Part 22 Here
Chapter List Here
WARNING: ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM SPOILERS!
Secrets, Subterfuge and Soul Trap
It was time to go back to Fort Dawnguard, so we set out. As we approached Riften, we conveniently caught up with the Moth Priest Dexion Evicus, so we walked together.
As though we didn’t have enough of importance to be dealing with, as we drew nearer Dawnguard I was once again attacked by the strange cultists.
Whoever they were, they seemed extremely keen to see an end to me.
The fools defeated, we neared the end of our walk. I noticed an ash pile outside the cavern passageway that led to Fort Dawnguard.
I hoped it wasn’t M’aiq.
Once again, Vampire scouts were spying on the Fort and attempted to stop us reaching it.
Our band was not to be hindered by scouts however and we eventually successfully escorted the Priest into the fort to meet Isran.
We wasted no time presenting him with the scroll which he keenly read.
It mentioned looking for a powerful weapon: Auriel’s Bow.
We also learned that we would need two more Elder Scrolls to learn the entire prophecy, one regarding Dragons and one about Blood of mortals.
I knew where to find the Dragon scroll, having previously sold it to Urag at Winterhold.
As for the second, Serana had an idea of where to look for it.
Her mother probably kept it with her for safety and may still have it. The only clue to her whereabouts was that she had gone somewhere that Harkon would never look.
We guessed that she was hiding in Castle Volkihar, their home, the one place she would least likely hide.
Before leaving I spoke with Sorine, who advised me that it might be a good idea to find and recruit a man called Florentius, who was a Priest of Arkay.
She mentioned that Isran would not be happy about the idea, but he would have to be asked as he was the only one who may have an idea of his location.
I then gave her the schematic she had wanted, which allowed us to upgrade my crossbow.
So, at her suggestion, I spoke to Isran, who as expected was unhappy about bringing back Florentius, but agreed seeing that the situation was beyond his own personal feelings.
He told me that I might find him helping Vigilants of Stendarr at an excavation site called Ruunvald.
Before leaving, I purchased another troll from Gunmar.
Our first port of call was Winterhold. I decided finding the scrolls was more pressing than getting in touch with a priest who could be found on the return journey.
I wondered how the mages felt about me bringing two Daedra, a vampire and a troll into their library.
I spoke to Urag about buying back the Elder Scroll.
He wasn’t surprised that I had changed my mind and wanted it back. He asked for 4,000 gold in payment. I gave him 2,000 and reminded him that I was the Archmage.
With one scroll retrieved, it was time to find the other.
Serana had said that there was a secret back entrance into the Castle which would lead to her mothers Courtyard. She would likely be hiding there as Harkon had never show interest in the place.
The group including Snowberry sailed to the island.
We silently crept along the shore to find the passage Serana had spoken of.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that it was guarded by some form.
Inside was little better. More skeletons gave way to a feral vampire who had trained a number of death hounds to serve her.
The hounds had gotten the better of my troll.
The passages were full of bones. It was horrible.
Of course, these dark corners would not be complete without a giant spider.
Serana and I reached the courtyard, which was in a greater state of disrepair than she remembered.
She showed me the garden that her mother used to tend…
..and the moondial, a piece of artwork her mother had built in place of a more traditional sundial.
We quickly noticed that some pieces were missing. Perhaps repairing the moondial would reveal something. We scouted around and found the parts.
Replacing them revealed a secret passage. Most likely leading to the place we were looking for.
We entered a large hall where dead sat as though ready for a meal.
My instinct told me that they wouldn’t remain dead for long. I was right.
So we fought through more skeletons as we explored these rooms and corridors that Serana had no idea existed in her home. We were also faced with gargoyle guardians.
We came to a large room that seemed to have no exit… except one that may be revealed by pulling this chain. I had been doing this long enough to prepare for the gargoyle to spring on me the moment I tugged.
I was right to…
Moving on, this statue seemed out of place..
A room full of gargoyles.. I wondered what were the chances they wouldn’t move.
None. If I was a gambling man..
I took some armour as reward.
Now, we could see no way out of this room, but if we were to follow patterns from before, we should find a secret route.
I used magic to guide the way.
A secret handle disguised as a candle holder.
Inside…
A large research laboratory, clearly the place that Serana’s mother had been hiding. We could see a number of clues suggesting a master necromancer… skulls… bone powder… soul gems.
If we could find her notes, perhaps we could find where she had gone.
They weren’t hard to locate.
So she had gone into the Soul Cairn.. whatever that was.
Hopefully in the room we would find the ingredients needed to activate the portal and follow Valerica. Luckily, she had left extra around her study.
The final ingredient, a sample of her blood, would have been impossible to gain, had Serana not been her daughter, sharing her blood.
The gateway opened.
It was time to venture into it.
I walked into the light and as I closed in, I felt it burn. Light filled my eyes and I did not move.
I went nowhere. As the pain continued, I resolved to step away from it.
Serana suggested that the gate would only accept the dead. As a vampire, she could pass through, but as a mortal, I could not. She suggested that I accept her blood and become a vampire as she was.
Once again, I refused.
She told me the only other option would be for her to partially Soul Trap me. I would be weakened with half a soul, but sufficiently dead to enter the Soul Cairn.
I reconsidered the vampire option.
Weighing my options, I opted to be soul trapped. Serana thought there may be a way while inside to retrieve my lost soul piece. I held on to that hope and let her soul trap me.
I felt my strength drop, but now we were ready to go in.
Part 24 ‘The Soul Cairn and it’s Keepers’ Here
Chapter List Here
