Skyrim Alchemist

It has been many turns of the season since I sat at the bar.  I removed my gloves and put them on the counter.  The innkeeper Corpulus Vinius of the Winking Skeever wiped down the counter with a rag.  Upon removing my masked helmet, he smiled.

“Thane Azeriah returned home. What can I get you this evening?  Is it still Aldo wine?” he said.

I merely nodded as I moved my gauntlet and helm to my pack.

“Very well then.  First glass is on the house for the Lady Thane.”  He pulled the cork on a new bottle, poured a glass and placed it in front of me.

“Where is the boy you used to travel with?  Onmund was it?” he asked while polishing a mug.

“My husband now,” I responded, surprised and impressed with his memory.

“No kidding?  You should have been married here.  We would have thrown you the grandest wedding party Solitude has ever seen!”

“I’m sure you would have, but grand weddings aren’t my thing.”

“And I didn’t want to attract too much attention,” I thought.  “Not yet, anyway.”

After earning my laughable ‘degree’ at the Bard’s College (what was all the fuss about Pantea’s Flute?), I made my way to the Winterhold College.  After the dismal disappointment of the Bard’s College, I was suitably pleased with the facilities and the learning I received.

It was there where I met Onmund.  He was my friend and traveling companion as I learned of my true power as Dragonborn.

We married at the Temple of Mara in Riften.

I defeated an ancient enemy and became archmage of the College of Winterhold.

I rose to political power to become Thane of Solitude, obtaining the largest estate in the capital city.

I traveled to the far corners of Skyrim taking in its breathtaking beauty.

I was no longer the timid girl who came to Skyrim with childish dreams of being a student at the College of Winterhold.  I was no longer the runaway Thalmor girl.

I forged my own destiny the way I wanted it to be.  I was Archmage of the College of Winterhold.  I was Thane of Whiterun, Markarth, Windhelm and Solitude.

I alone held the power of dragons in my breath.  Dragons kneeled before me as they died.  I devoured their souls.

I returned to Solitude for one thing left I had to do.

Destroy the Thalmor Embassy.  Skyrim belonged to me.

We awoke in the Imperial camp to heavy snowfall. Warming ourselves as much as we could by the camp fires while heating breakfast and tea, Lydia and I agreed to head for Dawnstar.  It was not far enough to warrant delaying because of the weather.

I pulled my robes as close to my body as I could to retain warmth, but it didn’t seem enough.  With my hands and feet going numb, I wondered if we made a mistake.

Around midday, the snow stopped and the sun came out, though it provided little warmth.

Lydia squinted at one of the breaking clouds.  She put a hand on my arm to halt our walking.  “Wait.  Did you see that?”

I put a hand over my eyes to shield it from the sun and looked where she pointed.  I could only see a gray mass of swirling clouds.

I could hear it before I saw it.  A roar.  A dragon’s roar.

Lydia jumped back and withdrew her bow.  I prepared firebolts in my hands.  Rubbing the small token of Akatosh under my neck, I whispered a silent prayer.

It came from the clouds and dove straight for us.  A Frost Dragon, just our luck.  We were already freezing cold, and it was spraying us with frozen shards.  This was insult to injury.

Lydia fired arrows and I hurled firebolts at it.

“Lydia…lead it towards Dawnstar!  It’s just down the hill!  The guards will help us!”

She didn’t acknowledge my order, but I saw her maneuver that way.

The guards ran to our aid, and a short while later I stood victorious over its arrow ridden and smoldering body.  I closed my eyes as I felt the surge of its soul meld with mine.  The warmth of its lifeforce flooded me.

The residents of Dawnstar rushed to view the dragon…and me.

“You…are dragonborn?”  Some said this with a twinge of awe and reverence.  Others said it with a twinge of disdain.  I am Altmer of the Dominion, not a Nordic hero of their stories.  Surely Akatosh did not mean for me to be the dragonborn of legend when one of them was certainly more worthy.  No one dared say this, but I could feel it in the way they looked at me.

I wondered this myself.  Why me?  The Thalmor caused a civil war in Skyrim with the outlaw of Talos worship.  Talos, the man-god of the Nords.  I am the daughter of Thalmor politicians who held a hand in causing this situation, and yet I wield the power of their greatest Northern legends.  Did Akatosh mean to be ironic?  My mind pushed away thoughts of redemption.  My brother was certainly more worthy than I for such a burden.

Sensing my discomfort at the staring residents, Lydia scattered the crowds and led me towards the inn so we could get a hot meal and warm up.  I seated myself in the darkest corner, and gave Lydia our treasures to sell to the smith next door.  I ordered a bottle of Aldo wine and bread; I did not have money for a finer vintage.  I pulled a map from my knapsack and plotted our next course.  We still had Pantea’s flute to retrieve for the Bard’s college.

I nibbled at my bread and pondered why it seemed so difficult to stay on task.

I smiled to myself.

The answer was simple: I enjoyed the adventure.

I’m back, and it’s been a while since I written my story! I am still playing Skyrim, but I got caught up playing a Dark Elf warrior. I fixed an issue on the blogs where images weren’t showing up in the stories.

I am going to be playing in Elder Scrolls Online, and I’ve decided to continue this story by switching the point of view between characters in Skyrim and ESO. ESO is taking place in the 2nd Era, so this will let me fill in the back story for Azeriah’s mentor, Anariel. When I started writing the story, I didn’t know what role Anariel would have in it, but now things are coming together! I’ve already started fitting some story pieces together when ESO starts. I’ll be using this blog as a photo journal of my adventures in ESO, tying in with Azeriah’s story arc in the 4th Era when Skyrim takes place.

Finally, I’ll be extending my alchemy tool for use in ESO.