Queen of the Putrescine

My Dearest Kousei,

I do hope everything's all right on your side. It was really kind of you to tell me that I should attend to the request of Jarl Elisif's steward as soon as I got his summons. Prior to that, I was unable to tell you about how I foiled an attempt to resurrect Potema of Solitude (better known by her epithet "The Wolf Queen") in Wolfskull Cave. I had thought the affair was done and over with, but apparently I was wrong.

Did I forget to clean up something?

As soon as I arrived in the Blue Palace, Falk Firebeard requested me to see the Priest of Arkay, Styrr. The old man would be able to explain the matter better, he said. Turns out the shade that was Queen Potema had retreated to some catacombs in the underbelly of Solitude and was causing havoc. Her remains still carried her willful consciousness, and it'd have to be cleansed of her influence if she were to be stopped once and for all.

So I'll have to drag Potema's rotting remains to the Temple of Arkay.

What I know about the Wolf Queen was mostly from books, and amazingly, the Daedric Prince Sheogorath (after all, it was the mind of her son that I had to "cleanse" several letters ago). I guess I have faced much worse enemies before, but I sincerely hoped that the histories were overstating the extent of Queen Potema's debaucheries. Alas, the Wolf Queen was as dangerous to deal with in death as she was in life. There was a different gravity to her voice (a huge difference from our encounter in Wolfskull Cave), and she used it to taunt me every once in a while as I traversed her catacombs...

Thanks, but no thanks.

...catacombs which were filled with traps unlike others I have seen. Potema was a master of Necromancy, as evidenced by the hordes of draugr and vampires -- the first vampires I've seen since we laid waste to Castle Volkihar -- patrolling her halls. But what struck me most were these devious rotating doors. It takes some timing to get them to stop at the right position, and only the Wolf Queen could have conceived of them.

Think you can handle one?

How about three?

Massacre of the undead.

Potema greeted me in one of the last chambers of her hideaway, and I beheld the same swirling mass of light and energy she had taken in Wolfskull Cave. Not yet fully resurrected, indeed. It was the resting place of her "Inner Council," and I had to force my way past them to get to her.

Blue fire against red.

I was unable to get a proper illumination of the fight with Potema's Inner Council due to the need for concentration. Her "Inner Council" was really just a collection of draugr, but there were waves and waves of them. Potema would resurrect some of the downed undead to fight me even more, and she occasionally lashed down with what looked like lightning. The battle was further compounded by the eerie glow cast by the Wolf Queen's consciousness. It was quite difficult to make out your enemies' positions if all you can see was a blinding shade of blue.

Even in phantom form, you are skeletal.

I was beginning to wonder if Potema will ever stop resurrecting the draugr, but thankfully, I can cast more Destruction spells than she could resurrect their rotting hides. I finally got to face the Wolf Queen herself (her remains, rather), and it was her spells against mine. Nonetheless, I have to thank you for giving me a hand with my bladework, Kousei. Queen Potema's magic was not to be underestimated. I crossed blades with the phantom queen before she fell, at long last.

Did you glue that circlet to your skull in death or in life?

I had to pause to regain my breath before I snatched the Wolf Queen's skull from her throne and went on my way. It was still cloaked by her malevolent aura. I knew I had to get it cleansed as soon as I can, or I might end up becoming the new Wolf Queen in mind, if not in name.

You were guilty of inaction before I came around.

How relieved I was when Styrr took the skull from me! As he put Arkay's influence into the remains, he casually remarked that if Potema had been successfully resurrected, she would no doubt and by rights be Empress. I stopped in surprise; I had not even considered that. I only know too well about the criticisms aimed at the current Mede Dynasty, and how their glories pale against those of the preceding Septim rulers. However, I pushed the thought out of my mind at once. Attempting to bring back the Septim Dynasty by putting a resurrected Potema on the Imperial Throne will do more harm than good.

Food for thought, from Falk Firebeard.

Falk was grateful for my efforts, and he shared my thoughts about Queen Potema in the War. I had to smile. Like so many countless others, I often wish that the War had never started at all. But then again, that is wishful thinking, because its roots run deep into history -- far more than anyone can control. We may lament every now and then about the mistakes of the past, but what was done was done. Perhaps it's not so much about bringing back the glory days, but rather, about making most of our limited lifetimes. In the end, we can only hope that we will not make the same mistakes that they did.

With Love,

Kiya