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shivering-isles-cryptid · 8 months

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The Theocratic Papers

Bit of background before you read these, these are 4 essays written by me in character for what I believed should have been a third option in the Skyrim Civil war. Also, warning, this was proofread but no spelling or grammatical errors were brought to my attention so I’m not sure if there are any or not, and it’s very long. Very.

Also here it is @nerevar-quote-and-star and @stormbeyondreality the complete thing, even though Mal has already read it all.

You can also find this on Ao3:

My fellow citizens of Skyrim. Our land has been plagued by a brutal war that has deprecated not just our home, but families. That’s why me and my comrades are proposing a third option. We shed our imperialized form and return to the glory days of the Old Nordic pantheon. The glory days of Kyne and Shor, Tsun and Stuhn, of Jhunal and the Testing Gods.

Now, i understand that this will be a difficult choice for many. The Imperials have had a grip on Skyrim for centuries, and we do not expect for it to change over night. But we do believe we can get there eventually, with the grace of Jhunal. In this document, we shall list the many reasons why we believe neither sides of this war are truly good options, and why we think you should join with us in returning to the true glory days of Skyrim.

Point 1: the Sins of a Stormcloak

The first issue we wish to bring to light is the sins and crimes committed by the Jarl of Windhelm. This list is by no means small, and many of them were well hidden by him and those using him.

First, the Markarth Incident. The Reachfolk took back the city, which was stolen from them in the first place, and treated all of the Nord residents fairly, allowing them to live their lives as if nothing changed. The Empire wasn’t going to do anything about it, as they were already spent from the Great War, and trying to keep the Aldmeri Dominion at bay. They had bigger enemies to worry about than some Skyrim natives fighting over land. But Jarl Hrolfdir decided he wanted his castle back, so he contacted Ulfric and told him he would allow Talos worship in his city. So Ulfric gathered a militia and ransacked Markarth, slaughtering women and children’s n’s every single Reachman in the city.

Stuhn teaches us the value in keeping prisoners of war. But Ulfric slaughtered all of them. Man, woman, child, none were spared by his harsh hand. This one example shows the cruelty in Ulfrics heart, as he took the kindhearted Reachman who merely fought for their homes and never harmed a single Nord that didn’t attack them first, and he massacred them all. That is what truly happened. It was not a Markarth Incident. It was a Markarth Massacre.

I have personally interviewed a Nord resident of Markarth who was present for this event, and his story will further support our argument.

“I was there when the Forsworn took the city. It was not a blood full battle, with the Legion having left us for the Imperial City. They dethroned Jarl Hrolfdir, instead of executing him. They lived in the city, occupying empty homes instead of removing us from ours. I remember them all, reuniting with family and friends, making new friends and starting new families. I watched children grow up, seeing elders die, and couples wed. 2 years they lived alongside us, families mixing and growing. Then he came. Ulfric, wielding powers long forgotten. He invaded the city, alongside a militia of farmers and mercenaries. And the dethroned Hrolfdir. Ulfric gathered every Reachman in the city to the city square, executing each and everyone of them. Man, woman, child, elder, it didn’t matter to him. They were all killed, save for Madanach and the few who escaped. He even killed Callacha, my sweet Callacha.”

At this moment, the man broke into tears at the memory. This quote acts as a first person account of the true event of the Markarth Massacre. Ulfric is no hero, he is a battle thirsty, power hungry man who doesn’t deserve any kind of power, much less the power of the Voice. And once our informant finished mourning his lost love, he continued to explain to us that despite the victory, Ulfric refused to cede the city to Hrolfdir until he decreed that Talos worship be allowed in the city. When the Thalmor agents came and demanded Ulfrics arrest, many of the cities residents demanded Hrolfdir agree.

Ulfric killed their friends, their families, and almost took control of their city, and then faced no punishment until another invading force came and demanded it. Ulfrics actions not only caused the deaths of hundreds of people and the ruin of countless lives, but he directly caused the Thalmor to occupy Skyrim, which they hadn’t paid any mind to nor did they enforce the White-Gold Concordant.

Second, Ulfric murdered the High King of Skyrim. This is a topic under heavy debate across Skyrim. The Stormcloaks argue that it was an honor-duel, a tradition that dates back to the first kings of Skyrim. That is something I can not argue with, as a challenge was made and accepted. But that does not mean Ulfrics victory followed the rules of the duel. Ulfric used a power not seen by any but the Greybeards for hundreds of years. His use of the Thu’um to kill Skyrims High King is an affront to Kyne and a bastardization of her gift to her people.

The Thu’um May once have been used by Nords the way swords are used today, but that day has long since past. Once upon a time, magicks were used by the Norse under the watchful tutelage of Jhunal, but that day was long ago, and has been replaced with a fear and hatred for the ancient arts. Would the Stormcloaks defend Ulfric the Murderer with as much fervor and fury if he had used a spell instead of a Shout? Would they still declare him king if he had used the gift of Jhunal instead of the gift of Kyne?

No, they wouldn’t have. And I ask you, dear reader, what is truly the difference between the two arts? What is the difference between flames from you hand and flames from your mouth? Moving back the High King Torygg. We hold members in our ranks who work in the Solitude Court, and their accounts of Torygg show that he agreed with Ulfric. He believed that Skyrim should be an independent nation, and that the Imperial Empire had grown weak.

But Ulfric challenged him anyway. And yes, I will admit that Ulfric couldn’t possibly have known of Toryggs beliefs, but if he had just given him a chance. If he had pleaded his case first, instead of jumping on the chance to challenge the young man. This challenge held no glory, no honor to be won. Torygg was young, with little martial training, and Ulfric was a war veteran wielding an ancient power from the Gods themselves.

All who die in worthy ways go to Shor, on the wings of Kyne and her daughters, but because of Ulfric, Torygg will be going to him young, dishonored, and without the wisdom of age.

Thirdly, Ulfric caused the return of the dragons, however unintentional it may have been. We all know of the Dragonborn. The hero who bears the soul of a dragon and the body of a mortal. We grew up on the stories of their return, on the stories of Alduins destruction of the world. And we all know the prophecy.

When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world.

When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped

When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red-Tower trembles

When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls

When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding

The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn

Those last two lines are the ones I’d like to bring a focus to. “When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding. The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.” Our scholars have spent wells analyzing this prophecy, and they have come to the conclusion that the Snow Tower refers to Skyrim herself, a bit obvious once you look at it, and once we learned that, it was obvious what the other words meant.

With the death of High King Torygg, Ulfric set the final part of this prophecy into place. By killing the High King, he left Skyrim “sundered, kingless, bleeding.” He opened the path way for Alduin to return, setting in motion the end of the world. While he also set in motion the return of the Dragonborn, if the Dovahkiin had failed, all of Nirn would have fallen under his control.

Ulfrics lust for power and hunger for glory has placed not just him, not just Skyrim, but all of Tamriel in danger! He had endangered everyone in his quest for glory with no concern of the consequences. While he may not have known he would cause Alduins return, even the political backlash from the Empire, Thalmor, and Skyrim itself weren’t considered by Ulfric the Murderer.

All of these reason, and more we may not know yet, are why Ulfric is not fit to rule Skyrim, or even Windhelm. He has shown a blatant disregard for the lives of the Nords, and even though he claims to hold the values of a traditional Nord, he only follows the ones that support him and his lies. He calls for an ancient duel, then uses magic to win, he calls for religious freedom so he can worship an Imperial god. He lies and cheats when it suits him while preaching about honor and Nordic pride. But do not take my criticisms of Ulfric for support of the Empire, for that has issues of its own.

Point 2. Imperial Issues

The issues with the Legion are easier to list, as they have been happening for centuries, unlike Ulfrics all being within the past 20-30 years. Many of our issues are not with the legion itself, but with the Empire, much like Ulfric we have members who are war veterans, who fought in the Great War, who even joined the Civil War when the Empire called for them, but were dismissed due to injuries and saw how little the Empire truly cares about Skyrim.

The first thing we should discuss is the Great War. This war weighed heavy on many people in Skyrim, and all of Tamriel, with the deaths of loved ones and almost themselves. This war with the Aldmeri Dominion is not an issue itself. The Dominion is a blight and that is plain for us all to see. Their head god is the killer of Shor, and they talk as if they’re inherently better than the Nords.

Our issue is not with the war. Our issue is with its conclusion. During the siege of the Imperial City, Emperor Titus Mede II sacrificed an entire Legion so he could escape. He then called all of the troops from Hammerfell and Skyrim back, leaving the provinces defenseless while he marched on the now Dominion controlled Imperial City. Jhunal and Stuhn teach us the importance of strategic planning, but this follows the precedent of the Empire abandoning Skyrim. Much like during the Oblivion Crisis, when our lands were ravaged by the forces of Mehrunes Dagon, and yet the Legion couldn’t spare a single legion to help. Yes, they had they’re own issues to deal with, but they couldn’t even send a militia?

Now, back to the Great War, more specifically the treaty that ended it. The White-Gold Concordant was a treaty signed by Emperor Titus Mede II 4E 175, after he had taken the Imperial City back. And it was completed unnecessary. The Empire had won, they had the City back, they had driven the Dominion from Hammerfell, it was only a matter of time before they regained their strength and took the rest of Cyrodiil back.

And they still signed it. They outlawed the worship of the God of the Empire. They gave Hammerfell to the Dominion, without even discussing it with them. They disbanded the Blades, the honor guard of the Empire. This is such an obvious show that the Empire doesn’t care for its citizens, or it’s traditions. They sold an entire country to the Dominion, what’s to stop them from doing it again? They outlawed the worship of the man who founded their empire, why wouldn’t they outlaw our gods? They disbanded the Blades, the personal guard of the Dragonborn, if they would throw out they’re own traditions without a second thought, imagine what they would do to ours?

Secondly, Titus Mede the First was not a liberator of the Empire, but a conqueror and the Mede Dynasty holds no legitimacy to their rule. After the assassination of Chancellor Ocato, a Nibenese witch-warrior was crowned emperor. While he was not liked by the people, he was favored by the Elder Council, who’s duty it is to choose the Emperor. They had made their choice, and as citizens of the Empire it was our duty to respect it.

But Titus Mede did not. He marched on the Imperial City, crowning himself Emperor. He conquered an Empire, not founded. He dethroned the Emperor and went against the Elder Council. This once again shows such a blatant disregard for tradition that we can’t help but fear what they’ll ignore next.

And our current Emperor, Titus Mede II has made our current empire a shadow of itself. Valenwood and Elsweyr have been ceded to the Thalmor, Morrowind has yet to recover from Red Mountain and hasn’t been a part of the Empire since 4E 48, Hammerfell was sold to the Dominion before ceding from the Empire itself, and Black Marsh was lost long ago. The current state of the Empire only includes 3 countries, and they struggle to hold onto even those.

Titus Mede II signed the Concordant which started the Civil War, and he makes no moves to end it, sending one general without an army, with no weapons, no money, and no supplies. He is unfit to rule, as he had proven time and time again. And that’s not even touching on the illegitimacy of his claim to the throne.

Titus Mede I stole his crown, conquering the Empire. Titus Mede II dragged the Empire to the ground. And neither are truly worthy of their titles. The Empire was started by the Slave-Queen Alessia with the help of Kyne and Mara. The Second Empire was started by Reman Cyrodiil, the next in the line of Dragonborn Emperors. The Third Empire was started by Tiber Septim, Dragon of the North. Our current empire was conquered by Titus Mede, a Nibenese noble with an ego.

One of these things are not like the others, with Titus Mede being the first non-Dragonborn emperor to start a new dynasty. Why, in this time of war and dragons, would the Last Dragonborn not be born in the line of Emperors, if they were truly meant to rule? Why would Akatosh not bless the ruling family with his blood if he truly approved of their reign. Because they hold no legitimate claim to the throne. Instead, he gave the power to Skyrim, with the blessing of Shor and Kyne, in order to stop Alduin the Word Eater and set the world to a new age.

The Last Dragonborn holds a stronger claim to the Empire than any of the Mede’s could hope for. And yet they make no grab for power, because they know they don’t have to. They have their kingdom here, in Skyrim. The land of the Nords and home of the Sons and Daughters of Kyne.

Now, while we call for a return to the Old Ways of Skyrim, we understand that many may have forgotten their roots, and will need a reminder. So in the next passage we shall educate you all on the true path of the Nords.

Point 3: Traditions and Customs

A return to tradition can not happen if we do not know our traditions and history. Us Nords are an ancient culture, and our ways date back to the founding of Skyrim. We have many things to cover, so this may be the longest part of the Papers. First, the gods of the Old Ways.

Kyne

The Kiss at the End. Goddess of the Storm. Widow of Shor and patron of warriors. The Mother of Men. She, her daughters, and Parthunaax taught the Nords the Thu’um or “Storm Voice”. Her tears over Shors death were the first rain in Nirn. She is associated with hawks.

Mara

Goddess of Love. Handmaiden of Kyne. Concubine of Shor. Goddess of fertility and agriculture. She is often depicted as a she-wolf.

Dibella

Goddess of Beauty. Worshipped across Skyrim, each of her cults being dedicated to different parts of her sphere. Some are devoted to women, others art, and others the more sensual sides of her. Dibella is often times associated with moths.

Stuhn

God of Ransom. Brother of Tsun, Shield-thane to Shor. Warrior-god who fought against the Aldmeri gods. He taught Men how to and the importance of taking prisoners of war, and is represented by the whale.

Jhunal

The Rune God. God of knowledge and hermetic orders. His worship and teachings have been shunned by modern day Skyrim. He is often times depicted as an owl or has an owl with him.

Shor

God of the Underworld. Shor sided with Men after the creation of the world. Elven gods conspired against him and brought along his defeat, dooming him to the afterlife, Sovengarde. He is the Chief of the Gods. Not explicitly worshipped, for he is a dead god. Shor is depicted as a fox in most cases. And it is commonly believed that Shor would come down to Earth in mortal vessels known as Shezzarines to the Imperials and Ysmir to us.

Orkey

Also called Old Knocker, he is the god of mortality. Nords once held lives as long as the elves, until Orkey tricked us into a bargain that shortened our life spans to 6 years, until Shor removed the curse. Orkey, like the other testing gods, is depicted as a snake.

Alduin

The World Eater. He is fated to destroy the world, eating it in order to make place for the next. He is both a creator and a harbinger of the apocalypse. Many of modern day Skyrim has become very well acquainted with Alduin, due to his return and defeat at the hands of the Dragonborn. Alduin is, obviously, depicted as a dragon.

The Testing Gods

Herma Mora (the Woodland Man) tests the Nords through wit. He is an ancient demon of knowledge, who spent much of Ysgramors life targeting him. He is also called Hermaeus Mora

Mauloch (God of Orcs) tests the Nords through warfare. Mauloch spent much time torturing the heirs of King Harald. He is also called Malacath.

Tsun

The Dead God of trials against adversity. He died defending Shor in battle and now guards the whalebone bridge leading to Shors Hall. He is the brother of Stuhn. Despite being one of the dead gods, when Tsun is honored he is often depicted as a bear.

Now that we have covered the Gods themselves, it’s time to talk about the traditions. One thing that is very important in both the old ways and modern ways is music and stories.

The skalds of old held places of high esteem in our society. The oral traditions and stories they passed down hold the history of our people, and the songs they spun acted as the light in the darkest of days. And with Dibella being the patron of the arts, it is no wonder that the skalds hold her favor.

Another part of our traditions are the ice wraith hunts. In the dead of winter, young men would go to the tallest peaks for weeks hunting the wraiths in order to earn their citizenship. This acted as not just a test of their battle prowess, but as a way to prove their faith in Kyne, for those who’s faith is strong are rewarded with an immunity to the cold.

One very special tradition is the naming ceremony. Where a priest of Jhunal and a priestess of Mara would use omens and prophecy to choose a name for a child during a special ceremony before they’re ninth birthday.

One tradition that is not so happy is the practice of wergild, an act of retribution in Stuhns name. Where if one life is taken, another must be given, or an amount of high value items will be taken as payment, if it is agreed upon.

To bring this back to a lighter note, there are 4 holidays celebrated in the ancient traditions. The first is the Feast of Dibella, where a silver, moth shaped mirror is displayed for the goddess so that she might be drawn in by her beauty and bless the city. Another holiday is Feast of the Dead, where on the 13th of Suns Dawn, a feast takes place in honor of the Five Hundread Companions of Ysgramor. One very special holiday is Konunleikar, which is a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the High Kings coronation, which we sadly did not get to celebrate for High King Torygg as we had not even made it to the one year anniversary of his rule.

One lost tradition is the use of the Thu’um. Like Ulfric and the Greybeards, the ancient Nords were capable of using the Thu’um and shouts since we were created by Kyne. The Ancient Tongues were a staple of Nordic civilization and honored as parts of the society. They were instrumental in wartime and sieges, while also acting as voices for the gods. But that changed when Jurgen Windcaller banned the use of Thu’um outside of times of “true need”.

Windcaller never specified what true need meant, and so the Greybeards, his disciples, sit in their home of High Hrothgar doing nothing as the world falls around them. Tiber Septim did establish the Imperial College of the Voice in hopes to return the practice to Skyrim, but it never amounted to anything.

The funerary rights used by ancient Nords are still in practice in many places today, such as Windhelm, Markarth, Winterhold, Riften, and Falkreath. While Falkreath doesn’t bury their dead in a tomb, the rites used are those done by ancient Mords, albeit with an Imperial twist that honors Arkay instead of Shor. Winterholds burial practices are more similar to Solstheim’s burials as they entomb the body’s in ice using magic only known by the College of Winterhold. Another funeral rite that was practiced by the ancient birds was ancestor veneration, with offerings of gold, wine, apples, snowberries, and weapons being left for them to take to the afterlife. This is a practice still held by many Norse to this day.

Now, we have covered as many of the old traditions as we can, it is time for us to move on to the true point of these essays. How the old ways and help us move into the future.

Point 4: The Future with the Past

We know how we sound, we must return to the past in order to move into the future. But listen to me my brothers and sisters. The Nords have lived under Imperial control since the first empire. Since Alessia, they have tried to convert us to their gods. They have tried to make us forget our culture in favor of there’s, and for centuries they had failed.

We can return to that strength again, if we return to the old ways. The ways of Kyne and Shor, Jhunal and Stuhn, Mara and Orkey. The gods gave us strength, and ever since we abandoned them, we have gotten weaker. Now do not get us wrong, we understand that this can not happen immediately. It will take time for the Nords to return to our old ways, so here is what we suggest.

First, we dethrone Ulfric as Jarl of Windhelm, replacing him with an actual True Nord of Skyrim. Then, we convene the moot to vote in a high king or queen who is dedicated to the old ways. Then, we reinstate the temples to the old gods in each city. Converting the temple of Kynareth in Whiterun to a temple of Kyne, the Temple of Talos in Windhelm to a temple of Shor, we shall open a temple of Stuhn in Morthal, and Winterhold shall be known as the City of Jhunal.

The High King or Queen shall also act as avatars of either Shor or Kyne on earth, being placed as the heads of not just the country, but also the religious practices.

The traditions named previously shall come back to Skyrim, with the naming ceremony and ice wraith hunt being the first to come back. We know that many in Skyrim do not hold the martial prowess for the ice wraith hunt, so we do not expect the first one to take place for 9 years after we take command, as to rightfully train Skyrims people in warfare, to at least take on a wraith.

Skyrims Halls of the Dead shall also be converted into temples of Shor and Tsun, and be open will laces of worship and veneration to not just the gods, but ancestors as well. Outside of each major city, there shall be a spot of nature and trees sacred to Kyne. Hunting is permitted here, as long as you can prove yourself to the goddess and her servants.

Efforts will be made to excavate Labyrinthian, and return it to the great city it once was. We shall also set up a museum to teach about Nordic heroes and history such as the Dragon Cult and the Nordic-Falmer War. With help from the College of Winterhold, we hope to excavate as many Nordic ruins we can, either converting them into cities, burial mounds, or at least setting the dead to rest.

And as for the Thalmor and Empire, they will be given a chance to leave Skyrim or join us, but if they wish for neither then we will make them leave. We hope to avoid war, as enough blood had been spilled during the Great War and Civil War, but if we are left with no other option, then we will fight and we will win for the glory of Skyrim and her children.

Now, one thing that neither side of the Civil War has yet to address is the Dragons. We will not be as blind. With the defeat of Alduin, the dragon threat has been reduced but not eliminated. So we shall create a group dedicated to wiping out the rest of the dragon threat. Under the patronage of Kyne, our Einherjar will eradicate the dragon threat from Skyrim.

This is not everything we wish to do, but it is as much as we can say at this point in the war. We hope this essay has convinced you to side with us against both the False Empire and the Traitorous Stormcloaks. If so, come to the Skyrim Historical Society in Whiterun and present them a copy of these papers and they shall know what to do next.

Published by the Skyrim Historical Society, Whiterun Wind District.

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farshores · 2 years

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Lowkey want to make another Vigilant character for the sake of romancing Varrick

Religious crisis power couple

#i feel like the two would be travelling round the same time as team ldb? might actually make this character the one who comes across Otero #years later - directing him to Stuhn's Ravine perhaps??? hmmmmmm #rambling

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kyriati · 7 months

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I am a Tsun is Trinimac is Malacath truther

#time for more elder scrolls posting #the uesp: tsun is reinterpreted as zenithar--#NO. HE'S TRINIMAC. AND MALACATH.#stuhn is stendarr tho that one's real

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attractthecrows · 1 year

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making a chronological list of my dragonborns because i like their names and i can edit posts here

Savadi Twice-Blind (Duraki Nedic) (Merethic)

Esjer Half-Heart (Esjer Ironback) (Atmoran undead) (Merethic)

Haemja Grey-Seas (Atmoran, 1/4 Jotunn) (1e)

Revna Stormtongue (Nord/Akaviri) (1e)

Hillevi Snow-Ghost (undecided) (2e)

Olfjari Greenwinter (Nord, Morthal native) (2e)

Annelor (Wood elf) (3e)

Hilja Icebrand (Skaal outcast) (4e)

#dragonborns #most of them are nords because i like the naming conventions and theres a lot more info on nords for roleplay purposes #if i wanted to get obnoxious i'd start adding graves. like esjer has a barrow called nauheim in the shape of a nautilus #bc shes faithful to stuhn etc etc #haemja grey-seas is the daughter of lomi half-giant who was the offspring of a jotunn tidebreaker and an atmoran captive #olfjari died outside of winterhold on the sea of ghosts fighting off a jotunn invasion and her apprentice carved a monument to her

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uesp · 1 year

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"Call him Stendarr, call him Stuhn, call him what you will, but the God of Mercy and Justice is the friend to all the mortals of the Mundus, whether they acknowledge him or not... Stendarr in his benevolence draws no distinction between those who rightfully worship him and those who, in their ignorance and error, do not."

--Excerpt from The Friend of All Mortals

#UESP #Lore #The Elder Scrolls #Oblivion #Elder Scrolls Online

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mannimarcoiscool · 5 months

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Fuck Akatosh

Fuck Dibella

Fuck Arkay

Fuck Zenithar

Fuck Stendarr

Fuck Mara

Fuck Kynareth

Fuck Julianos

Fuck Azura

Fuck Boethiah

Fuck Clavicus Vile

Fuck Hermaeus Mora

Fuck Hircine

Fuck Malacath

Fuck Mehrunes Dagon

Fuck Mephala

Fuck Meridia

Fuck Molag Bal

Fuck Nocturnal

Fuck Namira

Fuck Peryite

Fuck Sanguine

Fuck Sheogorath

Fuck Jyggalag

Fuck Vaermira

Fuck Vivec

Fuck Almalexia

Fuck Sotha Sil

Fuck Dagoth

Fuck Talos

Fuck Auri-el

Fuck Syrabane

Fuck Magnus

Fuck Trinimac

Fuck Y'ffre

Fuck Xarxes

Fuck Phynaster

Fuck Lorkhan

Fuck Alkosh

Fuck Riddle-Thar

Fuck Jone

Fuck Jode

Fuck S'rendarr

Fuck Khenarthi

Fuck Baan Dar

Fuck Magrus

Fuck Rajhin

Fuck Azurah

Fuck Sheggorath

Fuck Sangiin

Fuck Namiira

Fuck Lorkhaj

Fuck Z'en

Fuck Herma-Mora

Fuck Sithis

Fuck The Hist

Fuck Satakal

Fuck Ruptga

Fuck Tu'whacca

Fuck Zeht

Fuck Morwha

Fuck Tava

Fuck Onsi

Fuck Diagna

Fuck Leki

Fuck HoonDing

Fuck Malooc

Fuck Sep

Fuck Kyne

Fuck Stuhn

Fuck Jhunal

Fuck Alduin

Fuck Tsun

Fuck Orkey

Fuck Shor

Fuck Maloch

Fuck Shezarr

Fuck Morihaus

Fuck Reman

Fuck Sheor

#tes #elder scrolls #the elder scrolls #im the only true god

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moodcrab · 1 year

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Fixing Skyrim's Main Quest

Part One, Setting

Obviously it's set in Skyrim, but let's tweak it a bit.

Time

First of all, if there's one thing we can all agree on from Skyrim and Fallout 4 it's that Bethesda doesn't know how long 200 years is.

It's a very long time.

For reference, two hundred years back from the time of writing this Mad King George was king of England, it wasn't even the Victorian Era yet. The American Civil War was decades away from starting. The entire industrial AND technological revolutions as well as BOTH World Wars and the collapse of the British AND Ottoman Empires happened in that time, with plenty of room to spare.

It's a VERY long time!

Placing a two hundred year gap between Oblivion and Skyrim was a bad decision considering how very little actually happened. Tamriel should be drastically different, like they should have cars by now.

The major events that did happen, the Rise of the Medes, the Rise of the Thalmor, The Red Year, The Infernal City, The Void Nights, The Great War and White Gold Concordat could easily happen within one lifetime, so we're going to say the events of Skyrim take place in 4E64.

From a writing point of view, this small change makes it a lot easier to keep track of things that were a bit of a mess in vanilla, like the life of Ulfric, or the backstory of Gaius, Karliah and Mercer, which were all over the place if you were actually paying attention. It also means you can talk to people who actually remember these things happening, who were children during the Oblivion Crisis. You could even change Esbern's name to one of the younger Blades members you meet in Oblivion seeing as Esbern has the role of lore depository.

Religion and Culture

The next setting change is to remember this is Skyrim, not Cyrodiil. The Nords don't worship the Nine/Eight. In fact, the only reason the Nine/Eight exists as a pantheon at all because of the Nords stubbornness around the worship of foreign gods.

The Temple of Kynareth is now The Temple of Kyn, and Gildergleam Sanctuary is the home of Kyn's Holy Order. The College of Winterhold is no longer Hogwarts but the Chantry of Jhunal (a 'college' is a place of study, research and academia, not just a school). You might meet The Vigilant of Stuhn on the road, who don't live in a hut but a temple. Instead of a priest of Arkay in the Halls of the Dead we have priests of Orkey. Tsun, a god we actually meet in vanilla but has no shrines or altars, will replace Zenithar. And, most interesting to our story, a cult of both Alduin and Herma Mora - our two villains - gods to be placated rather than worshipped.

This said, the Imperial Cult will definitely have a strong presence in Skyrim and Talos, being an Ysmir, is particularly venerated (as is Ysgramor and Wulfharth). Yes, over the centuries the Imperial Cult and will obviously have spread into Skyrim, we can lean into this with the Civil War, putting a much bigger emphasis on the more "Imperialised" Holds siding with the Empire and the old school Atmoran Holds siding with the Stormcloaks. It never made much sense to me that the "true Nords" were more upset than the Imperials over the whole Talos situation, this change makes it so that while both sides are pissed off, one reacts with frustrating diplomacy and patience while the over reacts with stubborn honour and impulse, a more cultural divide rather than a pro/anti Talos one.

The Imperial position would be to play along with the Thalmor in the open, but to secretly fund and organise cults to other men-turned-gods and Imperial/Nordic hero gods such as Pelinal, Wulfharth, Ysgramor, Reman, Alessia and Martin, as well as the concept of Ysmir (which would actually include Tiber Septim and The Last Dragonborn). They would not openly support nor allow any arrests or persecutions of these cults by Justiciars. The Stormcloak position will remain "Fuck that bitch this is Skyrim."

Geography

This might sound crazy, but Skyrim was too hot.

No I'm kidding, I'm not so in love with the lore that I think a game of endless snow would be anything but boring. But there are some things that were cut out of the land that left Skyrim wanting. For instance there are hardly any settlements. Amber Guard, Granitehall, Nimalten City, Reich Corigate, Lainalten, Oakwood, Pargran Village, Laintar Dale, Dunpar Wall, Dragon Wood, and North Keep are all Skyrim cities that are missing from the game. Like not even abandoned ruins, they're just not there.

I totally understand there are size limitations but this is meant to be a country. It has five town sized cities and three village sized cities. And some villages. And they mostly look like Riverwood. Seriously, what exactly is the difference between Karthwasten, Falkreath, Shor's Stone, Winterhold and Riverwood, all towns from different Holds? It's like if shopping malls were made of wood.

The other thing about the vanilla settlements I didn't like was Bethesda seems to be stuck in Fallout style post apocalyptic design. Solitude has been there for thousands of years but no one has ever thought to shift these boulders from out of the middle of the street? There are ruins in better shape than Windhelm and Markarth? You can sum it up with Whiterun's Western Watchtower, which looks exactly the same after a dragon destroys it. Surely the ravages of civil war and the dragon crisis would have a bigger impact if things weren't already destroyed.

In fact, let's address the Imperial Fort situation. At the start of the game only 3 forts were occupied by actual soldiers, two of which were destroyed in the early game (Helgan and the Western Watchtower). Literally ALL other forts are in ruins and occupied by bandits or other undesirables. Consider that Skyrim is a country that recently took part in the Great War, but is currently dealing with a Civil War. Forts are not easy to build, and are insanely useful for medieval warfare. It truly beggars belief that practically none of them are maintained and fortified until the Player Character decides to get involved. To strain credulity further, many of the war camps you encounter in the wilds are literally in the shadows of major fortifications that have been left to rot. There is even a side quest to reclaim a Nord's fort from bandits, which is also a ruin. Is the implication that the man lives in a ruin? Or is it that in the short time the bandits have been there they've done a century or two of damage? Why would they do that?

Skyrim has a lot of dungeons, and a lot of quests that are basically "clear dungeon", we can't sacrifice some of this boring content for some more towns or forts, with characters, and things to do?

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kookaburra1701 · 3 months

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WIP Wednesday: Katabasis

Tagged by the lovely @thana-topsy @gilgamish this week, and in recent weeks past by @saltymaplesyrup and @dirty-bosmer

I'm not tagging anyone because I'm coming up on 2 WEEKS without power or internet after a severe storm, so there's no way to guarantee I'll see anyone's posts since navigating tumblr on my phone is a nightmare. :(

Fandom: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Rating: T (blood and violence) Category: Gen Genre(s): Action/Adventure Main characters: Khemor gro-Skaven (Male orc LDB), Calder, Gregor

Summary: A series of fics detailing how Khemor went from a senior magus in the College of Whispers to becoming the Last Dragonborn, Thane of Windhelm and the Pale, confidant of Ulfric Stormcloak and traitor to the Empire.

The broad square sail filled with wind as the Sea Hawk turned towards the ocean. When the first wave caused the bow to lift and then drop, Calder quickly sat next to Khemor and stuck his fingers under one of the ropes that secured the canvas-wrapped crate to the bulkhead.

“Up oars! Ice to port!”

At Revna’s shout, the men at the oars pushed down and held, lifting the blades as one from the water, and Torden leaned on the tiller, the rushing of water around the steering-oar increasing in volume as the ship changed heading.

Calder risked a glance over the topstrake. Submerged chunks of ice floated by, milky blue in the dark water. There was a hollow thump and a shudder ran through the hull, but Captain Torden did not seem bothered.

Above them the sky was a cloudless, azure bowl where seabirds wheeled and called. Below, the water was dark. Soon the shore was far enough away that the only indication of how quickly Kyne’s wind was carrying them was the bright white ice floes that passed by as the ship cut through the waves. A large horker bull amidst his harem of cows called out a challenge to them, but was soon left behind.

The men continued rowing, the creaks and groans of the oars in the ports blending with the sound of the water churning in their wake.

“We’re out of the ice-belt!” Revna called from her perch in the bow. A sigh of relief went up from the men at the oars, but they continued their slow, steady strokes, looking to Captain Torden.

“Ship oars!” he called, and the long pine shafts were pulled in, lashed to the strakes more quickly than Calder would have thought possible. There was a flurry of activity, shouting, cursing, and finally with several chants of heave-ho the sail was hoisted to its full height.

A great bird of prey was painted on the sail, its wings seeming to flap as the canvas rippled and billowed. The acceleration was immediately apparent, and the deck suddenly tilted as the Sea Hawk heeled against the wind. The cliffs and rocks of the mouth of the White River were small on the horizon: they were truly underway.

After a while, Calder felt he was less liable to tumble off of his perch with every pitch and roll of the deck and he released his grip on the rope to lean back against the upper strake. When Khemor glanced over, Calder was slightly gratified to note that his thane did not seem to find the motion of the ship any more pleasant than he did.

“Are you warm enough, Thane?” Calder said, leaning close to be heard over the sounds of the sea and the thick fur-lined hood that was pulled up over Khemor’s ears.

“I believe I am as warm as it is possible to be, under the circumstances.”

Behind them, Captain Torden let out a loud laugh. “This is as good a spell of weather as we could hope to have, Thane! Kyne is smiling on us!”

“Let her continue to do so,” Khemor responded.

“And look, Stuhn’s wolves have come to see us off!” Torden stretched out an arm, pointing towards the horizon.

A line of black, triangular fins rose from the ocean, and Calder caught a glimpse of shiny dark forms beneath the surface of the water before they disappeared.

The boat suddenly felt very small.

“Bah, they just think we have a net full of herring,” said Helvyn. The first mate finished securing the line holding the beitass to an iron ring set into the deck before standing and shading his red eyes, looking out towards the dark forms in the waves. “Thieving fetchers.”

The line of fins broke the surface again, closer. Before they had fully sunk beneath the waves a second rank of fins followed them, and this time one of the creatures lifted its blunt head out of the water and a plume of vapor rose into the air. A sharp white oval stood out starkly on the side of its face.

Is that an eye? It’s enormous!

#fic: nostos #oc: khemor gro-skaven #skyrim fanfiction #kb writes #it's not easy being green #wip wednesday #skyrim #tesblr #hot orc always #calder the housecarl #fic: katabasis

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ps-dane · 2 months

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Thank Stuhn, I lost it.

#skyrim #story #ivar the unlucky

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colonel-killa-bee · 10 months

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I just realized that Torygg died long before Alduin showed up in Nirn, meaning he entered Sovngarde before the soul-snare was in place. He didn't get lost in the mist like Galmar or Ulfric, meaning that he probably found his way to Stuhn but was deemed unworthy to enter the Hall of Shor

I mean if he can't go toe to toe with Ulfric he's certainly not ever defeating Tsun. I look at it like being a dark souls character. You have infinite tries, so maybe he would eventually. But I bet there are many souls like him that made it to sovngarde and wander, but are never worthy of the honored dead and feasting at their table.

#nord #skyrim #torygg #sovngarde #tsun #ulfric #ulfric stormcloak

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wearepaladin · 2 years

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Another Elder Scrolls Lore thought: I would love if an Elder Scrolls installment Stendarr’s position among the gods was explored a bit.

Some elaboration: Stendarr is one of the Aedra, the gods who partook in the creation of Mundus, the physical universe/plane where Elder Scrolls takes place, sacrificing much of their divinity in the process. The exact circumstances are debated, but Stendarr and the other Aedra are part of the essence of existence.

Stendarr is a recognized god in many of the pantheons, consistently being a deity associated with mercy in some variation. But one of his particular roles among the altmer/high elves is that he is called The Apologist of Men, IE in a world where men and elves have generations of racial violence between them, Stendarr has a role that tries to form a bridge between the two kindreds that I think hasn’t really been explored overmuch. Especially since there is an aeons old conflict between men and mer rooted in the kind of existence the kindreds have, and yet Stuhn taught humans the value of mercy even in war, and Stendarr taught elves that mankind wasn’t inherently evil.

This Broken God of Light who exists in something of a coma because he’s too weak to interact with mortals directly, even among among the Aedra (The Khajiit say he is the smallest and weakest of the gods, a kitten in need of protection), diverts what is left of his strength to be a peacekeeper. And I’d love to explore that.

#he’s also a great foil to Meridia who is also a very Paladin shaped deity but they are fundamentally different #broken gods of light #tes #the elder scrolls #elder scrolls #stendarr #Stuhn

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snowberry-crostata · 1 year

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Conspiracy Theories About Talos

I saw nientedenada’s post about Talos and it got my brain moving again about the ways in which I dislike Talos’ portrayal with regard to the Nordic Pantheon. Varieties of Faith claims that Ysmir is the Nordic aspect of Talos, but the title/position of Ysmir* predates Tiber Septim by at least 3000 years. So that makes it very unlikely that “Ysmir” is just “the Nordic aspect” of a god who didn’t come on the scene until the Third Era.

*What, exactly, is meant by naming a hero Ysmir is unclear. It’s thought that Ysmir means “king” and/or “Dragon of the North” in the old tongue. Is it the title of the Nordic Kings? A title given to Nordic demigods/cultural heroes? An acknowledgement that the hero is an avatar of Shor, chief of gods? As with many things, the lore is incomplete and open to interpretation. We do know that several heroes have held the title before.

Nientedenada’s post mentions that one interpretation of Talos is as an aspect or mantle of Lorkahn, which makes a lot of sense to me. If we keep going with that, but from the Nordic perspective, then let us consider the following:

Lorkhan = Shor

The Nordic Pantheon is cyclical. Gods die and are reborn. The world itself is part of a cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Shor is a dead god (along with Stuhn), killed by Auri-El in the Dawn Era. Presumably, one day Shor will be reborn.

Talos/Ysmir and Shor are both gods of warfare and conquest.

So one possible interpretation of this is that, at least in the Nordic belief, the apotheosis of Tiber Septim into Talos represents the rebirth of Shor. What if previous Ysmirs were mantling the dead god Shor/Lorkhan? What if Tiber Septim, as Ysmir, ascended to divinity as the reborn Shor, preparing for the possibility of the world moving into its next cycle upon return of Alduin the World-Eater? I like this explanation better than the Imperial Cult’s explanation of “he was such a cool guy that the gods said hey dude, come join us."

Also, the Thalmor really hate Talos, supposedly because he was just some dude and, well, we can’t just let anybody become a god, we elves have standards you know. But do you know who else the elves really hate? Lorkhan (Shor), the trickster who forced the limitless et’Ada into becoming moral Elves and severed their connection to Aetherius. If the Men of Tamriel started to once again worship the elves' most hated enemy, that would probably cheese them off (maybe enough to, I dunno, start a war in order to make them stop?).

There’s a lot that’s left unanswered with any interpretation of Talos (including “are Ysmir and the Shezarrine two sides of the same coin,” an idea that I think fits in nicely with this theory too), but wild speculation about TES lore is one of my very favorite things and “Talos is the reborn Shor” is my new favorite conspiracy theory about everyone’s most/least favorite god/man.

#aedra #talos #headcanons #I might reread this later and think “no that's just dumb”#But right now I really like it

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aardvark-123 · 1 year

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~The Silver-Heart Chronicles Part 7: Friends Come and Go, Sometimes where they Actually Intended~

Many days had passed in Dawnstar. After helping the local sea captain Leif Wayfinder with his shipment of finely-cut void salts, Adelaisa finally had her partner for importing horker meat. Yngvar had another reason to resent Adelaisa, who'd spent the whole trip calling him Lydia and giving him furniture to carry.

"Oh, good morning, Yngvar. Have you seen my friend Lydia? I could have sworn she was waiting somewhere around here," Adelaisa did brazenly enquire.

"Stuhn's blowhole... Yes, actually, I think she burrowed under the sand for a nap. You'll see her boots poking out somewhere along the beach," said Yngvar. "Anyway, Adelaisa, I'm heading out today. It's clear that the caravan won't be back for another fifty years, so I've decided to head to Whiterun and seek my fortune there."

Adelaisa's face fell. "Oh. I'm going to miss you, you know, Yngvar. You've been a good assistant, and an even better friend. Not to mention pretend husband."

"Y-yes, well, let's leave that whole business behind us." Yngvar cleared his throat. "So-"

"Wait, did you say the caravan?" Adelaisa cut in. "They just came into town this morning! That's why I wanted Lydia, so I can get her fitted for Lunar Guard armour-"

Yngvar wasn't listening, not even to point out that they didn't have that mod. He was running up to the south gate to hand over Kharjo's amulet.

Ahkari the merchant captain looked up at the sound of his approach. "Ah, would you be looking for a bargain, friend? Once these ones have finished setting up camp, perhaps... Perhaps..." She watched him run past her and huffed angrily. "Perhaps you will bite me, you lovelorn schoolboy."

His heart pounding, not just from the running, Yngvar approached the handsome Kharjo. "Um... Adelaisa and I- Well, mostly I, we went and found your Amulet of the Moon. So, um, here you go!"

Kharjo gasped. "There it is. Ah, home..." he sighed. "If you ever need the skills of a Khajiit warrior by your side, I would be honored to travel with you."

Yngvar dropped the bouquet of purple mountain flowers he'd been saving. "Wh-what?!"

"I've suspected for a while now that there could be more to life than guarding a merchant caravan," Kharjo went on. "Perhaps a travelling sword for hire could have more fun... Although, as I am sure you can see, I am more of a mace for hire."

Yngvar smiled like an idiot. "W-well, you know what, your mace is more than welcome by my side! In fact, I was just planning a trip to Whiterun. It's a neutral hold, you see. Which is important due to reasons. S-so, how about it?"

Kharjo said he was happy to visit Whiterun; in fact, he knew a shortcut through the mountains. So off they went.

It was a long hike south towards the tundra, through snowy pine forests into damp, grassy pine forests, past giants' camps and herds of mammoths, fighting an average of three wolves per mile. With his steel armour and shield, Kharjo might as well have been a boulder, unbreakable unless you were a bear or a sabre cat. And they only fought a couple of those every ten miles.

Yngvar wondered what Whiterun would be like. Although it was Skyrim's busiest city- the capital which wasn't technically the capital, a bit like Sydney or Glasgow- he had never been there before. The jarl maintained a stubborn neutrality in the civil war. If that meant an ex-Stormcloak could settle down there without having to throw his lot in with the Empire, so much the better.

The tundra grew greener and yellower as they descended from the north. On and on they hiked, staying in villages and farmsteads overnight. For me, playing the game, it only took five minutes, but for Yngvar and Kharjo it was a long trek through a vast country.

On the fourth day, Yngvar's concentration started to waver. I won't say it was definitely because of how shapely Kharjo's behind looked in his armour, but Yngvar definitely failed to notice the great city on the hill disappearing behind them. And on the fifth day, Kharjo declared that they had arrived.

"See?" Kharjo smiled as they crossed the bridge into Riverwood. "Was that a shortcut, or was that a shortcut? Whiterun awaits us, my friend!"

"Er," said Yngvar, a large blue drop of sweat rolling down the back of his head. "This doesn't seem like the agricultural heartland of Skyrim. This seems like a village."

"Well, Whiterun is..." Kharjo laughed nervously. "There is probably more city hidden among the trees. You'll see."

They headed into the village. It was beautiful and breezy among the wooden houses, with a few people out working or wandering the cobbled streets. Yngvar made a beeline for the first person who looked like she knew what she was doing and began asking questions.

"Riverwood Trader, you say?" Yngvar said calmly. "Would this place, by any chance, be called Riverwood? And not, in fact, Whiterun?"

Gerdur burst out laughing. "Well, it certainly isn't Solitude! That's right, boys, you've found your way to Riverwood. Whiterun's a few miles north of here."

"I see." Yngvar turned around and gave Kharjo a pained smile. "That hill we walked past, Kharjo, with the city on top of it. That beautiful, bustling city on a hill at the heart of the plains, surrounded by farms and villages. You don't suppose that might have been Whiterun, do you?"

Kharjo looked at his feet. "It may well have been," he admitted. "To tell you the truth, I thought we were venturing too far south, but you never said a word."

"I was preoccupied," admitted Yngvar. "Er, what was that about a break-in?"

Yngvar and the chagrined Kharjo made for the Riverwood Trader, where they found a man berating the tar out of a put-upon young woman.

"Come on, Lucan, be reasonable-" the woman began.

"No! No! A thousand times no!" Lucan cut in. "What nonsense is this?! My sister, who knows nothing of the world, wants to go thief-chasing without so much as a dwarven armoured mudcrab for company?! Stendarr's teeth, they'll eat you for breakfast!"

"Well, what's your plan, then? Come on, let's hear it!"

"Camilla, just shut up! For once in your life, listen to me!" barked Lucan. "Listen! Just... Please. You don't know what they'd do to you."

Standing in the doorway, Yngvar looked over at Kharjo. "This is..." He bit his lip. "Do you think she's all right?"

"I cannot say," whispered Kharjo. "Brothers and sisters can be like fire and water, but usually underneath it there is love."

Lucan jumped when he heard their voices. "Oh, a-a customer! Sorry you had to see that," he said sheepishly. "Can I help you?"

Yngvar looked at Kharjo. Kharjo looked at Yngvar.

"Well," said Yngvar, "can we help you?"

It turned out some bandits had helped themselves to one of Lucan's favourite ornaments and stashed it away in Bleak Falls Barrow, an ancient ruin in the hills above Riverwood. Camilla offered to show them the way, and Yngvar and Kharjo accepted before Lucan could say anything.

They followed Camilla to the bridge at the edge of town, where she stopped. "My brother's going to blow his top if I take you any further," she said bitterly. "It's just up that slope, right at the tower and left at the cliff. Have fun... And tell me what it's like up there."

With a sigh, Camilla turned and slunk back into the village, her head hanging a little lower with every slow step.

"Kharjo... This isn't right." Yngvar's eyes were burning with anger. "The man's treating his sister like a precious little pet snow fox."

Kharjo nodded. "I cannot stand to see injustice reign in small towns. Let's get her out of there. Come on!"

They ran back into the village, past a startled Camilla, and Yngvar kicked down the door to the Riverwood Trader.

Lucan dropped his sales book. "Wh-what are you doing?!" he gasped. "Guards! Guards, help-"

The words died in Lucan's throat when Yngvar's cold, sharp sword pressed against it. (Please ignore the claw and the fact that it's tomorrow, I had to take these pictures out of order for various reasons.)

"Camilla's coming with us," Yngvar growled. "She deserves an adventure, not the life you've been forcing upon her. For Mara's sake, she isn't a child, she's at least..." Yngvar's brow furrowed. "Twenty-ish, I think."

"Oh, gods... You're madmen!" whimpered Lucan. "Please, wh-whatever you want to do to her, do it to me instead! I couldn't bear it if... If..."

"Er, what?" Yngvar loosened his grip a little. "No, we don't want to hurt Camilla, we want to free her! You were treating her dreadfully."

"I was protecting her!" sobbed Lucan. "From people like you! Gods damn it, Camilla isn't meant to be a warrior, she's only fought mudcrabs and the occasional wolf... You can't do this to her!"

"Well, we- we aren't doing anything to her! Right, Kharjo?" Yngvar said weakly. "Tell him!"

"Lucan, your sister will be fine," Kharjo said firmly. "But if she wishes to accompany us to Bleak Falls Barrow, she will. This is not your decision to make. Are we clear?"

"Go to Oblivion!" Lucan grabbed a broom from behind the counter and started whapping Yngvar on the head. "Get out of my shop! Out! Out! Out, out, out! Get out!"

Yngvar stumbled out of the Riverwood Trader. Kharjo bowled into him seconds later, squashing him flat on the cobbles. They lay there in a daze for several seconds.

Kharjo stood up with a groan and offered Yngvar a gauntleted hand. Yngvar took it and rose unsteadily to his feet.

"That didn't go well at all," Yngvar said quietly. "Kharjo, do you think we..."

"...Did the right thing?" Kharjo finished the question. "I do not know. If we have somehow made things worse for Camilla..."

"Made things worse? Are you joking?!" a voice cried out. "You held a sword to his throat. I wish I'd thought of doing that before!"

Kharjo and Yngvar turned around and gasped. It was Camilla, standing on top of the world, and Frodnar running into my picture before I could stop him.

"Camilla!" cried Yngvar. "Sorry, we might have ticked off your brother even more..."

"Oh, he's had it coming for years." Camilla laughed a little, then sighed. "I think I forgot how to stand up to him for a while. He could be very determined."

"Am I to assume, by the armour you are wearing, you wish to come with us?" asked Kharjo.

Camilla nodded, practically vibrating with glee. "This time, I'll show you all the way inside Bleak Falls Barrow, then all the way back with my brother's golden claw. Come on, let's go!"

They went.

"What's he doing over there?" Yngvar peered through the gloom at a man wrapped in what looked like fifty layers of cobwebs. "It doesn't look comfortable. I'd prefer to sleep on the ground, personally."

"Um, fellows?" Camilla said nervously. "Don't look now, but..."

"This is different," said Camilla, admiring the wall carvings of the old Nordic gods. "We must be right under the mountain by now!"

"Yes, and I can't entirely see why, given that we already have your brother's claw," said Yngvar heavily. He rotated the heavy gold ornament in his hands, peering closely at its three sharp points and the symbols carved into its curving palm. "Actually, do you see that door, with the circles and the little animal pieces? I have a radical idea."

"All this for one piece of bric-a-brac! What's wrong with people?!" Yngvar sighed as he fought a climactic duel against the Draugr Scourge Overlord, his sword clashing mightily against her ancient frosted blade as they vied desperately for an advantage.

"Want a hand? Hold her steady for a moment!" Camilla was sneaking behind the draugr with her war axe at the ready. "Stay still... Stay still, and... THERE!"

At that precise moment, Yngvar cut the draugr clean in half. Camilla's war axe impacted on his leather helmet, knocking him out cold.

"Kyne's leg hair, what a day!" groaned Yngvar, staggering out of the tradesmen's entrance at the back of Bleak Falls Barrow. "I'm glad you haven't invested any perk points into power attacks yet, Camilla, otherwise I'd have been a... Goner?"

Barely visible in the gloom of night, a frost dragon glared down at him. "Hello," she smiled. "You three look edible."

Yngvar breathed a deep, heartfelt sigh. "Why don't we sleep in the cave?"

#Silver-Heart Chronicles #the Elder Scrolls #Skyrim #my writing #fun with pixels

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