Aedric the Hunter - Chapter 12: Legionnaire and Dragonborn

• Posted by Ponty February 18, 2012 - 1,108 views

  28^th of Last Seed 4E201

  I awoke with hazy recollections of crazy dreams from my second night in the Winking Skeever, and headed down for a morning meal. I opted not to tell the bartender about my adventures from the previous day, since I didn’t want to be swarmed by requests for help – I probably wouldn’t have too much business in Solitude after (re)joining the Legion and making my way through Ustengrav. After a hearty meal of bread, meat and eggs I set off back into the frozen mountains to the west. I followed the lower road this time, since by the looks of my map it would be far quicker than following the same route as yesterday. Along the way I passed a large statue of a winged, robed woman with her hands held above her head. I pushed my curiosity aside – it appeared to be a shrine to the Daedric Prince Meridia – and I doubted 2 encounters with Daedra Lords in 2 days would be a good thing! Further along my route I came across a Word Wall outside, nestled between two snow-covered pine trees. As I approached it I learned a new word, “Grah” or “Battle”. Only then I realised my hunger to master my Thu’um, as it bugged me for the rest of the journey that I hadn’t any dragon souls to learn about the word from, and the use of it would remain a mystery for some time. Was it part of a Shout I already knew? Or was it the beginnings of a completely new shout? Only time would tell. My musings over the power Grah would give me ended as the fortress came into sight.

  The massive stone structure lay before me in a clearing to the north of the road. I tied my horse behind a rocky outcrop before poking my head around for another look. The Legate was right – the fort had fared better than many of the other ruins in Skyrim, and would be an excellent strategic position for the Empire. On the southern side, there were low walls (by fortress standards, anyway) about one story high, surrounding a large courtyard area. Bandits patrolled the walls and a few were standing around the courtyard. On the opposite side was a raised overlook next to a taller tower, which overlooked the north coast of Skyrim – something that I thought could be invaluable to the Empire if the Thalmor decided they wanted to attack from Hammerfell. But on to the task at hand, I spotted only one bandit which would be able to see me as I approached the entryway into the courtyard. I found since my time away from the Legion I’d gone for a ‘shoot as many people before I’m seen’ approach. Back in the Legion I was trained to remain unseen, even while attacking enemy positions. Perhaps now would be a good time to get back in to that habit – I doubted I could take them all on at once anyway. There was plenty of bushes and shade on the 50 metres or so between me and the fort and I devised a plan, which was immediately set into action. As the sentry turned around on her patrol over the southern wall, she made for an easy target. Luckily, the arrow to her side didn’t send her down into the courtyard below. Just as I’d planned, the bandits in the courtyard rushed up to the wall to examine the body, I loosed another arrow as they came into sight. With several witnesses, it would be easy for them to work out my location. In the moment they looked at the second body, I moved from my camouflaged position against a tree trunk to a thick bush a little closer to the fort, on the opposite side of the entryway. 3 bandits remained, and drew their weapons. One of them had heavy armor and a shield, one a bow, and the other a greatsword. The two with melee weapons made their way through the entry, as the other descended the stairs from the walls. The one with the greatsword went down, and the other raised his round shield, deflecting the shot aimed at his chest. A second to the lower thigh sent him to the ground face-first, his head cracking against the flagstones on the path. The bowman stared out in disbelief at his two fallen comrades, before an arrow of mine from a different direction flew into his gut. He still had the strength to fight on, and nocked an arrow and began searching for me. He spotted me after I fired my next shot and the arrow struck me in the chest. The arrowhead drew blood but it hadn’t gotten deep. A third shot sent him to his knees and a fourth to the grave, but not before he could raise the alarm. Three more men came down from the northern side of the fort, all of them archers. I shot down one of them but the others had fairly good aim. I couldn’t remain within shooting distance of them without being exposed, so I drew my sword and zig-zagged over to the wall. I managed to avoid further injury as I made my way up to the archers. I emerged about 20 metres in front of them, and their bows were already drawn. It was just as I expected – and I did something they definitely didn’t expect. “WUL!” The shout echoed through the walls as I flew forward towards the archers while their shots went wide. One was down before the other could draw his dagger. He soon found out parrying with a dagger wasn’t much use against a greatsword, and he soon fell as well. I added their arrows to mine before continuing into the fort.

  The interior of the keep was fairly simple – a downstairs living area with an upstairs storeroom and barracks. I emerged silently into the downstairs area, and took down a man who seemed to be cooking something unnoticed. As his head fell into the mixture I headed up the stairs, to be met by 3 bandits sitting around the sleeping area. On of them was in steel plate armor and looking over something on a table. Two quick arrows sent the bandits to their deaths, but a third glanced off the pauldron of the chief. The Redguard woman drew an enchanted Dwarven mace and began to charge, as I fired another arrow which hit it’s mark in her shield arm. I drew my greatsword and the battle began. I was standing on a small storage platform and made a quick thrust as she approached, against her unshielded side. She deflected the blow just in time, and followed through to deliver a potent strike with her shield against my torso. I staggered back as the air was driven from my lungs, and she was upon me once more when I regained myself. I made a few strikes at her legs and arms, and as she opened her defenses for another blow, I delivered an uppercut to her unprotected head. It sent her reeling backwards and I delivered several long slices through the steel plate over her torso. She retaliated with a quick strike to my left side, while not very forceful, cause lightning to arc all over my body. It was a weak enchantment however, and I made another forceful thrust, this one piercing both the steel shield and cuirass. As I pulled the blade out I kicked her in the chest, sending her back off the platform. I leapt down, rending her back with a cut as long as the blade itself. She stopped breathing and I vacated the room as the pool of blood spread throughout.

  There was another building in the courtyard, assumedly some sort of prison. As I made my way inside I was met by 3 heavily armed men – they were already waiting for me. With a cry of “SU!” I weaved a wall of strikes in front of me, pushing the down towards the dungeons. I’d gotten them into a narrow hallway, and followed up with “YOL!”. The wave of flame consumed all 3 of the bandits. I searched the cells for any prisoners or anything of use before heading outside. Confident I’d cleared out all the bandits, I retrieved my steed and headed down to Ustengrav.

  By the looks of my map, Ustengrav was nestled at the foot of the mountains on the other side of the swamps to the east of Solitude. I descended the mountains and forded the river into the swamp. My horse seemed to handle the swamp just fine, as none of the water was too deep. I pulled out some dried meats and cheese, as I wanted to be ready to go as soon as we reached the ruin. I had no idea how big it was and I’d rather not have to sleep in a Nordic barrow. Thoughts aside as I guided my horse around a troll battling a group of mudcrabs, I soon made it to the ruin. I spotted a necromancer battling three bandits. He didn’t stand a chance, but as the bandits defeated him, they all fell dead instantly. Perhaps he had lost control of his own undead minions? Perhaps I could use their incompetency against them as I entered the ruin. I was presented with a large hallway, with a small camp made behind two massive collapsed pillars on the other side of the ruin. There was some necromancers lounging about as two undead bandit minions dug through the ruins. I targeted one of the necromancers from afar, and she fell dead, the steel arrowhead piercing her windpipe. As one of the bandits fell dead the other got up in alarm and cast warding spells at he searched for me. An arrow to the chest silenced him as well. As the sounds of digging faded away I heard fighting further into the ruins. I continued through the tunnels and came across a single mage standing over the corpses of several of his comrades as well as an even large number of Draugr. He appeared to be heavily wounded, but the rogue mage deserved no mercy. A shot to the back caused him to join his friends, and I advanced further into the ruin. There wasn’t anything too challenging besides the occasional Draugr or two, which I felled with ease using blade, bow and Voice. I eventually found myself overlooking a lightly forested chasm, at least 5 stories tall, lit by an opening in the roof. There was a waterfall streaming into a pool at the bottom of the chasm, next to another Word Wall. A winding path led around the edge of the chasm and through some tunnels. I dispatched the Draugr barring my way before moving through a tunnel around the edge of the chasm. About halfway through the tunnel my foot seemed to depress a pressure plate, and I heard a light clicking noise. I’d been too busy looking ahead to notice it was there, and I immediately halted. I was expecting a shower of boulders or logs in front of me, or a crossfire of darts, which I would be safe from if I stood still. Instead, four jets of flame issued from the floor below my feet and with a yelp I jumped over the remaining plates. These ancient Nords were full of surprises. I emerged out on the next level down in the chasm, which was being patrolled by a large number of skeletons. I fired some arrows at some rotting wooden walls, making loud ‘thud’ noises. Just as I’d hoped, the skeletons were drawn to it like moths to flame. They stood around the arrow wordlessly, as I picked them off one by one with ease. A single arrow was enough to shatter the humanoid shapes , and I retrieved the arrow now surrounded by a pile of bones.

  I was presented with two ways to progress – I could either go down to the Word Wall, or cross a bridge over the chasm. I opted to go for the wall first. I learned yet another word – “Feim” or “Fade”. I was just as intrigued at how this one would work as the word I discovered earlier today. Would it allow me to vanish from sight, or serve some other purpose? I made my way back up to the bridge and crossed the chasm. It was a large square room, with three runed stones between the bridge and a triplet of portcullises at the opposite end of the room. As I walked past the stones they lit up with a soft tone, and the portcullises opened, and quickly closing a few seconds later. But such was the distance between the stones and the portcullises that I’d never make it by sprinting. The words of Arngeir rang in my head. “Stay true to the Way of the Voice and you will return.” The Way of the Voice... that’s it! I positioned myself for a running start and sprinted through the stones, each of them lighting up in turn and the portcullises opened. As I cleared the last stone I shouted “WUL!” and the winds carried me through the gates just as they were about to close behind me. Rather pleased with myself, I continued downward.

  The next section of the ruin had floors entirely covered in the flame pressure plates I’d seen earlier. There was also evidence of Frostbite Spider activity in the area – nothing else would be able to survive here. There was the occasional patch of collapsed masonry scattered along the field of plates which I Shouted between to pass over the traps safely. As I finally passed over the last of the plates, a Giant Frostbite Spider emerged from the ceiling. My elven sword sliced through it’s tough hide with ease, and I managed to push it onto the traps where it’s soft underbelly was incinerated by the flames. Cutting my way through the thick web barring the tunnel further into the ruin, I emerged into a large hall. A small bridge lay between two pools on each side of the room, and an tomb lay at the opposite end. I walked carefully along the bridge as 4 huge dragon statues emerged from the water, two on each side. But something wasn’t right here. The two tombs aside the altar were empty, Draugr corpses on the ground. There were visible footprints in the dust leading out of the room, and the altar held no horn but a note. I picked up the note and read.

  
  “Dragonborn--
  I need to speak to you. Urgently.
  Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I'll meet you.

  --A friend"

  Rage welled up inside me as I read it again. It was obviously a trap – someone was after me, and they knew I needed the Horn. The Sleeping Giant was only a single story! But I’d have to play along if I wanted the horn. I’d go back to Riverwood and give whoever it was a bit of a surprise. I gathered Jurgen’s treasure before leaving the ruin.

  I made it back to Solitude after dusk, and the streets were mostly empty. I first went up to Castle Dour, to report in with Legate Rikke. As I entered Rikke and Tullius were discussing something. “So we’re supporting Elisif at the Moot?” Tullius asked. “Of course, General.” “Well how will this Crown help us? How do we know if it even exists?” “The Jagged Crown is an ancient symbol of the Kings and Queens of Skyrim. It will further legitimise Elisif’s claim, and will prevent Ulfric’s men from having a symbol to rally around.” “Very well, Rikke. I’ll divert what troops I can spare to your little operation, but don’t come complaining to me once you find nothing but dust and bones.” “Galmar’s found it alright. He isn’t stupid.” “That remains to be seen. You’re dismissed.” She strode away from the table and spotted me. “Ah! Aedirc, you’ve returned. My scouts have told me you succeeded in your task, and I’ve already sent men to garrison the Fort. I think Tullius will want to speak with you.” I saluted her before making my way over to Tullius. “So, ‘Aedric’, you’ve completed Rikke’s task. I think it’s time for you to take the Oath. Repeat after me...” I said it off the top of my head. “Upon my honor I do swear undying loyalty to the Emperor, Titus Mede II, and unwavering obedience to the officers of his great Empire. May those above judge me, and those below take me, if I fail in my duty. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire!” He raised an eyebrow at me. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, sir.” “Well, welcome to the Legion, Auxilary. We look after our own here – once you’re in the Legion, you’re here for life.” I held back a bit of a smirk. “Rikke has a task for you. Go and speak to her in the war room.” I made my way back to the room with the large map on the table. “As you overheard, we’re going to retrieve the Jagged Crown before the Stormcloaks can get their hands on it. You’re coming along with us – it’s entombed in Korvanjund, north-west of Whiterun. We’re making the assault at dusk two days from now – I expect you to be there, Auxilary. Don’t let me down.” “Aye, Legate! I’ll be there!” “You’re dismissed, soldier. Go speak to Beirand at the forge tomorrow for your Legion armor. You don’t have to wear it but I expect you to have a set.” I saluted again before making my way down to the Blue Palace, to speak with Falk. “What did you find in Wolfskull Cave?” he inquired upon my return. “There was a group of Necromancers attempting to summon and bind Potema.” The shock on his face was alarming, and the tension in the room was palpable. “Please tell me you stopped them!” “I put the necromancers to the sword, and the spirit dissipated. Dragon Bridge should be safe for the time being.” There was a collective sigh from everyone in the room. “Take this for your service to Solitude. You’ve done a great thing for our city – you’ve earned it.” He handed me a sack of coins. “It was an honour to serve the city, steward.” I took my leave of the court and returned once again for my evening meal. As I ate, I charted two possible routes for the next day. I could either return to Riverwood to investigate this ‘friend’, and then make my way to Korvanjund the day after, or I could always go straight to Korvanjund, and spend the day with the soldiers. Perhaps Hadvar would even be there. Then again, I could also explore around Solitude and then go to Korvanjund the next day. But it was late and I was tired; the decision would have to wait until tomorrow.

  There’s two days until the assault, and Aedric has a number of paths he could take. Should he:

  1. Go to Riverwood
  2. Go straight to Korvanjund
  3. Explore around Solitude (indicate direction)
  4. Other

  Let me know in the comments!

  Next chapter is up, read it here