Day 9 takes me from ancient tombs to icy swamps. I dodge frost magic in a wooden shack, fight a dragon on a mountain, and uncover a vampire plot in Morthal. Janessa doesn’t make it.
Missed day eight? Find it here: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day Eight
Draugr Light: Dustman’s Cairn (Not That One)
The plan for the day? A classic dungeon crawl through Dustman’s Cairn. The reality? I walked into what might have been the world’s most disappointing annex. One room. A handful of draugr. Zero dramatic ambushes. Either I wandered into the wrong entrance, or the rest of the dungeon had a day off.
I poked around for secret doors because this is Skyrim and you never know, but found nothing. Just cobwebs, bad lighting, and the distinct feeling that Todd Howard was laughing somewhere.
Loot? Forgettable. Mood? Slightly stabby.
Bear vs. Blade at Greenspring Hollow
Onwards to Greenspring Hollow. As expected, it came with the usual occupant: a bear with severe anger management issues. True to form, it attacked on sight and asked no questions.
A few solid strikes put the beast down. I looted what little there was and handed the haul to Janessa—my trusted pack mule and silent partner in crime. I didn’t realize at the time that this might be her final job.
Drela’s Cottage: Hospitality Denied
A bit further along, I stumbled across Drela’s Cottage. Hopeful for shelter or at least a warm fire, I stepped inside.
That was my mistake.
Without so much as a hello, Drela greeted me with frost magic to the face. Fortunately, this wasn’t my first time dealing with homicidal wizards. I chugged a Resist Frost potion, ducked behind the suspiciously durable wooden pillar in the center of the room, and played peek-a-boo until Drela ran out of breath—and life.
The loot was unimpressive, but I left with my body temperature (mostly) intact and my life expectancy extended for at least another few hours.
Goodbye Janessa, Hello Dragon
At this point, I decided to cut across the mountains instead of following the road. Direct lines are always faster in theory—less so when those lines involve climbing sheer cliffs in sub-zero weather.
Halfway up, the weather turned, and I heard the familiar sound of a dragon announcing its presence.
The battle was brutal. I managed to land the final blow, but at a terrible cost: Janessa was gone. Whether she was roasted or knocked off the mountain mid-fight, I’ll never know. There was no body, no dramatic final words—just an empty follower slot and a heavy sense of loss.
RIP Janessa.
Overburdened. Underpaid. Better than most.
Welcome to Morthal: Population, Suspicious
I limped into Morthal alone. Freezing. Exhausted. Perfect conditions to stumble into a vampire conspiracy.
The innkeeper filled me in: rumors of bloodsuckers, a burned-down house, and strange happenings. The Jarl, apparently too busy to care, delegated the matter to me after some light investigative work revealed Alva wasn’t quite as human as advertised.
Following a brief round of sleuthing, a confrontation, and the discovery of vampire tomfoolery, I returned to the Jarl. With the truth exposed, she finally took notice—and handed me a new assignment: eliminate the so-called Master Vampire controlling things from the shadows.
Because of course, there’s always a hierarchy.
End of Day Nine
No warmth. No Janessa. And now I’m tasked with taking out a vampire overlord while half my gear capacity disappeared along with my companion.
Classic Skyrim.
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Survivor Incognito 