The College begins an excavation expedition in the ruins of Saarthal, the oldest human city in all of Tamriel, and once they're sufficiently set up and the actual exploration of the ruins can begin Tolfdir suggests to the Erudites that they come with. "It will be instructional," he says, by which he probably means that they want people to do the grunt work. Arniel Gane, the school historian, will also be joining them.

"I vote we go."

"I... feel conflicted. It feels a bit... disrespectful."

"...of the dead?"

He nods.

"Khajiit will go. Ancient lost knowledge is useful to become a powerful wizard."

"I'm honestly just very curious."

"Hmm."

"Isn't it... Nord tradition to explore ancient tombs?"

"...huh? No, why would it be?"

"Well, because of ice steel, I assumed."

"Ice steel."

"It's something I read about on a book? Maybe it was a myth. It's meant to be a type of metal that's forged in cold rather than in heat, where a lesser metal is gifted to the noble dead and after many complex trials the dead honour the living by giving it back in the form of a very durable metal that keeps its sharpness under much more stress than other metals."

"I've... never heard of this." Then he shrugs uncomfortably. "Maybe it is a thing, my village wasn't exactly very cosmopolitan or knowledgeable."

"We could ask Urag."

Onmund has mixed feelings about asking a mage for information on a Nord tradition but he recognises this is hypocritical as hell and he's already decided that the Nord beliefs regarding mages are nonsensical so he should probably get over it. "Yeah, that would be useful."

"I do not have any specific, reliable sources," says the orc. "Nord culture has historically been passed down orally most of the time, especially when it comes to rituals this ancient, and so most written records are by outsiders and visitors. That said, the individual accounts and legends are sufficiently numerous and widespread that I expect they are referring to a real thing.

"And some of the legends do include, yes, Nordic heroes defeating powerful draugar in ancient tombs and being rewarded with ice steel arms and armour for their valour. They do not, however, tend to go into these ruins with the specific intent of raiding them, and you would be right that it is considered disrespectful to do so."

"...I suppose the excavation at Saarthal isn't, exactly, tomb raiding..."

"It's at least a little bit tomb raiding," Ruby concedes. "I understand your hesitation."

"Hmm. If there were a better reason than just curiosity... But this just feels like disturbing the dead for our own amusement and it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth."

"Some legends do serve as cautionary tales against doing exactly this," Urag says.

"...are you against the excavation, then?"

"I am for the free exchange of knowledge, and I am an orc. I do not have this reverence for the dead Nords do."

That's... not an unfair description of his attitude, though he wouldn't have used the word "reverence" himself.

"Anyway, if you wish to find references to this ice steel, I can recommend some."