After near on two days of wandering about in the Reach, I stumble across a cleft in the rocks that takes me into a canyon...
...which takes me into a glade the likes of which I've never seen. I can see some manner of gray tower in the distance so I suppose I'm finally getting close to Fort Dawnguard.
Further confirming my suspicion is the timely arrival of a young man who approaches for the same reason as I. I size him up, moderately unimpressed with what I see. His light armor--or lack thereof--doesn't worry me, since the fastest man alive could, naked, defeat any armor-clad buffoon, but it's clear from his eyes and the poor shape of his axe that he's in over his head.
But he knows the way, so I decline from advising him to turn back.
But even after falling under the shadow of the redoubt, I find myself distracted by the orc he recruited me, now carrying some weapon that I don't recognize.
I must have it.
Apparently there's extras to go around. Already I can feel myself warming to the notion of a crossbow--portable, powerful, recoverable ammo, and significant stopping power. I don't know if it has any gains on my trusty bow but the novelty alone has me keen to try it out.
Inside the fort, I meet with the leader of the Dawnguard, who tells me that if I'm to help them out, I should head directly to Dimhollow Crypt, where an incursion of vampires is seeking something important. There's also a bit of evident politicking, which I refrain from interrupting, while I consider whether or not my status as an ex-vampire is worth mentioning to these fellows.
I decide against it and instead head to Riften, where I tune up my gear at the smithy, as well as make some needed adjustments to my new crossbow.
After that, I head toward my home by Windhelm. If I'm to be back on the road again after all these weeks, I'll need to do some management of my supplies, leaving most of them at the house.
I also get a chance to test the crossbow on a living subject.
It certainly meets my expectations. Its arc, and accordingly its range, are smaller than that afforded by the bow, but there's a level solidity to its fire that I very much enjoy.
I reach home shortly thereafter, and spend the night. I've had time to furnish the place these past weeks, turning what was once an empty box of dusty floorboards into a lair suitable for one such as I.
And, like all good dragons, I've begun assembling a pile of treasure, which for the time being remains confined to the limits of my desk.
According to my map, Dimhollow Crypt is nearest Morthal, so I head down the mountain to Windhelm, where I grab a carriage west.
I have a bit of time finding the crypt, since I don't quite know what it looks like, but there's a tomb in the general area that seems about right. There's even someone standing outside, but she's short with me, to say the least. Oh, well--who needs her if she's just going to be rude like that?
I'm a little confused as to what I find within, though. It's not vampires, and it's not Dawnguard, so I guess this group of bandits was just doomed from the start. Whoever shows up, these guys are going to get trampled in the process.
Down inside the structure, there's some guy dying and saying something about cats and a blade. I don't really follow what's going on but that's kind of normal for me.
Besides, when has understanding what I'm fighting been any help to me? Even if what I'm fighting is undeniably freaky? I mean, I guess she's got the Nocturnal barely-garbed thing going for her, but I'm not a fan of the pointy teeth, pointy ears, and lack of eyebrows.
But despite all those features, she's not a vampire. My dawning realization that I've walked into the wrong crypt (only in Skyrim is this is a problem for mercenaries, I think) is irrelevant, since I've still got to deal with whatever I've unleashed.
The wisps flying around me are hard enough to deal with, since I can barely tell them from my own candlelight. So I ignore them and go straight for the ghostly woman screaming at me from the other side of the room, since she's a lot easier to hit.
It works out in the end, and I also score an interesting sword off the body of some dead Khajit. Like most of what I find lying around, it's not up to par with the stuff I've made, but it's still a decent find. I think I'll take it home and hang it on the wall.
But later. Dimhollow awaits. I know it's got to be around here somewhere.
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