The Legend of Zelda: Skyrim - Chapter 25: The Graveyard of Skyrim

Falkreath at last yaaayyyy

It was mid morning when Link finally reached Falkreath. There was a sort of somber atmosphere as he rode Epona down the well traveled dirt road further into the village; and after he paid the local stablemaster the 25 Septims to look after Epona, Link wandered further into the village.

He happened across a lone guard that was looking in the direction of a path that led out of the village. "You there. You haven't seen a strange dog, have you?"

"No, I only just got here myself. Why do you ask?"

The guard continued to look down the path for a second before he turned to Link. "No one knows where the dog came from, and we can't get it to leave. If you see the dog, maybe you can do something about it."

"Maybe. Do you know where the Jarl's building is?"

"The longhouse?" The guard corrected. "Sure, I'll walk you there myself. But why do you want to see the Jarl?"

"He had a courier find and give me a letter to see him."

"Must be someone important then if Siddgeir asked for you by name. Follow me."

The guard led Link across the town over to a large house, then opened the door and stepped inside.

The Longhouse was largely open, with a fire pit in the middle, dual wooden stairs on either side of the room, and at the far end was someone sitting in a chair.

"Who's this?" The man asked.

"He said you sent him a letter, Jarl Siddgeir." The guard responded.

Siddgeir's face lit up. "Oh, he finally showed up? Wonderful! You can leave now." The Jarl waved a hand, which the guard took as a sign to leave the building.

Once the guard was gone, Siddgeir seemed to study Link. "…So you're the one they call Dragonborn?"

"I am."

"…Must be why you took so long to get here then, I sent the letter I think two weeks ago or more… Or it could be that the courier took forever to find you…" Siddgeir trailed off, then leaned forward in his throne. "Now then. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jarl Siddgeir, the youngest Jarl… ever, I think. You seem trustworthy and helpful, so I'll offer you this: help my people, and I'll make you Thane."

"…We only just met and you're offering that to me?"

Siddgeir nodded. "Of course! Someone of your standing will help me greatly."

"…What do I need to do?"

"Simply perform various tasks for my people. Once I think you've helped enough, then we'll see about your reward." Siddgeir stated. "Although there is one thing…"

"Which is?"

"There's a group of bandits located at a fort somewhat close to here. It's called Cracked Tusk Keep. I want you to go there and clear them out. After you do this, return to me and I'll come up with some other task for you." Siddgeir replied.

"Where is Cracked Tusk Keep?" Link asked.

"It'd be easier to mark it on your map, if you have one." Siddgeir motioned for Link to step closer, when he did, the Jarl marked the location of the keep on Link's map. "There you go. Just don't take too long on this, but with what I've heard about you, this should be no problem."

"We'll see about that." Link stated as he turned and walked away from Siddgeir.

Once Link left the longhouse, he decided to wander around Falkreath.

In the center of town, he came across a building with a sign out front that read: Grey Pine Goods.

'I do need to sell the weapons and armor I found in Gerimund's Hall… Why not?'

Link entered the building and got the attention of a male Nord behind the counter to the right. "Welcome to Grey Pine Goods. My name's Solaf. What can I do for you?"

The Hylian approached the counter. "I have some things that I'd like to sell."

"Sell, eh? Place what you've got on the counter here and I'll look it over." Solaf stepped back away from the counter.

Link spent some time placing the armor and weapons he had gotten from Gerimund's Hall on the counter.

Solaf was silent as he looked over the items. "So you want to sell… a Steel Sword, an Orcish Chestplate, two Elven Shields, two Orcish Bows, an Orcish battle axe, a pair of Steel Boots, an Iron helmet, and a pair of Steel plate gauntlets. Let me figure up the total for you…"

Solaf went silent as he counted up the selling prices. "…1,980." He turned around and slowly counted out the Septims, then turned back, handed the coins to Link, and started to take the items off the counter. "Is there anything else?"

Link put the Septims in his bag. "Not at the moment, no."

Salof nodded. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Link left the store and continued to wander around Falkreath.

Towards the back of the village, up on a small hill, was a graveyard. There were three people standing before a freshly made grave - a priest of some sort with raised arms, and a man and woman. Perhaps they were husband and wife.

As Link got closer to the event, he heard the priest saying something.

"The god Arkay was once like us, bound to winding mortality. But he willingly gave up this existence that we might better understand the vagaries of life and death. It is through the ebb and flow of this cosmic tide that we find renewal and, in the end, peace. May the spirit of Lavinia and all those who have left this world and its suffering know the beloved serenity of Aetherius... and may we one day rejoin them in eternity." The priest lowered his arms and turned to face the couple.

"Mathies and Indara, if there is anything that I and the people of Falkreath can do for you, please let us know." The priest stated somberly as Mathies knelt before the grave and carefully placed various flowers on the freshly turned dirt.

"Thank you, Runil." Mathies stood and hugged his wife as the two tried to visibly control their grief.

The three soon went their separate ways, Mathies and Indara walking toward a house in the near distance, and Runil staying at the grave site.

Runil noticed Link approaching and raised a hand in greeting. "On better days, I would be glad to welcome a stranger like yourself to Falkreath, but today has held nothing but tragedy. I'm Runil, Falkreath's priest. Who might you be?"

"Link Farmanne. Do you mind telling me what happened here?"

The priest frowned. "You'll have to ask Mathies about that. You'll usually find him tending the fields behind Corpselight Farm, just down that road there." Runil pointed out the road to Link. "I'd offer to walk you there myself, but unfortunately I've lost my journal, and so I have to keep looking for it."

"I could find it for you, do you know where you last were when you had it?"

"Sunderstone Gorge. Let me mark it on your map." Runil marked the location on Link's map after Link showed it to him. "But you would really go and find my journal for me?"

"Sure."

"Thank you." Runil said graciously. "But be careful, I believe a group of necromancers has taken up residence there." He warned.

"I can deal with necromancers."

Runil gave Link a stern look. "That overconfidence could get you killed. I've seen it happen to so many that I've lost count." His gaze softened. "Still, you seem able enough."

"I'll be careful." Link said as he turned and walked away from the priest, checking his map as he headed in the direction of Sunderstone Gorge.

Two sets of skeletal remains and blood splashed cairns led up to the gorge's mountain entrance. A single necromancer was standing beside the entrance and he spotted Link. "You there! Leave or I'll be forced to deal with you!"

"I'm not here to attack you."

The necromancer went silent. "For what purpose are you here for?"

"To find a journal for a priest." Link answered truthfully.

"I don't believe you. It'd be one thing if you walked up here unarmed, but you're standing before me with weapons and armor." The necromancer readied a spell and cast it at Link, who dodged and responded with a dual cast of Sparks and Flames.

The necromancer took the spells in the chest and stumbled, then cast Frostbite at Link and summoned two skeletons.

Link drew Dawnbreaker and slew the two skeletons with ease, then turned towards the necromancer and cast Ice Spikes.

The spell hit the necromancer and caused them to fall to the ground. Link then cast Flames again, but then felt as if the spell had failed.

Link then had to deal with more skeletons as the downed necromancer cast a spell that made ten of them run out of the cave entrance. This took a while, with dodging weapons and lunges and spells from the necromancer, but eventually the ten skeletons lay in pieces all around Link.

The necromancer got up and advanced upon Link, only to freeze, then fall to the ground with a ghostly sword in their back. One of the skeletons had been reanimated, and as the spell wore off and the skeleton fell to the ground, Link was left with more questions than answers.

'How did that happen? …What spell was that? Did I cast a different spell instead of flames?' The Hylian looked down at the skeletal remains. 'Galasdar's lessons must have gotten to me if I really did cast that reanimation spell by accident.'

Once Link walked inside the gorge, the path led downward to a pressure plate. Link looked around to see if it activated any traps, and noticed a large boulder practically overhead. He was careful not to activate the trap, and continued down the path where he found a lone mage sitting by a fire.

The mage spotted Link and got up, then sent a Sparks spell in his direction. The Dragonborn reflected the spell with Dawnbreaker, then ran up and swung the spiked shield at the mage, who was caught by said spikes and flung into a wall.

The passage opened up into a space with a second pressure plate that no doubt triggered a mammoth skull trap, judging by how close the thing was to Link. He spotted a skeleton patrolling the small cavity occupied by the trap, and he got an idea. The Hylian got out his bow, notched an arrow to the bowstring, and fired. The arrow struck the pressure plate, which activated the mammoth skull trap, which killed the skeleton.

A major potion of healing and a large coin purse - which held 200 Septims - were found on a small ledge just behind the mammoth skull, on the east wall. Link took the coins and potion. The path continued through a narrow passage on the south wall.

Before entering the next room, Link saw a pressure plate next to the left corner of the opening that was next to an oil slick. It obviously triggered some sort of trap.

'Maybe I can use this to my advantage.' Link thought as he readied a Flames spell, then cast it at the oil slick. This caused it to be set alight, and whatever enemies were in the next room were burned.

Link continued down the passage, passing some sort of ledge, and urn - which was empty - and some ore veins. A Skeever launched itself at Link, but he merely kicked it aside and kept walking.

The main path continued north through a crevice revealing the open sky above, with water raining down into the pathway feeding plentiful hanging moss that Link harvested occasionally.

He soon came across another oil slick. There were numerous oil lanterns hanging from above, as well as a spike wall at the mouth of the clearing. A necromancer, a skeleton, and two fire mages stood on the raised platform and in the clearing ahead.

'They haven't noticed me yet… Let me try something…' Link used two spells at once - Ice Spikes on the spike wall, and Flames on the oil lanterns. Both traps activated at the same time, and killed the enemies in the room.

Opposite the spike wall, against the wall was an open crate containing a sheaf of wheat and two potatoes. Beside the crate sat a barrel with a hammer, a lantern, a bottle of ale and a coin purse. Link took the coin purse, which contained 20 Septims, and moved on.

A small room to the right contained a locked chest. Once the chest was unlocked, it contained 100 Septims. There was nothing of note in the area behind the spike wall, so Link continued up the two ramps to a landing.

On the landing, Link looked around, and noticed a bucket to the south. Behind the bucket, tucked into a niche, was a chest. Once he reached it, he discovered it was locked, and used one lockpick to open it. The chest contained two normal soul gems.

Link followed the bridge across the room, and headed east to an intersection. He took a left at the intersection and found a wooden door leading to the next room along the eastern wall.

The doors opened to the living quarters where a fire mage and a conjurer were waiting. They didn't see Link, but he did notice another oil slick, which he made use of. Unfortunately, the two enemies didn't fall right away, so Link resorted to a use of Frostbite and Sparks.

Then, flames shot out at the Hylian from a trap. Link made out a soul gem in the fire, so he managed to dodge the flames, and removed the soul gem, which disabled the trap.

Three spider eggs were found in a broken urn to the left of the first pillar, with an orange dartwing in a second broken urn along with a large stone pot against the same wall. On the right side of the room, just past the soul gem trap, a wooden door opened to a storage room. Link took the alchemy items, then walked over to the door.

Link opened the door, then narrowly avoided being hit by some sort of dart. He quickly stood to the far left of the door, then noticed some sort of tension cable. He managed to disarm this, which stopped the dart trap from working.

Inside the room was a shelf with a soul gem, an apothecary's satchel and a chest. Next to the storage room was an alchemy lab. A number of ingredients and a health potion were on the table with the lab. On the table was a Stamina potion, three bunches of juniper berries, a bowl of fire salts, a piece of canis root and a bowl of moon sugar.

Farther in the room were three holding cells containing nothing of interest. Across from the cells, the room opened up into the living quarters. On the dresser by the two beds, Link found some loose septims - ten - and a deathbell flower. A cooking spit and a shelf with a mage's robe were against the wall. In the alcove at the far end of the room, nestled in the rubble was a chest. To the left was a plinth with an Elven helmet, and to the right was the narrow trail leading onward.

Link checked the chest, which was empty. He then took the various potions, alchemy ingredients, the helmet and mage robes, the loose Septims, and checked the other chest. It was locked, and when it was opened, it held 100 Septims and two magicka potions.

The trail led to an iron door that opened to a large room with two fire mages on the dais. A flame atronach appeared once Link stepped into the room.

The three spotted Link, who drew Dawnbreaker and summoned the Frost Atronach all in one motion.

The Frost Atronach took a second to gauge the situation, then began to move in the direction of the mages. Once it reached them, it picked one up, then threw the mage at the other one. The two collided and fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, the Flame Atronach approached Link and tried to burn him with fireballs. Link countered them with Frostbite, then used Ice Spikes on the Deadra, which caused it to burst into flames.

The Frost Atronach had dealt with the two mages by now, and it stomped over and punched the Fire Atronach, which killed it. The Deadra then turned to Link and bowed, then disappeared through an Oblivion portal.

As Link stood there, he began to hear a familiar sound. Chanting.

'Must be a word wall nearby.' And there was, at the top of a set of stone stairs.

Link walked up the stairs and placed a hand on the carved stone wall as his vision blurred. A word forced itself into his mind, but he didn't understand what it meant - Yol.

Once his vision cleared, he noticed two bodies - one Wood Elf, the other a Redguard - on a table. There was also a strange gem that seemed valuable. Link took the gem, then walked down the stairs.

To the right was a large decorative chest, an arcane enchanter, an urn, and two small burial urns. There was a book on the enchanter, which had the words "Runil's journal" on the cover when read.

'I found it. Seems to be in good shape.' Link took the journal, then checked the urns, which were empty. In the large decorative chest was a Flame Cloak Scroll, and…

At the very bottom of the chest was a small wooden carved object, in the shape of a horse head. A worn leather strap had been threaded through a small hole, as if the entire thing was a sort of necklace.

'…Is that…' Link slowly reached down and picked up the thing, as if he was afraid he'd break it. '…Now I'm more confused as to how all of my things ended up all over Skyrim.'

He had found the Horse Whistle, an item that let him summon Epona from anywhere. It held great significance to Link, and as he stood up and let the necklace fall against the others, he found himself smiling beneath his helmet as he checked the rest of the room.

In the center of the platform was a copy of Frostfall, v10, on a plinth with a soul gem on stands, on either side. A bowl of fire salts and a Stamina potion were on the embalming table on the way out. Link took the book, soul gem, potion, and alchemy ingredient, then left the room.

He found a chain to the left of a portcullis, when he activated it, he was allowed access to the next room. The small work area was lined with shelves. The first shelf to the left held a bowl of vampire dust and an amethyst. The next shelf held a scroll of fireball, a scroll of conjure familiar, and a scroll of cure wounds, along with a garnet. On the other side of the room was an alchemy lab, with a potion, a bowl of fire salts, a sample of creep cluster, and a piece of canis root. Next was an urn and then a set of shelves with a cast iron pot. Looking inside the pot, Link found a sample of giant lichen and a human heart. A pull chain was next to the urn.

Link took the scrolls, gems, and various alchemy ingredients - except for the heart - he then activated the pull chain and left the room.

The path led to the short side passage Link visited previously, only now he was on the stone wall looking down. On the far wall, above the giant stone face, there was a coin purse.

'How do I get that…' Link gazed at the coin purse for a second, then, on a whim, Shouted.

"Fus!" The Shout caused the coin purse to fly off the wall and land on the ground. Link jumped down from the ledge, picked up the coin purse - which contained 50 Septims - and began to backtrack through the area.

Once he was outside, he checked his map, and headed for Cracked Tusk Keep.

The grounds had a wooden palisade surrounding the keep. Link made sure to keep himself hidden from view as he studied the bandit's movements and patrols, a light rain falling over the area.

After watching them for a while, he determined he wasn't getting into the keep without a fight, so the Hylian readied an arrow, raised his bow, and then fired.

The chosen Nord bandit grabbed their neck as their fell off the wooden plank they had been walking on. This alerted the other bandits, who began to search the camp.

One Orc managed to wander close enough to Link that he reached out and grabbed them from behind, then knocked them unconscious with a well aimed punch to the head.

He let the body fall and began to move closer to the keep. This got the remaining bandit's attention, and they rushed the Hylian.

Link drew Dawnbreaker and swung the sword to collide with a waraxe, with his other hand, he readied Lightning Bolt, then aimed the spell at the three bandits.

Due to the close proximity, the three Nord bandits were struck all at once, and they all fell to the ground.

Five more bandits appeared from all directions, intending to ambush the Dragonborn.

Link tried to get around them for a better angle of attack, but he wasn't fast enough, and was stabbed in the side by a dagger, the weapon finding its way past his armor as it sank into yielding flesh.

The Redguard bandit who had stabbed him was punched in the face; they fell to the ground, clutching at their now broken, bloodied head.

Link ignored them and focused on the ones that were still a threat. One of the bandits swung a war axe in his direction, but the Hylian quickly ducked, causing the Nord bandit to instead decapitate a Khajiit bandit due to the weapon's trajectory.

As this bandit collapsed, the one who had killed them began enraged, and charged Link with their war axe held above their head. Link cast Ice Spikes on them, and watched as the bandit was impaled by a large icicle. The war axe fell to the ground, but the still alive Nord, through their willpower and natural resistance to ice magic, picked up a warhammer that the decapitated Khajiit had dropped, and moved swiftly.

There was a loud crack as the warhammer came down on Link's left shoulder, causing the armor to become damaged and his shoulder to break. In response, Dawnbreaker fell to rest in the mixed mud and blood, and all Link could do was back away from the remaining bandits as he tried to come up with a new strategy.

He ignored the pain of his injuries, choosing to summon the Flame Atronach - but that didn't happen, as Link suddenly felt weak and unfocused, his injuries flaring up as he stumbled and then sank to his knees before the remaining bandits.

As a last ditch effort, Link reached down and tore the dagger from his side, then threw it at the Nord who had broken his shoulder. Blood flew in all directions as the dagger sank into their left eye, and they fell to the ground.

The last Orc bandit walked forward, and swung their sword. It caught Link on the side of his helmet, and his vision flashed white.

'I'm going to die if I don't do something.' This realization made Link surge to his feet, then he used the spiked shield in his good hand to impale the remaining bandit in the chest. But Link didn't stop there, instead, he bashed the shield against the Orc in various places, such as the arms and head. He then dropped the shield and picked up Dawnbreaker, and ran the bandit through.

The bandit fell to the ground, and Link was left alone in the courtyard.

'…So much for trying to not be violent… I haven't fought bandits as strong as these before… Maybe I need to come up with a new battle strategy.' Link used Heal on his arm first, waited a few seconds, then used Heal on his side wound. He stayed where he was for a few minutes, choosing to rest under one of the courtyard structures.

After he recovered somewhat, he retrieved Dawnbreaker and the spiked shield, then left the bandit bodies where they had fallen as he searched the area.

Link found himself looking towards the western tower ruin. From where he was, he spotted what was no doubt a chest. He looked around for a way to access the tower, and found a pile of rubble that was climbale.

The chest was locked when approached, and Link broke four lockpicks trying to open it. On the fifth attempt, he succeeded, and the chest contained 500 Septims, and five major healing potions.

There was a chest at the very top of the keep, which Link managed to get to by using the keep's series of ramps and lookout platforms. He then climbed up a pile of rubble to the top of the keep, and unlocked the chest, which held two soul gems. Link then returned to ground level.

From left to right around the courtyard was a smokehouse with a variety of meats being cured and various animal pelts, a small rest area containing a copy of The Code of Malacath, and then the main door to the keep.

Across from the door was the fully equipped smithy, complete with a forge, workbench, grindstone and a tanning rack. There was a steel sword on top of the workbench. Inside the smithy's shed was a table with a selection of poor quality armor and weapons and a copy of a book with the title of Light Armor Forging. When read, it merely detailed how to forge light armor.

Link took the two books, ignored everything else, and entered the keep.

Link entered the keep through the main door, and found himself in a well lit room. He didn't get a chance to look around at his surroundings before he was ambushed by two bandits.

Link drew Dawnbreaker and blocked a sword swing, then used Frostbite on the other bandit. This caused the bandit to drop their weapon and retreat while clutching at their face.

The sword-wielding bandit advanced upon Link, but the Hylian merely swung the spiked shield and sent the bandit into a nearby wall. They didn't get up, which left Link to deal with the second bandit.

The remaining bandit charged Link, but the Dragonborn merely side stepped, then swung Dawnbreaker. The sword caught the bandit in the side and sent them to the ground. Link struck them in the head with Dawnbreaker's pommel, then stepped over the bandit and looked around the room.

A dresser just inside the entrance on the left had a potion of minor healing and a potion of minor stamina on top. Opposite the entrance was a cupboard holding two books, a bottle of alto wine and a bottle of wine. There was a counter against the northeast wall with a haunch of raw venison, a joint of raw beef, a sliced goat cheese and two carrots on top. Hanging above from racks was a rabbit and pheasant. To the right was a barrel with a basket containing a cabbage and some red apples. To the left of the counter was a wooden door with stairs leading down to the cellar. There were six bed rolls on the floor.

Link ignored all of the food, grabbed the two potions, and continued onward.

There were stairs against the rear wall leading up to the upper level, where a long table and benches were laid out with a baked potato, a portion of grilled leeks, a leg of goat roast, a tomato and a loaf of bread. There was a chair by the top of the stairs with an iron shield and warhammer leaning against it. There was an end table along with several food sacks around the walls and a set of shelves against the southwest wall holding a steel sword, a major potion of stamina, a medium coin purse, five books including a copy of The Legend of Red Eagle and several food sacks. In the eastern corner there had been a cave-in.

Link took the iron shield, steel sword, and iron warhammer to sell, then checked the coin purse. It held 100 Septims. The Hylian took the coins, then the potion, and moved onto the next area.

There was a wooden door to the southeast. Through the door was a room with a fireplace on the right and a pair of leather boots on the hearth. There were food sacks on either side and a ladder to the left that when checked, led to some trap door.

There was an opening that, when inspected, turned out to be a bedroom. There was a double bed coming out from the northeast wall with a dresser on the right with a key on top and a basket beside it containing two sheaves of wheat. Link didn't have time to check the rest of the room before he was noticed by an Orc that was wearing heavy armor, as well as holding a warhammer.

"You dare trespass on Ghunzul's land? I pay the Jarl to leave us alone, so why are you here?"

Link drew Dawnbreaker. "Siddgeir sent me."

The Orc went pale. "He did? But that means…" Ghunzul realized what this meant, then roared and he charged Link with the raised warhammer.

Link dodged, then readied Ice Spike and sent the spell in the Orc's direction. The ice spike impaled the Orc, but he merely laughed and charged the Hylian, who was sent backwards by the force of the warhammer swing.

Ghunzul swung the warhammer again, but Link caught it before the weapon could hit him. He then pulled the weapon from the Orc's grasp and threw it away, then leapt up and hit the Orc with a sword swing to the head.

Ghunzul fell to the ground and didn't get up, blood beginning to pool around the Orc as Link took a few moments to rest before he examined the rest of the room.

To the left of the bed was a set of shelves holding a Orcish helmet, a steel mace, a small coin purse, a potion of healing, and nine books. At the foot of the bed was an unlocked chest and in the corner a round table and chair with a copy of The Code of Malacath on top. Link took the helmet, mace, the potion, the book, and the 50 Septims that were in the coin purse. The chest was empty; Link thought about searching the Orc's body, but decided against it, and instead took the key that was on the dresser.

Link then left the room. Through the door on the ground floor to the northwest was a passage that descended a flight of stairs. At the bottom was a cupboard holding only clutter, with a pair of iron boots to the left. The Hylian took the boots and then checked the rest of the area.

Beside the entrance was a long wooden table with an alchemy lab built in. On the table was a potion of magicka and an iron dagger, while hanging above were two bunches of dried elves ear and three bunches of dried frost mirriam.

To the right was a cupboard holding several ruined books, two empty soul gems, a sprig of snowberries, a thistle branch, a major potion of healing and a food sack.

Beside the cupboard was an end table with a basket of potatoes and a pair of Orcish gauntlets on top. Opposite the table was a dresser containing clothes with a longbow, a quiver of iron arrows and a potion of minor stamina on top. Link took the potions, the arrows, the alchemy items, the soul gems, the gauntlets, and the dagger, and continued onwards.

There were a couple of barrels and sacks around the room and in the southwestern corner was a passage blocked by spears with a locked cage on the wall, containing a button that activated the spears. Link tested the key he had taken from the dresser, and found that it unlocked the cage. He deactivated the spears, and walked down a flight of stairs down to a wooden door. He opened it and continued onwards.

There was a passage behind the door leading down to the southeast. In front was a counter with a potion of healing and two empty soul gems on top. Beside this was a basket containing a gourd. Link took the items, ignored the contents of the basket, and walked down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a room with spears blocking access. To the right was a button that lowered the spears when pressed.

The room contained a dresser, cupboard and set of shelves holding a small coin purse containing 20 Septims, a steel mace, an iron dagger, a copy of Lost Legends, a potion of minor healing and a poison. Link took the items, left the book, and checked the rest of the room.

There was also a broken table in the corner with a potion of minor stamina, a healing potion, an empty petty soul gem and a filled greater soul gem among the remains. Link took the items and moved further down the passage.

Slightly farther along the passage, on the left was another room, again with the spears and button. Link activated the button, then walked inside the room.

Inside this room was a set of shelves holding clutter with a fox pelt on top and an elven shield leaning against it, a wooden bench with a copy of Rislav The Righteous at one end, and a potion of healing at the other. There was an iron battleaxe on top of a couple of barrels and beside these was a cupboard holding a set of iron armor, a iron helmet and gauntlets. Link took the armor and weapons, picked up the potion, then took the book and skimmed through it. It detailed the life of a Nord named Rislav, who eventually grew up to be a powerful king.

Farther along, the passage opened up in front of double sets of spears that blocked the passage both horizontally and vertically. On the left was an unlocked chest and an iron helmet with a set of shelves that had been knocked over by a cave-in, knocking a potion of magicka onto some more barrels. Link checked the chest, which held 200 Septims. He took these, as well as the helmet and magicka potion.

There were pillars with levers either side of the passage that activated the spears, when activated, the spears retreated, allowing Link to move on. Beyond the spears were three tripwires in a row along the central passage. Link carefully stepped over the tripwires, and came across a fourth tripwire. He also avoided this one, and found a chest nearby that was locked. When checked, the chest was empty.

At the end of the passage was a plinth with the shards of a strange dagger. The plate they were on seemed to be weight sensitive, so Link picked up a nearby rock and placed it on the plate, then quickly removed the dagger shards and retreated in case the possible trap activated.

The trap didn't activate, and so Link backtracked through the keep to outside, and made his way back to Falkreath, all the while thinking about what the Orc chief had said.

'The bandits were paying Siddgeir… but why? Should I ask him? …I'll worry about that later.'

"Runil."

The priest looked up and noticed who was approaching. "You're back! Were you successful?"

Link nodded and handed Runil the journal. "Had to deal with a few mages and undead, but they weren't any trouble."

Runil flipped through the journal. "It's still intact. Thank you for recovering this."

"You're welcome. I should go see Siddgeir and ask if he has more tasks for me."

"More tasks? What for?"

"He said I could become Thane if I help people here."

"…Sounds like him, I shouldn't keep you waiting then."

Link returned to the Longhouse and was greeted by Siddgeir. "Welcome back, were you successful?"

"I was. I dealt with all of the bandits."

"Wonderful!" Siddgeir got up from his throne and approached Link. "Here, take this. 750 Septims for your troubles." The Jarl handed Link a large coin purse, which he accepted. "I like you." Siddgeir stated. "You're straightforward, and you get jobs done quickly."

Siddgeir looked thoughtful. "…I wonder… Would you be potentially interested in purchasing property?"

'Property? But I already have Breezehome…' "I'll think about it."

"Very well." The Jarl said. "Once you make yourself well known in Falkreath, I'll make you Thane."

"How did you become Jarl?" Link asked. "And why did you send me to deal with the bandits?"

"My dearest uncle stepped down due to health problems, and I became Jarl in his place. As for the bandits, they've been a problem for a long time. I tried to pay the bandits, to persuade them to leave, but they got bold… So I've been looking for someone to deal with them. Guess I'm lucky you happened to show up." Siddgeir replied.

'Something's off about this.' Link didn't respond, but simply nodded and left the Longhouse…

… And soon found himself sitting at a table in the local inn.

No one bothered him, which was nice, and the corner he was in was relatively quiet. Link was brought out of his thoughts by a voice.

"You alright, lad?"

Link turned to see that an old man was sitting next to him.

"… Relatively fine, I just dealt with some bandits recently."

"Cracked Tusk Keep?" When Link nodded, the old man sighed. "Yes, I heard about it from my nephew…"

'…His nephew…' "Are you Siddgeir's uncle by chance?"

The old man nodded. "That I am. Name's Dengeir. What can I do for you?"

'What do I ask first…' "Siddgeir said you had to step down for health problems, is this true?"

"Aye, not so long ago. Some'll tell you I stepped down on account of my old age. Truth is, I found out about all the Imperial spies crawling around Falkreath. A few well-placed bribes, and they bought themselves some friends."

"…There were spies?"

"There's spies everywhere in war." Dengeir said. "And coins make the world go round. After the bribes, the nobles were calling for a new Jarl, and all the while their pockets were jingling with the sound of Imperial septims."

"Then what happened?"

"They named me Thane." Dengeir replied. "And they got my nephew Siddgeir in my place. A real friend to Cyrodiil, that one."

"What do you mean?"

Dengeir scowled. "He's an Imperial symphasizer. Probably all cozied up to you because of the armor you're wearing."

He paused. "…You do seem capable…Yes, I do believe there is something you can help me with." Dengeir looked around, then lowered his voice. "How do you feel about performing a task for me?"

"Depends what it is."

"Indeed. Now, the task that I have in mind is as follows - I believe that the local blacksmith, Lod, is writing a treasonous letter. I want you to steal it, and bring it to me."

"…You want me to steal a letter?" Link asked quietly, realizing that this needed to be kept a secret.

"Yes." Dengeir nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard, I believe Lod isn't home right now, though I may be wrong. His house is near the inn, on the other side of the dirt road." The old man quickly sketched a rough map and handed it to Link. "Be careful."

Link left the inn and approached the blacksmith's house. He saw movement in one of the windows and hid behind one of the walls.

Soon, the door opened, and a Nord stepped out holding a bucket. The Nord walked away from the house and down the road; Link quickly made his way towards the house and entered through the open door.

He didn't spend too long in the house, and soon found a letter on a bedside table. Link grabbed the letter and made his way out of the house, then returned to Dengeir in the inn.

"Here's the letter." Link stated as a waiting Dengeir noticed him approach.

Dengeir took the letter from Link, unfolded it, and read it. "What's this? Some sort of code? 'Need all the iron ore you can dig up'" He paused before humming to himself.

"It seems I might have been wrong. This is just a note requesting more iron. … Lod is most likely not up to treason after all." The Nord paused. "But it's obvious that the Empire is getting large orders from him. Likely for something big that will happen soon…"

Dengeir set the letter down. "Still, you do deserve something for this."

Dengeir reached into a nearby bag, took out a coin purse, and tossed it over to Link, who caught it. "200 Septims. There is something else you can help me with."

"What is it?" Link asked.

"It's about my ancestor." Dengeir motioned for Link to sit next to him.

Link did so. "What do you mean?" Their conversation wasn't able to be heard over the noise of the patrons and inn goers.

Dengeir sighed. "You may have seen the open grave in our graveyard. Most of the townsfolk think it's the work of a corpse thief. The truth is less pleasant. It is...was, the grave of Vighar, my own ancestor, dead for centuries now. He is also a vampire. My family is entrusted with keeping him buried, but recently someone stole the wardstone, and Vighar escaped."

"…Isn't it important that this wardstone is recovered?"

"No. It's too late for the wardstone. Vighar must be destroyed. If this gets out, my family will suffer great shame. I tracked the vampire to Bloodlet Throne. It's near Helgen. Here, take out your map if you have it, and I'll mark the location for you."

Link took out the map and handed it to Dengeir, who marked a location on the map, then gave it back to Link.

"There you go. You should set off as soon as possible." The old man stated.

"I'll go now." With that, Link got up from the table and left the inn.

The walk to the fort had been uneventful. Link simply traveled to Helgen, then left through the east gate and followed the path until he reached the fort. The exterior seemed to be unguarded, so Link merely climbed the steps and entered the fort.

Some sort of howling noise filled the air as Link stepped inside the building, and he was greeted by a flame trap.

He was standing on a pressure plate, so he stepped off of it, then slowly moved past the trap.

Through the doorway was a corridor with crates and barrels strewn everywhere. Link heard someone speaking ahead. The corridor turned to the north, and there were bars on Link's left. Through the bars, Link could see a vampire and vampire thrall talking. The Hylian managed to sneak past the two guards. Beside the bars was a dresser, but nothing interesting. Just past the barred section, the corridor turned to the west, and stairs descended into the room with the two vampires.

From the top of the stairs, Link saw two gargoyle statues, one on either side of a large archway, as well as two lit braziers. There were three oil lanterns hanging from the ceiling above oil slicks on the floor that can be used to kill the guards. There was a wooden door to the south, but it was barred from the other side.

Link eyed the lanterns, then readied a Flames spell. He then aimed the spell at the lanterns, then fired the spell. The spell struck the lanterns and caused them to fall to the floor, which caused the oil slick to catch on fire. The Hylian didn't stick around to witness the aftermath.

As Link approached the gargoyles, the one on the left burst to life.

Link took out the Fire Rod and aimed it at the stone creature, then activated it. Judging by the roars, the gargoyle wasn't pleased with this, and Link had to dodge a few claw swipes. Yet, this had left openings in the creature's body.

Link drew Dawnbreaker, then ran up to the gargoyle and stabbed it in the neck with the weapon. The stone creature fell to the ground and didn't get up.

Past the arch was an area with shackles on each of the three walls and human bones littering the floor. There was also a wooden bench against the west wall.

Under the bars was a corridor heading east to an open wooden door and stairs heading down; Link heard someone speaking and silently took out his bow and notched an arrow to the bowstring.

At the bottom of the stairs, the corridor turned to the north and entered a large room containing a vampire on the right.

The vampire never saw Link, as they were shot in the neck by an arrow. Their body fell to the ground and Link properly entered the room.

On the left there was a wooden block with a leather strip and iron dagger on top. Against the west wall was a dresser, on top of which was a candlestick and a copy of The Wolf Queen, v5. On a raised area to the right was an end table and a bookcase containing a deathbell, a frost mirriam sample, a potion of plentiful healing, a potion of minor stamina, a potion of plentiful magicka, a potion of minor healing, two bowls of bone meal, a bulb of garlic, a tomato, a bleeding crown fungus, and two sacks.

Link took the book, the various potions and alchemy items and continued onwards.

On Link's right as he entered the room was a bench against the east wall, and to the left on a matching raised area was another end table with a bowl on top, and also a second bookcase that contained copies of A Dance in Fire, v3, The Song of Pelinal, v2, The Bear of Markarth, Yngol and the Sea-Ghosts, Spirit of Nirn, Antecedents of Dwemer Law, an imp stool fungus, and two sacks. Link took all of the books and checked the rest of the room.

In the center of the room was a small round wooden table and two chairs; on the table were two wooden plates containing bloody human hands. There was a snowy tunnel heading north from this room and then bearing west.

The tunnel was lit by two braziers on stands. At the far end was a cave with a wooden ramp leading up, and to the right of this was an iron ore vein. At the top of the ramp were two openings leading into a huge cavern with a wooden structure and ledges around the room.

On a ledge to the left above Link was a vampire thrall, which was quickly dealt with by a usage of Ice Spike.

There was a ramp down to the cavern floor on the left, followed by a smaller ramp leading slightly back up to the main floor level. There was a stack of barrels on the right, and a lit brazier and a stack of crates and a sack. To the left of the barrels was a shallow pool of water with a skeleton floating in it.

A vampire was wandering the cavern floor, with a second sitting at a long wooden table with two chairs to the right. The two spotted Link and charged the Dragonborn, but Link merely used Unrelenting Force, and sent the two Vampires flying into a wall.

The table was filled with the gory remains of a meal, and there were blood splatters all around the table.

To the right of the table was a set of shelves containing copies of The Wolf Queen, v4, The Bear of Markarth, and Uncommon Taste. It also contained an apothecary's satchel, a cast iron pot with a potato inside, a draught of health, a potion of health, a draught of extra magicka, two bottles of wine, a sample of snowberries, and a sample of lavender. There were more blood splatters on the ground. Link took the alchemy items, the potions, and the books, then continued on.

There was another wooden ramp leading up in the western corner of the cavern. At the top of the ramp was a small cage. The cage door was locked, and contained the body of a Khajiit, a deathbell, and blood splatters over the floor of the cage. To the right was a lit brazier with a crate to the right of that. On the crate was a woodcutter's axe, with an arcane enchanter beside it. On the right was another ramp up and a cart full of human bones. Torches lit the way as Link walked up the ramp.

At the top was a ledge with crates and clutter, and also a path to the north with a gargoyle statue to the right.

When Link approached the statue, it became alive, and he had to dive out of the way of the now living gargoyle.

He used Flames, then Ice Spikes on the creature, but that seemed to do nothing as the gargoyle roared and swung its claws at Link.

Link then used Summon Flame Atronach, and the flame woman appeared in a flash of fire.

The gargoyle retreated as the Flame Atronach waved at Link, then flew towards the stone creature.

The gargoyle was soon turned to molten rock, thanks to the Flame Atronach's attacks. She soon returned to Oblivion via a portal.

To the right were the gargoyle had been were a couple barrels, one of which had a goat hide on top.

Link was at the same height as the first ledge seen with the vampire thrall; the ledge was connected to another via a wooden bridge. The second ledge was above the cage to the west.

The path entered an icy tunnel and headed to the west-northwest, and was lit by a succession of braziers on stands. It opened into a collection of small areas. The first was on the right, and contained an alchemy lab in the middle with two sets of shelves around it. The first set of shelves contained copies of The Book of Daedra, Antecedents of Dwemer Law, Ancestors and the Dunmer, a potion of vigorous healing, a healing potion, a mead barrel, and a sack. The second set of shelves contained a random potion and copies of The Oblivion Crisis, Dunmer of Skyrim, Song of the Askelde Men, The Real Barenziah, v4, Argonian Account, Book 3, and another mead barrel. Link took the books and potions and moved on.

There was a long end table farther along with the base of a shrine on top. Passing this, in front of Link was an icy tunnel to the southwest with an opening in front to the west, where Link saw round cages hanging from the ceiling, a square cage containing a wolf, and to the north, a gated opening with a lock.

Through the locked gate was a small room with crates, sacks, barrels, and a small square wooden table holding an enchanted iron dagger, a filled soul gem, a medium coin purse - that held 100 Septims - a health potion, two poisons, a scroll of Blizzard, a scroll of Fury, and a copy of Incident at Necrom. Link took all of the items and briefly skimmed through the book. It detailed warriors dealing with an illusionist, as well as the group going through a dungeon.

One of the barrels contained ingredients, and both had sacks on top; there was an unlocked empty chest to the left of the barrels. There was a second locked gate to the west, which was easily opened.

This opened into a bedroom area with two vampires sleeping, one in a double bed against the west wall, and the other in one of two single beds against the north wall.

There was a set of shelves on the right containing copies of Antecedents of Dwemer Law, Spirit of Nirn, Biography of Barenziah, v2, The Wolf Queen, v5, and Gods and Worship, as well as a filled soul gem, a flute, and a leather strip.

To the left were the single beds with a long end table between them. On the end table was a potion of minor stamina, a potion of plentiful healing, a scroll of Calm, a scroll of Fear, a medium coin purse - that held 200 Septims - and an iron dagger.

At the end of the double bed was an unlocked chest, and behind the head of the bed was a set of shelves containing copies of The Cake and The Diamond and Vernaccus and Bourlor, as well as a sample of snowberries and one of lavender.

Link managed to take all of the items in the room without waking the vampires. But then he turned to face the beds.

'…I should probably deal with them now, so they don't catch and kill anyone else.'

Two daggers flew across the room and found their marks in each vampire's throat. One burned alive, the other was frozen. Link waited a few seconds, then retrieved Dawn and Dusk and continued to check the room

The south end of the room contained the cages seen previously. There were three small cages hanging from the ceiling, one of which had the gory remains of a human, and the square cage, which contained a living black dog with a spiked collar. This cage was locked. Link debated unlocking the cage, but decided against it and moved on.

The icy tunnel that headed to the southwest was lit by a string of braziers on stands and led to an area with a waterfall down the wall to the south, two rock pillars supporting the ceiling, and the path turned to the northeast.

At this turning was a ledge that was one of the two ledges joined by a wooden bridge above the first huge cavern. Crossing the bridge, there was a basket containing three pieces of firewood and a bucket containing an iron mace. Link took the mace and kept walking.

The path turned to the south and descended to raised spears blocking access to an arena-styled area; the chain to lower the spears was on the right.

Once the chain was activated, the spears raided themselves, and Link entered the large area.

It was large, with bones and bodies and blood stains everywhere. Two vampires were seated on a ledge above, having a conversation, one of which was decked out in armor.

The lone vampire noticed Link. "And who is this, Vighar?"

Vighar scoffed. "It is no matter, this fool will be the next act of the show. The Death Hounds will finish him off quickly."

With these words, Vighar pulled the handle by his side and caused several black dogs to be released from their cells.

They were easily dispatched with Frostbite and Sparks.

Yet the dogs weren't alone, as a third Gargoyle leapt into the arena and charged Link.

The Hylian summoned the Frost Atronach, who immediately stopped the gargoyle from charging. The two creatures struggled in place, each one trying to beat the other, then the Frost Atronach slammed an iced fist into the ground, which froze the gargoyle. The gargoyle was then punched, which broke the frozen stone creature into pieces.

After seeing his creatures be taken down so easily, Vighar growled in anger before he himself jumped down and attacked Link, who managed to dodge the first sword swing as he noticed the Frost Atronach walking up behind the vampire.

The Frost Atronach grabbed Vighar, then lifted the vampire into the air, then slammed him to the ground. Vighar didn't get up, which allowed Link to use Lightning Bolt on the vampire, followed by Flames.

Afterward, the Frost Atronach turned to Link and bowed, then vanished through an Oblivion portal.

The other vampire leapt down from the landing and ran towards Link, who drew Dawnbreaker and swung it at the monster. The vampire was caught in the stomach, and was sent flying into a wall. They didn't get up.

Link located the pull chain in the western alcove and headed upstairs. He followed the path to a chest that held 500 Septims, then removed the door bar and gained access to the first huge chamber.

He then left Bloodlet Throne and headed back to Falkreath.

Back at the inn, Link was sitting next to the old man at a table.

"I don't believe it, you killed Vighar and all of the vampires at Bloodlet Throne?" Dengeir asked Link.

"I did."

"Wonderful news. I wish I had more to give you than just gold…" The old man stated as he handed Link a large coin purse. "500 Septims. I suppose you can go see my nephew now."

"…Actually I think there's one more thing I need to do before then." Link stated.

"And what would that be?"

Link got up from the table, then looked back. "I heard about a werewolf problem, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with." Then he left the inn.