Hunter's Moon

Dear Diary,

I set out south from Folgunthur, heading for Bard's Leap Summit west of Falkreath, where Urag gro-Shub the College librarian believes an ancient book is stashed.  The walk is fairly uneventful, besides the sights and a few angry woodland critters.  I stay the night at Rorikstead, about halfway there, stop to pick some vegetables for the road and continue on. The terrain become more trecherous as I get closer to the mountains, and as I reach the base of Bard's Leap I can see some markings of a Forsworn camp.  I can see why the Forsworn would choose such a place.  The ruins are very steep and twist around the side of the mountain.  As I creep closer I spot a scout up high, and another man torturing a Nord attached to a cruel device.  I loose one from Aether into the scout dropping her, then another into the torturer as he turns.  I check the Nord but he is close to death, so I cut him loose and turn him over to die comfortably.  I continue up the mountain facing more Forsworn, but being sneaky and taking one down while the others arent looking sees me to the summit without a single face to face fight.  At the top there is a giant waterfall and at the mouth of where the waterfall is coming from a small cavern with an entrance.  I carefully sneak up and peek inside.  Two Hagravens are chanting something awful over a man on a table.  I must have caught them at the end of their ritual.  There is a boom and some ethereal lights and the man rises.  My attention is too focused and a misstep onto a twig gets their attention.  I draw my bow and drop the man as he turns, then draw my shield and Mr Frosty (my freshly enchanted mace that I have been carrying since I met Delphine).  It proves worthwhile as I smash one in the face with a satisfying sound of cracked ice.  Dazed, it reels back and I swing for the other.  They simultaneously cast some powerful fire magic, and I am forced to retreat momentarily to drink a potion.  I give them a taste of their own medicine with my own fire spell, taking down the more injured old bird, then drop the other with an uppercut from Frosty.  As I gather my wits I remember to check around, grabbing the man's heart off the table as well as some other reagents, and find the book Urag was looking for in a chest off to the side. I attempt to read it but it is in some other language that gives me a headache, so I pack it away and check my map.  My next objective is on the other side of the Throat of the World, so I decide to head east to Falkreath.

While the weather is gloomy the terrain around Falkreath is quite beautiful.  The trees are quite dense so I find myself more nervous than usual, constantly looking for small high points to check for movement.  The forest is home to some sort of woodpecker that sounds exactly like shuffling skeleton bones, which kept startling me.  About halfway there I came upon a tall fort set into the mountains.  I saw no entrance so I continued around it away from the base.  As I turned around one tower, about 50 yards out, I heard I roar and a dragon flew from the north over the castle.  I knocked an arrow in case it spotted me, but it turned about and went back at the castle.  It was circling and breathing fire on the ramparts.  I could make out arrows being shot at the dragon and gathered there were at least 3 people fighting the dragon up there.  I was unsure who it was so I erred on the side of wanting to help, so I yelled at the dragon and fired an arrow into it's belly to get it's attention.  It worked and jerked it's head to my location, quickly turning to me.  It broke through the trees and landed below me behind some boulders.  I took advantage of my location and fired arrows into the beast while I was shielded from it's breath.  The icy enchantment seemed to be extra effective against it, as it was near death already and bucked in pain.  It took to the sky again but at this point the three men from the tower had come down to fight with me and were also letting arrows into the dragon.  After a few volleys of 4 arrows it finally fell, but not without crashing into the men and taking two of them with it.  I gathered my wits and continued down the road.

I reached Falkreath shortly before dusk.  I sold a few things I had gathered and stayed at the inn.  I awoke the next day to head out to Whiterun, but as I was leaving town I couldn't help but overhear a story of a girl that had been ripped apart by a beast in the night. I asked around and found out he was being kept in the local jail so I went and spoke with him.  The man certainly didn't seem like a beast, although he was notably quite hairy.  He had a gentle demeanor and told the story of how he has a cursed ring that causes him to hunt people like animals uncontrollably. I couldn't let this man die.  If his story was true then it seemed he was innocent.  I offer to take the ring and it jumps from his finger to mine.  In surprise I try and take the ring off but it is magically stuck on my finger.  He tells me in order to get it off I need to hunt a legendary beast in the woods outside Falkreath. I tell him I will and turn to leave, but I hear a roar and commotion and turn back and he is gone.  I have a feeling this man is not what he seems, and that I should keep my wits about me as he might be lying after all.

As I leave the prison I am attacked by a random man.  He says I "will pay for what I have done."  Surprised as I thought I was quite innocent, I fight the man and defeat him.  Giving a "hello??" expression to the guards, I turn and search the man.  Nothing exceptional except a contract.  He was sent to punish me it seems, but the biggest surprise was that it was from Urag gro-Shub!  He must have noticed the missing books from the library.  Maybe he will forgive me when I return with all he requested...

I go due north from Falkreath and just outside the city run into quite a commotion.  Several bandits atop a wooden roadside fort, firing into three Thalmor agents, and an Imperial guard and Stormcloak prisoner right beside.  I of course quickly take priority on the prisoner, letting him loose and giving him a sword to let them sort that out.  I then turn on the bandits and fire arrows at them.  Between the Thalmor's magic, the Imperial bow and my own, they drop quickly.  I stop for a moment and the Thalmor seem quite thankful, but as the Imperial realizes what happened and chases his prisoner out of sight, I turn on the Thalmor and with a feral scream beat them into a bloody pulp.  I am not sure what gets into me when I see those dirty elves but all concern for life leaves me.

I continue north to where the beast is supposed to be, and turning around a tall rock I spot it.  It is not Sildur the prisoner as I thought it would be, but a huge majestic white Elk.  For a moment I turn away, definitely not going to kill such a beautiful animal, but then I remember this might be the only way to help Sildur, so I knock an arrow and kill the animal as painlessly as possible.  As I approach the body I am shocked when it's ghost appears. It speaks, and introduces itself as the spirit of Hircine, Daedric lord of the hunt.  He explains where I can find Sildur, but that he has also dispatched many other hunters after him and I had to hurry if I wanted to catch the prey.  He told me where to find him, in a grotto due north and around the tip of the lake.  So I run.

I enter the grotto to see the moon has magically changed to a bright blood red.  There is a camp at the entrance and three bodies, but one was not yet dead.  I speak to the Khajiit and he tells me the beast is too powerful, but more are on the way.  I hurry and round the corner, and atop a high rock in from of the moon a giant werewolf appears.  I had never seen one before but read of them in legends back in the libraries of Cyrodiil.  It introduces itself as Sildur, as I somewhat expected, and understands if I have to kill him.  I offer to instead help.  He is a bit surprised but very thankful.  We join up and stealthily continue through the grotto looking for the other hunters.  Between his feral hand to hand combat and my bow, the hunters are no match for us, and we easily clean out the paths.  He thanks me for helping him and promises to never go back to civilization again.  I thank my new friend as well, and leave him for the entrance of the grotto.  As I leave Hircine greets me again.  I expect him to be upset but instead he is quite impressed by my resourcefulness.  Hircine rewards me by lifting the curse on the ring and bids me farewell.  

It is late into the night so I camp a ways down from the cave, and the next day head back to Whiterun.  I sold quite a few things I had found the past few days, and return to the Jarl to have my house fully furnished.  It is quite nice and comfortable now, with plenty of shelf space!  Tomorrow I will set out for the other side of the Throat.

Until next time.

- ST

Tre Fratelli

Dear Diary,

As I set out from the camp I went over my map, planning my progress for the day. I realized there was a tomb nearby just out of the way on my journey to find the first set of books that was related to a previous encounter I had working for the College.  I did not mention it to anyone, but down in Saarthal I found a book and an amulet in what seemed to be an important grave.

The story in the book told of three brothers Gaulder, who were the sons of a famous archmage.  The mage owned an amulet that was the secret to his power, and he refused to share it with his sons.  The three plotted and successfully killed their father over the amulet, split it in three, and were then chased all across Skyrim.  As each was caught and executed, they were entombed where they fell along with their amulets.  Saarthal was one of these resting places, and Folgunthur to the southwest was another tomb named in the book.  I decided to take a quick detour and see what I could find.

On the way south I ran into two camps.  One Imperial, one Stormcloak.  I spoke to both sides and to be honest have trouble understanding the problem.  Skyrim wants independence and to keep to themselves, and that is respectable. The Imperials need to unite all of Tamriel to fight the Thalmor.  The Thalmor are the ones who are restricting the worship of Talos through a forced peace agreement with the Empire, it was not a decision of the Empire themselves.  It seems to me the Stormcloaks should just suck it up and fight with the Empire for the sake of Tamriel, as the Aldmeri Dominion is a much bigger threat to us all than this petty arguing.  I wish I had known this information earlier in my time in Skyrim, as I ran into many Thalmor earlier in a mission previously kept secret due to sensitivity.

But I let both camps be and continued on to Folgunthur. It sits just below Solitude, and as I snuck up on the tomb I came across a camp next to it. It looked fairly fresh, the coals still warm, so I did a bit of searching and found the Journal of a Mr. Valen. He recorded his search for an artifact that would allow him access to the tomb, as he had heard the legend of the three brothers as well and wanted the amulet for himself.  He had found the artifact in Bravil, and unfortunately it sounds like he killed the man who owned it, a man I knew and sold many an artifact to.  He eventually made his way via ship to Solitude and took on a party of several adventurers.  It looked like I had been beaten to the second part of the amulet, so I hurried into the tomb in search of the men.

The first room contained several bodies.  An adventurer and a few undead.  He had not been dead long, so I knew I was not far behind.  The puzzle to continue had already been solved, and I proceeded to the next room.  The story was the same for several rooms - a dead adventurer or two and some more undead.  I finally came upon Mr. Valen's body a ways down and up some stairs.  He was still breathing but died soon after.  I took the artifact and some notes, and continued.  There were quite a few undead in the hallways of the crypt, but I had dealt with these before and put an arrow into each one before they could even awaken, and my practice sneaking in other caves taught me how to step on traps without setting them off so my course through the tomb was fairly easy.  At the end of the tomb I found another large door with keyhole and three dials for the combination.  I knew to look on the key, and sure enough it worked.  However when the door seal popped, I heard a huge commotion behind me.  There were sarcophagi on each side of the room, 6 total.  One popped open, a Draugr coming out, but I knocked and loosed an arrow before he could rise.  In the meantime another popped open, but the adrenaline allowed me to do the same to him.  In less than a few seconds, I had dropped all six.  One after the other in a speed I didn't realize I was capable of.  Fear turning to satisfaction, back to fear, I took a step to turn and heard  many more in the massive room in front of me.  It was the tomb of one of the brothers, and he started to rise.  I once again felt fear and let out a quick shot out of reaction and surprise.  My heart skipped a beat as I saw the arrow I regretting firing so hastily as soon as it left the string, fly and then land square between his eyes! I didn't know whether to thank a watching God, thank myself for remembering to place an enchantment on the bow, or the bow itself. We have been together since I entered Skyrim, and maybe it's possible for a weapon and it's user to grow a special bond over time.

But I digress.  I laughed to myself in satisfaction, collected the amulet and used the key to leave the tomb via a back passage.  There was a wall of the dragons in his crypt as well, and I will have to go see the Greybeards at some point to figure out what it means.

Uh oh.  I forgot to stop and visit them last time I was in Whiterun.  Delphine and Mr. E are probably worried...

Until next time.

- ST

Northern Exposure

Dear Diary,

After my carriage ride to Whiterun, I was still a bit stunned. My head was just clear enough to remember to purchase the abandoned home, but I did not stop to sleep or make my new place more homey. I wandered northeast into the wilderness to get away for a while.  I would say it was a conscious decision to just enjoy the change of climate and the views, but it was less than that.

I left Whiterun and headed northeast.  I passed a few farms but did not stop to talk.  My goal was the northern coast before sunset, but a few encounters kept me from meeting that goal.  I camped north of Windhelm for the night, and the next day headed for the coast.  When I finally reached the edge of the water, I realized it was exactly what I was looking for.  The coastline was beautiful, quiet and peaceful.  Not a soul in sight other than some Horkers and an occasional troll.

As I wandered further north I came upon a shipwrecked vessel called the Winter War.  I am no sailor, so I couldn't really tell how long it had been there.  In case it was recent and there were survivors I snuck up to the ship to take a look.  I saw a scruffy looking man with a huge axe cooking some food next to some crates full of what was likely stolen goods - random items and obviously not a regular ship's cargo.  I drew my bow and let one good arrow into him and he fell, thankfully, silent.

I approached the creaking ship and decided to explore further.  There could be more of them and I would rather get the jump on them than they find their fallen comrade and come for me up the coast.  There were two ways down.  A crack in the middle of the ship and the stairs I could see in the back of the top cabin, the door flapping open in the wind.  I decided to hop down through the crack and heard some voices.  I follow them to a back room and silently rounded the corner.  It turned out to be one man talking to himself in his sleep.  By his random assortment of garb I could tell he had also been up to no good so I put him to sleep permanently and helped myself to his gear and a chest nearby.  I will have to return later as I couldn't carry it all.  I need to either stop hoarding books or find a safe place to stash them all.  I tend to take after my grandmother in that regard, but I digress.

I would have made this newfound shelter my home as I do enjoy the thought of having my own ship to stay in, and I love the peace and quiet and climate up here, but I wasn't sure if there were more bandits out there that would return.  I counted more beds than men in the ship.  So I continued on.

There isn't much to write about in my walk up the coast other than the gorgeous views.  I did run into two Horkers sitting outside of a small cave containing a chest.  It took me a minute or two to decide what to do, even going so far as to draw my bow and knock an arrow, but I just couldn't do it.  They didn't deserve to die because they happened to pick a nook in the coast that contained a chest.  For all I knew it was empty and I couldn't live with myself if that is how it turned out.  I will have to return later and see if they have moved on.

I turned from the Horkers and rounded a corner.  I came face to face with a wolf and the same predicament.  I knew he would not move and my only other option was to swim a few stones throws in the freezing water.  As he stood me down I apologized and made sure the arrow landed for a quick and clean kill.  I took his pelt and my arrow as to not make it a total waste in his honor.

As I stepped forward from the wolf and looked up I saw one the greatest sights so far, rivaling Markarth.  What seemed to be a temple or chapel, massive in size, sitting high atop a rock that seemed barely wide enough to hold it aloft.  I tracked the pathway up to the rocks and charted a course to get into it.  I walked the path and checked my map, realizing I was outside Winterhold and the "chapel" was actually the College of Winterhold.  The excitement could barely be contained as this was one of my top spots I intended to visit when I entered Skyrim.  The College was a bastion of knowledge, and a perfect place to base my explorations from.

I walked into Winterhold and did not receive the welcome I expected.  Don't get me wrong the townsfolk were nice, but they were quite glum and all told me the story of how the original city had fallen into the sea, but somehow (some believed beyond coincidence) the College remained perfectly intact, and it alone.  Decided to proceed with caution as all must not be as it seemed, I gained access to the college and became a member.  They were nice enough, giving me my own room and access to many masters of magic to train me in the arts.  But as I wandered, I came upon something that was even more grand than the place itself.  More amazing and awe inspiring than anything I had seen so far. 

The biggest, most encompassing and well kept library I have ever seen.

Hundreds, if not thousands of books.  After the minute it took to regain my composure and get over my impulse to take every single one of them, I walked up to the librarian and talked to him about the collection.  He sold me a few books, and then mentioned he also bought them, but was looking for only a specific few.  He named books that were one of a kind and scattered all over Skyrim decades ago.  One of a kind books so obscure he is the only one that can translate them?  By the nine, what are dragons again?  New priority it is.

So he marked my map for a few places to try looking for the buried ones, and those he knew the locations of that were stolen.  I took a nights sleep in my room and set out the next day back up the coast.  I now am staying the night at a camp with a guy named Deekus (Note to self: his name sounds familiar, and this nice Icon of Diabella I couldn't help but swipe does too.  I need to take better notes.) at another crashed ship, and tomorrow I will set out south to find more books. 

Until next time.

- ST

Innocence Lost

Dear Diary,

We reached our destination.  Mr. E explained to me the meaning behind wall of the Blades, but we are still unsure of our next course of action.  Delphine suggested I go and speak to the Greybeards again, so I set off out the back entrance to the temple.  It was getting late, and noticed a Hold I had not yet visited only a short walk away, so I decided to detour and find a safe place to stay for the evening.

What a mistake.  Overnight turned into several days.  My curiosity and tendency to help those in need got the best of me once again.

But a moment after entering the city, a citizen went on a crazed rampage killing a woman before myself and a few guards took him down.  A man by the inn whispered something to me and dropped a note.  It said to meet him at the shrine of Talos, and curious as to what was wrong with the now splattered man, I decided to take him up on it.  In the shrine he told me the Forsworn were the rightful owners of the hold, and they were making guerrilla attacks on the city against it's citizens and the merchant nobility - the Silverbloods.  While this definitely upset me, I wasn't inclined to take action until he told me I could intervene in a specific case if I did a bit more digging.  He gave me some information and I began my search.

As I left the temple I was approached by a man named Vigilat Tyranus.  He asked if anyone had been in or out of the abandoned house he was standing next to.  I said no, as I had just entered the city myself, and he mentioned some things about Daedra worship.  Being a native of Cyrodiil this got my attention, and I offered to help him search the house.  There isn't much my people hate more than a Daedra cult planning something devious in our own cities.  As we walked in, I couldn't help but note how twisted this whole Hold was, and wondered if I should just walk out.  I had other obligations after all.

But as we searched the house we realized something was not right.  My newfound partner and I delved a bit deeper when things began to fly off the shelves.  The house was haunted!  I raised my shield to stop some cutlery and a potion from smacking into my head.  A voice boomed from somewhere in the house, and from there I cannot remember much.  All I can recall is it forced Tyranus and myself to duel to the death, and unfortunately his blood was spilled...The voice released me and I realized what I had done, and began to cry for the man.  However I realized where I was, and that there was a possibility to get revenge on this voice that was now beckoning me deeper into the house.  I ventured deeper into the basement, and then into a cave, where I found a shrine.  There was a weapon on the altar, and I thought to take it so whoever was here would be defenseless against me (which was only fair for what it had just previously done!) but I was quickly trapped in a cage of Daedric metal and the voice began again.  It was a Daedric lord, not a human after all.  It asked me to bring an end to a man who was desecrating his shrine.  Seeing no other way out I lied to the demon and said I would bring an end to it.  It seemed desperate and was happy to hear me devote myself to his cause and let me go.  As I left, I thought to seek out this man and offer him all he needed to continue to torture this monster.

I shut the door behind me, looked up at the beautiful sky and Markarth architecture and felt a great deal of relief. If only these citizens strolling by knew what was behind that door.  I regained my composure and continued to look for clues on the Forsworn agents.

A long story leads to me being imprisoned.  As it turns out, everyone was involved.  Everyone!  I was not the first to find myself in the Cidnha silver mines out of selflessness.  There was no way I was going to rot in this prison though.  I knew finding the Forsworn leader down here was my path to getting revenge and freedom.  It took some persuasion to get to the man, finding the things I needed to let him pass, and when I finally did, I had to choose between another man's life and mine.  A man who had just helped me out, and was innocent as well.  I considered the alternatives.  We could have both just served our terms and lived, but who knows how many more would be put down there in the meantime.  I felt it had to be done, and I made it as swift and painless as possible.  We escaped through a tunnel, and after a short battle the Forsworn had their leader again, while the Silverbloods lost a great deal. 

I left the city as fast as my legs would carry me and hopped a carriage to Whiterun.  I wanted to get as far away as I could.

Until next time.

- ST

Chance Encounters

Dear Diary,

Please forgive me, I have not written to you in several days.  Rest assured, as it has only been out of secrecy and the protection of those with me that I have not.  I have made another ally, Dalphine, who I have been working with to infiltrate an enemy gathering.  We learned a great deal about the true nature of the dragon threat, and made our way to Riften to find a man so sought after he was living literally in a hole in the sewers.  Just in case this diary should fall into the hands of undesirables, I will only refer to him as Mr. E.

After finding Mr. E I led him back to Riverwood and Delphine where we discussed our next move.  I will not name our destination as I am writing halfway to our destination (and I have already been the mark of assassination attempts), but it is east, on the way to Markarth.

We set out from Riverwood and split up to be safe.  Better some of us get there than something terrible happen and none.  I have run into many strange things in the short distance from Riverwood to this small camp:

- A strange man in a hurry, gave me an axe and said to hold onto it.

- Another man asking if I had seen a strange man in a hurry.  I gave him the axe and he was quite grateful.

- A camp, which at first looked quite nice and worth checking out, but then I saw the bear warming up by the fire...as well as the two dead men.

- An assassin attacked me in the middle of an open field.  He seemed surprised  I saw him coming.  In his belongings I found a note that read like instructions on how to find me, and mentioned a "dark brotherhood."

- A total of 3 dragons.  Two I easily dispatched, one with the help of a guard of a nearby town.  The third was Alduin himself, resurrecting a dragon.  I sent a few arrows at him and interrupted the ritual, after which he flew off, no doubt to return later.

Finally after coming upon a small valley occupied by a couple of Hagravens, I quickly dispatched them and walked around the rocky corner.  I stood in surprise at a huge camp of Forsworn (who worship the foul beasts).  They also stood in shock, thought about where I just trotted in from, and concluded I had done something bad to their dear bird women.  About a dozen of them instantly drew their weapons and rushed at me.  I dropped two with well placed arrows then drew my weapon.  It seemed as soon as I killed one two more took his place.  I was pushed back further back into the gorge and I turned but saw no way out.  Gritting my teeth and accepting the grim situation I was in, I dove back in.  But something was different this time.  I saw bright lights behind them, and wondered what it could be.  As the lights drew closer my attackers lost impetus and began to turn to face whatever was smashing their rear.  As their numbers thinned I saw it was none other than Delphine with Mr. E tossing fireballs like the crazy old man he is!  As I regained my composure I helped finish off the savages and soon after thanked the two for their help.  I realized without them I would have surely been food for some birdlike monstrosity.

So a ways down we camp, and tomorrow we should reach our destination.

Until next time.

- ST

The Mudcrab Army

Dear Diary,

Yesterday I set out from Whiterun to finish my journey to the ruins north of Morthal, to retrieve the golden horn of an old Jarl.  Apparently this will prove I am a dragonborn, and if so I am hoping they have some more powerful words for me.

The journey was long, and I stuck to the road until I came to the river, staying just off course and watching for anyone traveling, or looking to attack travelers.  I did run into a few bandit camps, and points of interest for later.  Most interesting was a fort held by some bandits.  I wonder if I could make good use of that when I am done fetching for the Greybeards.  I am ready to settle down a bit as I have been to and from all over the continent but haven't stopped to enjoy anything.

I turned the road and began to follow the river and the assortment of animals began to change.  I took a break and stopped for a minute for a bite.  Looking at my old dry cheese and half empty bottle of warm wine I heard a splash.  There were dozens of salmon jumping in some rapids ahead, which gave me an idea.  I slowly walked up to the edge, careful of my footing and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed one!  I apologized to my animal brother for what I had to do, and proceeded to eat the delicious fish.  I wasn't too keen on some parts, but I did not want to waste any of it.  As I washed my hands in the river, I heard a growl and turned to see two sabre cats had picked up the scent.  I tried to stay calm and show that I was not only not  a threat but also not a meal.  They persisted so I unfortunately had to put them down.  I took their fur and what meat I could and carried on.

As I rounded the mountainside the terrain began to change from green valley to a frozen swamp.  I tread carefully as I wasn't sure what dangerous things, alive or otherwise, would call such a place home.  As I walked I began to get more comfortable and I admit I let my guard down.  I stopped at one point to admire the scenery when I heard a commotion behind me.  I turned to see no less than a half dozen mudcrabs coming my way!  I pulled out my weapon and shield and braced myself for the wave of chitin to crash into me, but as I winced and pulled back my mace...they simply passed me.  What could be more interesting to  pack of angry mudcrabs? I turned and my heart sank...a massive dragon!

The dragon was soaring in and scorching a bear and another mudcrab.  To the defense of the animals and with my army of squeaking critters I ran and drew my bow.  The bear fell first, but not without doing a great amount of damage to the beast.  With the bear dead, he set upon my mudcrab friends.  One fell, two fell, as I let loose arrow after arrow into the dragon.  The crabs were a great distraction, crawling around the dragon it tried to buck them and could not choose which one to attack.  I took the opportunity and drew my mace, and landed the killing blow on the foul thing.  It let out a scream and slumped, and I absorbed it's soul.  Its adversary gone, the crabs stopped and turned.  I expected a thank you but they now turned on me!  I knew they didn't understand who I was, or what just happened, so I let them be and moved on to Morthal.

I wish I could say I had a pleasant stay at Morthal, but let's just say my nights were busier than my days as they had quite the undead problem.  I did help out the townspeople, took a bed for the night, and today finished my walk to the ruins.  There is a bedroll here right before the entrance, so I will stop for now and hope this unfortunate soul on the other side of the pit stays dead.  

Until next time.

- ST

The Beginning

Dear Diary,

Am I happy to finally have a chance to write to you.  What a long week it has been.  

My decision to leave Cyrodiil, while curing my boredom, proved to be a dangerous endeavor.  I ran into some folks in blue outfits calling themselves the Stormguard...or Stormcloaks...it's all quite hazy.  But in my mingling and buying supplies for my trek deeper into Skyrim, we were attacked by some Imperial soldiers.  I tried to explain I had no idea who these random people were, but I was captured and bound, thrown into a cart and hauled off to some city...which I can't even remember the name of because as soon as we got there the city was promptly destroyed by some dragon.

Did I mention they wanted to kill me?  How rude.  I didn't have anything to do with those guys, and they seemed pretty nice at that.

But anyway.  The dragon set upon the town and given a choice I decided to run off with the guy in blue since he wasn't trying to kill me a few minutes earlier.  After dodging a lot of falling stuff and getting my hair fried by dragon breath, we made our way out.  To be honest it all happened so fast and I was in such shock I don't really remember how, but I ended up in a small town in a valley on the other side of the mountain.  They were very nice and gave me some food and drink.

Riverwood.  I just remembered the name.

After parting with the charming gentleman in blue I headed to see the Jarl of Whiterun as I was instructed.  I saw a giant, nothing like you would see in the southern lands, set upon by some folks in leather armor.  I ran to help (and who I was helping I wasn't sure) but the giant fell dead as I raised my weapon.  I tried to recover my wits and make some small talk, but other than mentioning they were some wandering guard sort of folk they didn't want much to do with me.  I thought to ask to join them but they didn't look much fun.  Wandering and clobbering innocent giants doesn't fit with my plan I brought with me into Skyrim - look but don't interfere.

So I went up the hill into Whiterun.  Being a lady of education I knew that Whiterun was the original city of the Empire, back when it was founded in Skyrim, and it was beyond what I had imagined from reading about it.  Architecture I had never seen before, and it was as tall as some mountains in Cyrodiil.

Upon conversing a bit with the Jarl we are informed a nearby tower is set upon by a dragon.  I didn't really want to have anything to do with a dragon, but I thought if I just tagged along it would be bonus points with the Jarl and maybe give me a place to stay for the evening.  Following a band of Whiterun guards and a Dunmer who appeared to be an adviser of war for the Jarl.  We ran to the tower (myself a few steps behind) when the dragon appeared.  The men fought valiantly but were slowly losing to the huge monster, and I was getting a bit impatient.  I decided to be a bit risky and fire a few arrows into the dragon, which struck it's wings and grounded it momentarily.  The guards were tossed around like mudcrabs in a riptide, so I ran up and sprayed some fire at it.  Apparantly this was incredibly effective and the dragon burned until it finally collapsed in the dirt.  I walked a bit closer to admire the beat when it began to disappear! It's body dissolved and something like fire magic grew from the dragon and came rushing to me.  It happened so fast I had no idea what to do as it seemed I was absorbing this magic.  As soon as it started it was over, and the men stood around awestruck.  They called me something I had not heard of since my time in the Imperial Library, a Dragonborn.  I had a vague idea what they were talking about, but I didn't believe such things really existed, but were a legend.  Immediately after there was a crashing in the sky and a loud voice.  Following behind the loud thunder was a gathering of many voices shouting "dragonborn."  All went quiet again, and after gathering our wits we walked back to Whiterun.

Long story short I am some Dragonborn person although I don't really believe it.  The Jarl told me to go to some place at the "Throat of the World," which of course is the huge mountain I saw as I came into Riverwood.  Tallest in Tamriel, this wasn't going to be easy.

I wasn't sure if I was not only up to it but believed in all of this.  I decided since the Jarl wasn't going to hand over any fancy rewards I might as well go see if the "greybeards" had anything worth offering.  I really had no idea where I was so some direction was nice, and I admit I was interested in learning more about the dragons from a person rather than a book.

Climbing the 7000 steps wasn't easy, but after dropping a few wolves, and sneaking past a nasty looking troll that was very clearly out of my league, I ended the impressive gates of High Hrothgar.  I stayed for two days and learned much from the monks.  Apparently this "dragonborn" thing is real and not a legend, and there are quite a few of them in history.  They teach me some words of the dragons that are quite powerful, and set me on a quest to find a relic that will explain why the dragons are returning and I was called into Skyrim as they say.

So I stop here beneath Whiterun to draw you a quick picture of the Throat of the World.  It's getting late and I think I will wait until tomorrow to go any further.  It took long enough to get down off the mountain.

I hope all of this makes sense.  To be honest my mind is still back in the little town the dragon destroyed, and wondering how my friend in blue is doing.

Until next time.

- S.T.