Atreyu’s Photo Diary – Skyrim Part 32

Part 31 Here
Chapter List Here

WARNING: ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM SPOILERS!

Dragonborn: Warrior, Explorer, Mystic, Friend of Daedra and Tribe Leader

Neloth showed me his control cube, which allowed him to access functions of the Dwemer constructs. This control device lowered the water level in the room.

He had only one and told me we would need at least four in order to lower the water enough to reach the steam mechanisms and start them up.
I took his one and we went in search of more.

The first was wonderfully easy to find and was powering a trap.

Removing the obstacle, we were set upon by Dwemer guardians.

Together we handled them comfortably.
The next room was a large hall which had a number of centurions lining the walls.

I could only imagine that fiddling with things in here would awaken them. We lowered the water level with our two cubes so we could explore.
I was right.

That along with spiders and spheres caused us a little distraction while we looked for a way to reach more cubes.
Neloth had his ash guardian assist him.

I could see a cube behind some bars. How to reach it was the problem.

Behind the door must be a passage to it, but how to reach the door?

I took one of the cubes which was keeping the water level down and used it on the activation device here, which raised some convenient stairs.

The cube was in our hands so we needed to move on. Removing it had caused more water to flood in.

I grabbed the other cube, which flooded the room to the point that we could swim out at a higher point than we came in.

Of course, more Dwemer constructs awaited us.


The last cube was another easy grab.

As we made the round trip to return to the main hall we were attacked by a construct I had not seen before.

Back in the main hall Neloth pointed out that we needed to lower the water a little more so we could search the northern section of the ruin and find more control cubes.

The doorway led to a large room where we would hopefully locate two more cubes.

In here there were a number of traps.

Experience had taught me to avoid them and keep an eye out for pressure plates.

Sidling around the plate I was pleased that I had not caused myself any harm in gaining it.
However, grabbing it caused the room to flood.

I feared that I might drown here, but fortunately the water level did not reach the ceiling.

Having now gained the two cubes from this room, we went back to the main chamber and began activating the steam machines.

Neloth waited out of harms way as I arranged the cubes.

I lowered the water level to the ground so I could have a look around and discovered a weapon made of unusual material.

Having activated all of the steam pumps, a Centurion Master revealed itself and attacked.

I smote it on the rocks below.

Neloth and I could now retrieve what we had come for. We went back to the reading room. Neloth was eager to get at the book.

I pushed the button and the book raised from its casing.

We approached it together but Neloth stepped back and told me to read it. He was wary of danger and preferred that I test it first.

I opened the book called Epistolary Acumen and began to read. As before I was dragged into another place. This time I was on my feet and not dazed. Fortunate.

Immediately Hermaeus Mora appeared to me and told me that I was in his library: Apocrypha. He remembered me from our previous meeting and seemed happy to see me again.

He told me that I would be able to learn powerful secrets here and that if I wished to leave I would have to read the counterpart of the Black Book that had brought me here.

It was a truly strange place. Pages swirled about in unseen winds above and around weird decorations.

All about was a thick sludge that seemed to be teeming with fearsome creatures.

I dared not step into the ‘water’.
Unusual mechanisms controlled bridges which allowed me to explore further.

I was able to travel about the daedric plane by reading pages from certain books which were left open.

I did not know what secrets I would find here, but was sure that the place held a great many.

Of course, the peace did not last long as I found my path blocked by Seekers and Lurkers.

Fighting my way through a few of those and using the contraptions to traverse the plane I gradually made progress. I discovered my first helpful secret.

I could turn their own weapons against them!
At the highest point of the place I found the Black Book’s counterpart.

I began to read it, looking for the secrets it held.

Hermaeus Mora appeared to be again.

Pleased with my progress, he taught me the second word to the Bend Will shout that I had been using to cleanse the stones.
However, he would only tell me the third and final word if I could bring him knowledge in return. He wanted me to discover the secrets of the Skaal for him.
He seemed to want me to become greater than Miraak, which I appreciated, but I did not much like the idea of serving a daedric prince. I would have to find out what these secrets were and work out for myself if I thought I should share them.

Before transporting back to Solstheim, I learned the Dragonborn Flame which allowed me to use my Fire Breath shout to cause a fire wyrm to emerge from defeated enemies.

On my return, Neloth began asking questions about what I had seen.

I told him what happened. He suggested I do what Hermaeus had asked, assuming that the only secret the Skaal could have would be related to skinning horkers. Having seen their magic for myself, I was not so sure.

We were done here, so we left. Immediately, we were set upon by a dragon by the name Krosulhah.

Together we fought it.

It proved little threat.

As I stood by to absorb its soul, suddenly Miraak appeared and robbed it from me.

I went for him, but he disappeared without seeming to take a hit.

Neloth and I went our separate ways, he back home and I north.

I decided to stop first at the Beast Stone before passing through the Skaal village.
As I neared it I noticed what looked like an inn in a state of disrepair.

Thinking little of it, I continued to pass by when I heard a strange voice call to me. When I looked, I saw it was one of the little creatures that before had been nothing but hostile.

It was croaking out what sounded like my language, asking me to follow him. I was curious, so I obliged.

The little man led me inside the inn – Thirsk Mead Hall.

Inside were a large number of other Rieklings.

The one I had spoken to led me to their chief.

He could speak a fair bit better than the first one and told me that he had recognised that I was strong. He wished that I would help his tribe.
Remembering that trapped at the beast stone were a number of these people, I thought it might be a good idea to get them on side rather than be forced to slaughter them as soon as I freed them.

The first favour he asked of me was to lure back their prize animal Bilgemuck, that had gone missing. He assured me the animal would follow me if I gave him some meat.
All I had with me was a little clam meat. I hoped that it would be suitable.

Bilgemuck turned out to be one of the boar-like creatures I had encountered before.

The clam meat pleased him and he followed me back to the inn. The tribe was eagerly awaiting his return.

I told the chief I had brought him home and he was pleased, but immediately tasked me with a second favour. He wanted ten samples of scathecraw for a religious ritual.

This felt like a long drawn out thing, but fortunately I just happened to be carrying the right amount. I passed it over.

Thinking that this would be enough for them, I was surprised when the chief asked one last favour. He said I would be rewarded if I helped him by being made a member of the tribe.
He told me that a group of Nords had been bothering them and they wanted them wiped out. I was wary of killing for this cause. After all I was doing this to avoid slaughter. I reasoned that the Nords were most likely bandits or reavers anyway and agreed to help the rieklings.
Ready for battle, the tribe set out.
It certainly felt odd charging at their side.

One of the Nords they were after was alone fighting a frost troll when we found her.
The rieklings swarmed over them.

Closer to the shore was the Nord camp where the other four were found. They were overwhelmed by the little foes.

As they attempted to get away, they found I blocked their passage and so it fell to me to finish them all.

With the Nords beaten, the rieklings happily began their walk back to the inn, except for their chief.
I thought he was waiting to thank me for my help. It turned out he was having second thoughts about me.
He feared that I was too strong and was a threat to his leadership. I told him I was not interested, but he said that it was the way of his people that the strongest member of the tribe should lead. He thought I would kill him, just as he had killed his previous chief.
He attacked me wanting to prove he was the more powerful.

As I cut him down I had a feeling that helping the tribe might have been a bad decision..

I walked back up the hillside, planning to continue my original idea of going to the Beast stone.
It had been an odd turn of events, but I now found myself the chief of the riekling tribe.
As such, I recruited one of the warriors to come with me.

The Beast Stone was not far off.

Part 33 ‘Standing Stones, Servants and Sunken Treasure’ Here
Chapter List Here