sparking-steps

[sparking-steps]

Sparking-Steps' Acquisitions Log, entry 3: Acquainting one's self with the region.

Well, it's been a little bit. I spent a couple weeks exploring more of the western half of the province. I think I walked the entire coast from Solitude to the High Rock's border. Climbed a couple mountains as well and I've walked pretty much every road in Falkreath. I don't think my legs have moved this much in my entire life before this, the things are damned sore. I suppose that's supposedly the fate of those born under the Steed, isn't it? That damned star horse demands I gallop along with it. Well, fuck it, if I'm a steed least it means I'm a good ride.

Lewd jokes aside, I have no world shattering events to report this time, just a lot of finds to catalog. My companions and I are also doing well. Yes, companions, I found another person who wanted to tag along with me. A Breton woman named Remiel, I met her in Markarth and she had an interest in the Dwemer ruin that the city was built on top of. I got the permission to enter under the pretense of dealing with a rather large spider and some Falmer littering the place and she asked to come along. Turns out she's a rather knowledgeable scholar in the field of Dwemeri automata, a good fit for me and Lucien. Quite a trio of bookworms we are, surprisingly deadly ones. She decided to join up with me after I told her about my work with the museum, deciding it would be mutually beneficial especially if we could go through more Dwemer ruins.

Besides that, you'll certainly see that I have found far, far more for the museum than my first outing. Honestly I've found a lot more artifacts than I would've expected! Besides just having been digging through a bunch of caves, I also had a genuine run in with a Daedric Prince! I'll go into it a little more later, I really did not expect that though. I suppose it was inevitable if I was dealing with historical artifacts, but still, remarkable that the Harbinger of Dawn herself would reach out like that.

On the topic of the museum itself, Auryen is thinking of starting a guild to assist with excavations. The Explorer's Guild he called it, not a bad name though a bit too the point for this province. Skyrim's guilds tend to have more fancy names calling back to the region's history, Explorer's Guild doesn't mesh that well. Regardless, we have a uniform made and a new addition to the building for the guildhall, so we're definitely going through with it.

Oh, and I suppose I should mention, I've still yet to actually bring that dragon burial site map to Whiterun's Jarl. This isn't due to any sort of distaste or dismissal of the man, it's just that Auryen wanted more time to make an accurate replica of it for display. I'll bring it over eventually, probably soon. Most likely soon at least.

ACQUISITIONS LOG #2:

Alcoholic Drinks, Various: As with last time I’ve found more of these to display, nothing too interesting to note with them though. A few examples of local alcoholic beverages. I don't drink alcohol outside of social situations, drunkenness is a tool used to ease inhibitions. It's for intentionally letting your guard down further than you'd normally allow it to be lowered. No point in drinking it alone and if I drank with companions I likely wouldn't have the concentration required to actually make notes about it. That and it would make my handwriting look like shit.

Alvaro’s Tools: An artifact that isn’t a weapon or piece of armor, in other words, an utter rarity! This artifact consists of a set of tools common for an archeologist, a small pick, a brush and a chisel. When the set is used it provides a somewhat subtle enchantment that gives the holder a keener eye for detail. I must assume this was intended to allow for close inspection of finds during excavations. It was previously owned by the one we’ve named this item after, an explorer named Alvaro, who seems to have lost the set when escaping from an excavation turned deadly in the barrow of Folgunthur. I do have to wonder if the man will show up and ask for his artifact back, however the thought of prior ownership has yet to stop me yet.

Amulets of Birthsigns: More of these little things, still found at the sites of the various standing stones dotted around Skyrim. This time featuring the Ritual, the Apprentice, and one of my own birthsign. I don't particularly subscribe to the idea that these signs define one's personality, though I have been told that the Steed suits me. I don't entirely agree with that notion. Shame the enchantment on the amulet doesn’t suit me either.

Amulets of Ancient Nordic Make: And more of these, filling out the last of the old Nord animal gods at least in terms of ones that have been recorded. Some historians have theorized that the specific animals worshiped within the Animal Cults represented the Divines (See Torhal Bjorik’s recent work, The Dragon War. By the way Bjorik, your timing is impeccable). While I don’t disagree that the figures involved did overlap with the Eight, I would say the more coherent interpretation is that they represent figures within the ancient nordic pantheon. The various gods do use these animals as representational symbols quite often, after all. To give Torhal some credit on this topic, there is some obvious overlap between the Eight and that pantheon. Two of the gods do share the names of their divine counterparts (Mara and Dibella) and Kyne is often believed to be another name for Kynareth. However, some of the gods do not fit in so cleanly. Shor, for example, is described as both creating the world and currently being dead, this makes him much more of a fit for Lorkhan than any of the Eight. To wrap this sudden lecture on ancient nordic theology up though, Bjorik, I know that the primary subject of your book was the Dragon Cult itself not its predecessor the Animal Cult, and your work in that area is good. However, if you cannot see how the offhand and uninterrogated inclusion of a faulty theory into your work harms the whole thing, I would like to grab you by the shoulders and slam you against a wall until you realize that fact!

Amulets of the Nine: More of these as well, this time venerating Akatosh, Talos and Zenithar. Once again, not exactly the gods within the Nine that I actually care about. Zenithar, while probably being the most present of the original Eight, is a god of wealth and that’s something I feel opposed to worshiping. Talos is certainly an interesting god, and yes, he is a god, that’s a blatantly obvious fact despite what the propaganda of the Thalmor might claim (And if an agent of the Thalmor is to read this journal and disagree with my statement, they are invited to have a meaningful discussion on the topic of practical theology with the tips of my horns). However, despite the interesting nature that he might have as an ascended mortal, he is also, by all historical accounts, a bit of a cunt. Akatosh is the only one of the three that I don’t have any real issues with, similar to Arkay, I have little time to worry about time. I will note that, with the current reappearance of dragons, Akatosh is likely to be relevant in the coming days. Might not be a bad time to start pretending I’m devout.

Ancient Nordic Weapons and Cuirass: More display items recovered from barrows for our exhibit on the Ancient Nordic civilization. The weapons are all in decent enough shape, I'll have to see about restoring a few of the ones that were more affected by the ravages of time. The cuirass was an interesting find, it was previously in the possession of the leader of a coven of bandit spellswords. It's a genuine piece of ancient Nordic handiwork as best as I can tell though.

Angi's Bow: A bow given to me as a gift from a rather pleasant fugitive woman up in the mountains of Falkreath. This isn't an artifact or anything, it's just a rather nice bow that I have as a momento from a rather attractive friend, I suppose. We were just hiking up that way, found her cabin, had a nice chat with her and she gave me a few lessons on archery along with a bow she no longer needed. She had quite strong arms and was handsomely rugged. I suppose that makes sense for someone living in the mountain wilderness. Maybe I'll see her again some day, I hope I do, I hope she stays safe.

“Argonian” Swords: Two blades made in what is supposedly an “Argonian” style. From my knowledge they don't fit into any traditional Saxhleel style of weaponry, nor do they have any metallurgical traits that would show that the materials used in its construction came from Argonia. These swords both have a single sided cutting edge and are entirely straight, one of them built for a two handed grip. Traditional Argonian swords, sometimes called “Kukri”, have a one sided blade with an inwards curve that is intended to assist the wielder in chopping through dense flora and are rarely built for a two handed grip. There is a two handed weapon often compared to a two handed sword, though it's more akin to a bladed club in its construction. All in all, unless these swords were made by an Argonian, there's nothing at all notably “Argonian” about them. Regardless, they are rather unique and will make a nice addition to our armory on that merit. I'll just make sure to make a note about the misleading name.

Armor of a Knight of Chorrol: A suit of armor made for knights of the Cyrodilic city of Chorrol. This specific one was worn by the late Ser Venric, who I had found deceased and still floating around as an angry and protective ghost in a cave in Falkreath hold. The armor itself has no notable properties, no enchantments or anything of the sort. It’ll make an interesting display piece to go with the artifact sword it was found with.

Arrows, Enchanted: A few arrows enchanted with various damage enhancing enchantments. These are a little bit of a rarity these days, enchanters have tended to find ammunition to be a difficult medium to work with and even when it was more common it has seldom been found to be a worthwhile endeavor due to ammunition's inherent disposable nature. You might as well enchant something you can reliably use more than once, you know? All of that makes these a bit of a novelty now, thus worthy of being featured in our museum’s halls.

Art Pieces of Various Types, Style and Origins: More art pieces, some of them rather nice. One of them is a replica of the bones in the hand made in gold, that one is interesting I guess. It's rather accurate, whoever made it was clearly an expert. I wonder what inspired it. The rest are okay, I suppose. Ugh, once again I do find myself a little under qualified to discuss these. Odd thing, as far back as my family goes (it's not that far back, the one end that actually bothers to trace those things hits a wall only a few generations back) they've had a tradition of pushing children to take up some art form before they reach adulthood. I picked up smithing, I'm rather competent at it. Some of the mundane weapons and armor on display are my own work. They're a bit of a source of pride, I suppose, I enjoy watching people look at them.  It's just, when I listen to my father perform or view the mosaics made by my sister, I feel very little. I know I should, everyone else does, but for some reason I can't grasp whatever it was that they were grasping. It just hurts that I couldn't enjoy their efforts like they wanted me to. Artistic works in general are like that for me. I can appreciate the craftsmanship, sure, but they don't inspire any feelings within me. I hate it.

Assassins’ Masks: So I seem to have attracted some assassins who are trying to hunt me down. Not exactly something that I expected to have happen, I will be honest. So far it has been one assassin from the Dark Brotherhood and two rather skilled fighters wearing these masks. I’m not entirely certain who is sending all of these people, but from their notes it did seem personal. Thinking more about it, perhaps they were sent by one of my old contacts back in Wayrest? I did burn a few bridges over there before leaving the province, bridges that needed burning. Back to the masks themselves, they’re rather impressively enchanted and designed, the enchantments made to suit the combat preferences of the ones who previously wore them. Not artifacts, but artfully made nonetheless. Auryen liked the looks of them and decided it would be best to keep them in the vault under the museum where we keep the more sketchy finds.

Books, Various: Plenty of new texts to add to our public library and horde of reference material! Outside of the few volumes of signed material, no books being added are too notable in themselves. A large chunk of these were purchased from Solitude's own bookstore, a pleasant little place it is. Not to mention that the owner is happy to let me buy in bulk.

The Blackwater Blade: An artifact with an interestingly hard to follow history. The first verifiable point in history in which this sword made itself known was during the Oblivion Crisis, during which it was in the hands of the captain of the Blackwater Brigands, a group of pirates off the coast of Bravil. The group was mostly wiped out when they picked a fight with the Hero of Kvatch, but it seems like the captain was able to escape with her life. While the time after that seems a bit foggy, but from what I can tell during the time between the Crisis and now it seems the people who inherited the sword reformed the Brigands and were attempting to find the resting place of a ship once captained by the legendary revolutionary and pirate, Cyrus the Restless. I then slew them in self defense when they accosted me upon investigating their camp. It could be that the sword was named after the pirates and that does seem like it would be likely, however there's a wrinkle in the history of this artifact. There are reports from the Second Era, long predating the formation of the Brigands, of an artifact of the same name. Assuming for a moment that these swords are one and the same that implies that the crew were named after the sword. Also, given that two separate people who owned this blade formed a crew of pirates, this might imply that this blade might have an hidden enchantment causing its wielders to seek to form pirate crew. I recognize that that statement is impossible to verify due to my evidence being limited to two people, both of whom were likely relatives, but it's an interesting line of research to look into. Regardless of my own theories though, the sword itself is as documented with no changes to its appearance or enchantment. It still drains the stamina of those that it strikes and grants it to its wielder, it still takes the appearance of a Cyrodilic style longsword made of steel.

Cheeses of Various Kinds: More cheese for my private collection. Once again, do not ask. Honestly, I wouldn't have a satisfying answer as to why I'm collecting cheeses even if I was asked.

Cleaver of Saint Felms: A rather historied artifact taking the form of a rather ornate axe. This axe was both named after and first used by the Dumner patron saint of butchers and fishmongers, Felms the Bold. Felms himself is a rather interesting historical figure by all accounts, going from an illiterate soldier fighting Nords on Morrowind's border to receiving the direct word of Amalexia into his mind. According to some second era records, he might have been given a life after death in one of Sotha Sil's automata, though that part of his extended existence doesn't involve the cleaver so it's not important here. As to what happened after its time in the hands of a saint. This cleaver was in the hands of the Buoyant Armigers, an order of the Tribunal Temple answering directly to Vivec, likely the axe was something he gave to them. It was used in a failed assault on Dagoth Ur's ash vampires and later recovered by the Nerevarine, who returned it to the Tribunal Temple. After that its history gets a little foggy, but it seems that in the lead up to the eruption of Red Mountain it was taken away from Vvardenfell and kept in the collection of an anonymous wealthy benefactor of our museum. Said benefactor decided to donate it to us so that we may add it to our collection. Quite kind of them.

Cloaks and Amulet of Dwemer Origin: Just a few minor finds from Markarth’s own Dwemer ruin. Intact Dwemer clothing is something of a rare find, so Auryen wants the cloak that's in better shape and the amulet. I might see if I can restore the other on my own time, it'd make a nice gift for Remiel.

Cloak, Guard of Kvatch: Why a cloak denoting the wearer as a member of the guard from the Cyrodilic city of Kvatch made it to Skyrim is a bit of a mystery. I found this on the body of a deceased prisoner in a den of vampires, so it likely belonged to them. The question is why they came into Skyrim, they were Khajiit so likely not to visit relatives. The den was on Skyrim's side of the Jeralls, so it's possible she was in the area of Bruma and got abducted from there. I suppose it could also be possible for this soul to have been taking inspiration from the Hero of Kvatch. Regardless of that, the cloak is in good condition despite being on a dead body, so it's an interesting find even ignoring the mystery.

Coinage of Various Origins: More coins, four of them this time from a few different civilizations and eras. These were mostly found within a few of the ruins I explored. The only ones from within this province were a Nordic coin from Potema's reign and a Dwemer coin made from platinum. The most notable one in my mind was a coin made by the Akaviri, either brought here from Akavir itself or minted during their reign in Tamriel. Either way, it's very old, possibly First Era.

Collar and Pack for Small Animals: A few items for an exhibit on Skyrim's various native domesticated animals. Auryen wants to have a space for a few of the actual animals, though I'm not certain where exactly we'd keep them. The Natural History hall doesn't have space to accommodate them. Outside of the new guildhall perhaps?

Collar of a Death Hound: The collar of one of the undead hounds often found alongside vampire covens. The hounds themselves are already ugly as sin and these rough metal things do them no favors. They look like they'd hurt to wear too, a shame. As to why the museum wants one of these, death hounds, despite being undead, were creations of a vampire coven native to Skyrim. Meaning that death hounds are technically a domesticated animal native to Skyrim, and thus they have a place in our exhibit on that subject.

Cyrus’ Clothing: An outfit that was stored along with the sabre the man owned that matches the one that he was depicted wearing. While it's impossible to confirm if these were THE clothes worn by the man himself, they certainly are old enough to fit the time period in which he was active. I find it a little odd that this is the only outfit that he was ever depicted wearing. Was there some sort of symbolism in this outfit that I am missing? Was a red vest a visual shorthand? If not, I really do wonder why he only wore these. Cyrus was a legend in a few respects and had friends with Hammerfell's royalty, why only these clothes? He certainly could've gotten nicer clothing, definitely could've gotten something enchanted.

Cyrus’ Sabre: An artifact taking the form of a sabre, the blade of the Redguard hero Cyrus (the most iconic blade of his at least, he also used the Soul Sword but that artifact is more often associated with Hammerfell's monarchs). The sword was recovered from within the now haunted Dead Man's Dread along with a few other items related to the man. Cyrus’ exploits are something of a legend amongst the people of Hammerfell. I'm not going to go into detail about it here, that's what the museum’s exhibit on him will be for, but I might as well give some highlights. Cyrus slew both the Sload necromancer N'Gasta and Nafaalilargus, one of the few active dragons in his age. He killed the Imperial Governor of Stros M'Kai, allowing the local monarch to take power back and paving the way for Hammerfell to make a treaty with the Empire that allowed it to exist within it on its own terms. He also dueled with Vivec. Needless to say, the man is a legendary figure. Onto the sword itself though, while it certainly is provably the historic weapon itself, this weapon was not known to be an artifact during its time in Cyrus’ hands. Though there are no changes in its appearance, it was an unenchanted sabre back then. The sabre now holds an enchantment that causes it to seek out vital areas in the target when swung. This means one of two things happened. The first possibility is that the sword was enchanted the traditional way at some point, either during Cyrus’ less documented years or after he parted with it. The second is that this sabre had been supernaturally imbued with the traits of an artifact due to its proximity to a legendary figure. While the former is possibly, the later isn't an unheard of event by any stretch of the imagination. It isn't an unpopular theory that the creation of artifacts is often more likely when they're in or going to be in the hands of historically important people. Even for conventionally created artifacts, the steps to making them have never been replicated with any consistency.  To add to that theory, there is some belief that Cyrus might have been an incarnation of HoonDing, a Yokukan god who “makes way” for the Redguard people. If that belief is factual, this connection to a divine entity could easily explain the sudden creation of an artifact!

Dawnbreaker: By the Hist themselves, a Daedric Artifact! The very first Daedric artifact that I've ever seen in person! This artifact blade was given to me by Meridia herself after assisting her with the destruction of a necromancer defiling one of her holy sites. I'll be honest in not sure why she didn't just send in a few Aurorans to deal with the issue. Perhaps she saw it as beneath her? Meridia does seem like the type of Daedra to have that sort of an ego. I suppose I should just say in case she's somehow reading what I write, I appreciate Meridia. While she's not a deity that I worship personally, I appreciate her. She's one of the few gods I think I could empathize with on a personal level, like the Hist (although my opinions on the deific status of the Hist is a bit nonstandard for my kind. Probably heretically so). While I may genuinely worship figures like Dibella and Magnus, they feel far away, Meridia does not. Back to the actual item to be catalogued. As a Daedric artifact, the historical record for this artifact is going to be hard to pin down no matter what. Many of this weapon’s users were either daedra themselves, members of secretive cults or simply didn't wish to have that aspect of their lives written down for the sake of their reputation. The most extensive records on it were from the Second Era, in which the weapon was used by various members of Fighters Guild in order to fight against Molag Bal's incursion into Mundas. I have to assume the leaders of the guild at the time made a deal with Meridia to allow for that. Also in the Second Era, there were some records that mention a theft of the sword by the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. After which it was called the “Duskbringer” (no mention on how it was changed, if at all) until it was recovered by Meridia’s cult. Onto the sword itself, visually speaking, it hasn't changed at all from its previous incarnations. It has a blade made of unusually bright ebony, almost golden as opposed to the natural black. The crossguard is circular, containing a brightly glowing gemstone at its center which I assume is a source of its power. As for that power, the sword has a very unique enchantment. When striking foes, it will only burn them a little and, for most foes that's it. However, when used to slay an undead it will cause that creature to explode into flames that cause other undead to panic and flee.

Deceiver's Finery: An artifact taking the form of a rather fancy black and burgundy outfit. It's rare that you see an artifact that's genuinely this fashionable, it even fits in with the current trends for Skyrim's nobility. However, something about it makes me find it oddly off putting for some reason. This outfit was found and liberated from the basement of the Radiant Raiment, Solitude's resident clothing store and home to a rather rude duo who I'm sure won't be missing this. My petty nonsense aside, there was a note alongside this that mentioned them buying it from a source in Cyrodiil and also feeling off when around it. Historically, I can find very little on this artifact, though not nothing. The Penitus Oculatus had a few records from the Third Era in which there were sightings of a suspected member of Cyrodiil’s branch of the Dark Brotherhood who was wearing a similar enchanted outfit to this one. To go with that, the colors of the outfit match the normal color scheme worn by members of that cult. Now I can't prove that this outfit has origins in the Brotherhood, I'm no Shadowscale so I have very little interaction with them (besides the one that tried to kill me). However, if I had to place a bet it wouldn't have bad odds. As for the enchantment, it fortifies the wearer's ability to persuade others, specifically providing inspiration when haggling. Not an enchantment I'd expect from an outfit I'd otherwise associate with a cult devoted to Sithis, to be fair.

Dragon Claw Key, Ivory: A dragon claw key found within the barrow of Folgunthur. The material is an interesting one given its contrast with the other key I found in this round of acquisitions. Ivory is a material used almost purely for aesthetic purposes, while steel is used in far more utilitarian ways.

Dragon Claw Key, Steel: Another of the honestly fascinating dragon claw keys made by the Dragon Cult. This specific key was used to seal the area in which the blade Mournbringer (the entry for which is later in this list) resided. I wonder about the significance of using steel rather than a more valuable material, that could imply a few different things, I think. First possibility, there was a lack of funds to justify the use of more costly materials and instead they used more common metals. Second possibility, this key was meant to be hidden and the door sealed as long as possible, thus a more valuable metal was not required (though at that point why not just cave in the structure?). Thirdly, I might just be overthinking this, this key might just be steel because they felt like using steel for aesthetic or symbolic reasons similarly to the rest of these keys.

Dolls, Enchanted: A couple more for these little things. One dressed up like a chef and one like an Imperial Legion soldier. The chef improves one's ability to cook, the soldier improves the rate at which one's body heals from wounds. Finding more of them certainly does fit with Auryen’s belief that they are part of a wider set. In fact, given that one of them was in the possession of a high ranking officer in the Imperial Legion, I'd say that whoever made these might have been rather notable, though that does again beg the question of why in Oblivion I can't find any information about them.

Dwarves: The Lost Race of Tamriel Volumes 1-3, Signed by Author: The aforementioned Calcelmo’s published works on the subject of the Dwemer and the things that they built, signed by the man himself. Auryen asked for a few books like these as he likes the idea of a section of our library to be used to honor the works of Skyrim’s active authors. not a bad idea honestly.  As for my opinion on the volumes themselves, based on my understanding of the Dwemer (and some consulting with Remiel) I can say that the books are a largely accurate, if a bit dry, documentation on our understanding of what the Dwemer have left behind. However, I do take some issue with the third volume for a few reasons. Firstly, why act like the theory that the disappearance of the Dwemer was sudden is any more unproven than the theory that it happened over the course of years? It would line up far better with Yagrum Bagarn’s statements on the disappearance if it was sudden. Secondly, the idea that the disappearance was caused by something as mundane as mass deaths or a plague is patently ridiculous. The event had to be magickal in some way, there's no other way to explain the sudden disappearance of an entire race in such a short time. Even if we are assuming this happened over the course of years, pandemics on a multiprovincial scale couldn't wipe every single member of an entire race that quickly. That's not even mentioning the fact that other races would obviously be affected by this theoretical plague, something we have no documentation of. Gods, another otherwise good book ruined by nonsensical theories.

Dwemer Puzzle Cube: A puzzle cube previously in the possession of the mad ghost of a Dwemer I had found in the ruins of Nchuand-Zel. Shame the spirit wasn't willing to talk, instead it was far more happy to conjure one of the Dwemer's centurions. From what I understand, these little things come up every now and then when delving into Dwemer ruins. They tend to be used as keys or some other kind of control mechanism for the technology made by the Dwemer, though what this one is used for I can only speculate. It didn't seem to interact with anything in the city that I could find.

Explorer's Guild Armor, Heavy: A set of heavy armor made for our newly made Explorer's Guild. Had a fun time designing this, though I do question if anyone is going to wear it. The types that go on archeological digs aren't exactly the types that would wear heavier armor. Regardless, I suppose it still acts as a good representational piece for the guild.

Fairy Lanterns: A pair of newly found Fairy lanterns, though only one of the Fae that had been imprisoned in these wanted to come with me to the museum. One of the Faeries I found previously has taken something of a liking to me, or at least they think I'm a fun enough target. Their name is Lux (Yes, the one who wrote on the last entry. Yes Lux, I did notice that! Ask permission next time!), and they're a curious little fucker. Any time I'm examining any find they sit down with me and ask questions about it nonstop. Honestly, it's pretty good at getting my mind moving. I'm not sure if they're trying to be helpful, but they are. Maybe I should try to make something for them as a little gift? Maybe a little pair of glasses (without the lenses of course, I really don't want to work with pieces of glass that small)? I feel like they'd appreciate the look. A small drawing is scribbled in the margin next to this entry featuring a Nixad’s face wearing a pair of spectacles. 

Falmer Weaponry: Display items for the armory made by the Falmer. All of these seem to be made primarily of biological components harvested from the chauruses that the blinded Mer raise and tame. I'm a little surprised by that, given their propensity to tunnel and build homes in caverns, you'd think the Falmer would have ample access to metals to make more sturdy weaponry. Though, I suppose they would have trouble actually being able to see that metal, much less actually work it into a usable shape, wouldn't they?

Figurine, Dwemer Diving Suit: A tiny model of a Dwemer in a suit made to assist in exploring underwater environments. Never encountered suits like it, but I know they do exist. An adorable little thing, very well crafted as well. The amount of detailing on this figurine, one that's about the size of my fist, is very impressive. No maker's mark on it though, shame, I'd like to see what else the person who built this has made. As for what the museum has to do with this, it's not much to be honest. I'm going to put it in the aquarium in the Natural History hall to give it a little decoration. 

Fish, Various: More of these little guys, the results of more fishing. Diving for fish is more enjoyable in the moment, sure. However, having the opportunity to stop for a while and chat with my companions is such a reprieve from the hustling around that has become common in this new line of work of mine. My life has become a bit too fast-paced for my mind to accurately process, and fishing is good for slowing it down.

Fossils, Various: Much more fossils found in the province's various mines. While I'm happy to wax poetic on them, this is not my area of expertise. Please do not expect me to actually provide any insightful commentary here, fossils are very interesting but I've very little actual knowledge on them. Notable inclusions are one displaying a full skeleton of some sort of terrestrial saurian and another displaying a full skeleton of some sort of tiny flying saurian.

“Froki's” Bow: An enchanted longbow I found in a cave that was infested with trolls that previously seemed to be home to a hunter's camp. The question of if the bow is an artifact or not is a good one, though it's far too early to tell if it is with any certainty. The weapon itself is very clearly recently made, at least within a man's lifetime. It does show some magickal signs that correlate with the being an artifact (magickal signature and aura are somewhat close to the average baseline for artifacts, though not out of the range for standard enchantments) and it's also completely free of any damage that one would expect given it was in a troll den, both of which gives a decent chance for it to be an artifact. The bow itself has a few aesthetic design flourishes, some boar tusks and metal ornamentation framing the riser. The name “Froki” is carved into the wood, likely the name of its previous owner. I'll have to see if this Froki can be found, if they still live. The enchantment on it is meant to sap the energy from those that its arrows strike, a sensible enchantment for a hunter's bow. All in all, I wouldn't recommend displaying it with the other artifacts, maybe somewhere in the Hall of Oddities instead until its status can be conclusively determined.

Gauldur Blackblade: An artifact taking the form of an ancient Nordic sword, held by the draugr and former Nord warrior Mikrul Gauldurson. This artifact is one of a set of three weapons (and one amulet) previously owned by the archmage Gauldur, who, according to Nordic folklore, was slain by his three sons out of jealousy. Mikrul was but one of those sons. The history of this artifact is, for multiple reasons, not something I'm in the position of being able to recount. Firstly, it's been in the hands of an undead trapped in a tomb (the tomb being the aforementioned barrow Folgunthur) for multiple eras. Secondly, the actual bardic tale that tells the detailed story of Gauldur and his sons’ patricide, along with many mentions of the four of them within the historical record, were wiped out during the reign of High King Harald (While I recognize the achievements of Skyrim's first High King, on principle this act makes me have to hate the man. If I ever somehow reach into the realm of Sovngarde, I will make sure to personally make my displeasure at his act of historical erasure known. Likely conveying that through the heel of my boot.) On the properties of the blade, the appearance doesn't exactly match most ancient Nordic swords that I've seen, but it's not too far off. A more symmetrical blade and different ornamentation on the cross-guard. It's not functionally very different, so the change is likely attributable to either a blacksmith wanting to make something unique or the tendency for artifacts to shift in appearance over time. As for the blade's enchantment, it's nothing special, just a simple draining of the striken's vitality.

Gauntlets Made For Fist Fighting: More of these. After a little while of testing (casting spells in them, writing in them, trying various common movements, comparing capacity for enchantment) I've been able to turn my previous “probably” into a “definitely”. If you're going to wear or enchant a pair of gauntlets, you really might as well use one of these instead of a standard pair. There is no noticeable downside to these in any way. Despite that, I still maintain my previous conclusion that close range spellcasting is far more effective in a situation in which you would be using your fists. A good thundercrack is worth far more than a haymaker.

Guard Armor: Unlike before, the majority of this equipment was scavenged rather than donated. The armor from Solitude was found on the corpse of a guard who had been murdered in Solitude's sewer system (Don't ask why I was down there) and the armor from Hjaalmarch was recovered from a casualty of a skirmish between some Stormcloaks and Imperial forces.

Gemstones, Various: More shiny rocks for the geology exhibit. One of them is an absolutely massive garnet, it's the size of my head! I found it in a mine in Hjaalmarch, just sitting on a table completely unwatched. It must be incredibly valuable, shame no one running the mine thought to keep a find like that anywhere at all secure. Did they expect no one to ever steal from them? They're an actively running mine, they have to expect people might want the things they pull out of the ground, right? Whatever, it's the museum's garnet now!

Honorblade of Chorrol, Cursed: An artifact taking the form of an ebony sword, specifically one of Cyrodilic design. This specific weapon is one used within the Cyrodilic city of Chorrol. This artifact was found alongside the previously mentioned suit of armor from a knight of the same city, though the sword is much more interesting in itself. The blade seems to have been cursed by the dying wishes of its last owner, the late Sir Venric. According to the man's journal, he was chasing after a thief who had stolen something of great value from his liege. The knight was then poisoned by the thief during a fight, the thief ran and Venric slowly died, claiming that he would be the one to kill that thief with his blade and no one else. I must assume that his lingering sense of duty and desperate will to go on kept his spirit here all this time. Appearance-wise, there are only a few changes from what we have recorded. The sword now has a smooth, rounded pommel when previously the pommel had a trio of prongs on its bottom. Otherwise, the blade has an appearance that is standard for a Cyrodilic ebony longsword. Besides the knight appearing as a spirit and attacking me when I picked up the artifact, the item itself seems to be affected physically by the curse. This seems to be manifesting in three ways. Firstly, the blade is far, far too heavy for a sword this size; it takes considerable effort to lift. Secondly, the edge of the blade is dull, and remains so despite attempts at repairing it. Thirdly, the artifact’s magickal property, namely its proficiency at slaying the undead, is completely absent. I'll try to see if there’s a good way to cleanse the curse, but for now it should be safe to display.

Imperial Armor: Armor worn by Imperial soldiers and officers, both scavenged from the aforementioned skirmish and very much legitimately acquired from the Imperial headquarters in Castle Dour. The armor is not particularly notable in my view, though maybe that's just because I've seen so much of it. Regardless, a good piece for the armory display.

Ironhand Gauntlets: An artifact taking the form of a pair of steel gauntlets, I suppose the name is a little ironic, isn't it? These were in the possession of the bandit Hajvarr Iron-Hand, the leader of a group of bandits holed up in a fortified cave just outside of Whiterun. The man had ambitions to take on Whiterun's militia and take the city, it seems he overestimated his own forces’ capabilities. The gauntlets themselves are somewhat nonstandard for the region, having no ornamentation whatsoever, there's also very little leather included in their construction. This seems like it would be more at home on a knight from Highrock than any warrior in Skyrim. The enchantment on them is rather simple, just a boost to one's strength at wielding larger melee weapons. As for this artifact’s history, while I can't find anything written down there is a bit of evidence to go off of here. Assuming it isn't a very unlikely coincidence, the gauntlets are either named after the Iron-Hand family or that family was named after them. Given the lack of available written information, I lean towards the former. I'll have to look into the Iron-Hands and see how far back they go, but I believe that these gauntlets were made by a member of the family and then were treated as an heirloom within it.

Lantern of the Ancestors: A lantern made of a quicksilver cage molded to fit the contours of a welkynd stone, the stone within can be made to shed light with the application of a slight amount of magicka. From what I understand, this is an item used during religious ceremonies within the pantheons of the Mer. The constructions vary amongst cultures within the Elven races, this specific lantern seeming to be of Ayleid origin. A perfectly good item to display in our exhibit on Tamriel's various gods and religious practices.

Magickal Jars: More of these odd magically sealed jars containing enchanted baubles. While the contents of them aren't particularly notable by themselves, one of them literally just filled with various pieces of Dwemer scrap metal, I have found a book that seems to be related to them. It has no title, just a silhouette of a jar on the cover. In its pages are a series of locations, some of which I know I have found these jars at. The existence of this book implies a purposeful creation and spread of these damned enchanted jars, but who and why are still unknown.

Map, Blackbone Isle: A map found in the possession of the aforementioned newly made Blackwater Brigands. This map highlights the location of a small Island that was believed, and is now confirmed to be, the final resting place of the Dead Man's Dread. it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone recover the ship itself now that the ghosts have been dealt with. Maybe have Auen tell one of his contacts in Stros M'Kai the location of it. Someone over there would definitely love to have that ship.

Mhaznier: An artifact taking the form of a sword of Dwemer origin obtained in the control room in the Dwemer city of Nchuand-Zel. Any actual information on the origin of this artifact is likely hidden or lost with the Dwemer who made it. No known appearances of it are on any of the reference material that I have on hand. The enchantment allows the wielder to sap the life from those that the blade strikes and the appearance of the artifact is similar to most shortswords made by Morrowind's Dwemer population.

Minor Lord's Mail: A very odd artifact indeed. Seeing it for the first time you'd be understood for mistaking this for the Lord's Mail, the legendary divine artifact that Kynareth made for the demi-god Morihaus-Breath-of-Kyne, one of the greatest relics of the Imperial Cult. However, upon closer inspection, this seems to be nothing more than a replica of the original thing! It's a damned good replica too, everything down to the enchantment is nearly identical. If I didn't have magicks to verify artifacts like this I likely wouldn't have recognized this as a fake! This was found in a cave being occupied by a group of Minotaurs, the leader of which wore this armor. This implies that they likely made this artifact in honor of Morihaus, a figure that the Minotaurs often hold in high regard (On account of him possibly being one of them or possibly being the father of their kind. Depictions of him widely vary on this subject but it's certainly an understandable choice from their perspective.)

Mournbringer: An artifact taking the form of a sword found in the depths of an Ancient Nordic ruin found underneath the city of Solitude that was reachable through, of all places, its sewer system. Though I can't find any solid leads on this artifact’s past, the fact that an entire sealed ruin was built around it cannot say enough to denote the importance of this weapon. Considering that the ruin was still locked and I have no records of this weapon, I believe I might have been the first person to find it in millennia. I'll have to do a little research into ancient settlements within the area of Haafingar to see if I can find any ideas of when or why this blade was sealed in there. As for the normal record keeping, this weapon takes the appearance of a greatsword with a blade seeming to be made of quicksilver. The enchantment on the weapon is a rather simple one made to electrocute those struck with the blade. The simplicity of the enchantment makes me believe that the importance of this blade was likely ritualistic or ceremonial, as it's not particularly powerful on its own.

Mudcrab, Armored: A mudcrab donning Dwemer style armor previously in the possession of the scholar Calcelmo. He claimed to have found it during his excavation of the Dwemer city of Nchuand-Zel and, while I have no reason to doubt a respected scholar like him, that would imply that this mudcrab is at least 3000 years old as there's no way in Oblivion that this thing was able to don this armor by itself. I came across the little thing and felt it would fit for the aforementioned domesticated animals exhibit. It seems to be trained to serve as a pack animal, though it's not able to carry very much due to its small size.

Mundane Weapons and Armor: More bits and pieces to fill out the armory. Notable inclusions are one greatsword made of pure corundum, two crossbows and one abnormal Akaviri blade. The greatsword is just odd due to the odd choice in metal, very rare to see it used in its pure form in weaponry made in the past few eras. Nords commonly used it in their weapons up until the First Era, that was for decorative purposes and almost never in the blades of their swords. The crossbows aren't particularly interesting by themselves, but the place where I found them was. These two were found in the hideout of a now deceased Vigilant of Stendarr who had been infected with vampirism. The Akaviri sword is odd due its usual style. This particular blade has a straight blade with a single cutting edge. Akaviri swords with those properties both exist, but, to my knowledge, they almost never exist together. This specific one looks like someone straightened out a katana.

Nullsprocket: An artifact taking the form of a warhammer that was being used by the previously mentioned Dwemer spectre that had the puzzle cube. To the best of my knowledge, this artifact has not been previously recorded anywhere I have access to. I'd say it's likely the Dwemer knew about it, but given most of their records are lost or hidden, that's mostly speculation. The design matches best with that of the Dwemer warhammers found in this province just with some added internal workings within the hammer's head. The functionality is a mystery to me at the moment, I might ask Remiel to take a closer look at it if we decide that dismantling it would be worthwhile. The enchantment on the weapon seems to act as a countermeasure for Dwemer automata, attempting to shut them down when used to strike them. Given the spectre wielding it was in Nchuand-Zel’s automata control room and was able to conjure automata, I think it's a safe assumption to make that he was in some sort of supervisory role over the automata in the city.

Painting of Deathbells, Cursed: A painting made by the artist Ester Maroux as part of a big set that she was doing as an attempt to tell her interpretation of the disappearance of the Dwemer. The painting in question is cursed, mentally projecting the viewer into a room containing the artist herself, who was trapped there due to a deal made with Clavicus Vile, forced to either kill the viewer or to have them accept a lesser version of her work. Obviously there was a third option given that I have the painting and am not dead, I just fought back against her. I suppose it should go without saying that this painting should under no circumstances be displayed in the museum. I’m either going to toss it in a storage room to let it decay or leave it as a trap for would-be thieves in the safehouse’s vault, still deciding on which.

Pendulum: An artifact taking the form of a long mace previously owned by the Keeper of Skyrim's branch of the Vigilant of Stendarr, Carcette. According to Vigilant's records, the mace was made specifically for her as in commemoration of her taking office, so congratulations to the Vigilant's blacksmith and/or enchanter who managed to produce an artifact! A shame about the Keeper herself, who was killed during an assault on the Vigilants’ headquarters by a group of vampires. Gods, I suppose that proves that those Dawnguard fellows really must be right about the vampires getting bolder in this province. It might be a good idea to look into them, both the local vampire clans and the ones intent on slaying them. Back to Pendulum though, this artifact was recovered from the ruins of the aforementioned headquarters and is now the youngest artifact that the gallery currently has in its collection, or at least the youngest that we actually have a solid idea of the date of creation and can confirm as an artifact. The long mace itself is not of any standard design, the head of it consisting of four bladed crescents with nothing at their center. The majority of the weapon is made of silver. The weapon's enchantment causes it to be particularly deadly towards undead, daedra and were-beasts. A suitable enchantment for the Vigilants given their predilection towards eliminating all that is daedric.

Poacher’s Axe: An artifact taking the form of an axe, specifically one meant for woodcutting. It was found amongst the possessions of a gang of bandits who were hunting mammoths (and also had found a spell that let them turn iron into gold, which I cannot believe I just included as a footnote). There doesn't seem to be any historical record of this artifact. However, if it's been in the hands of poachers for a long time as the name would suggest that would explain the lack of notoriety. A shame that we don't know how long this tool has been around though. Appearance-wise, this axe is heavily non-standard, the head of the axe is heavily stylized to take the shape of the neck and head of an elk. As for the enchantment, it is likewise rather unusual, allowing for the artifact to be more lethal when used to attack wildlife. Given the bandits' poaching scheme, I have to assume this weapon was used to finish off animals that didn't die immediately in their traps.

Reconstructed Cup of Ancient Nordic Design: A small piece of Ancient Nordic culture reconstructed from fragments found within Folgunthur. Nothing world shattering here, but a fine little thing to put on display.

Sailor’s Uniforms: Honestly not the type of thing I would pick for the museum, but I can see where Auryen is coming from here. These were the uniforms worn by the crew of the Dead Man's Dread post-Cyrus before they all died and became ghosts in an effort to protect the ship. Not a bad idea for a display piece in the exhibit on the Dread and the items that belonged to Cyrus that were recovered aboard it.

Shells and Corals, Various: More shells for the little mock tidepool in our Natural History hall. Most of these were found scattered along Haafingar’s coastline.

Skull Crusher: An artifact taking the form of a silver warhammer, bought for the museum by Auryen from a Dumner merchant who had recovered it from Mournhold's museum before the eruption of Red Mountain. This artifact is one of the rare examples of an artifact with a known and documented origin (see the last Dwemer Yagrum Bagarn’s work, Tamrielic Lore. Side note, Bagarn's assertion that every item listed within that book is of “unimaginable significance” is clearly a massive exaggeration. Sure, many of the items listed are the artifacts of aedra, daedra or important historical figures. However, giving that designation to items like the Ring of Surroundings that have a single sentence about them and very little known history, is just ridiculous). To give a short summary of its creation. The wizard Dorach Gusal and the blacksmith Hilbongard Rolamus got together, built an obscenely powerful magickal forge within Anudnabia, what is today a daedric ruin, and collaborated to create this warhammer back in the First Era. The combination of the magickally hardened steel used in its creation and enchantments reducing its weight to something more carriable for the wielder made the artifact something abnormally powerful. After all of that though the warhammer eventually got stolen when it was supposed to be put on display for a festival and it went missing for a while. This prompted its creators to place a curse on it, causing it to “betray the unlawful” (I probably shouldn't be touching it too often then). I'm not sure exactly as to what that means. However, it does seem that it has a tendency to return back to the forge where it was made. Onto the properties of the artifact, it seems to have changed quite a bit. As to what I mean by that, it was recorded as being a one-handed warhammer but seems to have changed over time into a two-handed one. The etchings on the head are also different, though only slightly. The enchantment, meanwhile, is completely different. The lightness it was known for seems to have faded, being replaced with an enervating effect inflicted on those it strikes.

Stormcloak Officer Armor: Armor scavenged off of a dead Stormcloak officer that fell in the aforementioned skirmish between them and some Imperial soldiers I came across while traveling. I can't say I'm not a little morbidly happy to see one of them bleeding out, while the whole “Gaining independence from the Empire” thing is a fine motive, I can't abide by an ethnonationalist movement. Sure, maybe there's some good folks amongst their ranks, maybe. However, given their leader would likely prefer my hide turned into a pair of boots I say fuck them all, it's good this fool died for his cause. I should probably say something about the actual item in question. I guess the armor is well made and suits its role well. Bear pelt mixed with sturdy steel is an intimidating look. The gauntlets have the bear's claws in their knuckles, making for a nasty punch if that's what must be fallen back upon.

Sword of the Crusader: By Oblivion, an actual Aedric artifact! Gods, the sheer fact that this kind of thing exists outside of some holy reliquary! The Aedra almost never seem to find the time for need to come down and bless us mere mortals with their time so really the mere existence of relics like these is a surprise on its own. However, I suppose they had a good reason to break their normal silence here given it was for their favorite guy. This specific artifact is one taking the form of a sword and was the one of the eight artifacts made by the Eight Divines for the bane of the Ayleids (and most other Mer and the Khajiit), Pelinal Whitestrake. Pelinal's own history is something worthy of a whole host of volumes. Maybe I'll write more about him some other time, probably if I find more of these. There are supposedly more of them floating around Skyrim, so it's not the most unlikely thing (Maybe I'll go over that one fringe theory that claims that Pelinal and his artifacts came from the future, that'll be fun). According to legend, the sword was made by Arkay himself, I suppose it makes some sense for the god of death to have made a weapon (alongside Zenithar making the set's other weapon. What’s that one saying about death and taxes?). After its use by Pelinal, the sword had a whole host of wielders over the Eras, including several members of the knightly order, the Knights of the Nine (both the original incarnation and the remade version of the order headed by the Hero of Kvatch), who at several points had possession of all eight. As for how such a legendary artifact made its way into my somewhat heretical hands, this sword was in the hands of Solitude's Temple of the Divines, who kept it as one of many relics of the Divines and their saints. On behalf of the Dragonborn Gallery, I petitioned for the item to be displayed for public viewing within the museum, something the priests found agreeable (But only after they asked me to pray to the god that made the weapon first before taking it. I'm not sure if that was a test of my knowledge of the relic or a genuine ritual of theirs to be honest). For the usual study of appearance and enchantment changes, there's not too much to note. The artifact's appearance has not noticeably changed over time. There is a shift in the enchantment, the sword no longer harming the internal stores of magicka in those that it strikes. However, this absence may be due to me not being a holy warrior, and thus I am not “worthy” of the weapon's full strength.

Thornblade: An artifact taking the form of a silver longsword. Historically, this artifact is one heavily tied to the Knights of the Thorn, a knightly order devoted to the defense of the Cyrodilic city of Cheydinhal (A lot of things relevant to Cyrodiil in this lot). Said knightly order was nearly wiped out during the Oblivion Crisis when they led a poorly planned assault on an Oblivion gate outside of Cheydinhal. The artifact was given from the order to the Hero of Kvatch after she saved the surviving members of the order who were on that assault. After it was in the hands of the Hero, the exact whereabouts get a little murky, what with her mysterious disappearance. However it eventually made its way into the hands of one of the museum's benefactors, who donated it to us. As for changes in the artifact's appearance, Well, there's a lot. Many of the features of the sword seem to have exaggerated themselves. For example, the thorns running up the blade have been replaced by a few large serrated bumps and two hooks of the lower section of the blade have had their curves inverted and have become more akin to spikes. There are far more changes, so much so that I feel I'll have to include a sketch of the damned thing in any official documentation I write up for this thing. As for the artifact's enchantment, that too has changed, once again in a way that seems to exaggerate the sword's traits. While previously it would degrade the armor worn by those that it struck, the blade now simply slices through armor entirely as if it wasn't even there. It also seems to have some extra effectiveness when fighting the undead, something not seen in the sword at all previously.

Treasure Maps: Yes, actual treasure maps. Not recovered from the pirate ship, instead from a few random bandit hideouts. No idea who is making alI of these, a bored bandit with too much time and loot? I've found a few of them now and Auryen had the bright idea to display them as a collection in our library with any other notable maps, such as the previously mentioned one for Blackbone Isle. I'll have to actually search for these treasures myself at some point, already found one of them just outside of Riverwood.

Tribunal Mask, Gold: A mask made to replicate the appearance of those worn by the members of the Tribunal Temple. While the worship of those three is mostly dead these days due to their deaths (and mysterious disappearance in Vivec’s case), you still see these masks floating about in this province. I suppose it makes some amount of sense that they would be here, Dunmer refugees likely took them into Skyrim when fleeing the eruption of Red Mountain and then they started spreading as they were stolen or sold for their value (they are made of precious metals after all).

Wooden Mask: An odd artifact in the form of a wooden mask seemingly made to replicate the appearance of the traditional masks of the Dragon Cult's priests. While there doesn't seem to be any obvious enchantments on this item, I was able to experience a magickal effect upon donning it in a specific location. When Worn within a specific structure within the ruins of Labyrinthian, one of two things happen. Either the wearer's perception is changed to look into the location's past, or they are entirely transported back in time into that space. Either way, the mask allows you to see into the past until it is removed. A wondrous item that I desperately want to know how to recreate, though unfortunately not one with much practical use. There just isn't really much in that structure, there weren't any audible people outside it and there doesn't seem to be any way out of it when wearing the mask. The one item of interest was what seemed to be some sort of collection of busts with spaces that seem like they would, assuming they have the same dimensions as the wooden mask, fit masks from Dragon Priests. If I find any of those masks I'll have to test them in that place, but for now I'll put my investigation of it on pause.

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UESP Out of Context

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i apologize that lord, lady, serpent, and shadow are grouped. tumblr only allows 12 options per poll and there are 13 birth signs, so i had to adjust it a bit.

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Soulstober Day 9: Gatekeeper

...which is also...

Inktober Day 9: Sun

Featuring Magnus, the Blind God.

I actually drew this one a while ago when I first saw the prompts but hey, today's the day to post it if any.

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for the sake of this poll, "behaviorally draconic" means stuff like an innate need to dominate, possessiveness, etc.

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How long would you like to vibe? [19 hours]

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Sparking-Steps' Acquisitions Log, entry 2: A far too exciting entry into Skyrim.

Much less precedes this passage than the last. This time a reddish, circular stain adorns the top of the page, inside the circle in small handwriting "The scaled one forgot to close their book! All will know the Fey Lux was here!" is written along with a small winged stick figure that seems to be laughing.

Well, shit. My little trip over the Jeralls was far, far more eventful than I was hoping it would be and it turns out that I might have accidentally fallen face first into a major historical event. I wasn’t intending to use these entries to talk about events like this, but honestly this is justified.

To start the story from where I left off, it turns out the route I was taking wasn’t as safe or unpatrolled as I thought it was. I knew it was a risk to cross the border without proper paperwork, but delaying the trip for the month it would’ve taken to actually get all of that filled out, signed and paid for would have been excruciatingly boring. So I was caught by an Imperial patrol and, well, they didn’t take any excuses. To make matters worse I had run into a group of them that were just about to hold an execution due to one of their prisoners being the damned leader of the Stormcloaks himself!

So there I was, unable to successfully bargain with the somehow handsome soldier with my fate in his hands, about to get my head chopped off, when the worst possible miracle happens and a DRAGON ATTACKS THE TOWN WE WERE IN!!!! A FUCKING DRAGON! THE FIRST DRAGON SPOTTED ON MUNDUS IN MILLENIA AND IT PREVENTED MY OWN DEATH BY MERE MOMENTS! Is some god playing a prank? Is Sheogorath laughing it up on his throne? Was Mephala soaking up my fear in that moment? Gods.

So I was able to escape with the help of the previously mentioned somewhat handsome soldier, kind one he is, I hope he does well in his war. I can’t say the same of most of that town, Helgen it was called. I went through the place later, it’s just entirely ruined. Gods above though, dragons are back after all this time. Beasts gone for so long that some people thought they were myths. I’m fairly certain there’s a prophecy from one of the elder scrolls on this happening, so it’s probably very likely that we’re about to start living in very, very historically interesting times. Gods damn it.

Well, none of that matters though, I still have a job to do and current history has only a little to do with it. The possible end of the world at the hand of an ancient draconic tyrant isn’t going to fucking stop me from doing the job I’ve been wanting to do for years! I AM GOING TO BE A PROFESSIONAL ARCHEOLOGIST AND NOTHING CAN STOP ME! Take that damned overgrown dragonlings.

So, besides my near execution and the possible start to the end of Mundus, I have actually had a nice time here in Skyrim so far. The people have been kind enough, I’ve even found a traveling partner, a fellow scholar named Lucien. A rather charming fellow, if a little unprepared for the exploring lifestyle. Of course, I’d be a hypocrite if I dismissed him for that, I’m not exactly too prepared for actual life and death combat either. Fortunately my dueling skills are carrying me so far. Regardless, Lucien seems eager to learn and I’m eager to learn with him.

Lastly before I actually get to what this journal is supposed to be used for, I have made it to the Auryen’s museum and, I have to say, the old Mer has outdone himself. This place is magnificent! It’ll take years to actually fill this place, it’s absolutely massive! Even the housing that he arranged for me in the place is immaculate! I genuinely don’t know what to say in regards to all of this, this is perfect! The fact that I’m getting this living space and an actual pay is more than I could’ve ever dreamed for! Goodbye loud sleepless nights in university dorms and inns, hello COMFORT!

But, well, on to what I’m actually writing this damned thing for, the log.

ACQUISITIONS LOG #1:

Alcoholic Drinks, Various: For a display on the more unique types of alcohol native to Skyrim. Most of these are various regional liquors and meads from the holds I've visited. One of them is a rather odd magical alcohol by the name of "Daedra Drink” that can render the imbiber invisible. Not sure who made this or where, bought a bottle of it from one of the inns I visited. Bit of an odd one.

Amulets of Birthsigns: A small collection of amulets found amongst several of Skyrim's standing stones that represent the various birthsigns. They seem to be enchanted in ways that match the signs' blessings. I might keep the Mage stone's amulet on me for the time being, it's not my sign but the enchantment is useful.

Amulets of the Nine: Amulets showing devotion to Arkay and Stendarr. Not to my taste in terms of gods, honestly. I don’t have time to worry about death and Stendarr’s devotees are completely overzealous in their pursuit of putting down Daedric cults.

Amulets of Ancient Nordic Make: I'm fairly certain these don't have to do with the Dragon Cult specifically, but they do match certain etchings in Dragon Cult barrows. Before the creation of the Dragon Cult there were cults dedicated to the veneration of these various other animals, so likely these were cultural holdovers from that brought into the Dragon Cult's beliefs.

Ancient Nordic Boots: Unfortunately this was the only armor I could salvage from Bleak Falls Barrow's draugr. The rest fell apart upon being removed or were fused to the undead cultists' skin. Still, a good find.

Ancient Nordic Weaponry: Fortunately (or not considering they were swinging them at Lucien and I) the weapons the draugrs were using were far more intact than their armor! Despite their age, these weapons retain much of their ornate embellishments. Nordic culture commonly adding embellishments to its weapons and armor seems to be a trait that has carried over the ages.

Art Pieces of Various Types, Style and Origins: This is a very broad category, but I simply don’t have much to say about the things within it. What can I really say about a fancy drinking horn, a wine glass made of emerald or a statuette of a sabrecat? Ugh, if my mother was here she could go on for hours about these things, I never did inherit the family’s mind for making or critiquing artwork. I suppose there’s one notable thing in this, a statuette of a dragon. Remarkably accurate given that dragons only recently came back, I’ll have to see if there’s any way of finding the original creator.

Backpacks, Various: Not sure why Auryen wanted these. Some of them have interesting enchantments I suppose.

Battleaxe of Hatred: Alright, the first (possibly of many) artifact I've collected! Not a very prolific one, though its status as such has been magically verified. Based on the records I could find of it in the museum's library, the earliest known appearance of this axe was at a store selling weapons and armor in the Imperial City around the time of the Oblivion Crisis. I'm not sure how a group of bandits came into possession of this item, though their proximity to Skyrim's border with Cyrodiil implies it likely came here via conventional means (aka being carried). The appearance of the weapon has changed from that of a Cyrodilic battle axe of that time period to modern Skyrim's style of battle axe, though the iron is now colored red as if stained with blood. Notably the enchantment has changed entirely, originally sapping one's vitality, it now creates a potent fear reaction in the people it strikes. Strong enough to send summoned entities back to their plane of Oblivion. Despite the name, it seems this axe has become somewhat pacifist, scaring people away rather than fighting them.  (Note: see if we can find out if The Fighting Chance still operates, they might have further information on where this weapon originally came from.)

Books, Various: A big batch of books that I’ve picked up for use in the museum’s library. A good chunk of these were donated from the Jarl of Whiterun’s own collection, generous man he is. I’ve skimmed through a few, but I didn’t have the time to sit down and read any during my travels. Not yet at least. There’s no way in Oblivion that I’ll be able to spend enough time to read through the entire library, but hopefully time will permit enough to read some of them. For now though a good few of these can make good reference material when researching new artifacts.

Capes and Cloaks, Various: Matching ones to be used in the various armor displays. Others are just ones I've collected because I quite like capes.

Cheeses of Various Kinds: Just a whole lot of cheese, both local and foreign varieties. Also a few cheese-based dishes. These aren’t for the museum, collecting these is a personal hobby. Don't ask why.

Dagger, Possibly From Oblivion: First off, I have no real proof of the claim of this dagger’s origin. It was told to me by the donator, the priest of Arkay that runs Whiterun’s hall of the dead. He did not explain where he acquired it from, however. The most notable thing about this dagger is its enchantment. It can trap souls, but unlike other enchanted items it does so without needing to ever be recharged. It is an oddly shaped dagger, having twin blades that curve towards each other. A design that seems remarkably inefficient, so along with the soul trapping enchantment, a ritualistic purpose seems likely. If I was to make a bet, this might’ve come to Whiterun during the Oblivion Crisis. Possibly being left there by cultists or Daedric invaders. Possibly an artifact, though that’s hard to prove without further knowledge on it.

Denstagmer's Ring: One of several artifact rings found on the body of an explorer at Silent Moons Camp. The exact origin of this ring is a total mystery, even the name “Denstagmer” brings up no leads whatsoever. The first notable records of its locations were when the Nerevarine found it a bit over 200 years ago in the Falas ancestral tomb in Vvardenfell, so it's possible that the family had a history with it. The last living Dwemer, Yagrum Bagarn, mentioned the ring in his book, Tamrielic Lore, though there wasn't much he could say about it. No changes to the ring’s enchantment or its appearance have been noted. Best guesses for how it made its way to Skyrim are either that a refugee from Morrowind or that this dead explorer, this Malrus fellow, must've been brought into the province.

Dolls, Enchanted: A pair of dolls, one a blacksmith and one an executioner. The both of them are enchanted to enhance skills relevant to the doll's occupation. Using a forge and wielding large weaponry respectively. Odd little things. Auryen mentioned he believes they're part of a larger set, which makes me wonder who made and distributed them.

Doll, Unenchanted: A completely unremarkable doll to be used in the enchanted doll display. I can’t say I like the look of this toy, it’s cute I suppose but the design is a bit lacking. Perhaps some tiny clothes could improve the look of it.

Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow: A map of various dragon burial mounds throughout Skyrim carved into a stone tile. This must’ve been made in the late days of the Dragon Cult, after the (apparently temporary) defeat of Alduin. I'll have to visit these sites at some point! The actual artifact has been requested by the Jarl of Whiterun, so unfortunately the museum will have to make due with a replica. I don’t know why the Jarl’s court mage couldn’t just take a recreation of it, but I suppose this is going to be used for something tactical so he likely wants the information to be exact.

Dragon Claw Key, Golden: An interesting artifact of the Dragon Cult. They used ornate claw shaped keys like this to seal the innermost sanctums of their burial tombs, typically along with an ornate door locked with a puzzle. Some theorize that these keys function more as a way to lock whatever is on the other side of the door inside, however, due to Bleak Falls Barrow having an alternative exit to that chamber I feel that theory falls flat. The current owners of this key did not want to part with it, so the museum will have to make due with a replica.

Elven Style Armor, Modified: Elven armor previously owned by a member of a now disbanded gang of bandits called the Crimson Dirks. The armor itself seems like a more practical variant on Skyrim's normal style of elven armor, including leather sleeves and pouches.

Faeries (!!!!): FAIRIES! By the Hist, I don’t think I’ve ever actually met Fey before! What fascinatingly pretty little things they are! Specifically, these ones are Nixads, a small humanoid insect-like being with a pair of wings on their backs. Absolute joys to be around they are, pranksters though. One of them stole my pen while I was taking a break from writing earlier and it took me an hour to find the damned thing again. The little bastard was giggling the whole time, said they thought my break should be a little longer. Why exactly they are coming to the museum is an interesting point. There’s a superstition amongst Skyrim’s sailors and fishers that having a Fey with you is good luck, that you’ll either have safe travels or good hauls, respectively. This has led to a tradition of caging Fey in modified lanterns, as they also shed a small amount of light due to some sort of magical aura. The museum was only looking for the lanterns for an exhibit on that cultural practice, but upon letting these two out of their prisons and telling them about the museum, they seem to have found the idea of coming here interesting. I’ve spoken with Auryen and after discussing it, we’ve decided to make a space for them in the Natural History Hall. They’re free to leave if they wish, but we’ll give them safety, food and a space for themselves if they want to stay. Plus, it gives us a chance to educate people on Tamerials’ Faeries on those Fey’s own terms! Side note, as an unfortunate side effect of the Nordic superstitions around them, I have found a Fairy’s corpse in the wreck of a sunken ship in Lake Ilinalta. We’ll ask the other Fay how they should be given a burial.

Fish, Various: To be added to the Natural Science Hall's aquarium. Side note, I can see why some people enjoy fishing, it's quite relaxing. I might have to participate in it more.

Fishing Equipment: Not sure why this was asked for, to be honest. Fuck it though, if Auryen wants a fishing pole I’ll get him a fishing pole. He’s the one paying me.

Fossils, Various: Found while digging through a few veins of ore found throughout Skyrim's landscape. A record of Skyrim’s history set into stone. None of these ones are too interesting by themselves from what I understand, though one depicts a fish eating another one, which is somewhat rare I think.

Gauntlets Made for Fist Fighting: An eccentric customization of the usual styles of armor in Skyrim. Probably better to use than a normal set of gauntlets given they are just as sturdy and can still hold an enchantment just as well. I will be honest though, I can’t imagine myself actually resorting to punching someone. Close ranged spells are far more effective.

Guard’s Armor (Whiterun and Falkreath): Donated by the Jarls of those two holds. Nothing too interesting here but I felt they were meaningfully different enough from the other sets of armor to justify their own entry. Hopefully I can get sets of armor from every hold as easily as these two.

Gemstones and Minerals, Various: These are being collected for a large display of Skyrim's various minerals within the Natural Science Hall. This is not my area of expertise, though they are very pleasantly shiny.

Lunar Weapons: A unique set of weapons made at an ancient ruin called Sleeping Moons Camp. The forge seems to channel some sort of power from the two moons to enchant what would normally be mundane weapons. What a unique ruin it is! The forge itself seemed like a recent addition and the bandits around the ruins did as well. However, despite the book near the forge documenting the creation of these weapons and the presence of those weapons as proof that it does work, I find myself unable to actually make this thing work. I’m unsure as to why. This place requires further investigation.

Magical Oil Lamp: An oil lamp that seems to contain some sort of entity that grants minor boons upon request. Doesn't seem to want to leave the lamp, nor does it seek payment. Not sure what exactly the entity is, though I feel it's unlikely for it to be a Daedra. Honestly it is fully possible that it isn’t inhabited at all and the entity itself is just a trick made up through a bit of enchantment. I asked it for "Knowledge" and it gave me a pile of books, useful little thing. A donation from Solitude's Temple of the Divines.

Magical jars: A small group of magically sealed jars with what seem to be enchanted toys inside. Things like a tiny ship or flying dragon. Odd little things these are. Not sure who made them or where they all came from, but the common design of the jar itself implies a singular source. An oddity that hopefully will be figured about eventually, but isn’t too much of a priority.

Mundane Weapons and Armor of Various Styles: Primarily these are made of iron or steel, though a few other kinds are in this pile. There's something to be said of the ornate style that the Nords of Skyrim add to even their most mundane armors. I quite like the horns they add to their helmets, perhaps out of my own vanity. My horns are quite nice and honestly I should say that more often. Preening aside, I quite like the steel armors I've seen. There are a few more notable examples amongst this list, those will get their own entries.

Orcish Style Armor, Modified: Another set of armor from that aforementioned disbanded bandit gang. Apparently this one was made by the gang’s resident smith, who had fallen in with another gang after the group split up, though she seemed to dislike her current circumstances. This set of armor was, once again, modified from the normal style. Replacing some of the orichalcum metal with leather and fur, seemingly to keep the wearer warmer in Skyrim’s cold climate.

Raven Statuette Made of Ebony: At a glance this seems mundane, but this seems to have some connection to Daedra worship. I couldn’t sense any actual enchantments on it, but something about it feels just slightly odd. I know that’s not exactly a professional way to see these kinds of things, but that’s just the way I feel about it. I’ll ask a few others what they think of this statuette before I turn it in though, just to make sure. My first instinct is to assume it was made to honor Nocturnal, though ravens and ebony aren't symbols unique to her. It would be a perfect fit for Ebonarm, while his animosity for the Daedric Princes is well known it’s not exactly known for sure where he falls amongst the pantheons so this could have been made in honor of him.

Reconstructed Tapestry of Ancient Nordic Design: I was able to recreate this from fragments found within Bleak Falls Barrow (I need to find a shortening of that name). It's remarkable that the fabric stayed mostly intact over the centuries.

Ring of Transmutation: Another of the artifact rings found alongside the body of the explorer, Malrus. This one is less historied than the other though, similar to Battleaxe of Hatred it made its first known appearance in Cyrodilic store during the Oblivion Crisis, specifically one in Bravil. No major changes, though the gemstone set in the ring is larger than previously recorded. No known history before that time, similar to the battleaxe. I'll have to see if the store it was recorded as being in, The Warlock's Luck, is still around so we might be able to check their records. As for how it got here, the explorer Malrus is the most likely reason that I can think of.

Severed heads: What? Who made these little display cases for these severed heads? Why have I found several of them? Why did Auryen ask for them?

Shells and Corals: Another collection of things for the Natural History hall. Nothing much to say here, though the fact that I found coral in the stomachs of a group of slaughterfish in Lake Ilinalta is probably odd. Once again, not my area of expertise, but I'm fairly certain coral doesn't naturally occur in freshwater. Do slaughterfish swim upriver like salmon? I suppose their presence in both fresh and saltwater implies so.

Taxidermy Supplies: Various animal hides and other bits and pieces to be used in to make some taxidermied animals to display in the Natural History Hall. Auryen is pretty skilled at making taxidermy, I wonder where he learned it.

Varla Stone, Flawed: One of the Ayleids’ star stones, a small fragment of Aetherius itself fallen from the heavens down to Mundus. These minor magical miracles that were used for, of all things, lighting a room. I’ve been in a couple Ayleid ruins and honestly I do have to admit that the light from these is certainly very pleasing. Perhaps the wild elves had a decent idea there after all. This specific stone is a bit clouded, making it not as useful as a more perfect specimen, but that’s not to say it isn’t useful, these little things are perfectly capable of containing and releasing souls, for example.

Weatherward Circlet: Another artifact ring, though this one was a donation from Whiterun's hall of the dead. How did that crypt manage to come across two separate artifacts? I suppose this ring might have just been on one of the deceased and no next of kin claimed it. As for the ring's history, it isn't the most storied but it was owned by the Hero of Kvatch! Apparently she had been given it as payment for a job, the exact details aren't recorded so I assume it must have been something someone didn't want known. Interesting, though that unfortunately means that researching its origin is likely a dead end. As for appearance and enchantments, there doesn't seem to be any recorded change.

Welkynd Stone: As with the previous entry on varla stones, but much more powerful. These things were used all over Ayleid cities of the past for all sorts of purposes, not just lighting. In the modern day these things are amazing tools for magecraft. A magically inclined individual can draw upon the power within one of these and be filled to the brim with magicka. A shame that the method of growing these was lost with the Ayleid civilization, the feats of magecraft that could be accomplished with a large amount of these would be incredible.

Whiterun silver proof coin: For a display on Tamriel's various currencies. Look, I am not a numismatist, I have very little room in my head to be interested about coins. They are shiny and can be spent to acquire nice things, that's about the end of my thoughts on any coins minted in the last half millennia. I suppose this one has a nice design, very swirly and pleasing to the eye. Definitely nicer than a septim.

[sparking-steps]

What is this blog?:

As a creative writing exercise I'm going to be journaling in character during my current playthrough of Skyrim. I'm using this blog as a place to display that writing (and other stuff related to that OC). The playthrough will heavily revolve around the mod Legacy of the Dragonborn and it's museum. The journal entries will be (mostly) formatted as a log of things Steps acquired for the museum, an entry being made for each time more things are dropped off.

Who's Sparking-Steps?:

My Argonian OC, a scholar, archeologist, mage and, though they'd bet you wouldn't be able to prove it, a thief. They use any pronouns. Feel free to ask them questions, I'd love to answer in character.

[sparking-steps]

Sparking-Steps' Acquisitions Log, page 1: an introduction.

Preceding this passage in no particular order are half a dozen lines of scratched out text, a small stain from a quill resting on paper, a small selection of sketches of a hist tree, a ruined Ayleid structure, the writer's own tail and exactly one decipherable line of text, "Julianos please give me the strength to start this damned thing".

Whatever, I've been sitting on this the whole damned time I've been in Bruma. Might as well get this over with before I cross the Jeralls and actually start this whole chapter of my life. That, and I might consider converting these pages into my memoirs some day so I do feel some duty to actually do a properly good job at this. Though I suppose this is just for me for now, I can iron all of this out later.

So, how do I even start this? Well, I suppose if this is to be a memoir I should probably give some context for who I am, right? I am Sparking-Steps, I have a name in Jel but I don't prefer to share it. I am a native to the province of High Rock and a prime example of a Saxhleel in their prime. I am a scholar in the study of history, particularly in the subject of the Atmoran dragon cult. I am also something of a combat mage, though that's secondary to my true passions. Everyone has some extracurricular sport they took up in university, yeah?

Speaking of my schooling, I studied at Gwylim University in High Rock and briefly worked there as a research assistant. An event in my life that directly leads into this current one. I am, as of now, making the trip from the Imperial City into the northern province of Skyrim as I have received an invitation from one of my old professors, one Auryen Morellus. He seems to have remembered my passion for fieldwork and has offered me employment at a museum that he's working to open in Skyrim's capital of Solitude, specifically, I am to be the "Relic Hunter" as he puts it, a procurement specialist. It's probably not a bad job for me, I was somewhat known for being able to "find" things amongst my peers in Gwylim.

However, this job isn't just about asking politely for the local Nords to donate items of historical import. No, no, no, it's actual fieldwork! According to the old mer, I am to go out into Skyrims' notable number of old historical sites myself and do some proper archeological work! Gods, I think this might be the first time I've ever truly had the opportunity to actually see an old dragon cult tomb up close! Skyrim's old barrows are bound to be filled with the remnants of the Nords' fascinating old cultural traditions. I won't go too much into detail on it here, maybe in a later entry, this is still the introduction page after all.

Gods, I have been writing a bit haven't I? Perhaps this'll have to be a extended to a short chapter for the memoir? Maybe fill it out with something about the trepidation I'm certainly feeling about the current war in the area? I mean, I'm not really particularly feeling that, no way I'll be dragged into it, but it would probably sound good at least.

The next passage features several more scratched out lines of text and several more sketches, this time of a crowded bar, a napping mountain dog and the writer's tail again.

Gods, how am I supposed to end these things? Seriously, what am I supposed to say as a sign off to myself? A cute little "sincerely" message? Nothing? Honestly this is why I never understood journaling. Thank the gods this is the only entry I intend to do like this, the whole idea of an acquisitions log is far more feasible with how I prefer to write. Whatever, goodbye for now myself or whoever else ends up reading this. If you aren't me and your reading this, either please return it or go burn in the lava lakes of Oblivion depending on if I'm living or dead (respectively).