After crossing the Eluvian, Vardall finds himself with his face directly in the snow.
What happened to Vardall after crossing the Eluvian was... unexpected, to say the least. One moment he was admiring an ancient elven relic, and on the other, he was falling with his face into the coldest snow he had ever felt.
Rising from the snow, Vardall found himself in the middle of a forest, covered almost entirely by snow, with icy winds that almost cut into Vardall's flesh.
"So cold..." Vardall was shivering, as his clothes were doing almost nothing to keep him warm. He couldn't just stand there; otherwise, he would freeze to death, not to mention he was still feeling a little weak from the previous events. Then, gathering his courage, Vardall started walking.
The landscape around Vardall was as cold as the weather. Huge rocks and trees, covered with snow. The few animals Vardall saw were some that looked similar to a fennec, but somewhat different and with smaller ears. Continuing to walk, Vardall felt himself being watched, with the only sounds around him being the sounds of the wind. Returning to walk, however, Vardall was surprised by a creature he had never seen in his life. The creature was humanoid and huge, approximately 7 feet tall, with long, muscular arms and clawed fingers. The beast's great mouth was full of jagged, sharp teeth, and it also had a third eye in the center of its forehead. The creature's skin was covered in thick, shaggy white fur.
Dodging the blow from one of the creature's arms, Vardall tries to cast a fire spell to defend himself, but to no avail. He still was weak from both the poison and the cold. All it was left for him was to run as fast as he could, and so he did. Luckily for him, the creature wasn't very fast, which gave him an edge. Continuing to run, Vardall didn't notice a rock in front of him until it was too late. Stumbling over the rock, Vardall fell to the ground, and that gave the white creature time to catch up. The creature roared and raised its arms, ready to attack, but was stopped when two arrows hit it in the back. The creature roared in pain, and before Vardall could register what had happened, the creature fled.
Vardall looked up, still startled when a woman wearing armor made of steel approached him with a sword and shield in her hands.
"Thank you, I…" While trying to get up, Vardall was interrupted when the woman pointed her sword at him in an unfriendly gesture.
"Shut up, Stormcloak!" The woman screamed angrily. "Thought you could escape the Legion?"
Now Vardall was completely confused. Stormcloak? Legion? What was she talking about?
"What?" Vardall was roughly grabbed by the arm and forced to his feet.
"No one runs from the Empire's justice. Now move!" The woman violently forced Vardall to walk. He didn't understand anything that was going on.
"Wait a minute, this is all a..." Vardall tried to argue, before being hit violently in the face by the woman's shield. He immediately fell to the ground and passed out.
"Was that necessary, Captain?" A man wearing armor similar to that worn by the woman approached her.
"Shut up, Hadvar. Take this rebel. General Tullius is waiting for us to take them all to Helgen." The woman spoke in an authoritative tone.
"Yes, Captain." The man responded reluctantly as he picked up Vardall's unconscious body and carried him on his shoulders.
After some time, Vardall began to regain consciousness, immediately noticing the sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground. Finally opening his eyes, Vardall noticed that he was in a moving wagon, the same trees and snow-covered rocks that he saw as he arrived at this place were passing by him. In front of him was a man with long blond hair, quite burly, and wearing what appeared to be some armor covered in blue fabrics. His hands were tied, and only now that Vardall noticed his hands also were.
Looking further around him, the Warden sees a man in armor who is driving the cart. On the other side of him, he also sees two other prisoners, both with their hands tied. One was wearing only a few rags, while the other, who was mouth-gagging and also had long blond hair, was wearing clothes that appeared to be a mix of noble clothing and armor. Other soldiers were wearing armor similar to that of the wagon driver, who was following them on other horses.
"Hey, you..." A voice catches Vardall's attention. He looks forward and sees the same blond man he saw earlier looking at him. "...finally awake." The man spoke in a calm voice and with a certain accent that Vardall could not identify.
"You were trying to cross the border, right? They walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." Imperial ambush? Was Vardall on Tevinter? It was the most logical thing to deduce - and this place wasn't like Orlais. The landscape around him, the few animals he saw, and that white creature that had attacked him earlier were nothing like what he knew about Tevinter, but he couldn't discard anything.
"Damn you, Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. The Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." The short-haired man wearing rags who was sitting next to the blond man said. Stormcloak... That's what that woman called him before knocking him out. Who were these Stormcloaks? Were they criminals? And why was Vardall mistaken for one of them? And Skyrim... Hammerfell... These seemed to be the names of places, but they were names Vardall had never heard of in his life. Now he didn't even know if he was still in Thedas. The Eluvian could very well have transported Vardall beyond the Korcari Wilds, to the Uncharted Territories, or even somewhere else.
"You there..." The horse thief caught Vardall's attention. "You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."
"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." The blond man said to the thief. He seemed optimistic, even in this situation. Vardall found this a little comforting. He then looked at Vardall with a slight smile on his face.
"What's your name, kinsman?" the blond man asked.
Vardall was still confused by all this, but he decided to act naturally. That was the best way he had to get answers.
"Vardall." He responded naturally.
"Vardall... that's a strong name." said the man, his smile widening. "My name is Ralof."
Vardall gave Ralof a friendly nod. "Nice to meet you, Ralof." He then notices the gagged man looking at him.
"What's wrong with him?" Vardall asked, moving his head slightly towards the man. Ralof's expression, once warm and optimistic, becomes more closed and angry.
"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." Ralof yells in an angrier tone.
Ulfric Stormcloak... Whoever these Stormcloaks were, this Ulfric seemed to be someone important to them, perhaps their leader. Vardall's question was answered when the thief looked at Ulfric in fear.
"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you... Oh, gods, where are they taking us?" The thief was desperate, panic-stricken. Vardall started putting things together in his head. This Ulfric Stormcloak was the leader of a rebel group that Vardall suspected was fighting this Empire.
"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." Ralof spoke in a sadder, more melancholy tone, dropping his expression of anger. That didn't make Vardall any comfortable either. What did he get himself into this time?
The wagon walked for a while longer before arriving at a place protected by large wooden gates. The gates were opened, and the cart entered what appeared to be a small town.
"General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!" The same woman in steel armor who knocked out Vardall screamed at a man on horseback.
The man nodded in agreement. "Good. Let's get this over with." From his appearance and the way the woman called him, it was clear that he was the one in charge around here. Vardall also noticed that he was talking to an elven woman, but she was completely unlike any elf Vardall had ever seen. She was quite tall, and her skin had a very pale gold hue. She exuded superiority, and Vardall didn't like that one bit.
"Look at him, General Tullius, the Military Governor." Ralof spoke with disdain and venom in his voice. He didn't like Tullius. "And it looks like the Thalmor is with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this."
"Where are we?" Vardall questioned Ralof as he surveyed the small town around him. It felt like a cozy and peaceful place, not a place that needed a whole bunch of soldiers. It reminded Vardall of Redcliffe village.
"This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. "I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in." Ralof speaks with nostalgia and longing in his voice. "Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so... safe."
The wagon continued to move for a while longer before stopping.
"Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!" The woman ordered the soldiers. She seemed to be someone of high rank here, maybe a captain or commander. Her way of talking and style reminded Vardall of Cassandra Petaghast, which only made things worse.
Vardall, Ralof, and Ulfric got out of the wagon, and the horse thief Vardall didn't mind hearing the name. Everyone was lined up, and their names were called out one by one. The Warden didn't even mind the following events, as he was thinking of a way he could escape this. He had recovered enough stamina to do some spells, but not for active combat or against so many opponents. Well, he could always use his last resource for this situation, but he preferred to find another way Finally, it was Vardall's turn to be called.
"Captain, are you sure it's wise to execute this man? We don't even know if he's a Stormcloak." Hadvar asked the captain beside him.
"Forget that, he goes to the block." The captain said coldly.
"By your orders, Captain..." Hadvar didn't like any of this, but he wouldn't disobey orders. He turns his gaze at Vardall "I'm sorry, prisoner. We will ensure that your remains are treated with respect. Follow the Captain."
Vardall was placed with the others, facing an execution block. General Tullius spoke to Ulfric Stormcloak. From what Vardall understood from the conversation, it appears that Ulfric killed the king of this land with some kind of power or magic using his voice that tore the king to shreds.
At this point, a roar can be heard in the distance. It was familiar to Vardall... It reminded him of the roar of a dragon.
"What was this?" A Stormcloak soldier yelled, confused and a little scared.
"It was nothing." General Tullius didn't seem to mind, focusing only on executing Ulfric. "Ulfric will be the first to be executed!" Tullius yelled.
"Yes sir!" The captain screamed. "Bring Stormcloak to the block!"
Shouts of anger and curses from Ulfric's soldiers were all that could be heard while the Imperials took him to the block. He remained calm as if he had accepted his death. Ulfric was placed on the block, his head in position to be cut off by the executioner's axe. The executioner then raised his axe, but then something happened. From the mountains came a flying creature, huge and black. The creature had a frightening appearance. It then landed on top of a nearby tower. This startled the executioner, who missed his axe blow and Ulfric's neck.
As everyone stared in terror at the creature, a female Stormcloak soldier shouted, "Dragon!"
This was not good...
I changed some things in Skyrim's intro, such as dialogues and Ulfric being the first to be executed. It's nothing that will compromise the story, it's just what's better for me to write.
And just as information, but on Skyrim, Vardall will be treated like a Nord, because his appearance resembles a Nord, with very white skin and etc.