Books:Kyne's Challenge: A Hunter's Companion Characters and Summary

This is the summary of and list of characters from Kyne's Challenge: A Hunter's Companion.

Characters

Main characters

Grundvik Cold-Fist: The writer. Originally from Windhelm, he is now the Guildmaster of the Fighters Guild of Sentinel.

Fenrig the Unsteady: A Nord. A reserved man, and the twin brother of Roggvir the Ready. He uses two dogs, Fang and Mauler, to track prey and fight creatures.

Ingjard Stone-Hand: A Nord, and a trusted friend of Grundvik. She only has one hand after defending herself from a werewolf, but it has not diminished her painting skills, and she is also an excellent archer.

Footfalls-in-Snow: An Argonian who has promised the group safe passage through Black Marsh and professes interest in the ways of the Nord hunter.

Bashnag gro-Gorzoth: An orc and a member of the Fighters' Guild. Related to blacksmiths of King Kurog. He wields a gigantic mace.

Kishra-do: An aloof female Khajiit. She is the House Cat of Zagun-ra, their benefactor. She acts as a courier to gather the spoils of the hunt, and she prefers to use daggers.

Roggvir the Ready: A Nord. Protector of Rorikstead, and the twin brother of Fenrig. He joins the group after the incident in the Bergama market.

Namasur at-Hamisham: A Redguard and friend of Kishra-do's. He helps the group after the incident in the Bergama market and joins them on their journey. He wields a scimitar as well as a spear.

Minor characters

Zagun-ra: A male Khajiit from Dune, and the benefactor of the journey, who is paying for the printing of the book. He has given them a list of materials to collect on the hunt.

Fang: A female war dog owned by Fenrig, with a skittish and suspicious temperament.

Mauler: A male war dog owned by Fenrig, with a docile temperament.

Holgunn One-Eye: A recent hunting companion of Ingjard's; they went to the Velothi Mountains.

Belderi Llenim: Armory Sergeant of the Mournhold Guildhall, who appears in Gathering Force: Arms and Armor of Tamriel as the Dunmeri champion. She wrote a letter of recommendation for Footfalls-in-Snow.

Nomeg Jrool: A frost atronach that the group comes across in The Rift.

Zymel Shar: A storm atronach that Footfalls-in-Snow summons during a battle.

Scuttler: A scuttler named Scuttler that Footfalls-in-Snow adopts as a pet in Morrowind.

Young Salty: A mudcrab that Footfalls-in-Snow adopts as a pet.

Flaccus Terentius: The ghost of an Imperial scholar. Wrote The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel.

Torygg Bog-Trotter: A Nord with an unsuitable name, as he drowned in an Eastmarch swamp.

Vingalmo the Wight: A mer lich and an underling of Mannimarco. Namasur has sworn vengeance against him after he resurrected some of Namasur's ancestors.

Ayh-al-Fifrah at-Hamisam: Namasur's great-uncle, who had been resurrected by Vingalmo.

Ra'baanash the Spotless: A Khajiit that Kishra-do knows who refers to crocodiles as "four-clawed daedroths".

Aramea Drethan: An ancient Dunmeri author; Namasur's knowledge of the harvester's powers is compared to Drethan's.

Sahrith Dagon: A Xivilai that challenges Grundvik to a fight.

Guthrum: Grundvik's father.

Summary

Grundvik, a Nord, opens with an introduction about the purpose of the book: he is the guildmaster of the Fighters' Guild in Sentinel, and is shocked that recruits to the guild do not know how to hunt prey from other lands. He and a group of companions plan to hunt one example of every beast in Tamriel, in the name of Kyne, and will document their journey in a book so that others may find it instructive.

The group meets for drinks in Riften. Grundvik introduces each member of the party: himself, Fenrig the Unsteady (a reserved Nord man who came recommended by Grundvik's friend Ingjard), Fang and Mauler (Fenrig's two war dogs), Ingjard Stone-Hand (a Nord woman and an old friend of Grundvik's; a skilled hunter and painter), Footfalls-in-Snow (an Argonian who Grundvik is uncertain of), Bashnag gro-Gorzoth (an extremely powerful Orc member of the Fighters' Guild), and Kishra-do (a Khajiit who acts as a courier to bring the spoils of the hunt to their benefactor, Zagun-ra.)

Morrowind

Skeever

The day after their meeting, near the Autumnal Forest and Velothi Mountains, the group rested around a fire. Kishra-do, who had been speaking to Footfalls-in-Snow, commented on the noise that Bashnag was making as he was collecting firewood. Just as Grundvik was about to tell her that the Orc would not attract any danger, a group of skeevers attacked: one killed by Kishra-do's spear, one by Bashnag stomping on it, and the others by Ingjard's arrows. Bashnag cooked them that night, remarking that Kishra-do must be happy that they were eating her race's principal food, to which she responded sharply that he was an idiot and that Khajiit also do not chase balls of yarn and other such things. Grundvik ordered them to stop and offered them drinks.

Assassin Beetle

The party came upon a deserted Ashlander camp, but when Fenrig approached a tent, he was greeted with a horrible stench, and as he brought out a dead Dunmer, two giant beetles began making noise in another of the tents. Fenrig decided to let the dogs fight the first beetle, a large black-and-red creature. A second beetle exited the tent, disappeared, and reappeared behind Fenrig, who stabbed its underbelly with his sword (avoiding the acidic blood). Fang flipped the first beetle onto its back, and Fenrig finished it off. Mauler was wounded, but healed quickly. Bashnag cooked the meat, and Grundvik declared it "mostly digestible".

Corprus Husk

One night, near Bal Foyen, Fenrig alerted the group to an overturned carriage and what appeared to be three lost Dunmer in fine clothes. As the hunting party drew nearer, their greetings evidently falling on deaf ears, they got a better look at the Dunmer: covered in purple boils, overstretched. Ingjard recognized them as Corprus husks—victims of the dreaded Corprus disease. Bashnag, blocking himself from an attack from one, asked Grundvik if the Ebonheart Pact's treaty covered these creatures. Footfalls-in-Snow pointed out that technically they were, as they weren't undead creatures, but Grundvik announced that they were making an exception for these. Bashnag didn't hear the Argonian's warning to cover his face in time, and was covered in vapor and innards of the creature. They managed to defeat them, but hoped that Bashnag wasn't about to turn into one.

Kagouti

The group was traveling through Stonefalls, and Ingjard was teaching Bashnag how to track creatures through the ash, when they discovered evidence of kagouti. Grundvik explained to Footfalls-in-Snow that the kagouti is larger, has more plated armor, and tusks, while the alit is smaller, more vicious, and clever. The followed the tracks to three kagouti, who were playing with the dead body of a Dunmer alchemist. Ingjard killed the largest with her axe and shield, and the rest of the hunters dispatched the other with arrows. Later on, after they had skinned the hides, Footfalls-in-Snow had befriended a dog-sized, lizard-like creature called a scuttler, which Fang didn't seem to be happy about.

Kwama Scrib, Warrior, and Worker

Grundvik allowed Footfalls-in-Snow to go scouting one morning. Upon his return, he pointed out a nearby kwama cave. Fenrig urged Grundvik to not listen, because his dogs didn't trust the Argonian, and because they did not seem to be able to smell any kwama. Footfalls-in-Snow removed a kwama head from his bag as proof, but they were interrupted by Bashnag cheerfully announcing the arrival of a band of kwama warriors. A long battle ensued, and they made their way into the cave (where the Argonian took some eggs) and back out. Bashnag killed the largest warrior. At the end of the battle, they collected plenty of the cuttle thanks to Footfalls-in-Snow's specialized tools.

Alit

The group moved past Mournhold and made their way along the edge of a mushroom forest in Deshaan. Footfalls-in-Snow followed some tracks to two Alit, requesting that he attack them alone to prove himself. While he didn't surprise them as well as he'd have liked, he was still victorious: he slew the smaller one first, and killed the larger one by stabbing it in the mouth as it roared. Fenrig joked about him looking "green around the gills"—a contrast to the reserved, serious nature he has shown till now—and Grundvik considers that maybe Footfalls-in-Snow is useful in more ways than he'd considered.

Guar

In respect for the farmers whose land they passed through, the group refrained from killing any domestic guar; instead, they hunted feral ones. Fenrig fought it, blocking it with his shield and then stabbing it in the stomach with his sword. The others enjoyed the meat from it, but Fenrig did not have any, and was noted to have a faraway look in his eyes.

Bull Netch

The hunting party came upon a partially-burned Ashlander camp, with bodies of Dunmer and netch alike. There was a family of netch by a nearby lake, and they lured away the bull netch with arrows. Bashnag fought and killed it with swings from his mace, though it put up a good fight. He cheerfully announced that they were going to feast well, but Footfalls-in-Snow explained that netch meat is pretty much poisonous, and Bashnag walked away grumbling.

Nix-Hound

Footfalls-in-Snow discovered the tracks of nix-hounds next to the bones and rags of an Ashlander. One nix-hound attacked Fang and was killed by one of Ingjard's arrows. Bashnag grabbed and stomped on one that went for his neck, Fenrig beheaded another that was fighting the dogs, and Footfalls-in-Snow's dagger killed one that Ingjard had been aiming for that got behind her. Grundvik killed the last one with his axe. The meat was sour and they did not enjoy the meal. Bashnag started complaining, and he and Footfalls-in-Snow began bickering. It ended when a serious remark from the Argonian was taken as a joke by the Orc, who broke off the argument with laughter.

Skyrim

Frost Atronach

The group met up with Kishra-do in Riften to deliver the first load of spoils of their hunt, and then headed out into the Autumnal Forest for hunting. Fenrig noted, after examining singed fur on his dogs, that there was a frost-related Daedra in the woods. They come upon a cave with a dead Nord mage, and five dead wolves pierced by ice shards around her. A frost atronach, tall as four Argonians, stood in the glade. They read a scroll with an incantation on it, seeing that the atronach's name was Nomeg Jrool, and that the mage had summoned it. Ingjard and Grundvik began planning an attack in which all of them would attack it from various angles, but they were interrupted by Bashnag charging at it himself. It knocked him over, and between him swinging his mace and the others shooting arrows, they killed it. As Footfalls-in-Snow collected the frost salts, Grundvik sternly spoke with Bashnag about attacking on his own.

Snow Bear

The Pine Foothills in Eastmarch were determined to be the best spot for hunting a snow bear. Bashnag's basic tracking skills were enough to find the trail of a bear, and they tracked it to its lair. Fenrig was the one who fought it: when it reared and slammed his paws on him, he used his shield to block the blow and throw it off balance, sliced a tendon, and then climbed on its back and slit its throat. The bear's hide was made into a cloak and given to Footfalls-in-Snow.

Dwarven Spider, Sphere, and Centurion

The group camped at Cragwallow and followed a map given to them by Holgunn One-Eye, the recent hunting partner of Ingjard, to Mzulft. Holgunn had given Ingjard a key for them to borrow to get inside. Bashnag was curious about what would happen if he stepped on a metal plate on the ground, and when he did so, a crossbow bolt shot out from an unseen location, barely missing his head. Three metal objects fell from a hole in the wall across the room, and it became clear they were Dwarven spiders. One of them exploded as it fell, shocking Bashnag so badly he collapsed. The second was killed by Fenrig's axe, and Ingjard's arrows disabled the third. Bashnag was merely unconscious, not dead, and came to shortly afterward. They made their way further inside. Footfalls-in-Snow tapped a carving in the wall, which opened to allow two spheres to roll out. They unfolded themselves and fought. It was a more difficult battle—the spheres were trying to keep one at range and one at melee distance—but eventually Fenrig and Bashnag landed the final blows. After they finished collecting the metal parts, Footfalls-in-Snow leaned up against a pipe, commenting on how warm it was. Bashnag pointed out that it wasn't a pipe, it was a leg. Specifically, it was the leg of a centurion that had just been awakened. They fired arrows at it and eventually got one between its plates, which slowed it down. Grundvik attacked its legs, knocking it over, and while it was on the ground, Footfalls-in-Snow hacked at its chest until he was able to pull out the dynamo core.

Draugr

The group is near Skuldafn, and discuss the possibility of fighting draugr there; they feel that fighting draugr at some point is necessary, but Ingjard is firm that they should not hunt there, as her own ancestors are buried there. They consider traveling to Bleak Falls Barrow, as none of them have ancestors there, and, in fact, Fenrig's family has had a feud with Riverwood. Not long after, though, they realize that both Bashnag and Footfalls-in-Snow are missing, and they go to check on the tomb. The Argonian ran out with a jar of bone meal, followed by waves of draugr. They fought them and eventually the draugr retreated, and Ingjard lashed out verbally at the two. Eventually Bashnag apologized, and the group was settling down for sleep... and Footfalls-in-Snow asked when they were going to Bleak Falls Barrow.

Giant and Mammoth

The hunting party rested at the sulfur pools in Eastmarch, which Footfalls-in-Snow particularly enjoyed, but decided to move on when they spotted some mammoths in the distance. They killed both of the mammoths, though one focused on Ingjard, who slit its throat with her sword. The giant was killed by Fenrig with his daggers. The group ate well that night and they were able to send plenty of materials to their benefactor.

Wolf

As the group traveled through Eastmarch, they kept an eye out for any wolves (specifically, one with a white pelt, as that was the color pelt that their benefactor had requested.) When they caught a trail, Fenrig complained of a headache and left it to Ingjard to take the lead. They encountered two wolves, one of which was white, and which Ingjard killed. The other ran off, but the white one was all they needed.

Frost Troll

One morning, south of Ironbind Barrow, Footfalls-in-Snow returned from scouting to report that there was evidence of three trolls ahead. They tracked the trolls to their lair. Bashnag poured oil on the stone ground outside. The first troll was hit by arrows, and died when it slipped on the oil and hit its head on the ground. The second troll was killed by Bashnag and his mace. The third was the largest, and they threw more oil pots on it before some flaming arrows from Ingjard set it on fire.

Ice Wraith

A sudden blizzard blew in off the Sea of Ghosts, and the group struggled to find shelter. Fenrig, who had been leading the way, disturbed an ice wraith. It flew at him and he blocked it with his shield, and it dove into a snowbank. As he tried to find it to be able to kill it, it attacked him again, flying straight through his torso. Ingjard killed the creature with an axe after it exited his body. A second wraith flew out of his mouth, and Grundvik destroyed that one. They feared that he had a witbane infection, but he refused treatment, instead vanishing with his dogs overnight. He returned in the morning cured.

High Rock

Banekin

The group came upon a small village in Stormhaven, but it turned out that it was under attack from banekin: small, impish, humanoid Daedra. The group attempted to save as many barn animals as they could and they fought the banekin as well. They managed to trap some banekin inside a barn, and the banekin's own fire ended up destroying the barn and the banekin themselves.

Dreugh

The group hunted dreugh by a lake. Ingjard kept one away while Bashnag and Fenrig fought the other. It tried to electrocute them, but Fenrig saw the trick coming. They emerged victorious.

Giant Spider

Fenrig knew that there was a shrine to Kynareth near where they were traveling, so they made their way to it. They quickly discovered that the shrine was in disrepair: it was coated with spiderwebs, and a dead Breton priest of Kynareth was wrapped in a cocoon of web. A giant spider occupied the shrine. The hunters hit it with arrows, and when it decided to attack Bashnag, he brought it down.

Flesh Atronach

On the moors of Rivenspire, the group encountered a large ogrelike creature seemingly made of sewn-together skin and pelts: a flesh atronach. The creature struck a strong blow on Bashnag—something that didn't often happen. Bashnag retaliated by smashing in its head, and its "Daedric spirit" was banished after being killed.

Bloodfiend Vampire

The hunters descended from the moors to find a deserted village—Kishra-do had a contact in Wayrest that had warned them that much of Rivenspire had been similarly abandoned. This village was now only home to three vampires. They attacked Ingjard, who had been leading the group into the village. One was felled by arrows, and another by Ingjard. The third managed to scratch her, and Grundvik came to her aid, beheading it.

Harpy

One of the creatures that the group planned to kill was a harpy. They didn't want to bring a whole nest down on them, so they devised a plan: they left out a recently-killed rabbit, and a curious lone harpy flew down to feast. Ingjard attacked it as it swooped down. The hunters' arrows brought it to the ground, and Ingjard finished it off. Grundvik knew that writers would pay handsomely for quills made from harpy feathers.

Lurcher

While resting in the Glenumbra forests (which Bashnag claimed were haunted), the group noticed some greenish light, and set out to find the source. It ended up being from a lurcher: a creature made of bark and wood and mushrooms, possibly created by a Reachman. The lumbering creature brought Bashnag to his knees—a first. The others rushed forward with axes—though it let off some poisonous pollen—and Footfalls-in-Snow threw a fireball at it. Between the fire and Bashnag, the lurcher was reduced to kindling.

Hag and Hagraven

Ingjard negotiated a truce with some hags, curious about their connection to Hircine. They were taken to the hags' den and offered tea. They soon discovered that the tea was drugged, and both Ingjard and Footfalls-in-Snow had passed out. Bashnag pulled them out of the den while the other two fought the hags. The fight wasn't over when the hags were killed, though: a flock of crows attacked the men, and as a hagraven approached and pointed at Grundvik, the crows transformed into crows made of fire. Grundvik's clothing caught fire, and he shouted, "As the blessings of nature protect me, Kyne grant me fortitude!" The fire stopped and a spectral bow appeared in Grundvik's hands. Fenrig was able to slice off a few of the hagraven's fingers, and she turned her attention to him. Grundvik shot an arrow in her eye, killing her.

Hammerfell

Giant Scorpion

The group met a giant scorpion in Bangkorai. Fenrig used his dogs to lure a giant scorpion beneath a ledge where he was waiting. The scorpion stung Fang, but before it could finish her off, Fenrig jumped in and stabbed between its armored plates. He wounded the pincer gripping his dog, and severed the tail. The meat—which they had cooked in a stew—was so bitter that Grundvik considered the idea that it was poisoned, but after plenty of seasonings were added and drinks were consumed, it wasn't so bad.

Clannfear

In the Alik'r Desert, the group encountered a pack of clannfear. One of the creatures charged Fang, sending her flying, but Fenrig killed it with his axes and sang a song called "Wergital the Wolf-Boy" as they harvested parts from it.

Duneripper

While still in the desert, the hunters met with Kishra-do to give her some more supplies. Something burst out of the sand near them—a duneripper. Kishra-do offered to be the one to kill it. She explained that the creature is named because it rips the sand dunes with its fins, and that it attempts to smother its prey. It buried underneath her, but she was ready: as it emerged from the sand, she jumped on its back, stabbed it with a dagger, and jumped off. After it tried to attack with its tail, she stabbed it again in the neck, and then flipped it onto its back and sliced its belly.

Lamia

As the group stalked a desert lamia, Ingjard shared her concerns with Grundvik: while the feminine form of the serpentine creature would be distracting to Bashnag, she feared that it would be even worse to Footfalls-in-Snow, and she was correct. He ran forward to it the instant he heard its singing voice, and it grabbed him by the throat. Ingjard charged forward while Grundvik fired arrows at it. Its throat was slashed and it was killed, and they promised Footfalls-in-Snow that they would not tell Bashnag about his lack of self-discipline.

Yokudan Gargoyle

Footfalls-in-Snow and Bashnag were once again bickering. They invented names for each other, and after the Argonian returned from fetching water, he announced that he'd found Bashnag's cousin (assuming that Bashnag's aunt had had relations with a bat and that the result was turned to stone.) The group followed him to an old temple, which were guarded by what appeared to be two statues. Fenrig smelled them and realized that they were not statues, and pushed Grundvik out of the way as one of them leaped at him. Grundvik brought out a lightning-enchanted warhammer that had been given to him by Jorunn the Skald-King, and with a few swings had killed it.

Skeleton and Mummy

As they continued through the ancient city where they had met the gargoyle, Bashnag wondered aloud if it was worth exploring tombs for treasure. Grundvik reminded him that they were there to hunt creatures, not be grave-robbers. They spotted a Redguard dressed as a Daedric priest on the battlements. Their arrows missed, and he disappeared into an alcove. They hid behind the stonework of the city as dozens of skeletons and mummies approached—some of them from the time of Frandar Hunding, Grundvik could tell. The Nords of the group went to the sides while Bashnag ran straight ahead. Bashnag was doing well enough, but Footfalls-in-Snow ended up cornered in a dead end, and the Nords' arrows could not stop all of his enemies fast enough. The Argonian used a scroll to summon a storm atronach named Zymel Shar. The atronach's presence turned the tide of battle in favor of the hunters.

Storm Atronach

As the spirits controlling the skeletons and mummies retreated, Footfalls-in-Snow began to lose control of his atronach (or so he claimed when it began to focus its attention on Bashnag). The Orc eagerly stepped up to the challenge, and swung his mace at the creature's head, killing it and sending its spirit back to Oblivion. They collected the spoils they needed from the defeated skeletons and atronach, and left the ancient necropolis to celebrate. The lich of the evil king Ra Boshek had recently been awakened, and their situation could have been much worse than it was.

Werewolf

Grundvik initially blames Ingjard for the events of the day, but then corrects himself, that she'd had torn allegiances and found herself in the middle. Instead, he feels that it is his own fault that Bashnag and Fenrig are dead: he should have seen the signs. Ever since leaving Skyrim, Fenrig had become more and more upset. This day, when Fenrig had returned to the group in the market in Bergama, Bashnag had given Fenrig a teasing greeting, and he snapped. He transformed right then and there into a werewolf. He leaped at the Orc and tore into him. Bashnag died quickly, only having enough time to stab Fenrig in the side with a dagger. Ingjard rushed forward to her fallen companion, and Fenrig refrained from attacking her. Instead, he howled, and his dogs rushed Kishra-do and her Redguard companion. Footfalls-in-Snow killed Fang, and Grundvik did not see how Mauler was killed, because Fenrig himself attacked him. His armor was torn in two swipes, and he would have been killed in the next one, had Footfalls-in-Snow not jumped on the werewolf's back. The Argonian was scratched across the face, but it bought Grundvik enough time to get out his axe and attack Fenrig. It was Ingjard, however, who dealt the final blow, pulling out her spear and running the werewolf through. Kishra-do paid reparations to the merchants whose wares were destroyed, and Namasur at-Hamisam had showed diplomacy about the situation. They chose to wait for Fenrig's brother, Roggvir the Ready, to arrive and collect his brother's ashes.

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Though the hunt falters, Grundvik decides to rededicate himself to the task of writing about how to fight Tamriel's creatures. Roggvir has agreed to join the group to make amends for his brother, and while normally Grundvik would be happy to have him along, Fenrig's savagery still haunts them all. At least both Roggvir and Ingjard have sworn that Roggvir does not carry the same affliction. Grundvik was unhappy with Ingjard about hiding the fact that Fenrig was a werewolf, but he has decided to forgive her, and she has agreed to illustrate his book. Grundvik trusts Footfalls-in-Snow far more than anyone else at this point; the Argonian has proven himself useful and also saved Grundvik's life in the werewolf attack. He has far less tolerance for the Argonian's pets, however: the scuttler named Scuttler that Footfalls-in-Snow had picked up in Morrowind, and a mudcrab named Young Salty. Namasur at-Hamisam is a newcomer to the group: a diplomat that helped keep them from getting arrested when Fenrig transformed in the market. Kishra-do, as well, has decided to travel along with the group, rather than only meeting with them every now and then to collect supplies. They continued onward, to the Summerset Isles.

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Summerset Isles

Flame Atronach

Upon a ridge overlooking the Abecean Sea, the group encountered a Flame Atronach. Roggvir, who seemed entranced by it, accidentally wandered too close, resulting in his cloak and then beard being lit on fire. He was having difficulties reaching the creature, so Footfalls-in-Snow cast an ice spell. This weakened it sufficiently enough for Roggvir to approach it and finish it with his axe.

Watcher

The hunters came across a burning tavern. It turned out that the culprit was a watcher (also called a "Doom-Truth" by Namasur and Kishra-do): a tentacled Daedric creature with one large eye in the center of its body. Kishra-do accidentally locked gazes with it and became temporarily frozen, her soul being eaten away. Namasur saved her and destroyed the creature. Grundvik was uneasy about it, trying to figure out why it was there; they later found a dead Altmeri conjurer and concluded that that was who summoned it. The innkeeper rewarded them with Golden Pear Ale.

Imp

Footfalls-in-Snow decided to try using a scroll he'd looted from the dead mage, though he did not know what it would do. It conjured an imp, who promptly jumped on Grundvik's head and lit his beard on fire, and then burned Kishra-do when she laughed at Grundvik. Ingjard doused the pair with the not-yet-boiling water that had been heating over the fire. Roggvir finally, impatiently, killed the imp with his axe, and the group confiscated all scrolls from Footfalls-in-Snow that were not in Jel.

Giant Bat

One night, in the Auridon forests, the group spotted and heard something large flying above them. They hid and rustled the bushes until it swooped down on Footfalls-in-Snow. Namasur's arrows killed it.

Ghost

The group had made camp near an old arch on the third night, and Grundvik felt his shoulder turn icy cold. He alerted the others, feeling that it was something supernatural. Eventually the form of a ghost appeared, with what appeared to be a portal to a nightmarish world behind him, begging them to save him from Molag Bal. He explained that his name was Flaccus Terentius, and that he had been writing a book before he met his fate. Ingjard returned from hunting rabbits for supper, and recognized him from when she and Holgunn One-Eye had gone hunting with him. Upon learning that they could do nothing to save him, he flew into a rage, but something pulled on his manacles and dragged him back to Coldharbour.

Ogrim and Scamp

In the Auridon forest, the group came across a blue-colored ogrim and a scamp burning the trees. The ogrim attacked Roggvir, who was stunned by the blow but managed to stab it in its belly, and between that and the others' arrows, it was brought down. The scamp knocked Roggvir over again, and set his beard on fire—Namasur later teased him about being beaten so much. Footfalls-in-Snow sent an ice spell at it. The ogrim—which they thought had been killed—got up and started to fight again. Namasur dispatched the scamp with an arrow, and Ingjard's axe took care of the ogrim for good. Footfalls-in-Snow put out the fires caused by the creatures, and the hunters fed scamp meat to the Argonian's pets.

Wraith

The group followed a trail and reached an abandoned shrine to Peryite. Namasur was fascinated by the carvings, which included depictions of Altmer fighting Sload. They came upon a strange pattern on the ground, which they realized was cursed when Footfalls-in-Snow walked upon it and a wraith appeared. Namasur said an incantation—"Upon my honor, Lord Frandar's spirit now consumes you!"—and hurled his spear at the wraith, which was burned apart with magical fire. All that remained were ghostly remains and a Daedric priest's dagger.

Golden Saint and Spider Daedra

Still in Auridon's forests, the group was worried when Roggvir did not return from a scouting trip. Even by dawn the next day he had not shown himself, and so they began looking for him. They found him—hunched over on the ground with a Golden Saint standing above him. The Daedra was about to cut off Roggvir's head when Ingjard rushed forward with her sword. She struck it, but on the second swing it caught her weapon and disintegrated it with magic. A Spider Daedra, bound to the Golden Saint, appeared from the trees and began to cocoon Roggvir. It was interrupted by Kishra-do and her spear. Footfalls-in-Snow fought the creature's spiderlings. Grundvik distracted the Golden Saint with a spell that caused mist to obscure her view, and Namasur killed it with a pair of daggers. Roggvir was teased about how unfitting his title "the Ready" was, with Ingjard claiming she'd not heard a name so unsuitable since Torygg Bog-Trotter, who'd drowned in a swamp.

Valenwood

Mudcrab

The party ventured through the swamps of Greenshade. In the evening, they discovered a mudcrab—a different variety from Footfalls-in-Snow's northern mudcrab pet, Young Salty. It snapped at Scuttler, but Young Salty rushed forward, and the two mudcrabs began dueling. Namasur ended it by spearing the wild one. They cooked it and several other mudcrabs for supper, though the Argonian refused to eat any.

Nereid

While traveling along a creek in Greenshade, the group heard a beautiful singing voice. They followed it to a nereid, deciding to be wary of it because they did not know how it would react. Namasur said that his people call them water sprites, and Roggvir commented that it was said that nereids are spirits of women murdered and cast into rivers (Ingjard laughed at that.) The nereid was not aggressive toward them when they approached. Roggvir threw an axe at her, severing her arm (which she reattached immediately), and then she began to fight them. She surrounded Roggvir in a column of water. Kishra-do saved him from drowning by attacking the nereid with her daggers. The two fell into the water, and Kishra-do emerged, victorious.

Spriggan

The hunters tracked a spriggan through Grahtwood. After the fight began, she summoned wolves. Ingjard lit an arrow, which the spriggan snuffed out with magic. Footfalls-in-Snow quickly learned that the spriggan's control over animals extended to his pets when Scuttler attacked him fiercely, and he was forced to kill it. The spriggan itself went after Namasur. He used a fire spell and then his scimitar, and Ingjard scored hits with burning arrows, which lit the spriggan and killed it. The spriggan's possessed wolves returned to the woods, and a sad Footfalls-in-Snow buried his pet.

Winged Twilight

Roggvir heard the shriek of a Winged Twilight one night. They could tell it was a servant of Molag Bal due to its color and blue stare, and Grundvik could remember that Molag Bal's daughter, Molag Grunda, was supposedly a Winged Twilight (though this was not her). The Nords had trouble fighting it, since they'd just downed a bunch of mead, but Kishra-do attacked and killed it.

Hoarvor

The group was awakened by a sudden noise. Ingjard and Namasur explained what happened: Namasur had drunkenly thought that Ingjard had been charmed by him and that she had come to lay with him, but then he felt a stabbing pain in his side. It turned out that a hoarvor had latched onto his side and pinned him. Ingjard was awakened by his shouts, and she pried the insect off him. The hoarvor stumbled around, affected by the amount of mead running through Namasur's blood, and they speared it. Namasur commented that at least it seemed to have gotten rid of his drinking-induced headache, and the group agreed to not tell this story back in Hammerfell.

Strangler

In the forests of Malabal Tor, they found a gigantic carnivorous plant called a strangler. It sent vines at Footfalls-in-Snow, and he struggled as its thorns injected him with poison. Roggvir and Kishra-do came to his aid, but they struggled against the vines too. Grundvik ordered Ingjard and Namasur to help, and together they brought it down. Footfalls-in-Snow collected the sap, and Roggvir buried one of the strangler's previous victims, a Bosmer, respectfully.

Bone Colossus

The hunters followed a trail to a small Bosmer home. They noticed some runes, possibly set there by a necromancer, and shortly afterward discovered two bone colossi. Grundvik knew this would be a tough fight, since just one had been enough to raze Kynesgrove during the recent troubles with Daedra. The colossi roared and summoned six skeletons. Kishra-do was ordered to take care of the skeletons, and the others went after the colossi. Namasur managed to jump on the shoulders of one, twisting off its head, and Footfalls-in-Snow's arrows brought it down. Ingjard destroyed the other with her axes.

Dark Seducer

The group tracked rumors of a lich near the fires of Reaper's March. Roggvir spotted what appeared to be a Nord woman crying, and went over to her, and then woke up later missing teeth. The figure transformed itself into its true form: a Dark Seducer. She tried to kill Roggvir with an axe, but Ingjard hit her arm with arrows and deflected the blow just enough to miss him. The Nord woman and the Argonian fired arrows at her, and this made her especially angry. Namasur hit her with his spear and she retaliated with an ice spell. She made her way toward Grundvik with another bound weapon, and he killed her with his axe.

Lich

The group tracked the lich Vingalmo the Wight, a mer who had been creating an army of undead. Namasur had sworn to hunt him down one day, after the lich had resurrected some of his ancestors and Namasur had had to kill his own great-uncle. They found him hunting for dead bodies in the remains of the fires in Reaper's March. The hunters began planning an attack when Footfalls-in-Snow accidentally slid down an ashy slope, ruining the element of surprise. They ran in to save him from the aggressive lich, and this distracted Vingalmo enough for Namasur to run up to him. He yelled that he'd found Vingalmo's son, and dumped a severed Altmer head out of a sack that he'd been carrying. As the lich shrieked, Namasur brought out both of his scimitars and put them around the lich's neck, while the lich grabbed Namasur's throat. It was Namasur who was victorious. He prayed to his great-uncle, Ayh-al-Fifrah at-Hamisam, to be at peace.

Black Marsh

Crocodile

The group discusses what each of their people call crocodiles—Argonians call them rormasu, or "big-mouthed reptile that blinks above the water", Namasur says that Redguards occasionally refer to them as "marsh dunerippers", and Kishra-do says that she knows a Khajiit that calls them "four-clawed daedroths" but she thinks the joke is lost in translation. They found a crocodile in the marsh, and Footfalls-in-Snow demonstrated how to kill a crocodile bare-handed: he blinded it, and then held its head underwater until it drowned.

Giant Snake

Roggvir scrambled in the muck in a swamp of Black Marsh while a Giant Snake approached. The group teased him as he struggled for footing while the snake attacked him. It ended up biting him in the leg, and Footfalls-in-Snow gave Grundvik an antidote to the snake's poison to administer to Roggvir. Namasur climbed on the snake's back and beheaded it.

Giant Wasp

The group discovered the inflated corpse of an Argonian. Footfalls-in-Snow recognized that the body was the host of a giant wasp about to hatch, and even as they watched, the wasp burst out. He explained a bit about the wasp, and then ran it through with a spear.

Wamasu

While the group continued to complain about the stifling Shadowfen, Footfalls-in-Snow pointed out a wamasu hiding in the marsh. Grundvik decided to fight it, and the Argonian gave him a ring that would direct the lightning into his weapon hand and keep him from being set on fire. It shocked Grundvik (the ring protected him) and charged him. He was knocked over and lost his axe in the river, but Roggvir threw him a hammer to fight it with. Grundvik realized that the Argonian's ring was full of energy, so he held the hammer so that the ring touched the hilt. The resulting explosion when he swung it at the wamasu threw him backward and had beheaded the creature. He kept the ring in case he should ever wish to use it again.

Daedroth

Footfalls-in-Snow spotted another crocodile and decided to prove himself again. The others could tell that something was different, but the Argonian was so intent on his prey that it was not until the creature climbed out of the water that he realized that he'd disturbed a daedroth. While the others attempted to fight it, Footfalls-in-Snow was flung into its mouth, but he didn't waste any time in stabbing it from inside, even managing to sever its tongue. It was Kishra-do that managed to kill it with her spear. Grundvik teased Footfalls-in-Snow, asking if the daedroth's Jel name was "big-mouthed Daedra that blinks like a crocodile", but the Argonian replied seriously that they do not taint their language with words for Daedra so they do simply refer to it as a daedroth.

Wisp and Wispmother

In the forests of Shadowfen, the hunters came across a sign written in Jel that translated to "beware of witchlights". He translates the names of "wispmother" and "wisp", and as they traveled onward, they saw a wisp. They followed them to a wispmother. Some of the group climbed trees, while Grundvik, Namasur, and Roggvir approached her from different sides. After the attack started, she summoned two more wispmothers, and each of the men fought one while an ally in the trees shot arrows at them.

Harvester

The group were near Bogmother when they noticed a harvester near a stepped pyramid: a lamia-like servant of Molag Bal. Namasur told the others the best ways to injure her, and warned them to avoid her illusions. Roggvir stumbled into a black magical trail that followed her, and this enabled her to suck some sort of energy that floated out of Roggvir in orbs. Ingjard's arrows broke these orbs, and then she attacked the harvester, emerging victorious.

Xivilai

The village of Bogmother was on fire. The citizens were fleeing, and Footfalls-in-Snow spoke to one of the elders. It turned out to be a Xivilai responsible for it. It slaughtered a trio of Saxhleel warriors without effort, and then revealed its name—Sahrith Dagon—before challenging Grundvik to a fight. He summoned a clannfear, which Grundvik dispatched, but it gave Sahrith Dagon time to attack him. He used lightning spells, but Grundvik was still wearing the ring from Footfalls-in-Snow. Instead of being wounded, he used the focused energy to strike at the Xivilai. The angry Daedra sent a powerful fire spell at Grundvik, who saw it coming and countered an equally powerful ice spell. It speared him with ice shards and froze him, and Grundvik was able to tear out Sahrith Dagon's heart even as the Xivilai watched. That is why Grundvik is called "Cold-Fist".

Elsweyr

Ogre

Kishra-do went scouting in an Anequina grassland, and announced three ogres nearby. Namasur killed one of them, Kishra-do killed another, and Footfalls-in-Snow and Roggvir speared the third.

Durzog and Goblin

The hunters came across a group of goblins. Kishra-do recognized them as the remnants of the Stonechewer tribe, and realized that they had the Knahaten Flu. They killed most of the goblins, some of whom seemed to be thankful for their misery to be ending. Only the chief and the durzog he was riding were left. The durzog bit Roggvir's leg, and both he and Ingjard killed it. The goblin chief stepped off his dead mount and knelt before Grundvik, gesturing that he wanted Grundvik to end it for him as well. Grundvik obliged.

Senche-Lion

In the grasslands near Bangkorai, the group ran into a senche-lion. Roggvir made ready to shoot an arrow at it, but Kishra-do severed his bowstring and told him that he wasn't allowed to kill an elder Sa-m'Athra. The two traded insults, and Roggvir attempted to attack the senche-lion again. Grundvik held him back, pointing out that they were in Khajiit territory and that their benefactor was a Khajiit. He promised that they'd hunt a senche-tiger after Kyne's challenge was over. Kishra-do approached the senche-lion, spoke to it, and then rode it to Dune, which infuriated Roggvir.

Dremora

As the hunting party approached Dune, they noticed a band of Daedra from Coldharbour on their way to attack the city. There were four Dremora, alongside several clannfear and banekin—a Caitiff, a Kynval, a Kynreeve, and a Kynmarcher. Ingjard sent an arrow into the Kynmarcher's eye—it contained some explosive powder, and detonated once it struck its mark. The other archers in the group took down the clannfear, and the banekin fled—right to where the senche-lion was waiting. Footfalls-in-Snow, Ingjard, and Roggvir teamed up to slice apart the Kynval, while Namasur fought and killed the Caitiff. The Kynreeve attacked Grundvik, who fought hand-to-hand with it and defeated it, despite his age. It warned him that they would return with stronger numbers before he slit its throat.

Daedra Titan, Zombies, and a Terrible Daedric Incursion

The group reached Dune. They greeted Zagun-ra, their benefactor. While he sent his House Cat Kishra-do off to run errands, he had tea with the hunters. He commented that the serpent was brighter in the sky than the other constellations, and he predicted that they'd met an unusually large amount of Daedra on their journey. They were interrupted by Kishra-do rushing in and shouting, "Dark anchor!" They rushed outside and saw the giant anchor plunge into the earth near the city. Legions of Daedra and zombies controlled by a Daedric necromancer swarmed out. In the midst of the ensuing battle, a circular portal to Coldharbour opened up, and a gigantic dragonlike form—a Daedra titan—climbed through it. Kishra-do led some Khajiiti warriors in attacking it, but it killed the warriors and breathed a river of flames at Kishra-do. Its tail struck the battlements, and Ingjard disappeared under collapsing stone. Namasur ran forward shouting "There are worse ways to die!" It picked him up and threw him into a mass of Daedra, where he was overwhelmed. Roggvir also rushed forward, although he transformed into a wolf as he did so (resulting in an "I knew it!" from Grundvik). Footfalls-in-Snow stood by Grundvik as Daedra rushed them and the Nord began to chant.

---

Grundvik awakens in a bed in Dune. He comments that that was a repeating dream he'd had—a dream so real that it's more of a memory than a vision. He notices in his journal that Ingjard has already sketched the art for the events taking place in the dream, even though he hadn't written about it yet, and he realizes she must have had the same dream. He is interrupted by the noise of a dark anchor crashing down outside. He thinks that perhaps the dream may have predicted his fate, but right now he has to try and fight back the creatures of Oblivion and protect Tamriel, in the name of Kyne.