The Astray Apprentice -- A Skyrim AAR (23/6/13)

**Swaeft** · February 07, 2013, 06:37 AM

Foreword
I will be writing about The Astray Apprentice, which covers the story of a magically inclined young female who lost her enterprising master in a skirmish against the Thalmor. It will be about 50 chapters long, and will most certainly be plot heavy. I'd like to thank Chirurgeon for inspiring me with his excellently written The Nascent Ranger. This will be by no means a competition between him and me, and if I manage to achieve a small fragment of what he has done with his masterpiece, I will be a happy man.

This post will contain the Content Page as time goes by and the chapters present themselves.

Details
Game: Skyrim (No DLC)

Mods: Will update as soon as possible

Writing Style: Third Person

Estimated Upload Rate: Once a week.

List of Mods Used.

Weapons and Armor

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Graphics

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Gameplay

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Houses and Followers

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Content Page
Parchment One

Parchment Two

We do our Duty, Forever Guardians

Chapter Ten: Interlude

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Chapter Eleven: Saved by the Blackness

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Chapter Twelve: Recuperation

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Chapter Thirteen: Learning and Training

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Chapter Fourteen: More Lessons

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Chapter Fifteen: Gathering and Hunting
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Chapter Sixteen: Emotional Lessons
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Chapter Seventeen: More Alchemy and Training
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Chapter Eighteen: A Test
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Chapter Nineteen: Thalmor on the Horizon
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Chapter Twenty: A Bond Torn Asunder
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Chapter Twenty One: A Dilenma of Agony
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Chapter Twenty Two: Infiltration
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Chapter Twenty Three: Escape
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Chapter Twenty Four: The Winter Offensive (Part 1)
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Chapter Twenty Five: The Winter Offensive (Part 2)

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Chapter Twenty Six: Last Man Out, Get The Lights

Parchment Three

Numerous Sacrifices Lay the Path

Chapter Twenty Seven: Relocation
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Chapter Twenty Eight: Deception
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Chapter Twenty Nine: A New Direction
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Chapter Thirty: Encounter

**Swaeft** · February 07, 2013, 06:38 AM

Prologue

The harsh, biting cold made Vaela shiver. The freezing, scathing winds grazed her face, and she trembled from the bitter contact. However, she made no effort to put on her hood. She could still bear the effects of the elements for now. Instead, she stood near the campfire in her novice robes and tried her best to read the book her Master had given her, eyes twitching every now and then in annoyance.

At her side was an iron sword, rusty from the months of inactivity and inaction. The boots she wore were old and almost worn out. It served to only slightly insulate her feet from the winter air, but every now and then it would let in a gush of freezing air, which would make Vaela shift her feet in bitterness. She longed to repair the boots, but knew nothing about smithing or sowing. Her boots would remain unrepaired for the moment, as her full and undivided attention dwelled on the book she now held in her hands. Vaela was grateful for the light the burning campfire brought her, even if it was flickering and slightly inadequate. The depressing night sky did not provide any of the benevolent rays that Vaela so desperately needed, and so she huddled as close to the fire as she could without burning any part of her body. Even the moon seemed to desert this cold and unforgiving place, deigning to not grace the winter mountains with its presence.

She had been studying the book her Master had left her five months ago. The moment she thought about it, her mind swirled and she staggered back in shock. The mental pain she felt was still deeply ingrained into her mind. Instantly she was transported five months back in time.

~~~~

It was a normal day like any other. The rabbits abounded eagerly in the lush grasses of Skyrim, hiding from the occasional wolf. The Sun streamed its rays down on the Earth, basking it in its sweltering glow. Vaela was as happy as a lark, and she danced energetically at her Master's side. Her Master, who's name she did not even know as of yet, were passing by the castle of Solitude with his two Imperial escorts. They were hired by her Master to guard them against bandits on the treacherous path to the city of Solitude, proud capital of this place the inhabitants named Skyrim.

She was born in the Imperial province of Cyrodiil, but she never got to meet her parents. Instead, her Master had brought her up and raised her like his own daughter. She received rudimentary training from him as a novice, but she never got beyond small gouts of fire that randomly erupted from her palm, and more than once to the chagrin of her Master she singed some of his most precious materials. Her training ended there, as her Master had deemed her unfit to cast spells until she cleared her mind and her soul. Thus, he brought her to Skyrim for a short trip.

Solitude was a warm and friendly place. Vaela did not get to see much of it as she immediately headed for the local tavern, quaintly named the Winking Skeever. A woman who's name she cared naught about served her with some of the best tasting wine she had ever drank, and soon she was craving for more. Her Master and his two escorts arrived and told her to stay here and not move. Vaela had complied. With a grin and a cheerful wave, her Master disappeared from Vaela's sight into the wandering masses of Solitude.

It would be the last time she ever saw him. Barely moments later a ruckus was heard outside, and amid all the commotion the two Imperial escorts dashed into the Winking Skeever with much haste. One of them handed a bloodstained letter to Vaela, and in growing astonishment and fright she questioned what was going on. The Imperial escorts replied that her Master was under attack, and she was to follow the instructions carefully spelled out in the letter. Pushing her out the rear exit of the Winking Skeever, Vaela turned around one last time to see one of the Imperial escorts taking a fireball to the face. She needed no further encouragement, and sprinted away from the tavern as quickly as lightning. Only when she was totally exhausted and panting profusely did she stop and read the parchment her Master's escorts had given her.

If you are reading this, the time has come for me to leave you. You may not be prepared for this, but destiny will call me to face my fate, and I am quite clear of what I must face.

The Thalmor, or High Elves as they are so reverently called, will be looking for me when you have read this. The instant you see this letter, put as much distance between you and me as you can. If we are separated, the Thalmor will only be able to catch me, and not you.

That's right, their only intention is to capture me alive. They will do no harm for me, for I possess information that they require. Do not fear for my safety or health, but instead follow these instructions...

Vaela did as instructed by the letter, and sped towards the Solitude stables once she caught her breath. It was no easy feat, but in the end she managed to bump into the stable master, expertly mount her Master's horse, now her's, and gallop away before anyone was any wiser. She then made her way to her Master's shack, her sense of direction honed by the numerous journeys and adventures she had accompanied her Master on. She arrived at her destination in no time.

When she unlocked the door of his shack with the key he had given her, she had proceeded to loot the place. Vaela tried to think of it as 'borrowing as per instructions', but her conscience would not let her off and repeatedly drilled the word 'loot' into her mind until she gave up and admitted her failure. She took five important items. A camping chest, her clean iron sword, her yew bow and a small quiver of arrows, her novice robes and her Master's book. It was at this moment she heard the ominous thudding of footsteps outside the house. Frightened and panic stricken, she waited for disaster to strike.

The door opened and two High Elves in full battle garbed entered triumphantly, their malicious smiles striking fear deep into the heart of Vaela. Laden down with all the equipment she had gathered, she had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. She was but a young imperial woman, what could she do against these creatures? In that moment of intense consternation and paroxysm, she willed with all her heart and all her mind for a miracle to happen.

And happen it did. Whether by sheer luck or incredibly powerful mental strength, her Master's horse somehow heard her plea and charged through the front door, ripping it straight off its hinges and plowing into the back of the two Thalmor agents, stunning them momentarily. Hefting the equipment onto her Master's horse, she climbed onto its back and they had stolen away from Vaela's Master's shack.

~~~~

She had ended up crossing the entire expanse of Skyrim in over a month, and had settled down somewhere East of a snowy settlement named Windhelm. It certainly lived up to its name, what with all the blizzards and snowstorms, but such magnificent spectacles of nature amazed Vaela instead of scaring her away, and so she set up camp in that desolate place, far far away from her Master's capture and the evil Thalmor. A backdrop of mountains masked her position nicely, and she had ventured so deeply into the uninhabited mountains that no tracker would find her.

It was getting late, and Vaela was against recounting more of her painful memories. That would have to wait for another time. She closed her book and shoved it downheartedly into her waist pouch. She kept her most important things with her at all times, and her Master's book and the instructions it contained was the most valuable of the lot. She decided to warm her hands by the blazing fire, for her novice robes did not cover her palms, and she had no gloves with which to wear.

Then, against the merciless, cloudless night sky, she entered her tent, rolled down the tent flap, secured it to a strap and lay down to sleep. The howling of the wind died down once the flap was shut tight, and that brought about a certain sense of serenity and calm for Vaela. Aided by these placid emotions, Vaela slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
----

**Swaeft** · February 07, 2013, 07:18 AM

Chapter 1: The Cold Wind

But Vaela could not sleep for long. Insomnia was never a problem for her, but she was a fiercely independent woman of action, and would need to satisfy her desire by doing something. Inhaling sharply, Vaela exited her tent and the pounding wind greeted her by blasting a fresh, cold wave of air into her face. Blinking to dispel the chillness, Vaela strode towards the campfire which was still burning ever so brightly in the night. It was almost dawn, and Vaela decided to practice her skills at magic.

Magic did not come naturally to Vaela as it did to her Master. He could summon beasts with the snap of a finger, and could freeze a kilometer of land in instants. He made everything look so easy. This was definitely not the case for Vaela. Ever since she left her Master's side, her abilities in casting spells had waned--it was as if her connection to the magical world had been severed. She had regressed in her ability at the start, but through constant meditating and hard work, she was able to regain some of that lost skill. However, her current ability was a far cry from the true echelons of powerful magic, and she only knew a single spell.

Focusing solely on herself, Vaela attempted to find inner peace. It was incredibly tough to do so, especially since the noisy winds and the howling of wolves constantly interrupted her meditation. Vaela had to shut herself out from the world, and that was a very dangerous tactic. When one shut oneself out from the world by unfocusing on one's sense, one would be very vulnerable to attacks or other unforeseen circumstances and events. However, Vaela was confident that the wolves were too far away based on the loudness of their cries, and that no other creature would approach a intense kindling flame so closely. She closed her eyes and pressed her eyelids together with so much force that she felt a tinge of pain at her eyelids. She tried repeatedly to focus, but it was impossible to do so. She tried to cover her ears, but still sounds leaked in and disrupted her concentration. She tried to imagine a plane devoid of anything at all, but still the elements seeped into her conscious and aware mind, and finally Vaela grew frustrated. She had spent almost an hour braving the weather that was especially chilling in the early hours of the day, and had received nothing in return but a cold nose and freezing hands.

"Why...can't I...just do it?" She roared, the wind immediately swallowing up her words and whisking them out of earshot. Drawing her sword in her left hand and swinging it about madly, Vaela clenched her fists in rage, and focused all her hatred and fury into one point. Her right hand.

She felt it getting warmer and warmer, and felt the familiar feeling of power. She shuddered in delight, excitement coursing through her body like never before. She had manged to eke out tongues of fire with this sensation before, and she was enthusiastic about being able to do so again. But then her hand starting to glow unlike anything that happened before, and soon Vaela felt uneasy, for her hand had heated up beyond what was normally acceptable. The temperature of her right palm steadily rose, and right before the point where she could bear the intense fuming of the heat, the power it wielded poured out like water through a sieve, and Vaela immediately directed it at the one place she could afford to burn.

The campfire's blaze swelled in size and stature, and its flames leaped ever higher, producing thicker and darker clouds of smoke. Enjoying the crinkling of wooden logs immensely, Vaela continued to focus ll her energies onto the burning pile of logs. Satisfied, Vaela allowed herself an arrogant smirk, but as the power seeped away from her hands and was lost into the surroundings, Vaela felt disheartened again. Her Master had reminded her to only use magic when she was in control, when she could handle its power and abilities. Instead, her magic was controlled solely by her rage, and once her feelings had leveled out she would be at the mercy of her emotions, which was a very bad thing according to her Master.

Exhausted from her twenty second ordeal, Vaela slumped to the snowy floor and rested for quite some time. The winds gradually died down and an aura of calm settled onto the once noisy hillside. This change in surroundings meant that dawn would soon break, and Vaela was heartened by this development. Every morning she would go to the edge of a cliff and watch the sun rise, its salmon-pink rays enveloping the Earth and creating glorious, spectacular hues everywhere. It was bliss when it lasted. Just thinking about it made Vaela doze off in merry.

~~~~

Alas, for when Vaela awoke she realized with a pang of dismay that the Sun had risen but minutes ago. With a groan of woefulness, she picked herself up and mustered the strength to begin her daily routine. Ambling slowly over to the cliff edge, she plonked herself down and enjoyed the cool breeze that caressed her face and neck. In such times, it was good to not wear a hood. Doing so gave Vaela an unobstructed view of the scenery, and if not for its stark paleness it would have been a much more endearing sight.

It was actually quite picturesque. To Vaela's left a tower protruded out of the white ground at an awkward angle. Green pine trees sprouted all around the tower and even further behind, more hills completed the decoration. Directly in front of her were a wondrous creation of Mother Nature herself. Icebergs dotted the otherwise flat ocean, and upon one of those was an unfortunate longboat that was probably caught in some snowstorm and washed ashore. Vaela had tried to move it before, but it was obviously too heavy to even get it to shift an inch. Right below her, a small pathway extended to where the land met the water. It was there Vaela remembered her first encounter with an ice wolf.

It was a stormy night, and Vaela's stomach was rumbling. She had not eaten all day because the normally docile horkers had vanished from their usual resting areas, and try as she might, Vaela could not catch herself any other animal worth eating. However, she could not sleep and her stomach had continued to perturb her, until she finally gave in to her ravenous stomach. Armed with only a sword and a lantern, Vaela ventured into the darkness and searched painfully for some prey. The heavy snowfall made it almost impossible to see, and with her hood on Vaela could barely see five foot in front of her. It was a tiring task. She stopped in front of a waterway and pondered her next move.

She spotted the faintest of silhouettes a few meters away from her under the light of her lantern. Even though it was faint, Vaela could recognize the form of a horker, and so she made her way towards it, finally happy that she would have something to eat. However, after stumbling to a dirt-covered flat ground, where she had spotted the horker earlier, she realized that the horker was...gone. Dismayed and getting tired, she decided to turn around to head back. Unfortunately, she was greeted by the vicious snarl of an ice wolf, its teeth glimmering under the glare of her lantern.

Completely surprised and taken aback, Vaela only drew her sword after the wolf had managed to nip at her numerous times. The first few bites were not fatal, but the last few certainly hurt and injured Vaela's left kneecap. Struggling to stand and fearing the worst, Vaela swung her sword with all her might and through sheer luck, managed to strike the wolf down with a single blow to the back. It's blood poured out visibly even in the storm.

The wolf keened softly and slumped to the ground, very dead. However, Vaela was in no condition to walk back to the safety of her campsite. She collasped, injured and bleeding onto the blood caked ground. Having no energy to pull herself up, she once again feared the worst and closed her eyes, praying to whatever Gods there were to prolong her life and to take pity on her.

Perhaps they granted her wish, for shortly after, Vaela fainted from exhaustion. When she regained consciousness, her Master's horse was over her. Somehow or other, her Master's horse had detected the immense strength she put into her mental pleas and had arrived to shield her vulnerable body from the merciless wind. Incredulous, Vaela had patted the horse on his nose and with its assistance, made it safely back to the camp.

Vaela learnt many important life lessons that day.

~~~~

She was jolted back to her current reality by a rocking gust of wind, and she shook her head to dissipate the feeling of nothingness. Being alone and learning skills by herself in the harsh wilds was a tremendous test of wits and skill, and Vaela was determined to live up to the test. One day she would find her Master, and one day she would rescue him, and then they would take their revenge on the blasted Thalmor scum.

But that day was a long way ahead. Vaela still have many trials and tribulations to overcome, and she was sure that many of them would be immensely tough and hard to overcome, but through determination and perseverance, he was confident that she would succeed in the end. For now though, Vaela trotted back to her campsite and grabbed a mug of cold water she had distilled from the numerous ice blocks. Warming it by the campfire, she waited until it was of an appealing temperature before drinking it, then proceeding to clear up the mess inflicted on her camp by the storm while her tethered horse looked on inquisitively.

There would be a long road ahead, of that there was no doubt. But now Vaela set herself to mastering one of the basic, fundamental skills of life--emotional awareness and control. Calming herself down, she began to read through her Master's book again, and she had not even finished a tenth of the book before afternoon came and her stomach rumbled again.
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**Swaeft** · February 07, 2013, 08:26 AM

Chapter Two: Acclimatization

Her stomach would not be denied for long, and Vaela headed back to her tent to assess her equipment and supplies. Most of her arrows had been shattered or bent in the ride here, and only 8 or so remained in a serviceable condition. Her yew bow had been wrapped in leather padding, so it had not been damaged. Sighing, Vaela buckled her sword onto her left hip and slotted her quiver behind her novice robes where there was a small hook fitted for such a purpose. Vaela had had to fashion the hook for herself, for novice robes did not originally contain a place to equip a quiver on--mages and the like did not usually use bows and arrows. Sliding her bow over her shoulder, Vaela strode outside to inspect the readiness of her sword under the morning sunlight.

It was in a fairly useful condition, so Vaela decided to bring it along with her. Normally she did not like the extra item weighing her down, but ever since she was ambushed by the ice wolf she had been taking extra precautionary measures.She had doubled the insulating padding throughout her entire robe, and her hood was now fastened much more securely. Vaela tossed her head once to arrange her reddish tinted hair back into its normal position before striding over to the edge of the cliff she had so recently sat on. Then, she drew her bow and waited.

Like many other mages, Vaela was not a natural archer or ranger. She had received no formal training with a bow of any sort, and even fitting arrows to the bowstrings were sometimes a painful chore for her. She snarled with disgust at the seemingly complex routine of hunting her prey like a common animal, and scorned the fact that she had to wait for a prey to cross her path. The barren whiteness of the landscape further irked her, and before long she had withdrawn her arrow in frustration. Keeping her bow behind her back, Vaela sighed in despair. It appeared that she would go hungry for another afternoon.

She plodded dispiritedly back to the campsite, where she would stay standing near the fire for a while to warm her freezing hands. Her Master's horse shook its head and twisted its neck to face her. The brownish-black color of its hide was in stark contrast to the ghostliness of the surroundings, and appealed to Vaela somehow. Its dapple brown pupils met Vaela's bluish-grey ones, and both human and animal stared at each other for a moment, the distinction between pack animal and walking human vanishing for a moment.

Vaela frowned to herself when she noted that she had forgotten to name her Master's horse.

It's mine now. A voice in her head resonated. I've got to stop thinking about my Master if I am to achieve inner peace.

Vaela grimaced at the thought itself but banished it from her mind. She sat down and thought hard, rubbing her temples in an attempt to give her horse a suitable name. Brown-strider and lightning-bay did not appeal to her, and from the constant snorting it appeared that her horse did not as well. Vaela had yet to figure out how her horse could connect their mental feelings together as one, but she would not worry about that for the moment. Focusing more and thinking harder, she fought against a blank mind to create a name.

A name...

Loyal-destrider, brown-blur, dark-eyes and ruffled-mane all sprung into her mind, but with a wave of her hand she exiled the thoughts from her head. Unsuitable and somehow irritating to hear. Perhaps a single word would do.

Starstruck...

The horse yelped and whinnied. Vaela wheeled around in surprise. She felt keenly the outpouring of acceptance from her horse, and was ebullient to discover that her horse actually consented to be named as such. The connection and bond between both of them were getting stronger by the day. Vaela tried to think of where she derived such an awkward name for her horse, but then decided that her horse had surprised her many times, and so passed the name on to her horse with satisfaction. A tingle of understanding ran through both sentient beings' minds, and Vaela licked her lips at the contact. The world seemed a rosier place after that pleasing 'conversation', and Vaela could afford to forget about her hunger for a period of time. She continued warming her hands over the fire, while thinking about the next steps she should take. Her eyes settled upon the faraway speck of ice on the horizons.

Vaela decided to review her knowledge of the province of Skyrim in order to better decide on her next move. She only knew two cities, and ironically, both were opposing forces of power. The first city her Master had brought her to was Solitude, a bustling an boisterous city that inspired pockets of conversation everywhere with its lively atmosphere. Vaela would never grasp who named it as Solitude, for it was nothing like solace.

On the other hand, Windhelm was a cold and desolate area to live in. Vaela had ventured this far East from Solitude in order to escape her would-be captors under her Master's instructions. So far, their plan had worked. For almost a month now, Vaela had been undisturbed by the evil forces, and was left to her own devices. She had set up camp way East of Windhelm. Her rationale was that the Thalmor would never think of looking at a Stormcloak held area for Vaela, who had been beside two Imperial escorts wearing imperial armor. She had assumed that the Thalmor would start searching in imperial towns and villages. Even if they did approach rebel territory, they were unlikely to search Windhelm of all places, the capital of the Stormcloak resistance movement, for she was sure they would receive an exceptionally frosty welcome from the local High Elven haters.

Other than hearing faint rumors about the alleged mysteriousness and mystical power of a frosty northern city aptly named Winterhold and a town of underworld lurkers named Riften, Vaela knew nothing more of the wonderful world of Skyrim. She resolved to get a map of the area at the nearest general store at her first chance.

Which brought her to her next qualm. Should she risk appearing in towns and showing her face to the local inhabitants? The risk of discovery was always there, no matter how small or tiny the chance was. Vaela could not afford to regard the risk as negligible, but what she could do was to minimize it as much as possible by wearing thick clothing and making quick deals and not chatting up the local residents. She needed a town where people were not suspicious of outsiders and would not attract Thalmor attention. Vaela knew just the place.

Windhelm.

It's population were intensely resentful of the High Elves, especially since most of them were Stormcloak supporters or sympathizers, and had reacted with rage at the simple mention of the White-Gold Concordat. Vaela knew next to nothing about the terms of the treaty, save for the fact that it had instilled much outrage and provoked copious amounts of delinquent rioting from some of the more outspoken inhabitants of Skyrim. She intended to use that to her advantage. However, she would not do so today. Just not yet, for she was lacking in the most valuable form of commerce--Septims.

Back in Cyrodiil, money was simply called 'gold' or 'gold pieces'. Here in Skyrim, money was named 'Septim', supposedly named after some great man who Vaela knew nuts about. Laughing at her own lack of knowledge, Vaela spent the next few hours planning how she would enter and exit Windhelm without arousing suspicion among the residents.

~~~~

When night finally fell upon the grim world, Vaela had finished hammering out the details of her plan. She would simply enter Windhelm like a common traveler, and ask politely for directions to the general store and perhaps the inn or tavern. Then, after buying her goods, she would calmly and collectedly exit and ride off with Starstruck to her camp. It was an easy plan, but the difficulty lay in pulling it off. Vaela had used most of the afternoon thinking up of common questions the locals would ask her, and had fully prepared herself should any of the quizzical people be so inclined to stick their nose where it did not belong. However, Vaela had one thing left to do before retiring to bed for the night, and that was something her sense of pride and determination would not let her abandon.

Returning to the warmth of the campfire, Vaela sat down cross legged and attempted to meditate again. She had made up her mind not to let her emotions rule her, and despite the faint pangs of hunger returning to irritate her stomach, she focused closely onto the magical barriers in her head that blocked off her access to the hidden powers within her. This time however, Vaela's mind was more lucid and clear, a hitherto unknown side effect of the stronger mental bond between Vaela and Starstruck. Vaela could feel the magical barriers slipping away one by one, and slowly but surely she reached the last set of barriers and felt the thrumming of power behind them.

Then a savage gust of wind rocked her concentration and the barriers returned with a vengeance, pushing her out of her own mind.

Vaela blinked twice. A surge of fiery anger bubbled in the depths of her stomach, but Vaela held it down. She did not want to be bound to her emotions like last night. I am Vaela, apprentice to the greatest mage I have ever known. I can do this. She repeated that sentence five times in a row, and felt satisfied when the bubbling in her stomach stopped its frothing and dissipated. Smiling, Vaela closed her eyes and focused on breaking down the barriers again. She tore through them like a magically starved apprentice, which she indeed was, and felt a twitch of exhilaration when she finally broke down that last barrier. Power coursed through her body, and with a beaming smile Vaela lifted her right arm and pointed it towards the depressing night sky. She opened her palm and directed the flow of energy through her body to her right palm, the volume of energy and power gushing out with a great impact. The results were spectacular.

The fire reached longer than ever before and burned brighter than what Vaela had ever seen. She yelled in delight, startling some of the nearby rabbits and birds who had settled down to rest for the night. "Yes!" A feeling of pure euphoria overtook Vaela, and she stretched her arms out wide, enjoying the magical, mystical sensation.

Then just as suddenly as it appeared, the power within Vaela vanished and the glow of the magical fire died out with a whimper and a small wisp of black smoke, reminding Vaela that she was still a very, very unlearned novice in the whole world of magic.

However, greatly heartened by the flames she had managed to conjure up tonight, a immensely satisfied Vaela entered her tent and prepared to douse the flames of her oil lamp. A peaceful night of sound sleeping awaited, and Vaela embraced her bedroll as if it was a King sized bed in the glorious halls of Solitude. There she lay, until the Sun rose the next morning and imbued her with even more power.
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**ccllnply** · February 07, 2013, 08:19 AM

Wow, well done mate. I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next update

**Swaeft** · February 07, 2013, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by ccllnply

Wow, well done mate. I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next update

Thank you, my dear reader!

I am working on the next update right now, but it will take around 5 hours to go up here. Thank you for waiting!

**Tigellinus** · February 07, 2013, 11:05 PM

God damn you Swaeft, you have captured y attention once again, combining my favorite XBox game with my favorite AAR writer

Looks like I have stuff to read this weekend!

EDIT. GRRRRRRR I can't rep you yet! WIll rep you Swaeft when I can!

**Swaeft** · February 08, 2013, 04:46 AM

Chapter Three: A Visitor and Getting Visited

Valea readied her possessions for one last time before setting out for the snowy city of Windhelm. It didn't take long, as the agile young woman only carried a few weapons and septims. She mounted Starstruck in one fluid motion. Starstuck tossed his head in the air, neighing his readiness to go. It was a cool morning, not too chilly but yet still cold. "The perfect weather for adventure." Vaela surmised.

The ride to Windhelm was neither treacherous nor surprising. The road, although frozen in place by the snow, remained visible at all times, and no beast of the wild came to bother the intrepid Vaela and her loyal horse. Startstruck trudged straight to Windhelm, meandering once every now and then to skirt some big, snow-covered rocks.

She left Starstruck at the local stables and proceeded to walk a 200 meter bridge to the interior of Windhelm. On the way in, a guard stopped her and demanded to search her for contraband.

Vaela was at first uncomfortable with this, but the large warhammer on the guard's back convinced her that it would be unwise to resist. The guard frisked her briskly, but his hands occasional glided over areas that should have been better left untouched. In the end Vaela walked away an indignant woman, while the guard chuckled and sniggered behind her back. She furiously entered Windhelm and stalked to the nearest tavern.

It was named Candlehearth Hall, because a long time ago some great man had left for war, and his great son had lighted a bunch of candles in honor of him. It was still burning brightly, but Vaela silently snorted at this 'load of hoshposh'. She wasn't a superstitious woman, and refused to believe that such an incredible thing could occur. Nevertheless, she chatted up the innkeeper quickly enough, and found her a convivial, hospitable woman.

It was not long before a man swaggered his way in and bellowed loudly for a mug of ale. The tavern keeper and Vaela both swung to look at the impertinent intruder. He had a dark complexion, and his eyes were a dull red. He had no hair, save for a tiny stubble in the middle of his head, but what really drew Vaela's attention was the long, pointy ears he had. "He's an dark elf." The tavern keeper had whispered into Vaela's ear. "Not all of them are bad, and in fact they are quite nice, but don't tell the others I said that." What she was afraid of, Vaela did not ask. Instead, she merely got off her stool and made to leave quietly. However, the strapping male elf blocked her path out and folded his arms. Clearly drunk and with an audacious smirk on his face, he uttered a single sentence that immediately informed Vaela of his ill intentions.

"Hello there, sweetie! It's been so long since I laid my eye on a beauty like you." Vaela attempted to push past him, but the elf held her steady. He leaned in closer, his filthy odor reeking in Vaela's nose. "Come, let us enjoy ourselves, and show to everyone our--"

He never completed his sentence. Vaela smashed her elbow into his face, and his hands immediately flew to his broken nose. "Why, you little rat!" He had shouted in agony. Vaela dashed out of the tavern before anyone could do anything else to her. Just when she thought she was safe, the tavern door burst open and the enraged elf chased after her. With the dark elf in hot pursuit, Vaela sprinted down a side street with no idea where she was going. Rounding a corner, she desperately shoved open a set of double oak doors and stumbled into a room. Panting, she slammed the door shut and pushed her ear against the keyhole.

"Now, now. Been drinking again, Malve?" A voice of authority floated into Vaela's ears. We're at war with the darned Imperials, and all you can do is get drunk?"

"No...I wuz chazzing a beauziful woman..." Vaela's eyes narrowed in anger as she recognized the dark elf's voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Be off with you, or I'll throw you into the dungeons myself!" Roared a man, and Vaela peeked through the keyhole in order to see who it was. A stout, stoic man garbed in Stormcloak armor was shoving the elf named Malve away. He was flanked by two men dressed similarly, with axes and maces drawn. Malve was led away and he was powerless to resist. Thanking the fact that there was still authority and law in the province, Vaela slumped to the floor, weary.

"Excuse me, do you have some sort of business here?" A raspy voice snapped. Vaela stood up and came face to face with another dark elf.

It was then she realized she was in some sort of a shop, and that the elf behind the counter was most probably the shopkeeper. Her hopes now raised, Vaela inquired about the current location she was in. "It's the Grey Quarter." The elf had sighed. "A place for outcasts and those who are bullied on a regular basis." The elf then went on to tell his tale of woe to Vaela, about how the reigning Ulfric Stormcloak and his armed men were ruling Windhelm with an iron fist, and how he had relocated all other races to the Grey Quarter and allowed them to be shunned, ostracized and forsaken. Vaela realized that the elf was talking about none other than the leader of the Stormcloak rebellion. After listening to his depressing story for for than an hour, Vaela took pity on him and gave him half the septims in her hands. The elf's maroon eyes lit up with glee, and he gratefully accepted Vaela's donation.

"Let me tell you something." The elf began. "You said you were looking for a mage, right?"

Vaela nodded in affirmation.

"Well, I don't exactly know where one is, but I guarantee you that you'd have the best chance of finding one at the trading town of Whiterun." Vaela's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Oh, you don't know where that is." The dark elf realized. He quickly retrieved a map from his numerous table drawers and spread it out on the counter. He gave Vaela accurate, concise instructions on how to reach Whiterun, and even gave her the map free of charge as thanks for brightening up his otherwise desolate day. After buying some provisions for the journey with the remainder of her septims, Vaela headed out of the small shop and stuffed the map in her pouch. She had a new destination to go to.

~~~~

Vaela rode back to her camp on the back of a very hungry Starstruck. Once she reached, she fed Starstruck with ten ounces of meat which she had purchased, and Starstruck gobbled them up ravenously. Packing everything up, she was ready to go when she heard a commotion behind a large outcropping of rock. Vaela smelled a rat and immediately drew her twin blades after tethering Starstruck to a horse post. Then, she advanced slowly and cautiously towards the outcropping. What she saw behind the rock surprised her.

Two bandits were fighting each other over a bear they had killed. While they were arguing heatedly over who should get the bear's fur and pelt, Vaela sneaked by them and collected both before scurrying away. The pelt would sell well at general stores, and with the fur Vaela could fashion some sort of padding for her weapons.

Not long after, Vaela heard a cry of surprise and rage, and she knew that the bandits had spotted her. But it was too late for them. Vaela had tied everything to Starstruck's back, and she rode of gallantly and quickly. They would never catch the cunning woman who stole their afternoon's work.

~~~~

The journey to Whiterun was incredibly long. Although it was shorter than Vaela's utterly exhausting retreat across Skyrim, Vaela's stamina had dipped since then. She ate up all her provisions before she arrived, and hunting did not satiate her hunger. She had to stop for frequent breaks and rest, and it took forever before the walls of Whiterun came into view. Vaela had traveled for nine days, and had made it to Whiterun just in time for daybreak.

Vaela left Starstruck in the care of the Whiterun stablemaster, a young and affable chap who asked no questions after getting paid. Vaela had changed into some ragged clothing before arriving so as to not draw the guard's attentions, but despite her efforts a Whiterun guard still eyed her intently behind his helm when she entered the main gates.

She had kept her hood on, and so the guard could not see her face without stepping closer and lifting her cheek, but thankfully for Vaela the brawny man did not do anything. She walked into the bustling city freely. Ignoring the gazes of disdain by some of the rich residents, Vaela made her way to The Bannered Mare, an established tavern according to some of the more open-minded townsfolk who were willing to talk to her. Once inside, she headed straight for the tavern keeper and bought a drink. The smell of freshly made bread wafted into Vaela's nostrils, but she had no more money to buy food.

Over a mug of mead, Vaela and the tavern keeper chatted, Vaela being careful not to say anything too revealing or discerning. Instead, her queries were short, insuspicious and general in nature. In particular, Vaela inquired about areas to find work. "Well, I don't have work for you at the moment, but maybe you can try Dragonsreach. The Jarl may have something for you to do. He's always on the lookout for mercenaries." Vaela felt insulted by being labelled as a mercenary, but she was sure the woman had no ill intentions and so she thanked the tavern keeper instead. To look professional, Vaela changed into her novice robes before heading to the Keep, referred to as Dragonsreach by the townsfolk. She carried herself well enough to inspire the Jarl, who led her to a man she was so desperately searching for. A mage named Farengar.

Garbed in a purple robe, Farengar was an unassuming and somewhat pessimistic man. "Don't mind his negativity." Jarl Balgruuf the Greater had informed her. "He's a smart intellectual, and has been of great assistance to us. Help him, and he will help you in return." With those words, the Jarl excused himself to return to his court duties. Farengar made the first move.

"So, I hear that a young woman wants to learn magic from me." Farengar stated. Vaela remained silent, trying to judge his character. "Well, I don't hand out scrolls or magic lessons for free. I believe Jarl Balgruuf already gave you knowledge about my way of operations. You will need to help me first, is that agreeable?" Vaela agreed, and so Farengar outlined his plan to Vaela. She was to sneak into a bandit infested ruin and reclaim an important artifact that could change the balance of the human-dragon war.

"Human-Dragon war?" Vaela had gasped in pure shock. "I thought dragons were legends and myths!" Farengar placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her, and spoke quietly in order to placate her. "Relax. Dragons are the rarest sight you will ever see in Skyrim, and they only appear once at the end of every month so far. Just make sure you stay indoors when that happens, and everything will be fine, eh?"

Still unsure of what to make of such a disturbing piece of news but in desperate need of a teacher and some septims, Vaela agreed to venture into the dungeon named as Bleak Falls Barrow. Farengar handed Vaela a map of the area, and advised Vaela to go and pray at the Temple of Kynareth before leaving to bring her good luck and fortune, so Vaela made her way to the Temple. She changed back into her ragged robes due to the heat of the temple, and under the advice of the presiding chief priest there. The chief priest said that she would be better able to commune with Kynareth while not wearing armor. She prayed for a safe journey and a safe return. When she stood to leave, she came face to face with a young woman who eyed her curiously.

"Hi, I'm Erin." The woman introduced herself. "Are you by any chance heading to Bleak Falls Barrow?"

Her tone was polite and welcoming, but the fearsome, scary armor and her sharp, vicious looking blade put any thought of her being a soft woman to bed at once. Vaela was uncertain. Should she reveal her agenda to this unknown stranger? Erin chuckled and beamed at Vaela, as if to dispel her uneasiness. "Let me tell you why I want to accompany you." Erin offered. "My mother was buried at a tomb in Bleak Falls Barrow ten years ago. I have not learnt its location yet, and so I need someone's help to guide me there and assist me in finding my mother's tomb. In return, I'll protect you from danger and any bandits who intend to do us harm."

It was a tantalizing offer that Vaela could not refuse, and it was made all the sweeter since Vaela knew she could barely outfight an ice wolf, let alone a rough bandit skilled at robbing and injuring people. Erin clapped Vaela on the shoulder, and together the two set off for Bleak Falls Barrow, Vaela changing into her novice robes again to stave off the cold. Vaela had offered her mount to Erin, but Erin had declined with all the grace of a dancer. She preferred to walk, so Vaela rode Starstruck uphill to reach Bleak Falls Barrow and Erin followed close behind. From her great stamina and ability to keep up, Vaela deduced that Erin was a seasoned warrior and hunter, quite unlike the norm for women in Cryodiil. Then again, Vaela told herself that she was far from her warm and doting motherland, and that she was in Skyrim now.

Then they reached the peak of the mountain they had been scaling, and stopped for a while to rest and admire the solemn, gloomy but impressive view.

It was time to fight.
----

**Swaeft** · February 08, 2013, 06:29 AM

Chapter Four: A Vicious Fight

Vaela dismounted and carried her weapons with her--her bow, arrows and her dual iron swords. Then she realized that Erin was not following her and turned around in surprise. "Please don't tell me that you are going to enter Bleak Falls Barrow in such an outfit." Erin sighed. Vaela shrugged and shook her head. Erin's face twisted in a frown, and together the two trudged uphill. Looking around and scavenging for armor, Erin eventually called Vaela over to her. Vaela held her lantern against the falling snow, and beheld the body of a dead Imperial soldier, his armor already stripped off by Erin.

It was a disgusting and sorry sight to see the Imperial soldier in such a state, but Vaela knew that he was already dead and could not feel the chilly winds sweeping down on them. "Change into these." Erin ordered, holding up the imperial's armor. "It will afford you lesser protection from the elements taht your current robes, but will definitely save your life in a threatening scrape." Erin's argument made perfect sense, and so the duo headed into the chambers of Bleak Falls Barrow, where Vaela swapped her robes for the surprisingly well fitting armor. She went back to Starstruck much to the chagrin of Erin, and stored her robes in the pouches on Starstruck's saddle.

"Stay here and be a good boy." Vaela ordered. Then, Vaela was swallowed up by the murky snowfall as she walked away from Starstruck in Imperial garb.

As Vaela rejoined Erin in the inner chambers, Erin motioned her to crouch and be quiet. Apparently, the keen-eyed Erin had spotted two bandits ahead near a campfire. They were guarding the entrance to the inner depths of Bleak Falls Barrow, and needed to be removed. "Well, ready to kill them?" Erin inquired. To her surprise, Vaela rejected her suggestion and put on a show of command. "Let me try to talk to them first. They may be able to offer us valuable information about the tomb." Squaring her shoulders and jaw, she strode forward to apprehend the bandits. Erin watched Vaela from the shadows, and she nocked an arrow just in case things turn out for the worse.

The bandits were overcome with surprise and reeled with shock at seeing an adventurer enter their 'secret' hideout. They brandished their arms in preparation for an attack, then lowered them slightly when they saw Vaela approach. "Ha ha ha! Is that a woman I see? Dressed in Imperial armor to boot!" One of them guffawed, spitting in Vaela's path. Behind him, a female bandit readied her bow and aimed it at Vaela. Vaela quickly raised her arms in a show of peace, and remonstrated with the male bandit.

"I mean you no harm. All I ask is information about the depths of this dungeon." Vaela's plea was met with a smattering of sarcastic laughter from the male bandit. "And who are you to handle yourself down there without support? Draugrs and God knows what roam the depths, and one of them could slice you apart in instants. Leave now, or be killed." The bandit threatened. Alarmed at the direction the conversation had taken, but secure with the knowledge that Erin was waiting to strike, Vaela tried one last time to persuade them.

"Please, just let me through. I just need to find something." Vaela pleaded.

"Ho! Who are you? Snock's wife?" The male bandit roared. Vaela assumed that Snock was a friend of his, and so replied by saying, "Indeed I am."

The male bandit scowled in resent at Vaela, then revealed to her a startling truth. "There is no one named Snock among us. I was just testing you. You apparently have some hidden motives in coming here, and you were dishonest about your true identity. Prepare to die like the rest of the dogs I've killed!" He bellowed.

A swift and true arrow cut down the female bandit who was just about to loose her own arrow at Vaela. The male bandit did not notice this and charged headlong towards Vaela, face twisted with rage. Vaela's own emotions were boiling over. Not only had this man insulted her and unreasonably refused to help her, he now wanted her dead! He, who had killed many other innocent travelers for their loot and money, was now about to kill her as well! The thought brought a fresh wave of vindictiveness to Vaela's mind, and with a burst of rage Vaela smashed with one fell swoop the mental barriers in her mind. She quickly drew upon her reserve of power, and blasted it all at once at the onrushing bandit. He never got to raise his iron shield in time.

He crumpled to the floor in agony, writhing and moaning until he was no more. Vaela stabbed him one more time in the chest with pure hatred, and he stopped breathing and lay still. A single streak of blood seeped out of his naked chest.

"Well, that was overkill. You were quite mad. I'm amazed that you were able to conjure up flames from your fingertips. Maybe you really are something." Erin walked over and remarked. "At least you gave him a quick death." Vaela once again realized that she had utilized her emotions to call upon the power of magic, and hung her head in shame. Erin, mistaking this for a first time killer's guilt, put her hand on Vaela's shoulder and comforted her. "You have to steel yourself. There will be many more where that came from. If it's any comfort to you, know that we are ridding the land of the malevolent scum and doing the common peoples a favor." Vaela saw her line of reasoning and stood slowly, still shaking like a leaf.

The duo advanced further into the dungeon and after winding twists and turns, Erin once again signaled for Vaela to remain silent and crouch to avoid attracting attention. Vaela peered ahead and saw the reason why. A bandit was about to pull a lever, and Erin did not want to make him suspicious of being followed. Neither of the women knew what the bandit was doing, so they decided to observe him first.

To the bewilderment and shock of the duo, the bandit was shot down by a hail of poisonous arrows emerging suddenly from hitherto unnoticed holes in the dungeon walls. He collapsed with a whimper and left the world.

Vaela and Erin ran out at once, looking around for a hidden switch or trap. They found none. What they found instead was a pillar bearing the symbol of a snake.

"What the heck is this?" Vaela mumbled in confusion. Erin however, was smiling and nodding her head in realization. "It's a nordic puzzle." She explained. "The ancient nords that inhabited Skyrim before built many caves such as the one we are in now, and hid the bodies of their dead in catacombs within these caves. However, because Nord culture required the dead to be buried with all their treasure and assets, many graves were found to be robbed of their valuables. Incensed, the ancient nords began to develop and build traps that safeguarded the bodies and valuables of their beloved dead. Since then, no one has been able to decipher the codes that stops the traps from springing."

Vaela's facial expression was one of wonder. "That is ingenious!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, it is." Erin replied with delight. Erin was finally happy to have someone share her passion for the ancient nords' culture and be so interested in it. "Only the immediate family of the dead knew the code to deactivate the traps momentarily, but thankfully for us, you have me. I consider myself an expert in this, and this is an easier puzzle that what most of the other dungeons I've been in throw at me."

Erin studied some inscriptions on the walls for a few instants, then heaved the statues into a particular position. From left to right, snake--snake--phoenix. Erin pulled the lever without warning, and Vaela uttered a timorous cry of trepidation.

The walls of the dungeon were mercifully still and silent.

Erin grinned from ear to ear at Vaela, and led her further into the dungeon. Behind the gate a spiral wooden staircase turned in circles downwards. Erin tested the steps and they creaked in protest when she put the full weight of her armor on them, but they did not break. Confident that the stairs could support their weight, Erin beckoned the hesitant Vaela to follow her down.

Halfway through, a piercing shriek erupted from below. "Hold on." Erin raised a clenched fist, and Vaela halted. She sniffed the air, then a look of distaste entered her experienced yet charming face. "Skeevers." She cursed. "Damned disease causing rodents. Kill them all!" She roared. Vaela obeyed without hesitation this time and swung her sword at the nearest rodent who had ambitiously leaped at her.

The skeever's open mouth tasted iron, and it dropped to the floor, immobile and dead. Erin slashed and stabbed at the remainder of the skeevers in a fluid blur of motion, a dance of death that had Vaela staring in awe. Erin's black sword thrummed with the power of death, and the malicious scarlet glow that emnated from it made it all the more ominous. Vaela shuddered at the power the sword wielded. It was certainly made of a material unknown to her. When her handiwork was done, Erin sheathed her sword comfortably and continued on as if nothing had happened. Vaela, still muttering jovially, followed close behind.

As the duo proceeded deeper and deeper, the air started to get more frigid and chilly, and Vaela started to shiver from time to time. She regretted changing her novice robes for the ineffective imperial armor. So far she had not encountered any life form that had put her armor to the test. Erin noticed her discomfort and tried to ease her mind. "The map shows that we are halfway there. Just persevere a little longer and we'll be done." Vaela nodded and pulled her imperial helmet further down so that it covered her frost-riddled ears, and pressed on. Soon, they were halted by a massive tangle of webbing. "See if you can burn that down." Erin instructed. Vaela closed her eyes and thought hard. The cold was getting to her bones, and had seeped through her imperial armor already. Vaela tried her utmost to break down the barriers in her mind, but failed to do so.

"Oh, forget this." Erin drew her sword and slashed at the webbing. Even though her sword was recently sharpened and her strokes were well aimed, the webbing refused to budge easily. It was only after a terse few minutes of hacking and slashing did the webbing go down. Erin sheathed her sword, drew her bow and kept a wary vigil ahead.

"Is that a...corpse?" Erin squinted at something in the distance. Vaela peeked out from behind her, and suddenly shouted out across the chamber. "Hello?" Erin stared at her with such ferocity that Vaela stopped her shout halfway and clamped her mouth shut, abashed. But it was too late. With a crinkling of webbing and a chittering of its fangs, an enormous frostbite spider announced its arrival from above. Erin drew an arrow and aimed her readied bow at the gigantic monstrosity that had Vaela quailing with fright.

With one true shot, Erin's arrow pierced the fangs of the huge beast and it toppled to the floor, its life force seeping out copiously from the arrow wound. Vaela simply stood stock still in a combination of awe and speechlessness. Her legs refused to move. Erin hurried over to the corpse she had spotted earlier and Vaela followed somewhat reluctantly. The sight that greeted them was gruesome.

The corpse was encased in thick webbing, and a green hue emanated from his armor and body. His eyes were closed and his head drooped to the ground. Vaela knew that if there was no webbing to support his head, it would probably have fallen off and lolled onto the cold cobblestone floor. Meanwhile, Erin had checked the victim's tongue and deduced that the victim had died of extreme frostbite venom. "Nothing we can do for him now." Erin remarked, shaking her head.

"How did you know he was dead?" Vaela inquired, both puzzled and slightly fearful.

"Just check his tongue. If it's green, he's definitely dead. What's more, his whole damn body is covered in the goo. Don't touch it." Vaela's enterprising hand snaked away. "Come on, we have to move." Erin stated. "Hand me the map." Vaela did so and Erin pointed right. "This way." She said with an air of certainty, and hastened off. Vaela trusted her, but then wondered about what sort of artifact was so important to be hidden in such a mazing catacomb. Little did she know that she had only experienced one part of the cavern.

The next area proved to be even worse. As Vaela nimbly sidestepped a rock jutting out at an awkward angle from the ground, she heard a guttural groan. Thinking nothing of it, she dispelled the notion from her mind, but seconds later, as Erin took the lead in a series of tunnels, the groan transformed into a roar, and for the first time in her life, Vaela came face to face with an undead monster. Erin had already readied her bow and took aim at the creature, who's ghostly blue eyes were scaring the living daylights out of Vaela. In its callous hands the undead wielded a monstrous greatsword, ready to hack down any intruder that disturbed it.

It never got the chance. With a single arrow, Erin took down the undead and spat at it. Vaela recovered from her initial fright and strode over, kicking the corpse. "What are these?" She asked Erin. Erin shook her head nonchalantly and replied, "Draugr. The living dead. Ancient nord spirits who still bear grudges against this world and refuse to leave in peace. We just settled that issue for them. Look out, there's more!"

A few more draugr ambled out of their corpses and bellowed their terrifying war cries at Erin and Vaela. This time however, their frightening roars did not discourage Vaela from drawing her sword and engaging one. The two beings, one living and one dead, traded blows for a while, parrying and thrusting whenever each received the opportunity. None of them could gain the upper hand, but Vaela was a living being and was tiring fast.

"Strike its chest! It's the unprotected part!" Erin roared over the raucous din. Vaela took note of it and stabbed the monster clean through its ribs.

It tottered about for a few instants, then fell to the floor in a cloud of dust, dying for the last time. It's head landed on the floor and smacked right into a puddle of water, dying it red with draugr blood. Vaela allowed herself a short moment of satisfaction and posed triumphantly behind it. Erin smiled at her childishness.

Then, sheathing her swords and stepping on the draugr's head as she moved past, Vaela took the lead confidently and pressed onwards to the last section of Bleak Falls Barrow.
----

**Swaeft** · February 08, 2013, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by Bullet Storm

Hey, Nice work!

I was a lurker in your other AAR but i have finally come into the light! You really write engaging stories and i have found myself anxiously checking this thread for more updates! Keep up the good work!

And Also...

GIVE ME MOAR!!!!

Thank you kind sir. I now know that the multitude of guests do have a heart.

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

Originally Posted by Merchant of Venice

So you have decide to just cast away your Sicilian aar?

Jokes, Jokes but you have made a great start to this aar. I don't own skyrim myself

so you have just given me another reason to add to my long, long list of reasons. You really do have a great writing style and hope you find your inspiration for you other aar.

On a side note you do have some grammatical errors. There is a bit where it goes "an kilometre". If you don't already you should write it up on ms word first. Saves a lot on grammar and spelling.

Great aar and good luck. Hope to see it continue.

Merchant of Venice

Great advice Merchant. I shall attempt to do so immediately. Thanks for submitting in the MAARC btw. And you should know that my other AAR is merely on hold. Go read my signature if you aren't sure.

Originally Posted by Tigellinus

God damn you Swaeft, you have captured y attention once again, combining my favorite XBox game with my favorite AAR writer

Looks like I have stuff to read this weekend!

EDIT. GRRRRRRR I can't rep you yet! WIll rep you Swaeft when I can!

Hehe. Favorite XBox game? Not to insult you but you should really have bought it on PC. It's just so much more with mods. But the action you get by playing on the XBox is uncomparable to the action on the PC. It's up to you at the end of course. Best of luck for your tiebreaker with...oh nuts (I've already said this three times, go read them somewhere

)

Next update is coming within 4 hours, stay tuned!

**Tigellinus** · February 08, 2013, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by Swaeft

Thank you kind sir. I now know that the multitude of guests do have a heart.

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

Great advice Merchant. I shall attempt to do so immediately. Thanks for submitting in the MAARC btw. And you should know that my other AAR is merely on hold. Go read my signature if you aren't sure.

Hehe. Favorite XBox game? Not to insult you but you should really have bought it on PC. It's just so much more with mods. But the action you get by playing on the XBox is uncomparable to the action on the PC. It's up to you at the end of course. Best of luck for your tiebreaker with...oh nuts (I've already said this three times, go read them somewhere

)

Next update is coming within 4 hours, stay tuned!

Thokran don't worry I remember. I really really wanted to get it on PC, but my Windows PC cannot handle Skyrim (Judging by system requirements.) Also at the time of the games release I only had a mac. Therefore my only option was to buy it for the 360.

AH but hey, getting all the expansions a month before you guys is always worth it!

EDIT. Oh my Jesus, the pictures

how on earth did you get graphics like THAT? Are the PC graphics just way better then the xbox's?

EDIT2. Ph and by the way, FOR FREEDOM

**Swaeft** · February 08, 2013, 11:22 PM

Chapter Five: A Vicious Fight (Part 2)

The last and final depths of Bleak Falls Barrow were the most interesting. Vaela encountered many more draugr, and with some situational awareness she was able to strike down a few before they rose from their graves and tombs, saving Erin the headache of dealing with them in an open fight.

Erin was suitably impressed with the way Vaela was leading the last attack, but warned her to use caution, and always have a weapon at the ready. Vaela knew Erin was right--how often had a draugr taken her by surprise and Erin's swift arrow was the only thing that saved her from a premature death? Vaela admired Erin almost too much for her own good. She seemed so capable, so dexeterous and so graceful all at the same time. Erin's weapons also appeared to be very well made and of exquisite quality. Even her bow had maroon waves decorating it, the material of which Erin declined to share. Vaela swore she saw the red lines moving of their own accord, but dared not ask Erin about it.

As they progressed through the dungeon, Vaela became more and more aware of the surroundings. Her spatial awareness led her to discover many chests of treasure, of which one contained two weird looking parchments. "What are these?" Vaela asked, baffled by the unknown inscriptions on the parchments. Erin took the parchment from Vaela's hands and read it. A knowing smile flickered arcoss her radiant face. "They're ancient nordic language." Erin surmised. "It's tough to pronounce, because the words are blocky and you really have to chew on the syllables in order to say it correctly. For example, this word is 'yol', and it means--"

Erin paused suddenly. Vaela, mystified by this, probed further. "Yes?"

"It means fire...but there is another word I'm not sure of. I can't pronounce it properly. It's...rah-gol? I remember seeing it before but I just can't grasp its concept in my mind." Erin groaned in frustration. "It's a spell scroll of some sort."

Vaela's curiosity was piqued. "A spell scroll? Can I learn spells from it?"

Ern shook her head. "No, spell scrolls allow a user to absorb its power only once, then unleash the power onto something. After usage, the scroll will have been drained of all the power within. We cannot learn anything from it before or after that. What we can only do is to absorb its power and make good use of it." Erin flipped the parchments."There are two here. Use them wisely."

Then, a rumble of bones interrupted their talk, and once more a draugr lumbered towards Vaela, attempting to strike her down. Vaela bashed down the mental barriers and focused on unleashing all the power within her at the draugr. This time however, the scorching fire erupted from both her hands, surprising Erin and Vaela. The draugr was roasted to a crisp.

"Well done indeed." Erin applauded. "It seems that your power has increased. Maybe you can absorb the scroll's power more than once after all."" Vaela retrieved the parchments from within her pouch and stared intently at them. Their glow had not dimmed in the slightest.

"I don't think so. They're still as luminescent as before. Maybe my own power really has increased." Vaela remarked. Erin shrugged and trudged onwards. Before long, the duo came to a bridge crossing where sunlight filtered down from high above. Erin opened the map and took a closer look at it.

"We're almost at the end. We just need to cross this bridge and get past a few more obstacles." Erin deduced. Vaela was heartened. She had had enough of this creepy cavern and its winding catacombs of death. However, as she made to move, Erin crouched down for the umpteenth time and pulled Vaela down with her. Ahead of them, a draugr guarded the bridge, its pallid head swinging from side to side, searching for its prey. It looked tougher and hardier than its previous kinsmen, and Erin drew a sharp breath.

"It's a draugr wight." She breathed. Vaela knew better than to ask what it was. She settled for assuming that it was a sturdier, stronger specimen that would take more time to kill. And Vaela was unwilling to commit herself to a treacherous fight on a slippery, narrow bridge from which a fall would prove fatal.

"Take out a scroll and test it on the draugr." Erin whispered. "I'll help you with the pronounciation, but you will have to channel its power."

"Will it hurt?" Vaela asked. Erin shook her head and so Vaela assuredly procured the scroll from her pouch. "Yol..."

The moment she uttered the word, a great sense of power flowed through her. It felt so easy to break down the mental barriers in her brain, and Vaela was about to do so with gusto when Erin stopped her. "I may not know much about magic, but I am sure that you will need to say both words before unleashing the power, or you may face harsh consequences." Erin stated. Vaela halted whatever she was doing and refocused on the scroll.

Suddenly, a terrible roar erupted from the bridge. The draugr wight had spotted Vaela and Erin crouching near the shadows, and was not furiously charging at them. "How did it spot us?" Vaela panicked. "Your hand!" Erin replied. Vaela stared down and realized that her right hand was glowing brightly with the same sort of fire she was able to conjure up originally. "Blast!" She cursed. The draugr wight was about a hundred metres away, which meant that there was still ample time to cast the spell.

"Quick, read the next word." Erin urged, keeping a nervous eye on the onrushing draugr wight. Ninety meters.

"Rah..." Vaela began, stumbling at the blockiness of the text. Eighty meters.

"It's Rahgol, I think." Erin offered. Seventy meters.

"Rahgo..." Sixty meters.

"Click your teeth together and move your tongue upwards when saying the last syllable."

Vaela did as told. "Rahgol!" A small spark erupted from her fingers and a great source of power swelled within her mind, but nothing happened. "What's going on?" The panic stricken Vaela questioned, desperate for an answer. The draugr wight was barely forty meters from them now, and was nearing the end of the bridge.

"Say the words together!" Erin urged hastily. Vaela obeyed.

"Yol...RAHGOL!" Vaela intoned forcefully.

An audacious, overwhelming burst of power sped through Vaela's nerves and veins, giving her a fiery, tingling sensation that made her tremble. "Point your hand at the draugr!" Erin yelled. Vaela had forgotten all about aiming the spell in the ruckus. Shifting her hand just in time, both Vaela and Erin whooped in awe and delight when the sensational, enormous impact of the spell unleashed its inner fury on the poor draugr wight that seemed so small all of a sudden. The gigantic spurt of flames obscured the vision of Erin and Vaela for a few moments, but there was no doubt in both of their minds what had happened to the unfortunate draugr wight.

"Wow." Vaela breathed. She was surprised by two things--the ferocious impact of the spell that left the draugr wight a dead, inanimate object, and the sudden abruptness at which the power she used disappear. The mental barriers blockaded her path to magic once more, and even though she could break them down again, she would never reach such a height of great power without the help of a scroll. Not yet, at least. Congratulating each other, the duo moved on.

After crossing the bridge and taking a left turn, the duo's progress was halted by a wall. There were different inscriptions on the wall, which had three rings--inner, middle and outer. Vaela and Erin took turns staring at each before Erin broke the silence.

"This is the nordic door I was talking about. It's a puzzle code and needs a combination to unlock. Another one of the ancient nord's ingenious traps. The door won't open unless the required code is used, and in this case we need to shift the rings into a particular position. Beyond that however, I have no idea what to do." Erin asserted.

Vaela's shoulders slumped in defeat. "It could be hours before we figure anything out!" She moaned, disheartened. Erin said nothing and stepped closer to inspect the nordic wall. She observed the wall carefully, noting that the rocks were consistently incredibly dusty which meant that it had not been touched in ages. Vaela paced behind her in frustration, angry and indignant at being halted by a simple wall. She thought of simply burning it down or even using her last scroll to blast it into bits, but Erin cautioned against such recklessness. "There may be traps that can be sprung if we destroy this wall. The only way to safely pass through without harm is to unlock the combination."

Vaela stormed to the wall in disgust, leaning against it in rage, showing not a single shred of contriteness for knocking a ton of dust over Erin by shaking the wall.

"Vaela." Erin started, now somewhat infuriated as well. "We need to keep calm, else we will never get through this puzzle. Knocking dust off the wall on your fellow compatriot will only--

Erin stopped and stared at something. Vaela walked over curiously and realized that a portion of the wall previously occupied by insects and dust was now visible. Vaela handed Erin her lantern and Erin held it up against the wall. With the aid of the lantern's light, Erin discerned three nordic words.

"Yes!" Erin exclaimed, punching her fists in the air with delight and almost dropping Vaela's lantern in the process. "Bear, insect, owl!" Vaela pushed Erin aside unceremoniously and peeked at the inscriptions on the wall. True enough, the images of a bear, an insect and an owl were imprinted faintly on the wall. Vaela was stunned. The answer to the code on the wall had been lying in front of them all the while, obscured by the eons of dust that had settled on the wall. Erin clapped Vaela on her back heartily and proceeded to align the rings int he right order. With a groan and the spewing out of dust clouds, the wall vibrated and shifted down into the ground. Erin beckoned Vaela in and the two proceeded with fresh belief and spirit.

The duo entered a large cavern, at least three times bigger than any of the previous ones, and Erin ducked as a swarm of bats flew over her head.

Shaking off a feeling of forbearance and doom, Vaela proceeded to a raised platform. A spectacular sight greeted her. A waterfall to her right roared its contents down the chasm, and all around the cave ceiling holes allowed pockets of water to plunge down. A small spectrum of light shone through one of those holes, illuminating the otherwise dark and damp cavern. Erin approached the podium and started to search the surroundings for the artifact Vaela had come here for. Vaela joined her without hesitation, and the two overturned tables, knocked aside grave pots, shifted small rocks and peered under rock outcroppings, but try as they might, the could not find any sign of an artifact. Sighing with frustration again, Vaela sat down on a rock.

"You let your emotions rule you too easily." Erin commented. Riled by those words, Vaela made to stand and protest, but Erin raised a hand and placated her. "I do not mean to insult you, but the reality of the world is this. Should you be unable to control your own emotions, many doors will be closed to you, and opportunities will slip by. You may even get into trouble when those vengeful emotions of yours reach boiling point. All I am trying to say is stay calm. Don't get frustrated so easily, and everything will turn out fine. I haven't even found my mother's tomb yet, but I'm not frustrated, am I?"

Erin's statement robbed Vaela of the hatred in her heart. Every word she spoke resounded with the truth. Erin was helping her battle the fearsome monsters in Bleak Falls Barrow, and the only thing Vaela could do in return for her was to sulk and grumble. It was just too unreasonable. Vaela, mortified, displyed her penitence by apologizing to Erin, who in turn smiled and forgave her. Together, the two searched for the artifact again.

However, after an hour, Vaela was ready to give up again. She was tired, cold and hungry, and she had no idea if Starstruck was still waiting obediently by the entrance, or if he had been stolen by some other bandits. The very thought set her temples throbbing, and she was just about to head back when Erin stopped her with a new discovery. "What's this?" She exclaimed. Vaela hustled over and recognized another inscription of nordic words. Erin began to translate, but the translation was scratchy at best.

"Aus...Bah...Bein...Dur Dovahgols..." Erin began. "It mentions a dragon-stone, but along with it will come great suffering and a foul wrath. It makes no mention of where the dragon-stone is." Vaela pounded her fists against the wall, which brought about an unforeseen effect--a wave of power rustled the area and Vaela and Erin were shoved back. They both staggered but kept their footing, Erin more so than Vaela. Erin shot Vaela a venomous glare, which was enough to make Vaela quail in remorse.

Just then, a muffled groan emanated from behind the duo, and both turned around to a horrifying sight. A crypt's lid was thrown off with fury, and from within emerged the most terrifying, most brawny and most intimidating draugr Vaela had laid her eyes upon. Erin hissed with distaste. "It's a draugr deathlord!" She exclaimed. "Prepare yourself for a serious fight, and stay behind me!" Erin raised her bow and made to shoot at the deathlord, who was preparing to charge at Vaela.

Vaela however, had other ideas. She had retrieved the last scroll from inside her pouch, and began chanting the ancient words, seeking to use its power to wipe out the dangerous foe before them.

"Yol..."

"NO! You're too close for--" Erin began in panic.

"RAHGOL!" Vaela bellowed and pointed her glowing palm at the unperturbed deathlord. An instant later, she was blasted back against something hard and lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was the impossibly bright glow of the flames she had conjured up.

~~~~

"Argh..." Vaela moaned as her back erupted in agony. She struggled to stand and saw Erin running over.

"Where are we?" She moaned weakly. It felt as if a thousand needles were pricking her all over.

"Easy, easy." Erin cautioned, slowly forcing Vaela down to sit. "We're safe. The draugr deathlord is dead. You should have seen it burned to its painful death."

Vaela nodded in satisfaction. Erin however, chided her for being too reckless and impulsive. "Next time be more careful. You could have been killed by the blast of the explosion alone! Did you know that your head narrowly missed a rock outcropping as you flew back from the blast radius? The impact would have skewered your brains!" Vaela winced at the thought. "Stay here and rest." Erin advised. "Give a few moments for your bones to feel normal again, and pray to whatever Gods you believe in and thank them for being merciful." With that, Erin walked a few paces in front and knelt down to pray. It was then Vaela realized that Erin had found her mother's tomb.

Vaela stumbled over. She could not fathom that Erin had ventured this far into a hazardous dungeon simply to pray for her mother. "Why is your mother buried here anyway?" She asked. Erin turned around apologetically and spoke in a regretful tone.

"I'm sorry, Vaela. I shouldn't have lied to you." Vaela's eyebrows rose in questioning. "The draugr deathlord...was my mother." Amid Vaela's gasp of horror, Erin continued. "I knew she was like that before we came, and I couldn't stand the thought of my mother being tortured and not allowed to die in peace. So I needed you to guide me here and find her. This tomb was just erected by me. You've been unconscious for a few hours, and I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up. If you had died because of my rash actions, I would have never forgiven myself. Please, will you accept my sincere apology?"

Vaela did not know what to say. Erin had lied to her and nearly caused her to die. However, Vaela thought harder and realized that Erin had done her a great deal of help. She had taught Vaela many life skills and saved her life numerous times. If anyone was to blame, it should be Farengar who had sent her here in the first place. Vaela clasped Erin's hand and hugged her. "Don't worry. I forgive you." Erin wept with joy and returned the embrace enthusiastically. Then, Vaela realized that she still did not have the dragon-stone.

"Don't worry." Erin told Vaela when she heard her exclamation of surprise. "I picked it up off the body of my mother. It's here. Be careful. It's heavy." Erin warned as she handed over a large stone for Vaela to admire. It contained numerous ancient words and what looked like images, but Vaela was too tired to process the information. Erin took it back and offered to carry it for until Vaela was better. She assisted the grateful Vaela in getting back to her feet and together the two exited the cave into the fresh sunshine. Their ordeal was over.

The glorious rays of the sun beamed down at Vaela. Wanting to feel them kiss her skin, Vaela removed her Imperial helmet and sat on the edge of a jutting rock. She realized that she was sitting high up on a mountain at a secret entrance to the dungeon. This high up, the air was fresh and intoxicating, and the chilly droughts of wind that occasionally barreled their way downhill only made Vaela feel better after the heated adventure through Bleak Falls Barrow. She said nothing and simply admired the magnificent view in front of her.

After deciding that she had seen enough of the lush pine trees and the flowing river, Erin assisted Vaela in descending the mountainside. Much to Vaela's surprise and delight, Starstruck was waiting for her at the bottom of the descent. Scrambling over with joy, Vaela verified that none of her provisions or equipment were missing and let out a buoyant whoop of elation. They made their way back to Whiterun, Vaela on horseback and Erin walking on foot as usual. Once they reached the stables of Whiterun, Vaela dismounted and exchanged her final goodbyes with Erin.

"Thank you for accompanying me on the journey." Vaela bowed.

"My pleasure. I'm sorry about the lie. I hope you don't feel bitter about it." Erin replied.

"Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for teaching me so much, such as how to tell if someone died of poison." Vaela said.

"Hopefully you won't need to use that skill often!" Erin jested, and both broke out in a spattering of mirth.

"Farewell, Erin." Vaela uttered after their ebullient laughter had died down.

"Fare thee well indeed, Vaela." Erin bowed. "You might need to change your attire though, your Imperial armor has been scorched and singed in various places, and the guards won't take kindly to you impersonating an Imperial soldier anyway. I left a new set of armor for you on the back of Starstruck. Goodbye." With a wave, Erin strode back into Whiterun and vanished, leaving Vaela to look at her tattered uniform.

Vaela changed into the set of armor left behind by Erin--ironically it was a set of Ancient Nord Armor. The helmet was missing, but Vaela was glad that Erin had not included it. The helmet would have been too full of dust and cobwebs to handle, so Vaela did not miss the helmet for a moment. She sat down at a nearby stream and discarded her torn Imperial armor there.

Then, she lifted herself up and headed back to Dragonsreach to return the heavy dragon-stone to Farengar, and to give him a torrent of verbal abuse as well.
----

**Merchant of Venice** · February 08, 2013, 03:39 AM

So you have decide to just cast away your Sicilian aar?

Jokes, Jokes but you have made a great start to this aar. I don't own skyrim myself

so you have just given me another reason to add to my long, long list of reasons. You really do have a great writing style and hope you find your inspiration for you other aar.

On a side note you do have some grammatical errors. There is a bit where it goes "an kilometre". If you don't already you should write it up on ms word first. Saves a lot on grammar and spelling.

Great aar and good luck. Hope to see it continue.

Merchant of Venice

**Bullet Storm** · February 08, 2013, 01:16 PM

Hey, Nice work!

I was a lurker in your other AAR but i have finally come into the light! You really write engaging stories and i have found myself anxiously checking this thread for more updates! Keep up the good work!

And Also...

GIVE ME MOAR!!!!

**Swaeft** · February 09, 2013, 07:48 AM

Chapter Six: Another Vicious Fight

"Congratulations. Well done. I've been needing this for ages now." Farengar was telling Vaela. "You didn't manage to get this all by yourself, did you?"

"No. I had the help of a few undead friends and some bandits. That's all, it was totally not life threatening or dangerous." Vaela replied.

Farengar clucked his teeth and sighed. "Look, I myself don't know what's in there. I have never even set foot inside at all! I just knew that it was infested with bandits, that's all! I had no idea that the undead were lurking inside. This is even worse than I thought." Farengar mused. Vaela, who's anger had not yet subsided, continued to seethe with fury until she remembered what Erin had told her about keeping calm. She simmered down, and realized that there was someone else, someone whom Farengar had handed the dragon-stone over to.

"This is an impressive find." The person commented. She was a female, and her head was shrouded in a brown leather hood. She was garbed in brown leather armor and seemed to know Farengar well. Then, without another word, she stood up and left, taking the dragon-stone with her. Vaela recoiled in surprise when she was allowed to walk freely out of the room. She turned on Farengar again. "Did you just let her walk away with all my hard work and spilt blood?" Farengar threw his hands up in the air in a show of innocence.

"Don't worry, it won't be lost. She belongs to a reputable organization with a long history, so the dragon-stone is in safe hands."

Vaela was still troubled. "Who exactly is she?"

"Her name is--"

"FARENGAR!"

Farengar paused and looked over Vaela's shoulder. She turned around and saw Jarl Balgruuf's loyal housecarl, Irileth. She was a dark elf, and unlike some of the crazy ones in Windhelm she had a strong sense of loyalty instilled in her. Vaela admired such a woman and held Irileth in high esteem. So it came to her as a surprise that Irileth reported that a dragon had been spotted and both Farengar and Vaela should make haste to see the Jarl.

"Didn't you say that dragons only appear once at the end of every month?" Vaela probed. Farengar gave a dispirited sigh and hurried off without a word. Vaela overtook him but ran after Irileth. Soon Vaela found herself next to a nervous guard, Irileth and Jarl Balgruuf. Farengar was left to play catch up.

A guard was frantically recounting a frightful tale of how a dragon had attacked the Western Watchtower. He was panting and sweating, so Vaela deduced that he had been running back to the keep. Jarl Balgruuf had a befuddled expression on his face, but was listening intently.

"My Jarl." Irileth interluded when Jarl Balgruuf dismissed the guard.

"Speak."

"I've readied a detachment of men. They've already assembled at the main gate. All that remains is for you to give the order." Irileth saluted by placing her right fist over her heart. Jarl Balgruuf sighed, but not in disappointment, but rather in praise by acknowledging that she always knew what he would have ordered.

"Very good, Irileth. You are as sharp as ever. Go now, and rid my hold of this fearsome plague. You will go as well." Jarl Balgruuf pointed to Vaela, and she nodded more out of curiosity than of loyalty. Irileth wasted no time and dashed down the stairs. Vaela followed hurriedly behind, until Jarl Balgruuf called her. Vaela turned and exchanged glances with him.

"I won't forget your service to this hold. Rid me of the dragon, and you will be rewarded handsomely. Now go!" Vaela obeyed and rushed as quickly as lightning after Irileth, who had already exited Dragonsreach. On the way out, Farengar tossed her a circlet. "It contains magical abilities. It will protect you from harm. Good luck!" Vaela nodded her thanks and accompanied Irileth and her guardsmen and scouted the area around the Western watchtower. Satisfied that no bandits were lurking around, Irileth then turned her attention to the Western watchtower itself. Approaching from the main path, Vaela strayed behind in order to observe the surroundings more accurately. Her Master had always told her to be observant, and had drilled it into her such that it became a normal part of Vaela's life.

As Irileth and her guardsmen thundered down the footpath, Vaela took in the surroundings. It was a cloudy day and the sky was overcast with grey wisps of clouds. The Sun's rays had difficulty breaching the choked cluster of clouds but what little light that fitered through was still adequate to light up the surroundings. All around the Western watchtower were mountains with snowy peaks. The dragon could have been hiding on the top of any one of the mountain peaks. Vaela grimaced. It would be difficult, if not impossible to find the dragon.

The Western watchtower was a different story. It was almost half destroyed, the many paths leading to the tower crumbling or in flames. Miraculously, the tower remained intact and whole, although there were some holes and cracks in the walls. Small but dangerous clumps of fire raged on the ground all around the tower, a clear sign that a dragon had arrived and ravaged the place. Vaela could not imagine what it would have been like to get attacked by a dragon, so she followed Irileth's path and caught up with the rest.

"Spread out and search the surroundings!" Irileth had ordered. The guardsmen fanned out and began searching through thick clusters of grass and bushes for any sign of life. Irileth and Vaela, however, had caught sight of a more obvious sign.

A lone guardsman stumbled out of the tower, his hair in complete disarray and his helmet missing. He was half-mad and was rambling on and on about a dragon.

"We know there is a dragon on the loose." Irileth snapped. "We need you to tell us where it is!"

A gargantuan bellow arose from behind the mountains. Irileth's question had been answered.

"Everybody down!" Irileth bellowed, and not a moment too soon. With incredible speed and amazing agility, the dragon swooped down on the Western watchtower, setting the ground ablaze with copious amounts of fire spewing out from its mouth and throat, a truly terrible sight to behold.

The fire rekindled some of the dying blazes on the ground, so that it became hazardous to walk across the Western watchtower at all. Therefore, the Whiterun guards took up various shooting positions and began to pelt the dragon with arrows. However, they seemed to have little effect--most bounced off the dragon's near impenetrable scales. Irileth was the only exception--in her left hand sparks flew from her fingertips, and they transformed into purple, arcing bolts of lightning that hurdled after the dragon's flying frame. It roared in agony and continued to spurt out singing bolts of fire that burned through some of the guards' armor, cooking them alive in their own garb. Vaela struggled to nock an arrow and aim it accurately at the dragon--it was simply flying too fast, a blur of terror in the sky. When it did stop to blast another stream of fire at a guard however, Vaela managed to loose an arrow that soared towards the dragon's left wing. Vaela had aimed there because it was the only 'unarmored' portion of the dragon. Maybe Erin had taught her a thing or two about archery after all. It was an incredible shot--the dragon and Vaela were more than a hundred meters apart, yet its aim was true. Vaela shuddered as she felt some form of power course through her, then realized that it was magic that had aided her aim, not Erin.

The arrow had burrowed through the dragon's left wing and rendered it useless. The dragon bellowed in pain and nosedived to the ground. However, the fight was far from over. Despite being unable to fly, it still put up one hell of a fight on the ground, snappnig at guards and breathing an inferno upon them. Two ceased all movement under a torrent of scorching fire, and Vaela knew they had died. It was her turn to face the dragon. Only Irileth and a single guard remained fighting.

Vaela swung at the fearsome beast, but it dodged back and opened its giant maw, the flames it was about to release already burning in its throat. Then, Irileth blasted a bolt of purple lighting into the dragon's mouth and it roared in agony, reeling from the intense pain. Irileth smirked and approached it, confident of slaying it and maybe wanting the glory of killing the giant beast. Whatever the reason, she was too arrogant to notice the dragon's tail whipping towards her in the air.

"WATCH OUT!" Vaela desperately cried out at the last instant.

The barbed mace missed Irileth by inches, whistling past her face. If Irileth had not rolled sideways, she would have become pulp by now. However, the impact was enough to send her barreling straight into the trunk of a tree. "Housecarl!" The last remaining Whiterun guard yelled out. The dragon turned its head towards Irileth and opened its enormous mouth, ready to burn Irileth into a crisp.

"NOOOOO!" Vaela leaped in front of Irileth and pushed her palms together, her sense of protection overriding logic and common sense. She had placed herself directly in the path of the dragon's mouth in front of Irileth, but the dragon wasn't about to let up simply because a new enemy had popped into its field of vision. Aiming to scorch Irileth and Vaela to death, it released the buildup of energy in its mouth.

The dragon was not the only one to do so.

Somehow or other, Vaela did not feel hot. The intense flames swirled around her, licking up the oxygen in the air, but Vaela herself remained unharmed. She was surprised, but backed off towards the stunned Irileth in order to protect her. The tree Irileth was slumped against caught fire and toppled, but Irileth was safe. The dragon then closed its maw and the inferno dissipated.

It was Vaela's turn to go onto the offensive. While the dragon's throat was still rumbling in preparation for a next attack, Vaela burst forth from the fire and leaped onto its head, surprising it totally.

The dragon roared and shook its head from side to side, but Vaela had a firm grip on its scaly ears, and she burned with a determination that beat even the dragon's tongues of fire in intensity. Raising her sword and bellowing her war cry, Vaela, the young twenty year old apprentice who was separated from her Master, slashed true and hard at the dragon's head, such that the hilt of the sword buried itself all the way into the dragon's eyes, and the tip of the blade protruded slightly from its mouth.

The dragon let out a mighty roar, but it gradually dimmed in intensity and level, before it finally closed its mouth for the last time and swaying about madly. It tottered for a few seconds before slumping to the blood-caked ground with a gargantuan thud. It was dead.

"Son of..." A spluttering cough announced Irileth's return to the world. The remaining Whiterun guard ran to assist her, too busy to notice the bright flash and disintegration of the dragon's bones. The pure form of energy it had stored within its body flowed into Vaela with astonishing speed and intensity. Vaela braced herself for the impact she assumed was arriving, but the blow was never felt. Instead, Vaela felt more rejuvenated and reinvigorated than ever before.

"Kynareth guide me." Irileth exclaimed. Vaela did not know what to make of the dragon's dissipation, but Irileth pointed a bleeding finger at Vaela. "You are indeed a true mage..." Then paused to cough up blood.

"Housecarl! Relax, and don't speak!" The guard pleaded. Irileth assured him that she would comply, but not before thanking Vaela for saving her life. "I wasn't totally unconscious." Irileth revealed. I"I was merely stunned. That dragon was a beast. Thanks for ridding us of such a powerful foe."

The guard exclaimed in horror as Irileth slumped to the ground, her head lolling limply in the guard's hands. "You better take her back to Dragonsreach and have Farengar look after her." Vaela observed. The greenhorn guard nodded and rushed back towards Whiterun. Vaela was left staring at the mess and chaos the fight had created. Several bodies lay strewn on the ground. Not everyone had made it out alive.

She gave them a decent burial and mourned Whiterun's loss. These guards had been brave and courageous, standing up to a dragon that they were normally almost powerless against. They had died defending their homes and loved ones, and should be praised in the songs and epics sang by bards.

Left to her own devices, Vaela reached out to Starstruck with her mind, a new skill she had acquired during the trip to Whiterun from Windhelm. It was not foolproof though, for Vaela and Starstruck could only commute during a short distance apart, and sometimes the connection between them was random and inconsistent. Not this time, however. Perhaps absorbing the dragon's power had given Vaela a temporary boost of strength and mental fortitude, but whatever the case, Vaela was able to speak to Starstruck lucidly. She gave him instructions to head for a small outcropping outside Whiterun before proceeding there herself. Both master and horse met at the same time, and Vaela started to unpack her belongings. Then, she proceeded to set up camp. Half an hour later, she had a roaring campfire and a good, sturdy cooking area set up.

Dusk had fallen, and Vaela had hunted her prey just in time. Making rabbit broth was not easy, but Vaela got the recipe partially right. Although the soup tasted nothing like rabbit, she still gulped and slurped it down as if it was her last meal alive. The fight had taken its toll on her. Then, burping with satisfaction, Vaela lay down beside the campfire, enjoying its warmth and the cool night breeze. Too lazy to enter her tent, Vaela lay face up, staring at the beautiful night sky as the stars danced a charade for her.

Slowly but surely, the peacefulness and the serenity of the surroundings lulled Vaela into a soft, genial sleep.
----

**ccllnply** · February 09, 2013, 10:33 AM

Holy crap man, you're updating faster than I can read them. It's very clear that you're enjoying playing and reading and that makes it more enjoyable to read

**Swaeft** · February 09, 2013, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by ccllnply

Holy crap man, you're updating faster than I can read them. It's very clear that you're enjoying playing and reading and that makes it more enjoyable to read

Hey, thanks! The start is easy I guess, but the later parts will go a little slower. Hopefully you won't mind.

Have you seen the MAARC yet? An incredible amount of action has taken place this month. Here's the link if you decide to visit.

**Swaeft** · February 09, 2013, 08:27 PM

Chapter Seven: A Surprising Twist

Vaela scratched her head in annoyance. She had woken up with a letter inside her clothes. Someone must have delivered it during the night, and Vaela shuddered at the thought. Anyone who could have located her camp so easily would have been able to kill her right there. What if the Thalmor found her? "Blast. I have to be more careful." Vaela chided herself. Irritated, Vaela began to read the letter.

There is a golden sword in the Dragonsreach Jarl's Quarters. It is of immense importance and belonged to your Master, and he would want you to have it. Go to your horse.

Vaela was stumped. The note had no signature, so the sender's identity could not be traced. It had to be someone who knew her Master well. Incredibly well, in fact, to know that her Master's sword lay in Dragonsreach. That also meant that the person was either amazingly sneaky or had powerful friends in Whiterun. Vaela strode curiously over to Starstruck, where she found another letter attached to the loyal horse's back under the saddle. She quickly unfolded it.

Head to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. I will not be there, but ask for Saadia. She will reveal more. Burn this letter and the previous one at your campfire after you are done reading this. Vaela was puzzled. Who would go to such great lengths to conceal oneself? Still muttering in confusion, Vaela threw the letters onto the campfire, watching them crinkle and burn themselves to oblivion.

Saadia...

Vaela took whatever was necessary and decided to go the Whiterun at night. It would be better for her if she arrived under the cover of darkness. And so she spent the day hunting, riding around on Starstruck and generally bonding with her horse.

~~~~

When night fell, Vaela hastened to the Bannered Mare. Her soft footsteps clicked on the dirty stone floor, and before long she was past the main gates of Whiterun. She silently wondered how Irileth was faring, and decided to pay her a visit after talking to this Saadia.

However, she was stopped in her tracks by two Whiterun guards. Expecting some show of arrogance, the guards instead spoke to her politely and courteously, informing her that Jarl Balgruuf was expecting her in Dragonsreach and that she should make haste to proceed there immediately. Vaela flicked her ears in annoyance, but did not display any outward form of her emotions.

Instead, she simply agreed and the guards escorted her to Dragonsreach. She gave the Bannered Mare a cursory glance as they walked by. Nothing looked out of the ordinary from the exterior, but it was the interior that would prove to be of more interest. Then, Vaela was escorted past the Gildergreen in the Wind District, and the Bannered Mare vanished from view. Vaela focused ahead now. What could the Jarl want from her?

As it turned out, the Jarl wanted to make Vaela a thane of his hold for exemplary services rendered. Irileth was full of praise for Vaela, and so was the last surviving guard of their fateful attack. Vaela hemmed and hawed, but was eventually forced to accept the offer by a gracious yet insisting Jarl. A round of applause spread throughout the throne room, and Irileth leaned in to Vaela, whispering, "Congratulations. You are the first thane of Whiterun in about 60 years." Vaela, however, was more objective and cautious.

"My Jarl, I thank you for your generous gift." She began, addressing Jarl Balgruuf just as Irileth had. "However, I am unsure of my duties as a thane. Could you please enlighten me?"

It was Irileth who answered. She looked much better than before, and seemed to be recovering from her wounds well. "Your job as a thane is to serve the people of Whiterun well, and protect and defend them. Other than attending court once every two months, there is no other binding term. You are free to do as you wish." Vaela was astounded.

"You will also receive your personal housecarl." Jarl Balgruuf intoned. Vaela was taken aback. Personal housecarl? Surely he did not mean a second Irileth?

The answer was both a yes and a no.

The housecarl whom Vaela was assigned was a cheerful, righteous woman by the name of Lydia. "She has been training with us for almost three years now, and has been itching for some action." Irileth stated. Lydia went down on one knee and saluted Vaela, who was in turn, quick to grasp her by the shoulders and lift her up. It was no easy feat, given the fact that Lydia wore heavy steel armor and weighed much heavier than Vaela, so in the end she rose by herself. "There is no need for such formalities, Lydia." Vaela informed. "I am honored that you would choose to serve me."

Lydia gratefully bowed again, and Vaela took this opportunity to review her new companion. She seemed very loyal, capable, austere and courageous all at once. Vaela was pleased. Never would she have to brave the frosty cold of the mountains alone again! Lydia appeared eager to follow Vaela, and Vaela too wanted to meet up with this Saadia, but Jarl Balgruuf had one last gift for her.

My court mage, Farengar, has something to teach you." He said. Curious, Vaela retraced her steps to Farengar's room, and this time the clanking of steel armor could be heard audibly. Flashing Farengar a rare smile, Vaela inquired about the gift he was going to present to her.

"Well, it's not really a gift, but actually more of a...spell." Farengar revealed. Vaela's eyes flashed aglow with enthusiasm. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to learn one." And so with Lydia watching on in awe, Farengar began to instruct Vaela on how to produce lightning from her fingertips just as Irileth had done against the dragon at the Western watchtower.

"Remember how you break down mental barriers in your head?" Farengar told Vaela. "The process this time is quite similar, but what you do not do is take your own sweet time to batter them down when conjuring up flames. This time, you have to drive them down in one fell swoop, and somehow induce in your mind the image of lightning erupting from your fingertips."

Vaela was disconcerted. "I'm sorry, I think I don't understand what you have just said about imagining lightning in your mind."

"How do you normally conjure up the flames in your hands?" Farengar asked.

"Usually I just break down the barriers in my mind, feel the flow of power, then direct it to my right palm, or both when needed, and the fire just comes out like that." Vaela answered in a single breath.

"That's it? No imagining of anything?" Farengar inquired.

"Well, sometimes I do see a bright light in my mind, but I have never thought of it as anything significant." Vaela replied.

"And there is your answer. Now instead of imagining such a bright light, think of the elements."

Vaela tried her best to do so, but in the warm luminescence of the burning candles in Dragonsreach, it was almost impossible to think of inclement weather. Farengar calmed Vaela down and told her that he would assist her.

"Start breaking down those barriers again. Block out other ambient noises, and focus on my voice."

Vaela did as told.

"You are in a wild forest, with a saber cat bounding after you, ready to rip you to shreds in order to feed its family. The pouring rain hurtles down like silver bullets and strike your face with all the ferocity of the saber cat behind you. The grass squelches as you run over, and the wind is whistling, howling almost, in your ears. And far, far off in the distance, a loud cacophony is heard--the rumbling of the clouds and skies, and they clouds shift apart to reveal a single silvery streak of energy--LIGHTNING!"

Vaela had immersed herself in Farengar's words and had imagined vividly the scenario he had painted for her. She felt the power building up in her hands again, but this time it felt slightly different, as if it was going to electrocute her.

"DO NOT AIM AT ME!" She heard, and shifted her palm up just in time. Dual bolts of purple energy burst forth from her fingertips and crackled as they soared higher, leaping towards the ceiling and creating small indents on the wooden rafters and boards. Vaela and Farengar stared at the marvel unfolding before them.

Several heads from the dining tables turned as well, and Farengar applauded loudly when the last vestiges of energy dissipated into the surrounding air. Well done indeed. You remind me of the first time I released my own lightning bolt. The intense energy I had felt, the sheer amount of power I knew I wielded between my fingers, it was such an intoxicating, incomparable feeling."

Farengar sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sadly those days are past me now, and my mind is more attuned to the work of scholars. I study ancient scrolls and scripts instead of practicing my craft, and now you remind me that I had neglected my abilities for far too long. I have many things to do now, so begone!"

Vaela thanked Farengar for his instructions and departed Dragonsreach with a very awestruck Lydia following behind.

~~~~

It was almost dawn by the time Vaela entered the Bannered Mare. And Saadia was not pleased. The two met behind the main counter, far away from the prying eyes and the eavesdropping ears of the revelers in the main room of the Bannered Mare. Lydia was faithfully standing guard outside, so Saadia and Vaela were alone.

"What took you so long? I was starting to get afraid." Saadia hissed furiously at Vaela. Vaela held her hands up in the air, portraying her innocence. "Hey, don't look at me. I was just held up by the Jarl. I was made a thane about three hours ago."

Saadia was a middle-aged woman working in the Bannered Mare. She seemed a brusque and churlish sort, but Vaela quickly realized that her nature was due to the form of work she did in the tavern. Saadia was garbed in a dress that did not fit her, and she was understandably irked by it. Althought Saadia looked surprised at the mention of Vaela becoming Thane, she quickly wiped any and all emotions off her face and started to relay a message. "There is the matter of a golden sword in the Jarl's room that you most certainly need to have."

"Why?" Vaela inquired. "What's so important or necessary about it?"

"Be quiet and let me finish!" Saadia snapped. "I am not the person who wrote the message, I am simply the messenger. I have no background knowledge of who you are or what you do, so please, just listen." Vaela nodded in compliance.

"I was paid a hefty sum of septims to format a plan to get you into Dragonsreach to acquire this most important sword. The female said that you would be requiring it in the near future."

Vaela's mind wandered. The female? So it was a female who was behind this. Making a mental note of that, she continued to pay close attention to what Saadia was saying.

"I have prepared for you a set of armor that will let you enter Dragonsreach without any questions. Here." Saadia presented Vaela with a set of Whiterun Guard's Armor.

"Where did you get this?" Vaela quizzed.

"Not important." Saadia replied. "Here's what you have to do..."

~~~~

The heavy doors of the Dragonsreach Jarl's Quarters swung open. A single guard and her prisoner entered, drawing the attention of many other Whiterun guards, but none questioned their intentions. The guard led her cuffed prisoner up towards the Jarl's bedroom, occasionally scolding her harshly and shoving her up the steps roughly when she staggered too slowly.

The two of them halted before the Jarl's room. The guard that watched the entrance stopped their advance and inquired about the nature of their visit. "All prisoners are to be escorted to the Dragonsreach dungeons." He intoned monotonously. The other guard shoved her prisoner to the floor and watched over her diligently as she replied.

"She's a bandit from the White River Watch, and she's freshly caught. The Steward tasked me to get the authorization papers from the Jarl's desk to make an informed judgement about her punishment." The female guard replied.

"But--"

"Are you going to defy the Steward and risk getting punished?" The female guard snapped angrily. "Stop wasting my time and stand aside. The Steward is not a patient man."

The uncertain and hesitant guard reluctantly did as he was told, but his suspicions were not totally abated. The prisoner looked so familiar somehow...

Vaela closed the door shut when she entered the Jarl's room. Placed nicely on the edge of a table, next to a bottle of wine and some roasted chicken, was the glittering golden sword that she was after.

It was so well sharpened and crafted that it had already cut through a portion of the wooden table. Vaela lifted it around and admired her prize. The hilt seemed to glow in the darkness, and the exquisite blade handle felt so fitting around Vaela's hand. The intricate, ornate patterns woven on the hilt and the a small part of the blade caught Vaela's eye, and they almost appeared to move of their own accord, twisting this way and that. It was truly a blade of magnificence, and Vaela stood stock still for a few moments, admiring its shape and the way it caught the light.

Then the guard outside stifled a cough, and Vaela was reminded that she should not remain inside for too long, lest the guard grow suspicious. So, she lifted the sword off the table noiselessly and prepared to slide it into the prepared leather padding.

Except that the padding wasn't with her.

Frantic, Vaela searched her own pockets for the leather padding she was supposed to have brought with her. She could not find it. Clenching her fists in frustration, Vaela realized that she must have left it at the Bannered Mare with Saadia. Why had the woman not reminded her twice? "Blast." Vaela cursed under her breath. Now she would have to take the sword with her openly. Setting her own iron blade down on the floor, Vaela took the golden sword belonging to her Master and buckled it on to her leather belt. It clipped on seamlessly, and Vaela breathed a sigh of relief. Now the tough part was about to begin.

Striding boldly out of the room. Vaela nodded to the guard to allay his fears. "I've found the papers. Thank you for keeping an eye on the prisoner." Then, she motioned to Lydia, who was masquerading as the bandit prisoner, to stand up and leave. Just as they were about to get away and just when Vaela could not believe her incredibly luck, disaster struck.

"Why are you carrying the Jarl's sword with you?" The guard asked Vaela in bewilderment.

Nuts. Vaela though fast. "The Steward wants the sword polished." She informed him. Behind her stuffy helmet, the first beads of sweat began to trickle down her forehead. Vaela resisted the urge to scratch her itchy face.

The guard stared incredulously at her. "What do you mean? It was just polished yesterday!" He exclaimed, pointing to the shiny sheath and blade that glinted under the candlelight. Vaela was stumped.

"Well, the Jarl wants it polished again." She lied, hoping that the guard would back off.

He did not. Growing more and more suspicious, the guard decided that enough was enough. "Let me see your face." He ordered. "I don't remember having a female in our detachment."

"I was just hired yesterday." Vaela bluffed, but she knew she was going nowhere. The guard's arms were still crossed--he was waiting expectantly for her to remove her helm. So Vaela did the only thing she could. She knocked the guard back with her shield.

"Oof!" He grunted, stumbling backwards and hitting the wall hard. Vaela used this opportunity to unshackle Lydia, who then hastily put on her suit of steel armor again. Unfortunately, other guards had heard the scuffle and were rushing over to investigate. Lydia and Vaela exchanged glances. They had discussed this part of the plan before. If Vaela was spotted alone, the guards would have no idea who the renegade behind the mask was. If Lydia was spotted in cahoots with the intruder however, it would become increasingly obvious that the intruder was none other than Vaela. So the duo reverted to Plan B.

"Stop that guard!" Lydia's shrill voice echoed off the walls of the Dragonsreach interior. "She's just broken into Jarl Balgruuf's quarters!" As expected, the guards ignored Lydia and thundered down the steps after the fleeing Vaela, weapons drawn and bellowing orders to stop.

Vaela frantically scrambled towards the rear of Dragonsreach, where she twisted this way and that to shake off her pursuers. She finally found herself at the Dragonsreach Great Porch. Irileth had told her that a great dragon was captured here before, but Vaela refused to believe such hogwash. She paused for a moment to catch her breath, lifting up the golden sword. It was incredibly light for a sword of such fine craftsmanship, and Vaela suspected that traces of magic lingered within it.

She strode forward and took in a view of the surroundings. The scenic, picturesque view was magnificent, and the landscape was dominated by impressive, imposing mountains. Th plains of Whiterun were quite visible from here, and seemed to stretch on for miles. Then a door swung open and Vaela turned around fearfully.

It was only Lydia.

"My Thane!" She exclaimed with relief when she saw Vaela unharmed.

"Lydia." Vaela breathed, amazed that they had gotten this far.

"My Thane, I've managed to throw the guards off your trail for now. I sent them to search the dungeons. We should get out of here while we can."

Vaela shook her head, preparing herself mentally for the most audacious part of the plan. "No. Too many questions will be asked. Why did you disappear suddenly after ordering the guards to search the dungeon? Besides, the area is probably already teeming with guards. They are looking for me, and they will find me soon. This is a dead end, and no way am I going back in there and risk getting caught." Vaela asserted.

"But my Thane, this is the most hazardous part of the plan! We can avoid it by simply--"

"No. I appreciate that you have loyally followed my plan without questions, Lydia, and please rest your heart that I have not abused my power as thane over you. Go back to the Keep and assist with the search. I cannot have you as a suspect, do you understand? This is the easiest way out."

Lyida seemed to tear up in distress. Still, her indomitable sense of loyalty compelled her to obey Vaela's order. "Yes, my Thane!" She saluted. Vaela nodded gratefully at Lydia, then faced the skies of Whiterun.

"I hope Saadia prepared the mats well." She prayed.

And then she jumped.

**Chirurgeon** · February 09, 2013, 06:27 PM

Wow simply good stuff. You have alot of followers as a testament to your writing. I was wondering one thing though if the master raised her from such a young age then how does she not know his name? I can see you have laid out alot of possible things to explore. So your character is the Dragonborn. You should download the frostfall mod. it makes the game so immersive along with the imps more complex needs. The winter is coming cloaks mod is real nice too. Keep up the good work. Fantastic job so far.

**Swaeft** · February 09, 2013, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by Chirurgeon

Wow simply good stuff. You have alot of followers as a testament to your writing. I was wondering one thing though if the master raised her from such a young age then how does she not know his name? I can see you have laid out alot of possible things to explore. So your character is the Dragonborn. You should download the frostfall mod. it makes the game so immersive along with the imps more complex needs. The winter is coming cloaks mod is real nice too. Keep up the good work. Fantastic job so far.

Hey, thank you for the advice dear writer! I hope that my writing will match your standard one fine day, but that day is not yet.

She does not know her Master's name because he never told her, and she never asked. And my character is not really the Dragonborn...

Also for the mod recommendations, I thank you. I shall explore them and try them out. It's always a pleasure to have a writer of such great caliber view my work. Best of luck for your tiebreaker in the MAARC!

Thread: The Astray Apprentice -- A Skyrim AAR (23/6/13)

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