Skyrim Day 019 - Subject to Daedric Harassment

3 Heartfire, 4E201

Solitude

~~~

I suppose an immortal Khajiit could not have expected to remain out of Daedric sight for long. Today was only to involve the return of a statue and wound up with me confronting yet another Daedric Prince of which I want little to do with.

The walk from Dragon Bridge to Markarth contained all of the usual encounters: attack by Sabre Cats an assassin, a group of bandits, the acquisition of cheap alchemy ingredients, and a wary encounter with some other brave souls journeying across Skyrim.

The Sabre Cats attacked in a trio as I was walking across a hill, but the animals proved to be susceptible to the weak Fury Illusion spell I had purchased some time ago and they soon turned on each other which allowed me to flee down the other side of the hill.

Back on the road I a farmer and his wife stopped to warn me about the dragon attacks plaguing Skyrim. I have only witnessed the one at Helgen, but thanked the man for his concern and asked where they were going. They didn't know, their home having been destroyed, allegedly, by a dragon. I was not sure if I believed his story, but gave the two of them five Septims each and wished them luck.

The pointy ends of the Dark Brotherhood sprang out at me alongside the river, another young Khajiit hoping to make a name for herself among a bandit of mercenary murderers. A small part of me felt bad for having to kill her, but a much larger part did not want to be stabbed. She refused to walk away from the fight and paid the inevitable price. 

I returned to Markarth before noon and wasted no time in returning the statue to Lisbet. My reward was seven hundred and fifty Septims, making the statue a lot more valuable than I assumed. After exchanging some pleasantries with the woman I walked out of her shop intending to leave the city for good, but a man further up the street called out to me, so like a fool I actually stopped and listened to the man's plea.

The man was 'Vigilant Tyranus', a member of the 'Vigilants of Stendarr', a group of Daedric hunters I have talked with a bit along the roads. He had come to Markarth on the rumor that a home was secretly being used for Daedric worship. The townspeople had been of no help, so he was looking for someone to follow him inside should there be hostiles present. I estimated the chance of encountering Daedra inside of Markarth to be fairly low, so I agreed. I wish I had not.

Tyranus immediately noticed as we walked in that there was fresh food laid out on the tables and the furniture and fabrics were clean and without rot. The house had obviously not been abandoned for long. As we proceeded further into the house I began to hear a voice in my head urging me to kill Tyranus, but Barbas was in my head long before this new voice and I was able to ignore it.

However, the Vigilant at my side must have been receiving the same malevolent messages I was ignoring. He became increasingly distracted as the voice grew angrier and finally whomever it was snapped and screamed at us to fight or die together just as fruit, vegetables, and small furniture started to fly at us. I thought it a mere annoyance, but Tyranus panicked and tried to flee out of the house. I followed him but the door was stuck tight, no doubt due to our twisted host. With a shout that he was not going to die here, he drew his mace and attacked me!

Not everyone has had centuries of experience in dealing with Daedra and Daedric Princes, but Tyranus succumbed rather quickly for a Vigilant of Stendarr. He succumbed just as quick to a merciful dagger thrust to the back of his head, killing the poor man instantly without pain.

The voice was pleased then, purring that my reward was to be found on the lowest level of the house. The front door was still stuck shut, so I had little choice but to descend deeper. Each room now had a black, oily cloud hanging about the ceiling, an obvious sign that I was not moving towards something I was going to like.

The home's previous occupants had dug out of the house and into an unused portion of the Dwemer city where I can only assume they decided to install a shrine to Molag Bal, a thoroughly unpleasant Daedric Prince with which involvement could only lead to poor things. I sensed the trap before I approached the shrine, but knew that I would not be leaving the house without springing it.

Sure enough, touching the blood-caked iron mace embedded in the shrine caused spikes to shoot up from the floor around me, trapping me. Predictably the voice, Molag Bal, took great delight in having tricked me and asked what I saw. I replied that I saw an altar and he agreed, stating that it had seen better days, mostly when his worshipers would bring people to it in order to murder them in the Prince's name.

But the altar was not actually sending him any...whatever Daedric Princes receive from worship. A servant of Boethiah, the Daedric Prince of death, had intentionally damaged it to prevent Molag Bal's worshipers from using it. Evidently they were not up to the task of restoring it and abandoned the house and its secret. For some reason Molag Bal thought I would be interested in helping him, but I demanded that he let me go, not actually expecting that to work. To my surprise it did: the spikes retracted and he sighed within my head before letting me know his favor was still available if I rescued the wounded priest of Boethiah and brought him back to the shrine. I could see no reason why Molag Bal would want the priest at his shrine again and resolved to have nothing to do with either Molag Bal or Boethiah. I suppose to them I am a terrible aberration, but I did not ask for my inability to die.

The front door to the house was now unlocked and I stepped over the unfortunate Tyranus on my way out, never to return.

I started my way towards Solitude once again and hope to be at the College of Winterhold within a few days. At a crossroads I came upon three Imperial Legionnaires standing around three dead and nearly naked men. One of the "soldiers" heard me approach and warned me that holding a loaded crossbow around Imperial soldiers warranted a fine of two hundred Septims plus a search of one's belongings to aid in the war effort. I remarked that I had I known that I would have been carrying some shoes, for they had none and the bodies did. Fools to think they could deceive me.

With that I sent a crossbow bolt through the throat of the Orsimer who had tried to shake me down and charged at his two brigand comrades. One was lucky enough to block my chop at his neck and returned with his own semi-skilled blows. The other brigand wisely circled around the two of us to flank me, but was lacking in his approach. When he leaped at my back I turned and drove the pommel of my blade into his face, turning his snarl into a scream as his nose turned into a satisfying spray of blood. A swift cut into his shoulder rendered his weapon useless and I sprang behind his rapidly folding body so that my original foe could watch the man's throat get slit. Morale is key in any fight.

Watching his "leader" get a bolt to the throat and his other comrade get his neck opened took the wind out of the surviving man's sails, as they say on the coast. He halfheartedly started to attack me, but I smashed the sword out of his hand and drove my sword through his stolen Imperial leathers and into his chest. Predictably the trio had nothing of value on them, save for the insight that a more powerful Fury Illusion spell would have been very useful.

I arrived at Dragon Bridge as it began to grow dark and walked through towards Solitude without any further bandits, animal attacks, or Daedric requests. The guards were changing to the night shift as I approached Solitude's gates and gave me no trouble with entering after dark.

There are tasks I have yet to perform for people in Solitude, but I am not sure if I should attend to them now or proceed on along the coast to Winterhold. I face the dismal prospect of venturing through the province's coldest region, but as the name suggests there is no other way to reach the College of Winterhold other than by traveling through what many would consider to be a rather poor winter.

Skyrim Day 018 - Finishing with Markarth

2 Heartfire, 4E201

Dragon Bridge

~~~

Even utterly exhausted I could find little rest on the stone slabs of Markarth's inn. After a few hours of tossing and turning I gave up and walked out. I had only one task tying me to Markarth: the retrieval of Lisbet's golden statue which her store was relying on to remain in business.

Lisbet named a small bandit hideout, 'Bruca's Leap Redoubt', which she said was located along the shore of a lake to the northeast between the hills. How she knew the statue was there was one of so many mysteries.

I left Markarth as the city's residents were settling down to dinner and knew I had a long, dark walk ahead of me. Fortunately, it was a long, dark, and very boring walk and I reached what I took to be the Redoubt well into the night. The Forsworn who had ambushed her caravan dropped one-by-one, felled by an unseen Khajiit with a crossbow. The night has its advantages.

The inside of the Redoubt's cave was brightly lit by torches and very small. The passage led to a small room where two Forsworn were busy attending to a Forsworn corpse arranged upon a table and I managed to kill one of them with the crossbow before my presence was made known. The surviving Forsworn bravely attacked me with his "sharp rock tied to a stick" axe and I was kind enough not to drag the combat out longer than it had to be. I could not determine what had killed the man on the table, but my curiosity about his fate netted me a beautiful garnet nonetheless.

Lisbet's statue of Dibella was in a large chest wedged in the corner of the room, alongside a powerfully enchanted circlet and Dwemer shield. It seems Lisbet does not deal in everyday items.

I judged it to be almost midnight by the time I walked out of the Forsworn's little hideaway and I knew Dragon Bridge was nearby, so I headed further down the road towards what would be at least a passable bed.

While I now have to walk back to Markarth in the morning the promise of a bed one can actually rest upon is a trade-off I am willing to accept.

Skyrim Day 017 - The Forlorn Forsworn

2 Heartfire, 4E201

Markarth

~~~

I should have expected today, but I did not. Blame fatigue or an unwarranted confidence, but my embarrassment at being trapped so easily today is only relieved by how easily I escaped from it.

The bed I had rented went unused, for I was expected at Talos's shrine within the hour of arriving at Markarth. The Dwemer architecture made for a very haphazard arrangement of streets and stairs and more than once I simply hopped off a street on to the one below rather than try to find the stairway. Intuition led me to the Temple of Dibella and after some careful poking around I found a doorway underneath the Temple which, unsurprisingly, opened up to a hallway with a statue of Talos in clear view and Eltrys in somewhat less clear view.

He asked that I investigate why the assaulted woman, Margret, was in Markarth and what reason the would-be murdered, a smelter worker named Weylin, would have to kill her. Any information I found would be rewarded in gold. The task sounded simple at the time, so I agreed.

Margret was in the inn, sitting by the fire. She had not noticed me come in, so I took the opportunity to observe her for a few minutes. She did not appear to be shaken up or troubled by her recent brush with death, instead content to stare into the flames with a mug of something nestled in her lap. I was born so long ago that I cannot even remember the date and this woman did not have me fooled.

She confessed immediately. Margret was not in Markarth to do some shopping for her sister, she was an agent of the Imperial Legion assigned to acquire the deed to the city's silver mine. That she was attacked by an agent of the Forsworn did not seem a coincidence to her and she asked that I keep her informed. I decided to keep Margret's new identity to myself and left the inn intent on bringing Eltrys information on only Weylin.

As soon as I exited the inn I was stopped by a city guard who warned me that my interest in the Forsworn had been noticed and that it would be best for me to become more interested in something else, preferably in another city entirely. Foolishness, of course, for his warning meant that Margret's assault was somehow connected to the city authority. Best always to say as little as possible to your prey.

Shopkeepers are only second to barkeeps in the rumors they hear, so I ventured inside a store near the city gate which was somehow still open in the middle of the night. The owner, Lisbet, complained that the Forsworn raids had robbed her store of business and offered a reward for the return of a gold statue of Dibella. The Forsworn in the mine had not been very difficult, so I saw no reason not to help her.

Lisbet suggested that I visit Thonar Silver-Blood, owner of the local silver mine, if I had any questions about the Forsworn. According to her, his properties outside of the city had been plagued by Forsworn raids and he would be of great help to me in determining what was going on. I did not later appreciate the irony.

A small gift of gold to his wife purchased me access to Thonar and I wasted no time in telling him I was seeking answers about the Forsworn involvement inside of Markarth. He had started to reply when a shout of "For the Forsworn!" erupted at the entrance to his house, his former servants charging down the hall with sword and spell.

Thonar's wife fell instantly to a Forsworn blade before I could dispatch the two assassins, but Thonar was not appreciative of my effort. He blamed me for the death of his wife, but I pointed out that the attack on Margret and the attempt by the city guards to warn me away implicated him in having a connection to everything.

He then admitted that the leader of the Forsworn, a Reachman named Madanach, was imprisoned in his silver mine and allowed to control the Forsworn via messengers in exchange for Thonar being able to point the Forsworn towards his business competitors...allowing him to purchase the ravaged properties at low rates. But Thonar's arrangement had been crumbling and the death of his wife made him realize that his control over Madanach was broken. But he blamed me for his wife's death and swore he would see me in chains alongside Madanach.

Like a fool I took his threat as an outburst stemming from his grief and paid it little mind. My next stop was the Warrens, the "poor" part of  town where most of the miners and blacksmith workers lived. The Warrens were really just the collapsing ground level of the former Dwemer city. The poor of Markarth were out of sight and out of mind...until one tried to stab a woman.

Weylin had done little to hide his involvement with the Forsworn. On his makeshift bed was a letter from 'N' telling him that he had been chosen to strike fear into the hearts of the Nords. The letter instructed him to be at the market, at which point further instructions would somehow be communicated. I needed now to find out who 'N' was and left the Warrens.

Predictably a man was waiting for me outside, warning me once again to stop investigating the attempted murder. Not content with simply a warning, he then told me he was also told to teach me a lesson and rushed me with his fists.

Unarmed combat against a Khajiit can be a dangerous thing for we have many advantages others lack. He lasted only a few minutes before gasping that he had enough. While wiping the blood out of his eyes and nose he ruefully admitted that 'N' was a man known as 'Nelos the Nose', a sort of manager of Markarth's criminal underworld. I thanked him for his help and went to arrange an appointment with Nelos and his nose.

His name was well-deserved, his nose was the longest, most crooked one I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few noses in my time.

Much as Thonar did, Nelos confessed to everything almost without my asking for it. He admitted that the Forsworn acted on orders written by Madanach and delivered through himself, stating that he had been doing this for almost twenty years now. When I asked why he was being so honest with his involvement, he calmly asked me why I thought I would be allowed to leave. Once again: say as little to your prey as possible!

A kick to the side of his knee incapacitated him and a shove into the fireplace in front of him guaranteed he would be of no use during the fight I had preemptively started. His servants rushed at me with short blades and we bloodily danced around the house to the tune of the Nose's screaming. Our melee ended in the dining room.

It was time to return to Eltrys with what I had found and accomplished.

But Thonar was a man of his word. When I stepped inside the shrine, I was suddenly pushed further inside by a guard I had not seen follow me in. Inside where three more guards and the corpse of Eltrys splayed atop the feet of Talos.

Of course I was under arrest for the Eltrys murder and the guards freely confessed to having set me up on Thonar's orders. The talkative guard complained that I had left a lot of work for them to do, but I cannot say I feel particularly sorry about that. With three guards in front of me, one behind, and the rest in Thonar's pocket I decided surrendering was the most prudent course of action.

And with that I became Cidhna Mine's newest worker.

Khajiit are not miners by nature and I felt the itching to escape as soon as I entered the 'common' area. A dour man was sitting cross-legged in front of a fire as I arrived and a huge Orsimer with a pickax in his belt was standing near a door. The sounds of mining echoed from the tunnels leading away from the strange duo, but I was told my sentence was life, so I doubted anyone would be commuting my stay in exchange for silver ore.

The dour man, Uraccen, pointed me to the giant Orsimer, Borkul 'the Beast' when I asked about speaking with Madanach. Gaining access to Madanach meant having to deal with Borkul. He refused to let me by and dismissively told me the only way I was getting by was through him. With apparently no other option I challenged the Orsimer to what would have appeared to be a rather one-sided fistfight.

The other prisoners came running to watch Borkul beat the stupid Khajiit into a pulp, but the battle was over sooner than they had probably hoped for. It pays to not underestimate a Khajiit's claws.

And with that I left the bleeding Borkul and disappointed prisoners behind and entered into Madnach's little domain. It was not much: a small hallway, a locked door, and at the end, his personal room.

He had not heard my fight outside with his bodyguard, nor had he heard me enter the room. In front of me, oblivious, was the leader of the Forsworn. Thonar Silver-Blood was certainly no friend of mine, but he was not leading a small rebellion in a land already wracked by civil war.

He had been writing a speech before his neck was snapped and it spoke of a secret tunnel into the city via a door near his cell. The key around his neck unlocked the door I had passed and I made sure to carefully lock it behind me as I escaped Cidhna Mine. This passage led through an undeveloped part of the Dwemer ruins that was full of spiders and Dwemer mechanicals. With no weapons, armor, or useful spells I could only run as fast as possible past all the things that tried to kill me.

I managed to reach the exit with all my limbs attached and to my dismay I found myself facing Thonar once again. His "eyes" inside the Mine had quickly informed him of Madanach's demise and he thanked me for eliminating one of his problems. To show his gratitude I was pardoned of my "crime" and all of my equipment was returned to me. He also gave me his family ring so that the rest of the city would know what I had done for it...or so he said.

I do not believe I will be spending much more time in Markarth, ring or no ring. But right now, I need some sleep.

Skyrim Day 016 - Upon A Bed of Stone

1 Heartfire, 4E201

Markarth

~~~

This morning I decided that the next city on my list is Markarth, known for being built over an ancient Dwemer fortification which Markarth was not ashamed to draw its architecture from. Having had quite some experience with Dwemer ruins I was pretty sure I knew what to expect.

As I was leaving Riverwood I came upon a somewhat-hidden shrine to Talos...surrounded by the bodies of his worshipers.

The cause of their death was partially hidden in some nearby bushes. The Thalmor's body had on it a letter evidently from a superior berating his efforts at uncovering this unfortunate group of Talos worshipers. The letter-writer haughtily told the Thalmor, Sanyon, to investigate it himself and stop wasting her time with his worthless reports. She will never know he both succeeded and failed.

While enjoying a peaceful walk along the river I was surprised to discover what appeared to be a now-ancient Oblivion portal gently crumbling on a tiny island in the middle of the river. The sight was surprising and the memories that surfaced were melancholy, even if "good" won in the end...not that it had really mattered, I suppose.

I had just passed Half-Moon Mill when I heard someone in the forest to my left alternately muttering to himself and calling for help. Thinking it a trap I considered walking on, but I could not bring myself to abandon a potentially wounded person to Skyrim's wildlife and approached the voice warily.

It was not a trap, but a wounded hunter sitting in front of a cave. As I approached he asked me if I had any healing draughts to spare and his need for one was obvious, so I gave him one of my weaker ones. He introduced himself as 'Valdr', one of a group of local hunters who had tracked a bear into the cavern he was sitting in front of. Unfortunately the group became the hunted once they entered the cave and the his friends were killed by Spriggans.

He asked if I would accompany him back inside the cave to recover the bodies, but he was in no state to fight off a single Spriggan, let alone the three he estimated. Still feeling somewhat down from my earlier encounter with the ruined Oblivion gate I agreed to take on the task myself in his name, if only to make myself feel a bit better. Valdr was surprised that a stranger would do something like that for him and assured me he would remain outside the cave to await my return.

The remains of the first of the man's friends were not far into the cave. The corpse of the bear they had been hunting lay nearby, but the man had been struck in the back, probably while fleeing.

I was not surprised when the first spriggran jumped out of a tree near the poor man's corpse. A single crossbow bolt was enough to send the creature crashing against the wall, dead. The remaining two Spriggans ambushed me near the second dead hunter, but both proved just as predictable as the first, emerging from the only two large trees in the vicinity. They both fell to my crossbow, one immediately, the other after I unwisely tried using the crossbow as a melee weapon. It worked, sort of, putting the creature off-balance and allowing me to reload, but another attempt at such and I may find myself without a functional weapon.

Valdr was still where I had left him and he presented me his steel "lucky dagger" as a reward. I wonder at how much luck the weapon possesses as all of his friends have died, but he still lives, so that may be something.

Continuing towards Markarth I was of course attacked by bandits, this time a duo consisting of an Orsimer and a Nord. The Orsimer had a lovely garnet hidden upon him, as well as a silver ring with a ruby set into it. I suspect his Nord partner was not aware of them.

Just outside of Markarth I met a Khajiit caravan moving on to their next stop. 'Caravan' might be a bit generous, they were really just four Khajiit with packs on their backs, but the leader was happy to purchase the garnet and ring from me at a good price. I warned them of the dangers I have been encountering along the road, but they were confident that they could deal with whatever they faced.

I knew Markarth depended largely on mining to keep itself solvent and as I entered the outskirts of the city I saw a group of miners gathered together, most of them yelling at a pensive-looking man.

As I drew closer I could hear the miners shouting about the 'Forsworn', otherwise known as the 'Madmen of the Reach'. The trouble I had witnessed was due to a nearby gold mine having been overrun by Forsworn rebels. The miners wanted the mine retaken by the city's guards, but the foreman, Skaggi Scar-Face, could not guarantee a rapid response from the city's forces. Frustrated, everyone was dispersing as I approached Skaggi.

He wearily greeted me, noting that it was unusual to see a Khajiit traveling alone. I let the comment pass and asked him about the occupied mine. He had no more information than the complaints he had just received: Forsworn swarmed into the mine, killed most of the miners, and sent the few survivors fleeing back to the city.

The mine was a gold mine and its liberation would no doubt come with a hefty reward. I had never fought the Forsworn before, so that was a concern, but nevertheless I agreed to make an attempt against the rebels. Skaggi was grateful that someone would help him, but did not think I would survive the attempt. This did not do much for my confidence.

Kolskeggr Mine lay to the northeast of Markarth along the road which eventually led back to Solitude. My first encounter with the Forsworn came in the form of a painted man wearing furs, an antlered helmet, and wielding weapons made solely of wood and stone. It was not a fair fight.

More Forsworn patrolled the interior of the mine, but their haphazard clothing left them defenseless against my crossbow and soon the entire mine was filled with their dead and dying. Before leaving I borrowed a pickax and helped myself to some of the gold ore along the cavern walls. With no treasure coming from the Forsworn I felt I was due a little something.

My reward from the miners was a considerable sum: 750 Septims. Including that with the gold I mined made this little adventure worth almost two thousand Septims, all of which will likely go towards training if I ever visit Winterhold College.

By then night had fallen, but the city's gate was still open. Coincidentally I arrived just in time to witness an attempt on a woman's life. As soon as I had entered the city a man in front of me drew a dagger and started towards a woman whose back was turned to him. A quick flick of my wrist sent my Elven dagger into his own back and he turned on me with a scream just as a nearby guard cut him down for good.

I was able to retrieve my dagger before a horde of guards rushed to the scene, but they were only interested in shooing everyone away from the corpse. The woman whose life I saved thanked me and told me to visit her in the local inn when I had the time and a man who had witnessed the entire episode handed me a letter which he noticed I had dropped. The implication was obvious and I headed to the inn for some privacy.

Privacy was the only thing the 'Silver-Blood Inn' could provide. In keeping true to the Dwemer origin of the city, the beds were solid slabs of stone with furs laid on top of them. Hardly close to my idea of comfort.

The letter that I had "dropped" only said to be at the Shrine of Talos at midnight. That there even was such a shrine surprised me and the short notice surprised me further: it was already halfway to midnight when I entered the inn, leaving me just enough time to write all this down.

I will be leaving for this Shrine in a few moments, provided I can even find it. If not, my mysterious letter-writer will simply have to wait another day.

Skyrim Day 015 - My Old Friend, Once Again

31 Last Seed, 4E201

Riverwood

~~~

I am now free of Barbas and his master, for good! Leaving Rorikstead early in the morning, I eagerly continued my journey to Haemar's Shame where Barbas told me he would be waiting.

The walk from Rorikstead to Falkreath was surprisingly without event and I reached Falkreath by late morning. Lod was busy at his shop and I took a moment of his time to greatly understate my past few days by telling him the dog he had been seeking wound up being far more trouble than he was worth. Lod was not disappointed that I had "failed" to bring him his hound and considered the matter closed with my return, handing me twenty-five Septims. Something seemed a bit off, but I accepted the money and asked about his wares.

It was then that I made a joyful reunion with a very old friend: the crossbow!

My sudden excitement surprised the both of us, but after ruefully admitting that I was back to the life I was trying to leave it seems so right that I should be wielding one of my weapons from Vvardenfell. Now all I have to do is sharpen a branch and I will have a spear again too. Lod warily explained that crossbows were being reintroduced into the Legion as they were much simpler to make and able to be wielded by just about anyone. The single crossbow in his shop was for a Legion officer, but I had to have it at any cost! "Any" cost turned out to be the outrageous sum of three hundred and sixty Septims and of course the man had no bolts for the weapon. He did provide me with a copy of instructions meant for the Legion on how best to craft some, so I resolved to have myself some bolts before the day ended. With our business of dog and crossbow concluded I wished him well and departed Falkreath.

Walking from Flakreath to the cavern of Haemar's Shame proved a bit more exciting.

Two Dark Brotherhood assassins, the first a Dunmer, the second a Khajiit, attacked me while I was walking down the road. Each seemed to have no knowledge of the other and neither was skilled in their craft. At least the Dunmer was kind enough to bring an Orsimer sword with him, the Khajiit frugally brought cheap iron.

Barbas was waiting for me by Clavicus Vile's shrine and immediately remarked on my tardiness, a blow I deigned to reply in kind. Instead I presented the Daedric Prince with his cumbersome weapon and he offered to let me keep it...if I killed Barbas with it, a scornfully disloyal act. Unwilling to play a game I was sure to lose I reminded Clavicus of our bargain and insisted that he take Barbas back in exchange for the Rueful Axe.

Despite his apparent desire to be away from the dog, Clavicus seemed to be just as happy reunited, saying that with the two of them together his full power would be restored. He dismissed me with an offhand offering of his 'boon': the Masque of Clavicus Vile, another Daedric artifact I neither want nor have much use for. Curious, I tried to wear the Masque only to confirm my suspicion that the attempt would nearly slice my ears off. Much like Dawnbreaker I am now stuck carrying this thing around until I can find a better place to leave it.

The closest town to the shrine is Riverwood, so I went back down the road, passed the dead bodies of the two assassins, and walked once again through Helgen. Hadvar was happy to see me and examined my crossbow, but was unconvinced of its superiority over the bow. His uncle helped me craft bolts for the weapon and I now have sixty steel-headed bolts in a quiver hanging off of my hip, a far more comfortable arrangement than a quiver full of rattling arrows.

I have taken a room in the 'Sleeping Giant Inn' and am not sure where I shall go tomorrow. I do wish to visit the College in Winterhold eventually, so I may begin to travel there. Otherwise I might visit Markarth, a city I have never yet seen or return to Solitude to complete some of my agreed-upon tasks.

Skyrim Day 014 - Thwarting Potema

30 Last Seed, 4E201

Rorikstead

~~~

I thought today would be a relatively simple day: go to the cave near Dragons Bridge, scare away some bandits, and proceed to Clavicus Vile. Of course, I was completely wrong again.

I left Solitude early in the morning and was surprised to find that a Khajiit caravan had set up shop just outside the walls.

The leader, an old male who called himself Ma'Dran, had quite an interesting collection of things for sale. A lot of it was just sundries and household items, but he had a selection for "active individuals", as he put it, that included lockpicks, poisons, elixers, and a few weapons. He specifically suggested a poison he said would induce a rage in anyone who came in contact with it, enough to turn that person's friends into enemies. That sounded useful, but it cost me five hundred Septims. Never purchase from a Khajiit.

Once I found Wolfskull Cave it was immediately apparent that I was not going to be dealing with mere bandits.

Two skeletons, each armed with two-handed swords, approached me as I left the road. I may have judged 'Dawnbreaker' a bit too hastily, for my experimental strikes against my undead foes resulted in a massive explosion and their instant destruction. A bit more useful than I anticipated, certainly.

Inside were a few more undead and a Frost Atronach, none of which could stand against 'Dawnbreaker'. But when I entered the main chamber of the cave, the sight before me had me quickly discarding the weapon and its noticeable glow.

Something was occurring at the top of the tower where the tendrils of purple light were collecting, but I could not tell what. The droning of several people was audible over the sound of the wind rushing about the chamber and I heard one voice clearly declare that someone named 'Potema' was being summoned.

But I had other concerns. Undead were shambling about below where I had entered and this summoning was likely the reason the villagers have been having their troubles. Undead, as a rule, make generally poor guards and despite the necromancers having summoned a dozen of them into the chamber I was able to pick them off one-by-one from a distance, each one being unable to alert anyone else in any way.

The necromancers themselves were a bit more difficult. Two of them were not part of the summoning ritual and had to be approached quietly from behind as I made my way towards the tower, but once I started to ascend the stairs I had no hope of concealing my approach. Indeed, I was only halfway up before I heard a woman's voice sharply announce that there was an intruder among them.

I do not know if she was the first one down the stairs, but whomever she was received an arrow in the chest for her trouble and I stepped out of the way of her tumbling body as her comrades surged towards me. My second victim received but a scratch, but this was from my dagger I had poisoned with Ma'Dran's potion of angering. In an instant he turned his back to me and flung spells against the necromancers piling on the stairs, slaying two before they had any time to react. 

The suddenness even took me by surprise and I was content to run back down the stairs as the magicka battle raged atop the tower. Eventually the combat died down and I crept back up to find that my captive ally was dead and only an older woman was left alive, her left arm completely encased in ice and useless. She hissed that Potema would return with or without their help, but I had no interest in her ramblings. Her end was quick and summoning over.

Rather than return to Solitude and probably spend the rest of the day there I left Wolfskull Cave, walked through Dragons Bridge, and resumed my long journey to Clavicus Vile. On the way I passed the bandit outpost on the bridge which Barbas nearly cleared by himself and the site of the ambush with the cart and dead body, both still on the road along with the bandits'.

A Thalmor patrol surprised me as they rounded a bend, but none of them recognized me as a potential bounty and simply told me to stand aside as they marched by.

The day's journey ended not very far from Solitude: the Frostfruit Inn in Rorikstead. I arrived before the sun had set, but there is little hospitality between Rorikstead and my destination, so I prudently retired to the my room. spending the remainder of the evening with my alchemy ingredients. I hope tomorrow to return the Rueful Axe to its rightful owner and be done with this business.

Skyrim Day 013 - Rekindling Meridia's fire

29 Last Seed, 4E201

Solitude

~~~

Free of Barbas at last! I have yet to return the Axe, but he had only agreed to accompany me to the Axe, not until I returned it. Therefore, he and I parted ways this morning, I staying in Solitude to explore for awhile and he to Clavicus Vile's shrine to await my return. He assured me I need not hurry back, so I shall certainly enjoy wandering by myself once again.

Having cleared the grotto yesterday with Barbas, my first task of the day was to see the local Steward about the bounty he had posted upon the pirates. While walking to Solitude's 'Blue Palace' I stopped along the battlements to admire the view of Skyrim. It reminded me that despite my considerable age I have not widely traveled and no doubt have a long path yet ahead of me.

Access to the Blue Palace was surprisingly open given Skyrim's troubles and the widowed Queen of Skyrim, Elisif the Fair, was holding court as I arrived. She was discussing a matter of supplies for the city and was bathed in a shining ray of light from a nearby window which I assume made sitting on the throne quite uncomfortable.

My business was not with the potential Queen, but her Steward who was standing nearby. For the combined efforts of dog and Khajiit I was paid one hundred Septims and given the opportunity to lay claim to another order of business.

Just before my arrival a resident of Dragons Bridge had come to the Blue Palace to request that Solitude send guards to a nearby cave the locals named 'Wolfskull'. According to the requester, people have been disappearing from the town and unexplained lights have been seen near the cavern's entrance. Solitude's steward, Falk Firebeard, assured the nervous man that Solitude would post extra guards to Dragons Reach, but admitted to me that Solitude's guards were already stretched thin and no help could be spared for the town. Having said that, he requested that I go to the cave instead and investigate the man's claims. Falk's directions place 'Wolfskull' somewhat north of Meridia's statue, so it is not far. The disturbance is likely just bandits, so I agreed to take the job, much to his relief.

While on my way out of the city I was stopped by a haggard beggar who I assumed wanted some coin. But he waved away my Septims and asked if I had seen his "master" recently. The man was obviously insane, handing me a pelvic bone from some skeleton and telling me that this master of his was in the 'Pelagius Wing' of the Blue Palace and that the bone was required for me to gain entrance. His entire story is utter nonsense, but I told him I would look into the matter lest he fly into a rage and attack me.

Today was apparently the day for people to walk up to me and tell me what they needed me to do. As I proceeded to attempt to leave Solitude I was stopped once again, this time by an Altmer who disdainfully told me my clothes were suitable for a farmer. This was true, I intentionally chose the clothes in order to appear poor and someone to be overlooked. But she insisted I could do better by visiting the 'Radiant Raiment', a clothing store run by herself, Taarie, and her sister Endarie. Having heard her advertisement I tried to excuse myself, but she told me to wait, stared for a few moments, then asked if I was willing to do her a small favor in exchange for some coin.

I already had a madman's master to find, the beacon and an axe of two Daedric Princes to return, a cavern to investigate, and not forgotten, a blacksmith in Falkreath that was wondering what happened to the dog he asked me to find. What was one more job?

Fortunately Taarie's job really was a simple one: she asked that I wear an article of clothing from her store and parade it in front of Elisif who has an eye for such things. I felt a little silly, but I agreed and received a heavily quilted gown in return. If Elisif was surprised to see me back in the Blue Palace so quickly she did not show it and allowed me to show off the gown. I made sure to mention that it had come from her local 'Radiant Raiment' and she assured me her personal orders would be arriving shortly.

This was worth a surprising four hundred Septims plus the gown itself...which I did not want to keep. I sneaked into Taarie's shop while she was looking away and sold her gown back to her sister, choosing instead to purchase a complete outfit from Hammerfell. The loose fitting clothing does not provide much protection from the cold, but the hood and high boots will keep snow from collecting on my ears and feet.

Having clad myself a foreign mercenary I was able to make it out of the city without being stopped by anyone else and made my way towards Mount Kilkreath where the shrine of Meridia awaited its beacon.

The column blue light emitting from the statue's hands made it very easy to find. As I approached Meridia's voice began again in my head, bemoaning the state of her shrine and the shifting hearts of her former followers. I placed the beacon on its pedestal at the foot of the statue and it rose up along the column of light until it was between the statue's hands.

Suddenly, the entire world seemed to go white and when my vision returned I found, to my great dismay, that I was floating hundreds of feet above land while being confronted by Meridia's manifestation in the form of a glowing ball of light. I cannot recall what it was she said or asked me to do other than to clear her shrine of evil for I was much too preoccupied with panicking and wishing I was back on the ground.

After what felt like an eternity there was another flash of white light and I was gratefully back on the ground in front of the shrine's entrance.

The problem was immediately apparent once I stepped inside. An oily-looking black haze clung along the floor, ceiling, and walls and the bodies of Imperial Legionnaires cluttered the entire shrine. Many of the bodies had been desecrated: eyes, nose, and lips removed, arms broken, legs missing, a gruesome display of depravity that repeated itself throughout the complex.

Opposing me were spirits that looked to be composed of the same oily haze that was oozing everywhere. Because of this the spirits were difficult to spot unless one was looking right at me with its brightly glowing red eyes. This was not helpful, as by that time it was usually charging at me with a weapon of the Imperial Legion clutched in its bony claws.

My task however was not the elimination of these corrupted things, but the guidance of Meridia's light deeper into the shrine. The beacon I had returned emitted a beam of light which the Daedric Prince sent into the shrine which I needed to guide along by turning similar beacons around to catch the light and reflect it further on.

This light briefly sent me outside to a stone bridge spanning a gap in the hillside, but the bridge was being patrolled by an Imperial soldier wearing incredibly old armor the likes of which I can only recall seeing in historical documents and tapestries. His Altmer sword and shield marked him as a high-ranking officer, possibly the commander of the dead soldiers, but he was closer to the corrupted spirits in form than he was to former self. As such he moved slowly and awkwardly and could not use his sword or shield as effectively as he likely did in life. My usual strategy of dancing away from a stronger opponent's blows worked well and the malevolent force powering his corpse evaporated after I circled around him and plunged my Orsimer dagger into his back. On a whim I took his Altmer equipment with me.

I re-entered the shrine via the door he had been guarding and proceeded through several more rooms, each with their undead, oily guardians. Meridia's light guided me deeper into the shrine and to the final chamber where the necromancer Malkoran was occupied with his foul work alongside six spectral guardians.

None of them noticed me until I fired an arrow into the necromancer's back. His magical shield rendered my shot non-lethal, but it still had enough force to lodge into his back. With a roar of pain he whirled around and fire a massive ball of ice at me through the door, but I ducked out of the way and re-emerged into the doorway to duel with his six bodyguards. The undead Imperial Captain's sword served me well here for each strike against the spirits set them afire and quickly extinguished their lifeforce. As they were forced to engage me one-on-one in the doorway the battle was far easier than it could have been. My duel with Malkoran was a more difficult matter.

He was content to leave me to his guardians while they were still engaged, but resumed his attack at the defeat of the final spirit. He relied on a spell which sent a giant ball of ice hurtling through the air which froze everything it touched, including the floor. Stepping on these patches of ice sent shocks of cold into my feet and up my legs, making it difficult to move quickly for several seconds. I made sure to make that mistake only once.

I could only hope to defeat him by leaving the safety of the doorway and entering the chamber in order to engage him in melee to prevent him from using his spells. After he launched another ball of ice through the doorway I leaped through it over the trail of ice the spell had left and charged at him, shield up and sword at the ready.

He was caught off-guard and I smashed the shield into his face and delivered against him a terrific slash. The enchantment within the sword ignited his robes and after a quick stab to his middle the man's body burst into flames as well.

Yet that was not the end of it. His body was still on fire as he collapsed, but an unearthly shrieking filled the chamber and his own foul spirit rose from the smoldering corpse looking very much like a larger version of the spirits I had already put to rest.

But his spirit was just as susceptible to the sword's enchanted fire as the others and it evaporated with a frustrated scream without having a chance to do anything at all. Meridia's satisfied voice erupted inside my head, telling me that the shrine was now clear and that I was worthy to claim her sword 'Dawnbreaker' which the necromancer had been trying to find a way to claim for himself. With the her blessing the sword slid easily from its pedestal at the center of the room.

There was a flash of light and once again I was unfortunately very high above Skyrim, talking to a glowing ball of light.

I kept my eyes closed and pretended I was still on the ground as Meridia droned on about the responsibilities that came with wielding 'Dawnbreaker' and how everyone would revere her as I struck down the enemies of undeath and corruption. After I was reunited with the ground I examined 'Dawnbreaker' more carefully and have come to the conclusion that I can never use it. The blade is exceptional and the weapon well-blanced, but the hilt has a small gem that constantly glows and would not serve me well while trying to stay hidden. I will carry it with me until I have a place to keep it, but I shall stick to my combination of bow and dagger for now. I left the equipment I borrowed from the former Imperial commander at the foot of Meridia's statue, having no use for it and it being too cumbersome to take with me.

It is early in the morning now and I still have a long list of things I need to accomplish. I thought I would be returning to my life of cutting lumber and doing odd jobs around Skyrim, but it appears I have sunk back to my old life once again.