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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
4-202-01-17 03:16
Dånstar – Falskaar Docks ship, outside Dread Coast, Falskaar
They wake us up saying we'll arrive in Falskaar Docks soon. It's pitch dark, so we have to take their word for it. But gradually a part of the clouds retreats
Under the starlight, we can indeed make out land, then trees, then the pier of Falskaar Docks.
There's another ship! Looks like Falskaar's isolation is coming to an end.
Halfway between the Docks and Borvald, it begins to rain and we're having just about enough light to see the road. For a second, I wonder if it would be possible to find the place from where Yngvarr's troops were launching those fire bombs from, but the next moment I realize they will surely be long gone by now.
The sun is rising as we cross the bridge from Amber Creek Mine to the village proper. A brief visit to the inn assures me nothing horrible has happened here while we were away. I wonder if the jarl is already up. Strangely enough, he is. Naturally, he has heard of Borvald's destruction by now, and he had heard from the people in the Docks that we had left the island. Now that he has us back, he is most keen to know if we had a chance to talk to the late Jarl Valfred in Borvald. I tell him I had, and that Valfred told me Yngvarr was trying to find something called The Heart of the Gods .
No, Valfred didn't say "has found". He said "is trying to". Why don't you listen to what you're being told?
Agnar's reaction leaves no doubt that this is something very serious. He clearly expects me to ask what The Heart of the Gods is, and when I don't, he tells me anyway. Nothing special, just another horrible magical object. I'm getting the impression there was a time on the planet Nirn when people did little else apart from constructing things capable of destroying the world and then sealing them off so they could never be used.
Before I have the chance to quite fall asleep, the jarl orders me to take a seat at the table while he gathers up the others. That'll be the monk from Bailun, Brother Thorough or what his name was, and the two merry game-and-girl-hunter brothers Ulgar and Svegard.
Looks like that's not my seat.
The five of us sit down at the massive table in front of the throne. My followers remain standing nearby in case something will be required of them, as does the jarl's wife Jalma.
In spite of having slept really well on the ship, I struggle hard to keep my eyes open through this tedious session of mythology and drama. They say if Yngvarr gets that Heart thing, he'll be immortal. Now, from what I've been noticing so far, Yngvarr doesn't seem exactly happy with his life, so why would he want it to last forever? Well, I don't think anybody around this table would be able to answer that, nor, for that matter, appreciate such a frivolous question.
The point is: in order to use The Heart of the Gods, one needs five things referred to as "Keys". One of them, as Jarl Agnar reveals to general astonishment, is right here, in the necklace of Jalma. One Key has been held in Staalgarde which is Yngvarr's capital, and one, we must presume, he got when he conquered Borvald. That leaves two Keys which we'll have to secure, says the jarl. Too bad we don't know where they are.
Oh, but we do, says Brother Thorlogh.
Everyone holds their breath. Even my bored sleepiness retreats briefly.
Thorlogh names two locations which (surprise) have fallen into the hands of draugrs and evil mages, respectively. So we have to form two strike units and go and get the Keys as soon as possible – before Yngvarr somehow finds out where they are.
The jarl and Brother Thorlogh will take the mages' den and Svegard and Ulgar will take the draugr nest. It's now up to me to decide which of the two groups me and my girls shall join. The other group shall take four or so guards with them. We can't have too large a force because, firstly, we don't want to attract attention and, secondly, we can't leave Amber Creek unprotected.
I'll go with the jarl. The draugrs throw me off balance too much.
With that decided, the Hjorgunnar Brothers leave without further ado. I suggest the jarl go on ahead. We'll catch up with them. He instructs me to meet them just east of the mountain pass on the highway to Borvald.
We go shopping now. I also say hello to my boyfriend Oudin. I'm amused to see he has put Jonulv to work and has now plenty of time to talk to me.
I won't hang around, though. Just a quick peek at my house and its new living room. It feels just like a proper home and I'm sure it'll get even more cozy after we'll find some beautiful things to fill those empty shelves with. Not now, obviously.
We also find a hidden switch in the basement that opens a passage to a secret cavern with a pond and a small waterfall. It's not all that spectacular, but at least we now have a private place for bathing.
My thoughts go back to my father. I wonder what profession he chose after he gave up soldiering. And how did I end up a warrior? "Probably because of that Dragonborn thing," says Lydia. "What with your memory loss and all. People don't lose their memory just like that. Someone's set you up big time." When you read what she said, it looks grave and tragic, but the way Lydia says it, I find it hilarious. The thing is, I feel confident now that my memory will come back. Knowing that, it's easy to take it easy. I don't mind if it'll take a couple of years. But right now we really must get going to our rendezvous with Agnar and Thorlogh.
As we pass by the jarlery, I just quickly step in and order porch decorations from Jalma. They'll be ready in a couple of days.
Then we cross the bridge and head northeast under the blue sky and warm... yeah, winter sun.
When Falskaar was first settled, its climate was enhanced by powerful magic which is long forgotten by now (or possibly sealed off in some secret place). At least that's what they say here. I can't remember if I told you already.
I don't quite understand why the jarl is so worked up about those two Keys. We've got one, haven't we? It's not like Yngvarr can use 4/5 of the Heart with four Keys. He needs all five. With four of them, he can't to anything at all. And if we get the last two, and he attacks and overwhelms us, he can just as well take away three Keys from us as he can take one, can't he? Remember how Arnand had all the crystal fragments on him and Vernan overwhelmed him and got them all?
But I'm not the right person to tell it to Jarl Agnar. I've got one hole too many to be taken seriously around here.
Shortly after the Middle Falskaar mountain pass, we meet Brother Thorlogh who takes us to our destination where Jarl Agnar is waiting. There are stone walls and statues around a round-hole-in-the-ground structure, on the bottom of which is an entrance to a passage that leads to a deep fortress-like dungeon. We have to descend several floors, killing mages along the way.
I have been very worried about Agnar and Throrlogh who, presumably typical dumb Nord berserks, can be expected to endanger themselves recklessly. You will probably laugh when I tell you that they in fact behave themselves, more or less, while I am the one to be struck down in one battle where we face at least half a dozen enemies. It's been ages since I've gotten actually incapacitated in combat, and it's very scary, as well as embarrassing.
Yes, that's me. Laura the Dragonborn, the supposed savior of the world.
Fortunately, my followers are on top of it. They survive the battle, as do our two local allies, and put me back on my feet.
Recalling that unacceptable blunder, I can't really think of anything I could have done differently in this limited space, apart from (of course) staying behind the backs of others, which is obviously not the way of conducting a battle when you are in fact a stronger warrior than the others.
So I'll just take this as yet another reminder from the gods that I ought to not get too high an opinion of myself. I guess that includes trying to decide on Jarl Agnar's behalf what is the best policy in Falskaar power struggles.
At any rate, we get that stupid Key and the jarl says we'll return to Amber Creek where we will hopefully meet up with the Hjorgunnar brothers and discuss what to do next. He and Thorlogh leave immediately. I tell him the girls and I need a little rest and will follow shortly. In fact, we go meticulously over all the dead bodies and chests and urns to grab everything valuable.
It's past six in the evening when we start our journey back.
We arrive in Amber Creek at seven. Before going to the jarlery, I urgently need to do some shopping. More precisely, I just need to talk to some normal people about some peaceful things, and while I'm at it, why not trade some as well?
I go to the blacksmith Rangarr first, then chat a little with Svea who has already closed her shop for today, and Klara who is returning to the inn from some errands. Klara has heard a rumor that some ancient word wall somewhere has suddenly started to glow. I try to look amazed.
I walk to the inn together with Kunnari, and politely refuse Njola's offer to have some Amber Mead. After a nice conversation with Mecaius (the assistant blacksmith whom we rescued on the first day here, remember?), I finally feel composed enough to go to the jarl's house. Just like the last time, I'm taking my followers with me, so I won't have to re-tell them everything afterwards.
Just as I had expected, I will have to endure another lengthy discussion... or maybe that's not such a bad idea after all? As long as they let me sit closer to those pies...:
The meeting is very similar to the last one and results in me and my girls being sent to a place in the southwest called Watervine Chasm. Highly dangerous, of course. Everybody else has extremely important things to do in Amber Creek, and frankly they don't seem all that optimistic that we'll come back alive.
It's almost 11 in the evening now. Having instructed my girls that they may enter the house one hour after me with supreme quietness and sleep on the ground floor, I hurry to Oudin. I need him urgently after all the above. As we undress in the beautiful bedroom in the basement of my house, I can see he's been eager to meet me too. Our lovemaking doesn't last very long, but I'm immensely happy just to lie in the warm bed afterwards in the kind of comfort and safety only a man's arms around you can provide.
next awakening
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