South of Riften
Uriel Stormblade had only just crossed the border between Skyrim and Cyrodiil an hour or two earlier. He had been plagued by a multitude of very disturbing dreams of late. His father's homeland of Skyrim played heavily in those dreams. So here he was returning to a home he had never known in the middle of a civil war.
Uriel was so lost in thoughts of these dreams, he failed to notice an Imperial ambush until it was too late to escape. Though he was not the target, he was caught up in the capture of the actual prey, Ulfric Stormcloak and his entourage of personal guards.
The fighter in Uriel tingled with excitement as he moved to take on an Imperial Soldier barehanded. He caught the Soldier's wrist and was twisting it to disarm him when two more Soldiers moved to either side of him and placed their swords at his throat. Uriel raised his hands above his head and surrendered. The hilt of a sword slammed into the base of his skull, knocking him unconscious.
Uriel awoke several hours later, sitting in a moving wagon with his hands bound in front of him. He had a splitting headache but it began to ease as he looked around him. Uriel was a Nord but had never been to Skyrim. He had been raised in Cyrodiil, just outside of Bruma. Granted, he knew all about Skyrim as his father had taught him well. So he recognized the town of Helgen as the wagons approached its gates.
Uther Stormblade, Uriel's father, had been a Soldier in the Imperial Army that had fought the Thalmor to a standstill at the Imperial City before the White-Gold Concordat was signed. He had taught Uriel all about the betrayal of the Imperial Government in signing the treaty and allowing the Elves to dictate the beliefs of the Empire.
As a young boy, Uriel used to play in the ruins of Cloud Ruler temple to the North of Bruma. Uther also taught Uriel as much about military tactics as he knew. Uriel also read any book on tactics and strategy he could get his hands on. He had also learned the art of the Blade in the Imperial City Arena. He had achieved the rang of Champion of the Blue team and was preparing to challenge the arena Grand Champion when the dreams started.
Uriel's shoulders and arms are also heavily muscled from working as a Blacksmith for the town of Bruma. He had lost all of his armor and weapons he made when he was arrested in the Imperial City after drunken bout of celebration for beating the Yellow teams Champion in the Arena. His team had immediately left the Arena to celebrate at the King and Queen tavern.
Uriel looked around for a chance to escape as the conversation of two others in the wagon receded to the back of his mind. He watched as General Tullius, the military governor of Skyrim, guided his horse to the right to talk to an important looking Thalmor sitting her horse. Uriel immediately recognized the ambassador of the Aldmeri Dominion but with his hands bound, he was helpless to act.
Uriel is lost at finding a way to escape after a fellow prisoner, a horse thief from Rorikstead, tried to run but was shot by Imperial archers before making it twenty steps. What happens next makes his blood boil and solidifies his resolve to overthrow the Empire. He is not on the list of executions but is told he will die anyway. Uriel's silent prayer to Talos to escape and retaliate against the Empire for this slight is answered in a most unusual way mere minutes later. An actual dragon swoops down from the clouds, lands on a watchtower, and commences to attack the town.
Uriel uses the confusion from the attack to slip away and make good on his escape. He stops near a fallen Imperial Soldier and drags him into the door of the keep. There he strips the dead Soldier of his armor and weapons and arms himself. He runs into the Stormcloak Soldier that was chatting him up in the wagon and they escape the destruction of Helgen together.
Ralof and Uriel make their way to Ralof's sisters lumber mill in Riverwood. Along the path to Riverwood, they pass a set of three of the Guardian Stones and Uriel accepts the blessing from the Warrior Stone. Shortly afterwards, a small pack of three wolves attack the two traveling companions. Ralof and Uriel make short work of the wolves and continue on.
As Ralof talks with his sister and her family, Uriel makes a quick trip to the village blacksmith where he receives permission to use the tools there. He buys a few ingots from the blacksmith with gold he picked up while escaping Helgen. Using the tools and ingots, Uriel improves his armor and weapons, making them much more deadly than the original forms.
Just South of Whiterun
As Uriel made his way down the ridge above the valley that Whiterun resided in, he saw a terrifying sight for most people. A giant was fighting with several figures between a farm and what looked to be a brewery. Uriel spurred his borrowed horse hard and drew his sword.
As the horse rushed forward at a sprint, Uriel assessed the fight and turned the horse with his knees. His intentions were to pass behind the giant and cut his hamstrings. It was only a few seconds but it seemed to Uriel to take forever as the horse neared the fighting giant. The trio fighting the giant paused as this very large and muscled Nord rushed in on horseback and sliced through the back of each leg on the giant.
With his hamstring tendons cut, the giant collapsed to the ground in agony. Uriel stood and back flipped off of the horse and drove his sword deeply into the giant's forehead, pinning the head to the ground. Uriel braced his feet on either side of his sword and wrenched it free of the skull.
The three warriors that had been fighting the giant, moved forward as Uriel wiped the giants blood off of his sword onto the giant's own loin cloth. The female looked at him as if she were appraising a work of art. "You handle yourself very well in a fight. If you're up to it, go talk to Kodlak Whitemane at the companion hall Jorrvaskr. He will decide if you are companion material."
Uriel returned her appraisal coolly. "I might just do that sometime. But in the meantime, I have urgent business with the Jarl." With those words, Uriel excused himself and made for the city gates.
A few hours later, Uriel found himself back near Riverwood and heading up toward an old ruin on top of the ridge. He killed several bandits and stored their gear in a large chest at the top of an old watch tower. He would return later with a wagon to collect and sell the gear.
As Uriel approached the ruin of Bleak Falls Barrow, several bandits moved out to intercept him. Two raised bows while a large Orc rushed Uriel with a great sword readied. Uriel shook his head and readied his sword and shield. He also rushed forward to meet the charging Orc as he caught two arrows on his shield. He ducked low under the swing of the blade and caught the Orc on his shield. Uriel then dropped one knee, throwing the Orc off balance.
Once the Orc was overbalanced, Uriel quickly thrust up with his legs, flipping the Orc upside down over his head. The screaming Orc landed on the lower stone steps with his head down, snapping his neck instantly. Uriel quickly glanced at the dead Orc before continuing up the steps, blocking more arrows with his shield.
After killing the two bow wielding bandits, Uriel searched each body carefully. He found a few potions on one and again collects all the gear in a pile near the entrance. One bandit was a wood elf that was carrying a few Dwarven arrows and a Dwarven bow. The bow and arrows were better than the standard long bow and iron arrows Uriel was carrying so he swapped his out for them. He then made his way to the entrance to the tomb.
Uriel was several levels into the tomb when he ran across what his father had described to him as a Nordic Puzzle Door. Thinking back to these stories, Uriel lifts the Golden Claw he took off of a dead thief. Using the pattern of icons molded onto the claw, Uriel unlocks the puzzle door and enters the final burial chamber.
Against the far wall is a word wall like his father used to tell stories of. It was strange but Uriel felt a powerful pull from the wall, drawing him closer. He walked up a couple small flights of stairs, passing a crypt as he neared the wall. On the wall was a glowing word and he could not only hear the chanting, he could FEEL it in his bones. As he drew within arm's length of the glowing word, the glow and chanting increased in intensity until it crested. The glow faded as he felt the word bury itself deep in his mind. He was momentarily stunned from what had just happened when a loud crack of breaking stone spun him around.
A draugr was pushing the top of the sarcophagus off and onto the floor. Uriel quickly drew his sword and sprang forward, leading with his shield. He used the shield as a makeshift lid to pin the draugr down as he drove his sword through its neck, neatly severing the head.
Inside the sarcophagus, with the now dead draugr, was the Dragon Stone he was searching for and a glowing great sword that felt cold to the touch. Before collecting the stone, Uriel searched the cavern for anything of use. He would have to test the sword later once he had delivered the Dragon Stone to the court wizard of Whiterun.
Uriel made his way out of the crypt and tied as much loot as he could to his horse which he had stashed in the first chamber for safe keeping. It seemed to take far less time to reach Whiterun than it did to get from Whiterun to the crypt in the first place.
He made a quick stop at War Maidens to sell the gear he had brought with him before making the trip up to Dragonsreach. Inside the wizard Farengar's room, Uriel noticed a stranger that looked familiar to him but he wasn't sure about so he didn't say anything yet. Farengar oozed with utter excitement as he looked down at the Dragon Stone in Uriel's hand. The stranger was equally impressed and said so before taking her leave. Uriel watched her as she left, vowing to himself to figure out why she seemed so familiar.
News of a dragon attack on the Western watch tower came and Uriel joined the contingent of guards heading out to investigate. Sure enough, once they arrived at the tower, they found it was badly damaged and several dead guardsmen lay about. Several were smoldering from what looked like being set on fire, while others looked like they had been crushed.
Uriel readied his Dwarven bow and an arrow from his quiver. After a few minutes conferring with the only surviving guardsman, a loud, roaring screech sounded high above. "Kynareth preserve us! Here he comes again!" The guardsmen shouted.
This spurred Uriel into action as he raced to the top of a crumbled wall and drew back on his bow. As the large dragon drew closer, Uriel took careful aim then released the arrow. The Dwarven arrow struck the dragon in the neck, burying itself deeply into the soft tissue of the throat. The dragon roared in anger and pain and swerved hard, crashing into the side of the watchtower.
The dragon had enough momentum to flip over the top of the tower and crash to the ground on the other side. Uriel drew the cold great sword and rushed around the tower to confront the dragon on the ground. The dragon was lying on his back, struggling to flip himself upright when Uriel and the contingent of guardsmen rushed to engage it. Uriel jumped as high as he could and used his weight to strengthen his downward swing of the magical sword. The blade bit deeply into the exposed throat of the dragon, releasing a torrent of ice at impact. The dragon screamed in more pain before the blade passed deeply enough into its throat to silence it forever.
Uriel staggered back in surprise when the dragon began to disintegrate before his very eyes. Tendrils of white power swirled around the dragon and into Uriel. He felt a surge of power like he had never felt, nor heard of, pouring through his veins.
One of the guards approached him tentatively. "By the Gods, you're Dragonborn! Just like the old tales tell about!"
Uriel looked around at him in thought. "I don't know what just happened to me. But I do know I've never felt anything like that at all. It felt absolutely wonderful though."
The guards went on talking back and forth but Uriel only caught bits and pieces of it. Stuff like, Tiber Septim, shouting without training, and more about dragons.
So on a hunch, he turned West toward the open plain and instinctively drew on the power of the dragon soul to release his Thu'um. At the deep, rumbling boom of Uriel's voice, all the guardsman froze and stared at him. "The voice of the Dragonborn. He has returned to us in our time of need."
Remembering an old tale his father used to tell him, Uriel turns to Irileth to make a request. "I would like to return with a wagon and retrieve the dragon bones. Could you please make sure no one else bothers the bones?" Irileth looks him over coolly. "I suppose I could have the guardsmen keep an eye on it. But hurry, they have better things to do than babysit your bones."
Uriel can't help but chuckle as he agrees and makes his way back to Whiterun to report their success to the Jarl. He stables his borrowed horse at the city stables and enters the walled city. As the gate closes behind him, a rumbling thunder fills the sky. In his bones he felt and understood the call but in his mind he was totally confused.
He continues on to the palace pondering what he had just accomplished and trying to sort through the old tales his father had regaled him with as a child. If he truly was Dragonborn as the legends predicted, this would greatly aid him in his quest to return the Empire to its true self and its proper place in the world. The Thalmor had forced the Empire into rejecting Talos and even removing him from the pantheon of nine gods. This was an atrocity and the true believers of Talos would right this terrible wrong.
Uriel briefed the Jarl on what happened at the watchtower and was given the Axe of Whiterun to honor his promotion to Thane of Whiterun. He secured permission to buy a house in the city and take on a female fighter, named Lydia, to be his housecarl. He didn't have the coin to outright buy the house and stock it. As Thane, he was granted both the house and Lydia with a signed agreement to pay in full within six months. With housing taken care of, Uriel set out to clear the immediate area of danger. This included clearing bandits out of a nearby iron mine and a old temple with a forge at the top of a long flight of stairs. The bandit camp at Halted Stream Camp provided Uriel with not only an ample supply of iron ore but a spell tome that allowed him to learn a powerful and useful spell called transmute. It also had decent sleeping arrangements and a blacksmith's forge.
With the blessing of the Jarl, Uriel staked claim to the mine at Halted Stream and began removing ore to transmute into both gold and silver. He then used the forge at the camp to make gold and silver jewelry which he then sold in the market district of Whiterun. He also bought other higher grade ores (mainly ebony and steel) to make himself a new set of armor and weapons.
He was able to obtain enough daedra hearts from not only passing Kajiit caravans but Arcadia's Cauldron as well, to begin making Daedric armor and weapons. He worked several days smithing a Daedric longsword. Hammering it out on the forge then improving its sharpness on the grindstone. He wanted to wait to go to see the Greybeards until after he had finished the full set of armor and a Daedric bow but he decided it needed to be sooner rather than later.
So he saddled his horse that he had bought from the stable and made his way to Ivarstead then up the 7,000 steps to High Hrothgar. He had to kill another group of bandits at Voltheim Towers that crossed the river but they barely caused him to break a sweat. It also gave him more time to practice and perfect his newfound power of Thu'um.
Uriel managed to convince a passing group of Imperial Soldiers to carry a note to Jarl Balgruuf to station a garrison at the towers to better protect the holds Eastern flank. He would just have to remember that if he sided with the Stormcloaks and came for the city. He had a plan forming that hopefully would avoid having to actively take arms against the Jarl of Whiterun.
He continued on his way noticing several other places that needed to be cleared and manned, in his opinion anyway. Even in Cyrodiil he had wondered why forts were abandoned and left for bandits to occupy and use. He had theorized that a man could become wealthy cleaning out places like the ruins of old forts and such for the local government. Some of the abandoned forts were not in disrepair as some claimed. They were fully functional and working forts that protected bandits, allowing them to prey on all around them.
For instance there are no less than five abandoned forts within arrow shot of the lake surrounding the Imperial City. If the Empire would renovate and garrison them, they would provide an impressive first line of defense in case of an attack on the city. If they had been garrisoned during the war with the Thalmor, the war would have definitely turned out differently.
Uriel continued on his trek up the 7,000 steps with little more difficulty. He ran across a snow bear or two and an Frost troll. Neither proved a challenge to the seasoned warrior. Using his new power to stagger them first, he would then move in for the kill before they could recover. It had worked very effectively on bandits as well as creatures.
Along the path up the mountain, Uriel had encountered a few pilgrims studying the markers that told the story of dragons and man. He was still thinking on the story told by the shrines as he entered the massive monastery of High Hrothgar.
Uriel was impressed by the architecture of the monastery and surprised to learn only four men lived there. The place could have easily housed an army. He made contact with Master Arngeir and learned the second word of Unrelenting Force (the name of his shout he learned) from Master Einarth. A short time later, he astonishes the Greybeards once again by easily learning Whirlwind Sprint from Master Bori.
Master Arngeir then assigns a quest to Uriel to find the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller in a Nord crypt called Ustengrav. Uriel thanks the Greybeards for their assistance and leaves the Monastery before making his way back to Whiterun to get a good night's sleep in his home.
Early the next morning Uriel is up and checking his gear for the trip to the burial crypt. He makes his way to the stable and saddles his horse with Lydia in tow. Together they make their way through Morthal and up to Ustengrav. Upon reaching the crypt, the pair are set upon by a necromancer and three of her enthralled followers. Again using the now more powerful Unrelenting Force shout, Uriel and Lydia are able to make short work of their attackers.
Uriel decides to switch to his bow as he crouches and quietly enters Ustengrav. He eases forward as quietly as he can until he finds another necromancer and a mage standing over the bodies of several slain bandits. Uriel slowly draws his bow and takes careful aim at the necromancers chest. He lets fly with the Dwarven arrow which strikes his target square in the chest, piercing his heart and spine.
The startled mage turns to her friend in shock as an arrow blossoms from his chest. By the time she has recovered enough to defend herself, Uriel is standing before her with his sword swinging at her neck. Her eyes widen even more as the Daedric blade removes her head from her shoulders with ease.
The two companions venture deeper into the crypt, killing mage and draugr alike. On his way through, Uriel searches everything that could contain anything of value. He finds quite a bit of gold, some jewelry, and even potions along the way. He also keeps his eye open for any magical weapons the draugr might be carrying.
Uriel and Lydia enter a vast underground cavern and the Dragonborn immediately feels the pull of a word wall. After dispatching several skeletons, he makes his way to the wall to learn the word of power there. He absorbs it but remembering what Master Arngeir said, he must wait until he can slay another dragon to use it. Uriel uses his latest shout, whirlwind sprint, to bypass a trap of three doors. Once he is through the doors, he pulls the chain to deactivate them so Lydia can bypass them as well.
The two continue deeper into the cavern of the crypt until they enter another cavern with water on either side of the walk way. Uriel draws near the alter with a hand holding something in the air. He is tense and holding his sword at the ready just in case. He realizes it is a piece of paper lying in the hand as he gets closer. The note instructs him to go to the Sleeping Giant inn in Riverwood.
Uriel curses and throws the note into the water before making his way out of the crypt to his waiting horse. Along the way, he collected more gold and such before riding for Riverwood. Uriel is silent for the entire ride as he fumes over the partially wasted trip. By the time they reached Riverwood, he had calmed down and realized that setbacks were a part of life and if he planned to be Emperor then he had to accept and learn from them.
He enters the inn and is approached by a female in her early 50's. She tells him they don't have an attic room but he can have the one on the left. Uriel fishes out 10 gold for the room and walks in and sits down in the chair against the back wall. The lady that took his payment for the room follows him into the room and hands him the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. "I think you're looking for this. Follow me, I have a place we can talk privately."
With that she turns and walks across the inn with Uriel following close behind her. Once in her room he shuts the door and follows her down a set of stairs hidden behind her wardrobe and into a room with several tables, a chest, weapons racks, and several shelves. "Impressive work to dig all of this out and stock it."
The woman watches him before she talks. "So can you really do it? Kill a dragon and absorb its soul?" Uriel looks at her evenly. "Yes, that's how I first learned I was Dragonborn. The Whiterun guards and I took down one at their Western watchtower. When it died, a swirl of lights, sort of like a mist, swirled out from the dragon and into me. Afterwards, I was able to use a shout called Unrelenting Force without any training."
The woman again looked Uriel over like she was sizing him up. "I think there are more attacks coming. Dragons aren't just returning, they are returning from the dead. Something killed them years ago and now something is raising them from the dead."
It was Uriel's turn to size her up. "What makes you think that? And who are you?"
The lady smiled this time. "You brought me the clue that someone is raising them. As to the second part, I'm Delphine but that is all I'm saying for now. At least until I know for sure if you are who I've been searching for."
That's when Uriel recognized her. "You were the one in Farengar's room at Dragonsreach. And the Dragon stone is what you are referring too." He said matter of factly.
Delphine smiled again. "Good, you WERE paying attention. Yes, the Dragon stone is a map of ancient dragon burial mounds. And I know where the next one will be resurrected. I found the pattern you see and the next attack will be at Kynesgrove."
Uriel nodded his head. "I've ridden through that area, the Mound is on a hill to the East of town, I'll meet you there." With that, Uriel left her secret lair and the inn. He mounted his horse and took off at a trot for Kynesgrove.
He approached Kynesgrove as a girl came running down the path screaming about a dragon attack. Uriel spurred his horse to a sprint and headed up the hill with his horse running full out. At the top of the hill, there was a very large dragon speaking in the guttural language of dragons to a large mound. Uriel drew his bow and took a shot at the huge dragon. The arrow simply bounced off confirming this was the dragon that destroyed Helgen.
The dragon stopped what he was doing and simply looked toward Uriel. He then dismissed Uriel as no threat and continued what he was doing before simply turning and flying away. The ground split open and a dragon skeleton drug itself out of the hole. The Dragonborn didn't hesitate. He drew his ancient sword of ice and attacked the skeleton with a fervor.
Delphine arrived at this time and joined in the attack. Between the two of them, it didn't take long to dispatch the dragon. Once it was dead, Uriel held his arms to his side and let the dragon soul flow into him.
"Gods above, it's true. I guess I owe you answers." Delphine said as the lights disappeared into Uriel. He turned to fully face Delphine. "Yes you do. Who are you and what do you want with a Dragonborn."
Delphine told him the story about the original Blades before they became the Emperors private bodyguards. About how they had served the Dragonborn in slaying dragons back in ancient times. She also told him how the Thalmor had made it a point to hunt down and destroy every last Blade they could find. As far as Delphine knew, she was the last surviving member of that once proud organization.
By the time she had finished with her explanations, the townsfolk of Kynesgrove had gathered to stare at the dragon bones. Uriel hired a guy with a wagon to deliver the bones to him at the Halted Stream Camp. He had already taken the first set of bones there and now he would add to his growing collection. Lydia was staying at the camp to guard it from any thieves or intruders. And the Jarl had also sent a patrol out to occupy the old Silent Moons camp and the Lunar Forge.
The Dragonborn had spent a day in the saddle and now he was ready for a bath and bed. He would start work on his new sword and bow tomorrow. After that he would need to slay more dragons to forge his new dragon plate armor. He had found the designs and instructions in a book down in Delphine's secret room.
Uriel was making his way to Halted Stream camp when he heard a dragon roar over the edge of the ridge. He broke into a sprint while readying his bow. Just over the ridge was a dragon hovering in the air, breathing a cone of ice on a giant. He dropped to his knee and took careful aim at the dragon. He loosed the arrow at the dragon's vulnerable underbelly and throat. Again the arrow buried itself deeply into the dragon's throat.
The dragon roared and swerved away from the burning in its throat. Uriel drew another arrow and took aim as the dragon crashed into the ground behind the giant. As the giant turned to run at Uriel, the Dragonborn took aim at the giant and waited. He held steady as the giant drew closer and closer to him. When the giant was almost close enough to attack with the tree trunk he was wielding as a club, Uriel released the arrow. The arrow flew true and buried itself into the giant's right eye. The arrow sank so deeply that it could no longer be seen.
The giant stopped and stood there as his brain processed that he was dead but just didn't know it. Uriel sprinted past the giant as it slowly toppled forward like a great oak crashing to the ground. He had his sword drawn and ready to attack the wounded dragon before it fully turned toward him. Uriel drove the sword deeply into the exposed side of the dragon and pulled with all of his might to widen the cut even more. The magical ice sword sliced easily down the dragons exposed side and spilled its guts onto the ground.
As the dragon screamed its death cry, Uriel continued down the side of the dragon to drive the sword directly into the dragons eye. The sword sank all the way to the hilt and the dragon shuddered and died. Again, Uriel stood still as the dragon's soul swirled into him. He started the process of moving the bones to the camp as soon as the lights vanished.
It took Uriel three whole days to complete his new dragon sword and bow. The man he hired in Kynesgrove also arrived with those bones as well. The Dragonborn was able to make a shield and helmet with the remaining bones. To finish the entire ensemble, he would need at least four more dragons. He had his work cut out for him but with what he had, he decided to go meet Delphine for the next phase of her plan.
Uriel arrived at the Sleeping Giant Inn just before lunch on the next day. Delphine was impressed with the work he had done in fashioning the weapons and armor from dragon bone. "I see you've put the book of the Dragonborn to good use over the last few days."
Uriel nodded. "I will eventually finish the full set of armor but I figure I will need to slay at least four more dragons to complete the chest plate, grieves, gauntlets, and boots. But I will get there before long. It seems that dragon we saw at Kynesgrove is accelerating his resurrections."
Delphine nodded grimly. "Yes, that is why you need to get into the Thalmor Embassy and steal whatever knowledge they have about the dragons. I have found a way to get you in but you have to meet with my contact tomorrow night in Solitude. His name is Malborn and he will be at the Winking Skeever at eight o'clock tomorrow night. You'll give him whatever weapons and armor you want him to sneak into the embassy then meet me at Katla's farm. I'll have your wardrobe ready for you to get into the party."
So Uriel mounted his horse and rode for Solitude at a trot. He already had the weapons and armor he needed with him. He was just wondering what kind of outfit Delphine had picked out for him.
Before meeting Malborn at the Winking Skeever, Uriel put his armor and weapons that he wanted into a large travel bag for ease of carry. He passed the bag off to Malborn and made his way to the stables at Katla's Farm.
Delphine was waiting for him with a set of clothes. He took the clothes and went into the stables to change in private. Upon leaving the stable, Delphine looked him over. "I guess that will have to do. The carriage there will take you to the Embassy as soon as you are ready." With that Uriel nodded his head slightly and climbed into the back of the carriage.
Uriel linked up with Malborn at the party after a close call with the Thalmor Ambassador, Elenwen. Malborn and Uriel made their way to the chest where his gear was stored after Uriel bribed another guest into causing a distraction.
Uriel donned his gear and settled his weapons onto his person then made his way out of the back of the embassy to the sealed quarters in the rear. He killed two Elven guards and a Thalmar wizard before making it into the rear courtyard. In the courtyard he kills two more guards and another wizard before making it into the Solar.
Inside the Solar, he had to kill another Soldier, a spy, and another wizard. He found the key to the interrogation chamber on the wizard and made his way to interrogation room. There he kills another Soldier and frees a prisoner that tells him something about someone named Esbern, hiding in the Ratway of Riften.
After he cut the prisoner loose, he heard a voice coming from the upper level. He looked that way and saw two more Thalmor Soldiers holding Malborn prisoner. Uriel thought about it for a moment before drawing his bow and hitting the Soldiers with his Unrelenting Force shout. As soon as they were staggered back he fired one arrow and quickly nocked another and killed the second before he fully recovered.
He made quick work of searching the Soldiers and found the key to the trapdoor. He then searched the room and found Dossiers on Esbern, Delphine, Ulfric Stormcloak, and the Thalmor's dragon investigation. He collected the dossiers, unlocked the trapdoor, and quickly left the Thalmor Embassy.
Uriel made his way to the stables as quickly as he could. He saddled his horse and rode for Riverwood as fast as his horse could handle. He paused to allow the horse to drink at streams on the way and rest but otherwise wasted no time. He made it to Riverwood in record time. Delphine was shocked to learn Esbern was still alive. It meant that not only was she not the last surviving Blade, but that her good friend was still alive. She sent Uriel to Riften to rescue him as fast as possible.
He had made a quick stop at High Hrothgar to deliver the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller to the Greybeards. He was taught the last word of Unrelenting Force and acknowledged formally as Dragonborn before going on to Riften.
Riften was a long ride so Uriel started out toward it at once. He made it to Kynesgrove before he stopped at the inn there to sleep and clean up. It also gave his horse a chance to rest for several hours after the long, hard ride.
The next morning, Uriel started for Riften after a hearty breakfast at the inn. By noon he was dismounting his horse at the Riften stables. He had killed several wolves and a couple of cave bears on the road between Kynesgrove and Riften. He had quickly skinned them all out and brought the hides with him.
Upon entering Riften, he had to intimidate the guard to open the gate, he made his way to the central market. He was looking for a man named Brynjolf that was Delphine's contact in the city. He turned out to be a member of the Thieves Guild that seemed to be on the decline. Brynjolf tried to recruit Uriel but it didn't work and was himself persuaded to help find Esbern.
Uriel entered the passageway at the back of the Ragged Flagon that lead to the Ratway. He discovered the Thalmor had beaten him to Riften and had to kill two Soldiers and another Wizard. He made it through the Ratway at last and found a heavily built door, covered in at least seven locks that he could see. He knocked on the door and called out to Esbern.
True to Delphine's word, Esbern was even more paranoid than her. He slid the view port back closed after telling Uriel he wasn't Esbern. Uriel remembered the phrase Delphine had made him memorize about the 30th of Frostfall. That got Esbern to perk up and open the door.
After a brief talk inside the locked room, Esbern was ready to follow the Dragonborn to link up with Delphine. He collected a few things, mostly books, and followed Uriel out of the door. They were immediately set upon by Thalmor Soldiers and yet another Wizard. Uriel quickly killed all three and told Esbern to follow.
As they walked, Esbern talked of the war and what he believed had cost the Empire the war. "It's simple. The Thalmor are mostly High Elves and they had many more Wizards than the Empire did. They simply out magicked us."
Uriel thought that over before replying. "Yes, but the Empire didn't have a true Dragonborn either. The next war will go much differently, I promise you that. First things first though. I have to get you to Riverwood safely. Then we talk war strategy from there."
After leaving the sewers beneath the city, a Kajiit attacked Uriel and Esbern wielding an Elven dagger. She is no match for the Dragonborn and is killed very quickly. Uriel finds a note signed E on the dead would be assassin. "I'll bet that wench Elenwen wrote this. I should have killed her when I had the chance. Oh well, her time will come." With that he took Esbern on to the stables where he bought a horse for him to ride.
It was well after dark when Esbern and Uriel made it to Riverwood. After stabling their horses, they went to the inn to meet with Delphine. Once Delphine and Esbern had their reunion, they all three went down to her secret room to talk. Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were leaving the inn headed for Karthspire.
It was a long ride to Karthspire and that place was known to be riddled with the Foresworn. So Uriel convinced Delphine and Esbern to be his guest at the Halted River Camp. There was plenty of room and it was secure with Lydia and a Whiterun guard post within arrow shot. Uriel had also added heavy gates to the South entrance and walled off the East one.
Early the next morning Esbern, Delphine, Uriel, and Lydia were mounted and riding for Karthspire. They reached it around midday where Lydia and Esbern commenced long range shots with bow and magic at the Foresworn to keep them occupied. This allowed Delphine and Uriel to get close enough to fire an arrow assault themselves before engaging with their swords. Of course Uriel hit them with a shout before attacking with his sword.
With the final word of Unrelenting force in his vocabulary now, the Foresworn were bodily picked up and thrown a considerable distance. Some were crushed against the cliff face, others were blown off the high cliffs, while others were simply stunned long enough for Delphine and Uriel to slash their throats.
Drawn by the power of the Dragonborn's Thu'um, two dragons converged on the Karthspire. Uriel squared off against the larger, more powerful one, while Esbern and Delphine worked against the other. Uriel used the shouts he had learned to great effect. The Unrelenting Force shout tossed even the powerful dragons around like a leaf when they were in the air. Thus forcing them to land within reach of swords.
Within minutes of the dragons arrival, the one Uriel attacked was dead and the other badly wounded. Uriel turned to help finish off the last one as the soul from the first swirled around him. Uriel checked over Esbern and Delphine for wounds before proceeding into the cave at Karthspire.
He quickly killed two more Foresworn and a shaman before proceeding deeper into the cavern. At a ramp with three stone pillars at its top, Esbern stopped to describe the symbols on the pillars. On a hunch, Uriel turns all three until the symbol for Dragonborn was showing. It caused a stone ramp to fall across the gap. This small opening led to another room where the floor was covered in the same symbols.
So following the pattern of the last puzzle, Uriel studied the floor and noticed another pattern. There was a straight trail where the Dragonborn symbols led to a chain on the other side. He followed the path without incident and pulled the chain, neutralizing the trap. This path led to a large chamber with a large, carved face on the other side with a spiral looking mural on the ground in front of the face.
Esbern again went on a rant about Akaviri symbols and art. He calls the mural a "blood seal" that will open with the blood of the Dragonborn. So Uriel takes out his dagger, slices his hand, and squeezes the blood out onto the seal. It spins as the blood hits it and the carved face slides backwards and upwards into the entrance.
Delphine steps forward slightly. "You should be the first to enter Dragonborn. It just seems right that you enjoy the honor of being the first to enter Sky Haven Temple for the first time in centuries." Uriel bowed his head appreciatively and entered the temple. Delphine and Esbern followed, lighting braziers along the wall as they went.
Uriel saw them pausing to use a torch to light the braziers so he started casting the flames spell on each one as he passed. Once inside the temple proper, Uriel saw Alduin's Wall off to the right. He turned to Esbern. "Entering first was my honor Esbern, being the first to the wall should be yours."
Esbern didn't hesitate and walked quickly to the wall. After translating the wall for Uriel and Delphine, Esbern marvels even more at the Akaviri architecture. Uriel looks to Delphine and brings up the subject of the Blades. He then offers to recruit more Blades to their ranks while he finds out about the shout to defeat Alduin.
Before leaving the temple, Uriel searches it thoroughly and finds a set of Blades armor and a magical Akaviri Sword. He leaves the armor but takes the sword with him. He will search for its power and name in the book of the Dragonborn or maybe the Rise and Fall of the Blades.
Two weeks later, Uriel has brought three recruits to join the ranks of the reformed Blades. Delphine tells the Dragonborn to give her two weeks to get the three trained up in Blade tactics. Esbern gives Uriel some advice and tells him about a blessing the ancient Blades used to give before going into a battle with a dragon.
During the next two weeks, Uriel did odd jobs around Whiterun and even went to Falkreath to help the Jarl with a problem there. Upon solving the problem for the young Jarl, Uriel was given permission to buy property in the hold which he promptly did. When he didn't have work around Whiterun, Uriel was on his new property building his dream home.
At the end of the two weeks, Uriel made his way back to Sky Haven Temple to link up with the Blades. Esbern gave them the Ancient Blessing and sent them to take out a dragon that was harassing the people of Markarth. The dragon proved an easy kill for the three new blades and the Dragonborn. Uriel brought back a scale and bone from the dragon to Esbern. Esbern then made up a potion for the Dragonborn that would increase his abilities even more.
Now that there were more Blades again, the three newcomers would take over recruiting more members. It would be a slow but necessary process to recruit secretly. It was necessary to prevent the Thalmar from finding out the Blades were rebuilding. Uriel then went to Esbern to find a way to defeat Alduin. This line of inquiry led Uriel back to High Hrothgar in search of an answer.
Master Arngeir was not happy that Uriel had been working with the Blades but he backed down when the Dragonborn put his foot down. He then told him that the ancient Nord heroes had used a shout called Dragonrend to defeat Alduin but they didn't know the shout to be able to teach it to him. So the Greybeards taught the shout, Clear Skies, to Uriel so he could reach the Throat of the World and talk to the leader of the Greybeards, someone named Paarthurnax.
After using Clear Skies and killing a couple of Ice Wraiths, Uriel reached the peak of the tallest mountain in Tamriel. He stood looking around and saw a word wall but felt no pull from it as usual. He continued to look around until he saw a dragon approaching. This dragon felt different from the others he had faced to include Alduin. Uriel was beyond surprised when the aforementioned dragon spoke to him and introduced himself as Paarthurnax.
After a lengthy conversation in which Paarthurnax taught Uriel the power word for Fire Breath, he also learns that the ancient heroes not only used Dragonrend but they also used an Elder Scroll. In using the scroll, they had created a time wound which Uriel could see as a shimmering distortion. The best place to learn about Elder Scrolls was the Mages College at Winterhold.
So after a trip to the Halted Stream camp to use the dragon bones he had collected with the Blades to craft a pair of boots and gauntlets, he was off to Winterhold. He was two pieces away from completing a full set of Dragon Plate Armor. All he lacked was the chest plate and grieves. That required roughly two more dragons to be slain.
After a short test to get into the College, Uriel was entering the library to speak with Urog gro-Shub, the curator of the Arcanaeum, the College's library. After proving to the curator that he was the true Dragonborn, Uriel received a tip to find a mage called Septimus Signus and set out to the North shore below Winterhold.
An hour later and Uriel was paddling a rented row boat toward a small island just North of Winterhold. He saw a bandit camp in an old shipwreck off to his right so he beached his boat and moved in to clear them out. He kills all four bandits and collects all of their loot in the bow of the shipwreck. He uses a chest he found by the campfire and one he found on the ship to secure the loot. Once the loot was secure, Uriel shoved off too continue paddling to the small island.
It doesn't take long until Uriel spots another boat beached ahead of him. He angles his boat toward the other boat and lets it slide into the space next to it. He secures his boat to a stake driven into the ice. He then pushes open the door covering the entrance to a cave.
Uriel finds Signus at the bottom of a sloping path. Also at the bottom was a Dwemer puzzle door, a couple shelves, a table, and some magic equipment. After a very strange talk with Signus, Uriel is back on his hunt for the Elder Scroll. He is carrying a round ball of Dwemer design that Signus called a key and a cube that Signus called a lexicon, also of Dwemer make.
Uriel returned his rented boat, sold off the loot from the four bandits at the shipwreck, and retrieved his horse from the stables. He then headed West toward Dawnstar. He hadn't been on the road long when he had to kill a snow bear and a few wolves. A little passed those, which he skinned and saved, he ran into a Frost Troll. As Uriel is fighting the Troll, he feels a rush of wind and a shadow passes over him. Realizing a dragon is about to join the fight, Uriel uses his Unrelenting Force shout to level the troll thus making for an easy kill.
He sheaths his sword and removes his Dragonbone Bow from his back. The dragon turns on a wingtip and comes to a hover above the Dragonborn. A cone of frost spews forth from dragon's mouth toward Uriel. His bones ache from the cold and he feels lethargic but he still draws his bow back and loses an arrow into the vulnerable underbelly of the dragon.
Uriel is able to nock a second arrow and score another good hit before the dragon moves off and circles him. Uriel nocks a third arrow and draws back once more. Taking careful aim, he tracks the dragon that now drops quickly for a landing near its tormentor. Uriel fires the third arrow, this time through the top of the dragon's mouth as it opened wide to use more ice breath.
The arrow buries itself deeply into the bony materiel at the top of the mouth, penetrating into the dragon's actual brain, killing it instantly. Winterhold guardsmen had been close enough to see the fight and were now rushing up to congratulate the Dragonborn on his victory. They all freeze in utter astonishment as the dragon disintegrates and Uriel absorbs its soul. Uriel then gives one of the guards enough money to hire a wagon to take the bones to Halted Stream Camp.
"Do not think of taking my gold and not doing what I asked. If I can kill a dragon single handedly, what do you think I could do to you if you steal from me?"
The guard was petrified with fear and swore on Talos that he would do as the Dragonborn bade him. The other guards looked around nervously but did not say anything. Uriel said no more as well and simply mounted his horse and resumed his ride.
Uriel was just cresting the ridge above Dawnstar when he heard a dragon bellow below. He spurred his horse and rode quickly to join the fight with the Dawnstar guardsmen. The dragon was slightly wounded but still had plenty of fight in him. That all changed as the Dragonborn joined the fray. A well placed arrow from Uriel brought the dragon crashing to the ground. As soon as the dragon was grounded, the guardsmen and Uriel rushed in with swords, axes, and hammers flailing. The dragon died quickly and once again Uriel astonished all around him by absorbing the dragons soul.
After hiring another wagon to deliver the dragon bones to his forge, Uriel goes into the Windpeak Inn for a bath and some refreshment. Once his bath is done, he finds an empty table in the inn and orders some ale and venison stew. As he eats, Uriel sits back and listens to the chatter going on around him about things that are happening in and around Dawnstar. A conversation between a couple of miners and a priest of Mara peaks his interest. So Uriel speaks to the priest and agrees to accompany him to Nightcaller Temple on the hill overlooking Dawnstar.
After helping Erandur, the priest of Mara, clear Nightcaller Temple and destroy the Skull of Corruption, Uriel piles all of the loot at the entrance to the temple and continues his journey to the buried Dwemer city of Alftand and Blackreach that lies below it.
Uriel was amazed at the level of technology that still remained in the ancient Dwemer city. The guardians of the city, Dwarven spiders, Dwarven spheres, and even massive Dwarven Centurions were still very active throughout the city. The former slaves of the Dwemer, the Falmer, are also present in abundance. Using his Dragonbone weapons, shouts, and healing spells, Uriel finally makes it to Blackreach. Along the way he found several dead members of an archaeological expedition.
Just before Uriel reaches the lift that will take him deeper into the ruins, he runs across the last two members of the expedition, crazed but very much alive. At least until they are stupid enough to attack the Dragonborn, who makes short work of the two. Uriel searches the two and finds a magical sword on the male and a magical shield on the female. He takes the lift to the surface and stores the gear for future recovery before returning to the underground city.
Once he reaches Blackreach, Uriel stands amazed at the vast underground cavern and again marvels at the technological skill of the Dwemer to create such a massive cavern this deep underground.
After killing several Centurions and multiple Falmer, Uriel finally makes his way out of Blackreach and into the Tower of Mzark, where the Elder Scroll Dragon is stored. He places the blank lexicon onto the lexicon pedestal and pushes the appropriate sequence of buttons to release the mechanism holding the Scroll. He then retrieves the now transcribed Lexicon, the Dragon Scroll, and exits using the lift in the back of the hall.
Uriel then heads for Winterhold to rent another boat to deliver the Lexicon to Signus. After handing the Lexicon over to Signus, he was turning to leave when the crazed Mage began spouting something about needing Dwemer blood to open the lock. So he hands a weird looking contraption to Uriel and says the blood of the Elf species to include the Orcs would have to do as a substitute.
With the blood extractor in hand, Uriel made his way up the sloping path to the exit which was blocked by a gooey blob covered with eyes and tentacles. Uriel drew his sword but did not attack as he heard the maniacal laughing coming from Signus.
"I am Hermaeus Mora, seer of the unseen, knower of the unknown..." Realizing even a Dragonbone sword would be useless against a Daedric Lord, Uriel sheathes his sword.
"I know who you are. What do you want vile demon!?" Uriel demands.
Hermaeus Mora then tells Uriel that he will be his champion when Signus passes and the Dragonborn responds with great hostility. "I will not work for you vile demon, BE GONE!" The dark abyss of the Daedric Lord literally shakes with laughter as it fades away.
Uriel exits the small cave and heads back to Winterhold to retrieve his horse and get to the Throat of the World with the Elder Scroll.
Several hours of hard riding later, Uriel arrives at the time wound on top of the Throat of the World. "You have found the Elder Scroll. Time itself shudders at your approach. Truly you are Dovahkiin, doom driven."
Uriel dismounts his horse and walks closer to the time wound. It glows even brighter than normal at his approach. He pulls the Elder Scroll from his pack and reads it at the time wound.
Instantly he is not seeing the current world around but far into the past on the day Alduin was defeated by the ancient heroes of the voice. He sees the battle as it happened that day and the event he is searching for, the use of Dragonrend. When the heroes use this shout, power flows through time and Uriel learns each word of the shout and feels the power flow out from the heroes of old and into him.
The scene fades as Felldir uses the Elder Scroll to banish Alduin from the past and send him into the future. Uriel shakes his head at the irony of it all. Tiber Septim had not been revealed as Dragonborn at the time of the banishing but now, in the future, a Dragonborn had arisen at the time needed to combat Alduin.
His thoughts are broken by a loud bugle from none other than Alduin as he approaches. Paarthurnax launches himself into the air to confront the World Eater, Alduin. It is a futile gesture as Alduin defeats him quickly, sending the leader of the Greybeards crashing back to the ground. That is when Uriel strikes. "JOOR, ZAH, FRUL!" The Dragonrend shout blasts from the throat of the Dragonborn with a powerful force. It completely envelops Alduin, making him vulnerable to weapon attacks and forcing him out of the air.
Uriel strikes hard and fast with Dragonbane, the sword he found in Sky Haven Temple. The magical sword arcs as lightning pours from it and directly into Alduin. It is not something that the World Eater expected when he scoffed at Uriel for claiming to be Dovahkiin, near Kynesgrove.
Alduin has never felt so much pain and agony in his very long life. Not even the ancient heroes of old wielded such power. He tried attacking the Dragonborn with his breath weapon only to see it strike Uriel's shield and spill passed him leaving him unharmed. Again the Dovahkiin attacks with a flurry of strikes and thrusts. Alduin can feel his very life force being stripped away by each strike of that cursed sword. Uriel shouts again with Dragonrend and continues his viscous assault on Akatosh's First Born. Finally Alduin succumbs and must flee this world. As he takes flight, he tries to mock the Dovahkiin again.
"I cannot be killed on this world. But you have forced me to return to Sovngarde to regain my strength. I shall return stronger than ever before and then you will meet your doom Dovahkiin!"
Uriel sheathes his sword breathing heavily. Paarthurnax has recovered and now speaks. "You have scored a great victory this day. Not even the Nords of Old could defeat Alduin in open battle. You have succeeded where they could not. But now is not the time for celebrations, You must follow Alduin to Sovngarde and finish what you have started here today."
Uriel nodded his head. "I know that is my destiny but how am I supposed to get into Sovngarde without dying?"
Paarthurnax shook his massive head. "That I do not know. But perhaps one of Alduin's allies might know. I have heard a name whispered on the wind, Odahviing. Call his name and he will come. He is not compelled to come but his curiosity will not allow him to refuse."
Uriel was still a bit confused. "OK, so what do I do once he shows? Attack him until he is nearly dead? How do you contain a dragon without fighting?"
Paarthurnax rumbled with laughter. "The great keep at Dragonsreach was designed to trap and hold a dragon. Summon Odahviing from its balcony then retreat deeper into the castle. You will see what needs to be done at that point."
Uriel thought it over. "Jarl Balgruuf will not want to use the men or resources needed for this venture as long as the Civil War goes on. I will either have to broker a truce or pick a side and end it. I think I will go to Windhelm and join the rebellion. The Empire removed Talos from our pantheon and does not deserve to rule Skyrim. Once the war is over, I can concentrate on Alduin."
With those words he thanked Paarthurnax for his help, mounted his horse, and headed for Halted Stream camp to finish his armor before going on to Windhelm.
That's it for Chapter 1. I know it follows pretty close to the story line of the game but for now, that is the way it will be. Once the war is over, Alduin killed, and the main quests in the game covered, then things will change a lot. Until next time, enjoy the read and please leave a comment in a review whether you like it or not.