16th of Last Seed

Korik hasn't taken any of my advice and continues to try to train these six clumsy oafs to be battle ready and fight "like a true Nord". If I'm being honest, they'd be more of a threat heavily armored and told to run at the enemy. They might actually manage to trip a few of them as they're stumbling around. The ensuing chaos they'd cause would be more of a help than any "fighting" these oafs might attempt. I've taken it upon myself to have someone from the College go to Solitude and start testing the new recruits for magical ability. Those that have it will be assigned to the College for training. We'll need Battle Mages and Healers.

I've told Korik that I have some families in Bruma that are interested in resettling and that he should build some houses using the material from the destroyed area. Korik said that he hadn't done it already because he was certain that no one would be interested. He's agreed to start on that now and a shrine to Talos to follow since they're moving for religious reasons. With that out of the way, I'm headed to Windhelm to have a chat with Ulfric about quite a few things. We went through Morthal to my steading there to see if this was somewhere Aera would be content to live and she likes it well enough. I've warned her about Sorli and explained that we're not on good terms and why. We went back into Morthal so that Aera can see for herself.

All the locals still call me Thane and they all still come to me with their complaints about Sorli. They know full well why I rejected Sorli since Sorli insisted on forcing me to make a public statement about why. At the time quite a few of them scoffed and said she couldn't possibly be that bad. Now they're starting to see for themselves. I've told them repeatedly to petition Ulfric directly but since I'm also Thane to Ulfric, they just come to me whenever I come through here. I couldn't get ten steps without someone else stopping to tell about some new complaint about Sorli.

The list of their complaints is long and continues to grow, mainly because Sorli is a penny-pinching tightwad who doesn't even want to pay to man the town watch. Idgrod never had a problem with finding the funds to pay the watch so what is Sorli doing with the money? They're collecting the same amount of taxes that Idgrod was. I suspect that Sorli thinks she "deserves it" and is pocketing all the taxes. The road isn't being maintained, either and neither are the walls and gates. I've been trying to convince Ulfric to reinstate Idgrod or pick someone else entirely, because of all the discontent Sorli's been causing. Every time I go through Morthal, I get more complaints and more folk asking for Idgrod back. I've suggested, more than once, that he put Idgrod back or make Jorgen, the mill owner, the Jarl.

Maven needs to be replaced or I might have to deal with her myself when its time to clean up the Ratway. She's too tied up with those two-legged skeevers at the Thieves' Guild. Even Galmar thinks both Sorli and Maven need to be replaced. Ulfric wanted to know if I wanted to see Leila Law-Giver back in Riften. Umm... no. Leila is an entitled twat. I suggested Mjoll the Lioness, if he wants to clean up Riften and have it actually become prosperous. Ulfric says that if he makes Mjoll the Jarl of Riften, she'll be dead within a year because the Thieves' Guild is allied with the Black Hand Assassins. All the more reason to wipe out this Thieves' Guild and the Black Hand. I think Mjoll can handle them if they come after her. Ulfric asked me why I'd say that.

I reached into my pack and pulled out all the notes I've taken off the ones who've come after me and threw them on his desk. At this point, I'm not sure how many of them are left. I'm guessing not that many and those that are left are smart enough to leave me alone. Ulfric asked why I'd think that. Because now, instead of Black Hand, the assassins who attack me are Morag Tong. I tossed the Morag Tong set of orders on his desk, too. Ulfric wants me to hold off on going back to Bruma while I settle this mess with the assassins. I told Ulfric that I think it has been settled. I got the look from him that says I need to explain this. They haven't bothered me since I pounded on the door to their Sanctuary, which I'm not supposed to be able to find, and offered to meet them at the time and place of their choosing. I'm certain that if I poke around a bit, I can find some hidden entrance. We'll see how well they fare against a dovah.

Galmar snorted and started counting all of them. There are nine of the missives from the Dark Brotherhood aka Black Hand and six more from the Morag Tong. Ulfric was angry because I haven't said anything about it before now. "Ulfric, I hunt dragons as a hobby. I've faced Alduin, Miraak, Ancano, and whole damn the Imperial Army. These skulking rats are mostly an annoyance since they keep disrupting my hunts. I take precautions against poison. Even Sophie and Lucia have enchantments that protect them from poison. I've taken everyone of those little missives off the corpse of the assassins that they sent after me. Even the Thalmor have tried a couple of times, sending Justicars. Why do you think I live in walled, guarded compound? That's why I bought Frostfall in the first place." Ulfric wants me to come live in Windhelm. A city with a dock and a lot of travelers - no thank you. I hate the weather there and I've got my own ideas on how to handle this thing. I want to hire the Black Hand to kill the Morag Tong and hire the Morag Tong to kill the Black Hand. Let them wipe each other out so I can pick off the winners.

That made Galmar laugh and Ulfric turn colors I don't think I've ever seen before, which only made Galmar laugh harder. Kaidan looked amused. Ulfric went through a few color changes as he thought through that idea before he told me, "They'd never agree to it. Either group. Reading those Elder Scrolls has done something to you, after all. You've gone mad." I thought Galmar was going to bust. Galmar thought that was hilarious. "It's not nearly as mad you think. It's far less insane than sitting around waiting for them to try again," Galmar shrugged, "Besides, if the gold is good enough, they might bite. Even if only one of them takes you up on the offer, you've eliminated the other group, at least. There's bound to be some rivalry there. The idea has merit. Now while you're here..." Galmar drug out his map and pointed out a few new Imperial camps that have sprung up. It's the perfect chance to call Durnehviir and let him roast some Imperials, so I agreed to go clear them out.

I've given Ulfric the journal of one Harran Iron-Heart. While we were in Bruma, Harran's wife works at the local inn. I was chatting with her when his daughter asked me to find her father because he's been missing for a while now. Since I've got a soft spot for kids who are missing their parents, we went looking for him. We found him. It's probably more accurate to say that we found what was left of him. I ran into his father-in-law, the girl's grandfather on my way to tell the family what had happened. His father-in-law practically spit on me and demanded that I burn the journal. He didn't even want me to tell Harran's wife what had happened to him. He'd rather leave her wondering or that I tell her he ran off with another woman. What is wrong with that man?

I refused to do any of those things. I let his wife read the journal so that she knows everything. We'll see if she tells the girl or not. If she doesn't, I will next time I'm in Bruma. Children understand far more than most adults believe. I've learned that much from Sophie and Lucia and the orphans. I'm going to try to get Harran's family to relocate here because Ulfric wants to add this diary to the litany of woes we have against the Thalmor and their torture dungeons. If Ulfric publicizes this, the Thalmor are petty enough to murder Harran's wife and daughter since Harran himself is now beyond their reach.

Harran and his cohort stumbled onto the site where the Thalmor had been more or less randomly executing prisoners simply because they could. Where are these Thalmor coming from? How did they manage to capture Stormcloaks in Skyrim? Much less march them through the Pale Pass into Bruma. That's going to be something I've got to look into. When they found out they'd been discovered, the Thalmor attacked the Imperial Army cohort. Harran realized, quite correctly, that he was no longer safe, even in the army so he deserted the Imperial army and joined the Stormcloaks. He was looking for a safe haven for his family away from the Thalmor. Having seen the forts and seen the Thalmor embassy, I can well believe that the Thalmor tried to kill them. The Thalmor would think nothing of turning on an Imperial patrol while it's away from prying eyes or demanding that the Imperial Army hand them over, if they should make it back to the fort. All the Thalmor consider themselves to be vastly superior to everyone including the other Altmer. Arrogance was Alduin's downfall and I think it will be the same for the Thalmor.

Hunting for Harran led us to the Serpent's Trail. That's what the smugglers have been calling the string of caverns that run under the Jerral Mountains and around Pale Pass with all the Imperial check points. The amusing thing is that we found out about it from Imperial soldiers who had served with Harran. Yes, we found the passage through the mountains and I was able to show Ulfric where both ends of it are. Galmar knew that the men had been looking for it but weren't sure if they'd found it or not. Now that I've cleaned out the smugglers and bandits, Ulfric's sending men to hold it.

I've dumped out some more gold and ordered that two forts be built on the Skyrim side of the pass because we have to cut them off. If the Thalmor are sneaking in and capturing people, we need to seal that leak in our border. I've told Ulfric that if the men take any Thalmor, question them and then leave them in a troll cave. Jenassa snickered and said that she thinks I'm trying to get the local wildlife to develop a taste for Altmer. I've told Ulfric that if it becomes necessary, I'll come camp there until the forts are up and manned. I've got no qualms at all about calling on Odahviing and Durnehviir to come roast some Thalmor if they try to attack. I've only got a few qualms about doing the same if the Imperial Army tries to attack while we're building the forts. They lost the war so they can just sod right off. If they won't, then we'll make them.

Ulfric's taken my gold and promised that the building will start right away. I've shown Ulfric where I want them placed. They should suffice to seal off both the Serpent's Tail and Pale Pass. Galmar approves of the placement of the forts. The Imperials aren't going to be happy, but we're an independent country now and I intend to see that it stays that way. I won't be threatened by the Thalmor or their puppets, the Imperial Army. I won't see Kaidan threatened by them either. Skyrim will become a safe haven for everyone who fears the genocidal Thalmor.

18th of Last Seed

I just realized its been a year since I got back to Skyrim and just over a year since I left the Jomsbrodirs. The 17th of Last Seed was when I found myself in cart with Ulfric and Ralof. What a wild ride it's been. Coming home, losing Ma and Auntie Kelda, Skor, Kodlak, Ancano, Miraak, Alduin, Balder, the Talos War, Jordis, my pup, Kaidan, the girls, vampires... I'm still dealing with the Thalmor, the Empire, bandits, necromancers, strange new wild life and making trips to Bruma to scout for Ulfric.

Necromancers come here hoping to find bodies from the war that they can practice their dark arts on. If they stuck to that, I wouldn't mind them quite so much, but they never do. When they run out of convenient test subjects, they tend to create some new ones. That's the practice I object to the most. I still object to a lot of what they do, but ending people to become spell components is the most reprehensible thing that they do short of the black soul gems. I can't forgive either of those two things.

Out of everything, the one thing that disappoints me the most is Miraak. Miraak was an even bigger disappointment than finding my brother, Balder, as a briar-heart. Had things worked out differently, I'd have joined forces with Miraak and we'd have turned our combined might against Mora and broken him free. I'd have had Miraak to combine shouts with and to learn from. He might even have known if I could teach Kai to shout and how to do it. When he still walked Nirn, there were plenty of Akaviri. It's even possible that he knew some of Kaidan's ancestors.

I've decided that I'll just start carving all three words of the "Bend Will" shout onto rocks and dropping them all over Skyrim, Solstheim, and Bruma. I've recorded it the mages' archives, the bards' archives and I've made everyone promise to carve into to random trees and boulders. That way if there ever is another Dragonborn, they should be able to stumble across one of them. Mora doesn't just hoard knowledge, he pulls knowledge out of the world and keeps it for himself. This is another reason that the Companions can't be allowed to fall under his influence.