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SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
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previous day
4-202-01-05 06:58
Tower of Mzark, Blackreach, The Pale, Skyrim
We go to the next room which contains an enormous round thing of Dwemer metal. Around it is a spiral stone walkway that leads up. There we have to place the empty Lexicon into a special space on a device and press the right buttons in the right sequence. It's impossible to guess right, so I have to ask Bardslayer to help me out.
And then the huge mechanism lowers an oval-shaped container of marvelous green color.
It opens, revealing a scroll that I presume to be the Elder Scroll we came here to find.
[series of 2 pictures you can click through; click on the first picture to make it big, then click again to see the next picture etc.; press Esc to return to the text]
I won't open the scroll to make sure it's the right one (and I don't think I could tell the difference anyway). I just take it and put it into my inventory.
I'm awestruck by this whole experience. That machinery is so incredibly beautiful and magnificent.
Something tells me that the lexicon has been processed as needed, so I remove it from the device and we leave the way we came.
Now, that dead alchemist Sinderion we found yesterday had left behind a journal, which told about some curious experiments he was conducting and that he needed 30 Crimson Nirnroots which grow in Blackreach and which Avrusa Sarethi might know what to do with. So I figure we'll try to find them before we resurface. I already have 5.
Looking for them, I'm most surprised to find an entrance to Mzinchaleft. I've heard that's another Dwemer ruin, and it's obvious from the name too. I don't know where it is, but it's certainly not the same place as Alftand. So it would seem Blackreach connects to several Dwemer ruins.
Jenassa and Lydia remind me Mzinchaleft is the Dwemer ruin between Morthal and Dånstar where Mjoll of Bitchen lost her precious sword. Right. I remember now. But how is it possible we've come such a long way away from the Alftand entrance?
Whatever. We move on searching for those plants, and have to kill a few Falmers who attack us.
We explore the banks of underground rivers.
As I've told you, this location is simply amazing. For instance, that building looks amusingly sinister from this angle:
We come across another Falmer camp with two Falmers who aren't noticing us yet:
I retreat until we're out of their earshot and call a consultation.
The search for those Crimson Nirnroots is kind of fun, and I'd like to find out what can be done with them, but not at the expense of killing Falmers who are just leading their lives and not threatening us in any way. They attack us merely because they perceive us as intruders, and quite frankly it's hard to deny we are.
That wasn't very clear, was it? What I meant to say is we don't belong here and I feel bad about killing local inhabitants just to satisfy our curiosity about someone's research that doesn't really mean anything to us.
What do you think, girls?
Well, they are, shall we say, less conscientious than me, but they agree that we have no particular reason to kill those Falmers over there, and neither does that Sinderion dude mean anything to us, so they wouldn't object if I wanted to leave.
That's decided then. We use the last opportunity to take in the sights while we walk unhurriedly towards that Mzinchaleft Gatehouse we found earlier. I mean, being so close to Mzinchaleft already, we can just as well check the place out and find Mjoll's sword, if possible, rather than walk back all the way to Alftand.
Unfortunately, we can't get in. There's obviously a door that can be opened only from the other side. All we have at this end is solid stone walls.
So we exit the gatehouse and walk on under the glowing mushrooms until we reach an elevator.
This one takes us to the surface – the roadside between Stonehills and Pale Imperial Camp, quite near that very Mzinchaleft ruin.
The obvious course of action for us is to go from here to the imp camp and from there to Dånstar. We should inspect the guards, should we, Lydia? I'm a thane, after all.
Shut up, Laura, says Lydia, slapping my arm with mock annoyance.
On our way to the camp, we have to kill a dragon. Not too difficult one, although the heavy snowfall is somewhat inconvenient. The imps' secret camp is nearby:
Those white blots that appear to be in the sky are actually snowflakes that are very near.
After a brief trading stop, we proceed to Dånstar where I go through all the traders, giving Lydia time to be with Bjarne. I don't have much loot to sell, but as you may remember, I need to find out whom I sold the Staff of Magnus to. No one in Dånstar, as I'm to learn.
That tower up there is probably Nightcaller Temple.
Earlier I thought we wouldn't have enough time to return to Winterhold today, so I had planned on spending the evening with Gregor. However, when I'm done with my shopping, it's only a little past five. That's surely enough daylight hours for us to reach Winterhold. Then we can bring Septimus his Lexicon tomorrow morning and travel to Summerset early enough to have practically the whole day for looking around and finding lodging for the night.
As we travel eastwards along the coast, the weather is noticeably better than earlier today. When I run past a snowbear, it manages to lacerate me with its paw. That hurts, which is why I stop and kill the bear. Of course I could have just kept running and then healed myself without killing the bear, but I had to teach it a lesson. It just isn't nice to hurt people who are passing by, minding their own business.
Suddenly I notice something I've somehow missed so far:
Merciful heaven, what is that on top of that cliff protrusion? Too bad the sun will go down soon. We might not be able to find a way to that mysterious structure before darkness, and the darkness in this region is really very dark. That's why I, with more than a little regret, continue to run towards Winterhold.
Here's a cute fox for you:
Looking at the huge statue of Azura, I remember the question I keep forgetting and remembering: who is or was Magnus? That's something even Jenassa doesn't know. I ask Lydia who is running next to me who would.
"Why, a librarian's assistant, of course," she replies with a smirk.
Right! I look away, somewhat embarrassed.
West of Winterhold, on that hilly plain between mountains, we see two people fighting a snow-sabercat. We rush to give them a hand. It's Ria and Vilkas from Hviterun. Ria is friendly, but Vilkas doesn't seem to like us. I feel he either suspects me of having something to do with the murders in Jorrvaskr or is cross with me for having found out about them. I'd better not turn my back on him.
At the Winterhold inn, I realize Nelacar is such a rude jerk. I'm beginning to wonder if trading with him is really worth putting up with his attitude? Only the fact that he's Jenassa's boyfriend keeps me from saying something very nasty to him. How can Jenassa stand him, I can't imagine.
Other than that, everything is normal in the town as well as in the College.
Walking around talking to people, I take another shot at negotiating with Enthir. He is already sleeping, but I wake him up and tell him there must be something I can do to change his mind about Onmund's amulet. I mean, it costs nothing to find out what it is he would ask. If it's something indecent, I can always refuse.
Well, I'm lucky. Enthir has in the meantime heard about a rare staff he wants to have. He's been told it can be found in a certain location at the other end of Skyrim. That guy clearly has a weakness for unusual staffs. Good to keep in mind.
Enthir is grumpy at first because I woke him up, but then the businessman takes over. I find it amusing to watch this inner conflict, so while he explains me what the staff is like and where to look for it, I irritate him further by playing very stupid and making him explain things several times. Enthir clearly fails to see the funny side of it. He gets increasingly angry with me until I finally say I'll get him the staff and let him go back to sleep.
I know it's illogical to irritate someone from whom you need a favor. I don't know why I did it. But it all ended well. Enthir went back to bed and I... yeah, should I go to sleep or ask Onmund to come over?
After a little hesitation I tell Lydia and Jordis to sleep in my old dorm room tonight (which is technically still mine). Jenassa, of course, doesn't need to be told where to spend the night. Then I go and find Onmund and we make love in my quarters.
Actually, I had planned on trying to lure some more information out of him, but now I find I'm just too pleasantly satisfied to care about any mysteries. I hope he'll tell me in the morning if I'll be nice to him.
next awakening
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