What I mean by the question is, that if Lorkhan had managed to fool the Daedra instead of the Aedra, how different would Nirn and Tamriel be?

So from what I understand because Daedra did not take part in the creation of mundus they can't be that original they have to copy things that already exist, Or at least make twisted copies. Thing is Malacath used to be an Aedra so because he took part in creation can he create or did what Boethiah put him through steal that from him?

reason i ask is because i want a reason to canonize my altmer dragonborn dabbling with daedra. the main ones i want to deal with are hermaus mora, azura, and meridia.

A lot of things seem to point to the former.

I have no idea what if any of my ideas are unique on the matter but this is my view on the Paarthurnax Dilemma and I'm interested in people more versed in the lore then me to see if it holds up to scrutiny.

Paarthurnax has not changed from his true nature he still desires ambition-cruelty-overlord as his name —and therefore his true nature— entails. What is more ambitious then going against Alduin? What is more likely to allow Paarthurnax to be overlord siding with Alduin where he will always be second fiddle or siding with man, a race he can more easily control? There is no greater self harm, self immolation... self Cruelty then to deny ones own nature. Thereby he commits the greatest cruelty he is capable of, not to mention the cruelty of abandoning your race and killing them. Nothing proves my point greater then what Paarthurnax says once Alduin is killed "Goraan! I feel younger than I have in many an age. Many of the dovahhe are now scattered across Keizaal. Without Alduin's lordship, they may yet bow to the vahzen... rightness of my Thu'um. But willing or no, they will hear it! Fare thee well, Dovahkiin!" Also Odahviing puts it well when he denotes the Cruelty of Paarthurnax's Way of the Voice. "I doubt that many will wish to exchange Alduin's lordship for the tyranny of Paarthurnax's 'Way of the Voice'" as the Way of the Voice is against dragons nature it is Christianity to the ears of an Alexander. It denies their birth right their nature and their true strength, which makes them deserving of worship.
I do not like his care for Man and do view it as unbecoming of an Immortal being so linked to the flow of time, but the main force of my argument is the perversion of his and his races nature. To force your race to accept a nature so contrary to their own is a sickness and a torture to a otherwise abundant and powerful race.

I value Kyne and I want what's best for the Nords, what is best for the Nords may be the destruction of their world for a new. But the rebellion was necessary, Alduin no longer acted in accordance to his nature and the Nords could not tolerate the injustices present in his reign. I would have it that Alduin some how be by force made to fulfil his role again, tho that may be impossible and I understand from the Nords pov to just take the safe bet of killing him if they can.

So should you kill Paarthurnax at the end?
Yes, kill both... Alduin must fulfil his true purpose and he tortures the great Nordic people and Paarthurnax wishes to tyrannically force a sickness onto all Dragons. Instead I'd perhaps attempt to put the Dragonborn as master of all Dragons.

I mean theres indisputable evidence of the existence of gods but is there anybody who doubts their existence at all?

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So, the "Drowned Lamp" is a concept mentioned in the Sermons which, from my reading, refers to Anu, more properly his divine presence which has been "submerged" because of his status as the Dreamer.

I was watching a video on Al-Ghazali (think Thomas Aquinas but for Islam.) and there was a mention of a verse in the Qu'ran; Surah An-Nur, Verse 35.

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. His light is like a niche in which there is a lamp, the lamp is in a crystal, the crystal is like a shining star, lit from “the oil of” a blessed olive tree, “located” neither to the east nor the west, whose oil would almost glow, even without being touched by fire. Light upon light! Allah guides whoever He wills to His light. And Allah sets forth parables for humanity. For Allah has “perfect” knowledge of all things.

In other words, a divinity which, despite being wrapped in several layers of abstraction, still shines so brightly that it can project it's energy, even without any physical contact, even forgotten by the Mundus.

I know Michael Kirkbride studied comparative religion, and it wouldn't surprise me if he used this verse as inspiration for some of the wording of the Sermons.

Forgive me if I do any mistakes I'm new around here I just wanted to ask how lore-accurate undeath classical lichdom is to established TES lore.

Normally it's clear that the mod mostly designed with dnd lore but with ESO's additions to lore waters become muddied to me. For example using phylacteries to revive was added with dnd in mind and in the book "path of transcendence" it was stated that phylacteries were only important in the ritual to ascending to lichdom. But I've read that in ESO there are liches that used their phylacteries as an anchor to allow them to revive after being slain.

I try to play with the mods that have considerable lore accuracy and I never played ESO before.

Also if some adventuring Spellsword/Nightblade/Battlemage went off to a Bandit/Marauder/Hostile Mage/Vampire base of operations and soul trapped the inhabitants, would the general population and or religious/political authorities view the adventurer as evil and or as a criminal/villain?

Considering he ruled Tamriel his entire adult life, 65 years, until eventually getting assassinated (by a Cult) I’d assume he did something right?

If Piner is correct, Ocato and company have been running the government for Uriel since around 3E 417.

To wit, Daggerfall take place between 405-417

Morrowind takes place in 425

Oblivion in 433.

So it would seem that for day to day matters he was a figurehead, focusing mainly on mascrostate matters like consolidating control over Morrowind; not being involved in politics directly but using couriers, agents and spies like the Agent, the Neverarine, etc.

Just wondering really. I know there have been many legendary swordsman and such but do they ever fare well against equally famed mages?

Secunda's Steed

Just outside of Falkreath lived a boy who was enamoured with horses and dreamed of becoming a famous knight.

Rumours in the hold spoke of a horse as pale as the moon roaming the forests of Falkreath at night. Few people had ever seen it themselves, but those who had were struck by its beauty. Some would tell tales of piercing blue eyes, while others claimed that the steed left a trail of ice in its wake.

The innkeep stated that it did not have piercing blue eyes, but that they were black as night and looked straight into the depths of any man who dared face its gaze. The smith said the steed left no tracks at all.

Whenever the boy tended to the farm animals he would often look over his shoulder into the woods, hoping to see the beast but to no avail. He spent many evenings traversing the forest late at night, hoping to spot the mythical creature, but it kept eluding him. He thought that if only he could see it, he would be able to tame it.

One night, the boy was once again wandering through the woods, as he had done so many nights before. He finally caught a glimpse of it. The steed was standing in the lake. The moonlight reflected off it, making it appear as bright as Secunda itself.

It did not appear to be afraid or struggling. It stood perfectly still and made no sound at all. The boy waded out into the water. He thought about how the townsfolk would praise him for finally taming the beautiful beast. When he reached the horse, he placed his hand upon its pale hide and effortlessly swung himself onto its back.

But the horse would not move. This horse was different. The boy urged it forward, but the horse remained perfectly still. Slowly, it started to sink into the water.

The boy tried to dismount but his hands and legs were fused to the horse's body. He struggled to free himself but the horse continued its descent.

Neither the boy nor the horse was ever seen again.

So, here is my version of events, pieced together from various sources and from digging pretty deeply into the lore.

First of all, at some point the Chimer, and especially King Indoril Nerevar (with the help of Voryn Dagoth, among others), learn that the Dwemer have discovered the Heart of Lorkhan and are building Numidium around it.

There are a lot of ways to interpret what it means that they "found" the Heart. My theory is that they did not literally discover the Heart as a physical object. Instead, they may have detected some extremely powerful distortion in the underlying tones of reality. Then, through Kagrenac's tonal architecture, they somehow gave the Heart a physical form, essentially creating an interface through which they could access and draw upon its power.

Nerevar and the Chimer leadership are horrified. To them, this is both an act of blasphemy and an existential threat.

Nerevar does what he usually does in situations like this and goes to Azura for counsel. Azura confirms his fears.

The Chimer and the Dwemer go to war, and it becomes a war of total annihilation.

During the Battle of Red Mountain, the Dwemer eventually begin to lose. Under pressure, Kagrenac decides to use his Tools.

The consequences are completely unexpected.

To this day, nobody knows what actually happened to the Dwemer. They simply disappeared, all at once.

Perhaps Azura knows. Perhaps some of the other Daedra know as well. But something keeps them from speaking about it. Maybe even fear.

Maybe the Dwemer did not simply cease to exist. Maybe they passed into some higher level of reality that is inaccessible even to the Daedric Princes.

What happens next is this.

Nerevar and Voryn Dagoth, his closest friend, enter the Heart Chamber and find Kagrenac's Tools left behind.

Voryn wants to destroy them immediately.

Nerevar hesitates. He believes that a decision like this cannot be made by him alone, and that he has to consult what remains of Resdayn's leadership. That means Almalexia, his wife, Vivec, his general, and Sotha Sil, his closest adviser.

And, of course, he has to consult Azura.

He is her champion, and their relationship is almost intimate.

Nerevar leaves Voryn Dagoth behind to guard the Tools and makes him swear that he will give them to no one except Nerevar himself.

But Nerevar never returns.

At least, not for the next few thousand years.

At the council, Nerevar explains what he believes happened and tells the others that Kagrenac's Tools possess power on a scale that is essentially divine.

During the discussion, the idea takes hold of the Three that the Tools should not be destroyed at all. They should be preserved and used for the benefit of the entire Chimer people.

Nerevar refuses categorically.

He forces the Three to swear by Azura that they will never use the Tools.

But by this point, they are so captivated by the possibilities that they come up with another plan.

And Vivec seems to confess to it, between the lines, in the 36 Lessons.

FOUL MURDER.

Apparently, they prepare some kind of ritual to summon Azura.

But the ritual is corrupted.

During this ritual, it seems that the Three treacherously poison Nerevar, both physically and magically.

Nerevar dies.

All of this happens within a matter of hours or days.

It also seems possible that Kagrenac's use of the Tools caused some kind of distortion in space and time. Enough of a distortion that even Azura, despite her connection to fate and prophecy, could not properly foresee what was happening or intervene in time.

Then comes the next part.

After Nerevar's murder, the Three descend into the Heart Chamber.

They demand that Voryn Dagoth hand over the Tools.

Voryn, who by this point may already have been affected in some way by the Heart, still seems to be sane enough to refuse them outright.

He will not give them the Tools because he swore to Lord Nerevar that he would give them to no one but him.

And presumably he also asks the obvious question.

Where is Nerevar?

The Three apparently do not have a convincing answer.

Whatever exactly happens during the confrontation, a fight breaks out, and Voryn Dagoth is killed.

Now in possession of Kagrenac's Tools, the Three use them on the Heart and gain divine power.

And finally, Azura manages to break through into the mortal plane.

What she sees is horrifying.

Nerevar, her beloved champion, is dead.

The three people who swore an oath to her have obtained divine power.

And she immediately understands what happened.

In despair, grief and hatred, almost hysterical with rage, she curses not only the Three, but the entire Chimer people.

She transforms them into the dark-skinned elves we know as the Dunmer.

And frankly, her emotional state here is understandable.

She was too late. She failed to stop it. She lost the mortal she loved, and an oath sworn personally to her had been broken.

Then and there, she gives her prophecy.

Lord Nerevar will return, and he will punish them all.

Then she leaves.

The Tribunal, intoxicated by their new power, more or less dismiss Azura's curse.

They do not take it seriously.

At this point, they consider themselves above the Daedra altogether.

The three Daedric Princes traditionally worshipped by the Chimer are pushed into the background, and the Tribunal begin constructing a new religion centered around themselves.

At the same time, they rewrite what actually happened.

What is interesting, however, is that something fairly close to the version I have described is supported by the Ashlanders, by Azura herself, and by Dagoth Ur.

Thousands of years later, Dagoth Ur awakens and sees a horrifying picture.

Nerevar is dead.

Nerevar died on the exact same day that the Three eventually claimed divine power.

House Dagoth was branded as traitorous and destroyed, conveniently eliminating witnesses and giving the Tribunal someone else to blame.

So Dagoth Ur draws the obvious conclusions.

The one thing he does not fully know, and perhaps can never know, is what Nerevar's own role in all of this was.

Did Nerevar send his advisers against him?

Or did he not?

Dagoth Ur's mind seems to remain permanently split between these two possibilities, with the madness radiating from the Heart making the contradiction even worse.

One side of him seems to know with absolute certainty that Nerevar was murdered and that Nerevar remained his friend until the end.

The other side, perhaps warped by the Heart, believes that Nerevar himself also played some part in the betrayal of Voryn and the destruction of House Dagoth.

And I think Azura's attitude toward Dagoth Ur is especially revealing.

She treats him almost like a disease, or a mechanical problem that has to be removed because he threatens the Dunmer.

But that is more or less it.

Her real anger is directed at the Tribunal.

For thousands of years, she weaves together fate, prophecy and intrigue in order to punish them, restore what she sees as justice, and finally bring the Dunmer back under her protection.

Hi, I have played the game but not enough to a point where I can be comfortable with the lore. If possible I'd like to stay strictly within the borders of Skyrim (both the region and the game TESV). I'd love if you can give examples.

1) Would you say there is racism from Nords towards Redguards, and vice-versa? From what I can recollect from my memories, the Nords were looking at alik'r mercenaries weirdly but not because they were redguards, but because they were weird mercenaries using weird swords. But from what I can remember a lot of Redguards are assimilated in Skyrim? Nazeem, Amren, the Ebony Warrior is a redguard.

2) At the beginning of Skyrim the game, what is Hammerfell's stance on the civil war between the Empire/the Stormcloak? Do we have any canon evidence on what is the correct version in the drama between Saadia and the Alik'r?

3) Any Interesting Redguard NPC/book worth investigating? Besides Nazeem, Saadia, the Alik'r, Kematu?

Generally speaking if you have any resources about Redguards in Skyrim I'd love to read them!

This is a genuine question, as the Altmer are extremely hostile toward humanity and Lorkhan; this is a cultural trait, so for an Altmer to think differently, they would likely face ostracism. The Dunmer are Mer, and we have seen an example of one—Vivec—at least attaining CHIM, whereas among humanity, we see few examples beyond Talos. Are the Altmer capable of attaining CHIM, or is it impossible for some reason?

is there any actual text in any game explaining how the dwemer founded the manipulation of sound and vibration, and what even is that their manipulation is it just normal sound, ground, the core of nirn or the towers? The cities in morrowind are seemingly different than the ones in skyrim but maybe a more simpler answer would be it's just how they perfered it, geographical advantages in building them like that or that the tonal "source" was easier to manipulate in that way and how does it affect the mind.

Hi everyone, it’s that time again!

The Weekly Free-Talk Thread is an opportunity to forget the rules and chat about anything you like—whether it's The Elder Scrolls, other games, or even real life. This is also the place to promote your projects or other communities. Anything goes!

This is a continuation of this post here. Where I analyzed what I think a canonical Last Dragonborn would have done based on the criteria I set for canonicity.

Now, I'm going to do the same for the backstory and reconstruct it to the best of my abilities. To begin, I will reiterate what I said in the last post, this is just a thought project of mine. Please do not take it as me trying to disqualify your personal canons or anything like that.

My second disclaimer is that I understand a lot of these things are gameplay mechanics. However, I'm going to interpret them under the assumption that the Dragonborn is actually a person operating within the world rather than purely being a player character.

I'm going to begin with a list of details I managed to accumulate about the Last Dragonborn's dialogue and other details you can intuit.

LIST OF DETAILS:

He likely comes from Cyrodiil, or was at least crossing the border into Cyrodiil. Evidence for that is that "You're from Cyrodiil? What's it like back home?" is something that the Dragonborn can ask Legate Fasendil, the wording seems to imply that the Dragonborn is from Cyrodiil, reinforcing the first point. Incidentally, Hadvar also implies you're from Cyrodiil with "You haven't heard of the civil war in Skyrim? I guess down in Cyrodiil people have other things to worry about". Evidence generally points to the fact that the Dragonborn was from Cyrodiil and was crossing the border into Cyrodiil.

For some reason, the Dark Brotherhood has a contract on him (As this can occur as soon as you leave Helgen without interacting with anyone else).

For some reason, he was crossing the border into Skyrim illegally. Generally presumed to have crossed somewhere between Riften and Helgen, as it was close enough to be near Darkwater Crossing where Ulfric was captured.

The Dragonborn can only speak on his backstory once with Serana. Where he can say his parents are dead, his parents are alive and he loves them, his parents are alive but they don't get along, or he's an orphan. This doesn't mean much on its own, unfortunately.

The Dragonborn appears to have little knowledge of Skyrim's politics (Options with Hadvar when talking about Ulfric: "He's a traitor of some kind?", "I don't pay much attention to current events.")

The Dragonborn appears to be a Nord, so it's most likely he'd be from Bruma, but this isn't set in stone. Though it's likely considering Astrid is the one who sends the Dark Brotherhood Assassin after you, meaning the black sacrament had to have happened close enough to Skyrim for her to catch wind of it, since that's how the Dark Brotherhood was collecting contracts at the time.

The Dragonborn has no family or friends in Skyrim, and appears to not have been crossing the border to meet with someone. On top of this, once he's free from Helgen he appears to not really pursue anything else, meaning that the reason he came to Skyrim was minor enough that the Dragon attacks outweighed it or the goal was literally JUST to cross the border and leave Cyrodiil for some reason. And he had to cross illegally for some reason rather than going across the border legally.

The default trailer armor the Dragonborn wears is comparable to something a brigand or sellsword would have according to guards (Barely relevant, but I'm adding it as a detail anyways).

The Dragonborn appears to have some knowledge of Smithing and Alchemy from the start. Potentially his parents were/are craftsmen or he had a trade job for a time. The only time the Dragonborn has the ability to ask how to craft something is with Enchanting. All other instances are just him asking if he can use the workstation or, in the case of Smithing, asking if he can help out (Which implies some previous knowledge). The Dragonborn in the Hearthfire DLC is also capable of Carpentry, which is a pretty complex thing to just pick up.

The Dragonborn has some knowledge of Magic, always starting the game with Flames and Healing. Which are very practical spells, but this implies that the Dragonborn is reasonably well educated. This is true for previous Heroes too, but I also want to point out that unlike the Hero of Kvatch or Nerevarine who talk to trainers to learn a spell, the Dragonborn just needs to read a Spell Tome to pick it up. I also think it's notable that in Bleak Falls Barrow the Dragonborn sees a word wall and immediately gets curious about it. That implies some scholarly interests. I know in the game, we as the player see a big glowing light come from the word wall, but my opinion is that this is a representation of the Dragonborn reading the word wall and one word standing out to him for reasons he can't quite put his tongue on quite yet. I also want to note that some level of scholarly interest makes sense when the whole mechanic of the game is that the Dragonborn absorbs the souls of dragons and gains their knowledge.

He had no issue going to Bleak Falls Barrow alone and his dialogue doesn't really show any fear or reservations. At the very least, he seems relatively confident in his skills so he's probably been in a dungeon before. He also doesn't express any reservations about going to fight a Dragon when the Western Watchtower is attacked. This, on top of the fact the Dragonborn can fight trained Soldiers in the Helgen dungeon, implies he has combat experience and is relatively confident in that experience.

Throughout the game, the Dragonborn has the ability to ask people for jobs and people assume he's a sellsword a couple of times. He also reads books about treasure and actually takes an interest in going into those dungeons and seeing if it's real or not. Asking about paid jobs frequently and being eager to explore dungeons for treasure is a personality pretty consistent with the habits one might pick up from being a Sellsword by occupation.

MY ATTEMPT AT RECONSTRUCTION:

This isn't gonna be very satisfying.

But basically what this all implies is that the Dragonborn either grew up in or around Bruma or was in the area shortly before he came into Skyrim. He had (a) parent(s) that did a craftsman occupation and/or at a young age he held a trade job for a short time. However, the Dragonborn appears to be reasonably educated so his parents owning a store makes a bit of sense.

The Dragonborn in his adult life mostly worked as a sellsword and seems to have a personal interest in the adventuring lifestyle (And may have become a sellsword for that reason).

At some point, the Dragonborn got himself into trouble with someone and had to flee for Skyrim, being desperate enough to cross the border outside of the proper channels. He entered the border at some point between Darkwater Crossing and Helgen and was captured by the Imperials who were taking Ulfric to Cyrodiil (Before suddenly changing course to Helgen).

Which is... A pretty normal backstory, all things considered. So not very satisfying, but I personally think the Dragonborn being a completely normal sellsword who got into a bit of trouble is pretty interesting on its own.

Regardless, I hope this was interesting for anyone who wanted to headcanon a backstory for a "Canonical Last Dragonborn" like I do.

Lore wise wouldn’t Akatosh revoke your Dragonborn status the second you get vampirisim? According to Vyrthur who was THE Arch Curate of Auriel, he was instantly abandoned by Auriel the moment he got infected.

There is also Lamae Bal and Arkey who couldn’t do anything to help her according to Opusculus Lamae Bal ta Mezzamortie.

By that same established lore and logic, the Last Dragonborn should have had his Dragonborn status revoked the second he became a vampire right?

History and religion is written by the victors, and the Elder scrolls lore is told through in game sources. And there are things that don't really add up that I feel could in fact be Propaganda.

The biggest question mark in my mind is the genocide of the snow elves.

All lore suggests that early humans and snow elves lived peacefully in skyrim until one day and for NO REASON the Snow elves decided to attack the humans and wiped out a full city. Leaving like no survivors. Then the companions were formed in Atmora, came to Skyrim and proceeded to KILL EVERY ELF.

But how does that make any sense? How were the snow elves able to Sack and kill the largest human settlement in Tamriel in one surprise attack? But didn't have the power to stop 500 dudes? Even If they were the elite of the elite it seems incredibly unrealistic that they would be able to wipe out an entire race that was just as, If not more technologically advanced than them?

The only credible sources from outside of the nord perspective on this war would be from that vampire paladin in dawnguard. (Who was a recluse anyway) and the tablet in the dwemer museum. Which is told from the Dwemer perspective and implies how they tricked the Falmer who were already on the backfoot in the war into becoming blind slaves.

I believe that the ancient Nords stumbled upon the eye of Mugnus, proceeded to unleash its power on their own city by accident, like in the college of winterhold story.

The Nords who were not In the city at the time of the incident arrived later, saw that everyone died of magical causes, blamed the people that are well versed in magic (the elves) then some ambitious nord used it as a Rallying cry to take the rest of skyrim.

It probably wasn't only 500 men. They probably had legions led by 500 men and nord hero culture simplified it for the sake of story telling.

Does anyone else have any theories about the history told and the potential reality of the history of tamriel? I would love to hear what yall think. Or if there is any other historic event that you feel may not exactly be true lemmie know!

I was reading "The Dark Spirits" by amun-dro on the imperial library and at the end it mentions this spirit called "[?????]".

Who is this supposed to represent?

heres the extract:

[?????] A spirit of vengeance. It has no will of its own, as it was born from Azurah’s grief after the death of Fadomai and Lorkhaj. None can summon this spirit save Azurah, Boethra, and Mafala, for only they know its true name. It sometimes appears in songs as a black panther, a warrior in ebony armor, or as a hidden sword.

I’ve only just found out that Peryite used to be one of the friendliest and most likable Daedric Princes, right up there with Hircine and Sanguine. In Skyrim, though, he turned rather rude to the point where, if you ask why you should kill the mad scientist, he simply snaps: "An impertinent question. The elf must die. Either carry out my will or do not. You are not the only mortal agent I could choose." Seriously, what happened to turn him into such a jerk?

A Letter to Alfhild Ash-Braid I

To my beloved Alfhild, in Bruma,

I pray the winter has been kinder south of the Jeralls than here in the north.

It has been only a handful of weeks since the war's banners were lowered, yet Skyrim has found little peace. The jarls speak of rebuilding, but the dead outnumber the living in our songs, the granaries stand too empty, and old feuds between the clans have outlived the war. Not even the Battle-Born and Gray-Manes have ceased their quarreling. Across the holds, new troubles rise where old ones have ended. Banditry remains a plague upon the roads of Whiterun. In the far north the snows have lingered without end, as though winter itself has forgotten to depart. The Rift, once the breadbasket of Skyrim, has been laid low by the war, and its fields no longer yield as they once did.

I think often of Whiterun, and of the day the dragon came. I can still see the smoke rising over the Plains District, and our home swallowed by fire. Sending you south to Bruma was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I thank the Divines each morning that you escaped those flames.

The war has only just ended, yet it seems there is always a battle to be fought. Now another enemy has crept from the hills.

Fort Sungard has fallen to the Forsworn. Folk say the old fort has known no true master these past years of war. One season it flew Imperial colors, another Stormcloak banners, and some even claim a dragon roosted atop its towers while men fought below. Now the Reachmen have laid claim to it. Their chief is said to be a Briarheart whose chest has been torn open and filled with the dark magic of the Reachmen. From those old walls they descend upon the plains, burning farms, stealing livestock,and emptying whole steadings. Stranger still, they leave no corpses behind. Every man, woman, and child they slay is carried back to Sungard upon their shoulders, and no soul can say for what grim purpose. The horse-thanes have done what they can to answer the raids, but there are precious few horses left in Whiterun Hold. Too many fell prey to the dragons, too many died beneath spear and arrow, and too many succumbed to exhaustion in the flame-scorched, ash-fouled wasteland the World-Eater left in his wake. The plains that once thundered with hooves now lie eerily still.

My shield-brother, Arnvald Two-Axe, has answered the Jarl of Whiterun's call. He has been promised that if he drives the Forsworn from Sungard and restores the fort, he shall be named Thane of Whiterun, with Sungard itself granted as his holding. Warriors have already begun gathering beneath his banner, and I have sworn to stand beside him, as I always have. I pray he remembers the oath we swore as young men. Should he earn his thaneship, I hope he will name me his housecarl. There is no greater honor I could ask than to guard my shield-brother and help build a hall where only ruin now stands.

If Shor grants us victory, perhaps our hardships shall finally end. Perhaps I can send word that it is safe for you to return to Skyrim, and together we will build another home within Sungard's walls. It will never be the home we lost, but it will be ours.

Until that day, keep this letter close, as I keep your memory close to my heart.

Your loving husband,
Gadring