Nineteenth of Last Seed, Fourth Era Two Hundred and One

I've spent some time in Riverwood, taking Ralof's advice to let the heat die down from the Helgen incident. As such, I've spent a little time doing favors for the townsfolk.

• Ralof told me of Embershard Mine, a modest little shaft that had been overrun with bandits. It was easy enough to clear them out, and I was able to collect some of the gear they had made.
• While selling the gear from the mine and what I looted at Helgen, I overheard the shopkeep, Lucan Vallerius, arguing with his sister Camilla. Turns out, bandits had stolen an item of great value to Lucan: an ornamental Dragon's Claw made of solid gold. His sister guided me to the edge of town and gave me directions to the nearby ruins, Bleak Falls Barrow. It felt good to go on a quest again, even if the reward wasn't gonna be a lot. Though at least I got to bash in a couple green-skin skulls on the way. Seeing bandits occupying the ruins of my ancestors made my blood boil, and it felt good purging them from the site. About halfway through, I encountered a giant Frostbite Spider. It was a much longer fight than most of the chumps I had to go through. Trapped in a web was the thief who stole the Claw from Lucan. And what do you know, it was an Ash-skin. He begged me to let him down, and I did. I channeled my inner fire according to Jhunal's teachings, and burned the webs. And kept burning until the cursed elf was dead. On his body was the Claw, and a journal. Turns out, this knife-ear thought he could steal the power of my ancestors. Idiot. Though he did reveal that the Claw is the key to the innermost sanctum of Bleak Falls Barrow. Continuing on, I found an unfortunate sight. The dead warriors buried in the Barrow awoke as Draugr. Must have been the elf's presence that did it. I laid my ancient brothers and sisters to rest again, and came upon the inner sanctum. The thief's notes said that the way in is "in the palm of my hand". Looking at the door, it was clearly some kind of puzzle lock. My mother told me that our ancestors made them to keep out the unworthy. The rings of the lock have symbols of a bear, an owl, and a moth. The walls of the hallway are even decorated with carvings of Tsun, Jhunal, and Dibella. The part that unlocks the door looks like the Claw I was sent to retrieve. Looking at it's palm, I found the correct combination for the door, and walked in. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting a mostly natural cave behind the door; and I certainly didn't expect to find what looked like a massive alter with what I can only describe as a curved wall on only one side. And the strangest thing happened to me as I walked up the steps. I heard chanting, as if the spirits of Sovngarde themselves were making their presence known to me. The world seemed to darken, and a series of carvings on the wall started glowing. Streams of power flowed towards me as I stepped closer, and before I knew it, something burned itself into my mind. A word of some kind. FUS. I didn't have long to ponder what it could mean before the coffin behind me burst open, releasing a rather strong looking Draugr. It didn't last much longer than the others, though. By the Nine, I love warhammers! After doing some looting (What? It's not like they'll use it! They're dead!) and returned to Riverwood. Lucan and Camilla were both very pleased with the Claw's return, though Lucan seemed a bit suspicious when I gave it back. Regardless, I went to do some selling to lighten my load. And I even got a backpack to replace the one I lost! Has a bottle-holder and everything!
• The next day, Camilla told me of her love life woes. Apparently, the local bard and a struggling huntsman are both vying for her affection. Sven, the Bard, is already courting her. But Faendal, the Wood Elf hunter, is trying to undermine that courtship (like a typical Elf). I decided to talk to them both about it. Faendal gave me a letter, and told me to say that it was from Sven. It was such a nasty letter! Of course a knife-ear would come up with a plan like that! But then, to my shock and disgust, Sven had the same idea!! As much as I hate Elves, I can't let a Nord be rewarded for such dishonorable behavior! So I brought both letters to Camilla and exposed them both! She promptly thanked me and immediately made it clear to both Sven and Faendal that they had ruined their chances at being with her. Serves them right! We even joked that maybe I should court her instead, and had a great laugh at the look on their faces!
• The rest of the day saw me talking to Hod and helping him with his lumber work. He was really curious about the Dragon attack at Helgen, so I told him about it's sheer size. That seemed to shut him up real quick. I amassed such a stack of wood, and was paid quite the equal stack of gold! I was intensely curious about where all that money came from, but then decided that it might be better if I don't know.
• At the end of the day, I entered the Sleeping Giant Inn. As I entered, the Inn Keep - a woman named Delphine - was badgering her poor husband - Orgnar. As I listened to them, I heard chanting. The same chanting from Bleak Falls Sanctum. Sneaking into the couple's room while their backs were turned, I found and took an ancient-looking key and two paired notes. Thankfully, neither of them noticed me leaving the room. Delphine rented another room to me for the night, and I got the first good sleep I've had in months! Such a simple bed, yet it felt like the most luxurious thing!

It is now the morning, and I shall soon depart for Whiterun. Gerdur has implored me to seek out Jarl Balgruuf, and ask for his aid in defending Riverwood from a possible Dragon attack. I just hope he'll listen to me. Perhaps, as long as I don't mention I plan on joining the Stormcloaks, I'll be fine.