Dragon Lairs and Dwemer Ruins

After leaving Darkwater Crossing, I was unable to find the falls where Derkeethus disappeared. In my search, I ended up further down the path to Riften than expected, so I decided to just continue travelling. I did find time to consult a map, however, and realized that the reason the miners are requesting aid from Windhelm is that Darkwater is, in fact, in southern Eastmarch!

The remaining road to Riften was very eventful. Over the rise of some of the hills, I saw a dragon attacking a mammoth. After some battle, I killed the dragon with the help of the giants nearby, who were none-too-pleased that the dragon had been eating their livestock.

I realized at this point that there was a dragon lair close by and went up to receive the first word of Frost Breath, Fo, from Bonestrewn Crest.

I also discovered the burial mound the dragon had been raised from, empty of its dragon, of course. It was nice to find all of the signs of dragon life near one another-- lair, feeding ground, burial mound. It was very pat and neat. Additionally, there were some iron ore veins nearby.

I continued south and eventually found that the road diverged to the ruins of Mzulft. I didn't enter the main part, but looked around the storeroom, where I found numerous materials for melting into ore (I did not take them, due to weight constrictions) and a glowing shard, which launched a side quest to identify it. I was intending to go to Markarth to do so, but realized that I had just looted a book, The Aetherium Wars, from the body of an adventurer outside, and it helped me identify the shard as an Aetherium Shard. It looks like a quarter of the whole, and the next should be in Arkngthamz, near (yes) Markarth.

The glowing shard. I love the Dwemer.

Very shortly after leaving the ruins, I was set on by hired thugs, who Hroggar from Morthal had apparently hired to kill me, for stealing from his home (with the Jarl's permisison, I might add) in my attempt to bring his vampire girlfriend to justice. Also, didn't I kill him?

Regardless, I killed the thugs, took the contract so I would know who to bother when I returned to Morthal, and continued ever-southward. I detoured off the path again to Northwind Mine, an iron mine with few deposits, but it proved a shortcut to Northwind Summit, a dragon lair. After having to do a quick cheat to make Lydia actually traverse the cave, since she chose not to accompany for reasons unknown, she engaged the dragon at close combat while I provided a steady stream of flames. Soon, the dragon was dead, I had the first word of the Aura Whisper shout, Laas, and a nearby chest revealed Meridia's Beacon.

Ah, will Daedric quests ever stop following me? Lookin' at you, Barbas. Go away.

Meridia, however, is one of my favorite of the Daedric Princes. She is... uncompromising, unflinching power. She doesn't see shades of gray, which makes sense, as she is only light. If I reunite her beacon to her shrine, the weapon she gives is glorious-- Dawnbreaker, a sword that brings hell to the undead.

Meridia must not realize that I'm a vampire as well. I have to get rid of it-- it really is a curse, and severely cripples my combat skills. I had to use numerous magicka potions with the dragon, and nearly died, since my magic didn't regenerate during the daytime. There are no noticeable perks, either, since the powers it gives are pitiful.

I was nearing Riften after this, thank the gods, and the pathway ran through Shor's Watch, where the watchmen had been killed by Imperial soldiers, and Shor's Stone, which is a mining community situated over Redbelly Mine. Annekke and Verner's daughter, Sylgja, lives here, where she works the mine and apparently brings other miners their food. I have no doubt that Annekke is less than pleased with her daughter's backseat role, but Sylgja can't be more than eighteen, considering how young her mother is. She asked me to bring her parents some letters, since she had been injured recently, and though a Priest of Mara had healed her before heading to Dawnstar, she still feels poorly.

I had intended to just do a quick run into the mine to see what was in there, but was surprised to find myself attacked by Frostbite Spiders! I killed them all, and looked around town to see if anyone knew this, and was rewarded with almost a thousand gold coins when one of the miners realized what I had done.

I continued on, and eventually reached the gates of Riften.