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[Marik]

Middas, 3rd of Heartfire

With our success in Whiterun and little sign of another Stormcloak attack, I’ve decided that I want to check out Falkreath to follow them up on becoming Thane of the hold and possibly purchase land. The town seems nice enough, if a tad bit small for my tastes. It’s around the wee hours of the morning at the moment, far too late to talk to the jarl now. We’re passing time in an establishment called the Dead Man’s Drink. Stenvar’s getting his fill of ale, and I’m writing.

We had to walk the roads due to the carriage service closing their doors with the recent battle. I expected to see a few roving bands of Stormcloak soldiers, but luckily that wasn’t so. The only thing of note on the road was an Orc man beside the carcasses of two Sabre Cats. When we stopped to investigate, the man started to speak of how he was past his prime and needed to die in an honorable manner. To me he just seemed insane; I can never understand why someone would search for death.

Stenvar on the other hand seemed to understand the Orc better than I, and he agreed to engage in a duel. I was surprised at how thrilling it was; they both slogged it out for what felt like forever, trading blow after blow. Each of them would stagger at one time or another but never fall. I was most impressed when the Orc swung his weapon time and time again but was only met with a steady sword blocking each hit. Stenvar isn’t the youngest of men, but still he was able to stand toe to toe with an Orc brute almost as if he were one himself. But he isn’t an Orc, and eventually he fell to his knees in submission. I never ran as fast in my life as I did when I saw him falter. I drew my blade, and ran it clean through the Orc’s chest before he could deal the death blow.

Now, Stenvar’s usually the one to provide friendly conversation while we’re traveling, but he hasn’t said a word since. I know it’s because of the fight, but I’m beginning to wonder if it’s because I interfered. He should understand, I couldn’t just let him die, and even though we’ve only been working together for a little over a week I feel we’ve become friends. I’m just going to give him some time to do whatever it is he needs to do, be it to think, or rest, or drink. I’ll talk to the jarl on my own, I shan’t bog him down with my business.

[Marik]

Turdas, 4th of Heartfire

There’s something about Falkreath, an air of gloom surrounding the town. Maybe it’s the massive graveyard that the town’s been built around. They say that heroes and warriors used to come to these parts to be buried here, and that many a battle happened on these grounds. Or it could be the constant rainfall, but I’m not complaining, as the clouds keep the sun hidden. But I can tell this place is going to be interesting. For one, the jarl is only a fresh faced boy who seemed little interested in the job other than the fancy title. His uncle ruled before him, but I’m told that they removed him from power when it was known that he’d side with Ulfric Stormcloak. The boy, I’ll need to keep an eye on him however. The job he sent me on to become Thane involved taking out bandits that he was previously colluding with. What they were doing, I don’t know, but I can’t believe it was anything good.

Another thing, a man came into town some time ago and murdered some kid, ripped her to shreds like a beast. I have half a mind to visit the jail and spit on him, maybe just even figure out why he did such a terrible thing in the first place. And I also got a second job, an elf man requested that I find a journal he lost in a cave to the north. He said he’d pay well, and I have a bit of a soft spot considering I have one myself.

Stenvar seemed like he was feeling better when I came back. I told him we had work, and he asked if it involved killing. I said yes, and he nodded, and then we left. Even though it was daytime when we departed, the rain made travel easy on me, and we chose to go find the elf’s journal because it was closer. The cave itself looked like it had old ruins in it but it was so dilapidated that nothing remained save for a few cracked pillars and a bit of rubble. That should have tipped me off, the place seemed normal enough until a crystal on a stand began shooting magic at me. Not only that, but skeletons roamed this place, servants of a necromancer that now lived here. He went down without much trouble and we found the journal easy enough, but I noticed a table covered in blood as we were getting ready to depart, and I couldn’t help myself to dab my hand in it and lick it up while Stenvar walked ahead.

Exiting the cave we found it to be nighttime, and this proved useful when taking out those bandits. There were maybe around ten, all separated in groups of three around their camp, and even though we finished that quickly we still couldn’t get back to Falkreath in time to speak to the jarl. Whatever, we’ll just rest in Dead Man’s Drink till morn, but I have little incentive to sleep after running into a man around town that said he was a vampire hunter for a group called the Dawnguard. If I see him again, I’ll keep an eye on him from a distance, I don’t want to end up with my head on a pike.

[Marik]

Fredas, 5th of Heartfire

I met a… talking dog today. Was searching town for work in order to buy the land that was for sale in the area. Turns out the bandit job wasn’t to make me Thane, it was only a test to see if I was worthy to buy land. That’s all I really wanted though, so I don’t see much use in perusing Thane-ship here.

Anyway, the dog. The smithy in town found this dog, but it ran away, and he desperately misses the poor thing. With some soft words I was able to get some gold up front, but the man may be cross with me, as I don’t see the dog returning to him. In fact, I was so swept up by the absurdity of the situation, I was coerced into helping the furry thing. I didn’t quite follow everything he was spewing… keep in mind that his voice projected from his being rather than his mouth; dogs don’t have lips, that would be even more bizarre. But he seemed to suggest that he was the servant of a Daedric Prince, and must meet with this entity in a shrine to beg for forgiveness. He also said something about cultists; I wonder if that’s going to be an issue…

Oh! Before I left town, I was able to catch a quick bite while the villagers slept. In one building was the elf man I had done work for previously, and another. They both stirred little when I drank from their necks, and boy was it good! I’ve noticed that different races seem to have different tastes. Elves have a more refined sweet taste while humans are more thick and savory. It almost makes me want to try cooking with blood, but that would be ill advised; I’d have no means to obtain the raw substance without blatant murder, and if I were to be discovered, it would spell the end of me.

[Marik]

Fredas, 5th of Heartfire, Second Entry

I can’t believe it, the cave, the one the dog brought me into, it was the very same one that I rested in after escaping the dragon attack when I was captured! The vampires that originally infected me still inhabited this place, and even though I put quite the dent in their forces the first time it seems as though they repopulated. While I wasn’t able to destroy them alone, they stood no chance with the two of us using our full force. Coming back here and tying up this loose end hadn’t left my mind, but I’m just happy that it’s done.

We came to the end of the cavern to find a large shrine to the dog’s lord, Clavicus Vile. The only way he’d agree to take his pet back was if we traveled to the very north-west region of the province and enter a place called Rimerock Burrow to retrieve something called the Rueful Axe. To say the least, this is annoying; while I knew I’d be heading back near Solitude soon, I very much intended to finish my business down south first. No matter, if it’s to be done, why not make it grandiose? We’ll make an entire tour of it, see the sights, and take our time if we damn well please.

Our first stop will be Ivarstead where we’ll rest up and drink until we’ve fallen into a stupor. Then we depart to the Rift Watchtower a ways south-east so I can finally pick up that moon amulet for my Khajiit friend whose caravan accompanied me to Kynesgrove when I fled Riften. That’s also the next stop, and we’ll stop for drinks again at Braidwood Inn before arriving at Windhelm for another round and a rest. We won’t be staying too long here. I shan’t think that the Stormcloak forces would appreciate an Imperial soldier and her companion in their capitol. Although, we aren’t dressed the part, and I have little rank, so the only way we could be found out was if we ran into Ulfric himself.

Next, a trek north to an attraction I’ve heard about called the Shrine of Azura is in order, and after we’ve gotten our fill of the scenery we’ll go just a bit further north to Winterhold. I think at that point we’ll just go up the coast to Dawnstar and continue to Solitude, but we may make additional stops along the way if we see anything of interest along the road. Hopefully this trip will have plenty of debauchery and barbaric violence, against individuals that rightly deserve it of course. Maybe there is even a little blood for my tastes? And what if I decided to mix it in with my mead? That’s possibly something I could try later.

[Marik]

Loredas, 6th of Heartfire

The first day of our journey has proved to be glorious indeed. Ivarstead was a bit of a slow start, and the only thing I can say was worth seeing there was the towering High Hrothgar. We only spent maybe three hours there before leaving, then heading into more dangerous regions in search for bandits. Lo and behold, bandits we found, but not the ones we were searching for. A fort stood in our path filled to the brim with outlaws, and for a moment we found ourselves trading arrows with a few of the wretches that mounted the walls. That’s when we met a group who came to our aid, who when the archers were shot down, asked us to help them in taking the fort. The leader claimed that these brigands had captured his family, but he didn’t need to explain himself if only because he was offering gold. Now, this challenge was more on our level, the group was sizeable with well-armed men who knew their way around a stocked fort. I believe they might have been deserters in the war, but from which side I cannot be sure. We didn’t end up finding the man’s family in that keep, but we got paid all the same.

The bandits that came next paled in comparison to what we just faced; only amassing to a measly three in total. I found the amulet I was searching for in a chest along with some weapons that should fetch a good price in Windhelm.

By the time we arrived in Kynesgrove, night had followed, and with the looming darkness came a dragon. Mortified, I ran for cover, but became slightly more confident when I saw that this one spewed not fire, but ice. With my newfound courage, I assisted the local guard in the attack, the group of us raining arrows into its scales and bringing it toppling to a rest only mere feet from the Inn. Now we’re here in Braidwood drinking to our victory, us and the guardsmen chugging a free round that the barkeep provided and celebrating the night away. It’s almost ironic; here I am, partaking in merriment with Stormcloak soldiers, men and woman that I may very well kill in battle in the following weeks. For now though, I may call them friend, and I plan to buy the next few rounds. If the group breaks out in a cheer for Ulfric and his Stormcloaks, then Oblivion, I’ll join them in their praises. After all, the jarl of Windhelm is going to need all the help he can get if he’s going to win this war.

[Marik]

Sundas, 7th of Heartfire

We covered some good ground today, all the way up to Winterhold. The place seems to be falling to pieces, I wonder what happened to put a major settlement in such disrepair? We had only planned to stop for drinks, but I just knew that I needed to see the College once we arrived. I must say, the library here is amazing! It dates back to the Second Era; I desperately want to search through this collection to see if I can find anything rare. I also had a bit of a chat with the librarian, Urag gro-Shub. He’s interested in finding the works of the Arch-Mage Shalidor. He said they were somewhere east of Windhelm; I might want to try finding those.

It appears that I’m also enrolled as a student now. I stumbled across a demonstration and the teacher didn’t second guess my presence. I even managed to learn a ward spell. The class will be meeting inside a ruin that the college had been excavating in a few hours, and I think I’m going to attend. While I don’t plan on staying and studying here at this time, the prospect of unearthing unknown artifacts that can give way to knowledge is very appealing in my eyes. This shouldn’t set us back too far anyway, we’ll only be here for an extra day at the most.

[Marik]

Morndas 8th of Heartfire

I decided that I would leave Stenvar and the dog at the local inn while I went on this field trip. That man is one who craves battle, not academia. I was the second of the students to arrive, the first, Brelyna Maryon was waiting with our teacher, Tolfdir. While we waited I had a chat with the elf girl, she seems nice enough, and is well studied too. The Khajiit J’zargo seems like he’s only here to gain power from the arcane arts, and Onmund… I don’t know what the deal with Onmund is.

Apparently this ruin, Sarthaal was one of the first cities of man in Tamriel until it was destroyed by the elves during the Night of Tears. I was able to uncover a hidden chamber that was reviled to me by an amulet, which I will be labeling the amulet of Sarthaal. I also recovered another amulet, but it seems to be broken. The design resembles that of the amulet of Sarthaal, although it’s missing the very top portion.

This hidden area would prove to have zombies in it, and I’ve come to expect that of Nordic ruins and I would be very surprised if I came across one free of their scourge. I think it’s fair to say that unlike the Nords of today, their ancestors were very fluent in the magical arts, shown by the rune traps I found covering the ground, such as the Fire Rune and Lightning Rune.

Rooms of interest include a burial chamber with a pit that descended for miles that had coffins lining the walls of said pit. There was a chamber that contained a wall of text that I don’t quite understand, although I have seen various walls like this in other Nordic ruins. A certain section of the text on this wall gave off a faint glow, I wonder if the highlighted words are a part of some sort of code?

But most importantly, we found some sort of giant glowing sphere that rotated in place, covered in intricate lines and runes. Its purpose is unknown to me, but maybe it’s some sort of container or power source? I’ve alerted the Arch-Mage, Savos Aren, and he’d like me to research the subject, only the books that have the information I’m looking for have been stolen by a former student! No matter, I was planning on leaving the area anyway, and if I find myself in the region this former student was headed, then I’ll attempt to retrieve the tomes.

Tomorrow we head off west to Dawnstar, and while the war should be my main focus at this time, the business here at the college will not escape me. And before I forget, make sure to look up information on the Psijic Order. I received a message from someone claiming to be with their group in Sarthaal, and it’d be prudent to find out if they’ll be a problem in the future.

[Marik]

Tirdas, 9th of Heartfire

The dog was missing when I got back to the inn. Stenvar let it out of his sight while he was drinking. Hopefully it’s heading to Rimerock Burrow, I’d hate to have to track it down again. In brighter news, I found my Khajiit friend on the road today! I gladly returned his amulet, and he said if I ever needed any help, he would accompany me on my journeys. I remembered to ask for his name this time, it’s Kharjo.

We stopped for a few rounds in Dawnstar, and I stopped by the smithy and found a Dwarven bow that I liked. We didn’t stay very long; after an hour or so, we took a boat to ferry us to Solitude. Tomorrow, I’ll report in to General Tullius, but tonight, we go to Rimerock.

[Marik]

Middas, 10th of Heartfire

Rimerock went quicker than I expected. The place was but a hovel of some sorcerer, it was barely even large enough to house a dragon. Still no dog, and I’m getting an inkling that something is going on that I don’t know about. I should keep my wits about me when I go to return the axe, as Daedra are the scheming type. For all I know, I could be walking into a trap.

The axe wasn’t the only thing I found there. Now I hold a mysterious white stone with many sides, but it screams at me. Take it to Mount Kilkreath it says, and oh, that’s all it says, over and over. I have half a mind to throw the thing into the Sea of Ghosts and pray that it washes up on Atmora, but then again that particular mountain isn’t far from this location. I’m spreading myself too thin as is unfortunately; many different powers are relying on my involvement. I’ll just go ahead and list out everything I’ve committed myself too and pick out what I feel is most important.

One; Travel to the outskirts of Dawnstar to the Imperial Camp located there and help in the efforts to reclaim The Pale. This should be my concern, as the war is taking its toll on many lives and should be ended as soon as possible.

Two; Return to the shrine of the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile to return the Rueful Axe. All that is asked of me now is to walk back there and give it to the Prince, but I’m unsure if a reward will be given for my efforts. Do I even want a reward from a Daedric Prince?

Three; Bring the stone to Mount Kilkreath. This is the shortest distance to cover from Solitude, but like with the axe I have no idea what the outcome will be. I will be cautious if I take this path.

Four; Retrieve the stolen books that contain information regarding the spherical artifact the college found inside Sarthaal. The artifact could contain untold powers. I’ll be working on this project no matter what, but I can afford to give the college a bit more time to look the device over.

Five; Find the writings of the Arch-Mage Shalidor for the college library. This is merely a side job, and I only see myself retrieving the writings if I pass by the area.

Six; Purchase the land at Falkreath so that I may have a proper home. This can wait; I could even send the money by courier with a notice of purchase.

[Marik]

Turdas, 11th of Heartfire

I had previously attempted to climb Mount Kilkreath, but I now know that doing so is not an option. The sun shone down on that place like a beacon. Whatever lies in those grounds are poison to my kind. This leaves me to wonder what should be done with the stone. I’m curious as to what it’s made out of and why the voice of an entity would emit from it. Could it be similar to the dog that is led by Clavicus Vile? Maybe the object itself is not important, simply a means to project the will of another? I may want to research this, but maybe the collage could take it off my hands.

I’ve been tasked at The Pale encampment to take part in a subterfuge operation to sabotage the Stormcloaks. I’ll be delivering some fake documents to Ulfric’s boys in Dawnstar, but before that we’d need some reference material to make the fakes look legitimate. Luckily, we tracked a Stormcloak courier, and intercepted the lass while she rested in an inn. It didn’t end clean, she attacked like a cornered skeever, and a bystander was even foolish enough to come to her aid. I don’t quite mind though, as his sword looks mighty fine at my waist. Interesting design as well, it curves slightly, and the blade is only sharpened on one side. It must be an old relic or completely foreign, because I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

More important than that are the papers I’ve taken, and I can only hope that we lure the enemy into a vulnerable position with this plan. It’s best we get a move on now, as I’d rather not be in these blood covered halls when the next Stormcloak band decides to stop in for a few drinks.

[Marik]

Loredas, 13th of Heartfire

In the past few days we’ve managed to thin the Stormcloak men with those faulty orders, which made the Dunstad fort, one of the strongest fortifications in The Pale ripe for the taking. Now that it’s in Imperial hands, the rebels stand no chance in Dawnstar, and the hold belongs to the empire once again. The men are moving on to The Rift now, and I find myself nervous returning to the area. It’s not just the Stormcloak’s I have to worry about, but also the criminal scum that roam the streets. I can only hope that with the return of Riften to the empire, the corruption there will be dispelled.