• Day 1

    I come around from unconsciousness to the sound of horses. As I open my eyes and my sight returns to me I see that I am in a horse drawn cart on a cobbled road. In front of me sits a Nord, a Stormcloak soldier from the look of his garb. He starts speaking but I don’t listen to him at all. Nords aren’t any of my concern, especially since it is their fault I even got caught trying to cross the border into Skyrim. I look towards the driver’s seat of the carriage as he talks and see that it is an Imperial soldier driving the horses. ‘This can’t be good,’ I think but I say nothing out loud.

    Instead of worrying about my own fate for the moment I take the time to look around, seeing that there are two others in the carriage with me other than the Nord speaking. One of them, a regally dressed Nord, is gagged but I don’t care why. The carriage is traveling through what looks to be a snowy mountain forest of some sort unlike my home country. This place is surely dangerous to those new to it like me. Though I’m not really listening to the conversation going on around me I catch something about a Jarl of Windhelm. Not like I care though, I’m looking for a way out even though my hands are bound.

    As I look towards the front of the carriage again I see that our destination seems to be a fort. This only strengthens my thought about this not being good. I don’t really know what’s going on in Skyrim at all but I have heard mention of a rebellion of some sort. I had thought things would be better for me here though right now things are looking pretty grim. One of the Imperial soldiers calls out to some general. I’m not really paying attention to the names I’m hearing, I’m too interested in finding a way to escape before things get worse and they always get worse.

    Now we’re inside the fort and the carriage stops. All of us must get off and I see what appears to be an execution block. ‘Oh great,’ I think when I see it. ‘I just escaped death back home and now I’m facing it again.' The others have been called while I have been lost in thought. Now they’re left with me and I’m not on the list. They ask who I am since they don’t really know. I can only tell them the truth, not like it really matters since they’re going to kill me.

    I tell them I am a Khajiit, though that should be obvious by my appearance, and that my name is Crystil. They ask me if I’m with one of the caravans and say that my kind always seems to find trouble. The one speaking is a Nord on the side of the Imperials, I am sure of it, and the other is a Redguard woman. Evidently the Readguard is his captain because he asks what they should do with me. Her reply is simple, “Forget the list. She goes to the block.” I’m really starting to hate the Empire. However the Nord actually apologizes and says my remains will be returned to Elswyre.

    ‘Yeah, they’ll love that,’ I think as the Captain leads me over to where the other prisoners now stand. I am desperately looking for a way out, ignoring all of what is being said, when I hear a strange noise. The others ignore it but I start to search for the source of the noise. Perhaps what made it will be my way out. The first one up to the block is not someone that was on my carriage. I look away before I can see what happens to him. “Next the cat,” the captain calls out, earning a glare from me. Calling me a cat is the worst thing someone can do. I decide I shall kill her if I ever get the chance or haunt her if I don’t escape this. There is another strange sound after she speaks, the same one as before but louder this time. We all look around but then the Imperials get back to the execution. “I said next prisoner,” the captain demands.

    Calmly I approach the block. I do not speak, I have nothing to say. I am forced to my knees then forced to lay my head on the block. Suddenly something appears in the distance as the executioner readies his axe. I don’t know what the creature is but I can see it and just the sight of it scares me. ‘I’m gonna die either way,’ I think as some Nord calls out, “DRAGON!” The creature has now landed on the tower right in my view. It is solid black and quite imposing. ‘Yeah, I’m gonna die,’ I think as it roars. My vision blurs and I think I am knocked from the block and to the ground but the entire thing is really just confusing.

    I get to my feet when I am able to though my vision is still blurred and try to take a look around. The Nord that had spoken to me first on the carriage calls out to me but doesn’t use my name. He tells me to follow him and that the guards won’t give us another chance. I don’t hesitate for a second and dash after him towards the open door of a nearby tower. Once inside my vision finally clears and I dash up the steps of the tower while the Nord talks to the one that was formerly gagged. He calls him Ulfric and I actually store that name away for later as well as the Nord’s name, Ralof. All of that I manage to catch as I dash up the steps.

    At the first landing the Dragon bursts through the stone wall, making the entire tower shake. I quickly step back as it lets out a torrent of fire into the hole. Ralof points out an in on the other side after the Dragon leaves the hole and tells me to jump across and keep going. I do as he says because I really don’t have much choice and I really don’t want to die. One the other side of the inn I find the Nord that had been sympathetic towards me trying to coax a child to safety before the Dragon sees them. The child starts towards him just as the Dragon lands, shaking the ground beneath us. Still, they manage to get to safety and avoid the fire. The Nord tells me to keep close to him if I want to live.

    ‘Do you really think I want to die,’ I think but don’t say. Instead I do as the Nord, Hadvar I think his name is, tells me to do. I count us lucky as the Dragon lands on a wall that we’re sneaking next to and spews fire out at some other soldiers. I run with him until we cross paths with Ralof where both of them want me to go with them. I choose Ralof mostly because of my newfound dislike of the Empire thanks to almost being executed. I follow him into yet another tower but this one looks much more well built that the first one.

    The place is called the Keep and I guess it has an escape route. Inside of the Keep Ralof and I find a dead Stormcloak soldier who he says something about before cutting the rope that binds my hands. Once I’m free he tells me to take the dead man’s gear. I don’t protest though I am much better with a sword, knife or dagger, or a bow and arrows than I am with a hand axe. The Stormcloak uniform fits me nicely and I must say I think I look good in it though I can’t really see. While Ralof looks for a way out I practice a bit with the axe until he says he hears some Imperials coming. I hide to one side of the gate they are coming from with him and we ambush them. Both are taken by surprise which makes for an easy first battle for me. I loot one of them once they are both dead. A sword, even if it is an Imperial sword, is still a sword to me!

    Ralof grabs the key to open the locked door from the other body and unlocks it quickly. I follow him really because he’s my only chance of getting out of this place alive right now. Our escape is uneventful except really for the bear in the caves and the giant spiders – I hate spiders. Soon we’re out of the escape route and on the road heading towards the town where his sister lives, Riverwood. What a grand entrance I have made into Skyrim, me just a lowly Kajiit. This country holds big promises for me and I intend on making the best of them.