From the Journal of Vernand Drake

-17th of Last Seed, 4E 201-

A lot has happened since I entered Skyrim. Most of it...really bad.

When I entered the country's borders, I did not expect to end up on a cart on my way to the chopping block! I just wanted to go to the Mages College in Winterhold to hone my craft and study magic. How was I supposed to know that was Ulfric Stormcloak in that ambush! Despite my protests, they still hauled me, along with a horse thief and a lot of rebel soldiers, to a town called Helgen, awaiting execution!

I know I'm a Breton and know nothing about the home of the Nords, but isn't there supposed to be a trial or something before execution? Or did the ruler of Skyrim change the laws while everyone's too busy killng each other in a civil war?

Long story very short, I was about ready to lose ten pounds off my shoulders by way of a giant axe to my neck when, and I am not shitting with you, a dragon showed up. A huge dragon, black as night, big as a house with red, evil eyes, descended from the clouds, landed on the roof of the keep and summoned a rain of fire upon the town with but a roar! It was damn terrifying. Townpeople running and screaming amidst fire and smoke, the guards fighting the damn thing while it flew over Helgen. I ran with Ralof, one of the Stormcloaks i was captive with, to one of the towers, then up the stairs to find a way out.

I just got to the second floor of the keep when the dragon just smashed through the wall and let out a stream of burning fire into the room. It was a close call, I was inches from being burned alive. However, it provided a way to escape, but not a good one. I cannot tell you how difficult it was to jump down from a burning tower though a hole in the roof with your hands still tied in front of you. I ended up crashing into a chair and rolling face first into a mead barrel.

By the Nine, that was embarrassing.

I managed to make it out of the house and ran into one of the Imperial soldiers, a Nord named Hadvar, guiding a young boy to safety as the dragon landed spewed out flames from its giant snout upon the street and houses below. From there, we ran to the keep, avoiding the dragon as much as possible. Oh, how I was scared! When we ran across the wall, it landed on the very top. One of its giant black wings pinned me to the wall for a few seconds before it burned a poor soldier to crisp and flew off again.

We managed to make it inside the keep before the dragon landed in the courtyard. Hadvar cut my ropes loose, after finding an iron sword and readying my elemental spells, we descended into the keep, fighting Stormcloaks (Seriously, even with a dragon tearing up the village outside, they wanted to kill us!), Frostback Spiders (they are HUGE in Skyrim, damn beady little eyes) and sneaking past a really huge bear. (Successfully I might add, sneaking around dungeon traps has show me the way yet again!)

Eventually Hadvar and I have made it to safety. As we exited the cave though, we saw that big black dragon fly overhead and let out a huge roar as it disappeared behind the mountain range in the distance. Even as I'm writing this, that dragon still scares me.

As of right now, I am in a town called Riverwood. Even though his Captain DID almost chop my head off, Hadvar was kind enough to let me stay at his uncle's house. I couldn't argue. I knew no one in Skyrim and had lost everything in the confusion and destruction of Helgen. I had little money to support myself and all I had were the moth-eaten robes of a dead mage and a rusted iron sword. How I could NOT say no?

We told Alvor and his wife about what happened and how we both escaped. They offered me a place to stay for the night, even gave me food and a steel blade. The beef stew that Sigrid made and the Black-Briar mead for the drink was the best meal I've tasted since I came to Skyrim. By Akatosh, I was starving. They also have a little girl named Dorthe, wisp of a girl, asked me all sorts of questions, about the dragon, where I'm from, what's High Rock like.

Tomorrow, I head for Whiterun. Alvor told me that if the dragon is roaming around the mountainside, the Jarl would need to know that the town was defenseless. It was the least I could do for them after they showed me such kindness to a stranger like me.

Anyway, I need to sleep. I have quite the journey ahead of me.