Skyrim - Dustman's Cairn

Dustman's Cairn is very similar to the other tombs I've entered so far - rows of shelves carved into the stone walls house ancient Nord bodies in various stages of decomposition. Farkas seems keen on running ahead, though he has to stop often to wait for me to catch up. It's not me being slow ( and I resent the implication), I'm just clinically searching every urn and body that we pass for treasures to fund my adventuring.

It doesn't take long before some of the Draugr arise from their somewhat incorrectly described "eternal slumber." Farkas proves to be an immense warrior, and rarely needs my assistance in putting the Draug back to rest. Whether this will impinge on the report for my trial is unknown at this time.

We soon find that the Draugr are not alone in the cairn - few Whights rear their very ugly and decompsing heads. I'm no anthropologist, but in my limited contact with the Draugr, I believe them to be the hoi-polloi of this society, and the Whights to be their betters. I might be wrong, it has happened on a handful of occasions.

Skeevers also run around these dark halls, but they prove of little entertainment to Farkas and I - a single sweep from either of our blades ends them in an instant.

We enter a large room, where I spot a lever in a small ante-chamber. I absent-mindedly pull on it, and a gate swings shut. "I have the worst luck" I think to myself. But then Farkas is approached by almost a dozen bandit-types calling themselves Silver Hand warriors. It looks like this is the end of our very brief friendship, but then something curious and strange occurs - Farkas turns into a slavering beast. The Silver Hands don't seem perturbed in the slightest, and carry on trying to have at him. This beast-that-was-Farkas jumps on them all, killing each and every one of them.

He disappears around a corner, and comes back as a human after pulling another lever to open the gate and release me. We have a little chat about what I just saw. He isn't embarrassed by the bestial display, and tells me that this is what can happen to the upper "Circle" of Companions. He doesn't even swear me to silence. Not that anyone would believe me. Although Lydia might.

We walk into an even larger room than the last after navigating a series of skeever infested tunnels. Obsidian coffins line the walls, clearly filled with more Draugr ready to awaken and feast on our flesh. Yet they stay put for now. As we progress through the room, stairs lead us up to an altar where in plain site, I spy the fragment I'd been tasked to acquire.

Already knowing that picking this chunk of cut rock up would raise the dead, I begin to charge my firebolt spell. Then, while doing so, I reach across and put the fragment into my pack.

Crash. A number of stone coffin lids fall open, and the Draugr advance on me and Farkas from all sides. Flame shooting from my hands, Farkas engaging them with sword, we best them swiftly. Even the Restless Draugr and Draugr Wights are no match for our combined arms.

The battle is soon over, with undead corpses lining the stone floor. I do a quick search of the chamber for more treasure - those Ancient Nords knew how to send their dead off in style, and I find plenty of gold and jewels. Turning my attention back to the altar, I notice a large semi-circular carved wall.

Things go a bit funny for a minute, as my vision blurs and a great gust of wind and knowledge hit me. I have learnt a new dragon word it seems - my head buzzes with "Fire Breathe". There is an exit to the upper world just behind the wall, and Farkas and I ascend it and head back to Whiterun to deliver the fragment to the Companions.