What You Learn Here Will Last You A Lifetime

- several, if you're talented. Welcome students, scholars and travelers interested in the pursuit of arcane knowledge. I am Savos Aren, Archmage of the College of Winterhold. I am content to see nearly every aspect of magic explored and investigated here. But I will not tolerate any research or experiments that cause purposeful harm to my fellow members of the College. Are we clear? Good. My master wizard normally takes care of the needs of the college and its residents, however, due to an increase in ... rather unfortunate incidents, I have decided to personally deal with certain college business. Still, be sure announce yourself before coming to see me in person. I am quite busy after all. ((Independent ask/rp-blog for Savos Aren from Skyrim.))

[askarchmagearen]

So Savos, if you had to change your age physically and stay that age for the rest of your life, what age would you choose and why?

When the visitor arrives, Savos is sitting in his favourite chair, an open book in his lap. His head is thrown back at a rather uncomfortable looking angle but, if the snoring is anything to go by, he does not seem to care.

It is when the visitor taps him on the shoulder that he jolts up and looks around, confused.

"Oh...oh...Good, er, is it afternoon? I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. The older I get, the more I find myself needing rest."

The visitor then asks their question.

"Hmm," Savos hums, stroking his beard as a deep frown spread across his forehead.

"If I could physically change my age, I'd probably make myself a good ninety—maybe even a hundred—years younger. At that age, I was a full-fledged adult and old enough that my colleagues would not call me green behind the ears. Also I... I think I liked myself the best back then. My hair was longer and fuller and those," he throws his hood back an points at the spots where his hairline has receded slightly, "those weren't as prominent. My beard, in contrast, was much shorter; I've heard people refer to the exact style as 'royale' but I can neither confirm or deny that. It's a beard, as far as I'm concerned, and I dare say it lended me a certain scholarly charme—still does today."

[askarchmagearen]

What’s a smell that brings back pleasant memories? What’s a smell that doesn’t?

Savos is enjoying a steaming cup of tea while leisurely strolling across the ramparts, enjoying the gloomy but snow-free weather when a visitor approaches asking if they could join him. The two talk about trivialities before—prompted by the sweet, cinnamon smell of the tea—the conversation shifts.

"What's a smell that brings back pleasant memories? What’s a smell that doesn’t?" Asks the visitor, curious eyes fixed on the archmage.

Savos frowns and takes a sip of his tea, savouring it and the question at hand. Eventually, he answers:

"Have you ever sniffed on wool? It smells like—oh, how should I explain that—imagine the smell of sheep but much less potent; it's the wax of their skin, you see. Now, add the smells of oils, dyes and dried flowers; of salt, fish and city muck. Doesn't sound too pleasant, does it? But," Savos smiles gently, letting his gaze roam across to the distant remains of Winterhold,"But those were the smells of my childhood."

He empties his cup and for a moment, his expression becomes one of pure bliss.

"Unlike the wonderfully aromatic scent of this tea, the smell of Flin makes me nauseous. When I was a student I…er," he shuffles around, trying to avoid the visitor's eyes.

"Well, there's no other way to put it; I got stupidly hammered while out with some friends. Much of that night is lost to me, but I know that my friends dragged me back to the college after I apparently tried to go for a midnight swim," he chuckles awkwardly, "Needless to say, it resulted in the hangover of a lifetime. To this day, I have to gag whenever I smell Flin."

[askarchmagearen]

Do you ever wish you had siblings? Would you prefer them to be older or younger than you?

Savos is on the way back to his quarters when a group of students passes him by. He smiles at them. It is nice to see the college so alive. To think that there was a time he feared they would have to close its gates for good... Lost in thought, he does not notice the student approaching him until a tug on his sleeve eventually brings him back to reality.

The question catches Savos off guard. How did they even know he was an only child?

"Looking back, it would have been nice to grow up with siblings. The Winterhold of my childhood was a lively city. In the crafters' quarter alone, there were enough children to turn a snowball fight into an all-out snowball war," Savos chuckles but cannot hide the underlying sadness in his tone, a tinge of longing for a different time. "And then there was Hafnar, my best friend; we got into all kinds of trouble—You could say he was the brother I never had.

However, the older I get, the more I lament being an only child. So many lives were lost during the Great Collapse—hardly anyone still remembers the time before. If I had a sibling, then perhaps…" Savos gazes past the student, his eyes wandering across the horizon, searching for something he cannot quite name. Once he realises he has not fully answered the question, he continues speaking, his voice firmer than before.

"As for the age of my hypothetical sibling, in my youth, I would have preferred them to be older. I was not very—how should I put this—mature, I suppose; I wouldn't have been a good older brother. No, I'm afraid Hafnar and I would have dragged my little sibling into all kinds of chaos."

[sheirukitriesfandom]

This originally started as texture practice but well, I got carried away. I'm pretty proud of the result.

Charcoal and pencil hybrid. Please enlarge for better details.

[askarchmagearen]

((Man oh man I’ve neglected this blog for a long time. Thanks to the new followers and all the anons in my inbox; I’ll try to get to your asks in the near future.))

[sheirukitriesfandom]

Entirely useless Savos headcanon before I go to sleep: Savos has a small, barely visible scar on his head (left side). Just a tiny hairless patch that's easily overlooked.

It stems from a laceration caused by an icicle that dropped on his head when he was still an apprentice.

After the wound was healed, the story became an inside joke among Savos' friends, much to his annoyance.

[elavoria]

Archmage Savos Aren. He can have a little smile, as a treat~

[askarchmagearen]

((#2 from the ask game))

Was in the middle of something sweet and wondered about food related stuff

What’s your favorite? What isn’t? What is your go to in terms of comfort food?

The visitor catches Savos just as he has left the Hall of Elements. He is carrying a stack of letters and, judging by the haste in his steps, he seems to be in a hurry.

"Oh, it's you again. I haven't seen you in a while, although I suppose I haven't been particularly sociable either. I don't have much time, but please, join me for a quick chat; we have so much to catch up on."

The visitor mentions recently having tried making sweetrolls. Quickly, the conversation shifts to food, particularly the archmage's eating habits.

"I haven't had sweetrolls in a while. Faralda makes excellent ones but sadly we rarely have the necessary ingredients. Personally, I prefer honey nut treats. Making them takes neither time nor effort and nuts are fairly easy to come by if you aren't picky. And honey," he chuckles.

 "Well, I doubt I could live without honey to sweeten my tea. However, there are also certain ...delicacies I can't stand - to put it mildly. I don't know if nords have a stronger stomach or if I'm just prissy. At any rate, I wouldn't touch fermented slaughterfish with an eight foot pole. Tolfdir has tried to convince me so many times -he says it would be good for my health- but the smell..."

He grimaces.

"That is not to say I don't like fish; I'd be living in the wrong hold if I didn't. In fact, when I was a child, my favourite food was my father's fish soup. Oh, what I'd give for one more spoonful of that," his voice takes on a dreamy if slightly melancholic tone. "But I never asked for the recipe and then the Great Collapse happened and, well, surely you can imagine the rest. I have yet to taste fish soup that comes even remotely close to his. I've experimented but..." he hesitates, staring at the ground. 

"Both Tolfdir and Mirabelle called the results inedible."

The college's main gate is wide open. A courier is waiting outside. When he spots the archmage, he waves to greet him.

"Ah, I'm afraid we are out of time. However, if you wish to continue our little conversation, I'll be at the Frozen Hearth afterwards. I'm feeling rather peckish."

[askarchmagearen]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 26/26 Fandom: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Savos Aren/Original Male Character(s) Characters: Savos Aren, Original Dunmer Character(s) (Elder Scrolls) Additional Tags: Short, Ficlet Collection, Sleep, Sharing a Bed, Fluff, Domestic, Implied Sexual Content, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship Summary:

26 very short ficlets about Rashkan, Savos, and what they do in their bed.

This is the AO3 version of my little ficlet collection. I accidentally shared this here instead of on my main.

[askarchmagearen]

Do you know any secrets or rumours about the students? Let’s hear the best you’ve heard

"I must say that I don't know the students all that well, although I talk to them on occasion. Still, some of my colleagues like to gossip. There are rumours that one of our mages has been sneaking into Winterhold while invisible. Now, just based on gut instinct, I'm sure anyone would suspect J'zargo, the young khajiit with a love for mischief. However, a couple of days ago I had a rather interesting conversation with Drevis Neloren. As it turns out, a certain young nord shows a remarkable talent for illusion magic," Savos answers with a smirk, failing to hide his excitement.

[askarchmagearen]

Savos is sitting at his table enjoying his breakfast: a can of tea, fresh bread and a variety of other delicious looking foodstuffs. This small moment of peace ends abruptly with a knock on the door.

"Mmpf- the door is open," he calls, trying to wolf down the rest of his slice of bread while, at the same time, pulling another chair close using any free limb available. If only he knew telekinesis. 

"Hmm, academically speaking, an absolute highlight was the moment when I summoned and bound my first dremora. I remember I was so nervous that I almost forgot what I was supposed to do. That unbound dremora was standing there, murdering me with his gaze, and I didn't know how to continue. My instructor eventually snapped me out of that daze, but it didn't leave the best of impressions. Nowadays summoning and even binding  a dremora comes naturally to me, but back then…" 

He takes a slice of bread and covers it in a purple jam that vaguely smells of lingonberries.

"Another wonderful moment was that time Hafnar -a childhood friend and fellow apprentice," he explains. "And I won the college's annual snowman building contest. We were a small band of close friends -six to be exact- but over the course of the contest a rivalry developed between us; we would taunt and tease each other all the time, each team claiming to be building the most stunning snowman the college had ever seen. One of those snowmen even turned out to be anything but a snowman,” he chuckles. “It still looked marvellous though. Of course, we also quickly reconciled after the contest. When we went to town to celebrate, we were the best of friends again." 

He smiles and takes a sip of his tea.

"But that was a long time ago." ((I just realised I made this a post instead of answering the ask. Oops ^^;))

[askarchmagearen]

Who is someone that you respect?

When the visitor arrives, Savos is digging through his garden apparently looking for earthworms; a bucket crawling with them is standing next to him.

"Oh hello," he turns to his guest and adds another worm to the bucket. 

"I'm collecting some worms for Tolfdir; he said he wanted to go fishing and the worm population has been getting out of hand anyway." 

He continues digging through the dirt.

"Since the beginning of the Stormcloak rebellion I've lost a great deal of respect for a number of people; it seems they are more eager to judge someone based on their position in this horrible civil war than their virtues or deeds," he grumbles. 

"Still, there are people whom I respect deeply. The most obvious choice being, of course, my loyal Master-Wizard, Mirabelle Ervine. Oh, what would I do without her?" He sighs theatrically. "She's the one keeping the college from falling apart and me sane." 

He pulls another earthworm from the dirt. 

"There are others of course. Urag has been a longtime friend of mine and I find him to be invaluable. He's the keeper of the college's collective knowledge and I could think of no one better suited for the task." 

He collects several more worms and adds them to the bucket.

"And then there's Colette. I know, I know, she can be difficult. But as a fellow healer, I can't respect her enough - especially now with the Civil War ravaging this country. Colette is one of the few mages not scorned by the population of Winterhold, and we can use any sympathy we can get."

[askarchmagearen]

((I don't know why but I really love putting Savos in domestic situations. There's just something so homely about the archmage going about an ordinary day.))

[askarchmagearen]

Hey, Savos... did you ever find your secret admirer? Inquiring minds want to know. 😉

When the door opens Savos is sitting in his chair folding some laundry. Startled, he looks at his visitor.

"You could have knocked, you know." He puts a folded nightshirt aside and picks up a pair of socks. "Sadly, I haven't been able find them, despite Mirabelle's help. There were some candidates among all the visitors that have arrived lately but..." he adds the socks to the nightshirt and picks up something that suspiciously looks like a pair of underpants. When he notices the look on his guest's face, he blushes slightly and adds: "Don't get your hopes up; these are mine. Frankly, I did not have the courage to bring up the loveletter." He puts the underpants away and gets up, a cheeky grin on his lips. "Sorry I could not brighten your day with tantalizing tales of my romantic endeavors."

[sheirukitriesfandom]

Something I've been working on lately.

I don't know why but I always mess up the lightsource halfway through...

Still, I like how this drawing turned out overall.

[askarchmagearen]

((Sent to my main))

"I must say that I don't condone having favourite students; my inner teacher revolts at the thought. Besides, even if I were to choose a favourite, I wouldn't know enough about the different students -Onmund, Brelyna and J'zargo was it?- to form a reasonable opinion. That's the downside of staying out of the college's everyday activities, I don't often get to interact with the students. I will say this though: What I've witnessed of the young khajiit has made me smile the most."

[askarchmagearen]

Would you rather deal with a hoard of sabre cats or a hoard of ice wraiths?

"Oh, that's like choosing between Rockjoint and Ataxia. Still, I've had some... too close for comfort encounters with ice wraiths; their bite is truly something else and without the stoneflesh spell, some of those encounters would have cost me a limb - or several. You see, ice wraith teeth are imbued with frost magic so when they bite, the immediate area around the wound is likely to suffer frostbite. Not to mention that ice wraiths are very nimble creatures -more so than sabre cats-,which makes them harder to hit. So if I really had to choose, I'd prefer the sabre cats."