At the Summit of Apocrypha 3
Following the directions of Neloth, Aeros and Serana traveled inland in search of the temple. It was slow going, as the ash-filled landscape was unfamiliar to both of them. Still, they moved at a steady pace, and gradually the ash began to give way to snow as they travelled further north.
"What are you thinking, Aeros?" Serana finally asked, breaking the silence. They had made some idle chit-chat when they first set out from Raven Rock, but the further inland they went, the more and more tense Aeros had gotten, until he eventually fell completely silent, his attention focused solely on the path ahead of them.
Aeros glanced at her, and there was a brief pause before he answered. "I'm just worried, that's all."
"About what?"
He shrugged. "This Miraak person, those cultists, what we might find in this temple. A bunch of different things, really."
Serana looked at him, curious. "Why?" she asked. "Is it because of what we saw at the Earth Stone?"
"That's part of it," he admitted. "But to be honest, this entire place makes me feel on edge. Ever since we set foot on the island, I've felt uneasy, as if someone is watching me. I can't wait to get to the bottom of all this, and find out what's affecting these people, but at the same time, there's a part of me that keeps whispering that I should just grab you and run as far away from this place as we can."
He glanced over at her again and cracked a small smile. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, the result of too many adventures," he joked with some of his old cheer. He looked towards the top of the hill they had been climbing, where he could see part of the temple looming over the top. "Hopefully, this temple of Miraak's can provide us with a few answers to our questions."
They crested the hill they had been climbing, and both of them stopped dead.
"Or maybe it'll raise a whole bunch of new ones…" Serana whispered in shock.
Continuing on up the hill was the path to the temple. And littering the sides of it and the surrounding hillside were dragon skeletons. Dozens of dragon skeletons.
"By the gods," Aeros breathed, staring wide-eyed at the graveyard of bones. He crouched down next to one skeleton, running his hands along its snow-covered surface. His fingers stopped at the numerous grooves cutting deep into its ribs.
He looked up at Serana. "That part of me I told you about, the one whispering for us to run away? It's screaming now."
They continued up the path to the temple, the bones only growing more numerous. As they neared the giant structure, they heard the sound of workers.
"Do you hear that?" Aeros said, cocking his head to hear better. "It sounds like there's people up ahead. I'm betting that they're being controlled, like the ones at the Earth Stone."
Serana nodded in agreement, but stopped as she noticed another sound. "Wait, what's that?" she asked aloud. "It sounds like there's someone else there."
"Yrsa, can you hear me?" a voice cried. "You must listen to me! We must leave this place!"
Aeros and Serana reached the top of the hill, and looked down into the temple below. They saw a young blonde-haired Nord woman dressed in heavy armor desperately trying to wake the laborers from their trance. As they watched, she released her hold on another young woman, and turned towards a nearby man.
"Oslaf, please!" she pleaded. "You must fight against what is controlling you!"
When she received no response, other than the continuous pounding of a hammer against stone, she slumped to the ground in defeat.
Aeros and Serana picked their way down towards the despondent woman. She lifted her head at their approach, and her eyes widened as she realized they weren't in the same state as the others.
"You there!" she said as she climbed to her feet. "What brings you to this place? Why are you here?" She eyed them warily, and yet she couldn't completely hide the gleam of hope in her eyes.
Aeros spread his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Don't worry, we mean you no harm," he said calmly. "My name is Aeros, and this is Serana. Who are you?"
The woman hesitated for a brief second, but decided to answer. "I am Frea of the Skaal," she replied.
"Skaal?" Aeros asked with interest. He had never heard the term before.
Frea nodded. "Yes. My people have lived on Solstheim for many generations. Our people are tied to the land itself. We try to serve the All-Maker, to live in balance with nature, instead of exploiting it as others would."
"What are you doing all the way out here, Frea?" Serana asked.
Frea's expression darkened. "I am here to either save my people or avenge them," she said determinedly.
"You came here by yourself?"
"There are few of us left unaffected by this curse," she explained. "My father Storn, the shaman, 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."
"Do you know what is affecting these people?" Aeros questioned her. "We saw some people behaving similarly near Raven Rock. They were building some sort of structure around the Earth Stone."
Frea shook her head. "I am unsure," she answered. "Something has taken control of most of the people of Solstheim. It makes them forget themselves and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones, the very land itself. My father says that Miraak has returned to Solstheim, but that is impossible."
Aeros and Serana looked at each other, wide-eyed. Aeros turned back to Frea.
"Perhaps not," he said. "We came here because someone claiming to be Miraak tried to have me killed."
"Then you and I both have reason to see what lies beneath us. 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."
Aeros nodded. "Alright then. The first thing we need to do is try and find a way in-" He stopped as he heard the faint sound of moving stone. "Hold on. Did you hear that?"
Before Frea or Serana could answer, he spun around, yelling "Watch out!"
They threw themselves out of the way just in time to dodge an incoming fireball. It exploded against a nearby stone pillar, but luckily avoided injuring anyone, including the enthralled Skaal.
From the center of the temple came a group of cultists, running towards them yelling war cries. Aeros, Serana, and Frea all stood, and drew their weapons.
Aeros caught a cultist's axe blade on the crossguard of his sword. They strained against one another for a few seconds, before Aeros suddenly twisted his wrist, wrenching the axe out of the masked man's hand and sending it sailing harmlessly through the air. Before the man could retreat, Aeros plunged his other sword through his chest. As the body collapsed to the ground, Aeros stepped over it to engage his next opponent.
Meanwhile, Serana easily held her own against two of the cultists' magic users. They had targeted her because she was the most lightly armored of the three, and had seemed like the easiest opponent. Instead, they found themselves defending themselves desperately against the deadly combination of spells and dagger, unable to even find the time to do anything more than cast wards.
Frea engaged the last cultist, relying on her heavy armor to protect her, while she focused solely on attack. Her twin war axes whirled around her in a flurry, cutting into the flesh of her opponent time and time again. Finally, one of her axes buried itself in the cultist's throat, and the woman fell with a strangled cry.
Within minutes, the fight was over, and besides a few nicks and bruises, none of them were seriously injured. All six cultists lay dead, three by Aeros's hands alone.
As they stood there, Serana looked at Frea appraisingly. "Well fought," she said, impressed with the other woman's skill. "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"
Frea took a moment to catch her breath before answering. "Skof the Giant, our former chieftain, taught me how to fight. He was a great bear of a man, and a fearsome warrior. I was a restless and angry child when I was little, and Skaf taught me swordplay so I could, as he used to say 'put that fire to good use.'" She smiled at the memory.
It only lasted a moment though, before she stopped and shook her head. "But now is not the time for reminiscing about childhood memories. These cultists have opened a way for us. Come, let us see what lies below."
The three of them made their way down the ramp that had been revealed when the cultists had attacked them. Opening the door at the bottom, they entered the temple. They cautiously explored the rooms and chambers of the temple as they descended, wary of more cultists.
As they descended, Aeros asked Frea a question that had been on his mind since they arrived at the temple.
"Frea," he said as they walked down a flight of stairs. "What can you tell us about Miraak? Everytime I've tried asking someone about him, they're unable to tell me anything."
Frea recalled what she knew from the legends. "Miraak's story is as old as Solstheim itself," she explained. "He served the dragons before their fall from power, as most did. A priest in their order."
"A Dragon Priest?" Aeros asked. He had fought several of their order in his adventures in Skyrim, and they were all extremely powerful, their powers enhanced even further by the magical masks they wore, gifted to them by the dragons they had served.
Frea nodded. "Yes. But unlike most, he turned against them. He made his own path, and his actions cost him dearly. The stories say he sought to claim Solstheim for himself, and the dragons destroyed him for it."
"Why would he turn on his masters?" Serana asked. "Surely he knew what would happen?"
Frea shrugged. "I do not know what it is Miraak learned that gave him reason to turn on his masters." She glanced around at the various traps and skeletons. "But his path seems to have been a cruel one. Perhaps we will find some answers to what happened so long ago further in this temple."
They continued to make their way deeper into the temple, fighting their way past cultists, draugr, and numerous traps, and entering the temple's innermost chambers. As they descended yet another flight of stairs, Frea voiced her thoughts.
"How much deeper can this place be?" she wondered. "I had been told that Miraak's power was great, but to have built so large a temple…"
Her words trailed off as they entered the room at the bottom of the stairs. It was a large chamber, and fairly spacious. Off to the left was a black Word Wall, while to their right were five sarcophagi. In the center of the room lay a chest, with another sarcophagus behind it. But what held all of their attentions was the dragon skeleton suspended in the air above their heads, displayed for all to see.
"I had heard Miraak had turned against the Dragon Cult," Frea breathed, "but to display the remains in a manner such as this… It is no wonder the dragons razed his temple to the ground. Seeing the remains hung up like trophies must have enraged them to no end."
They all stared at the skeleton for several long moments, before Aeros shook himself, and went to go examine the Word Wall, leaving Frea and Serana to talk amongst themselves.
"You had no idea this was down here?" Serana asked Frea. The Skaal shook her head.
"None whatsoever. As I said, the dragons razed Miraak's temple to the ground long ago, and ever since then, all of this has been sealed off."
"Then what are you hoping to find here?" Serana asked curiously.
Frea sighed heavily, and shook her head. "I do not know. Hopefully, a way to free my people, but at the very least, perhaps some answers as to what is happening to the people of Solstheim."
Their conversation was interrupted as the entire room started to shake and rumble violently. Dust rained down on their heads as they tried to steady themselves. Aeros hurried to join them, staggering as the vibrations threatened to knock him off his feet.
"Something feels wrong," Frea yelled over the noise. "Brace yourselves!" She drew her war axes and tensed.
Abruptly, the shaking stopped. Before they could wonder at this, the air was split by a loud crack, and the lid to the sarcophagus in the center of the room crashed to the ground, echoed by the five others.
"Aav Dilon!" the lead draugr shouted in a rasping voice, leveling its ebony sword at their group as the others fanned out around them.
Aeros drew both of his swords, holding the keen-edged blades at the ready.
"No thanks," he replied. "I much prefer living."
With a collective snarl, the draugr charged. Aeros let out a yell of his own before rushing forward to meet them, followed closely by Serana and Frea.
Aeros brought his swords crashing down on the shield of the draugr that seemed to be in charge. The draugr shoved him back with its shield, following up with a powerful slash towards his head. Aeros parried the attack with the sword in his right hand, grunting at the strength behind the blow. He kicked out with his foot, sweeping the draugr's legs out from under it. As it fell to the ground with a crash, Aeros plunged the sword in his left hand through its chest, pinning it to the ground.
He watched the light flicker and fade from the draugr's eyes before he looked up to find a greatsword descending towards his head. Throwing himself backwards with a yelp, Aeros landed on his backside, looking up at the draugr, who laughed evilly as it raised its sword again. Before it could bring it back down, a war axe hurtled through the air and sank into its chest. It shrieked in pain as it fell to its knees. Before it could rise again, Frea buried her remaining axe in the undead corpse's head. She turned and offered Aeros a hand.
"Thanks," he said gratefully as Frea hauled him to his feet.
"Anytime," she replied, grunting as she pulled her axe out of the draugr's chest. As she did, Aeros noticed for the first time the unusual material her axe was made from. To him, it looked almost like ice, but he dismissed that thought. Deciding he could ask Frea about her weapon later, he hurled himself back into the fray to help Serana.
After the battle, they discovered a locked iron door hidden behind the central sarcophagus. Searching the fallen draugr, Aeros found a key that opened the door, and they proceeded onwards.
They passed through several more rooms and hallways, filled with more dragon skeletons and some creepy looking statuary that none of them particularly liked the look of. In the last room, they hit an apparent dead end, until Serana found a pull chain and hidden door behind a large statue.
"We must be getting close," Aeros said aloud as they made their way down the narrow, twisting passageway.
He was right, as they found themselves emerging into a small, circular room with a single pedestal in the middle.
Resting on the pedestal was a black book.
Frea eyed the black book warily. "There are dark magics at work here. This book... It seems wrong somehow. Here, yet...not. It may be what we seek."
Aeros and Serana sheathed their weapons as they approached the pedestal, staring at the book curiously.
"This book, it feels familiar somehow," Aeros muttered to himself. "Like I've seen it before." He picked the book up off of the pedestal, running his hands along its surface. Embossed on its cover was what looked like a mass of tentacles, looking almost as if they could start moving at any moment. The book itself was surprisingly heavier than it looked, and a slight chill seemed to emanate from it. He glanced over at Frea.
"You're sure this is what we're looking for?" he asked. Frea shook her head.
"I do not know," she admitted. "But there must be a reason why this book was hidden so deep in the temple."
"Only one way to find out," Aeros said, starting to open the book.
"Aeros, wait!" Serana said suddenly, grabbing a hold of his hand. "This book, there's something warped about it, something that's not right."
"I agree," Frea said. "There is a foulness about this book, a sense of wrongness that makes my skin crawl."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he reassured them both. "It's just a book. Besides, it's our only clue as to what's manipulating the people of Solstheim."
Before either of them could stop him again, he opened the book. He was met with a series of incomprehensible words and symbols that marched across the page. He could only make out a few garbled sentences.
"The eyes, once bleached by falling stars of utmost revelation, will forever see the faint insight drawn by the overwhelming question, as only the True Enquiry shapes the edge of thought.
The rest is vulgar fiction, attempts to impose order on the consensus mantlings of an uncaring godhead."
He frowned. "I can't understand more than a few sentences of this, but I feel like I've seen this kind of writing before."
He was going to say more, when suddenly, oily black tentacles shot out of the pages and wrapped themselves around him. He felt something yank him forward and the ground disappeared beneath his feet.
"Aeros!" Serana yelled, as she lunged forward in an attempt to rip the book out of his grasp. However, her hands met with nothing but air, and she fell forward, landing on the ground on the other side of Aeros.
She flipped around and looked back at Aeros, only to realize that she could see through him. He hadn't moved, but it was as if he were an apparition, not really there.
"Aeros, what have you gotten yourself into now?" she whispered to herself.
"What do we do now?" Frea asked anxiously; she had not anticipated something like this occurring, and she couldn't help but feel responsible.
"The only thing we can do," Serana replied dully. "We wait."
Aeros felt the ground reappear beneath his feet as he regained awareness. He looked around and realized immediately that he must be in some plane of Oblivion. The ground he stood on was covered in sheets of paper, surrounded by a sea of oily liquid. As he watched, a giant tentacle surfaced from the depths for a brief moment, before it sank back below the oily surface. Here and there, immense towers of books reached out of the dark waters, climbing towards a sky filled with a sickly green light.
It was at that point that Aeros realized there was somebody behind him.
"The time comes soon when… What!?" Whoever it was, it seemed that they had also become aware of Aeros's presence, as he felt a sudden overwhelming sense of power and killing intent.
Aeros whirled, hands flying to the swords on his back, but he was too slow. As he spun, he was caught in the chest by a bolt of lightning and was forced to his knees by the sheer power of the spell. Even with his armor enchanted to protect him from magic, Aeros felt incredibly weak. He forced himself to look up at his attacker.
The man was tall, at least as tall as Aeros, if not more, and wore a set of green robes, cut in a style unfamiliar to Aeros. He couldn't tell what the man's face looked like as it was obscured by a mask.
"Who are you to dare set foot here?" the man demanded, and even with the mask covering his face, Aeros could feel the other man glaring at him.
"Aeros," he spat out, returning the glare. "My name is Aeros."
"Ahh… And you are Dragonborn too," the man said thoughtfully. "I can feel it. And yet..."
Aeros didn't like something about the other man's voice, as if him being Dragonborn amused him.
"I gave you my name," he growled. "Now who the hell are you?"
The man chuckled as he spread his arms grandly. "Me? I am Miraak. And this is my domain you are intruding on, young Dovahkiin."
Characters:
Yrsa: A Nord living in Skaal Village, and the wife of Deor Woodcutter. She and Oslaf are both laboring on the Temple of Miraak when you first encounter them. They remain under Miraak's control until you complete the final quest of the DLC, after which they return to the village.
Oslaf: A Nord living in Skaal Village with his wife and daughter. You first find him working in the Temple of Miraak, along with fellow Skaal Yrsa. He is freed from Miraak's control after the completion of the final quest of the DLC.
Frea: A member of the Skaal, and the daughter of Storn Crag-Strider. You first encounter her in the Temple of Miraak, where she is trying desperately to free her friends. After that, she accompanies you through the Temple and afterwards leads you to her village.
Storn: The shaman of Skaal Village, Storn is busy maintaining the barrier protecting the remaining Skaal when you are first introduced to him. He directs you to Saering's Watch in pursuit of a way to free the enslaved people of Skyrim. Afterwards, he aids you in your quest to defeat Miraak, ultimately at the cost of his life.
Miraak: The primary antagonist of the Dragonborn DLC, he is the First Dragonborn, originally living on Solstheim during the Merethic Era. Miraak served as a priest in the Dragon Cult, before he turned on his masters, the dragons. He has since then been biding his time in Apocrypha, waiting for the moment when he can return to Solstheim.
Dragon Language:
Aav Dilon = Join the Dead