Skyrim Day 099 - A Game of Khajiit & Dragon

29 Sun's Dusk, 4E201
Imperial Camp
~~~

My orders have me once again walking all of Skyrim. I cannot see a reason why the Legion could not simply courier my orders to Whiterun where I would at least be a fairly equal distance from everything else. Instead I walk all the walk to Solitude in the corner of the province only to be told to walk to the opposite corner.

To be fair it may be that the General is assuming I have a horse or hire transport, but I detest riding and would not want to put a wagon driver's life in danger by drawing Dragons, cultists, and assassins to him or her.

But I had yet to receive my orders, having stopped last night at Dawnstar. I left early as to arrive at Solitude as the sun rose and reported in to Castle Dour, ever an appropriate name.

Much like the Legate I have yet to find the General doing something other than staring at a map. The flags change every time I report back, so I assume he has a hidden supply of them just as how he learns of my successes before I arrive. Why can this mysterious courier not also provide me orders while reporting on ones already given?

The map was nearly all Imperial red save for two flags: One over Windhelm and a smaller one along a road, no doubt a dilapidated fortress of critical importance. My orders were simple: report to the Legate at the Imperial camp in Eastmarch along the mountain range which separates Skyrim from Morrowind.

The walk across the province was about as eventful as usual: one Dark Brotherhood assassin and a brief skirmish with a Sabre Cat who was assaulting a Khajiit trade caravan near Windhelm. Fortunately I had arrived in time to prevent any fatalities.

In thanks the caravan's leader, Ahkari, gave me better than usual prices, or so she said, on the gemstones I had rattling around the bottom of my pack. In return I purchased some magicka restoratives, a choice that would prove fortunate over the next hour or so.

I turned south at the crossroad before Windhelm's gatehouse and thought to cut through the foul-smelling hot springs rather than take additional time on the winding road.

I have been wondering where the Dragons, formerly a constant nuisance, have disappeared to as of late. The arrival of the Dragon over Fort Kastav yesterday was certainly unexpected, but one would expect to see a Dragon here and there, even if scarce.

But today there was a second Dragon circling the hill in the middle of the springs. The hill had one of the word walls more common to the ancient Nordic tombs and as I watched the Dragon circling and roaring it paused a few times to perch on the word wall, probably atop the Dragon head statue, before resuming his flight.

Unfortunately there was no way to avoid walking past the hill unless I went all the way back to Windhelm and came down the other side of the springs through Ivarstead and that would not be a guarantee that I could pass by unnoticed, for the Imperial camp was almost directly east of the hill.

So battle it was.

The area around the Dragon's hill was lacking all cover and had a giant's campsite on the side closest to the road. The Dragon and the Giant were ignoring one another and I had no desire to tangle with two over-sized opponents, so a direct assault was out of the question.

Near the hill was a copse with a shack rotting in the middle of it. The trees were elevated somewhat on a shelf of land maybe six feet or so high and a plan soon formed in my mind.

I sneaked as close as I could to the Dragon's hill and waited for it to rest atop its wall. After a few anxious minutes the beast hovered over the wall and dropped on it heavily just as I loosed a bolt from my crossbow. At the distance the bolt lacked any power against its scales, but I only need to get the Dragon's attention.

I was running as soon as the bolt left my weapon, figuring either the bolt or my retreat would serve the same purpose. One of them worked, the Dragon roaring a challenge as it alighted to face its comparatively diminutive foe.

I had only to dodge one blast of fire before reaching the trees, only to find an angry Breton, the inhabitant of the shack I thought empty, firing ice magicka at me. She only managed to redirect the Dragon's attention to her and met a quick, fiery end.

What followed must have been quite frustrating for the Dragon. It could hover over the trees, but its fire splashed against them before reaching me. It could land either at the outskirts of the copse or near the shack in the middle, but then either could not reach me from outside or could not move once in.

Had I been the Dragon I simply would have given up and flown back to my hill, but this one was determined to make a smoldering scorch mark of me any way it could. What followed was a game any Khajiit knows well: wait for an opening, dash in and strike, then fall back before the riposte. It was a much longer battle than perhaps it should have been, but this Dragon was more resilient to my blows than others I have fought.

I had to use all my elixirs and then resort to the only Restoration magicka I know how to use, which was quite weak. I may make an effort to expand my repertoire next time I am at the College.

Interestingly, this Dragon did not burst into flames upon death and I absorbed no soul that I could discern, a small mercy for the process is still nauseating. I wretched a few small scales off the corpse and left it near the trees. I wonder what scavengers will make a meal of a Dragon.

I arrived at the Imperial camp close to midnight, the Legate once again there ahead of me and staring at a map. She looked at me and told me to get some rest first, a surprising gesture and one I will be taking advantage of shortly. Tomorrow we will likely march on the Stormcloaks' last fort, opening our way to the taking of Windhelm and Ulfric and the closure of this persistently low-key conflict.

Morrowind Day 99 - My Second Blow Against Dagoth Ur

22 Sun's Dusk

~~~

After all the weeks I have been spending in preparation for my confrontation with Dagoth Ur it is ironic that the most progress made against him has been due to relatively whimsical decisions of my own. Yesterday's retrieval of the artifact 'Keening' was decided upon only to see how far I could come to retrieving it. Success was not expected, but certainly welcome!

Today I rode my luck a little further and woke in Ald'ruhn certain that I could also retrieve the artifact-weapon 'Sunder' from Red Mountain. Vivec's document called for a raid on Citadel Vemynal to slay a Dagoth named Vemyn and retrieve 'Sunder'. On my way out of Ald'ruhn I prioritized the defeat of Dagoth Vemyn over 'Sunder', rationalizing that the fewer resources Dagoth Ur had, and the quicker I eliminated such resources, would reduce his influence and make further raids into Red Mountain a little easier. That was my idea, anyway, but my ideas never seem to reach fruition.

My pitiful "map" of Red Mountain, as provided to me, is woefully inadequate and served only to inform me that Vemynal is in the northwest of Red Mountain. As to how best to get there, it could not tell me. I figured I would skip going to Ghostgate, instead I would walk the perimeter of Ghostfence until I judged it safe to levitate over. In this way I hoped to elude Dagoth Ur's notice and possibly end up closer to the citadel than passing through Ghostfence in the regular way.

I chose to levitate over a section of Ghostfence right before a small bridge so that should I be attacked upon landing, I at least had the bridge to funnel my enemies on to. I slowly floated upwards and over Ghostfence, bracing myself for the inevitable Blight storm. But when I finally descended on to land, there was...nothing. No wind, no red sky, just an eerie silence.

The unusually clear weather made the large Corpus beast idling just around the bend of the path easy to spot...and shoot. Had I known what I that would have done, I might have snuck by it. Just as the first silvered arrow smacked into the creature's diseased flesh the sky started to darken, the wind picked up, and soon I was engulfed in a Blight storm with an angry Corpus monster charging at me and bellowing.

So my idea that Dagoth Ur controls the Blight storms personally is somewhat supported. Perhaps the sudden assault on one of his minions alerted him to my presence. Or it could be just a coincidence, but I will certainly be keeping this in mind should I ever see clear skies within Ghostfence ever again.

With the Blight storm at full strength, my decision to levitate over Ghostfence was proven a good one, it shortened the walk to Vemynal considerably and as a result I only was ambushed three times while walking outside at Red Mountain. A good number considering my previous journeys to this accursed place.

It was no safer inside Vemynal. Retrieving 'Keening' had been fairly simple and low-risk due to the slight garrison Dagoth Ur placed within it, but Vemynal was much more densely populated with all manner of hostility and evil.

Several of the ruin's denizens were wearing the Sixth House amulets that normally mark the wearer as an elevated individual within the Sixth House, so I suppose it is possible that I have further eliminated more of the Sixth House's upper ranks, if such a thing exists within their twisted hierarchy.

I found Dagoth Vemyn on the lowest level of the citadel, though calling it such is being quite generous, for the entire complex is all of four rooms and one stairway. Only one room was on the lower level and it is there that Dagoth Vemyn met his end...but not by my hand.

The Dagoth's room was nearly identical to his comrade's from yesterday: a large room with a smaller square room in the middle accessible via four large metal doors, one on each side. Dagoth was in the smaller room, as expected, but he was completely alone. Rather than face the Ash Vampire in hand-to-hand combat I used my last Golden Saint scroll to satisfy my curiosity. Would Dagoth Ur's most powerful follower prevail against Sheogorath's?

I was able to peek through the gap between the doors and opened it when the Dagoth was on the far side of the room. By the time he had noticed me I was already stepping out of the doorway to give the Golden Saint room to maneuver. The battle was very one-sided, with the Ash Vampire quickly succumbing to the Daedra's two-handed blade. 

The hammer 'Sunder' was in the Dagoth's posession, strapped to one of the creatures's sinewy thighs. It looks similar to a one-handed hammer any metal worker would have in his inventory for the fixing of small dents and other fine work. Its smallness contrasts with its considerable weight, almost all of it at the weapon's head. A blow delivered with this would be grievous, making its name very appropriate.

I had no other business at the ruin and having left Keening in Ald'ruhn, I had no further business at Red Mountain at all. I waited until the Golden Saint's hold on this plane expired and Recalled back home. It was only just after lunch.

'Keening' and 'Sunder' will now be on my person at all times. I am certain that Dagoth Ur knows of their theft and will take great efforts to re-acquire the means to his destruction. It is for this reason that I re-armed myself with my most powerful weapons: a Daedric dagger, spear, bow, and eight very rare Daedric arrows. So armed, I am ready to face whatever the mad demi-God sends after me. I did discard my shield, for I never really was very good at using one back in Cyrodiil and unlike much of my previous education I did not improve much here in Morrowind. I always have been more comfortable with simply removing my body from a foe's strike than meeting it with a plank of wood or Dreugh chitin.

Most of the afternoon was spent organizing my Ald'ruhn home, firstly to make it easier to move to the Manor once it is completed and secondly to ensure I am carrying only the most essential of equipment, as my Daedric arsenal weighs me down greatly. I am still in need of Restoration potions of several kinds and will be shopping tomorrow...and possibly confronting Dagoth Ur by the end of the week.

It is a somber thought, but not one I dwell on with much anxiety. My skills and my body have improved greatly since arriving here and I am as ready as I shall ever be for the task put upon me. Should I fail I at least have the grim amusement of being the sole Khajiit spirit occupying the Ashlanders' "Cavern of the Incarnate".