Saga of the Dragon War: Part Three, The Fight in the Marshes

Our first major battle between the Dragon Cult and the First Tongues.

The Fight in the Marshes

For two score and two days the First Tongues knelt at the feet of PAARTHURNAX and drank his Voice, and bathed in his knowledge, and breathed in his wisdom of all things of Mundus and of the Voids and of the Aether; and so they learned how to Shout as the Dragons do. Frost and Force and Fire were easiest to Shout and so they learned those quickest of all, but yet many other Shouts came to us soon after – Strength-Never-Dying and Earth-Seek-Hunt and Kill-Suffer-Leech and Time-Sand-Eternity – among others which were also good for war (and Sigvrid was fastest to learn of all, for drinking the Dragons' blood had made him almost-kin to the Dov). And then PAARTHURNAX left us flying southward and saying he had business at Bromjunaar (and we suspected him of treachery not unwisely).

And then from South on the royal road (which once went from Windhelm to Kilkreath) came NAKHRIIN vengeance-driven, clad in Priestly robes of whaleskin and carrying a staff of lightning and leading an army against us as he had often before. There were dragon-cultists in armour and draugr and DOVAHMUNNE (which walked like Men but appeared like the Dov, and we know not whence they came) and there were dragons in the sky. And only the First Tongues stood against him and his army.

And Nakhriin laughed mockingly and boasted to us:

“Is this all you band of rebels and cattle-thieves and oath-breakers have against me and my host? Know you not that I am NAKHRIIN in the Tongue of Dragons, High Priest of Tsun, Priest of AL-DU-IN, wearer of the Ebon Mask? Nine fools shall die this day, and with them all fantasies of rebellion against our rightful rule!”

And the First Tongues did not take NAKHRIIN at his word, but Shouted defiance and the fury of battle, and charged into the fray. They fell upon the horde as the Companions of Ysgramor at the Moesring where we cut down the Snow Prince, and they fought as they never had before.

And Hakon and Sigvrid fought side by side, and kept tally of the slain to compare after the fight (for they were rivals even in their friendship) and Shouted Fire and Frost against the foe, and Sigvrid would cover them in ice like statues then cut them down while they were frozen (but Hakon thought this cowardly). And they trod the foe's shields under the feet of their blades, and slew the most of all our foes that day.

And Felldir Shouted at the stars to bring their fire down on the battle and bring the enemy in disarray, and Shouted mirrors for decoys, and flung magic which scattered the enemy and laid them low.

And Gormlaith and Valkrys fought back to back together, and moved almost as one mind, and slew many, and Gormlaith sang the songs of the Return to Skyrim and the bloody snows of Moesring and the Falmer stand at Valtheim and the treachery of Gjulkarsfell as she slew and slew and slew and slew in savage joy. And Valkrys cut off heads one by one to keep as trophies, and they both Shouted the slowing of time so as to easily dodge the strikes and arrows of their foes.

And Ornar Shouted at the sky and it brought down lightnings which fell down like Falkreath rain, and many foes were struck by them and perished. And he would throw his spear at dragons to wound them and bring them down, and then he would break their heads with his hammer and thus slay them.

And Ulrika was riding her chariot, and its scythe-wheels cut through her foes as it passed, and she would Shout from it and her children would fight with such valour as had not been seen since Shor was sundered and the elf-gods tore out his heart, and made much raven-fodder.

And Valdar sat in a tree near the edge of the fighting, and whenever he saw a captain or bannerman of our foemen he would loose his bow and Shout, and his arrows would fly driven by his Voice and certainly strike – and Kyne would loose her own bow and fire her arrows at the enemy as well, and they would be struck dead by bolts from above.

And the Hjaalmarch was red all over with wound-water and covered with raven-meat; and all our foes passed to the whale's-way which goes to Sovngarde – all save NAKHRIIN. And we Shouted weakness at him and froze him in ice, and Hakon raised Wuuthrad to kill – but NAAKHRIIN Shouted and flew away in the sound of his own Voice, and escaped to Bromjunaar.

And the First Tongues cursed by the ruddy shell of Molag Bal and the wings of Kyne and the black tendrils of Herma-Mora and the Eight Tusks of Aka, for our foe had not been conquered.

And in Bromjunaar NAKHRIIN came before the other High Priests and told them of the fight and how we had Shouted against him and thus overcome him. And MOROKEI called-the-glorious spoke to the Priests and said (PAARTHURNAX hearing and seeing all this from one of the Kyne-tickling towers):

“We must descend. Let us take the mask KONAHRIIK, which none have borne since the time of IIZGRAHMOR, and we will overcome the foe.”

And MOROKEI led the Priests into a secret cave beneath Bromjunaar, and opened a secret door made of the heartwood of the Ash-Bough which held up the sky in Atmora (its roots have withered, and that is why Atmora died, and all that remains are frozen bearded kings). And the High Priests took off their Masks (even HEVNORAAK whose face had been broken and who would suffer none to see it any more) and they laid their Masks upon the altar of KONAHRIIK, and a secret compartment in the altar was opened – but the Mask KONAHRIIK (which is gold and has two tusks to honour the Aka-Tusk who is forgotten now) was not there, for it had been stolen, and the Priests cursed. And MOROKEI swore by AL-DU-IN and Jhunal and all the other gods and demons, and vowed eternal vengeance on the thief, whoever he might be, and glanced uneasily at the Priest KROSIS.

And he spoke to the Priests:

“KONAHRIIK will not avail us. The time now is dire. We must now call upon AL-DU-IN.”