Day Twenty-Four - Fragments of a Legend
The next morning I settled my bill with the innkeeper at the Winking Skeever and left Solitude for the nearby barrow of Folgunthur. Just in front of the entrance to the barrow I stumbled upon a recently-pitched trio of tents, one of which was sheltering an abandoned journal from the elements. The journal, which had been written by an adventurer named Daynas Varen, revealed that he'd come to Folgunthur with similar intentions to my own - to uncover the truth behind the legend of Gauldur. With Varen's journal in hand, I followed in his footsteps and slipped into the dark caverns of Folgunthur.
I've seen my fair share of barrows since I arrived back in Skyrim, and this one was no different to the others - full of traps, locked doors, and Draugrs. A little way into Folgunthur I came upon the still-warm body of Daynas Varen, slumped over an intricately-shaped lock. Searching his body I found another claw-shaped key, this one fashioned from ivory, and a book of his notes on the legend. It seems Varen managed to dig up a lot more information than myself, going as far as to confirm that Gauldur's sons were responsible for their father's death, stealing and fragmenting his powerful amulet that they might tap into the great Arch-Mage's power. Varen had also located the individual burial grounds of each of Gauldur's sons, as well as Gauldur himself - Jyrik, the first I'd encountered, had been interred at Saarthal, Mikrul was rumoured to be somewhere here, within Folgunthur, and the third son, Sigdis, was sealed within Geirmund's Hall, far to the east near Ivarstead. Their father was supposedly somewhere within Reachwater Rock, not far from Markarth.
With all of this new information in hand, I continued my trek into the depths of Folgunthur. Varen's ivory claw proved very useful in unlocking the barrow's many doors and secrets, and it was not long before I'd found my way into the crypt where Mikrul Gauldurson had been sealed away. With an army of Draugrs at his side he proved a formidable foe, but I was able to cut through his defences and put him down. On his body was another piece of Gauldur's fabled amulet, and another writ of sealing. With two thirds of the amulet in my hands, I made my way out of Folgunthur. As I slipped through the passages towards the exit, I happened upon yet another word wall, this one teaching me a second word for the Frost Breath Shout.
My next destination would be the resting place of Gauldur's third and final son, Geirmund's Hall. However, with evening fast approaching, I decided I would be best off returning to Whiterun for the night and scouring the depths of that crypt the next day. It also enabled me to lessen the weight of my pack and brew a fresh stock of healing potions in preparation for whatever Geirmund's Hall might have in store for me. I spent most of the next morning making my way from Whiterun back to Ivarstead, and from there out to the sunken entrance of the barrow.
Geirmund's Hall proved nowhere near as nightmarish to traverse as the ruins of Saarthal or Folgunthur, but it was still home to many of its own traps and restless undead. As I reached the centre of the dungeon, Sigdis burst forth from his sarcophagus to confront me. His bowmanship and illusory clones made the battle a much more drawn-out affair than it might have been otherwise, but it proved more of an inconvenience than an outright challenge. When I'd slain Sigdis and retrieved the third and final piece of Gauldur's amulet, I made my way out of the barrow and back towards Ivarstead to regroup my thoughts and assess the situation before making my next move.
Reading back over Varen's notes, I was reminded of Reachwater Rock - the place where Gauldur himself was rumoured to be entombed, and the only place mentioned in these notes that I've yet to visit. Varen mentioned he was hoping to re-forge the mystical amulet - perhaps the secret to doing so is interred at Reachwater Rock, along with its original owner? There is only one way to find out. I spent the rest of my afternoon travelling from Ivarstead to Falkreath, an uneventful journey disturbed only by an encounter with a courier delivering yet another of those anonymous letters - this time pointing me towards Valthume, a barrow not too far from Reachwater Rock. I arrived in Falkreath by late evening and immediately checked into a room at the Dead Man's Drink. Tomorrow I intend to explore both Valthume and Reachwater Rock, and unearth whatever spoils await me in both locations. Until then,
Ever Honest,
Lenah'd Retsmek
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Previous Episodes
- Day Twenty-Three - Secrets Beneath the Sleeping City
- Day Twenty-Two - A Gray-Mane Saved and a Mage Made
- Day Twenty-One - Whiterun Errands and a Missing Gray-Mane
- Day Twenty - Search for the White Phial
- Day Nineteen - Siding With the Stormcloaks
- Day Eighteen - Two Sides of the Same Septim
- Day Seventeen - Tracking the Telvanni Line
- Day Sixteen - Finding Lost Books and Lost Words
- Day Fifteen - The Axe and the Masque
- Day Fourteen - A Daedra and His Dog
- Day Thirteen - Treason and Betrayal
- Day Twelve - Counsel from the Greybeards
- Day Eleven - Old Towns, New Faces
- Day Ten - New Thu'um, New House
- Day Nine - Retrieving the Star
- Day Eight - Azura's Champion
- Day Seven - Wuuthrad and Werewolves
- Day Six - Kynareth's Will Be Done?
- Day Five - The Companions and the Sleeping Tree
- Day Four - Duelling With a Dragon
- Day Three - The Bandit, the Wife and Her Lover
- Day Two - The Golden Claw
- Day One - Escape from Helgen
- Day Zero - Here Begins My Journal
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