The Wayfarer – Evard Raven-Blood (Skyrim Fan Fiction) – Part 2, Episode 2 – “First Dragon”

The exit to Bleak Falls placed us on the side of the mountain.  The cliff we were on was high up but their were plenty of places to jump down so once we had gotten onto the slope downward we headed toward the lake.  Lake Ilnalta is beautiful but also pretty deadly.  Slaughterfish swim the lake although not in great numbers.  The lake is so clear you can see them coming quite a way off and there are parts of the lake they don’t seem to be a regular part of. In any case we made our way to its edge and then downstream toward the river and the falls looking for place to cross.

We found it where the White River begins and found a place to cross to get to the Guardian Stones.  Not wanting to get my clothes wet, I took them off including my loin cloth and put them in my pack and the put my pack and sword in my shield and floated the shield across the river while swimming behind it. I arrived with all my gear dry on the other side but I hadn’t noticed a female hunter who came over out of curiosity and found me there in my nakedness sitting on a rock pulling my pants on.  She giggled and I probably turned red.  After getting dressed, Faendal and I headed to Riverwood.

In Riverwood I returned the Golden Claw to Lucian and he rewarded me and then I headed to Dragonsreach.  We arrived without incident, and when I found my way to Farengar, he was already in conversation with a mysterious woman dressed in leather armor with a hood hiding her face. This was Delphine the Blade but at the time I only thought to myself that she looked familiar. He was conversing with her that he had found a way to translate something using a book he had found.  She was encouraging him to hurry in is research because dragons were no longer theoretical, they were back.   I gave the Dragonstone to him and he thanked me, but kind of added a backhand compliment to his own intellect above mine. Farengar was like that.

No sooner did the wizard and I concluded our business than the Jarl’s housecarl came running in telling Farengar that a dragon had been spotted nearby.  She told me I should come as well.  We found the Jarl and the conversation came to the fact that a dragon was attacking the Western Watchtower.  Farengar wanted to go but the Jarl gave strict instructions only Irileth and I would go with a contingent of guards.  The reason I was included in this little party was my ‘experience’ with dragons.  If you want to count at the time dodging and weaving in Helgen to avoid getting killed by one, I guess that counts as experience.  I any case the Jarl had not forgotten about the Dragonstone I had recovered and rewarded me by giving me permission to purchase property in the city.

Irileth, Faendal and I headed to the main gate where, after a short speech by Irileth to her men, we headed toward the Western Watchtower.   When we arrived we could see the smoke rising upward and the tower had obvious damage.  Irileth and I couldn’t see any dragon but it was obvious he had been there.  We approached looking for survivors.  We only found one who quickly told us to get back that the dragon was still here somewhere and that it had grabbed two other guards.  We didn’t have long to wait for the dragon to return as it came flying around a mountain to the south and began to streak toward the tower.

Mirmulnir was the dragon’s name although the only reason I know that was because I absorbed its soul later.  In truth he was not a very powerful dragon compared to most of them, but at the time I had never fought one and the task seemed to be very daunting. I also realized I had a problem – I had no way to attack the dragon while it was flying.

Battling a dragon for me is difficult for a lot of reasons. I may be Dragonborn, but I don’t have wings.  I have been able to fly but as a dragon rider.  In any case, dragons have a mobility that I do not possess.  Flight means you have to use a bow or crossbow to engage them which for this first battle I did not have.  The other problem I have is affinity. They are kin to me as we are all children of Akatosh.  The larger family of dragons has basically taken two sides – Alduin’s or mine.  At the time of this first dragon battle however, I was simply trying to survive and I didn’t know these things.  It was unique in the fact that I would never fight another dragon this way or with as much disconnection to who they were and who I was.   After this one, I was Dovahkiin.

The battle itself was full of courage and terror.  I was the only one who had no way of attack the dragon while it was flying and so I was hoping for it to land.  Arrows filled the sky and Faendal proved his worth.  Finally the dragon seemed to tire and be wounded enough to land.  I stuck with my sword and blocked with my shield and almost died.  I was thankful for my healing spell between fights.  The dragon eventually lay dead at my feet.  Then its soul entered my body.

I wish I could describe in truth what this feels like, but it is impossible.  The effect is however that you gain some of the knowledge and power of the dragon that has died. It is very much that the fragment of Akatosh that is released when the mortal body of the dragon dies is attracted to the nearest fragment.  The mortal coil holds it in place but once death comes it is released and is drawn to the nearest dragon soul.  I know there are other theories about how this happens.  I ma just saying this is my perspective as Dragonborn.

With the dragon dead and its soul entering my own, the whispers of Dragonborn began.  One soldier, even told be that I was Dragonborn and that to prove it I should try to shout.  The conversation that followed was difficult to hear, because if true I knew my life was about to take an unexpected turn but as the talk of shouts continued I could feel something welling up inside me as the word I understood from Bleak Falls met the power of the dragon soul I had just absorbed and it came out – my first shout.  After that there was no doubt, I knew what they were saying was true – I was Dragonborn.

I will summarize the aftermath.  I returned to the Jarl’s Palace but on the way I heard a thundering voice shout Dovahkiin.  It was the Greybeards and their first call to me.  My report to the Jarl led to a long conversation about me being Dragonborn, The Greybeards and how I should answer their summons. I had intended to climb the Throat of the World as part of my pilgrimage at some point but now it ad moved to the front of the line.  Well, once I got myself established in Skyrim.

The Jarl made me Thane of Whiterun and gave me a badge of office (an axe).  He also assigned Lydia as my housecarl.  I debated long and hard in my mind about my next decision – I told Faendal to go home.  He had served me well and I might call on him again, but he had more than been a friend.  I told him, once I had seen Lydia, I knew she was going to be my protector. Mostly because she too was a  sword and shield fighter.  I knew I could learn from her, but I also told Faendal that recent events would mean the skills at the bow I would most definitely be using in the future.  He parted with me and Lydia began to follow as my faithful bodyguard.  It wouldn’t be long before she was put to the test.

The Blacksmith’s Daughter (Skyrim Fan Fiction) – Part 6, Episode 1 – ‘The Heart of Dibella’

Journal of Anya Fire-Heart – Middas, 1st of Frostfall, 4th Era, Year 201

“The Heart of Dibella”

The carriage ride to Markarth was filled with anticipation. The feeling that my answers to my problems might lay in the Temple to Dibella had not left me but had more and more increased.  When the City of Stone came into view, I was excited but I realized I need to attend to business first and I was here to set up the contract with Muiri in the Hag’s Cure.  Once that was set up I would visit the Temple of Dibella and hopefully get some help and/or answers.

I talked to the guards who warned me that if I saw anything unusual to just leave it to them.  I didn’t have long to wait before I saw something unusual.  As soon as I cleared the main gates a man drew his dagger and approached another woman from behind.  Before I could yell to look out, he drove that dagger into her back shouting “The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!” I drew the Ebony Blade and being that I was the closest to him by that time, he turned on me.  He didn’t have a chance as in a single stroke I watched his head roll form his body.

The guards were little help as they told me to mind my own business when I told them about the Forsworn comment.  Examining both bodies gave me a key from the woman (who was named Margret) and the man revealed little but I was then told to move along.  As I was leaving a man named Eltrys approached me and asked if I was OK.  I assured him I was and he told me that he hoped  the Eight would give me peace.  He dropped a note in front of me and then told me that it was mine and that it looked important. I played along and walked away.  The note told me that he wanted to meet me in the Shrine to Talos. I pocketed the note but I had no desire to meet him.  I had bigger fish to fry and what was going on in Markarth was obviously older and long term, so it wasn’t going anywhere.

I mean the whole civil war started here.  Ulfric had fought back the Forsworn and then was betrayed by the Jarl because he had asked that Markarth be a place for Talos to be worshiped freely as the price for that deliverance.  The Thalmor objected and Talos worship was outlawed.  That was the last straw for Ulfric and the war began.  I was born that year and my father always reminded me of it.

I headed to the Hag’s Cure where I met Muiri.  She was surprised when I introduced myself.  In the interview that followed Muiri revealed that Alain Dufont had used her to rob the Shatter-Shields and as a consequence she was pretty much thrown out of Windhelm and her relationship to the Shatter-Shields was destroyed.  Alain had ruined her life and she wanted him dead for that.  She also asked me to kill Nilsene Shatter-Shield because of their disbelief of her when she said she was used.  She had lost them as a  family, so she felt that family should be ruined.  Motive really is not a thing for an assassin; our concern is doing the job and getting paid.  I asked if there was anything else and she gave me two doses of Lotus Extract, a deadly poison that she wanted used on each target.  Kind of her being a part of it I guess, even though she didn’t have the nerve to do it herself.

With the contract negotiated, I headed to the Temple of Dibella.  Upon entering I was greeted by a single priestess named Senna.  She told me the other priestesses were in seclusion and so the Temple was closed,  but I could still pray.  I told Senna my story hoping to be let in anyway.  She listened intently but remained firm about letting me see the others. She did however do something I hadn’t expected she touched my cheek very gently. It was magical in that it was the first time another person had touched me like that since…well my mother.  I asked about what could then be done, she mentioned instruction but also added that instruction was not being offered right now.  She said I was beautiful to look at and she could teach me a lot but it just was not possible right now.

I have in my life never been approached by a woman before for sexual teaching which is what she was offering, no doubt in my mind.  Strangely enough I did not internally object.  Honestly, while men have been a bane to my life; women have been its anchor at least at times.  Senna walked off and began to worship at one of the statues of Dibella.  I thought for a moment but the one thing that drove my next actions is that I was still unsatisfied with the answers and the notion that my answers were here could not be dismissed.  I walked over to the doors at the back of the temple, picked the lock quickly and headed to the basement.

In the basement room is where I heard the priestess known as the Mother invoking Dibella to guide them.  I pushed open the doors and walked in.  The priestesses were indeed in prayer and one of them stopped me asking me to wait for the Mother.  The Mother was not pleased with me even when I told her my problem and how I was desperate for help. She told me the normal punishment for my actions was a period of servitude but she had another use for me. The old Sybil had died and they were praying to find the new one.  Because Markarth and Skyrim are dangerous places they wanted me to go fetch her and bring her home.  If I did this, I would be forgiven but also I would gain the Blessing of Dibella.  She said that perhaps in this blessing I would find my desires restored and healing to my spirit. I accepted.

The girl was supposed to be in Karthwasten.  I had to cut through three Forsworn at a bridge on my way there and found myself walking into the town in the late afternoon.  There seemed to be some sort of dispute between the miners and some mercenaries sent by the Silver-Bloods.  I didn’t concern myself with that and walked past them until I found a miner to talk to.  Turns out I found the right person as this was the girl’s father. He told me his daughter Fjotra had been taken by the Forsworn at Broken Tower Redoubt.  They had never been a problem before and they only took his girl.  I told him his girl was the next Sybil and he, as the Mother had told me, considered it an honor.  He offered to help me but I told him to stay safe and that he would hear from his daughter soon.  Probably a letter from Markarth.

I headed to Broken Tower and after fighting my way past the outer guard, I entered the fortress. I fought my way through the Forsworn in the tower. Strangely they were all women.  I found out the reason later but it seemed odd through most of the fortress.  They fought savagely but in the end they all died at the my hand.  It should stand to reason that the Forsworn and the Stormcloaks are bitter enemies. I finally reached the final room and for the first time I met a Briar Heart, men who have their hearts replaced by a Briar by a hagraven.  The battle was deadly serious but I prevailed once again watching his head slip from his body.

In this last chamber I found a shrine and statue to Dibella, both had been desecrated.  It became clear to me this man, this Briar Heart ,had been seeking to use the Sybil to gain the power of Dibella for himself.  He had shown he had some power over women. I would wager that every woman in this coven had also served time as his lover several times. I had stopped him from strengthening his power over women.  I freed Fjotra and once I told her she was the Sybil, she accepted without reservation.  She urged me to get her back to Markarth.

The journey back was not without incident.  First, we were accosted by another group of Cultists of Miraak.  I killed them all and was glad that Fjotra had the sense enough to run and hide behind a rock.  She had this good sense again when another type of cultist attacked screaming something about a worthy opponent.  I killed him and found on his body a copy of the book – Boethiah’s Proving.

“This is next my child“, came Mephala’s whispering voice.

I tucked the book away and continued to Markarth with Fjotra.  We arrived late at night and I escorted her to the Temple and then to the Mother.  The Mother was pleased with my success and thanked me.  She told me to prostrate myself at the altar and Dibella would bless me. I asked what the Blessing would do.  She told me it would make men more vulnerable or more pliable to me.  She added, that my problem was I had let men take power over my femininity and I needed to take it back.  To enjoy being a woman and use it as power over men would cure me and the tool that would help me do that was Dibella’s Blessing.

I headed back upstairs and found myself a few feet away from the altar with its pool of sacred water. A thought struck me and I pulled off my pack and set it aside.  I laid the Ebony Blade on top of it. For the next few minutes I unfastened the buckles of my armor and let it all fall into a pile near my pack.  Finally I stood there only wearing a loincloth but with a last movement I removed it as well.  Senna remarked that I either was supremely confident or crazy to walk around without any clothes on. I didn’t’ feel confident, so perhaps I have finally lost my mind. Fjotra had followed me up and she remarked that I was naked with a giggle.  Senna glared at her and told her that in truth someday she would stand before the Altar naked as well as part of her duties as Sybil, so perhaps she should quit teasing.  Fjotra’s mouth closed and she backed away and sat down in a chair looking at the floor. I approached the altar naked and bowed down at the edge of the pool.  I then drank from it and then I felt Dibella’s Blessing.

I can’t say what the change was but I now feel as though men are in my power after so long of feeling I  was a victim of theirs. It has changed my attitude about how to approach them and use them.  I dressed and thanked Senna and the Mother who both said they were grateful for my help in finding the Sybil.  I wished Fjotra luck as Sybil and told them all if I was ever in Markarth, I would be sure to visit. I stopped in front of Senna and then quickly kissed her and left. She had a shocked look on her face but I thought I heard her mutter.

“Perhaps, you should train me.”

I am currently sitting naked at a table in my room in the Silver-Blood Inn as I write this journal. Beds of stone are surprisingly comfortable when you are pleasuring yourself and I haven’t felt this alive in body or spirit in a long time.  For the first time in a long time, I am not focused on my vulnerability as a woman but I am seeing my strengths because I am a woman.  That has given me a new sense of power and freedom  My next move is to listen to Mephala’s words to follow up on the book Boethiah’s Proving. I will read the book again in the morning and decide what to do.  For now though I am tired for many reasons and wish to sleep.

Next:

The Wayfarer – Evard Raven-Blood (Skyrim Fan Fiction) – Part 2, Episode 1 – ‘Bleak Falls’

‘Dragonborn, I need to get some more paper ”

I told scribe to fetch it and I waited with Maro looking at me.  I told him that this better be the last time I have to prove my loyalty or they were going to find me quite upset.

“Not my call, your beef is with the Emperor, not me. I am just…”

I called him a lackey.  He didn’t seem to like that very much but I then apologized.  He is right; not really his call. I need to realize I am simply becoming the grumpy old man more and more each day. Dealing with people does that to you over time.  The scribe returned with an armload of paper.  We got back to work.

We found ourselves leaving Whiterun and going back up the road we had just gone down.  We got back to the Riverwood Bridge then we followed a path up the side of the mountain and toward Bleak Falls Barrow.  We dispatched a wolf but pretty much had a free run until we found the watchtower.  Don’t normally go looking for a fight but bandits very rarely are going to let you pass without one.  Sure enough when we got close enough the three in the tower attacked.

My battle style is pretty much the same since this day.  I cast a flesh spell to protect myself, draw my sword and use my shield to block while looking for openings to attack.  There are exceptions to this style like when I face undead I usually have a turning spell in my hand as well.  I cast it until I either have turned them all or run out of magicka.  Once shouts became a part of my life, they became central to my planning every time I entered an encounter. My point is that my fighting style’s central core is flesh spell, shield and sword for the most part.

The bandits were quickly dispatched and I told Faendal to take what armor he needed.  I also gave him the Leather Armor I had received from the Jarl.  He was fairly well armed and armored when we were done and then we rounded the turn to Bleak Falls where we ran into other bandits.  I was thankful for Faendal at this point .  While I charged in to take them on up close he shot arrows into whatever target of opportunity he could find.  It carried the day for us as in a few short minutes we had killed six bandits and only took a few wounds. We entered Bleak Falls Barrows main door.

Inside we found two more bandits who before we dispatched them to Oblivion, we overheard a conversation about a claw in the possession of a dark elf named Arvel. He had run ahead with it and it seemed important to the bandits. We then killed and ‘looted’ them.

I must speak about this looting thing here to save time.  In any encounter I have ever had where there was looting afterwards, I have taken only what to me was valuable and only if I could confirm it belonged to the dead so was fair game to be taken.  I work very hard to not steal although I may have done so unwittingly.  I don’t in general take armor unless it is obvious that it is enchanted. I mean of the eight bandits we had killed at this time four were female.  It is tremendously disrespectful to them and the dead in general to leave them naked to rot. There better be a real good reason to do so.  Gold, jewelry, gems, etc. are always fair game but other things I assess as it happens. Besides I like travelling light.

Bleak Falls Barrow twisted and turned its way through the mountain.  We encountered one more bandit who was not a dark elf but he was more intent in flipping a lever in the floor and in so doing we saw him filled with poison darts. We solved the puzzle in the room first and the pulled the level and the gate opened.  This aroused some skeevers which we killed.  We continued on and then I felt cobwebs on my face.  There was a Frostbite Spider in a chamber beyond some webs over the door I had to cut away.  It was a Giant Spider but it looked to have already been in a fight. I circled it slashing and blocking while Faendal put arrows into it. It fell eventually.

It was here that we found Arvel the Swift caught in a web.  I asked about the Golden Claw and he told me that he had it and knew how to use it to unveil the secrets of the ancient Nords.  I laughed but then cut him down which is at the same moment he called me a fool and ran.  I was ready for this and slashed with my sword and cut him.  He continued to run until he turned around and drew his own sword to face me. It was a short battle as he struck my shield but he didn’t have one.  We continued on and this is where we found the draugr.

It was in the next few chambers that I let loose with my Turn Undead Spell. Draugr fled but I simply did not have enough magicka to get them all, so shield and sword work was also necessary. Faendal and I cleared the Barrow and soon found ourselves in the Hall of Stories.

A quick reading of Arvel’s journal and a look at the golden claw and I figured out what was needed.  I turned the circles so the symbols match what was on the claw and then placed the claw on the center and twisted it. The door opened and fell downward into the floor . Following the stairway up we found the main chamber which was dominated by a raised central area which in turn was dominated by a Word Wall.

There would be a lot of firsts in Bleak Falls but the most notable was when I approach the Word Wall and heard the chanting for the first time.  Faendal said he didn’t hear it but as I approached a Word on the Wall was glowing and as I approached it; it dominated my sight.  Then I understood what it meant – ‘Fus’ or ‘Force’.I shook off the buzzing in my head and turned back to the coffin that was in the center of the chamber.

As I approached a draugr burst out and attacked us. Faendal circled firing arrows and I did the dame with my sword and shield.  I was thankful for my flesh spell a couple of times and it was the first time a shout was used against me. It hit me and I dropped my sword.  I quickly snatched it back up and finished the battle.  We found the Dragonstone on him.  We looted the area and then I saw the one staircase leading up.  I followed it and found a level that opened a secret door that looked like a rock wall  We found the last chamber and the exit. We felt the sun on our faces and breathed the clean air.  We had survived Bleak Falls Barrow.

The Blacksmith’s Daughter (Skyrim Fan Fiction) – Part 5, Episode 10 – “Two Loose Ends”

Journal of Anya Fire-Heart – Tirdas, 30th of Hearthfire, 4th Era, Year 201

“Two Loose Ends”

This morning I set out to accomplish two ends.  Visit the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary and turn in my contracts and then visit Jorrvaskr to talk to Aela about what was next in our war with the Silver Hand.  After a good and filling breakfast, I headed to Falkreath and then ran to the Sanctuary.

Things were a little out of sorts as the Night Mother and her Keeper had arrived.  There was a pretty hostile conversation between The Keeper Cicero and Arnbjorn at first when I came in but Festus Krex stood up for the jester assassin.  Yes, I did recognize him as the man I had helped get his wagon repaired so long ago.  Astrid eventually settled things by both telling Arnbjorn to show both The Keeper and the Night Mother some respect and told Cicero that she was the head of this sanctuary.  This seemed to settle things for the time being.

Astrid told me she had a more complicated contract.  I was to go to Markarth and make arrangements with a Muiri at the Hag’s Cure for an assassination.  Because it was my first big contract I could keep the payment.  I was to handle myself professionally and with discretion but the means was left up to me.

Cicero was very thankful to me and gave me all kinds of information on his role as Keeper and the Night Mother. He seemed to be concerned that the Night Mother had not picked a new Listener.  The Listener is the highest honor in the Dark Brotherhood as she hears the Night Mother’s Voice to know who is looking for a contract.  He offered a hint that he was waiting for someone to say certain words that would reveal who the Listener was going to be.

The situation is rather awkward as I made my rounds and talked about the current state of affairs in the sanctuary and my latest contract.  Only Gabriella and Festus seem genuinely supportive of the old ways and the Night Mother being returned.  Both however still expressed concerns about the Keeper.  That last part was pretty universal as Cicero is not trusted very much as he is both new comer to them and well … probably insane.  As far as the Night mother was concerned everyone has a passing respect for her but it is kind of like those who show up for worship of he divines and then go home never thinking about them again until the next worship day.  Sithis is always respected highly.  My own view is, that while Astrid may be correct about having to do what was needed to survive, the abandonment of tradition and discipline is also part of the decline of the Dark Brotherhood as a whole.  We are not feared and we need to be.

My contract was a different story as some expressed disbelief that I was handling everything from beginning to end as usually Astrid was the one who arranged the contracts.  This meant to some that I was being tested as far as my abilities.  It wasn’t just about the kill this time.  There were also some suggestions that I should not waste a trip to the Hag’s Cure or Markarth for that matter.

I left the sanctuary and traveled to Whiterun, stopping in Falkreath to hop on my carriage for the rest of the trip.. Entering the city at mid-afternoon, I found my way to Jorrvaskr.  Aela looked relived to see me at last and I gave her the fragment of Wuuthrad.  She told me that she felt Kodlak might know what we were doing because he had requested to see me.  I went to him in the basement of the mead hall and he asked me to sit down.

Our conversation centered around why we were taking on the Silver Hand.  He felt vengeance had already been taken.  I objected saying that the Silver Hand will never stop until we are all killed.  They had started this war, I was aiming to finish it.  In any case our conversation shifted to the Beast Blood.  I told Kodlak it was my understanding that a curse had been laid upon us.  He said that was only partially true.

The matter of Beast Blood has only gripped the Companions for a couple hundred years whereas the Companions have been around for thousands of years. It is a recent phenomena that was created by a short-sighted Harbinger who traded with the Glenmoril Witches for the power of he Beast Blood.  The Companions were cheated and since then the Blood seeps into the spirits of all the Companions so they are claimed for Hircine.  Kodlak wanted to be clean. He felt that only by taking the witches heads could they begin to reverse the process of the Beast Blood.  I agreed to perform this task and he left me with the words: “Talos Guide You Lass”.

I personally feel my Beast Blood inside.  I however has not transformed since that first time.  It is like the Dragon-Blood keeps the beast in a cage.  I would be rid of it now that I know it is part of treachery committed by the Glenmoril Witches.  It cannot be trusted, so I need to consider getting rid of it myself although I am fairly sure it is what has kept me free from disease.  I left Whiterun and arrived back at Lakeview Manor as the sun was setting. I spent some time smithing until now when I am writing just before heading to bed.

All things considered, I can see some things converging and coming to a finale.  Markarth however calls me and now I have another reason to go – I could do the contract arrangement for the Dark Brotherhood and while their I could visit the Temple of Dibella.  I can’t shake the feeling I will find some answers there and perhaps some healing.  I will set out tomorrow for Markarth and on the return trip deal with the witches. They will know my fire and my steel.

Next: The Heart of Dibella