JoS/Henriette/22nd Journal - Travels

Sun's Height, 28th, 4E 202

The more things change, the more they stay the same, or something like that. Why do I say that?

Well, when we returned to Winterhold, the situation looked a little dire. The citizens were confused at what was going on, angry at whatever was happening in the college this time, even talking about having to move out or drive the mages out for their own safety, but when we actually rushed into the college to offer our helping hands, all we found was the aftermath of a difficult battle won.

Tolfdir and Serana were talking when their attention was drawn to me. "Ah, the troublemaker has returned", Tolfdir said jokingly, and quite honestly, a little condescendingly. Then, I learned what had happened.

Two first big takeaways were that Mirabelle had lost her life trying to defend her allies and that Serana had used the staff to disable the barrier Ancano had created, going on to defeat and kill him in a battle. The third big takeaway is that the Eye is gone. The Psijic order apparently took it for safekeeping to their little hidden island. In the end, Serana was hailed as the hero, and even though she was trying to give me and Sofia credit, trying to explain that she wouldn't have been able to do it herself, Tolfdir still was insistent on only praising her. The way he spoke to me when he said, "Your friend here did quite a masterful job in unraveling the mess that you created", is still echoing fresh in my head.

See? This is what I mean. I went through all that trouble with my friends and STILL I'm getting shit. Besides, how is any of this my fault anyway? I may have discovered the Eye of Magnus, but it wasn't my genius idea to fucking bring it here! It wasn't my idea to have that now-dead Thalmor fuckwit walk around like he owns the damn place! All I've been doing is help them!

Oh, and are we even getting rewarded monetarily? You bet we aren't. I should stick to hunting bounties and only work if there's a written contract of payment on my hands. It's also safer and keeps my bloodlust sated too! Ah, I feel like I should feel angry and insulted, but honestly, I just find it funny, and above everything else, I'm happy for Serana here. I'm sure she can use this accomplishment of hers as a way to get her foot between the door to join the college. She actually wants to join them, so her accomplishments here can be used as a stepping stone towards higher learning.

As for me, I'm not going to be involved with this institution a lot in the future. I don't see any reason to return here unless I'm getting something substantial in return.

Since I had no desire to stay at the college for the rest of the evening, we decided to split up for the day. Sofia needed rest, Serana stayed with the college, and I went on to meet with Septimus. I have been able to get all the blood I need for him after all, so why not? What happened next was simultaneously very weird but also very underwhelming.

Right after he got the giant Dwemer box open, he rushed in, only to see that the treasure hidden inside was nothing but a book. A single, strange-looking, bulky book with incomprehensible writings and figures… A treasure of Hermaeous Mora himself, Oghma Infinium. Then, before he could do anything with it, he died. He started levitating, and he turned into a pile of ash. Like, what happened to him? Is Hermaeous Mora behind this, and if so … Could Mora do something like that to me as well? I was genuinely freaked out at that point, especially considering that he appeared in front of me once more, again in the same black mass countless eyes and tentacles.

I couldn't really figure out what he wants from me, but he told me to hold on to the book. He has plans for me, or so I feel… I just hope he won't be appearing before me anytime soon, as he creeps me out.

Well, at least I know I don't need to return to this cave on this island anymore.

Sun's Height, 29th, 4E 202

There was one final piece of business left for me to be done at the college, and that was to finally deliver the Dwemer cogs to Arniel. The mood around the college is still kind of low because of the damages and the lost lives, and he was no different. He said that he'll miss Mirabelle dearly and is very doubtful of what will come of the college considering that they have lost both their Arch-mage and their second-in-command, but he's also trying to stay positive focused. He also said that he's glad for the efforts of my friends and me because even if we weren't able to avert a disaster from happening altogether, we were able to perhaps save the college from complete destruction. For that, he gave me his thanks.

More importantly, he said he still has unfinished work and would rather return to his studies to distract himself than continue moping in his sorrows. He suggested that I should help him.

While repairing the machine with the oh-so-important "authentic" cogs he needed, he rambled on and on about how to bring life to this automaton, and how Dwarves used to do it. He kept going on about the Heart of Lorkhan, about how it supposedly used to power them according to his own theories, and about how the Dwemer clans here in Skyrim used Soul Gems as substitutes due to not having the same close proximity to the heart as the Dwemer in Vvardenfell used to have… Honestly, most of this technical stuff was beyond me and half of the things I didn't even listen to. The important bit is that he was able to bring the machine back to life.

"One of the reasons these parts need to be authentic is durability", he also said… Or something along those lines, I'm paraphrasing a little. "They also seem to fit better than the parts I ordered from Windhelm. I'm sure this thing will work exactly as the Dwarves intended it would." Then, he wanted to test it. At this point, I kind of understood why he needed my help. "You would do that for me?" he asked.

Well, of course I would. I have to admit, I hadn't really felt adequately satisfied in a while, so I stripped for the Dwemer machine. I didn't really know what to expect and quickly learned that these machines could do a little bit more than I anticipated. For starters, it used restraining devices at the ends of its "arms" to hold me in place. Like seriously, if a machine like this attacked me in some ruin, there would be no way for me to escape it or defend against it. In the safety of this experimentation though, I could appreciate what it was able to do.

It's not quite as satisfying as doing it with a living and breathing creature of flesh. It lacks that unpredictability and warmth, but it was pretty amazing nonetheless. It pounded me pretty hard, and the vibrating parts were really fun too. Watching me get dominated must've made Arniel quite horny too, as he was pretty much jacking off the whole time watching me. The machine was also equipped with some shock magic, which made it all just so much better. I'm a sucker for that stuff. I just love that tingly sensation of electricity running through my most sensitive parts. There was just one big problem. You see, the machine wasn't stopping.

Arniel didn't really know how to make it stop with simple commands, or if there even was a way to make it stop. He could've probably disabled it with some shock magic, but damn it, I wasn't willing to get hurt because of his incompetence! In the end, he had to yank the Soul Gem out to save me from it, which he was reluctant to do because he feared it could cause damage to it. It had been almost an hour at that point, and he told me that it shouldn't take that long for it to do its business on its "victims". Perhaps using a less powerful Soul Gem would do the trick, he wondered. He said he needs to study a little bit more and thanked me dearly. He said he'll be contacting me in the future for help too, as he seems to trust me as someone who's not afraid of an adventure… I suppose I see no harm in helping him with his lewd machine experiments, especially since there's money involved too. Yeah, he paid me generously for the cogs.

Tomorrow it's time for us to leave Winterhold. I haven't forgotten about that blue piece of metal I found, and I still intend to learn what it is and if it's worth anything. I suppose we should head to Markarth next since Arniel couldn't help us figure out what it is.

Sun's Height, 31th, 4E 202

We stopped by at Dawnstar only to learn that they've been dealing with a new problem. Last time it was nightmares, and this time it's a string of disappearances and potential murders. It reminds me of that ongoing, unsolved murder mystery in Windhelm in the sense that the people being targeted are women. However, when something like this happens on the Brotherhood's turf, we need to get involved. Nazir talks about how keeping the guards under bay can be a little challenging and costly, and even though he has an insider working for the jarl he can trust, there's a little we can do if the word starts to spread.

Of course, the manner of these kidnappings, or murders, is entirely different from how we operate, but the public can't differentiate between the two. Sure, the public at large doesn't know about an active Sanctuary being located underneath their feet, but even a rumor can spark a firestorm, and the Brotherhood doesn't need that kind of attention.

Gabriela had already done some research, and it seems that the murders might be connected to a man who apparently had a thing for local women and committed several crimes against locals. His house was eventually burned down by an angry mob demanding justice for his actions, and he was forced into exile. Why wasn't he arrested? Well, beats me. Gabriela's theory is that this man is still alive, and she might have found a critical clue from a campsite on the shore, a campsite that belonged to a young couple. She has a reason to believe that the culprit might be hiding somewhere in that general direction. Since we're not in any kind of hurry or an important mission, I'll be taking this matter into my own hands and delving into whatever I can find.

If my memory serves me right from that one time I was sent on a contract to kill some treasure hunter in the area, there's an old Nordic ruin in that general direction, which sounds like a decent hiding place for a murderer… Maybe I could find a clue there?

Since we have also been able to locate and secure all three pieces of Mehrunes' Razor - a fact that I have mostly kept quiet in my journals about - we delivered them to that crazy Mythic Dawn museum owner and got paid pretty fairly for it. He is, however, talking about communing with the God of revolution himself to repair the Razor, or in his words, "bring it to its former glory". I'm not against the idea, but that'll have to wait for a while. Maybe we'll go after this whole thing with this murder and disappearance mystery has been solved.

Morning Star, 1st, 4E 203

Ingenuity, sixth sense, or just pure dumb luck? Haha, I'm not sure, but I now know that the culprit is hiding here. I found his journal, at least one of them, which straight-up admits to the crimes. It seems like the man we're looking for is also the one Gabriela suspected. By Sithis, she is so smart.

This place is guarded by ghosts and banshees though, some Draugr too, and I must say, me and the girls are having some hard time. We're not sure how to approach and go forward, and something tells me that our foe is a strong one too.

We can't rest here for long. I hope to update you very soon.

Morning Star, 1st, 4E 203

So, now we know more… Mostly because Serana got into some nasty trouble. Me and Sofia didn't even realize it while she was fixing her armor and I was writing my journal, but Serana, who was keeping guard for us, had her ass kidnapped by the man we came here to kill.

So, the man who we were dealing with was a hardcore necrophiliac. He had come here basically to find some Draugr pussy. I can't imagine it being too pleasurable for either one involved. I mean, those girls can't even get wet! Or maybe they can? Maybe because they're so slimy and rotten… No, no, for the love of Mara, I'm not going there!

That also explained the ghosts and banshees. I never actually realized they were all female. He had been experimenting with them as well, and some of the ghosts he controlled with his strange, foul magic were actually those victims he had found from Dawnstar.

As for the bodies, we found all three. There was very little I could gather as evidence about their fate from the corpses, but these journals he has written should suffice… But I'm getting a little ahead of myself here.

Me and Sofia obviously had some fighting in front of us to save Serana. Honestly, we were afraid that she could be dead by the time we came for her, but I suppose that her saving grace was the fact that she's technically an undead herself, being a vampire and all that. Some people and even some gods would categorize us more strictly as undead, but I'm just not comfortable with that idea… It's not like we're lumbering zombies or anything. We have feelings, we're intelligent, we're… Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. The point is, our target was smart enough to understand the difference between vampires and other undead as well, but he had plans of trying different kinds of methods and tests on Serana, most of which he never got to because he was too busy pounding her immortal, un-aging preteen pussy like the lusty fucker he was, trying to beat her into submission…

And the man himself? Well, he had no chance of defeating us in fair battle even though he had some of those powerful ghosts under his control and scary spells in his arsenal. Lucky for us, he hasn't been too interested in the time-lost treasures of this ancient tomb, so we're keeping the riches to ourselves. Serana is a little bummed out about letting herself get caught off guard the way she did, but it's not like this is the first time she's experienced this. She'll get over this setback, just like she has gotten over it before.

We first delivered the journals to the Jarl of Dawnstar as evidence for our services, and the story ends well for all of us. A murderer has been removed from our turf, my reputation here improves, and we even got rewarded. Gabriela also had an old gemstone as a reward for me, a personal token of appreciation from her. She said I should give it to an old woman living in Whiterun called Olava the Feeble, so I would receive a further "reward" from her. I can't really put my finger on who this "Olava" is, but I guess I'll find out.

I also made arrangements with Silus to meet him by the shrine of Mehrunes Dagon tomorrow. I'm quite looking forward to what will come of that.

Morning Star, 2nd, 4E 203

By Sithis, this has to be the biggest treasure trove we've ever walked into, even rivaling that of a payment I got from killing Titus Mede the Second. All that gold, all those artifacts, and the gleaming gemstones… Not to mention the priceless Razor itself.

That's right, we traversed up the mountain with Silus to assemble the dagger, but Dagon didn't consider him even worthy of talking to even though he's a descendant of the very cult that tried to bring Dagon to Mundus in the first place during the Oblivion crisis. No, he only wished to talk to me.

He said that watching me collect the pieces has been amusing, but there's something that needs to be done before the weapon could be reforged by the God of change. You see, I had to kill Silus. I was initially very hesitant because not only has he helped me and paid me well, but I'm also pretty sure people saw me leave the town with him. I don't want murder charges down on my head, as I already have enough trouble with law enforcement to begin with… However, it didn't seem like I had a choice in the matter. Mehrunes Dagon isn't a god you bargain with or disobey. Whatever he would've had in store for my disobedience would've been infinitely worse than a jail sentence or even headsman's axe…

So, I walked up to Silus, who by now understood what was going on. He was begging for me to let him live, saying that there must be some way for us to resolve this peacefully. "Dagon demands your life", was the only thing I replied to him before going on to strike his heart. He tried to defend himself, but let's be honest, he's not a fighter. It was just about the easiest kill I've encountered in a long while.

Dagon, probably not too amused by how easy of a time I had, chose to also send some of his Dremora warriors to test me and the girls… We've never fought these monsters before, so it was a little bit of a dodgy fight, considering we didn't really know what to expect. Regardless, we came out on top, mostly thanks to outnumbering them three to two. Then, we braved inside his shrine underneath his massive statue…

I believe I already spoiled the surprise. Down there were riches enough to last a mortal lifetime, riches enough to buy a house in just about any hold, more riches than we can carry! It's a good thing that we have the only key to the shrine because no way I would want any of this falling to the hands of some lowlife bandits. I suppose we could take a slight detour before heading to Markarth to bring some of this home… Sissel will be delighted to see us all safe and sound as well.

Morning Star, 6th, 4E 203

We're not sure how long we're going to relax at home, but the days can surely be counted with one finger. Regardless, I wanted to pick up a pen just to spare some thoughts on the reading I just received.

Olava the Feeble is an old woman and a friend of Gabriela. Something tells me that she might have some history with the Brotherhood, but I didn't ask her. Even if I did, she might've not told me everything. That's fine, as I never told her directly about my affiliations with the Brotherhood either, or the fact that I'm actually the Listener… We can both keep secrets from each other.

What are her readings actually? The best way to describe them would be "seeing my future", but she tells them in a way that leaves a lot for interpretation, kind of like some prophecies do. They're not guaranteed to be specific, but I suppose her visions about my future still are more reliable than mere conjecture.

First, she talked about adventure and wealth, about how she sees a lot of that in my future. In specific, she spoke about a place called Deepwood Dedoubt, the last resting place of an assassin of old, a dark brother whose ancient earthly possessions are meant for me to be taken. That wasn't the only thing she saw in that place though. She told me about a priest I would meet there and how that would lead me down an encounter with an evil god. Not sure what she means by that… I hope it's not anything dangerous?

Her second prophecy was also her last, and fittingly, she talked about how my adventures as I know them would end. She talked about certain hardships in my future and a life in eternal servitude to a greater power. She saw me in chains like a slave, bowing down to someone, a figure that could perhaps be a lord, a king, or even a god, maybe in a metaphorical sense, maybe even in a literal sense. If taken literally, it's definitely a person of some sort, but if the being is merely a metaphor, it might even be something as innocent as me hanging my boots to dedicate my life to something, be it material or immaterial.

Either way, this reading is full of uncertainty, but she said that in one way or another, my life as an adventurer would surely end with me bowing my head to someone and pledging my allegiance to someone, either willingly or unwillingly. Maybe it'll happen next week, maybe it'll take a few years, or maybe it's still hundreds of years in the future. I am, after all, a vampire, and my life isn't exactly going to end in a mere century. Maybe I'll visit every single province in Tamriel, maybe I'll even follow in Uriel Septim the Fifth's footsteps and travel to Akavir!

It's kind of reassuring to know that I won't die horribly though… I hope… My life of servitude could be referring to an afterlife for all I know…

Anyway, that's all she told me. It's a lot to take in, but if it's my fate no matter what… Why worry about it now? I'm going to continue being an adventurer. I'm not going to stop just because some old woman told me about how I'm going to become a slave to a higher power in my far, far future. Every mortal dies, yet they still live their lives not worrying about death, so why should I?

I still feel like I have a lot to offer to this world, and I still have a lot of people to kill and even a harbinger of end-times to hunt down. Yeah, don't forget I've forgotten about Alduin. My search for him might've been put on hold since I really, really don't know how to move forward from here, but even if I can't figure out where he's hiding, he'll probably come to me eventually. That reminds me, Sky Haven Temple is along the road. I already asked Esbern for advice once, but that didn't lead to much. Maybe he has more suggestions for me?

Morning Star, 10th, 4E 203

Me, Sofia, and Serana decided to make one final round trip to the shrine of Mehrunes Dagon to recover some of the treasures left there but came across something interesting. Adventurers and mercenaries seeking fame and money are a common sight on the road, but it's not too often I come across a friendly face in an ancient tomb. Usually, it's just necromancers or foolhardy bandits who think too highly of themselves. Today we came across two.

Their names are Salma and Beem-Ja, and while they have some past, it seems like they're together here more because of necessity than because they want each other's company. The former is a Redguard noble with a family living in High Rock while the latter is an Argonian wizard. I don't have much to say about Beem-Ja, as he seems like a quiet and introverted guy, but Salma is an interesting person. She's young, a little more developed than me with early signs of puberty, and cute as a button. Then again, she's about as incompetent and spoiled as she is cute… That's to say she's practically a useless companion. Not to say that she isn't friendly though. She just feels like, let's just say… Not suited for this. She claims to have run away from home, her equipment reeks of class, and her sword and shield look like they have never seen combat before. Basically, she seems like the kind of girl who thinks that money can buy her talent.

It really goes to show how inexperienced she is because she almost got herself eaten alive - or perhaps raped - by spiders. Like, all it takes is one well-placed arrowhead or a stab to kill a spider. Their web isn't even that troublesome to get rid of. All it does is slow you down a little! How could anyone have trouble killing them?

…I shouldn't probably mock anyone for that considering that I once was raped by skeevers… Damn it, why did I have to remember that embarrassing moment from my past…

Beem-Ja also seems to have a reason for being here, as there's some low-key famous ancient guy buried here, but he didn't tell us much about his motives. As long as there's treasure, I don't care if the guys buried there are kings or peasants. Meanwhile, Salma's motivations seem purely monetary, or maybe materialistic is the right word? I'm sure she already has the money. Maybe she just enjoys adventures the same way I do, but she just isn't as suited for this stuff as I am. Either way, she's very excited about what kind of treasures we could find here. She even got excited about some old stupid leather helmet that was already damaged beyond use.

We're currently resting, trying to figure out how to move forward from here. We got into a bit of a nasty fight, but we're confident we won't be facing any problems further down the ruins.

Morning Star, 11th, 4E 203

We arrived in the treasure chamber and were faced with a horde of skeletons, a few Draugr, and their undead master. None of the enemies were really that powerful on their own, except for their commander. It didn't stop them from overwhelming poor Salma quickly. The undead beasts took her body to be raped and ravished, and we were left unable to save her as the seemingly immortal skeletons kept resurrecting themselves endlessly, coming back to life over and over again. We felt utterly overwhelmed but eventually managed to beat the man who this tomb belonged to.

That's when we realized that the undead weren't the only foes we had to worry about. Beem-Ja took our enemy's treasured battle axe and used his necromancy to resurrect his body to fight once more, essentially bringing the battle back to the starting point. We don't quite know what he was planning to do, but it became quickly apparent that he was an enemy too, and had led Salma here to be sacrificed. That axe he was wielding must've also been essential in his plans, as it's an ancient weapon that can trap souls in the same way that necromancers can through their Conjuration magic. Weapons like that aren't unique or even rare as even I have one, but this enhancement must be special in some way. Otherwise, he would use just another normal spell. Either way, he was now trying to make this tomb a grave for all of us. He probably thought that we would be as easy to get rid of that little Salma was. He said he would take all our souls and chop each of our pathetic little heads clean off.

He underestimated us greatly and was no match for three wandering vampires, and he certainly wasn't a match against my voice, a weapon I prefer to only reveal to those I truly trust and those who I don't even intend to let live. We were able to kill him and claim the axe as our own.

We saved Salma, who at this point was scared and confused, trying to stay strong and hold back her tears. It was her first time it seems, and what a way to lose one's virginity. The thing that she found most frustrating was the fact that she trusted Beem-Ja, and that she would've surely met death in this tomb if we weren't there to intervene.

She was also scared of us because she had now realized that we really were vampires. She kept going on about how she wanted to go back home, how she should've never left High Rock, about how we're now going to eat her alive. I just sighed and offered her my hand to help her back to my feet. I basically just called her an idiot and hugged her, all while reassuring her we weren't gonna eat her. That thankfully helped her calm down.

She was also curious about how I could wield voice, asking if I'm really "the Dragonborn" that legends and rumors talk about. I know people still talk about "the Dragonborn", but the common consensus is that "the Dragonborn" has vanished or is in hiding somewhere… Very few can actually make that connection between that hero of legends and me. Well, I didn't outright confirm my god-given gift of Dragonblood to her, but I told her to not speculate about it and never talk about it to anyone. "Otherwise, I will eat you", I told her with a smirk.

I also told her to go home. Like, I'm really glad that she's still alive, and her life shouldn't go to waste. She seems like a good girl, and more importantly, she has a peaceful future ahead of her. I told her that she should cherish it and not throw her easy life away.

That's that. I hope she follows my advice.

Morning Star, 14th, 4E 203

I've got some stories to share with you about two of my recent excavations to ancient Nordic ruins on my way to the Reach.

The first one is actually something I'm somewhat embarrassed about. As soon as we entered the hall, we were greeted by a few ghosts who, despite trying to kill us, verbally apologized for attempting to do so. After that… Not much else stood in our way! The treasure chest and the wall to which a word of power had been inscribed just waited for me there…

That's when the ground gave up beneath me, dropping me down into a puddle of water filled with not only bones but also one slightly fresher corpse. I was surrounded by bars in every direction with a locked door in front of me, and behind those bars was a little laboratory operated by a necromancer who was laughing at my misfortune.

"Wait", he said with a smile on his face as he eyed me down. "You don't seem like an ordinary bandit. You're just some little girl."

Well, how very rude of him to assume I'm just some little girl… Not that I ever really had a chance to express my displeasure at his comment. I couldn't defend myself against what was coming next, a poisonous, paralyzing sting on my right leg. As he unlocked the door, he talked about how he was going to save killing me and experimenting with me for later, as he wanted to experience me alive first.

Since he was obviously a strong and skilled mage and I was already in his trap, I had no weapons against him. I tried, but I failed to land a single blow on him before he had me completely under his thumb and tied my wrists tightly with steel. He talked about how he hasn't gotten laid in years and about how much he was looking forward to defiling me, and about how he was going to kill me after he got bored with raping me… I suppose he was expecting me to scream and cry, asking me constantly about how scared I must be, telling me to cry for mommy, speaking about how that would make him so hard… I had to disappoint him by staying strong, or as strong as I could. Although he came inside me from behind pretty damn quickly, he managed to make me climax even quicker.

It's a good thing I was with Sofia and Serana in this little tomb, but they sure took their sweet time to get to me! After about thirty minutes of being humiliated by this necromancer, they knocked him unconscious from behind. In the end, we determined that the most appropriate judgment for him was not to kill him off but rather make him taste despair. We dragged him to the little cell he himself had built as a trap and tied him up tightly. Then we left, and locking the door wasn't enough for us. Serana used her fire magic to melt and destroy the lock beyond use, after which we left.

We didn't stay to see if he woke up, although mocking him from behind the cell would've probably been funny. Maybe he'll survive, maybe he knows some spells that could help him get out of harm's way, but that's not something I really care about anymore. If nothing else, he's technically able to end his suffering by choosing to drown himself in the shallow water.

The second story is about coming across a group of vampire-hunters while traveling through the eastern Reach. We overheard them talking about some ancient legend, about some sword enchanted with an ancient fiery boon more potent than anything that the men and mer of modern days have been able to recreate. Its slashes and slices are said to be as hot as the burning flames. I thought I'd heard about it too, Red Eagle's Sword or something like that? No, turns out that this one was a different kind of fiery weapon. They saw it as a tool against the undead… I see it as a treasure worth a heap of gold.

We followed them to a tomb in the wilds, hidden from the view in a cave, hidden deep beneath the earth. That's when we struck them and butchered them like pigs. Looking back, we should've probably waited for them to encounter some Draugr so they could've done some of the dirty work for us. Sure, it would've carried the risks of them being able to detect us, but… Oh well, what's done is done.

The tomb itself proved out to be an unnecessarily daunting challenge. During our third, or perhaps the fourth encounter with the undead enemies, I found myself knocked unconscious from a shockwave conjured by a mighty shout, after which I woke up trapped naked in an inescapable room with only Sofia as my company. Yep, that's two ruins in a row where I got into trouble. She had met her defeat too but stayed conscious through it all. She said that Serana probably made it, and turned out she did as she saved us later. We were spared from anything terrible happening to us, but once again, it's another stark reminder of how easy it is for us to lose if we're not careful enough and how fast it can happen.

After we recovered our gear, things progressed a little better. We were ambushed when we picked our treasure from its pedestal and had a chance to test it against the Draugr. Yeah, it burns pretty well. I wouldn't want to be struck by it… Its effect seems to be a lot longer than a typical fire enchantment, which is pretty nifty! I actually hit one Draugr at the beginning of the fight with it, and its enhancement didn't let down until the second that zombie laid dead and motionless.

I think it's made from dragonbone, which means it's very ancient. Although it may not be a well-known legendary weapon or anything like that, a collector might pay a good price for it, but I don't know… I kind of want to keep it. I used to wield a sword when I was a beginner but have settled to only use daggers along the road as they're much easier and faster to handle. Besides, the daggers I own are fucking awesome. The Blade of Woe, Mehrunes' Razor… Oh, right, I found out a lot about that bony dagger I picked up in that icy cave near Winterhold. It's made from a fang of a Wamasu, a now-extinct giant lizard creature that once roamed the swamps of Black Marsh, or so I learned. I'm not sure if that's actually true…

I guess I can see some uses for this one too, but my skills with a long blade are too rusty for me to confidently use it in actual combat yet.

• 23rd Journal - Tests of Faith