called Lost Echo Cave. Something to do with the Glowing Mushrooms causing blindness."

Gelebor straightened up, softly cutting in. "I was thinking Chaurus poison... but that... that makes sense." Jack shifted on his feet, informing Nathan seriously. "When we finish with all this. Remind me of that. I want to go looking into that." Nathan raised an eyebrow, but Mark chuckled out. "He's been researching Dwemer stuff lately. Ever since our own little adventures into the ruins." Jack stuck his tongue out at Mark, but blushed. Serena broke the playful mood by stating a little suspiciously. "Why weren't the Snow Elves here affected by this racial blindness?" Gelebor met her eyes, answering confidently. "The Chantry is quite isolated. So, it took some time for word of the dwarves' offer to reach us here. By the time the compact had been completed, it was too late for us to even attempt to intervene." Mark moved closer to the basin, commenting lightly over his shoulder. "Is that why you have retained your sight?" Gelebor nodded, answering promptly. "Correct. We only numbered perhaps a hundred at the time. So, our presence remained a secret to the Dwarves and the Nords. Ironically... our undoing came at the hands of our own people. I guess it is a form of poetic injustice... For the former race to be done in by its sad and twisted variation."

Taking a slow breath, Gelebor looked to Escher and Nathan before adding a bit lighter in his grim voice. "Although, it is a comfort to know that bits of my people still remain out there somewhere. No matter how small those bits may be. It's uplifting to know that we may not truly be the last of our race..." Serana groaned, pushing off the wall to impatiently ask. "Well, the history lesson has been nice. But we don't really have time for this. My father could be on his way here, remember? Let's get this over with before he sweeps through this place. Shall we?" Mark looked her over with guarded eyes but told the others in a much nicer tone. "I hate to agree. But we don't know how long these Wayshrines will take us to do. We should get moving." Serena nodded, gesturing to Mark as she added. "Exactly. What he said. Let's go." Escher and Nathan moved closer to the basin, but Jack stated aloud. "Just a minute. One more thing." Turning to Gelebor, Jack rushed out. "Who are the Spectral Prelates you mentioned before? Are they guarding the Wayshrines?" Gelebor shook his head, answering calmly. "No. They're ghosts of the Snow Elf Priests that tended the Wayshrines before being slaughtered by the Betrayed when they came through."

Gelebor smiled with some relief when he added just as calmly. "Through the grace of Auri-El, they were restored to a spectral form to enable them to continue their duties." Jack gave him a thumbs up, starting to head back toward the basin as he said mostly to himself. "Good, they should be able to help us." Gelebor rushed up to the entry way of the wayshrine, telling them quickly. "No. I'm afraid in their current form, they still believe the Chantry to be an active center of worship. They won't respond to you in any way other than believing that you're an initiate and you're undertaking the journey to the Inner Sanctum." Serana rolled her eyes, mumbling out. "Great..." Gelebor placed a hand on the wall, giving them all one last hopeful look as he told them. "You first must go to the end of Darkfall Passage. A cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment. May Auri-El light your path. Good luck." Nathan and Jack nodded in acknowledgement to him. Everyone then peered into the empty basin with a confused look, until Escher held the Ewer over it. The Ewer glowed briefly, before the far wall of the shrine shimmered from solid rock into a portal.

Mark glanced at Jack, then stepped through the portal first. Serena rushed after him and then Jack. Escher gestured for Nathan to go next, telling him coolly. "The Ewer should go in last. Just in case it seals the portal behind us." Nate nodded, squeezing Escher's hand before stepping through. Stepping through made Nate shiver from the tingling sensation. The magic at work here was nothing like he'd ever felt. It was old and powerful. The spells that made this place had years to settle in. The other side of the portal brought him into a dark cave that was being lit up by the strangest plant that Nathan had ever seen. Jack kneeled down, slowly reaching out of the little glowing bulb that rested on a dark husk. However, as his hand drew near, the bulb treated into the husk, resulting in the tunnel darkening. Yet, as he pulled his hand back, the bulb sprouted out to illuminate the cave once more. Chuckling to himself, Jack told the others. "That's so cool. It must sense heat. Seems docile. Perhaps a bug eater? Like an older breed of fly trap?" Mark grabbed Jack's arm, pulling him carefully away from it as he said nervously. "Don't get too close. Just in case."

Jack kissed Mark's cheek with a smile, then blushed when he saw Nathan had caught him. Nathan lowered his eyes, quickly taking the lead as he announced. "Stay close and follow me. Who knows what we will find in here." Walking up a bit farther along the tunnel, Nathan slowed to a stop as he came upon an open cocoon. Touching it with the tips of his fingers, he grimaced. It had the silky and slimy texture of something an insect might build. Mark pushed past the others to sniff the air, then informed the others defensively as he withdrew his sword. "Chaurus Hunter. A winged bastard with a wasp tail and mantis arms. We've run into them before. If you get the chance, kill them before they burst out. They are aggressive and a bitch to kill." Escher rolled his eyes, chuckling out. "It's fast. But we're faster." Mark glared at him, shooting back. "They spit poison too. Vampire or not. If it gets into your system, it will paralyze you. From there, all it would take is one sting to burn through your nerve endings like acid. You wanna feel that?" Escher shivered, shaking his head as he withdrew his rapier.

The path was pretty linier through the dark tunnel. They crept slowly through the tunnel keeping an eye out for any danger, when Nathan's keen sight saw moment in the distance. Lifting a hand, he whispered for the others to stay back and crept closer. In the opening head, there were tents built from bug skin and bones. His heart sank as he saw the large group of Falmer eating and working with strange concoctions that they applied to their weapons. That wasn't all though. Crawling across the ground were large Chaurus that were feasting on pieces of meat tossed to them by the Falmer. While buzzing around over the tents were Chaurus Hunters. Easing back down to the others, he exhaled and informed them what he had seen. Crouching with them, they formed a plan of attack. Jack and Nathan conjured their bows and using his invisibility spell, they ventured out to shoot the Chaurus Hunters. Meanwhile, right behind them, the others moved in silently to dispatch the Falmer one at a time as they searched who had shot their pets. The plan had worked, and they made quick work of them to Nathan's surprise. None of them had gotten poisoned.

Nathan liked that most of them were seasoned fighters. Checking around the camp to make sure they had gotten them all, Nathan stood before the largest tent. When Mark joined him, Nate pointed to the large carcass of a Chaurus with long legs, telling him uneasily. "I really hope that we don't run into one of those. Look at the size of it. It's as big as Tiidgein!" Mark snorted, tapped his blade on the long nose of it as he said playfully. "Never seen one that big. The carcass smells old. A few hundred years at least. I doubt there is enough food here to feed something this big anymore." Nathan locked eyes with Mark, mumbling out stiffly. "Ya? Where did the Falmer get all that meat then?" Mark smirked at him, walking away without answering him. Rubbing his arms, Nathan beckoned to the others to keep them moving. The deeper they went the more evidence they found of Falmer and Chaurus insects. There were even traps designed to capture humans that became more and more frequent. Nathan disarmed most of them, but others were easily avoided by just not opening suspicious chests laid out in the open.

Nathan stepped over a Elven sword and then a skeleton before realizing that he'd hit a dead end. While just behind him, Serena pointed to the wall neck to him and said aloud. "Pull chains. Be careful. Whatever's on the other side of this, the Falmer wanted to keep there." Escher crouched to look over the skeleton's tattered clothing, muttering out to her bluntly. "The Falmer didn't build this place. The Snow Elves did. The Falmer just... have swarmed it now." Mark nudged the skeleton's foot, cutting in curiously. "That's not a Snow Elf. I recognize the smell. This is a High Elf. A Thalmor. These weapons aren't that old and branded by a blacksmith that armors the Thalmor." Escher removed a piece of paper and handed it off to Jack absently. Jack unfolded the paper, asking Mark curiously. "You think this is part of the group that Gelebor sent in here?" Mark cleared his throat, answering reluctantly. "One of them. The rest were probably... eaten." Nathan closed his eyes as what Mark hinted at earlier finally clicked with him. The Falmer were eating the last adventurers to come through here. That was why there was so much meat.

Shaking his head, he huffed out in disappointment. "I didn't even think about that..." Mark patted his shoulder in comfort. Jack then began to read aloud from the paper. "Strange why the cursed have set up so many traps near this stone barrier. Going to rest for a bit, not take any chances. They set up these traps for a reason and I'm not about to go rushing in to find out why. Just going to sit here, regain my strength and possibly try and use the traps to my advantage..." Folding the paper back up, Jack told them softly. "The way he wrote this... Sounds like he was dying from poison and didn't know it." Nathan anxiously stepped away from the walls, telling everyone cautiously. "Be careful. Even a scratch can turn lethal." Smirking, Mark gestured to the two dark ropes hanging from the wall and teased out. "Well, you're a vampire. What's a little poison to you? Wanna pull the rope for us?" Nathan flicked Mark off with a smirk, retorting playfully in return. "And you're a werewolf. Give it a good tug like a good boy."

Serena groaned, muttering out as she wedged between them to pull a rope. "Oh, for goodness sake. Let's just hurry this along." The second she pulled the rope; everyone froze as the tunnel filled with soft clicking and the scrapping of nooks opening. To Be Continued...