Vardall's walk, or in this case, flight, to Whiterun was relatively smooth. Once he was far enough away from Riverwood and curious eyes, the mage used the shapeshifting skills Morrigan had taught him and transformed into an eagle, flying in the direction of Whiterun, which he had seen on a map Alvor had also given him.
Vardall has always loved flying. There was no better feeling than the wind on his face, feeling free like a bird... He also took the opportunity to observe the new landscape around him from this privileged view. Unlike the landscapes he's seen before, this part of Skyrim wasn't filled with snow. It was a landscape with a very pleasant climate, more lively vegetation, and animals everywhere like rabbits, butterflies, and those Fennec-like animals. Everything around him at this moment reminded him of Ferelden, his home. But at this moment, he wasn't sure if Ferelden and Thedas weren't the most welcoming places. His own actions made it that way. He just hopes that his actions don't cause complications for Alistair and even Leliana.
Now, with the rage not blinding him any longer, Vardall could not feel disgusted and regret everything he had done, especially what he made Leliana do. He forced her to intervene, to go against the love of her life, to stop his madness. She stood for her morals and principles instead of her love, and even if it hurt, a part of him was so proud of her...
Flying was, obviously, always faster than walking, so it didn't take long for him to set his sights on the city of Whiterun. Just looking from up here, he could say the city was gigantic, which only proved to be true once he flew above the city and its walls. Whiterun was nothing but wonderful. The city was quite beautiful, with buildings mostly made of wood and stone. Several guards were patrolling the streets while hundreds of people did everything you could imagine. Whiterun was indeed a great city, almost rivaling some cities in Thedas, like Denerim and Val Royeaux, even if it lacked the even bigger beauty and culture the Orlesian capital had.
Spotting a quite isolated corner of the city, Vardall lands and turns back into his human form, stretching all of his body. Shapeshifting can be quite unpleasant at times, given that your entire body undergoes a transformation. Vardall could better train those skills once he had the time.
Looking around, the Grey Warden saw himself in a grand market area, where dozens of people were trading, buying, and just living their lives. Most people were too busy to even notice him, which he appreciated. He was already used to drawing some attention, given his unusual height, but this time that wasn't much of a problem. He asked a guard about where he could find the Jarl, in a great palace called Dragonsreach that Vardall could see from here.
He thanks the guard and starts walking toward the castle. But on his way, almost leaving the marked area, he hears a certain fuss next to him, with two people arguing, a dark-skinned man and a woman.
"These fruits and vegetables are disappointing, Carlotta."
"I get them fresh from the farms daily, Nazeem."
"If you were getting them from my farm, they'd be twice as fresh."
Vardall overheard their conversation, enraged by the man's tone and approach to the lady, so arrogant and convinced of his superiority... Vardall had to deal with lots of people like that during his time as Alistair's Royal Chancellor and Arl of Amaranthine, with the main one being Anora. Everyone on the royal court knew how the Hero of Ferelden and the Queen didn't like each other, and they never made the slightest attempt to hide such a fact. They're always at each other's throats most of the time, be it when they randomly meet in the palace or even during important meetings and discussions.
Spotting a little bag on the man's waist, Vardall decides to teach him a lesson and takes the opportunity to get some coin. Passing close to the man, Vardall used some techniques Leliana had taught him during the Blight and pickpocketed the quite heavy bag without him even noticing.
Vardall watches as he turns and goes away to disturb others, without noticing he was a little poorer. But if the man hadn't noticed, the lady had. Vardall notices the woman's eyes wandering between the bag in his hands and Vardall himself, making him realize she knew what he did. He grew worried for a moment but sighed in relief when the woman, instead of calling the guards, just chuckled softly and waved with her hand, telling Vardall to go.
The Warden smiled at her and nodded, even whispering: "Thank you..."
Walking while checking the bag he stole, Vardall's eyes widened once he saw the significant amount of golden coins inside of it, together with some precious stones. The Warden laughs and smiles while placing the bag in a safe place where it couldn't be stolen.
Now, crossing what appeared to be the center of Whiterun, where Vardall saw quite the tree standing there, he hears a man yelling something, looking like he was preaching or saying something about Talos.
"Trust in me, Whiterun! Trust in Heimskr! For I am the chosen of Talos! I alone have been anointed by the ninth to spread his holy word!"
Even though he didn't care about religion, Vardall couldn't pass up this opportunity to learn more about Skyrim's culture and even the current political situation. He then approaches the priest.
"Hey, so... If I may ask, what can you tell me about Talos?" Vardall's words made the priest open a big smile on his face.
"Hello, my friend! If you seek knowledge about mighty Talos, you have most certainly come to the right person."
He then fiercely explains how Talos was once a mortal, who founded the Empire and ascended to godhood at his death.
"The Founder of the Empire is fine, but ascended to godhood... ugh."
"But why was Talos worship outlawed?" Vardall's question made the man assume a more angry and aggressive posture and expression.
"Because the so-called Emperor is a coward! That's right, I said coward! Oh yes! He agreed to banish the worship of Talos at the tip of an Aldmeri sword. They called it the 'White-Gold Concordat.' Well, I call it blasphemy! A true son of the Empire would never have turned his back on our greatest hero, not at any price. Well, let me tell you something, friend. Cyrodiil is a long way from here, and in Skyrim, we will never forsake mighty Talos!"
That's what Hadvar told Vardall. This Aldmeri Dominion declared war on the Empire because of the Talos worship. Just more reasons for Vardall to stay away from all this mess. Religion was always something he hated on Thedas, and he wasn't going to start caring about it now, in a different land.
Leaving the crazy priest behind, the Warden keeps walking up a series of stairs to the Jarl's palace, Vardall was once again impressed by the architecture of the place. Walking through an imposing door, Vardall finds himself in a huge hall with pillars on the sides and a staircase in front of him.
"Well, I'm here. Time to chat with the man in the big, fancy chair."
Going up the stairs, he comes across two huge tables laden with food and drinks, with a fire between them. In the background, Vardall can see a man sitting on a throne, which is probably Balgruuf. But before he could move forward, an elf with dark skin approached him with a sword in one of her hands.
"What's the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors." The elf spoke in a hard, authoritarian tone.
Vardall didn't show fear. "Alvor send me. Riverwood is in danger."
"As housecarl, my job is to deal with all dangers that threaten the Jarl or his people. So you have my attention. Now, explain yourself." The elf said.
"A dragon has destroyed Helgen. Riverwood's people are in danger." The Warden's words made the elf abandon her aggressive posture.
"You know about Helgen? The Jarl will want to speak to you personally. Approach." The elf holstered her sword and made way for Vardall to pass. He then approached Jarl.
"So..." Jarl Balgruuf started talking. He was a man with blond hair and a beard, and he lacked a very impressive physique. But even so, he exuded authority and respect. "...You were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?"
Vardall then crossed his arms across his chest. "It was either watching the boring execution of the Stormcloak leader or a huge dragon destroying a city. I think the dragon is more fun." Vardall's words seemed to catch Balgruuf off guard.
"I should have guessed Ulfric would be mixed up in this. But that doesn't matter now. What I want to know is exactly what happened at Helgen."
Vardall just shrugged. "I told you, the dragon just appeared and started to destroy everything. I was lucky to escape alive."
"I see." Balgruuf then turned to speak to a man standing beside him. The Jarl and the man, who called himself Proventus, argued about the dragon. The elf joined in on the conversation and said it was necessary to send more guards to Riverwood immediately. Proventus was against this, however. Saying such an act would provoke other cities, but Balgruuf didn't mind. He sent a full detachment to protect Riverwood, saying that no dragon would kill his people. Vardall needed to see more, but he felt he could respect the Jarl because he appeared to be a leader who genuinely cared about his people.
"There is another thing you could do for me." Balgruuf called Vardall's attention. "Perfect for someone with your abilities."
"Well, I have nothing better to do. What do you need?" Vardall asked.
"My court wizard, Farengar, has been studying about those dragons. He needs some 'special' help with one of his projects and you would be perfect."
A job. Vardall would not pass up such an opportunity. "Normally I would help with pleasure, but the problem is that in my current situation, I require some more... incentive." Bargruuf knew what Vardall was asking for.
"I see..." The Jarl is only called Proventus. "Give this man some incentive for him to do this work." Following the Jarl's orders, Proventus gives Vardall a little bag.
"1,000 Septims." Balgruuf said. "Consider this as a reward for coming to me on your own initiative, and as an early reward for your services to Farengar." Vardall checked the bag, it was full of golden coins. That made him smile, while Balgruuf rose from his throne.
"Come, let's go see Farengar."
Following the Jarl, Vardall was led into a room where a man, wearing a blue robe, was sitting at a table, writing something down on a piece of paper. He was focused on his task, not having noticed Vardall or the Jarl.
"Farengar." Balgruuf caught the man's attention, who looked up and saw them both looking at him. "I found someone who can help you with your dragon project."
Farengar gets up from his chair and approaches Balgruuf and Vardall. The first thing Vardall noticed about Farengar was some dark circles under his eyes. He was certainly someone who didn't sleep much.
"Go ahead and fill him in with all the details." The Jarl said.
"So the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me?" Farengar starts talking. "Oh yes, he must be referring to my research into the dragons."
Farengar approaches his table. "I could use someone to fetch something for me." He says this as he searches through some papers for something.
It looks like that not even away from Thedas Vardall was free from being someone's errand boy. "Sounds simple enough."
Farengar takes a piece of paper from his desk and goes back to Vardall. "Well, when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there." Vardall arches one of his eyebrows.
"At least I'm being well paid to do this..." Vardall thinks inwardly while he sighs. "All right. Where am I going and what am I fetching?"
Farengar gave a small smile. "Straight to the point, eh? No need for tedious hows and whys. I like that. Leave those details to your betters, am I right?"
"I, ah, learned of a certain stone tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow - a 'Dragonstone,' said to contain a map of dragon burial sites." Vardall already knew about Bleak Falls Barrow, during his trip to Riverwood, Hadvar showed him Bleak Falls Barrow from afar and told him a little about the place. Farengar then hands the piece of paper he was carrying to Vardall. It contained a drawing of this Dragonstone. Vardall now knew what to look for.
"Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet - no doubt interred in the main chamber - and bring it to me. Simplicity itself."
Vardall nods his head. "Okay. I'll find this Dragonstone and come back." With a goal now in front of him, Vardall leaves Dragonsreach.
Passing through Whiterun's market area again, Vardall decides to spend some of the gold he earned and sell some stuff. He sells the jewels he had stolen from that man and buys a better greatsword from one of Whiterun's blacksmiths. Leaving the city, Vardall was just actually walking until he found a good spot where he could shapeshift again into an eagle without anyone noticing.
The Warden notices something unusual while passing in front of Whiterun's stables.
"What the...?"
Approaching the stables, Vardall sees an almost naked woman sleeping on a pile of hay. A curious scene, to say the least. As soon as he approaches her, the stink of booze takes over his senses. Now that explains a lot.
"Hey." Vardall touches the woman's shoulder. "Hey, wake up." The woman moves a little and ends up waking up.
"What...? Where am I? Ugh, my head!" The woman tries to get up but seems to have some difficulties. After a few seconds, she finally manages to get up and notices Vardall in front of her.
"Who are you?" The woman asked.
"Just someone who is very curious why you are here like this." Vardall then crosses his arms, smiling slightly. "Although I think booze had something to do with it."
"Am I not allowed to go out on my own now?" The woman said this as she struggled to get to her feet. "I had a little too much to drink yesterday. So what? I guess I must have passed out..."
"If I were to say, you must have done some interesting things before passing out." Vardall's smile grows a little wider. "I mean, that would explain your lack of clothes."
"What?!" She widened her eyes, looking down, as she had only noticed now that she was only in underwear. "Ugh, I have no idea. My memory is a little fuzzy."
Vardall can't help but chuckle a little. To avoid scenes such as this that he doesn't drink and doesn't even pretend to.
"Well, this is interesting and all, but I have other places to go." Vardall begins to turn around. "But good luck and all..."
"Wait! Don't leave!" The woman quickly grabs Vardall by the arm. "I'm injured... Uh, yes! Injured. You have to take me with you, otherwise, I might die, and you wouldn't want my death to weigh on your shoulders."
Vardal looks back at the woman.
"Lady, you have no idea what I have upon my shoulders now."
It was obvious she was lying, but even so, Vardall wanted to leave her without arguing. So he just raises his right hand and casts a healing spell all over her. She looks at herself and then returns to Vardall, surprised.
"...Alright, I didn't expect you to be a mage."
The Arcane Warrior pretty much ignores her comment. "There, now you're all good. No need for me to take you with me."
Even though Vardall was doing his best to maintain the most serious expression he could, on the inside he was almost busting out in laughter. He watches as the woman tries to formulate any more excuses but finally sighs in defeat.
"Ok, fine. You got me. But I promise if you take me with you, I'll make it worth your while."
Vardall crosses his arms. "And how exactly?"
"Well..." The woman thinks for a moment. "I can see you're an adventurer, so someone like me would be useful to you. I know Skyrim like the back of my hand, and you'll not find anyone as tough as me. Not to mention as good looking."
Vardall raised an eyebrow. This woman certainly didn't look as tough as she suggested she was, but Vardall knew very well not to let someone's appearance deceive you. Leliana looked just like some regular, cute, and naive Chantry sister, and not an Orlesian bard with years of expertise that could kill you in the blink of an eye.
But anyway, it would be good to have someone who knows Skyrim around - that is if what she was saying was true.
The woman notices Vardall's expression and decides to add some more things up. "Look, I know my way with a blade, not to mention I also know some magic." Now that has caught Vardall's attention. "I am one of the best, and anyone who says otherwise is jealous."
Her words make Vardall chuckle. "You're quite modest, huh?"
"I'm just saying the truth." She affirms. "Can you name someone better than me? I didn't think so."
"Lady, I can name at least twelve people that are most likely better than you." Vardall smiles. "Lucky for you, they aren't here, so I have to take what I can get."
Her eyes almost seemed to glow when she heard Vardall's words. "So that means I can come with you?"
The Warden slightly nods. "Fine, welcome aboard."
The woman seemed quite happy after hearing that. That made Vardall raise an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, I'll repay your kindness by fighting alongside you." She starts running her hand over her hair. "Also, my name is Sofia, but you probably already knew that. I'm quite known around Skyrim, although I'm not sure it's for the right reasons."
"Well, she certainly is of the funny type. It will be interesting to have her around."
"Nice to meet you, Sofia. My name is Vardall Cassian Amell. But just call me Vardall for short."
Sofia seemed to react to Vardall's name. "Oh, now that's a fancy name. You must be from some noble family in Cyrodiil or something."
Vardall pauses before proceeding, then simply sighs. "Is more complicated than that..."
Sofia shrugs. "Whatever you say, Vardall..."
Well, this was a start. But even so, Sofia still needed some proper clothes. Having an idea, Vardall walks away from Sofia a little.
"Wait here. I'll be back soon." Vardall returned to Whiterun, leaving Sofia alone for a while. Some minutes later, he appeared, and she noticed he was carrying a full leather armor set and a steel sword.
"Lucky for you, the blacksmith had this quite well-made leather armor." Vardall hands the armor and sword to Sofia. "I guess it will do for now."
"Just my kind of armor, thanks." Sofia takes the armor and moves behind the stables to wear it. When she returns, Vardall hands her the steel sword.
"Cute." Vardall comments after seeing Sofia wearing the leather armor. It was a beautiful piece, with many fine details and clearly crafted with care and dedication, stronger than typical leather armor while remaining lightweight. It even had some pauldrons and some armlets Sofia was wearing, and its boots and fingerless gloves were also quite reinforced. Instead of a helm or something like it, Sofia chose to wear just a simple hood that matched the armor.
This makes her a little uncomfortable.
"Hey!" Sofia yells, and Vardall just laughs. "Come on, we have a place to go. You can tell me even more about yourself on the way."
Sofia was a one-of-a-kind woman, but not someone unusual for the Warden. She looked and sounded horny almost all the time, with few exceptions. Most of her jokes and words also followed that line of thought.
"Not even Zevran is as depraved as this woman."
But even still, she proved to be a capable fighter, knowing how to use a sword very well. She also knew some spells. Vardall didn't feel any connection to the Fade or anything similar in her, so he assumed Skyrim's magic didn't rely on a mystical plane like it did in Thedas. Of course, that was just for now.
"Lucky for the mages here. I guess they didn't have to worry about being possessed or corrupted by demons."
Arriving in Bleak Falls Barrow, Vardall and Sofia find themselves again in a snowy place. Not only with snow, but also with some bandits; nothing too difficult.
After killing the bandits easily enough, Vardall and Sofia enter Bleak Falls Barrow. Inside the place, Vardall could feel its oppressive air and the smell of death - a scent he was more than familiar with.
After dealing with some more bandits and the easiest puzzle Vardall has ever seen in his life, he and Sofia enter what looks like a room for dead bodies. Speaking of dead bodies, some of them get up and attack Vardall and Sofia, but they both defeat them all easily.
Compared with most of the undead Vardall has already fought against in Thedas, those were slightly stronger, with some of them even being able to use magic. Still, they had all fallen to Vardall's magic, so that was all that mattered for now.
"I knew my feminine beauty wasn't going to work with the draugr. I wonder if they still have their bits and pieces tucked away somewhere if you know what I mean." Sofia comments.
"So that's their name here... Draugr."
Vardall approaches Sofia. "Well, their bodies are there, so you can see for yourself and finally have an answer to this vital question, which I'm sure has kept countless scholars awake over the centuries."
"What? No!" Sue responds quickly. "I'll continue to be curious about that, thanks."
Vardall shrugs. "Hey, it was your idea, not mine. If you want to take one for the team, go ahead."
Continuing to explore Bleak Falls Barrow, dealing with some more draugr and bandits, Vardall and Sofia both hear a man screaming. They hurried the pace when they heard the screams, just to find their way blocked by webs.
"Oh, great... more spiders..."
While burning the webs and advancing, Vardall and Sofia entered a large hall, almost totally covered in more webs. Checking the room where they were, they spot a man trapped on the webs at the end of the room.
"Who are you? It doesn't matter. Get me out of here before she comes back!" The man shouted at Vardall and Sofia.
"Before who comes back?" Vardall asked, confused. But then, to his demise, a huge spider, bigger than any he'd ever seen, came down from the ceiling.
"Ah, you've got to be kidding me!" Vardal screamed almost panicked. He not only hated spiders, but he was also afraid of them.
"Vardall, could you have a panic attack later and help me here!?" Sofia yelled at him and turned to face the spider.
Vardall was almost static in place. What an irony that the man who fought undeads, dragons, and monsters beyond imagination was afraid of a spider, even a giant one. Not even when he faced his first Darkspawn did he feel such fear as he had for spiders. But then, such fear had its reason, which Vardall avoided remembering at all cost.
Even scared, Vardall went to help Sofia, but he did his best to stay away from that spider, mainly attacking it with spells. In a quick move, Vardall freezes the spider for a few seconds, then Sofia takes the opportunity and drives her sword into the spider's head, finally killing it.
"I hate those things…" Vardall muttered as he approached Sofia. She looked at him, trying to hold back her laughter without success.
"Yes, yes, laugh it up…" Vardall grumbles as he makes his way to where the man was trapped in the webs.
"You... you defeated her." The man expressed surprise at such behavior. "Quick, get me out of here."
Vardall used his steel greatsword to cut the webs, freeing the man.
"Thank you..." As the man caught his breath, Vardall realized he was wearing the same armor as the bandits from before.
"Those bandits who tried to kill me on my way here... Were they your friends?" Vardall asked in a serious tone, making the man look at him with surprise and a little fear. Everyone there was silent for what seemed like an eternity until the man tried to run away. In a quick reflex, Vardall trapped the man with a crushing prison, and then he cut off one of the man's arms with his greatsword. As his arm fell to the ground and blood gushed from the wound, the man screamed in pain. Vardall then finished the job, cutting off the man's head. After the dead body fell to the ground, a golden object also fell from it. A golden claw.
"Well... What do we have here?" Vardall took the golden claw from the ground and studied it further. He noticed that the claw was made of pure gold. "This must be worth a lot of gold."
"For sure." Sofia nodded.
Storing the claw, Vardall and Sofia continue to go deeper into the depths of Bleak Falls Barrow, killing a few more Draugr along the way. They then arrive in a huge hallway, with a massive door at the end of it.
"I think that claw is for opening this door." Sofia said as Vardall took the claw in his hands. On the door were three discs with symbols, and there were three symbols embedded in the claw. Vardall left the door symbols the same as the claw and used the claw in a claw-shaped location on the door. In doing so, the door opened.
"It worked! I was worried this might set off a trap." Sofia said, relieved. Vardall just looked at her with an arched brow.
"Nice to see you care about me, Sofia." He muttered, and he and Sofia continued down the path.
After passing through a cave, they both arrive at what appears to be the end of Bleak Falls Barrow. There was a large coffin there, and a strange wall with glyphs that Vardall had never seen.
"What is that?" Vardall asks, pointing to the strange wall.
Sofia looked closely at the wall. "I don't totally know, but I do know it has something to do with dragons."
Looking at the wall more closely, Vardall suddenly heard whispers in his mind. At the same time, one of the glyphs on the wall seemed to glow. Feeling almost mesmerized, Vardall moves even closer to the wall. Sofia notices Vardall's strange attitude.
"Hey, Vardall…" Sofia touches his shoulder but doesn't get an answer.
Vardall had never seen these glyphs in his life, but strangely, they looked familiar to him. Vardall didn't know what it was, but he managed to identify a word from that glyph.
"Fus..."
Vardall suddenly felt a strange sensation. As if that word was embedded and carved into his mind. His vision blurred and darkened, making him a little dizzy. Vardall lost his senses for a second. The next thing he noticed was Sofia shaking him by the shoulders and yelling his name.
"Vardall! Vardall!" Recovering his senses, Vardall looked around, confused for a few seconds as to where he was.
"Wha...What?" He finally notices Sofia in front of him.
"Damn, man... You were white as snow back there, looking like some men when they see me."
The Warden didn't even notice Sofia's bad joke because he was still coming to.
"Yeah... I'm good. Just... strange." Vardall muttered, and Sofia was even more confused. The silence was ruined when they both heard a noise coming from the large coffin behind them. Turning to see, they were both surprised when a Draugr emerged from the coffin, bigger than the others they had faced so far.
"We will talk about this later." Vardall said as he took his greatsword from his back and, wasting no time, attacked the Draugr. The Draugr, however, blocked Vardall's attack with his shield. Meanwhile, Sofia crept to the back of the Draugr and thrust her steel sword into his back, cutting through the Draugr. The Draugr was not killed but staggered from such a blow. This opened up a window for Vardall, who charged his hands with lightning and fried the draugr, killing him.
"That was a good move, I'm shocked it worked." Sofia said.
Vardall can't help but laugh, just because of how bad her joke was. She was now reminding the Warden of Alistair a little.
"Oh, I think we'll be great friends, Sofie." Vardall looks around and looks at the coffin the draugr was in, seeing something interesting.
"Wait a minute..." Approaching the open coffin, Vardall saw an oddly shaped stone inside. Picking up the drawing that Farengar had given him, he saw that it was Dragonstone.
"Finally!" Vardall took the Dragonstone in his hands.
"What is that?" Sofia asked, looking at the strange stone in Vardall's hands.
"I came here just to get this." Vardall said as he walked away. "Let's go. We have to go back to Whiterun and deliver this stone to the Jarl's court wizard."
Sofia nodded. "If I know of ancient Nord ruins, I'll bet there must be an exit there." She said, pointing down a different path than where they came from.
"Great. Let's go." Vardall then followed the path, with Sofia right behind him.
Sofia is a mod follower and one of the best that has out there. Search for her mod if you want to know more. But she will not be the only mod follower that will apear. And the armors she's wearing is also from a mod, is the Colovian Leather Armor. It really fits Sofia.