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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
4-202-04-15 06:14
a tent, Ter'Avina, Dreamborne Isles
It's a nice sunny morning. We bathe in the nearby river. Then we set out towards those mountains south-southeast from here where Greagor suggested the dragons took the ship's mead supply to. I couldn't care less about the mead, but if the dragons took it there, they may still be there, or at the very least there might be some clues about them.
As a matter of fact, the mountains were actually visible from the harbor area, as was the strangely-shaped bridge leading to them. We will now try to find a way onto that bridge.
Well, we can't.
We have to go into the water and swim around for a considerable time until we spot a patch of grass between those steep rocky slopes where we can actually get on land. After some moderately difficult rock-climbing, we're at the other (farther from the city) end of the bridge.
We trot towards the mountains and across a smaller bridge. I spot something that looks very much like a sitting dragon. It's very likely I could hit it from this distance.
Wait! What if they're friendly? Maybe we can talk to them. Maybe they have some kind of a grievance? Maybe we can help them with something they need, and solve this matter without bloodshed?
I order the girls to remain here and stay out of sight while I sneak closer. I can now see another dragon sitting near the first, just on the other side of the path. Earlier he was obscured by the hill to my right.
A few moments later, I learn they are hostile after all. I hastily grab my bow and take a shot at one of them, and I'm shocked to see him take only very little damage. I'm in big trouble here!! Before I know it, I'm hit real bad, and burning, and all I can see are blinding white flames. Fortunately, I don't panic. I take a health potion and begin to run around, taking a shot whenever I can see. This is no time for any finesse or tricks or tactics. Just strongest arrows from my strongest bow at anything I can see moving.
I have told you in the past that a dragon sitting on the ground and spewing fire at you is not really a problem, because you can shoot in its direction and you're almost sure to hit because a dragon is so big. This is different. The two dragons and one or two more I've seen rising up out of the corner of my eye are circling around me. I'm in the open and I'm burning. Instinctively, I try to run away, but I can't, because the fire is on me, it moves along with me, because it's my body that is burning – yet I can't help it, I just have to run away, even though I know it's futile.
I keep taking health potions every once in a while, and eventually I kill the two dragons. Now, what about those others? I'm seeing one float behind a nearby hill, and then it sinks out of my view. Guess my followers shot it down. They are bound to have noticed all this and run to my help.
I have barely finished healing myself when the girls are all over me, crushing me with hugs and drowning me in tears. Take it easy, it wasn't that bad. Um... yeah, it was.
I let the girls cry their fill and then we go check out the dead dragons. They're not real dragons. They're actually called Mutated Zombies . They must have been the last of those bird-people, defending their island all these years.
Well, not necessarily the last ones. Let's go up those stairs and see where they lead.
Quite near is a word wall, but it's a dead one. No glowing symbols, no new useless dragon shout for me.
I'm not very surprised, after those dragons weren't real either.
A grassy slope leads up to wooden stairs. They become narrower the higher we get.
From left: Lydia, Laura, Jordis, Jenassa.
Very near the top (of this mountain), we find a really large wooden keg.
This must be the one we're looking for. Or, well, we weren't actually looking for it, but now that we've found it, we'll take it back to Greagar. He did us a service pointing us to this place, so I shall grant him his wish and let him drink himself to death if he wants to.
No, not really. I'll take the keg to Captain Valkus. He'll know better than me how much alcohol is good for his crew members.
Now, I know what you're going to say, and you'd be right – no woman can lift that thing, let alone carry it down along those precarious wooden stairs. But I have a magically enhanced inventory, remember?
The point is, there doesn't seem to be any more of those undragons. And the view is very nice.
That pavilion is not connected to the mainland.
We came out of the water somewhere near the closer end of the bridge, on the left side.
My battle with the zombiedragons took place beyond the lower edge of the picture.
The cadaver you can see on the left is one of the two killed by my followers behind me.
We came out of the water somewhere near the closer end of the bridge, on the left side.
My battle with the zombiedragons took place beyond the lower edge of the picture.
The cadaver you can see on the left is one of the two killed by my followers behind me.
You've no idea how happy Captain Valkus is when I bring him the news. He was (with reason) afraid that as soon as they begin to repair their ship, the dragons would notice it and attack them again. Now he says they can set to work and he is confident they can make the ship seaworthy again and go on with their trading. He also thanks me for bringing the mead to him and not to Greagor. He says I'm welcome to stay (he's still not seeing my followers), but in case I'd like to get away from here sooner, maybe Lorcano will be able to give me good advice. The word is he has found some ancient books.
Well, looks like our work here is done – apart from finding that Lifegiver river, as well as our unknown elusive friend Aulbryn. But I want to leave. This ghost town is too sad a sight.
We walk around some more all the same. All we can find is an abandoned temple.
It has breaththakingly beautiful paintings or murals or what they're called. Here are two of them:
Now, what about returning to Skyrim? Valkus made it sound like it's impossible without repairing the ship. But can't we really go back the way we came? Let us at least take a look before we go to talk to that lunatic Lorcano again, and before we start exploring crazy places like that Grand Starchamber.
We are soon to find out that the portal to Elysian Ascent works both ways, and so does the portal from Elysian Ascent to Dreamborne Isle.
Once again I assumed things to be more difficult than they really were. Captain Valkus sent me to Lorcano simply because his men hadn't found the portal.
Should we go back and tell them? Nah, if Valkus believes they have a realistic chance to repair their ship, they don't want to return to Skyrim as beggars. And if they can't, our future expedition from Skyrim will rescue them.
So we proceed to Skyrim.
In Riverwood (picture above), we while away a few hours, reveling in the familiar peaceful routine of the simple people.
When the sun begins to go down, we run to the city where we'll spend the night before traveling to east-northeast tomorrow.
In Hviterun, I just walk around with my stepdaughter Lucia and look at people and marvel at the amazing moonlight.
On the main street, we meet the shopkeeper Belethor who is going home from work, possibly after a visit to The Bannered Mare inn. I don't know what makes me ask him if he knows anything about the Cave of Borea which should be somewhere northeast of the city.
Belethor asks if I know the Alessian ruins on the northern bank of the White River. I reply I do. He says the Cave of Borea entrance is either in there or nearby and he's been told it's an absolute madhouse. People who have ventured inside and rather quickly returned have said it's too weird and crazy to even describe.
Now, Belethor is a Breton and I'm feeling I can trust his impression on this. Apart from which, I recall now what Oyla of Amol City told me about the Alessian Ruins four months ago. She must have meant the underground space called Caves of Borea, not the harmless ruins on the ground.
The Breton connection evidently works both ways, because Belethor says if someone has offered me good money for doing something in the Caves of Borea, I'll probably be not the first one sent in there and never heard of again, and if it's idle curiosity, I would risk my life in a place with nothing valuable to find.
I thank him and continue walking towards the palace. Lucia urges me not to go to a place as dangerous as this. Maybe I shouldn't have asked Belethor in front of her, but it can't be helped now. I tell Lucia we'll be just passing by there tomorrow on our way to somewhere else, and we've been there before and there's nothing dangerous outside, and I'm not going underground.
The jarl has already retired for the night by the time we arrive at the palace. Maybe it's even better that I postpone talking to Jarl Balgruuf and tell Yrsarald about Ter'Avina first, after he has returned to Windhelm. As for Jarl Korir, I doubt he even has any ships. Winterhold may be on the coast, but there is no harbor there as far as I know.
Having greeted all my past followers, Lucia and I find a quiet corner in the palace and just talk, and then return home for the night.
next awakening
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