Nord Refugee Character Diary - Hrisskar III

[BIGwooly]

- 11th of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

Finally in Ivarstead. I feel like I've never been so happy to reach a town before. The road between Riften and Ivarstead could really use some armed patrols. It's one of the most dangerous roads I've traveled in Skyrim.

Progress today was at a snail's pace. Esbern is not only on foot, but he's not exactly a spring chicken. I have more to share on that subject .. that is, chickens ... in a bit. But Esbern does make up for his slow pace with some powerful magic.

After battling numerous spiders, avoiding a bear that we could only hear and killing a troll that nearly killed all three of us ... we came across another bear. It was up the road a ways, and we could see it. I guided us off the road and into the woods up a large hill. It was going to be fairly easy to detour around this danger.

Halfway up the hill I heard Esbern cast a spell and summon a frost atronach. I turned to see a mage approaching through the trees, and couldn't help but notice something by his side. A chicken. This mage turned out to be a necromancer, and he had raised from the dead .. of all things .. a chicken. Needless to say the fight was a short one, and as the necromancer's body fell to the soil in a lifeless heap, his chicken combusted into a white dust. It was such a sight I think even the atronach may have been laughing.

The rest of our trip to Ivarstead was about the same. We killed wolves and rats and thieves, and finally showed up in the little town in time to grab something to eat before heading to bed. Tomorrow we make our way to Riverwood.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 13th of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

As expected, the ride from Ivarstead to Riverwood was slow and dangerous. Wolves, trolls, dragons, thieves, bears ... every step was an effort.

My stomach is still a bit in knots just thinking about the journey. I nearly lost Dawn over the side of a cliff. We were fighting a pretty nasty argonian with twin blades, and apparently Dawn got spooked and ran off. And all but ran over the edge of a very .. very high cliff. It wasn't until the argonian breathed his last breath through a gurgle of blood that I noticed Dawn desperately trying to regain her footing, but she was sliding backwards toward her certain demise.

I'll admit, for the briefest of moments I considered not running to her. It really looked like she was going to disappear into the void at any moment, and it wouldn't do either of us any good for me to be on top of her when that happened. But after that blink of a moment, I just reacted, and sprinted towards her. I jump onto her back, getting a really good view of the rocks far below. If we fell, I was going to have a good amount of time to ponder this decision before it killed me.

But praise Talos I was able to get into the saddle and after a few moments of effort, which seemed to be failing at first, I got us both to safety.

My nerves were shot but we made it through the rest of the trip without too much hassle. Back in Riverwood Delphine and Esbern caught up and there was a lot of talk about our next move. I know I should probably trust the two of them, but they both seem to be grasping at straws as much as anyone else over this dragon epidemic. Regardless, I'm to meet them at a place called Karthspire. I'm assuming we won't have an easy task ahead of us.

 

[bulbaquil]

First time in the Reach, Hrisskie? It's... not exactly the most pleasant place.

On a side note, I wish Hrisskar a pleasant one-year anniversary of his adventure. We're coming up on the 17th of Last Seed again.

EDIT: Apparently I completely forgot the whole taking Fort Sungard thing. That's kind of in the Reach

 

[Neriad13]

When you mentioned chickens, I thought you were going to say that Hrisskar had gotten hungry and made the tragic mistake of killing one.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 14th of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

I wake up this morning in Markarth. Somewhere nearby is Karthspire, and today I'm going to try and find it. According to my map it isn't all that far, but it looks like it might be a challenge to actually locate. I'm stocking up on food just in case this journey goes long.

The ride here took longer than I had hoped, but there are so many dragons roaming Skyrim these days. I had to leave the road several times to avoid them, which often led to me being chased by other unfriendly creatures.

But I'm here now and I've just purchased a soul gem to replenish my mace with. I'm left with less than a thousand gold, but I've had tighter pockets. Other than finding this place, I'm feeling strangely confident right now. I should leave while I still feel that way.

 

[Mr1cammando]

Damn Hrissky, have those Forsworn been causing any trouble? I can't belive how tough they can be on master. Which is why I switched to Expert.

 

[BIGwooly]

Damn Hrissky, have those Forsworn been causing any trouble? I can't belive how tough they can be on master. Which is why I switched to Expert.

Funny you should mention them. Wait 'til you read the next entry.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 21st of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

I was hoping to honor the one year anniversary of my father's death by doing something heroic in Karthspire to end the reign of terror of the dragons in Skyrim. It would have been fitting I think.

But such was not my fate. Instead, I spent the 16th of Last Seed, as well as several other days .. in bed recovering from near fatal wounds. To say this past week has been depressing would be to say I'm not fond of imperials.

Karthspire was a disaster of epic proportions. No sooner had I spotted Esbern and Delphine, when an arrow flew past my head and a great number of forsworn swarmed across the hills to attack us. If this wasn't bad enough, at that very moment a dragon crested the peaks and spotted the fray below, and absolute chaos ensued.

I found myself fighting a forsworn one moment and fleeing from ice-cold dragon's breath the next. Esbern would sometimes summon a frost atronach, but one or more of the forsworn were summoning the same creature. So I would fight my way forward, see a frost atronach approaching and think it was Esbern's coming to aid me, only to have the blasted behemoth smash me with an icy fist.

The fighting raged for hours, with me fighting forsworn .. forsworn fighting the dragon .. the dragon fighting Esbern and Delphine .. Esbern and Delphine fighting the forsworn .. the forsworn fighting me .. and me fighting the dragon. I had no bow, and had to chase down a forsworn archer and kill him and pry one from his lifeless hands. But I couldn't carry any more, so I had to drop my helmet in order to keep the bow. In the midst of the insanity I saw Dawn racing off. I could only hope she didn't find another cliff to hang from.

Eventually, despite fighting both forsworn and the dragon, we subdued most of the forsworn. The dragon was also hurting quite badly, and wasn't flying anymore. So I snuck around behind it and used my whirlwind sprint to get in close quickly. I began smashing it's back with my mace, and as it would turn I would step sideways with it. I assumed that if I could keep landing blows and keep away from it's deadly jaws, the dragon would eventually succumb.

But I didn't consider its tail. All it took was one solid swipe and after that I remember nothing. Thankfully Esbern and Delphine were there and managed to save my life. They also brought Dawn back with them, and for both of those things I am forever grateful.

I apologize, father, that I was not able to visit your grave in Helgen this past week. I did help bring the empire to it's knees in Skyrim, though. It doesn't bring you back, but that's something I suppose. When this dragon mess is finished .. if .. we are able to finish it, by your name I will surely clear out every remaining imperial camp in Skyrim.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 21st of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

I'm exhausted but I can't sleep. The dim flicker of the campfire on my journal pages isn't even making me sleepy. And that nearly always works.

I'm spending the night at Karthspire on a forsworn bedroll. Markarth isn't that far away, but it's already dark and this bedroll will do just fine .. especially if I don't get any sleep anyways. I will be heading back to Markarth in the morning, though.

When I set out this morning I was really hoping the dragon that nearly sent me to Sovngarde would be gone. You would think after a week there would be nothing left to kill. But no, he was still in the area, and still finding things to kill.

I stowed Dawn somewhere safe and then made my way up over the mountain. What I saw next made me curse the gods under my breath. I saw not one .. but two dragons flying overhead.



At first I didn't know what to do. I needed to gain access to Karthspire to stop the very beasts flying overhead. But I needed to keep myself alive as well. I will do some bold things, but I'm not suicidal.

Still, if one dragon was still around after one week, I could wait another week and these two could still be here. Or worse. What if more came? What if these dragons were at Karthspire because they knew what we were up to? What if all the dragons roaming Skyrim came here to prevent us from entering? Surely we would die and the dragons would overtake Skryim .. and beyond.

No, I felt this had to be done today. Time was of the essence. It always is.

At first I just maneuvered and avoided the dragon attacks. I needed a plan, but I needed to move around a bit to get some ideas. Eventually I made my way into the forsworn camp, as there was much better cover there. Esbern and Delphine did their best to cover me as I moved, but then I discovered that there were still forsworn in the camp. The dragons hadn't killed them all just yet.

Esbern and Delphine moved in to attack them, and we fought as the dragons passed overhead and rained down freezing hell on us. But we prevailed and kept our lives, if not our courage. I ran from cover just long enough to strip a bow and some arrows from one of the fallen forsworn.

We then spent the rest of the day coordinating attacks on the dragons. May I just say that dealing with one dragon is more challenge than most would ever ask for. Trying to fight two dragons simultaneously is verging on insanity. No sooner would one of them stop to make himself a target, while blasting us with his frosty breath, the other would fly overhead and coat us with another layer of the painful magic. Just keeping track of where they were was a task I would wish on no one.

Hours went by and our plight continued. The dragons were tough opponents, if that even needs to be said. And when we finally injured one enough to bring him to the ground, evening was already rolling in over the sky.

The three of us attacked with everything we had. Fireballs and ice shards and arrows pelted the dragon, and he fought back with tail swipes and gnashing teeth and clouds of frost. I nearly died on more than one occasion, and had I been any less patient I would have died for sure.

The moment I saw that the dragon was finally weak I found some cover behind some rocks. I had two potions in a satchel that I had been waiting for the right time to use. Now was it. The first potion was my last bottle of sleeping tree sap, and would bolster my health. The second was a potion to increase my combat abilities and do more damage with my swings. I guzzled both down with haste, and then sprinted out to meet the dragon head-on.

I was greeted by a blast of ice, which I partially blocked with my shield. Then I closed the gap and let my mace feel the dragon's scales. One after another I pounded those scales, waiting for the dragon's teeth to come down me and crush my efforts. But I just managed to prevail, and the dragon passed.

No sooner had I absorbed his soul than the second dragon landed behind me and shook the earth beneath my feet. The sound alone was deafening, but to feel that kind of power made my legs weak. The battle continued, and I was really wishing I had more potions to aid me. I ran out of arrows just as I noticed the dragon was weakened. I could see bits of red energy trailing from under his scales. Now was the time to strike, with or without potions. I charged in, screaming a mighty battle cry to bolster my courage.

But the dragon died before I laid my mace against it. No doubt I have Esbern and Delphine to thank for that. Not that it matters who killed the dragon. What matters is that it was dead. They both were. On the ground facing each other. Their skeletons were a haunting reminder of the long day of fighting we had just endured.

 

[bulbaquil]

As soon as I read that line, I was like "Oh, crap. Two dragons on those restrictions? I have a hard enough time with two simultaneous dragons on Adept difficulty, HUD visible, etc.!"

 

[BIGwooly]

As soon as I read that line, I was like "Oh, crap. Two dragons on those restrictions? I have a hard enough time with two simultaneous dragons on Adept difficulty, HUD visible, etc.!"

It was insanity.

 

[perkecet]

It was insanity.

i'm sure that what made matters even worse was that you were in the reach, the single hardest hold to get around in. the cliffs and valleys there make any dragon fight difficult since you can easily end up stranded without much of a choice on where to go

 

[BIGwooly]

i'm sure that what made matters even worse was that you were in the reach, the single hardest hold to get around in. the cliffs and valleys there make any dragon fight difficult since you can easily end up stranded without much of a choice on where to go

Well that and having forsworn all over me while the dragons were double-teaming me ...

 

[Mr1cammando]

Holy plops. That was the best entry in a while. Two dragons and the forsworn. I had trouble with that part on adept. I wonder why there is always a dragon there. I know there is a dragon mound nearby, but the dragon isn't named, so it's really odd.

 

[bulbaquil]

Holy pl***. That was the best entry in a while. Two dragons and the forsworn. I had trouble with that part on adept. I wonder why there is always a dragon there. I know there is a dragon mound nearby, but the dragon isn't named, so it's really odd.

To the best of my knowledge, it's a scripted storyline encounter. There's always a dragon when you approach, at least on that quest, along with the Forsworn camp. I guess they figure you'll always have Delphine and Esbern there at that point.

 

[BIGwooly]

Holy pl***. That was the best entry in a while. Two dragons and the forsworn. I had trouble with that part on adept. I wonder why there is always a dragon there. I know there is a dragon mound nearby, but the dragon isn't named, so it's really odd.

I wasn't sure if it was scripted or not, and actually considered doing other things for a week to see if the two dragons cleared out. I really didn't think I would be able to defeat them. But I decided to just go for it because I was there and why not. Too say it was a challenge is a HUGE understatement, lol. I really did nearly die like 5 or 6 times.

 

[Afatguiarist]

You should turn Hriskaar into a novel that was amazing


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[BIGwooly]

- 22nd of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

It's the brief moments like this that really bring me back to simpler times. Sitting alone, watching the sun settling in behind some majestic peaks. Feeling the air turn crisp as the stars begin to peek through heavens. This is truly living.



Today was a test in tedium. With the forsworn and dragons vanquished, the area was secure to explore. But there was much to sell just laying around. Feeling the lightness in my pocket made the decision easy for me. So I spent the entire day making trips back and forth to Markarth.

It took four trips in total. Thank Mara that Markath was so close or it could have easily taken four days. The merchant in Markarth didn't have enough gold to purchase everything I brought, so we had to negotiate some trades as well. I was able to increase my coin from six hundred gold to just over two thousand gold over the course of the day, and I picked up several soul gems as well as part of the trading. These are always useful to keep my mace's magic active.

I wasn't able to sell everything, so I've stored some of the more valuable items in an old barrel. There were two chests in the forsworn camp, but I figure if any souls come along and poke around in the camp while we're in Karthspire, those chests will be the first place they'll look for valuables. Perhaps this nondescript barrel will keep my extra items safe.

The sun has dipped into it's slumber for the night, and my eyes are now straining to write these words. One more night on a forsworn bedroll, and in the morning we enter Karthspire.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 24th of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

Sky Haven Temple was not the adventure I was expecting. Not that I'm complaining in the slightest. After battling an army of forsworn and two dragons, I enjoyed having an easy day for a change.

Except for a few forsworn stragglers, the temple was empty. So we made our way to an inner chamber where we found Alduin's wall. Esbern was quite excited by this, and I could relate a bit to Delphine's impatience with him. The history was interesting, but I want to figure out how to get rid of these dragons. I long for the day when I can journey between towns and not have to leave the road to avoid a dragon.

Well, according to the depictions on the wall, Esbern believes there is a shout that will bring a dragon down out of the sky. It sounds too convenient to me, but I would be quite happy to learn Esbern is correct. Since I'm fairly new to this shouting thing, I'm headed up to speak to the greybeards tomorrow. I spent today making my way to Whiterun and skirting around dragons. They really are everywhere now. I even spotted one attacking an imperial camp. Needless to say I didn't rush to assist them.

I have a long ride up a tall mountain ahead of me tomorrow, so I should probably make use of this bed and get some rest. I'll be happy if I can make it through the night without having a nightmare with dragons and forsworn.

 

[BIGwooly]

- 25th of Last Seed, 4E 202 -

I feel like I've just had a religious experience. After a day's journey to High Hrothgar from Whiterun, I set out to reach the Throat of the World .. which is actually above High Hrothgar. It is, essentially, the highest place in all of Skyrim. And I was to meet the mysterious leader of the greybeards there.

His name is Paarthurnax, and reaching him was no easy task. First the greybeards taught me a shout to control the weather, as the trail up to The Throat of the World is battered by bitter fogs and windstorms. Skyrim is cold, and as a nord I'm used to the cold. But this is the kind of cold that could kill even a well-prepared nord in a short time. The stinging cold doesn't seem to have much effect on ice wraiths, given that I had to kill several of them on the way up.

But finally I reached the end of the trail and found myself gazing at the remnants of a word wall. I stepped forward cautiously. Given my past experience I knew any sort of evil could be lurking around the wall. But instead my attention was drawn to the sky ... as a huge dragon swept down from the thick soup of clouds.

I readied my mace and my shield, but inside I was in a panic. I had no bow to help me bring the dragon to the ground. Without some sort of divine intervention I was about to die at the top of Skyrim's tallest mountain.

But the dragon didn't breath it's powerful magic onto me. Instead, it landed in front of me .. and spoke.

This was Paarthurnax. This was the master of the greybeards. How was a dragon going to help me resolve the dragon blight?

For some time the ancient dragon spoke to me, and I listened. It seemed this dragon was not like the others. It was thoughtful, and intelligent, and not bent on destroying the world around it. It even taught me a new shout to test my legitimacy as dragonborn.

Night fell as we continued our conversation. I was starving and tired, but it was of no concern. Being in the presence of something so old .. something so ancient .. so powerful .. so knowledgeable. I was in awe, and could have stood there for days with the icy wind blowing bits of snow across my face. Never before have I been so interested in a conversation.



As it happens, Paarthurnax could not teach me the shout to kill a dragon. He doesn't know it. It was created by men .. by ancient nords. And the shout has been lost to time. But I was told I may learn of the shout if I can glimpse back in time. For that I need to acquire an elder scroll, which will be my next step.

But after spending all night conversing with a dragon, and only getting a few hours of sleep after in High Hrothgar, I've decided to spend the night in Ivarstead and get fed and rested up. According to one of the greybeards I may be able to learn more about the location of an elder scroll from the mages in Winterhold. So in the morning I will ride in that direction.