An accounting of werewolves

Publication date : 06/06/2014 Original media : TES Online By Sage Svari, Fallowstone Hall As a skald among the Companions, I learned to recite the Songs of Return. But now, as Sage of Fallowstone Hall, I must do more than memorize. It falls to me to record the deeds and glories of the Companions, preserve our names, and call on Ysgramor’s wisdom to guide those new to our ranks. It surprised me to discover a few areas where our tomes of knowledge were scant or outdated, and I will do my best to fill in gaps as my first honorable task. I wish to begin by expanding An Accounting of Enemies, a reference to threats commonly faced by Companions compiled by Sage Tirora, my predecessor. We’ve recently taken on more contracts involving werewolves than I’ve ever seen, and our recorded knowledge of them is sparse. I’ve spoken to Nords from Windhelm to Ivarstead, and everyone agrees that cults of Hircine (and thus werewolves, who are his children) are on the rise across Skyrim. I’ve even heard reports that some madmen have been actively seeking out the curse of lycanthropy! I do not think I should need to remind anyone, especially any Nord, of the evil of the Daedric Princes—even of one who claims the joy of hunting as his realm. There may be some draw to the wild power of werewolves, but you’d better remember that you’ll never see the halls of Sovngarde when Hircine claims your soul. Lycanthropes spend eternity in Hircine’s Hunting Grounds, slaves to his unending thirst for blood and the chase, instead of drinking mead and brawling with the heroes of legend. Ysgramor taught us to know our enemy through blood on our hands, and to scrawl our runes of conquest on the corpses in our wake. Our warriors have faced many werewolves, and while I don’t have any corpses handy at the moment (and because they would pollute the rather pleasant library we have), I will preserve their knowledge here: Thonarcal Ice-Fist recalls his revulsion: “I saw one of them turn right before my eyes, and my blood ran cold. He got the jump on me, so stunned was I at the grotesque display. Be wary if your target is not already in its fearsome beast-form.” Irmgarde the Bootbarren knows a secret of the beast: “Always keep a poisoned blade or arrow-tips handy when you hunt them. Even poisons that aren’t all that strong seem to ravage the monsters.” Hallveig God-Hater has read the tale of their hides: “It seems to me that their pelts say something about them. The ones with darker fur use fast strikes and ragged claws to tear into you. Every now and then I’ve glimpsed a white one. They’re usually surrounded by a pack, howling and driving them into a frenzy in combat.” Agdis Bearblood prays to the Divines: “Don’t get bitten or cut up by them. If you do, you’d better get yourself to a priest right away. The disease can be cured, but don’t risk letting it get into your blood.”