About this image

Part 1 : http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/imageshare/image.php?id=32115
Part 2 : http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/imageshare/image.php?id=32689

By nature, dragon attacks are poorly recorded because many times there are no survivors, and when there are survivors, most of them were too busy fleeing to pay attention to the finer details. Helgen is no exception to this. Folklore has it that as the headsman was literally about to bring the axe down upon Audva, the dragon landed and began laying waste to the village. However this is clearly an embellishment, as it is unlikely that the timing was that perfect. Regardless, a few managed to escape through various means, Audva being one of them. She was told by at least one survivor, Hadvar, that the Imperial Legion (who had tried to execute her only moments before) would be interested in someone with her talents and expertise, and recommended that she follow him to Riverwood, where she could re-supply and eventually join the Legion.

Together they arrived in Riverwood, where the inhabitants were uneasy around her at first, as she was obviously not “one of them.” Their fear and distrust soon turned to amazement, as several inhabitants are recorded as being astounded by the rate at which she learned “their ways,” namely blacksmithing and alchemy, both of which she’d had no previous knowledge of. This is another of her signatures : her ability to quickly learn and master new skills. When interviewed, several instructors at the Mage’s College commented that it was this trait, not her endurance, not her expertise with weapons, nor her ability with magic, but this ability to learn quickly, which made her “dangerous.”

After only a few days in Riverwood she vanished and re-surfaced roughly a month later in Markarth. In that time I believe she was looking for Uulka, though whether it was for revenge or reconciliation no one will ever know (some say that to this very day she is still out there searching for Uulka). Audva gathered her meager belongings and traversed the central plains of Skyrim, hunting as she went. Several artists have attempted to re-capture her trek across the grasslands, as this was another iconic journey - her first return to The Reach, this time as a true exile. Alone and poorly-equipped, perhaps her only saving grace was that she was in familiar territory. Surrounded by hostile animals, Nords, and Forsworn, she was forced to hone her survival skills.

Then one day she wandered into Markarth, disguised as just another traveler. It isn’t known why she went to the City of Stone, only that she did, and that once there she mostly vanished into the crowd. She remained there for some time, observing and learning the ways of the Nords. It was later found that during this time she was also working for the daedra Molag Bal, who named her his champion and later gave her The Vampire’s Mace, which became her weapon of choice in close combat.

Fearing that people in Markarth had begun to suspect that she was once Forsworn, she vanished again, re-appearing in Whiterun under the service of Jarl Balgruuf. Balgruuf is quoted as saying, “I remember how the air changed when the doors opened and I saw her silhouette entering Dragonsreach. My housecarl immediately drew sword and approached her. It was like everyone knew she was a person of power, of great presence. Everyone except her.”

Continued in part 4 : http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/imageshare/image.php?id=35892