Homestead Farm, Boulderfall Cave: Long ride, New Home, Dragon, Jonte, Start trip to Markarth.

I am writing this entry at about 10PM on the 10^th Heartfire.

Part of this entry is a detailed refutation of a Daderic Follower’s beliefs. Much of my refutation is from what I intrinsically know. Only future revelations will show if I am correct

We left Angi’s Camp for Tendril Sethri’s farm, called Homestead Farm, just before midnight on the 7^th Heartfire.

Homestead Farm is near Riften and a considerable ride was ahead of us.

Several things made the trip take a bit longer than if I rode it solo:

• Most of it was ridden at night. Even on the main roads it is wise to reduce speed a little as holes that could easily be seen and avoided in the daytime can appear suddenly in your limited vision at night. A maimed horse or even rider being thrown could result from a wrong step into a hole.
• Sorella’s new pony, which she has since named Xenia, couldn’t keep up with the speed of the larger horses. Sorella is also a novice horseman. I made sure Lydia still had some of the balm she used to need for her rear end after a long ride. Sorella was thankful we did.
• We needed to be as quiet as possible to help avoid patrols, ambushes etc.

Lydia and Meeko scouted ahead and engaged in several skirmishes with Thalmor, bandits and wild animals. Rarely did I have to get involved as they were resolved quickly.

I stayed with Angi, Sorella and Sigunn who rode in that order.  Sigunn lead Rigmor’s horse, Ren, via a short rope attached to his halter.

By using Lydia and Meeko to clear the path our ride was tiring but uneventful. We arrived at the farm at about 10:30AM.

Needless to say Sorella was a bit sore after more than 10 hours in the saddle but did not complain once. She is a very resilient little girl. She soon claimed one bedroom for her and Rigmor.

Angi had a quick look around and simply said, “Has potential.” then went outside.

I followed Angi outside and gave her the necklace I recovered the night before. She was embarrassed. I told her they were dead. That there was nothing to be embarrassed about. She was worried I might tell somebody. I did not get a chance to reassure her I would never do such a thing before she ran off sobbing.

Sigunn was soon busy cleaning and getting things in order. I gave her some gold so she could visit Riften and buy what was required.

Although bigger than Angi’s house and with more beds I felt it might get a bit crowded with Lydia and Meeko in there. I am sure Lydia will be invited in for chats and bathe etc. Her and Angi have become good friends. Both have been excellent in helping Sigunn adjust to being free again.

We set up a small camp for Meeko and Lydia and both of them will stand guard duty during the day. Where the farm is many wild animals, both hunter and prey, wander onto the property. Bandits are very rarely seen near the farm.

Within an hour of arriving a dragon attacked. It did several Shouts and I expected a long fight.

I cast several lightning bolts at it and it flew away. Dragons seem to be reluctant to fight lately.

Lydia, Meeko and I went to Boulderfall Cave to talk to Jonte Malesam. It is not far from the farm and was guarded by several necromancers.

He welcomed me as Rigmor’s Guardian then we sat at a table to talk.

I told him I was trying to find Rigmor and was told he could help.

He told me Rigmor is unharmed and that his Mistress knows where she is.

That sounded like his “Mistress” was the one holding Rigmor so I told him to start talking or else!

He was unfazed by the threat. Said we have a vested interest as the New Order plan was madness. That they were trying to restore Tamriel to what it was in ancient times.

He started to irritate me. The clock was ticking for Rigmor and he wanted to talk my ears off!

He claimed only the upper echelons of the order know what is really going on. They have bided their time for decades to plan the “Restoration”. Jonte informed his mistress of their plan to build a portal gate. He was a spy for his Mistress at Diamond Ridge and was not there when I arrived.

I tried to move him on a bit and asked what exactly is going on.

He claimed his Mistress knows all but requires my services. The Entity needs a thing called “Scourge” before it can enter this realm as a living God King. With it The Entity would not be bothered by the Daedra and the New Order could start the “cleansing”, the elimination of all other sentient life. When asked he told me the Scourge is a mace that can banish Daedra into the void.

I told him Tendril thinks the big archaeological dig in Markarth is a front and they are actually looking for Scourge. Jonte agreed and went on to say they were digging in the wrong place.

I asked him why they needed Rigmor alive.

Jonte confirmed what I had already guessed. Rigmor is to be sacrificed as part of the transformation ritual where the entity turns into a God King.

The weird behaviour of Thalmor patrols ignoring me and trying to capture Rigmor was the first clue something had changed. Tilar’s elite troops were definitely trying to kill her but Tilar was certain her skill would prevent that. He could have sent in all his elite at once if he really wanted the best chance of slaying us both. I thought he was surprised at how easily his first four were despatched. He knew they had no hope! It was not a coward’s retreat as I thought but part of his strategy to separate us and to take charge of his assassination squad. The second squad of elite troops was as I first suspected. They were a sacrifice to lull us into a sense of relative safety so our alertness was decreased. Then he sprung his trap. Why go from years of almost killing her with whippings and deprivation, the numerous attempts to kill her at Northwatch Keep and other places we visited, to then wanting her alive?

Jonte said they had another child of noble birth who they originally chose over Rigmor as the sacrifice.

I knew they were nobles in Cyrodiil but thought the family crest and title were bestowed upon them for Ragnar’s service in the Great War and maybe even his time aiding the Redguards.

I told Jonte that and then he gave me the full story. A story Rigmor is ignorant of. A story that will endanger her life forever. A story that meant her destiny must have a lot more twist and turns to come. A story that makes our mutual love something with no possible future.  A damned story that will fuck me up royally!

He believed what he told me. That proved to me a Daedric worshipper knows absolutely nothing about how The Divines operate.

Jonte is another idiot who believes in flowery long winded and ultimate tedious monologues. Here are his assertions in a more palatable form:

• Rigmor has royal blood dating back some two hundred years.
• Her royal blood made her a being of interest to the Gods, both Daedra and The Divines.
• The Entity picked Rigmor as a part of the complex scheme he used the New Order to implement.
• Azura took immediate steps to protect Rigmor from the time of her birth which put her at risk.
• Azura needed to be distracted so The Entity’s plan for Ragnar’s family could succeed.
• The Entity knew the link between Azura and Black Diamonds.
• The New Order were instructed to hire somebody to find Black Diamonds and the location of the mine they came from.
• Tumrenen Kaeuseus was the chosen man. If he found somebody who owned Black Diamonds he would torture them to find the mines location. He would then kill them and take the diamonds.
• The stolen diamonds were forged into armour.
• The armour was not really the purpose.  Weakening Azura was.
• Casius killed Tumrenen after his family were killed for the Black Diamonds in the necklace he gave Rigmor.
• The Entity had not foreseen Tumrenen’s death.  
• The destruction of the diamonds to make the armour was enough to distract Azura and this allowed Ragnar to be arrested and his family kept as hostages.
• Ragnar was executed because the New Order feared him.
• Tilar was entrusted with the wellbeing of Rigmor.
• Rigmor was important as a virgin of noble blood was needed for the sacrifice.
• Then Tilar slipped up and Baa’Ren-Dar rescued Rigmor.
• Up until the age of 18 the Thalmor could not touch Rigmor because of diplomatic immunity.
• After Rigmor slaughtered the Thalmor at the Bruma Embassy they knew she was at large.
• Whilst searching for her they thought she had died somewhere in the mountains and searched for her body. They did not know Angi had found her.
• The troops assigned to find her, including their trained wolves, were executed when they failed in their mission
• A replacement, a boy of noble birth, was found and a bounty placed on Rigmor’s head.
• They wanted to kill her now she was no longer needed because they feared her.
• The replacement noble boy died in an unforeseen accident so Rigmor was needed once again.

Where do I start with this load of stinking manure? Fair is fair so let me destroy it in point form:

• Daedra work alone. Each has their own scheme to bypass the restrictions of Martin Septim’s barrier and before that the Eternal Dragon Flames. Merhrunes Dagon did not get help from other Daedra during the Oblivion Crises.
• The Divines work together to protect themselves and Nirn. That includes the existence of mortals on Nirn, not specific individuals such as Rigmor. If you could distract a Divine there are eight others watching!
• You can’t distract a Divine! They have the ability to implement several aspects at once. Azura could have an aspect guarding Ragnar’s family with another trying to sort out the Black Diamond situation.
• To have Ragnar arrested only required a suspicion of Talos worship. Thalmor need no proof before they walk into any home and drag people away. No distraction of Azura, which was impossible anyway, would be needed to get Ragnar into custody. One of the artefacts found in his house would be proof of Talos worship. Whilst in custody they could create the trumped up war crimes and get him to confess as his family were hostages.
• Azura needed several things to stop her diamonds and diamond mine from the desecration caused by the New Order. The Divines had seen this occurring in a time line and devised a serious of events that would help Azura. To make Azura’s Bane she needed, “The essence of a mother’s love from two sources wrought from bane. One source to fuse it. One source to wield it.” She also needed a sword with Daedric powers. Do you think it was pure luck Rigmor turned up with these items at the exact right time? No it was not.
• Azura said to Rigmor, “Ever since you were born I have been watching over you, even when you were a little girl I have influenced the destinies of many, and entwined them to bring you here at this moment.” That included, without a shred of doubt, the arrest of Ragnar and the subsequent result.
• The Divines saw Azura’s danger in the timelines. They saw the danger of “The Entity” as well. They took advantage of this foresight to prepare the best they could by having their Dragonborn be here.
• The Divines could not determine the identity of The Entity and still can’t. That was a true claim.
• Only when Rigmor became a convenient wielder of Azura’s Bane and carrier of the parts needed did Azura give a rat’s arse about her health. She did nothing to protect Rigmor from physical and mental abuse. If Azura was supposed to be her Guardian Angel she did a far worse job than I.
• In essence The Divines caused things within the New Order to occur by manipulation aided by a foresight not possessed by Daedra and The Entity. That included Ragnar’s arrest.
• This clowns Mistress and the leaders of the New Order are as ignorant as him.
• The simple fact The Entity and the New Order did not plan for me proves they have been outmanoeuvred.
• There are a lot of claims from Jonte that do not match the actual timeline of events.

One thing Jonte did say solved a mystery. Tilar’s concern for Rigmor’s chastity. I assume Tilar had his fingers crossed she was still a virgin. He would not have known till they captured her and he or one of the other animals heaped one more indignity on the woman I love.

The next thing Jonte said confirmed a fear of mine. Not only did Tilar outsmart Rigmor and I with the sacrifice of elite troops. Before we even entered Fort High Rock the plan was in place to kill me and capture Rigmor. He did not even have to think quickly on his feet. Tilar played me like a harp and only Azura’s intervention stopped it being a maestro’s performance.

Jonte said Mehrunes Dagon hid Scourge near Markarth but not where they are currently searching. It is not below Markarth but far above it. I will need to find the path up to find the ancient temple where it rests.

Jonte is also a mage and wanted me to bring Rigmor to the College of Winterhold. He wanted her to know about her past. Rigmor told me she wanted to visit as they had information about her family.

I will take Rigmor there when she is well enough because she wanted to go. Not because this pimple on my arse wants it. I can’t but feel scared of what her history means to me personally.

I demanded to know who his Mistress was. In reality I needed to know so I could bring Scourge to her.

Boethia!

Of all the twisted sick things to worship Boethia is number one for fun and thrills. I bet this total idiot is not even aware of her own plot to get her sick hands on Nirn. Her plan called “The Culling” involved the ritual sacrifice of every man, woman and child in the Imperial City. This was planned to occur during the Thalmor occupation of the city during the Great War. Only the “Battle of the Red Ring” prevented this. A battle led not Titus Meed II but by the “Forgotten Hero” wearing his armour.

I had had enough of this man and left.

We returned to the farm so I could inform Sigunn that we will be leaving but I do not know if this trip will be to rescue Rigmor or simply to gather more information. She bravely wished me well and I could see the strain was terrible. This poor woman, like her daughter, deserved better than this.

We stopped off at the Riften stables where I purchased a beautiful grey mare.

Riding at a sustainable pace and using the main roads we would not reach Markarth till early morning.

Lydia and I would take turns sleeping a few hours a time in our saddles. It is not very difficult to do along well maintained roads. That is why I decided not to take any cross country shortcuts.

Meeko can run behind the horses without sleep for hours upon hour. Once I thought he might be some advanced Dwemer machine. Then I wondered why they would make one that drools, farts, makes mountain sized piles of dung and steals bacon rashes. He makes up for it at home where 18 hours sleep per day is barely enough.

I don’t know what time I fell asleep that day. I know it was to the gentle rocking of my new horse.