Twenty-seven:

Solstheim

They returned to the Graybeards first, of course, bringing back the horn that Delphine had taken. Mostly because Auriel didn't want to carry around an ancient relic while she was chasing some idiot on an island. Too many ways for such a thing to get broken, and then where would she be?

Arngeir was in an alcove, reading, when they made it back.

"Ah, you've retrieved the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. Well done. You have now passed all the trials. Come with me, and we shall formally recognize you as Dragonborn."

Auriel raised her eyebrow, then shrugged and followed.

"You are ready to learn the final word of Unrelenting Force; 'Dah' which means 'push.' With all three words together, this Shout is much more powerful. Use it wisely."

Powerful, yes, but still wholly unlethal, and therefore, uninteresting.

"Master Wulfgar will now gift you with his knowledge of 'Dah.'"

The rush of not-quite-power again, and the word lit up in her mind. Briefly. She could feel the strength in the completed shout, but it was more like a very hard shove than anything she would ever have need of.

"You have completed your training," Arngeir smiled slightly. "We would Speak to you."

She blinked, and cocked her head a little.

"Speak?"

"...you will see. Stand between us, and prepare yourself. Few can withstand the unshielded Voice of the Graybeards, but you are ready."

Speak they did. The language unmistakably ancient, and the way it made the very air rumble suggested it was dragon.

Lingrah krosis saroom Stundu'ul, valh nid baloon klav graan nav. Naal Thu'um, mu afan nii nu, Dovahkiin, naal suleyk da Kaan, nall sulkeyk do Shor, ahirk naal suleyk do Atmorosewuth. Mayz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daor rok.

Auriel shook herself a little as they finished, felling a little like they may well have vibrated her out of her armor if they'd so chosen.

"Dovahkiin," Arngeir said quietly. "You have tasted the Voice of the Graybeards, and passed through unscathed. High Hrothgar is open to you."

He bowed, and the Graybeards withdrew. Gingerly Farkas stepped up to her side and she felt little shame in turning to lean on him.

"You okay?"

"Mmm... I almost want to ask them about who Miraak might be, but somehow, I don't expect they would know," she sighed a little. "Come on, Far. Let's get to Windhelm so we can find that ship we need to take."

"Yes love."

The trip over was actually fairly pleasant. Auriel had always enjoyed riding in boats, and had always been unaffected by seasickness, Farkas wasn't quite so lucky, but once he got his legs under him again, he did seem to enjoy it. The captain hadn't been to pleased at her demand that he return to Solstheim itself, but after pointing out that the cultists he brought over tried to kill her, he reluctantly agreed.

"Well, here we are," the captain said as they pulled into port. "This is Raven Rock. Can't say I'm all that glad to see it again... Good luck. Maybe you can figure out what's going on around here."

She nodded and hopped onto the dock, then waited patiently for Far to step off, somewhat wobblingly. An officious-looking Dunmer approached, and frowned at them both.

"I don't recognize you, so I presume this is your first trip to Raven's Rock," he said stiffly. "State your intentions."

"Currently? Looking for Miraak. I have something I wish to discuss with him."

"Miraak?" He frowned a little, confusion crossing his face. "I feel I should know that name, but... it slips from my grasp."

"Is there anything you can tell me? A direction in which to start looking, perhaps?"

"I don't think so... I'm not... The name has something to do with the Earth Stone over there, but I'm not sure... what..."

Auriel followed the gesture he made, and her eyebrows went up as she caught sight of a stone, almost a pillar, really, that gave off an eerie sort of greenish glow.

"My thanks. I shall look into that, then," she nodded a little, stepping past the Dunmer.

He nodded a little dazedly, and Farkas hurried to catch up.

"That was weird," he said after a minute.

"I don't like it," she murmured. "Something is going on here, and it's likely not going to be any good for me. But, seeing as we're here, and I have no desire to be attacked by bone-masked fools again, it seems we may as well find out what is wrong with this place."

Because something was wrong. It was a subtle feeling in the air, not just the ashes and dust that permeated the island. It seemed to grow stronger as she approached the stone, though she was stopped not far from it by another Dunmer.

"You don't seem to be in the same state as the others," he said, studying her curiously. "Very interesting. May I ask what it is you're doing here?"

"Unless your name is Miraak, that would be none of your business," she replied shortly.

"Miraak, Miraak..." He frowned. "No my name is Neloth. That name sounds quite familiar, but I can't quite... place..." He paused, then snapped his finger. "No, no, wait, I recall! But... that makes very little sense. Miraak's been dead for thousands of years."

"You're right, that doesn't make sense, considering he sent people to try and kill me," she snorted.

"It is fascinating, isn't it?" Neloth said with an absent smile. "Perhaps it has some sort of relation as to what's going on here. Quite unexpected. I'm afraid I can't give you any answers, but there are ruins of an ancient temple of Miraak's towards the center of the island. If I were you, I'd look there."

She nodded, and glanced curiously at the structures slowly going up around the stone.

"What are they doing?"

"Building something... yet they don't seem to have much to say about it. I'm very interested to find out what happens when they finish."

"So you're not going to try and stop them..."

"Certainly not!" he said, a little outraged. "Doing that would interfere with whatever is happening, and I wouldn't be able to see how this all turns out."

"...researchers," she shook her head a little. "C'mon Far, let's see if someone has a map we can buy."

Farkas nodded as Neloth turned back to watch the people building. Auriel shuddered a little, and moved into the city of Raven Rock itself. It wasn't a big city, but fortunately she was able to find someone who was willing to part with a map for only a few gold pieces, and soon enough she and Farkas were in the wilds. Or what passed for wilds.

The land was covered in a thick layer of ashes as far as she could see. The plants were odd, and fascinating, really. She packed some up to study further when she returned to Skyrim. The creatures were odd as well, some falling apart with the lightest hit, while others were made entirely of ash and fire. The fire didn't hurt her much, but it was irritating.

The oddest creature by far was a harmless thing that showed no interest in them. It just floated along, like a jellyfish in the ocean, except it was floating in the air, and even touching it produced no reaction.

Auriel couldn't help but be fascinated. Farkas eventually had to tug at her to remind her that they were supposed to be finding these temple ruins.

"Maybe we should stay here for a while," she murmured, eyes lingering over the landscape.

"...if you want to, sure," he shrugged a little. "But didn't you wanna talk to this Miraak guy first?"

"Ah, you're right. I can let myself get distracted another time."

He chuckled a little, and she smiled faintly. It was nice that he would indulge her like this, too. Maybe when they cleared up whatever was going on here, it would feel like an okay place, for all that one breathed ash every step. It was, at least, warmer than Skyrim.

As they drew closer to the temple, Auriel paused in surprise as she recognized shapes under the ashes. Dragon bones littered the ground, scattered here and there like a child who'd grown bored with their blocks and knocked them all down.

The temple itself certainly looked like it had seen better days too; scaffolding wrapped around no few pieces of the stonework, supporting it, and there were a number of people working on rebuilding the temple itself. Like the ones at the Earth stone, the felt... odd. Wrong, somehow. Not hostile, no, but... unnerving. Hardly any of them seemed to notice the pair was there, and none would respond to a direct question. They seemed to be spouting poetry of some type, and she had little doubt that this Miraak was the subject.

"...I don't think we're going to get any answers out here," she murmured to Farkas, who had drawn closer to her. "Maybe inside..."

"I've got you back," he nodded.

The climbed the stairs, and went into the central part of the temple, which was surprisingly clear of the ash that covered the entire island. A glance around confirmed that there were a number of people in the ruin itself, trying to build it back up, which explained the lack of ashes.

There was only one person who seemed unaffected by the oddness, a woman in armor, who was going around urgently shaking some of the people, who failed to react even a little. She caught sight of the pair and stopped short.

"What brings you to this place? Why are you here?" she asked warily.

"I could ask the same, but I expect it would be intemperate," Auriel said dryly. "I'm Auriel. You?"

"I am Frea of the Skaal. I am here to either save my people, or avenge them," the blonde woman replied.

"Save them?" Auriel cocked her head curiously. "From what?"

"I am unsure. Something has taken control of most of the people of Solstheim," Frea frowned uneasily. "It makes them forget themselves, and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones, the very land itself. My father Storn, the shaman, says that Miraak has returned to Solstheim. But... that is impossible."

Auriel's interest was instantly caught.

"Given that he attempted to have me killed over in Skyrim, that's not as impossible as you seem to think," she said.

"Then you and I both have reasons to see what lies beneath us," Frea replied. "Let us go. There is nothing more I can do here... the Tree Stone, and my friends, are beyond my help for now. We need to find a way into the temple below."

As if responding to her words, the floor near to them began shifting, sinking downwards. Talk was abandoned as a pair of cultists, identical to the ones that had attacked in Riverwood, rushed up the ramp and attacked.

They didn't last long; between Frea's prowess, Farkas' blade, and Auriel's flames, they were soon nothing more than dead.

"Mind if I ask you a few things first?" Auriel said as they moved into the temple.

"I will do my best to answer," she nodded.

"Can you tell me much of use about Miraak?"

"His story is as old as Solstheim itself," Frea said musingly. "He served the dragons before their fall from power, as most did. A priest in their order. But unlike most, he turned against them. He made his own path, but his actions cost him dearly. The stories say he sought to claim Solstheim for himself, and the dragons destroyed him for it."

"...huh..."

Auriel frowned thoughtfully. Unfortunately, that didn't do much to address any of the questions that lingered in her head. Most prominently, why in the name of Oblivion he was trying to have her killed!

"Why did you come by yourself?"

"There are few of us left unaffected by the curse," she sighed a little. "My father protects them in the village. I fashioned an amulet to protect me against whatever has taken hold of the Skaal, but... it is the only one of its kind. If I cannot find a way to save them, there is no hope for our people..."

There was pain in Frea's eyes, and Auriel nodded slightly in sympathy, and decided against prying for more information. She had no doubts that she would learn abut the Skaal soon enough, whether she liked it or not.

"Come on. Let's see what is in here," Auriel said.

"Agreed. This evil must be rooted out," Frea nodded sharply.

"Right behind you," Farkas murmured.

There wasn't much of use in the first three rooms; dry bones mostly, with a few potions that looked to be fairly new, if a little dusty. The air smelled foul in a way that Auriel wasn't familiar with; dust and rot she could ignore, but this was subtle, and it made her feel sick to her stomach. Not enough to make her heave, but enough to make her miserable.

They encountered more of the odd cultists as they continued in, and it was terribly tempting to grab some robes and masks to blend in. Not tempting enough, however, as the smell that was bothering her seemed to be worse when she was close to them. The sooner she was out of there, the better, really...

The found their way down into a more open-aired room, the ceiling high overhead, and a pit with stairs leading down. There were cages strung over the pit, with skeletal remains, and Auriel grimaced, wondering what the people had done to be put there. And how.

"I do not wish to imagine the kinds of things that happened in this chamber," Frea said with a shudder. "Who were the poor souls trapped in these cages? What tortures did they suffer at Miraak's hands? Was it in service to the dragons, or for his own purposes?"

She turned away, and Auriel snorted a little; if she hadn't wanted to think about it, she probably shouldn't have said anything at all; it was easier to bury a question when it was left unsaid. After a moment, Frea turned back, but her attention wasn't on the cages. It was on the dais that overlooked them, though there was no clear path up to it.

"...what's up there?" The Skaal woman asked. "Maybe... you look lighter than I... perhaps you can find a way up there?"

"Well, I can try," Auriel shrugged. "No promises."

She glanced around the room, then scrambled up a nearby pillar, Farkas close behind.

"Far, do you think you can toss me over?"

"Yeah. I can do that."

He managed it nicely at that, and she landed easily enough on the platform. The chest that Frea had caught side of wasn't terribly full, but a handful of coin and precious gems was worth the effort of the climb. She dropped easily down onto the stairs after pocketing what she wanted, and rejoined her friends.

"Anything of value?"

"A few coins, a few gems. Should fetch a nice enough price," Auriel shrugged a little. "Or make so jewelry, if I can get the right materials."

"You craft?"

"Mmhm. It's a hobby."

Of course, no tomb was complete without some draugr, and they actually got the drop on the trio; not that it helped the draugr any. Nor the cultists that came after. The draugr beyond were slightly more challenging, but not by much. It was more the close quarters of the fight, which left Auriel able to do very little.

Beyond was a room that was filled with more dead draugr than living ones, simply scattered haphazardly about the floor. An odd thing, given the normal reverence with which the dead were treated. Following that was a trap that made Frea stop dead. Auriel couldn't blame her, the number of scythes swinging from the ceiling were a bit on the intimidating side.

"I an not going down there," Frea said firmly. "It would be foolish to attempt it."

"So stay here," Auriel shrugged. "You too Far. I'll see if I can't find the release on the other side."

"I can see a lever that might do it," Frea nodded. "I will wait here. Good luck."

Farkas caught up her hand, concern writ large on his face. Auriel smiled, and kissed his cheek.

"Don't fret, Far. I'll be just fine."

It took a bit of maneuvering, and timing, but by sticking to the edge of the room she made it through with only a mild nick on her ear to show for it. Flipping the level not only ceased the swinging blades, it lowered the bars that blocked their path.

"Miraak took great pains to make it difficult to reach him, it seems," Frea murmured when she caught up. "Let us hope that is the last of these traps."

"You can hope, but if it were me, I'd have left something else behind," Auriel shrugged. "Angry dragonborn, Skaal warrior, and Companion are nothing to joke about."

"Dragonborn, you?"

"So I'm told. It's why he tried to kill me, I think. Only, I don't do well with competition myself. Rather, I hate leaving enemies at my back."

Frea went quiet, and Farkas smiled a little, then lightly touched her ear. Gently Auriel batted his hand away.

"I'm fine, Far. Harmless."

"...all right."

They continued on, sliding carefully around some bone chimes. Farkas tried, but didn't quite manage it; the clatter made Auriel wince, and lowered three bridges with loud bangs. Two held draugr, one a cultist. As the cultist was the more annoying threat, Auriel went after him. A well placed arrow to the throat took him out, while Frea and Farkas deal with the draugr.

"See?" Auriel said once they made it to the top. "No one in their right mind leaves a trap unset."

"You may have a point," Frea sighed.

The next set of doors led to the inner sanctum of the temple, and the odd reek in the air grew stronger. Auriel had to stop, and lean on her husband in an attempt to bite back a dizzy spell.

"Are you all right?" Frea asked.

"...the air in here is terrible," Auriel mumbled, closing her eyes. Farkas' arms kept her upright as she fought against the nausea and dizziness. "I hope we find whatever we're looking for soon, otherwise I may well pass out."

Farkas passed her some water, and she drank after a moment; it helped to clear out her senses, a little, and after a few more moments she was steady on her feet again. She stopped short on a covered bridge, staring at the skeletons through which bars had been shoved. The morbid part of her wondered if that had been done while they were living, or after their deaths. Impossible to know now, at least...

"I do not know what it is Miraak learned that gave him reason to turn on his masters," Frea murmured. "But his path seems to have been a cruel one. I wonder if we will find some answers to what happened so long ago."

"...Honestly, I would be all right with not knowing," Auriel muttered, leaning again into Farkas' protective hold.

After half a dozen skeleton and two more draugr, the temple opened up into a cavern.

"Interesting," Frea murmured. "This may be worth exploring..."

It was probably one of the few times Auriel wasn't inclined to explore a tomb. The faster they were out, the better, as far as she was concerned. She watched a little listlessly as Frea went off, taking another sip of water, and settling in to wait for the Skaal woman's return. When she did, she passed the Altmer mage a couple of spell books, and a potion with a faint grin.

"I knew there was something down there. Here, perhaps you can make use of these."

Auriel just nodded, and put them away; she'd study them later, when she was more in the mood for it.

The went down some more stairs, and took out two more cultists along the way, then all three stopped and traded grimaces at the sight of even more stairs down.

"How much deeper can this be?" Frea demanded incredulously. "I had been told that Miraak's power was great, but to have built so large a temple..."

Auriel muttered a few choice words in Aldmeri, and Farkas growled lowly in agreement. If they were not near the end now, they had better reach it soon.

The room at the base of the stairs held a Word wall, and a large dragon skeleton, painstakingly wired together in such a manner as to be displayed.

"I had heard Miraak had turned against the Dragon Cult," Frea said. "But to display the remains in such a manner as this..."

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as Auriel absorbed the word, and the entire temple shuddered. The coffins lining the room fell open, and draugr stepped out to fight. It was fierce, and dangerous; Auriel was not able to help very much thanks to the close quarters and the smell the grew stronger the farther down they went. It was not a pleasant day to have the beastblood.

"Can you make it, my friend?" Frea asked, once the undead had returned to being permanently so. "If you cannot..."

"I'll make it," Auriel growled stubbornly. "I owe this git a black eye if not an arrow to the face, so I damned well will make it."

Accepting Farkas' help up, Auriel scowled at the ground until it held still once more. She hadn't come all this way just to get stymied now, damnit.

Of course, it wasn't to be that easy. The next series of rooms stalled them. The first one was almost an entryway, and the room beyond looked as though it had been an eating or workhall at some point in its past. The rooms dead-ended into what have likely once been the kitchen, and all three made exasperated sounds.

"You've got to be joking," Auriel muttered crossly.

"There must be something more," Frea insisted. "Look around. I will let you know if I find anything in the dining area."

Auriel nodded, and sighed a little. This was getting to be a bigger headache than she'd initially anticipated.

In the end, Farkas was the one who actually found the switch that led them farther in. He then had to help support Auriel as the lowering of the rock had released a strong cloud of whatever it was that reeked in the air, nearly knocking her over. He grimaced too, able to smell it at last himself, and cradled her gently until she could stand on her own two feet.

The narrow hallway didn't improve the situation, and the room they stepped into was small itself, lined with nothing more than a few ruined books.

"I wonder if there is something here that tells the story of Miraak," Frea mused.

"Given how damaged these books are, that's not terribly likely," Auriel muttered.

The nest room had her stop short in surprise; a three headed odd... statue, it seemed, stared back at them. Frea moved in closer, curiously, but Auriel kept her distance.

"I do not recognize this statuary," the Skaal woman said thoughtfully. "We passed by a few of them earlier, but they are becoming more frequents as we go farther in."

Auriel hadn't even noticed. It made her growl a little in irritation.

"I do not like this place," Frea continued, stepping back a little. "It almost looks as if these statues will come to life at any moment."

"They'd better not," Auriel muttered. "Draugr are bad enough."

Farkas just gently patted her shoulder.

"Far... could you turn the handle?" Auriel muttered. "It seems our only way out is to keep going down."

"Sure."

Down they went, and down further still. The place was silent enough to hear even the quietest of Auriel's footsteps, and the subtle click or armor and armaments. Another switch revealed more stairs down, and at the bottom the door opened into something that likely would have frightened the unwary or unnerved; a dragon's skull, suspended over a lit fire.

"Miraak apparently has a thing for the dramatic," Auriel mutter crabbily.

Beyond, it opened up again, and Auriel could taste the faintest hint of cleaner air, which she was more than willing to breath in. More dragon bones littered the ground, and wary draugr walked the dirt-covered stairs. For once the stairs led up, and there was more than enough space for Auriel to lash out with flames and arrows; the flames seemed to clear the air for a brief moment, and she took that moment with everything she could.

Unfortunately the tunnel beyond led on a descending angle, and Auriel allowed herself to mutter a few inventive curses at Miraak. They made Farkas snicker a little, which did help her mood somewhat; she enjoyed making him laugh.

What they finally found at the bottom was nothing less than a shrine. But a shrine to what or whom, Auriel couldn't say. A book rested in the middle, and every last instinct of hers screamed to avoid it. She actually stepped back, nearly running into both Farkas and Frea in her desire to be anywhere else.

"The book, it seems... wrong somehow," Frea murmured, staring at it. "Here yet... not. This may be what we seek."

"...I don't want to touch it," Auriel muttered, taking a reluctant step forward. "I want that logged as an official protest, all right?"

"I understand," Frea smiled sympathetically. "But... I do not want to touch it either."

The book itself sat innocently on the shelf, wrapped in black, and embossed with an odd picture on the front that looked almost like a tangle of vines. Unwillingly, Auriel picked the book up, and gingerly opened it. The damn thing grew tentacles, it seemed, and yanked her in.

Briefly, her vision blacked out, and when it returned, she had no idea where she was. A small island on a black ocean, in a place that reeked of foul air, bound books, and something dangerous.

"The time now comes when..."

Her vision cleared in time to see a dragon landing, and the man who'd spoken swore, turning in surprise and threw lightning at her. Auriel was unable to dodge; it felt much like the time Karliah's arrow had struck her. Able to see, but not able to act. But she had no doubt that this man in his odd armor, surrounded by creatures that had... well, octopi for heads, really, was Miraak.

"Who are you to dare set foot here?" He demanded. Then he took a closer look. "Aaahhh... you are Dragonborn. I can feel it. And yet... You have done little, beyond killing a few dragons. You have no idea of the true power a Dragonborn can wield!"

He shouted something, but the words slipped past; it looked as though he'd granted himself some sort of extra armor, though...

"This world is beyond you," he said coldly. "You have no power here. And it is only a matter of time before Solstheim is also mine. I already control the minds of its people. Soon, they will finish building my temple, and I can return home."

He turned away, and the strange creatures moved in.

"She can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel," he said dismissively.

As they attacked, knocking her to the ground, she saw him climb on the back of a dragon, and take flight into a green sky before her sight faded into darkness.

"Auri!"

She was being shaken, albeit gently, and Farkas' voice was panicked and urgent. She lifted a hand blearily, and tried to pat him on the head; she missed completely, but he grabbed her hand and held it tightly, cradling her gently.

"What happened?" Frea asked wonderingly. "You read the book and then... It was like you were not really here. I could see you, but also... see through you! I had to stop your man from trying to attack the book itself..."

Which explained the developing bruise around Farkas' left eye.

"I... I don't know," Auriel shivered a little, and attempted to sit up. Farkas helped her, but didn't release her from his protective hold. "I... I was somewhere, but... I think I saw Miraak, at least. Riding a dragon."

"Where?" Frea demanded. "Where is he? Can we reach him? Can we kill him?!"

"Stop," Auriel snapped. "Unless you want to read the damn book and find out what's on the other side, just... just stop."

"...my apologies, you are right. This is a dangerous thing. We should take it to my village, and show my father. Perhaps Storn can make sense of what is going on. Come, the way out seems to be this way. Can you stand?"

"...if Farkas will let me get up, I can try."

Farkas let go reluctantly, helping her to stand; beyond the initially dizziness, she was able to keep her feet under her with minimal effort. Up and out was a pleasant, welcome thing, and the ash-choked air was sweeter than she expected.

Even if it did give her a coughing fit.