Into the North

Gregory and I finished up the storage room for the estate on the 13th of Rain's Hand.  I am hoping for some fresh vegetables from our garden if winter will ever loosen its hold.  Made a few trips into Whiterun for supplies.

A letter came from the college. Tolfdir wrote that the anomaly associated with the orb has moving and he had lost track of it somewhere southwest.  I decided to explore the local area and began to sense something not right just north of Whiterun.  This thing had come far indeed.  It was not hard to spot on the plain as it was generating some manner of evil creature.  I was in the process of eliminating this threat when some local mammoths and their giant were attacked by them and somehow I think they thought I was the source.  These 3 mammoths and their friend chased me across have of Whiterun.  I thought to take cover in an abandoned house, but the giant was about to blast his way in.  I finally was able to use the walls of a nearby fort for cover.  But then started taking archery fire from the fort so I had to clean it out.

I returned to the college to see if Tolfdir had any word of other problems, to find the mages finishing up finishing off a dragon.  Thing died on top of one of our towers.  Enthir is still missing and the Jarl is still suspicious of the college.  I went down to visit with him.  And overheard that Ulfric Stromcloak, leader of the rebellion, is in Windhelm.  The Jarl asked me to retrieve a valued heirloom of his house that also happened to be near Windhelm, so I turned south.

Lidia and I traveled through strong winter storms.  We located ruins but at first could find no entrance.  It was further beyond guarded by two whisp mothers.  The gate was securely locked and I could not gain entrance.  Lidia said she thought the place was named Snow Veil Santum.  Name fits in this blizzard that was coming down.

We found the barrow we had been directed to by the Jarl of Winterhold, Ygol barrow.  It was a unique place.  Home to strange glowing green balls that seemed as if they wanted to talk to us.  They took to following us.  Stayed with us on our enjoy route through the place but didn't leave with us.  Deep inside we found ourselves face to face with a Dragur overlord.  Two blasts of fire and using the power of the word to summon fire and he was down.  Thank goodness, he had a mighty enchanted weapon.  It would have been the death of me had he gotten near.

We returned the Helm to Winterhold and I was name friend of the hold, Thane, and offered land nearby. The land I declined.  But I have been granted a steward/guardian all the same, but I convinced him to remain there to guard "my interests" against any dragon incursion. 

Lidia and I headed home via Dawnstar.  I found myself thinking once again of that ancient mage Shalidar.  Tolfdir had brought up that his writings were still thought to be found in ruins on the coast of Haafingar.  I wonder if these writings, if I can find them, might have any insight into the dragons and the reason for their presence, as he lived near the time of the end of the dragon lords according to lore.

So we headed for Morthal after a rest stop at the estate.  We cross the passes near the house into the Hjaalmarch.  From a distance we spotted, for it was impossible to miss, the huge dwarven ruin of Mincalft.  It begged exploration.  We found a nest of bandits cleaning the place out.  From a journal of a man named Malunl it appeared that the man had come into the north fleeing Cyrodil, ran into trouble in Markarth, had hooked up with these bandits and they were indeed looting the place.  I found no sign of the journal writer.  Deep inside the bandits were still working cleaning out the ancient machine guardians.  They were pretty much killing one another. 

We discovered a passage inside, the bandits had missed, and it lead to deep marvelous underground complexes, inhabited by Falmar.  It was an amazing journey through a different far removed time.  Amazing until we encountered its master machine guardian.   A mighty huge giant of a metal man that liked to knock me into next week.  I was not match for it with blade and fire didn't and lightening didn't seem to do much to it either.  Lidia was knocked unconscious.  I had the use the layout of the room itself, steps, columns, to slow the thing enough to think.  Finally I blasted it with the word's power of cold and then some ice storms and it froze up.  Lidia had come to and she and I dismantled this frozen thing a piece at a time.  And we made our escape from the cavern.

We headed into Morthal, only to be ambushed by bandits outside town.  The Thane of Morthal was very grateful for the work we had done to help with her community, first the vampire, then the bandits.  She granted me favored status as well and the right to use a small castle she had built for a retreat site, named Stunmah.  Located on her western border just across the river from Dragon Bridge.  She also named me a house carl, man name Vladmir. Looks like a real bruiser.

We made our way north into Solitude, did a bit of trading there.  Then we head down to Dragon Bridge and spent the night in the Inn.  One of the local women, Olda, was quite vocal in her opposition to armed legion soldiers in town but was also quite upset with her husband.  He is a boozer and I don't have much sympathy for boozers.  So I went and confiscated his stash and gave it to her. 

We crossed the river, finding the castle easily.  It is indeed gorgeous and comfortable, but a bit in need of maintenance.  Many of its feature are in disrepair and non functional.  But it is a beautiful place to visit and it held a fascinating book, "On Dragons".  It was by a person who was referencing legend and lore and was uncertain as to the truthfulness of what he wrote.  But I know from experience that much of what he said is true, the section that spoke of Iliac Bay as the birthplace of dragon peeked my attention.  Lidia had never heard of it.  Neither have I, but I need to be on the lookout for this place.

We turned back north for the place Tolfdir said was rumored to have the writing of Shalidor.  In the passes above Dragon Bridge we spotted a three person Thalmor patrol with a prisoner.  I liberated him.  We stripped and hid the bodies hoping to make it look like bandits had taken them.  And we found just little further on, in a fortress on the north coast, a nest of bandits, so the story should hold.  We spent the night of the 23rd of Rain's Hand in the fort and arrived a noon on the 24th at the ruins of Volkskygge. 

Volkskygge is old, decaying, parts of it almost buried by the mountain.  But at some time in the first era, thousands of years ago, this was a home to dragon lords possibility and certainly to later inhabitants who saw some value in the work of Shalidor.  Lidia and I are exhausted.  We're going to hunt this afternoon and bed down, entering the ruins tomorrow.  But I quiver with anticipation as to what we shall find inside.