Hey, it's been a while.  It's me, Destana.  I've been busy in Solstheim.  I don't think I've slept in... well, since I got here.  What day is it?  It's the 17th of Morning Star, and it's been a wild ride.  

 

As you know, I was looking around for clues and found a note in the temple that led me to a small Dwemer ruin to the north.  I arrowed my way through the place and found a man named Kenro with a lot of data about a cult of the Tribunal here in Solstheim.  Not really what I was looking for, but I filed it in the old log for later.  I returned to Raven Rock to join back up with the Nerevarine  (my guide) and found Kintyra sitting in the Inn.  And then I gave her a bit of a tongue-lashing.  

 

 

"I don't have time to escort you back to Skyrim right now.  If I just leave you in the Inn, you're going to just go off on your own, aren't you?"

"Well... probably."

Destana sighed, "You might not share my blood, technically, but you share my spirit.  Listen.  Follow us.  We'll keep you from being killed.  You might even learn something along the way."

 

She shook with visible excitement, but all she said was, "That'd be neat."

"Really?  Neat?"

"Sorry, I'm trying to be polite," Kintyra replied.

 

"Other reason I'm here, I've been having these dreams about a guy named Miraak.  Your mom, your uncles, and me, all got attacked by his cultists."

"So you're here to show him who's boss?" Kintyra smiled.

I smiled back, "Well, yeah, I guess.  He's got thousands of years of experience on me, so it'll be a fight to remember."

 

 

We set out on the road, hoping to find some clue of cult activity.  A couple minutes out we found a lone man fighting some of the Ash zomboys and I pitched in to save him.

"Thanks," he said, "I wasn't sure I'd make it off this farm alive.  Wish I could've said the same for my man here."

 

He went on to introduce himself as Captain Veleth.  The 'Ash Spawn' as he called them were causing trouble for Raven Rock and he was looking for clues to their origin.

I picked up a note half-buried in the dirt and he seemed aghast that it was a note from General Falx Carius, penned recently from Fort Frostmoth.

"That's impossible.  He was a garrison commander from over 200 years ago," he explained.

 

 

Naturally, I offered to check it out.  When we got there, I was spotted immediately and we fought off Ash Spawn as the General (undead? he looked fine) slipped into the safety of the structure.  We gave chase and stealthily knocked out the waves of Ash Spawn occupying the place.  We finally found him and I broke stealth.  I was curious how he was still alive.  But he immediately started blasting poison spells at us, Spawn rising from the ashes around us.  The other two fought the spawn while I took on the captain.  The Nerevarine threw stray ice shards at Falx to slow him, and I finally finished him off with a Slow Time.  I grabbed the general's hammer for one of the boys.

 

Kintyra giggled, "Those guys were tough!  Do you do this every day?"
"Pretty much," I replied.

 

We kept on toward the temple in the north, which I'd heard had a lot of weirdness going on, finding some Brigands, Burnt Spriggans, and a man trying his hand at a flight spell but ultimately splatting on the ground.

 

We finally reached this temple and found scores of people working like zombified drones, unresponsive.  Some of their number stepped out and attacked us, though.  When they were dispatched, I said, "These guys are just normal bandits.  Just random people from all walks of life.  Strange."

 

We met a woman named Frea, one of the only Skaal here not affected by this mindlessness.  We fought our way in, talking as we advanced.

"What do you know of Miraak?" I asked.

"He served the dragons before their fall from power.  A priest.  But he turned against them.  He made his own past and tried to claim Solstheim for himself.  And the dragons destroyed him," she replied.

We fought through draugr and cultists.  

"We must be careful in this temple.  Traps are everywhere," Frea said.

"Step lightly, don't set them off," I replied, "Remember what I taught you, Kintyra?"

She smiled back at me.

 

After a dozen rooms of draugr and traps, Kintyra'd managed to evade and avoid, keeping behind us.  But eventually she got clawed, going down in one hit.

"Everything's dead behind us," I said after the fighting was over, healing her up, "Told you it's dangerous.  Nerevar, mind protecting our girl here while Frea and I sally forth?" 

He nodded, "Of course."

 

A couple chambers later (and about 50 more draugr) we came to a LONG swinging axe room.

"No way I'm going down there," Frea said.

I chuckled, "Not my first time."

 

I turned and shouted, "WULD - NA.." then realized I'd mistimed it and slammed my face against an axe halfway down.  Chuckling, rolling the rest of the way, healing myself, I opened up the door and threw the lever to deactivate.

 

A couple more rooms of the two ladies out front, Nerevarine in the back shooting spells and playing bodyguard with Kintyra.  A draugr hopped out behind us and Kin stabbed him with her Rapier.  I finished him off.  I smiled at her and nodded.

 

More dungeon, more dungeon... we found a room of draugr with swinging log puzzles and they set off their own traps, killing themselves.  Finally, finally, we reached a treasure room, and...

 

"Whoa!  A word wall!" I said, "Been a long time since I've seen one of these."

I absorbed the knowledge and spent a dragon soul. 

"Wonder what this does.  I think it means strength," I said, "MUL!" 

 

Draconic energy flowed around my arms.  

 

 

"Neat," I said.  We ventured just a bit further, fought more Draugr, found an eerie stretch of empty rooms, then a book on a pedestal.

 

"Huh..." I said.

"There's some kind of dark magic here," Frea said.

I picked up the book and all at once, the book swallowed me up in a mass of tentacles.

 

A voice boomed before me, "Who are you to dare set foot here?"

 

 

He threw his hands up, and I fell to my knees.  I was surrounded by floating tentacle creatures.

"It's you!" I growled.

"Ahh... I know you.  You are Dragonborn.  You have slain Alduin.  Well done.  I could've slain himself back when I walked the earth, but I chose a different path."

 

"Armchair quarterback," I spat.

 

"You have no idea the true power a Dragonborn can wield," he said.

"I dunno, I'm pretty powerful," I fought against the crushing weight on top of me.

"MUL - QAH - DIIV!" He shouted, and the same draconic energy that'd surrounded my arms moments ago and faded, surrounded his whole body.

"This realm is beyond you," he said, "You have no power here.  It is only a matter of time before I can return home and control Solstheim.  Send her back where she came from.  She can await my arrival like the rest of Tamriel."  He turned and petted the dragon pet behind him.

 

The tentacle boys floated up and started blasting me with some form of energy.  Then they blasted.  They kept blasting.

"If... you're not going to send me back to where I came from... I can teleport out myself," I smirked.

The creatures stopped blasting.

"Hey Miraak, think your boys got tired," I smiled. 

 

Then I grinned, feeling his concentration begin to wane.  They'd stopped, he wasn't watching, he probably assumed they were done.  But maybe the tentacle boys had more than they could handle in my god-like ass.  A perfect storm of a screw-up.  I exerted my will, breaking out of the bonds.  My daggers slid into my hands instantly and I sliced through both the creatures beside me.

 

A third fell under my blades, and grinning, I charged at Miraak, "Guess who has power here now!"

I slashed at his dragon energy and he barely flinched.  He turned, grabbing my forearm as I made another slash.

I wiggled, trying to get out of his grasp.

From behind the mask his expression was inscrutable, but I felt like he was scowling.

 

I slashed him with my offhand again.  He raised his other hand and blasted me with a spell.  When I came to, I was back in the temple, panting.

"What happened?  You read the book... and you were here, but not here.  I could see through you," Frea said.

"Uhh... grandma, why are you smiling?" Kintyra asked.

"Well I fought Miraak.  If you could call that a fight.  He's strong.  Stronger than Rehman, or Jura," I paused, "Or me."

I sighed, "But maybe if I could separate him from his bullshit magic I could beat him."

 

"You saw Miraak?  Can we reach him?  Can we kill him?" Frea asked.

"Probably.  But I dunno how to get back there," I said.

She suggested we go visit her father, the shaman of the Skaal.  We got out of there and traveled overland and met Storn Crag-Strider.  We explained the situation.  He told me that Miraak was the First Dragonborn, and to beat him, I'd need to first learn the same word of power that Miraak uses to control people, to break his control.

 

 

So we headed even further north, for Saering's Watch.  I took the high road, shooting arrows and then hopping down from the mountain above the word wall.  I'd taken down most the draugr by the time my companions got there.   

 

I waited, absorbing the knowledge.

"Gol, earth," I said as Kintyra walked up the stairs. 

"So is that all you have to do?" Kintyra asked.

I took out my bow, shooting at the one or two stragglers in the distance, "Yeah.  And a dragon soul."

"So how did mom learn how to do it?" She asked.

"Lots and lots of practice, or so I'm told," I replied, using a dragon soul, "Where it would've taken years to master this shout for most people, I've already learned it."

"GOL!" I shouted into the air, though it didn't really do anything.

"You think I could learn one, if I practiced?" She asked.

 

 

I smiled at her, "Definitely.  You've got some Nord in there.  For other people it's nearly impossible.  For Nords it's just difficult.  My advice is to try out Unrelenting Force first.  It's a good starter shout, and always useful.  I blew one of the draugr off the mountain with it a minute ago."

She beamed with the encouragement.  We made our way down the mountain, to the Wind Stone.  I took a deep breath.

 

"GOL!" I shouted at the rock, and immediately the people stopped working.  

I smiled at my followers, "Dang, works like a charm!"

"Where am I?" One of them said.

"Don't worry, just return to your home.  The nightmare is over," I replied.  Before they could clear the area, the structure around the stone started to shake, then it violently exploded. 

 

I shouted, "LEAVE!"

The people scattered as a creature emerged from the dust.

I took out my bow, firing at the thing.  This time more humanoid, but with a facefull of tentacles, "Hey ugly!  Over here!"

 

I sank an arrow in it's side, then another in it's neck.  It turned and shot a green fleshy bulb and I narrowly dodged.

I used the stone between us to unsheathe my daggers and block more squicky tentacles.  The Nerevarine shot him with firebolts as I engaged in melee.  

It only took a few strokes after being set on fire.  Then I stabbed the thing again.  Just making sure.

 

Kintyra stood next to the Nerevarine, blinking.

"Yeah, THIS is what you heard about when you heard my stories.  Are you sure you want to be an adventurer?  You're a princess," I said.

She looked down, unsure.  Without further words, we returned to Skaal Village.

 

"Your people are free," I told Storn.

"The Skall shall forever be your allies.  Perhaps you can do the same for all of Solstheim.  I doubt it will stop whatever Miraak is doing, but it may slow him."

"It's not enough.  I need to stop Miraak now," I said back.

"I cannot help with that.  To stop Miraak, you will need more knowledge about the Black Book you told me of."

I showed him.

"This is the book?  This thing is dark, unnatural.  I will have nothing to do with it.  I hear the dark elf wizard Neloth knows a great deal about them.  Seek him out to the south.  Be cautious. There is something else at work here," Storn replied.

I rolled my eyes, "More tentacles, I assume."

 

I figured it was time to return to Raven Rock before setting off for Tel Mithryn.

We strolled into the Retching Netch on the 3rd, in evening.  I told Captain Veleth about Fort Frostmoth and he gave us a handsome bit of pay.  We sat down and ate a meal in the Inn, and I happened to find a fork stabbed into one of the casks.  A note was stabbed into the cask, written by good ol' Sheogorath.  It was for me, no doubt.  He'd shown a liking to messing with me (when he could remember what was going on).  He wanted me to kill things with the fork.  I filed it for later, smirking.  We slept in the inn and the next morning I decided I would check out the town.

 

I found a man named Crescius at the entrance to the mine, squabbling with his dark elf wife, Aphia.  Apparently he'd spent the better part of his life trying to uncover something in the mine that'd killed his great-grandfather, and was causing the mine to dry up.  I shrugged, "I can spare a few hours.  I'll search the mine.  Even the secret, dangerous parts.  There're always dangerous deep parts to mines where people 'dug too deep.'"

He raised an eyebrow, "Thanks."

I went to the deepest pit and just jumped down.  This time, Kintyra stayed at the top and the Nerevarine followed.  I broke down a boarded up doorway and found myself in an old Nord ruin.

"Well that took literally two minutes," I said.

 

The scores of draugr and traps weren't even the interesting part.  It was the hordes of people following us down there.  Not even just Miners, either.  Aphia and a bunch of random laborers from the town followed.

I peered over to Nerevar, "What are these people doing?"

He shrugged, "I guess they want to help you take back the deep portions of the mine."

"Well, I guess this is an attack party now," I said.

Our only recourse was to outpace them.  We stepped up our killing speed and plowed through the draugr, throwing stealth out the window.  

Whenever I thought we'd gotten past the random villagers, they reached us again.

 

"Seriously!  GO BACK TO YOUR HOMES!" I yelled.  We finished off the group we'd been fighting and while I was looting treasure, Tilisu Severin started using the alchemy station.

 

 

I threw up my hands, "If you guys get killed, it's not on me."

 

Finally I found a bridge, and I consciously decided not to raise the bridge and we continued forward without the randos.  After a couple more rooms, we came upon a door, the grandfather's journal, and a red greatsword.

I skimmed it, "I guess, if you attack with this thing a beam will shoot out, and that's how you activate the arch around the door.  Runa's old Moonlight Greatsword had that ability.  It was actually better than this sword though.  Well, I'm not a greatsword person."

Made me miss Runa a little, wonder how her travels were going.

 

 

I slashed the sword a few times and cut the arch until it opened.  I was met with another cutting axe puzzle.  

"Aha, I have an idea!" I said, "TIID!" 

I ran through the hallway, avoiding all the them with a great deal of speed, then deactivated the trap.

The Nerevarine nodded.

 

We passed into the final chamber, fought a dragon priest (by himself?  noob), ransacked a chest, and found a word wall.  QAH, the second word of Dragon Aspect.

 

 

And in the last room, another big chest with some great swords in it, and another black book.

"I just keep stumbling upon these things," I said, "I guess, get ready to wait a while."

 

The Nerevarine shrugged, sitting down.  I opened the book and was flung into the alternate world again.

 

 

This time, I was on a path in an infinite ocean of black ooze, books strewn about chaotic and squamous structures before me. 

 

A voice boomed, "So, another seeker after knowledge enters my realm."

 

 

"I didn't touch the beacon, I swear!" I shouted back.

"I am Hermaeus Mora, Prince of Fate and Lord of Secrets.  This is Apocrypha, where all knowledge is hoarded.  Perhaps you will prove clever enough to uncover the secrets hidden here. If so, welcome."

I started to walk forward.

"Perhaps you are a fool or a coward.  If so, you are in peril.  Read you book again and escape before Apocrypha claims you forever."

"Fool?  Perhaps.  Coward?  Not a chance," I said, slicing through the first of the Seekers I found.

With maximum snark, I continued, "Bring it on, tentacle boy.  I've seen more tentacles than you can imagine."

 

And now, truly alone, I fought my way further.  I found books, soul gems, and lots of tentacled enemies as I did.  Every hallway shifted as I strode upon it.  I had to navigate through a series of buttons and shifting pathways.  It was a short jaunt before I came to a huge version of the book I'd read to get here.  The Winds of Change.  I touched the book, and received a boon - the ability to ignore my companions in my area effect spells and shouts - Companion's Insight.

 

And with that, I was thrust back to Solstheim.

 

"Grandma," Kintyra said, "Where'd you go just now?"

"A place you're not going to follow, given the opportunity.  Place gives me the creeps.  How'd you make it down here?"

"The draugr are all dead.  I followed the villagers," she replied.

"Yeah, until they reform in 10 days or so," I said, "Stick with the Nerevarine if I go to Apocrypha while you're around."

"Yes, Ma'am," she replied.

 

We walked out the back secret entrance and I went to Crescius' house.  I told him about what happened.  An edited version, of course.  Just told him about the draugr and he thanked me.  It was evening now, and I figured I'd just cleanse the stone right outside of Raven Rock and let the others sleep.

 

I approached the Earth Stone and blasted it with GOL, the same thing happening.  This time, though, several of the creatures appeared.  Kintyra was caught in the immediate blast and was knocked unconscious.  I should feel bad, but I've told her to be careful and stay back.  Probably my own fault.

 

Old Moon and Star threw her over his shoulder when we were done and we put her in the Inn.  We rested and set off to Tel Mithryn in the morning, without the kid.  Maybe this'd teach her a little lesson.  We fought a couple Ash Spawn, and a group of warlocks right outside Tel Mithryn, then found the dark elf wizard, Neloth.

 

"I don't recall inviting you into my tower," he said flatly.

"I hear you know where to find black books," I stated.

"You refer to the tomes of esoteric knowledge that old Hermaeus Mora has scattered throughout the world?  What could you know of them."
"Well, here's one," I pulled it out, "Just found a second."

"Ahhh... you read it too, didn't you?" He sneered, "You've got the look."

"I have to know what Miraak wants if I want to stop him."

"Miraak?  The one all the townsfolk are talking about?"

"Yes.  He's trying to return to Solstheim."

"I KNEW something was going on here.  Something connected to Hermaeus Mora is spreading its influence across the land.  I had no idea it was connected with Miraak."

"Can you help me find more black books?" I asked.

 

"Oh yes.  They're not hard to find once you know where to look.  I have one here I've been using to locate more," he replied.

I chuckled under my breath.  His statement had the energy of, 'And I've been using this one to keep the coffee table level.'

 

"You have a Black Book?"

"Yes.  But my book isn't what you're looking for, I'm quite sure.  I do know where to find another though.  I haven't been able to get to it.  Maybe together we can unlock the secrets the dwemer left behind."

"Ahh, the dwemer are involved.  That makes sense," I smirked.

"Yes, forbidden knowledge.  Somewhat of a specialty of the dwarves.  I found their reading room in the ruins of Nchardak.  It's sealed in a protective case I wasn't able to open.  If you're ready, follow me."

 

We made our way to Nchardak, stopping at the Sun Stone (conveniently on the way) and cleansing it.  It started to pour rain, and we faced a large group of bandits who'd made a home on the platforms leading up to Nchardak.  I was happy to get in, out of the cold.