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One of the more villainous and unsavory bits of Audva’s history is her involvement with numerous Daedric powers. She made no effort to hide items such as the Mace of Molag Bal and Mehrune’s Razor, but what other favors was she given by those demons? Who else did she work for?

A curious morsel which many find disturbing is the allegation that she engaged in cannibalism at the request of Namira. Many witnessed her licking blood off of her weapons, and at least one of her traveling cohorts (who wished to remain anonymous) claimed to have caught her eating the entrails of a fallen Thalmor. Jordis the Sword Maiden wrote a strange passage which contributes to this myth : “She eagerly devours her opponents, first in soul, then in body.” However Argis the Bulwark, who briefly served as a housecarl and shield man for her, told me, “Yeah she licked the blood off her mace, but only when the enemy was watching. Demoralization - that’s what it was about. And no, I never saw her eating anyone. That’s disgusting, and I think people around here (Markarth) just made that story up or embellished some of that blood-licking because they hate her.

“What she did do is drink. Heavily. At least every time she was in Markarth. I don’t think she was like that in other cities, but whenever she showed up at Vlindrel Hall, Jordis was usually helping her walk. She’d be invoking the name of Sangine too, which made me think it was all a ritual to him, except that one night after Audva had gone to sleep, Jordis came out and sat with me a while. She told me that Audva had a lot to deal with, being the head of so many different groups, and that she was an exile among her own people. My impression was that something about The Reach just drove her to drink every time she was here. I didn’t ask about Sanguine. I was just a housecarl at the time, and when it comes to the Daedra, I’d rather not know.”

Being that Malacath is the Daedric Prince of the exiled, it’s no wonder that Audva quickly took to him and used Volendrung in battle more than a few times. Several who fought beside her in those battles noted that she often opened by saying, “Greetings from Malacath,” though she didn’t utter a similar phrase when using Molag Bal’s mace or Meridia’s blade.

There are numerous accounts of Audva’s use of equipment from Oblivion, as Aela once described that she used “blades whose edge was without equal, and armors of impossible strength, but they were all were pulled from some other, unholy place.” This is obviously a reference to the Daedric weaponry she used and equipped her allies with. Though Audva herself preferred lighter armors, she was fond of equipping those around her with these items. The exception of course was her wife Jordis, who used Daedric weapons but was always seen in the finest ebony armor, though it is unknown why this was the case.

“I’m Head of Conjuration Studies,” Brelyna Maryon said to me, “and even I’m not fully certain of how she got those things. I know some say that she had a deal with the Daedra, that she’d send something to Oblivion in trade, but I’m not sure how she made that deal or how she’d enact the trade. Opening a way into Oblivion isn’t exactly easy. There’s also a place where I know certain items could be forged, and I’ve heard rumor that more powerful mages could create incredible things, but to craft Daedric weapons and armor? Seems like that would take extremely rare materials and impossible skill, something rivalling Shalidor himself! No, my honest opinion is that she set up an exchange with one of the many Daedric Princes.”

Scholars claim, and quite correctly I think, that she served these many Daedric Lords because she wanted power. As an exile, she had few places to turn for an advantage, and as is evidenced by her first return to The Reach, she was not above working for vile entities such as Molag Bal. With few other options for survival, it’s no wonder that she turned to these taboo creatures so soon after her exile. Then, as one prince gave her an edge, she obviously realized that others would offer similar gifts, and thus never stopped.

The only notable exception to this is Azura, whose star she “corrupted” after retrieval so that it would only capture the souls of Elves and men. While she wouldn’t say it directly, I believe this was the reason Brelyna Maryon refused to continue traveling with Audva - the Dunmer tend to revere Azura, and twisting the artifact was likely offensive to Brelyna. However, I’ve spoken with at least two other followers of Azura who told me that Azura planned it all, and that it was not a “corruption” of the star at all. More research into that subject is certainly warranted, and would potentially be an entire study unto itself. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that many view this as a risky incidence of treachery on Audva’s part.

Continued in Part 12 : http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/imageshare/image.php?id=51186