Diary Entry #12: Approaching Destiny

2nd of Sun’s Dawn, 4E 202

Our conversation proved meaningless, unsurprisingly. Neither of us was willing to capitulate to the other. She is consumed by her quest for vengeance, and I refused to deter from my duty.

Kethrina left a satchel behind, saying it was a gift. I had no idea what was in it, and I just carried it with me to Riften. I had intended to return to Urag and ask for his advice on where to find an Elder Scroll, but I didn’t feel very optimistic about that.

I waited to open the satchel until I was in my room at the Bee and Barb and certain I wasn’t being watched. I withdrew a leather-wrapped bundle, untied the bounds … and was left in complete shock.

I don’t know how, I’m not sure why, but Kethrina had given me an Elder Scroll!

There’s so much I don’t understand. Kethrina’s helping me for some reason. I wish I had time to ponder this, but I can’t. I have the Elder Scroll I need. I’ll recover my strength in Ivarstead, then climb to the Throat of the World.

Letter #15: Report on the Meeting

1st of Sun’s Dawn, 4E 202

To General Tullius:

Kaushad arrived at the Redwater Den in the pre-dawn hours. There was a moment when I thought her contact would meet her outside, especially when a dragon attacked, but Kaushad defeated it alone.

She then went inside, and I followed moments later. Kaushad purchased a bottle of Skooma and turned towards the booths, but instead of sitting on a bench with one of the addicts, she continued past an open door and sat at a small table.

I found a bench with the best view possible and pretended to drink skooma for several minutes, during which Kaushad sat alone quietly.

Eventually another person approached her from behind. The person appeared to be female and shorter than Kaushad, but she wore a robe with a hood, obscuring everything else.

They spoke softly in Dunmeris, a language I only barely speak. Because of that and the surrounding noise, I could only understand some of their conversation.

Kaushad wanted the woman to join her in fighting the dragons, but the woman refused. Her tone suggested regret.

The woman tried to convince Kaushad to leave Skyrim and stay out of her way, Kaushad replied she couldn’t do that as long as Alduin and the dragons threatened Skyrim. The woman was displeased, but seemed to grudgingly acknowledge the point.

They went back and forth like this for some time. They seemed to be trying to negotiate a way to avoid killing each other in the future, but neither seemed willing to budge on her position.

Eventually the two realized they were at a standstill. The woman rose, drank an invisibility potion, and left in the direction she came, but she left behind a satchel. I was unable to follow her.

Kaushad remained for a time, sipping wine thoughtfully and staring pensively at the satchel. Then she rose, took the satchel, and left the den.

Kaushad is currently staying at Vilemyr Inn in Ivarstead and has been staying there for the past day.

I will continue to update you regarding the situation as I learn more.

Sincerely,

A.

Letter #14: From Tervesa to Ambarys

29th of Morning Star, 4E 202

Dear Ambarys,

I need a favor.

I know you have several covert agents stationed near you. I need to borrow one of them as quickly as possible, immediately if you can manage it.

I’ve been asked to talk with someone important on very short notice, but I want someone to observe the meeting and record it if possible.

Send whoever you can spare to the Bee and Barb in Riften as soon as possible.

I can’t explain everything now, but I promise I will when I can.

Thanks old friend. I owe you for this.

Sincerely Yours,

Tervesa

Letter #13: To Tervesa Kaushad, Dragonborn

28th of Morning Star, 4E 202

To Tervesa Kaushad, Dragonborn:

I have no doubt you’ve learned much about me, and I have learned just as much about you.

I’d like to meet you, I want to talk. You and I are on a course that will inevitably lead us to fight each other, perhaps kill each other.

I want us to avoid that if we can. We may be on different sides, but a fight between us would only benefit Alduin and his dragon legions. Would you be willing to talk with me?

If so, meet me at the Redwater Den, west of Autumnshade Clearing. I will have a lantern burning by the entrance.

I realize you’re not likely to trust me, but I will agree to a temporary truce for the duration of our meeting and for one hour afterward. This I promise, from one Dragonborn to another.

Tel’kiira Kethrina

Diary Entry #11: Mystery Solved

27th of Morning Star, 4E 202

I had no idea what Ambarys was trying to accomplish by sending me these fragments, but it wasn’t as if I had anything else to do.

Working on this puzzle gives me a headache too, and I have no idea why, but when Ambarys told me this was a document I got an idea to take it to Urag gro-Shub at the College. I’m surprised Kethrina never thought of that.

Urag seemed disinterested at first, but something in the pieces caught his curiosity. We worked together to assemble them, and after several hours we made a remarkable discovery.

It’s an Elder Scroll!

Urag was ecstatic and demanded to know how I obtained these pieces. I told him the truth, how they were recovered from a Memory Crystal belonging to Kethrina, then produced the journal entry where she described finding them. I decided the more information I gave him, the more he would help me.

Urag listened rapturously every moment, constantly taking notes. He theorized that this may have been originally taken by the Dwemer in an attempt to read an Elder Scroll without experiencing the effects on the sight or the mind. I have a feeling he’s going to write a treatise on this one day.

It’s extremely corrupted though, so I doubt Paarthurnax would be able to use it. As fun as this puzzle was, it really isn’t useful to me.

I’m afraid I will have to contact Delvin in the guild, but I really don’t want to go that route. Maybe Legate Rikke will have some advice, or perhaps she can convince General Tullius of my need for this.

Letter #12: From Ambarys to Tervesa

26th of Morning Star, 4E 202

Dear Tervesa,

I’m not sure how you can get out of this quandary. Trust the government to make things harder and more complicated than they have to be. I’ve contacted some people I know in the Legion, but so far I’m getting the same roadblocks as you. I’ll let you know the moment anything changes.

I’d get in trouble for saying this, but you might consider hiring the Thieves Guild to steal it.

There’s something else you might want to look at. Do you remember those image fragments Kethrina had? I’ve been working with them in my spare time. It hasn’t been easy. My head hurts whenever I work on these things for any length of time, but I think I’ve discovered something.

This isn’t just an image, someone tried to copy a document. I’m sending you all of the fragments and the progress I’ve made in this puzzle. I don’t know why, but I think it might help you with something. Good luck.

Ambarys

Diary Entry #10: My Aching Head

24th of Morning Star, 4E 202

A major regret I have about becoming a werewolf is that I never have truly restful sleep. It makes it considerably more difficult to deal with stress.

Delphine asked me to find her colleague Esbern, who had been hiding in the Ratway Warrens. I had to fight through perhaps a dozen Thalmor to find him. It was a colossal headache to convince him that I wasn’t a Thalmor agent about to kill him. Stars and stones, and I thought Pelagius was paranoid.

Once I broke through his paranoia and fatalism though, he turned out to be a fascinating man. I enjoyed conversing with him about Akaviri history on the way to Riverwood. I just wish he had been willing to wear some armor during our journey.

Once Esbern and Delphine were reunited, we traveled together to find Sky Haven Temple, and ancient Blades base inside Karthspire cavern. 

Somehow, I doubt the appearance of a dragon outside of Karthspire was a coincidence. As if the Forsworn weren’t enough.

Inside were more Forsworn and booby-trap puzzles, ending in a blood seal only the blood of a Dragonborn could unlock.

As Esbern predicted, inside the temple was Alduin’s Wall, a large stone relief depicting the history and prophecy of Alduin and the Dragonborn. To Delphine’s chagrin, we learned the Tongues used an unknown Shout to defeat the World-Eater.

I didn’t see a problem with asking Arngeir about this Shout, but Delphine certainly did. She believes the Greybeards refrain from using their power because they’re afraid of that power. She also claimed they were afraid of me.

I wish I knew what led her to feel so bitter towards the Greybeards, but I’m willing to speculate that it was similar to what led Arngeir to feel bitter towards the Blades. Just when I thought I found someone without a bias or an agenda.

By the time I convinced Arngeir that I needed this Shout to stop Alduin, I was ready to thrust my head into a snowdrift to ease the throbbing pain. He taught me the Clear Skies Shout, and with it I ascended the mountain and met the leader of the Greybeards, Paarthurnax. In retrospect, I should’ve know he was a dragon. Delphine isn’t going to like this.

Paarthurnax told me that he didn’t know the Shout, called Dragonrend, but there was a way I could learn it. It’ll require me to find an Elder Scroll, which he’ll use to cast me back to when Alduin was first defeated, allowing me to speak with the three Tongues who first used Dragonrend.

And that has led me to my current bureaucratic absurdity. Kethrina found an Elder Scroll five months ago, which she left at the Blue Palace. I know for a fact that the Legion has possession of that scroll. I personally asked General Tullius to borrow it, and I fully explained why I need it, but he refused to allow me to have it.

Shor’s bones, what I am supposed to do now?