Tirdas, 7:56 PM, 14th of Frostfall

I have been working on finalizing decorations and furniture arrangements for my manor for the last few days.  Very tedious work, but I do not want to move out to this place until I am certain that it will be safe.  I hired a carriage driver to take Lucia to Falkreath or Riverwood when she wishes to visit and perhaps make new friends.  I told him she is not to go to Whiterun however unless I am accompanying them.  That is too long of a journey for her to make alone, and although I have faith in the skill of my unpronounceabley named steward, I am still not comfortable with it.  Their have been an increasing number of vampire attacks lately  something which makes me very uncomfortable.  Even though I have cleared out all of the forts and ruins within a ten mile radius of the area, I will still probably check them at least once a month, just to make sure.  I had some very high quality orchalchum locks installed on all of the doors, including the balcony, and the windows are all laced with iron fittings, making them virtually impossible to break through, yet I would assume they don't offer much of a view either.  That wasn't my top concern.

All in all, it's pretty much done.  I am going to Whiterun tomorrow to pick up Lucia and bring her here, I will also probably purchase a few final building supplies.  It's so nice to have somewhere to put certain things that I'm just not ready to part with.

For example those Aetherium shards.  I found the third a few days ago, it was deep in an old Dwemer Market.  On my way out of the market, or I should say, down the mountain that the large underground elevator brought me to, I encountered a dragon priest   This is the third one that I have encountered in my traversing of Skyrim, I must say however, this was also the weakest one, or perhaps I am getting stronger.  He had a mask inscribed with the name, Volsung on it.  he guarded a very powerful word wall that taught me three words of a Nordic shout.  I do not understand it though, it's as if I know the words, but lack the strength to use them.  I believe that when I absorb souls of dragon I gain more power to use these shouts.

Perhaps what made the battle with the dragon priest easier was the fact that for the last week or so I have had the assistance of a powerful Dunmer mage.  I encountered her at the Shrine of Azura, after I helped recover Azura's Black Star.  I had long been wanting to visit this Shrine, but had not been in the Winterhold area yet, about a week ago I had to run up there to deliver a bounty, it was the perfect excuse.  Azura recognized me and asked for my help in clearing her soul gem of the black soul of a necromancer who had bound himself to it.  I did, recovering his powerful armor as well.  This armor I bequeathed upon the priestess of Azura, who responded to my gift by telling me that Azura had given her a vision telling her that she was no longer bound to the shrine, and was free to accompany me in my travels.  I accepted her offer, it's nice to have a fellow Dunmer in these parts where we are so rare, and looked upon with scorn for the most part.  She is very quiet, a fact that I appreciate, she is also a very powerful mage, although i hate to admit it, I believe I may have finally met a superior.  I would hate to meet this woman in battle, she is capable of tossing a bolt of lightning that can knock a dragon from the sky.  That is no mere training, it is obviously Azura's blessing she carries with her.  I am honored to have her as a companion.  We certainly turn heads when we enter a town.

I am going to set out to uncover the last shard of the Aetherium key after I get Lucia settled in here.  I believe it is somewhere in the south east area of Skyrim, towards Riften.  I have never been to Riften  but I here it isn't the most prosperous town, I doubt I'll stop there, unless the weather is horrible.