Entry 25: Heartfire 20, 3E433

This journal finds me in good health three days after I departed on my journey to find the artifact. I am writing this entry now from the Jerall View Inn inside the city walls of Bruma. Much has happened over the last few days, of which I had very little sleep. I shall now quickly record what has happened before retiring for the day.

Before departing on my journey to retrieve this Akaviri artifact, I prayed and received blessings in the great Chapel of Talos in Bruma. Of the nine holy fonts, I have received blessings from six of them. The remaining three would require my pilgrimage to those wayshrines. They are the wayshrines of Julianos, Stendarr, and Zenithar. I vow here and now that I will make those pilgrimages. But now, I had work to do.

According to the legend that Countess Carvain kindly narrated, the ancient fort was located in the Jerall Mountains. After studying the map and diary provided to me, I left Bruma and traveled into northern Cyrodiil in search of the landmarks on the map.

Around noon, I finally found this first landmark, Dragonclaw Rock. After viewing the map once more, I headed west in search of the great statue. Within the hour, I had found the statue and I was now beginning to believe that the legend might actually be real. After traveling north for another hour, I finally found the entrance to the Serpent Trail mentioned in the diary.

I entered and it wasn’t long before I found the skeletal remains of the fallen soldier who had supposedly written the diary. A stone slab still rested in one of the bony hands so I took it. It was apparent that this slab contained the orders the soldier was supposed to have taken to the fort beyond Pale Pass. Taking the orders, I moved on.

A cold chill swept down from the mountains as snow began to fall, making it difficult to see. I had found Pale Pass. Ogres roamed the snowy region and they proved to be difficult foes. After wandering through Pale Pass for nearly four hours, I finally found the ruins of an old fort.

Inside, the fort was crawling with undead Akaviri soldiers. They fought with such ferocity and even though the Blessed Word turned them away, they just kept coming back. I had to remind myself that thee were no longer the honorable soldiers that they had once been. They were undead, so I had no choice but to fight and destroy them.

I delved deeper into the fort, finding the undead Akaviri Commander on the bottom level. Unlike the other soldiers, the commander did not attack me on sight. Instead, he asked me if I had come bearing the orders. I assured that I did and I gave him the orders that he has been waiting for all these years in life and death.

The commander thanking me for fulfilling my duty, apparently believing that I was the messenger. Upon opening an antechamber, the undead commander vanished. I stepped inside the antechamber finding several chests and the ancient amulet, the Draconian Madstone.