In a world woven with whispers of the wind,
There lived a little girl, her name was Wren.
With eyes like the dawn and heart so wide,
She heard life's music, as a ceaseless tide.
Every rustle of the leaves, every murmuring stream,
Played in her soul like a gentle dream.
The flutter of wings, the patter of rain,
She captured it all in her magical refrain.
Her fingers would dance, her voice would soar,
Turning whispers of life into something more.
A melody of healing, a harmony of light,
Wren's music was a beacon in the darkest night.
Her melodies caressed the weariest soul,
A balm to the emptiness, they made hearts whole.
Those alone found solace in her tender musing,
Amidst her notes, the song of grace was infusing.
With each tender chord that she would play,
A weary traveler found light upon their way.
In every line, her empathy was weaving,
A tapestry of comfort, for those who were grieving.
Her songs, like whispers from a caring friend,
Reached out to the broken, helping them mend.
For within the heart of her harmonious embrace,
Lay the purest echoes of love's own trace.
She sang to the sun, she hummed to the moon,
In the dead of the night or the shyness of noon.
Each note was a friend, a warm embrace,
A symphony of joy in life's infinite space.
The broken, the lost, the ones who yearn,
Felt her songs and saw their luck turn.
Her music, a balm for the scar’s unseen,
Filled each heart with ardent yearning,
Of melody, tender, pure, and seen.
Washing over hearts, broken and unsure.
With every note, she weaves a spell,
A gentle touch on wounds that swell,
She sings of love, of loss, of dreams,
In her voice, the world softer seems.
For in the harmony, we find release,
A moment sweet, where troubles cease.
Her song, a bridge over stormy seas,
Bringing souls together, setting them free.
In the quilt of night, her music soars,
Touching the spirit, opening doors.
A lullaby for the tears that glisten,
In her symphony, we pause, we listen.
And so, she plays, with tender grace,
Uniting the human in this sacred space.
Her music, a balm for the scar’s unseen,
Each person’s sorrow filled with serene.
To the rhythm of life, she was attuned,
Each heartbeat, a note, perfectly sung.
In her presence, despair would burn away,
For her songs of belonging would fill it with grace.
So, remember little Wren when life feels wrong,
She's a reminder that we're all part of one single song.
And in each of us, there's music to find,
Wren's legacy – the song of mankind.
“Welcome, I am Michael”, I am a storyteller. Throughout the rest of this tale, I will refer to myself as the storyteller. I am one who traditionally weaves the tapestry of history through the telling of stories. This story I am about to tell is about one known as Katariah Morgan Kendra Dottir. Her name itself told a story of special meaning. Her full name meant; “Bright” and “Most Beautiful”, “Song of the Sea” and “Queen of the Song”, “Knowing, Of Royal Power, and Great Hero”, and “Daughter”.
“We, the storytellers, have always been known as the guardians of societies. We are here for the purpose: to educate, entertain, preserve culture, and instill moral values. We are they who shape the moral framework of societies by telling stories that bring understanding across the world throughout its history.”
“You! adventurer, consider this! The compass of the story tellers is empathy. Empathy is generally thought of as having the ability to understand, feel, and possibly share another’s experience. It allows us to connect to the hearts and minds of our listeners. The stories we tell become a mirror in which you will see your own reflections and learn from the experiences of others.”
“We are not so different, you and I, for in the grand tales of the world, we find the courage to face our struggles, the strength to hold on to hope, and the gentle reminder that we are all part of a larger narrative.”
“How did this story go? Let’s see, ah yes! This story that we will now tell, was foretold in the ancient halls of the Akvairi, also known as the Dragon Land. It was they who served under Reman Cyrodiil who were dubbed the Dragon guard, the emperor’s special guard, who would later become known as the Blades. “
The story goes as follows: “Their headquarters, Cloud Ruler Temple, built in the style of the Akaviri came to represent a class of warriors known as Dragon Knights. They emerged during the Interregnum, of the Second Era. Ah! big word interregnum. All this word means is the period between, which would in this case mean the period between the First and Second Era. It was said these warriors were schooled in the martial arts, and some among them had special powers that came from the Dragons, also known as Dovah.”
Why is this important to her story, you may ask? “In its beginnings are found a prophecy. This prophecy is about one who would come from Helgen on the day that legends lived again. It was on that fateful day that the world eater returned to threaten all of Tamriel. “
“This prophecy was said to originate within the Elder Scrolls, also known as Kelle in the language of the Dovah, also called the Aedric Prophecies. They held the “Past, present, and future of Tamriel’s History. That which has transpired and that which is yet to be.” This story is about someone special, who would become commonly known as “The Last Dragonborn.”
“Of course, the Greybeards, Masters of the ‘The Way’ would refer to this person as “Ysmir, Dragon of the North”. “This name was commonly associated with Tiber Septim, also known as Talos. He was the founder of ‘The Third Empire of Man’, and upon his death, would become ascendant to become one of the Nine Divines.”
“In that, is the truth of Katariah Morgan Kendra Dottir. With that name also comes the identity of who her father and mother were. Through that, it is easier to understand that her destiny was never hers to decide. It had been determined by the blood that burned within her human shell. That of the Dovahkiin.”
Who was Katariah? “Let us begin in earnest with her story. To know her you must know something of the beginnings of who she is.”:
Katariah Morgan Kendra Dottir, Katariah meaning “Bright” and “Most Beautiful”, Morgan whose meaning meant, “Singer or Sea Songs” and “Liken to Queen of Songs from The Sea”, and Kendra, whose name had power, “Knowing, Of Royal Power, and Great Hero”. Dottir which was a common reference to mean “Daughter” or “Female Child”.
Katariah could not remember how she had got here, only that she woke up riding in a wagon tied up like a common thief, being driven into Helgen, along with who were they, “Now I remember, they called themselves Stormcloaks.” She rubbed her head and chucked inwardly as she thought, “What was that they said about themselves? “The true sons and daughters of Skyrim I believe” She smiled slightly thinking, “Wasn’t everyone born here in this province a true son or daughter of Skyrim?” Katariah mused, “No, that is not what they believed! Only those of Nordic blood, descendants of the Atmorans who came to this land can called themselves Nords thereafter, were fitting to of holding the honor of that title.”
So much she could not remember about herself, of her past. She remembers, “Hadvar, the Nord Imperial who had freed her after the Dragon attack. He had led her to a chest in their quarters in the old Imperial Fort known as Helgen, the gateway to Cyrodiil.” She remembers opening it and finding this armor, these weapons and shield, and the rest of her belongings. What was it Hadvar had said, “These were found with you. I believe they are yours.” He then said, “It was with you when we found you knocked out cold just off to the side of where the Stormcloaks were ambushed.” He paused then said, “My lady, I will turn so you can change in private. I believe you are due that if my suspicions have any grounding at all.”
She thought to herself, “An Imperial Officer of honor!” She chuckled to herself, “What was the old saying, Ah, the values of honor, “Loyalty, Courage, and Truth.” Then she also remembered, “there was another value taught to her by, I can’t remember but the other value was “Kindness”. These values were often designed as either Runes or some other Symbolic language to warriors’ weapons such as their swords. It was considered part of the warrior’s creed. She thought for a moment, “How did it go? Yes, I think something like this; ‘We are knights of honor, we lead with the virtues held in front; loyalty, courage, truth, and kindness, without them we are left soulless and lost.”
Hadvar had heard her softly speaking that creed to herself, he then asked her without turning around, “My lady if I may ask, that creed is the known as ‘The Warriors Honor”, where do you learn that from?” She thought briefly then said, “I cannot be completely sure as so much of my memory of my past is currently a blur, but I do remember a kind older man spending hours with me training me in the ways of weapons. I think it was him that taught me that creed.” She then said, “You can turn now.”
Hadvar had said to her after turning around to face her, “By the nine, those were meant for you. Do you know armor and weapons of that make and quality are of special crafting and normally only seen in association with the greatest dynasties of Tamriel.” She remembers nervously responding to him there in the dimly lit room of the old Imperial quarters, “Seriously, Hadvar, me, I can’t even remember who I am, why I am here beyond my name. We better get going, we still must find our way out of here and past that dragon.”
Hadvar paused then said, “You are correct of course concerning finding a way out and past that dragon, but on this I will hold firm, there is something about you, something that burns within your eyes that speak of destiny, yet unseen.” She stood there looking into his eyes briefly, then she said, “Okay, I really don’t know but I won’t deny that these are not the threads of a commoner, are they?”
Both turned and went deeper into the old fort looking for a way to the outside again.
Hadvar had told her his uncle the smithy in Riverwood would help them if they could get to that town. They had found their way back and now her uncle had tasked her with a journey to Whiterun, the local capital of this hold to notify the Jarl of the attack by the dragon and the destruction of Helgen. She thought to herself, “Maybe someone there would know something about me, I need to discover who I am, why I am here in this land of the Nords.”
They had next come to a place on the road to Riverwood where you can see the old Barrow that sat upon the mountain top nearby. Hadvar had briefly stopped here and spoke to her about his fears of this place when he was a child growing up in this area. They stood there speaking quietly when suddenly she heard a whisper in her mind, “Dovahkiin” then she thought she heard, “Fus” word of Force. Her blood felt like it had been set on fire and Hadvar looked at her with concern.
She also remembers Alvor, the smithy’s wife taking her hand before she left to step outside again and said, “My lady excuse me if you would, but do you not have anyone to help protect you? I am quite surprised that a lady of your upbringing would be traveling alone is this land.” She remembers replying to her, “Thank you, but I am not as sure that I am of the caliber and upbringing that you and Hadvar believe that I am. I can’t remember much, hard knock on the head somehow before I found myself with Hadvar at Helgen before it was attacked by that dragon.”
She paused briefly, “Then said, you, your husband, and your daughter have been so kind to me, I shall never forget it and hold it close to my heart.” She remembers beginning to turn, but seeing the wife’s eyes fill with pools of tears. Then she heard as she opened the door, “Just be careful, I think there is something about you. May Talos blessings go with you.”
As Rigmor and the Dragonborn passed through the doorway into the open air of the mountain much higher up then before, Rigmor exclaimed, “Woah! Don’t look down.” The Dragonborn did look down though and immediately began to make his way out onto a walkway that was placed nearby so they both would not be so close to the edge. It was a long way down from here to the ground again.
Rigmor and the Dragonborn stopped at a crossroads of sorts. One path led down, the other one up towards the peak of the mountain. Rigmor asked, “Hey, this way goes to the summit. You want to take a look?” The Dragonborn replied, “Sure Rigmor, let’s go check out the view but carefully, okay?” Rigmor replied, “Pfft! Okay Dragonborn, whatever!”
Rigmor and the Dragonborn continued up a switchback stairway and series of walkways and bridges until they could see the final approach to the summit. Rigmor called out to the Dragonborn, “This is so cool!” The Dragonborn turned to her with a smirk and replied, “Yeah, so cold I would say, burr!” Rigmor chuckled, “Come on old man, let’s go see the view from the summit.”
The continued the last of the climb up until they reached the top. Here they stood and could see all the lands around them. You could even see the Imperial City all the way into Cyrodiil from up here. The areas of Hammerfell and Black Rock could also been seen far away into the distance. The Dragonborn looked at Rigmor and asked, “How are you feeling, are you okay?” Rigmor was touched by her guardian’s concern, “Yes, I am okay. Isn’t this incredible up here. I mean look at that Dragonborn, you can see across the whole of Tamriel from up here.”
The Dragonborn spoke to Rigmor, “Hey, let’s see what’s in this bag. It must have been left up here for a reason. Rigmor responded, “Dragonborn, aren’t we the curious thing. Are you sure you don’t have cat blood in you as well as dragon?”
The Dragonborn went over and open the flap on the bat left at the summit. He found a journal and opened it up to read it to Rigmor. The journal had the following written in it.
The Dragonborn fell into silence for a few moments. Then he said, “Hey Rigmor, let’s get going, it’s starting to get dark and I believe we need to be off this mountain and making our final approach to Fort Black before it turns completely into night.” They both turned and began their trek down again.
They both continued their way down until they were stopped by a shorter hooded man who said, “I don’t know where you think you’re going but this way is closed. You need to turn around and go back to where ever you came from.” The Dragonborn replied, “We need to get down on this side of the mountain to continue our journey. It’s the best way at this point.” The supervisor kept staring beyond the Dragonborn at Rigmor then said, “Hey wait a moment, haven’t seen her face before, let’s see now.” He paused in thought in a moment and the Dragonborn pulled out a bag of one hundred gold coins and said, “Here you go friend, that should be enough to forget who you think she is and allow us passage down off this mountain.” The small hooded man reached out grabbed the bag of gold coins and responded, “Today’s your luck day friend, if anyone asks on the way down, just tell them the supervisor gave you both passage.”
As Rigmor and the Dragonborn past the foreman or supervisor they eventually came to a platform where miners were working the ore on the side of the mountain. There were also guards posted everywhere on the way down so it a good decision that he had decided to pay off the hooded supervisor.
Rigmor and the Dragonborn both had observed how the minors and guards all took a hard look at them as they passed by them on the way down. The Dragonborn thought, “I am sure they are wondering who we are what business we have on this side of the mountain so close to Fort Black where the Thalmor were. ” They continued on until the Dragonborn saw a camp area with tents, cooking and a fire. He decided they should warm up a bit before continuing their journey and walked over to the fire. He noticed Rigmor walked by him silently. She looked back at him as if saying, “What are you doing? Why are we stopping here?”
The Dragonborn stayed only briefly to give Rigmor some time to warm up a bit and to see if anyone would speak to them so they might learn something before traveling forward to Fort Black. Of course no one was speaking and everyone there kept their thoughts to themselves. They continued their way down the rest of the way, across a path where there were a pack of wolves further down that were on the hunt. He ignored them and continue on with Rigmor bring up the rear. He mused, “Or as she would say, I got your back, don’t worry!” The stopped finally when Fort Black was finally in their sites and they knew there would likely be a battle just to gain entry to it.
Rigmor and the Dragonborn completed the last leg of the trip. Rigmor walked past him turned and then said, “Okay tough guy this is it. How do you want to do this?” The Dragonborn looked at her then replied, “How about I’ll lead and you cover my back?” He chuckled briefly relieving some of the stress he already felt as they neared what he knew was going to be a tough battle. Then he said to her, “Rigmor, stay behind this time in case I have to call upon the dragon blood as I did that one time in the mine.” She looked at him, then responded, “Okay, guardian, you lead and I’ll follow. Pfft!”
The Dragonborn did take the lead. In fact he purposely place some distance between himself and Rigmor to help protect her on what he knew was going to be fierce fight. It didn’t take long before the first of the Thalmor guards were coming at them with axe and swords ready. The Dragonborn never hesitated and flew into them with his dragon blood coming alive with the fire to power his strength beyond that of normal Mer or Men.
It took no time at all before the Dragonborn had taken the first two guards down and they laid in the snow bleeding out the last of the life force. Rigmor was watching him as she tried to catch up. She knew what he was doing and had it confirmed when suddenly she heard and saw “Fus” come from him and the guard in front further up the stairs was lifted off her feet and falling backward with the Dragonborn rushing forward to finish this one with a slicing swing of his blade.
Rigmor finally caught up and rushed ahead of the Dragonborn to make him stop. All the Thalmor she had gone pass on her way up were now lying dead in pools of their own blood with the cold blanket of the stars riding above. She stopped him and said with some force, “Dragonborn, stop! Look around you, they’re all dead, all of them!”
The Dragonborn stood there in defiance briefly then saw the tears in her eyes and how all of this affected her. He said to her then, “I’m sorry Rigmor, I just didn’t want anything to hurt you!” They both just looked at each other than with the cold winds swirling around them and the stars of the night blinking down upon these two as they came to grips with what he had just done.
Rigmor then stepped forward, closer to her Dragonborn. She never let her gaze look away from him. She wanted to assure him that she respected and appreciated what he did for her, to protect her from harm. There they stood lost in each other’s eyes then she turned and said, “come on, the door into the Fort is just ahead.” The reached the door of the Fort Black and Rigmor then spoke to him saying, “This time Dragonborn, please allow me to cover your back, what would I do if something happened to you?
Rigmor and The Dragonborn opened the 2nd level of Bloodlet mine. Once they were beyond the doors its wasn’t long before another wave of skeevers attacked them with ferocity and vigor. Both Rigmor and The Dragonborn were prepared this time though and the initial attack they sent the attackers through the air to fall either stunned or dead upon the dirt and rock floor of the mine.
The battle as earlier in the lower levels of the mine continued to increase in intensity. The Dragonborn seemed to sense a darkness that was driving these skeevers to their frenzy attack on Rigmor and himself. He thought, “I hope Rigmor has the stamina to sustain this journey, maybe we should have waited another day before attempting to get to Fort Black.” Then another wave flew upon them both and there was only time left to swing their swords and deliver the outcome for these creatures of death.
Once the current threat was dealt with and no other skeevers were attacking them they both paused a moment began to slowly move forward but with weapons still unsheathed and ready if needed. You could hear the labored breathing from both Rigmor and the Dragonborn. Rigmor thought to herself, “I hope we find the way out soon, this is much worse then I ever expected.” She looked over at the Dragonborn, her guardian and thought, “Where would I be without him though? I never seen such skill and art with a sword and shield before.” As they came around a corner the ground under them began to rumble, the dust of the cave walls began to explode around them and then the roar came and they knew a cave troll was almost upon them. It came at them with the same darkness in its eyes, the Dragonborn thought to himself again, “Something is driving these creatures to this.”
Rigmor and the Dragonborn never hesitated with this creature, Trolls of any kind were dangerous creatures, one because of the size and strength, another because of some natural ability to regenerate their health which allowed them to receive a lot more injuries without the need for immediate recovery. But Rigmor and the Dragonborn both knew this and their attack and defense was relentless. With a final flurry of blows, Rigmor and the Dragonborn both came at the troll and it fell to the ground with a thud that sent the dust of the mine floor swirling all around them. At last there was stillness in the long dark of Bloodlet mine.
Rigmor and the Dragonborn stood there with death all around them but Rigmor looking at the Dragonborn had come to realize that he, the Dragonborn would stand against anything to protect her, to keep her safe. In that moment she knew he truly was her guardian angel, her Dragonborn.” They continued on until they came to a place where it looked like the miners had setup for food and rest. There were supplies here too and it was empty of any other life. No skeevers, not trolls, but also no miners.
The Dragonborn thought to himself, “I suspect that there will be no more miners until Rigmor and I reach the outside again. With all those murdered miners in the lower levels, there are likely no others to tell the story of what happened here. No witnesses!” He then noticed Rigmor looking at him with deep concern etched in her face. He turned then and said, “Come on Rigmor, up this way, I think there’s another door into another level of the mine ahead. Hopefully, the last one before we reach the outside.” Rigmor replied, “Okay ‘Guardian Dragonborn’, after you, I’ve got your back.” With that they both continued up through the rising mine.
As they came to the next door, Rigmor spoke, “You smell that, there’s trouble ahead!” The Dragonborn paused but a moment readied his sword and shield. With a determined look set on his face he stepped forward and opened the next door of the mine.
Coming into the next section, which was short and immediately rose up towards another doorway, the mate of the earlier cave troll was upon them. Both Rigmor and the Dragonborn rushed forward with swords swinging and shields bashing.
Rigmor had rushed ahead with her two-handed broadsword swinging down with a deadly arc as the Dragonborn came forward, swung his shield forward and to the left with deadly force. They were now two souls who moved together as one and that combined force could not not be stopped. The troll fell backward with the force of their attack.
The battle with the troll was intense but the Dragonborn could sense that Rigmor was exhausted and so he allowed the thuu’m within his dragon blood to boil as he rushed forward past Rigmor and shouted, “Fus”, meaning force. It’s power pushed forward and the troll flew backward with its impact. The Dragonborn then swung his deadly blade downward delivering the final blow and death to the troll. Rigmor stood there staring at him thinking, “This force within him, this blessing of Akatosh as had been written of in the books of lore she used to read when visiting the Imperial City with her mother. What forces were at play to place this person as her guardian.”
Rigmor and the Dragonborn could both see the sunlight filtering in through the windows in the next doorway. They knew they had at last come to the end of their journey through the long dark of Bloodlet mine. The Dragonborn opened the door and they both stepped outside to whatever waited for them as they continued on to Fort Black.
Rigmor and the Dragonborn entered Bloodlet mine. The entry certainly had not been a scene of welcome and we’ll see you on the other side. Instead the entryway had the remains of people’s bones and blood stained rocks to either side thrown about. The Dragonborn thought to himself, “This is not going to be a stroll through an abandoned mine. My blood is already burning before we ever stepped in through the doors.”
When the arrived at a low spot after the entrance to the mine, there was water that had collected into a pool and more evidence of some tragedy that had taken place here as there was there were human remains in the form of a skeleton floating in the water. Rigmor looked at the scene around her then turned towards him and said, “You smell that? Something’s not right here. There possible danger ahead guardian.” The Dragonborn thought to himself, “Hmm, she called me guardian again, I wonder if this place worries her and she feel like she needs a guardian again.” He then responded to her, “I think your right Rigmor, let’s be ready just in case.” With that he pulled out his sword and she followed suit by pulling the two-handed Nordic sword off her back.
As Rigmor and the Dragonborn traveled deeper into the mine they came up on an open area with stairs and platforms that had been built by past minors to allow them access to other locations for mining and likely the way out at some point. It was here that a sudden onslaught of creatures known as skeevers had attacked them.
Both of them had their swords and shield in motion and skeevers were flying away in their death songs as fast as they were swarming in to attack these two intruders. The Dragonborn felt his blood burn with a fire not sensed before. He was worried for Rigmor and a light began to sparkle all around her, something within him was reaching out to help shield and protect Rigmor from falling as a result of this brutal attack from the horde of skeevers in the mine.
The two of them had laid waste to a large part of the horde of skeevers that had attacked them but a final rush of what was left came at them. It was then that something new had occurred. The Dragonborn’s sword had come alive with sparkling flames and when he swung it flaming spark-lets flew everyone in the area. Besides confusing the horde and diverting its attack, where they struck, they burned into the bodies of the skeevers until they laid dead all around the area.
There were a few left and Rigmor and the Dragonborn finished them without much effort. When they were done, All around them laid the skeevers and the light that had surrounded Rigmor as well as the sparkling flame along his sword vanished as if it had never been. They both walked around the area trying to understand why this horde was here. They they found it, a mass of dead miners who had all been burned to a char caught in some untimely and unnecessary death trap. The question was why, what and who was it that did this to these poor people. Rigmor and the Dragonborn faced each other once again connecting deep within their hearts to each other over what they had both just witnessed.
Rigmor was first to speak, “Dragonborn, what happened to these people. who could have been so cruel?” The Dragonborn replied to Rigmor, “These people were all murdered. My assumption is they built all of this here and once it was finished, whoever had contracted them, had no further need of them, and didn’t want any stories coming out of the mine as to what had been built and why.” Rigmor’s eyes were pooling with tears and she quietly asked, “But Dragonborn, this is so wrong!” The Dragonborn replied, “I know Rigmor, I know! Maybe, we’ll find some answers at the fort were traveling to.” He thought briefly then felt something stir within and said without knowing how, “Kogaan, Kos, Voth, Hi, Nau, Hin, Wundun, Hofkiin, Wah, Fin, Kun”, “Blessings be with you on your journey home to the light!” With that he and Rigmor climbed the stairs and platform to the next doorway in the mine.
“Friends are the treasures that give us life, the mirrors reflecting the symphonies of our hearts, they are the chosen family who create the tapestry of our thoughts, they are the gift of transformation when we need it most, they are the light that illuminates the darkness when sorrow overwhelms our hearts, they are the threads that shine the brightest, burning forever even past the end of our lives.”
“Who are the people that walk alongside you in life, are they associates who believe a little like you from the start, are they well kept company who would do you a favor without a thought, are they there whenever your heart drowns is the sorrow of life, do they uplift you when the light of need wipes away the stars from your night, do they walk the lonely road of loss and pull you up again to walk, are they always there when the need is greatest or nothing at all. If you find that person while traveling the byways of moments. Understand you have found a true friend, the treasures that are there beyond the ending of time, the tapestry that is written together within the heart and will never be lost.”
Morning came after both the Dragonborn and Rigmor rested through the evening. The Dragonborn had slept restful through the night. He got up from the bedroll and sat on the chair. Rigmor was already awake but still lying down watching him as he rose and sat down in the chair next to her bed. The Dragonborn looked at her for a moment than asked, “You ready to go?” Rigmor sat up, then rose to stand before him looking slightly down at him and replied, “Yep! ready as I’ll ever be. We can take the horses or walk. You can use Angi’s horse if you want. She won’t mind!”
The Dragonborn looked over at her from his chair and replied, “Let’s take the horses, we don’t know yet what may be along the path to the starting point down at the bottom of what looked to be a mine we have to take to get over the mountain and to this Fort Black so we can find Rose and recover your sword.” Rigmor replied, “So, you saw my map?” The Dragonborn said, “Yeah, I studied it while you were resting, spent some time with Angi too, she’s really good with that bow.”
The Dragonborn stood up and faced Rigmor and they stood there searching within each other’s eyes both trying to pierce something beyond them to the soul beneath. Both of them feeling there was something they needed to know, to understand about the two of them but neither one of them were able to identify.
The Dragonborn and Rigmor both turned away, then Rigmor stepped towards the flap of cloth that had been left there in the doorway and stepped out into the morning sunlight with the Dragonborn following closely behind. Once outside, Rigmor called out to Angi who was walking towards the practice area, “Angi, me and the Guardian are taking the horses up the old mine. We’ll be gone for a while so don’t wait up for us. We’ll return the horses when we get back.” Angi turned as the Dragonborn mounted Angi’s horse. She said, “Please be careful, you know those bandits up there that manage that mine can be a rough.”
The Dragonborn had mounted Angi’s horse and was now watching Rigmor as she prepared to mount her own horse. It turned out that Angi’s horse was a good size for the Dragonborn and also stood at lease a head taller than Rigmor’s own horse. Rigmor mounted up, then they began to head out towards the trail that would lead them to a base camp of sorts much higher up in the mountains. The Dragonborn was lost in thought as they headed out, “This was not going to be an easy trip, he could feel it in his bones as the old saying went.”
The Dragonborn took them out the way they came into Angi’s place. They made their way up to the road, past the traps Angi had setup to deter unwelcome guest away, turned the horses north then continue up the switchback trail up to a point near a place called Bloodlet Throne. He stopped the horses near the final rise towards the base camp and asked Rigmor, “Are you okay, are we going the right way?” She was surprised at his concern. She was also shocked that he would even bother to ask her if she felt they were taking the right path towards their goal.” She mused, “That was certainly not the way of most male Nords.”
Rigmor replied to the Dragonborn, “Yes, were going the right way. Now were near Bloodlet Throne, if we go up that ridge trail, it should lead us to the base of the bandit and mining camp that would lead us over the mountain through way of the mines up there.” They headed up the ridge, turned left as they arrived at the top, rode in a bit more then both dismounted. The Dragonborn looked at Rigmor and asked, “So, is this the place?” Rigmor replied, “Yes, it is.” The Dragonborn then said, “Well, what now?” Rigmor chuckled, then replied, “Well, your the tough guy guardian, you lead and I’ll follow. You know cover your back.” The Dragonborn looked at her a moment then with a wry smile said, “Okay Rigmor, follow me!”
They both turned and began walking towards the first set of switchback stairs that someone had built to help people navigate the climb to the mine entry above. It wasn’t long before a man who had been watching them before came down, the stairs, stood in their way then said to the Dragonborn ignoring Rigmor, “Alright that’s far enough! What can I do for you friend?” The Dragonborn replied, “We’re just passing through, heading on up to the mine.”
The man then said, “We’re in control of this mine, you know how this works, toll here is 100 gold coins.” The Dragonborn paused a moment then replied, “I don’t carry that much gold with me I ‘m afraid.” The man who apparently was acting as gatekeeper for gaining access to the mines above responded, “Not my problem, you want through here, you pay or else!” The Dragonborn looked deep into the man’s eyes then said, “One hundred gold coin ain’t worth dying over, is it friend?” The man acting as gatekeeper felt a sort of power radiating from within this man he faced. He then mumbled to himself, “I need to find a new line of work, dying over a little gold coin ain’t worth loosing my life.” He then replied to the Dragonborn, “Go on through, but behave yourselves on the way up to the mine.”
The Dragonborn and Rigmor went followed him up the first set of stairs behind the gatekeeper they had just spoken to. They continued on up a set of switchback stairs, landings, and bridges until they got to a small camp with a roaring fire. The Dragonborn looked up the mountain, saw how much higher they were likely going to have to go and walked over to warm up a bit. Rigmor looked over without saying anything but did not look happy about the delay.
The bandits there assumed they had paid the toll so there was a general acceptance and began to chat with them. The one lady with the strange haircut said, “Be careful as you make your way up to the mine passage, there’s a family of snowy saber tooth’s up there. They generally will keep to themselves, take the first set of stairs up and they should leave you alone. Also there might be some trolls as you make your way higher. There’s a reason there’s so many of us here you know.” The Dragonborn thanked her and actually handed her a bag of gold coins for the being helpful.
Rigmor and the Dragonborn then continued up and saw the saber tooth family, they went up the first stairs, came to a small landing when out of nowhere the saber tooth tigers attacked. It was a vicious battle between them and the tigers but in the end the Dragonborn had called upon some reserve of power within him and all laid dead before him. Rigmor, who was standing behind him, was panting heavily from the effort and thinning air as they climbed higher up the mountain . He heard her gasp, “I ‘m okay, are you?”. He replied, “Yes, thank you for your concern Rigmor” She chuckled, then said, “Hey, I’ve got your back.” They continued on from there.
Rigmor and the Dragonborn continued up towards the mine entry. There were no more guards or mine operators posted up here this high. The Dragonborn thought to himself, “No one thinks its important to guard this path which means there must be other dangers up here before the mine that keeps them from worrying about anyone slipping by.”
It was then he learned why. As both Rigmor and the Dragonborn arrived at the top, a Frost Troll came charging at them. It was not long before they were both deep in the heat of battle with this Frost Troll.
While in the battle with the Frost Troll, the rest of the Snowy Saber-tooth family attacked as well and Rigmor and the Dragonborn were struggling for their lives on two fronts now.
Rigmor had been knocked over and was on her knees struggling to rise again. The creatures all seemed to be focused on the Dragonborn for some reason. Rigmor thought to herself as she rose, “Maybe they sense the dragon within his blood, a threat that overrides every bit of sense they may normally have.”
The battle continued but the Dragonborn had seen Rigmor knocked to her knees and struggling to rise again, the dragon fire within his blood began to boil and a reserve of power rose within him. At that same time the Nords who had been watching this could not be idle, they were Nords first regardless of whoever these people were. The Dragonborn killed the troll then swung his two blade in a wide arc that knocked the saber-tooth over the edge down to the next level and the final battle took place with Rigmor, The Dragonborn and two of the Nord guards making short work of the remaining creatures.
Once it was done, the Dragonborn thanked the two guards, handed over some coin to them and said they really both appreciate the assist. They took the gold coins surprised. Neither had expected this but certain were not going to question their generosity. Rigmor and the Dragonborn walked up to the mine entry. Stood there for a moment searching each other’s quiet thoughts at the entry to Bloodlet Mine.
The Dragonborn stood up, quietly stepped outside Rigmor’s tent as to not to wake her, walked to the fire Angi had setup outside and thought to himself, “Let me see, a nice cabin, storage, a forge with all the necessary items to keep armor and weapons in top shape, a rack on the outside of the cabin for bows and arrows.” He paused in his observation and then thought, “Angi’s been alone for sometime now. Rigmor’s arrival or accidental discovery as Rigmor had described changed all of that. Maybe Angi realized that she missed having others around once in a while. He then thought, well, I better step in there, review Rigmor’s map and try and get Angi more comfortable with having yet another person around.”
He stepped into Angi’s cabin where she was sitting in front of a fire. She heard him enter and said, “Sorry, a girl can’t be too careful up here all alone.” She paused a moment while the Dragonborn walked over to look at Rigmor’s map spread out on the table nearby. Angi then said, “Like I said, the name’s Angi, and I have been living out here for a couple of years now.” The Dragonborn said, I’ll be over to talk with you in just a moment. I wanted to take a little bit to review this map of Rigmor’s.
He looked at the map spread out on the table and memorized the primary route and markers along the way to where they would be able to travel to the fort where both Rose and Rigmor’s sword were. He noticed a letter sitting on the table, opened it to review it. It had written in it the following:
The Dragonborn read the letter then thought to himself, “Wow, Daedric artifacts, the Thalmor, an attempt to replicate them and all coming from a General Tilar Aedriath. He would have to ask Rigmor about this when the time was right.” He paused a moment then went and sat next to Angi. The Dragonborn then asked Angi, “What are those targets for?” Angi replied, “I set those up years ago, so I could stay sharp with my bow. Especially, considering I am up here most of the time on my own.” She paused a moment then asked the Dragonborn, “You any good with a bow?”
The Dragonborn replied, “I am okay with one, but I am always open to learning something new.” Angi replied, “Well, if you want to practice some just let me know, there’s a bow and some practice arrows out there. I can show you a few things to see if it helps you.” The Dragonborn replied, “Sure, I would like to do that if you have the time!” Angie responded, “The bow is hanging up on the rack right outside and the practice arrows should be sitting up against the cabin. I’ll meet you down at the practice site.” They both stood up then and walked out so Angie could teach the Dragonborn about the bow.
The Dragonborn took the hunter’s bow off the rack and picked up the quiver with the practice arrows in it. He could see there were just about ten arrows in the quiver. He thought to himself, “more than enough for some quick practice on a range each day.” He then followed her down to the practice site where she began to instruct in what her mother had described as “The Way Of The Bow”.
She had told him that her father was gone a lot and it was her mother who taught her everything she knew about using the bow and arrow. She said her mother had a sort of reverence for the art of archery, and described as so, “She used to say, when the bow is in your hand, and the arrow is notched you need to allow it to become an extension of who you are. That everything else around you is a distraction and will lesson your ability to become a master at this art.” Both Angi and the Dragonborn then took the bow in hand, notched a practice arrow to it, pulled back and then she said to him, “Let everything else give in to the bow and the arrow, feel the calmness all around you, let it guide your instincts when you aim the bow and let loose the arrow.”
The Dragonborn felt something then, as he let loose of all the tied up emotions and allowed the bow and its notched arrow to become one with himself. Angi had been watching him with her peripheral vision and saw that he was in the right frame of mind now. She said to him, “Aim and hit the middle target. He did so, let the arrow fly and it hit dead center on the practice target. This continued as Angi instructed him to next hit the target to the left, and then to the right. When they were done, she said to him,”You did good today, you’re a fast learner. Just let me know if you want to practice again sometime.” With that Angi took her bow and walked back up to towards the cabin. The Dragonborn went and fetched the arrows then returned to Rigmor’s tent, check in on her then laid down on the extra bedding and let himself sleep for the evening. He thought to himself, “Angi uses the bow to calm her inner conflict I sensed somewhere buried within her when we first met.” He was starting to drift into sleep thinking, “I think Angi is a very good person who has experienced some very bad things in life.” With that he feel asleep until morning.
The Dragonborn mounted the horse as he thought to himself, “I’ve spent too much time here at this location already. The ghosts of those moments, those decisions, and those words still live vividly inside of me. Let’s head in towards Bruma and find out what’s really going on.” He turned the horse down the trail towards the final post before entering Cyrodiil and its open roads beyond.
As he approached the post, he noticed the two new imperial guards posted at the gate, there was one up above them pacing back and forth on the walkway that all of these posts and gates had built on top of them and then he could see another guard higher up and to the left in a watchtower. He stopped at a collection of empty wagons, crates, and barrels thinking to himself, “Why are these here, I see no signs of misdeeds as both Sethri and Stultus had hinted at but maybe the evidence laid beyond the gate.”
He turned the horse and slowly finished his way to the gate. One of the guards at the border post came forward and said, “Halt! The borders are closed, what business do you have here?” The Dragonborn replied, “I am here to visit Bruma on official business. I have a pass.” The guard said, “Let me see.” The guard took the pass the Dragonborn handed to him. After reading it he said, “Okay, all seems in order. But I should warn you to keep your weapons sheathed, any acts of violence will be met with the full force of the law.” The guard paused then continued, “You may of course defend yourself if you are attacked, but those are the rules and laws.” He then turned to the other guard and said to him, “Open the gates.”
The gates were opened and the guards stood back at their post watching him as he passed through the doorway and into the greater province of Cyrodiil.
As he entered he saw a captain sitting upon a horse, behind him were some of the new Imperial guard near a mass of dead men, women, and children. They laid there in the snow which was stained with the blood of these innocent people. He slowly rode his horse over to the mass of bodies and sat there on it with tears dripping down his cheeks then dropping down into the blood stained snow.
The Imperial guard were getting nervous and the captain could be heard saying, “Move along quickly, there’s nothing here that concerns you.” Another of the guards said to the Dragonborn, “I’m warning you. Back off!” There was a pause as the other guards drew their weapons and began to surround him. The same guard again said, “That’s close enough.” It was then that the place exploded into action and one of the other guards cried out, “You never should have come here, you were warned!”
They all rushed the Dragonborn but he was prepared and dug his heals into the horse forcing it to leap forward over the dead and then had it running full up to the top of the rise. It was here he stopped the horse, dismounted, drew out Azura’s Bane whose runes were reacting with frightful intensity to his emotions.
The Dragonborn came upon them like an angel of death. He spoke the words of the unrelenting force, “Fus, Ro, Daah!” – “Force, Balance, and Push” which staggered the guard and too late they realized that the sins of their past had caught up to them and the justice of the divines were upon them. They burst into bright flames as the Dragonborn swung the two-handed bane with the force born by the blood of the dragons flowing through him.
It was not long before he stood there with the nothing but the dead lying all about him. The justice of the Dovah, “Ysmir, Dragon of the North” had been served this day. There were no one to witness these deeds other than the divines and innocent dead who he hoped now felt free to return home to their final resting place in the life beyond.
The Dragonborn turned away from the dead Imperial guard, walked over to the mass of dead men, women, and children, fell to his knees and cried out in prayer, “Azura and Akatosh! Forgive me for this justice but I could not walk away from the stain of the innocent that lie upon this frozen earth!” A light began to swirl around him and a voice came upon him, “My child, do not be so hard on yourself, what you did today has been foretold, you have freed the souls of the innocent who lie in the snow to come home. Be at peace as your father and mother are proud of you. Trust in the nine, always.”
Silence returned, the Dragonborn rose in time, walked back to where he left his horse at the top of the ridge and began the final journey towards Bruma and what he hoped would be a reunion with Rigmor.
