Words of a Tamrielic Beggar

By Sumalyawe, beggar of Abah's Landing

Paper, quill and ink. Amahad at the bookstore must be the kindest man on Nirn. Thank Auri-El that it was he who caught me sneaking around in the library and not that grumpy little Dunmer, Indrayn. I haven't held a quill in my hand since you passed away, mother. It was you who taught me to write all those years ago. Mother, I would like you to know that I write this in your and father's honour. I wonder if you can see the words that I write here. There aren't any Altmer priests in this city, so I don't have anyone to ask about it. There is only that Redguard priestess Sabileh, and the's a madwoman. I know that you would think it a waste to use such valueable High Rock paper to write about how much I miss you, but I really want you to know how much I do miss you. Especially considering the way that we parted. I haven't been able to leave Hew's Bane after father died in the war, so I've had to make a small hovel for myself here in Abah's Landing. You never liked Abah's Landing, did you mother? You always thought that it was a dirty, cursed backwater that was unfit to be "walked on by any respectable Altmer". I miss the days when you were still healthy enough to speak. You taught me so much of the world, almost everything that I now know about it, in fact. Not that I have much use of that knowledge these days. I may have been born as an Alinori noble, but now I am little more than a beggar, and I get food by stealing from the stalls at night. It's funny how people's lives can change, isn't it? I have earned a bit of gold since the Thalmor confiscated all our family's wealth, though, so don't worry about me. I have almost thirty Drakes to call my own now! I've been afraid to spend them though, because the merchant lords of this city may notice and force me to pay taxes. I think that I'll keep on living a simple beggar life until I have enough gold to go back to Summerset, or maybe Balfiera. It depends of if the Direnni would accept me or not. I heard a Daggerfall Covenant ambassador say that the Direnni are afraid of Dominion spies, and therefore are very careful when it comes to letting people onto their island.

Earning gold goes slowly, however. I don't expect to get away from Hew's Bane until I am at least one-hundred years old. I have considred joining up with the Drowned Dog bandits, but I've seen what the guards do to any bandits that they catch, and I don't want that to happen to me. There is also the Thieves Guild, but I would never be able to pick someone's pocket without being caught. I heard that that's what you need to do to be accepted into the guild. There is also a group of Maormeri pirates who have tried to recruit me, but I would never join any Fish-Elf orgainization (you taught me not to). There is also the "Fellowship of Anchorites" (or Worm Cult as some people call them around here). I don't know too much about them other than that hey worship Molag Bal (who I don't know much about other than that he is some kind of Daedric Prince either). I know that people say that you should not trust the Daedra, but the Fellowship of Anchorites doesn't seem too bad. They even practice necromancy, which I know that you and your Veiled Heritance back on Summerset also dabbled in. They say that Molag Bal will grant me immortality and a happy life in Oblivion if I serve him faithfully, they even said that I might get to meet you and father again. They promised that I would recieve fifty gold coins every month if I joined them. That seemed too good to be true at first, but one of my beggar friends joined them and when I last saw her she said that all of the Fellowship's promises were true. Maybe I will join them, and help them build their "Anchors" (whatever they mean by that). If you are able to, perhaps you could give me a sign of what you think that I should do? I want to get away from Abah's Landing as soon as possible, but I still want to be sure that I'm making the right decisions.

I love you, mother, and one day I will make you and the entire family proud. You can be sure of that.