Markarath

Dawn broke cold but bright on the Forsworn camp.  I still could not locate the source of the strange noise, so decided to forgo it.  I kept thinking there should have been more to the nordic barrow deep in the mine, so we returned back and searched through again, but again I found nothing beyond what had been discovered before.  I took most of the day working through the mine carefully looking for clues, hidden passages, and such.  So Lidia and I spent the night once again in the Forsworn camp overlooking the river. The sunset was amazing.  We walked across the rough bridge and up the other ride and looking back I saw a strange set of pillars on the ridge we had just left, to the north of where we had been camping.  So the next morning we went to see what this was about.

We discovered another large mounded ring, very smooth flat stone with four pillars around it.  Obviously the site is designed to mark something significant, and there are others like it in the north.  But I am uncertain as to its purpose.  Perhaps an ancient gathering place, a place for religious or social rites.  Maybe a wooden temple once stood here that is long gone.  Perhaps it is testimony to some old ancient and now extinct religious cult. 

As we were looking more closely at the pillars, a dreadful roar sounded off to the north and there it was, the black dragon beast that burned Helgen.  It kept circling, focusing it seemed on the ruins on the mountain above, ruins marked even from the distance with pillars with dragon head.  Lidia and I sought cover and watched.  The beast seemed to be circling, looking for something, and calling with its rasping hissing roar.  Looking for a mate.  I still find myself wondering could this be Martin?  Could he have so lost himself in the beast but deep inside a seed of himself remains, searching.   There is something profoundly terrifying about this beast and yet strangely moving.  In its voice I heard longing.  More intelligence than just the instinct of an animal, almost as if it had a soul. 

I noticed too the opposite ridge above there is tower there, a fortress, newer than the dragon ruins, almost directly west across the river.

We watched the dragon fade over the mountains.  After we were certain it was gone, we starting making our way downriver, west toward our goal - the demonic artifact loose in the world, but first Maraketh.  To our east what I am coming call Dragon Ruins loomed on the mountain above.

Crossing the river, we spotted movement.  Many Forsworn on the road.  The mountains were too high climb.  To head west on the road was the only passage, but we would be easily seen.  So Lidia and I waited for dusk and decided to thin the Forsworn.  Stealth, bolt, steel... it was night of blood.  And an amazing discovery that delayed us a day or so.  They were sitting on a Gold Mine.  I found a letter on one of the Forsworn that named the place Kolskeggr. 

Morning dawned bright and cold on the sixth of Morning Star.  We saddled up and with a good road ahead made good time into Maraketh.  The first time I laid eyes on the city I just pulled up Skeeter and looked.  Amazed.  Beautiful. Magnificent.  A city that is testimony to the artistic abilities of the human race.  A city worthy of Cyrodil.  I've always like stonework, and the stonework here is ancient and amazing.  And the inhabitants clearly love their city for the city is in good repair, unlike Windhelm. 

Entering the city we soon discovered all is not well in Markarth.  There is trouble in the city between sympathizers with the Forsworn and the rulers.  One strong tall older tatooed man tried to recruit me, I think, into sympathy with the Forsworn, probably because it was clear we were outsiders.  We had just observed the local guards killing a couple of townspeople, don't know why.  I'm not inclined to get into this business, and certainly not on the side of the Forsworn.  He had given me a note, claiming it fell from my pocket, asking to meet at the shrine of Talos.  Fat chance.  I noticed Lidia look at me funny when I just wadded it up and stuffed it down in my pack.

We explored the city for the rest of the day.  I did some trading with the locals getting rid of Forsworn armor and such.  Then the adventure and dread started.  I knew demons were moving in the north.  I know now for certain -- I've talked to one.

We were stopped on the streets by a Vigilant who claimed a house was haunted by demonic presence and who asked for our assistance.  I think perhaps he could sense the power of my gift and recognized this in me.  He was quite clear why he wanted help - a demonic presence was inside.  I didn't play games.  This must be looked into.

He was right.  Moleg, one of the dread demons of the fallen world, has at least to some degree a portal here, likely connected to his altar deep in the house's basement.  Damn the folly of men.   He turned the Vigilant against me and I had slay him.  He enticed me downward with promise of reward, but I know demons... no reward waited but perhaps a chance to slay.  So I played along only to find myself like a rat in trap.  Unable to escape.  At his whim.  But he released me.  It would appear that his altar is entrapped to some degree by a priest who has in his words "profaned it" and who is now held captive somewhere.  He released me to go forth and set the priest free so the priest would return as he had often in the past to worship his god and to gloat, only this time Moleg would be waiting for vengence.  It would appear whatever the priest did in the past to contain Moleg is weaking. Other than the presence of a strange mace driving into the altar I could sense no ward nor see any indication of divine intervention.  And in Moleg, I could sense no vulnerability here.  While the escape was good I took it.  Lidia was shaken by this.  She had not been trapped, but could do nothing to aid me.  I've never seen that look in her eye before, but she had it this night.  We were clearly beyond our abilities. 

I didn't feel like staying the night in Markarth and she didn't argue.  Nightfall found us in cold light snow heading out for the mountain pass.  That demonic artifact was looking even more important.  We came upon an Orc stronghold and has passing conversation with an sentry who was pleasant in his rudeness in a funny sort of way.  Place is named Nagrub.  He offered us entry in exchange for recovering some ancient enchanted forging gloves.  (Those might be handy to have around as I have discovered I have a gift with fire and steel as well.) 

We drew near the site described to us by the curator of the museum and found a fortress held once again by Forsworn.  I think the tension of fighting a demon and the cold and just the whole mess finally made Lidia snap.  She charged off like a banshee.  She kept screaming Skryim is for the Nords.  I got the feeling, and so did they, that she doesn't like Forsworn very much.  I had to drop down off a passage in to get behind them and cover her back as she was not aware of how exposed she was to a mage and couple of archers.  They didn't expect me, probably taken back by the amount of noise and rage coming from Lidia. 

It was very late.  Snow was falling heavy now.  We sought shelter in one of the tents.  There were two paths before us and I wanted to think on it.  One was through a door into the mountain.  Another ascended the mountain exterior into more of these Dragon Ruins.  This fortress we were in now seemed to be a watch tower for something much bigger and important above.  I'm was also not certain these might not have been the same ruins we saw from the river.  I think we had traveled further but I don't know.  Going up those exposed stairs with the beast dragon around chilled my blood more than the falling snow. 

I turned the topic to how thick the Forsworn were.  I didn't want Lidia to know I was concerned even worried about what the hell we were doing here.  She explained that she had lost good friends to Forsworn raids in the past.  It appears these are nomadic tribesmen who are alien to the North.  She isn't sure where they are from, but they've been trying to carve out a land of their own from the Nords for at least two generations. She says they are creatures of the forest and the night and melt away from the armies that try engage them.  And she said this practice of taking and holding hardened locations is new and she is not sure what it means.  Seems foolish to me.  With just Lidia an I, these small bands of a half dozen or dozen at most, haven't been holding much for long.  What they would do against organized determined resistance I don't know.  I suspect being able to melt away might be good for them. 

Lidia sleeps now.  I have the watch.  It is cold.  It is snowing.  Winter is here.