Well, I started the day in grand fashion by having my boot for breakfast!

  Seriously, I don’t think they’ll ever let me live it down…

  We woke up in Nightcaller Temple, and the first thing Erandur did was ask me how I slept. I slept just fine, and he looked relieved. When I asked the same, he said that was the first decent nights’ sleep he’d had in ages. Looking at him, I believe it. He looked years younger, like a weight had been physically lifted from his shoulders.

  The others were waiting for us when I opened the door. I got a warm greeting from them (especially the dog) and asked what they were doing there. Lydia said that Valdimar had been worried about me, and Valdimar said that she had been the worried one.

  While they bickered, Erandur gave me a nudge and gestured to the snow around the entrance. There were multiple tracks of footprints up and down the trail, all in varying stages of newness. Clearly, they’d been back multiple times to check if I’d made it out. I couldn’t help but laugh, and jokingly remarked on how sweet it was of them to worry about me.

  Valdimar went on about how he’d be a failure as a housecarl if he let me die after only a week. (Divines, it’s only been that long?) Lydia made a jab about how she could barely trust me to not poison myself trying out alchemy, much less going into a Daedric temple with someone she didn’t know.

  They were both giving Erandur looks, and I realized that when last they’d seen him, he was wearing his monk’s robes. Now, he was dressed in Elven armor with a hooded cloak. I figured this was a good time, and I told them that Erandur had agreed to travel with us.

  There was a long pause before Lydia said, in her usual deadpan, “Air-ANN-dur.”

  I blinked a bit in confusion before it hit me. I looked to him for confirmation, and he nodded, shifting awkwardly. I’d been mispronouncing his name the ENTIRE TIME! I’d been saying it “AIR-ann-dur” instead, stressing the start of his name.

  I wanted to Shout myself off the cliff and into the sea!

  When I asked why in Oblivion he didn’t correct me, he gestured and said, “We were a little busy!”

  I think we were both still wound up from the other day, because we ended up going back and forth about it until Valdimar laughed and clapped his hand on Erandur’s back. He welcomed him heartily, and Lydia… Less so, but she actually smiled, which for her is downright warm!

  Honestly, I think the misunderstanding helped.

  We walked back down to Dawnstar, and Erandur directed me to Rustleif, the blacksmith, so I could sell off the rest of the armor and weapons we’d looted. The villagers were in a much better mood than before, and Erandur stopped frequently to ask after everyone as we went around and stocked up.

  He did ask to go meet Jarl Skald to let him know what happened, and that he was leaving. I agreed, and talked with the Madena, the court wizard, while Erandur said his goodbyes. Madena was a Breton, and had fought in the Great War. She had no desire to join in the current fight, orders be damned.

  Can’t say I blame her.

  I bought a few spellbooks, and sold off some of the magic items I’d found in Nightcaller Temple. She asked after Erandur, having never seen him dressed in armor, and I give her a quick rundown of what happened.

  Soon enough, Erandur was done with his business, and after a quick stop in the tavern to refill our water and grab some warm food, we were back on our way.

  The three of them (mostly Erandur) chatted as we walked. I was too busy trying not to freeze to death to join in. We were going back to the building site in the swamp. I had a bunch of leather and such to drop off, and I wanted to see if I needed anything in terms of supplies.

  We had lunch when we got there, and Erandur nodded politely as he took in the location. He called it “picturesque”, which is seems to me is a fancy way to say, “dreadful.” While I worked, Valdimar told him how I had lost a bet to Lydia, become a thane, and bought the place, sight unseen, in less time than it took to drain a pint.

  I caught the uneasy laugh and concerned look he traded with the others. I was a little afraid that he’d rethink his position with us and leave right then, but Lydia said, in a too-loud whisper, not to worry about it. I was usually just foolhardy when it came to helping anyone who asks.

  I stopped chopping firewood long enough to see his smile turn genuine, and hear him say that he got her point.

  I’d hoped to finish at least the start of the house, but I didn’t have the metal I needed to make a lock. Remembering the mine nearby, I led everyone to it and went in to see what I could get. Unfortunately, all I could find was iron ore. I need some corundum to make the lock.

  Lydia suggested asking the people who run the place, so we went to the house there to talk to them. They didn’t have any extra metal to sell me, but a man there, Pactur, offered me some “spare” ingots in exchange for a favor. Thane Bryling of Solitude, who owns Rockwallow Mine, is getting her drawers in a twist because the iron shipment’s a little late. He asked if I could go to Solitude and let her know it would be there soon.

  Of course, I agreed. I mean, I’m going there anyway, so why not get something for it, right?

  So we left the mine, and now we’re at the Moorside Inn in Morthal, getting ready to spend the night here before heading out to Solitude in the morning.

  The way here was quiet, aside from Erandur’s near-constant talking. Lydia seemed annoyed, but I can tell she’s not as mad about it as she looks. Valdimar’s an open book; he’s thrilled to have someone else to talk to.

  Speaking of Valdimar – The man nearly gave me a heart attack on the way here. While we were walking, I said that we were going to stop in Morthal for the night. Erandur mentioned that he joined the order of Mara when he met a priest in Morthal years ago. Valdimar asked us to wait, and we all stopped.

  I admit, I took a deep breath to Shout if I needed to defend Erandur, the way Valdimar stalked up to him and stared him in the face. Lydia didn’t pull out a weapon, but I saw her shift her weight, ready to spring and pull them apart if there was any trouble. Even the dog looked wary.

  Erandur was nervous, but he didn’t step down, even with Valdimar an inch from his nose. But we all jumped when the Nord let out a big laugh and grabbed him in a bear hug. He actually lifted Erandur off the ground and said, “It is you!”

  Once he’d put the elf back down, Valdimar said that he was so glad he’d finally have the chance to thank him! Erandur laughed a bit (he does that when he’s nervous) and apologized. He had no idea what he was talking about.

  We continued walking, and Valdimar said that when he was a boy, his grandparents, his parents, and even his older brother all got sick with ataxia. His family had a small homestead in the wilds of the Hjallmarch, away from any town, so he took his little sister and left for Morthal to get help. This was before the alchemist’s shop, so they went to Jarl Idgrod. She directed them to the priests, who were staying there for a time. There were two of them, along with their new acolyte, a Dunmer

  Now Erandur remembered. He filled in the gaps of Valdimar’s childhood memory. Valdimar’s sister was starting to show signs of illness, so the priests convinced him to leave her in Morthal with them, while he led Erandur back to his family’s homestead. Valdimar laughed and admitted that he was frightened of Erandur at first. He’d never met anyone who wasn’t a Nord until the day he got to Morthal, and Erandur was the first Dunmer he’d ever seen.

  You know, it never occurred to me that someone could live years, or maybe their whole lives, without meeting someone who looked different from them. I mean, I’m Breton and Imperial, and Dru’s grandma was a Bosmer. Huh.

  Well, Erandur laughed and said that he remembered how Valdimar had put himself between him and his little sister, even as he was hiding behind Brother Rallis’s robes. He reassured Valdimar that he wasn’t offended, even back then. Besides, Valdimar had been a child, not even ten years old. Seeing someone with gray skin, pointy ears and red eyes would be scary!

  Erandur said he had been impressed with how far Valdimar had traveled. It was miles through rough terrain, and they had to spend the night in the woods.

  Valdimar remembered that night. It was the first time he’d seen anyone use magic. They’d found a small stone overhang to shelter in, and Erandur used a spell to light the fire. Valdimar (like many Nords, Lydia added) had been taught growing up that magic was dangerous, hard to control, and for cowards who couldn’t fight fairly. Seeing magic as just another tool was a new idea for him.

  Well, the smell of their dinner attracted a pack of wolves, which had been no trouble for Erandur. He kept them back with the flames, and mostly killed them with his mace. Valdimar said that he had always wanted to be a warrior when he grew up, but seeing magic used in battle “opened his eyes”.

  “That was the moment I decided to learn magic.”

  Erandur smiled warmly at that, and gave a little nod. I think he was trying not to cry.

  Valdimar continued: The next day he and Erandur made it back to the farm, where Erandur was able to heal everyone with a combination of alchemy and prayers. Once Erandur’s job was done, Valdimar’s father escorted him back to Morthal to pick up the little one and give an offering to Mara.

  Erandur said that he was glad that Mara had seen fit to let their paths cross again. “Lady Mara works in mysterious ways.”

  Mysterious ways, indeed. I wonder what he’d think if he knew I saw his memories in the Dreamstride? Was that Mara’s influence? Could we ever know?

  Oh, well. Once we got here to the Inn, we all settled down for some dinner. I sat at a table with Valdimar in the hopes that Lydia and Erandur might talk some, as they both took up positions at the bar.

  As we drank and ate, Valdimar admitted that he’d forgotten Erandur’s name in the years since he was a boy, but never, he said, “The sight of him. He was a ruby-eyed shadow in golden robes, surrounded by fire.”

  I said that it must have been an amazing sight, seeing as how it was practically inspiring him to poetry.

  “Oh, no. He was terrifying. I had nightmares for weeks.”

  You see that wine stain on the corner? That’s because I laughed and spit out almost a full mouthful on the table! I had this thing out so I could do some writing when I was done, and, well…

  Anyway, I laughed because Erandur is the opposite of terrifying. Even now, in full armor, you can tell he’s skinny, and even with his fighting skills, I can’t picture him as scary. We both turned to look at him and he was handing the dog a bone and a bit of meat from his plate.

  Funny how nightmares seemed to follow him, though. At least they’re done with. Hopefully.

  Anyway, I need to sleep. It’s not a long walk to Solitude tomorrow, but I have some shopping to do on top of my trip to the Blue Palace to talk to Bryling, and I want to make it quick. With any luck, tomorrow night I’ll be writing in my house!

  Maybe one of these days I’ll learn to make more… Vague plans.

  I’m exhausted, but it’s hard to relax next to the strange chanting wall, even if it’s quiet for now.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Yes, I found another one, along with another carved dragon foot. This one is made of ivory.

  We’re in Folgunthur, an ancient Nord crypt just across the water from Solitude. We left Morthal on the swamp side; I didn’t feel like taking the long way around, over Dragon Bridge. Valdimar said that it was possible to swim the channel without freezing to death, so long as you found the right spot.

  So, we trekked through the mud and the reeds, collecting alchemy ingredients as we went. I spotted a small campsite not far from where I wanted to cross, and went to investigate.

  There was a small wooden lean-to, and a leather tent set up by the remains of a campfire… and the remains of a person. A rib cage and some bones were all that was left, still bloody, and there was blood spattered around the cleared area. Valdimar had a grim set to his mouth and quipped that he didn’t think a mud crab did that.

  The other two shot me looks when I laughed, but what else can you do? Might as well laugh while you can.

  There wasn’t much to take aside from some food and a few coins, so we got out of there fast and set off across the water.

  It was freezing so bad the shock nearly took all the air out of me! It was like Northwatch Keep all over again! Luckily, I found a spot that was not only a short swim, but with a campfire right on the shore, ready to warm us up when we got there. Some slaughterfish thought I’d make an easy meal, but our dog took care of them.

  Good boy, getting us lunch!

  While we dried off by the fire, Lydia admitted that she didn’t think going over water was a smart move, but seeing as how we’d picked up a bit of loot, lots of potion ingredients, and scored some free food, maybe I could have good ideas now and then. I asked if that meant it was her turn to be stupid today, and she actually laughed. “Maybe it is!”

  I explained what I meant by that as I cooked the fish over the fire, which led to a fun conversation as we walked up the hill to Solitude. We decided that the numbers of who was allowed to be stupid versus who had to be smart didn’t apply equally to everyone. Lydia being stupid meant that no one else was allowed to be, but I couldn’t be stupid for too long with the others, or else it might spread. Lydia flatly refused to be the only smart one at any given time. Erandur agreed that he could be very smart, but equally very stupid, while Valdimar was more smart than stupid, but picked up on high levels of stupid easily, so best not be stupid with me.

  I bet ten Septims those rules go out the window as soon as we can have a proper night in a tavern!

  We laughed and joked about it all the way to the Blue Palace. It took us a moment to compose ourselves before we went in, but Valdimar and Erandur still hung back in the lower half of the chamber, trying not to laugh. Lydia went up with me to keep me out of trouble, but she needn’t have worried.

  I walked in on Elisif arguing with her thanes about supplying the war effort. Lucky for me, the conversation didn’t go on very long and I was able to speak with Bryling. She was glad to hear the shipment would be on its way, and gave me some gold for my trouble.

  With that done, we went on our way to see Beirand. I bought some ingots and made a lock right there at his forge! Sensing my eagerness to get back and finish the house, Valdimar said that he knew a faster way out of Solitude. It would get us back down to the water in minutes.

  We followed him down to the main road, and towards an iron gate in the side wall of the archway separating the market from the residential area. It wasn’t locked, and a guard walking by gave us no trouble as we went in. It wasn’t long before we came to a flight of stairs, and we followed Valdimar down.

  We emerged on the shore, underneath the natural arch of stone that led from the city itself to the Blue Palace. Turns out, this was how people went back and forth from the docks if they just had to do business or didn’t have a lot of stuff to carry. Valdimar explained that he used to come here a lot to handle Jarl Idgrod’s shipments for Morthal back when he first entered her service.

  Good to know I have someone who understands how the shipping here works.

  I looked across the water and saw some ruin-like pillars across the way, and decided to try from practically in front of the door. It was a farther swim than before, but not by much, and I had firewood ready to go.

  The shock wasn’t so bad that time, once I knew what to expect, but what I didn’t expect was to come upon another campsite just past the standing stones. There was a rocky overhang with a cooking pot ready to go over some logs, along with some supplies. We looked around quickly, and didn’t see any sign of whoever had made camp, just some empty tents and bedrolls past the cooking area. The ashes in the fire pit were still a bit warm, too.

  I used Flames to get the fire going again, and took a moment to cook us up some food while the others looked around. Lydia poked her head around the stones, and said that the rocky overhang I was currently under was the side of a burial mound. Erandur found a journal in one of the tents, and I read it out loud as we all huddled around the fire to dry off.

  It was owned by Daynas Valen, who, along with a group of adventurers, went in to Folgunthur in search of some ancient amulet. He had found the Ivory Dragon Claw (FOOT) and was eager to get into the ruin. He had killed people in his hunt, and was clearly power-hungry. We all got the sense that nothing good would happen if he managed to get his hands on the amulet.

  When I said that we should go after him, Lydia whined about never having the chance to be stupid. I promised her that she’d get her chance the next time we go into town.

  With that, we got ourselves ready and entered the tomb.

  We were met with dead adventurers and traps almost as soon as we went in. Sad for them, but easy loot for us. Not far in there’s a chamber with a pedestal in it that has a locking mechanism just like the one from the Hall of Stories. There were no rings to move, but it had the same types of holes as the center of the door. Clearly, the ivory foot was used to keep going; I could see the spikes of an open portcullis peeking out from the top of the archway leading out of the room.

  The others wondered why I kept calling it a foot instead of a claw, and I told them about Bleak Falls Barrow. They asked things like, “Surely it wouldn’t be called a Claw if it was obviously a Foot, right?” but had to agree that Dragon’s Claw sounds a lot more impressive than Dragon’s Foot.

  They understood once they saw it.

  In the next large chamber, we came upon some draugr and more bodies. There’s a column in the center of the room with a platform up top, and when we got there we found the body of Daynas Valen. He had more notes on him, which further explained the legend of the Gauldur Amulet, and how this place contains the tomb of Mikrul, along with his part of the artifact.

  Here’s a summary - According to legend, the amulet was owned by Archmage Gauldur, a powerful and respected wizard. His sons, Jyrik, Sigdis, and Mikrul, were jealous of him and discovered the source of his power - The Amulet. So, they killed Gauldur in his sleep and took the amulet for themselves, splitting it into three pieces. Even split, it retained great power, and his children wreaked havoc throughout Skyrim. The High King sent Archmage Geirmund and a host of other mages to stop them. The mages managed to get two of them, entombing the brothers with their pieces of the amulet. Sigdis challenged Geirmund to a duel, and they killed each other. Geirmund’s tomb also contains Sigdis, so that he can keep guard over him forever. High King Harald ordered that all mention of Gauldur be removed from the historical records, so that no one would ever be able to reconstruct the amulet and claim its full power.

  Of course, we all know you can’t keep a good story down, and obviously enough of the legend survived that Daynas Valen was able to put it all together and find his way here, to the resting place of Mikrul.

  Valen also had the Ivory Dragon Foot on him. I showed the others, and they all agreed that yes, it’s a foot. It’s just like the gold one, except made of ivory, with different symbols on the bottom.

  I wonder how many of these there are? There’s a lot of words left on that wall. Is each wall in a tomb behind a spinning dragon foot lock?

  Who even MADE these dragon feet? They’re practically identical - Some sculptor centuries ago was very busy.

  Anyway, we talked for a bit about what to do next. I wanted to keep going – There was more loot to be found, for sure, and we needed the money. Valdimar argued that the evil in the tomb must remain sealed. We could just take the foot and leave.

  Lydia pointed out that if Valen was able to hunt down the pieces, someone else could. Granted, there’s no way for anyone to know who had the Ivory Dragon Claw, but there were more claws out there, and I was known to be familiar with them. As the Dragonborn and a Thane twice over, I wasn’t exactly hard to find. Erandur voiced the concern we all had. “You would be hunted.”

  Granted, that’s what got me into this mess in the first place, but I didn’t say anything about that. Maybe later.

  Valdimar pointed out that I’d be hunted even more if people suspected I had part of the amulet.

  They were starting to argue in earnest, but I quieted them down. I had to admit that Valdimar was right - It was a possibility, but I reminded him that I’m the Dragonborn. If anyone else knew about the pieces of the amulet, they would know about the power in them. Entire forces of battlemages went up against the brothers and died before they were brought down. Anyone going after the amulet would not only have to convince a bunch of people that the amulet was real, but that coming after it was worth the risk, too. They’d have to face the power of the amulet, and the Dragonborn if they wanted to get it.

  Lydia scoffed at the “power of the Dragonborn” bit, but Valdimar finally said I was right. “Besides,” he said, “You wouldn’t do anything with it. You don’t want the world in your hand.”

  Lydia quipped, “Thank the Nine she doesn’t. She’d probably make us carry it.”

  We had a good laugh at that, and went on.

  There were a bunch of draugr as we went through the crypts, but they didn’t seem as bad as the ones in Bleak Falls Barrow. Maybe it’s because I have help, but I know I’m getting better at my spells, too.

  We soon came to a room like the Hall of Stories, except this one was lined with stone coffins in front of the carvings. As soon as I got near the circular door, the dead burst from them, and we fought.

  Erandur actually has pity for them. He calls them “poor souls”!

  I showed the others how to open the door. This one was Eagle, Eagle, Dragon. Valdimar turned to Lydia and fake-whispered, “I thought you said she was the stupid one?”

  Erandur and I started to laugh, but Lydia ruined it by saying she was just as surprised as he was!

  The men laughed harder at this, and I shot Lydia a look. She just smirked at me, then we kept going.

  We soon came upon a big door, and Erandur balked as we got near it, falling to the back of the group. Valdimar looked a little uncomfortable, and the dog started to whine. Lydia seemed as unbothered as always, but I could feel something on the other side. It felt powerful, and evil, too.

  We were tired, and wanted to rest, but agreed that it wasn’t safe to sleep in the ruins just yet. Not like we could have, what with the bad energy coming from that room. We had to take care of whatever was on the other side of that door.

  So, after making sure we had all we needed at the ready, I opened the door and we charged in.

  The fight was… A bit easy? There’s a large chamber, lined with more coffins, with a big fancy sarcophagus in the middle. As we charged, Mikrul’s corpse burst from the center one, as did about a half-dozen more draugr from their places.

  I was ready to deflect their blows from all sides, but the draugr thralls buried with him weren’t even armed! Some of them did have armor, but they could only swipe and claw at me, so I let the dog focus on them when the rest of us took on Mikrul.

  It was hardly a fair fight, four on one, but after reading about how he had taken down whole swaths of the king’s most experienced battlemages, I wasn’t taking any chances.

  In addition to some other things, (including an enchanted sword! Nice!) I did find part of the amulet on his body. It’s a small, semi-circular bit that looks like the top portion of a larger piece. I’m not that great at enchantment, but I can tell that it’s not inherently evil; it just grants extra health to the wearer.

  That’s it.

  We were all a bit confused about that, and while the others started wondering exactly how powerful Mikrul must have been, I began to explore a bit. I figured there must have been more loot around, and I was right. There were two iron gates leading to a flight of steps leading to the next room, each locked with one of the foot pedestals like I’d seen before. One was partially blocked by a cave-in (and I could see loot!), so I went there, first.

  That’s when I heard the chanting.

  I recognized it immediately. The same chanting I had heard in Bleak Falls Barrow.

  I turned and asked them if they could hear it, too.

  Lydia and Valdimar looked at me like I was mad, but Erandur looked gravely concerned, despite that nervous little laugh of his. He suggested that maybe I’d been awake a little too long.

  Lydia nodded, and suggested that we set up camp in the next room if it was big enough. She wasn’t too eager to bed down in the middle of all these crypts, and we agreed.

  Erandur came up and offered me his arm as I walked up the steps towards the pedestal lock. I was going to protest, but he leaned in and asked, in a whisper, if the voice was Vaermina again.

  I took his arm and assured him that it wasn’t. I did say that I had no idea what it was, but that I would be all right. It’s happened before.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know.”

  There’s an altar in here, with a large chest full of loot; gold, some gems, weapons and armor. Just past that is the chanting, magic wall.

  I know the others couldn’t hear the chanting, but like before, my vision went all strange. It went dark around the edges, and sort of distorted and amber-colored, like I was looking through the bottom of an ale bottle. The only thing I could see were the glowing blue runes, and the noise filled my head to bursting.

  As before, I couldn’t stop myself as I walked towards it. I could only half-feel Erandur trying to hold me back from walking forward, but he quickly let go. I went to the glowing letters, and the bright light surrounded me again, along with that strange, chill Knowing sensation.

  Here’s the runes:

  Erandur said later, when it was over and I’d come back to myself, that he’d let go of me to stop the others from pulling me back. I asked why he did that, and he said that I told him I’d be all right. He trusts me.

  I asked what they saw, and they said it was like I was being dragged forward, and my eyes were glowing white with a halo that looked like frost. They could see the runes glowing, and saw the light rush from the carvings to surround my head.

  Lydia grabbed me before I fell, and right now, the others are setting up the bedrolls while I rest. They’d never seen anything like the strange wall of carvings. Valdimar spent some time examining it while Erandur and Lydia got food ready. We’re pretty sure the letters were scratched on. By what, we’re not sure, but judging from all we’ve seen, it’s probably the work of dragons.

  Oh – My bed is ready and they’ve settled on a watch rotation. They’re not letting me stay up tonight, but I’m too tired to argue. Time to turn in.