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Delia-Jessamine Maric, Breton stealth-mage, and Aela the Huntress, Nord huntress, left High Hrothgar for Whiterun to ask Jarl Balgruuf if he would mind them trapping a dragon inside his wooden house. Along the way, they got into a crazy fight west of Helgen involving a Frost Dragon, 3 wolves, and 4 bandits (1 from Embershard Mine, and 3 from the nearby camp). The wolves fought and died on Jess's side, thanks to Voice of the Sky. One of the bandits gave up a Treasure Map. Jess has a few of these maps now, and has never tried to follow any of them. Maybe when she retires, she can take it up as a hobby.

Outside Whiterun, Jess was glad to see Ri'saad back with his caravan. He had been missing for a while, possibly stuck in a tree. They spent the night at Breezehome with Balgruuf's spy Lydia. Jess is avoiding her husband Torvar at Jorrvaskr for reasons unknown.

The next morning, they went to see Balgruuf, who eventually agreed to Jess's "mad dragon-trapping scheme" (I love that line), but only if Ulfric and Tullius agree to a cease-fire first.

"Back to High Hrothgar?" Aela asked.
"Yep," replied Jess.

They traveled to Ivarstead, spent the night, and met with Arngeir in the morning. Arngeir was reluctant to get involved in politics, but agreed to host a peace conference. Jess and Aela went to Riften and stayed the night at Honeyside.

The next day, they set off for Windhelm to meet Ulfic. Along the way, they got into two dragon fights in quick succession near the Steamcrag giant camp. They got assists from mammoths, a giant, and two hunters, one of which remarked he'd never seen anything like it in all his years. Sadly, the giant died during one of the fights. They spent the night at the Braidwood Inn in Kynesgrove.

The next morning on the way to Windhelm, Jess and Aela saw another dragon in the distance near Anga's Mill, so they ran there. While Jess fought the dragon (Viinturuth), an Imperial berzerker taking advantage of the situation attacked Aela. After the dragon and berzerker were killed, the Anga's Mill residents emerged. Jess agreed to take a message from Aeri to Jarl Skald since she'll be near Dawnstar on the way to Solitude. Jess and Aela backtracked to Windhelm to see Ulfric.

Hearing Ulfric's speech with Galmar, Jess was impressed. The man was not the loose cannon she assumed he was. He also spoke respectfully of the Greybreards, and Jess convinced him to agree to a peace conference by telling him "Politics be damned" and that the Alduin crisis is more important right now.

Jess and Aela spent the night at the Nightgate Inn. The next morning, they continued for Solitude but detoured to Dawnstar to deliver the note for Aeri. Exiting Skald's longhouse, there was a commotion near the Khajiit camp. A dragon?

No. Instead, three Imperial soldiers were fighting a Dawnstar guard. Jess ran over to heal the guard, but then the Imperials began attacking Aela (who showed her commitment to neutrality by not fighting back). At that point, Ahkari and her caravaneers entered the fray and quickly killed the Imperial soldiers. "So even the Khajiit are getting sick of the Imperials," Jess thought. (Note that these were normal Imperial soldiers, not the imposter-looters that sometimes attack the PC).

They continued to Solitude, arriving that night. The next morning, they went to temple and prayed - Jess to Dibella, Aela to Kynareth, as usual. Then they went to Castle Dour. Jess had never been inside before. Listening to Tullius speak to Legate Rikke, Jess was not impressed with his condescending attitude toward the Nords. As a Cyrodiilic Breton who has become a Nord at heart during her 2+ years in Skyrim, Jess was both embarassed and insulted by Tullius's remarks.

She convinced Tullius to agree to the peace conference by mentioning that Ulfric had already agreed. Tullius and Rikke didn't waste any time departing, though, as they were out the door and on their way before Jess and Aela. I guess Tullius didn't want Ulfric to get there first.

Jess then went to Radiant Raiment and bought an Amulet of Talos from the kindly elven merchants, making Jess wonder if not all the Altmer are on board with the whole banning Talos worship thing, or at least not when coin is involved.

Then they left for the conference. They fought a dragon (Nahagliiv) at Rorikstead and spent the night there. "Erik, where were you? You missed the fight," Jess said to her friend Erik the Slayer. The next day, they fought another dragon near the Western Watchtower, getting an assist from a sabre cat this time (thanks, Voice of the Sky) while the Whiterun guards watched idly. They made it to Ivarstead, listened to Linly play the lute, and slept.

Marilyn (II), Bosmer assassin and dutiful Listener to the Night Mother but presently very confused about the state of her Family,

- returned to the Falkreath Sanctuary to report on the successful throat-slitting of Gaius Maro, only to find that everyone there had apparently gone completely bonkers in her absence. Cicero assaulted Astrid and wounded Veezara? Crazy as he may be, Marilyn thinks she understands him well enough to know that he would never have hurt a Family member without dire provocation - and Astrid, when questioned what drove him so far, wasn't ashamed to state that "The Night Mother's ways... are not our ways." What's worse, none of the others seemed to find that in any way alarming. And now they expect her to go and kill the only person who understands her, who feels about the Sweet Mother and Dread Father like she does? Really?

- has a new mount. Sorry, Leathermane and Dwemare, you're good horses but you just can't compete with a red-eyed demonic stallion in daedric horse armour. And if Shadowmere is truly "one of us", as Astrid said, his willingness to submit to a new rider does mean something, doesn't it?

- had her fortune read by Olava the Feeble and is puzzled by the hints about Deepwood Redoubt, as she's already cleared that place and noticed nothing extraordinary, but maybe a revisitation will reveal more. Olava's prophecy also seems to indicate that the Family may yet be restored as it was meant to be, but before that "there will be blood". A purge maybe, a... purification, as in Cheydinhal of old? Never since she joined the Brotherhood has Mari felt so afraid of the future, but at the same time she's determined to be true to Mom no matter what.

Delia-Jessamine Maric, Breton stealth-mage, and Aela the Huntress, Nord huntress, left Ivarstead in the wee hours to go trap a dragon. Along the way, they met Talsgar, so Jess requested "The Dragonborn Comes" (that’s called “foreshadowing”). Then near the recently established Falkreath Stormcloak camp, they encountered some non-hostile bandits (replacing the hostile bandits and dead Khajiit that used to be there... weird). Five of the seven bandits were sitting by a tree. Jess spoke to one of them. He turned hostile, which was a mistake. "Anybody else? Anybody?" Aela asked. Jess and Aela moved on.

West of Helgen, they saw a group of six Imperial soldiers. But three were thugs, not normal Imperial soldiers, and they demanded tribute from my duo. Apparently, the Legion is lowering its standards. Arngeir had warned that Tullius would seek to regain advantage. Anyway, Jess refused to pay, so the thugs attacked. Realizing that their comrades were out-of-line, the regular Imperials entered the fray on Jess's side. The fight was confusing and Jess was glad her Dremora could tell who was who. She didn't want to break the ceasefire by accidentally killing a regular Imperial soldier.

They arrived in Whiterun and went to Dragonsreach. Balgruuf recounted the history of Dragonsreach, a story Jess thinks is exaggerated, thanks to her Bards College education. Balgruuf and Jess were ready to try the mad dragon-trapping scheme. Oh. I see. They are planning to trap the dragon in the stone rear section, not in the wooden front section. Smart.

Jess called Odahviing etc etc eventually, the dragon was in chains. Unfortunately, one of the Whiterun guards died during the fight. Jess collected his shield to remember him by.

Jess talked to Odahviing etc etc it seemed that Jess was in for a real quest now, a one-way trip if she fails, and would have to go alone. She and Aela went to Breezehome so Jess could make a few extra potions, just in case. But really Jess needed something else.

Balgruuf's spy Lydia wouldn't give them any privacy, so Jess and Aela left, stopping at the Temple of Kynareth to pray, and then went to the Harbinger's room at Jorrvaskr. Worried that she might not return from this quest, Jess put on her Amulet of Dibella and made sure Aela never forgets her. In fact, it's safe to say that Aela is now ruined for future lovers. For her efforts, Dibella and Kynareth blessed Jess with Lover's Comfort seven times.

Delia-Jessamine Maric, Breton stealth-mage and Dovahkiin, fought her way through numerous draugr and a dragon priest en route to her goal, Sovngarde. Mostly, she used her usual tactic of snipe and summon, now augmented by her favorite dragon shout. Whenever a draugr got too close, she Fus Ro Dah'd it to buy time and distance, then repositioned her Dremora to keep the draugr away. She got pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

After defeating the dragon priest, Jess looked up and was surprised to see two dragons perched above her. They did not seem bothered by her presence and had not intervened, so Jess left them alone. She entered Sovngarde.

Inside, Jess saw Alduin flying around. It was not yet time to fight, but there was little time for delay, either. She met a Stormcloak soldier who did his best to try to explain what was happening. Jess had a feeling he was the same soldier she had seen beheaded at Helgen, but could not be sure. She also encountered Kodlak and Torygg, among others including soldiers from both sides of the war.

Tsun asked Jess by what right she would enter Shor's Hall. Jess replied that it was her right by birth as she is the Dragonborn. Tsun was not impressed, and would not let her pass until she proved herself worthy by fighting him. So she did, not that she had a choice. Jess fought well, according to Tsun. Actually, she just summoned two Dremora and ran away. But we can assume that Tsun rewarded Jess for her dedication to the craft of summoning. It's not like she learned to summon two Dremora overnight.

Inside the Hall was a veritable all-star team of Nord warriors, but the three Jess needed to find, and quickly, were the trio that had defeated Alduin before. They were chomping at the bit for another crack at Alduin, so they and Jess made haste back outside.

After clearing the mist, the fight was on. Before entering the fray, Jess downed a couple of her hand-crafted potions like a sorority girl slamming shots on her 21st birthday. The battle can be summarized as: Dragonrend + Dremora + Blackbow + Heroic Warrior Trio = Dead Alduin. The world was saved.

After the All Hail's, Jess was told she would be welcome in Sovngarde at the time of her passing. Unfortunately, Jess is in a similar predicament to the one Kodlak was in, except Nocturnal claims her soul and Jess knows no way out of the deal. Speaking of Kodlak, he approached and commended Jess. But where were Torygg and the others she had met before? Had she been too late to save them from being devoured by Alduin? Or were they already inside Shor's Hall? Jess decided she would rather not know the answer. Jess returned to Tsun and learned a shout for assistance from a Nord hero. The he sent her back to the Throat of the World.

It was around midnight when Jess returned. She was surrounded by dragons that had apparently decided to follow the Way of the Voice. Perhaps that explains the passivity of the two dragons at Skuldafn. She spoke again with her dear Paarthy. It was unclear if she would see him again after that. Odahviing pledged his loyalty to her, though, so at least she gets a consolation dragon if Paarthy has to leave her.

Jess returned to High Hrothgar and slept for a few hours. After brunch, she found the Greybeards in the conference room and spoke with Arngeir about what had occured in Sovngarde.

Delia-Jessamine Maric was not ready to return to the world below and decided to stay at High Hrothgar for the time being.

- made their way northwards to Dawnstar via Labyrinthian (no frost trolls this time), Morthal and Mzinchaleft and had some interesting encounters with various wildlife on the way, thanks to recently installed Skytest - Realistic Animals and Predators; decided against disturbing a hibernating bear with her cubs but killed another bear and some sabercats. Since Mari follows her own interpretation of the Meat Mandate which says that she must make some use of everything she kills Shadowmere's saddlebags ended up crammed full with meat, furs, claws, teeth and innards; fortunately selling meat on the market or to innkeepers counts as making use of it by her book, or she'd be bound to get serious weight problems. (Truth is she's a bit on the skinny side anyway and could use a few pounds more, but she prefers to remain lithe and light-footed.)
- entered the Dwarven ruins of Mzinchaleft in search of a certain Dunmer scholar; Marilyn had chosen this route seeking to affirm her professional ethos by fulfilling a contract before confronting Cicero and acquitted herself admirably (if I may say so myself), sneaking up to her target undetected and slitting his throat before he knew what was happening; she felt a lot better after that.
- found Arnbjorn wounded outside the Dawnstar Sanctuary and showed nearly superhuman restraint by letting him live. Marilyn and the wolf-man have detested each other ever since she first joined the Family, and finding him injured after he'd tried to kill the Night Mother's Keeper she was sorely tempted to finish Cicero's handiwork and tell Astrid he was dead when she found him (indeed I tried to, but killing him caused Meeko to go bonkers and attack Shadowmere, so I reloaded; stupid faction mechanics... ). She remembered the Five Tenets though and resolved to abide by them even if her brothers and sisters wouldn't, and also reasoned that antagonizing the other Family members would not advance the Night Mother's cause, while some of them might still be won over if she proceeded cautiously.

Marilyn without Meeko, who was left to guard the door, then entered the Sanctuary and summoned the spectre of Lucien Lachance who supported her resolution to spare Cicero if at all possible; it felt good to be in the company of a Brother devoted to the Family as it was supposed to be, even if he was dead. He also assisted her against the sanctuary's ghostly guardians who tried to hinder her progress, but faltered about halfway through. The spectral assassins of old demanded every bit of Mari's wit and skills to deal with and caused her to get more and more exasperated with Cicero; when she finally found him she was like, "Can we please stop playing games now?" She saw through his ruse of playing wounded but also realised that he had been deeply hurt spiritually and needed time to heal, so she would have to deal with Astrid's misrule by herself.

- lied to Astrid, telling her Cicero was dead. What matters most to her now is that the Motierre contract, the only one endorsed by Mother herself up to now, is carried out; as long as Astrid goes along with that, she can go on believing she leads the Dark Brotherhood. Once that is completed, Astrid will have to choose between being Marilyn's Speaker and Purification.
- had a little interview with the cook at Understone Keep in Markarth and poisoned him later that night; while she was at it she stole everything of value that wasn't nailed down from the jarl's quarters and then continued her work at the Treasury House. A list of notable bards pickpocketed from Yngvar the Singer prompted her to visit Old-Hroldan and talk to the bard-cum-thief Asteria there ("The Raven of Anvil" from 3DNPCs) who had expressed interest in such a thing because she wants her name added to it; Asteria told her to look for an elf near Windhelm who could help her to contact a master forger competent enough to do it.
- carried on to Solitude to fulfil a contract from Nazir on a pirate captain and went on a little expedition to Deepwood Redoubt while she was in the vicinity. Having already cleared the Forsworn encampment there earlier, so she met with little resistance. She did indeed find the remains of the Assassin of Old in Hag's End, as Ollava had foretold, his powerful gear miraculously preserved - clearly a sign from the Sweet Mother and Dread Father that Mari's dedication to them will not go unrewarded.
- reached Nightgate Inn at the end of a day's ride from Solitude, spent the night there and caught the Gourmet alone looking out on the lake the next day. He who has no doubt often fed on fish now feeds the fish; there's poetic justice for you!
- found the forger's contact in Windhelm, who turned out to be none other than her former follower Rumarin the bladebinder and told her the forger was to be found somewhere in Falkreath; her reaction: "Does that mean I'll have to put up with you all the way from here to Falkreath?" Indeed it does. (Rumarin reminds me a bit of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory - the same mixture of being cute and a pain in the neck.)