Elyod's tribute to Tolkien (number two)

"... to dungeons deep and caverns old..."  - Tolkien

Elyod's tribute to Tolkien (number one)

"Far over the Misty Mountains cold..." - Tolkien

what a ride...

I found this horse standing all alone in the middle of nowhere.  After looking around for an owner, and finding none, I took an enjoyable ride (magnificent creatures)... perhaps I will buy one someday.

beats walking

sparring at SkyForge...

A previous follower and I (here in ebony armor) sparring at the SkyForge...

staying in shape

willingness to proceed...

How stupid I can be... the holes I dig for myself... the pit fills me with dread... no hope seems possible.  But I have a strength that comes from Above and fills me from within... I can do this... I can do this...

"True courage is not the absence of fear –
but the willingness to proceed in spite of it."

- Author Unknown

I CAN DO THIS

some portraits...

Haven't had much time to keep the journal lately... been adventuring too much.  Also it is hard to write when the ink keeps freezing in Skyrim.  Including here two portraits... one of me in my latest dragon scale armor that I made myself and a portrait of Aela the huntress (my most recent follower) in the Elven armor and glass shield I gave her.

Elyod in dragon scale armor

Aela the Huntress

stretched a bit thin...

If we are not careful, sometimes while adventuring, we run low on gold and can get stretched a bit thin... this poor guy sure did...

stretched a bit thin

A dog...

I bought a "war dog" to help protect the family and home.  He is obviously more attentive to noise and thus senses danger better than I.  Occasionally I plan to take him along on quests but with his attentiveness, he is also quite vocal (and aggressive) and therefore makes it difficult when stealth is of utmost importance.  Thankfully he knows and obeys the command... "stay".  The owner/breeder called him Vigilance but I believe that was a name given to impress prospective buyers.  I plan to call him Barnabus.

Shortly after this current image was captured, Barnabus was seen wondering outside our home on the streets of Whiterun.  I called to him, but aside from barking, he did not respond to any of my commands.  It appears the sedate life of a stay-at-home dog did not appeal to him.  Slowly he began walking toward, and through, the outside gate of Whiterun and down the path leading away.  Some time after, I revisited the place where I had purchased him, and sure enough, he had returned there.  The previous owner/breeder did not remember me and Barnabus was for sale again under his old name... Vigilance.

Several thoughts crossed my mind... a few not so nice... but in the end, I decided to let matters rest as they were.

Barnabus resting near the fire while Ysolda stirs the stew.

 

Chayely

Finally we bought a house together... Breezehome in Whiterun.  Much more spacious and better built than Ysolda's old home.  She can now run a shop in our new home and I have an alchemy lab as well.  It is only a very short distance to a smithy too.  The security of storing our belongings is a major plus.  Now I can leave behind everything that is not essential for particular quests and will not feel weighed down.   We have decided to change the name of our home to Chayely...unofficially of course... it will always be Breezehome to those in Whiterun.  Chayely is pronounced... Shay-Lee.

Ysolda and I in Chayely (our new home)

planting a tree...

One of my most pleasant and rewarding quests was a trip to the Eldergleam Sanctuary to find the means to revive the Gildergreen/Goldergreen tree in Whiterun.  I have always been in awe of the glorious nature around us and of the true Creator's touch. 

Upon seeing the plight of this wonderful tree I set out to discover its story.  This quest first took me to a place inhabited by a coven of witches and a rather powerful Hagraven atop Orphan Rock to obtain the evil looking blade... Nettlebane.  Danica, of the Temple of Kynareth, related to me that I needed this blade as the only way to approach the parent tree (the Eldergleam)... its sap being required to revive the tree in Whiterun.  I had a very hard time imaging myself sticking any tree with this foul blade, for whatever reason. 

Upon arriving at the sanctuary, I was immediately enchanted with the serenity and beauty of this fantastic paradise and the grandeur of the magnificent Eldergleam.  How could I perform such an injustice to this regal looking tree?  Thankfully, after a few tentative swipes at the Eldergleam's roots, Mauice Jondrelle, a pilgrim accompanying me on the trip, suggested another possibility. 

Not wishing to further harm the tree, I listened.  Mauice prayed in front of the tree.  In answer to his heartfelt prayer the Creator provided us with a sapling. 

I returned to Danica with the sapling, and when she finally agreed to it, the sapling was planted to replace the original tree in Whiterun.  It now grows and blooms... a presence of future glory.

The sapling of the Eldergleam

River of greatness...

While wandering (not sure where I was), I came across this scene and was instantly reminded of the quote...

“If we study the lives
of great men and women
carefully and unemotionally
we find that, invariably,
greatness was developed,
tested and revealed through
the darker periods of their lives.
One of the largest tributaries
of the RIVER OF GREATNESS
is always the STREAM OF ADVERSITY.”
- Cavett Robert

STREAM OF ADVERSITY

Dragon above...

While wandering the foothills of a Skyrim mountain I captured the image below.  It was snowing heavily and darkness was upon us.  The dragon was speaking while he circled above but never landed or attacked.  Putting my weapons away, I concentrated on a good image of it in the night sky.  Such magnificent creatures... it saddens me that they are so evil...  perhaps in another time and place...

circling dragon at night