Nord Refugee Character Diary - Hrisskar III

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BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 9th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

The clouds are turning brilliant orange as the sun sets behind jagged snowy peaks. The stars are just starting to peak through. It will be a cold night for me tonight. After mixing dozens of potions yesterday from my collection of ingredients, I set out this morning for the Helgen pass. It's the best place I know of to harvest snowberries.

Helgen is still a bandit sanctuary. Neither the imperials nor the stormcloaks have routed them out and returned the town to people. I'm guessing it will remain a bandit stronghold, like the one near our cabin that I take care to avoid. I was abruptly chased away today, by a large nord with a claymore. I was trying to pass by Helgen and he came out of nowhere screaming for blood. I had to lose him in the forest and then circle back and slip around Helgen by climbing along the rocks.

Aside from that bandit and a pair of wolves, this trip has gone well compared to my previous attempt. It's much more nerve-wracking doing this trip alone, without my father. If anything goes wrong it's on my head to find a way out. It's not easy. But I'm doing it. I've collected a decent amount of snowberries so far. I'd like more, but I've made it through the pass, and will have to look elsewhere on my way back tomorrow.

The color is almost gone from the clouds now. I'm going to finish the rest of my salmon jerky before I try and get some rest.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 11th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I have a dilemma. While heading back down from Helgen I spotted a an old tree trunk with mora tapinella growing on it. I collect this mushroom whenever I can because of it's powerful health poison properties. So I headed through the trees to collect the mushrooms.

When I reached the stump I noticed a hunter's camp below me, and was just in time to see a brigand slaying the hunter. There were two other's with him, and when they saw me they warned me to stay back. I heeded their warning and backed off immediately, leaving the mushrooms behind.

But now I feel obligated to do something. Certainly that woodsman didn't deserve to die. How can I walk away and not attempt to serve them with justice? Don't I owe that to my fellow redguard?

Still, I took a limited supply of potions on this trip, to make sure I could carry plenty of snowberries and pelts and hides. I took two foxes yesterday and one this morning. But having a limited potion supply is risky, especially for an encounter like this. I'm outnumbered by two, and they are all full-grown adults and look quite battle-hardened. They were definitely not intimidated by me in the slightest.

So I have a poison that will hurt one's health while slowing their movement, and that is my only poison in my satchel. I have a potion for bolstering my archery, and then I have a few health restoration potions and some resistance potions. It is a meager arsenal to bring to a fight. But yet … I can't bring myself to walk away.

My father wouldn't have walked away. I know this much for sure. So how can I? They murdered him right in front of me. I still have most of my arrows. I've only lost three so far. I should have more than enough to take care of each of these criminals. The trick is that I might be dead before I can even get that far.

What to do …..

I think I know what I have to do, I just need to accept it.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 11th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I've been watching the camp for hours. The murderers are definitely not leaving before tonight. One of them is chopping wood. I've circled around the camp to a better vantage point, so I can come up with a plan. I've decided I have to deal with them.

But I'm waiting until nightfall. This will give me the element of surprise as well as the potential cover of darkness to remain hidden during the attack. With any luck they'll never find me and I can take them out one by one.

It's been a long day, though, sitting and watching. One of them seems to be on patrol at all times, which is smart. I'll probably try to take this one down first. I think I'll take my fortification potion, and hold off on the poison unless I get into serious trouble. It's not easy to find the right ingredients to make this particular poison. I'd rather not use it if I don't need to.

I'm very nervous about this whole thing. I've never done anything like this before, and to be totally alone in it is daunting. My plan of last resort is to flee up the rocks behind me, but I practiced it earlier and it's tricky. In a hectic moment I might fail to get up the rocks fast enough. I know that one of the brigands has a large hammer, and if that were to land against the side of my head even once that would probably be the end.

But I feel committed at this point. There's no turning back.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 12th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

When the night came I lost my courage. The forest was so dark I couldn't really even see the camp from my position. I began to have doubts on launching my attack during the night, and began to reconsider a daylight approach.

It was a fairly clear night, with plenty of stars in the sky, but the forest was thick. I moved in closer, my heart pounding and my fingers gripping tightly to my bow. I wanted nothing more than to retreat, and I was ready to do so in a heartbeat. But I kept creeping forward, and remained undetected by the murderers. My confidence, shaky as it was, held fast.

When I was as close as I dared, I quietly took the fortifying potion and quickly set an arrow into place. I had a half dozen draugr arrows with me, from when I disturbed the tomb to collect the nightshade. I took them because my supply of iron arrows had run short. But they are built stronger than my iron arrows and I briefly considered using them now.

But as with the poison, I decided to save them for a later date, or at least save them in case things went badly here. So with an iron arrow set to the string, I adjusted my aim ever so slightly. I had chosen a position where I could use the campfire to silhouette my targets, and as I waited one of them stepped into view and stood in front of the fire. After a slight correction to my aim, I took a breath and let the arrow go.

To my relief, it struck the brigand in the back. She fell to the ground, injured but not yet dead. I quickly set another arrow with the intention of finishing the job. But then I noticed the outlaw with the hammer running through the trees toward me. I had no choice but to switch targets, unless I wanted to feel the brunt of that hammer. I let one arrow go, and it whistled through the dark and sank into my attacker's abdomen.

His charge didn't slow and I took a step back while I readied another arrow. This one also found it's mark and he fell dead in the grass only fifteen paces from me. But right behind him was the brigand I had seen with a sword and shield, who had warned me off earlier. Within moments I had an arrow prepared and I let it go, quickly pulling another from the quiver. I heard an angry cry of pain in the dark, and knew my arrow had flown true. My second arrow did as well, and he fell to the grass just a half dozen paces from me.

My heart was beating fast, having had such a close call. But there was one more left still … the first outlaw I had struck. I peered into the dark, an arrow at the ready. But I could see nothing. I could hear nothing. I began to think I had killed her after all.

That was, until an arrow whispered past my ear. I turned in the direction it had come from, but still I saw nothing. I stepped to the side, then back again, trying to make myself a difficult target for my unseen attacker. And it worked. Another arrow reached out from the darkness and barely missed me.

Now I knew where the attacker was, but there were several trees there as well, and in the dark I couldn't make out what was tree and what was flesh. I moved closer, arrow still drawn, and managed to just barely dodge a third arrow. This time I decided to take a chance and let my arrow go. It sprung from the string and streaked into the night. And to my surprise it hit my foe, and I heard her cry out her last breath. She fell to the ground as her comrades had, and I never even saw her.

I stayed near the camp last night, to rest up for my journey home. I wanted to sleep on a bedroll in a tent, but I couldn't take the chance in case there were other members of this group nearby. So I went back to the camp in the morning and had a look around. To my surprise, there was no body of a hunter. I don't know if they buried it or hid it or if somehow my eyes had played tricks on me, but there was no body to be found.

I searched the bandits and found a bit of gold, and one of them had a nice set of hide armor that could fit me. I'll take that with me, although I won't be able to carry anything else now. The last thing I found was a book, a tome by the name of "night Falls on Sentinel". This was by far the best thing I found as I've never heard of this book before. It's rare for me to get to read a book I've never read. I can't wait to read it later tonight.

Whether or not there was a hunter killed, it was obvious these were thieves and criminals, so I don't feel bad for what I did. In fact, I feel pretty good about it. I took on three dangerous people and lived to write about it. That's a good thing.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 12th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

It feels so good to be home again. Strangely enough, I feel connected to my parents when I'm at our cabin, even though they're gone. Every day I wonder if my father is still alive, if he'll return to our cabin one morning. I think that's one reason I don't like leaving and going on trips. I want to be here when he returns ... if he returns.

But for now it's just me and my thoughts. And this new book. It's a story, but a true one as far as I can tell, about a king who spends years to find a kidnapper of sorts. I'm hoping the rest of the story will draw my thoughts away from my parents and the gruesome scene I saw earlier today. On my way home, just after leaving the outlaws behind, I paid a visit to the shrine of Talos my parents would sometimes take me to see. There were a number of bodies, however, mostly dead worshippers, and one dead Thalmor. I took nothing from any of them, but the Thalmor had a note on him and it appears he was potentially responsible for the massacre. So sad. I paid my respects and left a fox pelt for Talos.

That reminds me, before I left this morning I looked around for the body of the female archer I had killed. I hadn't been able to find her in the dark, since her body had rolled down a hill. Aside from a small bit of gold, she also had a map in her pocket. I believe it to be a map of the location of some valuables, hidden under a log. I took it with me, but I can't say I recognize any of the landmarks on the map. There is a town or a village shown, but I don't visit such places so it could be somewhere I've never seen. Still worth hanging on to, though.

Now, back to my book ...
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 17th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

As much as I don't want to, I need to head back to the swamps. I've spent the past several days making preparations for the journey to Meridia's temple ... crafting potions, making leather strips, mining iron ore, forging arrows. But the effectiveness of the archery fortification potion is at the forefront of my thoughts. I have a number of useful poison already prepared, but not all of the threats I may face will be sensitive to poisons. I myself have a healthy resistance to poisons thanks to my mother's bloodline. But the fortification potion, that will always be effective no matter what I'm facing.

So I'm returning to the swamps to collect more canis root. I'll need more juniper berries as well, which means I'll need to head into forsworn territory. But it will be worth it to have a good number of these mixtures in my bag when I head to the temple. My plan to create a single potion to protect against fire, frost and poison has worked out well. This will save me from having to carry so many potions in the future.

What I'd really like to learn how to do is make replicas of these dwarven arrows I found in the bear cave. I've been studying them but I haven't yet figured out how to recreate the arrows. They are significantly better than the iron arrows I currently use. It's something I'll have to keep working on.

Well ... the light is up and the swamps await. I head out now.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 21st of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

My nerves are on edge tonight. After a successful trip back to the swamps, and a full day of mixing today, I believe I'm ready to make the journey to Meridia's temple in the morning. I don't feel ready. I'm scared to death actually. The swamps are as far from home as I've ever ventured by myself. This trip will take me much further away.

On paper everything is in order. I have a healthy supply of food and potions, and a full pound of leather strips for repairing my armor if it gets damaged. I have two full quivers of arrows. My bow is in perfect condition. My dagger is sharp. The only thing lacking is my nerves and confidence really.

I killed several spiders in the swamps. I evaded a few trolls and a bear. I crossed the plains without being spotted by any sabre cats or wolves. I should feel prepared and capable. But I don't. The magnitude of the task ahead is weighing heavily on me right now. The journey to this temple is concerning enough, not to mention the journey back. But the voice commanded me to cleanse the evil from the temple, and I have no idea what awaits me. It could be some terrible thing I've not even heard of in stories. Have I lost my mind? What am I doing? I'm just a boy. Someone else should take this task from me. Someone more capable. I don't know if I can do this.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 22nd of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I've decided to travel to Falkreath, and see if someone there will take this beacon back to the temple and serve the voice on my behalf. I can't do this. I'm not a great warrior like my father. I hunt deer in the forests and catch fish in the streams. I don't rid temples of evil.

No. Someone else will need to bear this task for me. I made a solid effort to prepare, but I need to be reasonable about this. Surely my parents wouldn't expect me to go on a journey like this. Surely my father wouldn't be disappointed in me finding a more capable adventurer.

I haven't been to Falkreath since before my mother died. I'm nervous of this as well. Perhaps I'm just a cowardly boy after all.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 22nd of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I didn't have any luck in Falkreath. It was strange being back there, and without my parents. I was nervous being around so many people. I spoke to several people in the graveyard first, since I don't use the roads to travel and came across the mountain .. which led me right into the graveyard. A couple had just lost their daughter and were burying her. In hindsight I shouldn't have bothered them. Their grief must be overwhelming.

From there I ventured into the local inn. I've only been to Falkreath a handful of times, and I'd never been inside the inn. My father had gone inside once or twice, and always had me wait outside for him. I can see why now. There were all manor of folks inside, none of who expressed any interest in helping me. One actually pulled me aside and tried to convince me to break into someone's home. Not exactly the sort of temple-cleansing hero I was looking for.

I wandered the town for the rest of the afternoon, speaking to whomever I could. Most had little to no interest in speaking with me. The guards went so far as to ridicule my meager armor and teased me about losing my sweetroll. They were no help at all, although within the barracks I came across a jailed man. He was being held for the murder of the little girl I'd seen being buried. He swears it wasn't entirely his fault, that he's a cursed man. He claims he can change into a wolf, and that this is his curse, and on top of that he has a ring he stole or otherwise acquired from a daedric prince that is also cursed. He was begging for my help, but I declined. He's obviously a lunatic, and even if he's not, I have no need to involve myself with any other daedric royalties.

On my way out of town I happened past the blacksmith, and saw he was working on something interesting. It turns out he has several interesting things for sale ... one of which was a very beautiful dwarven bow. I never carry any coins on me, but it wouldn't have mattered. The man wanted nearly three thousand coins for the bow. He had another dwarven bow which was not enchanted, and it caught my eye as well. But it was nearly a thousand coins. I'll bet I have less than half that amount in the chest, and most of that is my father's ... or was. I don't know if he would approve of me spending any of it.

I had a look at the armor he had for sale as well. The guards' comments got inside my head. But all of it was very cumbersome-looking, and not at all appealing to me. The one thing that was appealing to me, aside from the bows, were several ingots of dwarven metal. No doubt these could be used to forge dwarven arrows, if I could figure out how. Something to keep in mind still.

I'm nearly home and evening is approaching. I stopped for a quick break at the deep valley. I should probably get going again before the light falls. I know a certain troll that sometimes roams this area and I'd rather not meet him in the dark.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 23rd of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I feel so lost. I have no one to talk to, to help me figure out what I should do. I feel a certain duty to complete the task Meridia has given me, but at the same time I'm afraid. I'm afraid of how far from home I'll have to go. I'm afraid of what I'll find at the temple. I'm afraid my father will come home and I won't be here. I've gone on other trips, but I've only been gone a day or two for the most part. This trip could take me a week or more, and that depends on what I find at the temple as well. What evil awaits me? Is it such that a boy should be the one to cleanse it? I have serious doubts on this.

I spent the entire day at the lake, thinking all of this over. I tried to go fishing, and did alright, but my heart and mind weren't in it. I was distracted, and full of nerves. I truly don't know what to do about all of this. I suppose I'll have to sleep on it another night. Hopefully the morning will bring some clarity.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 24th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

A night has passed and I still don't feel confident in a decision, but I have made one. I'm going to go to Meridia's temple and do what must be done. The task is weighing on my conscious. Ultimately I must believe that Meridia chose me for a reason. I can only hope that she knows something I do not. My stomach is in knots over this, but better to take on the challenge than to let it smother my mind for the weeks to come.

I've decided to spend today making final preparations. I'm going to visit the lake first. I plan on taking salmon jerky with me instead of deer or elk to conserve weight. I'll be taking half as much food but also saving myself a full pound of carry weight. That means I can take two more potions instead. I'm nervous about not taking more food, but I may just have to forage on the way and use what I'm carrying as backup.

I'm also going to make a few more leather strips, and take about a pound of those with me. I'm expecting trouble, and the last thing I want is to being caught far from home with no armor or boots. I'm also nervous about only having two quivers of arrows for the trip. Unfortunately I can't think of a way to carry more, so I'm going to just have to be careful. I will need to avoid engaging in a fight as much as possible.

The morning is moving along, so I'd better head to the lake soon. I have a lot to do today.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 25th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

Today is the day. I'm heading to Meridia's temple. I can't begin to describe the nerves I feel. I'm truly afraid. But I need to be confident and not give into the fear. I need to keep my wits intact and do what needs to be done. I need to become my father a bit I suppose.

My inventory for the trip is as follows:
- my hunting bow and two quivers of arrows, forty-eight in total
- Valdr's dagger and my hide armor, boots and bracers
- a pound of salmon jerky and a pound of leather strips
- four frostbite venom poisons
- two powerful health poisons and two powerful magicka poisons
- two poisons of paralysis
- two poisons to damage health and slow an opponent
- six potions to bolster my archery abilities
- four potions to resist magicka
- ten health restoration potions and single stamina restoration potion
- meridia's beacon

Whether this is enough to get me there and back alive, while completing my task for Meridia, I have no idea. It's the best inventory I could come up with, though. I'd love to take more potions with me, but I just don't have the space. Not unless I get rid of something else, and everything else is just as critical. This is it. This is what will have to do. May the gods guide me today and in the days to come.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 25th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I've found a nice spot in the cliffs to rest for the night. Earlier today I crossed the plains and followed the river downstream to where the great falls are. I had to weave my way between a giant camp and some bandits, and shortly after I was approached by a fellow hunter. I thought he was a bandit at first, and nearly put an arrow into him. I didn't recognize him. He's lucky I exercised some restraint.

It turns out he was attacked by a vampire in a cave nearby, and needed a potion to cure his newly acquired disease of vampirism. Oddly enough, I had heard the guards in Falkreath talking about vampires and their recent rise in activity. I didn't have a potion for him, and he went on his way. I hope he finds a potion or a priest to heal him in time.

Needless to say I changed my mind about spending the night near the falls. Instead I avoided some more unsavory characters and found a way across the falls, then climbed into the cliffs on the other side to avoid a wolf. It was late afternoon when I reached the spot where I am now, and I considered continuing on. But I don't know the way ahead, and there may not be as suitable a resting place as this. Nothing can get to me here.

I can see the river from here, which I will follow towards the temple. A bridge crosses it, but I can see a fort of some kind on the other side. It's probably best to avoid that. I'll stick to this side of the river for now.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 26th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

My plan to follow the river was thwarted this morning when I came across a trio of sabre cats. At first I just spotted the one, lounging down near the river. I ran into him as I was avoiding some ruins higher up the mountainside. I turned toward the ruins to consider the option of going past them, and spotted two more sabre cats walking together up to the ruins. It was broad daylight and I was very close to three sabre cats!

With a slight panic in my heart I very slowly and carefully worked my way down to the riverbank and dropped out of sight. I hiked back upstream a ways and decided to try and cross the river, but it was too deep. I'd have to swim it, and because of that I'd have to leave my armor and boots behind. That wasn't an option, and neither was crossing the bridge and passing by the brigand fort. The only option left was up.

So I spent a few hours climbing the rocks and working my way into a position where I could skirt around all three sabre cats. But I've just come across an old cart. Scattered around it are more than a half dozen books ... nine to be exact. I've seen none of these books before, and their value to me is practically priceless. But I simply cannot carry them. Even if I headed straight home right now I couldn't take them with me. The only option would be for me to leave behind something of equal weight and bulk, and there's nothing I can afford to leave behind.

So I've just hauled the books up to a secure place in the cliffs, and stashed them there. With any luck they'll survive elements and one day I'll be able to return for them. I can't express my disappointment in leaving them behind.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 27th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I had an amazing view of the setting sun last night, and of the rising sun this morning. Such a beautiful place to set camp. I can see the great city of Solitude in the distance, and the Dragonbridge is visible through the trees below me. I'm getting close to the temple, and may even reach it today. I'm realizing I should have taken some gold with me to purchase food in an emergency. The only river access now is in a canyon far below the Dragonbridge. I may backtrack a bit this morning and see if I can get any fish from the river behind me.

So far this journey has gone incredibly smoothly. That alone makes me nervous for what's ahead. It feels a bit 'too good to be true'. But maybe I made myself so nervous for no good reason. Maybe I really was a decent choice for this task.

Today I may just find out.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 27th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

Meridia's voice has thundered in my ears again. I located her statue and as I approached she spoke to me, chastising men for forsaking her temple to evil. I circled the statue carefully, staying hidden in the trees, but I saw nothing. So I walked the steps and returned the beacon. There was a flash of light, and Meridia spoke to me again ... and I found myself high above everything ... above trees and mountains and rivers and swamps and cities ... above the world itself. I was suspended in the air, like a cloud, and Meridia explained to me that my task was not yet complete.

I'd returned her beacon, but her temple still required my cleansing. A necromancer has taken over it, and I'm to kill this man and return a certain artifact that Meridia says men refer to as 'Dawnbreaker'. My stomach was in knots, and not from behind so high up in the sky. What do I know about killing necromancers? Immediately I regretted not bringing more resistance potions for magic.

Eventually she returned me to solid ground, and left me with the task at hand. I have only a day's rations left, and the river is far below where I'm at. I should expect to find some amount of food inside the temple. After all, even necromancers eat. At least I assume they do. As much as I want to leave and replenish my food rations, I fear I may lose my nerve if I do. No. It is better to continue now, while I have the strength of Meridia's voice coursing through my body.

But there is one more thing I must write about. I believe I've discovered a word wall. I wouldn't know of such a thing except for my father's journal. He never spoke of such things to me. But I've read his descriptions .. countless times .. and I've seen his sketches. What lies in front of me is surely a word wall. I can hear a faint chanting, and as I approached a word glowed on the wall. I'm a bit afraid to go any closer, but my understanding is that it cannot harm me. That is, provided there is nothing guarding the wall. But I don't see any tombs or casks. If anything, the necromancer probably removed the bodies if there were any.

I can't walk away. The chanting is in my head, drawing me in. I must approach the wall ...
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 27th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I'm deep inside Meridia's temple, with less than a day's ration of food left. The evil in this place is like nothing I've experienced before. There is just a presence that is unnerving, that makes me want to abandon this place and leave Meridia to find another mortal for her bidding. But I have a feeling Meridia wouldn't smile on me for leaving her. I don't need a curse on me.

The wall I found outside the temple was indeed a word wall, and I learned the word in the way my father did. I was confused at first, because although I had learned the word, I couldn't shout it like my father. I began to think it was my mother's blood that was preventing me, that I didn't have the gift my father did. But then I remembered from reading his stories, that he needed the soul of a dragon to give power to the word. Considering it's been more than ten years since anyone saw a dragon, I think my odds of obtaining a soul are slim. And for that matter, I have no desire to face a dragon as it is.

I'm in enough trouble down here. There are foul undead things roaming the halls, and I've managed to kill a half dozen of them so far. They are ghastly remains of poor souls recently passed, with no regard for my own life. I'm down to just thirty arrows, and I've only missed a few times. I'm going to experiment with some poisons to see if I can bring these abominations down faster. I don't know if they are resistant to poison or not. I pray to the gods they aren't.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 28th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

My concern is starting to grow. I'm currently down to twenty-three arrows, plus five steel arrows and nine orcish arrows that I've collected. I've used all but one of my spider poisons, and half of my marksman potions. I've also used a health potion and just spent several hours repairing my armor after one of these things nearly killed me with a hammer. My stomach is nearly empty and I haven't slept in a day. All I want to do is leave and return to our cabin ... smell the fresh air ... feel the cool water of the lake on my back. I hate it in here.

And the traps. I opened a door earlier, and spikes came up from the floor. I was in shock for a full minute, because if I had been a step closer to the door when I pushed it open, I'd be dead. I spotted a rope across a passage and used an arrow to trigger it, only to find out it activated a series of swinging blades. I could have just stepped over the rope avoided that mess.

But most of all, I have this dread for what lies ahead. The necromancer responsible for all of these ghouls must be powerful indeed, and I have my reservations about facing him. It helps to write about it here .. a little. But I know the time is coming when I will face this man. I'm in constant thought of how to best handle him, but I feel like no matter what I decide it will ultimately just come down to instinct.

One thing is certain. I need to make sure every arrow hits its mark from here forward.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 28th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

After writing the previous words, I sent my next arrow high over the head of one of the undead. Luckily I was able to recover it after dispatching of the shade, but my supply of arrows still dropped by four. I have thirty-three arrows total currently.

What is disconcerting is that I've located the necromancer. He is in a room littered with bodies, and I can see three shades serving as his protectors. I suspect there is a fourth, but I can't be sure just yet. In coming up with my plans I had hoped to face off with the necromancer in an even fight. But clearly the odds are stacked in his favor at the moment. Assuming there are four shades protecting him, and assuming it each takes four arrows to kill, it will require half of my remaining arrows just to kill his protectors. This is assuming I don't miss at all. I will miss.

But that's not the biggest issue. There are bodies all over the floor. It's entirely possible that the necromancer will begin raising these bodies up, thus creating even more enemies for me to deal with. My supply of arrows is looking very slim right now.

My top priority is to eliminate the necromancer as quickly as possible. I believe I have the poisons to do it, but as soon as I attack the shades will surely rush me and I'll have no choice but to turn my attention to them. This will leave the necromancer free to raise up more enemies and possibly heal himself as well. I'm really not liking this situation at all. I should spend some more time considering alternative options, but I'm just so exhausted at this point. No food. No rest.

I need to act now. I need to decide on a plan of attack.
 

BIGwooly

Well-Known Member
~ 29th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I'm so exhausted I can barely write these words, but I can't contain my excitement either. I have to write this story, if I never write another word again ... I have to write this story ...

Against my better judgement I decided to focus my efforts on the shades first. Originally I had intended to use a paralysis poison against the necromancer, deal with his shades, and then return my attention to him. The problem is that the paralysis only lasts for a brief time, long enough for me to kill one shade perhaps, but not all four. Even if I paralyzed the necromancer, he was going to be back in the fight before I could focus on him, and he'd still be able to raise up the bodies in the room.

So I went against my gut and followed my logic. I selected two arrows poisoned with a lingering health damaging mixture. I set my position near the doorway that led into the main chamber. Behind me was a long flight of steps. I would retreat up the steps when the time came, but until then my plan was to use the doorway as a choke point for the attack. I then took three potions myself ... a special archery fortification elixir I had found in the temple, one of the resistance potions I had created to protect from poison and fire and frost, and a magic resistance potion I'd also found on a shelf in the temple.

I don't believe in disturbing the dead, or stealing from them. My father demonstrated this the first time I saw a dead man, an unfortunate adventurer in a cave. He took nothing from the man's corpse, not even one gold coin. For this reason I was sure to not touch a single burial urn in the temple. I took nothing from the bodies of the dead that were strewn about the temple. But a potion on a shelf, that wasn't buried with someone's relative, and wasn't the property of someone that had just died, that was okay to take and use. And it's a good thing I did, because those few potions kept me alive tonight.

With an incredible amount of tension and apprehension, I let the first arrow go and watched as it sailed through the air to it's mark. It was almost like a dream, everything moving slowly for just a moment. But then the arrow struck home, sending poison into the shade, and the dream was shattered. Chaos ensued.

I could never in a million lifetimes imagined the fight that followed. I've not fought dragons as my father did, so I won't make any comparisons, but I will say this was a fight for a bard to sing about.

With four shades and a necromancer rushing toward the doorway, I let my second arrow go, making sure to strike a different shade this time. The was a slow acting poison, and I wanted to spread the impact. The plan had been to send two more arrows with the same poison into the other two shades, but as I mentioned, chaos ensued. Within moments I couldn't determine which shade was which, and all four were about to rush through the doorway.

Now at this point I was very tempted to use my arrows poisoned with the paralysis poison. Every fiber of my being was begging me to do it. And I had enough to put all four shades on the ground. But I knew my real foe was the necromancer, Malkoran as Meridia had called him. I was saving the paralysis for him. Again, I was certain how powerful he was, but I had to assume he was quite capable if he was able to take over a daedra's temple.

The only good news at this point was that Malkoran wasn't reanimating the dead bodies in the main room. This was not just good news, it was incredible news. There were easily a dozen bodies in the room, and if he had begun raising them all I wouldn't be writing these words right now.

As it was, the shades came rushing through the door, furious at my presence. And I switched to arrows poisoned with a slowing poison. This poison also harms the target, but the main effect is that it reduces one's ability to move quickly. This was critical for me to buy some time to backpedal up the stairs while continuing to fire arrows on the shades as they pursued me. The difficult part was ensuring that I poisoned each of the shades, which I definitely did not accomplish. By the time I reached the top of the stairs only one of the shades was dead, and the others were either slowed or were right on top of me. I had hoped to be in a better position at this point, but I was not.

I was forced to take several health potions as I did my best to fight with a bow in close quarters against multiple enemies with swords and axes and hammers. I used more poisons, and fought the urge to use the paralysis poisons. I was being pummeled, but I had to stick to the plan. As bad as things were with the shades, they were only going to get worse when Malkoran got more involved. I knew this much for certain.

He was content to stay back and send shards of ice at me while his minions did the dirty work. They nearly killed me on several occasions, but I managed to stay on my feet and put the last of them down. At this point the frantic pace of the battle switch to a more ominous one, as I confronted Malkoran head to head. I quickly grabbed an arrow tipped with paralysis, and let the shot go. To my absolute horror ... I missed.

Malkoran was moving side to side, sending large spikes of ice in my direction, and he was also moving up and down the steps. It wasn't an easy shot, but it was a shot I needed to make. My heart sank and I felt a bit of panic in my gut. I quickly readied the second arrow and let it go. It would have been understandable to try and take a bit more time with the aim on the second arrow, but I didn't. I had to trust myself and know that I would hit my mark the second time. There was no time to carefully aim. It was all instinct and muscle memory at this point.

The second arrow hit him, and I was in a bit of disbelief that it did. Again, it was not an easy shot by any standard. But I heard it hit and I saw Malkoran collapse on the steps. I ran over to his inert body and began to fill it with the arrows I had left. In hindsight, I probably should have used my dagger, as I would have been able to strike faster. But my bow is like my right hand. I never thought to use my dagger.

By this point I was spent. The intensity of the fight had been nothing short of epic, and it wasn't over yet. One after another I put the arrows I had left into his body. And to my surprise he began to rise again. I had mistakenly assumed he likely mine to kill. He was not.

I quickly prepared another poison arrow and struck him before he could fight back. But after a brief bit he was rising again, and I used my final paralysis arrow to keep him down. Finally I heard a horrid sound, as his life expired. Unfortunately the fight was not over. In death, Malkoran had become a shade himself. I backed up, firing off arrows, hitting with each one. I used both of my magicka damaging poisons, and then quite suddenly ... reached back to my quiver and realized it was empty. I was out of arrows.

Panic set in at this point. I had no intentions of getting in close with this evil spawn with a dagger in my hand. I had already used the powerful health potion I had found, and I was down to just a few more of my own health potions. I needed this fight to end quickly. Very quickly.

Suddenly I had the idea to run back over to Malkoran's body and see if I could quickly grab the arrows from it. I was able to pull out four, and one by one I used them. First arrow .. hit. Second arrow .. hit. Third arrow .. hit. As I set the fourth and final arrow to the bowstring, I felt a bit of peace come over me. In that moment I hadn't given up hope, but I had accepted that I was going to die. Oddly enough, for just a moment in time, the panic and fear disappeared. I let the arrow go ... put it in the hands of fate and the gods ... and watched in stunned amazement as this final arrow, my very last arrow ... killed Malkoran once and for all.

I'm still in total disbelief as I write this. I cannot believe how this journey has unfolded. How ironic that I made it to the temple without using a single arrow, and then survived to write this story because I had one arrow left. How differently would this chain of events have gone if I had used even just one arrow on that wolf in the road, instead of avoiding him altogether? Amazing.
 

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