Solstheim: Lost Legacy
After resting for a short period of time, thirty minutes to be exact, Za'kera and the others departed from Severin Manor and headed for the passage that would allow them to leave Raven Rock, as it was time for them to return to the Skaal Village for a time and hand over the map they had recovered. Of course she knew that there was a problem that they had to overcome, that being the fact that her group currently held four of the seven Black Books that were scattered across all of Solstheim and none of them had any idea where the other three were located. The only clue they had to go on was that one had been buried with Zahkriisos, meaning they had to find where Ahzidal, Dukaan, and Vahlok, the remaining Dragon Priests of this island, were buried and recover the tomes that were buried with them, though right now none of them knew where to find them. Of course Za'kera knew that they could return to Tel Mithryn and speak with Neloth, as there was a chance that he might know where they could find one of the remaining Black Books, but right now no one wanted to deal with the seemingly insane wizard or get in the way of his experiments, least they get infected with the Moomer curse at some point.
As they walked through the ashen landscape, however, they discovered where the first Dragon Priest had ended up, due to the fact that Zahkriisos was floated near a buried ruin and seemed to be ordering some Draugr to dig it out, meaning he might know where to find one of the other three. It was something they would need to check out once they were done with the Skaal Village, though there was a Dark Elf miner with them who wore leather armor, maybe a treasure seeker the group guessed, but he seemed to be the only new thing in the area, hence why they continued walking. Their plan was to cut through the middle of the island and bypass Miraak's temple, heading around that mead hall they had seen earlier, as it would allow Za'kera and everyone else to reach the Skaal Village without much delay, so they could deliver the news to Deor and Baldor before searching for something else to do. As they walked, however, it was easy for Amaryllis to find that some Nords had moved back into the mead hall, having finished off the rest of the Rieklings that apparently invaded it at some point, but for now non of them were interested in stopping and talking to whoever was inside it, figuring that they could come back later.
When they reached the Skaal Village the group discovered that many of the Skaal were out and about, Baldor was working at his forge with a smile on his face, and it was easy for them to see an elderly male Nord talking to Deor, but the group headed over to where the smith was working and found that he paused as soon as he noticed them.
"It is good to see that you are well, my friends." Baldor said, his tone and face confirming his words, he was happy to call all of them his friends, after everything they had done to save both himself and his village from the dangers that had been plaguing the Skaal for some time, before he considered something, "Did you find the elves at their ship?"
"Yes, we found Ancarion's forces at the ship and wiped them out... and we've collected the map to the Stalhrim source, so the Thalmor can't use it anymore." Za'kera replied, where she reached into her pack for a moment and pulled out the map in question, something that allowed the smith to let out a sigh of relief as he realized that she was telling the truth, not that he doubted her tale, and not a few seconds later the map was in Baldor's possession.
"I know you and your friends faced great danger to bring this map to me. There are no words to tell how glad my heart is." Baldor stated, something that Amaryllis and Wind could confirm by using their ability to sense his emotions, though this meant that the Thalmor were unable to do anything with the Stalhrim, before he faced them once more, looking like he was determined about something, "I name all of you as friends of the Skaal, and I will trust you with the knowledge of forging Stalhrim, though if you bring Stalhrim to my forge I can show you how to shape it."
Amaryllis wasn't sure that they needed the art of forging Stalhrim, but no one said anything as Baldor wished them well, an ancient Skaal farewell no doubt since it was about 'hunt always bring them game' and that 'their crops grow tall and bountiful', though as they walked away from the forge they found the elderly Nord approaching them, near what had to be the heart of the village.
"I heard from Deor how you went in search of Baldor." the Nord said, showing them that he approved of what they had done to make sure that one of the Skaal was safe, even though freeing everyone from Miraak's control had been a step in the right direction, but they could tell that he was thinking about something, "That was very brave of you... in fact, that's just the kind of courage I'm looking for."
"We helped a man in need, that's all." Za'kera replied, which was the truth of the matter, as no one believed Deor and they had taken off after discovering that the smith might have been taken by some of the Thalmor, a true fact since they found a number of those twisted elves guarding him and the ship.
"Modest as well as brave. Most admirable! I can see why the Skaal think so highly of you and your companions." the man stated, something that caused the group to raise their eyebrows for a moment, as it sounded like he had something that he wanted them to do and he wasn't about to leave until he said what was on his mind, before he gestured to himself for a few seconds, "I am Tharstan, and I think you're just the adventurous sort I need, as I have a job offer for all of you. As a scholar of history, I've always found Solstheim to be the most intriguing and I have made many forays over the years, into the ancient ruins that cover the island. I've come to know all of the ruins so well, I could draw you a map from memory, no matter which one you asked me about... that's why I noticed the new passage the moment I laid eyes on it."
"A new passage to what?" Wind asked, though this was good news for them, because if Tharstan had been to the rest of the ruins that dotted Solstheim, no doubt the nordic ones, there was a chance that he might be able to pinpoint where the last three Black Books were resting and join them to the ruins in question.
"An old tomb, I think, where the passage must have been opened up by an earthquake that accompanied one of the Red Mountain's eruptions." Tharstan replied, reminding them that the volcano was constantly erupting and it seemed like it also caused earthquakes every now and then, though it seemed strange for one to suddenly reveal the existence of a new ruin, one that had been buried by earth and ash, "I'd love to have a closer look, but those old ruins can be dangerous and I'm no adventurer, so I would like to hire all of you to escort me through the ruin and to watch my back down there. I'll be heading back there soon... if you're interested in helping me, I'll tell you where my destination is and then meet you there, as I'm sure we'll find something interesting inside it."
Za'kera glanced at the others for a moment, as they were all thinking the same thing right now, that this might bring them to one of the remaining Black Books, before agreeing to help Tharstan out, since there was no telling what he might find in the depths of this particular tomb, causing the old man to smile as he headed out to get ready. Since he forgot to tell them where the ruin was located she decided to stick around the Skaal Village until he was fully prepared to depart, though he didn't take more than ten minutes before he was ready to leave and joined the group, allowing them to leave the village and head for the tomb he had found. Tharstan informed them that the location they were looking for was near a building called Thirsk Mead Hall, something they knew about thanks to the fact that the group had walked by it a few times during their time on Solstheim, so they didn't need directions and headed for the area in question, making sure to pause when he needed to rest his body. Thanks to the fact that they had been walking this path a few times in the last few days they had no enemies to worry about, which meant everyone was able to conserve their energy for whatever dangers might be down in the tomb, though Tharstan said nothing as they made their way to the entrance he had spotted.
Sure enough Za'kera found a split in the earth that she and the others had passed by, not that anyone could have seen it from the angle they had been walking up earlier, though once they made sure the area was cleared out she drew both of his blades and headed inside, keeping Tharstan nearby as the others followed her inside, discovering a tunnel that lead to a large cavern buried below the earth.
"Remarkable, isn't it?" Tharstan asked, giving them a chance to look out at the cavern that was in front of them, where they found a set of stairs leading down to an area that seemed to split into three other paths, one to the left, one to the right, and one in the center that was blocked by a locked cage, and it seemed like there was a pit of water between this side of the tomb and the other side, "This tomb has been hidden for... well, who knows how long. Many centuries, I would think. Anyway, welcome to Vahlok's Tomb."
Amaryllis glanced at the others as Tharstan walked forward, heading down the stairs to reach a plaque below them, where they now knew that this was the resting place of one of the Dragon Priests that they were looking for, so helping the Skaal out had been a good thing for multiple reasons, though that lead to them following the elderly figure down to the plaque, a metallic one written in the Dragon Language.
"Before we were ensnared by that dark spell, and forced to work on the Wind Stone, I spent some time in this section of the tomb," Tharstan explained, where he came to a stop in front of the plaque, which happened to have a lever attached to the front of it, meaning it activated something and none of them wanted to tamper with it right now, before he touched the stone for a moment, "and what I've found so far is this inscription here, and a switch below it. Now, I'm not sure if any of you can read the Dragon Language, but this seems to be a riddle of some sort: 'A sacrifice will bring you closer to that which you seek'. I would have spent some time trying to figure out what it means, but the dark spell prevented me from working on it."
"Given what I know of the ancient Nords, the riddle is rather straightforward: we just have to sacrifice someone, likely to the pit in front of us." Wind said, as there happened to be a pit at the bottom of the final set of stairs, resting between the four paths that were available in this tomb, and it had a grate over it that allowed people to walk on it without having to worry about falling into a flaming pit, before she noticed some Draugr corpses resting near the pit, "And I think we can use one of these bodies to do that."
Za'kera took a moment to look at what Wind was looking at, where she understood the idea and helped her move one of the bodies on top of the grate, while Amaryllis and Lydia kept an eye out for walking Draugr as Tharstan watched them, no doubt interested in what the pair happened to be doing. Once one of the bodies rested on the grate, and the pair were no longer standing on it, Za'kera nodded her head and Tharstan quickly pulled the switch that was attached to the side of the plaque's base, causing the grate to open before dropping the body into the flames. Not a few seconds later a number of braziers were lit up, flames sparking all of a sudden, as Za'kera watched as both the door on the left and the door on the right opened up, meaning they were now allowed to explore the rest of Vahlok's ancient tomb, which was no doubt filled with all sorts of Draugr. As such Lydia and the others gripped their weapons as they followed her into the passage on the left, as she figured it would be best to tackle it first, finding that it brought them to a tunnel that quickly linked up with one of the burial sections, lined with bodies preserved by the ancient nordic art, and, just as they were expecting, the Draugr woke up and emerged from their ancient resting places.
What they weren't expecting, however, was for the undead to take one look at them and kneel towards the group, all while bowing their heads like they were still living members of the Dragon Cult, acknowledging the presence of a higher ranking member, though it didn't take a genius to figure out who they were really bowing to.
"Za'kera, they're acknowledging your status as the Dragonborn of legend," Amaryllis commented, where Wind nodded her head for a moment as they heard a chorus of a single word come from the undead that were around them, a word that Tharstan informed them meant that the Draugr were agreeing with her statement, meaning Alduin had to be influencing all of the remaining undead in the other nordic crypts, "and I think that means we won't have to fight our way through the rest of Vahlok's tomb."
"An army of Draugr... how lovely." Za'kera remarked, because now it really seemed like everyone on Nirn, both those that were dead and those that were alive, was gathering to do war with the Aldmeri Dominion, not to mention that they had an army of Daedra waiting to breach the barrier and join them, and she was tempted to believe that even those living in the various afterlives might show up as well.
Za'kera said nothing else as she continued down the passage, finding that the Draugr waited for her and her group to pass before getting up and following after her, watching as they reached a circular chamber that had three pillars in the middle of it, each one having a different symbol on it, as Amaryllis found one with a sword, one with a staff, and one with a bow and arrow.
"Hm... three pillars... other than that plaque, there doesn't seem to be anything else worthy of note." Tharstan said, where he took a moment to study everything that was in the chamber and found that he could only focus on the metallic plaque, even though there was a locked door on the other side of this area, "The inscription says 'All men must die, often by their own means'. Sounds rather grim, if you ask me... though I'm sure that the inscription must be a reference to these pillars. Perhaps they are connected in some manner, as they also have glowing stones of some kind at the top, which look vaguely similar to drawings I've seen of objects called Impact Stones."
In that moment three members of their group understood exactly what needed to be done, as Amaryllis stabbed the stone of the bow pillar with one of her weaker arrows, an iron one that snapped, Wind summoned some flames and toasted the magic pillar, and Za'kera slashed the sword pillar, activating the three pillars and opening the door to the next part of the tomb. The chamber in question seemed to be the end, with a Word Wall and several coffins that contained Deathlords, all powerful Draugr that ended up kneeling as Za'kera approached them, where one even offered up a dragon claw that was made out of pure amethyst, or at least the left half of one, which she took as Tharstan approached the wall. He informed them that the runes spoke of a Guardian who fought and defeated a Traitor, the former being Vahlok and the latter being Miraak, confirming that the latter was once a Dragon Priest and had betrayed Alduin to join Hermaeus Mora for all of the forbidden knowledge he had. With that done Za'kera learned the first Word of a new Shout, that much she knew based on what she was feeling, before they headed down a path that allowed them to the main chamber, a side passage that had been locked until this point in time, though they dropped down and returned to the central pit.
Amaryllis noted that the Draugr waited at the gate of their section, likely waiting for their master to be awaken, before she and the others headed down the right path, finding that it was a tunnel that brought them to another chamber, this one being a square, that had a plaque with a raised section behind it, with nine large tiles.
"I expect this plaque has a riddle on it, connected to a puzzle." Tharstan said, not that they needed to be told that fact, as it was pretty self explanatory after what happened on the left passage, before he faced the plaque that was in front of them and studied the runes on it, "It says 'Continue along the path, don't tread where you've been'. Interesting... well I'm pretty sure about two things: one, the riddle is most likely referring to these flat stone squares. And two, I'm not going anywhere near them."
Za'kera rolled her eyes for a moment as she stepped up and walked on the tiles in a pattern that was like a slithering snake of some kind, making sure not to step on any tiles more than once, and sure enough that happened to be all she had to do to open the grated barrier in front of her. With that done they entered a chamber that looked like the end of the left path, an area with several coffins and a Word Wall, to which she found that the Deathlords whose rose from their graves bowed to her as well and she found the right fragment of the gem claw, which she claimed before adding the second Word to her growing list of Words she had learned. Tharstan than told them that the Guardian's actions had inspired both man and dragons, meaning Alduin and his followers must have been impressed by the fact that Vahlok was able to best Miraak, the latter being a Dragonborn, but with that information in hand they left the chamber. Of course they found a side path that brought them back to the main chamber, where the risen Draugr from the right path stopped at the entrance of their path as Za'kera and the others regrouped in the middle of the chamber, allowing them to face the locked path.
In that moment they spotted two indents that seemed like the halves of the claw could be used to press them, which was what Za'kera did after sheathing her blades, something that caused the locked cage to open before their eyes and lead to Tharstan rushing forward to read the plaque that was on it.
"Here's another riddle: 'Stay your course. To idle is to die'." Tharstan said, where he glanced at the switch that was resting on the front of the plaque, though Za'kera was more focused on the fact that there was a gap between them and the next part of the tomb, "Well, at least it's straightforward... or more straightforward than the other riddles. Tell me when you're ready and I'll activate the switch."
Za'kera wasted no time in telling him that she was ready to go, though when he activated the switch they found that the space between this side of the chamber and the next one had blue magical platforms forming between them, as in one appeared in front of her and another followed it a few seconds later. Such a thing told her that it was a magical walkway of some kind, one that was supposed to test her in some manner, to which she walked forward and followed the path as it formed before her eyes, even if she had to jog one way and another to make sure she didn't fall into the water that was below her. When she reached the end the walkway she had used, which had been vanishing behind her, disappeared for a few moments before a straight line appeared before her, allowing the others to follow after her, though she continued to an iron gate that opened and revealed that she had to do this a few more times, to which she activated the lever to make the path appear and stepped out once it showed up. After the first walkway Za'kera found that she had to tackle three more sets of walkways, each one faster and harder than the last one, and based on what she could see the area below her was partly filled with water and doors that allowed one to return to the path if they failed, but she focused on beating the tests and not falling off the walkway.
At the end of the last trial she discovered a door that lead to the Hall of Stories, something that seemed to be common in the important nordic ruins of Skyrim, and she paused for a moment as Tharstan rushed into it, stopping at one of the walls as she stared at the claw door that blocked their way.
"Hmm... it looks like the door needs some sort of key... maybe those half claws you found would fit in here if you put them together, forming a single claw." Tharstan remarked, apparently thinking that he was the expert on the Nords, despite the fact that Za'kera knew exactly what to do in this situation and kept her mouth shut, allowing them to watch as the elderly Nord looked at the walls that were around them, "It seems these rings can be moved, meaning we need to find out what the combination is so we can move forward... ah yes, here's something. The first symbol has to do with a breeze, or maybe it's wind, the second one is tied to the night sky and the moon, while the third has something to do with fire... it also seems to mention scales."
Za'kera remembered what she had done with the golden claw and turned the outermost ring until it rested on the hawk symbol, turned the second until it stopped on a howling wolf, before taking a moment to make the inner ring rest on the dragon icon, though once that was done she brought the two claw halves together and pressed it against the lock that was in front of her. Sure enough the door opened before her eyes and the others found that they had to walk up some stairs to reach another gate, one that lead to an oval shaped chamber that seemed to be Vahlok's resting place, and once Za'kera stepped into the chamber the final coffin opened. It reminded them of what happened when they entered Zahkriisos's own resting place, though that was when they discovered that Vahlok's armor was made out of Stalhrim, no doubt having been enchanted by the greatest enchanters that the Cult had to offer, and even in death Za'kera knew that Vahlok's power was no joke. The strangest thing about Vahlok was that while he could float in the air, like Ma'jera did at all times or how all of the other Dragon Priests did so while they fought their enemies, he only did so to emerge from his coffin and landed on the floor, allowing him to walk towards her, before she and the others discovered that his body wasn't wrecked by age, as if he had been entombed with something to preserve his flesh.
In that moment she understood why, Vahlok had beaten Miraak and the latter fled before he could be killed, so Alduin and his kin likely blessed Vahlok with the power to remain in his prime until his foe made his return, so when Miraak returned he would rise from the grave, summon his army to do battle with whatever forces his foe might have, and then do battle with the First of the Dragonborn, in a battle that would likely reshape the surrounding landscape.
"Dragonborn, you have reached my sanctum and have roused me from my slumber. Might I ask why?" Vahlok inquired, to which the surprises continued for the group, as while he was an ancient Nord his voice wasn't damaged at all, meaning he had been preserved so perfectly that it was like he had taken a nap or something, and he seemed to know exactly what Za'kera was, confirming his connection to Akatosh's chosen hero.
"I am seeking the ancient Black Books of Hermaeus Mora, which Miraak once found and are said to be buried with the rest of Solstheim's Dragon Priests," Za'kera replied, where she and the others were surprised by the fact that he was speaking in the modern tongue, instead of the Dragon Language like Zahkriisos and the rest of the Dragon Priests, but it made their conversation that much easier on all of them, before she held up a hand for a few seconds, "I'm not trying to follow in his footsteps or anything, rather a storm is brewing, one that threatens the entire world, and I have to stand on the level of the First Dragonborn to be able to withstand what is coming. We found one of the tomes with Zahkriisos and determined that the remaining three we don't have would be with you, Ahzidal, and Dukaan."
"I applaud your ability to determine such a thing, but I would have preferred to be buried with the book that was Miraak's personal treasure," Vahlok stated, no doubt referring to the tome that they found in the depths of Miraak's temple, but as he said that Amaryllis noticed that there was nothing else in this chamber, save for a Word Wall, meaning they were wrong about where one of the other Black Books had been buried, "however, I can point you to where the last three dark books are resting, as you were correct about two of them, they are guarded by Ahzidal and Dukaan."
Amaryllis smiled as she heard that, as they were not only gaining the location of the remaining Black Books, because she was positive he could point them to the last one when he learned where they found the others, but they also seemed to be gaining an ally, so while Vahlok and Za'kera finished the conversation, and the latter gained the last Word of Power for her newest Shout, she was eager to see what the future held for them.
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ok, first thing, Tharstan isnt a Skall, though the game data lists him as husband to one, he came to Skall Village to research the history of the Skall a year before the event of the DLC, other than that, not a bad chapter, though y u r, again, building an army of Drauger for the Dragonborn, like u did for Sunset, i dont really understand...
11110158 It's the threat that their world faces, the Aldmeri Dominion and the fact that, as the Demiprinces have told them, they're going to awaken a Numidium to destroy the Adamantine Tower.
11110163
logical, but i still fail to see how a few undead will make that great of an impact on the outcome, most Drauger r not that powerful and more advanced forms r not common...
11110166 Well, I'd say the lower ranking draugr would be more like a distraction, while the likes of the Deathlords Death Overlords would be able to Shout their enemies down... I mean, they do that in game, so there's no reason for them not to be able to do it here. Plus the group hasn't killed the majority of the dragon priests, so the draugr have magical backup as well.
11110275
there r Restless Drauger with talents in magic, mostly in summoning or ice spells. true, the Dragon Priests r the most POWERFUL of the spellcasters, but most of them cheat with a staff of some such
11110300 Indeed. The point of the undead army is to ensure most of the living army survives to take down the leaders of the Aldmeri Dominion... and, more importantly, stop the activation of the Numidium.
11110305
cannon fodder then...well, theyre already dead, what have they got to lose?
11110354 Given that we really have no idea what would happen if the Adamantine Tower is destroyed, by the actions of a Numidium, they either have nothing to lose or everything to lose... the latter's if the destruction of such an event reaches far beyond the mortal plane.
11110366
from what i can research, the Thalmor leaders want to be Gods, trading mortal life for a life of pure spirit...so assuming it actually works as advertised (something that i cant find any evidence for) the Thalmor plan would leave the spirit intact, but, they have to get rid of Talos first, since hes taking up the spot of Divinity left by Lorkan after he was tossed out of the club so to speak...
11110427 Basically invading the realm of the gods to become gods... sounds like what the Aldmeri Dominion would do, after all of the things I've discovered.
11110434
its also something of a religious matter from what i can find out, the Thalmor have been in operation for a fair amount of time, even before the end of the Third Era as a somewhat radical faction of Altmer society, they just didnt have anything near the amount of political pull they gained after the Oblivion Crisis through lying their asses off...
11110469 Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Aldmeri Dominion played a part in causing the Oblivion Crisis, like they were paving the way to deactivate the other Towers.
11110483
no, history is fairly accurate as to just who was behind the Oblivion Crisis, Merunes Dagon isnt exactly the kind of guy to get lost in the crowd...or fail to toot his own horn as he thought he was about to win...if for no other reason than it would have made Molag Bal look bad, those two hate each other.
11110490 Well, I was referring to the mortal players. I'm aware that Dagon was responsible for the Oblivion Crisis, with the Mythic Dawn paving the way for it to happen, and that Molag was responsible for the Planemeld, with Mannimarco nearly giving him his victory.
11110498
well, the damn Thalmor r good at one thing at least...talking very fast. thats how they took political power in Summerset as well as Elswyre
11110554 Yeah, they convinced the Khajiit that they brought the moons back... no idea if that's true or not, but given the organization in question they probably lied to claim control.
11110584
like i said, they did a hell of a lot of very fast talking to get where they are now, in addition to old fashioned brutality against the Bosmer. the Thalmor r more or less idiots though, as they have this grand ol plan, and absolutely no idea if its actually going to work...
11110634 I cannot argue with your points, as they are correct.