The Beast of Abanabi’s Hollow
Chapter 2: The Beast of Abanabi’s Hollow
Serana
At first glance, some might mistake the She-Dragon for a daedra. However, none of the daedra that I’ve seen looked quite like her. If anything she had a draconic appearance with her wings and the bend to her horns. She looked like what I’d expect if a giant ever had a child with an Argonian. A child with wings.
However, half-giants aren’t as tall as the She-Dragon. The dragonic woman was nine feet tall with the wings, horns, and tail of an elder dragon. Her wings were utterly massive and her tail was several feet long. Her beige skin was covered in hard scales and her bright yellow eyes had slitted pupils. She had a long mane of thick, sandy blond hair and wore an almost tribal outfit made of rags.
Molag’s balls… she’s a Half-Dragon. Even in my head, that sounded insane. Dragons do not reproduce. That’s an irrefutable fact. Half-Dragons were infeasible for that very reason. Yet there was one right in front of me. How is this even possible?
Soon the Half-Dragon’s gaze fell upon us. Her eyes turned to me first since I still had the Copper Claw. Then she looked at Thalia, who was frozen by fear. “You are zofaas. Fearful,” she observed. “Are you the one who dared to enter my home, without permission?”
Thalia whimpered a quiet, “Yes.”
A low growl came from deep within the Half-Dragon’s chest, rage burning in her eyes. “Nunon mey gahrot nol dovah. Only a fool steals from a dragon.” She then snarled a Shout. “Jol Fus Daal!”
A wave of power harshly pulled Thalia towards her. The dragonic woman caught her by the throat and started choking her. The treasure hunter flailed helplessly as she struggled for air. As this happened, I noticed a crowd was gathering.
That’s when I spoke up. “I’m sure Thalia has learned her lesson,” I said in a calm voice. “She won’t make this mistake again.” I held out the Copper Claw. “Here. You can have this back. It’s what you came for, right?”
There was a long pause. The dragonic woman said nothing as her yellow gaze carefully examined me. After what felt like an eternity, she dropped Thalia, who promptly gasped for air. “I shall spare you this time, zinnu tafiir. Honorless thief,” she told the Redguard, her gaze full of contentment. “However, if your mistake repeats itself, I won’t be as kind.”
The treasure hunter quickly nodded. “I understand. This won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Pruzah. Good. Now leave my sight before I change my mind.” The Half-Dragon gave a dismissive scoff when the treasure hunter leapt to her feet and ran off. She then strode over to me and grabbed the Copper Claw. Her eyes met mine. “Losei vofaas, sosnaak. You’re unafraid of me, vampire. Why?”
I shrugged. “You haven’t given me a reason to fear you. If anything, you’ve piqued my interest.”
My answer bewildered her. “I don’t understand. Joorre faas vomindok. Mortals fear the unknown. You should fear me because I am unnatural. Even true dovah call me a sunvaar. A monster.”
I smiled at her. “No one is a monster because of what they are. I should know since I’m not exactly mortal myself.”
She frowned, her head tilting a bit. “Then what makes someone a sunvaar?”
“People are monsters when they do wicked deeds for selfish reasons,” I answered. “My father, for instance, feared his own mortality and sacrificed a thousand innocent lives to Molag Bal so our family could become pureblood vampires.”
“Is the kro, sorcerer, who made me this way a sunvaar?”
“If he did this to you against your will, then absolutely.”
The Half-Dragon was quiet for a few moments. “You’ve given me much to think about, sosnaak.”
I frowned. “Out of curiosity, what is your name?”
She hesitated. “Paaz ofan ofaal. Fairly give to receive. Tell me your name and I’ll tell you my dovahzin, my dragon name.”
That seemed fair. “My name is Serana Volkihar. Who are you?”
“My dovahzin is Alunah. It means “Ever Hunter” in your tongue.” She unfurled her wings. “Pruzah wundunne, Serana.” With that, Alunah took off and flew away.
—
Thalia was nowhere to be found. She fled Whiterun rather hastily, making me suspect that I wasn’t going to see her again. In the end, I gave up on searching for her and decided to find the Moth Priest on my own. My first stop was the College of Winterhold. Once I was allowed to enter the College, I made my way to the Arcanaeum. The librarian was an Orc named Urag gro-Shub.
I approached Urag’s desk and asked, “Excuse me, sir. Do you know where I can find a Moth Priest?”
Urag grunted. “The obvious answer is to go to the Imperial City. The Moth Priests make their home in the White Gold Tower. Sometimes they go out looking for Elder Scrolls.”
“I know there’s one in Skyrim right now. Did you see him, by any chance?”
The orc nodded. “Lucky for you, I did. He’s an old man named Dexion Evicus. He came by to do some research, then left for Dragon Bridge. You may catch him there if you hurry.”
I smiled. “Thank you, sir. Have a good day.” With that, I walked away. I was on my way out of the Arcanaeum when I saw a Dunmeri woman reading a copy of a book called Forgotten Myths of Morrowind. I walked over and sat next to her. “An interesting choice.”
The elf gave me a shy smile. “Thank you. I just started reading it. One of my cousins is the author.” She closed the book. “I’m Brelyna Maryon.”
We shook hands. “Serana Volkihar. If I may ask, does Alunah have something to do with your choice of reading material?”
Brelyna’s smile widened. “You’re the vampire that spoke with her!”
I chuckled. “I see my reputation precedes me.” I eyed her book. “So what does Alunah have to do with obscure Dunmeri myths?”
“A lot more than you’d think,” she replied. “If my theory’s right, that is. You see, some of the myths my cousin included are really obscure. The one I’m reading, for instance, is a brief, but curious tale that cropped up at the start of the Fourth Era. It practically died out after the Red Year, so it’s a miracle that my cousin found someone familiar with it.
I titled my head, curious. “Can I read it?
Brelyna nodded. She opened the book to a section titled Myths from Vvardenfell, then turned the page a few times before handing it to me. I then read the story she selected.
—
Part Four:
The Beast of Abanabi’s Hollow
Source: Synda Arano
The Corprusarium was a system of caverns beneath the Telvanni Tower of Tel Fyr. Deep within it, there was a hidden cave known as Abanabi’s Hollow. It was a secret to all but Divayth Fyr himself. For the Hollow was home to the Beast of Abanabi, a dragon-like beast resembling a humanoid woman.
The Beast was the product of a failed experiment. 1 Trapped within the Hollow, Fyr would feed her incompetent servants and would-be assassins. 2 She attempted to escape many times but never succeeded. When Red Mountain erupted in 4E 5, Fyr abandoned the Beast, leaving her trapped in her Hollow. Some say she perished when the caverns collapsed. Others say it gave her the chance to escape. Ultimately, her fate is unknown. 3
–
1 It is no secret that Divayth Fyr had an interest in Dragonborn. If there is any truth to the Beast’s existence, then she could be the product of an attempt to create one.
2 Fyr denies this vehemently, but excavations of the Corprusarium did reveal an area that could be Abanabi’s Hollow. In addition, piles of bones were found beneath the rubble.
3 The fabled She-Dragon of Skyrim is oddly similar to the Beast. Both are dragon-like creatures that resemble a woman. Some speculate that they could be the same entity.
—
The footnotes in particular got my attention. “Thank you for letting me read this,” I told Brelyna, handing her the book. “That story was quite informative.”
Brelyna smiled. “I’m glad I could help, Serana.” Her eyes shone with curiosity. “If I may ask, how informative was it?”
I decided it wouldn’t hurt to share this with her. “It was very informative. Your book may have given me some crucial pieces of Alunah’s story. Perhaps your cousin’s right about her being the Beast of Abanabi’s Hollow.
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Well, it would explain the existence of a half-dragon,” she mused. “That just leaves one question. Who was she before all this?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But, I think I know a good place to start.” I stood up. “I should get going. Have a good day, Brelyna.”
She smiled. “Same to you, Serana.”
—
Alunah’s existence proved that the “She-Dragon” was real. So I began to wonder if some of the speculations about her were true. I was particularly interested in whether or not she was the She-Dragon. So I decided to ask the one person who may know for sure; Alfe Fyr, who lived in a remote shack south of Winterhold.
Alfe Fyr was quite annoyed by my arrival. “When I decided to live on the most frozen, gods-forsaken mountain on Nirn, I thought I’d be left alone,” she grumbled. “Yet, people still come knocking.” She sighed. “What do you want?”
“Hello, Ms. Fyr,” I greeted. “My name is Serana and I would like to know more about the Beast of Abanabi’s Hollow,”
She scowled. “That thing is a myth. Now go away.”
I grabbed the door before she could slam it in my face. “Listen, a few days ago, I met a Half-Dragon named Alunah. I’m certain she’s the She-Dragon, but I have reason to believe that she’s also the Beast of Abanabi.”
That made her pause for a moment. “What did she look like?”
“She’s a nine-foot-tall dragonic woman. Kinda looks like what you’d get if a giant had a child with an Argonian.
Alfe’s expression hardened. “Come in.” When I entered her shack, the elf gestured to a table. “Please, take a seat.”
I nodded, then sat down. “Is it true? Is she one of your father’s experiments?”
She nodded. “Yes, she is. Her current nature is the result of Divayth’s attempt to create a Dragonborn. Alunah wasn’t the only one he experimented on, but she is the only test subject to survive that research.”
“What did he do to her?”
“Divayth used a combination of magic and alchemy to transmute her blood into dragon’s blood. She was the only test subject to survive the transmutation process. When he was done with her blood, Divayth used a form of soul magic to forcibly replace Alunah’s mortal soul with the soul of a dragon named Shulkunaak.”
“I’m surprised her body didn’t reject it,” I said. “From what I’ve heard, dragon souls are powerful things. Soul gems can’t contain them. So I’m surprised that Divayth was able to force one into a mortal body.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t easy to do,” Alfe remarked. “Even for Divayth, forcing Alunah’s body to accept Shulkunaak’s soul was a long and arduous process. It worked, but not without a cost. His magic forced her body to drastically mutate just to accept the new soul.”
“After meeting her in person, I believe it.”
The Dunmeri woman shook her head. “You don’t get it. Alunah’s bones have a dragonic durability. Her scales are as tough as a dragon’s. She has their pride, their intelligence, and their affinity for magic. By Azura, she even behaves like them!”
I was starting to understand what she meant. “Molag’s Balls… is Alunah even mortal anymore?”
“Doubtful. She was 26 when Divayth experimented on her. I’ve always suspected that there must be some key differences between the soul of a “natural” Dragonborn and the soul of a dragon. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”
“Well, it would explain how a Half-Dragon can exist.” I frowned. “If I may ask, who was she before the experiments?”
Guilt shone in the elf’s eyes. “To be honest, I don’t know. I never bothered to learn her name. It made things easier.” She sighed. “However, once heard Divayth call her Fairsong. It could be her surname. If you want to know more, you should ask around Bal'Sehrma.”
I knitted my brows. “Bal'Sehrma?”
“It’s the Dunmeri name of Bleakrock Isle. From what I recall, she was born there. There are still a few Nordic families on Bal'Sehrma, so she could have a relative living there.”
“I see.” I got up. “Thank you for the information, Ms. Fyr. I’ll be sure to visit Bal'Sehrma when I get a chance.”
—
Unknown
I entered His temple and opened the Black Book. When I arrived in Apocrypha, I kneeled before him. “My lord, I have some news regarding the Dragon Crisis.”
“Ah, so the false Dragonborn has finally reared their head,” Miraak mused. “Tell me, who are they?”
I winced. “I’m afraid you are mistaken, my lord. I did not come with news of a false Dragonborn. To be honest, the truth is a bit… stranger.”
The mask made His expression unreadable. “Well? What are you waiting for? Spit it out already!”
I quickly nodded. “A few days ago a… half-dragon was seen in the city of Whiterun.”
“A half-dragon?” He sounded confused. “You must be mistaken. There is no such thing as a half-dragon. Such a being is impossible.”
“I am aware of that, my lord. However, the residents of Whiterun saw one with their own eyes. The half-dragon calls herself Alunah.”
“Hmm. That does sound like a dovahzin,” he admitted. “It either means Ever-Hunter or Destroyer-Our-Hunter.” He shook his head. “Regardless, this news is very concerning. Find out everything you can about her. I want to know precisely how a half-dragon came into existence.”
“Yes, my lord.”