"Carlotta put you up to this, didn't she? I'm sorry, but that fiery widow is mine. She. Just. Doesn't. Know. It."
I don't remember the local bard being this gross. I was in the kinda mood to punch something after getting the mission from Farkas but now I don't want to touch him.
"Leave her alone or this gets worse." I threaten, knowing I'm not particularly threatening.
"There's no need to be jealous. Plenty of Mikael to go around." he says, gesturing to himself. "You've got a real fire in you, you know that? I like that in a woman. Why don't we forget Carlotta and go somewhere quiet. I'll show you my lute~"
I punch him in the face, right on the nose. He recoils but recovers quickly. To my dismay his nose is unbroken and my hand hurts, but he looks unhappy all the same.
"Fine. I'll leave you alone." he says, rubbing his nose. "But you can't make me give up on Carlotta. I'll not be denied such a prize!"
I kick him in the dick and he shrinks down with a groan. You don't need strength to hit men where it hurts. My own package tingles with sympathy pangs as the bard clutches his groin but the rest of me has very little empathy for the local widow harasser.
"I'm with the Companions, you idiot. You're so disgusting that the whole town knows what you're up to, pig. And now I get to clean up your shit." I growl. "You've got a week to apologize and leave her alone or get out of town and leave her alone. I don't care which."
I leave the inn in a huff. For now my warning and the name of the Companions will have to suffice to protect Carlotta. I might have to visit him again, assuming I make it back alive from Bleak Falls. Against my survival instincts I've chosen to set out today after spending yesterday learning some combat basics from the Companions.
Farkas showed me how to wear heavy armor and gave me pointers on how to best use my own Imperial steel armor. He's actually a good teacher, being direct and simple, but doesn't really explain much beyond the immediate.
I begged Aela to show me proper bow form. She agreed with a smile but proved to be the strict teacher I had ever had. My main motivation of self improvement dissolved, replaced only by a panicked desire to not have her yell at me. She refused to release me until she was satisfied (although I don't think she was) and bow lessons ended up taking the better part of the day.
I spent my remaining time watching Eorlund work and reading as the twilight dwindled. Eorlund doesn't talk much - or at all - but just watching a master work is helpful. I think. He handed me a book he kept by the forge by the end, the Armorer's Challenge. It's a good read, if a bit basic in its message. It gives me a feeling inside me unlike any other book I've read before, even the spell books.
The Companions also made a point to drag me to the feasting table for dinner. I don't really get it but apparently it's important to eat together. More than a few were upset that the latest recruit missed last night's dinner after the sparring match with Vilkas to sleep instead.
I hope it will be enough to survive Bleak Falls. Realistically I should spend a week in Jorvasskar learning and training before I even think about venturing out again but we've gone beyond that point. I'm not worried about the treasure or the quest item disappearing on me, it would suck but it wouldn't be the end of the world. There's something else there at the end of that dungeon, something I installed. My favorite mod to Skyrim and a really, really big problem if someone else finds it first.
The path back to Riverwood is peaceful. The Jarl sent a detachment of men the day before yesterday and they likely spooked or killed anything that would normally be hostile probably. I return to the village a minor celebrity, many celebrating my return with a wave of or a cheer. I spend the rest of the day with my feet in the river, reading and nibbling on cheese before delve into the Barrow. I find another book among my unread collection that gives me a similar feeling to The Armors Challenge, called The Death Blow of Abernanit, as I read.
In it a warrior blessed by three gods fights a Daedra worshiper with an impenetrable blocking technique. Unable to pierce his shield, the warrior tricks the Daedra worshipper by pretending to be beaten, and asks for the secret to his impossible blocking ability. Lost in thought, for the Daedra worshiper only ran on instinct and could not articulate how he did what he did, and the warrior snuck in a cheap shot. Or the "Death Blow of Abernanit'' as the book called it.
-
I couldn't sleep last night, my nerves got to me more than I was expecting. Sleep is more important (and I'm unemployed) so I end up sleeping well past noon. Still I'm unsure of exactly how long I can wait so I move with purpose, trying not to waste time despite the extra grogginess from my delayed sleep. I still need to visit the Trader before I leave.
I'm wearing the heavy Imperial armor today, since I obviously expect combat. It's much, much heavier than the nimble leather version, but I can't help but feel comforted by impervious steel, even if it is too big for me. Imperial armor, Farkas told me, isn't the most protective but actually one of the most adaptable armors out there. It's easy to make with the molds, and the large gaps around the arms and legs don't just make them easier to maneuver in but allow space for modifications, like warm layers in Skyrim. The missing weight also lets weaker recruits wear both armors more effectively (although in my case it's just making it possible for me to wear it). Farkas says there are more impressive Imperial armors out there, but that you'll mostly find them around Cyrodil. After walking around feeling like I've got training weights on I finally arrive at the Trader.
"Welcome back to the Riverwood Trader." Lucan says with a practiced smile. "My sister Camilla or I will be happy to help you."
I look through his stock again and not much has changed. When you shop in Skyrim you're not necessarily looking at items on a shelf, but in the shopkeep's inventory (though you can still buy things on display). I'm flat broke anyway so it doesn't matter. I'm here for something different.
"Not much has changed since last time, did those thieves take everything?" I remark.
"Ah, uh, no." Lucan replies in embarrassment. "The thieves were only after one thing. An ornament made of solid gold. In the shape of a dragon's claw."
"Do you know where they went? Maybe the guards could get those bandits for you." I say.
"We think they're the bandits camped out at Bleak Falls but the guards won't help. They only came back just recently, because of the dragons or so they say. Bunch of nonsense if you ask me but maybe having them in town will keep the thieves at bay so you won't hear me complaining." Lucan says.
"I could help you find it." I offer.
"You could? I've got some gold coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring my claw back." he replies.
All according to plan. I should have received the quest automatically but my experience with the blacksmith in Whiterun taught me to be a little more cautious with things the player would normally take for granted.
"So this is your plan Lucan?" Camilla, having come down the stairs, clearly listing in on us.
"Yes. So now you don't have to go, do you?" Lucan replies. I forgot Camilla planned to tackle the thieves herself.
"Well, I think your new helper needs a guide." she says, hand on her hip.
"Wh…no…I…. Oh by the eight fine! But only to the edge of town!" he says defeated.
Camilla walks victoriously outside with me in tow. Looking at her properly now I'm reminded why she's the village darling. Dark brown hair frames her handsome features in a bun, while her plush lips and ample curves make her very desirable from looks alone. Her intelligence (and fire as the bard put it) excite the rest of my brain. She's my type and it seems my first enemy on this journey will be my own lusts.
"We have to go through town and across the bridge to get to Bleak Falls Barrow. You can see it from here, though. The mountain just over the buildings." she says, obvious to my thoughts.
It's not like it's hard to miss. Those dark stone arches dominate the landscape even at this angle. Camilla seems excited though and if I remember right has a few lines of dialogue hinting at her secret desire for adventure in the game. That and find a husband.
"Those thieves must be mad, hiding out there." she continues as we walk. "Those old crypts are filled with nothing but traps, trolls, and who knows what else! I wonder why they only stole Lucan's golden claw. I mean, we have plenty of things in the shop that are worth just as much coin. Lucan found the claw about a year after he opened the store. He never quite explained where he got it. He's a tricky one."
While we walk out of town it becomes apparent that Camilla is quite popular with the townsfolk or at least the menfolk. More than a few say hello. At least two try and stop her for conversation, to which she deflects them each with different versions of 'Sorry I'm busy'. I'm pretty grateful because I am in a hurry now and because I'd like to spend a little more time with Camilla if I'm honest. All too soon though we reach the bridge, the same one you take to reach Whiterun.
"This is the bridge out of town." Camilla explains. "The path up the mountain to the northwest leads to Bleak Falls Barrow. I guess I should get back to my brother. He'll throw a fit if I take too long. Such a child...."
I already knew all of this of course. I'm doing this, going through the motions of a superfluous quest to build rapport with the merchant siblings, so I have someone to sell to without a lot of questions about the bizarre wares I'll undoubtedly pick up if I survive. Buying already takes so much time, and selling will probably be worse. That's the only reason I'm doing this and yet…
"Do you wanna go?" I blurt out.
There's a pause.
"I'm sorry. What did you say?" she asks, visibly confused.
"I asked if you wanted to come with me. To fight the bandits, get the claw, and explore the secrets of the Barrow. That's what you told your brother you were going to do, right?"
Her confused look becomes conflicted. I might have said too much.
"I only said that to get Lucan to do something. He was just going to roll over without doing anything, and I know how much that claw means to him." she replies.
"I see. Well if you change your mind I could use a traveling merchant on my adventures. You seem pretty excited by all this and I need someone to help sell all the strange things I find in my travels." I offer, confused a bit at my own proposal.
"I'll think about it if you come back with the claw. Good luck. Lucan and I will be waiting for you back in the shop." Camilla replies, leaving me at the bridge.
It occurs to me as she leaves exactly why I said what I did. Having a traveling merchant would definitely be useful but I won't actually need one for a while now. No, I wanted her to myself, even if I didn't realize it in the moment. A merchant companion is not a bad idea though, even if I can't Camilla.
The path up the Barrow mountain is beautiful, just like the rest of the Riverwood area. It's verdant with adorable mossy rocks, happy critters and plenty of shade from tree dancing in the breeze. Those happy green rocks eventually turn to a grumpy grey when I start reaching higher elevations, and the vegetation becomes much more sparse. The adorable woodland creatures vanish as I climb higher, the air becomes colder until the grumpy grey rocks start turning a soft white. It now occurs to me that I should have taken advantage of this armor's adaptability and placed some layers on my exposed limbs.
Just as I start to seriously consider heading back down to avoid freezing I spot a tower not far off. It's a seemingly random stone tower between peaks. It is at the perfect spot to spy on the whole of Riverwood valley, which might be a clue as to why it exists. While not as ancient as the Barrow it's still abandoned by any power that could have built it and in-game would be the haunt of three bandits, likely a forward camp for the bandits at the Barrow now. I postpone my retreat to take a closer look at the opposition.
The tower itself looks like it has no business being that shape. It looks generally like a grey ice cream cone, thinner at the bottom and opening up at the top, covered in snow like powdered sugar. At the bottom, hiding against the wind behind a nearby tree is an Orc, a green elf with shorter ears, squashed nose and tusks sprouting from the bottom of his face. He's wrapped up in a fur outfit that doesn't look too clean but despite his rough appearance his eyes are already trained on me. Perhaps he's open to negotiation?
"That's close enough." he growls as I approach, pulling out a rusty mace.
"Oh I'm not here for you, I'm here to go to the barrows at the top." I say trying to sound cheerful.
To my relief the Orc smiles back, somehow pleased at my response.
"Looks like we got ourselves a hero!" he yells.
Well fuck.
His mace slams against my shield hard, numbing my arm. From the open doorway I see the reinforcements I expected. A skinny man also wrapped in furs aims with a bow and takes a potshot at me. It goes wide as he tries not to hit his Orc friend. I think he should stop trying so hard to be so considerate. I fling spell energy from my hand, a red mote of magicka, at the archer. It's the Fury spell I learned earlier, which amplifies the target's rage to murderous level. I watch as the red mote flies directly at a distant mountain miles away.
Fuck.
Another mace blow hits the shield and the numbness in my arm is unfortunately gone. The Orc moves to try and grapple me but I swat him away with a shield bash to the face. A piece of tusk flies away from his face as he reels back and I spill a magicka potion to fire off another Fury spell at the archer. This time my spell connects but not before an arrow wizzes past my head. The Orc recovers, clearly pissed, and closes the distance once again. He goes for a haymaker swing of the mace and I bash his face, this time with the edge of the shield. This time I only managed to knock his arm away, but it does give me time to materialize my sword. The green man glares death at me before the features pull back in shock and pain. The archer finally hit something. The Orc looks back at who shot him. He has to look back. It's almost impossible not to look back when something like that happens. The Orc might still be alive if he did the impossible. A swift slash to the throat and he falls into the hard snowy rocks. I can't afford to look at him but I can hear his breath escape his lungs in a low moan.
The archer is unfortunately still alive and angry and firing arrows at me. I hide behind my shield debating retreat when a thick woman armored in iron climbed down from the tower to confront the archer. After a brief conversation with more obscenities the woman buries her axe in the smaller man's head after he stabs a dagger into her. His body slumps off the bridge and down the mountainside.
"You okay?" I ask hopefully.
"Time to end this little game." she says, stomping towards me
I'm not happy to fight someone clearly stronger than me but her confidence gives me an opportunity. She doesn't know I'm a mage. I put away the sword and hold Summon Familiar moments before her axe crashes on my shield. If I summoned Wolfy earlier she would have killed it easily. Now she has to choose between me or Wolfy behind her to defend against. Realizing her mistake she hesitates. It will cost her her life. Like a spectral police dog my Wolfy grabs the ankle of the bandit mid maneuver as she tries to get out from between us. The rest wasn't pretty but she did manage to keep fighting on the ground but I had too many opportunities to bleed her before she could recover. She almost stood up using the same tree the Orc was leaning on before but the blood loss proved too much and she slipped halfway up the tree. There my sword finds the killing blow to her heart. Her body relaxes and her final breath escapes as her dulling eyes stare at the grey sky.
I'm definitely warm now and very happy to be alive. I'm less happy than I thought I would be to loot corpses. Pillaging dead people (surprisingly) creepy. I toss both over the edge when I've finished with them as a kind of burial, their bodies will at least decompose down there. The tower is sparse on gold but high in food and even a few potions. By the looks of things these bandits were using the tower for its intended purpose of scouting, which is likely how they stole from Lucan so easily. Armed now with warmer underlayers I leave
Climbing the mountain is a lot better now, although trying to eat cheese before it freezes kind of sucks. After what seems like a forever of facing the icy wind head on the path turns left and I can see Bleak Falls Barrow up close. A massive staircase of dark stone that could fit multitudes of people dominate this side of the structure. The stairs lead up to the large platform that's littered with the dark arches that seem more menacing up close. I can't tell if they're purely decorative or if they served some ancient purpose, like a really big tent or something.
There should be three more bandits waiting guard outside. My shield arm's still pretty tender and I don't like the idea of another head on confrontation. It'll be three on one this time, all the bandits should be on that big platform and there's not a whole lot to separate us this time. I get as close as I dare before crouching behind a nearby rock and wait. A greasy bandit appears at the very edge and pulls back his furs to take a piss. My hand glows red.
I fire a Fury spell at the man mid piss, barely hitting the top of his head. He jerks around, pinching off the stream before heading back to the center of the platform. Coming out of cover I see he takes out a large hammer and bashes one of his friends over the head, killing them instantly. His other buddy pulls his own greatsword and after a short battle slays his cursed friend, just before my arrow finishes him off.
The platform is mine now but it's hardly an acquisition worth keeping. Eager to leave the frozen stone and twitching bodies behind I rummage their bodies quickly and head for the massive iron doors. They are big enough for giants and it occurs to me that the reason the door is cracked is because they might be very, very heavy. I slip inside quietly.
Antechamber is a word that comes to mind when I enter the first room. Light pours in from holes in the ceiling on top of snow piles, held up by the few brave pillars still standing. I'm surprised by what I think are sleeping bandits, until I see the skeever bodies next to them. Skeevers are cat/dog sized rat creatures that come in great numbers, with horrible disease and ugly faces. I spy three living bandits at the other end of the chamber, two by a fire and one in the opposite corner who appears to be taking a shit. The two by the fire are arguing.
"So we're just supposed to sit here while Arvel runs off with that golden claw?" asks a woman.
"That dark elf wants to go on ahead, let him. Better than us risking our necks." replies a man.
"What if Arvel doesn't come back? I want my share from that claw!" she whines.
"That's the boss's problem. Just shut it and keep an eye out for trouble. Might be more damn skeevers."
I've already identified the man by the fire as my next target, firing Fury while he stands staring in the opposite direction. When my spell hits he looks around wildly in my direction as if I threw a rock at his head before turning around to see the woman looking concerned. Before she had a chance to speak he promptly buried his axe in her skull in a fit of magically induced insanity. She falls immediately and the third bandit looks up from his corner in horror. His sudden movement alerts my enchanted bandit to his existence and he runs over yelling like a berserker.
The pooping bandit manages to put up more of a fight than the woman did but nobody fights their best mid poop and is soon scrambling on the floor trying to defend himself shouting things like "Stop" and "Why Bjorn?". I steady my breathing and aim with Aela's instruction in mind. He's been useful, but I think I'll have an easier time with the poop bandit, so I plant an arrow in the back of the same bandit under my Fury. He stumbles and the poop bandit manages to get a good slash in before the angry bandit falls over. The poop bandit sits there breathing heavily and bleeding slightly. I decide to make my presence known by walking up and summoning my familiar just in case.
"Your friends are dead. Grab your shit and leave." I demand.
The poop bandit nods quickly and wipes the blood from his rat-like face. I feel bad for the guy but I don't want a dagger in the back so I only watch as he struggles to leave. I wonder if this even matters one way or the other, now that the world is so much bigger. Even in the game weak Npc's like him die randomly before ever meeting the player.
With him out of the way I begin scavenging the chamber. Nothing of note but there is a locked chest close to their bedrolls by the fire. I've bought some lockpicks since Helgen and I should have all the time in the world now to practice. It takes a fair bit of time and a few picks but I eventually crack it open with some vague knowledge I got from a video or two on the internet. There's only a little gold and just one potion but the joy I feel from opening the chest is worth triple what's here. I also leveled up again, or what I think is leveling up. This point goes to heavy armor. I doubt the Barrow's natural inhabitants will be any easier to deal with.
Down I go, into the depths of the Barrow. The hallways here are fairly spacious and surprisingly well lit. Not too much in the way of treasure, just old cloth and ancient embalming tools. The hallway opens up into a smaller chamber where the body of the bandit leader lies face down next to a lever in front of a sealed gate.
This is a Nord puzzle room, meant to stop stupid intruders. I say stupid because usually the answer to these puzzles is in plain sight or the traps are easily evaded. Probably why Nords are seen as simple people. I know the answer to this one by heart; snake, snake, whale. I turn the stone pillars to the correct animal, pull the lever, and the gate opens just like it would in game.
Search a table for a skill book, fight some living skeevers and head down an old wooden spiral staircase . Everything is the same, and sadly that includes the table of giant spider foreshadowing. On a bid stone table is a small potion of paralysis and a scroll of fireball. Scrolls are one use spells, independent of the caster's abilities, but they don't teach the spell. Further down and the hallways are starting to be plastered with a white sticky webbing, thick in every corner. At the foot of the stairs the room ahead is covered so badly with it that it literally forms a wall.
"Is... is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling?" a voice cries out from the next room.
I ignore him. Even if he dies it won't be a problem for me. I've killed or chased away everyone that could have reached the goal before me, the spider isn't interested in the key. I take my time and use Flames to burn away webbing that might trip me up later.. I hear the voice again and something… larger stirring.
"I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!" he cries again.
If he knew what was good for him he would shut the fuck up. It's still chittering up on the ceiling and giving me fucking goosebumps. I pull out my Imperial sword and apply the paralysis poison to it, I can risk missing with a bow. The sword goes back into my inventory and I summon Wolfy for emotional support. My hands ablaze I use Flames to break down the last of the webbing, revealing the other room
Barely stepping into the chamber I see the scared Dark Elf man wiggling helplessly in the webs, a far cry from the fearsome Irileth. Just above him, hiding in a large hole in the ceiling, is a massive frostbite spider the size of two horses. Its body is scrunched up to fit in the hole and is staring directly at me. Its many eyes are big enough that I can see myself reflected in them. It's orange and ugly just like the ones at Helgen, but casts such a large shadow with its body that it looks black from this angle.
We stare only for a moment before we both move. The real life Shelob crawls with disgusting speed into the ceiling and down the wall. A scroll burns in my hand and a fireball bursts towards the spider, causing it to fall from the side of the wall and land with a sickening crunch. Any hope I had of the spider's early demise is quickly dashed as it demonically thrashes to flip itself. Crying a little I pull out my sword and charge the beast while it's still prone. My heart sinks when it flips over and manages to face me in one fluid motion before I can strike
I go through with my swing away, knowing it's too big to dodge. The nightmare beast freezes in place as I cut through one of its pedipalps. The poison worked and now I have a few seconds to do as much damage as I can. Too afraid to hit its face I aim for the closest leg I can find. I only get a few swings before the monster starts moving again. Choking back tears I'm forced back leaving the leg dented but still intact. The enormous spider pounces on me like a tidal wave knocking me over as it tries to sink its massive fangs into me. Those fangs grip my shield like two oversized eagle talons, dripping venom. It feels like hot ice on my skin and I squirm involuntarily. I drop my sword and blow Flames at its hopefully sensitive eyes. It takes a moment but it eventually shudders back away from me.
Scrambling up with my sword I see a leg is missing from the spider, the same one I had been working on, in the mouth of Wolfy. The spider teeters off balance now and I realize it's not just missing one leg but three. I feel no sympathy. Pressing the advantage I continue to blast it with Flames. It tries to get away but its movements are clumsy and awkward. Unable to crawl back in its hole I roast its eyes out of their sockets. The thing dies, bubbling and hissing, but I stab it repeatedly anyway.
"You did it. You killed it. Now cut me down." the bandit says oblivious to my tears and trauma.
I, an arachnophobe, just fought a spider as big as my car. I honestly don't have the bandwidth to deal with this guy so instead of talking I burn away the webbing at a distance with Flames. He flinches at the heat but no sooner than he falls loose does he take off in a run.
"You fool! Why should I share the treasure with anyone?!" we say in unison, although he's much too far to hear me mock him under my breath.
He's just gonna die to the spring gate trap. That or the draugr will murder him. Nord zombies that infest ruins like this one. I really don't care to save him. Instead he can pay me back by waking up all the traps and zombies so I can see what I'm dealing with. I carefully move through the next few chambers far behind the Dunmer. These next rooms look like they were used for embalming, although I do find a small soul gem. Down more stairs I see that I've entered the burial chambers proper. Stone bunks two rows high house the dead in various states of decay and wrapping. Three of the living dead are standing around the latest. The Dark Elf's body had been forcibly launched by the trap into an empty stone bunk. Violently. It's probably a good thing I can't see his face right now. The zombies must have heard me from my heavy armor and all look up in unison. Well sheet.
Draugr are withered bluish zombies that move and behave similarly to people but with poor social skills and glowing blue eyes. I believe they retain a diminished soul of sorts but I don't think I can talk them out of trying to not kill me. Standing at the top of the stairs I take a defensive posture with my shield and hold Flames ready. Two of the draugr rush me, with one staying behind to pull out a bow. The other two brandish ancient weapons made of a dark metal.
I use Flames to spray both of them with fire as they climb. The first one reaches me and reels back for a haymaker swing. A second later the light fades from his eyes and he falls back down the stairs as my Flames overwhelm him. The other one tries to approach with his shield raised for protection but the fire easily spreads beyond the shield, and in a few moments he too falls. My magicka is spent but I'm very confident I can hack and slash the archer in a one on one. Approaching with my shield up I flinch as arrows splinter off the shield. I bash her bow when I'm in range and cut her down as she stumbles.
I smile as I pick through the bodies. The draugr seem to be just as strong but much less intelligent than the living, which is very good for me as I'll be seeing a ton more of them in the future. They should be the only thing ahead from here on out. Aside from the traps and the final boss nothing else should be able to kill me if I'm smart. I pick up a few of their wicked looking weapons for later, to sell or keep. I move over to the mangled corpse of the Dunmer and pick up a three toed dragon's claw. Made of solid gold it functions as the key to the deeper Barrows. It actually reminds me of Aztec sculpture rather than a Nordic relic, the claw would look right at home on one of their dragons. I side step the very obvious pressure plate that activates the large bloody spring loaded metal grate studded with spikes to move further down.
Up ahead another draugr sleeps at the top of yet more stairs. This draugr is one of two more powerful variants that live in here besides the boss and if I'm careless they could probably kill me. A part of me is really excited to try and limit test myself since I've killed everything that's stood in my way so far and I'd really like to know how strong I actually am and the other part of me reminds myself that I can very much feel pain. So I play it safe. He goes down after some arrows and Flames without issue. The rest of the dungeon proceeds in a similar fashion. I dodge traps, methodically fight draugr, and loot wherever I can. I leave most of their weapons behind as they are too heavy and probably not worth very much, I think being just well crafted iron pieces.
The Barrow conquered all that's left is the great puzzle door of Bleak Falls Barrow and what lies beyond it. It is, as is tradition in these parts, an unnecessarily large stone slab of a door with no obvious handle. Instead a dinner plate sized circle with three holes sits at the center flanked above by three half circles with an animal motif in the center of each in a line above the dinner plate. After playing with the door a bit I get the half circles to rotate after I press in one of the motifs. The answer to the door is actually on the back of the claw I got from the dead elf but I know the answer by heart. Each half circle is rotated twice, spinning in thirds on the door, revealing more animal motifs that should be in the correct order now. I plug in the claw into the indented plate and give it a twist. The door starts to disappear, grinding its way down past centuries of grit to stop a few inches from the floor.
Inside is the largest chamber by far. A mix of stonework and natural cavern, the interior is well lit from the outside. Most of the space is just a large cave with unworked, uneven surfaces but the part that has been worked dominates the space. Across a relatively small bridge is what looks like a ritual space and on top of that is a ritual table next to a sarcophagus and a treasure chest. Framing it all is a massive word wall, an ancient memorial wall written in the dragon language that a Dragonborn can use to learn a word of power. If I am the Dragonborn I should react to the wall.
Crossing the small narrow bridge I swear I can hear a faint chanting, which is a good sign. Eyeing the coffin, I open the chest slowly. Seeing no reaction dive into the treasure chest. Just coins, a potion and a few iron weapons, as well as some fur that looks to be what the bandits were wearing. I leave the weapons and the furs. To confront the wall.
It's been calling this whole time, the chanting of hero's becoming me to take the power recorded on its surface. I can hear men and women from ages past in that wall but I hesitate. It all feels too real and I know that the moment I take my birthright the draugr overlord will burst from his sarcophagus to challenge me. I don't even need the wall to claim a great power, I could walk away and come back with something even greater.
My hand touches the word wall before I can stop myself. The chanting reaches a crescendo as the word passes unto me. I now know Fus, or Force. I knew it before, from the game, but now it's different. All the other words on this wall are meaningless to me except for Force. The words here aren't in English letters, it's all chicken scratches, but Fus is somehow legible even though I never study the language on earth. It's a surreal experience that glues me to the wall.
Hiss. Pop. THUD.
The sarcophagus is open and its occupant has risen.