Deathbrand ( Book ) Content . Haknir Death - Brand was dying . For Garuk Windrime , ship ' s quartermaster , it was unthinkable . His grandfather had served under Haknir , nigh on sixty years before , and even then he was a legend among pirates of the north . " The King of Ghosts , " they called him , as eternal and pitiless as the sea he sailed . To Garuk , who had seen him charge into battle , clad in armor of gleaming Stalhrim like the kings of old , his twin swords scything men like grass , Haknir was practically a god . But none feared Haknir more than his own crew . They knew his rages , his fits of madness , how he delighted in torture and murder for its own sake . And there were even darker rumors : Some said he fed upon the blood and souls of those he killed to extend his unnatural life . Some thought him a Daedra , loosed upon the mortal world . And others said he owed his life and power , his armor and swords , to a pact with Dagon , prince of destruction . And the seal of that pact was the terrible wound that scarred his face , never to heal - the Deathbrand , which no man could look upon without flinching . All these things ran through Garuk ' s mind as he took his place on deck at the head of the crew , exchanging a curt nod with Thalin , the ship ' s helmsman and his chief rival . By sundown , he thought , one of them would be captain . The other would be dead . When Haknir finally emerged from his cabin , the crew fell silent . He looked frail , his voice raspy . But even so , he had a presence about him . As he looked over his men , the most brutal murderers ever to ply the northern seas , not one could meet his gaze . At last he sighed . " You wish to know who will by my successor , and how my share of the treasure shall be divided . " That was the question , but even so , there were murmurs of protest . Haknir cut them off . " All these years , I have looked for one who was worthy to take my place , or strong enough to take it from me . Not one of your even comes close . And so none of you shall have it . " He extended his hand . " In Dagon ' s name , I place a curse upon my armor , and my swords . This ship , and all it carries . Until the day when one of you can best me in combat , you shall have not a single coin . " He looked up at them . " Be grateful I have left you with your lives . " Garuk and Thalin shared a single glance . Had anyone else said such a thing , there would have been mutiny . A hundred treasure - mad pirates against one old man . But this was Haknir . The crew was silent . Haknir threw a map at Garuk ' s feet . " Garuk , take a longboat , and bury my armor in the places I have marked . Thalin , we sail to my tomb , where you shall leave me with my gold . Then burn your ships , and do as you will . I am your captain no more . " And with that , he turned and stalked back to his quarters . At daybreak , Garuk took his leave , and set out in a longboat with three of his men . They landed on a shoal to the north of Solstheim , at the place Haknir had marked , made camp , and began to dig . But already , greed stirred in Garuk ' s heart . Time and again , he glanced at the iron - bound chest they had brought with them . The old man was gone , perhaps already dead . His orders , foolish . That night , Garuk pried open the chest and drew out the helm within . The Stalhrim shimmered in the moonlight . It was time . Time for a new King of Ghosts to rise . He placed the helmet on his head . And he screamed . And it is said you can hear that screaming still , on moonlit nights , on a rocky shoal off the northern coast of Solstheim . Postscript - This story is one of the last in the " Haknir Saga , " the tales surrounding the life and adventures of the legendary pirate king Haknir Death - Brand . How much of it is actually true , if indeed any of it is true , I leave to the reader ' s discretion . - Artise Dralen House Redoran Scribe