//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Skyrim: tales of the Equestrian hero // by spawnzillafinalwars //------------------------------// "You must head to the Nordic crypt, hidden beneath the snows of the northern mountains. there, you will obtain my artifact, the Grand Staff of Time. go now, my son, and reclaim my artifact, and reclaim your title as the rightful Hero of Skyrim." Akatosh bequeathed. "I will head there at once, Bormah Akatosh. I will not fail you. I will prove myself worthy of your guidance." Sahrot answered. Akatosh spread his wings abroad, stretching them to the point in which they engulfed Sahrot's vision. then Akatosh's body glowed brightly, his golden scales becoming a burning white. his form illuminated the darkness that surrounded the two beings. as he glowed brighter, Sahrot felt his body being tugged away. as he slowly began to dissipate, his mind ebbing away from consciousness, Akatosh spoke once more. "I will always be watching over you, wherever you go, my son." ************ when Sahrot opened his eyes, he found himself back in the temple of the Divines, still kneeling down. he got back to his feet, and exited the temple. as he left, he checked his inventory for anything to drink, specifically a bottle of Honningbrew mead. he instead found a map, which had a location marked somewhere in the freezing mountains of the north. looking toward the horizon, knowing this is his chance to redeem himself and clear his name, has filled his heart with determination. and so, he had set out, heading toward the north, to retrieve the artifact and return it to Akatosh. As Sahrot reached the end of the stairs of the temple, a Nord courier had run up to him. "I h-have, (gasp), urgent news! your housecarl, Yngvar the Singer, has sent me from Markarth to get you! a band of Thalmor magicians has raided your home! they are still there, fighting with Yngvar, and your friends!" the courier cried, panting as he did so. Sahrot's blood ran cold at the news, and his heart burned with rage. his eyes glowed a bright red, which had scared the courier. 'But why?', Sahrot thought. 'why would they do that? I'll have to ask my housecarl about that'. He then headed to Markarth to check on his housecarl, Yngvar. as he left Solitude, he summoned his steed, Arvak. the spectral stallion galloped forth to his master. Sahrot hopped on the saddle, and was off to Markarth. after two hours of traveling on horseback, Sahrot had arrived at the gate of Markarth. he hopped off his horse, and entered the city. upon entering, he saw his house was set ablaze. without hesitation, he bolted toward his home, hoping that everyone was fine in there. as he ran up the stairs, he could hear the crackle of electricity, and when he reached the top, he saw his companions, Farkas and Lydia, fighting alongside Yngavar, along with several guards. he looked at their adversaries, the Thalmor magicians. they were using high level destruction magic, as one of them blasted a guard with a wave of fire. Sahrot pulled out his greatsword, and joined the battle, cleaving one of them in half, while setting it ablaze, due to his enchantment, which has also absorbed the Thalmor's soul. the corpse did not even reach the ground as Sahrot cut the arm off of another Thalmor. the magician cried in pain as he clutched the stump where his arm was. he did not even look up to see the giant Daedric blade swinging down on his head, cutting all the way down to his torso. as Sahrot pulled the blade out of the burning corpse, a magician had cast a lightning spell on Yngavar, pushing him back and leaving a large burn mark on his chestplate. Sahrot made quick work of the Thalmor by eviscerating him, setting his organs on fire, and hurried to Yngavar's side. "don't worry, Sahrot, it doesn't hurt that bad." Yngavar said coarsely. Regardless, Sahrot healed his wound, and brought him back to his feet. the battle had finally ended, and there was only one Thalmor left. he stood quivering under Sahrot's eyes, which were still glowing red. "Why are you here? what did you take?" Sahrot growled, as the guards were putting out the fire. "W-I-I'LL NEVER TELL! THERE'S NO WA-" the Thalmor did not finish speaking, as Sahrot had gripped him by the throat. "YOU WILL TELL ME, OR I WILL CRUSH YOUR SKULL, AND RIP OUT YOUR HEART!!" Sahrot barked, his armor beginning to darken. The Thalmor squirmed in his grasp, choking as he did so. Lydia ran up to Sahrot's side before he could kill him. "Sahrot, stop! he's the only one who can tell us where the rest of them are! where Brelyna is!" Lydia yelled. Sahrot's eyes then returned to normal, and looked back at Lydia with shock in his eyes. "Brelyna? she in not here? where is she then?!" he shouted. There were a lot more Thalmor than before, Sahrot. they had stormed into the house, stolen everything magical that they could find, and kidnapped Brelyna." Lydia said. Upon hearing the dire news, Sahrot turned his attention back to the Thalmor, who was still coughing from Sahrot's grip. he picked him back up, and brought a dagger to his throat. "Tell me where they went, and I might let you live." Sahrot whispered venomously. The Thalmor looked down at the dagger with fear in his eyes. "T-they went to a-a crypt, u-up north." the Thalmor whimpered. "Where? put it on the map, show me where it is!" Sahrot yelled. He had taken out the map, and showed it to the Thalmor. the Thalmor pointed at a location in the northern mountains. as Sahrot looked to the location, he realized that this is the same location as the artifact he was supposed to acquire. after seeing the whereabouts, he threw the Thalmor to one of the guards. "Make sure he's locked up. I'm certain the Jarl will want to have a word with him." Sahrot said. The guards nodded in response, and walked off with the Thalmor in their hands. Sahrot then instructed Yngavar to take a rest at the nearby temple of Arkay. he was about to decline, but he then keeled forward in pain, and agreed. as Yngavar left, Sahrot then entered his house. it seems most of the damage was in the dining area, as the other rooms were intact. he looked around the house, seeing that most of his magical items had been stolen. he cursed his luck, and entered the master bedroom. he opened his secret chest, and sighed in relief to see that his weapons were still here. he then rummaged the items for the Staff of Magnus, Dawnbreaker, Spellbreaker, Auriel's bow, the Wabbajack, and Azura's star. there will most likely be many of them when he gets there, so he is going to need these to fight against them. he left his home, and out of the city. Farkas and Lydia were waiting for him there, ready to go. Sahrot nodded to them, thankful for their help. once they reached the stables, they got on to there. horses, and strode toward the mountains. ********** It had taken the group up to six hours in order to reach the location, having to leave the horses behind in order to climb the mountains. they made to the entrance, when they discovered foot prints, still fresh in the snow. "These prints are fresh, which means that that they've just arrived." Farka explained. Sahrot only nodded in response, before he and his companions entered inside. upon entering, they quickly went exploring around the crypt, and had encountered several Drougr, which they had taken care of swiftly, reducing them to heaps of ashes. After that, they had come across a series of traps, many of which they had gotten through easily, but have fallen to a few clever ones. 'Whatever this artifact is that I am seeking, it must be of high importance for it to end up in this place, as well as having the Thalmor in this place, too.' He thought to himself. He and his companions continued on, coming across more Drougrs and traps. He paid no mind to them, for he has explored crypts several times before, and has passed them all. After that, he came across a large gate, with three obelisk-like constructs at the front, each with an animal on them. Sahrot put his weapons, and searched the room for a clue to opening the gate. after 15 minutes of searching, he had found the corpse of an adventurer lying in a room at the right of the gate. after searching the body, he found a journal, which after reading it, contained the code for the door; a snake to the left, a fish in the middle, and a hawk at the right. after returning to the gate, he switched the obelisks in the correct order, and pulled the chain, causing the gate to open, revealing a long hallway. as he walked through, however, he heard a distant chanting at the end of the hallway. he continued on wary not to trigger any traps that may be present. as he neared the end of the hallway, the chanting grew louder, and Sahrot recognized it as Dovahzul, the dragon language. he peered through the grate cautiously and quietly, and what he saw made his anger flare. in the center of the room was a massive gathering of Thalmor magicians. they had a large array of magical items, including, to Sahrot's surprise, an Elder scroll, several amulets, and several masks of the Dragon-priests. 'What are they planning to do with these items?' Sahrot thought to himself. With that, he heard a shrill scream, which he recognized was his wife, Brelyna. "Let me go, you Thalmor heathens! if you so much as lay a finger on me, then my husband will see to it that your heads are mounted on spikes!" she yelled. The Thalmor restraining her only slapped her face in annoyance, which fueled Sahrot's anger. "Just shut up already. we want your husband here because he is an essential part in our ritual." The Thalmor muttered. Sahrot then turned to his housecarl, Lydia, who was awaiting orders. "I need you to sneak around the back to those guards, and silently kill them. make sure you don't draw attention to yourself." Sahrot instructed. After his housecarl went to do so, he turned to his trusted companion, Farkas. "I need you to stick close to me, we're going to kill these bastards one at a time. Once we get to Brelyna, I want you to take her to safety, and inform Ulfric Stormcloak of this incident. I want these Thalmor to be wiped out from Skyrim once and for all." Sahrot stated. "You have my word, and shield, harbinger." Farkas replied. Sahrot nodded in response, as the two snuck behind the Thalmor nearest to Brelyna, and promply killed them where they stood. The Thalmor holding Brelyna spun around to see what had happened, only to see a massive sword cleave his head in two. As the now dead Thalmor fell in a puddle of his own blood, Sahrot embraced Brelyna in a tight hug, in which Brelyna returned. "Brelyna! are you okay?! did they hurt you? please tell me you're alright." Sahrot pleaded. "I'm alright, Sahrot, the only thing these bastards did was slap me, and...burn our house down. Is your housecarl okay? they had been fighting him, and ransacked our home after kidnapping me." Brelyna asked. "Don't worry about the housecarl, I healed him when I saw him. He's currently at a temple for his wounds to be treated. As for the home, I managed to salvage most of our property, and have sent them to our home in Whiterun." Sahrot replied reassuringly. "listen, I need you to follow my companions, Farkas and Lydia, out of this crypt, and to the safety of Ulfric Stormcloak. tell him what has happened here, and to get rid of those Thalmor bastards. but most important is your safety." Sahrot said. "But, wait, Sahrot, were are you going? you can't fight them by yourself! there's too many of them, they'll kill you!" she begged. Sahrot then let go of her, and proceeded to the chamber. ''I'll be fine, at least you'll be safe. I'm going to kill them all. I'll make sure you will not be followed.'' Sahrot said. "Farkas, take her to Windhelm, and stay with her and the children. I'm staying behind so they won't follow you." Farkas nodded on response. "Come on, Brelyna, we have to go, now." Farkas said. Brelyna was starting to tear up at this point, but promptly said, "I pray for your safety, my love. make sure they never hurt anyone again." She, along with Farkas and Lydia, then left the room, and to the surface. Sahrot turned back to the door to the ritual chamber. "It's time I finally end this, once and for all. it will not be for vengeance, but to protect the world from people like you." Sahrot whispered. With that, he entered into the chamber, ready to cut down any Thalmor bastard that comes his way. he took out the Staff of Magnus, and readied his shield, Spellbreaker. as he neared the middle of the room, he the Thalmor still chanting, a large stream of light resonated from the magical items and the Thalmor, and into a staff that had a golden dragons head at the top. the staff glowed with power, and a ray of magic shot forth from the staff, and into the Elder scroll. Sahrot eyed the staff, believing that this is the artifact that he was supposed to retrieve. he then charged the Staff of Magnus, and shot a stream of energy at the group, draining them of their magic. the Thalmor moaned in response, and turned their attention to Sahrot. they shouted at him in defiance, and all charged up for a magical assault. Sahrot quickly pulled up his shield, and a ward appeared, blocking off all the magical attacks. once the onslaught had stopped, Sahrot rushed forward, putting away his staff, and bringing out his sword. with one swing, he decapitated the first three Thalmor, and maiming another two with a second swing. the Thalmor just kept barraging Sahrot with more destruction spells, which Sahrot blocked with Spellbreaker. he slashed open a Thalmor's stomach, spilling out his organs on the floor. Sahrot stood for a moment, preparing to cast a shout. "Tiid, KLO UL!" he shouted. With that, all time has slowed to a snails pace, all except for Sahrot. he put his things away, and charged a spell. he summoned all of his magicka, as his arms pulsated with electricity. he then focused his hands at the Thalmor, and released all he had on them. a giant surge of electricity erupted from his hands, and incinerated the first five Thalmor in front of him. he then proceeded to incinerate the rest of them, turning the stream of energy on their bodies. once time had gone to the regular pace, all that was left of the Thalmor were several piles of ash. Sahrot turned his attention back to the staff, which had resonated with power. he walked towards it, and was about to grab it, until he was struck by a bolt of lightning. the electricity coursed through his armor, and damaged his nerves. he cried out in pain, as he fell to his knees. he turned his head to see a Thalmor standing amidst the ashes. he wore black robes that flowed around him. "At last, the final component to the ritual." he said coolly. "What in Oblivion are you talking about, you worthless bastard?! what ritual are you trying to complete?" Sahrot questioned. Well, I should not tell you of our secrets, but since your going to die anyways, then I don't see the problem. what we are trying to do...is go to another world." the Thalmor replied. "What are you talking about? there is no such thing as another world." Sahrot muttered. "Oh, but there is. through hundreds of years of studying, we came upon a grand discovery. as it turns out, Nirn was not the only world the Divines have created. they have made another world, one that has many possibilities awaiting for the Thalmor to exploit. with the Staff of the Dragon God, we can open the portal leading to that world. all we need now is the blood of a dragon. of course, to get the blood from a dragon would mean certain death. which is why we had wanted you here." he whispered. "If you think you are going to kill me, then you are so-AGAHGH!" Sahrot screamed, as he felt cold steel piercing through his skin. he looked at his hand, where he saw a dagger wedged between the crevices of his gauntlet. the dagger then flew out of the crevices, covered in his blood. the dagger landed in the Thalmor's hand, and he smiled with his prize. "You see, Dragonborn, I have my ways of getting what I want. and now I want you dead. the dagger that stabbed you was coated in a highly deadly poison. you'll only have a minute to live, given your status." the Thalmor sneered. Sahrot looked at his hand as his vision had started to blur. he could not reach for his poison cure, as his body was convulsing, his hands rendered useless. he thought desperately of what to do, until an idea came to him. the Thalmor turned his attention to the ritual, as he chanted the final words to activate the portal. he left a drop Sahrot's blood onto the Elder scroll, which had made it glow with radiant energy. a bluish orb of energy formed above the scroll, and had only grown larger, until it filled half the room. inside the orb, trees could be seen, forests expanded for miles, cities were blooming across the land. "At long last, our work is finally finished! this world will be ours for the taking!" the Thalmor screamed. He did not notice, however that a certain Argonian warrior had used his Histkin to heal himself, and had pulled out his sword to plunge it into the Thalmor's back. the Thalmor screamed in agony, as his organs were now skewed. Sahrot pulled out the blade, and left the Thalmor on the floor. "Your plans end here, bastard. I'm not going to let whatever scheme you have come to fruition." Sahrot growled. He ran towards the staff and pulled it out of the ground. the light emanating from the staff began to fade. he then picked up his Elder scroll, and put it in his pocket. with that, the portal was starting to close, the images starting to fade away "NO! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET IN OUR WAY!" the Thalmor screamed. Before Sahrot could do anything,the Thalmor charged up a lightning spell, and blasted Sahrot into the portal. the Thalmor then smiled weakly, as he drew his last breath, knowing he had won in the end.