Nogar's Tales- The Dragon-Wolf's Diary
- Thread starter TamrielsSavior
- Start date
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback and the encouragement. This is so much fun!This is great, so excited to see where it goes.. just when I thought wolfie would be revealed to Nogar you shut it down! Nice work
Will Necromantia be making a return any time soon?
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
16th of Evening Star, 4E 201
We battled our way deeper and deeper into Dustman’s Cairn, Farkas and I both slaying draugr and Silver Hand members alike. At one point there was another great cavern with stone bridges and platforms, with 2 brutish women and a male archer fortifying them. That was a harrowing battle, as the two women each swung powerful silver greatswords and were very deft in their movements making it hard for us to strike them cleanly. I had taken care of the archer quickly, and then turned to see Farkas down on one knee and the two women making their way towards me. I had to use my battle-cry on them just to stay alive. Thankfully it gave me some time to take a few health potions and Farkas some time to chase them down. I caught up after he had slain the first of them, and together we tore apart the second one.
We pressed on through the maze that is Dustman’s Cairn, up sets of stairs, down more stairs, across a caged bridge spanning another room where we fought more draugr and Silver Hand members. I lost count of just how many enemies we faced and how many rooms we had to go through there were so many.
Finally we came upon a small set of stairs. I could see a helmet sticking up above the final step and assumed, correctly, that the owner must have been several paces beyond the end of the stairs. She was at the top of a wooden flight of stairs on a balcony and I told Farkas to hang back for a moment as I took out my bow, dipped an arrow into a vial of health poison, and shot it deep into her back. After releasing the arrow I quickly moved back down the steps to avoid detection, but it was too late. She had seen me, and she called out to other Silver Hand members that intruders were in their midst.
As she advanced, I already had another poisoned arrow ready for her and let it fly right as she reached the top of the steps. This one penetrated her neck, lodging into her spine and killed her instantly just as more men began emerging at the top of the wooden stairs behind her. Farkas charged in with his greatsword as I switched to Havoc and its flame-enchantment. Luck was on our side for this battle, as the narrow hallway we were in only allowed one of them to enter at a time. Farkas and I took turns blocking, bumping and striking, killing each of them in turn. There were 5 altogether, and we had barely suffered a scratch due to our skill and positioning.
Excited about our success we pressed on down the wooden stairs where we found a chest and a door to another room, but sadly both of them were secured with locks requiring a person with much better skill at picking them than I currently have. I broke 2 of my picks on each one before giving up, leaving me with only 4 more, so we decided to move onto the next room. We were fairly sure there were no more Silver Hand members in there, since there wasn’t any door separating the rooms and anyone in there would surely have heard all the commotion from our last battle.
The room was really dark as we entered, and very wide. Only a handful of lit torches littered the walls, and their weak light did little to brighten it up. At the far end was a door, also lock, but upon an altar on the side of the room was an unlocked chest containing a key as well as some gold and a strong health potion. The key unlocked the door to a really dark hallway and several skeevers sprang out at us at once! That was when I knew why so many of the Silver Hand members carried cure disease potions, as bites from those filthy creatures give you some disease or another more often than not!
We were quick to react, though, and managed to take down 5 of the disgusting animals while suffering only a single bite, which by Kynareth’s blessing failed to infect me with anything. There was another alter in the adjoining room, with three wrapped draugr upon it, but little else of note. As I opened the next door to move on I was greeted with the face and fangs of the largest frostbite spider I have ever seen and a blast of its venomous poison directly in my face!
I quickly moved to the side as the large beast was too big to fit through the doorway. Farkas gave his fiercest cry and charged into battle while I switched to my bow and began pelting it with arrows while dodging its spits of venom. The battle attracted the attention of a few more skeevers, too, but luckily they fell with a single hit of my bow, allowing me to focus on that mammoth of a spider! I lost count how many times Farkas struck it and how many arrows I sank into it, but finally the mighty creature was bested. When I looked in my quiver I was surprised to see I had only 8 of my orcish arrows left, so I ran back to the room our previous battle had happened in and was able to find about 2 dozen iron arrows on the bodies of the Silver Hands, which I eagerly added to my quiver.
We then continued, moving past the dead spider and skeevers and deeper down a winding tunnel which led us to the spider’s nest, but luckily there was only small spider there waiting for us. One shot from my bow took care of it pretty easily and we made our way out of the nest towards a river of some kind. There were two bridges carved out of stone by the river, with the one closest to us empty and the farther one being patrolled by a draugr. I was able to get off one sneak attack with my bow before the draugr detected us, and then we realized it hadn’t been alone. There must have been another one on a ledge connecting the two bridges that we couldn’t see from our vantage point. The both came charging towards us, weapons raised with those mindless eyes staring us down. There wasn’t a lot of room in the narrow riverbed between the bridges and the spider’s nest, especially with Farkas and I both swinging our two-handed weapon. We tried each taking one draugr, but it was difficult to maneuver, and I accidently struck Farkas with Havoc, bringing him to a knee and causing both draugr to focus on me, instead!
Knowing I was in trouble, I tried backing up while releasing my battle cry, hoping it would work this time, but not very surprised when it didn’t. I brought Havoc up to block a strike by one of the draugrs’ ancient greatsword, but it still hurt and knocked me off balance. I could feel the blow rattling the bones in my arms as I was backing up as best as I could. I was in the spiders nest now and kept bumping up against egg sacs, unable to find the passageway to the tunnel I knew was there. I got a strike into the closest one, staggering him, and quickly lifted Havoc with everything I had to try and bring down this first draugr. Behind it I could see Farkas rising to his feet and readying his greatsword to try and rescue me. My strike was true, catching the draugr flush in the chest, collapsing it and sending whatever life it had within out of its body once again.
The blow was not without consequence as it left me wide open to a brutal hit by the other draugr. I felt and heard several of my ribs crack, and felt the blackness starting to sink in. With what little strength I had left I brought my battle-axe up to block the creature’s next blow, and saw Farkas about to drive home a murderous strike with his sword. He must have been just a moment too slow, for I never saw it land. Everything went dark; all I could hear was the ringing in my helmet and ears reverberating through my brain.
I came to a few days later, once again holed up at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. I have let my Shield-Brother, and all of the Companions, down with my continued failure. Farkas is eager to go back to finish the job, but I am uncertain. Perhaps I rushed into this, letting my confidence and arrogance get the better of me. Maybe I’m not meant to be a Companion like my father. Talos, if you can hear me, please send an answer to my prayers and guide me in the correct path.
We battled our way deeper and deeper into Dustman’s Cairn, Farkas and I both slaying draugr and Silver Hand members alike. At one point there was another great cavern with stone bridges and platforms, with 2 brutish women and a male archer fortifying them. That was a harrowing battle, as the two women each swung powerful silver greatswords and were very deft in their movements making it hard for us to strike them cleanly. I had taken care of the archer quickly, and then turned to see Farkas down on one knee and the two women making their way towards me. I had to use my battle-cry on them just to stay alive. Thankfully it gave me some time to take a few health potions and Farkas some time to chase them down. I caught up after he had slain the first of them, and together we tore apart the second one.
We pressed on through the maze that is Dustman’s Cairn, up sets of stairs, down more stairs, across a caged bridge spanning another room where we fought more draugr and Silver Hand members. I lost count of just how many enemies we faced and how many rooms we had to go through there were so many.
Finally we came upon a small set of stairs. I could see a helmet sticking up above the final step and assumed, correctly, that the owner must have been several paces beyond the end of the stairs. She was at the top of a wooden flight of stairs on a balcony and I told Farkas to hang back for a moment as I took out my bow, dipped an arrow into a vial of health poison, and shot it deep into her back. After releasing the arrow I quickly moved back down the steps to avoid detection, but it was too late. She had seen me, and she called out to other Silver Hand members that intruders were in their midst.
As she advanced, I already had another poisoned arrow ready for her and let it fly right as she reached the top of the steps. This one penetrated her neck, lodging into her spine and killed her instantly just as more men began emerging at the top of the wooden stairs behind her. Farkas charged in with his greatsword as I switched to Havoc and its flame-enchantment. Luck was on our side for this battle, as the narrow hallway we were in only allowed one of them to enter at a time. Farkas and I took turns blocking, bumping and striking, killing each of them in turn. There were 5 altogether, and we had barely suffered a scratch due to our skill and positioning.
Excited about our success we pressed on down the wooden stairs where we found a chest and a door to another room, but sadly both of them were secured with locks requiring a person with much better skill at picking them than I currently have. I broke 2 of my picks on each one before giving up, leaving me with only 4 more, so we decided to move onto the next room. We were fairly sure there were no more Silver Hand members in there, since there wasn’t any door separating the rooms and anyone in there would surely have heard all the commotion from our last battle.
The room was really dark as we entered, and very wide. Only a handful of lit torches littered the walls, and their weak light did little to brighten it up. At the far end was a door, also lock, but upon an altar on the side of the room was an unlocked chest containing a key as well as some gold and a strong health potion. The key unlocked the door to a really dark hallway and several skeevers sprang out at us at once! That was when I knew why so many of the Silver Hand members carried cure disease potions, as bites from those filthy creatures give you some disease or another more often than not!
We were quick to react, though, and managed to take down 5 of the disgusting animals while suffering only a single bite, which by Kynareth’s blessing failed to infect me with anything. There was another alter in the adjoining room, with three wrapped draugr upon it, but little else of note. As I opened the next door to move on I was greeted with the face and fangs of the largest frostbite spider I have ever seen and a blast of its venomous poison directly in my face!
I quickly moved to the side as the large beast was too big to fit through the doorway. Farkas gave his fiercest cry and charged into battle while I switched to my bow and began pelting it with arrows while dodging its spits of venom. The battle attracted the attention of a few more skeevers, too, but luckily they fell with a single hit of my bow, allowing me to focus on that mammoth of a spider! I lost count how many times Farkas struck it and how many arrows I sank into it, but finally the mighty creature was bested. When I looked in my quiver I was surprised to see I had only 8 of my orcish arrows left, so I ran back to the room our previous battle had happened in and was able to find about 2 dozen iron arrows on the bodies of the Silver Hands, which I eagerly added to my quiver.
We then continued, moving past the dead spider and skeevers and deeper down a winding tunnel which led us to the spider’s nest, but luckily there was only small spider there waiting for us. One shot from my bow took care of it pretty easily and we made our way out of the nest towards a river of some kind. There were two bridges carved out of stone by the river, with the one closest to us empty and the farther one being patrolled by a draugr. I was able to get off one sneak attack with my bow before the draugr detected us, and then we realized it hadn’t been alone. There must have been another one on a ledge connecting the two bridges that we couldn’t see from our vantage point. The both came charging towards us, weapons raised with those mindless eyes staring us down. There wasn’t a lot of room in the narrow riverbed between the bridges and the spider’s nest, especially with Farkas and I both swinging our two-handed weapon. We tried each taking one draugr, but it was difficult to maneuver, and I accidently struck Farkas with Havoc, bringing him to a knee and causing both draugr to focus on me, instead!
Knowing I was in trouble, I tried backing up while releasing my battle cry, hoping it would work this time, but not very surprised when it didn’t. I brought Havoc up to block a strike by one of the draugrs’ ancient greatsword, but it still hurt and knocked me off balance. I could feel the blow rattling the bones in my arms as I was backing up as best as I could. I was in the spiders nest now and kept bumping up against egg sacs, unable to find the passageway to the tunnel I knew was there. I got a strike into the closest one, staggering him, and quickly lifted Havoc with everything I had to try and bring down this first draugr. Behind it I could see Farkas rising to his feet and readying his greatsword to try and rescue me. My strike was true, catching the draugr flush in the chest, collapsing it and sending whatever life it had within out of its body once again.
The blow was not without consequence as it left me wide open to a brutal hit by the other draugr. I felt and heard several of my ribs crack, and felt the blackness starting to sink in. With what little strength I had left I brought my battle-axe up to block the creature’s next blow, and saw Farkas about to drive home a murderous strike with his sword. He must have been just a moment too slow, for I never saw it land. Everything went dark; all I could hear was the ringing in my helmet and ears reverberating through my brain.
I came to a few days later, once again holed up at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. I have let my Shield-Brother, and all of the Companions, down with my continued failure. Farkas is eager to go back to finish the job, but I am uncertain. Perhaps I rushed into this, letting my confidence and arrogance get the better of me. Maybe I’m not meant to be a Companion like my father. Talos, if you can hear me, please send an answer to my prayers and guide me in the correct path.
Mr1cammando
asdf
It always sucks when you fail during an initiation quest. I roleplayed that the Thieves Guild refused my help after I failed to get through the ratway.
Silence
Member
Damn skippy! I've been playing and writing, but it's just amazing how much plops happens to prevent me from cleaning it up and posting it. Soon homie
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
I like the idea, but on master probably not too practical. I feel like if I was a sword and board guy I wouldn't be having nearly as many deaths. I do like the 2-handed weapon, even if I'm still getting used to it!
Hoping to have a post or 2 up tomorrow and Tuesday!
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
16th of Evening Star, 4E 201
We battled our way deeper and deeper into Dustman’s Cairn, Farkas and I both slaying draugr and Silver Hand members alike. At one point there was another great cavern with stone bridges and platforms, with 2 brutish women and a male archer fortifying them. That was a harrowing battle, as the two women each swung powerful silver greatswords and were very deft in their movements making it hard for us to strike them cleanly. I had taken care of the archer quickly, and then turned to see Farkas down on one knee and the two women making their way towards me. I had to use my battle-cry on them just to stay alive. Thankfully it gave me some time to take a few health potions and Farkas some time to chase them down. I caught up after he had slain the first of them, and together we tore apart the second one.
We pressed on through the maze that is Dustman’s Cairn, up sets of stairs, down more stairs, across a caged bridge spanning another room where we fought more draugr and Silver Hand members. I lost count of just how many enemies we faced and how many rooms we had to go through there were so many.
Finally we came upon a small set of stairs. I could see a helmet sticking up above the final step and assumed, correctly, that the owner must have been several paces beyond the end of the stairs. She was at the top of a wooden flight of stairs on a balcony and I told Farkas to hang back for a moment as I took out my bow, dipped an arrow into a vial of health poison, and shot it deep into her back. After releasing the arrow I quickly moved back down the steps to avoid detection, but it was too late. She had seen me, and she called out to other Silver Hand members that intruders were in their midst.
As she advanced, I already had another poisoned arrow ready for her and let it fly right as she reached the top of the steps. This one penetrated her neck, lodging into her spine and killed her instantly just as more men began emerging at the top of the wooden stairs behind her. Farkas charged in with his greatsword as I switched to Havoc and its flame-enchantment. Luck was on our side for this battle, as the narrow hallway we were in only allowed one of them to enter at a time. Farkas and I took turns blocking, bumping and striking, killing each of them in turn. There were 5 altogether, and we had barely suffered a scratch due to our skill and positioning.
Excited about our success we pressed on down the wooden stairs where we found a chest and a door to another room, but sadly both of them were secured with locks requiring a person with much better skill at picking them than I currently have. I broke 2 of my picks on each one before giving up, leaving me with only 4 more, so we decided to move onto the next room. We were fairly sure there were no more Silver Hand members in there, since there wasn’t any door separating the rooms and anyone in there would surely have heard all the commotion from our last battle.
The room was really dark as we entered, and very wide. Only a handful of lit torches littered the walls, and their weak light did little to brighten it up. At the far end was a door, also lock, but upon an altar on the side of the room was an unlocked chest containing a key as well as some gold and a strong health potion. The key unlocked the door to a really dark hallway and several skeevers sprang out at us at once! That was when I knew why so many of the Silver Hand members carried cure disease potions, as bites from those filthy creatures give you some disease or another more often than not!
We were quick to react, though, and managed to take down 5 of the disgusting animals while suffering only a single bite, which by Kynareth’s blessing failed to infect me with anything. There was another alter in the adjoining room, with three wrapped draugr upon it, but little else of note. As I opened the next door to move on I was greeted with the face and fangs of the largest frostbite spider I have ever seen and a blast of its venomous poison directly in my face!
I quickly moved to the side as the large beast was too big to fit through the doorway. Farkas gave his fiercest cry and charged into battle while I switched to my bow and began pelting it with arrows while dodging its spits of venom. The battle attracted the attention of a few more skeevers, too, but luckily they fell with a single hit of my bow, allowing me to focus on that mammoth of a spider! I lost count how many times Farkas struck it and how many arrows I sank into it, but finally the mighty creature was bested. When I looked in my quiver I was surprised to see I had only 8 of my orcish arrows left, so I ran back to the room our previous battle had happened in and was able to find about 2 dozen iron arrows on the bodies of the Silver Hands, which I eagerly added to my quiver.
We then continued, moving past the dead spider and skeevers and deeper down a winding tunnel which led us to the spider’s nest, but luckily there was only small spider there waiting for us. One shot from my bow took care of it pretty easily and we made our way out of the nest towards a river of some kind. There were two bridges carved out of stone by the river, with the one closest to us empty and the farther one being patrolled by a draugr. I was able to get off one sneak attack with my bow before the draugr detected us, and then we realized it hadn’t been alone. There must have been another one on a ledge connecting the two bridges that we couldn’t see from our vantage point. The both came charging towards us, weapons raised with those mindless eyes staring us down. There wasn’t a lot of room in the narrow riverbed between the bridges and the spider’s nest, especially with Farkas and I both swinging our two-handed weapon. We tried each taking one draugr, but it was difficult to maneuver, and I accidently struck Farkas with Havoc, bringing him to a knee and causing both draugr to focus on me, instead!
Knowing I was in trouble, I tried backing up while releasing my battle cry, hoping it would work this time, but not very surprised when it didn’t. I brought Havoc up to block a strike by one of the draugrs’ ancient greatsword, but it still hurt and knocked me off balance. I could feel the blow rattling the bones in my arms as I was backing up as best as I could. I was in the spiders nest now and kept bumping up against egg sacs, unable to find the passageway to the tunnel I knew was there. I got a strike into the closest one, staggering him, and quickly lifted Havoc with everything I had to try and bring down this first draugr. Behind it I could see Farkas rising to his feet and readying his greatsword to try and rescue me. My strike was true, catching the draugr flush in the chest, collapsing it and sending whatever life it had within out of its body once again.
The blow was not without consequence as it left me wide open to a brutal hit by the other draugr. I felt and heard several of my ribs crack, and felt the blackness starting to sink in. With what little strength I had left I brought my battle-axe up to block the creature’s next blow, and saw Farkas about to drive home a murderous strike with his sword. He must have been just a moment too slow, for I never saw it land. Everything went dark; all I could hear was the ringing in my helmet and ears reverberating through my brain.
I came to a few days later, once again holed up at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. I have let my Shield-Brother, and all of the Companions, down with my continued failure. Farkas is eager to go back to finish the job, but I am uncertain. Perhaps I rushed into this, letting my confidence and arrogance get the better of me. Maybe I’m not meant to be a Companion like my father. Talos, if you can hear me, please send an answer to my prayers and guide me in the correct path.
We battled our way deeper and deeper into Dustman’s Cairn, Farkas and I both slaying draugr and Silver Hand members alike. At one point there was another great cavern with stone bridges and platforms, with 2 brutish women and a male archer fortifying them. That was a harrowing battle, as the two women each swung powerful silver greatswords and were very deft in their movements making it hard for us to strike them cleanly. I had taken care of the archer quickly, and then turned to see Farkas down on one knee and the two women making their way towards me. I had to use my battle-cry on them just to stay alive. Thankfully it gave me some time to take a few health potions and Farkas some time to chase them down. I caught up after he had slain the first of them, and together we tore apart the second one.
We pressed on through the maze that is Dustman’s Cairn, up sets of stairs, down more stairs, across a caged bridge spanning another room where we fought more draugr and Silver Hand members. I lost count of just how many enemies we faced and how many rooms we had to go through there were so many.
Finally we came upon a small set of stairs. I could see a helmet sticking up above the final step and assumed, correctly, that the owner must have been several paces beyond the end of the stairs. She was at the top of a wooden flight of stairs on a balcony and I told Farkas to hang back for a moment as I took out my bow, dipped an arrow into a vial of health poison, and shot it deep into her back. After releasing the arrow I quickly moved back down the steps to avoid detection, but it was too late. She had seen me, and she called out to other Silver Hand members that intruders were in their midst.
As she advanced, I already had another poisoned arrow ready for her and let it fly right as she reached the top of the steps. This one penetrated her neck, lodging into her spine and killed her instantly just as more men began emerging at the top of the wooden stairs behind her. Farkas charged in with his greatsword as I switched to Havoc and its flame-enchantment. Luck was on our side for this battle, as the narrow hallway we were in only allowed one of them to enter at a time. Farkas and I took turns blocking, bumping and striking, killing each of them in turn. There were 5 altogether, and we had barely suffered a scratch due to our skill and positioning.
Excited about our success we pressed on down the wooden stairs where we found a chest and a door to another room, but sadly both of them were secured with locks requiring a person with much better skill at picking them than I currently have. I broke 2 of my picks on each one before giving up, leaving me with only 4 more, so we decided to move onto the next room. We were fairly sure there were no more Silver Hand members in there, since there wasn’t any door separating the rooms and anyone in there would surely have heard all the commotion from our last battle.
The room was really dark as we entered, and very wide. Only a handful of lit torches littered the walls, and their weak light did little to brighten it up. At the far end was a door, also lock, but upon an altar on the side of the room was an unlocked chest containing a key as well as some gold and a strong health potion. The key unlocked the door to a really dark hallway and several skeevers sprang out at us at once! That was when I knew why so many of the Silver Hand members carried cure disease potions, as bites from those filthy creatures give you some disease or another more often than not!
We were quick to react, though, and managed to take down 5 of the disgusting animals while suffering only a single bite, which by Kynareth’s blessing failed to infect me with anything. There was another alter in the adjoining room, with three wrapped draugr upon it, but little else of note. As I opened the next door to move on I was greeted with the face and fangs of the largest frostbite spider I have ever seen and a blast of its venomous poison directly in my face!
I quickly moved to the side as the large beast was too big to fit through the doorway. Farkas gave his fiercest cry and charged into battle while I switched to my bow and began pelting it with arrows while dodging its spits of venom. The battle attracted the attention of a few more skeevers, too, but luckily they fell with a single hit of my bow, allowing me to focus on that mammoth of a spider! I lost count how many times Farkas struck it and how many arrows I sank into it, but finally the mighty creature was bested. When I looked in my quiver I was surprised to see I had only 8 of my orcish arrows left, so I ran back to the room our previous battle had happened in and was able to find about 2 dozen iron arrows on the bodies of the Silver Hands, which I eagerly added to my quiver.
We then continued, moving past the dead spider and skeevers and deeper down a winding tunnel which led us to the spider’s nest, but luckily there was only small spider there waiting for us. One shot from my bow took care of it pretty easily and we made our way out of the nest towards a river of some kind. There were two bridges carved out of stone by the river, with the one closest to us empty and the farther one being patrolled by a draugr. I was able to get off one sneak attack with my bow before the draugr detected us, and then we realized it hadn’t been alone. There must have been another one on a ledge connecting the two bridges that we couldn’t see from our vantage point. The both came charging towards us, weapons raised with those mindless eyes staring us down. There wasn’t a lot of room in the narrow riverbed between the bridges and the spider’s nest, especially with Farkas and I both swinging our two-handed weapon. We tried each taking one draugr, but it was difficult to maneuver, and I accidently struck Farkas with Havoc, bringing him to a knee and causing both draugr to focus on me, instead!
Knowing I was in trouble, I tried backing up while releasing my battle cry, hoping it would work this time, but not very surprised when it didn’t. I brought Havoc up to block a strike by one of the draugrs’ ancient greatsword, but it still hurt and knocked me off balance. I could feel the blow rattling the bones in my arms as I was backing up as best as I could. I was in the spiders nest now and kept bumping up against egg sacs, unable to find the passageway to the tunnel I knew was there. I got a strike into the closest one, staggering him, and quickly lifted Havoc with everything I had to try and bring down this first draugr. Behind it I could see Farkas rising to his feet and readying his greatsword to try and rescue me. My strike was true, catching the draugr flush in the chest, collapsing it and sending whatever life it had within out of its body once again.
The blow was not without consequence as it left me wide open to a brutal hit by the other draugr. I felt and heard several of my ribs crack, and felt the blackness starting to sink in. With what little strength I had left I brought my battle-axe up to block the creature’s next blow, and saw Farkas about to drive home a murderous strike with his sword. He must have been just a moment too slow, for I never saw it land. Everything went dark; all I could hear was the ringing in my helmet and ears reverberating through my brain.
I came to a few days later, once again holed up at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. I have let my Shield-Brother, and all of the Companions, down with my continued failure. Farkas is eager to go back to finish the job, but I am uncertain. Perhaps I rushed into this, letting my confidence and arrogance get the better of me. Maybe I’m not meant to be a Companion like my father. Talos, if you can hear me, please send an answer to my prayers and guide me in the correct path.
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
17th of Evening Star, 4E 201
I only have a few moments to write. Farkas and I are heading back to Dustman’s Cairn. I awoke this morning knowing we would head back and knowing that we would claim that fragment of Wuuthrad from those draugr and Silver Hands. How could I know that? I have difficulty believing it myself, but I believe Talos has answered my prayers in the form of a dream.
I was soaring through the air, flying like a hawk or rock warbler, catching blasts of warm air which sent me sailing ever higher. I felt much larger than a simple bird, though, as I flew through the clouds, over mountains and fields and farms. Finally my destination came into view, but it made no sense. It was what should have been Dustman’s Cairn, for it was in the right place west of Whiterun and north of the western watchtower, but all I could see was a few large boulders with a small opening in them leading to a cave. I flew straight for it, unable to change direction or slow down, sure that I was too large to fit through the opening and was going to crash into the rocks. Faster and faster I flew, accelerating towards the small opening, faster than anything I have ever seen run or fly. Faster than the strongest bow can send an arrow I dove into the rocks.
I made it through, somehow, finding myself deep in the cave when I finally opened my eyes once again. I had stopped, or landed, I’m not really sure, right in front of an ancient altar with crypts all around me. Standing on top of the altar, above the fragment of Wuuthrad, was the largest wolf I had ever seen. Twice the size, at least, of that ice wolf I had seen north of Dragon Bridge, with glowing yellow eyes and a knowing look on his face. I know it was a him, for he had my father’s features in his face, the lines around his eyes, the scar upon his nose and cheek, and that smile….. It was unmistakable.
The space around him was glowing bluish white and it looked like stars were streaking back and forth behind him. And his heart, I could see it, hear it, and feel it beating. Suddenly I was far outside the cave again, flying backwards, or seeing the earlier part of the dream in reverse, I’m not sure. But this time I could see the whole cave, all of Dustman’s Cairn, beating, sharing in the heartbeat of the wolf, pulsating outward into Skyrim, for only me to see and feel.
I’m still not sure what to make of it all, and I know it was only a dream, but it’s drawing me back to the cairn, to the fragment of Wuuthrad and that altar. I must go back. I must find the truth to this matter. I must not fail. I must go. I must.
I only have a few moments to write. Farkas and I are heading back to Dustman’s Cairn. I awoke this morning knowing we would head back and knowing that we would claim that fragment of Wuuthrad from those draugr and Silver Hands. How could I know that? I have difficulty believing it myself, but I believe Talos has answered my prayers in the form of a dream.
I was soaring through the air, flying like a hawk or rock warbler, catching blasts of warm air which sent me sailing ever higher. I felt much larger than a simple bird, though, as I flew through the clouds, over mountains and fields and farms. Finally my destination came into view, but it made no sense. It was what should have been Dustman’s Cairn, for it was in the right place west of Whiterun and north of the western watchtower, but all I could see was a few large boulders with a small opening in them leading to a cave. I flew straight for it, unable to change direction or slow down, sure that I was too large to fit through the opening and was going to crash into the rocks. Faster and faster I flew, accelerating towards the small opening, faster than anything I have ever seen run or fly. Faster than the strongest bow can send an arrow I dove into the rocks.
I made it through, somehow, finding myself deep in the cave when I finally opened my eyes once again. I had stopped, or landed, I’m not really sure, right in front of an ancient altar with crypts all around me. Standing on top of the altar, above the fragment of Wuuthrad, was the largest wolf I had ever seen. Twice the size, at least, of that ice wolf I had seen north of Dragon Bridge, with glowing yellow eyes and a knowing look on his face. I know it was a him, for he had my father’s features in his face, the lines around his eyes, the scar upon his nose and cheek, and that smile….. It was unmistakable.
The space around him was glowing bluish white and it looked like stars were streaking back and forth behind him. And his heart, I could see it, hear it, and feel it beating. Suddenly I was far outside the cave again, flying backwards, or seeing the earlier part of the dream in reverse, I’m not sure. But this time I could see the whole cave, all of Dustman’s Cairn, beating, sharing in the heartbeat of the wolf, pulsating outward into Skyrim, for only me to see and feel.
I’m still not sure what to make of it all, and I know it was only a dream, but it’s drawing me back to the cairn, to the fragment of Wuuthrad and that altar. I must go back. I must find the truth to this matter. I must not fail. I must go. I must.
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
18th of Evening Star, 4E 201
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. We arrived back in Whiterun in the wee hours of the morning today, having left an awful mess back in Dustman’s Cairn, and we found the fragment of Wuuthrad and brought it back with us. But there was something else, too, and I don’t know what it means. I’ll get to that in a moment, but I should really start at the beginning, when we got back to that river just past the spider’s nest.
As we were heading back to the cairn Farkas had been commenting that I seemed strangely renewed and more confident that I had last week. I didn’t want to mention my dream, so I told him that I just felt good after all that rest and was eager to get our hands on that fragment. He gave me a suspicious look, but didn’t probe any further to my immense relief.
Thankfully Farkas had finished off the second draugr near that river, so we were able to move along uneventfully, although we soon learned why those 2 draugr were so formidable. It turns out they were the watchguards for the final crypt, the entrance of which was just a little ways down the hall from the river. Neither of us could believe what we saw when we went through that final door, and I’m sure it will give both of us nightmares for years to come. I still can’t believe we got out of there alive.
The initial hallway of the massive room had 4 sarcophagi on each side, built upright into the walls, and opened into the main portion of the room, the likes of which I hope to never encounter again! Dozens more sarcophagi lined every conceivable part of the walls, with another room up a set of stairs overlooking the main room that had 4 or 5 more. Everything in the room was set up to focus attention on the middle of the main room, where a massive metal casket had been placed. It was the only one in the room which lay flat, but was on a pedestal about waist high and was easily twice the size of any other one in the room. It gave both of us chills as we wondered what could possibly be buried in there.
What brought me to a halt, though, was the far end of the room, beyond the tombs and the massive sarcophagus. It was an altar, larger than any either of us had ever seen, and for a second I could swear I saw a wolf standing on top of it. For it was the same altar I had seen in my dream the night before, with the fragment of Wuuthrad sitting upon it in the exact same place. That alone was enough to nearly stop my heart, but then the blue glow and shooting star sparkles caught my eye and I nearly fainted.
How could this be, I wondered? How could I have seen all of this in my dream the night before? What was going on? None of it made any sense, and all of it caused a great amount of unease within me, yet still I was drawn towards the wall. Something about it was strangely familiar, even beyond my dream, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. I still don’t know, to be honest, but as I got closer I could see a strange writing engraved onto the wall. It was a language of some kind, and Farkas just gave me a blank stare and shook his head when I asked if he recognized it.
There was something hidden in the middle of the engravings, though. At least I could tell there was something there. Farkas told me he saw nothing, and I was hoping this was all part of my Companions initiation, but now I know it was completely unrelated. The hidden message on the wall was what was causing the blue glow and shooting star streaks that I was seeing. As I got to within a foot or two, the rest of the room went completely dark, and the only thing I was able to see was the engravings and the message, a word, unlike any I had ever heard uttered. Yol. It resonated inside my mind, said by a deep voice that was not my own, that only I could hear. After a moment, I looked at the other engravings and its translation, its meaning, became clear to me. Inhale air, exhale flame, and behold the Thu’um as inferno. Yol. Fire. Exhale flame. Thu’um.
What seemed to me to be an hour was apparently only a few seconds, for when I turned back to Farkas he was still standing in the same place and asked if I had any idea what those engravings are. I told him not really, that I had an image of breathing fire when I looked at the words, but that it didn’t make any sense to me. It still doesn’t, and I don’t know why I didn’t tell him everything. I guess because I was caught so off guard by it all, although it didn’t seem like he has any knowledge about what was going on either. Now I have this insight inside of my head, inside of me, but I don’t know how to use it, or to what end it serves. What good is it if it makes no sense and gives me no direction?
Tearing myself away from the wall wasn’t easy, but when Farkas asked if I was just going to leave the fragment there on the altar it snapped me back to our mission and my trial for the Companions. There were a couple of soul gems on the altar as well as some health and stamina potions, which I grabbed along with the piece of Wuuthrad that was there. And that was when all Oblivion broke loose in that room.
All at once, 4 or 5 sealed tombs burst open and draugr began marching towards us, weapons drawn and those horrible, empty yet hungry eyes staring us down. We ran back to the door we had entered the room through, only to find it locked. That also put us in a dead end in that hallway as the draugr began to make their way towards us. We both drew our weapons, stood far enough apart to not strike each other, and readied ourselves for the horrifying battle which lay before us.
There were some draugr that were not very strong, and we tried to find them and focus on them first, hoping to lessen the number of blows being struck at once upon us. Their undead bodies began flying around the hallway as our weapons glistened through the stale air of that crypt, sending many draugr to what will hopefully be their final rest.
Somehow, we were able to clear the hallway and quickly we looked for a better vantage point to wage this war. Nightmares walked all around us, as there must have been 10 or 12 of them standing now, making their way towards us. That was when I saw the stairs again, and shouted at Farkas to head to them, hoping that we could use the high ground to our advantage. Sprinting across the room, we were able to easily outrun the draugr, making to the stairs without being harmed any further. Leaping the steps 3 at a time we made our way to the top. As we got there, the last unopened casket had its cover burst off and another draugr made its way towards us.
I told Farkas to cover the stairs, as several of the ones from the lower level had started working their way up to us, while I unleashed my flaming Havoc upon the one in front of me. He burst into flames with each blow, and was slow to strike back, allowing me to best him quite easily without being hit once. Farkas had dropped 2 other draugr himself, and had started working his way down the stairs, pounding their heads with his steel as they foolishly attempted to push forward. I saw a ledge off to the left and made my way over to it, pulling out my bow as I did. From that vantage point I could see almost the entire room and had a point blank shot at the draugr trying to climb the stairs.
I went through the entire quiver of orcish arrows¸ sending each one of them deep into one draugr or another. For a while they would set the draugrs on fire when they struck, but my enchantment must have worn off at some point. I barely noticed, though, as I kept firing one after another into them while Farkas continued wailing away on them from the stairs. With every draugr we dropped it seemed 2 more were ready to take their place and I thought the battle would never end.
I don’t even know how many hours this battle raged, but it had seemed like an eternity. When I finally ran out of arrows I drew Havoc back out and jumped down from my ledge into the fray. I’m not sure when the central casket had burst open, or which of the many draugr had been in it, but neither of us cared. With all of our strength¸ with every bit of determination we had within, we swung our blades until our arms ached and our backs were screaming nearly as loud as we were, until finally there were none left standing besides us.
Panting furiously, our hearts ready to explode and rivers of sweat pouring from every pore in our body, we collapsed onto the stairs, spent. I pulled a couple of bottle of mead from my pack and offered one to Farkas. We downed the bottles in a single gulp, and then drank another a bit slower after that. Neither of us knew what to say, neither of us had ever seen the likes of a scene such as this, and both of us hoped we would never see it again.
The sun had long since set by the time we made our way back outside of the cairn into the crisp fresh air of Skyrim’s winter. Gray-Mane was still loyally waiting for me, and I gave her a carrot and a few apples to munch on while we packed her up with our gear. We made the long trek back to Whiterun, paid the night watchman at the stables to feed, wash and brush Gray-Mane, and stumbled into the city, exhausted but starving. I treated Farkas to some beef stew, bread and some more mead and told him I had to sleep for a few hours before meeting up with everyone at Jorrvaskr. He understood and said he would do the same.
So now it’s time for me to meet with the rest of my Shield-Brothers, time for me to take my place as a rightful member of the Companions, time for me to continue my father’s legacy in battle by their sides, time for me to have a true family once again. I will ask if any of them can help me make sense of the strange language I saw and the strange meanings I see with my mind’s eye.
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. We arrived back in Whiterun in the wee hours of the morning today, having left an awful mess back in Dustman’s Cairn, and we found the fragment of Wuuthrad and brought it back with us. But there was something else, too, and I don’t know what it means. I’ll get to that in a moment, but I should really start at the beginning, when we got back to that river just past the spider’s nest.
As we were heading back to the cairn Farkas had been commenting that I seemed strangely renewed and more confident that I had last week. I didn’t want to mention my dream, so I told him that I just felt good after all that rest and was eager to get our hands on that fragment. He gave me a suspicious look, but didn’t probe any further to my immense relief.
Thankfully Farkas had finished off the second draugr near that river, so we were able to move along uneventfully, although we soon learned why those 2 draugr were so formidable. It turns out they were the watchguards for the final crypt, the entrance of which was just a little ways down the hall from the river. Neither of us could believe what we saw when we went through that final door, and I’m sure it will give both of us nightmares for years to come. I still can’t believe we got out of there alive.
The initial hallway of the massive room had 4 sarcophagi on each side, built upright into the walls, and opened into the main portion of the room, the likes of which I hope to never encounter again! Dozens more sarcophagi lined every conceivable part of the walls, with another room up a set of stairs overlooking the main room that had 4 or 5 more. Everything in the room was set up to focus attention on the middle of the main room, where a massive metal casket had been placed. It was the only one in the room which lay flat, but was on a pedestal about waist high and was easily twice the size of any other one in the room. It gave both of us chills as we wondered what could possibly be buried in there.
What brought me to a halt, though, was the far end of the room, beyond the tombs and the massive sarcophagus. It was an altar, larger than any either of us had ever seen, and for a second I could swear I saw a wolf standing on top of it. For it was the same altar I had seen in my dream the night before, with the fragment of Wuuthrad sitting upon it in the exact same place. That alone was enough to nearly stop my heart, but then the blue glow and shooting star sparkles caught my eye and I nearly fainted.
How could this be, I wondered? How could I have seen all of this in my dream the night before? What was going on? None of it made any sense, and all of it caused a great amount of unease within me, yet still I was drawn towards the wall. Something about it was strangely familiar, even beyond my dream, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. I still don’t know, to be honest, but as I got closer I could see a strange writing engraved onto the wall. It was a language of some kind, and Farkas just gave me a blank stare and shook his head when I asked if he recognized it.
There was something hidden in the middle of the engravings, though. At least I could tell there was something there. Farkas told me he saw nothing, and I was hoping this was all part of my Companions initiation, but now I know it was completely unrelated. The hidden message on the wall was what was causing the blue glow and shooting star streaks that I was seeing. As I got to within a foot or two, the rest of the room went completely dark, and the only thing I was able to see was the engravings and the message, a word, unlike any I had ever heard uttered. Yol. It resonated inside my mind, said by a deep voice that was not my own, that only I could hear. After a moment, I looked at the other engravings and its translation, its meaning, became clear to me. Inhale air, exhale flame, and behold the Thu’um as inferno. Yol. Fire. Exhale flame. Thu’um.
What seemed to me to be an hour was apparently only a few seconds, for when I turned back to Farkas he was still standing in the same place and asked if I had any idea what those engravings are. I told him not really, that I had an image of breathing fire when I looked at the words, but that it didn’t make any sense to me. It still doesn’t, and I don’t know why I didn’t tell him everything. I guess because I was caught so off guard by it all, although it didn’t seem like he has any knowledge about what was going on either. Now I have this insight inside of my head, inside of me, but I don’t know how to use it, or to what end it serves. What good is it if it makes no sense and gives me no direction?
Tearing myself away from the wall wasn’t easy, but when Farkas asked if I was just going to leave the fragment there on the altar it snapped me back to our mission and my trial for the Companions. There were a couple of soul gems on the altar as well as some health and stamina potions, which I grabbed along with the piece of Wuuthrad that was there. And that was when all Oblivion broke loose in that room.
All at once, 4 or 5 sealed tombs burst open and draugr began marching towards us, weapons drawn and those horrible, empty yet hungry eyes staring us down. We ran back to the door we had entered the room through, only to find it locked. That also put us in a dead end in that hallway as the draugr began to make their way towards us. We both drew our weapons, stood far enough apart to not strike each other, and readied ourselves for the horrifying battle which lay before us.
There were some draugr that were not very strong, and we tried to find them and focus on them first, hoping to lessen the number of blows being struck at once upon us. Their undead bodies began flying around the hallway as our weapons glistened through the stale air of that crypt, sending many draugr to what will hopefully be their final rest.
Somehow, we were able to clear the hallway and quickly we looked for a better vantage point to wage this war. Nightmares walked all around us, as there must have been 10 or 12 of them standing now, making their way towards us. That was when I saw the stairs again, and shouted at Farkas to head to them, hoping that we could use the high ground to our advantage. Sprinting across the room, we were able to easily outrun the draugr, making to the stairs without being harmed any further. Leaping the steps 3 at a time we made our way to the top. As we got there, the last unopened casket had its cover burst off and another draugr made its way towards us.
I told Farkas to cover the stairs, as several of the ones from the lower level had started working their way up to us, while I unleashed my flaming Havoc upon the one in front of me. He burst into flames with each blow, and was slow to strike back, allowing me to best him quite easily without being hit once. Farkas had dropped 2 other draugr himself, and had started working his way down the stairs, pounding their heads with his steel as they foolishly attempted to push forward. I saw a ledge off to the left and made my way over to it, pulling out my bow as I did. From that vantage point I could see almost the entire room and had a point blank shot at the draugr trying to climb the stairs.
I went through the entire quiver of orcish arrows¸ sending each one of them deep into one draugr or another. For a while they would set the draugrs on fire when they struck, but my enchantment must have worn off at some point. I barely noticed, though, as I kept firing one after another into them while Farkas continued wailing away on them from the stairs. With every draugr we dropped it seemed 2 more were ready to take their place and I thought the battle would never end.
I don’t even know how many hours this battle raged, but it had seemed like an eternity. When I finally ran out of arrows I drew Havoc back out and jumped down from my ledge into the fray. I’m not sure when the central casket had burst open, or which of the many draugr had been in it, but neither of us cared. With all of our strength¸ with every bit of determination we had within, we swung our blades until our arms ached and our backs were screaming nearly as loud as we were, until finally there were none left standing besides us.
Panting furiously, our hearts ready to explode and rivers of sweat pouring from every pore in our body, we collapsed onto the stairs, spent. I pulled a couple of bottle of mead from my pack and offered one to Farkas. We downed the bottles in a single gulp, and then drank another a bit slower after that. Neither of us knew what to say, neither of us had ever seen the likes of a scene such as this, and both of us hoped we would never see it again.
The sun had long since set by the time we made our way back outside of the cairn into the crisp fresh air of Skyrim’s winter. Gray-Mane was still loyally waiting for me, and I gave her a carrot and a few apples to munch on while we packed her up with our gear. We made the long trek back to Whiterun, paid the night watchman at the stables to feed, wash and brush Gray-Mane, and stumbled into the city, exhausted but starving. I treated Farkas to some beef stew, bread and some more mead and told him I had to sleep for a few hours before meeting up with everyone at Jorrvaskr. He understood and said he would do the same.
So now it’s time for me to meet with the rest of my Shield-Brothers, time for me to take my place as a rightful member of the Companions, time for me to continue my father’s legacy in battle by their sides, time for me to have a true family once again. I will ask if any of them can help me make sense of the strange language I saw and the strange meanings I see with my mind’s eye.
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
Thanks!! I had done this quest on a previous playthrough, default difficulty with no restrictions and I think I died like 6 or 7 times. I figured this would be even uglier on master with these restrictions, but it forced me to play so much smarter!
Beating that room on the first shot was by far my proudest moment so far with Nogar!
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
It's definitely a source of frustration. I have actually started doing a manual save after surviving some of the larger skirmishes.
It was breaking immersion for me when I would have killed 10 or 15 bad guys and then die, and have to redo all of that. It was also making it difficult to write the journal with multiple playthroughs of the same place.
When it's outside and bandits it is easy enough to roleplay that they hired some more bandits to take their place, but inside is much different.
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
19th of Evening Star, 4E 201
I am a Shield-Brother!! I have spent most of the past day feasting and drinking with my brothers and sisters of the Companions. When Farkas and I made our way to Jorrvaskr late yesterday afternoon, Vilkas was waiting at the top of the steps to greet us. They say he has been standing vigil every day since we left many weeks ago, anxious to see the return of his true brother, Farkas.
He quickly led us around to the back of Jorrvaskr where every member of the Inner Circle was waiting for us, having heard of our arrival the night before. They had a moving ceremony, right there at that moment, initiating me officially into their ranks. Kodlak led the ritual, speaking the tradition words of passage into their guild. What moved me the most, though, was the way Farkas vouched for me, saying I am one of the bravest fighters he has ever seen, after his brother, of course! He said he would raise his shield in defense, guarding my back even if the entire world had turned against us. He claimed he would take every blow for me if he could, saying that few are as worthy to join their ranks as I am.
I still can’t believe it, to be honest with you. First, my father, and now me, both Companions. I remember my father telling me how he even rose to be a member of their Inner Circle, a place I can still only dream of. Perhaps if I can prove myself further, to more of its members, they will see fit to include me in their elite group.
After the ceremony was over, Kodlak came over to speak with me privately, saying he hopes I will find solace with my new brothers and sisters, and embrace my new family after the tragedy that befell mine. I couldn’t remember if I had even told him about my family, and a quick bolt of fear and nervousness ran through my body as I wondered if he knew that I was Ramus Ebonheart’s son, and how it would affect my standing in the guild. I was about to ask him, but before I could he told me to head up to the Skyforge to speak to Eorland, who had forged a special weapon just for me.
The look of surprise on my face must have been hard to miss, for Kodlak quickly added that it was only a pittance compared to the service I had done for the Companions in returning a part of Ysgramor’s Battleaxe, and that all new members were entitled to a little Skyforge Steel! My mind was racing as Kodlak quickly made his way back into Jorrvaskr, so I headed up to see Eorland. I still hadn’t seen him since returning from Northwatch Keep those many weeks ago.
As I arrived up at the forge, he greeted me quickly, nearly crushing me to death in a fatherly embrace. He thanked me profusely for helping to free Thorald, whom he had thought lost forever in the grips of the Thalmor. He said that when he heard I didn’t want to use the greatsword he had forged for Thorald, which Fralia had given to me for my service, he immediately went to work on a Skyforge Steel battleaxe. He had it nearly half done when Kodlak approached him to speak of a reward if I passed my trials, and went back to work twice as hard to make a blade for me worthy to be called a rival of Ysgramor’s Wuuthrad.
When I saw it, I couldn’t even find words to express my gratitude or to fully vocalize its beauty. When I held it, it seemed almost fused to my hands, lighter than the Dwarven metal axe, Havoc, I have been toting around for months, yet dealing even more damage than that blade can! Its only shortcoming is that it lacks the fire-enchantment that has been bestowed upon Havoc, making me wish I could find a way to dual wield battleaxes! They are much too heavy, though, and would require arms and shoulders twice the size as those of the largest orc! I will be hard pressed to determine which one to bring with me and which to leave behind when I head out again.
After Eorland and I finished taking turns thanking each other, I decided to head into the mead hall for the feast that was waiting. We ate and drank late into the night, or rather late into the morning, stuffing our faces with the finest venison and beef and all the nord mead and ale we could pour down our throats! My brothers and sisters regaled with many stories of their battles and quests, while Farkas and I told them the long, harrowing tale of our crusade into the depths of Dustman’s Cairn. I have a feeling each time he gets to the battle at the end the number of draugr we slay will grow, although neither one of us can be sure of just how many there were, other than way too many!
The sun was about to start peeking up from the horizon by the time we all finally went to sleep. When at last I forced myself out of my slumber, it was lunch time rather than time to break my fast, and now I am off to speak with Aela. She had mentioned last night that she may have something for me to help her with for the hold of Falkreath. The thought of going back to Falkreath, even just the hold, bothers me, for little good has ever come from me going there, but if it is to help the townsfolk, to help Aela, and to further my position with the Companions, then I will go and check it out.
I am a Shield-Brother!! I have spent most of the past day feasting and drinking with my brothers and sisters of the Companions. When Farkas and I made our way to Jorrvaskr late yesterday afternoon, Vilkas was waiting at the top of the steps to greet us. They say he has been standing vigil every day since we left many weeks ago, anxious to see the return of his true brother, Farkas.
He quickly led us around to the back of Jorrvaskr where every member of the Inner Circle was waiting for us, having heard of our arrival the night before. They had a moving ceremony, right there at that moment, initiating me officially into their ranks. Kodlak led the ritual, speaking the tradition words of passage into their guild. What moved me the most, though, was the way Farkas vouched for me, saying I am one of the bravest fighters he has ever seen, after his brother, of course! He said he would raise his shield in defense, guarding my back even if the entire world had turned against us. He claimed he would take every blow for me if he could, saying that few are as worthy to join their ranks as I am.
I still can’t believe it, to be honest with you. First, my father, and now me, both Companions. I remember my father telling me how he even rose to be a member of their Inner Circle, a place I can still only dream of. Perhaps if I can prove myself further, to more of its members, they will see fit to include me in their elite group.
After the ceremony was over, Kodlak came over to speak with me privately, saying he hopes I will find solace with my new brothers and sisters, and embrace my new family after the tragedy that befell mine. I couldn’t remember if I had even told him about my family, and a quick bolt of fear and nervousness ran through my body as I wondered if he knew that I was Ramus Ebonheart’s son, and how it would affect my standing in the guild. I was about to ask him, but before I could he told me to head up to the Skyforge to speak to Eorland, who had forged a special weapon just for me.
The look of surprise on my face must have been hard to miss, for Kodlak quickly added that it was only a pittance compared to the service I had done for the Companions in returning a part of Ysgramor’s Battleaxe, and that all new members were entitled to a little Skyforge Steel! My mind was racing as Kodlak quickly made his way back into Jorrvaskr, so I headed up to see Eorland. I still hadn’t seen him since returning from Northwatch Keep those many weeks ago.
As I arrived up at the forge, he greeted me quickly, nearly crushing me to death in a fatherly embrace. He thanked me profusely for helping to free Thorald, whom he had thought lost forever in the grips of the Thalmor. He said that when he heard I didn’t want to use the greatsword he had forged for Thorald, which Fralia had given to me for my service, he immediately went to work on a Skyforge Steel battleaxe. He had it nearly half done when Kodlak approached him to speak of a reward if I passed my trials, and went back to work twice as hard to make a blade for me worthy to be called a rival of Ysgramor’s Wuuthrad.
When I saw it, I couldn’t even find words to express my gratitude or to fully vocalize its beauty. When I held it, it seemed almost fused to my hands, lighter than the Dwarven metal axe, Havoc, I have been toting around for months, yet dealing even more damage than that blade can! Its only shortcoming is that it lacks the fire-enchantment that has been bestowed upon Havoc, making me wish I could find a way to dual wield battleaxes! They are much too heavy, though, and would require arms and shoulders twice the size as those of the largest orc! I will be hard pressed to determine which one to bring with me and which to leave behind when I head out again.
After Eorland and I finished taking turns thanking each other, I decided to head into the mead hall for the feast that was waiting. We ate and drank late into the night, or rather late into the morning, stuffing our faces with the finest venison and beef and all the nord mead and ale we could pour down our throats! My brothers and sisters regaled with many stories of their battles and quests, while Farkas and I told them the long, harrowing tale of our crusade into the depths of Dustman’s Cairn. I have a feeling each time he gets to the battle at the end the number of draugr we slay will grow, although neither one of us can be sure of just how many there were, other than way too many!
The sun was about to start peeking up from the horizon by the time we all finally went to sleep. When at last I forced myself out of my slumber, it was lunch time rather than time to break my fast, and now I am off to speak with Aela. She had mentioned last night that she may have something for me to help her with for the hold of Falkreath. The thought of going back to Falkreath, even just the hold, bothers me, for little good has ever come from me going there, but if it is to help the townsfolk, to help Aela, and to further my position with the Companions, then I will go and check it out.
Mr1cammando
asdf
LOVEITLOVEITLOVEITLOVEIT.
Really though, the extra detail that isn't in the game makes this so much more special and unique.
Really though, the extra detail that isn't in the game makes this so much more special and unique.
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
Wow, thanks! I really like thinking outside the box with this character, and the lack of response from NPC's, quest giver's and guilds allow me to get much more creative with the story.
Glad you are enjoying it!
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
20th of Evening Star, 4E 201
There is a contract on my head!! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised after what I’ve done, after all, I did slay an entire dungeon of Thalmor mages and justiciars. But let me start at the beginning by saying: I hate Falkreath Hold.
When I spoke to Aela this morning she told me that the Companions had been contracted by the Falkreath Jarl’s steward to help them with some problems they have been having with the local wildlife. She directed me towards a grotto high up in the mountains just to the southwest of Helgen that should be pretty easy to get to if I use the southern road leading to the former town.
I left right away, figuring I would be spending most of the day traveling there and back, rather than spend the night in Falkreath. I will do just about anything to avoid that city, and staying there overnight is very low on my list of things I want to do. I rode Gray-Mane the entire way there, making pretty good time and getting there before it was even time for our midday meal.
As we trotted up the road, I saw a path off to the right leading up to some overhanging rocks and trees and figured I would take a look. Turns out that path led me right to the entrance of the grotto, although I was very surprised with what I found inside. 6 wolves. That’s what was “terrorizing” the people of Falkreath Hold. 6 wolves. Needless to say, they won’t be terrorizing anyone anymore, although I can’t imagine how they were much of a nuisance in the first place. There was little to nothing of value in the place, hardly anything to even look at other than black stones, black paths, black bridges and a small stream running through the place. I can’t believe how lazy the Jarl of Falkreath is to actually pay the Companions to kill 6 wolves living in a grotto that has nothing that would even bring people into it in the first place!
The only things of note in the whole place was a chest holding only a few pieces of gold and the bodies of 3 bandits who were dumb enough to try and call a place that dank and dark home! Serves them right for tangling with those wolves, although I did feel bad for killing them. They weren’t really doing anything bad, and had they not attacked me I probably would have left them alone. Instead their bodies will rot in that desolate blackness right next to the bandits they killed.
As I made my way back into the light, I noticed a little snow storm starting to kick up. Not surprising since it is Evening Sun in Skyrim! I was making my way down the path and hill towards Gray-Mane when I heard some kind of commotion coming from the other side of some large boulders to my left. I crept up to see what was going on and saw the tail end of a battle between 2 bandits, a couple of wolves, a Thalmor mage and 2 Thalmor justiciars! I didn’t want to get in the way, so I was slowly trying to back up and make my way down from the rocks when they saw me.
The mage put the finishing touches on the bandit leader with a lightning spell as the 2 justiciars made their way towards me. I had brought my new Skyforge Steel battleaxe with me and left Havoc with Gray-Mane, and drew it out quickly to begin the battle with these Thalmor. Thankfully, the 2 justiciars were in between me and the mage, so he couldn’t attack me without hitting them. Using this to my advantage, I quickly began attacking the armor-clad justiciars, blocking their blows as best as I could and countering with my battleaxe. It didn’t take long before both of them fell to my Skyforged attacks, leaving just the mage for me to deal with.
Unfortunately, he was on the other side of the clearing, and I would be out in the open as I made my way towards him. As soon as I got clear of the rocks, I felt the searing burn of lightning coursing through my veins and knew I would not make it to him before being cooked to death from the inside out! Thinking quickly, I opened my mouth and released my nord battle-cry across the clearing at the disgusting altmer on the other side.
His hands quickly fell to his side and he began cowering behind the tree, making for a very easy target for my battleaxe to rip apart. It was a good workout, though, for he must have used a protection spell to boost his armor. It took many blows to finally bring him down, and I was panting and out of breath by the end of it, but other than that I was unscathed. I searched his body after it was over and that was when I saw it. An execution order from the Thalmor, authorizing any of their ranks to kill me on sight! I will have to be even more careful as I make my way across Skyrim from now on!
I hurried back to Whiterun and Jorrvaskr as fast as Gray-Mane could carry me, finding Aela just inside the main doors of the mighty mead hall. I told her about the hideous “creatures” that were terrorizing the hold of Falkreath, and we shared a good laugh over their ineptitude and their pathetic Jarl over a few bottles of mead. I mentioned to her the price on my head, too, telling her that I was worried the Thalmor would eventually track me to Jorrvaskr. Despite their legendary skills in battle, I would hate for any of them to be hurt because of me, and at least this way they could be prepared. Then she mentioned that Skjor had been asking for me while I was out, saying he has something else he would like me to help him with.
I followed her outside where Skjor was waiting for me. I told him, too, about what had happened with the Thalmor, and asked if he thought there was any way the Companions could help. He said the days of the Companions fighting wars were long since over, and that they were trying to stay out of the war as much as they could. He also mentioned that they had other things to worry about, which is why he wanted to see me in the first place. I told him I wanted to help, but that I couldn’t stand idle while Skyrim is torn apart! I must do what I can to help avenge my parents’ murder, and if that means saying goodbye to the companions for a while, then that is what I must do.
I asked Aela and Skjor to tell Kodlak, Farkas and the rest of my Shield-Brothers and Sisters that if they will not fight for Skyrim by my side, then I will do it without them but return as soon as I can to aid them against their enemies, too. I can only hope they understand that this is something I have to do. I am haunted and compelled by the images of my mother and father to rid Skyrim of Imperial rule, and their Thalmor allies have only made my path clearer.
Tomorrow, I ride for Windhelm, for the Stormcloak rebellion, for Ulfric. I hope I am worthy to join their ranks, too, as I did the Companions, and I will find out soon enough! Talos guide me!
There is a contract on my head!! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised after what I’ve done, after all, I did slay an entire dungeon of Thalmor mages and justiciars. But let me start at the beginning by saying: I hate Falkreath Hold.
When I spoke to Aela this morning she told me that the Companions had been contracted by the Falkreath Jarl’s steward to help them with some problems they have been having with the local wildlife. She directed me towards a grotto high up in the mountains just to the southwest of Helgen that should be pretty easy to get to if I use the southern road leading to the former town.
I left right away, figuring I would be spending most of the day traveling there and back, rather than spend the night in Falkreath. I will do just about anything to avoid that city, and staying there overnight is very low on my list of things I want to do. I rode Gray-Mane the entire way there, making pretty good time and getting there before it was even time for our midday meal.
As we trotted up the road, I saw a path off to the right leading up to some overhanging rocks and trees and figured I would take a look. Turns out that path led me right to the entrance of the grotto, although I was very surprised with what I found inside. 6 wolves. That’s what was “terrorizing” the people of Falkreath Hold. 6 wolves. Needless to say, they won’t be terrorizing anyone anymore, although I can’t imagine how they were much of a nuisance in the first place. There was little to nothing of value in the place, hardly anything to even look at other than black stones, black paths, black bridges and a small stream running through the place. I can’t believe how lazy the Jarl of Falkreath is to actually pay the Companions to kill 6 wolves living in a grotto that has nothing that would even bring people into it in the first place!
The only things of note in the whole place was a chest holding only a few pieces of gold and the bodies of 3 bandits who were dumb enough to try and call a place that dank and dark home! Serves them right for tangling with those wolves, although I did feel bad for killing them. They weren’t really doing anything bad, and had they not attacked me I probably would have left them alone. Instead their bodies will rot in that desolate blackness right next to the bandits they killed.
As I made my way back into the light, I noticed a little snow storm starting to kick up. Not surprising since it is Evening Sun in Skyrim! I was making my way down the path and hill towards Gray-Mane when I heard some kind of commotion coming from the other side of some large boulders to my left. I crept up to see what was going on and saw the tail end of a battle between 2 bandits, a couple of wolves, a Thalmor mage and 2 Thalmor justiciars! I didn’t want to get in the way, so I was slowly trying to back up and make my way down from the rocks when they saw me.
The mage put the finishing touches on the bandit leader with a lightning spell as the 2 justiciars made their way towards me. I had brought my new Skyforge Steel battleaxe with me and left Havoc with Gray-Mane, and drew it out quickly to begin the battle with these Thalmor. Thankfully, the 2 justiciars were in between me and the mage, so he couldn’t attack me without hitting them. Using this to my advantage, I quickly began attacking the armor-clad justiciars, blocking their blows as best as I could and countering with my battleaxe. It didn’t take long before both of them fell to my Skyforged attacks, leaving just the mage for me to deal with.
Unfortunately, he was on the other side of the clearing, and I would be out in the open as I made my way towards him. As soon as I got clear of the rocks, I felt the searing burn of lightning coursing through my veins and knew I would not make it to him before being cooked to death from the inside out! Thinking quickly, I opened my mouth and released my nord battle-cry across the clearing at the disgusting altmer on the other side.
His hands quickly fell to his side and he began cowering behind the tree, making for a very easy target for my battleaxe to rip apart. It was a good workout, though, for he must have used a protection spell to boost his armor. It took many blows to finally bring him down, and I was panting and out of breath by the end of it, but other than that I was unscathed. I searched his body after it was over and that was when I saw it. An execution order from the Thalmor, authorizing any of their ranks to kill me on sight! I will have to be even more careful as I make my way across Skyrim from now on!
I hurried back to Whiterun and Jorrvaskr as fast as Gray-Mane could carry me, finding Aela just inside the main doors of the mighty mead hall. I told her about the hideous “creatures” that were terrorizing the hold of Falkreath, and we shared a good laugh over their ineptitude and their pathetic Jarl over a few bottles of mead. I mentioned to her the price on my head, too, telling her that I was worried the Thalmor would eventually track me to Jorrvaskr. Despite their legendary skills in battle, I would hate for any of them to be hurt because of me, and at least this way they could be prepared. Then she mentioned that Skjor had been asking for me while I was out, saying he has something else he would like me to help him with.
I followed her outside where Skjor was waiting for me. I told him, too, about what had happened with the Thalmor, and asked if he thought there was any way the Companions could help. He said the days of the Companions fighting wars were long since over, and that they were trying to stay out of the war as much as they could. He also mentioned that they had other things to worry about, which is why he wanted to see me in the first place. I told him I wanted to help, but that I couldn’t stand idle while Skyrim is torn apart! I must do what I can to help avenge my parents’ murder, and if that means saying goodbye to the companions for a while, then that is what I must do.
I asked Aela and Skjor to tell Kodlak, Farkas and the rest of my Shield-Brothers and Sisters that if they will not fight for Skyrim by my side, then I will do it without them but return as soon as I can to aid them against their enemies, too. I can only hope they understand that this is something I have to do. I am haunted and compelled by the images of my mother and father to rid Skyrim of Imperial rule, and their Thalmor allies have only made my path clearer.
Tomorrow, I ride for Windhelm, for the Stormcloak rebellion, for Ulfric. I hope I am worthy to join their ranks, too, as I did the Companions, and I will find out soon enough! Talos guide me!
shongo3258
Vampire of Skyrim
great entry and at the end at the end I realized what you were doing and was like GAW!! So excited to see the Dragon-Wolf to emerge! Hoping something happens to stop him from the civil war.
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
Well, I guess we'll just have to see what Talos has in store for Nogar!
Can't wait to keep playing, but finding time lately has been really tough! Stupid responsibilities!
TamrielsSavior
The Dark Nord of Helgen
21st of Evening Star, 4E 201
Windhelm!! I was so excited making my way there, pushing Gray-Mane as hard as I could the whole way. Wolves tried attacking a couple of time, but I was able to steer Gray-Mane around them and they didn’t chase for very long. I ran into a mercenary on the road, too, but he was very tight lipped with what he was doing and where he was going.
I was thankful there were so many signs guiding my way, since I’ve never been there before, and I found the city without any trouble. It looked glorious from the road, until I got a little closer and started heading right into a snow storm! I made my way to the stables, left Gray-Mane with the caretaker, and headed over the bridge to the oldest city in Skyrim! The walk there was amazing, and since it was about time I had my lunch anyway, I sat right there on the bridge and sketched my first view of the city while I ate.
Things changed a little as I went in, though, as I was immediately greeted by 2 angry nords and an upset dunmer. After talking to a few of the dark elves in the city and many of the nords, one thing is certain: they don’t seem to like each other very much! The dunmer live in a slum called the Gray Quarter and are barely tolerated by the rest of the city. Actually, it seems that all non-nords are barely tolerated by the rest of the city, if they are even allowed in!
The only tolerant people I could find were located inside the Temple of Talos. They have a Temple of Talos!! One of Ulfric’s generals was in there and wanted to know if I hated all non-nords like most of the Stormcloaks. This was from one of Ulfric’s top men, too, questioning the motives of some of the top ranks of the rebellion! I was taken aback quite a bit as this was far from what I had expected of the rebellion. I don’t want to be told who I can and can’t pray too, but shouldn’t the rebellion be more about inclusion of everyone and their beliefs and not about further restricting people? I’m very confused, right now, and need to think a bit more about what is going on.
I still plan on talking to Ulfric’s top general about joining the Stormcloaks, I’m just hoping he makes a lot more sense than some of the other people I’ve met so far. Skyrim borders so many other provinces that it just doesn’t make sense to practice isolationism. The great Tiber Septim didn’t just conquer Tamriel, he united it, both through action, aggression, and peaceful negotiation. He brought the provinces together. To fight in his name, to preserve his status against the Thalmor and the Empire, shouldn’t be done using racism and further dividing the people of Tamriel from each other.
Tonight I pray for his guidance. Tomorrow I will meet with the general and go from there. I can’t stand the idea of the Imperials getting away with their treachery in Helgen, but is this the kind of war I should be fighting?
Windhelm!! I was so excited making my way there, pushing Gray-Mane as hard as I could the whole way. Wolves tried attacking a couple of time, but I was able to steer Gray-Mane around them and they didn’t chase for very long. I ran into a mercenary on the road, too, but he was very tight lipped with what he was doing and where he was going.
I was thankful there were so many signs guiding my way, since I’ve never been there before, and I found the city without any trouble. It looked glorious from the road, until I got a little closer and started heading right into a snow storm! I made my way to the stables, left Gray-Mane with the caretaker, and headed over the bridge to the oldest city in Skyrim! The walk there was amazing, and since it was about time I had my lunch anyway, I sat right there on the bridge and sketched my first view of the city while I ate.
Things changed a little as I went in, though, as I was immediately greeted by 2 angry nords and an upset dunmer. After talking to a few of the dark elves in the city and many of the nords, one thing is certain: they don’t seem to like each other very much! The dunmer live in a slum called the Gray Quarter and are barely tolerated by the rest of the city. Actually, it seems that all non-nords are barely tolerated by the rest of the city, if they are even allowed in!
The only tolerant people I could find were located inside the Temple of Talos. They have a Temple of Talos!! One of Ulfric’s generals was in there and wanted to know if I hated all non-nords like most of the Stormcloaks. This was from one of Ulfric’s top men, too, questioning the motives of some of the top ranks of the rebellion! I was taken aback quite a bit as this was far from what I had expected of the rebellion. I don’t want to be told who I can and can’t pray too, but shouldn’t the rebellion be more about inclusion of everyone and their beliefs and not about further restricting people? I’m very confused, right now, and need to think a bit more about what is going on.
I still plan on talking to Ulfric’s top general about joining the Stormcloaks, I’m just hoping he makes a lot more sense than some of the other people I’ve met so far. Skyrim borders so many other provinces that it just doesn’t make sense to practice isolationism. The great Tiber Septim didn’t just conquer Tamriel, he united it, both through action, aggression, and peaceful negotiation. He brought the provinces together. To fight in his name, to preserve his status against the Thalmor and the Empire, shouldn’t be done using racism and further dividing the people of Tamriel from each other.
Tonight I pray for his guidance. Tomorrow I will meet with the general and go from there. I can’t stand the idea of the Imperials getting away with their treachery in Helgen, but is this the kind of war I should be fighting?
