Into Skyrim, Elder Scrolls 8 Nirn's Beta-Chapter 103: Way of the Voice

Arriving at the peak of the mountain I found myself alone. It seemed Paarthurnax was flying around somewhere. So I took out my sleeping bag and placed it down in the snow. Using it as a mat I sat down while I fiddled with the Lexicon.

I had opened it, but the inscriptions within were what I believe is encrypted. It was hard to tell as I could read Dwemer. Though the Lexicon was very intuitive in that regard. The lexicon was essentially a digital storage using mana as the data store. Reading the mana was what gave the knowledge and following the flow of mana was how I had unlocked it.

I shifted another small gear within the lexicon and the mana shifted further. The lexicon was a fascinating item. The complexity was certainly what prevented the lexicons in general from being copied entirely. Though I could see how they are constructed.

Paarthurnax's voice interrupted my inspection. "You have a dwemer knowledge artifact?"

I looked at him, "It is called a lexicon, I am guessing you do not have a word for that."

Paarthurnax nodded, "That is correct, which is why I used the words I did."

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I gestured, "I'm guessing you were flying around for exercise?"

Paarthurnax nodded once more, "Yes, it is important to not get lazy. Dragon's do not atrophy, but our mana can get congested if we do not fly around."

That made sense, "So how do we get started."

Paarthurnax took a deep breath and with a single low breath the ground was engraved with power. "First you should study, we will start with a simple word. You have memorized many words, but I wish to know your understanding of the word."

I looked at the word scorched into the ground. "How do you literally shout the word into the ground like this?"

Paarthurnax smiled, "This is one of the things you must figure out."

I sighed and inspected the word. It was Yol, the word for fire. It meant only fire, because words like Ag and Faad meant burn and warmth. Just fire, it meant just fire. I stared at Paarthurnax and responded. "The word just means fire, but despite words existing for burn or warmth. The word encompasses everything that comes with fire. Destruction and Rebirth, this is why dragon's literally burn with flesh when killed or resurrected."

Paarthurnax nodded, "An interesting assessment. What of the words that would normally follow Yol? And how does one shout a word into the ground."

"The words are Inferno and Sun. Inferno's are destructive forces that engulf entire areas. The fire they burn with engulfs itself and burns out its own fire. The sun is pretty obvious, an embodiment of fire, heat, and light. However unlike the other two it has a double meaning since the Sun is what feeds plants and helps them grow." I looked at Paarthurnax waiting for what he had to say.

Paarthurnax nodded, "You understand the words perfectly. Truth be told I never thought of fire in the way you mentioned. Dragon's do burn up when they die or are resurrected. Like tinder our souls fluctuate. Your understanding of Inferno is greater than mine as well. I have never bothered to think about how the fire of an inferno swallows even itself."

I shrugged, "You can literally fight a fire with fire."

Paarthurnax nodded, "I think you have deeper understanding of each word too. Things I suspect both of us do not directly link to fire. To put it simply you have the understanding of Dovahzul. The problem you face to learn the way of the voice. Is how Dovahzul is engraved into speech and how it can alter the world around us."

I frowned, I knew exactly how it altered the word. However I knew what Paarthurnax was really saying. I didn't understand how it literally manifests. "Normally dragon's etch words into stone to record them. However the Thu'um can also etch words. I need to figure out how, without being told."

Paarthurnax nodded, "If told you will rely on what is said. Making you lose the sense of feeling of how it feels to etch said words. You may meditate on this, I will watch in silence."

I looked at the dragon and laughed, "You mean you are going to watch Kyne train with Far sight?"

Paarthurnax frowned, "The accuracy of your words is always astonishing."

I shrugged and focused my eyes onto the etched words. The words were smooth, soft and solid lines. It was completely different than the words etched into word walls. I frowned, how many word walls were actually etched by dragons?

Many word walls were in deep tombs. Mountain's of dirt and rock burying them. Those word walls would simply be copies of the real thing. Chiseled with Dovahzul by humans. I thought about why dragon's if they could etch words with the shouts. Why carve the word walls?

I closed my eyes as time passed, and at some point I got up. Paarthurnax looked at me, "What are you doing?"

I responded with a wave, "Just checking something."

Marching up the mountain even further. I began to climb the final rocky slope. The mountain ended in a stark point. On the very top of the mountain I found the item I was looking for. I laughed as I picked it up and marched down back toward Paarthurnax.

When I got back to the Plateau I laughed as I raised a tool up to Paarthurnax. The tool was not a pickaxe, though the name still remained similar to the old easter egg. The tool was called the Notched Chellet. "I have no idea what this thing would actually be called, but this is the tool humans used to copy Dovahzul carvings."

Paarthurnax smiled, "I believe it is called a Chellet and yes that is the tool. Do you have it?"

I looked at the Chellet, I wondered who named it. The tool was a mess of functions. One head was a hammer that curved upward into an axe head. While the other side was a solid pickaxe, which made some sense. However the handle formed outward into a sharp flattened chisel. The Chellet seemed to be a multipurpose tool. It's design was a mess, but clearly well made.

"I think I do. Dragon's speak in what would amount to phrases. They could tell a story with Dovahzul. However most sentences can be separated into portions."

Paarthurnax smiled and responded in Dovahzul. "Mindoraan Los Aan Dovah's Rii. Faal Dovahkiin Naak Un Mindoraan. Dovah's Aal Ofan Mindoraan Sil Ahrk Orin Vonau Nii. Hi Mindo Faal Thu'um Zeim Daal Vonau."

I sighed, "So how do you teach this ability to gift knowledge?"

Paarthurnax laughed, "I just told you. I gifted you the knowledge already. You have everything."

I took a deep breath of the thin air. "God, I hate you."

I looked at Yol etched into the earth. It was being buried in the snow. I summoned fire into the palms of my hands. Novice flames poured out of my hands and melted the snow. The process was slow however below the snow was carved rock. Words etched into the ground. The words Paarthurnax etched were not made by his voice. Instead he activated the word that was carved.

The entire peak of the mountain was carved with words. The words spread out into a circle that spiraled around the throat of the world. Paarthurnax watched me through all of this. He said nothing even as I studied the circle.

I laughed at what I was reading. "No wonder you sit up here."

Paarthurnax laughed back, "Most study, meditate, and using precise focus to cultivate the voice. However for one who has a understanding of Dovahzul like you do. We can cheat a little."

I smirked at him, "I would've had to do the standard method if I had failed to show my comprehension of Yol?"

Paarthurnax smiled back, "I would've taught you like I taught Arngeir. He meditated up here for 40 nights to learn the first step in the voice."

I raised an eyebrow, "You taught him yourself?"

Paarthurnax nodded, "He had potential, I am sure you noticed how Arngeir doesn't need to whisper to speak."

I looked at him, "About that... I won't need to whisper right?"

Paarthurnax laughed, "No, especially so if you continue to study the Word Seal."

I gave a nod and trusted his assessment. Looking back at the circle I began to read it over again. Each word was carved carefully and I paused to compare the etched words to the Chellet's edges. I reread the words as I followed the etching.

Akatosh's breath started here, as time began he existed. The throat of the world the birth place of his first children. Within his breath he let his favorite child act as his proxy. Alduin set the world ablaze with his desire. Akatosh concerned about his favorite child, stepped away to let him experience mortality.

I paused as I frowned, he stepped away? I wondered who carved this. It was clearly a human as even now each word matched the Chellet. I looked at the edges of the circle, I was only half way through. So, I began reading where I left off.

Kyne reached out to the siblings of Alduin. She guided them with silver words and showed them what they would lose. Alduin's siblings turned on him, forcing him back. However Alduin still held power over them until mortal men brought him to the ground. They set fire to his skin with words known only to the finite. With a final push they used an elder scroll to banish Alduin. Leaving Alduin to fade into the future in hopes he could be defeated by a great warrior.

I closed my eyes in thought. The story wasn't much, just a description of events. The important part was the words used. I recognized a few as the words Paarthurnax would help the dragonborn meditate on. The three words he would reveal using his own voice to activate the etchings.

I remained in the center of the circle as the snow covered the ground once more. At some point Paarthurnax had closed his own eyes. I took a deep breath as night began to take over the sky. Time passed quickly as I let my thoughts linger.

I was tired and I felt my mind drift. However I let it happen, soon I would pass into the dreamscape. This would be the last step, the final push, I felt it.

My eyes snapped open in the starry sky of the dreamscape. I yawned, "Fuck me, the transition is always so unreal."

I looked around and sure enough I found a new skill tree. It was between Alteration and Smithing. The skill tree wasn't in the standard text. Instead every perk point was in Dovahzul, while the skill tree itself was in the shape of a dragon breathing fire.

The final step to unlock Thu'um for me was the realization of the skill tree. It was different from unlocking the espionage skill tree. Comparing the two the Thu'um skill tree was far large. It was bigger than even the natural skill trees, while espionage was smaller.

It seemed the hidden skill trees weren't equal. I looked at the perk points and was surprised to see 11. Unlocking the Thu'um skill tree had leveled me up, but the real surprise was having 11 perk points. There was another method to get perk points, but clearly you only receive perk points on level up.

I looked at my skill trees. I sacrificed two perk points to the endless pit that was smithing legend perks. The other 9 however would go into the new skill tree. Looking at the perks it seemed I would need to translate a bit. The first perk point was already unlocked and it translated to Realization. That would explain why I had the gut feeling I had to fall asleep to unlock the skill tree. Looking over the skill tree I realized none of the perks required more than one perk point. That explained the size more or less.

Realization existed as the tail of the skill tree. It split into two paths, the right side held three perks, Meditation, Comprehension, and Talent. The left held only two which were labeled as a word I didn't recognize and a word a didn't recognize. I memorized the details of each and dumped three points in the right side.

Looking at the point where the paths met I looked over the perk points. The perks spread out into two wings so going down the right side obviously meant the right wing would be easier to get to. Looking past the wings to the head of the dragon piqued my interest though.

I followed the skill tree up placing 4 perk points to get to a perk called indifferent voice. It was the perk point to speak without whispers. One could go around the perk point on accident if they weren't careful. Which mean so far I had placed 7 perks. Going from Meditation, Comprehension, Talent, Grounded Earth, Armored Flesh, Solid Breath and finally Indifferent Voice.

I was left with two perk points, I had a surprisingly several choices. From Grounded Earth the amount of choices spread out significantly. I ultimately decided on a perk called Talent Mastery and Vocal Lashing.

Due to the fact I had to translate all the perk points I had to rely on some intuition. The last two selected perk points felt right to me. Talent Mastery seemed to enhance already mastered talents. While Vocal lashing seemed to be based off speechcraft. I couldn't be sure entirely due to the fact speechcraft wasn't a word I knew in Dovahzul though.

I felt the pull of the door out of the dreamscape. It seemed I didn't have much time left. I would need to ask Paarthurnax about the words I didn't understand within the skill tree. So I studied the skill tree for each word I didn't understand. I memorized the written forms and before any more studying could be done I woke up covered in snow.