Nord Refugee Character Diary - Hrisskar III

[BIGwooly]

- 15th of Mid Year, 4E 202 -

I just awoke to the stench of the swamp. The cold air doesn't do much to lessen the odor. We slept in shifts last night in the little camp outside Ustengrav. After spending most of yesterday inside the ancient ruin we knew it wasn't entirely safe outside either. We found plenty of dead bodies inside, both of bandits and mages. From what we can tell it looks like a band of thieves and highwaymen made Ustengrav a base of operations, but then an order of mages showed up and took it from them. Perhaps these mages are after what we seek, or perhaps they are here for another reason.

Whatever their reason, I think they may all be dead now. The inside of Ustengrav is crawling with draugr, and we witnessed several mages being cut down by these undead. Beyond that point we ceased to encounter any more mages, dead or alive. Only draugr remained to greet us with their foul appearance and putrid stink.

We managed to push quite a ways into the ruin before we realized it must be getting very late. We were exhausted and sleepy, and we had picked up quite a few valuables on the way. Our pockets and packs were filled with all variety of potions and precious gems, as well as a good collection of robes from the slaughtered mages. These all hold good value and will fill our pockets nicely with gold.

The only issue is getting somewhere where we can sell the items. When we exited Ustengrav last night it was already fully dark outside. We weren't about to go wandering around in the swamps, so we chose to stay the night and take our chances outside.

Now the light of dawn is just starting to warm my hands and we have to make a decision. Pretty much everything that we have to sell must be sold to someone that barters in general goods or magic items. There is no such shop in Dawnstar, and we can't go to Solitude as I'm sure there is still a bounty on my head over there. That leaves Whiterun as the next closest city where we can make our sales.

It will take at least a full day to get to Whiterun, and that's assuming we can traverse the wilds alive. Then another full day to return to Ustengrav ... again .. assuming we survive the journey. It's not something either of us are looking forward to, but it makes no sense to continue into Ustengrav with our backs aching from carrying so much.

We're leaving some poison potions behind in order to be able to carry more. I hope they are still here when we return. For that matter, I hope we are able to return.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 15th of Mid Year, 4E 202 -

It's midmorning and we're back in Dawnstar. As luck would have it, a khajit caravan was set up outside the city and we were able to sell our assortment of potions and gems without having to trek all the way to Whiterun. Given how the hike to Dawnstar went, we couldn't be happier with this news.

Speaking of our early morning travels ... we were walking along the coastline, approaching the old wrecked ship, and it was every bit a calm and peaceful morning. It was so calm in fact that I barely flinched when the dragon soared right across the sky in front of me. But when it rained down fire on something in the trees nearby a moment later, it had my full attention.

Kharjo and I immediately hid ourselves and prayed to the gods that this beast would not see us. And it didn't. It was focused on something in the trees. We took this diversion as an opportunity to inch our way up the coast unseen. Eventually we saw that the dragon was in a duel with a giant. I could never in my wildest dreams have concocted such a sight. Two behemoths trading blows as if some childhood fairy tale had come to life.

Eventually we made our way far enough up the coast that we could barely make out the battle. We left the giant and the dragon behind, and continued to Dawnstar without incident. But that leaves us with a problem. We've handle our sales, and purchased new food stores for another day and a half. We're ready to head back to Ustengrav, and we have plenty of light left to make it back before dark.

But how can we possibly walk back into the jaws of a dragon?

I'm trying to convince Kharjo, and myself for that matter, that the dragon will be gone. The seem to be fickle monsters, with no desire to stay in one place. But still. What if it is still there? What if it spots us this time? The two of us alone could never bring down a dragon. Perhaps we should play it safe and spend the night in Dawnstar.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 17th of Mid Year, 4E 202 -

We decided to spend another night in Dawnstar. My plan appears to have worked. On our way back to Ustengrav the dragon was nowhere in sight. It must have moved on to deliver it's terror somewhere else.

So deep into Ustengrav we pushed again. We fought through every manner of draugr and skeletal undead. And deeper still we pushed. Until at last we found ourselves in a large cavernous room with something very familiar-looking below us.



My pulse quickened at the sight of another of these walls. Partly I was excited to experience the magic again and learn a new shout, but I was also apprehensive of what evil would be guarding the wall. Regardless of my anxiety, we explored the area. I managed to spot a chest and a fallen draugr behind some debris, but I was unable to find a way through.

Instead, we trekked across a natural rock bridge and found a series of gates blocking our path. There were some magical stones on the ground near the gates, and they lit up and opened each of the gates as you got close to them. But the gates were too far from the rocks, and by the time I sprinted over the first gate would close. Undaunted by this, I decided to try my whirlwind shout, and sure enough it got us through the gates.

Unfortunately this led us to a room with a floor of death. I could see the small holes all over in the floor that would no doubt spit up scorching flame the moment we stepped onto the floor tiles. We had discovered this particular trap earlier on. But the path was ahead of us, and the entire floor was covered in tiles. It seemed we had no choice.

I sprinted forward, with Kharjo right behind me. I felt the burn of flame just as I reached a narrow passage and spotted some rock debris that had fallen to the floor. I quickly jump up onto these stones to avoid taking any further abuse from the floor traps. Kharjo joined me on the rocks and we waited and tended to our wounds.

I could see a room ahead of us. A large room. Kharjo had already mentioned smelling something foul, and I had no doubt his nose was telling us the truth. There was a large and a small spider walking around on a raised platform-like portion of the room. Given that I didn't see flame shooting up underneath them I assumed the area where they were was safe from the traps. We needed to get there. But the spiders would die first.

A flurry of arrows took them down readily, and it was time to make our move. I sprinted to the middle of the room with Kharjo's footsteps right on my heels. To my utter shock and complete horror, as I reached the safety of the raised floor a massive behemoth of a spider descended down upon us. I scarcely had a moment to block his first attack, and that single attack nearly killed me outright. I was hair's width from death and no other option than my shout of fear, which I implemented immediately.

The giant spider nearly ran me over trying to get out of the room. My fear was coursing through it's body, and as much as I wanted to chase it into a corner and beat it to death, I couldn't. For one thing, my life was ebbing away, and I needed to heal myself right away. And for another, the eight-legged monstrosity had taken off down the passage and was setting off all of the flame traps. It would be certain death for me to try and pursue it.

So for the first time in my life, I drank a healing potion. In fact, I drank four of them, all in quick succession. They didn't return me to my full abilities, but they did a fair amount. I crouched down as I heard the spider returning. Without my shout to save me I couldn't risk a second encounter with the spider.

The spider was engulfed in flame, but it barely seemed to notice. This was far from a normal spider, and those were dangerous enough. This spider was something from the nightmares of a child .. unstoppable and heart-chilling all at once.

Before I could stop him, Kharjo went after the monster. I debated what to do as the brave khajit confronted the spider and began to pummel it with his mace. I had to help my friend, but I was still injured, and surely even a scratch from this fiend would finish me off. But I couldn't just let Kharjo fight alone. The spider would certainly kill him as well.

I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on my mace. If ever I needed the blessing and protection of the gods, it was now. With a yell I ran into the fight, dropping my mace onto the spider's body and legs, almost seemingly with no effect. The spider was focused on attacking Kharjo, and this most certainly is why I'm alive to write this this morning. Through what must have been blinding pain Kharjo fought brilliantly, and I supported with as many strikes and shield thrusts as I could.

Eventually .. somehow ... through some miracle of divine intervention, and after what felt like a week of fighting ... the spider crumpled to the floor in a heap .. dead.

We rested for a bit in that room, trying to collect ourselves after such an intense confrontation. And after some time we left the room, only to find ourselves back near the entrance of the ruin. My frustration and confusion was swirling inside my head like a late summer storm cloud.

Not willing to venture back through the room with the spiders and flaming floor, we headed back down into the ruin down the original path. After some time we were back at the large room with the bridge and the word wall below us. I paused, and scanned the area again .. more carefully this time. And then I spotted the path down. It was quite obvious really, and I'm not sure how I missed it the first time we were in the room.

As it turns out there was nothing evil guarding the wall, and I was able to learn a new shout with ease. This shout gives me a feeling of transparency, as if I would be unseen .. but at the same time unable to act. I can see this coming in useful for sure. I only wish I could teach these powers to Kharjo.

So now we're outside and it's morning. We spent the rest of the night sleeping in shifts again outside of Ustengrav. My eyes are burning from exhaustion and my back is sore from a well-worn bedroll, but we're alive and we made it through Ustengrav.

And it's only just now that I'm realizing we never found what we came here for. We're going to have to go back inside.

 

[bulbaquil]

So for the first time in my life, I drank a healing potion. In fact, I drank four of them, all in quick succession.

And so Hrisskar begins his path down the Dark Side...

 

[Neriad13]

And so Hrisskar begins his path down the Dark Side...

Yeah, he'll plainly be juicing next. Or snorting moonsugar.

 

[bulbaquil]

I was going more for the "next he'll be using them in the heat of battle, then turning the HUD on to figure out whether or not he actually needs to use one" angle.

 

[Neriad13]

I was going more for the "next he'll be using them in the heat of battle, then turning the HUD on to figure out whether or not he actually needs to use one" angle.

Nah, I don't think so. He used them in a way that didn't break the rules - the spider had already run away.

 

[BIGwooly]

I was going more for the "next he'll be using them in the heat of battle, then turning the HUD on to figure out whether or not he actually needs to use one" angle.

lol ... NEVER! d:-)

 

[BIGwooly]

Nah, I don't think so. He used them in a way that didn't break the rules - the spider had already run away.

That I did. The restriction is that I have to fully sheath my weapon to use one, which I did. Not too many situations where I could pull this off, though. Although, now that I have the whirlwind shout I may actually be able to make this work more often.

 

[Leigull]

Just caught up with the last few updates. It's funny how similar the timing is of the quests you and I are undertaking at the moment. Well I should say, were matching mine until I ballsed up massively and saved my game a fraction of a second before being killed. There's no way to avoid death or enough time to open the menu screen and drink a potion, so I'm going to have to go back to my last save - some 20 hours before. So annoyed with myself!!

Haven't played it since then but am tempted to fast travel and possibly lower the difficulty level until I catch up to where I was, then resume Master level and walking everywhere. Just can't face having to redo all that work though!!

 

[BIGwooly]

Just caught up with the last few updates. It's funny how similar the timing is of the quests you and I are undertaking at the moment. Well I should say, were matching mine until I ballsed up massively and saved my game a fraction of a second before being killed. There's no way to avoid death or enough time to open the menu screen and drink a potion, so I'm going to have to go back to my last save - some 20 hours before. So annoyed with myself!!

Haven't played it since then but am tempted to fast travel and possibly lower the difficulty level until I catch up to where I was, then resume Master level and walking everywhere. Just can't face having to redo all that work though!!

That's tough, man. Twenty hours is a lot to make up for sure, lol.

 

[bulbaquil]

I am wondering if that shout might help Hrisskar deal with the flaming floor... and of course, the good news is the enemies won't respawn if you re-enter the very next day

 

[BIGwooly]

I am wondering if that shout might help Hrisskar deal with the flaming floor... and of course, the good news is the enemies won't respawn if you re-enter the very next day

That shout WOULD have helped immensely except I didn't get the shout until AFTER I had already dealt with that room, lol.

 

[bulbaquil]

I meant in your re-entry to the place.

 

[BIGwooly]

I meant in your re-entry to the place.

Right. I get you now. d;-)

 

[BIGwooly]

- 19th of Mid Year, 4E 202 -

I have a bad feeling right now. Yesterday we searched inside Ustengrav again for the Horn, but never found it. Instead, we found a note .. which seems to be addressed to me. I've been asked to meet someone in Riverwood. Does this person have the horn? Is it some sort of trap?

There is only one way to find out. We must go to Riverwood.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 19th of Mid Year, 4E 202 -

It's evening and we're leaving Riverwood. By we I'm not just referring to myself and Kharjo. No .. the two of us are following the woman from the Sleeping Giant Inn ... Delphine.

It turns out she was responsible for leaving the note in Ustengrav, and she also took the horn. She has returned the horn to me, but has asked for my help in return. Delphine has a theory that the Thalmor are involved in bringing dragons back to life, and she thinks she knows where the next dragon will awaken. It all sounds perfectly insane to me, but I also thought the farmer talking about a dragon destroying his farm sounded insane ... and look where we are now.

I can't say I'm too fond of the idea of heading out in the evening to travel the roads of Skyrim. I would prefer to wait until morning. But Delphine was insistent that we leave right away to try and reach the location before the dragon arises. As much as I wanted to argue, I would definitely prefer to prevent a dragon from awakening in the first place versus having to kill one already alive.

So with the light beginning to dim, we head out.

 

[bulbaquil]

Ah, yes, I should have realized that as we approached this point. Delphine isn't going to play by your sleep rules (although given that she's an innkeeper, she probably keeps unusual hours anyway.)

 

[BIGwooly]

Ah, yes, I should have realized that as we approached this point. Delphine isn't going to play by your sleep rules (although given that she's an innkeeper, she probably keeps unusual hours anyway.)

Haha, yeah. I'm sure I could have slept in Riverwood, but you know, she was pretty urgent so I just went with it. d;-)

 

[bulbaquil]

There are some advantages to following Delphine, though. For one thing, she acts as a quest marker.