Ninth Evening Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Era
My task is complete. After having filled the chalice, a pair of vampires from the court attacked me; though they were too taken in by their own petty squabbles that I could strike them both down before they'd realised that they both planned to betray each other.
Harkon has ordered the court to search Skyrim for a Moth Priest, as he seems to believe that the elder scroll I found with Serana holds the secret to blotting out the sun forever, something which interests me, and presumably the other vampires immensely, though I realize that there are major issues with eliminating the sun. Agriculture would fail immediately and therefore as would everything else. I'm heading back to the college of Winterhold, and Serana has opted to join me again, it should not be as long of a journey as our previous, though it will still be a minimum of 2 days walk, and I'm unsure how she will feel about walking in the day. Regardless, I have learned to cope with it, and so I'm sure she will also.
Twenty First Evening Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Era
Once again, much has happened in the time I've abstained from writing in this journal. As with before, I will attempt to record it with as few omissions as possible.
In Winterhold, we spoke with the orc in charge of the Arcanum, who told us that there had indeed been rumours of a Moth Priest in Skyrim, and that he had last been sighted heading for Dragon Bridge, in Haafingar.
There, a guard pointed me toward the road south, saying that the priest had said he had intended to search there for the Scroll. On that road, I found the remains of a caravan and several corpses, a few of which belonged to the Dawnguard. Those bodies had notes upon them containing orders to capture the priest and take him to a cave some distance from the site of the attack. In that cave, we found the priest, being guarded by many Dawnguard, though myself and Serana were able to deal with them easily enough, despite the armoured troll they unleashed on us. I made the priest my thrall and ordered him to head to the Castle, and Serana and I returned shortly after he arrived.
The priest read the elder scroll and revealed that we required another to complete the prophecy. This also required Auriel's Bow. Harkon was angered by this revelation, saying that his wife, Serana's mother, had stolen away that scroll and we had to find her to find it. Serana then approached me and told me that she may know where to find her mother. Apparently she had told Serana that she would hide from Harkon in "a place he would never look". Serana took this to mean that she would be somewhere in the castle itself. We searched the ruined parts of the castle, and eventually discovered a room which contained Valercia's journals, which told of her efforts to create a portal to the Soul Cairn. In there, we found Valercia, freed her from her prison and enabled her to give us the elder scroll.
We then returned to the castle.
Upon that return, the moth priest informed me that, because he had no taken the correct precautions, he had lost his sight from reading the elder scroll, and thus I would need to read it by other means. He told me of a ritual that is performed by moth priests which is used to give the required insights to allow them to read the scrolls. The ritual should be performed in a particular glade, somewhat to the northeast of Falkreath.
Twenty Fourth Evening Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Era
I confess, I'm beginning to have difficulty keeping track of the exactly what we're doing at times. Thankfully, Serana has been able to keep track where I have not. Something I'm thankful for.
Regardless, the moth priest's ritual was performed without issue. The scroll told me the location of the bow we were seeking, a cave in the west highlands of Haafingar.
In there we discovered one of the falmer as they used to be. Rather than the shrivelled, blind creatures they are now, he was as tall as any other mer and intelligent at least as a Nord. He told us that in order to get the bow, we'd need to perform a pilgrimage through the cave system to gain entrance to the ruin's "inner sanctum".
As it stands, we're still in the cave; about to enter the second leg of the pilgrimage. It has been a tough journey for far, and I'm sure it won't get any easier as we progress.
Twenty Sixth Evening Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Era
Harkon is dead and the prophecy has been averted. Our labours in the falmeri realm were as difficult as could be expected. Little of true interest occurred however, that said, I came across what appeared to be a falmer town or city. It was a remarkable structure, and I feel that we think them far less intelligent than they are; a sentiment which Gelebor, the ancient falmer echoed.
Once we had acquired Auri-El's Bow and returned to castle Volkihar, Harkon was waiting for us. The fight was, naturally, arduous, but Serana and I emerged victorious, due only, I feel, to there being two of us. Serana has left the keep to the steward and has opted, with my permission, to travel with me for a while. I feel that this is a coupling that could do many a thing for Skyrim.
Tenth Morning Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Era
Serana and I were attacked by a pair of cultists in Riften. According to their orders, they were sent to kill the "false dragonborn" in the name of one Miraak.
I don't appreciate being referred to as a false dragonborn, nor being attacked. We're travelling to where my assailants came from, Solstheim. I believe it is now controlled by Morrowind. Granted, it's not the old mainland (as though there's much of that left), but it will be interesting to walk among my kinsmen again, after so long. I almost find the notion of being called an N'wah entertaining.
This Miraak should pose no threat.
Eleventh Morning Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Era
This Miraak is no mere cult leader. He is true dragonborn, as I am; from what I can piece together, he was a dragon priest long ago, and turned on his masters when he decided his powers rivalled theirs. After being proven wrong, he retreated into Hermaeus Mora's realm.
Regardless, the notion of another dragonborn is a worrying one; if he is half as powerful as me, he has enough power to crush any individual foe. We must either force our way into Miraak's domain, a foolish choice, as he is sure to be powerful there; or force him out. Alternatively we could allow him to move into Tamriel of his own accord, although he's almost certainly marshalling power.
I'm on my way to learn a word of power that a local nord seems to believe holds to key to following Miraak's path, which should in of itself allow me to find a way to defeat him.
Twelfth Morning Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Era
The daedroth at work here is Hermaeus Mora, as I had suspected. I still do not know what manner of deal he and Miraak struck, but I don't need to.
I know a word of power that can be used to bend the will of creatures to my own. It would appear as though Miraak's influence extends beyond Apocrypha through obelisks, by bending them to my will rather than allowing them to fester under his; I can weaken his hold over the people on this land.
I am, however unsure if this is a venture worth pursuing. I do not care for slowing Miraak's progress as I do for killing him outright. The time I spend travelling to these stones may be better spent hunting down a direct path to him. We shall see, I've been told that I should report to a fellow dunmer mage, for information pertaining to the black books that seem to be talismans of the bond between Mora and Miraak.
Thirteenth Morning Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth Year
I have made direct contact with Hermaeus Mora, and he has granted me the second word of power that I require to "surpass" Miraak. He has offered to grant me the third in exchange for the secrets of the Skaal, the Nordic people of Solstheim. I may loathe the idea of striking a deal with a daedroth, especially one such as Mora, but needs must.
There must, however, be a reason this knowledge has eluded Mora for so long. I'm sure these people's superstitions will pose a serious problem.
As I had expected, the Skaal consider Mora their enemy. I've been asked to tend to the obelisks so that they'd be willing to give up their secrets. Time is wasting; it is a good thing that Solstheim is such a small island. Serana and I can make the journey from northernmost tip to southernmost peninsula is less than a day, at a constant jog.
Fourteenth Morning Star, Two Hundredth and First Year of the Fourth
Miraak is dead. The battle was as I had expected, he insisted on gloating and relied on absorbing the lives of his dragon servants to hold a candle to me.
Hermaeus Mora seems to believe that I now serve him; quite how he has arrived at this conclusion eludes me, but he has. It matters not. For him to exert any kind of control over me I would have to either perish, or enter his realm; I have no intention of doing either.
That said, what should occur in the event of my death is a mystery. Perhaps I would find myself back in the Shivering Isles? Perhaps Akatosh will claim me, given that I am dragonborn.
