- 18th of Last Seed, 4E 201 -
What a long, long day. It began early, before the sun came up. As I said before, until I receive further instructions, I should stay in Riverwood. Gerdur asked me when I arrived to send word of the dragon to the Jarl in Whiterun, but I cannot travel that far. No doubt that even without my letter, word of my failure has reached the Grandmaster's ears. I can only hope that my letter reaches him in time to give him better understanding. I cannot help but think what will become of me if he deems my failure complete. Will I simply have failed my initiation? No, not likely... I fear that they will come for me and kill me. At this point, I could be nothing but a loose end - a liability to them...
I decided to go hunting. I will need food and perhaps the pelts can generate some income for me. I hadn't been in the woods long before I came upon and took down a wolf, skinning it and cutting free some of the meat. Not far from there, I happened across a mine. Normally, I would have let it be if not for the guard posted outside the entrance. From her attire, she looked poor and untrained, yet ruthless. She had the look in her eye that she had taken someone's life. I took hers. My first arrow pierced her thigh and she crumpled to her knees, the second struck her shoulder and sent her back against the entrance to the mine. I had to check it out.
Inside, I found quite the operation. The path was lit with torches and partway down, I barely avoided a trap. These were bandits alright and they seemed to have taken over this mine. But what were they doing here...? Attacking those who came seeking work or fortune? Were they actually creating a legitimate business? Two more bandits were arguing about their shifts and how their operation wasn't exactly discreet. One went to sleep while the other moved to an alcove that seemed to overlooked the bridge. I reached in my bag and pulled out a small vial of poison I had taken from the spiders I had killed during my escape from Helgen and began lacing a few of my arrow tips with it.
My first arrow struck the guard in the alcove just below the neck, near his heart. I had hoped to hit him in the neck and sever his windpipe, but I had missed my mark. The poison worked past, however, and he fell to floor before he even got out of his chair. His scream had woken up the other guard, but this time I did not miss. The arrow pierced the side of his neck and the only sound he made was a sputter as he fell forward, grasping onto the stairs in front of him. Nothing here told me more about these bandits and what they were doing here. There was a journal near the remains of a skeleton near a cave-in of a Nord who had been working in the mine and obviously died, but nothing substantial.
The level to lower the drawbridge was in the alcove but almost immediately, two bandits were coming across the bridge, spotting me in the torchlight. I pierced one's shoulder with a poisoned arrow and he collapsed before making it across the bridge, but the other was moving too quickly. I loaded my last poisoned arrow and jumped onto the railing, bow poised to strike at the entrance. The bandit came charging around the corner, great sword drawn, my arrow striking him chest, but it didn't slow him down. He swung his sword down and I leapt backwards into the water below, his sword crushing the railing and his body rolled over into the water after me, the poison finally taking affect.
Once across the bridge, I was able to see into a store room of sorts. I could make out a guard sitting just outside the gate, but I couldn't get an angle through the bars. I tossed a rock by the corner, the soft sound it made was enough to get the guard up to check it out, only for my arrow to pierce her lower spine. She fell to her knees and I ran up behind her, placing my hand over her mouth, my axe slicing into her throat. Tossing her dead body aside, I looted the key from around her neck and took everything of worth from the store room, which wasn't much - just a few gold septims, the weapons not being worth much to me.
I continued on into a much larger room and crept up to the nearest pillar to get a better view - three bandits in total. One was at the forge below, the other traversing the rope bridges, while the third was seated in a chair on an alcove. My first arrow silently dropped the first bandit who fell face first into the flames of the forge. The bandit on the rope bridge noticed this and leaned over, calling to his friend. My next arrow struck him around his collarbone and he rolled over the rope, falling head first onto the rocks below. By now, the orc bandit at the table was up and aware of my attack and was charging me. I fired one arrow as he rounded the corner to me and missed. I threw my bow to the floor and drew my dagger and axe. The orc swung his battle axe down and I leapt backwards to avoid it, but noticed that the orc struggled slightly to bring the large weapon back to a ready position. On his next swing, I side stepped and lunged at him. I wrapped my arm around him, driving my dagger into the back of his shoulder blade, repeatedly bringing my axe down into the joint of his neck and shoulder until the last glimmer of light faded from his eyes.
All in all, there was nothing to tell me who these bandits were or why they were here. There were a few jewels and gold in another storage room, but that was all. It seemed as if they were simply starting some sort of smithing business, based on the raw materials and texts on the subject nearby the forge. Perhaps they indeed had given up their life of murder and thievery in order to form an honest business as blacksmiths... but if so, why all the security and the traps? This mine didn't appear to be built by them... I can only assume that they took the mine be force and planned to keep it with force. Truth be told, I feel somewhat guilty... perhaps these bandits
were starting a new phase of their lives, and I ended that for them. If that is the case, I can only ask forgiveness for my actions and that their spirits safely reach whatever afterlife they hope to reach.
Aal hin sille mindok drem.
When I exited the mine, the sun had already risen. Not yet content to call it a day and return to Riverwood, I continued on my hunt. Admittedly, this was unsuccessful. I am ashamed to admit that I was only able to catch two more wolves, a fox, two slaughterfish and two mudcrabs. On the gathering side, however, I was much more successful. Eventually, I came across a large cave with a stone marker, it's tattered banner reading Brittleshin Pass. I consulted my map of Skyrim and recognized this as a simple pass through the mountain - not something I felt like doing. Besides which, something far more interesting had caught my eye - the remains of a tower, crumbled into the lakeside.
As I descended into the keep from the remains of one of the towers, I was greeted by a skeleton crucified in the middle of the room. The tower had crumbled at an angle, but managed to keep most of the water out. I ignored the obvious warning and continued into the keep. Eventually, I came around the corner into a decorated and lit room. Across from my, by the door, stood a skeleton. It was obviously alive by the way it moved and shifted, but this was impossible... except for Necromancy of a powerful kind. My first arrow found the undead's eye socket and immediately the light vanished from them both, it's body crumbling into a pile of bones. As expected, the shadow of a man rose from behind the pillar and I turned back around the corner, pressing my back against the wall and drawing my axe and dagger. As the necromancer approached, I swung my axe arm around, striking the man in the stomach. As he doubled over, my dagger pierced the back of his neck and I let his lifeless body fall to the ground. Further inspection of the room reinforced my suspicion of necromancy - books of daedra and other dark arts cluttered the shelves.
I silently opened the door to the next room and took a look around. A fireplace on either side lit the room which was dominated by a long dining table, at which sat two more necromancers eating what must have been their lunch of bread, fish and wine. Across from me was another door but sneaking past would have been impossible. I broke off a finger from the skeletons hand and through it against the door. The two necromancers stood up and one ran to examine the door. As he opened it, my arrow struck between his shoulder blades and his lifeless body crashed to the floor. As the other turned and drew his dagger and attempted to project a magical shield, but I had already closed the distance. A slash across his chest and another across his neck and down he went. I examined their food and ate some of it before continuing on.
The next room was only a balcony that ran along the perimeter, the lower level having been flooded. Across from me, I could see the shape of a female necromancer and she went down without a second though, but a skeleton had been lurking in the shadows. It drew a bow of it's own and fired at me, the arrow nearly missing my own head. I notched my own arrow and fired, the force knocking the skull from the torso, which collapsed into another pile of bones. The next room appeared to be some sort of lodging room guarded only by a single skeleton who never saw me coming. As I crept down the hallway, I peered around the corner and spotted two necromancer's talking. From my position, I wouldn't have an angle at either of them, so I employed an old trick. I retreated back into the lodging room and fired an arrow against the wall at the end of the hall. Within a few moments, the two necromancer's came to investigate. The first took an arrow to his neck. The other turned to project another shield but my arrow pierced her palm and she pulled her hand back in agony before the next struck her in the chest.
This next room was by far the most sinister. Human hearts and soul gem fragments, more daedric books and more corpses and bones piled on cabinets for storage... more lodging and more atrocities to man and mer alike. Based on the books they kept, this group seemed extremely interested in necromancy but, more apparent, daedra and binding them, summoning them. I assume that this cult that once occupied this keep had plans to summon daedra here, which I was able to confirm in the next room after felling two more skeletons. There was a large alter here with many human remains piled amongst it's steps and platform, fresh blood still dripping down the stone in a low, sticky manner.
Dinok wah vokulsewodrehhe.
OOC Author Notes:
This is probably the longest and most descriptive journal entry I've done, and I'm curious which you prefer. Do you prefer the more standard "recollection" entry, or the more detailed "how I done it" entry? Also, the italicized parts you're seeing is the dragon language found in Skyrim. Part of The Order's lore, a part that I'm still working on, is that they are fluent in writing and reading the dragon's language but do not have the ability to shout. There's reasons as to why they use this language and it's significance, but I'm still developing that.
