On our way to the College of Winterhold, Lydia and I came across a deceased horse near the entrance of a lighthouse. This piqued my interest and I decided we should check it out. Inside we found a murdered family and a lengthy tunnel filled with falmer and charrus. The tunnel was immense and it appeared that these creatures burrowed into the lighthouse and took over. Each family member left journals and it was devastating to read these and put the events in order, figuring out how and when each of them died.

Continuing our northeasterly trip we finally made it to the town of Winterhold. I’d wager that it’s the most northern settlement in Skyrim. It rests on the sea and its freezing; snow is always falling and there’s very low visibility. Outside of town lies the College of Winterhold, my destination to learn more about the Elder Scroll I’m looking for.

Soon after arriving, I was directed to an orc who runs The Arcanaeum, the college’s library. Urag gro-Shub was a smart fellow, and he let me sift through a couple of books devoted to understanding the Elder Scrolls. What I read was fascinating, implying that the power withheld in the scrolls was that of the Divines. Unfortunately they didn’t clue me into the location of the scroll I was seeking. Luckily, Urag knew someone who might. He told me to search the northern sea where a Septimus Signus was studying.

The trip to reach Septimus Signus will go down as one the worst things I’ve had to do. This fool is studying in what seems to be a glacier and to reach him I had to navigate slabs of ice floating on the sea. Not to mention the constant snowfall obscuring my vision and the occasional aggressive horker! Regardless, Lydia and I made it and Septimus had a lead, although he wanted us to help him too. He was studying an ancient Dwemer artifact that was buried in this glacier, and whatever lied inside the artifact Septimus believed to be more important than the Elder Srolls. And that’s saying something.

Septimus believed the Elder Scroll I needed was in a Dwemer ruin located near the lighthouse Lydia and I explored earlier. Alftand was full of ancient concoctions like creatures made of metal and gears. They came to life before our eyes, yet I couldn’t ascertain how they functioned. Like the lighthouse, we found journals of a crew of explorer’s that documented their downfall in this harsh metal ruin.

Connected to Alftand was a gigantic underground world where luminescent mushrooms grew as tall as buildings and all sorts of interesting creatures ran about. When I returned to Septimus he called this place Blackreach. This place was very large, connecting three ancient Dwemer ruins. It was also very dark, save for the glowing mushrooms and plants. Unfortunately falmer have overrun it. I found my way to an ancient Dwemer puzzle and after many minutes studying it, I figured it out, and received the Elder Scroll!

When I returned to Septimus he wanted me to extract the blood from each type of elf (creatures with names ending in mer) as he thought that would be a way to unlock the puzzle he was studying. Did I mention Septimus is off his rocker? When I left him a black cloud blocked my path and began communicating with me. It revealed itself as Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of knowledge and memory. He elaborated that it was really he who wanted to unlock the Dwemer contraption that Septimus was studying and that Hermaeus was controlling him. Believing he would soon have no use for Septimus he asked if I would become his mortal puppet. I declined.

With the Elder Scroll in my possession I need to return to the Throat of the World and read it. This is the spot where Alduin was originally defeated, or sent forward in time, and hopefully the Elder Scroll will give me a vision of this event.

When I last spoke with Delphine, she believed the Thalmor were somehow involved with the resurrection of dragons in Skyrim. To get more information she wanted me to sneak into the Thalmor embassy and see if I could dig up any related intelligence. Sneaking in was a solo mission so Lydia and I parted ways for a few days. I’ve become so used to her company, it was sort of sad not to have someone by my side in battles.

A party was to be held at the Thalmor embassy in the northeastern most area of Skyrim and Delphine not only had a way to get me in, she also had a man on the inside that would be able to sneak my gear in. I traveled to Solitude (also in northeastern Skyrim) and met Malborn, Delphine’s contact in a bar. We had a succinct chat and I gave him necessary equipment: weapons and armor.

Although before that meeting, I witnessed an execution. As soon as I entered Solitude, I was taken aback by the hoopla a forming crowd was making. A criminal was being beheaded for opening the gates and letting Ulfric Stormcloak evade capture by Imperial forces, Solitude is aligned with the Imperials after all. There was some dissension from the crowd on whether the punishment fit the crime however.

Delphine had a carriage prepared for me at a farm just outside of Solitude and she took the remainder of my gear before sending me off. It was a fairly short trip to the embassy where I had no problems getting in. Another guest was arriving when I was and he smelled strongly of liquor. This soiree was hosted by a high elf named Elenwen who immediately began chatting with me. She recognized that she didn’t recognize me and luckily, Malborn was able to get her attention before she figured anything out. I mingled with other guests and talked with Maven Black-Briar, who hinted at my past and a few other bigwigs from Skyrim including a few high elves.

When I spoke with Malborn he needed me to create a distraction before we could leave unnoticed. The guest I arrived with had been cut off from obtaining drinks and I thought it’d be generous of me to get him one. All I asked of him was a distraction. Oblivious to my intentions he arose and made a toast at which point Malborn and I took our leave through the kitchen.

Malborn smuggled my goods inside the embassy and they were in a hallway connecting the kitchen to a set of rooms. Fully equipped I began making my way through the embassy, avoiding guards if I could and killing the ones I couldn’t. I ventured outside and into another building until I found some evidence. It suggested to me that Thalmor had nothing to do with the dragon’s revival; they were as weary of them as we were. I found this evidence inside a chest along with some documentation on Delphine.

Inside this second building was a prison where a prisoner was getting whipped when I entered. The guards didn’t notice me entering and I overheard them asking about an old man. Before they lacerated him too much, I quietly killed these guards and freed the prisoner. We began talking when we were interrupted by a squad of guards with Malborn. I rescued him and we had to take our leave as the high elves were onto us. A hole the guards used to dispose of bodies was our exit and once free, I talked at length with the prisoner. He told us the old man the elves were inquiring about was, like Delphine, a Blade and alongside her, probably the only other one remaining.

I met back up with Lydia in Solitude and told her of my espionage on our way back to Riverwood. Delphine was in shock when I told her that another Blade was rumored to be alive. She believed it must be a man named Esbern. The prisoner told me that the high elves believed Esbern had a link to the dragon’s revival and he resided in the deepest sections of the Ratway underneath Riften, our next destination.

Even though I know I need to head to Solitude in order to sneak into the Thalmor Embassy, I shirked that responsibility and instead aided Danica Pure-Spring in her quest to restore the Gildergreen, an ailing tree within the walls of Whiterun.

Danica is a priestess at the Temple of Kynareth in Whiterun and I agreed to help her out ages ago. To restore the Gildergreen, she believes sap from the Eldergleam Tree (an ancient tree blessed by Kynareth herself) is required. She tasked me with retrieving a mystical dagger that is said to be the only weapon capable of damaging the Eldergleam. When I was in Riverwood, I made the short trip southeast to Orphan Rock, where Danica believed Nettlebane was. Sure enough, a hagraven had in her possession Nettlebane, the mystical dagger I needed.

With that in my possession Danica then pointed me to Eldergleam Sanctuary, the cave where the ancient tree grows. The cave was fantastic. A short hallway led into a massive room that looked as though it was eternally spring. Grass was green, flowers were blooming, and a stream was eternally flowing under the magnificence of the massive Eldergleam. There were a few followers of Kynareth inside who asked me not to extract sap from the tree, but I want to beautify Whiterun, and a little less sap won’t destroy the Eldergleam anyways.

Roots from the tree were overgrown and prevented access to the base of the tree, but a quick slash with Nettlebane and the roots magically reacted and curled back towards the tree. Once at the base, I slashed the tree and a few Spriggans appeared and began attacking. Unable to rescue the followers of Kynareth, I at least rid the Eldergleam Sanctuary of these beasts before traveling back to Whiterun with sap in my possession. After delivering the sap to Danica, the Gildergreen should begin its transformation back to life soon.

Lydia and I made it to Ustengrav a few days ago and were surprised to find that somebody had beaten us to the horn of Jurgen Windcaller. Ustengrav was reminiscent of other Nordic tombs save one feature. Deep inside there was a large open area (many stories high with multiple levels) that had a stream running through it and a word wall; Lydia summed it up nicely saying she’s never seen anything quite like it. This room led to a set of more rooms that were tricky to get into.

The exit that I wanted to take was somehow related to three magic stones. There were three doors we had to pass through and they would open when we passed these three stones. They shut too quickly for us to make it through though. Fortunately, one of the dragon shouts I know propelled me forward fast enough to get through and reset the trap to then allow Lydia through. Beyond this area was the tomb of Jurgen Windcaller where we found a note. The note mentioned me being the dragonborn and asked for a private meeting in the attic room of the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood.

We traveled there and spoke with one of the owners, a blond-haired Nord named Delphine, who told us there was no attic room and instead gave us a normal room. Restless as I was to find out what was going on, I didn’t sleep. Later that night Delphine entered my room and she was the one who placed the note! I was a little perplexed at first because she looks well-aged, but she disclosed with me that she’s a member of the Blades – an ancient group of warriors who are said to have fought dragons eras ago and then become the personal guard for the emperor’s.

She led me to a secret room where she told me of the Blades and the resurrection of the dragons in Skyrim. She believes the dragons are the dragons of lore, brought back to life. She doesn’t know how, but believes the Thalmor are somehow involved. I got some context from her – the Thalmor battled the Imperials for a long time before the two groups eventually signed a treaty, however this treaty outlaws the worship of Talos, something that has caused a rift between the Nords and the Imperials. This aids the Thalmor if they still have a vendetta against the Imperials. These dragons that are roaming Skyrim now seem to be aiding Ulfric Stormcloak and his rebels, a fact the Imperials would like not to be true, and again, something that would aid the Thalmor.

To gather more information, Delphine wanted to travel to Kynesgrove, northeast of Riverwood and just south of Windhelm. It was here that Delphine believed the next dragon would be resurrected. I woke Lydia and we hurried ourselves towards Kynesgrove.

It was snowing immensely around Kynesgrove when we arrived and villagers were running away screaming of a dragon nearby. All three of us could hear it and we began sneaking towards the ancient dragon burial site. Upon approach we witnessed the event that proved Delphine’s theory true. A dragon was performing some sort of act, and a magical beam of light was shooting skyward from the grave. Within seconds a dragon arose and came to life. It was then that they spotted us and the resurrected dragon attacked while the other fled. We were all in awe but Delphine was more enamored at my ability to absorb the dragon’s soul, thus proving I am the dragonborn.

She believed the next step to investigation required a trip to the Thalmor embassy near Solitude in the north. We couldn’t just walk in though. We had to arrange a meeting with a person in Solitude who would fill us in on the details. Delphine assured us this person was trustworthy and headed back to Riverwood as did we.

The Greybeards have been on my mind lately and I decided it was a good time to head north in my search for the horn of Jurgen Windcaller. From Whiterun, Lydia and I traveled northeast and after many hours we arrived in Morthal.

Morthal is a small town of about ten or fifteen buildings built around a large pond. Because we’re so far north, it’s always snowing. It didn’t take long to find out there was controversy in the town. Not too long ago, a resident’s house went up in flames, killing a child and woman. The townsfolk want the Jarl to get the bottom of it. Figuring Lydia and I could lend a hand, we visited the Jarl.

Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone is an older woman who claims she is a seer but that is not my concern. Out discussion gave me a better understanding of the situation. The husband/father survived the fire and quickly sought the companionship of Alva, a female resident. Although this is suspicious, the Jarl can’t charge him without evidence.

Lydia and I visited the remains of the house and were shocked to see the ghost of the little girl who perished in the fire. She didn’t tell us much, claiming someone else would overhear, but suggested we meet at night. Lydia and I explored Morthal waiting for nightfall and the only shop of interest was Thaumaturgist’s Hut – an alchemy shop. We chatted with the shopkeeper Lami for a while and agreed to keep our eyes open for a book she wanted.

When night fell, we searched the remains of the house, but we couldn’t find the ghost. As we looked we ran into a resident who said his wife had disappeared. Not far from him we found a vampire digging up the grave of the girl. We killed the vampire who turned out to be the wife of the man we just ran into and the ghost told us that Alva was a vampire and turned her father, and this woman into one.

We headed for Alva’s house and had to break in. Just inside were Alva and a conjuration of the girl’s father. We killed Alva and found her journal inside. It detailed her longing for a companion and her meeting with a romantic man one night. This man turned her into a vampire and their plan was to turn all of Morthal into vampires.

Returning to the Jarl, she was happy we got to the bottom of the situation, but warned there was more to do. Morthal wouldn’t be safe until this vampire was taken care of. The vampire lived in a cave a short walk from Morthal and the Jarl gathered a mob of citizens to help us take care of him. We did handily.

We’re almost to the location the Graybeards told us to search; I bet we’ll arrive there tomorrow.

Lydia and I were adventuring in southeastern Skyrim a few days ago when we met a man named Stalleo. He and a few weapon-clad men were hovering around a fort – Treva’s Watch. We listened to his story as he told us how bandits ransacked him and his family and took over Treva’s Watch. His family was still inside and even though I presumed they were already dead, we ventured inside regardless. We battled many bandits and came across much valuable loot but we never found Stalleo’s family. After clearing the fort of bandits we let Stalleo know that we found neither hide nor hair of his family.

Afterwards we travelled back to Riften and I informed Alessandra that I delivered her father’s dagger to Andurs in Whiterun. While in Riften I also took care of a few other things, on my own.

Firstly I lent a hand to a redguard named Shadr. I overheard him getting hounded by this woman named Sapphire. After they had finished, I approached Shadr and asked what was wrong. He works at the Riften Stables and had gotten involved in some sort of shakedown. Sapphire asked him to purchase some equine related gear and on his way back to town, thieves pilfered his goods. Because Sapphire loaned him the money for the goods, she requested her payment, even though Shadr couldn’t pay. Shadr said he was weary of this transaction in the first place but undertook it nonetheless. After a quick chat with Sapphire, I was able to remedy the situation. I just hope Shadr will remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Looking for a place to stay the night, I met up with Lydia at Haelga’s Bunkhouse, figuring we could get a room. Unfortunately, Haelga would only sell rooms to “hardworking merchants”; however while there I had a conversation with Haelga’s niece, Svana Far-Shield. She was very open with me and discussed her disdain for her aunt. She also told me Haelga sleeps with many men and afterwards gives them a Mark of Dibella. Svana thought it’d bruise Haelga’s pride if I found a few of these and returned them to Haelga. Svana knew of three men in town who had them – Indaryn, manager of the Black-Briar Meadery, Hofgrir Horse-Crusher, owner of the Riften Stables, and Bolli, a worker at the Riften Fishery. It was easy to persuade these gentlemen that it’d be best if I had the Marks and when I presented them to Haelga, she had a change of attitude.

Before finally settling down for the night at The Bee and the Barb, I had a conversation with Louis Letrush. He told me that Sibbi Black-Briar (in jail) owed him a horse and now was a good time for Louis’ payment. The following day I visited Sibbi in jail to gather information on the horse’s whereabouts. The horse was located east of Riften at the Black Briar Lodge, a getaway for the infamous family. He warned me that there was an ample force of mercenaries and retrieving the deed would require stealth. Sure enough, when Lydia and I made it, we killed a few relentless mercenaries and snuck into the lodge. It didn’t take long to find the deed and we quietly exited. Once outside, we located the horse and met Louis in a secluded location. He was thrilled to have the horse and paid us very handsomely.