The Adventures of Eslaf Erol The Adventures of Eslaf Erol is a four book series written by written by Reven . The series is fictional , as indicated by the names of the characters . For example , Eslaf Erol , the main character in the series , is " False Lore " when spelled backwards . This can be found for all of the characters , as shown below : Content . Beggar . Eslaf Erol was the last of the litter of five born to the Queen of the prosperous Nord ic kingdom of Erolgard , Lahpyrcopa , and her husband , the King of Erolgard , Ytluaf . During pregnancy , the Queen had been more than twice as wide as she was tall , and the act of delivery took three months and six days after it had begun . It is perhaps understandable that the Lahpyrcopa elected , upon expelling Eslaf to frown , say , ' Good riddance , ' and die . Like many Nords , Ytluaf did not care very much for his wife and less for his children . His subjects were puzzled , therefore , when he announced that he would follow the ancient tradition of his people of Atmora of following his beloved spouse to the grave . They had not thought they were particularly in love , nor were they aware that such a tradition existed . Still , the simple people were grateful , for the little royal drama alleviated their boredom , which was and is a common problem in the more obscure parts of northern Skyrim , particularly in wintertide . He gathered his household staff and his five fat , bawling little heirs in front of him , and divided his estate . To his son Ynohp , he gave his title ; to his son Laernu , he gave his land ; to his son Suoibud , he gave his fortune ; to his daughter Laicifitra , he gave his army . Ytluaf ' s advisors had suggested he keep the inheritance together for the good of the kingdom , but Ytluaf did not particularly care for his advisors , or the kingdom , for that matter . Upon making his announcement , he drew his dagger across his throat . One of the nurses , who was rather shy , finally decided to speak as the King ' s life ebbed away . ' Your highness , you forgot your fifth child , little Eslaf . ' Good Ytluaf groaned . It is somewhat hard to concentrate with blood gushing from one ' s throat , after all . The King tried in vain to think of something to bequeath , but there was nothing left . Finally he sputtered , irritably , ' Eslaf should have taken something then ' and died . That a babe but a few days old was expected to demand his rightful inheritance was arguably unfair . But so Eslaf Erol was given his birthright with his father ' s dying breath . He would have nothing , but what he had taken . Since no one else would have him , the shy nurse , whose name was Drusba , took the baby home . It was a decrepit little shack , and over the years that followed , it became more and more decrepit . Unable to find work , Drusba sold all of her furnishings to buy food for little Eslaf . By the time he was old enough to walk and talk , she had sold the walls and the roof as well , so they had nothing but a floor to call home . And if you ' ve ever been to Skyrim , you can appreciate that that is scarcely sufficient . Drusba did not tell Eslaf the story of his birth , or that his brothers and sister were leading quite nice lives with their inheritances , for , as we have said , she was rather shy , and found it difficult to broach the subject . She was so painfully shy , in fact , that whenever he asked any questions about where he came from , Drusba would run away . That was more or less her answer to everything , to flee . In order to communicate with her at all , Eslaf learned how to run almost as soon as he could walk . He couldn ' t keep up with his adopted mother at first , but in time he learned to go toe - heel toe - heel if he anticipated a short but fast sprint , and heel - toe heel - toe if it seemed Drusba was headed for a long distance marathon flight . He never did get all the answers he needed from her , but Eslaf did learn how to run . The kingdom of Erolgard had , in the years that Eslaf was growing , become quite a grim place . King Ynohp did not have a treasury , for Suoibud had been given that ; he did not have any property for income , for Laernu had been given that ; he did not have an army to protect the people , for Laicifitra had been given that . Furthermore , as he was but a child , all decisions in the kingdom went through Ynohp ' s rather corrupt council . It had become a bureaucratic exploitative land of high taxes , rampant crime , and regular incursions from neighboring kingdoms . Not a particular unusual situation for a kingdom of Tamriel , but an unpleasant one nonetheless . The time finally came when the taxcollector arrived to Drusba ' s hovel , such as it was , to collect the only thing he could - the floor . Rather than protest , the poor shy maid ran away , and Eslaf never saw her again . Without a home or a mother , Eslaf did not know what to do . He had grown accustomed to the cold open air in Drusba ' s shack , but he was hungry . ' May I have a piece of meat ? ' he asked the butcher down the street . ' I ' m very hungry . ' The man had known the boy for years , often spoke to his wife about how sorry he felt for him , growing up in a home with no ceilings or walls . He smiled at Eslaf and said , ' Go away , or I ' ll hit you . ' Eslaf hurriedly left the butcher and went to a nearby tavern . The tavernkeeper had been a former valet in the king ' s court and knew that the boy was by right a prince . Many times , he had seen the poor ragged lad in the streets , and sighed at the way fate had treated him . ' May I have something to eat ? ' Eslaf asked this tavernkeeper . ' I ' m very hungry . ' ' You ' re lucky I don ' t cook you up and eat you , ' replied the tavernkeeper . Eslaf hurriedly left the tavern . For the rest of the day , the boy approached the good citizens of Erolgard , begging for food . One person had thrown something at him , but it turned out to be an inedible rock . As night fell , a raggedy man came up to Eslaf and , without saying a word , handed him a piece of fruit and a piece of dried meat . The lad took it , wide - eyed , and as he devoured it , he thanked the man very sweetly . ' If I see you begging on the streets tomorrow , ' the man growled . ' I ' ll kill you myself . There are only so many beggars we of the guild allow in any one town , and you make it one too many . You ' re ruining business . ' It was a good thing Eslaf Erol knew how to run . He ran all night . Eslaf Erol ' s story is continued in the book Thief . Thief . If the reader has not yet had the pleasure of reading the first volume in these series on the life of Eslaf Erol , Beggar , he should close this book immediately , for I shan ' t recap . I will tell you this much , gentle reader . When we last saw Eslaf , he was a boy , an orphan , a failed beggar , running through the wildy winter woods of Skyrim , away from his home of Erolgard . He continued running , stopping here and there , for many more years , until he was a young man . Eslaf discovered that among the ways of getting food , asking for it was the most troublesome . Far easier was finding it in the wilderness , or taking it from unguarded market stalls . The only thing worse than begging to get food was begging for the opportunity to work for the money to buy it . That seemed needlessly complicated . No , as far as Eslaf was concerned , he was best off being a scavenger , a beggar , and a thief . He his first act of thievery shortly after leaving Erolgard , while in the southern woods of Tamburkar in the rugged land near Mount Jensen just east of the village of Hoarbeld . Eslaf was starving , having not eaten anything but a rather scrawny raw squirrel in four days , and he smelled meat cooking and then found the smoke . A band of minstrel bards was making camp . He watched them from the bushes as they cooked , and joked , and flirted , and sang . He could ' ve asked them for some food , but so many others had refused him before . Instead , he rushed out , grabbed a piece of meat from the fire , and wincing from the burns , scrambled up the nearest tree to devour it while the bards stood under him and laughed . ' What is your next move , thief ? ' giggled a fair , red - headed woman who was covered with tattoos . ' How do you intend to disappear without us catching and punishing you ? ' As the hunger subsided , Eslaf realized she was right . The only way to get out of the tree without falling in their midst was to take the branch down to where it hung over a creek . It was a drop off a cliff of about fifty feet . That seemed like the wisest strategy , so Eslaf began crawling in that direction . ' You do know how to fall , boy ? ' called out a young Khajiit i , but a few years older than Eslaf , thin but muscular , graceful in his slightest movements . ' If you don ' t , you should just climb down here and take what ' s coming to you . It ' s idiotic to break your neck , when we ' d just give you some bruises and send you on your way . ' ' Of course I know how to fall , ' Eslaf called back , but he didn ' t . He just thought the trick of falling was to have nothing underneath you , and let nature take its course . But fifty feet up , when you ' re looking down , is enough to give anyone pause . ' I ' m sorry to doubt your abilities , Master Thief , ' said the Khajiiti , grinning . ' Obviously you know to fall feet first with your body straight but loose to avoid cracking like an egg . It seems you are destined to escape us . ' Eslaf wisely followed the Khajiiti ' s hints , and leapt into the river , falling without much grace but without hurting himself . In the years that followed , he had to make several more drops from even greater heights , usually after a theft , sometimes without water beneath him , and he improved the basic technique . When he arrived in the western town of Jallenheim on the morning of his twenty - first birthday , it didn ' t take him long to find out who was the richest person , most deserving of being burgled . An impregnable palace in a park near the center of town was owned by a mysterious young man named Suoibud . Eslaf wasted no time in finding the palace and watching it . A fortified palace he had come to learn was like a person , with quirks and habits beneath its hard shell . It was not an old place , evidently whatever money this Suoibud had come into was fairly recent . It was regularly patrolled by guards , implying that the rich man was fearful of been burgled , with good reason . The most distinctive feature of the palace was its tower , rising a hundred feet above the stone walls , doubtless giving the occupant a good defensive view . Eslaf guessed that that if Suoibud was as paranoid as he guessed him to be , the tower would also provide a view of the palace storehouse . The rich man would want to keep an eye on his fortune . That meant that the loot couldn ' t be directly beneath the tower , but somewhere in the courtyard within the walls . The light in the tower shone all night long , so Eslaf boldly decided that the best time to burgle was by the light of day , when Suoibud must sleep . That would be the time the guards would least expect a thief to pounce . And so , when the noon sun was shining over the palace , Eslaf quickly scaled the wall near the front gate and waited , hidden in the crenelations . The interior courtyard was plain and desolate , with few places to hide , but he saw that there were two wells . One the guards used from time to time to draw up water and slake their thirst , but Eslaf noticed that guards would pass by the other well , never using it . He waited until the guards were distracted , just for a second , by the arrival of a merchant in a wagon , bearing goods for the palace . While they were searching his wagon , Eslaf leapt , elegantly , feet first , from the wall into the well . It was not a particularly soft landing for , as Eslaf had guessed , the well was not full of water , but gold . Still , he knew how to roll after a fall , and he didn ' t hurt himself . In the dank subterranean storehouse , he stuffed his pockets with gold and was about to go to the door which he assumed would lead to the tower when he noticed a gem the size of an apple , worth more than all the gold that was left . Eslaf found room for it down his pants . The door did indeed lead to the tower , and Eslaf followed its curving stairwell up , walking quietly but quickly . At the top , he found the master of the palace ' s private quarters , ornate and cold , with invaluable artwork and decorative swords and shields on the walls . Eslaf assumed the snoring lump under the sheets was Suoibud , but he didn ' t investigate too closely . He crept to the windows and looked out . It was going to be a difficult fall , for certes . He needed to jump from the tower , past the walls , and hit the tree on the other side . The tree branches would hurt , but they would break his fall , and there was a pile of hay he had left under the tree to prevent further injury . Eslaf was about to leap when the occupant of the room woke up with a start , yelling , ' My gem ! ' Eslaf and stared at him for a second , wide - eyed . They looked alike . Not surprising , since they were brothers . Eslaf Erol ' s story is continued in the book Warrior . Warrior . This is the third book in a four - book series . If you have not read the first two books , ' Beggar ' and ' Thief ' , you would be well advised to do so . Suoibud Erol did not know much of his past , nor did he care to . As a child , he had lived in Erolgard , but the kingdom was very poor and taxes were as a result very high . He was too young to manage his abundant inheritance , but his servants , fearing that their master would be ruined , moved him to Jallenheim . No one knew why that location was picked . Some old maid , long dead now , had thought it was a good place to raise a child . No one else had a better idea . There may have been children with a more pampered , more spoiled existence than young Suoibud , but that is doubtful . As he grew , he understood that he was rich , but he had nothing else . No family , no social position , no security at all . Loyalty , he found out on more than one occasion , cannot truly be bought . Knowing that he had but one asset , a vast fortune , he was determined to protect it , and , if possible , increase it . Some otherwise perfectly nice people are greedy , but Suoibud was that rare accident of nature or breeding who has no other interest but acquiring and hoarding gold . He was willing to do anything to increase his fortune . Most recently , he had begun secretly hiring mercenaries to attack desirable properties , and then buying them when no one wanted to live there any more . The attacks would then , of course , cease , and Suoibud would have profitable land which he had purchased for a song . It had begun small with a few farms , but recently he had begun a more ambitious campaign . In north - central Skyrim , there is an area called The Aalto , which is of unique geographical interest . It is a dormant volcanic valley surrounded on all sides by glaciers , so the earth is hot from the volcano , but the constant water drizzle and air is frigid . A grape called Jazbay grows there comfortably , and everywhere else in Tamriel it withers and dies . The strange vineyard is a privately owned , and the wine produced from it is thus rare and extremely expensive . It is said that the Emperor needs the permission of the Imperial Council to have a glass of it once a year . In order to harass the owner of The Aalto into selling his land cheap , Suoibud had to hire more than a few mercenaries . He had to hire the finest private army in Skyrim . Suoibud did not like spending money , but he had agreed to pay the general of the army , a woman called Laicifitra , a gem the size of an apple . He had not given it to her yet — payment was to be delivered on the success of the mission — but he had trouble sleeping knowing that he was going to giving up such a prize . He always slept during the day so he could watch his storehouse by night , when he knew thieves were about . That brings us up to this moment when , after a fitful sleep , Suoibud woke up at about noon , and surprised a thief in his bedroom . The thief was Eslaf . Eslaf had been contemplating a leap from the window , a hundred feet down , into the branches of a tree beyond the walls of the fortified palace , and a tumble into a stack of hay . Anyone who has ever attempted such a feat will testify that it takes some concentration and nerve to do such a thing . When he saw that the rich man sleeping in the room had awakened , both left him , and Eslaf slipped behind a tall ornamental shield on display to wait for Suoibud to go back to sleep . Suoibud did not go back to sleep . He had heard nothing , but could feel someone in the room with him . He stood up and began pacing the room . Suoibud paced and paced , and gradually decided that he was imagining things . No one was there . His fortune was safe and secure . He was returning to his bed when he heard a clunk . Turning around , he saw the gem , the one he was to give to Laicifitra on the floor by the Atmoran cavalry shield . A hand reached out from behind the shield and grabbed it up . ' Thief ! ' Suoibud cried out , grabbing a jeweled Akaviri katana from the wall and lunging at the shield . The ' fight ' between Eslaf and Suoibud will not go down in the annals of great duels . Suoibud did not know how to use a sword , and Eslaf was no expert at blocking with a shield . It was clumsy , it was awkward . Suoibud was furious , but was psychologically incapable of using the sword in any way that could damage its fine filligree , reducing its market value . Eslaf kept moving , dragging the shield with him , trying to keep it between him and the blade , which is , after all , the most essential part of any block . Suoibud screamed in frustration as he struck at the shield , bumping its way across the room . He even tried negotiating with the thief , explaining that the gem was promised to a great warrior named Laicifitra , and if he would give it back , Suoibud would happily give him something else in return . Eslaf was not a genius , but he did not believe that . By the time Suoibud ' s guards came to the bedroom in response to their master ' s calls , he had succeeded in backing the shield into a window . They fell on the shield , having considerable more expertise with their swords than Suoibud did , but they discovered that there was no one behind it . Eslaf had leapt out the window and escaped . As he ran heavily through the streets of Jallenheim , making jingling noises from the gold coins in his pockets , and feeling the huge gem chafe where he had hidden it , Eslaf did not know where he should go next . He knew only that he could never go back to that town , and he must avoid this warrior named Laicifitra who had claims on the jewel . Eslaf Erol ' s story is continued in the book King King . Gentle reader , you will not understand a word of what follows unless you have read and to memory the first three volumes in this series , Beggar , Thief , and Warrior , which leads up to this , the conclusion . I encourage you to seek them out at your favorite bookseller . We last left Eslaf Erol fleeing for his life , which was a common enough for him . He had stolen a lot of gold , and one particularly large gem , from a rich man in Jallenheim named Suoibud . The thief fled north , spending the gold wildly , as thieves generally do , for all sorts of illicit pleasures , which would no doubt disturb the gentleman or lady reading this , so I will not go into detail . The one thing he held onto was the gem . He didn ' t keep it because of any particular attachment , but because he did not know anyone rich enough to buy it from him . And so he found himself in the ironic situation of being penniless and having in his possession a gem worth millions . " Will you give me a room , some bread , and a flagon of beer in exchange for this ? " he asked a tavernkeep in the little village of Kravenswold , which was so far north , it was half situated on the Sea of Ghosts . The tavernkeep looked at it suspiciously . " It ' s just crystal , " Eslaf said quickly . " But isn ' t it pretty ? " Let me see that , ' said a young armor - clad woman at the end of the bar . Without waiting permission , she picked up the gem , studied it , and smiled not very sweetly at Eslaf . ' Would you join me at my table ? " I ' m actually in a bit of a hurry , " replied Eslaf , holding out his hand for the stone . ' Another time ? ' ' Out of respect for my friend , the tavernkeep here , my men and I leave our weapons behind when we come in here , ' the woman said casually , not handing the gem back , but picking up a broom that was sitting against the bar . ' I can assure you , however , that I can use this quite effectively as a blunt instrument . Not a weapon , of course , but an instrument to stun , medicinally crush a bone or two , and then - once it is on the inside … ' ' Which table ? ' asked Eslaf quickly . The young woman led him to a large table in the back of the tavern where ten of the biggest Nord brutes Eslaf had ever seen were sitting . They looked at him with polite disinterest , as if he were a strange insect , worth briefly studying before crushing . ' My name is Laicifitra , ' she said , and Eslaf blinked . That was the name Suoibud had uttered before Eslaf had made his escape . ' And these are my lieutenants . I am the commander of a very large independent army of noble knights . The very best in Skyrim . Most recently we were given a job to attack a vineyard in The Aalto to force its owner , a man named Laernu , to sell to our employer , a man named Suoibud . Our payment was to be a gem of surpassing size and quality , quite famous and unmistakable . " " We did as we were asked , and when we went to Suoibud to collect our fee , he told us he was unable to pay , due to a recent burglary . In the end , though , he saw things our way , and paid us an amount of gold almost equal to the worth of the prize jewel … It did not empty out his treasury entirely , but it meant he was unable to buy the land in the Aalto after all . So we were not paid enough , Suoibud has taken a heavy financial blow , and Laernu ' s prize crop of Jazbay has been temporarily destroyed for naught , " Laicifitra took a long , slow drink of her mead before continuing . " Now , I wonder , could you tell me , how came you in the possession of the gem we were promised ? " Eslaf did not answer at once . Instead , he took a piece of bread from the plate of the savage bearded barbarian on his left and ate it . ' I ' m sorry , ' he said , his mouth full . ' May I ? Of course , I couldn ' t stop you from taking the gem even if I wanted to , and as a matter of fact , I don ' t mind at all . It ' s also useless to deny how it came into my possession . I stole it from your employer . I certainly didn ' t mean you or your noble knights any harm by it , but I can understand why the word of a thief is not suitable for one such as yourself . ' ' No , ' replied Laicifitra , frowning , but her eyes showing amusement . ' Not suitable at all . ' ' But before you kill me , ' Eslaf said , grabbing another piece of bread . ' Tell me , how suitable is it for noble knights such as yourself to be paid twice for one job ? I have no honor myself , but I would have thought that since Suoibud took a profit loss to pay you , and now you have the gem , your handsome profit is not entirely honorable . ' Laicifitra picked up the broom and looked at Eslaf . Then she laughed , ' What is your name , thief ? ' ' Eslaf , ' said the thief . ' We will take the gem , as it was promised to us . But you are right . We should not be paid twice for the same job . So , ' said the warrior woman , putting down the broomstick . ' You are our new employer . What would you have your own army do for you ? " Many people could find quite a few good uses for their own army , but Eslaf was not among them . He searched his brain , and finally it was decided that it was a debt to be paid later . For all her brutality , Laicifitra was an simple woman , raised , he learned , by the very army she commanded . Fighting and honor were the only things she knew . When Eslaf left Kravenswold , he had an army at his beck and call , but not a coin to his name . He knew he would have to steal something soon . As he wandered the woods , scrounging for food , he was beset with a strange feeling of familiarity . These were the very woods he had been in as a child , also starving , also scrounging . When he came out on the road , he found that he had come back on the kingdom where he had been raised by the dear , stupid , shy maid Drusba . He was in Erolgard . It had fallen even deeper into despair since his youth . The shops that had refused him food were boarded up , abandoned . The only people left were hollow , hopeless figures , so ravaged by taxation , despotism , and barbaric raids that they were too weak to flee . Eslaf realized how lucky he was to have gotten out in his youth . There was , however , a castle and a king . Eslaf immediately made plans to raid the treasury . As usual , he watched the place carefully , taking note of the security and the habits of the guards . This took some time . In the end , he realized there was no security and no guards . He walked in the front door , and down the empty corridors to the treasury . It was full of precisely nothing , except one man . He was Eslaf ' s age , but looked much older . ' There ' s nothing to steal , ' he said . ' Would that there was . ' King Ynohp , though prematurely aged , had the same white blond hair and blue eyes like broken glass that Eslaf had . In fact , he resembled Suoibud and Laicifitra as well . And though Eslaf had never met the ruined landlord of the Aalto , Laernu , he looked him too . Not surprisingly , since they were quintuplets . ' So , you have nothing ? ' asked Eslaf , gently . ' Nothing except my poor kingdom , curse it , ' the King grumbled . ' Before I came to the throne , it was powerful and rich , but I inherited none of that , only the title . For my entire life , I ' ve had responsibility thrust on my shoulders , but never had the means to handle it properly . I look over the desolation which is my birthright , and I hate it . If it were possible to steal a kingdom , I would not lift a finger to stop you . " It was , it turned out , quite possible to steal a kingdom . Eslaf became known as Ynohp , a deception easily done given their physical similarities . The real Ynohp , taking the name of Ylekilnu , happily left his demesne , becoming eventually a simple worker in the vineyards of The Aalto . For the first time free of responsibility , he fell into his new life with gusto , the years melting off him . The new Ynohp called in his favor with Laicifitra , using her army to restore peace to the kingdom of Erolgard . Now that it was safe , business and commerce began to return to the land , and Eslaf reduced the tyrannical taxes to encourage it to grow . Upon hearing that , Suoibud , ever nervous about losing his money , elected to return to the land of his birth . When he died years later , out of greed , he had refused to name someone an heir , so the kingdom received its entire fortune . Eslaf used part of the gold to buy the vineyards of The Aalto , after hearing great things of it from Ynohp . And so it was that Erolgard was returned to its previous prosperity by the fifth born child of King Ytluaf - Eslaf Erol , beggar , thief , warrior ( of sorts ) , and king .