Saga of the Dragon War: Part Four, The Punishment of Krosis and the Taking of Snowhawk
The Punishment of Krosis And the Taking of Snowhawk
And after the sun rose the next day and MOROKEI sipped the life of his servants to strengthen himself for war, PAARTHURNAX descended in the courtyard of Valkygg (a district of Bromjunaar abandoned these days) and spoke to him:
“Know you not who has stolen the Golden Mask?”
“I know not,” spoke MOROKEI in answer. “I have scried in the clouds over my city and the flights of my owls and the torn livers of my slaves, but the thief of the mask KONAHRIIK I have not seen.”
“I have seen the thief,” said PAARTHURNAX, “in flight over KEIZAAL, taking it into the pine forest of the Kreathland. He has hidden it away there. Doubtless he has already secreted it inside some tree or in some cave. Clever he was to hide himself from your scrying, but he overlooked the sharpness of a Dovah's eyes.”
“I will cut down every tree and plumb every cave in Skyrim if I might find KONAHRIIK,” said MOROKEI. “It may be I will not have to call upon dread AL-DU-IN after all. But tell me – who is the thief?”
“It is a traitor amidst the Dragon Priests,” said PAARTHURNAX. “KROSIS sorrow-shadowed, High Priest against Orkey and Priest of AL-DU-IN. It is he also who has taught the rebels to Shout. What thought you that he was doing wandering the countryside, with no dominion of his own to rule? You know too that he cares overmuch for the smallfolk.”
“I will see to it that KROSIS is punished, My Lord,” said MOROKEI.
And then MOROKEI called-the-glorious called all the other Priests (NAKHRIIN vengeance-driven and VOLSUNG sky-nightmare and VOKUN shadow-shrouded and HEVNORAAK brutal-Voiced and OHTAAR fear-maddened and RAHGOT Kyne-shouded and KROSIS sorrow-shadowed and MIRAAK of-Solstheim) to moot, and ordered KROSIS to come forth in the centre of the meeting-place, and bound him with a Shout that made his flesh stiff like stone. And then he spoke:
“As High Priest of Jhunal and Priest of AL-DU-IN and King of Bromjunaar I declare the decree that KROSIS the Traitor and Thief, who has taught the rebels our Voice and stolen the Golden Mask, be executed by the punishment of half-death. He shall be slain and embalmed and his soul bound within his flesh, never to sleep or take any comfort again. And he shall be placed in a sealed sarcophagus upon the peak Shearpoint where his brother died, and a Dovah shall watch over him day and night so that he may not escape. And none shall wear his Mask after him, for he shall be buried with it. So shall he suffer till the World-Eater wakes and Time ends. Eternal sorrow shall be his forevermore!”
And there was much heckling and shouting and protesting from the assembled Priests, but MOROKEI spoke once more:
“Should any speak against what has been proclaimed today, let him be rewarded likewise.”
And there was silence.
And MOROKEI spoke a final time:
“The mask KONAHRIK is still missing, but it is in KEIZAAL. We will go out to search for it a year and a day. Should it not be with us then we will go to the peak of MONAHVEN and call for AL-DU-IN.”
And KROSIS was so punished and the nine remaining Priests went out to look for the Golden Mask.
Meanwhile in the Hjaalmarch the First Tongues rejoiced over their victory against the dragons and celebated. And there was wenching and feasting and mead-drinking and boasting and tale-telling and sharing of spoils, and Hakon and Sigvrid duelled over Gormlaith's affection (Hakon won, but Gormlaith would not have him till he bested her in an honourable duel), for three days and three nights. And after that Felldir proposed to take the burg of Snowhawk, for if we held it we could raise our standard there, and the folk of Skyrim would flock again to our banner and we could fight the Dragons with more warriors.
And we thought his talk clever enough, and we moved to siege Snowhawk. Felldir wished to make a plan of attack and that we delayed until he had made a stratagem, but Gormlaith would not have such logic-talk and wished to leap into battle. And while Felldir was in his tent working out a scheme, in the dead of night Gormlath came to the high and lofty rune-walls of Snowhawk, warded against fire and lightning and frost, and Shouted force at them, and the rune-walls came down at the sound of her Voice, and she Shouted the fury of battle and the grace of weapons and the speed of air, and ran into the breach singing songs of slaughter. And her foes fell before her, wheat under the scythe, as she cut a path through them, a longboat through a stormy sea. And the wound-water covered her face and all her clothing and armour, so she looked a demon from the Voids that lives for battle, and her foes were affeared of her and fled in terror and she Shouted and ran with whirlwind speed, and cut them down as they fled; and they walked not to Shor's hall for they died cowards.
But lo! From the heights of owl-roosted Snowhawk came a champion clad in armour of ebon, with an ebon shield and an ebon sword, and he challenged her to battle. And Gormlaith laughed at his challenge, but leapt towards him, sword poised to strike his heart. But her sword slid off his ebon shield, and every blow she made he blocked, and no Shout or sword or spell seemed to wound him, and he tired not. And Gormlaith grew tired, and panted, and slipped her guard, and was wounded, and fell, and from the ground she saw at last standing on a tower-top a sorcerer-servant of MOROKEI, and his gaze was always on the ebony warrior. And at the last she shouted Force at the tower-top, and the tower fell as if shattered by a fist, and the sorcerer fell and was dashed to pieces in the rubble, and the ebony warrior fell apart and in the rising sun was nothing but empty armour. And Gormlaith took the warrior's black blade as trophy, and it had a golden hilt, and so was she called Gormlaith Golden-Hilt after her deed.
And that was how the First Tongues took Snowhawk.