Descending into Darkness
Cold, dark clouds hung over Skyrim.
Drops of rain fell from the sky, dampening the landscape.
The dirt roads turning to mud as hoofs splashed through puddles and mud in a haste.
A lone rider made his way towards an ancient ruin to hopefully put an end to the darkness that had ensnared Skyrim.
"Once you have destroyed the Blades, return to Mzinchaleft.
The Master has something planned.
You stand out from the rest of your brethren.
If you succeed, you shall be rewarded handsomely.
It might end up even being command of the entire Falmer army.
Do what must be done.
A"
The note left behind. The only directions to those responsible for the deaths of an order.
The once great Blades, dead. But one remained. The new Grandmaster only in name. Faraldar.
"A…Who could it be? The name of a Thalmor? The name of their Master? A red herring to through me off the real trail?" Faraldar asked himself as he continued to ride.
Was this a trap? A false location given? It did not matter. It was something. It was all he had to go on. Whatever he found in Mzinchaleft, would suffer for what happened to the Blades.
The ruins lay ahead.
Bodies of dead bandits littered the snow covered ground.
Spatters of red blood could be seen, taking over the white snow.
Faraldar moved through the outer structure to see two separate towers and a wooden walkway.
At the bottom was a set of stone steps, leading down to a set of large golden doors.
The first steps towards revenge.
Faraldar didn't hesitate to advance forward, his only goal getting inside and avenging the fallen.
Located in the mountains west-southwest of Windhelm, between Lake Yorgrim and the White River stood the ancient Dwarven ruins of Raldbthar.
Once inhabited by a group of bandits led by a man named Alain Dufont, it was now devoid of any life or so originally thought.
A campsite had been set up in preparation for an assault on the ruins.
Led by General Tullius, an army had gathered outside of the ruins.
An assortment of different warriors and mages had assembled, all with the common goal of ending this war.
"General Tullius sir, someone is approaching the camp." A messenger said, waking Tullius up from a sound sleep.
He groaned and sighed as he got up from his cot.
His put on his decorative armor and exited the tent.
A man adorned in the armor of an Imperial was approaching the camp.
Tullius quickly recognized the man.
"Legate Emmanuel Admand. What brings you to these ruins?" Tullius asked the man.
The Legate looked weary and as if he had been to Oblivion and back.
"A…..a friend was taken by the Falmer. All evidence points to these ruins. I don't know what they intend to do with him, but I aim to stop it." Admand replied.
Tullius looked Admand over before nodding.
He turned to his men.
"Listen up! A civilian has been taken. Their life is in danger. No longer can we wait. Gather up what essential gear you will need. We descend into the ruins in five!" He ordered.
Wayfinder and the others had been given their own separate tent.
They quickly gathered up their gear and assembled near the large Dwarven doors.
"So, what do you think we'll find in there?" Constantine asked.
"Our deaths." Sibbi Black-Briar replied.
Constantine turned and glared at Sibbi.
"You're a cheery fellow aren't you?" Constantine sarcastically asked, shaking his head at the man.
"You are a jokester and a fool. I wouldn't be surprised to find your corpse lying on the battlefield. I would know you weren't the mage you claimed to be." Sibbi replied with a smirk.
Constantine was about to say something back, even strike the man, but Litthius held him back, mouthing 'he isn't worth it' to Constantine.
The army marched forward in to the ruins.
Arrows filled the bodies of several bandits that lay on the ground within the ruins.
Fresh footsteps could be seen on the ground.
"Someone passed through here not too long ago. These footprints are fairly fresh. We should keep moving. Be wary of any traps that lay around." General Tullius said to his men as they advanced forward.
Faraldar stepped over the bodies of bandits and Dwarven machines, yet there was no sign of any Falmer.
A battle had taken place here, but the enemy he was looking for didn't seem to be here.
There were arrows and strike marks that suggested the Falmer had been there, but of course there continued to be no signs of them.
He had nearly been killed a few times by unsuspecting traps, but had been lucky enough to dodge or escape them.
His focus was only on finding the Falmer and killing as many as he could to avenge his fallen Blade brethren.
Dark passageways and tunnels lay ahead, but Faraldar would brave them. The memory of his fallen brothers and sisters would be enough to keep him going.
"When you close your doors, and make darkness within, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not alone; nay, God is within, and your genius is within. And what need have they of light to see what you are doing?"
General Tullius and his army, Captain Wayfinder and his crew, Legate Emmanuel Admand, Litthius and the mages of the College of Winterhold, the survivors of the attack on Riften, and Faraldar the Grandmaster to the Blades, all now descend into the ruins of Raldbthar and Mzinchaleft. Blackreach is their destination, but only time will tell what they will find in the darkest depths of Skyrim. Only one question remains. What will happen when the forces of evil and good converge on Blackreach?
