“When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world
When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped
When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles
When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls
When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding
The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.”
Esbern stood back after reading it out, indicating the words. “It's all come true, you know. The Imperial Simulacrum, the Warp in the West, the fall of the Tribunal and the Red Year, the Oblivion Crisis, the fall of the Imperial City and... well, the last two lines speak for themselves.”
When the Snow Tower lay sundered, kingless and bleeding. Skyrim, ripped apart by civil war and with no king. Ulfric had a lot to answer for, she knew that... but the return of the World-Eater?
“Wait, Alduin the World-Eater?” Elisif gasped. “The dragon that will eat the world at the end of time??” She felt her knees tremble as she saw Esbern nod, entirely serious. “He's real?” she gasped.
“Oh yes, quite real,” Esbern confirmed. “If my suspicions are correct, it was him who tore Helgen apart and has been raising the others.”
Elisif remembered the black dragon that had been at that dragon mound near Dawnstar and felt sick to the stomach. Alduin the World-Eater, real and here, working to bring about the end of the world, and what was worse... it seemed she was the only one who could stop it.
“I have to kill Alduin or the world's doomed,” she whispered, horrified. Esbern nodded sadly.
“I'm afraid so. But Delphine and I are Blades, sworn to the service of the Dragonborn and we'll help you any way we can. Won't we, Delphine?”
“Absolutely,” Delphine promised, smiling for once, and for once, Elisif actually thought it might just be genuine. It was only Brynjolf looking nervous.
“Hey now, I didn't sign on for killing dragons, lass,” he protested. Delphine shot him a sly grin, raising an eyebrow.
“Why not, you're a killer shot with a bow, Bryn,” she laughed. “But don't worry, it's not all dragonslaying and providing bodyguard services to the Dragonborn. There's always been a covert ops side of things too. I'm sure we'll need your skills for that.”
“I'm all right with dragonslaying and guarding the Dragonborn,” said Aela, placing a hand on Elisif's shoulder. Elisif squeezed it, feeling reassured already.
“Thank you,” Elisif whispered. “I don't know what to say.”
“Maybe you should perhaps wait until you've heard what else Esbern has to say before passing judgement,” Delphine told her. “Esbern, tell her what you told me earlier.”
“Mmm? Oh! Yes, quite. Well, much of the ancient Akaviri dragonlore of the Blades was lost when the Thalmor sacked Cloud Ruler Temple, but I was able to save a few things. In particular, I kept this.” He placed a book on the table called Annals of the Dragonguard.
“What is it?” Elisif whispered. She'd vaguely heard of the Dragonguard but didn't know if their records would be any good. They'd never fought the World-Eater, after all.
“The records of our Akaviri predecessors, from back in the First Era,” Esbern told her. “The Skyrim Dragonguard had a great temple in the Reach, Sky Haven Temple – look, here it is on the map.”
“I know where that is,” Delphine said thoughtfully. “That's the Karthspire mountain, on a big island in the middle of the Karth river.”
“I know it too,” said Aela grimly. “It's the home of one of the bigger Forsworn camps. We had to retrieve a stolen heirloom from there last year, the place is tough. Farkas barely made it out alive, and we'd already lost a younger recruit on that job previously. They've got a Hagraven, Delphine, and she's tough even by Hagraven standards.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 10.3
When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped
When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles
When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls
When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding
The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.”
Esbern stood back after reading it out, indicating the words. “It's all come true, you know. The Imperial Simulacrum, the Warp in the West, the fall of the Tribunal and the Red Year, the Oblivion Crisis, the fall of the Imperial City and... well, the last two lines speak for themselves.”
When the Snow Tower lay sundered, kingless and bleeding. Skyrim, ripped apart by civil war and with no king. Ulfric had a lot to answer for, she knew that... but the return of the World-Eater?
“Wait, Alduin the World-Eater?” Elisif gasped. “The dragon that will eat the world at the end of time??” She felt her knees tremble as she saw Esbern nod, entirely serious. “He's real?” she gasped.
“Oh yes, quite real,” Esbern confirmed. “If my suspicions are correct, it was him who tore Helgen apart and has been raising the others.”
Elisif remembered the black dragon that had been at that dragon mound near Dawnstar and felt sick to the stomach. Alduin the World-Eater, real and here, working to bring about the end of the world, and what was worse... it seemed she was the only one who could stop it.
“I have to kill Alduin or the world's doomed,” she whispered, horrified. Esbern nodded sadly.
“I'm afraid so. But Delphine and I are Blades, sworn to the service of the Dragonborn and we'll help you any way we can. Won't we, Delphine?”
“Absolutely,” Delphine promised, smiling for once, and for once, Elisif actually thought it might just be genuine. It was only Brynjolf looking nervous.
“Hey now, I didn't sign on for killing dragons, lass,” he protested. Delphine shot him a sly grin, raising an eyebrow.
“Why not, you're a killer shot with a bow, Bryn,” she laughed. “But don't worry, it's not all dragonslaying and providing bodyguard services to the Dragonborn. There's always been a covert ops side of things too. I'm sure we'll need your skills for that.”
“I'm all right with dragonslaying and guarding the Dragonborn,” said Aela, placing a hand on Elisif's shoulder. Elisif squeezed it, feeling reassured already.
“Thank you,” Elisif whispered. “I don't know what to say.”
“Maybe you should perhaps wait until you've heard what else Esbern has to say before passing judgement,” Delphine told her. “Esbern, tell her what you told me earlier.”
“Mmm? Oh! Yes, quite. Well, much of the ancient Akaviri dragonlore of the Blades was lost when the Thalmor sacked Cloud Ruler Temple, but I was able to save a few things. In particular, I kept this.” He placed a book on the table called Annals of the Dragonguard.
“What is it?” Elisif whispered. She'd vaguely heard of the Dragonguard but didn't know if their records would be any good. They'd never fought the World-Eater, after all.
“The records of our Akaviri predecessors, from back in the First Era,” Esbern told her. “The Skyrim Dragonguard had a great temple in the Reach, Sky Haven Temple – look, here it is on the map.”
“I know where that is,” Delphine said thoughtfully. “That's the Karthspire mountain, on a big island in the middle of the Karth river.”
“I know it too,” said Aela grimly. “It's the home of one of the bigger Forsworn camps. We had to retrieve a stolen heirloom from there last year, the place is tough. Farkas barely made it out alive, and we'd already lost a younger recruit on that job previously. They've got a Hagraven, Delphine, and she's tough even by Hagraven standards.”