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My name is Chamelion. I plan to restore the Gildergreen.

I looked over at the map once again. Danica placed a marker for the Orphan Rock, where the Nettlebane was supposed to be held. I traced my claw along the path, seeing that it passed Riverwood, and Helgen. I tensed. I had no idea what to expect back at Helgen, but I was certain to find haunting remains of the fort.

I turned around, heading back up the path that I just descended from. Along the way up, I drew the Orcish Sword I obtained from the Khajit, looking over it. I wasn't sure where he got the sword from, but I was impressed with the workmanship of the sword. I wonder if they make daggers. I made a mental note to ask around as I went back up the path.

---

The second return trip to Riverwood was not eventful, although I did notice the sun was slowly starting to dip behind the mountains. I made a quick detour to Lucan's shop to sell off the mace I had taken (as I had no use for it), then left the village to continue up the path.

I reached the Guardian Stones again, but instead of diving into the water to the Barrows, I followed the winding path farther up, until I got to a crossroads. I glanced over to the signs, noting where Helgen was pointed to, and followed the path that went left and slightly up.

Along the side of the path, I noticed an odd collection of stones stacked together. I then remembered passing the stones when Hadvar and I were making our way to Riverwood, from the caves during our escape from the dragon's attack. I instead continued to follow the stone path up.

The air was getting colder, meaning I was heading up the snowy mountain. I stopped at a crossroads, but this one had no sign at all. And I was completely puzzled as I saw many dead skeevers littering the road. I had no idea what happened.

A dog ran towards me from one of the paths, stopping to bark at me wildly, then ran off down the path I came from. I looked in the direction the dog came from, but I saw no signs of anything out of the ordinary. I searched the area thoroughly, to see if there was anything out of place. Nothing. No wolves, no bears, no hunters... just dead Skeever. And that wild dog.

I turned towards the other path, deciding to head down it. There was a broken pillar on my left, probably a marker of some sort as I passed it. Beyond that, however, was what I was expected to find. From a distance I could see a large tower on the edge of a wall, and the wooden gates, still standing. However, I could also see a large plume of black smoke rising from behind them.

Helgen.

I took a heavy breath, approaching up the hill towards the massive gates. I could still smell the burning wood from the other side and rested my hand against the door. Surprisingly, it was cool to the touch. The door also opened easily as I pushed on it, the door creaking slowly as the strong scent of burnt smoke and ash hit my nose. I pushed the door enough to slip myself in, and survey what happened.

It was a nightmare.

The buildings had collapsed, most of it from the fires of the dragon, if not the dragon's attack themselves. I climbed up the hill, looking slowly around. I saw the archway that Hadvar and I passed under during the run from the dragon, to my right. One of the houses was still billowing smoke not too far from the left, a sign that the embers were still very much alive within.

I went down the path to where Hadvar and I entered the keep. Across from the doors, I remembered the execution stage. There was an archway in the wall that separated the two areas, but looking over at the archway now, I knew that there was no way to get through the rubble that was blocking it.

I returned to the houses, entering one of them that was still smoldering, and had a cautious look around. The fireplace was one of the few things still standing amidst the framework and the burned wood. One side of the house had collapsed, the framework of the roof buried among the ash.

My foot hit something as I turned. Something that wasn't wood. I looked down and recoiled in horror, for my foot had hit a completely burned corpse of someone - the body was too burned to tell - looking like it was clutching something. The fire had apparently melted away the skin, turning the muscle into black tissue, the remains of bone barely held back from emerging from the (*The entry stops there abruptly.*)

I must apologize for writing that gruesome image, dear reader. However, I do have to write down an account of my journeys, no matter how bleak and dismal some of my story can be. I will say, that the rest of Helgen was just as eerily silent. Night had also fallen as I went to a second set of gates, pushing them open so that I could get away from the horrid memory.

The other path that left Helgen, was one that took me a moment to recognize. This was the same path that the carriage had taken me, and now I am on foot, heading back up the path. I took out the map and continued up the route, looking at both sides for any dangers, or any markers that could indicate where Orphan Rock was located.

The marker I was looking for arrived after passing a cliff wall. It was another pile of stones, and in the darkness, I could faintly see a worn path leading into the woods. I presumed this was my location, so I prepared myself for the Hagraven, drawing my bow and stepping into the forest.

It began to snow shortly into the forest, but... the snow felt... unnatural. I was confused as to why, until I felt a bolt of lightning strike me in the chest. I grimaced and ducked behind a tree, feeling my chest. That wasn't normal lightning, either; it didn't come from the sky. It was... Another spark of lightning hit the tree, and I rolled out of the way, drawing my bow. I could barely see a woman in dark robes, but an aura in front of her helped me see her better, as well as another woman that was running at me, hands raised in the air.

Witches. Followers of the Hagravens, supposedly learning from their tutor until they could become the bird-witches themselves.

I prepared my own Spark spell, firing it off at the woman approaching me, and swapped my bow for the sword as I ran at her. The other witch was busy firing a stream of flame at me, but I kept my focus on paralyzing the first with my spell until I could cut her down with my sword. I tossed the witch aside, and quickly deflected the second's dagger attack and ran my sword right into her abdomen, killing her instantly.

The threat gone, I uttered the healing spell on myself, then inspected the two witches. I could sense some powerful enchantment coming from their robes, so I took one of them, then made my way farther into the woods.

I didn't have to go far. A huge rocky plateau jutted out in the middle of the forest, the top adorned with skulls and carcasses of various animals, as if they were wards to drive away evil spirits. This had to be Orphan Rock, I thought. I continued down the path, being extra careful about any more surprises. I decided to seek shelter behind the large rock, but as I approached a fallen tree, I saw runes surrounding the base of the Rock. I frowned. Trap runes.

These were special, mage- (or witch, in this case) made traps designed to protect certain areas. However, unlike the physical traps, they're only set once. And once triggered, they often create a large burst of damage, often accompanied by intense cold or intense flames, depending on the trap set. And from the looks of the white glow on the runes, I assumed these to be frost traps.

I circled the rock, first counterclockwise, then clockwise after I got about partway to the west side of the rock, looking for anything of use. On the east side of the rock I noticed there was a small path sloping up the hill, and through the snow I could see a tent. I wasn't sure if that was the Hagraven's, or the witches', but some noise I could hear in the distance (or on top of the rock) made me duck behind the large fallen tree again.

After a moment's pause, I snuck back around the west side of the rock but keeping a farther berth from the rock itself this time around. I eventually got to the edge of the clearing, which was "walled" in by a large ring of mountain, serving as a pseudo-crater, to the best of my description. I also noticed the snow had stopped abruptly, which made me wonder if there was some sort of magic at-

My thoughts were interrupted as I saw something glowing in the distance, and I backed up, drawing my bow again. It was another witch, having summoned another magical shield in front of her as she patrolled the area. I could see a second one in the distance, but the first one was able to spot me, despite how blended-in I (thought I) was in the foliage. I fired an arrow at her and retreated.

Peeking around the tree, I realized that the combination of the forest, the witches' dark clothes, and the fact that there was little light made it difficult for me to see them, although I wasn't sure if they had the same issue. Instead, I drew out the sword and shield, holding it up to block the flames of the first witch approaching me, charging at her and stunning her abruptly with the shield just to stop her magic.

She was persistent, drawing out a small dagger and continuing to fire streams of flames at me, but the one thing witches didn't have was good defense. A few swings of the sword and she was down, leaving me to contend with the other witch, who came at me with her own dagger.

A sudden fireball emerged from the trees and landed close to me, knocking myself and the witch back. I recovered faster and quickly drove my sword into the witch's stomach, just as sparks of lightning were forming on her hands. As she fell, I quickly ducked behind a tree, muttering a healing spell, hoping that the tree would provide some cover for me as I waited for another fireball spell to come flying at me, or another witch to appear.

No witch appeared, but another fireball landed dangerously close to where I was. I had to flee, as I couldn't see where the spell was coming from. After a bit of distance, sensing that I was getting close to the entrance, the fireballs stopped coming at me. This gave me time to pause and think as I leaned against the rocks, trying to gather my thoughts.

The witches had used Flame and Spark spells, to the best of my knowledge. So, who was throwing the fireballs? The Hagraven? I peeked around and looked at the top of Orphan Rock, at the animal totems. Perhaps that was where the Hagraven stood, giving her a clear view of anyone trying to attack her. Figuring that she's lost interest in where I was, I drew my bow and proceeded to advance to the rock once more, this time to get a better look.

On closer (though not too close to trigger the trap runes) look at the rock, I noticed something that would be a major problem: the rock's edges were a steep vertical climb all the way around. If the runes weren't in the way of potential climbing spots, there was no foot- or handhold to get up the rock. Yet, I thought, Hagravens can't float or fly (despite their appearances, they have no proper wing structure) so there had to be a way up. I thought about the small camp on the edge of the crater and decided to approach it instead, located on the other side of the rock.

Amidst the darkness, I spied another piled set of stones, next to a dirt ramp leading upwards towards a tent, the same one I remembered seeing earlier. I ducked behind the stones, keeping them between myself and the main rock, and looked at my surroundings. On the rock itself, I could see the top half of another tent, decorated with the skeleton of a large beast. There was a crevasse between it and where the camp was located, but I could spy a large log serving as a bridge between them. Aha, I thought. That's how the Hagraven gets to her nest.

I also noticed a lack of trees between the camp and the rock itself. That meant that the direct approach wouldn't work, if the Hagraven indeed was responsible for the fireballs. I carefully climbed my way up the hill, ducking behind the tent (though I questioned its durability against explosive fireballs) and nestled myself between it and the rocky wall. I peeked my head around to look at the top of the rock itself.

From this vantage point, I had a semi-clearer view of the area, though the night sky made it difficult to point out the small details from a distance. What I could see, however, was a lit brazier on both sides of the bridge. The brazier on the rock side allowed me to see an old woman, barely dressed in anything but a tattered cloth, walking away from the brazier. I fired an arrow at her, then quickly ducked behind the tent, ready for the incoming fireball.

None came. However, I could vaguely hear, faintly at first, a heavy wheezing sound, which I almost dismissed as the wind, before it dawned on me that the Hagraven was slowly approaching my location. I must have struck her, but she didn't see her attacker. That was good. I knew Hagravens were powerful from a distance, but up close they had nothing to defend themselves with, and I figure that with a surprise attack I could get away without any more harm.

I slowly drew my sword, making sure not to let any sudden sound alert her, as I could hear the heavy wheezing getting louder and louder. The crunch of dead leaves and grass also got my attention, and when I sensed her getting close, I swung my sword out.

The wheezing stopped, as did the Hagraven; my sword swing cut her head clean off, the head rolling down the hill and into the darkness. The Hagraven slain, I knelt next to the headless body to inspect it. As I said before, Hagravens are an ugly creature, and this was no exception. Picture a withered old woman, wearing just enough cloth to cover her breast and her pelvic region. Her hands were more like claws, elongated fingers with long nails, ending in sharp points to resemble talons. On her shoulders and on the outside of her arms and legs were feathers, attached to her body as if they were growing out from her skin.

I searched the body, finding a crude-looking dagger, appearing to have been made from one entire ingot, from the handle to the tip. This must be the Nettlebane Danica told me about. I took it, then looted the tents for items, before crossing the bridge into the Hagraven's lair.

From here, I had a much better view of her den. There was a lot of blood scattered around on the rock, possibly those who tried to face the Hagraven and failed, or the blood of the animals that were used to serve as warning totems around the rock. An unlit brazier stood to one side, with a large plant creature laying on top of it - these were the Spriggans that Danica mentioned to me about. The fact that this one was unmoving told me that the Hagraven was in the process of cutting it apart when I intruded.

To the right of the Spriggan sacrifice, I spied an enchanting table. This was a minor surprise to me, considering the nature of Hagravens and witches, but finding one out in the middle of nearly nowhere like this caught me by surprise. To the right of the table was a tent - the same one I saw from below, and most likely the Hagraven's tent. I used the enchanting table to learn the properties of the robe itself, then enchanted the Orcish sword with the power of Frost - This was, I believe, from the Sword that the Draugr guardian had on it that I also disenchanted back in Whiterun. I figure some extra power in the blade would be helpful in the long run.

The tent itself didn't have anything of use, but content with my findings, I crossed the bridge and made my way out of the Orphan Rock, beginning my trip back down towards Whiterun.

A fog began to form as I entered Helgen. This only gave the former fortress town a haunted feeling, and I was all too glad to leave in a hurry. However, at the crossroads, I ran into something unexpected. The Skeevers I saw earlier were mysteriously gone, and in the distance, I saw a female Dunmer in robes, running towards me. Before I could say anything, she suddenly let out a blast of fire from her hands. In retaliation, I swung my new dagger at her. She crumpled immediately, to my surprise. Normally, they don't fall that fast, and I know the blade isn't powerful enough to do that. So, what was going on?

I knelt next to the body to examine her and noticed that several spots on her skin and clothes were covered in frost. But it was not natural frost, I realized. I looked up and walked down to the location where she ran at me from, and I noticed another body in the snow, this one completely charred black from flames. I knelt next to him and understood what happened.

This was a typical fight between two opposing magic classes, Frost and Fire. Clearly, the Fire mage won, barely, although why she turned to attack me, I had no idea why. I did, however, find a spell for Oakflesh on the Frost Mage, and took it, taking time to learn the spell in a quick fashion, before I proceeded on my way.

The rest of the journey towards Riverwood was uneventful, although the fog was still heavy in the air as I approached. I decided to take a rest, entering the Sleeping Giant once again. However, inside, I noticed that the innkeeper wasn't around, but Orgnar, the barkeep, was. I approached him with a quizzical look.

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"Heard any rumors?" I decided to go with that first, although the nagging feeling of the innkeeper still stuck in my mind.

"There have been whispers," he replied, leaning on the counter. "A boy up in Windhelm, name of Aventus Aretino. Been trying to contact... the Dark Brotherhood."

I shuddered. I knew of the Dark Brotherhood. They were assassins, well-known and feared by nearly everyone, and despite best efforts to find and disassemble them, they continue to pop up. It was hard to tell who an assassin was, as they preferred the "hide in plain sight" method.

"I see. Anything else?"

"Nobody trusts those mages, way up north in their College," Orgnar droned on. "Gods only know what they do up there."

I was familiar with the name of the College. It was, as Orgnar implied, mainly a group of mages and sorcerers perfecting their craft. Supposedly, only those of Psijic talent were allowed past the gates.

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I decided to ask the simple question that was on my mind. "Where's the innkeeper?"

"Out," was his simple response. He straighted up. "She owns the place, she does what she wants."

Fair point, I assumed, but I frowned, nonetheless. "So... how do I rent a room?"

"Inn's closed," He flatly told me. "Bar's still open, though." He motioned to the chairs. "Feel free to sit and put your head down on the table for as long as you like. I won't bother you."

I guess I had no choice. I let out a sigh, looking over at the bard who was strumming on his lyre and began to sing something about Mathilda. I moved over to the alchemy table, messing around with combining ingredients once more, then walked over to one of the other tables, sitting down, and resting my head in one hand.

I wasn't sure how much I had slept. Though I won't deny, it wasn't a restful sleep. I stepped outside, looking around. The fog had dispersed, and although it was light out, there was a large cover of clouds blocking the sun, and I could hear the faintness of thunder in the distance. I left Riverwood and hurriedly made my way to Whiterun.

---

Thankfully, the return to Whiterun wasn't eventful. I was able to pass the gates, and headed into the Wind District, towards the Gildergreen tree. I studied it for a moment, the tree still standing proudly in the morning sun, before I went into the temple.

Inside the temple, I glanced around. The main room was square-shaped, with archways surrounding a small fountain in the center of the room. Ivy was growing off the arches, looking wild yet neatly kept at the same time. On three of the four sides of the room, under the arches, was a low bench. Two of them had injured soldiers laying on them, both tended to by healers. To my left, behind the empty seat, I saw a shrine with a strange statue in the middle of it, and I could hear voices.

"What is it... what has happened to the Gildergreen? I have traveled long here to worship beneath its branches," I heard a man say. I began to approach the voice, noticing that it was coming from a Breton, speaking to Danica.

"It was taken by a lightning strike," Danica explained. I stood from a distance, letting the two talk. "Wish I had time to deal with it, but it's hard enough with all these wounded from the war."

"Please," the Breton was saying, "don't just let it stay like this. It's disgraceful." I felt a bit annoyed at the Breton, demanding such things to her.

Danica also seemed frustrated with him. "I really don't have time to deal with you right now. Please just let me get back to my work."

"But this is supposed to be your work," the Breton argued. I seriously wanted to punch him right there, but not in front of the priestess of Kynareth. Fortunately, he walked away before things got heated, and I approached the priestess, who immediately noticed me.

"So, have you gotten Nettlebane back from those filthy Hagravens yet?"

I held up the dagger. "Yes, I have."

"Oh." She sounded surprised. "I... well, I honestly didn't expect you to come back. Of course, I'm glad you did!" She looked at the dagger that I was holding but made no motion to grab it. "Now..." She sounded hesitant. "I don't really want to touch that thing, though. Do you think you could handle the next steps?"

I looked around at the temple. She did seem afraid of touching the Nettlebane, however her request for me to do the next part of the task was justified, as she had a lot on her hands. "What needs to be done?"

"Eldgergleam's sanctuary grove is to the east of here." She took my map as I held it out to her, and marked its location. "You can use Nettlebane to retrieve some of its sap."

"Was I correct in hearing that you were traveling to the grove of the Eldergleam?" the Breton returned, having heard part of the conversation.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Can I help you?" I said in an annoyed tone.

"I am a traveler," he explained. "A pilgrim. I follow the voice of Kynareth wherever it can be heard. I've dreamed of seeing Eldergleam for years. Might I travel alongside you? I promise not to get in the way."

I mused on that for a moment. Perhaps if I took the traveler along with me, he could see the Eldergleam and be out of Danica's hair for the time being. "You're welcome to join me."

The man seemed pleased. "I thank you for your kindness."

I turned to the shrine, and at a closer look to it, the statue was... hard to explain. It was a shield and a pod at the same time, with the design of a bird of some type on the surface of it, and a blue gemstone in the middle. This was the shrine of Kynareth, and I rested my hand on it, feeling it give me its blessing.

(Author's note: This was REALLY difficult to explain, and I know my description is awful.)

I left the temple, with Maurice (as I learned his name later) joining me, and we both headed out of Whiterun, to the location that Danica marked on the map.

The location indicated it was going back towards the crossroads I first met coming from Riverwood, but instead of going up the hill like I did in my last two trips, the path indicated it was going another route, along a river. I made my way to the crossroads first to get my bearings.

At the crossroads, I saw two bridges. One going north, one going east. Both paths appeared to be following the large river from each side, and I consulted my map once more, before deciding to take the one going east.

However, not too far from the path, I spied a wolf. I drew my bow, staring down at the wolf as it growled at me, and launched my arrow. A clean shot. It struck the wolf in the head, and it crumpled immediately.

I looked around. No other wolves about, so I proceed on my way, but a short distance down I spotted two more mages, who began to approach me. I hear Maurice cry out, and I turned around to see him run and hide behind some rocks. This was good, because he was keeping his promise of not getting in the way. I drew my sword and began my attack.

Both mages had ice power, but I was quick enough to strike one of them down while keeping him between myself and the fellow mage's frost spell. I then lunged at the second, who had stopped to cast something else that I wasn't familiar with, but a few slashes across his chest and he fell. I noticed that the second mage had a strange symbol on the front of his robe, and I turned around...

...Just in time to see the first mage suddenly crumple to his feet, again, before dissolving into a pile of ash. It took me a few seconds, and looking back at the second mage, for things to click. They were Necromancers. The second one just started to revive his fallen teammate but either failed to finish the spell, or I struck him down before the first one was able to turn to attack me.

I looted the corpse and the pile of ash (amazingly even piles of ash still contained the clothes of the wearer) and gave a confirming nod to Maurice, before we continued our way. I spied another wolf in the distance after a while, but a quick snipe at it with my bow, and it fell without it spotting me. I felt more confident with the bow, now, but reminded myself that so far it was only animals I've been shooting dead. It would take a while before I'd get to killing others.

There was another wolf spotted a distance farther, just past a sign, and my hubris got the better of me. My first arrow missed the wolf, but the second one managed to fell it just before the lupine was close enough to leap at me. I walked back over to the sign, noticing that the foliage looked disturbed, and sure enough, next to the main road was a side-path. However, that side path only led to a cave in a hill that the main road was going around, so I paid it no mind and returned to the main road.

I do wish to mention, that the hill the road was going around was also of interest, but only when we passed it, did I notice another path, going under a few stone archways, that led up and around the other side of the hill. I made a mental note to visit this site once I completed the journey to the Eldergleam.

As we continued our journey, a large deer bolted past us. It startled Maurice, and I turned to see him cowering behind another rock. "Maurice, relax, it's just a d-"

I didn't finish, as I heard growling. I turned around, and realized that why the deer ran, but importantly, why Maurice was cowering. Two wolves. I drew my sword quickly, slicing the closest one dead, and blocking the bite of the second with my blade. I then threw a kick into its jaw, following with a downward swing of the sword, snapping its neck immediately and killing it.

I let out a small hiss. I was glad to be accompanying Maurice, especially with all the wolves about. The road at this point began to slope downwards, and I could see the river off to my left, but farther down below, I saw that the road split into two directions: to the right, it went back up the hill, turning into a light dirt road towards a large fire near the top of the hill. To the left, the road continued to the side of that same hill and along the river, which flowed underneath two large towers that were flanking each side of the river, with a bridge spanning between them.

We headed left. I kept a wary eye towards the towers, remembering the last time I encountered one, it was housing a few bandits. And, sure enough, as I approached the tower, I could see a bandit standing by the road, near a cooking fire. The bandit was quick to notice me, getting up and approaching me. I held my weapons.

"Hold it. This here's a toll road, see? Yer gonna have to hand over, say, 200 gold if you want to use our road."

I clenched my hands. I wanted to outright state that it wasn't "their" road, but remembering I had Maurice standing near me, I didn't want to involve him in any conflict. I held my tongue, taking out my coin pouch, and fished out the amount requested, placing it in her greedy hand.

"Wise move," she grinned, looking at the coins. "Now get out of here ya goat licker, before I decide the toll's gone up."

Again, I held my tongue. Out of the corner of my eye I could see another bandit patrolling the bridge. No, this was not worth the trouble, especially with someone who could be killed in the crossfire. Maurice and I walked past the bandit (I gave her a side glance as I did so) and resumed our path.

We proceeded down the path as it sloped downwards, winding back and forth before it fell almost level with the river. I gathered some wildflowers for my alchemy in the process and admired the otherwise serene nature. Even as a fox strolled past us. Harmless fox.

What was not so harmless was a giant spider that suddenly appeared on the road. I quickly drew my bow, firing a few shots at it, but it still approached. In a panic, I grabbed my shield, and swung my fist a few times at the spider, striking it in the... head? It was only until after a few more swings that I realized I forgot to grab a weapon, so I drew my sword, and quickly thrust it right into the mandibles of the giant beast. It collapsed after struggling against the sword. I looked around for Maurice, who ended up hiding behind a low stone fence that was flanking the river. I let out a long sigh. At least he was safe.

Maurice and I proceeded on our journey, following the road towards a bridge. I saw two people walking the same path as I was, though I didn't know who they were. I ran towards them, crossing the bridge as I went, slowing down to speak to one of them.

She stopped and turned towards me. "You speak to a Vigilant of Stendarr. Cavort with any Daedra, and we will hunt you down."

I gave a blank look. Vigilants of Stendarr? They seemed preoccupied on their way, and I decided not to disturb them any further. I instead gave the Vigilant a nod and watched as she ran ahead to join her partner. We were, of course, headed in the same direction, stopped by a fork in the road. And it was here I got lost.

Well, I shouldn't say lost, officially. I consulted my map and saw that I was close to the Eldergleam sanctuary, but both roads lead towards the river. I decided to head left first, noticing a large fortress in the trees on my right. The path continued along the river, towards another large bridge that crossed over the river a second time, but the river was going away from my intended direction. Instead, I saw that the river itself split into two directions, and on the other side of the river (the one the bridge wasn't crossing over), the forest abruptly changed into - well, I won't consider it a wasteland, but the quantity of trees has greatly diminished, the ground a light tan in color, as if the flora was struggling to get a root-hold on the ground.

I dove into the river, immediately crossing over to the other side, then tuned around, expecting Maurice to follow. Instead, the Breton just stood on the other side of the river, waving his arms frantically at me. Wait, he couldn't swim? I was not sure, but I could tell that he had been refusing to cross the river. I had to dismiss the direct approach and swam back across the river.

Having to find an alternate route, I decided to cross the bridge and see if I could find a route that would lead me to the Eldergleam. However, halfway across the bridge, I realized that the road was following along the river... but it was going away from my intended direction. I went the wrong path. I turned around quickly, heading back to the crossroads, passing the Vigilants of Stendarr on my way.

Once I reached the fork in the road, I went to the path on the right, noting that the path flanked the other side of the same fortress I saw earlier. I wasn't sure if the fortress was occupied, as I saw no banner, so I paid it no mind, mostly because I spotted another hostile mage a short distance from me.

Mages, wolves, spiders... this pilgrimage for Maurice was certainly deadly for him, had I not assisted him. Especially when this mage, an Ice Mage, had better spells than the apprentices, lobbing sharp spikes of ice at me. I was able to block most of them with my shield, although one managed to hit my shield arm, leaving a numbing cold, and a loss of feeling in my hand as I was trying to grip my shield as hard as possible. I decided, heck with it, I had a spell to counter the ice, and lobbed a stream of flame from my shield hand at him. This stunned him briefly, having to resort to putting up a magic shield to block the attack, but it gave me enough time to lunge in, and thrust my sword into his stomach, stopping his spells. And his life.

I set a healing spell on myself, looking around to see Maurice running towards me from a distance, having (wisely) hidden himself during the attack. I gave a silent nod to him, and we proceeded forward.

The path led over a bridge, with an impressive waterfall cascading down from one side, the river flowing towards the large, barren area that I knew the Eldergleam was hiding. The river, however, also split from the bridge, still serving as a sort of moat around the area, meaning I had to look for another bridge to cross to the center. Thankfully, I noted that the path continued alongside the river, hinting to me that I'm on the right path.

Suddenly, Maurice let out a cry. I looked ahead and could barely spot a figure running towards me. It was another Argonian, to my surprise, and this one was wearing a hooded jerkin, and wielding two daggers as she ran towards me. I quickly blocked one of the daggers with my shield, letting out a hiss as the second one managed to hit my side, and slammed the shield against her head, staggering her backwards.

Sword and daggers flew between us, each attack deflecting the other, until I was able to strike her with the sword that left her stunned. I took this moment and stabbed the Argonian straight into the chest, watching her collapse to the ground. I checked my wounds. Aside from the severe one she nailed me with, I could see several cuts along my arms.

I knelt next to the Argonian, noticing a folded letter having fallen out of one of her pockets. It simply read:

'As instructed, you are to eliminate Chamelion by any means necessary. The Black Sacrament has been performed - somebody wants this poor fool dead.

'We've already received payment for the contract. Failure is not an option.

'-Astrid.'

I hissed in worry. This was an assassin that was sent out to kill me... I had no idea who this "Astrid" was, but now I had to be wary. I wondered if the mages that I encountered along the way were also part of this. I pocketed the letter, looted everything else of worth, and hobbled my way down the road, uttering my healing spell once again to take care of the major wound. That's the thing about healing spells. They help mend your wounds, but the pain that was inflicted on them still linger.

I digress. Farther down the path, I finally found the bridge I was looking for, indicating that Maurice and I were close to the end of the journey. I quickly crossed the bridge, seeing a hut on my right, but consulted my map. The map showed me that the Eldergleam was located elsewhere, and off the road from this point, meaning Maurice and I had to wander through wild brushes (or what there was, in the nearly barren region) to find it.

Thankfully, it didn't take me long. I was able to spot a strange rocky hill, with a bubbling pond not too far from it, and quickly made my way towards that hill. The few trees and grass eventually gave way to a wasteland, and I passed by flat rocks, fallen and dead trees, and even some skeletons of large animals gone by, before spotting a cave on one side of the hill.

"I think this is it," I said to Maurice, and headed into the cave in eagerness.

---

The sanctuary, it turns out, is a cave. But a very massive cave, with enough water and sunlight to create a miniature garden amongst the rocks. This was my impression as Maurice and I emerged through the tight tunnel into the sanctuary, the barren landscape that was around the cave completely gone on the interior, which had fully-grown trees, waterfalls from the ceiling, and butterflies flitting about. As I walked around the sanctuary, I could see an immense tree at the top of a hill of rocks, gigantic tree roots extending over the rocks, their tips touching the surface of the water.

"Hello there, friend," a voice spoke out to me, just as I was walking across a wooden bridge. I turned my head, seeing a Nord sitting on a rock by the water, looking over at me. "have you come to enjoy the sights and the sounds of this beautiful sanctuary, as I have? Truly remarkable, isn't it?"

"Indeed, it is," I whispered, barely able to hear myself over the roaring waterfalls. I continued walking down the path, staring up at the tree, until I saw a woman kneeling by the roots of the tree, as if in prayer. I approached her, gingerly stepping on the grass, as if I was fearful that I'd be defiling the lands with my feet.

"Amazing that such beauty could exist in a place as desolate as the volcanic tundra," she commented, standing up from her prayer to greet me.

I couldn't help but nod. "Is this a sanctuary?"

She nodded. "Eldergleam Sanctuary - just a small glimpse of what beauty Kynareth has to offer. Wonderful place, isn't it?"

I pointed up to the large tree. "And that tree? Is that Eldergleam?"

"Yes, my friend," she responded, also looking up to the tree. "Though no one has been able to get close to her for as long as I can remember."

"Why not?" It made me wonder how Danica got an offspring of the tree if no one could reach it.

"As you can see," She motioned to the rocks. Here, I noticed a set of stairs on one side of the rocks, leading up... to one of the large roots. "Eldergleam's roots are large and stretch far, blocking any path to her trunk. Though," she added, turning to me again, "believe it or not, there are rumors of a weapon that even Eldergleam herself would lift her roots for, more out of fear than respect."

I immediately realized what she meant. The Nettlebane. This was why Danica refused to touch the knife in the first place. She, a priestess of Kynareth, would not want to touch a weapon that could possibly defile, if not outright kill, a living piece of nature. I looked back up the tree, before nodding to the woman. As much as I hated to do it, I had to fulfill a promise.

I made my way towards the stairs, Maurice following me, before we both approached one of the large roots. I could see why the woman said no one could reach it. It was much too thick to try and cut through, and too high to climb over. I took a breath, slowly drawing out the Nettlebane, and ran its blade across the surface of the root.

The root recoiled instantly, curling up and away from the path. I was expecting to hear some sort of cry when the knife had touched it, although I mentally admonished myself for thinking that a tree would make sounds. I turned to Maurice, who was still admiring the tree, before I proceeded down the path, hitting each of the large roots with the Nettlebane.

Each one recoiled, clearing a path, and it wasn't until I hit the fourth root, that Maurice finally paid attention.

"I had no idea you were a man of violence!" He looked appalled at my actions. "What exactly are your intentions in this blessed place?"

I decided to flatly tell him. "I need sap to fix the Gildergreen."

"You would violate this marvel of Kynareth's glory to fix that half-breed stump in Whiterun?" He spat back. I clenched my hands, getting really agitated by this stuck-up, snobbish Breton who thinks he has the rights to-

(*there were some angry scribbles for the rest of the line, making any words he COULD have written unintelligible.*)

"That's abominable," he continued, and I could feel my rage boiling inside of me. "Barbaric." I wanted to punch him so badly. "I'll have no part in this. Why didn't you tell me what you intended?"

"Do you have a better idea?!" I practically shouted the words at him. Both Maurice and I jumped a little as my voice reverberated in the cave, but I didn't care. I was getting tired of his snobby attitude.

"Well..." He thought after a moment. "Yes. There is something. It won't repair the tree back at the temple, but we could bring them a new one."

At least that stopped me from punching him. I put my dagger away, letting out a sigh. "Okay, what did you have in mind, then?" I said in a near-steady tone of voice.

"Follow me," he advised, walking past me towards the top of the hill. "I think I can convince the tree to help us."

I almost wanted to ask him how he could speak to a tree, but then remembered that he's a pilgrim of Kynareth, the deity of nature. I relented, following him up towards the tree.

I will admit, the tree was far more impressive up close than it was from seeing at the bottom of the cave, and I was studying its branches while Maurice knelt in prayer at the base of the tree.

"The Eldergleam has blessed us with a sapling," he suddenly broke my thoughts. I glanced over, and indeed, there was a sapling in the ground, that wasn't there before. I blinked a few times. "You should take it to Whiterun. Danica will want to see that the true blessings of nature lie in renewal, not a slavish maintenance."

I was tempted to point out to him that Maurice had also demanded 'slavish maintenance' from Danica to restore the tree, but I took a deep breath, and nodded. "You have my thanks."

"It was my pleasure, friend. In a way, I envy you getting to carry such a direct sign of Kynareth's graces, Maurice responded, and I could sense a bit of arrogance in his voice, although I feel like now that was unintentional.

I moved to the sapling, kneeling, carefully digging it out of the ground (although I could swear the ground itself gave way in my hands, as if Kynareth themselves was helping me) as I heard Maurice spoke. "Good luck on your travels. May Kynareth's wind carry only the sweetest scents."

My name is Chamelion.

I am returning to Whiterun.