However, at a very young age, providence was against him. While visiting a market in Balmora, a family member was brutally murdered as a result of clandestine inter-house rivalry. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Elendar was accused of the murder of his own family member. After being taken into custody by the local Ordinators, Elendar was found guilty of murder of a member of his own house, and was to be sold into slavery.
Heartbroken, though unwilling to accept this fate, Elendar escaped custody in Balmora and left Vvardenfell altogether. He travelled west and made his way into Skyrim, realm of the Nords, though not without difficulty. The high Ordinators had ordered Elendar’s immediate retrieval and return to Vvardenfell to suffer the punishment of his crime. Word went ahead of the Ordinators of the ‘dangerous Dumner, Elendar Samarys,’ who was to be captured and returned to Vvardenfell for a hefty reward.
While laying low in Riften, a poor traveling bard recognized Elendar from wanted ads and had a mind to claim the reward. In a foolish attempt to lure Elendar into a trap, the bard Nord fell to the Dunmer’s quick bow reflex. The Riften guards were alerted to the murder of the bard, and immediately set out to sweep the city in search of a “tall Dunmer with angled features and dark reddish-purple hair.” Knowing he had precious little time to escape, Elendar rushed to the lower levels of Riften where he could escape via the waterways. Eluding the guards who were moving above, he crept down the dockside westward toward the city’s adjacent lake where Elendar could attempt a departure. As he snuck along the stone walls he nearly tripped over the boot of a Bosmer, who, though with an arrogant air and some smirking, helped Elendar avoid detection by ducking out into a sewer-way. This was not, of course, before the wood elf made a quick failed attempt at pick pocketing Elendar - it was exactly this failure on the part of the wood elf which made the dark elf impressive to him; he never failed at pick pocketing.
The Bosmer, named Peabody, learned all of Elendar’s troubles, and offered the Dunmer to travel with him through Tamriel, and eventually back to the Aldmeri Dominion. Elendar knew he would certainly be safe in the Dominion.
So, what about the name, Australia Jackson?
The name ‘Australia Jackson’ came partly from the Bosmer, and partly from a bard in a city on the west side of Skyrim called Solitude. Here, the bard college is full of young talent trying to compose songs of the adventures of others. As Peabody and Elendar enjoyed a few ales at The Winking Skeever, the bard asked for Elendar’s name as to write a song about his tales. This made Elendar uncomfortable, though he knew he was, in all probability, safe from the Dunmer here, where the Altmer had such a strong presence in Skyrim. Recognizing Elendar’s discomfort, Peabody drunkenly, laughingly blurted out, “His name is Australia Jackson!” And the bard went off. The Dunmer never much liked this name, though the two Mer were quickly great friends from then on. The ales have since never stopped flowing.
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