25nd of Rain's Hand

We found the Bosmer and its good that we got there before the Thalmor did. Once again, there's someone in the band who's safer with us than they are anywhere else. Her name is Auri and I don't know that she's aware of just how much danger she was in. I've ended most of the Justicars that were in Skyrim, but I'm sure there's still a few roaming that I've not caught up to as yet. I have the Argonian dock workers watching for Thalmor ships. If anything comes off those ships that bigger than a bread box, they tell me about it. Sometimes they can even tell what's in it. Ulfric won't let me deal with Elenwen just yet so I do my best to make sure that she's not getting any more Justicars. The last few replacements that have shown up have ended up in troll caves. So far, no more have arrived. This means that either there's going to be a lot of them when they come, or that no more are coming. If it's the latter, we can start working to whittle down Elenwen's existing staff every time they step a foot outside those walls. If I have to, I'll starve her out.

Concentrating all the targets like we are right now concerns me, because the more of us that congregate together, the more likely they are to try to to attack us and the more likely that attack will be en masse. I don't want to see any of us hurt when that happens, but its virtually inevitable that it will come. Once it does, all we have to do is survive it so that I can haul their bodies into the towns and raise a furor over it. That is how we get the righteously angry army to come howling out of the North for demanding blood price from the Thalmor and from the Empire that allowed it to happen. I know that it unsettles Kaidan but this path will take us to victory. It is not without risk, but nothing worth doing ever is.

Preparing for the attack that I know is coming is why the Merry Band moves constantly, fights frequently, and trains in a wide variety of disciplines and fighting styles when we're not fighting. I've been teaching my skills to the others and learning their skills from them, so that if we end up scattered as the result of an attack, we're still functional. Jenassa's been teaching us to make poisons and to sneak. I've been teaching smithing and enchanting. Talesin's been teaching other forms of magic. I'm a decent archer but my real skills lie in heavy armor with a sword and shield. I've gotten a lot better with Wuuthrad, but I've yet to equal Kaidan's prowess. I don't know if Kaidan sees this yet, but what I have created with Merry Band is the best parts of the Companions without their need for the constant dribbling income or their fear of magic or their nearly Nord-only mentality. I need to think of a better name than the Merry Band, perhaps something in the dragon tongue.

We've had some incursions from new wildlife – well new to Skyrim at any rate. Things I haven't seen here before like Minotaurs. I've seen them Elsweyr but not here. That makes me wonder what's driving them this far north. That'll bear looking into since I'm a Thane in Falkreath. Dengir, when he took over, didn't revoke it and he did send a couple of canny, if older, men to Frostfall to help improve the security there after Erik's disappearance. Ralof says they've been giving useful advice, including crafting some escape plans, should Frostfall be overrun. Ralof's been hiring heavily from the ranks of the Storm Cloaks who are mustering out. He's been largely selecting Storm Cloaks that I've fought beside and who already know who I am. This is good for a few reasons. It saves a lot of explaining. It will keep them in fighting trim and out of trouble before the next phase of the conflict is ready to begin. Ralof also tells me that the Battle-Borns and Grey-Manes slowly becoming friends again. Maybe now Jon will finally be allowed to chase after Olfina. Now Olfina agreeing to Jon... that's another matter entirely.

26th of Rain's Hand

Why do the guards complain when I shout near the city limits? They asked me what happens when the Greybeards summon the Dragonborn to High Hrothgar and literally the very first thing that they asked me to do was to shout at them. I didn't want to do it at first. They're... well, old and I didn't want to hurt them. It took some coaxing by Argeir to get me to do it. I'd already plastered draugr and bandits to the walls using it and didn't want to end up in hot water with Balgruuf for splattering a bunch of nattering old men all over the walls of their temple. Thank Talos, they were stronger than they looked.

We're back in Markarth to spend the night at the inn. I'm not a fan of the stone beds. Those beds are always cold, no matter how many furs you put on them. I've been getting those sideways looks from him all day so somehow, I don't think sleep is what he's got in mind. All I can say he'd better have more furs than the couple of bear and troll pelts than I have in my pack to go over that bed or there's not going to be any bare skin. That's likely to result in a good deal of frustration for both of us.

27th of Rain's Hand

In case you're wondering, Kaidan had quite few furs to put down and that's all that needs to be recorded here. Nothing else really belongs in the archives since its private. We're headed back to Whiterun so I can start keeping my promise to spend more time at Jorrvaskr. Everyone else is going on to Frostfall but Kaidan and I are headed to Jorrvaskr. I've got some explaining to do about the not-Erik, Kaidan, and what's coming. The Circle knows a bit of my plan for taking the war to the Thalmor and their puppets, but I need to lay next bit out for them to see if they concur or not. The civil war is over, and the old wounds are starting mend a bit. Ralof said that he'd gone to Riverwood looking for Hadvar but that Hadvar had been called back to Cyrodiil. That's a shame. I'd like to see the two of them put this business behind them. I told Ralof to send him a courier with a letter and some mead. Ralof laughed and said he'd consider it. Even Elisif seems to be in a better frame of mind these days.

Ulfric has already started publicizing what we found in the basements of those forts. Everyone is horrified by it, including a lot of the former legionnaires, from across the Empire, who have started mustering out, because of it. Many are headed home in disgust but more have offered to stay and join us in our fight to cleanse the Thalmor taint from the Empire. I warned Ulfric that if we didn't start hiring them for the Jarls' armies that we'd have a lot of banditry and lawlessness. I warned Galmar about being too trusting of them. It would be easy to end up with an army full of Imperial/Thalmor spies since I doubt anything in the Empire can twitch without the Thalmor knowing about it. We cannot afford to find ourselves in that same position.

I'll have to go to Windhelm to have a chat with Ulfric about Bruma when I get back from my next trip there. When we take Bruma, I'm restoring Cloud Ruler and Sky Haven so I can restore the Blades and the Dragon Guard. I've already passed the word to some of my contacts in Elsweyr to send any Akaviri to me here in Skyrim. If they can reach me, they'll be safe enough at least for now. I don't know if any of them have survived the Thalmor purges but if they have, perhaps they'd be willing to come fight alongside a sossedov. If we stop the Thalmor once and for all, they'll be safe enough period.

While I'm in Windhelm, I'll want to take a look at Galmar's training program and see where it needs to be improved. I know that we need to talk about their equipment. That trash that they have for standard issue just won't do. We won't have the numerical superiority of the Empire's Legions, especially on their home turf. That means we need to have technological superiority and tactical superiority to win.

29th of Rain's Hand

I've met with the Circle and explained what I know of the not-Erik. Aela says that pining for someone who may never return is a waste of time and that I made the right choice to move on from it. I do still miss my pup and probably always will. Having the void in my life filled by a new partner makes it less painful. Vilkas told Kaidan that he's done well to keep me in once piece. Kaidan laughed and said it hasn't been easy. One minute he's cheering me on and the next he's terrified that I'll fall but overall, I'm stronger than I was after Erik first went missing. Farkas sized up Kaidan and two of them spent some time out in the training yard, before deciding that practice made them thirsty. After that, they settled into a drinking game.

While Kaidan and Farkas were drinking, I met with the rest of the Circle and laid out the next phase of the plan which will be taking Bruma. I got a lot of wide-eyed stares but I'd like to get the Thalmor off our southern border. I have no illusions about the Empire letting them march entire batallions through that gate. Vilkas thinks it will work but that it's risky and it creates a large, undefended border where Bruma meets the rest of the Empire that we'll have to hold. That's going to mean building defenses and manning them. It's also going to mean spending a lot of time in the smithy crafting armor and weapons. I'll need help from our mages to enchant all of it so that we can stand against the battle mages that the legions use. This got some dark looks until I pointed out that Vilkas spent a lot of time as werewolf – an inherently magical being. That's got his wheels spinning and I'll see what he comes back with next.

We spent the night at Jorrvaskr. Kaidan and I put Kodlak's bed to good use and when I finally fell asleep, I dreamed of Kodlak. He was amused by our antics but said that he approves of Kaidan. He told me that Kaidan will help me fufill my destiny, so it seems Ulfric was right again in that the gods have need of me elsewhere. I told him of my plans to come howling like one of the white-out blizzards out of the north across Cyrodiil and Summerset. Kodlak cautioned me to exercise patience and restraint, not to overextend myself or anyone else, for that matter. He said something cryptic about the wizard of old knowing when the iron would be hot enough to strike the final blow. I don't understand this yet, but I'm certain he means Talesin.

1st of Second Seed

I met with Ulfric today and he wants me to go back to Bruma to gather more information about where the forts and garrisons are located, how many troops, and the like. Since I'm one of the few that they'll let pass, we'll go back to Bruma. I gave him my assessment of the count as well as his steward and he says that perhaps placing Korik there as Jarl would be a better choice. I tend to agree with that since Korik is both competent and likable, as well as being one of the Jarls I am Thane to. Kraldar would be a fine choice as a replacement for Korik in Winterhold and be a bit gentler with the College in the bargain. I also told Ulfric of my plans to remind these folk of their Nord roots by bringing in a cultural exchange from the Bard's College in Solitude. Ulfric laughed and asked how many had made me their thane. Once I'd named them all, he asked why I'd taken so long to agree to his request, and I had some pretty pointed things to say about that – like why I'm not a Thane to some of the Jarls, the Grey Quarter and the Argonians. He laughed when I told him about telling Sorli to sod off and agreed that some of those will need to be revisited. I mentioned that Maven Blackbriar is one he should get around to replacing sooner rather than later and told the story of the orphanage in Riften as well as why I've opened my own. He took my observations with grace and agreed that things had gotten far worse in the Grey Quarter than he'd realized before visiting it himself.

We had some discussions about the Argonian dockworkers too and enforcing some standards of equal pay regardless of race. Ulfric agrees that a job is a job and the pay should be the same no matter who does it. He was unaware that this was happening and promised to put a stop to it. I reminded him that he needs to be aware of these things and reminded him of Rikke. He stared a me for a long moment, "I'm High King because you wanted to get Rikke." "No. You're High King because the Empire tried to murder me and I'm going to return the favor." I warned him to be more aware of what goes on so that he doesn't create a replica of me somewhere down the road. We had a long talk about the nobles and how we're going to deal with that problem as well as the Synod mages. I would like to try to save the mages but the Synod itself is another of those institutions that will be burned away in the reforging of the Empire. The only question there is how many of the mages will try to cling to their dead institution and go down with it. The Fighter's Guild in Bruma is so small that it's laughable. It's the Guildmaster and two fighters. I could take the three of them, at once, on a bad day. I truly hope it doesn't come to that. The count's guards are more numerous, but mostly sub-par flat-foots or they'd have enlisted in the Legion for better pay and what looks to be less work since I've yet to see a Legion patrol anywhere in Bruma. They seem to be ignoring the bandits and wild animals.