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Morndas, 17 Last Seed
A most extraordinary occurrence took place during this morning's executions. I rode to Helgen with my personal guard, and met with General Tullius, who ensured me that everything was going to plan. For once I couldn't have agreed more with the man, as at that very moment Valmir had surely noticed my presence, affirming that the plan was clear to go ahead and was preparing to set the tower ablaze. Two carts arrived shortly thereafter, packed full of Stormcloak rabble and a couple of other undesirables the Imperials had scheduled for the block. Ulfric was gagged, I assumed this was so he couldn't further besmirch the Empire in death, but Tullius later informed me that this was to prevent him from "shouting".
The prisoners were promptly driven into the centre of the town, where the headsman awaited. Tullius then followed to direct the proceedings, but I stayed put, insisting that I had no interest in the barbarous details. Apart from that, I didn't want to be too close to the keep when it went up in flames, or indeed in the path of Ulfric's escape. As I waited, I heard the most unusual of calls reverberate about the landscape. Then came the first chop; evidently the Imperials had not even bothered with the last rites, in order to hasten Ulfric's demise. And still there was no sign Valmir's diversion. Needless to say, the situation seemed dire. Then, all of a sudden an enormous winged beast with scales of ebony that could only be described as a dragon swooped down and perched atop one of the towers.
Next the creature bellowed a column of flame at the scene of the execution, and lumps of incandescent stone rained from the sky. Fearing for my own personal safety, I fled the vicinity of the township at once and rode hard to the embassy. Reports are still unclear; with rumors of Ulfric riding back to Windhelm through the Rift being passed around in the idle chatter of travellers and city guards. But what seems to be a fairly unanimous summary of events is that the town was razed to the ground. Captain Valmir's fate is yet unknown. I would be most displeased to learn that he had perished in the attack; it would be a tremendous shame if over a decade's worth of undercover work was wasted in an instant.
But now is not the time to be sentimental. What I saw at Helgen was truly remarkable: I don't believe there have been any recorded sightings of dragons since the beginning of the Third Era, when they were driven out of Tamriel (or 'absorbed' by Tiber Septim as he ascended to godhood if you'd believe such foolish heresies). Furthermore, it would seem that this encounter might be more than a mere coincidence. The dragons' intervention at Helgen seems to be too convenient, and not just for our own purposes. Some individual, organisation or other party must have brought about the resurrection of a dragon, possibly from one of many dragon burial sites located around Skyrim.
Whomever this may be, however, remains unclear. It's obvious to say that they also have an interest in continuation of the Civil War, but it would be foolish to assume that their objectives our aligned with our own merely because of this. I would be tempted to suggest the Stormcloaks themselves, although with all seriousness I think that a dragon is somewhat beyond the capabilities of an armed mob of self-proclaimed traitors and heretics. What I omitted from my official report at this stage, however, is an instinctive feeling of mine that the Blades are somehow connected. After all, their origins can be traced back to the Akavirii Dragonguard of the First Era, so such an assumption would not be entirely unreasonable.
In any case, I've already taken the liberty to commission a full inquiry into the exact nature of this dragon phenomenon, and sent word to Alinor requesting a detachment of high mages to reinforce our positions; for I fear that this morning's events may be only the first of many dragon encounters. Naturally, the defense of our facilities and personnel is of the utmost importance, but as First Emissary, it is also my duty to consider the diplomatic implications of this phenomenon. For instance, the Nords are a stubborn people, and have been slow to dismiss their beliefs in the false god Talos as an uncivilised relic of a bygone age. But what if, then, as they lived in fear of a dragon menace were the Thalmor to emerge as their saviours? It could be to Skyrim what the Void Nights of 4E 98 were to Elsweyr, or even the Oblivion crisis was to the Summerset Isle. In short, even the most thick-skulled of Stormcloak barbarians would either become thralls to elvenkind overnight, or be promptly disposed of. What's more, it would be my ticket out of this frozen den of animals and back into everybody's good graces for sure.
I hope that this is only the start of a long and beneficial relationship with the dragons.