This Woman of Ice - Chapter One:

  • There are many stories of this woman but the one that I know, the long one, began shortly after the turning of the second century into the third: Fourth Era, year two hundred and one. This was the year the dragons returned, in fact this was the exact day the dragons returned, for our “hero” for want of a better word was in Helgen when it all began. She was one of the first to see a dragon, perhaps the first since the times of Tiber Septim and their disappearance thereafter.

     

    Her name, this woman of ice, what is her name? Eroteme, her whisper, it’s like a cool whistling wind I remember now. I didn’t have the chance to ask her about it, obviously not a Nordic name, I doubt it’s the name her mother gave her; but I also didn’t realise I’d have cause to tell her story, I couldn’t have known how big a part she had to play in it all or else I’d have a lot more to ask her besides.

     

    One thing that is for sure, thanks to the Imperial Legion’s near obsessive record-keeping, is that Eroteme was in Helgen as their prisoner and was due to be executed that very day! It occurs to me that were it not for the dragon attack on Helgen, she would have had her head cut off before this story even began, I think that in the confusion she made her escape and went on to do all the things that she is now known for far-and-wide.

     

    It’s not clear why she was on the executioner’s block, it could have been a number of things; she hardly lived the most honourable lifestyle, whether you think that the ends justify the means or not. It’s true that she did some great things and for everyone who hears this story you can know that she has saved your life, maybe more than once but no less. I still think that it’s important to remember though that there are those who crossed her path and met with a fury, arcane ice magic from the tomes of Winterhold and enchanted steel, all of which she used to meet the less-fortunate of wanderers with a cold and lonely demise.

     

    Few people survived Helgen, whilst no dragon is a pleasant foe this was Alduin the world-eater who attacked Helgen that day. Alduin is no ordinary dragon, he is the first-born of Akatosh and will rise again one day to fulfill his prophecy:

     

    "And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold, That when brothers wage war come unfurled! Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, With a hunger to swallow the world!"

     

    I know the song well, it tells us of the end of days but not then and not yet. Those who were not killed outright by Alduins mighty Thu'um would have been crushed by the buildings collapsing in on themselves. Many Stormcloaks and Imperials alike attempted to make their escape in the tunnels under the keep where they clashed in a flurry of steel, but Eroteme was a tough woman with a prophecy of her own and she escaped from those caverns using her strength, skill and a whole lot of luck.

     

    As she came down from the mountains, down from Helgen, she walked into a village called Riverwood where she met a bard called Sven…

     

    Next>

Comments

5 Comments   |   DeltaFox and 2 others like this.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  April 3, 2017
    I'm going to disagree here. I think, with the nature the way this story is presented, it would suffer from having too much detail. 
    Picture our main characters, then have someone else tell their story..... There will be gaps, details which are ...  more
  • Tenebrous
    Tenebrous   ·  March 21, 2017
    Hallo! Though I like this, I gotta agree with D3LTAFOX in that the escape from Helgen could use some expansion. Still, glad to see another writer in TSC!
  • DeltaFox
    DeltaFox   ·  March 21, 2017
    Glad you posted another chapter! :)
    I'm guessing you're writing this from a perspective of a narrator. If so, you could expand the chapter by describing the escape from Helgen so the reader can get a better picture of what is going on.
    But, a...  more
    • J'huzho
      J'huzho
      DeltaFox
      DeltaFox
      DeltaFox
      Glad you posted another chapter! :)
      I'm guessing you're writing this from a perspective of a narrator. If so, you could expand the chapter by describing the escape from Helgen so the reader can get a better picture of what is going on.
      But, all in all, a...  more
        ·  March 21, 2017
      Yes, the narrator is a story-teller who wanders Skyrim during Eroteme's lifetime. After her involvement in the dragon crisis and subsequent disappearance he continues to tell stories to travelers including this story about her.


      I thin...  more
      • DeltaFox
        DeltaFox
        J'huzho
        J'huzho
        J'huzho
        Yes, the narrator is a story-teller who wanders Skyrim during Eroteme's lifetime. After her involvement in the dragon crisis and subsequent disappearance he continues to tell stories to travelers including this story about her.


        I think part of using th...  more
          ·  March 21, 2017
        The narrator is basicaly telling us a legend. Legends are full of incorrect information. Maybe the narrator heard a bit about the escape from a patron in a inn who heard Eroteme when se visited but was a bit drunk to get the whole story so he added his ow...  more