9th of Morning Star
It's was a long trek out to Labyrinthian from Winterhold. The fur cloaks that we took off those bandits have been a nice addition. This is so much warmer. I can't imagine why we didn't get some sooner. I don't know what it is about places like that always seem to attract trolls but we had to kill a dragon and a bunch of trolls just to get to the door. Now I see what the torc thing is for. It's an entry knocker. Erik managed to get it reattached and we got into the entry. It was still as cold as snowbear's arse but at least we were out of the wind. The draugr in Labyrinthian are different. They're spectral with a blue glow and their weapons drain strength if they manage to land a strike. Dawnbreaker still seemed to be equal to the task but Erik switched to his bow so that they can't get close enough to drain him. A voice of some ghost or spirit spoke to us in a language neither of us understood and started draining our magicka, which didn't trouble either of us that much since we're not dependent on that to keep fighting.
We came to a door sealed with ice so I used my fire shout to open it. Once it opened, a frost spirit attacked us but Dawnbreaker is a fire blade so that didn't take long. We fought through the weird glowing draugr until we came to a door sealed with fire. I switched my shout to ice form and it opened where were attacked by a fire spirit. I practically bathe in dragon fire so while Dawnbeaker's fire might not have had much effect, the edge I put on it certainly did. At that point, I had to stop and ask Erik to carry some of the things I'd been looting. The draugr here drop strange weapons - blue and glowing like themselves and enchanted to drain strength or health. We got a bit further into the ruin when the pack of death hounds - draugr dogs - set up on us. Dawnbreaker was equal to the task but Erik climbed atop the pile of rubble that I put my back to. They circled and launched themselves at us like rabid beasts. Finally, we were able to put them down. The ghost spoke again, this time in our language and drained our magicka.
We had to wade into a river, nearly up to my knees. My feet were freezing since it was clearly coming off the snowcap on the top of the mountain. That was a long slog to get to the next door. This one was sealed with a lightening rune and it hurt a bit. My enchantments to ward against lightening aren't as strong as the ones against fire and frost. Dragons who can breathe lightening are rare. I've only ever seen one. I chugged some potions and recovered quickly. That's when the voice started to taunt us. "Do you seek to finish that which you could not?" Erik and I looked at each other and shrugged, but we remained silent for now. We were hoping the voice might give us some information we could use. It was a very winding way through the crypt filled with more draugr and death-dogs. Finally, the path came to an abrupt end but it wasn't far to jump, so I did and Erik followed me. The voice started to taunt us again, "You only face failure once more." We hadn't been here before so none of this was making much sense.
What is it with these things? They all feel the need to taunt me, to taunt us. What is the purpose behind that? Does that work on other people? Do they get frightened and run? This is a thing I don't understand, perhaps because I don't taunt my own enemies. Any taunts can happen after I have their head on a pike. We came to a big room full of wisps with a Wispmother. Erik's bow took care of the wisps while I hunted the wispmother. I finally cornered her in an alcove and put an end to her killing. Wispmothers turn those that they kill into more wisps. The voice came again, "You are not Aren, are you? Has he sent you in his place?". I hadn't spoken to Erik at all and just a little communication through hand signals. There were spell runes everywhere - frost mainly which Erik and I set off, mostly for spite. We kept battling these weird draugr until we got to a room with word wall in it. I seem to have become more attuned to them because I could feel this one thrumming from a dozen yards away. In my head, I hear Vilkas, "Eyes on the prey, new blood."
My concentration steadied and we tore into the draugr. When we were done with them, I started looting again. Erik is patient with me because this is how I fund much of what we do. He does like to tease me about it though. "i'm sure that our ancestors won't mind a little opportunistic grave sweeping." This is why I stop and leave a few septims somewhere. That always seems to appease Erik. We made it past the Death Lord and into the chamber proper. It's another dragon priest who's being contained by bound wizards. Aren, Aren, what have you done? You bound your friends so that you could run from the dragon priest you couldn't defeat.
Our first order of business was to free the bound wizards. They deserved to have better friends and a better after life than this. Freeing them was surprisingly easy. I think they were long past ready to move on. The dragon priest on the other hand wasn't ready to move on. He was one of the rare ones that likes lightening but the pain of his lightening strikes only made me angry. Erik stayed up high with his bow but I charged in. How Erik manages not to hit me at times is both a minor miracle and a testament to how skilled he's becoming. I was shouting at the dragon priest, stabbing and slashing with Dawnbreaker, and bashing him with my shield when he finally crumbled into ash. The explosion nearly rocked me. Lots of undead explode from being hit with Dawnbreaker, but some are more... forceful than others and this one was one of the worst.
I gathered everything up from Dragon Priest while Erik made a quick circuit picking up anything that looked valuable or useful. When were done, we spotted a way out and since it looked shorter than the path getting in, we took it. Ancano sent a welcoming party. It's another one of those Thalmor twats. "So, you made it out of there alive. Ancano was right... If you made through all that, you are dangerous. I'm afraid I'll have to take that Staff from you now. Ancano wants it kept safe... oh, and he wants you dead. Nothing personal." Instead of answering, I shouted, still using Ice Form. What do you know? It had the same effect on this gas bag. Now I wonder if it works the same on all Thalmor. I may need to experiment. This might turn out to be extremely useful. While he was frozen, I told him it was also nothing personal while I stabbed this lone Thalmor idiot a few times. I waited for him to bleed out and then we left.
Ancano completely underestimated me. Am I dangerous? Ask Alduin. Ask the Glenmoril Witches. Ask Miraak. I plowed through scores of your kind at the embassy, supposedly some of your best anywhere. I kill you on the roads whenever I find your patrols and free your prisoners. I killed a ship full of your kind on the north of Solstheim. I hunt you like a wolf hunts goats when ever the chance presents itself. Yet you can only spare this one puling wizard to try to stop me. Bah! Just wait until I come howling out of the north with army at my back.
10th of Morning Star
When we got back to the college, the situation there has gone from bad to worse. Ancano has lost whatever shred of sanity he had before. He's been toying with the sphere and is cackling about how he's got enough power to unmake the world. If it were less serious, he'd be amusing because he's still as naked as ever. If I'm even close to right and this is some Ehlnofey artifact, he might very well have that much power. I didn't save the world from Alduin just to let some Thalmor twat end it now. I charge up Dawnbreaker and poison the blade. I make sure that staff is charged and up and wade into the thick of it. Tolfdir is there shouting at me to use the staff on the sphere. When I do, it calms down and closes back up. I grab Dawnbreaker and I get a few good strikes on Ancano before he manages to get the sphere open again. Each time he opened it, I used the staff to close it up, poisoned Dawnbreaker again, and stabbed a few more times. Erik hid behind a pillar sniping at him every time I got the sphere to close up. Finally, I have him and he's surprised. I shout him into ice form and with a quick slice, his head is off. That's one sure way to keep a mage from casting any more spells.
Ever since Ancano did whatever he did to this sphere, it's making odd noises and it's not got the same serene feel to it. The sphere continues to flicker and I can sense that there's something wrong about the power bleeding off it now. It's definitely unstable. I don't know how I know this, but I can feel it in my bones. I assume its some dragon ability to sense time and magic. While I'm still panting from chasing Ancano all around the Hall of Elements and wracking my brain for what to do about this thing, the Psijics show up again. En masse this time. Apparently, they came to take the damnable thing away. I hope they know what they're doing with it. If I'm right, this is left over god-magic from the creation of... well... everything. I'm pretty sure it's got the ability to make or unmake all of existence as we know it - not just Mundus as the mages call it but everything. Not just our world but all worlds. I don't have any better ideas so I tell them take it and bury it somewhere deep and keep it safe. I told him that the dragon in me can sense its instability, that I think it's warping time which is why I can feel it. All dovah, including this joor, are sensitive to the currents of time. His eyes widen a bit when I mention the dragon but then pales a bit once I say I can feel what it's doing. He swallows hard and nods, before issuing a steam of orders to the other Psijics.
They tried to name me as arch mage, but I passed that honor on to Tolfdir. I've got the Companions and I'm not overly fond of the weather in Winterhold. Whiterun is about as far north as I care to be this time of year. I don't mind being able to visit Urag or consult with them or get them to help in some of my projects now and then or help them when it's needed, but its not something I want to take on full time. It deserves more care and attention than I can give it. The Psijics finally respected my choice and then they left with and took that damnable sphere with them. What I didn't say was that I still have an invasion to plan and no time to keep a bunch of magelings out of trouble. Tolfdir is cautious enough, especially after this debacle, to see to that. When it comes time for him to step down, I might want a say in who his replacement is.
Before I left the college, I sat Tolfidr down and told him to make them strong and powerful but teach them ethics too. War is coming between men and elves and we'll need to have mages on our side that can counter Ancano's ilk. I've suggested that that they start trading in their traditional robes for light armor so they're more protected. I've arranged for the local smith to start spending a day a week at college to create whatever they need. I'll be back in a month or so to see how they're getting on.
12th of Morning Star
I'm tired of the facilities at Jorrvaskr being untidy so I've nailed up the two Thalmor hoods in the latrine to act as aiming points for some of the boys who I hope are more accurate with their bows than they are with other things. Maybe that will ensure I have clean seat to use. Among the crew here, it does seem to have been a popular addition.