The Dragonborn

Part 71

Mark flashed Jack a smug grin that Jack rolled his eyes over. Only Mark could get rewarded for bragging. Urag made his way toward an enclosed bookcase behind him, removing a key on a brown cord from around his thick neck. Urag unlocked the bookcase with great care, scanning his eyes over the spines as he grumbled out over his shoulder. "Don't get your hopes up. It's mostly lies, leavened with rumor and conjecture. No one has seen a Scroll for thousands of years." Jack shrugged carelessly, telling Urag with a hopeful air. "Anything you have that could help is better than nothing." Urag let out a deep throated chuckle, pulling two books from the shelves and strolling back to his desk. Urag locked eyes with Jack, gently setting the books down as he stated out in a dry sarcastic tone. "Than you weren't listening to me. You're wasting your time." 

Urag slid the books toward Jack, adding in only a little softer. "Here you go. Try not to spill anything on them." Jack's hopes deflated. Urag knew how to dash peoples hopes. Urag walked away to lock the book shelf back up and Jack pulled the books off the desk. Carrying them to one of the round tables in the center of the room. Mark stood next to him as Jack opened the first book, asking with sudden distain. "Jack... Tell me you can magically scan the whole book, right?" Jack turned to the first page of a chapter, sighing heavily as he answered in a low voice. "I'm afraid not. I'll try to be quick." Mark groaned loudly and wondered off, grumbling out. "This is going to take forever." Jack started to read the first book called, 'Effects Of The Elder Scrolls'. The book followed a Justinius Poluhnius as he accounted the details of his research on the ailments those that read the Elder Scrolls endured. He found that depending on the strength of a persons mind, dictated what an Elder Scroll would reveal and do to them as a 'cost' for reading that revealed knowledge. The subjects all appeared to draw strange symbols after their readings and would be struck blind. There were even cases of the Elder Scroll readings turning the subject completely mad.

The one major break through he discovered was that of a monastery that devoted their time in eternal meditation in the hopes of translating the many mysteries of the Elder Scrolls. This cult of the Ancestor Moth priests were the only ones that could read the Scrolls with minor cost done to them. Although, reading too much would still produce the same effects. Jack finished the book, rubbing his temples. All that and he learned hardly anything about them. Certainly, not where to find one. Closing the book, Mark rushed to his side, asking hopefully. "Well? Can we go now?" Jack handed the book to Mark, answering in a grim voice. "No... Give that back to him. It only spoke of Moth priests." Mark rolled his eyes, strolling back to Urag to give him the book. Jack pulled the next book toward him. A book called 'Ruminations Of The Elder Scrolls'.

Jack opened it up to the first page and started to read. It was hard to really focus though with Mark pacing the library. It wasn't until Mark finally settled down and started to nap on the other side of his table, that he finally stopped reading the same sentence over and over. The more Jack read, the more curious he became of the author. While the other book had been old with faded pages... This book was almost entirely new. Jack carefully read the book, but it was full of what seemed to be mindless metaphors. Like those people trying to discover if the chicken came before the egg... This book was filled with endless written chatter on whether the Scrolls came before time or after. Along with what purpose the Scrolls have on earth if they are of time itself. They contained all knowledge that no single person could read all of in their lifetime. Not even the dragons themselves. Eventually, Jack had to slam the book shut to keep from going mad.

It would take years to sort out the crazed writings of a madman. Climbing out of his chair, he took the book back to Urag, asking slightly annoyed. "This 'Ruminations' book is incomprehensible." Urag closed the book he had been reading and smugly rumbled out in a pleasantly gruff voice. "Aye, That's the work of Septimus Signus. He's the world's master of the nature of Elder Scrolls, but... well. He's been gone for a long while. Too long." Jack set the book on the desk, grimly uttering out. "He's dead then?" Urag placed his hand to the book to slide it closer to himself, stating aloud bluntly. "Oh no. I hope not. But even I haven't seen him in years, and we were close. He became obsessed with the Dwemer. Took off north saying that he had found some old artifact. Haven't seen him since. He's somewhere in the ice fields, if you want to try to find him."