Dragonborn 2.4
Music tracks: ...
Ustengrav. A barrow located in the freezing swamps of Hjaalmarch. According to the map, Solitude, the capital of Skyrim, was located a stone's throw away. It was also the headquarters of the Imperial Legion and, after my nasty experience with them at Helgen, I didn't feel very fond of the guys.
Not like I wanted to take part in the War, even with me befriending Jarl Ulfric. I remember my face when I heard he was a former student of the Greybeards…
Paarthurnax and I would fly high. People wouldn't notice us if we flew along the clouds. I didn't know how long it would take me to raid that barrow, so I had taken some water and food in case. I also had warm fur clothes to protect myself from the cold. My armor was under it. Anyone lashing at me would have a nasty surprise.
I checked my bow and dagger and smiled as Hedwig perched between Paarthurnax's horns. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't outfly a dragon. Now, outmaneuver, that was a different story.
"Crossing Ustengrav will require you to put every skill and every Thu'um you know to use. This will be no easy task. There are traps, draugr and puzzles that will require you to use you mind rather than your bow or spell. Your ultimate goal is to retrieve the horn of our founder, Jurgen Windcaller. Expect it to be challenging."
"I know, Master. That's why I trained at your side for a week."
A week, however, wasn't nearly enough to challenge fighters like Lydia, Hrongar or some of those I had seen in Whiterun. It was still enough to deal with half-brain dead walking corpses. Thus, Paarthurnax and I were flying above Skyrim, and I was once again marveling at the panorama. Compared to England, the country was vibrant with color and life.
We left the high peaks of High Hrothgar and the Throat of the World and flew over the tundra of Whiterun. We then passed a sharp cliff that served as the source of the Hjal River and turned east toward Morthal, the capital of the Hold. Ustengrav was north-east of it. Doing so allowed me to see the wetlands born of the encounter between the Karth River – which served as a border between Hjaalmarch and Haafingar – the river Hjar, and the slow intrusion of the Sea of Ghosts. It was a foggy land of greys, dark green and black, full of twisted trees but surprisingly devoid of mosquitoes. Maybe because it was too cold. As Paarthurnax landed a few yards away from the barrow, I rubbed my nose at the stench. The place stank of rot, but there was an underlying flowery smell, almost like honey…
"Deathbells." Paarthurnax explained. "One of the deadliest flowers in Skyrim. Do not eat."
"With a name like that, not a chance in Hell."
Paarthurnax chuckled.
"Actually, Hell in Tamriel is known as Oblivion. Better adapt your speech."
I nodded. Oblivion? Alright.
"Not a chance in Oblivion! How does that sound?"
"Nice." The elder dragon said as I left.
Unfortunately, I hadn't even entered the barrow that the trouble started. Namely, three bandits were ganging on an elf in black robes. I saw the elf impale a bandit on an icicle and raise him afterwards and I understood. He was a Necromancer. My blood curled. To what I remembered from one of Farengar's books on Conjuration, Necromancers were mages who specialized in raising the dead and playing with souls. I had something of a visceral hatred for people like that, ever since Farengar had taught me how black soul gems were made. Necromancers were fond of their creation.
The two bandits eventually killed the mage with an axe in the forehead, but the fight had exhausted them. I took my bow.
"Sorry, but you're in my way."
I shot the first one in the head. The second got a face-full of Hedwig and reared back, exposing his chest. I smirked.
"Shouldn't have worn a fur armor!"
My arrow struck his heart. I then looted their bodies for the Septims and anything else interesting I could sell back at Whiterun or Riverwood. A smile crossed my face as I remembered Proventus complaining how Whiterun's chests were almost empty.
"I hope the Greybeards won't be too mad about this."
However, before I got to the raiding, I had to do some fighting. Necromancers had invaded the early parts of the barrow after killing the bandits that had found haven in it and turning them into thralls. I crouched behind a half-broken pillar. One Necromancer was training by casting icicles at a thrall.
"No way I'm getting hit by one of these." I muttered to Hedwig. "And neither are you."
From my hiding spot, I aimed and fired. The black robes offered little protection against my arrow. Then I heard the sound of another spell being cast.
"Oops…"
I hadn't noticed the second mage. Fortunately, Hedwig ran at its face and I saw her talons dig red marks around his eyes. I shot him in the chest.
"I wonder if there's a spell to detect life. It would be useful in situations like that."
Hedwig barked in agreement. I smiled, ruffled her feathers and helped myself on the Necromancers' belongings. Balgruuf wouldn't mind finding several gems and gold mysteriously popping up his chests, and Arcadia, Whiterun's alchemist, would definitely find sellers for the potions I retrieved.
Further ahead, I found a Necromancer getting outnumbered by draugr. I quietly let them finish the job before incinerating them. Unrelenting Force was useful to keep them at bay, even though it left my throat sore. The Necromancer had a spellbook that taught a very useful spell: Muffle, which silenced my footsteps. I took an hour and a half working to master it, then explored the area. One room contained a book called Mystery of Talara, but it was the second book of a series. I shuffled through it and made a mental note to find the rest, just like the Thief book. The tale seemed interesting.
I also found a hidden room thanks to Hedwig. There was some gold, two gems and a lightning-enchanted sword, which I swung playfully around before sheathing it alongside my dagger. Out of curiosity, I tried using both at the same time. It wasn't easy, but there was potential in a technique like that. The rest of the way was only troubled by a few more draugr popping out of their sarcophaguses, but Muffle was perfect for stealth and I managed to shoot them before being noticed.
Then I stepped in the Depths of Ustengrav.
I stopped as I saw the deep abyss that made the main part of the area. It was at least fifty yards deep, maybe even more, and a hole in the ceiling shed a blue light that made the place feel almost surreal. It was beautiful, with the noise of a waterfall echoing from somewhere below. I spent a few moments admiring the sight. I had no idea some barrows could have such beautiful places. It made me want to explore more of them, to see what kinds of treasures and wonders they held.
Footsteps echoed in my back. I turned, just in time to see a draugr swing its axe at me. Out of reflex, I ducked, grabbed its wrist and flung it down the chasm. I heard its bone crack several times at it hit the asperities of the wall.
"That was close…"
Hedwig barked softly in apology. We made our way through what used to be the cafeteria, back when the place was not a giant grave, and reached a large overhang connected to the other side by a natural stone bridge. I winced when I saw walking skeletons were roaming the place.
"No way…" I sighed. "As if the living mummies weren't enough, even bones are still alive, in there?"
Hedwig flew around the place, scouting to see if there was anything interesting. The moment one of the skeletons fired an arrow at her, she retaliated by dive-bombing it, ripping its head clear from its spine. The skeleton collapsed in a pile of bones. I raised a brow. Another skeleton tried to swing its sword at my friend. She rammed in its thorax, bursting the undead apart. My eyes lit up.
"They're more fragile than draugr!"
I was atop a pillar. Aiming, I fired an arrow at a skeleton. It dislocated its arm… and collapsed it. Indeed, they were fragile. I let Hedwig deal with them. For once, there was an enemy she could kill easily and she was taking her fun. She came back to me when the place was clear and sat on an opposite column. I raised a brow. She barked several times, as if inviting me to follow her. Trusting her, I jumped on a rock and jumped once again to reach the column. Hedwig flew to another. There used to be bridges connecting the pillars, but they had half-crumbled. Reaching Hedwig proved a bit more difficult. Reaching the next column felt straight out impossible.
"Hedwig, where are you taking me? There's no way I can jump that far!"
The gap was simply too great. Rather than going back, Hedwig flew high and made a dive-bomb-like figure between the two pillars. It took me a moment to understand she was mimicking a dash. My eyes lit up. I had a way to dash between the pillars! Placing myself carefully, I breathed.
WULD
The Sprint took me right on the platform. Another one to cross the last gap and I followed a small corridor that led me to an ornate chest and a dead draugr. I grinned as I emptied both. Since my bag wasn't that big, I settled for only taking the most important things: gems, gold, books and enchanted items. I had noticed an enchantment table before crossing the cafeteria. I had used it to disenchant the thunder sword and a stamina-enhancing necklace. Hedwig took on herself to carry the large quiver containing the arrows I found on the draugr. They were weightless, and even though they weren't regular iron and steel arrows, the guards of Whiterun wouldn't mind more ammo in case of dragon attack.
After looting the overhang, I took a closer look at the abyss. At this height, I could see the bottom. My eyes widened as I heard a familiar whisper and a sight I had seen in another barrow.
There was a Word Wall down there.
A slope going along the wall led to the bottom of chasm. It also stopped right next to the Word Wall. The closer I got, the louder the whisper rang in my head. I had barely reached the end of the path that I could barely see the world around me. I walked almost on instinct to the wall and placed my hands on it. The words rang like bells.
NONVUL BRON DAHMAAN DAAR ROT FIN
FODIIZ BORMAH - NII LOS HEYV DOH ENOOK
MUN WAH LAHNEY VOTH AHKRIN AHRK ZIN
LEH ROK FEIM VODAHMIN KOTIN VULOM
One of them hammered itself in my head.
feim
Feim
FEIM
FEIM
FEIM
"Feim…" I uttered as my draconic soul whispered its meaning to me. "To fade."
The world came back around me and I found myself on my knees, panting. It had gone just like at Bleak Falls Barrow. Hedwig flew on my shoulder, worried. I caressed her feathers.
"It's alright, I'm fine. It's just… Learning a new word doesn't really feel nice."
Compare to absorbing a dragon's soul or the knowledge of a Greybeard, which felt like a massive adrenaline rush… My only regret was that I felt both experiences very intensely. The Greybeards had been surprised by my extreme reactions. They supposed it was due to my rather pitiful physical shape, something living at their side for a week hadn't really solved. I hoped they were right.
While I was learning the word, Hedwig had been exploring the area. She guided me to two chests, one of which was hidden behind a waterfall. Once they were empty, I crossed the stone bridge and found myself before a set of stones and a triple-gate. I explored the area, looking for a switch, only to pass by a stone that turned red when I got near. One of the gates rose. I grinned. Experimenting a bit revealed each stone activated as I got near and raised one of the gates. However, the time they remained up was short, and sprinting toward them wasn't enough. The words of the Greybeards came back to my mind.
"Crossing Ustengrav will require you to put every skill and every Thu'um you know to use. This will be no easy task. There are traps, draugr and puzzles that will require you to use you mind rather than your bow or spell. Your ultimate goal is to retrieve the horn of our founder, Jurgen Windcaller. Expect it to be challenging."
The gates were a puzzle, and I had used the answer to reach a well-hidden chest back at the overhang. Placing myself before the stones, I looked at Hedwig.
"Grab my backpack and stay on it."
Hedwig obeyed. As soon as she was ready, I sprinted past the stones and spoke.
WULD
Whirlwind Sprint pushed me past all three gates in a blink. I took a moment to catch my breath and massage my throat. Thu'ums were powerful, but I always felt like I was about to burst a lung afterward. The next obstacle was a corridor filled with stepping plates that burst steams of fire if I stepped on the wrong ones. I solved the issue by either Sprinting past them or staying on the edges, where fallen debris provided me with a safe path. The final room contained cobwebs… and several Frostbite spiders, one of which was nearly Aragog's size. I burned its eyes with Flames and used a Bound Sword to pierce its skull. Flames was also used to dispatch the smaller spiders. Hedwig found a door hidden behind a wall of webs I burned down. The door led to the final chamber of the barrow, Jurgen's resting place.
Four draconic heads rose from the water as I walked the stone path. I was respectfully silent as I reached the sarcophagus. Then my eyes fell on the place where the horn was meant to be. It wasn't there.
"What the hell!?"
There was a message instead.
Dragonborn-
I need to speak to you. Urgently.
Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn, in Riverwood, and I'll meet you.
-A friend
I growled. I had crossed an entire barrow, fought Necromancers, draugr, skeletons and spiders and faced all kinds of traps, all for nothing! Well, alright, 'nothing' wasn't exactly appropriate. I would have to drop by Whiterun on my way back to give them my findings, and I'd learned a new Word of Power. But whoever had stolen the horn had messed my trial. If the Greybeards decided I failed because I couldn't get it back, it was the thief's fault, and he would pay for it. I didn't touch the urns and, after hesitating, only took the money and the potions from the huge treasure chest in the next room.
"I'm sorry." I apologized aloud. "But my friends really need it. I hope you don't mind."
I felt kinda stupid to say that, but Jurgen Windcaller was the founder of the Greybeards. He deserved my respect. I also took the time to eat a well-earned snack. Master Einarth had packed some roasted beef, milk and a sweetroll. I hadn't realized my stomach felt empty before I began eating. After that, the snack was short as I devoured it. I gave some of the beef to Hedwig. She, too, needed to eat. Then we made our way through a shortcut at the end of the room that brought us close to the exit.
Paarthurnax raised his head as I walked to him. I noticed several dead bandits around him, one of which was half-eaten.
"Got hungry?" I asked.
"Yes, a little. Besides, they were stupid enough to attack me. Did you get the horn?"
Grumbling, I showed him the message. His reaction was instant. Standing on his paws, he snarled loud enough to give me shivers.
"Dii rax wah tafiir ruus! Only Dovahkiin were meant to reach Jurgen's chamber! The one who stole the horn clearly isn't one, for him to refer to you this way."
I looked down.
"I failed because of him."
"You didn't fail Harry. No one, least of all me, expected someone not a dovah of any kind to reach Jurgen's resting chamber. You are not to blame."
A thought crossed my mind.
"…Maybe a Master of the Voice did it. You don't need to be a dragon or a Dragonborn to use the Thu'um, right? Ulfric Stormcloak and the Greybeards don't have a draconic soul. They are regular mortals, yet they can use the Voice. Maybe the thief's the same."
Paarthurnax frowned deeply.
"Ulfric was the only student the current Greybeards trained. There is no one else. If he is the culprit, then paak on him. He has fallen low."
"That would be surprising." I said after thinking. "He is the Jarl of Windhelm and the leader of the Stormcloak Rebellion. He has more interesting things to do than stealing an old artifact in a grave located so close to his enemies' headquarters. Besides, I feel the one who did it stole the horn specifically to meet me. I don't think they want to keep the horn. It's a bait."
Paarthurnax looked at the word.
"Riverwood, it says. You can teleport there."
"But it only works if I'm outside."
"Then I will wait outside of Riverwood. Shout my name if you encounter trouble."
I nodded and got on his back. First, stop by Whiterun to give Balgruuf my findings. Next, Riverwood and that Oblivion-damned thief!
And here is the next chapter. I'll admit, I am not totally satisfied with it. I need to improve my barrow-raiding writing skills. It feels too much like playing a video game, but if I remove too much of it or sumarise it more, it's gonna get boring... What to do? What to do? Any idea? I'll also need to improve my description of panoramas... that apart, Harry does his first solo-raiding, and does quite well at that. Too bad about the horn's theft.
For the reviews...
- Indra Senin: no, but I will introduce Dawnguard as an arc. Most likely either the fourth one or the fifth one, depending when I do the Daedric Quests.
- kronos797: glad to hear that.
- Asmodeus45: I think Sam's encounter will be during the Companion arc. Harry is too young to drink, but Farkas isn't ;-)
- Biowind: Bormah is how every dragon refer to Akatosh. They never refer to him by his name. Harry's parental substitute is Balgruuf. Now, for Nocturnal, she will be a kind of guardian entity, just like Akatosh. And it will indeed be interesting with Sirius and Remus.
- Undeniably Uzumaki, my, yes, he will learn the Master-level spells. And he will even teach some of them to Hermione (especially the Summon Unbound Dremora one).
- PrinceLarkin: can't you wait for the Interlude? I didn't want to spoil things, but yes, the Interlude was about what was going on back on Earth.
- Kurasabe: Harry will never return to the Dursleys. Not now he has a real home and a loving family.
- Me Myself and I: no, you won't make me change my mind. Harry will be back at the beginning of fourth year, period. But there will be several Interludes dealing with what's going on back on Earth. Dragon Aspect and the Dragonborn DLC won't come in this book, so I'm not worrying about it for now. As for the "Last Dragonborn" thing, Harry is just the last Dragonborn to have appeared in Tamriel. There will be other Dragonborn after him, and they will take the title when they appear. When Rael of Bruma, the guy meant to be the Dragonborn, was still alive, he was the last Dragonborn, albeit unknowingly. Now that Harry's the new Dragonborn to date, Rael has become the True Dragonborn... because, as Paarthurnax pointed, Harry may have a dragon's soul, but he's pretty much just a substitute. Won't stop him from doing his job, though.
- jsun25: since he doesn't have his wand, Harry's pretty much cut from Wizard magic.
- Indecisive Bob: no, Harry won't be a Dragon Priest. He'll kill them.
And that's all for now. See you soon!
