Before I went to rest that night, I spoke to Sven who was playing music in the inn, and he gave me a letter to give to Camilla, to frame Faendal...
I rested well, very well considering the day I just had. This inn would be torn through in a moment, or burnt to ashes should the dragon come back... Anyway, I was awoken by the smell of breakfast on the spit in the center room, and the melodic notes of Sven... STILL playing to the same people getting drunk... these people are either very rich, or have issues...anyway, I decided to just snack on some of the food I had with me since finances are short, and headed back out into town. When I was walking back to the Forge to do some smithing, I bumped into Camilla. I gave her Sven's letter and told her that he was trying to frame Faendal... she was much appreciative and promised not to have anything to do with Sven. She asked me to seek out Faendal and tell him myself as he would appreciate it.
Whilst exploring the town, a man called Lucan told me that Bleakfalls Barrow up the hill across the river contains an artefact called 'Gold Dragon Claw'. I agreed to retrieve it, and headed along the path and over the bridge...
Whilst there I spotted a deer grazing down by the river... I notched an arrow and took aim, and fired - a direct hit. The deer jumped into the river and started swimming to the other side as my second shot hit it right in the side of the head, finishing it off. I skinned it, took what meat I could... and also a ring it was carrying...
I then head up the hill to Bleakfalls Barrow... on the way I was ambushed by a wolf pack, that I scorched to the ground. Shortly after a blizzard rolled in, making it hard to see as I continued to climb, ahead I spotted a spire in the white-out, but as I got closer I got attacked by some bandits that had set up camp here... A brief melee later I had taken them all out, and taken shelter in the tower until the blizzard died down.
I then ventured the rest of the way to the ruin, where I took out more bandits and a giant spider with Greatsword and bow.
I delved into the dungeon, that seemed to be inhabited solely by spiders and the walking dead. Deep inside, I came to a door - watching a bandit pulling a lever, he was cut down with arrow-fire from a trap... The door it likely opens was barred shut.
After playing about with some statues in the room, and triggering the lever from a safe location, I managed to get a working combination for the door: Fish Snake Snake. The door ground open, and stale air and dust greeted me, aswell as a lot of spider webs.
As I passed through the corridors, looting what I could fit in my pack, I heard a man calling out for help... I noticed a room, blocked off with vines...
I cut through them to find a room covered in heavy layers of spider webbing, with numerous dessicated corpses and giant spider eggs... I could faintly see someone struggling in the webbing at the far end of the room, as a GINORMOUS spider dropped down right in front of me, a bear would have been a snack for this thing... I fell backwards out of the room, and started to attack with bow and arrow since it couldnt squeeze out through the door, and eventually done enough damage that it was visibly staggering, then run up and cleaved it in two with my greatsword.
The man introduced himself as Arvel. He told me he had the claw and knows what it is for - to unlock a treasure horde deeper into the dungeon, so I offered to cut him down if he would assist and give me the claw. I free'd him. He ran. He died. I chased after him and with my greatsword, cut him down, and took the items he was carrying.
The dungeon ahead was filled with the walking dead, and traps... it only made sense - I used the traps against them... having them step on their own pressure plates triggering traps, and hitting pots of flaming oil hanging from the roof so they burst over them as they passed underneath... it felt good!
Eventually I came to another door that had these unusual symbols associated with it, and a slot for the claw... After toying about with it I got it unlocked.
As I entered the chamber a flock of bats nearly knocked me on my ass. I moved further in and found some strange glowing writing near a tomb...
As I moved closer it seemed to flash, then fade and I felt... strange... moments later a powerful dreugh rose from the tomb, only to be cut down. I looted an Ancient Nord Greatsword of Cold from him... much better quality than what I was using, and enchanted to boot!
A secret exit was built into the room, and it lead me to the surface... it was night time once I got out, and I made a bee-line for town, stopping only to slay wolves and slaughterfish that took a liking to me, and paused momentarily to talk to a poaching huntsman.
When I got back to Riverwood, I returned the claw, sold my loot and headed back to the inn for rest. All in a days work!
