CHAPTER FOUR: Oooooohhhh, the Claw!
The city of Whiterun was a lot better than Riverwood. It had walls all around it, so I didn't feel like I was about to be attacked at every moment. The houses were built better too, and I wasn't worried they'd catch fire as easily as the huts in Riverwood.
I walked across a little bridge over a stream and passed two people who were arguing about swords. I passed a lot of cute little houses, then a bustling marketplace, and then up a flight of stairs, until I stood at the base of a majestic tree. The tree was grand, but it would have been better if it wasn't dead. It made me sad.
I looked around. There were a lot of big buildings around me on this level. The lower level had been made of mostly small businesses, but this next level was mostly big houses and other things. I couldn't tell what was inside the buildings around me. There was a beautiful building to my left which reminded me of a church. There was a sturdy noble building up a flight of stairs that looked really cool, and I was most interested in what could be in there. I could hear voices and clashing of steel coming from within.
Though I wanted to go into the hall, I had a quest at hand. I looked up at the largest keep I had ever seen. The Jarl's palace towered over the rest of the city. It was at the top of the hill, and it was impossibly tall. No wonder they called it Dragonsreach.
I took to the stairs quickly, so I could tell the Jarl what he needed to know so I could continue on my path to the Companions. I made it to the top of the stairs and crossed the bridge to the large oak doors. There were plenty of guards everywhere. I think they left me alone because I was dressed in Imperial armor, and I was walking fast and confidently like I knew what I was doing.
The inside of the Jarl's palace was just as pristine and gigantic as the outside. It made me wonder if he was compensating for something. The ceilings were so high that it felt like I was in the Hogwarts Great Hall. I walked up the stairs and saw the Jarl on his throne behind a roaring fire. He was talking with many noblemen. I was nervous and warily approached. I walked past two long tables covered in food, and a person talking to the Jarl caught sight of me. They drew their sword and stalked towards me.
As the person drew nearer, I noticed they weren't human. They had dark greyish skin, but still looked healthy. Her hair shifted and I noticed pointed ears. She was an elf, but was she sick? Was her skin all tattooed? Why was she a weird color?
"What is the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors," she warned me with her sword pointed at my gut.
"I have news from Helgen. About the dragon attack," I told her. I really hoped she wouldn't skewer me.
"Well, that explains why the guards let you in," she said. "Come, the Jarl will want to speak with you personally." She sheathed her sword, and I followed her to where the Jarl sat. He stopped talking with his other advisers and gave the elf his full attention. She announced me to him.
"So. You were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?" He asked. He looked concerned, but he was reclining pretty relaxed in his throne, so I kind of wondered if he really cared. How could one player become a Jarl anyway?
"Yes," I answered. "The dragon destroyed Helgen. And last I saw it was heading this way."
"By Ysmir, Irileth was right!" The Jarl exclaimed. I wondered how long he had been Jarl. Balgruuf turned to one of his advisers. "What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"
The elf, Irileth, spoke up before Proventus the adviser could.
"My lord, we should send troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger, if that dragon is lurking in the mountains…"
Proventus starting protesting. He seemed a cowardly man to me. "The Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation! He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him."
"Enough!" Balgruuf bellowed. "Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once."
"Yes, my Jarl," she said and walked away hastily.
"We should not…" Proventus tried again.
Balgruuf would not stand for it. "I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" Jarl Balgruuf seemed like a good leader.
Proventus looked down at his feet and said, "If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties."
"That would be best," The Jarl dismissed. Proventus slunk away, and Balgruuf turned to me. "Well done. You sought me out, on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service, and I won't forget it. Here, take this as a small token of my esteem." He passed me some Studded Imperial Armor.
"Thank you, my Jarl." I accepted the armor from him.
"There is another thing you could do for me. Suitable for someone of your particular talents, perhaps," the Jarl suggested. I was surprised. The Jarl had a ton of men; why would he need me? I wanted to be a Companion, not the Jarl's attack dog. However, I couldn't let a cry for help go unanswered, especially one from the Jarl.
"What do you have in mind, my Lord?" I wondered.
"Come," he stood and began to walk to another room. I followed closely. "Let's go and find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter related to these dragons and… rumors of dragons."
Balgruuf led me to a smaller room to the right. There were tables all around the room covered in tomes and scrolls. A bunch of strange gems and other magic items were strewn everywhere. I was really excited to possibly learn more about magic. A man dressed in long robes was hunched over a book as we entered. He seemed very engrossed in his work.
"Farengar," the Jarl gained his attention. "I think I've found someone who can help you with your dragon project. Go ahead and fill her in with all the details." With that, the esteemed Jarl of Whiterun left us to it.
The wizard looked up from his tome and looked me up and down like an art critic does to find the value of a piece. This wizard wasn't like I thought he'd be. When Balgruuf said wizard, I imagined an old man like Gandalf or Dumbledore, but Farengar was young. He was only a little older then me, and he had red hair and a small beard. Apparently, I needed to stop stereotyping wizards.
"So," Farengar began, "the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me? Oh yes, he must be referring to my research into the dragons. Yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me." I wasn't too excited at this point. It sounded like a possible waste of time, but the Jarl had asked me, so I was going to do it. Farengar continued, "Well, when I say fetch, I really mean dive into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there."
Lovely. Just peachy. I loved the idea of going on dangerous quests to fetch things that might not even exist. Whatever, I was just going to check it out and come back, no problem.
"Alright, where am I going and what am I fetching?" I asked as I clapped my hands together once.
Farengar laughed. "Straight to the point, eh? No need for tedious hows and whys. I like that. Leave those details to your betters, am I right?" I didn't really consider this player my better, but whatever. "I, ah, learned of a certain stone tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow- a 'Dragonstone,' said to contain a map of dragon burial sites. Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet- no doubt interred in the main chamber- and bring it to me. Simplicity itself."
"Alright," I said and left the room. I already knew where I had to go, so what's the point of staying any longer? I was also nervous about going to the ruin that freaked Hadvar out.
I walked out of Dragonsreach and down the main steps back to the tree. I really wondered why this tree was here. What's the point of keeping a dead tree around? A woman sitting on a bench under the tree caught me staring at it.
"It's a shame, isn't it?" She asked me.
"Yeah," I agreed. "What's with the tree?"
She answered, "This is the Gildergreen. It was planted as a seedling in the early years of Whiterun. Disciples of Kynareth could sense something holy in it, and traveled far to hear the winds of the goddess in the branches. They built the temple." She gestured to the building which had reminded me of a church. "Of course, not as many pilgrims these days."
She sounded so sad. I asked if there was anything we could do.
"To the east of here is a hidden grove where the Eldergleam resides. It's the oldest living thing in Skyrim. Maybe all of Tamriel," she informed me. "Our tree here in the city was grown from a cutting of that tree. You can still feel the glory of the mother tree through it."
"Hmm, is there any way to revive it?" I asked.
"I've thought about that..." She said. "Trees like this never really die. They only slumber. I think if we had some of the sap from the parent tree, we could wake up its child. But even if you could get to the Eldergleam, you couldn't tap it. Not with any normal metal."
"What would you need?"
"Eldergleam is older than metal, from a time before men or elves. To even affect it, you have to tap into the old magic. You'll have to deal with the Hagravens," she advised. I had no idea what a Hagraven was, but my mind imagined an ugly woman with bird wings, kind of like a harpy. Skyrim was a lot bigger than I had known. "I've heard about a weapon they've made for sacrificing Spriggans. It's called Nettlebane." What's a Spriggan? I was so confused, but I did not interrupt her. "The hags terrify me, or I would have gone after it myself," she finished.
I had more questions than answers, but this was another cry for help, and I would answer it.
"I'll get Nettlebane for you," I promised.
She beamed. "Your spirit is strong. Kynareth's winds will guide your path. It's held in a Hagraven nest called Orphan Rock."
We parted ways, and I continued to the gates. I still had to get back to Riverwood. The sun would go down soon, and I needed some place to rest. I was exhausted. The walk back to Riverwood was uneventful. By the time I got there, the sun had almost set. I decided it would be foolish of me to travel at night, so I wandered into the nearest inn.
It was nice and warm in the inn, and I breathed a sigh of relief as it had gotten a bit cold outside. I shook off the cold and sat down at the bar.
"Welcome to the Sleeping Giant inn," said a less than enthusiastic barkeep. "We got cold drinks and hot food. Which can I get ya?"
"I'll take an ale and a venison chop."
"Here ya go," he passed the meal to me and held out his hand. "10 septims."
I gave him the money and started to eat. This barkeep was a terrible cook by the way, but thank the gods my ale was good.
"I'm going to need a room," I told the barkeep.
"10 septims, and it's yours for a day," he drawled. I gave him another ten septims, and he led me to my room. When he left me alone, I took off my cuirass and put it in the dresser. I would sell it to Alvor tomorrow morning because Balgruuf had given me a new and better one. I fell back onto the bed. It was nice to finally relax. I fell asleep easily without a single dream.
I woke up slowly. It was so nice to sleep in on Saturdays. I rolled over to my side to turn my iPod on shuffle, when I noticed that I didn't have my iPod. I was also on a straw bed. Wait, that wasn't mine! I panicked and fell out of bed, knocking over the nightstand.
"Ugh," I grumbled, rubbing my head.
I took a look around the room. I had forgotten I was in Skyrim. I sighed and got up off the floor and picked up the nightstand. I remade the bed and then picked my weapons up from underneath. I was disappointed that all this hadn't been a dream. I really missed my home. I wondered if my family knew what was going on by now. Alduin had said that the news could see what was happening in the game, so I wondered who they were watching. Was it me? Was it the Dragonborn? Was it everyone? I finally understood the book The Hunger Games more than I ever wanted to. This must be how Katniss felt in the games. I swore right when I got home, I was burning that book.
I wolfed down one of the pieces of bread that Sigrid had packed me, eager to get my journey started. I left the inn at eight a.m. sharp. Riverwood was bustling, just like the day before. I saw Alvor and Dorthe at the forge, I saw a kid playing with a dog, and a drunkard stumbling around.
Across the road from Alvor's house, was a large, two story building with a sign hanging above the door. It read "THE RIVERWOOD TRADER". I figured they might have some supplies I could use, so I walked into the shop.
"Well one of us has to do something!" A young woman exclaimed to the man behind the counter.
One foot in the place, and there was already a fight breaking out. The shop was undoubtedly run by the man behind the counter. I couldn't tell who the woman was, maybe his wife or friend. He had a high voice and spoke lively, just as a businessman should. The shop itself was lit by a single fire place. There was a stew cooking on the fire, and it filled the store with the scent of meat and potatoes. There was plenty of merchandise on shelves behind the counter. I saw green, blue, and red potions in bottles, big cheese wheels the size of microwaves, and iron weapons and armor galore. The countertop the man was standing at was covered mostly in weapons, but also had loose coins dotting the surface. The only clear place was directly in the center of the table. It seemed that something was missing.
"We are done talking about this," the business owner said to the woman. He had a strange accent. It wasn't like the Nords who all seemed to talk like vikings. It was more croaky, like he had a lot of mucus in his throat.
The woman wouldn't let it go, "Well what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it!"
They hadn't noticed me standing in the doorway, unsure if I should go in.
"I said no!" He persisted. "No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!"
So they were robbed? That explained the one bare spot on the countertop.
"Oh, a customer," the businessman said. He sounded ashamed. "Sorry you had to hear that. Welcome to the Riverwood Trader, traveler. I'm Lucan Valerius, and this is my sister Camilla."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Falena." I walked up to the counter and asked, "Did something happen?"
The man, Lucan, rubbed his head and mumbled, "Yes, we did have a bit of a… break-in." He tried to cover up his distress by perking up and pretending nothing was wrong. "But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing."
"What was it?" I questioned him.
"An ornament," Lucan informed. "Solid gold in the shape of a dragon's claw."
"I could look for it for you," I offered. Once again, I was unable to keep from helping others.
Lucan perked up right away and looked at me like I had offered him a thousand septims. "You could? I've got some gold coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring my claw back."
"Alright, I'll head out right away," I said. I had looked at his supplies, and they were really expensive. I didn't have a lot of gold, so I would just have to make due with the gear I had. I did sell him my old cuirass, though.
"If you're going after those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, northeast of town," Lucan told me. So, another person was sending me to Bleak Falls? That couldn't be a coincidence. Something was definitely going on there, and I was going to find out what it was.
Just as I was about to say my goodbyes, Lucan's sister, Camilla spoke up. "So this is your plan, Lucan?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "So now you don't have to go, do you?"
"Oh really? Well I think your new helper needs a guide," she said and stood up from her place by the fire.
I really didn't want anyone to come with me, especially someone like Camilla. I wasn't sure she'd be able to delve into an ancient ruin with me. There seemed no talking Camilla out of anything though, so I said nothing.
Lucan was flustered and finally gave up. "Wh-no… I… Oh, by the Eight, fine. But only to the edge of town!"
She walked to the door and stepped out confidently, leaving her brother smoldering behind his counter. I followed her. I was relieved that she wouldn't be going all the way to Bleak Falls with me. I didn't want her to get hurt or slow me down.
We stood outside for a moment, enjoying the sun. I just wanted to go and be done with it because Camilla was wasting time, but I didn't want to upset her, so I waited patiently.
"Those thieves must be mad, hiding out there," she told me as we stood outside the shop. "Those old crypts are filled with nothing but traps, trolls, and who knows what else!" I was getting a little nervous about going to the Barrow after hearing about traps and trolls. I didn't know what either looked like. "I wonder why they only stole Lucan's golden claw. I mean, we have plenty of things in the shop that are worth just as much coin. Lucan found the claw about a year after he opened the store. He never quite explained where he got it. He's a tricky one."
I had wondered that too. Why break into a shop to steal one thing? There was a lot of spendy stuff in there worth more than one ornament. Whatever the reason the bandits took the claw, I was pretty sure it had something to do with Bleak Falls itself. It was too odd that the crooks took it where I was headed.
Camilla pointed up to the mountain at the dark ruins overlooking the city. "We have to go through town and across the bridge to get to Bleak Falls Barrow. You can see it from here, though. The mountain just over the buildings." I knew all this of course. Hadvar had already pointed it out, but I let her tell me anyway.
She began to walk slowly through town with me at her side. I was beginning to get impatient to be off. We finally made it to the bridge that I took the day before to Whiterun. At the end of the bridge lay the stone path that led right to Whiterun. I hadn't noticed that there was not one, but two paths at the end of the bridge. There was a small dirt path to the left that led up the mountain.
I left Camilla at the bridge, eager to continue. She headed back to her brother, and I headed for Bleak Falls Barrow.
The walk up the mountain was simple enough. The path was easy to follow, and the slope wasn't too steep. The only obstacle I had faced was a single wolf, which I easily killed with two arrows. A little while after that, I got up high enough that it began to snow. I got cold. Imperial armor was not that great at keeping me warm at all. An hour of travel passed, and I was now crouched behind some boulders, looking at what appeared to be a bandit's camp.
The bandit's camp was a rundown tower. It was made of dark grey stone, and it seemed lopsided and unstable. I saw a guard posted outside, leaning on a tree. I bet they didn't get a lot of action way up here. Who in their right mind would want to climb a mountain with a crypt on it? As I watched the bandit, I saw another one join the first. I wondered how many were in there. There was no way I could get passed the tower and up the rest of the mountain without being seen by the two thugs. I'd have to take them out. I tried not to think about the fact that they were players too, and they just wanted to live.
I took my bow off my back and strung it. I aimed an arrow at the first bandit's chest. The snow and the wind made it hard to see her, plus it was so cold that my hands felt like they'd freeze off.
I released the string, and the arrow connected with the bandit's shoulder, a little off course. The bandit must have gotten shot before, because she didn't even bat an eye as she started to look for me. Her friend helped her out. I was able to shoot one more arrow before they found me. I shot the same woman in the leg this time. It would probably take one more to take her down, but this arrow made her stumble. Her friend caught sight of me and drew his sword.
"Ha! Found you!" He exclaimed and ran at me.
I was quick to draw my greatsword and parried his first strike. He was surprised that I blocked his blow, so he was taken aback by my kick as well. The kick hit him in the knee, and he staggered. I took advantage of his hesitation by delivering a fatal chop to the top of his head.
Right as he died, the female bandit regained her composure and started launching arrows of her own at me. The first on missed, but the second found its home in my wrist. It hurt, and it would hinder my swordplay, but I kept on. The woman panicked as I got close. She didn't have time to draw her knife before I ran her through.
I pulled my sword out of her and cleaned the blood off in the snow. I grit my teeth and pulled the arrow out of my wrist by snapping off the tail and pushing the rest through. It was quite painful, and I bit my lip and broke skin. I tried to do magic to heal it, but it just wouldn't come to me like it had before, so I wrapped the wound up in a bit of cloth from the dead bandit's quiver. I also took the rest of her arrows.
The other bandit had some gold and some more lockpicks. The tower stood before me, and I hoped that these were the bandits that had taken Lucan's golden claw. I walked into the tower quietly. The room I was in was very small, only about ten feet wide. I prayed that no one else was here. I took the stairs up to the next level after I deemed that the small first floor was empty. The second story was just as small, but offered a few more things: food, drink, and a potion or two. I was just about to bag the last piece of bread, when I heard a voice exclaim, "Now ain't this a surprise?"
I looked up above me and noticed that there was a third story to the tower. The floor was mostly ripped open, so I could see right into the next level. A bandit stood there, pulling out a mace. He was wearing some really big armor that I hadn't seen before. This was going to be tough.
I grabbed my sword as the bandit rushed down the wooden stairs to meet me in combat. He brought his mace up in an arc to come down on my head, but I was ready and blocked it with my sword. That threw him for a moment, so I took the opportunity to swing at him. I landed a strike to his side. The blow may have been fatal to other people, but this man was wearing a thick iron armor, so I just left a big dent. I might have bruised his ribs at the worst.
The bandit retaliated with a blow to my gut. I got knocked back a few feet and dropped my sword as I fell on my butt. The wind had been knocked out of me, but I got up on my hands and knees to try to get my breath back. This was the first time I'd ever gotten the wind knocked out of me, so I was terrified. I was puffing and gasping like a fish out of water, when I noticed the bandit marching over to me with his mace raised to strike. Oh crap, oh crap, get up! I couldn't get up in time and the mace nearly took my head off. Thank the gods that I rolled out of the way first.
The bandit was surprised that I had kept a level head and rolled out of the way. His mace struck empty floor. By some miracle, I regained my breath and slashed at his head. He dodged most of it, but I still landed a small scrape along his cheek. He growled a curse and swung at me, aiming for my chest. I blocked the blow narrowly, and then I bashed hit in the chest with the hilt of my sword. It proved super effective, and he staggered back a step. That gave me just enough time to deliver two mighty swings to finish him off: one to the dent in the side of his armor, and another to the neck. The bandit's body fell to the ground with a clang.
I stood over his body for a moment, and I tried to feel sad. I wasn't though, and that shocked me. I had just murdered a man. I should feel terrible, but I didn't. I felt good, and that sickened me. I was surviving, but the only reason I was surviving was because I was killing people. I wondered briefly if people were watching this on their televisions at home. I wondered if this person's family just watched me cut him down. I watched as more blood pooled around the body. I couldn't help it. I threw up.
I took the iron armor off the bandit.
"Sorry," I apologized as clumsily stripped him of his armor.
The dent was larger than I had anticipated. I tried to put the armor on, but it didn't fit. The bandit was larger than me, so I must have really done some damage. I stared at the dented metal for some time before I found a solution. I smashed the hilt of my greatsword into the backside of the armor as hard as I could. The metal jut out almost back to its original shape. A few more strikes, and the metal was looking better. I'd have to take it to Alvor to make it perfect again.
I put on the iron armor and was not happy about it. I did not like heavy armor. It was heavy and restricting. I had no idea how I'd be able to fight in this. It wasn't any warmer either. A quick look around the rest of the tower proved that there was no golden claw here. I was a bit disappointed, but I was pretty sure I'd find it in the crypt.
I left the bandit's tower in a hurry. I wanted to get to Bleak Falls Barrow as soon as possible because I was cold. I kept on the path and soon found myself rounding a corner and getting my first good look at the Nordic ruins.
I was at the base of a stone staircase that led up to the temple. The whole thing was covered in gray arches with stone dragon heads as decoration at the tops. The ruins seemed to pulse with an unnatural aura that made me want to turn around and go home. The stone work was eerie and creeped me out. Looking at the ruins was like looking at a dead body: scary, uncomfortable, still, and made you want to look away. I finally understood why Hadvar didn't like the look of this place. It seemed like a zombie would wander out at any moment. Nevertheless, I had to continue on. A lot of people were counting on me.
I had just begun up the steps, when I heard a noise like a plink by my feet and paused. It was an arrow. Without looking around to see where it was coming from, I dashed up the remaining steps and hid behind a stone column.
"Whatcha gonna do? Huh? Whatcha gonna do?" A male bandit taunted me as I hid. He began to approach. I didn't dare break cover. If that archer behind me got a clear shot, it would be curtains for me.
I quickly switched weapons to my bow and notched an arrow. I caught sight of the male bandit sneaking up on me. I fired an arrow at his head, and it struck him. He screamed and flailed backwards. His axe fell to the ground. I shot again and finished him off. I was a little apologetic that my first shot hadn't killed him. It seemed a terrible way to go, an arrow to the head that doesn't kill until another arrow finds the same place.
The bandit's scream had caught the attention of the archer, and she looked over at him. While she was distracted, I fired an arrow at her. The wind caught my arrow though, and I missed my intended target, her head. I did hit her arm, and she dropped her bow. I took advantage of her mistake and shot her two more times until she stopped moving and fell dead.
I slowly emerged from cover and looked around to make sure there were no more bandits, all the while keeping my bow at the ready. When I declared that there were no more, I shouldered my bow and checked the bodies. The man with the arrows for eyes had some gold. The archer had a hunting bow. I took it from her and placed my longbow on the ground. I pulled back on the bowstring to test it out. It was much easier to draw back the hunting bow than my old one. I believe it was because of the curved design of the hunting bow. I would be able to draw the bow much faster and have a much deadlier shot. I scooped up the bandit's arrows as well and stood before the large metal doors of Bleak Falls Barrow.
If I thought that the ruins looked intimidating, they were nothing compared to the doors. Before me stood two metal doors that were easily fifteen feet tall. The iron handles were bigger than my head. The most amazing part of the doors however, were the intricate metalwork and designs covering every inch of them. I couldn't tell what the designs were, but they were pretty. They may have been dragons or people.
I didn't dally too long on the doors because I still had a job to do. I gripped one of the cold metal door handles and door was hard to open because it was so heavy, but it was easier than I had thought it would be. I opened the door just enough for me to squeeze inside. When I had gotten in, I released the door, and it quickly shut with a final resounding thud. I was staring into the darkness of Bleak Falls Barrow.