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Hey, it's Destana again. Last time, I got ready to call Odaviing and fight him and find out where Alduin is hiding, but decided I would take care of the vampire problem first. With both Elder Scrolls, I headed back into Castle Volkihar and found the Moth Priest, Dexion Evicus. And I noticed he has a blindfold on. He said, "I'm sorry, I won't be able to read another Elder Scroll for you. I'm afraid in my haste to read the first scroll, I neglected the time I needed to prepare. The failure is purely mine to bear. As you can see from my bandages, I am physically unable. Oh please, milady, forgive me!" "I don't suppose there's a cure for permanent blindness?" "If only such a miracle existed..." He said. "Then I have no further need of you..." I said, about to tell him to go home, but I considered what accommodations he would need. "Although I would gladly die by our hand, perhaps I could offer an alternative way to read the scrolls?" He said quickly. "Dexion, I wasn't going to kill you. But, go on." "Thank you for letting me continue to serve, m'lady! There's an Ancestor Glade in Skyrim, in the pine forest. Someone could use the ancestor moths within to read the scroll. You remove the bark from a canticle tree, which attracts the moths. Once enough moths are gathered, they'll provide you with second sight needed to decipher the scrolls." "I assume this is the 'proper' way to do this, that moth priests usually go through?" "Yes, m'lady. There should be a draw knife available at the glade to cut the bark," he said, "Not even every moth priest ever gets to do this! You should count yourself blessed if it works." I gathered up blood potions from the table and set back out to the Ancestor Glade with my group. Looking down, I saw a lowered clearing with many waterfalls, moths gathering at the trees. A stream of light cast on the center, which is where I found the draw knife. "This is beautiful. I doubt there's any other place like it in Skyrim," Serana commented. I cut a bunch of bark and rubbed it on myself and ran around. When I'd gathered a shitton of moths, I started to glow. When I stepped under the shaft of light, I knew this was the place. I opened the Elder Scroll, just like I'd done a couple days ago in the Time Wound. When I did, an image was burned into my vision. I felt faint, and when I knocked the cobwebs out of my brain, Serana was helping me up. "Are you ok? Almost thought I lost you there... you went white as the snow," she said. "I doubt that," I commented on my dark skin, "But I do know where we need to go." It was burned in my brain. I pulled out my map and marked it, "Darkfall Cave." Just then, I heard a noise. Dawnguard! I hid behind one of the rocks while the group dealt with them, I adding an arrow or two. My vision still wasn't fully recovered. Maybe I should stop reading these things. When we got to Darkfall Cave (it was very dark) we walked past a wooded clearing in the cave, up a path to a rickety bridge. As I neared the middle, only Sofia and Serana had stepped onto it when the bridge broke apart. We were all dunked into a rushing river, swept downstream. When we got to the end, I casted a Perpetual Light and we were immediately beset by Cave Spiders. The three of us cut them down. I summoned Shirley and Inigo and we ventured on. We reached a camp covered in blood and Serana said, "Why would anybody set up camp here?" Then, realizing I was being dumb, I activated Night Eye, because I was a vampire. Venturing on, we encountered a couple of Cave Trolls, then in the distance I saw what looked like a Falmer. I got out my bow and took aim. "You have nothing to fear from me," the figure said, and I put my bow away. "Who are you?" I said as I approached. And I realized he was an elf, but white as the snow. "I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor. Welcome to the Great Chantry of Auri-El." "This cave is a temple?" "Auriel, Auri-El, Alkosh, Akatosh... so many different names for the sovereign of the Snow Elves." Pretty sure Auriel is not Akatosh, but ok. I said, "You don't look Falmer." "I prefer Snow Elf. Falmer is what we call the Betrayed." "I imagine you know why we're here," I said. "Of course. You're here for Auriel's Bow. I can help you get it, but I need your assistance," Gelebor said. "What do you need?" I folded my arms. I'd already been down a dank Falmer hole recently. Guess it was already time for another. "I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur, my brother." "Okay, but why?" "I don't understand what's happened to him. It was the Betrayed. They did something to him. I just don't understand how Auriel would allow this to happen. They swept into the Chantry without warning and began killing everyone without pause. It is a peaceful place of worship. My small group of paladins were no match for their sheer numbers. He's alive, but he's changed. And it doesn't seem like he's under duress." "I have a group here. I don't suppose you want to help us?" I asked. "Leaving the wayshrines unguarded would be violating my sacred duty as a Knight-Paladin." "Wow, that's some devotion. Even after everyone and everything you knew is dead (which Auriel could've probably done something about) you still cling to this faith," I said, "Just tell me what to do." "Let me show you how these shrines work," he casted a spell, and the shrine behind him opened up. "Initiates completed their mantras, then they dip a ceremonial ewer in the basin at each wayshrine." Serana said, "So we have to lug around a heavy pitcher of water. Marvelous." "And to enter the Inner Sanctum, you pour the pitcher into the basin there." "Seems like a waste," Serana said. "It's symbolic. I don't expect you to understand," he said, "There are five wayshrines in total." "Doesn't matter. Are they all in caves?" "Oh, no. The Chantry encompasses far more than a few caves. There will be a spectral prelate at each wayshrine," Gelebor said. I grabbed the ewer from Gelebor, and dipped it in the shrine. A portal opened up in one of the archways in the wayshrine, with several blank walls that I assumed would open up later. "Alright, team," I said, diving in. Another dark cave, I continued on with the group following. We fought through Falmer, walked through a waterfall, then I pulled a chain that opened up a large cave that reminded me of Blackreach. This one was rock paths over a large body of water, but the strange lights and mushrooms were the same. We fought our way past several strangely-patterned Saber Cats, then found the first shrine. I dipped the ewer and went through the portal. This one opened up to a misty clearing with more strange saber cats, green deer, and colorful flora. Most of them were in this field, but miles away, so we trekked. "It's ironic that we're 'helping' these priests," I said. "Honestly, I don't think they care what a bunch of vampires would do with Auriel's Bow. They're pretty focused on the past," Serana replied. "Yeah I don't get the sense that they care much about the sun, or even the actual god himself anymore. It's pretty sad," I said. After a little bit of running, we reached the second, and the third. I had to do a little mountain climbing to get to the fourth, and I lost most of my group. Sofia kept up with me though. It seemed she was intent on proving she was useful. I looked down at a frozen lake and spied something on the horizon. Aiming my bow, I figured it was too far away. Sofia came up behind me and nudged me a little. I lost my footing and fell. My cushioned boots protected me from harm, but I turned to see a Frost Giant right behind me. He slammed his greatclub onto the ice and I fell backward. This one attack, even missing me, left me quite injured! I backed up, dodging the next attack. Knowing type matchups, I casted a double-handed Elemental Bolt to catch him on fire. Sofia engaged and I took him down with a bow. Whew. I stepped out onto the ice, as the shrine was nearby. My group was just coming around the mountain when two ice dragons burst out of the frozen river. Not dealing with this alone. "DUR - NEH - VIIR!" I shouted, and the undead dragon appeared. Immediately hungry for battle, he engaged the far away dragon while we engaged the nearby one. This time, through ranged attacks of the whole group and me using Dragonrend, we were able to fell them both. Another Frost Giant (who I'd been initially aiming at) was at the far end of the lake, but I started shooting at the edge of my range and he was dead before he got to us. I collected the fourth shrine, and turned toward the last one. This one led us into an icy crevasse in a mountain spiderwebbed with Falmer construction. We fought our way up icy cliffs for a couple hours, me primarily sniping them with my bow (and if they ever got close, I gave them an Unrelenting Force to send them into the pit). I spied a beautiful elven bridge high above us. When we ran out of falmer homes and places to climb, I scratched my head. You remember waaaaay back when I was infiltrating cities and using rope arrows? Well, I got out a bundle of them, dusted them off, and shot about ten of them across the rocks above me. It was still a hard climb, and my jumping abilities certainly helped, but eventually I reached the bridge. The only one to tail me properly: Sofia. "How the heck are you so good at keeping up with me? Not even a powerful vampire can do that." "I'm good at being on your ass you say?" She chuckled. She knew exactly what she was doing. I walked over to the last shrine and dipped the ewer, and noted that the Inner Sanctum was across the bridge. I summoned the others who were having trouble climbing, we took a short break (them for food and me and Serana for a blood potion) then poured the ewer in the final basin and headed inside. "My friend, you never stop do you?" Inigo smirked. "Haven't considered it, no," I said, "Maybe when I'm old. But if I stay a vampire, I guess that's not going to happen." We laughed. Inside were numerous ice statues. Some of them holding pretty good-looking weapons and items. "Nobody touch anything," I said, "I know enough to know if you touch these, they'll probably come to life and try to kill you." I placed the ewer on a pedestal that looked like it belonged to, which opened a side door. We ventured forward, only to find a trapped Frost Giant and some treasure, both of which we dealt with. "Sometimes I wonder if we could make peace with the monsters too. The Forsworn seem to have done so," I said. Then we walked back in the main chamber and I took the ewer back. We walked forward, not disturbing anything, until we found a room filled with the statues and another Snow Elf sitting on a throne. He looked bored. "Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow?" He asked. I assumed this was Vythur. "You've done exactly as I predicted and brought your fetching companion to me." "Oh, you mean me?" Serana asked. "I'm sorry, but your usefulness is at an end," Vythur said to me. Knowing exactly what was coming, I started my transformation as he was talking. The group got the hint and started to draw their weapons as the ice sculptures burst forth, waves of Falmer rushing us. After a few waves and me drinking my fill of Falmer with blood storm, he cast a spell at the ceiling, bringing it down above us. Another wave of Falmer with an Ancient Frost Atronach, then he brought the rest of the roof down, and I was knocked out from a stone hitting me on the head. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in my human form, Serana slapping me gently on the face. "C'mon," she said, "He's retreating!" We rushed forward to a balcony overlooking the valley and Serana grappled with Vythur, "You're going to give us that bow!" "How dare you!" He struggled, and it seemed their strength was nearly matched, "I was the Arch-Curate of Auriel. I had the ear of a god!" "Until the betrayed corrupted you. We heard," she replied. "Look in my eyes! What am I?" Vythur shouted, raging against his god. "You're... a vampire?" Serana asked, "But Auriel should have protected you." "Daddy Auriel seems like he doesn't give a shit about the elves," I added. "I was infected by one of my own initiates, and Auriel turned his back on me. He may have been beyond my reach for revenge, but his influence on our world wasn't. All I needed was the blood of a vampire and his own weapon to cut off his influence in Nirn," Vythur said. "Can't say I blame Vythur," I muttered. "I created the prophecy that led you here," Vythur continued, "Because I needed one final ingredient. A Daughter of Coldharbour." Serana gritted her teeth. I'd never seen her this mad. She reached for Vythur again, grabbing his neck and lifting him off the ground. But he put his feet on her chest and kicked off, landing on his feet. Everyone's drew weapons. He quickly casted a spell, summoning another Ancient Frost Atronach, but there were five of us. He lasted approximately six seconds. A moment later, the shrine in the Inner Sanctum rose. Door opening, Knight-Paladin Gelebor walked out of one of the portals. "This wayshrine is active. Vythur must be dead," he said. "It wasn't the Falmer's fault," I said flatly, "He was a vampire." "That explains much. Deep inside, it brings me joy the Betrayed weren't to blame. Perhaps..." He started. Maybe someday the Falmer could be cured, but that wasn't happening anytime soon. "My thanks, to both of you," Gelebor said, "You may have the bow. You've restored the Chantry. If you wish, I can create Sunhallowed Arrows for you, from normal elven arrows." Of course it had to be elven arrows. I pulled out a roll of them from my pack. Usually I just use whatever arrows are closest to the top. Thank gods I hadn't used all of them. I had him make me 40 of them. As Gelebor handed me the bow, he said, "This bow was said to be created by Auriel himself in battle against Lorkhan in ancient times. It draws power from Aetherius, channeling it through the sun. With these arrows, the effect is even greater." We got on the road to Volkihar Castle. Serana commented, "Not as shiny as I was expecting. Before we visited my mother, I'd say we bring it to my father. But now..." "Oh, I'm going to bring him this bow. And I'll deliver these arrows to Harkon personally," I said. "But..." Serana said. "You know, one at a time, at very high velocity. I was making a joke," I smiled, "That was in poor taste, wasn't it?" "I wish there was another way," she sighed, "I know I might seem pretty carefree, joking with you all the time... I guess I'm just trying to run away from all these feelings. But I feel pretty overwhelmed right now." Sofia said, "Have you ever wondered if our lives are just one big game? That the gods are playing with us?" "Well, Auriel doesn't seem to care about mortals, for one," I said. Serana blinked, "That's... surprisingly profound." "Like someone is sitting there playing with us like some adult plaything," Sofia continued. "Aha," I said, "There's the rub." "Where? I want a rub," Sofia said. "My gods, woman," Inigo facepalmed, "They're trying to have a moment here." "Sofia is pretty good at lightening spirits," Serana said, "I have to say you're growing on me." "Growing on you?" Sofia smirked. "Stop..." I said. We beached the rowboat to the island and got out. We walked as a group to and through the castle. I grabbed a snack from one of the human 'cattle' there, and we continued into Harkon's Room. He was standing there, already in Vampire Lord form, "So, you return." He motioned with his hand, and the doors slammed shut behind us, locking everyone outside the room except myself and Serana. "You look pretty threatening right now. Why would you want to threaten us? We've done exactly as you asked. Moved heaven and earth to get this bow," I said. I was just playing a part at this point. I wanted to see what he would say. He turned to Serana, not even acknowledging me, "Is your pet keeping you entertained?" "Do you actually care?" She asked. "Of course I do," he replied, "You disappoint me, Serana. You've taken everything I provided for you and thrown it away on this... pathetic half-breed vampire. No more. I'm done with you." "You can go to Oblivion for all I care," Serana said, wearing her heart on her sleeve. "I see this one has fangs," Harkon said. Then he turned to me, "It appears I have you to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before your ambition outgrew your loyalty." "Loyalty? You're hilarious. You were always going to kill me," I replied. "A small price to pay for the betterment of our kind," Harkon said. "You're an insult to our kind," I said. "Please, spare me your notions of kinship," he said. "But you just said our... whatever," I said. "You've simply used Serana in an attempt to take away what should rightfully be mine. I see you've been speaking to Valerica and she's convinced you that eternal night will plunge us into war with daytime dwellers. If only it were so. With the world in shadow, we would never tire, never weaken... more than a match for their pitiful armies." I narrowed my eyes, "Are you seriously that dense?" "How do you mean?" Harkon raised an eyebrow. "What do vampires need to live?" He stared blankly at me. "Whether their armies could take ours or not, vampires need blood. Blood comes from humans and animals. Both of them need plants to survive. Have you ever noticed that at night it gets cold, just like it does in the winter? Plants don't grow in the winter. That's because we're further away from the giant hole in the sky that leads to Aetherius we call the Sun. No sun, no plants, no animals, no humans, no... fucking... vampires!" His eyes got larger, as if he'd just come to a huge realization. "My plan was to stop you from the beginning. You ruined your family for this idiotic plan that would've meant the ruin of all things, including yourself!" I drew Auriel's bow, "You know what? Somebody like you doesn't deserve to be at the head of such a powerful dynasty. I'd let time take it's course, but I know it never will. So I'm going to do your family a favor and end you!" "Come then. Let's end this!" Harkon shouted back. He collapsed into a cloud of bats, which dispersed. I could hear banging on the door like a battering ram now that the battle had begun. Lord Harkon materialized across the room and waved his arm, manifesting a shield and summoning a group of skeletons. Serana fired ice bursts at the skeletons as I nocked a Sun Arrow and fired at Harkon. It pierced his shield, but he used bats again, appearing to my left. He immediately blasted me with Blood Storm, and I jumped to the side. I returned fire with Auriel's Bow and Sunblessed Arrows. Serana struggled to keep control of the skeletons, to which Harkon summoned gargoyles! He darted about the room, using the architecture to his advantage. Every time I got him, he drained it back with Blood Storm. This was not looking good. Suddenly, Shirley's Ebony-Booted foot tore through the double doors. She drew her greatsword as Inigo and Sofia rushed into the room. "Didn't anybody tell you, don't mess with Grandma?!" Shirley shouted. The three engaged the rapidly increasing skeleton forces in melee, leaving Serana and I to focus on her father. Where I was struggling with him, Serana made up for my weakness by flanking him. Between her ice blasts and my arrows (which I nearly ran out of) he fell. "No...my daughter... how could you?" He whispered as he crumbled to dust by his blood fountain. I exhaled as Garan entered. It was done. He said, "My congratulations on defeating Harkon. Clearly you are the superior vampire." "Clearly not," I said, "Look at all the help I needed." "Well, you're the master now. We bow to your power, which includes Auriel's Bow. The castle is yours. We shall follow you and help spread your influence across Skyrim," he said. "Dude, what the hell are you talking about? That's not how royalty and nobility works," I proclaimed, then stepped aside, pointing to Serana, "She is the new master of the castle now. Why the hell does every faction in Skyrim do that?" Serana scowled at Garan, then giggled at me, "As my first decree, I think we need to do some reconstruction. This castle is a trash heap. And I want to refocus our overall mission." "What should we change, mistress?" Garan asked. "I want us to focus on either bringing the wayward vampires under our command, or destroying them. Mainly the ones that are a nuisance to the humans of Skyrim," Serana said. "But... humans are our food. They are little more than cattle," Garan scoffed. "No. Humans are our friends, not food." "Come now," Garan cringed at this talk, then he looked at me. "Don't look at me! I was going to say the same thing. Though maybe not as articulately," I folded my arms, "I called a moot a few weeks ago. I negotiated you guys becoming a part of Skyrim's people for real. Though I imagine you want to maintain your secret location so a random Nord doesn't try to burn down the castle, you should make peace. Make an effort to feed on humans without killing them. Or if you do - do what we do." Serana motioned to the both of us, "We kill bandits and warlocks and animals and drain them. You know, bad people. Though the cattle idea has merit, the women in the foyer look like they're good wenches, stolen from their lives." "Hey!" I said, "I have ties with the Dark Brotherhood. Your cattle could come from them. Instead of kidnapping and killing, they can supply you with cattle." Garan replied snootily, "I suppose that works." Serana turned to me as Garan walked out of the room, "Well, seems like I have my work cut out for me for a while. Got any more adventures to go on?" "Well, there is at least one more, then I'll leave you to your reconstruction. Remember that dragon trap?" I asked. I gathered the group and we traveled back to Whiterun. After that marathon, we slept at the Inn until morning, but then we went back to Dragonsreach. "Ready, Vignar?" I asked as I approached the Jarl's throne. Balgruuf was there too, the two seemed to be getting along famously. "Dragonborn!" Balgruuf shouted, "We were just discussing the terms of the moot." "I must say, I am getting on in years. My family is already wealthy, but Balgruuf is still young. I would be willing to step down and let him retake his place. I'm more apt to spend my twilight years recounting my younger days with the Companions. I don't have the time to drink with Kodlak like I used to!" Vignar chuckled, "But! I'll be damned if I miss this scheme you've cooked up!" "I'm coming too!" Balgruuf shouted. Vidnar continued, "The chains are all greased up and everything still works, thank Talos. My men know what to do. Make sure you do your part. I'm putting the city in your hands." "Let's go trap a dragon," we went out onto the back deck. Everyone got in their positions, and I went out onto the balcony, "OD - AH - VIING!" For a moment - silence. I backed into the massive hall, readying the Nerevarine's Bow. Then the guard standing on the balcony got snatched and thrown to the plains below. My group engaged him with ranged attacks and I stayed back. When he reared his head in front of the huge window, I sent out a, "JOOR!" Dragonrend. He roared in pain and landed, and my group laid into him. I backed off more, shooting him with arrows. Not as strong as Alduin, but stronger than an average dragon. As he started to weaken, I pulled my fighters back. In rage, he charged at me, then the trap was sprung, a huge collar falling on Odahviing and snapping on. "Horvutah med kodaav. Caught like a bear in a trap," he growled, "You went to a great deal of trouble to put me in this... humiliating position. No doubt you want to know where to find Alduin?" "That's right. Where is he hiding?" I said. "An apt phrase. One reason I came to your call was to test your Thu'um for myself. Many of us have begun to question Alduin's lordship. None were ready to openly defy him." "You were telling me where to find Alduin?" I asked again. "Innumerable pardons. I digress. Sovngarde. He regains power by devouring the souls of mortal dead. His door to Sovngarde is at Skuldafn. One of his ancient fanes high in the eastern mountains. So, can I go free now?" "Maybe. Make me an offer. I have a dragon I can call already. Want to be my friend? If I can beat Alduin, then you probably should." "Alright. There is one detail about Skuldafn that I neglected to mention. You will never reach it without wings. I could fly you there, were I not imprisoned like this," Odahviing said. "I get the hint. But do you expect me to trust you?" I folded my arms. "Come, dragonborn, you wound me. I do not lie. If you release me, I promise to take you to Skuldafn and stop helping Alduin," he replied. Farengar (the court mage) slipped in about that time, "I would be most appreciative if you would permit me to perform some, ah, tests on you. In the interest of knowledge." He walked behind Odahviing, "You won't even notice me." Olfina said, "Farengar, this is a bad idea, even for you." "What are you doing back there?" The dragon roared. I smirked, walking casually over to the pull chain while Farengar was still gathering, "Don't forget, you promised." I pulled it, and the collar lifted off Odahviing. I'm pretty sure I saw Farengar go flying across the hall. I chuckled, walking back down to where Odahviing had been collared. "Wait, did I hear all this right?" Serana said. I turned, and it looked like tears were forming in her eyes. "Yeah, I need to ride this dragon here to Skuldafn, before I enter Sovngarde," I said. It sounded a lot more trying and ominous when I said it out loud. "That's the plan?" She said, like a weight just dropped into her stomach, "You ride a dragon to an ancient burial mound - alone - and then travel to a realm of Aetherius. There you defeat Alduin, and somehow come back to the world of the living in one piece. Yeah, I can't exactly say the plan sits well with me." I put my hand on her shoulder, "I'll be fine." "But..." She sighed, "You could die... You've come close so many times. And this could be the thing that does it. I just can't imagine you dying alone up there. You're... the first person I've ever trusted. The first... only... person I've ever loved." I continued to stare into her red, piercing eyes. "There has to be another way," she pleaded. "I don't think there is," I replied. She took a deep breath, "All right. This isn't easy. Go save the world." Odahviing turned toward the massive balcony, "Now, as promised, are you ready to see the world as only a Dovah can?" I nodded, hopping on the dragon's back. "Good luck, my friend!" Inigo shouted. "Dragonborn! You're amazing!" Sofia shouted. Olfina Graymane chimed in, "You're crazy!" "May Kyne guide you!" Vidnar shouted. "Talos be with you!" Balgruuf shouted. "You better come back alive!" Serana chuckled awkwardly.
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Hey, it's Destana. I'm a Volkihar vampire, ex-guildmaster of the thieves' guild. Future Queen of Skyrim (maybe). Hero of the Stormcloaks. Mother to the Listener. Slayer of Dragons. Skilled mage and archer. What else... gods I'm bored. I feel like a lot of time has passed since I made an entry. But really that's because I've been sitting here for two days, waiting for Urag the Librarian to actually find all the scattered notes on the Elder Scroll. "Gods! What is taking him so long?!" I shouted, and someone in the distance shushed me. "This is a library, please be quiet!" "Sorry," I said. "On the bright side," Serana started, flipping the page of the book she'd been reading, "Another one for the pile." She tossed the book into a pile of books behind her, now uncountably large. "Talos, how fast do you read?" I asked. "Very fast," she replied. "Okay, well, have you found anything helpful?" I asked. "Not really." "While you're reading chapter books I've learned a few spells," I said. She nodded, opening another book. I sat there, listening to Urag in the distance thumbing through more books. The silence - deafening. I felt like I might scream. It's hard for me to just sit still and do nothing. "Okay, I'm getting antsy. I need to be out there, doing things," I said, standing up. Serana looked at me, "What you gonna do?" "I think I'm going to use Clairvoyance and just walk until I find it. All I need to do is focus on what I want to find," I huffed, "Do you want to come?" "Well... I did just crack open a new book," she said. "Okay," I kissed her. No harm, no foul. I walked out of the Library and into the cold. I realized the spell pointed back at Urag, but then I switched to casting the spell on the quest for Harkon which was just "Bring me more Elder Scrolls." And since we had both the other ones, it pointed to the next objective. I followed it to the north until I found a strange cave with a strange man, and a large dwemer box. "Hey, I've been all over the countryside looking for it. You don't happen to have an Elder Scroll here, do you?" "Well, it is nearby," he replied. "You have an Elder Scroll, just sitting around?" "I've seen enough to know their warp of air, the weft of time. Here as in it's in this plane. Mundus. Tamriel. Nearby, relatively speaking." "So can you help me find where specifically it is?" I asked. "One block lifts the other. Septimus Signus will give you what you want. But you must bring him something in return." "I assume that's you. What do you want?" "You see this dwemer masterwork. Deep inside their greatest knowings. Septimus is clever amon men, but an idiot child compared to the dwemer. Lucky they left behind a way of reading Elder Scrolls. The dwemer found a loophole, as they always do. In the depth of Blackreach, take this Lexicon and transcribe. You will find the scroll there. Elder Scrolls look left and right in the stream of time. Past and future are as one. Sometimes they look up. What do they see then? What if they dive in? Then the madness begins. Under deep. Below the dark. The hidden deep. Tower Mzark. Alftand." I found Alftand and when I did, a dragon turned to me that'd been perching on top of a nearby structure. It was a mechanical dragon! It dropped summons - drawing small dwemer spiders to it. I figured this was a good time to replenish my blood supply. I was a supervamp just like Serana so I didn't need to feed very often either, but I now also could feed from the energies in undead and constructs. I shifted to Vampire Lord form and threw blood storms at it until it landed, then finished it off. I wandered around, first in the tower, then in a ravine, trying to find whatever I was supposed to find here. I climbed out of the ravine to find another dwemer mechanical dragon. This time, I got out my new bow and lightning arrows and pelted it until it landed in front of me. It shot a cone of steam, and I slashed it across the face, bringing it down. Eventually I found some scaffolding that lead deeper into ruins. I was excited to test my newly enchanted equipment. The gloves would detect life everytime I drew a bow. The boots were both muffled (stolen from disenchanting my shrouded boots) and cushioned which meant I wouldn't be hurt by falls. I fought through more dwemer constructs and a few golden dwemer ghosts, unlocking doors and chests along the way, until I got to a deep shaft. I spied chaurus eggs and chitin pens, so I knew I was getting close to falmer territory. I hopped down sequentially to the wall formations on the shaft and the tower in the middle, killing falmer silently as I went. When I reached the bottom a large group of them finally heard me when I missed a shot, but I peppered them with arrows until they were down. I started wondering if this was some kind of satellite or fledgling group, because they not only didn't have fully grown chaurus, they were weak as hell. I came across a couple traps that I disarmed easily, and then I reached the Cathedral. I shot a guy through bars, shot another couple just standing around, then opened the bars and continued. Maybe... it was all these constructs that kept the falmer at bay. When I crested the stairs, a huge dwemer construct broke free of its bonds. Not as big as the numidium, and indeed not as tough as it either. I got a starting shot on him, then used my speed to my advantage, dodging and slashing at it's legs until it went down. I noted there was another large centurion already smashed. I heard a man and woman arguing. She said, "Of course you want me to leave. Just waiting for me to turn my back so you can have all the glory for yourself!" I ducked behind a pillar, watching their conversation. They both drew weapons and so did I, silently. "It's time to end this little game," the man said, and blasted her with a fireball in his offhand. She raised her shield as he charged in and they fought for a bit. Eventually, the fire took it's toll, though, and she fell, him wounded. And it put him in the perfect position. "TIID!" I shouted, slowing time and not taking chances. I hopped out from cover and slashed him across the back, killing him. I sheathed my weapons. They didn't seem to have much on them, and not sure how they got this far. Perhaps they'd killed the other centurion and were doubly wounded. Behind them was the elevator to the surface, to which one of them held the key (oh, that's probably it). But there was also a dwemer mechanism, that opened up square spiraling stairs below, to which I entered. "I wonder if the others would enjoy this. These guys are barely a challenge," I whispered out loud. I stepped into Blackreach, the vast cavern above holding numerous lights and mushrooms. And yes, I figured I should probably summon more eyes to behold this wonder. Serana said, "What the..." She was dressed in her Vampire armor again for some reason. Eh, not gonna nitpick. "This cavern is immense!" Inigo blinked when he popped in. "Are you seeing this?" Serana continued, "I knew my father used to go to Blackreach from time to time, but I didn't expect it to look like this." "Your father came here?" I asked. "It's an entire cave ecosystem. There's probably nothing else like it in Tamriel. Back in my time, there used to be a royal clan of vampires here. The Gray Host. Think Castle Volkihar, but underground, and massive." Shirley took a second to switch into her armor from the purple dress, and Sofia was already ready. "It's really pretty down here. Who knew something like this was just below our feet?" Shirley commented. Then I got a strange thought. I had a way of summoning one of my children at a time, that I'd never used because I figured it was pretty invasive. But I wondered if Damien would fancy a second try at fighting beside me. I summoned him. "Whoa!" he turned to me, "Mom!" It took him a second to recover, then he looked at the cavern ceiling, and he was all about this. "I figured it would be a good thing to report on for school. Maybe learn something," I said. He nodded. I realized I probably wasn't spot-on, he was going to enjoy himself whilst traveling in the back and flinging spells with Serana. We started off, fighting falmer and chaurus and Damien commented, "I wonder if it stays warm down here from steam vents?" Gods, my boy is smart. We trekked through what seemed like miles of underground (fighting more falmer) until we came to another structure. It looked dwemer. "This must be the place," I led the way. Indeed, it was filled with dwemer treasures. It was some form of living space, and had a ramp leading up. "I would find the dwemer's inventions fascinating if they weren't trying to kill us," Damien said. Inigo looked at Damien, "I wonder if the Elder Scroll feels starved of attention down here. I doubt many of the residents know how to read." They both chuckled. I ventured up the ramp and found a dwemer ghost lounging on a raised platform. He hadn't seen us yet. To my right was a wonderous, spinning device with mirrors. I took out my bow to deal with the dwemer. But Sofia said something loud to Serana, who yelled back to her as she got to the top of the ramp, "First off, Sofia, that's a myth. Vampires are okay with eating garlic. There was an elder vampire before that just happened to be allergic to it. That perpetuated the myth." The ghost popped to attention and drew a sword, but my guys were so on top of it with arrows and spells it fell before it even turned to attack. I told the group to stay down in the living area for a few minutes while I fiddled with the lexicon. I popped it in, pressing the first button and the thing sprang to life, spinning into position. I noticed Damien was up on the raised platform with me. "I'm pretty fascinated by this stuff. The dwemer created so many wondrous machines. I wonder why nobody followed in their footsteps," Damien stroked his chin. Using my puzzle skills gained from a lifetime of solving nord puzzles, I solved it. The aperture at the center opened and I grabbed the scroll. The group came up the ramp (I figured they were watching). Inigo shouted, "Well done, my friend!" "That thing hurts my eyes just looking at it!" Sofia said. Back to the weird old guy first. I gave Septimus codex to him, but he didn't seem extremely happy. "I got that lexicon inscription for you." "Extraordinary. I see it now," Septimus replied, "But this dwemer device seems to have a second lock, bound by dwemer blood. A panoply of their brethren could gather to form a facsimile. A trick. Something not even they would anticipate. Gather me vials of blood from Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Falmer and Orsimer." Whatever. Later. I had the final scroll. I walked toward the exit. "Inigo, Sofia, Shirley. You guys can probably go home now. But be on standby. I see some stuff going down soon. I'm going to see a guy about a shout. On a mountain," I explained. They had already walked out when I neared the exit. "What the fuck?" I said. A black, roiling mass was in front of me, filled with eyes and tentacles, blocking my exit. "Come. Bask in my presence," it said. Ew. "No thanks. Who are you?" "Hermaeus Mora. Guardian of the unseen, knower of the unknown. I have been watching you." "Of course you have. I seem to be liked by daedra," I muttered. "Most impressive, mortal." "What do you want?" I asked. "Your continuing to aid Septimus renders him increasingly obsolete. He has served me well, but his time is nearing its end. Once that infernal lockbox is opened, he will have exhausted his usefullness to me. When that time comes, take his place as my emissary. What say you?" "Ugh. Again. No thanks," I replied in disgust. "Be warned. Many have thought as you do, and I have broken them all. You shall not evade me forever," it said before it vanished. I paused there for a moment. First, to make sure all the squicky tentacles were gone, but then to think. If a daedric lord wants something so much that a group of mortals made, then those mortals must be kind of a big deal. At that moment I started to think of the dwemer in a new light. Their tech could definitely do things that not even daedric princes could do. That... was on the level of Tiber Septim, the Nerevarine, or the Hero of Kvatch. Maybe I should look into their tech a little more at some point. Also gotta remember it got them exploded or whatever. I stepped outside. "What took you so long?" Serana asked. "Just... eh, don't worry about it," I said. Then I traveled to High Hrothgar and left Serana and Damien there, scaling to the peak again. As I reached the summit, Paarthurnax landed on a nearby rock face, "You have it! The Kel. Tiid kreh qalos. Time shudders at its touch. There is no question. The very bones of the earth are at your disposal. Go! Fulfill your destiny! Take the scroll to the Time-Wound. Alduin will feel the signs! Hurry!" I stepped into the vortex of power at the top of the mountain and opened the Elder Scroll. I felt a blinding light envelop me, and I was looking into the past. A young man and woman and an old man were fighting with a dragon. "Today Alduin will reclaim his throne! I honor your courage. Die now, in vain!" The dragon yelled. He blasted fire at the man, who stood behind a pillar. The woman leapt atop the dragon's head and slashed it in the eyes, while the man finished it. There was much cheering. The man said, "The battle below grows ill. If Aldun does not rise to our challenge, I fear all is lost." The woman replied, "You worry too much, brother. My blade has felled four of his kin today alone. He can't refuse this invitation." "He cannot ignore out defiance," the old man said, "He does not fear us, even now." And he appeared. That black dread dragon landed on the high rocks above and shouted, "Meyye! Tahrodis aanne! Die, mortals!" "Let those that watch from Sovngarde envy us this day!" The woman shouted. Aldion reared back and the three of them did the same. He shouted and shot a cone of frost, and the three of them answered with, "JOOR - ZAH - FRUL." I could feel that familiar pounding in my ears and I knew it. Dragonrend. Mortal - Finite - Temporary. Alduin fell to the snow and they converged on him. "What have you done?! What twisted words have you created? Tahrodiis Paarthunax! My teeth to his neck!" Alduin roared, "You will feed me when you go to Sovngarde!" "I will not die in fear!" The woman yelled. But it seemed, his weakness wasn't enough to stop him entirely. He snapped the woman in his jaws, and as he flung her in the air, her organs and blood sprayed over the battlefield. Alduin was grounded, but he wasn't out. The man cleaved him several times in the face, but Alduin blasted him with fire that blew him away. "Enough! Hold, Alduin on the Wing! Sister Hawk, grant us your sacred breath to make this contract heard!" The old man pulled out the Elder Scroll, "Begone World-Eater! By words with older bones than even your own! You are banished! Alduin, we shout you out from all our endings unto the last!" Alduin blasted fire at the old man, but the fire hit the scroll and turned to nothing. Alduin faded, and vanished. I blinked, having been ejected from the time wound. Then I heard a roar that made my hair stand up. "Dovahkiin! Alduin is here!" Paarthurnax shouted. Fire fell from the sky in his wake, and he blasted the ground around me with frost, nearly killing me before he flew off again. I chugged a large potion. "What good is knowing this shout if I don't live to use it!" I growled. But then I had an idea. "It's time for you to fulfill your bargain, old buddy. DUR - NEH - VIIR!" I shouted, and a massive undead dragon rivaling Alduin's size sprang forth from the ground. At least that would keep him busy while I got to safety. I pulled out my bow as the two beasts fought in the air. It seemed even Durnehviir had his limits, though. I took careful aim, trying not to hit both, then shouted, "JOOR!" I clipped Alduin in the foot, but it was enough. Suffused with blue energy, he fell to the ground. "Never again!" He roared. I charged in and slashed him in the face. When it seemed like he would recover, I threw another Dragonrend, only using the first word to keep the recovery short and keep him locked on the ground. "Don't you touch her!" Serana yelled, spitting frost as she approached. After moments, Alduin turned to me, and said, "Meyz mul, Dovahkiin. You have become strong. But I am Alduin! Firstborn of Akatosh! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else!" Then he leapt into the air, throwing off the effects of Dragonrend and retreating. I sighed in relief as the weather returned to normal. Paarthurnax perched on his word wall, "Lot krongah. You truly have the voice of a dovah. Alduin's allies will think twice after this victory." "Victory? He nearly killed me... several times. And he got away." "True. This is not the final victory. But even the heroes of old were not able to defeat Alduin in open battle," Paarthurnax said. "Well, I did have help," I smiled at Serana. Durnehviir had already returned to the Soul Cairn. "Alduin was always arrogant in his power. Uznahgar paar. He took dominion as his birthright. This will shake the loyalty of his dov." "I need to find him and finish this," I said. "One of his allies could tell us. Perhaps if you drew him to the hofkahsejun - the palace in Whiterun. It was built to house a captive dovah," Paarthurnax explained. "The Jarl of Whiterun might not think kindly to that," I said. "Hmm.. yes, but your su'um is strong. I do not doubt that you can convince him of the need." I turned to Serana, "Well, I guess we need to figure out the name of one of his lieutenants. Esburn is pretty knowledgeable about these kinds of things." I told Damien he could head home, then I traveled back to Sky Haven Temple. I approached Esburn. "I have learned the identity of the leader of the Greybeards." "Yeah, he's a dragon. He's helped me a lot," I said. "Well, need I remind you that the Blades kill dragons? And Paarthurnax performed countless atrocities in Alduin's name. He should be made to pay," Esburn said. "Yeah, well. I'm going to focus on killing Alduin first," I said, not committing to killing him at all, "Esburn, what do you know about other dragons that work for Alduin now?" "Why do you ask, Dragonborn?" "I want to trap him in Dragonsreach and get him to tell me where his master is," I said, "Another idea by Paarthurnax." "Mmmm... excellent idea. Your voice in particular is likely to intrigue a dragon after your victory over Alduin. I have one name in mind - Od - Ah - Viing. Winged Snow Hunter, as I read it." I must be getting better at this, because I picked that one up from a non-thu'um. I instantly learned to call him. I grinned, "Alright. I'm going to see Vidnar. Or Balgruuf. Whichever." I showed up in Whiterun now. This all felt like it was happening so fast, but I was definitely traveling a lot. I walked into Dragonreach and approached "Vignar!" I said, "Good to see you're well." "What do you want, Dragonborn?" He asked. I smiled, "I need to trap a dragon in your palace." "I must've misheard you. I thought you asked me to help you trap a dragon in my palace," Vignar replied. "You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," I said. "Of course. You already saved Whiterun from a dragon. I owe you. But why would you invite it in when I'm trying to keep it out?" "You may not have heard from the moot you were absent from, but Alduin is back. I'm trying to figure out where he's hiding. To do that, I need to call and trap one of his lieutenants," I explained. He went from a scowl, slowly, to a smile, his moustache curling the length of his face, "You're crazy. But this is just crazy enough to work." "I'll give you some time to prepare. I'm going to go work out the details of this other Elder Scroll."
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During the Main Quest in Skyrim the player must attend a party at the Thalmor Embassy (Diplomatic Immunity). As part of the Quest the PC must cause a distraction. While there are twelve people who can be enticed to cause a distraction, not all of them are present in every game. However, having played through this Quest many times I have achieved a strong preference as to who to involve (Erikur). I was curious as to whether others had any such sense of how to approach this Party.