Unearthing Garlas Malatar

Original media : TES Online My late husband's organizational habits were atrocious, but right now I appreciate his tendency to hoard things. He had several dog-eared volumes and a dozen scrolls relating to the Ayleids mixed in with his research on the Dwemer, even a few originals. I almost dismissed them due to Quintus's slovenly nature, but even he wouldn't have overlooked that much material being out of place. There's still a lot to go through, but it seems like the witless bastard actually found something. * * * I never thought I would be grateful for Quintus's abysmal organizational skills, but here we are. Who knows how long these volumes would have sat gathering dust while I focused my efforts on the Dwemer? He was translating correspondence between Ayleid kingdoms during the Alessian Slave Rebellion with the help of an Ayleid language treatise by the late Tjurhane Fyrre. I intend to decipher the source material myself, but from what I can gather the Ayleids were scrambling to respond to the fall of the White-Gold Tower. * * * My translation of the Ayleid scrolls confirms that several of the Ayleid kingdoms at war with their rebelling slaves were concocting a plan to turn the tide back in their favor. There are numerous references to an artifact called the Wrathstone, which the Ayleids believed was their answer. They suspected that the Dwemer had it in their possession. They intended to take it from them, by force, and it seems they failed, but I need to confirm that. * * * I take back everything nice I said about Quintus' mess. I'll die of old age before I find what I need in his collections. If there is a method to this madness, it's lost on me, but he never appeared to have difficulty finding what he was looking for in his squalor. Much as I'd like to never see his face again, I'm going to need that treacherous mind of his. * * * I'll have to keep that necromancer in mind if I ever return to Volenfell. I don't usually trust the Undaunted with delicate matters, but she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. She was more than happy to "reunite" me with my late husband, though it took some convincing to get her to let me keep him. The pneumeria chamber I modified is working better than I hoped. Quintus is locked up tight and I can communicate with him as needed. Unfortunately, I can't shut him up as needed. * * * Quintus spent a week venting before he finally realized that his obstinacy was pointless. He's agreed to help me complete his research on the Wrathstone. Enduring his witless barbs is small price to pay. * * * I made the right decision. Quintus was really on to something. He always did have a head for conspiracy. According to the historical record, the Ayleid attacks on the Dwemer were thwarted and they were ultimately crushed by the Alessians. End of story. But if that was the case, why were the Tharns surveying Ayleid ruins not long after the death of Tjurhane Fyrre, and how did House Tharn convince the Potentate to divert resources to building a remote coastal fort during the middle of the biggest civil war in the Empire's history? Aside from the one right now, of course. * * * I don't know how Quintus got his hands on some of these records, but I'd suspect a few favors from the Thieves Guild were involved. The official story of Fort Mistwatch was that it collapsed and was washed away by unseasonable flooding, but that news comes suspiciously after an object was unearthed under the fort. Details are slim, but by the description it could be the Wrathstone. Did they cover up their discovery? I need to see for myself. They may have left something behind that will put me on the trail.