Wrath of the Dragon

by Dervyn Releth, Scholar of Winterhold

>"He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself."

• Unknown (commonly attributed to Marukh, Reman Cyrodiil and Tiber Septim)

Within every ounce of the Dragon Blood is the overriding urge to consume and destroy. Mortalkind cannot comprehend the overwhelming arrogance that results because of, not despite, the sheer power of the Dragon Language. Even mortal practitioners of the Thu'um have shown propensities towards violence and conquest, as displayed by a certain upstart Jarl.

Some may point to the Septim Dynasty as examples of those who did not succumb to their draconic urges. Those individuals would be forgetting the long and brutal Tiber Wars on which the Empire was founded, not to mention Uriel V's failed conquest of Akavir and Potema Septim's regime over Solitude. History has shown time and again that the Septims have shed their fair share of blood.

Which brings this scholar to his main point. If revered dynasties such as the Septims cannot help but succumb to their dragonish nature, what hope does a mystery man have of resisting it?

We know nothing of the Dragonborn. His parents, his history, his background, his race - we are not even certain if it is a he, and letters have been given to me suggesting that the bearer of the Dragon Blood is of the female persuasion. All of this unnerves the author and should unnerve all of the readers, too.

Imagine a man with the power to instantly learn and use the power of the Voice. Now imagine that that man could be anyone, from a Fighters Guild trainer to a werewolf. Most terrifying of all is the possibility that this man is a mage, which would make him capable of wielding the powers of Magnus in addition to his already formidable arsenal of Shouts. No cell can contain him. No army can deter him. Even the gods themselves have but a slim chance against him, for is he not the slayer of the World-Eater - Alduin himself?

I leave you with these testimonies.

Aloysius Ricci, Imperial hedge mage, Riften:

>"Yeah, I knew the Dragonborn. All the stories of the Dragonborn being a man, they're all a crock of shit. I assure you. She was a woman - and what a woman, too! Finest pair I ever saw. Wouldn't wanna do anything rash if I were you, though. I saw her lift an ax bigger than me and slice a spriggan's head clean off. Used Shouts to ward off its backup dancers, too. That fine thing was definitely a Dragonborn, no doubt about it.

Alphonse Emmery, Breton alchemist, Raven Rock:

>"My big brother Edward and I were out collecting scathecraw on Solstheim when we saw this burly-looking dark elf with a scimitar fighting a giant Akatosh-knows-what fish thing. He opened his mouth and I swear, his voice just came out in waves. I wish I was making this up."

M'aiq, Khajiit wanderer and self-proclaimed liar, Skyrim:

>"M'aiq may have seen this "Dragonborn". Dragonborn may have been a short, scraggly Breton with a wart on his nose. M'aiq may have shared a pipe of skooma with him under a tent. Then again, M'aiq may be making this up."

Norendil, Altmer accountant, Solitude:

>"Oh, please. The Dragonborn's an Altmer, no doubt about it. I should know. I've been mistaken for him on two - well, three now - occasions. First time it was a couple of thugs from Riften trying to shake me down. Evidently he had gotten into some trouble with the Thieves Guild down south. Second time around, a spurned lover of his came around to me, claiming that she was bearing his child. Now go away, I'm sick of people like you."

Regardless of which story is true (or whether any of them are true), the idea of an individual running around with the power of the Voice is truly a frightening one.