(This will be a journal, similar to ones found in-game. So this will be written in normal speak and first person, how Dar'Elaraya sees Skyrim. This is not essential to read, basically a summery in how I would like to put it, but I only want to write this to be Dar'Elaraya's own thoughts as it would be weird to have so many thoughts crowded in the actual story. Or even little pointless bits, such as picking foliage from Helgen to Riften and finding a dead person and taking their loot [Including the clothes she bears later on]. This will be dated using Skyrim's in-game calendar: days, date, months, era, year.)

Sundas, 11th of Second Seed 201, 4E
    After Helgen had been destroyed by the huge, black dragon, I headed to the Guardian Stones with the Stormcloak named Ralof. I chose my birth sign, the Thief Stone, and bid Ralof good-bye as he headed to Riverwood. Maybe I would visit the little town, someday. Then a Khajiit caravan was passing by, so I asked to join them and was granted such privilege. They were headed back to Riften anyway, and that was my destination. So we all headed back toward Helgen, going through the burning buildings and found the chopping block with a charred corpse near it. Then I caught up with the Khajiit, on their way east, and if I can believe my geography of Skyrim, I believe the caravan and I traveled behind the largest mountian on Tamriel, the Throat of the World. The back pass is the Pale Pass, and Alkosh knows why. The Pale is a Hold and it is to the north, not between the Rift and Falkreath Holds. This path twisted and turned, leaving us to pass a cave, animals that I was dying to skin, and a huntress and her horse. Finally we got out from behind that cold mountain, only to be chased away from a small shack by a troll. We were chased by wolves and few trolls the length from Helgan to Riften.
    While entering the city, I was halted by a guard, and a shifty one. He had asked for a fake tax of seventy-eight gold to enter the city. I called him out, and he let me pass with no more trouble. When I entered the city of thieves, I saw a few people of Riften, a Nord woman who also was a stranger in Riften, an Imperial man who seemed to be her friend, and another Nord who seemed shifty. Maybe one of the Guild? I headed towards the smell of warm food, which led me to the inn: the Bee and Barb, run by two Argonians. I bought one of the rooms on the upper level, and entering the room I hid my gold and brought out the pelts that I had skinned. This land is cold, and the pelts were warm like the ever-shifting sands of Elsweyr.

Middas, 20th of Second Seed 201, 4E
    After little more than a week in Riften, I have learned their Imperial speech and the patterns of the city: who's rich, who isn't; who's a warrior, who isn't, and who not to mess with at all, namely the Black-Briar family. Though I still have no more gold, less even. No one wanted to pay a Khajiit to sing a bard song nor for furs, and I couldn't blame them. But a flute is a flute. So since I needed better armor and couldn't buy any, I used some pelts to make leather armor, much more casual and neutral than the Stormcloack cuirass I've been wearing since Helgen, eight days ago now.
    Today I shall go into the market place and into the local stores to find out what this town is worth, or if I can get any information on the Guild. I know they live in the Ratway under the city, but without an invitation, there was a good chance I would get myself skinned while down there. Or robbed of my gold. I have, however, picked up some nightshade at Riften's cemetary, and gotten little gold rings to have my hair back, along with gold earrings. I look richer than I am, and plus I can make poisons for my bow I grabbed from dead Imperials. I've made friends, too. One of the stall owners in the market, Madesi, is an Argonian, and he's quite friendly. I have offered to gather materials for him, as he makes his own items, a rarity he said. He needs one gold ore, a mammoth tusk, and two flawless sapphires. May as well be friends with those in the city so I can be seen as friendly and not be accused. I'm too clever to get caught, anyway.
    On my way out of the Bee and Barb, I ran into the strange noble-looking Nord with red hair. He, after my attempt to slip by failed, offered me a job I couldn't refuse. I needed coin. So, as I write this outside of the Bee and Barb, 7am, I have decided I will take up his offer. I hope this guy is from the Guild, and if he is, I hope that I don't disappoint. Otherwise I'm stuck in this frozen land for a while longer with no solid source of septims and the disadvantage of being a Khajiit.

Turdas, 21st of Second Seed, 201, 4E
    I did an...unsavory job for Brynjolf--the red-haired Nord--where I had to collect owed money from three habitants of Riften. Haegla, the Bunkhouse owner, which I didn't mind as she was horrible. I used her beloved statue of Dibella as leverage. Bersi Honey-Hand was neutral for me, though I had to get into a fist-fight as I didn't want to break his Dwarven urn. It had a good design, not that I myself would want it at all. My claws finished the fight easily and I got the due coin. The last person to owe was Keerava, one of the Argonian owners of the Bee and Barb. Talen-Jei, her co-owner, was very displeased when he saw how fearful Keerava acted when I asked for the coin.
    When I returned to Brynjolf with the due coin, he gave me some potions that I by now have sold for spetims. Then he thought fit for me to meet the Guild's leader, Mercer Frey, so I could officially join the Thieves Guild. It turned out there was a path through one of the store cabinets into a bigger cistern. Now I knew what Tonilla meant when she offered to have Dirge throw me in there.
    Now, this cistern in the Ratway was no mere dumping ground for waste, even though it definitely smelled like it. There were beds all around, an alchemical table, a normal table. I found many books in there that related to thieving, the Guild, and the mythical Nightingales.
    Since Frey was the Guild master, I figured he would be right down to business since I saw how Vex and Tonilla acted, only a bit more like Brynjolf or Delvin. I was wrong. Long story short, he gave me a job, directed me to get my armor from Tonilla, and talk to Vex, who had previously failed this job. I headed out, to come here, to the Bee and Barb, to do a few things before I left, such as getting a few spell tomes and repaying Keerava. Now, as I write, I am preparing myself for the place Kharjo warned me never to enter: Goldenglow Estate, a bee farm. If I survive, I will be writing about the time inside, and about my next job.

Turdas, 21st of Last Seed, 201, 4E
Today I decided against going into Goldenglow, but instead to go out on a bounty contract, which should be folded in this page. I got it from Keerava, and the bandit group I've signed up to eliminate is at Treva's Watch. I remember seeing it across the Treva River on my way here, and that it was no small fortress. Even now, in Shor's Stone, I had taken up a local job. Redbelly mine was infested with frostbite spiders. Right now, I have new poisons, a few less steel arrows, and five hundred more septims. I also sold the Elven armor, getting back some of the coin I had used to by the few steel arrows Filnjar had, who is a miner and the blacksmith of Shor's Stone. I'm making my way toward Treva's Watch, slowly but surely. I see an aurora starting to form, and it's near midnight. I plan to leave before dawn and head to Darkwater Crossing to act as courier for one of the miners. She has family in Darkwater Crossing, and it's more-or-less on the way anyway.

Fredas, 22nd of Last Seed, 201, 4E
I'm in Whiterun, now. Today, once I got to Darkwater Crossing, after two detours, hired thugs were waiting for me. The contract details should be in this page of the journal, like I stuck the bounty contract in the previous page's entry. The thugs were sent after me by Bran-Shei, but really? I didn't try to kill him, far from it. Now, from the skirmish from the three thugs, and three wolves, I got rockjoint, and it's hindering my ability to run and fight. I also plan on switching out that Imperial sword for something else, but I don't want any old sword.
After I returned to Darkwater Crossing, I gave the satchel from Sylgia to her father, Verner, who asked me to return the satchel for him. I obliged. Then I helped him by mining corundum, the ore that was in Goldenrod mine, which brought me two hundred, forty more septims. Even at this point in time, I have well over a thousand. One of the female miners, Annekke, conversed with me about having been an adventurer. She was Darkwater Crossing's founder, originally. She also told me of a bandit camp at Lost Knife Hideout. I would have gone to take care of the bandits, but I want to cure myself of rockjoint as soon as possible. And since I had a Guild job to do in Whiterun... well, it was simply something I needed to do anyway.
The path toward Whiterun ran next to Darkwater River, and there was a pass/outpost that had been overrun with bandits. The one out on guard attacked me, but I burned her to death, quickly snatching her coin pouch and got away from the area. I also stopped in at the meadery outside Whiterun's walls, though I didn't get any ale for Elsweyr fondue. It just simply needs ale, though it wasn't like I had any moon sugar for it, either.
Some people, who are called the Companions, were outside the meadery in the next door farm, fighting a giant. I tried to help by shooting it from afar with my bow, but I missed and they took it down. Although one of the women in the party of three was somewhat rude afterward, the other Nord man and woman had invited me to join and had been curious about me, respectively. I didn't catch their names.
Whiterun was apparently keeping it's doors closed as much as possible because of the dragon attack at Helgen, and I used the fact that I was there to get in the city. Guess that was the only way I would have ever gotten in. I made my way over to the local inn, the Bannered Mare, and bought a room for the night. Tomorrow, I plan to go to the Temple of Khenarthi, or the Temple of Kynareth, to heal myself, then do Delvin's job at the Warmaiden's, and make my way back to Iverstead, since I failed getting there on the way to Whiterun. I headed to a hunting shop, mistaking it as an inn, bought some arrows, and found out where the real inn, the Bannered Mare, was. I'm staying here the night, going to get healed, then head away from this city. I have no reason to be here, other than to complete Delvin's job. I'm traveling light once I leave.

Loredas, 23rd of Second Seed, 201 4E
    When I left the Bannered Mare, I headed into Whiterun's Cloud District, where the Temple of Kyenareth was. I went in, awed by the sense of natural beauty that took me elsewhere, in another place, even another life. I prayed for Khenarthi to heal or lessen my pain, and I took on her blessing, my rockjoint lessening. Even now, most of it has faded.
    When I left the temple, I headed back to Warmaiden's and conversed with one of the co-owners. I helped Adrianne, the co-owner, and then went inside, completing the job. Even though I had previously not had any reason to stay, I decided to visit the Companions of Jorrvaskr. Apparently, Kodlak, the old man, had seen great things in my soul—if he could truly see it. I fought Vilkas, befriended Aela (the rude Nord woman) and Farkas, and acted again as a courier for Vilkas and Eorlund, the smith. Now, without having to pay for any bed, I sleep under their hall with others, writing in the flickering candle light. Keeping my thieves armor hidden in the knapsack, so they don't see what I am. If I have a  good reputation here as well as in Riften, it is well worth being a petty courier and "new-blood" as they called me.

Sundas, 24th of Second Seed, 201 4E