Standard Disclaimer. I don't own any of this. The OC's are my creation, but everything else is the property of Bethesda Softworks. I also took inspiration from many mods such as "Zahkrii Do Dovahkiin Sword", "The Paarthurnax Dilemma", "Apocalypse" "Dark Envoy" and many others. I have tried to reach out to the original mod authors on and Nexus but have not heard back from them. I don't think it will be a problem seeing as how I don't stand to make any money from this, but I feel the need to point out how amazing these mods are and I will be more than happy to share my mod list upon request. Additionally, on the unbelievably slim chance that one of the said mod authors reads this please PM me if you wish me to change anything. I've storyboarded this entire Fanfic and I have a friend who's willing to look it over for grammar and spelling. I'm going to do my absolute best to release at least one chapter per month. I might speed up releases if I keep putting out solid content, but we'll play it by ear. Without further ado, I present to you the first chapter of the new and improved "Of Dragons and Men". I hope you enjoy! - Gravix
· "Sir! We found him!" my second calls to me as he approaches.
"Are we sure? We've thought that before."
"Yes, sir, it matches the description perfectly. The magma, the metalwork, everything. It's him."
"At last! I was beginning to worry we'd never find him. Come, we need to hurry. If the Dragons haven't noticed what we've been doing, they soon will."
We descend into the massive cavern, the heat making it hard to breathe. Torches in hand we follow the old cobblestone paths as the old Dwemer machines hum to life igniting long-dormant coals with a blue flame. I can't help but marvel at the majesty of this place. Millenia old, yet more impressive than anything we've ever made. The molten flow far beneath us filling the ancient chamber with a faint sulfur aroma. A massive door bars our path, old carvings etched into the metal.
"Dragon Script? What does it say?" I ask the old man who pulls an aged tome from his bag. He carefully pages through the book stopping only to read the writing on the door.
"We are in the right place." He says, returning the tome to his bag. "Those devices there. Shoot them."
"You heard him,"
Several shots echo through the cavern and the door swings open with a sharp hiss as air rushes in. Coals ignite and the room slowly begins to brighten. At the back of the room lies a stone pillar. A massive dragon skull encased in Ebony metal looms above. A trophy, proof that we are indeed in the correct place.
"Press the button on the pillar, if you truly wish to awaken the Dragon King." The old man says before turning back towards the entrance, "I have led you to him, but you must choose the course. For the sake of this world, I pray you make the right choice. My mission is complete. You must be the one to wake him" he says pointing his bony finger at me. I nod in agreement before going over to the stone pillar and placing my hand on the cold stone, the slightest pressure elicits a soft click, and a metal spike erupts from the pillar piercing my hand and dropping me to my knees. The pillar begins to glow with an eerie purple glow which soon spreads across the room. The room shakes as five braziers rise from the floor each glowing with the same purple flame. Moving of their own accord, the braziers dart about the room wildly before coming to form a strange pattern. The purple flame roared to life and the floor beneath began to sink away revealing a stone monolith emblazoned with a red horned skull. The face of the monolith slides away revealing a woman.
"A Woman? No, that isn't right. In all the texts the Dragonborn is described as a male with tall, broad shoulders, silver hair, and gleaming eyes. This isn't him. It can't be!" the old man cries
The woman's eyes snap open as she falls forward. "Who are you?" she asks looking at each of us in turn.
"I would ask you the same! We came here expecting the Dragon King of Legend, The Dragonborn, Slayer of Alduin." The old man demands
"So, someone finally came for him. What do you want with him? Are you friend or foe?"
"We seek to wake him. To free him so that he may, in turn, free us from the Dragons!" the old man says angrily
The woman ignores him, instead looking me in the eye. Pale orange eyes burning into mine as if trying to devour my soul.
Can she tell that I lead them? "What he says is true. The dragons have returned and enslaved the world. The old man here came to us with tales and legends of a mythical Dragonborn who once stood against them and killed them with ease. Do you know where he is?"
"I do. He put me here to make sure only those who truly needed his help would find him. And if what you say is true then I'll lead you to him. But we'll have to wait until dusk to move." She relaxes as she talks.
"Every moment we wait we risk the Dragons discovering our plans. We don't have time to lose."
"You misunderstand. I can't move until dusk. How can I put this? It's the Sun, you could say it doesn't agree with me. I've been asleep for 4,000 years without any food, the Sun would be fatal to me."
"Ah, so the tales were true. The Dragonborn did have a vampire companion." The old man says
"Another false lead then? I thought you were good at this."
"This is the third time we've dug up nothing!"
"Grayson, how much longer will you let this old fool mislead us?" The workers demand their work and effort in vain yet again.
"Quiet!" I yell, "It seems we don't have much of a choice."
"Not unless you've found Auriel's Bow."
"Who's bow?" I ask.
"Never mind. If you don't know, then you haven't found it. Trust me, having seen the thing, you'd know it was something special. Then moving at night is the only option. By the way, the name's Serana."
"Mine's Grayson." I say before motioning to my second, "That's Caulder, and the old man is… The Old Man. He won't tell us his name."
"So, where are we going?"
"Back to where it all began. Where I first met him. Dimhollow Crypt."