Turdas, 2nd First Seed, 4E 205. Letter to Tolfdir, Master Mage of the College of Winterhold.

Master Mage Tolfdir,

I hereby permanently resign from the position of Arch-Mage of the College and ask you to once again take up that position. Things should be easier now that we are not exchanging the position constantly.

The duty of the College to protect and serve the descendants of Morgan of Winterhold is an eternal commitment and does not change due to Milady Rigmor’s elevated position. As a matter of fact it has become even more essential we have the presence of skilled practitioners of Magicka present at all times.

Malesam and his daughter Cerys did an admirable job of looking after Her Highness during the years I was undertaking my duties for The Divine in Skyrim and Solstheim.

Moving forward, Cerys’ duties will be more along the lines of Lady in Waiting. Malesam will be retained for his legal and political knowledge but he is no mage. I also have concerns about his allegiance to Boethiah becoming more of an issue after recent events of which you will soon learn.

I therefore request you ask amongst your most capable young mages who would be interested in taking up the duty of, ‘Protector’ to Her Highness. I request two volunteers and they would be lifelong appointments based in Bruma but also requiring extensive travel as well as considerable time in the Imperial City.

Later the positions may be recognised as Court Mages but I have yet to figure out all that protocol stuff.

Please make the work on the teleport currently in the Arch-Mage quarters a priority. If we can improve the apparatus then one in Castle Bruma and well as the Imperial Palace would allow swift transport of College mages in an emergency as well as providing a quick means of escape if our security is compromised.

I intend to address the existence of the Synod. I plan the following and would like you and the other Master Mages to discuss and return your thoughts.

• The Synod is to be disbanded.
• The College of Winterhold will become similar in power to the former Mages Guild.
• Synod members who wish to join the College will be assessed by you and the other senior mages and rank awarded on merit. For instance, Yvonne Bien would most certainly be of Master Mage rank in Enchantment.
• Synod members who wish to join cannot expect their old ranks to influence their new ranks. For instance, members of the Grand Council, including the Attendant and First Adjunct, will receive rank according to their skills in Magicka, not paper shuffling.
• The College will receive the funds currently paid to the Synod.
• The disbanding of The Synod will require stealth to ensure all of the artefacts they acquired from the old Mages Guild and in Imperial funded expeditions since do not vanish into private collections. They are to be held and studied by mages who wish to share, not accumulate and horde, the lost knowledge of Magicka.
• A list of known and suspected artefacts in Synod hands is to be made.
• A new command structure for the College to be discussed and options presented to me. The Grand Council of the Synod is a good starting point.
• All Synod holdings will become the property of The Empire and the College can utilise what they need.

I will emphasis again how important it is these discussions on the fate of the Synod be kept in the greatest secrecy.

Any approach by the College of Whispers, Wizard Lords of House Telvanni or Psijic Order to merge or co-operate will be subject to royal approval. This will be a necessity for the ongoing security of the Empire.

Lastly I would like feedback on the possible uses to be made of old Mage Guild properties dotted around Tamriel. For instance the premise in Bruma lays empty and I believe Mages can provide services in conjunction with Temples to aid the diseased and injured without a financial burden. Removal of skeever and spider infestations and other such inconveniences should be a free service and not subject to exorbitant fees like those imposed by the parasites called The Companions.

I am not showing favouritism to the College out of nostalgia or personal bias. The Art of Magicka has suffered terribly due to selfish hording of knowledge and lack of single purpose. I hope to reverse this slide and aid the people of Tamriel via rediscovered and newly discovered Magicka. A pursuit worth sacrificing for as the Augur of Dunlain will tell you.

I also envisage a more co-operative future for the Temple and Mage.

Wulf Septim, Emperor of Tamriel.

Loredas, 4^th First Seed, 4E 205. Reply from Arch-Mage Toldfir, College of Winterhold.

Your Majesty,

News of the events at Table Mountain are starting to filter though the gossip lines. I am sure you will enlighten us with the true story when you can.

I know you went to Cyrodiil at the request of The Divine and to aid Queen Rigmor but nobody senior within the College was really surprised you both ended up as Tamriel’s rulers. The evil of your predecessors was legendary and had to be expunged for the sake of the Empire.

I understand why you wanted to accomplish the removal of Morag and end of the Cyrodiil political wars with minimal involvement of Skyrim assets. You wished to concentrate on Table Mountain first and foremost plus reduce what you always hated, collateral damage.

Absorbing the Synod is feasible as we will essentially be reversing the dissolution of the Mages Guild.

I know you understand it will take some time for us to table a detailed response and plan for the disbanding of the Synod. Urag was already looking for paperwork listing the old Mages Guild assets because of your letter to him. He was virtually salivating at the idea of getting his hands on the manuscripts hoarded by the Synod.

Similarly we have many ideas on how to utilise the old Mages Guild premises that we will also outline to your Majesties in the near future.

We hear so many rumours about your parentage, the involvement of Akaviri and Tsaesci and all sorts of things that the rational minds of Mages find hard to accept. Then those who have read your journals know that much of what is rumour will turn out to be history.

We have two excellent volunteers for the ‘Protector’ positions. Both were wondering what to do with their skills and knowledge and you have provided the solution. Coincidently both started as apprentices the same day as you and were present at Saarthal when you discovered the Eye of Magnus.

First is Brelyna Maryon, a Dunmer from the prestigious House of Telvanni. Now a Master Mage in Conjuration she is also of expert level in all other schools. She is fully dedicated to the College and regards her House Telvanni heritage to be more of a hindrance than a help. I guarantee that her desire to protect Her Majesty is absolute. She is a dedicated follower of Azura.

The second is J’Zargo, a Khajiit and Master Mage in Destruction. He is a very ambitious individual and sees such a position as befitting one of his superior looks and race.  Although of large ego you will find him an honest and committed ‘Protector’. Although most Khajiit are not of the pilfering kind Kharjo sees no harm in pocketing small artefacts to improve his knowledge. He has spent much time cleaning College latrines as a result.

Looking forward to further correspondence and hopefully long discussions on these matters.

Toldfir, Arch-Mage, College of Winterhold.