Did I say yesterday was a long day? TODAY has been a long day. Too bad I can’t remember most of it.

  We’re in some Dwemer ruins in a place called Markarth. No, I don’t really know how I got to Markarth, but I’ll try to explain as best I can.

  We woke up at the inn and set off for Whiterun. I decided to go East and take the other way around the mountains, just to see what we could find on the way.

  Nothing strange happened, although we did come upon some bandits attacking a cart with two magic users in it. Unfortunately, they’d already killed one of them, and the other fell just as we arrived. At least we got some decent loot from everyone.

  As we went on, it got colder and colder. I was literally starting to freeze to death when we came upon the town of Dawnstar. We made our way to it, and met a lady carrying firewood. She said that she worked at the inn, and that we’d better get inside, quick.

  Luckily, the inn is the first building we came to, so we ducked right in.

  And straight into a pair of panicked villagers, complaining to a Dunmer priest about being haunted by recurring nightmares. He calmed them down, and reminded them to trust in Mara.

  I was curious, and asked him about what was going on.

  I can hear Dru now, whining about how I always have to stick my nose in other people’s business. I can’t help it! I like knowing what’s going on. It saved our butts more than once.

  I learned his name is Erandur, and he confided that these are no normal nightmares, but an affliction from one of the Daedra. Specifically, Vaermina, who steals memories and puts nightmares in their place. He knows where the source of the trouble is; a place nearby called Nightcaller Temple, which has a shrine to Vaermina.

  He said that he had to “go back” to fix things.

  Going back implies that he’s been there before, and when I pointed it out, he got cagey and asked for my help. He promised to tell me everything if I could help him save the townsfolk. Apparently, the nightmares are capable of causing real harm, and he wants to help them before the damage becomes permanent.

  I looked back to Lydia and Valdimar. She just sighed at me, and nodded. Valdimar looked a bit confused, and she explained, “She does this a lot.”

  I agreed to help, and he was overjoyed. He asked me to meet him at Nightcaller Temple so we could get started. I said that my companions and I needed to finish warming up and get some food and drink in us before we did anything, and he was understanding.

  So, I went up to the bar for some drinks, and a man named Sam dressed in magic robes challenged me to a drinking contest.

  Now, I don’t mean to brag, but as someone who’s spent most of her life hanging out in taverns, I’ve won far more drinking contests than I’ve lost. Of course I was going to accept his challenge.

  Admittedly, I would have done it just for bragging rights, but he bet a magic staff on the outcome, so what did I have to lose?

  The first one went down like water. The second one started to hit me a bit, and that’s when he tapped out. He said that if I could do a third, the staff was mine.

  I blame my empty stomach.

  The next thing I remember is waking up in a temple of Dibella with a priestess yelling at me! Apparently I barged in, groped the statues (!?!?) and wrecked the place. My head was killing me, so I asked if I could just pay for the damages, and have her tell me what in Oblivion happened.

  Lydia and Valdimar were no help. They just stood there and tried very, very hard to look like they didn’t know me.

  Even the dog wouldn’t look at me.

  The priestess said that I was too drunk to make a lot of sense, but I did say something about Rorikstead. Maybe try going there?

  I thanked her, gave her the gold, and we left.

  Now, I’ve only ever seen a few Dwemer artifacts before now. A few cups and bowls here and there at swanky parties we’d managed to get into back in the Capitol, but this place…

  It’s beautiful!

  A whole city carved from the mountain, with towering waterfalls and carvings everywhere! There’s little canals passing through, and hundreds of bridges and stairs connecting everything. It’s a bit of a maze, but that just adds to it, for me.

  Markarth is simply one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. I wonder if I can get a house here, too?

  Anyway, we managed to find our way to the city gates, and just as I went through, Lydia reminded me that I had a letter from a researcher here.

  I had completely forgotten!

  I also hadn’t bothered to look for a trader, which would have been useful. We were woefully short on gold.

  So, we went back in, and luckily the trader was right there. The lady running the shop was a little surly, but she gave decent prices, so that’s good.

  We left, and as we walked out, a man attacked a lady, shouting about the Forsworn? He was quickly taken out by the city guards (there were several standing right there, so I have no idea what the man was thinking) but they were reluctant to tell me anything about what he meant.

  I did learn from a shopkeep who witnessed the attack that the Forsworn are barbarians who want to take Skyrim from the Nords. Seems a bit of an impossible task to me, but it sounds like they’re just as mad as everyone says they are.

  So, we found our way to the keep, and walked into an argument between a priest of Arkay and some sort of guard captain type. Apparently they’ve been having trouble in the crypts, and the armored man was angry that he couldn’t go in to see his ancestors whenever he pleased. He was also furious about the possibility of desecration.

  The priest managed to calm him down a bit, and walked away. I was going to speak with him, but he seemed angry and was obviously not the man I was looking for. I found Calcelmo near the entrance to some Dwemer ruins, talking with his nephew. I let them finish – his nephew wants to leave for other projects, but his uncle insists he needs him here on the excavation – before walking up to offer the arrow to him.

  I tell you what, that man needs to take a day off! Go out for a night on the town, get a massage, visit some ladies… Something! Soon as I opened my mouth he went off on me, yelling about how people were always interrupting him and trying to steal his work.

  Once he’d vented enough, he apologized for his outburst and paid me for the arrow. He said that the excavation was slowed because a giant spider in there was terrorizing his workers. They were refusing to dig until it had been taken care of, but he didn’t have anyone to help.

  I was going to ask about the city guard, but with those Forsworn people and their sympathizers attacking people in the street, well…. The guards had better things to do. Lydia tried to argue that we might also have better things to do, but when I asked what’s better than helping - And maybe earning a pile of gold while we’re at it – she didn’t have an answer.

  Valdimar was eager to go in, though. Turns out, he thinks the Dwemer and the mystery of their disappearance is fascinating. Getting to explore a real Dwemer ruin to help the leading expert on the Dwemer is a dream come true!

  So, in we went! The ruins are impressive, with strange lights that burn without flame. I can hear wheels turning, like in a mill, but everything sounds like metal and stone. I even hear hissing, like the sound of steam around a pot lid.

  As we hunted for the giant spider, we picked up every bit of Dwemer treasure we could carry. Pots, urns, bowls, bit of metal… A treasure trove of goods to trade! I’ll be keeping some, too. I like them, and I think they’ll look nice in the house I’m building.

  After a few twists and turns, we hit an earthen area that’s clearly in the process of being dug through. There’s tables and mugs and other bits of regular furniture here and there that the workers left behind. We found a few regular-sized frostbite spiders, which were easy enough to deal with, and then we found a large, open room, with a large door on the other side.

  Everything was covered in webs.

  That’s also where we found the giant spider, the one that Calcelmo said his workers called Nimhe. It wasn’t that hard to take care of, thankfully. It saw me first so I got a bit banged up, but none of us got poisoned, and the dog is still safe.

  Once it was dead, I investigated the room, and we found the body of a guard in front of the door with a note next to him. He talked about the rest of the expedition members; how useless the spell-casters were in a fight, and that he was afraid that some of the other party members were up to no good.

  It was getting late, so we decided to save on inn fees (not like we knew where one was, anyway) and camp here for the night.

  Something about the dead man doesn’t sit right with me. He’s just laying there, bloodied. Spiders don’t do that – They poison their prey and wrap them up.

  Was he killed by those people he was worried about? Or was it something else?

  I pointed this out to Lydia and Valdimar, and they exchanged grave looks before agreeing with me. Even though we’ve killed everything, and that massive metal door would surely make a lot of noise if it opened, we’re keeping watch tonight.

  I took first watch so I can sip at some wine while I write.

  It’s sort of funny. Lydia’s letting the dog sleep next to her. She normally calls him stupid, but in a strange place like this, full of unfamiliar sounds and who-knows-what lurking around the ruins, having him here is a comfort to us all.

  Earlier, Valdimar said that the dogs here in Skyrim usually latch on to their masters, or their master’s children. They’ll typically wander off if they don’t have anyone to follow, which is probably why he left the campfire last time.

  He’s a good dog, and while he’s useful, it pains me to see him getting hurt in all the fighting.

  But Valdimar mentioned children, too. Hmm… I know I don’t want to have any babies of my own. I never did like having to help take care of them. There’s got to be an orphanage somewhere here in Skyrim. Or a street urchin wandering around who needs a place to live.

  Oh, this -is- funny! Here I am, thinking about adopting a kid so my overprotective dog will have someone to look after! This is why I shouldn’t have a baby of my own.

  Yeah, the bottle is almost finished. I’m going to drink water for the rest of the night.

  ------

  A thought. If I adopt a kid, I can’t just leave them at the house all alone with the dog while I run around Skyrim earning money fighting bandits and such. They’ll need a parent around. I’ll have to get married, first.

  Hmm. I wonder how that works out here? Most marriages in the Capitol between people of rank are just for politics. I’m a Thane in two holds. Does that mean I’ll have to marry someone from one of the holds? Or can I pick anyone? How does getting married here in Skyrim work? I mean, usually there’s contracts and things to go over, and then there’s a ceremony at the Temple of Mara where you sign everything and get a blessing.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  I have no identity here, really, aside from being a Thane and the Dragonborn. It’s not like I can contribute much to the paperwork.

  By the Eight, I don’t even have a SEAL! I mean, I can probably have one made, but I’ve not seen anywhere that looks like they do that sort of thing. Maybe the jewelers?

  But I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s almost time for me to wake up Valdimar. I can always ask Lydia more about it when we get out of here.

  I’m sitting in a fine Dwemer metal chair, at a stone table, getting ready to sleep on a stone bed.

  We’re clearly in the some sort of living area in the ruins, and I’ve seen some truly wondrous things, but also some horrifying things.

  This morning, we broke camp and went through that huge door, into the ruins of Nchuand-Zel. I’m still not sure how to pronounce that correctly, but Valdimar can.

  It led to a vast cavern with water at the bottom, full of beautifully carved towers with smooth walkways and ramps spiraling around them to the different levels like vines. There’s hardly any stairs, just ramps, which is strange. The golden metal accents of stern Dwemer faces and grill-work are everywhere.

  It’s really beautiful, but we did meet a few creatures just as ugly.

  They’re called the Falmer, and they look like elves, sort of, but they have no hair, sickly white skin and no eyes! As in, I don’t think they’re born with any. They also walk all hunched over, like they’re creeping everywhere.

  They must have been the ones who attacked that caravan we saw on the way out of Dragon Bridge, because the arrows we took from their bodies match the ones I found back there.

  I haven’t seen any armor from them, aside from shields, but their weapons look… Almost living. Sort of bug-like, too. They’re very strange, and creepy. I don’t like carrying them if I can help it. It gives me the willies.

  I’m certain the Falmer killed that guard outside the door to this place, and they killed other members of the expedition. Once we cleared the chamber out (found a chest, too!) we found some of their bodies, along with a journal.

  We were getting weighed down with loot and short on food, so I decided that we should go back to Calcelmo and see what he suggested we do.

  He said that the journal came from Stromm’s expedition, and that, if we can, we should try to find him and see what he’s learned. He’s fairly certain that Stromm is dead, and given what I’ve seen so far, I agree with him.

  Our reward for killing the giant spider was not gold, but the key to his Dwemer museum! We can go and admire the artifacts at our leisure. Lydia didn’t look too thrilled, but Valdimar’s excited to see it once we’d finished, and I admit, I’d like to go see it, too.

  Lydia did grumble a bit about not getting any gold, but I pointed out that we’re all carrying as much loot as we can. We’ll sell what we can, and then go back and get more! Who knows how big the ruins are?

  We found a smith, an Orc lady named Ghorza, and traded the Falmer items and bits of Dwemer scrap metal we’d found in the place. She has a rather useless apprentice named Tacitus, and asked me to find a copy of the “Scabbard of Akatosh” for her if I could. Apparently he trusts books more than her years of experience.

  Typical.

  We hit the trader’s to sell the rest, the inn and the meat seller’s booth for supplies, then we headed back in. One of the doors leading out of the main cavern went to this area, which looks like a living space. There’s rooms with beds, tables, urns, dishware, cabinets – Everything you’d expect to find in a space like this. It’s also crawling with Falmer.

  Some of them can use magic! That was a nasty surprise. I was not prepared for that! And they seem to either command or work together with frostbite spiders? The spiders don’t attack them, so maybe they keep them like pets? I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to clearing this area of them.

  I’m glad I decided to stop back in the dig site and cook the food we’d brought. The fire pits the diggers used are still there. Here, the light doesn’t come from flame, but from fixtures with a strange, glowing… I don’t know, is it a crystal in there?

  Valdimar and Lydia both have been examining the ones that are lowest (the ceilings are high) and none of us can figure out how they work. There’s no heat, and the light is very cool, a sort of greenish yellow.

  I think that’s my least favorite part. The sickly look to the light. Maybe hundreds or thousands of years ago, when this place was full of life, it looked different. I’d like to think it was.

  But I’m getting tired, and I should sleep. We found a room that has four beds in it, and we’re going to sleep there tonight.

  We’re back in the same room tonight, but it feels like it’s been a week.

  Calcelmo was right. Stromm is dead. We found him in the other half of the living quarters, near – of all things – a tree!

  We all took a moment to admire it. How it managed to survive down here for who knows how long is beyond me. I’m not the best at sensing magic, but I couldn’t see any obvious magic or enchantments at work on it. According to his journal, Stromm was just as puzzled as we are about the tree.

  He mentioned trouble with the Falmer, too, and about two other mages that we hadn’t found at the time.

  As we explored, we did find them. The first was a man named Erj in a place that was full of weapons and armor! I read his journal, and let’s just say he didn’t come here to study. His main interest was looting the place. (Can’t blame him, this is a gold mine!) We found his body slumped by a locked chest, at the foot of a gigantic figure that looked like a suit of Dwemer armor ready to spring to life!

  At the time, it was just impressive and unsettling, but now… I’m sure it can move.

  There were four small alcoves in that room, some with locked gates, and all of them were full of metal and other goodies. Valdimar was thrilled to get some Dwemer armor, and Lydia is very happy with her new Dwemer warhammer.

  I saved the chest that Erj had tried (and failed) to open for last. It wasn’t too hard, and had some nice things in it, but as soon as I opened it two golden spheres came out of nowhere and unfolded (?) - best way to put it - into sword-armed machines and attacked us!

  Those mechanical things are HORRIBLE! Divines save us, they’re immune to almost everything! Ice and frost can’t touch them, so of course the only magic staves we have are Ice Spike ones. I obviously can’t poison them, so most of my potions are useless, and Valdimar said that he’d once read they were partially resistant to all magic!

  About the only thing that does anything to them, aside from hitting them as hard as you can, are Shock type spells.

  I hate fighting them. Watching them from a distance is… Fascinating, I won’t lie, but I’d rather fight a horse-sized skeever with my hands tied.

  We did eventually destroy them, and I was able to harvest some soul gems to recharge my weapons. Valdimar and Lydia both spent time to examine them while I did so. They confirmed that regular physical damage is the best way to hurt them.

  If we’re doing more of this, I’ll need a better Shock spell.

  We carried out what we could, and left most things in a chest so we can come back for them later.

  The last area we explored was more full of moving parts and things of an obviously mechanical nature. It also had some nasty traps, including one with spikes that skewered a Falmer that was attacking us. There were even a few more mechanical beasties, including two that looked like spiders but jump at you like fleas!

  We also found the body of the last researcher, Staubin. I took a moment to go over his journal, and he was convinced that if he could turn on the old defenses, then the Falmer would no longer be a threat. Unfortunately, he was killed before he could reach the control room.

  We decided to talk things out. The Falmer, while numerous, weren’t that difficult to deal with. The machines, on the other hand, are much harder to take care of and some of them literally pop out of hatches in the walls to attack you.

  But Valdimar and Lydia both noted that we need to make it safe for future expeditions.

  The Falmer are unpredictable, but the machines can theoretically be controlled. If we can get them to take care of the Falmer, maybe Calcelmo or some other expert can come in here and make them listen.

  We decided to press on, and find the control room.

  It wasn’t too far from the body, but there were enemies everywhere and we’re officially out of healing potions. Lucky for me, there was a giant lever to pull, and after I did so I swear I heard the faint sounds of hissing steam and whirring gears get louder. The whole place seemed to come alive, but without moving an inch.

  Oh, I almost forgot! I’m on ANOTHeR sacred quest, apparently.

  There was a chest there, and inside was some nice loot, including some gold and gems. There was also this weird stone sphere that wasn’t smooth, but covered in flat faces, like a huge, round crystal. I picked it up, and a voice echoed inside my head.

  Valdimar and Lydia said that I froze in place, gripping the crystal with both hands, and that my eyes went cloudy. Apparently I was whispering what the voice was saying to me, and they said that the voice that came out wasn’t my own.

  It was Meridia – Yes, THE Meridia - and the crystal currently weighing down my pack is her Beacon. She wants me to take it to her temple on Mount Kilkreath near Solitude and… Cleanse the place of darkness? I’m not sure, there’s probably some rival priests or something like that skulking around that she wants gone.

  Why she can’t get her people to take care of it is beyond me, but temples usually equal loot, so I’m game. Valdimar and Lydia both shrugged. They have no particular love or hate for her, so that’s good.

  Just… Not now. My dance card’s pretty full. She’ll have to wait.

  We found some more stuff to sell, took what we could, and left the control room.

  Back in the main chamber of Nchuand-Zel, we watched a battle unfold between a dozen Falmer and a handful of machines. There were mostly those sphere fighters, and as I watched them move around, I realized why there were mostly ramps in the ruin. They were able to roll easily up and down them.

  Can they not handle stairs? Hm...

  But the most terrifying thing was the giant, human-like machine, identical to the one in the armory, that destroyed a pair of Falmer like they were ants.

  It was just down the ramp from us, and blasted a bunch of steam at us as it advanced. It felt like it was harder to kill than a dragon! Maybe that’s just because I don’t have many ways to damage it, but trying to not get steamed like Old Tarquin’s mudcrab special was also little distracting! We did wreck it eventually, though. There were some interesting parts inside of it, along with a nice soul gem that I can use later.

  I need to remember to use Soul Trap so I can charge the empty ones I’ve been finding.

  We were able to handle the distant spheres easily, though. They weren’t able to get to us from where they were, and they don’t seem to have any long-range attacks, so we were able to fill them with arrows at our leisure.

  Once we’d taken care of them, we came back here to sleep. It’s late, and we’re exhausted. Tomorrow, we leave this place, sell what we’ve got, collect any rewards, resupply, and then come back for more loot!

  And here I had my hopes up for a normal bed. It’s made of stone, just like the ones in the ruin.

  Tonight we’re staying in the Silver-Blood Inn. We’re all exhausted, but Kleppr and Frabbi’s bickering might keep us awake all night!

  Today was a fairly uneventful one. We got the pay that Calcelmo was planning on giving the dead expedition, so that was good. I also took advantage of his enchanting table to learn some more enchantments, and we sold off what we could to him.

  After a quick run to the market to sell off the rest of our goods and grab some food from the surly guy at the meat stall, we ran back to the ruins to see what else we could find.

  It wasn’t long until we were so weighed down we could hardly move! Mostly we’d grabbed scrap metal, but I had an idea. I’d spotted a smelter down by what I learned was a mine in the lower part of the city earlier in the day. I wanted to see if we could smelt the Dwemer scraps and such we’d gathered into ingots, which we could sell for more to Ghorza.

  It worked!

  But after we’d finished smelting, I literally bumped into a man with some impressive facepaint. We started to chat, and he mentioned the attack we’d witnessed in the market a few days ago. I told him that we hadn’t seen much, but we did hear the attacker ranting about the Forsworn.

  He nodded and made to leave, but before he walked away, he said that I had dropped a note on the ground, and handed me a slip of paper.

  Now, I knew full well that I hadn’t, and I said that it must be his, but he insisted that I’d dropped it, and then hurried off.

  The note said to meet him at the shrine of Talos.

  Mara’s tits, I am SICK and TIRED of being told what to do. I don’t give a skeever’s ass if it’s a Daedric Prince, some weird cult of mountaintop mystics, or a jarl. The Emperor himself could give me an order right now, and I’d tell him to stuff it. Who does this man think he is?

  I might meet him, I might not. Depends on if we come back.

  Today was busy, but it felt like we didn’t do much. We made a fair pile of Septims, but frankly, I’m getting bored. Markarth is beautiful, but a lot of the people here are… Grumpy. It’s not the most friendly place in Skyrim, and I don’t like it.

  I mean, that Sam guy still owes me a staff for beating him in a drinking contest, too. It’s his fault we wound up here in the first place.

  Divines, I’d almost forgotten about the townsfolk back in Dawnstar. That priest said the damage from the nightmares would be permanent, soon.

  We’ll grab some more food, then start back in the morning.

  I know, I said I was sick of being told what to do, but he literally begged me, and there’s just something about him that interests me. I think I saw regret in his eyes while he was talking about Vaermina, and the he way he avoided my questions reminds me of – Well… Me.

  I haven’t told Lydia or Valdimar what brought me to Skyrim, or how I ended up at Helgen. I’m sure I will someday. I’m just lucky that Lydia’s quiet and doesn’t pry, but Valdimar’s a bit more chatty. I’m sure they’ll understand that I was just trying to survive.

  I have gotten a few raised eyebrows from Lydia at my ability to sneak around, and Valdimar was impressed at how good I am at picking locks, “for a fellow mage!” He hasn’t seen me do much trading, but Lydia’s noted how good I am at getting extra gold out of my deals, especially with men.

  Not to mention the cheaper drinks.

  She’s a savvy sweetroll. I’m sure she’s figured out that it’s more than my “Imperial charm”.

  I’ll tell them when the times comes. Maybe once I’m done building the -

  My room is right next to the bar and I just heard Lydia cackle through the stone wall! The bard here started singing “The Dragonborn Comes” – HA! – and she and Valdimar are out there finishing their drinks. I can just picture the confused look on his face!

  There’s his laugh! I wasn’t sure if she’d explain or not! It’s good to know they get along.

  Well, I should sleep. We’ve got a town to save as soon as we get to Dawnstar.