An Honorable Nord

Journey through Skyrim the Commonwealth with Adelais, a Nord soldier who just wants to join the Stormcloaks and protect his homeland find his son and do the right thing. Spoilers for basically all of Skyrim Fallout 4 abound. Ask anything you like, Adelais will answer in-character questions, and I'll answer meta ones.

[honorablenord]

Hello again!

This weekend, a bunch of my friends and I are participating in the Extra Life gaming marathon, to raise money to help out kids at Shands Hospital for Children, here in my home city of Gainesville, FL.

We’ll be playing games (video, board, card, and otherwise!) from noon to 1 am on...

[honorablenord]

Reblogging cause we're streaming now! http://www.twitch.tv/groovegamersel

[honorablenord]

META: Extra Life charity drive

Hello again!

This weekend, a bunch of my friends and I are participating in the Extra Life gaming marathon, to raise money to help out kids at Shands Hospital for Children, here in my home city of Gainesville, FL.

We'll be playing games (video, board, card, and otherwise!) from noon to 1 am on both Saturday and Sunday.

We'd really appreciate any donations. Our team's page is here: http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=69129 

We'll be streaming all our gaming action on twitch at http://www.twitch.tv/groovegamersel  - expect to see Skyrim (of course), Arkham Origins, Rock Band 3 and Rocksmith 2014, Dance Central, Cards Against Humanity, Pokemon X/Y, Minecraft, tabletop roleplaying (probably We Be Goblins Too converted to Dungeon World) and lots more.

[honorablenord]

META: Hello glorious followers!

Hi there, Adelais's chronicler speaking here. This little story has reached 50 followers! Thank you all! I'm glad you're enjoying my playthrough.

Just so you know, the Ask box is open. Feel free to ask me or Adelais anything you like, or send suggestions about quests you think he should do. I've got a lot planned already, but if there's something specific people want, I'm certainly open to suggestions.

Also, it's quite possible that I might miss a post or two this week. My queue's run out, and between work, my usual Thursday D&D session, Halloween, and the various Halloween parties I'm invited to, I'm not sure I'll manage to get much playtime before the weekend, and there's a chance I'll be out of town this weekend too.

But hang in there, I have no intentions of stopping anytime soon. I should be back on track by Monday, if not sooner. And if you send in some asks, I can queue those up during the downtime. Full posts usually take me somewhere around two to four hours each to make, between both playing the game and writing the story, but answering asks should be much easier to squeeze in around my schedule.

[honorablenord]

The Burning of King Olaf

[honorablenord]

Turdas, 2nd of Frostfall

Morthal, despite being a hold capital, has little in the way of shops, so in the morning, Lydia and I take our breakfast at the inn and leave for Solitude, trekking through icy swamps and across the river.

We sell of some of the things we picked up during our trip, then head to the Bards' College to show the headmaster what we found in King Olaf's tomb. He seems surprised. He says he didn't think it would be there at all.

"Well," I start to say, "before you get too exci-"

"Oh no!" he says, already flipping through it. "This is damaged to the point of being unreadable! I'll never be able to convince Elisif to let us have burn the effigy without the poem! Even if we did have it...this is terrible. Bardic verse has come a long way since this was written."

"I guess… you could make up the bits that are missing?" I hesitantly suggest.

He seems reluctant, but says he could try mimicking the poem's style, if he can just think what to put in its place.

"Read it to us," Lydia says, "I'm sure we can come up with something exciting."

The headmaster reads us what's there, and between the three of us, we come up with an inspiring version that has King Olaf being a dragon in disguise, secretly using his dragon form to promote unrest between Solitude and Winterhold. Viarmo is excited, and asks us to come along with him to the court while he recites it to the Jarl and her court.

Lydia and I follow him. I have to admit being a little nervous about going in to the Solitude court. Especially after that business at the Thalmor Embassy. What if someone there recognizes me? The court gathers as Viarmo approaches Jarl Elisif. I try to look inconspicuous.

The Jarl loves the poem, and declares that the festival will be back on. I breathe a quiet sigh of relief, and Viarmo tells me to go inform a man named Jorn, who was in charge of preparing for the burning, and let him know.

I bow my respects to the Jarl, and head out from the court. I head back to the College to speak to Jorn. He's pleased to see me. He says the Festival will begin this evening after dark, and we should come back then. While I'm there I seek out the Dean of Lutes. "Excuse me ma'am, but I found this, in a bandits' stash, and I thought if anyone might be able to find it's true owner…"

"Can it really be?" she says, taking it from me, "This was stolen from this very College over a year ago. It's the very first 8-course lute ever created. I didn't think I'd ever see it again. I couldn't possibly pay you what this lute is worth-"

"I'm just glad it's found it's way home," I smile. "Please, don't worry about it."

[META: Maaan I was worried about this quest. I know that lute can be buggy if you find it before you get the quest, but it's no longer in my inventory and the quest says it's completed. She still has nothing but the "I've found Finn's Lute" dialogue option, but I'm just glad I'm not stuck carting it around forever. I'm also surprised I was able to turn it in before completing Tending the Flames. But she was standing there, so I clicked on her, and sure enough I had the option.]

Lydia and I explore the rest of the College, then go to get dinner while waiting for the Festival to begin. It's a nice festival… Lots of food, drink, and of course, the main event - Viarmo lighting the effigy of King Olaf aflame. He names me a bard, and says that a few of the other professors might have some favors I could do for them, since I'm the "adventurous type."

Eventually the party winds down, and Lydia and I head over the Winking Skeever, to buy a room for the night. I can't help but remember that here is where I kissed Lydia. I glance at her, the spiced wine in my belly thinking it might be a rather nice idea to try it again. But I suppress the urge. A bottle or two of wine doesn't have me that foolish. Yet. No...no. I shouldn't say anything at all. Besides, this is also where I met Malborn, and now the man is dead. That thought is more than enough to damp my spirits.

[honorablenord]

Lydia: I've got a bad feeling about this…

[honorablenord]

Middas, 1st of Frostfall

We wake before the sun, and start following the river again towards our original destination. We're nearly there when a dragon roars overhead.

"Another one?" shouts Lydia.

"Come on!" I charge towards it.

We slay it. Just a little further up the hill we find a broken earthen mound. It looks like the one at Kynesgrove. "That black dragon's been here too," I say.

"Nowhere is safe anymore," Lydia says mournfully.

"We'll find a way."

We make our way down the entrance of the ruins that supposedly hold King Olaf's tomb. And the poem. "Ready to find some history?"

"Find history, make history," Lydia grins, "all sounds good to me." "You're getting cocky, woman," I laugh.

"Either way," she says, pushing the door open, "let's not keep history waiting."

Inside, the entrance opens up into a large room. A glowing figure stands on the other side. "More ghosts!" I hiss, drawing my sword. But this ghost simply walks down the hall and fades away.

"Hey, what's this?" Lydia holds up an ornate dragon claw.

"Oh there is definitely a word in here," I say.

Her eyes widen. "Do you feel it already?"

"No," I shake my head, "but that claw… I've seen those before. It's a key...and behind the door, every time…"

"We'll need it then," she picks it up and all the draugr in the walls rise. "Well shit."

"No problem," I say, severing a draugr's head from it's body. "You are right that we'll need it."

We make our way further into the ruins, a virtual maze, occasionally catching glimpses of the ghost ahead. It must be leading us somewhere. Hopefully not into a trap.

In a room full of spiders, we seem to reach a dead end. The only way further is down a hole in the floor. "If we jump down there, I don't think we can climb out," I say.

"Hmm," Lydia kneels by the edge. "Yeah… Maybe if we tie a rope…"

"You sure?"

"Well we've come this far."

"Alright." I tie off a rope to one of the gratings and we climb down. More draugr await, and a bloodstained bridge. I open the gate to the bridge and slicing blades swing by all along it's length. "Ah," I say. "Hence the blood. Lydia, wait here, sometimes there's a switch on the other side of these things."

"Are you crazy?"

I shake my head. "Of course not. Remember?" Wuld. I time it when the blades swing up, and in a blink I am on the other side. There's a chain, I pull it and the blades stop. "Safe now!" I call across to her.

"Well," she says, walking across. "I guess that did come in handy."

Up ahead I see the ghost turn a corner. There's a door at the end of the hall, but it glows with some sort of magic and will not budge. The way the ghost took is clear. Clear but full of draugr.

We enter a circular room and the gate slams shut behind us. "Shit!" Lydia says, as draugr start crawling out of every direction. We fight them off, and she tries to open the gate. "It won't budge."

"Look for a switch or something," I say.

"Ahah!" She pulls a chain and both the gate we came in through as well as a grate in the floor leading to some stairs, opens up.

"Good, we're not trapped. Yet. Let's see where the stairs go."

Down at the bottom of the stairs is a hidden door. Behind it, the ghost sits, next to a long dead body. He looks like a young man. The ghost says nothing, but clutched in the hands of the mummified body is a book.

I pick it up and open it. "This is it!" I say excitedly, showing it to Lydia.

"But…" she says, "half it of is ruined…" Some of the verses are unreadable.

"Maybe the bards will know how to restore it," I say. "This is what we came for though." I close the book and the ghost vanishes.

"He must have been the bard," Lydia says. "Unable to rest until someone found his poem."

We head back up, but see the ghost again. This time he is near the door we couldn't open. The ghost seems to cast a spell and the door does open. He draws his sword and runs forward, fading into mist.

The hall ahead has a familiar style of door. "Let me see that claw," I say.

Lydia hands it to me and looks at the door. "Some sort of combination lock?"

I nod. "And the combination is on the key." I set the pattern, then press the claw against the door.

The hall beyond leads to a huge chamber. Draugr sit in chairs that line the sides of the room, and the ghostly bard stands before a tomb, his sword still out. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Lydia says.

"Olaf!" the ghost speaks at last, "It is time!" The floor rumbles, and draugr begin standing from their chairs, attacking the ghost.

"Let's help him," Lydia says, drawing her sword. We charge into the fray, as draugr after draugr rise and attack. Meridia's sword surges with power, as it performs what it was forged for: killing undead, and a lot of them.

[META: Man oh man that fight was fun, Dawnbreaker was exploding draugr left and right.]

When they stop coming, the ghost bard walks up to the tomb and calls out Olaf himself. The three of us fight together, until a lucky hit with a shout flings me across the room.

"Nng," I groan, dragging myself up to my feet. I need to get back over there.

"'Lais!" Lydia helps me up. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, just kill it!"

"We did," she grins. I look around. No moving draugr in sight.

"Oh."

"Don't sound so surprised," she smacks my arm. "I'm perfectly capable of killing a draugr on my own."

"Heh, that you are, Lyd." I rub my shoulder where I landed on it.

"There's one of those walls up there," she says. "Go on. Do your thing. The ghost already disappeared past that door."

I approach the wall, Lydia still at my side, letting the word fill my vision. She puts an arm around me. "It's still strange," she says, "watching you do that. It's like you go somewhere else."

"It almost is," I say, "It's like my world is nothing but the word, and then I just know it. Deep inside, and what it means, and what it does."

"What does it do?"

"Well, funnily enough, after those swinging blades, it's an extension of that Shout. I think I can burst even further now." We head through the door the ghost bard left through. It leads to a secret door that dumps us back at the entrance to the tomb.

"Should we camp here," Lydia says, "or do you think we can push on to Morthal? Might be nice to sleep in a real bed."

"And a hot meal," I nod.

There's a wicked snowstorm building up by the time we reach the city. There's some sort of commotion going on outside the Jarl's house. I try to listen in but I'm distracted by a courier, who hands me a letter. By the time I'm done dealing with him, the crowd is starting to disperse. I just heard something about wizards.

It probably doesn't concern us anyway. I open the letter. It just says that it's from "a friend" and that they've heard a rumor of a mysterious source of power in Ironbind Barrow that can only be unlocked by a Dragonborn. Strange… They probably mean a word, but...who is this person sending me a letter? I show it to Lydia.

"Hrm. Well I suppose it's worth looking, but a real friend would sign their name…"

We head to the inn, and rent a room and buy a hot meal. The innkeeper seems grateful for the custom. It is awfully quiet in here. The innkeeper says they don't see much business since the war started. A shame, it seems like a nice enough place.

[honorablenord]

Tirdas, 30th of Heartfire

"How're you feeling?" Lydia asks over breakfast.

"Conflicted," I say.

"Let's do something uncomplicated then," she says. "Why don't we go hunt down that lost poem? A nice walk in the fresh air, exploring ancient crypts, killing some undead… And who knows, the way these things usually go maybe you'll find another one of your words."

I tilt my head at her. "I thought the Voice scared you."

She frowns, looking down at her porridge. "It does still…but it's not like it's going to go away, or you can just stop using it… Especially with everything else going on. I… I don't know. You're still you, so as long as you keep on being you…"

I smile a little, "Well I'll certainly try. I have no intention of being anyone but me."

"Good," she says. "because you're the you I like."

"Does this mean I'm forgiven for ki-"

"No."

"Fair enough," I sigh.

We prepare our things and head out. It really is a lovely morning, and it's nice to not think about politics or dragons or war… Lydia and I travel in silence, but it's a companionable one. Comfortable. I let my thoughts drift.

My reverie is broken as we near the mountains, and we are attacked by yet another group of masked cultists. "Solstheim, you said?" asks Lydia as we cut them down. "Maybe we need to go look into this ourselves. Whoever these assholes are, they're persistent."

I frown. "It sure doesn't seem like they have any intention of stopping."

We keep moving. "There's so many fascinating looking ruins out here…" Lydia says. "You want to go in all them, don't you?"

"Yeah," she admits. "I have to say, I spent my whole life training to, well, essentially just be a bodyguard. I thought I'd be protecting someone from assassins in the city or brigands on the road. I never thought I'd get to have adventures like this." She looks longingly up at the ruins.

"There's ghosts on those walls," I say.

"What? Really?"

"I've rode past here before, got attacked by ghosts."

"And you didn't go up there to see why?"

"I was on my way somewhere."

She looks at me with big eyes. "After we find the poem…"

I laugh. "You want to go explore a haunted ruin."

"It's like a story. Maybe," she grins, "someday someone will be delving in ancient ruins to find a poem about us."

"As long as the epilogue isn't our deaths at the hands of ghosts because we were too curious."

"Oh come on, 'Lais," she says, "between the two of us? Ghosts don't have a chance."

A distant dragon roar stops both of us in our tracks. I scan the skies.

"Up there," Lydia points. "At the top of the mountain."

"Let's go kill it," I say.

"Oh so I have to wait for haunted ruins, but you get to kill your dragon straight off," she teases.

"We're close to Morthal," I say.

"I know, I'm teasing you. Poems and ghosts can wait, that dragon could attack the city at any time. Let's find a path up."

We wind up having to backtrack a bit, back towards the haunted ruins. "Let's try those stairs," Lydia points.

"The ones with a ghost on them?" I ask wryly.

"Well, yes, I don't see any others."

We fight past several ghosts, all of which seem reluctant to attack, claiming they don't want to, even as they fire ethereal arrows at us. "I think they're being forced…" Lydia says, "I wonder how…some sort of ritual that's bound their souls and kept them from Sovngarde?"

"Dragon first," I tease, even as another roar splits the sky.

A troll has taken up residence in the snowy pass that leads higher up the mountain. As we exit the other side, the dragon swoops down upon us. It doesn't land, forcing us to pepper it with arrows, then finally chase it up the mountain to its lair to finish it off.

I let my eyes close as its soul washes over me, a chant filling my ears and beating to the time of my heart. There's a word here too… I walk up to the wall and let it fill me. This word means weapon… I know in my heart that it will let me rip a weapon from someone's grasp.

Finally I look around. Human as well as animal remains litter the area. This dragon had been preying on people. Lydia is watching me quietly. I smile at her, reassuringly. "I'm fine," I say. "Done here."

She smiles back, a little hesitatingly. I want to make her smile more. "Should we go kill some ghosts?" I offer. "I mean, if we have to pass by the place anyway…"

"Okay," she brightens a bit.

We head back through the pass and down to the huge iron doors that are set in the side of the mountain, where the ghosts attacked us. We head inside. There are more ghosts, and the draugr that would normally be roaming a place like this are already dispatched. Strange.

And then I feel the word. There are no ghosts attacking right now. I walk towards the wall, needing to read it. Too late I hear Lydia cry, "'Lais! The floor!" and it gives way underneath me.

"Oh yessss," a man cackles, "greed does it every time. You've fallen for my trap. Strange that you didn't die from the fall though… most do." And sure enough there are other corpses floating in the water beside me. "Well no matter," he adds casually, "I'm sure I've something here that can end it."

"Oh no you don't," I push my way through the gate and strike him down. He must be a mage, because he goes down far easier than I expected. I look around the room for further threats. On his desk is a journal, where he speaks of torturing his victims and binding their souls to do his bidding. Dark, evil magic… He is the cause of the ghosts then. I call up the shaft to Lydia. "Just stay put! I'm fine, I'll find a way back up!"

[META: Isn't that gate supposed to be locked? Oh well. Opened right up for me.]

"'Lais? Okay," I hear her voice come down the shaft.

I make my way back up. This place is practically a maze! Lydia looks me over. "You okay then?"

"I'm fine. And I found the source of the ghosts," I hand her the journal.

Her brow furrows as she reads it. "Gods," she says, "I hope killing them again frees their souls."

"Me too…" I say, though I am distracted by the word.

She notices. "Go on, just don't be so obsessed you miss the trap door in the floor this time."

"I'll be more careful." I find a way around the trap door, so that I can reach the word safely. The chest in front of the wall, which I didn't even see until now, is empty. That must have been what the mage meant when he said his trap was baited with greed. Surely he doesn't get any Dragonborn down here.

I make my way carefully back to Lydia. "What is it this time?" she asks.

"I think you'll like this one," I say, "It means, 'Peace', and it's part of a phrase, calling upon Kyne, like so…" Kaan Drem. A feeling of calm fills the room.

"Oh," she says, "that is a nicer one…"

"Should we camp in here for the night?" I ask. "It's getting late."

She nods. "I think we've taken care of all the ghosts."

[honorablenord]

Morndas, 29th of Heartfire

I manage to catch some sleep on the carriage ride down to Whiterun, but it is uneasy and full of nightmares. I long to be home, but I need to tell Delphine what I found, and get my belongings back. I saddle up Allie, and ride her hard to Riverwood.

At first Delphine does not believe me that the Thalmor know nothing about the dragons. Her grudge against them runs that deep. I tell her the Thalmor are looking for a man named Esbern and her face lights up. She knew him, but assumed him killed by the Thalmor years ago.

Delphine says we must get to him before the Thalmor do. I tell her that they think he is in Riften, and she nods. "Probably hiding in the Ratway," she says, "It's where I would go." She tells me to seek out a man named Brynjolf. That he is well-connected in Riften. They way she says it...she's hiding something again. She also tells me that if Esbern will not listen to me, that I'm to ask him where he was on the 30th of Frostfall...that he will know what that means. She points out the chest where she's stored my things, then says she needs to get going.

She's not one for answering questions, that's for sure. But my things are safe, as she promised. I ride Allie back to Whiterun, sighing in relief as I unlock the door to my house. But as soon as I open it, there's a blade against my throat, a familiar figure pressing me against the wall.

"Lyd! Lyd!" I say desperately, trying to raise my hands. "It's me!"

"Oh gods, 'Lais…" She drops her sword and hugs me, pressing her face against my chest. "I've been so on edge… seeing assassins in every shadow..."

I sigh, leaning my head against the door, my arms around her waist. "It wasn't a trap… I'm fine, I swear."

She pulls away a bit and looks at me. "You're fine?" she asks, and I nod. "You promise?"

"I'm fine," I reassure her.

"Good," she says, then she slaps me, hard, across the face. "That was an asshole thing to do to me, Adelais Erde!"

"Nmph," I wince and rub my cheek. "I'm sorry," I say, "I just… If it was a trap… I didn't want to die regretting…"

"So if you'd died, you'd just have broke my heart instead?" she asks indignantly.

"L-lyd…"

She glares at me. "Don't you 'Lyd' me," she says tightly. "And you sure as Oblivion better not have thought you could just waltz in here and everything would be perfectly fine and I'd give you a welcome home kiss like some kind of fairytale."

"I didn't expect that… I deserved that slap…" "You bet you did." She folds her arms.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"I know you are, but that doesn't make me not angry." She purses her mouth. "But you have to be tired, so… come in, take off your armor and sit. And tell me everything that happened."

I unstrap my armor and sit down by the fire. "So the Thalmor have no clue about the dragons either," I say. "In fact, they thought it was Blades."

"Figures," Lydia says, handing me a bottle of mead and opening one for herself.

"They were torturing a man for information on a man named Esbern though. Apparently, he was a Blade that knew all sorts of things about dragons. Delphine thought he was dead, but it seems he's just been hiding out in Riften."

"Let me guess," Lydia says wryly, "Delphine's next task for you is to go find that man before the Thalmor do."

"That it is…" I say and take a long drink of mead. "There was something else I learned there…" I stare at the flames.

"Oh?" She tilts her head at me. "What is it?"

"Ulfric's a Thalmor pawn."

"What?" she says in disbelief.

"Oh not entirely willingly, and maybe not even knowingly but he is… Delphine was right about at least one thing. The Thalmor want this civil war. They want us to tear each other up, leave ourselves weak. They consider him an 'asset'… One that could still be tapped if the need was great enough."

"Oh gods…" She looks at me. "What are going to do when you're called in for service?"

"I don't know yet…" I finish my mead and wearily stand to fetch another.

"If Ulfric wins the war," she says, "Do you think Skyrim is strong enough to stand up to the elves without the help of the Empire?"

"Strong enough to do it, of course," I say, "But we'd all die trying, wouldn't we?"

She stares at her bottle then empties it. I hand her another too. "But the Empire's already shown they have no interest in standing up to the Aldmeri Dominion," she says. "They made that damned treaty in the first place."

"I know." I sit back down.

"So we're just damned if we do and...damned if we don't."

"The sooner the war ends the better," I say, "But back Ulfric, win the war, the elves will waltz in and crush us while we're still recovering, and the Empire will just sit back and watch. Convince Ulfric to back down or discredit him or kill him and we're right where we started. Denied our own religion. Just… ...just like the Reachmen. But do nothing and this war will drag on and on until the elves can crush us no matter who wins." I take a swig. "Hah!" I add, "or maybe the dragons will kill us all before then and it won't even matter."

Lydia reaches over and wraps her hand around mine. "The dragons won't kill us," she says, "I know you won't let that happen."

"I'm just a man, Lydia…"

"A man that eats dragon souls for breakfast," she says.

"Oh gods…" I put my face in my hands. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of this."

I feel her hand in my hair. "I know. And it's not fair. Not one bit. But if any man in Skyrim can bear it, if any man could find the right way through, I'm pretty sure it's you."

I look over at her. "I thought I was an asshole and you were mad at me."

"I am," she says, "and you are. Doesn't mean I don't still believe in you. Now come on, unless you just want to drink all night, you should probably go to bed. You've shadows under your eyes a mile deep."

"Drinking all night sounds like a valid option…" I sigh. "But I didn't hardly sleep at all on the way back from Solitude," I say, "Between the rough roads and nightmares. Dragons and Thalmor and wars and betrayal..."

"Then go to bed, come on," she pulls me to my feet and makes me go upstairs. "We'll figure it all out in the morning."

[honorablenord]

Adelais uncomfortable at a party, and pretending to be a Thalmor

[honorablenord]

Sundas, 28th of Heartfire [Part Two]

The carriage drops me off in front of the embassy, and I try to push away my worries and focus on the fact that I need to pretend to be the sort of person that would get invited to a party like this. I look around. The premises is gated, and there are Thalmor patrolling the walls. I am truly trapped in here.

There's another man who's also just arrived and upon meeting him, I wonder if I shouldn't worry so much. His name is Razelan, and he seems a dedicated drunkard.

I show the guard my invitation, heart pounding, but he accepts it without any suspicion. Inside I am greeted by Elewen, the Thalmor ambassador herself. I must stay calm and act like I absolutely belong here. She starts to ask me more about myself but is interrupted by Malborn, asking her something or other about the wine they're serving. I breathe a silent sigh of relief as she says we'll have to chat later and she heads away to take care of other hosting duties.

I get a drink and cautiously mingle. All of the people here are either important, rich, or both. Apparently even Razelan, who Maven Blackbriar derisively calls a drunk, yet also an important trader with the East Empire Company. I haven't personally met any of them, but I recognize some names. After some small talk, I make my way over to the bar where Malborn is serving wine. He loudly welcomes me, then drops his voice and says that if I can just create a distraction, he can help me slip into the kitchens.

Hrm. A distraction. I sip my wine and glance around the room. Erikur, some important politician from Solitude, is crudely leering at one of the serving girls, and Razelan is bemoaning that he's been cut off from more alcohol. I sit down next to him. He seems friendly enough. Actually… he weirdly reminds me of Sam… Maybe it's just the reek of booze on his breath. Suddenly I don't really want my drink anymore. "Here, have one on me," I say, giving over my nearly full cup.

"Why thank you my friend," he says, gladly taking it and drinking deep. "A kind soul… if there's ever anything that I can do for you in return you just let me know."

I smile, "No, thank you," I say. "Though...actually, I don't suppose you could...cause a bit of distraction, could you?" Of all the people in the room, he seems to be the least entrenched politically with the Thalmor… perhaps I can trust him for this one thing. If nothing else, he's probably too drunk to make enough sense to turn me in.

He grins, a wide sloppy grin with a touch of mischief to his eyes that reminds me even more of Sam. "You've come to the right man," he slurs, "that's my specialty." He stands, wobbling to the center of the room and starts a toast to Elewen. A very drunken, unflattering toast. All eyes are on him, the guards moving to surround him, obviously expecting this to go south. I slip towards Malborn.

He hurries me into the kitchen, where he blackmails the cook with her Moon Sugar use so that she'll say nothing. He takes me to a chest where all the things I had given him before are waiting for me. I feel an almost palpable sense of relief as I slip out of the party clothes and into my familiar armor. "Now go, quick," he says. "I have to lock the door behind you and get back before I'm missed."

"Thank you, for risking yourself for me," I clap him on the shoulder then quietly make my way into the embassy proper. I need to find this information and get out of here. Unfortunately I'm not quiet enough. Soldiers in the next room attack. I drag their bodies to the corner of a storeroom. Hmm… I wonder… I change into one of the dead men's robes, pulling the hood up around my face. It might be good enough at a distance at least. I try to adopt the arrogant stride that all high elves seem to have. Hopefully they won't see that I'm too short and bulky to ever be an elf.

I explore this part of the building but this doesn't seem to be where Elewen's office is. I head outside. My disguise works...sort of. The guards call out to see my face, but I just keep walking, trying to look like I'm far too busy and important to give them any time. I see another door into a different part of the building. I head for it, hearing swords being drawn behind me and I abandon all pretense and run inside, desperately looking for cover and finding it in a corner behind a large bushy plant.

The guards follow me inside but weren't fast enough to see which way I went. Thank Talos… hopefully they do not search the room too thoroughly. Nearby, I can overhear a conversation. It sounds like they are talking about torture…

I wait until they leave, then start to carefully search the building. There's one guard patrolling the stairs. I kill her as quietly as I can and hide the body. Come on… there must be an office here somewhere… Then I see it… a heavy desk and behind it a chest, that is full of papers when I open it. I quickly leaf through them for anything interesting. Ah… a report on Dragons...one on Delphine...and one on Ulfric himself.

I read the report on dragons first. It seems Delphine was wrong. The Thalmor don't know any more about the dragons' return than we do. But supposedly they have a prisoner that they are currently interrogating. I wonder if he is still alive.

The report on Delphine is straightforward. It confirms that she was a member of the Blades...and that the Thalmor have been trying to assassinate her for years. Unsuccessfully. They still want her dead.

I open up the report on Ulfric and the first line makes my blood run cold. "Status:" it says, "Asset." The following words "uncooperative" and "dormant" do little to calm my racing heart. I devour the rest of the text… It seems the Thalmor have been using him, ever since the last war. It says they were about to prevent his death in Helgen, but the black dragon attacked and took care of it for them. They still consider Ulfric an asset and potentially even one they could contact directly, but don't want to cause the Stormcloaks to win the war either. They want to weaken us. Let us tear ourselves apart from the inside...probably so that they can swoop in and overwhelm us any time they want. Shit. I have to get out of here…

I need to find the person they were interrogating. If the Thalmor are right and he does know something about the dragons….

I head down to the basement. The notes said something about the prisoner being in the cell closest to the office. And yes, there are cells down here. And a Thalmor, with his back to me, sitting at a desk. I wonder if I can kill him without drawing attention. I got lucky with the guard on the stairs, but there are bound to be more guards in a prison.

I hear the creak of hinges, and a low moan. Shit… there is a man in that cell. He was so crumpled in his bonds I did not even see him before. He begs the guard to stop, that he knows nothing, but she starts beating him.

I creep into the room. If I startle them, will they kill the man? He moans and tells them there is a man in Riften who might be the person the Thalmor are searching for. They beat him some more. I can't stand any more of this. I stand and swing at the man, as he jumps up from his chair, fire springing to his hands. The torturer too, leaves her off the prisoner and comes to try to kill me. I cut them both down.

On the desk is one more dossier. It's about a man named Esbern. The Dragonlore master of the Blades. The Thalmor think that if anyone would know why the dragons have returned, it is this man. In fact, the Thalmor think it could even be the Blades themselves that are responsible for the dragons' return.

I'm headed for the cell to try to free the man when I hear the door open. "Stop right there, spy," a Thalmor guard orders. "We've got your accomplice, move and he dies." They've got Malborn.

"I'm dead already," Malborn says, and kicks his captor in the shins. I run up the stairs, pushing Malborn behind me and meeting their blades with my shield.

"Are you alright?" I ask Malborn as the Thalmor fall.

"No," he says darkly, "I can't believe I let Delphine talk me into this. Now the Thalmor will be hunting me the rest of my life!"

"She's good at hiding," I say, "I'm sure she'll help you. I got the information we needed. Let's free the prisoner and get out of here."

I unlock the prisoner's shackles. He says his name is Etienne. He's from Riften, and he doesn't even know why the Thalmor thought he knew something. He thinks he knows a way out though. He says he's seen the Thalmor dispose of the bodies of other victims.

The trap door leads to ledge, overlooking the lair of a frost troll. Scattered bones confirm that this is indeed how the Thalmor have been disposing of the evidence of their tortures. Outside the cave, Malborn runs off immediately, and Etienne thanks me for the help before heading out his own way. The sky is just beginning to lighten. It's nearly morning. 

It's cold and I'm tired, my head swimming with uncomfortable thoughts about the war, and I wish I had Allie here, to ride back to Solitude, or even better… Lydia…

It takes me a bit to get my bearings, as I'm not sure where this cave let out but I find the road and what is hopefully the right direction. I see a body lying at the side of the road, and feel a sharp pang as I realize it's Malborn. I look around for Thalmor, then whirl as I hear running feet. It's Etienne...he didn't…he didn't kill Malborn did he? I set down the road after him, senses alert.

Suddenly Etienne is running back my way, a pair of Thalmor Justicars on his heels. Nevermind. They must have killed Malborn, and now they seek Etienne too. I draw my sword and slam into them, glad that they both turn to me as the greater threat. I don't think I could have saved Etienne if one had continued after him while I fought the other. "Just run!" I yell, and he does. I hope he makes it. Another Thalmor further down the road raises her magic against me, and I kill her too.

I slowly make my way back to Solitude, alert for any more Thalmor, but to my surprise it is instead a Haafingar guard that stops me, claiming I've committed a crime. My heart pounds, this is Imperial lands after all and they do bend to the Thalmor's will… yet he says it is only a 40 gold fine, that if I pay it I am free to go. Warily I surrender...but the guard was telling the truth. I pay the fine and am released from custody.

What did I do? Was it merely a shakedown? I need to rent a carriage, get back to Delphine and reclaim the rest of my belongings, then lay low away from Imperial lands for a while. And face Lydia…

[META: Omg. I'm pretty sure Etienne saw me "assault" the Thalmor that were chasing him (but not red to me yet) because when he saw the bodies, he said one of those generic "What happened here, help!" things. So now I have a 40 gold bounty on my crime record. >_<]

[honorablenord]

Sundas, 28th of Heartfire [Part One]

"I feel like there was something I was supposed to do next time I came to Solitude," I say to Lydia, rummaging through my pack.

"Oh?" She's already ready to go, of course.

"Yeah…" I say, distracted. "Oh! Yeah! This book," I hold it up sheepishly. "I drunkenly agreed to drop it off for someone."

"This wasn't that same night you almost married a hagraven, was it?"

I cringe. "No, no… before that actually. I mean, I didn't make any promise about promptness, just that I'd do it next time I was here… Didn't really think it'd be this long though. Oh I found this lute with a bunch of stuff some bandits stole...I was going to bring it by the Bard's College here, see if they'd know who it belonged to. It's too nice a lute not to be someone's..."

"Well you do all that," she says, "I'm going exploring."

"Meet you back here for lunch?"

She smiles. "Sure thing."

Conveniently, the man I'm supposed to deliver this book to is at the Bard's College, according the note I have scribbled down on a sheet of paper tucked inside it. I head there first.

"Good morning," a high elf is in my face almost as soon as I enter the building. "Are you here to sign up for the college?"

"Uh…" He caught me a bit off guard. "Not exactly, I have a delivery for a man named Giraud, and also, I found this lute… it had been stolen by bandits and I'd hoped someone here might know the owner.

"Ah well when it comes to lutes, you'd want to speak to Inge Six-Fingers, she's our Dean of Lutes. But I'm afraid she's very busy. She doesn't really have time to speak to non-students."

"Well, I could just leave it with you…"

"Why don't up sign up for classes?" he asks. "Though we don't accept just anyone."

"Well I've never really thought I was all that good at music really..."

"There's more to being a bard than just music!" he says. "And right now I do have a task particularly suited to test a potential bard."

"Okay… What, what is it?" I say.

He tells me that Jarl Elisif has forbidden a traditional celebration called the Burning of King Olaf. Too close to her husband Torygg's death. He wants to read her an ancient poem to convince her, but it was lost. He says that Giraud, their historian, thinks there might be fragments in a nearby barrow.

"Well, alright," I agree, still not quite sure how I've gotten roped into this. But delving into barrows doesn't really phase me anymore, and I'm sure Lydia will love the idea of hunting down an ancient lost poem. "And if I find it, I can talk to your Dean of Lutes about this lute?"

"After the celebration, of course!"

"Of course… Ah, well, excuse me then, and I'll make this other delivery and see what I can do about that poem…" Lydia's going to make fun of me, I just know it.

I find Giraud and deliver the book, and ask him more about this poem. He seems quite excited that I've said I'll try to fetch it. The barrow is apparently the burial place of King Olaf himself. Knowing the barrows of Skyrim, it's bound to be full of draugr as well.

I do a little shopping, then head back to the Winking Skeever to meet Lydia for lunch. I tell Lydia about my mission for the bards.

Her face lights up. "Ancient lost poems? That's way more exciting than the adventure I found for us."

"Oh?" I ask.

"Well, I was just chatting with one of the local beggars after giving him some coin. He says he was a soldier, in the last war. He says lost his helmet in a nearby cave and ever since, his life's just gone further and further downhill. Offered to go fetch it out for him. But yours sounds more exciting."

"Well we'll just have to do both. Never hurts to do a kindness for a veteran."

As we finish eating, I spot a wood elf sitting on his own in the corner. I have a feeling that's our contact. I nudge Lydia. "I think that's the guy. I'm gonna buy our friend a drink there," I tell her. She nods, and I go buy a couple mugs of ale and sit down across from him.

I slide one of the drinks across the table to him. "Courtesy of a mutual friend," I say.

His face twists with both recognition and disbelief. "You? You're the one she picked? I hope she knows what she's doing."

I frown. "Well I am the Dragonborn," I say, my voice low.

"I don't know about all that," he says, "but this calls for subtlety and you do not look subtle."

I glance down at myself, then look back at him.

"Alright look," he says. "The party is tonight, but you cannot just walk into a party armed to the teeth. I can smuggle some things in there for you, but only the bare essentials. Just give me what you'll absolutely need, and I'll make sure you get it once you're in."

Lydia's hovering nearby, and with that she comes over to the table and crosses her arms. "And we can trust you?" she asks.

"You don't have a choice," he replies. I can see Lydia bristle.

"Stop." I raise a hand. "It's fine. I don't want call attention to us. I'll give you my weapons."

"And if he doesn't get them back, I will come and find you," Lydia adds threateningly. She leans down next to my ear. "I still think this is a setup," she hisses.

"I know you do…but it's going to be fine. I'll be fine. I promise. I'll meet you back in Whiterun."

"Of course...my Thane…" She steps away from the table.

"Bodyguard?" Malborn asks.

"Friend," I reply.

"Whatever," he says. I give him the equipment I think I'll need, though there's a pang of dread in my chest handing over my sword and shield. I've grown pretty attached to them. "Go meet Delphine now," he says when I'm done. "Your job is to get into that party without arousing any suspicions."

Lydia's leaning against the wall next to the door of the inn, her arms folded. She looks up as I approach.

"Lyd…"

"You'd better come home, that's all I have to say," her voice is tight.

"It's probably not a trap and...if it is, well, you know I can take care of myself." I try to sound confident.

"I know."

Of course if it is a trap, I'll be there, unarmed, unarmored, in building full of Thalmor… I remember how I felt, seeing Lydia again after escaping from Cidhna Mine, when I realized that I quite easily could have never seen her again. What if this, right now, is the last time I ever see her?

I touch her cheek, then, before I can change my mind, lean down and kiss her lightly on the lips.

"'L-lais…" Her cheeks are pink but her eyes are wide in shock.

"Now I have to make it out safely, if only to face the consequences of that decision," I nervously joke.

"You...but-!"

"Yell at me when I get home?" I say.

Her face crumples and she turns to look away from me, pressing her knuckles against her mouth. "Just go…" she says, her voice thick. I can her eyes start to fill with tears.

"Lydia…"

"Go, I said, just go. You already decided to go, so do it."

I turn and leave the inn, my heart heavy. Is she upset because I kissed her? Or is she upset because I kissed her now, before leaving? I guess there's no way to find out without finishing this mission. Either I'll come home to Lydia and… Or maybe I'll come home to find she's requested the Jarl to reassign her… Or maybe I'll not come home at all.

I find Delphine down at the stables, where she said she'd be. She gives me an invitation, some party-appropriate clothes, and offers to hold the rest of my things for me, assuring me I'll get them back. I nod numbly, getting changed inside one of the stalls, and give her the rest of my things. She's got a carriage waiting for me, and I climb onto it, hoping that today will not just prove to be a endless stream of mistakes.

[META: This post got really long, and there's still a whole party ahead of me. This feels like a natural breaking point, so come back tomorrow for the rest of the day's excitement.]

[honorablenord]

Loredas, 27th of Heartfire

"We shouldn't go too far today," Lydia says over breakfast, "we were supposed to meet that Delphine woman after a week and that's tomorrow."

"Hm…" I can't really think of anything in particular to do around town. "We could go ahead down to Riverwood today, maybe she's ready for us."

"I guess the sooner we deal with her the sooner we're done," Lydia says dryly.

When we arrive at the inn in Riverwood, Delphine grabs my arm. "Good, you're just in time. I don't think you were followed, come on." She leads us back down in the the hidden room in the basement.

She says she's got a plan to get me into the Thalmor Embassy. I'm to pose as a rich dilettante and attend one of the Ambassador's parties. Delphine has a man on the inside, posing as a servant. He's not the type to pull off a mission like this, she says, but assures me he can be trusted to get me in. I can see Lydia's expression grow sour. She says once inside, I should slip away from the party proper, and find the Ambassador's office.

"Fine," Lydia says, "if you really think this man can be trusted so much. Where do we go?"

"I can only get you one invitation," Delphine says, "It'll have to just be the Dragonborn. Meet with Malborn in Solitude and he'll help you dress the part. Then meet me by the stables and I'll get you your invitation."

I can see Lydia's mouth tighten. "It's alright, Lyd," I say, "sounds like this is going to be a stealth mission anyway, and, well not that I'm any good at it either, but two of us are more likely to be caught than just one."

"I'll go with you to Solitude then," she says, folding her arms, "then take a carriage home and wait for you."

"Thanks," I give her a small smile.

"You'd best get to Solitude right away then," Delphine says.

"We will," Lydia says, "Come on, 'Lais."

[META: I could take a carriage from Whiterun, but I'm kinda hoping to get attacked by a dragon. I'm out of souls. Besides, walking lets fun things happen.]

Shortly outside Riverwood, we hear a shout. "Your false reign ends now!" A fireball crackles past my ear.

"Oh not again," I hear Lydia say as she moves in to attack.

"I don't know what you people want!" I yell back in frustration as I strike one of them down. It's the men in the mask again.

I take on a second, and Lydia finishes off the last of them. "Ugh," Lydia groans as she cleans off her blade, "you know I almost wonder if it's that Delphine woman sending these assholes."

"What?" I look at her. "No, no way."

"Think about it," she says, "who else knew so much about this Dragonborn thing, and that you were dealing with the Greybeards? Didn't you first get attacked as soon as you got down the mountain?"

"Well yes but… they had a note… Something about stopping me from going to Solstheim."

"Delphine could be from Solstheim."

"Look, Lyd, I don't trust her yet either but I don't think she's trying to have me killed."

"Hmph."

By the Western Watchtower, where I fought that first dragon, the guards in the midst of a battle. "More of them!" I hear Lydia yell as I charge in to help. She's right. More of the same strange men, in the same strange masks.

"She knows we're walking to Solitude today," she says as we start back down the road again.

"Why the ruse of this mission then? Why not just ambush us in Riverwood?"

"I don't know… cover her tracks maybe."

I shake my head. "I don't know either, Lyd…"

"You're going to be alone in there," she says after a bit. "Trapped, in a building full of Thalmor and their allies."

"I know…"

As we continue on towards Rorikstead, I can see a dragon, hovering in the sky. "Shit!" I say, "That thing better not be attacking the town! Come on!" But as we get closer, I realize we're actually still quite some distance from Rorikstead...and that's not any dragon...that's THE dragon. The black one… A black beam of energy descends from the sky and the dragon's voice splits the air.

"Oh Talos," Lydia says, "what…?"

"It's like at Kynesgrove!" I run towards the mound, pulling my bow. The black dragon Shouts at the mound, and a skeletal dragon rises up, flame and flesh pulling back together. I try to fire on the black dragon, but it's already rising up and flying away, and I have to drop my bow to raise my shield against the newly risen dragon's flame.

We slay it, and I search the skies, even as the heat of the dragon's soul takes me, but the black dragon is long gone. I sigh and sheathe my sword. "Next time, 'Lais," Lydia says, "We'll get him next time."

A group of Khajiit traders apparently saw the whole thing. "You took its very soul!" one of them exclaims, and I can't tell if his tone is one of awe or horror or both.

"Come on, let's keeping moving." I brush off their questions.

Past Rorikstead, we're ambushed by bandits. "Not too bright, are they?" Lydia says as we finish them off. "We don't really look like the average travelers."

"Armed to the teeth, for one," I grin back.

The sun has set by the time we reach Solitude, so we head for the inn. I think this is where we are supposed to meet the contact anyway. Lydia gets us some drinks and I make some small talk with the locals, trying to get a sense of the city. I've really only been here the once before, and it was briefly. I don't see any one that matches Delphine's description of our contact though.

A few drinks later and I'm exhausted. "Let's get a room," I yawn to Lydia, "tomorrow morning we can explore the city, and then maybe meet this guy tomorrow night."

 "Sounds fun," she smiles, "I've never been to Solitude before."

[honorablenord]

The Pale Sword’s altar, and the waterfall beyond

[honorablenord]

Fredas, 26th of Heartfire

We wake before sunrise, eat a small breakfast, then continue on our way to the crypt that was our original goal, fighting off various wolves and bears on the way.

The bandits we fought off before still lie here, and there is no sign of the woman who said that she was falsely accused. Not that I really expected there to be. Inside, I can hear voices. I hold my finger up to my lips to Lydia, and we sneak down the stairwell.

A couple shots from my bow takes care of them, but draw the attention of a third in the next room. Scattered everywhere are notes from someone named Kyr, saying that he wants Eisa and Ra'jirr dead. Eisa must be the woman we ran into before.

Further in, we overhear some bandits talking. They mention the names Kyr and Ra'jirr, saying something about tunnels...hm. More bandits say that Kyr was angry, and something about a Pale Lady

We find a room that seems to belong to Kyr, based on the journal by the nightstand. These bandits set up to dig in here, supplementing their take by raiding caravans on the road. Their digging broke into some pre-existing tunnel system. He says there was a forest, and a sword, laid out on some monument. It must be the sword the woman talked about.

We find a note, this one written by Ra'jirr, to Eisa. In it he says that he's being haunted by something called the Pale Lady, that they must return the sword, so they can shut her away. Next to it is Eisa's journal. She talks of how they arrived, and how after they found the sword, Ra'jirr was plagued with nightmares. It all makes sense now. Ra'jirr must have stolen the sword to return it, while Eisa fled. The others blamed her, and now Kyr is hunting Ra'jirr down in the tunnels. I wonder what this sword is, what this Pale Lady is. I wonder if we can save Ra'jirr or not.

We make our way into the tunnels. "It's creepy down here," Lydia whispers.

"I know…" There's a pervasive and gloomy mist that seems to hang over everything.

We walk through a door, seemingly like any other you would find in the crypts, but on the other side… I hear Lydia gasp. There really is a forest down here. A man is lying on the ground, dying. He says that Ra'jirr is trying to return the sword. It must be Kyr. As he gasps his last, a strange ball of light zips past in the corner of my vision.

We follow carefully, and the forest opens into a clearing. I hear a man shout, and see a Khajiit fighting with a ghostly figure. "Come on!" I shout at Lydia, and we charge forward into the fray.

Ra'jirr falls, even as Lydia and I reach the strange altar in the middle of the clearing, and the Pale Lady attacks. The ball of light, of which there are many, and I now realize must be wisps, zoom past, stinging me with their cold fire as Lydia and I strike down the apparition. Once she falls, they flee.

On Ra'jirr's body is a strange sword. I pick it up and place it on the pedestal, but nothing seems to happen. I take it again. Still nothing happens. "I think we've defeated whatever shade guarded this place," Lydia says. "Do you think the sword is safe to keep?"

"I don't know…" I say, "You saw those journals. I don't want my dreams haunted. Let's just leave it be." I place it back on the pedestal.

"This place is amazing," Lydia says, looking around. "Look at this waterfall… And over there, a door! Let's see where it goes."

She sounds so excited I can't help but laugh. "Alright, let's go." But my pace slows as I walk up the steps. "Wait… Lydia! There's a word here…"

"Those things are everywhere," I faintly hear her say, as the word settles into my mind. "What have you learned this time?" She actually sounds curious instead of fearful.

Cold burns in my throat as the word gathers in my chest. "Stand away," I warn her, then demonstrate. Iis. Cold bursts forth from my lips, freezing solid the leaves on the trees in its path. They fall and shatter on the ground below.

"Nine above," she breathes. "I think I liked the last one better."

"I wouldn't ever turn it on you," I try to reassure her. "I'd only use it in self-defense."

"I know…" she says, "Come on, let's get out here." It's still light out when we emerge from the crypt, but the sun's set by the time we make it back home.

[honorablenord]

Turdas, 25th of Heartfire

Lydia wakes me for breakfast. "So...how did it go?" she asks.

"Well, I am one of them now but…"

"But?"

"Ah, it's not really something I should say, I guess. I learned something I wasn't supposed to."

"A bad thing?" she asks.

"Well, sort of yes."

"Are you going back?" She looks skeptical.

"I haven't decided yet," I say, "Not today, for sure... But they said I can ask them for more work whenever I'd like. But today I was thinking we could go explore that crypt, find out about that stolen sword. I know you wanted to," I smile.

"Well I don't want to get in the way of any obligations you have," she says.

"I missed having you at my side."

She gives me an appraising look. "Well, let's go then."

On our way to the crypt, we pass a burial mound. Something about it feels...familiar. "What is it?" Lydia asks as I slow.

"I…" I look at my map. "Oh," I say, "this must be… the Greybeards said there was a word here."

She frowns a little. "You want to go inside."

"Sorry…"

"No, we're already here," she sighs. "And I suppose if we're going to detour and wind up having to make camp, better here than up in the snows."

We head inside. Just inside the entrance is a long dead skeleton...and a journal. I pick it up and read it. It seems to be the journal of some ancient archaeologist. It speaks of a "Tongue Chieftain Kvenel" that was entombed here, and keys made of replicas of his weapons.

"Let me see," Lydia says, and I hand it to her. "Hmm… Well if there's secret words buried anywhere, I suppose it makes sense there might be something called a Tongue Chieftain. Maybe this Kvenel was a Dragonborn like you."

"So now you're interested in exploring, hmm?" I tease.

"Well, seems like there's some sort of mystery here. Could be fun," she says lightly.

Beyond the entrance, there is a huge door. It is securely locked and I can see the indentations to place the weapons. "Seem straightforward then," I say, "let's find these 'keys'."

Lydia and I easily dispatch the draugr that guard the ceremonial weapons. "Here goes," I say, and we each place one weapon it its matching niche on the door. Some inner mechanism clicks. I push the door open. Some strange sound awaits us on the other side. Like...water or… something hissing. As we move forward though, that sound is overwhelmed by the feel of chanting under my breastbone. The word is close. So very close.

"'Lais!" Lydia hisses, and I turn to see her fighting off another draugr. I try to shake off the lure of the word and help her.

"Sorry," I say, "I think I have it under control now."

"You'd better," Lydia says, "because here comes another!" She points ahead to a draugr rising from a throne. No...not just a draugr, a ghost. It's much tougher than the others but we persevere. On it's body we find weapons that look like the ones we used to open the door, an axe and a sword, except these thrum with power.

The word is calling. I struggle to remain more alert this time, to not let it overwhelm me until I am standing before it.

"What does it do?" I hear Lydia ask me.

"It's part of a phrase," I say. Laas Yah, I whisper.

She looks around nervously. "Nothing's changed. All the others seem to…"

"I can see your life," I say, "It glows. Even if you were on the other side of a wall," I gesture, "I could still see you." I look at her, and all the intertwined threads of her soul, pulsing ever so slightly with her heartbeat. "It's beautiful…"

Her pulse speeds. I can see it. "Let's head outside, see how low the sun is, decide if we should camp here," she says.

When we go outside, the stars are out, so we head back into the tomb to lay out our bedrolls for the night.

[honorablenord]

META: Level Progression - 30

Adelais is level 30!

Health 290, Stamina 200, Magicka 100

Gonna pump health from now on, I think my Stamina is feeling pretty comfortable.

Primary skills:

One-handed 74

Armsman 4/5

Bladesman 2/3

Fighting Stance

Savage Strike

Block 58

Shield Wall 2/5

Power Bash

Deadly Bash

Quick Reflexes

Deflect Arrows

Elemental Protection

Light Armor 62

Agile Defender 3/5

Custom Fit

Unhindered

Wind Walker

Smithing 58

Steel Smithing

Elven Smithing

Advanced Armors

Enchanting 64

Enchanter 4/5

Insightful Enchanter

Passive Skills

Archery 32

Lockpicking 50

Speech 49

Sneak 44

Crime Stats

Total Lifetime Bounty: 1000 (Forsworn Conspiracy)

Locks Picked: 67

Times Jailed: 1 (Cidhna Mine)

Items Stolen: 1 (Imperial Letter about Thorald)

Assaults: 14 (Still not sure what makes this stat go up)

Murders: 1 (same as before)

Trespasses: 3 (same as before)