It sounds like these ghosts don’t want to attack us. Either that, or they’re very good liars.

A garden, a treasure chest, and a ghost to guard it. But his master seems to be a bit shy. I wonder where he’s hiding?

So with the warlock dead, these souls can go back to haunting people they don’t like, instead of the people they do.

 

 

Lleyara

Good to see you.

Well met.

I hope the blessing worked out for you.

Vahlokmir is pleased to see you.

Mm?

Yes?

Goodbye.

All right then.

Until next time.

Farewell.

Leave me. I must my mourn my friend.

start

Greetings, traveler. It’s not often we get visitors this far up the mountain, but I’m sure Vahlokmir is pleased to have the company.

Run for your life, fool! A dragon!
Ha, if Vahlokmir were dangerous, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Hed’ be having us for dinner.

Is that a pet dragon? 
Ha, Vahlokmir is not a pet. If anything, I’m his.

Stand aside, I must slay this dragon.
Wait! Vahlokmir isn’t like the other dragons. He’s gentle.

Vahlokmir? Is that its name?
Yes. He told me it means “Fond of the spring sky.” But I’m not sure, because he tends to mumble. He’s very shy.

Ah, Vahlokmir must be its name. I’m familiar with the dragon tongue.
Oh really? Maybe you can help me get Vahlokmir talking.  He’s very loyal, but very shy.

On the contrary, this abomination cannot continue to live.
And I told Vahlokmir you were here to talk. But if you mean to fight, then you fight the both of us.

How did you and Vahlokmir meet?
I was tracking an elk, with hoofprints as big as the white stag of legend.
Only when I reached the heart of the forest, I found the tracks stamped over by a much larger print.
I knelt down to touch it, and that’s when a shadow crept over my body. Then I finally looked up.
You could imagine my surprise when I saw him.

What did you do?
I screamed. It wasn’t until I was all out of breath that I realized he was screaming too. 
There was an arrow lodged in his wing.
Luckily, the wound was small enough that I could treat it. So I reached in my pouch and pulled out a salve.

That was a foolish risk.
You think so? I wonder if you’d say the same if it were manfolk hurt in the forest, and not a dragon?

In times of war, yes. Men are just as dangerous.
Well, I like to think in times of war, charity is what’s most needed.

Only if that man could cook you alive with his breath.
Manfolk can do far worse with just a pair of thumbs, but that doesn’t mean they will.

Docile or not, one sudden movement could’ve killed you.
No, I was careful, and he was too. Although he did give a healthy snort when I climbed on his back.  

That was brave of you. I hope I would’ve done the same.
It kindles my heart to know that there are those who judge not by fear and rumor, but by truth and honor.
Vahlokmir let out grunt, but he did his best to stay still and let me climb up his back.

How did you remove the arrow?
I went up his spine, clinging to his scales. The arrow was right there, near the crook where his body met his wing.
I clutched the arrow by the fletchings, and yanked it out with all my strength. Too much strength. The force of it made me lose my balance.  
I would’ve fell to the ground and cracked my skull if Vahlokmir didn’t swivel his head around to catch me.

So you rescued a dragon. How did you end up here?
Well, even after healing him, Vahlokmir was in no condition to fly.  Physically maybe, but his mind needed nursing.  
And it wasn’t long before two hunters came stumbling through in search of prey.

What did you do?
I dove into the thickets of grass, and kept my dagger clenched between my teeth.
When they saw the dragon, I expected them to flee, but when Vahlokmir cowered at the sight of them, it gave them courage. 

He cowered? But dragons are godless killers.
Not quite. Vahlokmir would fly into the sun to save another, but not himself. Although I confess, I do not know if he prays to any Gods.

Only weaklings engage a wounded opponent.
A hunter seeks every advantage, which is why he traps animals he aims to kill. The problem was, these folk sought to murder, not hunt.

That’s the best strategy. Kill the sick and injured, then make up a good story.
And what story would you tell yourself? I think that’s who you’ll have the most trouble convincing.

I don’t blame them. Dragon bones are quite valuable.
That’s a dangerous way to think. Should manfolk kill his cousin because he wears a jeweled necklace?  

The hunters were in their right. It’s nature.
True, but a dragon is no beast. It is no different than killing a wounded man.

What happened after the hunters arrived?
When the hunters flanked him, Vahlokmir curled up. He was so tiny.
I pulled the dagger from my teeth and waited for the short one to circled toward me. I could practically smell the stink hopping off his furs.
I stood up and raised my arms to his throat, but my nose betrayed me. I sneezed.

Did they hear you?
Yes. When I sneezed the short one wiggled away, and the tall one nocked his arrow. 
He would have put an arrow in my throat, but suddenly, out of nowhere, there came this roar. It was loud enough to crack the sky. 
The hunters fled, but I knew they’d be back. We had to hide. So I climbed on Vahlokmir’s back, and asked him to fly.

So it turns out the real killer is you.
I wasn’t my intent to kill the hunter, or any manfolk for that matter. But I will, to save a friend.

A daring escape. And a noble endeavor.
You’re very kind, adventurer.  Perhaps you would like to stay for dinner?  Vahlokmir’s getting quite good at hunting deer.

So there’s a bounty on your head. Good to know.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told you what a coward Vahlokmir is. Or maybe I was lying to throw you off.

Many in this land despise dragons.
I wish it weren’t so, but folk are scared. In Skyrim, when it comes to fear, everyone’s a merchant, and everyone’s buying.

The housewife frets and paces, afraid a dragon will swoop down and eat her children, or set fire to her home.
The city guardsman trains in the barracks, worried all his boasts of heroism will melt away under the heat of a dragon’s flame.
The farmer picks his crops before they are ripe, and the hunter starves the forest of rabbits and deer.
Same goes for blacksmiths, lumberjacks, milk and tavern maids. Every bored, middle-aged, drunken soul who thought they had nothing to live for.

In other words, the presence of dragons puts everyone collectively on edge.
That’s right. Now they have something to lose. So entire towns live in fear, leaping to panic every time a cloud drifts over the sun.  
It’s very sad. If only they’d lay down their fear and open their hearts, they’d see that a dragon is capable of mercy, and a creature of kindness.

Except their fears are real.  Dragons attack villages without compunction.
I wonder, was it the dragon who attacked first?  Or the guard folk, in a state of panic, who fired an arrow into the air?
Vahlokmir will not go near a village, for fear of this very thing.

I’m going to hug the next dragon I meet. What could possibly go wrong?
I think you’ll make a new friend.  Although Vahlokmir prefers it when you scratch his belly.

You’re right. People fear what they don’t understand.
That’s why it’s very important that we learn their language. We can’t understand them if we can’t communicate.

This is going to be so hilarious when that dragon bites off your arm.
Oh, it’s far more likely he’ll burn me, or tear me open like a fresh grape. Or any of the other three dozen ways he hasn’t killed me.

Your dragon can snap at any moment. He must learn “The Way of the Voice.”
“The Way of the Voice?”  Sounds mystical. But I think he’s fine the way he is.

I’m more interested in learning about you.
Really?  Well, if you’re that curious, I’ll gladly tell you my story.
I was raised in a community of hunters.  My mother taught me to track, hunt, and skin, and my father taught me how to craft cages and traps.
He was so proud when I made my first bear trap.  He showed it to another hunter, who offered to make good use of it.

Where was the hunter planning to use it?
He and a few others found a bear alcove near Evergreen Grove. On that day, four of them left…but only three returned.
One of them spit at my father as he passed him, then threw my mangled trap to the ground. A bear had managed to break free from its jaws.
Two of the hunters blamed my father, and I blamed myself.  But one of them, a Nord man with a low brow and sad eyes, told me the truth of it.

What did he tell you?
He told me the bear was a mother, trying to protect her cubs. He said not even the fangs of a dragon could’ve held her.  
He tousled my hair, and gave me a smile more black than white. But it brightened my day all the same.

And you gained compassion for animals.
Yes.  I realized that every beast has a family.  Mothers, fathers, daughters and sons.  
And our right to hunt is not any more valid than their right to live.

Bears and dragons are much the same. We hunt them because we must.
But hunter folk don’t eat dragons, and dragons don’t have fur.  And I’ve never met a talking bear.  

Bears are a plague. I was attacked by four while you were telling that story.
Yes, they’re quite ferocious.  And folk are scared of dragons!  It’s probably because dragons don’t look as cuddly.

I am in need of Vahlokmir’s aid.
Many folk would shy away from a dragon, but it is Vahlokmir who shies from all.  I am sorry, but he is not a weapon of war.

He’s a dragon. War is in his nature.
Then he is unnatural. As is your request, if mortal folk truly want peace.

My request is one of peace.
So the folk say. So the guards and the hunters say. That will be for him to judge.

I only wish to use his spirit, to channel the power of Akatosh.
It is true Vahlokmir is descended from dragon folk.  But this does not make him a God.

Well, there’s goes my plan to ride him to Elsweyr.
Vahlokmir is not comfortable with riders. I would not ask this of him.

Actually, all I need is for him to bless me on my quest.
If Vahlokmir was one to speak, I am sure he would.  But perhaps a gentle nod is good enough.

Vahlokmir, what say you! Do you bless this traveler?

It seems to have worked. And…I think he likes you. Not many folk does he approve.

Well, I trust you got what you came for. Goodbye.

Scene

Vahlokmir, we seem to be running thin on supplies, but it’s still too dangerous for you to hunt.  But don’t worry, I’ll manage on my own.