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[Ecanto] 28 – Consequences for birthing the Erdtree in Skyrim
🕑 Added 2025-07-07 00:46:05 +0000 UTCAs the roots entangled around me, I found my consciousness fading somewhat. The roots that wrapped around me moved me to the ground, where they began to cradle my body protectively. The thick and small golden roots poured healing magicka into every inch of my body, flooding it with blissful restoration that made me feel as if I were lying on a cloud.
The tree was designed for two purposes. The first, and most obvious, was to heal, to mend, to fix what was broken. The second purpose was to defend its charges; the roots could, at any point in time, channel the restoration-attuned magic flowing through them into that of sun fire. The sheer brilliance of the flames would likely resemble that of a miniature sun. The tree would likely be capable of instantly turning any undead in its vicinity to ash, though that effect may have changed with Orkey, otherwise known as Arkay's blessing. Orkey and Arkay were the names of one God, the old Nordic God of Skyrim, and one of the Nine created by the Empire all those years ago.
As my mind drifted off into slumber as my body recovered, the witnesses to my Master-Level spell could only watch in awe, as a Nascent spirit resembling that of a blond-haired woman floated above me, hand gliding past my face, the spirit's face with a beautiful smile with Golden Eyes that held nothing but warmth as it looked upon my sleeping form before floating away, back into the minature Erdtree.
Abruptly, the entire tree pulsed with golden light as its leaves caught the raw Magicka leaking through Atherius and with this newfound burst of energy, more than a dozen new roots formed in the air, floating rythmalcly in the air like a snake in a dance before lunging forward and coilng around those both clearly and seemingly also injured.
Dibella's mark pulsed on the bark of the tree, as the Women in the room found the scars or marks they had accumulated over their lives that they found unsightly began to disappear and fade. The men in the room discovered their scars stayed, but old injuries, unknown injuries, strains, and broken bones healed alike in less than a minute, leaving everyone in the room feeling far better than they had minutes before. Some even let out sighs or moans as the cleansing and restorative energy of the small Erdtree washed over them, cleansing them of impurities, pain, fatigue, and even weariness.
An old man in the corner stood straighter, his face flush as if he was sick, as his entire body was healed and restored piece by piece, until what stood before was no longer an old man; instead, it looked like a man in his 50s, fit and hale as numerous old injuries disappeared leaving the old man feeling the fruits of his youth come back to him. That's when another change took place. With each passing moment, the Old Man seemed to grow taller, as muscles emerged across his once-frail frame, revealing the Warrior that the man had once been before age took its toll.
One after one, the symbols of the old Nordic Gods flashed, as the vows from before that the girl before them spoke echoed in their minds.
Women were given back their beauty, men were returned their strength, and wise men were given back their minds, but most notably of all, they were all given back their Youth.
...
As I slipped into slumber, I found myself standing in a field of flowers as far as the eye could see.
I felt refreshed, my worries flying away, and for the first time in a while, I truly just...relaxed. All of the tension disappeared from my body, or it did until a voice I both could and couldn't understand spoke from behind me.
"Thank you, my Creator, for giving birth to me and for giving me a purpose, rest...I will watch over you until you awaken."
...
When I awoke, I found my body covered in golden veins and tree roots, which slowly slid off my frame, releasing me from their hold before they seemingly helped me to my feet, where I near fell to the ground as the Magicka Exhaustion asserted its toll on my body, leaving me feeling somewhat stiff and...dry, for lack of better terms, more than likely from using so much Magicka at once.
As my eyes adjusted to my surroundings, I froze like a deer before the headlights of a car, as I found myself surrounded by what appeared to be the townspeople, over a dozen Guards, and many, many pilgrims. There were so many people that the small building felt cramped, and then there was the second obvious thing: they were staring at me.
When I regained my balance, I felt the Vines and Roots around me coil, as if readying to defend me at any moment, and when I looked back at the tree, I could have sworn I felt something looking back at me, but what caught my attention was that the tree was bigger, brighter, grander. It was as if the tree had grown a couple of feet, and now its leaves and branches seemed to have broken through the windows that had previously blocked them.
One of the guards suddenly stepped forward, "Miss, please come with me, the Jarl wishes to see you."
"The Jarl?" I asked in momentary confusion before the realization kicked in as I turned around to look at him. Like all Guards of Whiterun, he was equipped with a sword, shield, bow, and quiver of arrows. His outfit featured the strange, pointed helm that the Guards of Skyrim wore, along with a fur and leather cuirass that had no hint of metal or steel beneath.
"...This wouldn't happen to be because of a certain tree behind me, would it?" I asked with an awkward smile.
Though I couldn't see the Guard's eyes beneath his helmet, I could have sworn he was giving me the most deadpan of stares imaginable.
"Alright, I would love to meet Jarl Bulgruf," I said with a scratch of my head before stepping forward.
As he and a few other guards led me out of the small Temple of Healing and out into the courtyard with the decaying Gildergreen.
"If you do not mind me asking, why are none of you equipped with iron or even steel armor? I mean...It's not like Nords get as cold as the other races, so I doubt the chill is the reason," I asked harmlessly as they led me up the rather large staircase up to Dragonsreach.
"That's because iron and steel can be expensive, and with the War, not many Jarls can afford to arm their Guards with metal and iron armor, not to mention how costly it would be just to maintain the armor and fit it to each soldier's size," the lead guard who spoke up before explained rather simply.
"Oh, but don't you have a few iron mines around Whiterun? If I remember correctly, there's an iron mine filled with bandits out in the plains west of here, and another one right by Riverwood, also filled with bandits," I asked, wondering.
"Gods damn it, they took over the mines again?" One guard asked before the lead guard spoke up, "It's because every time someone gets the mines up and running again, Bandits attack the mines and try to take them over and sell the iron themselves, thanking that there's a lot of profit to be made, only to quickly learn just how labrsome mining truly is."
"Then why not station more guards around the mines then?" I asked innocently.
"Because the Jarl has only so many guards, las. If he leaves Whiterun unprotected, it'll leave it it unable to defend itself if another Falmer or Goblin attack occurs," Another guard answered with another expanding on it, "Eveertyime you clear out the Goblins more just migrate to Skyrim, so the pests are always attacking the Farms outside the walls of Whiterun or attempting to attack a village like Riverwood or Rorikstead, as for the Falmer. At the same time, they haven't been a problem lately. I do remember the big attack before the War that led to many farmers and villagers getting captured and dragged off in the middle of the night."
"Really? That's horrible!" I gasped.
"If you can point me to where some of their burrows are, I can take care of them if you like? If it helps ease your burdens?" I tried only to get a few laughs.
"Don't worry about us las, we Nords have dealt with their ilk since we killed off the Snow Elves, these pointy eared bastards are nothing," the lead guard told me, his pride as a Nord clearly showing as he pushed up his chest and flexed his muscles, making me give a slight laugh and shake my head.
"I'm not in any trouble, am I?" I suddenly asked.
"Trouble? Good Gods no, we should be thanking you, las. Everyone in Whiterun heard your prayer to the Old Gods. If anything, I think the Jarl wants to reward you for your boon to Whiterun," The eldest guard in the group laughed.
"Reward me?" I asked, baffled, "Why?"
My question seemed to take them off guard and make them go quiet, at least until we reached the two massive doors into Dragonsreach.
"Go in, las. The Jarl is in a meeting right now, but he will want to talk with you after they are finished."
They led me inside, where they split up, two heading back outside while the other two followed me into the Great Hall.
I only hoped I made a good impression on my favorite Jarl of Skyrim.
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Songs I jammed to while making this chapter:
Starset - Trials
IGRES, ENXK - Blacklist
ZillaKami - Space Cowboy
Les Friction - Your World Will Fall
MERCYKILL - Damage_Control
Convolk - You Wont Do Shit
VOJ x Narvent - Hear Me
PLVTINUM - Coffin
Solence - Animal In Me
Chris Rain - Shock Me
YCK - Count Me Out
SLEVPY - Not My Friend feat. DVRST
Comments
Hrea_
Ty for the chapter
