Camilla Valerius had warned Monilee about the old watchtower, perched high up about the White River. Crawling with bandits, now, and so she gave it wide berth. She didn't have the same luxury when it came to the actual entry to the Barrow, however. Fortunately, the bandits were cowards - despite holding the high ground with superior numbers, as soon as the third one fell to Monilee's bow, the rest turned tail and fled. Those few that remained - archers high up and with no easy escape route, fell quickly to Monilee's arrows and her doppelganger's sword.

 

Monilee started to set about searching the fallen enemies for loot, but a fresh wind chilled her to the bone. If only the barrow's original walls and roof were still intact... it must have been a grand structure in it's day, but now all that remained were stone floors and arches... and a door, promising entry deeper into the complex where it entered the mountainside. Mindful that more bandits likely lurked inside, Monilee carefully opened the door and crept inside, bow ready.

 

 

 

Almost as soon as she entered the inner temple, she realized her fears were justified. More bandits sat around a campfire, separated from Monilee by a thick stone column. She paused and listed to their conversation... evidently one of their number had ventured ahead without them, and they were concerned that he might plan to abscond with treasure on his own. Quietly, she drew her sword and rushed around the pillar. The first bandit, a male, had his back to her. She ran him through in an instant. The second, a woman, drew her weapon as she tried to keep the campfire between her and Monilee, but Monilee was two fast - she stunned the woman with a left cross punch and then dispatched her with a sword stroke to her throat. A third bandit - a child? Fled into the darkness, and Monilee didn't give chase.

 

 

 

Unbidden, her doppelganger - now speaking in a distinctly male voice - opined, "Remember to check behind you every now and then. Who knows what might sneak up behind us."

 

Monilee groaned a little. "Thank you for that advice," she hissed as she searched the male bandit. She didn't find much of value, except for a pair of oddly ornate keys, which she turned into a belt pouch. The female bandit had even less of value, but Monilee did find a rolled up painting atop a chest. After putting the painting, which looked like it might be rather valuable, in her pack, she quickly picked the lock on the chest and rifled its contents. Her hobby of breaking locks was one that her parents had intensely disapproved of, but Monilee suspected it would prove quite valuable here in Skyrim. Mostly trash in the chest... some iron boots that might have been useful to Monilee if she'd trained more in heavy armor, but she left those behind. Wrapped up in a blanket she did find a few potion vials and a small coinpurse though, which she happily claimed as her own. 

 

Past this first chamber, cobwebs lined the walls. She had to step over a particularly thick wad of webbing that she realized belatedly was a human corpse. If the spiders that laid these webs were still here, they were big enough to be a threat to Monilee, and she started glancing up at the ceiling from time to time, just in case. At first, she pressed ahead at a brisk pace, but after nearly stepping on a pressure place cleverly recessed into the floor, she slowed down and took a more deliberate approach. In doing so, she dodged several more traps before coming to a full stop at the sight of torchlight ahead.

 

Another bandit! The man was struggling with a heavy stone lever. With an effort, he flipped it and then looked expectantly in the opposite direction from Monilee, towards a rusty metal portcullis. If he planned for it to open, he was disappointed, since instead hidden apertures spat metal darts that tore into his body. Groaning, the man fell dead. Traps, traps, and more traps, she thoughts. Evidently whoever built this ruin didn't want unwelcome guests. 

 

Interesting that the gate is closed, she mused. Did their rogue member - Arvil she'd thought she heard them call him - get himself locked in, or did he lock his "friends" out? Either way, Monilee needed to find a safe way through the portcullis if she was to get the claw. She scanned her surroundings, studying the various carvings and stele spread around the chamber. The stele in particular caught her eye, as they looked like they could rotate with the help of pull rings on their side. A glance behind and to the sides of them revealed that each side had different graven images. With some careful reference to the crests engraved on the door, Monilee adjusted the stele so they matched the pattern. Then, with a deep breath, she threw the lever and backed up quickly to avoid any darts. 

 

The gate opened, and no darts flew.

 

 

At first she thought what lay beyond was a treasury, but the evidence quickly made her doubt. Scuff marks on the flagstones suggested the chest had been dragged to its resting place, and the decidedly not-ancient book and cheese wheel seemed rather out of place. Perhaps this was Arvil's private horde, his collection of loot. Monilee took a moment to rifle the contents. Not much of interest - a few ancient coins that might be valuable, and of course the potion on the shelf. The book sounded interesting, but a quick look at the front matter revealed that it was the second volume in a series, and in any event Monilee knew this wasn't the sort of place to sit down and get lost in a book. She packed away the valuables and told herself she'd get to the book once they were back in Riverwood. 

 

Descending a staircase - and warding off some feisty skeevers with her sword - Monilee came to another small chamber with more treasures lying on a marble altar. It seemed as if Arvil was going out of his way to enrich her... not that it was any fair complaining. In truth, she felt a little guilty taking advantage of this other adventurer's success. But she snuffed it like an unwanted candle flame. After her experience in the kennel, her reserve of pity for the inhabitants of Skyrim was quite limited indeed. If Arvil wanted his treasures back, he'd have to offer her something worthwhile in exchange - like a solid gold dragon claw.

 

Thinking of the claw caused Monilee's mind to drift back to Camilla Valerius for a moment. The pretty face lingered in her mind perhaps a little longer than was quite proper before she refocused on her task. Still, she'd have to find out if the woman was... available, on her return to Riverwood. 

 

"Who is it? Is someone coming? Is that you Harvnir?" The words snapped Monilee out of her daydream. They echoed further down the hall, and Monilee slid to the side of the hall, crouching in shadow - at least until she realized that her halo would make it hard for anyone to miss her, shadows or not. So instead she focused just on moving quietly as she homed in on the panicky voice.

 

"Bjorn! Solinne! I need help!" the voice continued, as Monilee approached a cobweb-strewn hall.

 

"Don't like the looks of this..." her doppelganger drawled.

 

Monilee had to actually use her sword to slice through the thick webbing covering the doorway to the hall, and once inside she saw it was littered with cocoons and egg sacs. She didn't have much time to appreciate it before the largest spider she had ever seen in her life descended from a skylight in the ceiling. She tried to ward it off by swinging at its legs, then parried its fangs like someone trying to stab her from above with a dagger. Evidently displeased by prey that resisted, the spider spat a viscous, goopy sludge at Monilee, and when it struck her she felt like she'd been plunged into ice water. Despite feeling suddenly weaker, she mustered the strength for one last blow and plunged her sword deep into the creature as it reared up to attack her again. Mercifully, it fell to the ground with a shriek. After a few twitches, the monster lay still.

 

"Help me! Help!" Shouted Arvil, virtually crucified with strands of webbing on the far side of the hall. Monilee stepped towards him, and then staggered to her knees, chills running through her veins. 

 

Poison!

 

Even as her heart pounded and her eyesight blurred, she thrust her hand into her belt pouch and drew out the potion she'd found earlier. The one that probably belonged to Arvil. She was almost certain it was some kind of healing potion. Fair exchange then, for rescuing him. Without the luxury of hesitation or second thoughts, she pulled out the cork with her teeth and sucked down the bitter draught.

 

At took a minute, all the while listening to Arvil's braying, but Monilee finally got back to her feet. She felt sick to her stomach, but the potion was doing its work and the poison was weakening. Taking stock of herself, she realized the spider's legs had torn her cloak to shreds. With a sigh, she discarded it and returned to her task of freeing the bandit. It took some work - each swing of her sword was a labor - but finally the Dunmer fell to the ground. But rather than thank her, he sneered at Monilee's gullibility and ran off deeper into the ruin. She really wanted to chase him, but her head was swimming. She clearly wasn't nearly as recovered as she'd thought. She needed to rest... let Arvil take his fate into his own hands. 

 

So she lay down, curled up, and let the potion finish doing its work. She couldn't sleep - waves of icy pain shot through her head and her guts with disturbing regularity - but with time they subsided. Now instead, her body felt hot and her heart pounded. She could hear the blood thundering in her ears. But she was a live, and she would have that claw. So carefully, she returned to her feet and started off after the Dunmer thief.

 

The depths of the barrow were dark - perhaps no living soul had penetrated this deep to relight old sconces. But soon she was greeted with something else in the dark: horrifying groans and bright blue eyes. Before she could fully dodge out of the way, a sword grazed across her chest. Her leather cuirass stopped it from biting into flesh, but the strength of the blow made her stagger back. It took a moment for Monilee to regain her feet, but her doppelganger held off the monster until she could rejoin the fight.

 

 

A Draugr. Monilee had heard stories of these monsters, but she had wondered if they were just a fanciful tale spun by the Nords to describe common zombies. Now, she believed those stories. This was no zombie, half fallen apart, rotting and mindless. The dessicated creature wore ancient but clearly sturdy armor and fought with the technique of a trained warrior. Her confidence in Arvil's survival, running headlong ahead of her, was diminishing by the second. Like before with the bandits, she checked the creature for valuables. Nothing... wait. A jewel glistened on the creature's throat. A gem? She reached for it, and then found herself thrown back - literally blown out of her boots. She was choking, her vision was blurring, something was on her neck. 

 

When she recovered from her momentary panic she found a mantel of metal and smooth... what? stone? polished wood? She wasn't sure what the material was, but it was locked firmly onto her neck and shoulders.

 

"Oh, my," her doppleganger cooed.

 

"What?" Monilee would have snapped it, but she was still having a little trouble breathing with her neck clamped tight.

 

"Has no one told you of the curses her in Skyrim?" Monilee was pretty sure the daedra was smiling under its hood.

 

"You see," she continued, "these crypts are guarded by powerful magics, meant to keep thieves away. I do believe you've triggered such a ward. I fear you'll have some difficulty removing that."

 

Monilee tugged at it and, indeed, it had no give. 

 

"What do I do then?"

 

Her doppelganger shrugged. "Find a key, or find a blacksmith. Either's as good as the other."

 

Lovely, just lovely. Monilee set down for a moment to catch her breath, then got back to her feet and did her best to get comfortable with the neck restraint. She almost started checking the urns around the chamber, but the sight of her doppelganger casually watching her from behind that hood reminded her of the risk. 

 

 

Thus chastened, Monilee left the potential treasure where it lay and focused on cutting her way through the Draugr. After a few more tough fights, they found Arvil. Dead, unsurprisingly, his chest smote in by a Draugr warhammer. Monilee easily found the claw - though it seemed a bit smaller than Lucan had described it - and the thief's journal. A quick perusal laid out the purpose of the claw and promised more treasure deeper in the cavern. She also found a key on the thief... a key that looked like it fit the lock on her collar. With a silent prayer of thanks to Dibella, she unlocked the damnable contraption and tossed it to the floor. 

 

Deeper and deeper they went, battling through the hordes of the dead with sword and bow. No longer caught by surprise, Monilee fought with more and more confidence. At length, they found themselves facing a new challenge... a gauntlet of scything blades. They also found a wounded adventurer, bruised and beaten but alive.

 

 

 

 

She explained much about the nature of the Draugr. Not mindless at all, but with unknowable motives and a capacity for unspeakable cruelty. Given her experiences so far in Skyrim, this didn't surprise Monilee too much, but she took it as a sign that she needed to redouble her caution in this savage world. Taking a moment to orient herself, she checked the condition of her gear - acceptable, but she'd need to visit a blacksmith on her return - and studied the timing of the blades. Monilee was pretty confident that if she timed it just right, she could dash through - and it looked like there was a pull chain on the far side, perhaps a way to stop the cycle entirely.

 

One... two... a deep breath and a prayer to Dibella... and she was through! Monilee pulled hard on the chain, and indeed the blades stopped, allowing her doppelganger to trot after her in a much less hurried fashion. 

 

The going wasn't any easier from this point. With each new chamber conquered, the Draugr resisted with greater and great strength and ferocity. In one fight, the sword Monilee's doppelganger had been using shattered dramatically. The daedra fought literally tooth and nail before wrenching a quarterstaff from one of the undead creatures and continuing the fight. Finally, after one last push, the waves of enemies waned and Monilee found herself in a chamber bisected with a gentle stream. She took a moment to rest, though she didn't trust the water enough to slake her thirst. There would be time for that after they escaped the dungeon.

 

At the end of the stream, Monilee found a very unexpected sight. A statue of Dibella, here? Surely this wasn't part of the ancient ruin... but who would have erected a statue in this dismal place? Perhaps, she thought, this is another sign. This is proof that I'm on the right track. 

 

 

Deeper still they delved, prevailing again and again against the Draugr - and other things that lurked in the dark - until they approached what seemed to be the inner sanctum of the ruins. As Arvil's journal promised, the great stone lock awaited. Along the way, Monilee's nice boots been totally ruined, and she found herself wishing she'd liberated some of the bandits' footwear as a backup. Now she approached with a light step, looking to avoid any stones or bits of debris, before she carefully dialed in the sequence to open the door. The stone slab fell into the floor with a dull rumble, revealing stairs beyond. 

 

More Draugr lay in their way, but with effort and valor Monilee pressed on, finally reaching a large cavern, open to the sky at its ceiling. And at it's heart... a raised altar and a strange wall beyond. It seemed to whisper to Monilee, to beckon. A promise of knowledge... of power. And then her world was spinning. What had been a wall was now a curved, bowl-like floor and iron clamps were closing on her legs... her armor fell away as if loosened by ghostly hands and a long, blackened metal pole emerged from the rock. Emerged and unstoppably entered her. And as it filled her body with cold steel, it filled her soul with power.

 

 

When the experience was over, Monilee wasn't completely sure it had even been real. Her doppelganger soon disabused her of that notion.

 

"Well, that was quite a show. I guess my snake friend was on to something after all."

 

"What... what just happened?" Monilee managed to stammer.

 

The daedra shrugged. "It's not my place to say. You'll come into your destiny soon enough, my dear."

 

Further cajoling got Monilee nowhere, and so she proceeded to examine her surroundings. The chest by the altar contained a number of very interesting items, including a sealed strongbox of some sort... and an ancient and precious looking necklace set with sapphires. Certainly a fine haul from this adventure. Now it was just a matter of getting back to Riverwood, returning the claw, and making sense of the strange experience at the wall.

 

 

Test Notes

Successfully triggered word wall love.

• No meaningful render delay observed with this scene.
• The minor animation object misalignment is because of a known issue with FK Racial Skeletons and can be disregarded. 
• The unusual behavior of Monilee's right arm during the animation is also a known issue

 

Unrelated fun fact - the Draugr Overlord was missing in action. It appears that if you haven't started the main quest yet, you can't get the Dragonstone yet either. So we'll be back here again... and soon.