Understanding, Past Present and Future

Dear Diary,

It feels good to write from you from home, and it feels like it has been a month since I have written you.

While at the College I spent a good deal of time in the library, and talking to Urag he mentioned a man who could help me find an Elder Scroll.  A hermit, he lived up north in the glaciers, studying something he had found ages ago. I gathered some supplies, slept for the night in my quarters and head out.

I wasn't looking forward to it as I hate water, and up here the water is freezing at that, but luckily this time of year there was plenty of ice reaching his location.  I found his place from afar, a small door with a wooden boat docked outside.  I entered and spoke with the man, Septimus, about Elder Scrolls, his uncovered Dwemer lockbox, and other interesting things.  I loved the conversation as these sorts of secret and supernatural subjects are exactly what I hoped to explore when I came to Skyrim.  He seemed a bit off which I attributed to years of solitude, but I did note some Skooma in one of his dressers when he wasn't looking.  He gave me two Dwemer "keys" and pointed me in the direction of Alftand, a Dwemer ruin west of our location.  It was still early in the day so I set out immediately.

Alftand was atop a mountain and the weather was quite harsh.  The remnants of an exploratory party were at the top, some ruined tents and a journal of the leader.  There were two dead bodies under the snow but the journal named 6.  It seemed they couldn't find an entrance.  I looked around and after a while of searching found a small crack in the glacier, that after a while did indeed enter the ruins.  I immediately ran into two more of the party - the two khajiit.  One was dead and the other a loony.  I was forced to kill him, and searching his partner found a journal explaining his skooma addiction.

The rest of Aftland was a long, twisting and deep ruin, full of Dwemer automation and further down many Falmer.  I am quite secure in this point saying that the Falmer are what killed the Dwemer off after all.  Their disappearance was merely an exile, but their destruction happened at the hands of the Falmer, their tortured slaves.  Eerie to think this was all happening under our feet without knowing, but I digress.  I found the rest of the party on the way down to the entrance of Blackreach.  The Orc woman was slain by Falmer arrows.  The Altmer was still tied to a Falmer torture device, but was dead.  The other two were still alive, who I found at the entrance of the tuning device, but were turned mad.  They killed each other fighting over treasure they couldn't even reach.  I felt bad for them but they were soon forgotten as I entered the next chamber - Blackreach itself.

Blackreach.  No words can even describe it.  It is the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I took a moment to let it set in.  Luminescent mushrooms and plants surrounded me, and the ceiling was like a night sky, dotted with bright geodes.  There was a small building in front of me, so I decided to search it first.  Entering, I heard a faint hum that I recognized as nirnroot, but when I found the source I was astonished - it was a reddish color!  I had never seen or heard of such a thing.  I picked it, and gathered many other alchemical ingredients scattered about.  In my elation I failed to notice a skeleton in one corner.  I searched it, finding a journal and my heart sank.  Dear Sinderion, a good family friend.  He knew my grandmother well, and in fact mentioned her in his most recent journal entry, which I will copy here:

4E 58 Second Seed, Middas
 
I've spent a large portion of my life unraveling the mystery of the nirnroot and yet I still feel unfulfilled. The trilling sound this strange herb emits seems to taunt me, to push me even harder to discover its secrets. Even after a generous and indomitable traveler became a field collector in my stead, and provided me with five score of the nirnroot, I was only able to muster what I consider a mediocre alchemical creation at best. This only served to strengthen my hunger and whet my appetite for the solution.

It wasn't until over fifty years later that the answer to my prayers was carried into my basement workshop at the West Weald Inn. The first thing I heard was the familiar tone - that unmistakable warble unique to the nirnroot. But when I turned around, my heart leapt and a chill ran down my spine. This was indeed a nirnroot, but of a variety the likes of which I have never seen. The herb was awash in a spectacular array of red hues, each leaf seemingly emblazoned with innumerable variations of crimson. I couldn't move - I was completely transfixed. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a species of nirnroot with such a unique property.

After an awkward silence, I finally managed to stammer out a few questions to the traveler who'd brought me this treasure. He told me his name was Obeth Arnesian, a treasure-seeker from Skyrim. Apparently, he'd been exploring a vast subterranean network of grand caverns called Blackreach and had stumbled across what he dismissed as "a noisy red weed." His expedition was largely unsuccessful and he didn't want to leave the caves empty-handed, so Obeth picked one of the crimson nirnroot to bring home. He said that it took some time, but eventually he was pointed my way and that perhaps I'd pay a fair price for it.

Before I could gather my wits and ask anything else, Obeth offered to sell me the crimson nirnroot sample, a map showing me how to find Blackreach and the strange key needed to breach its outer defenses. It took me mere moments to decide. Obeth left Skingrad a thousand septims richer, but I would have easily paid ten times that amount to obtain the sample alone.

It took a year of planning, but I was able to pack up and sell my workshop and make my way into Skyrim. Before delving headfirst into Blackreach, I knew I needed to set up a new laboratory, but wished to do so in seclusion. After making inquiries at the College of Winterhold, of which I was an honorary member, I was directed to speak to Avrusa Sarethi, a student of botanical alchemy who had a small farm near the city of Riften. By bartering my knowledge of nirnroot cultivation, I was able to secure Sarethi Farm as a launching point for my field research. I kept the knowledge of the crimson nirnroot a secret from Avrusa, but imparted everything else I knew to her in exchange for her hospitality.

A few months passed, but I was finally ready to enter Blackreach. I used the Runed Lexicon that Obeth had provided and descended into the depths. My goal was to gather enough crimson nirnroot to produce my greatest alchemical creation to date - I was certain it would take at least thirty of them to provide the necessary catalyst.

This brings me to the present. My initial research seems to indicate that the crimson nirnroot has a similar affinity for moisture as the garden variety, but also maintains some sort of symbiotic relationship with the enormous fungi that inhabits Blackreach. It's my guess that the fungi itself is a source of water, absorbing it from the moist subterranean air like a sponge. This provides the ideal environment for the nirnroot to grow. Unfortunately, the crimson nirnroot appears to have a vastly shortened lifespan, and they are in no way plentiful down here. Gathering thirty of them will be quite the challenge, but hopefully the denizens of Blackreach will allow me to gather my samples unhindered.

I had to finish what he had started.  I left the house and searched all of Blackreach.  It took over a day and I uncovered many nasty critters as well, but I managed to find plenty of crimson nirnroot.  I will have to make a note to find Avrusa later.

For now I finished my trek through Blackreach, finally finding the way to the large Dwemer artifact I was after.  The device was massive, and much like the one I found that led me to the staff of Magnus. I used the box Septimus gave me to move the arms hanging from the ceiling.  I was awestruck at the engineering of the massive machine, as the arms turned and eventually dropped down a large crystal which opened, but it was nothing compared to what I found inside...

An Elder Scroll.  In perfect condition.  It took me a moment to snap out of my awe.  This was possibly the most rare and important artifact in the world, and it sat before me.  My grandmother would be quite proud, and I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing I had finally found something equal to her own exploits.  I gently picked it up and put it in my pack, and took one of the many elevators to the surface. I made my way back to Septimus, who was elated to have the etchings on his box, but thankfully wanted nothing to do with the Elder Scroll. He did however need me to collect the blood from each type of Elf, as original Dwemer blood, the key to opening the box, was obviously no longer obtainable.  A bit of each would trick the box, and I agreed to help him get his samples.  It was time to find out more about what I had found, so I turned to leave and go see Urag.

But as I left the room, there was a massive dark blue light, and a booming voice.  It was Hermaeus Mora himself!  Of all the Daedric lords, Mora is the only one I truly admire and to speak with him was a revelation and event on par with finding the Elder Scroll. All the books in Skyrim are but scraps of paper in the presence of Mora.  If my path is to cross his I knew I was in for some real understanding beyond mortal man.  I agreed to help him, and he left.

As I exited the cave and walked towards the College, a courier approached.  He gave me a letter from Falk Firebeard,a man from solitude I consider a friend:

Over the last few days we've had some disturbing information come to light regarding the events at Wolfskull Cave and the summoning and binding ritual you interrupted there.
Given your involvement with that event I'm asking you to return to Solitude to help us once more. I'm wary of putting all the details in print, please come see me at the Blue Palace.
Sincerely,
Falk Firebeard

I was right at the College, but this could not wait.  A return of Potema, the Wolf Queen, would be disastrous and on par with the Oblivion Crisis.  There was enough conflict in Skyrim so it was vital to stop her now.  I immediately set out for Solitude and made the long trek west.

Entering the city there were people running everywhere and screaming.  I saw guards pointing their bows at the sky, and following their line of sight I saw a huge dragon crest the battlements of Castle Dour!  It was bigger than any I had seen yet, and in fact for a moment thought it was Alduin himself.  The dragon was quite powerful and we fought the beast for at least an hour, moving from courtyard to merchant's center, to the city proper, but the dozen guards and myself dispatched it in time.  Everyone in town gathered and admired the beast, and congratulated me, but I made sure everyone gave the guards their credit as well.  They fought quite valiantly and without loss, or so I thought.  I turned and saw a guard had indeed fallen to the foul monster.  I mourned the poor soul, and in his tribute took his armor and displayed it on the mannequin in my house to forever remember his service.

I continued to the Blue Palace and spoke with Firebeard.  He told me to speak to Styrr at the Hall of the Dead. I left and spoke with Styrr and he showed me an entrance to the catacombs beneath Solitude.  Her followers had broken through a wall to make a back entrance for Potema to enter. I walked in and immediately encountered, as you would expect from Potema, many undead.  It did give me a chance to finally test Jzargo's scrolls, which in hindsight humorously blew up nearby undead but also blew back at me as well.  Delving deeper I also ran into many a vampire, which did not surprise me.  The catacombs were long and Potema spoke to me through the bond of my presence at her previous summoning, but I reached the end to the chamber itself, and Potema raised Draugr after Draugr at me.  Wave after wave, so many I had to put away Aether and draw old Frosty to keep them at bay (also with a fancy new ebony shield I found in Blackreach).  Frosty saw me through them all and with her power drained I entered her chambers, grabbed her skull and with a shout destroyed her soul forever.  

I returned the remains to Styrr, and tired but triumphant entered the Jarls court and spoke with her and Firebeard.  Their worries were over, and they recognized with me in town they had nothing to fear.  She awarded me the title of Thane in recognition of my service to the city, and my own Shieldmaiden Jordis.  I was glad to help though.  I felt at home here, and that this was my place and where I belong.

Worn, weary, in need of real sleep, I returned home with Jordis.  I made sure she felt at home with what energy I had left, and went downstairs to unload.  I dropped my weapons and gear, and looked at my dear Mr. Frosty.  It had been an epic two weeks.  I had seen and been a part of so many legends I had only read about in Cyrodiil.  I hung Frosty up on a mantle, retired, and created a new weapon for a new chapter in my journeys - Mr. Thirsty - an Ebony war axe with a penchant for Thalmor and Dragon blood...

Until next time,

- ST

End of Ancano

Dear Diary,

Labrynthian was more than I had ever imagined from reading about it back in Cyrodiil.  I will not give details as it was quite dangerous and I don't want anyone who might find this to attempt to enter.  Hopefully now with the staff acquired there will be no reason for anyone to return it. I will say I took great enjoyment in smashing a Thalmor sent by Ancano to stop me and take the staff after I went to all the effort to obtain it.  He put up quite a fight but my newly acquired staff made short work of the magic using Altmer.

Upon returning to the College I saw from a distance a scuffle on the bridge.  I ran up and assisted Tolfdir in taking down the strange magic creatures and he briefed me on the situation.  We ran inside with the staff which I used to indirectly fry Ancano and put the  situation to rest.  I took his clothes to display in mockery in my house, and then spoke with the gathered residents of the College.  They were quite grateful and made me the new Archmage.  I thought it was a bit premature and unfitting of a wanderer and scholar by hobby such as myself, but they insisted.  I took a peek at my new quarters, but I did not touch anything.  I just couldn't use the space previously occupied by Aren, and it seemed some of these items were heirlooms from his own travels and adventures in Skyrim.

I next went to Urag in the library, bringing him the rare book he was after, and he sent me after another.  I asked him about where to find an Elder Scroll here in Skyrim and he gave me a couple books about Elder Scrolls which I will promptly add to my collection.  I hope he doesn't expect me to return them...

Until next time,

- ST

Back to School

Dear Diary,

After getting situated in Solitude, spending the night and dropping some things off, I left for Morthal.  The pommel of the Razor was much easier to find.  I spotted the owner as soon as I entered town working at the saw mill.  He sold it for rather cheap considering it was a family heirloom.

On my way back to return the two of three pieces to Silus Vesius, I came across an old ruin deep in a cavern.  Looking down into the buildings I saw several bandits going about their day.  The buildings were laid out in such a way there was a large alley right in front of me, down in the cavern, with the only exit on the far side.  I chose my first target, a man on the far side sitting at the table and he fell with one arrow silently.  The noise of him gagging and falling out of his chair caught the attention of three more right below me and they went to investigate.  One fell, and the others realized what was going on and booked it for the far end and exit.  I caught one halfway down but missed the other  as he turned on his heel to run through the door.  He signaled to one other on the way out, but his throat was impaled before he finished.  It was enough to get the attention of the guard on the far side of the courtyard in a tower, and we exchanged an arrow or two before she fell.

I listened for a moment to make sure they were all dead, and carefully dropped down into the alley.  I searched the bodies and chests, and on a table found a note from a collector asking the men to search for something in the ruins, but I didn't really have time for that, and I moved on.  I checked the final body, the woman in the tower, and heard a massive roar.  I've seen enough dragons to know the roar of one, but this one was different, much louder and seeming to  carry slightly different.  I left the tower and lept upon a rocky ledge next to it, drawing Aether and looking for the beast.  I spotted it to the south, and landed an arrow to get it's attention.  It wasn't that large so I did not understand it's massive voice.  It circled around and landed in front of me, and I continued to pepper the beast with arrows, it's maw bloodied and left wing crippled.  As I considered drawing my mace and closing with the dragon, there was a massive crash behind me and I was knocked to the ground.  I turned and looked, and it was a second dragon!  This one was much larger and I suddenly felt less secure in defeating the first.  I put a couple arrows into the new big dragon and it seemed to just bounce off it's hide.  I ran and slid behind some rocks to shield from what was now twice the firey breath.  I popped up and shot the weaker dragon some more.  Focusing on it was probably my only way out of this fight.

This went on for a few moments - myself dodging fire then firing an arrow into the weakened dragon.  It was almost dead but I was almost out of arrows, and there was a perfectly healthy dragon right next to it!  I retreated further and dove behind a large totem I thought was of the Forsworn.  I was afraid of also running into them but the camp was awful small to be Forsworn, and I saw no tents.  Turning my attention back to the dragons, the larger one was now right on the other side of the totem, and the second flying overhead.  The totem shielded me from the direct heat of the constant blast, and it seemed the larger dragon was keeping me pinned down while the other circled around. Things were looking pretty grim, when I heard a massive thump and a scream from the larger dragon.  The fire stopped so I turned and looked, and was very relieved to see a giant wailing on the big dragon!  The beast cowered a bit and screamed with each massive thump to the head.  I wasted no time and returned to the weaker dragon, firing my last few arrows into it's wings.  Falling to the ground I ran up, dodged a weary attempt at a bite, and put the foul thing out of it's misery.  I turned to look at the scuffle behind me just in time to see the giant land one heavy blow on the dragon's head, which finally killed it. I am still unsure of the language or attitudes of the giant's, but as it stood there looking at me I assumed it meant well, so I waved and said thank you, and he wandered off.

I checked my map and the stars and regained my bearings.  I was halfway to Dawnstar and thought I might make it before midnight, so I set out quickly.  I luckily saw no more dragons, but did run into a Vigilant of Stendarr.  It was nice to run into someone else from Cyrodiil.

I arrived at Dawnstar late in the night, and quickly stopped by Silus' house and dropped off the two parts to the dagger.  I spent the night in the inn and this time went around the north side of town to go to the College, and saw a very foreboding door adorned with a skull and skeletons.  I walked up and put my hand on it and heard a very eerie voice ask me a question I can no longer recall.  I didn't answer, and just ran off towards Winterhold.

When I arrived something strange was going on.  Everyone was gathered in the main courtyard and I ran past to see what was happening.  Inside there was a large field of magic in front of the door.  Ancano was doing something to the Eye of Magnus and refused to let anyone in.  No one knew what he was doing, but I knew being a Thalmor he was likely up to no good.  I helped the Archmage bust down the door and we ran inside and confronted Ancano, but as we drew near there was a massive explosion and I was knocked unconscious.  I awoke to a voice, the woman who introduced me to the college was alive, but the Archmage was not so lucky.  There was no time to mourn as it seemed Ancano was gaining power and made a new shield right in front of the Eye.  I knew it was time to go to Labrynthian to get the Staff of Magnus which would hopefully aid us in stopping Ancano.  I am gathering my things and leaving you in my quarters at the College for now, I will write you again when I return.

Until next time,

- ST

My Own Place of Solitude

Dear Diary,

After my bout with the Hagraven I went east towards my next objective - reforging the Gaulder amulet.  The mountains east of Markarth are quite steep and a bit confusing, but on the bright side I found several interesting places around my destination.

The entrance to the final tomb was not much different than the others - a large cave with a door on one end.  I walked up to a small bridge in front of the door to find a dead man holding another dragon claw key, which I quickly swiped along with a note left by the original builders for my own collection.  The tomb itself was surprisingly empty.  I crept along expecting some sort of Draugr ambush, but it was simply three long halls, each with a door requiring one of the three claw keys.  I couldn't help but think back to the places I had been around the world as I pulled out each one and used it to proceed.

At the end was another large room, but this time filled with caskets and an altar on one end. There were three small pedestals on the altar, which I assumed were for the three amulets, and upon placing them, reforged into one!  I turned to leave but I heard a strange noise and turned.  Above the altar three ghosts appeared - the three brothers had returned!

The first one used a spell to teleport down to my level.  It looked like they were going to fight one by one.  The first brother was time consuming, but not difficult.  He was very sturdy but his blows were easy to block and he had no magic. The second brother was much more difficult.  He pulled the same trick as before, but this time made three other copies of himself each with a ghostly copy of the enchanted bow (which I still had in my pack, and used against them!). The fight seemed to last for hours, and I was forced to often retreat and use restoration magics and potions  of healing.  After a while it became easy to tell which one was the real brother, and after many dozen arrows he finally fell.

The third brother was the most difficult of all.  He didn't look like much at first as he charged with a mace, but he soon revealed more powerful magic in the form of a frost atronach which seemed invulnerable to my bow and Mr. Frosty (hindsight - don't enchant both weapons with the same element..).  As I tried my best to stay away from the giant ice man, I managed to put some arrows into the brother, however he pulled out another trick up his sleeve - a shout.  Every time I landed an arrow he would knock my bow out of my hands!  The battle was long, and my final strategy was to shoot him once and freeze him solid right after.  This still did nothing for the frost beast, which proved annoying, but simply delayed the inevitable.  After what was probably an hour the final brother fell.  Atop the altar their ghosts dissipated, finally able to rest for eternity.

I left the cave admiring my new trinkets, and headed north.  I had more goodies than I could carry and decided to return to Solitude, instead of going east as usual.  The trek to Solitude was fairly uneventful.  In the two days it took to sell all my leftover items, I also did some errands for the Jarl.  They were so impressed with my work that they offered to sell me a house, which I gladly took them up on!  It was quite expensive but I love Solitude, and figure I can keep the Whiterun house for storage and a stop to rest at.

So I will finish writing from my new house, and tomorrow set out for Dawnstar to return this Hagraven's little gem thing to the Mythic Dawn museum.

Until next time.

- ST

A Southern Fried Bird

Dear Diary,

I woke up from my camp outside Dawnstar, heading west toward Solitude.  I wish I could say the short trip was peaceful and uneventful, but a mere dozen paces away from camp, cresting a large rock, I was set upon by a dragon!  I drew out Aether and fired two quick arrows into it, drawing it's attention.  It soared back around by Dawnstar then came to land by me.  However it's attention was on something else! It landed a stones throw away below a drop off in the land, so I ran up quietly and had a look.  It had skipped right on past me and was pestering a poor (in context) Troll!  The Troll was trying it's hardest to put up a fight, but all it could do was swat at the dragons face, then run away a bit to seek cover.  As their dance took them a bit further away I dropped down and checked out the Trolls nook in the rocks, and on a dead body found an interesting book I had not seen before.  Score!  Trolls can't read anyway, so he won't miss that.  Returning my attention to the duel just in time to see the Troll get swallowed whole, I began peppering the dragon again.  The frost enchantment was effective, which might explain the dragon being so irritated being in the frozen north and all.  The dragon turned and looked at me, but I saw arrows coming from another direction and hitting it in the rear.  It bucked, took to the sky and circled upon it's new second adversary.  I again creeped forward to see who my rescuer might be.  It was a ruffian who must have not seen me yet.  Maybe he thought the Troll and the dragon were the only ones in the fight.  Regardless, he did a decent job hitting his mark with his bow and pissing the dragon off.  The beast flew in and breathed fire on the man, then flew off.  With the dragon leaving, the man looked around and spotted me and drew his bow again, but I nonchalantly flung an arrow his way, dropped him and turned back to the dragon.  I expected the dragon to be right behind me, but of course he had found something else more tasty to interest him (I can at least take it as a compliment on my figure!). I ran over to the edge of a small cliff to see, and it was a poor family of about a half dozen Horkers! The chubby critters were no match for the giant dragon, and it promptly began tossing them into the sea.  This was right out, I wasn't about to let this grumpy monster destroy an innocent family like this, so I drew my mace and shield and charged in!  With a few whacks I had distracted it's attention and it turned to me.  Between some ice magic, my ice enchanted mace, and a handful of one ton Horkers flopping into it, we finally took the dragon down.  The Horkers seemed grateful as they flopped back over to their island and looked at me, so I waved goodbye and moved on.

I made my way to Solitude, picking plenty of flowers for alchemy along the way, and spent a couple days there selling off a lot of spare gear and things I had found along the way.  I am starting to gather up a good bit of gold.  Maybe I will move out of Whiterun soon.

Leaving Solitude the morning of the second day, I headed off to a small pond where Urag thought another rare book might be.  It was a short trip, and I found the book on the body of a made collecting ingredients, but I did not see who might have killed her.  Maybe she tasted the wrong mushroom.

I continued straight through to the south, my next goal a couple spots on the Cyrodiil/Skyrim border.  However I did not get far until I had another encounter.  Climbing up the side of a large rocky hill off the side of the road gathering ingredients, I heard a roar and saw another dragon fly overhead and to the other side of the hill.  I stepped back a bit and drew my bow.  I knew we were fairly alone out here and I wouldn't be quite so lucky as before.  He looped back around and as he crested the hill, I realized this was the biggest one I had seen yet!  It was massive, and breathed some scorching hot fire.  We traded blows for a bit, fighting both face to face and firing at each other.  After a time I realized even with magic I was outmatched.  As it began to look bad for me, the dragon whipped it's head around and spotted something to our left and down on the road beneath a rocky drop off.  It took off after it and began to chase, breathing fire down on it.  Curious what could wander by and be so fast, I slid down the hill as fast as I could, and dropped down onto the road, but they had rounded the hill and all I could see was the dragon above the crest of the rocks.  It whipped around, so it's quarry must have as well, so I ran forward to meet it.  It rounded the rocks and stopped, whinnying - a horse!  It had come back for me, knowing we were both in hot water.  I hopped on and we took off to the southwest as fast as he would carry me.  I could see a wooden fort in the distance so I decided to head there.  I had no idea who was in it, so we could be finding more trouble, but I figured at the very least the dragon could be distracted by whoever was in there.  

We rode up at full speed to the front of the gates with the dragon literally hot on our heels.  As we were about to smash into the doors, I motioned the horse to pull a sharp turn and we rode along the front of the fort.  When we had cleared the other side and I noticed the dragon was no longer on our tails, I turned and sure enough the monster was hovering over the front of the fort and breathing fire upon the people inside, but there were massive volleys of arrows coming from the inside of the fort, which hurt it greatly and made it land injured in front of the walls.  A massive Orc ran out of the gates and began wailing on the dragon, which at this point was merely trying to shield itself from his blows.  I dismounted and ran back, assisting the man.  I jumped upon the dragons head and landed the killing blow (in hindsight a bit of a glory hog considering my previous strategy).  With the monster dead, a few more Orcs ran out of the gates to take a look.  They weren't too keen on talking to me, wary of outsiders and mourning the loss of their chief.  I hadn't noticed in the brawl that the hero who ran out of the fort had died!  I decided it was a good time to leave, as that was my fault and considering the situation the Orcs were being pretty nice.  I turned and walked away, looking for my new friend, but the horse was gone!  It was a touching moment to think about what had happened to say the least, but after a moment I gathered my wits and headed south again.

Checking my map, I was about halfway to Markarth at dusk, so I stopped at an old camp and spent the night.  The rest of the trip south took a full day.  I took the long way around Markarth, not ready to go in there again, and reached the summit of the mountain south of Markarth early evening.  The ruins at Hag Rock showed obvious signs of a Forsworn camp, so I figured I was in friendly territory.  I wandered up the hill and into a camp of about half a dozen and yelled hello and waved.  To my surprise they all jumped up and started running at me.  I took cover from a volley of arrows and magic, drew out my bow and looked for an opportunity at the edge of my cover.  I saw a younger archer to the side and lacking cover, so I knocked an arrow and when his had past turned and dropped him.  As I went to pull another I was jumped by a crazy woman wielding magic.  I bashed her in the face with my bow and kicked her into the ground.  I swapped out the bow for Frosty and gave her a two handed bash to the face, knocking her out.  I finished her with another swing and got back into cover, as we were fighting with arrows flying around us still.  I looked again and saw two people in front of an alchemy lab in a large open tent, and shot some arrows their way while avoiding theirs.  One hit home, knocking the woman up onto the table, and the other dropped her bow and drew a dagger and charged.  It was a mistake as her lack of armor and small weapon versus an enchanted mace and armor was no match.  After a short duel she lay dead on the ground.  I sheathed my weapon and searched the camp, and then head into the ruins.

The inside of Hag Rock was an old fort, containing barracks and a small prison.  There were a few Forsworn inside but I stealthily took them out one by one.  I found a tower in the back that went up to some more stairs outside.  Cresting those I saw the door to more ruins and a large tent.  I didn't hear anything, so if there was anyone inside i thought they would be asleep, so I snuck past.  As I reached the door I heard a roar and turned to see a Forsworn and his pet Troll!  We traded a few blows and I was forced to back off down the stairs.  I ran a ways trying to separate them, and it worked.  The chief lunged at me well ahead of his pet, and I tripped him and pushed him off the wall.  I wanted to watch but now I had a Troll on my hands.  I turned and shouted at the beast, freezing it solid.  I caught my breath for a moment then recalled some words of fire magic and roasted the Troll best I could.  Slightly toasted, the Troll rose and angrily swatted at me.  I danced around his attacks and each time he made a wild swing ran in and smacked it in the face.  Dazed and angry, it made one final wild lunge and I turned to the side letting it pass, then cracked its back with a powerful blow with my mace.  I thought I was done, but as the Troll fell I heard a scream behind me.  The master was back and more pissed off than ever that I had killed his pet.  His rage was hard to contain, his wild blow dropping my shield.  He attacked so fast I couldn't do much more than try and block them all.  At a lull in the fight, I decided I should apologize by raising the Troll back from the dead, and cast a spell upon it's corpse.  Rising, it attacked it's master.  The chief unsure what to do, faced with the creature it loved, it halfheartedly fought the beast and was quickly ripped apart.  The spell soon worn off and it fell head over feet backwards down the stairs.  I laughed, and turned and entered the next tower.

What I thought would be another ruin was actually another tower open to the sky.  I climbed the wooden stairs and found myself a ways across from an altar and a Hagraven with lots of strange magical fetishes on poles and ropes all around.  I snuck up to watch her doing something strange to a dead goat.  It wasnt long before I didn't want to see anymore and shot an arrow into her shoulder.  It was quite angry and began to hobble over with some sort of foul magic ready.  She must have forgotten the double fire traps she had set up to keep out intruders - when she cackled and began to cast a nasty spell at me she was set ablaze, caught in her own crossfire.  She screamed and caught on fire, and angrily began to move forward again, but I quickly knocked an arrow, shot her at point black and knocked her back into the fire.  I happily continued to do this until she was a pile of charred feathers on the ground.  I snuck around and plucked the soul gems from the traps, and safely took the part I needed for Silus off the altar.

Feeling particularly tired, it being late into the night, I slept in the tent of the Troll and master, but not before pulling out the body of some poor Wood Elf.  Tomorrow I'll head west and finally reforge these Gaulder amulets.

Until net time.

- ST

Seek and Ye Shall Find (Books)

Dear Diary,

I left the cave with the amulet fragments and camped outside.  I was approached by a man as I awoke and began to walk on, and he demanded my belongings.  He must have been following me and was after what I had found in the cave.  Or maybe he was just a wandering thief.  Regardless, he persisted, and I was forced to dispatch him quickly.

I traveled north toward Windhelm.  I figured I could reach it by dusk.  On the way I had an encounter with yet another dragon, but it was small and easy to deal with. There were several Giant camps as well but I knew if I left them alone the favor would be returned.  The terrain was a nice change of pace, volcanic hot springs were something of a wonder in a land with so much snow.

I reached Wildhelm shortly before dark and a blizzard had blown in, so I took shelter and began looking around town for a place to stay.  I heard a commotion from deeper in town and went to investigate.  A woman had been murdered and it seemed the guards were spread to thin to do much about it at the time, so I volunteered to investigate.  It proved to just one in a series of murders, but after a couple days and little sleep the murderer was caught.  I had my suspicions all along and they turned out true.  The man the evidence pointed to directly was not the culprit, but rest easy the real murderer is now behind bars.  Otherwise my stay in Windhelm was unremarkable.  I did visit a local museum in my search for the killer.  Inside on a tour I was shown a book, one of a kind and magical, that was supposed to read the destiny of the person who opens it.  I could hardly contain my excitement and I don't remember the curator saying anything else.  I made sure to come back later and pick it up for my personal collection.

After Windhelm I again went north to turn in my books to Urag.  On the road I was accosted by a wood elf. I don't know why he attacked me, he said not a word, but he was dealt with easily enough.  Down the road I again ran into two more ruffians, but this time two Redguard, and they made their intentions clear.  They were after my "shiny gold."  It was a much tougher fight than the wood elf, a back and forth for a good bit of time.  We had fought our way down the road a ways, and must have caught the attention of the 3 drunken revelers I had passed weeks before.  They charged in with nothing but their fists and together knocked out one of the bandits.  The other man however was not going to be taken out by bare fists and cut down two of the drunken men.  I had my bow out and tried the whole time to assist the three but could not get a clean shot, but down to one on one the last drunkard landed a powerful blow and staggered the brute, at which point I took advantage and landed the arrow square in his neck.  I stopped to mourn the two old friends who had given me some mead when we first met, and the third went back to drinking.  It must have been his way of coping.

Making my way into the college I went straight to Urag and gave him the four books he sought.  The book of Sheldor would take a few days to translate, but the other three he traded for some other books.  More common, but appreciated.  I bought up his stock of extras he kept on hand and I left.  He didnt say a word about the stolen books, maybe he felt I had made good on that end, but as I walked away and went out of sight I went to pick into the massive bookcases I realize he had locked them!  Damned old man.  I should've taken more the first time.  I just wanted to read them!  I promise.

As I went back down the the main entrance I was stopped by Ancano, the Thalmor diplomat staying in the college (and lucky I would be investigated as the newest member if something..unfortunate were to happen to him).  He demanded my presence with the Arch Mage, as a member of the Psijic Order was here to see me.  The Psijic are a very secretive and ancient group, and not too welcome it seems in the college.  I try my hardest to be polite to the elf and followed him up the stairs to where the guest was waiting.  We had a brief conversation about the relic uncovered in Saarthal, which he felt was too powerful for the College to be dabbling with.  He understood he couldn't stop them from using it however, and told me where to find someone who would know what to do - beneath the College. I did as he asked and went into what must have been the sewer system of the old city before it collapsed, what was left of it at least directly underneath the College.  

But the rest of that story can wait.  The suspected location of the artifact I had to find was way down south below the Throat, and I had other, more pressing issues at the moment.  Another museum in Dawnstar and books for Urag in ruins west of that.  Which reminds me, I forgot to mention while in Windhelm I was stopped by a courier and given an invitation to a museum opening in Dawnstar.  I did not expect all of this stuff in the College to take place.  I just wanted to drop off the books and move on.  But I digress.  I spent the night in my quarters and planned the next day's trip.

I went west back to Dawnstar, sticking to the coast again as I knew it would be fairly safe.  When I arrived I knew without having to look at the address on the invitation which house was the museum - it was covered in banners of the Mythic Dawn.  My grandmother had told me stories of their exploits, and they were not a group to be taken lightly.  As I approached the house a man in Mythic Dawn robes introduced himself as the curator and owner of the house.  I decided against better  judgement to follow and see what he had to say.  He didn't seem so bad really, he admitted what his family did was wrong, and that he did not follow Dagon himself, it was more out of respect to his Elders and family tradition.

I took a tour of the little room.  It wasn't much of a "museum" but just four cases in a one room house.  I looked in the first case and saw a few sets of Mythic Dawn robes.  I had seen those before in my grandmothers wardrobe collection.  Next case held the last remaining page of the Mysterium Xarxes, the evil book that brought Dagon into Cyrodiil.  Now the third case, that made me stop in my tracks.  Four books, and I knew what they were when I saw the color of the blood red leather they were bound in.

- A complete set of Mythic Dawn commentaries by Camoran.  This was rare anywhere in the world, especially 200 years after worship of Dagon was outlawed in Cyrodiil.  As he explained some mystic somethingorother in the fourth case, I carefully slipped all four into my pack.  I tried to pay attention as he explained where to find something that went with the thingamabob in the fourth case, but I agreed to something I am now unsure of, said goodbye and quickly left to run around the corner and check out my new books.  Sure enough, they were the real deal and a match of my grandmother's set, and those were the only other full set I had ever seen in any library or collection.

I slipped out of town and took up camp southwest.  Far enough away he wouldn't find me if he noticed the missing books.  Tomorrow I'll be setting out south, my main goal being the mountains separating Cyrodiil and Skyrim, to reforge the Gaulder amulet.

Until next time.

- ST

Three Books, Three Brothers

Dear Diary,

I set out from Whiterun after doing a bit of trading.  Stocked up and ready for a long journey I started northeast for Fellglow Keep, where Urag believed the three stolen books were taken.  

At the end of the short trip I came upon the ruins of the keep.  I saw a couple bodies and realized I had been here once before - I had killed off the rude inhabitants and camped for the night the last time I was through. I wasn't sure what I was in for underneath the ruins, so as I entered the door to the old prisons I prepared my weapons with poisons.

The dungeons were old but showed signs of recent use, and human inhabitants - bits of food,wine, and plenty of books, the latter I found plenty of down there. I stalked down a couple corridors before I found my first enemy, a man in robes guarding a door.  I knocked an arrow and fired, landing squarely and taking him down.  I moved the body aside and picked the lock to the door.  Inside were the old jail cells, with people inside.  They seemed friendly and couldn't imagine someone attacking their rescuer, so I picked the door to each cell.  They gathered together and spoke for a moment, then moved on.  I thought they would try and escape but must have had revenge in mind as they ran deeper into the prison. As I begun rummaging through the desks and shelves for books, I heard yelling and a commotion in the next room.  I grumbled, grabbed the last of the books and followed.  The three of them had found two more men in robes.  The odds on their side I snuck around from a distance and looked for more loot.  But as I began walking the two men summoned Daedra to their side and now my newly escaped friends were outnumbered.  I drew my bow and joined the fight, helping to drop the two men, the two Daedra's hold releasing but not before one of them killed an escapee.  We went into the next room, which was filled with instruments of torture and bodies of what looked like the jailbreakers' comrades, which sent the two remaining men into a rage.  They found a man in robes at a desk in a corner and had taken him down with magic before I could even respond.

I found the key to continue on the man, and unlocked the door for my followers, as I planned to search this room some more.  However once again my comrades went in full charge against two men with summoned entities, but they were outnumbered two to one and were taken down.  I had been back behind the entrance to the room and the men did not see me, so while they took a moment to put away their weapons I took them down with arrows.

The room contained another three cells, one containing a wolf, one empty, and one a man different from the others.  I spoke to him and he begged me to release him, so I attempted to pick the lock but it was not a traditional one.  I looked around and found the switches to the doors, and flipped the one I had hoped was for the man and not the wolf.  I was wrong.  The door to the wolf cage popped open and we stared each other down for a moment, an arrow drawn ready to take it down, but after a while I realized it must have understood what was going on and wandered into a corner and laid down.  I put away my weapon and went over to the man.  He seemed grateful but nervous.  I asked him about the books and he said he knew nothing except where we might find them but I sensed he was lying.  He offered to help and I agreed, but took note to make sure he kept in front of me.

The two of us delved deeper into the prison, now at an area that must have been the old barracks. There were several rooms of beds, storage, and a kitchen.  We came upon a couple more robed men but stealthily took them out with magic and arrows.  We then came to a larger room.  It opened up a bit more and went to the left.  There were several pillars to the left and I saw no enemies, but I did see in front of me an altar with a book on top of it.  My excitement got the best of me and as I ran for the book I heard shouts and looked left.  Two men were behind the pillars and had spotted us.  My partner ran in and I drew my bow, but I could not get a clean shot.  He took down one of them but unfortunately fell to the other.  The remaining man looked up at me and began to charge just in time for an arrow to split his face.  I didn't know whether to mourn the man I had released or be thankful he wasn't around to pull something tricky later, but I kept moving.

Further down in the prison I came upon a large room with three altars, each with a book.  This must have been the three books I was after.  I carefully walked up to the first to take it, but a woman appeared and did not look too happy.  She knew what I had done to her followers and was upset I had interrupted the projects going on in the old keep.  I told her I was there for the books, even going so far as to ask nicely, but she was not going to give them up. I told her to just shut it then, as I wasn't leaving without them and went to shoot an arrow her way.  However as the arrow left and was on it's way she teleported to another side of the room.  I turned on my heel and tried again but this time she summoned two Dadra in front of her, one of which took the projectile and roared in anger.  I was in a bit of trouble, but I knew if I could take down the woman the two Daedra would dissapear, so I tried to focus her.  It took several shots to finally hit her through her teleporting and bodyguards.  The arrow cracked into her kneecap and she cried out in pain, then scoffed and cast a spell that made it disappear.  This wasn't going to work, so I changed tactics.  I pulled out old Frosty and charged in.  I smashed the injured Daedra and it crumbled into dust, then turned and shouted at the other and it's master right behind.  The monster resisted the power but she fell as a solid chunk of ice.  I disregarded the demon and began wailing on it's master.  Three strong blow landed before she got back up and teleported away.  I sighed as she replaced the Daedra that fell, but now the other original one was on the other side of the room.  I put away my weapon and called upon some ice magic, blasting into the new one with both hands until it wailed and fell into a pile of ash.  My concentration depleted I stepped forward drawing my bow, shoved the shocked  conjurer and as she stumbled back put an arrow in her throat.  She fell silently and I took a moment to catch my breath then grabbed the books and left.

Upon leaving the keep, I set out south to the resting place of the third of the three brothers to visit so far.  It was fairly unremarkable from the outside, just a cave with some wolves prowling around.  It's plain look and the fact that it was on an island must have been why it was fairly untouched.  As I entered the cave, I saw a hole in the floor, and some caverns going back.  I went through the caverns, three total, but each one was a dead end.  I looked around for another entrance, and couldn't find anything, but then it hit me and I laughed.  "I'm supposed to jump down this damn hole huh" I thought to myself as I looked down with humor but also fear.  I shot an arrow down the hole and stood silently listening for something to react to it.  I hear nothing, so I shuffled for a moment, gathered my courage and jumped.  I hit water at the bottom and frantically swam for shore, unsure what was underneath me.  I found a door on the other side of the water and went through.  Inside was the interred body of Lord Giermund upon an altar, still watching over the crypt.  I took a key he was holding and his epitaph for my collection and continued on.  The rest of the tomb was fairly unremarkable, other than the architecture and some annoyingly hard to find levers to proceed.  A few dead...undead later and I found the resting place of Sigdis on one of three islands in the middle of a large room.  As I approached there was a massive boom and Sigdis rose.  I drew my mace expecting a similar battle as the others, and the island was too small to effectively use my bow.  However as soon as he rose he laughed and disappeared in blue light.  I ran behind the coffin with my back to the wall unsure what to expect.  I drew my bow and held an arrow ready to fly, as I saw him reappear.  However he came back as three instead of one!  I was unsure how this sort of magic worked, so I let an arrow fly at one and dropped it, and they all disappeared.  That was too easy, I thought, and sure enough three appeared again, one on each island, and I chose more wisely this time.  I struck Sigdis and he reeled but not before firing as well and grazing my head with an arrow. He kept doing his trickery but I was smarter.  I could see the arrows I had previously shot into him as he reappeared, easily picking him out of his doppelgangers.  He finally fell with a roar and I collected the last piece of the amulet.  I left through a hidden passage and was back outside. It was almost dusk so I camped out for the night.  Tomorrow I have a decision - to continue on to the west to reforge the amulet, or go north back to the College and collect my reward.  I will have to sleep on it.

Until next time.

- ST