Jenais Oesis

[Content warnings: some emotional abuse, murder, suicide attempt]

Jenais was born to an Altmer couple living in Falkreath. They were hoping to have a quiet, calm life in the wake of his mother Lilwe fleeing from the Thalmor in Somerset. However, Jenais showed an extreme aptitude for magic from a young age, which set his parents about to fostering that in the hopes he could become a great mage. He was doted on, praised, and given whatever he wanted, so long as he performed to a level his parents found acceptable. This led to him developing quite an ego from a very young age, though it came with the baggage of extreme self-criticism and the need for external validation.

However, things would change when his younger sister, Aureline, came of age and proved to be gifted with magic. In fact, she was better than Jenais, a fact that became ever more clear to both him and their parents as time went on. Slowly, but surely, the resources that Jenais had been granted were taken from him, and given to Aureline. This led him to spiral, feeling he clearly wasn't good enough. Then, out of resentment for his parents and Aureline, he fled in the middle of the night, headed for the College of Winterhold.

Jenais fit right in at the College. Away from the stress and pressure of living at home and having to constantly out-compete Aureline, he actually was able to genuinely focus on his studies and improve. He specialized in conjuration, taking a special interest in necromancy-- but everything he did related to the controversial school was heavily regulated and mostly theoretical. Jenais also made lots of friends. He was particularly close with a Khajiit named M'irr; they would be the best of friends for nine years. Jenais was also friends with a Dunmer/Nord named Eriod; they were always there to lend a helping hand and a listening ear.

It was after nine years that Aureline enrolled, and Jenais began his backslide into bad habits. He was immediately shown up by her, which changed the way others thought of him. His self-esteem suffered greatly, and despite his friends trying to stick with him through it, he also lashed out at them, which drove them off-- though Eriod would continually attempt to reconnect. The mental state Jenais was in at this time led him to obsessively focus on his work in a desperate attempt to regain the attention he felt he needed. This, inevitably, brought him to delve deeper into necromancy. He began practicing techniques that were outright forbidden in secret, and saw himself fast-improving-- but he couldn't practice on dead skeevers forever.

The easiest way to get a body way up in Winterhold was to do it yourself, he reasoned. After much moral agonizing and internal conflict, he crossed the line. He lured a fellow student down into the Midden and stabbed him, trying to ignore the fact it made him feel... good. Skeevers got to this body, and he was forced to kill again-- and again, and again. He told himself it was all strictly necessary. Rumors began to circulate, and little did he know, someone was onto him...

The consensus among the students was that a vampire must have snuck its way on campus, which Jenais was content to allow everyone to think-- but he had to make sure that nobody began calling him the vampire. Luckily, Eriod still considered him a friend, and made the mistake of trusting him with a massive secret: they were a vampire. But, as they stressed, they were not the cause of the missing students. They trusted Jenais with that information because they believed him trustworthy, and wanted him to know that in case they had to run away.

Jenais felt bad about what he was going to do, but not bad enough to not do it. He used his next kill to frame Eriod intentionally, by targeting someone he knew they also told-- and, as he had hoped, a mutual friend began pointing fingers at Eriod. The vampire had to flee the College and go into hiding, for their own safety. Jenais was safe-- or so he thought.

M'irr, who had been thick as thieves with Jenais for nearly a decade, had been watching him rather closely, even after they stopped talking. He missed him, after all. And what he'd noticed was alarming, to say the least. He'd been working with the College officials to gather evidence, not wanting to accuse him with no proof, and Eriod being framed was exactly what he needed.

M'irr, against the warnings of the Arch-Mage and their own better judgement, followed Jenais to his lair in the Midden and confronted him. In his panic about the situation, not wanting M'irr to get away, Jenais killed him. Reality hit him as he stared at the blood all over him and M'irr's lifeless body, and he was overcome with guilt and disgust at himself.

It was then he was detained, and brought out to the courtyard to await the guards. He confessed to his crimes, and made eye contact with Aureline, who was so clearly betrayed and disgusted by him. That was the last time he'd see her for about 70 years.

Jenais would only spend a year in prison, but it would be one of the worst of his life. He doubted every decision that had gotten him to that point, regretting everything at times, sometimes feeling it was justified. Most of the time, he felt bad, but knew that there was really no chance at redemption. He made an attempt on his own life at one point, but midway through changed his mind in a blind panic. He managed to survive, just barely. It was after that he decided he should embrace all the things he'd done, and continue down the path he was clearly carving for himself.

He broke out of The Chill, and spent the next 50 or so years in various holds in Skyrim. He'd move when he was discovered. He spent much of his time practicing his art, perfecting it; in fact, he was able to perfect a technique for creating a thrall that could almost look and act totally alive, and as a result, was much more useful and harder to dispose of. His next goal became finding a way to circumvent the Blessing of Arkay, but he would need access to a cemetery for that...

After the Great War, Jenais weaseled his way back into Falkreath by killing and taking the place of their recently-appointed Priest of Arkay. He spent 20 years there, with one of his perfect thralls as his "apprentice." He didn't make too much progress with his goal in this time, but he knew it would be a long one. He was also researching lichdom.

In 4E 201, a dragon awoke and attacked some poor Khajiiti caravan a couple hours outside the city. To his interest, the sole survivor was brought back to Falkreath and placed under his care. He decided it was a good opportunity to learn about the dragon: if this person had survived, maybe there was a chance he'd be able to fight it again, maybe even slay it. And Jenais was extremely interested in having a chance to reanimate a dragon. So, he took the man in with open arms.

Jenais cared for the Khajiit, who would come to call himself Ragnar, for two months before the man discovered his act. He hadn't expected that, and being caught, back in handcuffs, after 70 years was jarring, and terrifying. Ragnar planned on turning Jenais in for coin, but apparently their time together, even if under false pretenses, had clouded Ragnar's judgement of his character. Jenais was shocked to be kept around, the idea of friendship scaring him deeply. This would make their developing friendship very difficult, as Jenais kept lashing out. Ragnar turned out to be the Last Dragonborn, and though reluctantly at first, Jenais tagged along and helped him on his quest.

Over time, though, they grew close, and Jenais found himself doggedly loyal to Ragnar. Together, they slew dragons, defeated the First Dragonborn, and eventually Alduin himself.