A changeling's visit to Skyrim

Turning to the source of the noise, they found a small group of warriors engaged in battle with a giant, umm… giant. The fight seemed to have been going on for some time, as evident by the damage sustained by the field around them, as well as the apparent injuries sustained by both sides. However, the fight quickly ended when the archer of the group managed a clean shot into the giants’ neck; stunning it long enough to be finished off by the large man with a sword.

Impressed by the warriors’ skills, the elf and changeling decided to walk over and congratulate them on their victory.

“Well that settles that; no thanks to you two.” the archer with the face paint threw out as they approached.

“Wait a minute, what?” Stross wanted to yell “They actually expected us to join in the fight? First of all, we’re not fighters like they are, and secondly we just got here as they finished it off! Were we supposed to know that this battle was going on and rush to their aid? Or-

“I didn’t seem like you needed any help.” Fenora told them as Stross continued to silently go over everything that was wrong with the situation at hand.

“True, but most warriors would leap at the chance to take on a giant.” the archer boasted.

“Maybe, but we aren’t really warriors. We’re more like… travelers.” Fenora explained.

“Well if you ever decide to take up the sword, come find the Companions in our mead hall, Jorrvaskr. We’d be glad to have some new recruits. Which reminds me,” she turned to the others “back to Jorrvaskr Companions! We must share tale of our victory with the others!”

“And get some rest,” the man with the sword added “those giants pack a wallop.”

With that, they set off towards the city gates; leaving Fenora and Stross standing alone in the destroyed field.

“-and finally, my favorite drink is raspberry lemonade… where’d they go?” Stross finished his thoughts before he found Fenora was leading him along again.

As they approached the gates of the city, Stross felt compelled to stop at the camp set up outside the city walls; out of curiosity if nothing else. When he walked over, he found it populated by the same cat-people like the one that had mysteriously appeared as if from nowhere. Sitting on a rug in the tent appeared to be an elder, beckoning him over.

“Greeting friend, this one's name is Ri’saad. What is yours?” he introduced himself.

“Stross, my name's Stross.”

“A pleasure to meet you, I sense that you are not from these cold lands, neither am I.” he told Stross. “You are seeking to enter Whiterun, yes?”

“Yes, we’ve got to warn them about the dragons.”

Ri’saad's eyes widened for a second, and he seemed to be lost in thought for another. Remembering Stross, he returned to the conversation.

“In any case, I require your assistance. There is a young woman within the walls of this city. She is an associate of mine, and I must get a message to her.”

“That’s it? Why can’t you just tell her yourself?” Stross questioned.

“Because traveler, the Jarls men have forbidden khajiit like myself from entering the city. This is due to the rumor that all khajiit are thieves and drug dealers.” Ri’saad explained bitterly.

“I know the feeling.” Stross told him, remembering his own situation back in Equestria. “What do you need me to tell her?”

“Excellent, her name is Ysolda. Tell her to acquire a mammoths tusk, and Ri’saad shall aid her in her pursuits.” he explained.

It seems that Skyrim and Equestria aren't so different. A few bad apples may not spoil the bunch, but they can really spoil it for the rest.

When Stross caught up with Fenora she was already at the city gates, attempting to gain access past a number of guards in yellow chainmail. The sight of them made Stross freeze for a second, remembering the guards back home.

“Okay, calm down Stross.” he told himself as he took some deeper breaths “You may be extremely weak and low on power, but you haven’t done anything wrong here. These guys don’t even know what a changeling is and- Wait… they don’t know what a changeling is! They won’t see me as a threat!”

With this new revelation, his fear melted away and he confidently walked up to the gate, joining Fenora as she talked with the guards.

“I’m telling you, there’s a dragon out there! It destroyed Helgen!” she yelled.

“And I keep telling you, I don’t believe stories from crazies and drunks.” the guard told her in a deep voice. “If you’re going to keep up this nonsense, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“I guess no one here got the news.”

“It’s true,” Stross chimed in “we barely got out of that place alive. And we’re not the only ones who know; ask anyone in Riverwood and they’ll tell you the same thing.”

“Look,” the guard told them stoically “I don’t know what kind of joke you’re trying to pull. But dragons died out in these parts centuries ago, and now you expect me to believe that one appeared out of nowhere, destroyed an entire city, and no one but the two of you saw it?” if you could see past his visor, his eyebrow probably would have been raised as far as it could go.

“Well…”

“It does sound kind of dumb when you put it that way.” they admitted.

“Right then,” the guard continued “unless you have any actual business in the city, I suggest you turn around and-

“Actually,” Stross interrupted “I happen to have a message for someone.”

“Oh really; and who would that be?”

“Ysolda, it’s about a deal with the khajiit.”

The guard face-palmed (Face-visored?) as he heard this. “Oh darn that girl and her bargains with those filthy-” he muttered “Fine, but make it quick.”

Stross shot Fenora a smirk and motioned her forward.

“Well that went better than I’d hoped.” Stross said as they walked through the bustling streets towards the market. “They seemed kinda’ hostile; what did you even say to them?”

“The truth.” Fenora said plainly “I told them about the dragon and how we’re all in danger... and that if he weren't so incompetent he'd already know this.”

Stross face-palmed."First off, insults don't help. And second, you didn’t need to tell them that! You could have just said ‘Hey can I go in to do some shopping?’ and they’d be all ‘Sure, go right in.’” he explained “Not difficult.”

“Speak for yourself; maybe you’re okay with lying, but I’m not.” Fenora told him “I still can’t believe they thought I was drunk just because I talked about dragons!” she yelled indignantly.

"It’s not lying, it’s giving them only what they need to know. And don’t be so hard on yourself; I personally would think you’re drunk all the time.” Stross complimented with a big sarcastic grin.

Fenora responded by slugging his shoulder.

“So I have to ask before we go any further.” Stross began, just now realizing something that should have been obvious for him “Why are we even going through all this trouble in the first place? The warning them I mean.”

“You really have to ask that?” Fenora shot him a glare.

“I’m serious, we could have been on our way anywhere, like back to your home at… what was it, High Rocks? Anyway, I’m starting to doubt anyone will bother to listen,” Stross reasoned “and even if we don’t tell them about this, they’ll find out on their own when that thing is swooping down on top of them.”

“But look around you,” Fenora told him “what do you see?”

They both paused for a moment, standing just outside the market district. Around them were stalls set up with farmers selling their crops, and children ran in between the stalls. A man leaning up against a store building talked with a passing musician about how “everyone in Skyrim is obsessed with death these days”. As they walked past the final set of stalls, they saw a woman curtly refuse a courting attempt while her daughter watched with a laugh.

They climbed up a short flight of stairs into a gathering area with a large tree as the centerpiece. To their right, a preacher yelled praise before a statue as loud as he could, and to their left stood several buildings, houses and temples by the look of them.

“That’s what she meant.” Stross let out a sigh.

“Okay, I get it.” he told her “Even if they won’t listen, we at least have to try. Otherwise it will be too late by the time they realize it themselves, and then they'll get stomped into the ground by that dragon.”

“Precisely.” Fenora nodded “I can’t bear to see innocent people die when I could’ve saved them. Not ever again.”

“Again?” Stross asked, his interest piqued “What happened the first time?”

“I… don’t want to talk about it.”

They made their way up the steps to the palace. The guards halted them at the massive wooden doors.

“Halt, what business do you have at Dragonsreach?” one asked.

Fenora was about to answer, but Stross stepped forward before she could.

“We’ve got an important message for your Jarl; his people are in danger.” he told him, withholding the information about the source of this danger until he actually held an audience with their leader.

“Right, come on in, he’ll want to hear about this.” The guard opened the door for them.

“Lots of people, not many guards, and you can go pretty much anywhere on pretty much any excuse? I hope Chrysalis and her bumbling swarm don’t ever find this place.”

When they entered the large hall, they began to overhear an argument coming from the other end of the room. As they reached the top of the stairs, they caught the middle of a discussion between the Jarl and his advisor past the wood fire burning in the center of the floor.

“-while bandits nest in the hills, attacking merchants and travelers. Do you suggest we do nothing?” one voice asked in a frustrated tone.

“We shouldn’t be too hasty my lord, the Jarl of Falkreath will assume we’ll join Ulfrics’ side and attack him.” the other replied.

They both looked up as Stross and Fenora approached.

“What is the meaning of this?” a grey-skinned elf spoke up “The Jarl isn’t expecting anyone today; explain yourself.”

“I’ll have to handle this carefully.”

“We come with dire news.” Stross began “This is going to sound ridiculous and insane, but Helgen was just destroyed by a dragon.”

There was an uncomfortable silence before the entire room burst out laughing. Jarl Balgruuf, his adviser Proventus, the maids, and the guards were clutching their bellies as they gasped for breath. Even Irileth, the Jarls normally stoic housecarl had to suppress a chuckle.

“Oh, you were right, that did sound ridiculous, but thanks for the laugh.” The Jarl said as he regained his composure “I needed that after today.”

“Keep it cool Stross, just keep driving the point until they accept it.”

“Right then,” Stross spoke up again “now that you’ve all had a good laugh, there’s still a flying death-machine on the loose.”

The atmosphere in the hall lost its lighter tone and became much more serious, the occupants changing to match.

“Surely you can’t be serious.” Jarl Balgruuf said, now leaning forward to give his full attention.

“I’m serious, and don’t call me Shirley.” Stross answered.

“You realize how outrageous this claim is don’t you?” Proventus chimed in. “Dragons haven’t been seen in Skyrim in-

“Centuries, we know.” Fenora joined in as well “But if that giant, fire-breathing lizard that destroyed an entire town just this morning wasn’t a dragon, I don’t know what it was. And if you don’t believe me I can just show you the burn marks.”

Before anything else could be said on the matter, a new voice joined in from a small study adjacent to the hall. “Did someone say dragons?” it called.

“Oh divines help us, not this again.” Balgruuf rubbed his temples.

Within seconds, the source of the voice entered the room. He was a rather skinny nord wearing blue robes and a pair of spectacles.

“Hello there, I’ve spent most of my life researching dragons, and now you two say you’ve seen one with your very own eyes?” he took over the conversation, his voice carrying a distinctive lisp “What was it like? How big was it? You said it destroyed an entire town?”

These questions and more bombarded them until the Jarl interrupted.

“Enough Farengar, what they’re saying is clearly impossible.”

“One sure mark of a fool is to dismiss anything that falls outside his experience as being impossible; though I’d surely hesitate to call you a fool." Farengar responded. “And if these travelers are telling the truth, I would like to borrow them for a certain project of mine.”

“Fine,” Balgruuf sighed “with their consent, I’ll allow this. But I won’t be acting on these rumors without hard proof.”

“Excellent, follow me to my study.” Farengar motioned them to follow.

Once in his study, filled with various maps, charts, and scrolls, he explained the results of his research. Most of it would have made perfect sense to a dedicated scholar, but was a bunch of gibberish to Stross. Though from what he could understand, there was a prophesy in the form of an ancient chant that foretold the coming of Alduin, the world eater, and how he would rise an army of dragons to destroy the world.

“And that’s where the two of you come in.” he finally started getting to the point “In order to prove my theory, I’ll need you to fetch a stone tablet called the ‘dragonstone’ for me. With it, I’ll be able to locate all of the ancient dragon burial sites.” he explained. “And when I say ‘fetch’, I mean risk your lives delving into a dangerous ruin that may or may not contain it.”

“Wait, he wants us to what now?”

“You want us to what now?” Fenora asked, as skeptical as Stross was.

“Yes, I want you to go on a dangerous mission in the name of knowledge and discovery, and you want to prove that dragons have returned to Tamriel; it’s clear we should help each other.”

“Are we seriously going to-” Stross began before Fenora cut in.

“If you don’t want to go, I’ll just do it myself.”

“I guess we’re going then.” he relented.

“The things I do for love.”

“Excelent!” Farengar practically jumped for joy “If my information is correct, it’ll be in Bleak Falls Barrow, no doubt interred in the main chamber. Oh, and one more thing,” he picked up a small jar from a nearby mixing table “would you take these frost salts to arcadia for me on your way out? I’m sure she’ll compensate you for the menial task of delivering it.”

“What are we, a delivery service?”

“Sure, give them here.” Fenora took the frost salts before she left, pulling Stross behind her.

“Good luck,” Farangar called after them “and try not to die!”

"Count on it," Fenora called back "And you might want to turn down the heat on that spriggan sap!"

An explosion followed by a cloud of smoke erupted from the study right after they left.