5th of First Seed
Lydia sent a courier who arrived today saying that there are a lot of Thalmor in the area. She apparently ran all the way into Falkreath to find a courier. We took off straight away to see if we can't catch some of them. I'll make them tell me what they know about Erik. We reached the place and they'd attacked a shrine to Talos. There's only one of them left alive and he's badly wounded, probably dying if I don't intervene. Gah! I'd rather spit him and roast him slowly like horker until he tells me what he knows but I need him alive. Jenassa cold cocked him and I've dumped a potion into him. Kaidan and Bjorn carried him until we ran into a hunter camp. The hunters gave us their sling pole to carry him on. We had him trussed up like a deer and gagged to put a stop to the spells. He could be a silent caster, but you still have to be conscious to cast and we're not going that far. Lakeview is just up the shore and I'll have him chained to the forge in short order.
Our pet Thalmor woke up. He's not happy about being chained to the anvil but agrees that overall its likely better than any Thalmor would give any of the rest of us and better than he'd even expect from them. It seems that they're a cold bunch, even to each other. He's got no love for Elenwen since she sent him on a suicide mission. He says that if he goes back, she'll just keep sending him on suicide missions until he finally doesn't return. In his words, there is no court martial or discharge or retirement plan in the Thalmor. There's only a box. He's not a fan and wants to make a career change.
He's seen the bounty for Erik but says, that as far he knows, the Thalmor don't have him. They've been speculating about what happened to him. Elenwen has apparently been whipping them into a frenzy to find him and who's really taken him so that she can claim the bounty and make us all look foolish. I don't trust him as far as I can fling a mammoth but something in his voice says that he's telling the truth as he knows it. That doesn't mean Elenwen isn't doing all this a ruse but it does make it less likely that he's stuck in one of those horrid little cells.
The Thalmor says to call him Talesin, like the wizard of old. He won't tell me his real name. I can't say that I blame him. He has offered to swear fealty to me, personally. Gods help me, I've accepted. I made him some new gear so that he doesn't have go around looking like a Justicar. I've told him rather bluntly that if I catch him doing anything shady, I'll have his testicles for earrings and his guts for garters. He laughed and said he likes feisty women. My little band is such a toss pot these days. . We've even picked up an orc who travels with some times, when her stronghold doesn't need her and she wants some gold. We're only missing a Bosmer, a Khajiit and an Argonian and we're the United Tamriel Poster Children.
6th of First Seed
I've discovered that I can annoy everyone by pacing like caged saber cat. Waiting to hear something, anything is driving me to madness. Kaidan's asked for my help in figuring out who his mother is. I think part of it is an attempt to distract me since I have nothing to direct all this rage at. The Merry Band is tiptoeing around, trying to be supportive, but I'm a bit undone at the moment. How much of a mess am I that I have gods-be-damned Justicar trying to comfort me? Gods above, I have to stay together for the girls.
Since the inscription on Kaidan's sword says something about the ancient bones of enemies and its written in draconic, I'll take him to visit all the dragon sites I know about to see if we can't find something pertinent. At the very least, its a distraction for something I can't solve right now and might do Kaidan some good. It's also a good excuse to go tavern hopping and see what odd things anyone might have noticed that I can go poke around in to see if it's related to Erik's disappearance. No, I haven't forgotten about Jordis. She's my friend and she's missing too, but finding Erik is my consuming goal. I feel certain that two of them are linked and that they're probably together.
Ulfric is urging me to move from Frostfall to Windhelm. His most trusted troops are the guards in Windhelm and now that I've become so important to the war effort, he wants me there, where he feels like he can protect me. Oblivion take it! They didn't come after me directly. The girls and I are safer here in Frostfall, where I have my own guards. Balgruuf is concerned about me and sent Hrgongar to Frostfall see how I'm doing. Hrongar got a look at my face and told me that if its anything a sword can solve that I can call on his help. Hrongar also delivered Farengar's message telling me that he thinks the spell failed so spectacularly because Erik is no longer on Mundus.
I've had another idea that I haven't discussed with anyone. I've thought of trying to go back to Sovengarde to see if Erik or Jordis is there. If either of them fell in battle, they should be there. I don't know if Tsun can or will send me back a second time. It's a last resort but I can't think what else this broken ring might mean. I'm going to go outside for awhile, away from everyone so I can scream at the sky without alarming everyone.
7th of First Seed
Aela went to the temple and found just as much nothing as I did. She can smell Erik and Jordis right up to the point that they vanished. There aren't any other scents, other than the two of them. The trail doesn't just peter out, either. She says it's like someone cut it with a knife. I'm wondering if this isn't some kind of a teleportation spell. Gods above! What has taken my husband? We've had no ransom demand, no threats, no concessions to make, just silence. It's the silence that's driving me mad. I think I'll ask the mages to investigate next to see if they can tell me anything about what happened.
I've gone out with just Kaidan to poke around. I've also changed my armor to see I can throw anyone off my trail. We've hit a few of dragon temples but not turned up anything interesting. We did manage to clear out a lot of bandits, but nothing interesting. I stopped in Riverwood at the tavern to see if Ognar's heard anything and catch up on the gossip. I ran into Ralof at the tavern, back from the fighting and visiting his sister. He's heard about the bounty that the twins put out and asked me how I'm holding up. Ralof, in many ways, is as much a shield-brother as Vilkas or Farkas. After Helgen and fighting together so much during the war, I trust him as much as I trust Vilkas or Farkas or Aela. Now I've gone and left another puddle on someone else's shirt. Right in the middle of the common room at the tavern, no less.
Ralof laughed at me for apologizing. He told me that he's not found anyone he wanted to wed but that's he's come close a couple of times. He can't imagine what the silence is doing to me. He told me, "Honestly, Stormblade if you want to come cry on my shoulder every day until this is solved, I'd be honored. We've been through too much together for me to ever think less of you. Besides, you prefer action. I can't imagine that all this waiting around is easy for you." Kaidan's eyes got big when Ralof called me Stormblade so I suppose he's heard some of the stories. I can say that not all of them are exaggerated. I have shouted archers off the walls and literally plowed through the battle mages. I chatted with Ralof for a while over some mead, and Kaidan's eyes were saucer sized by the time we left the tavern. Now that the war is nominally over, Ralof's at loose ends and looking for work so I've hired him. Ralof's coming to Frostfall to take over the house guard. I inherited most of those men when I bought the place. They've been solid, dependable and polite but I don't have much history with them. I'd like the guard managed by someone I trust. After this, I'm doubling the guard and reinforcing the walls. I'll have to talk to Balgruuf and he might make me give another oath of fealty, but given the circumstances I can't see him denying my request.
8th of First Seed
Kaidan had cart load of questions about why Ralof called me Stormblade so I had to explain how I ended up with the Storm Cloaks. We sat down over some mead and I told him part of the tale and ended up with finding him in that stinky, swampy prison. I don't know him that well so I'm not sure how much I want to tell him. In the process, I also ended up roaring stinking drunk. I woke up this morning, wrapped in a blanket on the floor in front of the fire in my bed room. Kaidan was sprawled across the bed, snoring so loudly that I almost laughed out loud. We were both horribly hung over but for the first time since this started, the storm inside me is calmed so I can think and plan.
The mages have agreed to take a look at the temple to see if they can uncover anything. It won't be soon but they said that they should know if they'll be able to tell me if there might be anything a few days after they get there. Urag asked me if I thought this was some ploy by Mora to get me to go to Apocrypha. I can't rule it out, but I can't rule it in either. Mainly because I can't imagine what Mora would want with Jordis at all. I could see him using Erik as bait but why take Jordis? Why keep Jordis? Did someone think Jordis was me? That's the only thing I can come up with. We're both female nords with red hair who travel with Erik but that's about where the similarities end. Anyone who's passingly familiar with us would be able to pick Jordis' Akavari armor out from mine at half a mile.
We stopped in Windhelm and Ulfric pulled us into his war room so that we could speak in private. Galmar was there and had such a look of sympathy on his face that I almost turned into a blubbering mess again. I had to introduce Kaidan and explain a bit of who he is, what we were doing in both the terms of the search for Erik and hunting down the origins of Kaidan's sword. Ulfric asked me if I trusted Kaidan and I told him about pulling Kaidan out of a Thalmor prison. Galmar thinks the damn Thalmor are responsible. I told him that I've caught a Justicar and I'm not so sure of that. Galmar was suitably impressed because getting one alive is apparently almost unheard of. I repeated what Talesin told me about Elenwen busting their chops so that they can claim the bounty the twins posted and prove their Altmer superiority. I also told them about Aela's findings without telling them who the werewolf was. Both Galmar and Ulfric rolled their eyes when I said the mages were coming to look since nothing else had panned out. I'd get one of those Forsworn augurs if I though they could tell me where to find Erik and Jordis. I told Ulfric about hiring Ralof to take over the guard at Frostfall. He understands why I don't want to uproot the girls right now. He thinks having Ralof there is a good compromise. He's also going to send me more men that he knows I can trust. I suppose might have to stop calling them the bearded monkeys.
Kaidan and I left Windhelm and headed for Whiterun so I can get permission for all of this from Balgruuf. It was late when we got to Whiterun so I took a room at the Bannered Mare. Most of the guard was there and came to offer sympathy and hopes for the swift return of my husband. I can't break in front of these men so I slipped out when no one was looking and went to the Underforge where I can fall apart in private.