Serana and I both roll our eyes when, about a hundred meters in, we see the reason for why the cave is called "Darkfall".
And, as if it's angry at us for mocking its creators, the bridge snaps apart and dumps us both into the raging torrent below.
Either that or it's just calling one of us fat.
In any case, I don't mind the brisk swim, Argonians and all, but I try to keep my head up, excepting any fast-coming stalactites, so I can see if Serana's doing okay.
At which point we, and a bunch of spiders, go over a waterfall and I decide there's not much I can do at this point.
Finally, the subterranean river trickles out a bit and we're released from its clutches. Seeing glowing mushrooms and hearing some very familiar screams in the distance, I suppose we're headed back into Falmer territory.
The finding of some camp and its dead inhabitants, and the notes they carry, confirms it. But it also suggests there are some trolls around here, which is less exciting. The Falmer are generally soft and squishy and easy work for me, but trolls are another thing altogether if I don't get the jump on them.
But I don't have to fret for long--we find the trolls almost immediately, so I can get it out of my system and then look forward to a long, endless fight with the only race ever to lose to Noses in battle.
But as Serana and I discover further in, not all the Falmer are degenerate, skulking, blind monsters. Some of them kind of look like Altmer, apparently, although he raises his eyebrows when I suggest he's like either of them.
So basically an Altmer. Which doesn't bode well for our relationship, I'm considering, but the fellow goes a ways toward putting us on friendly terms, explaining that Auriel's Bow is indeed somewhere through this cave. There's just the matter of his crazy brother, captured by the Falmer, as well as some complicated ritual involving porting water around.
Well, I suppose we might as well get started.
Now, I had definitely expected the structure to emerge from the ground at the snow elf's command, as I've seen any number of not-so-cleverly concealed staircases, but what I don't expect is when the wall simply melts away to reveal a different cave altogether.
Cool.
Judging by the local flora and fauna, it's clear that nothing has come or gone here from the rest of Skyrim in a very, very long time.
Which is probably just as well, since judging by the Falmer structures, some very big and scary monsters live somewhere hereabouts.
But as usual, it's only the small and rather less scary monsters who give me any trouble. The houses stay right where they are, and I'm happy with it.
We come to an apparent dead-end but likely another hidden door, and Serana lets slip just how excited she is to be here. I hadn't taken her for an archaeology geek, seeing as how she's been gone for two thousand years. Shouldn't everything be interesting to her? But maybe I'm wrong--maybe she's nostalgic. Maybe seeing things like glowing purple cats reminds her of the good ol' days.
Okay, I'm not that jaded. I can appreciate a giant luminescent cavern, complete with tentacles and waterfall, even if it does look a bit like Blackreach.
But far more interesting to me, at least, is that this place actually has an ecosystem beyond degenerate snow elves and their cattle. There's actually deer down in this place! I saw the cat and figured he'd just wandered in and rubbed some mushrooms onto his coat or something, but there's deer! With glowy eyes!
But the next section of the cave is even more amazing. It has trees, although that's nothing new, but this cave's so big I can't even see the ceiling. There's even a dense fog which kind of looks like clouds. Hearing all my exclamations to this effect, Serana sighs and shakes her head.
"What?"
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