The Fate of the Skaal

The Fate of the Skaal is a quest in . In order to help the Skaal and free them from the hypnotic state they are under, the Dragonborn must learn the Word of Power for the Bend Will shout so it can be used on the Wind Stone to break the hold on the people.
==Background==
After a strange experience with the Black Book in the Temple of Miraak, Frea says it is important to consult the Skaal Shaman. I should accompany her back to her village.
==Objectives==
#Accompany Frea to Skaal Village
#Talk to Storn Crag-Strider
#Learn the Word of Power
#Talk to Storn
#Use the "Bend Will" Shout on the Wind Stone
#Defeat the Lurker
#Talk to Storn
==Walkthrough==
Upon exiting the Temple of Miraak, the quest begins by following Frea to the Skaal Village. Along the way she will point out the Wind Stone that is enslaving her people and the barrier that has been cast to keep the population of the village safe.
When they arrive in the village, Frea walks over to her father, the shaman, who is sitting in a circle with two other villagers praying. She tells him she brought someone who might be able to help them and explained that something strange happened at the Temple of Miraak.
Frea: "Father! I have returned! There is yet hope!"
Storn Crag-Strider: "Frea! What news do you bring? Is there a way to free our people?"
Frea: "No, but I have brought someone who has seen things... has confirmed that Miraak is indeed behind the suffering of our people."
Storn: "I feared that it would be so."
Frea: "But how is that possible? After all this time..."
Storn: "I fear there is too much we do not yet know."
Frea: (to the Dragonborn) "Please, tell Storn what has happened."''
Storn Crag-Strider talks to the Dragonborn. After learning that they have seen Miraak in a vision through the Black Book and that they, like Miraak, are a Dragonborn, he suggests that the experiences they have had mean they have some connection with Miraak. He tells the Dragonborn to travel to Saering's Watch to learn the Word of Power written there. Frea joins her father and the other two villagers to maintain the barrier until the Dragonborn has completed the task and freed the other Skaal from Miraak's influence.
"So you have seen things, yes? My magic grows weak, and so does the barrier around our village. Time is short. Tell me what you know."
:I've seen Miraak. "Really? How?"
:Miraak is behind what's happening to your people. "How do you know this?"
::I read a book in Miraak's temple, and went somewhere. Miraak was there. "The legends speak of that place. Terrible battles fought at the temple. The dragons burning it to the ground in rage. They speak also of something worse than dragons buried within. Difficult to imagine, but if true..."
:::What does this all mean? "It means what I feared has come to pass. Miraak was never truly gone, and now has returned. If you could go to this place and see him... Are you like Miraak? Are you Dragonborn?"
::::I am indeed Dragonborn. "Then perhaps you are connected with him. The old tales say that he, too, was Dragonborn."
::::Miraak did claim to be Dragonborn. "That is what the stories say. You are Dragonborn as well, then. Perhaps you are connected."
:::::What does it mean if we're both Dragonborn? "I am unsure. It may mean that you could save us, or it may mean that you could bring about our destruction. But our time here is running out. The few of us left free of control cannot protect ourselves for much longer. You must go to Searing's Watch. Learn there the word that Miraak learned long ago, and use that knowledge on the Wind Stone. You may be able to break the hold on our people there, and free them from control."
::::::What do you mean, 'free your people from control?' "Some dark influence wields power over them, forces them to forget themselves and act against their nature. At first it was only during the night, but now every moment is spent building some strange shrine around the Wind Stone. I believe if the shrine can be destroyed, the Skaal will be free once more."
::::::Why do I need to lean a Word of Power? "Miraak is behind what is happening to our village, and so the knowledge he has gained as Dragonborn is at the heart of it. You are Dragonborn as well. You too can wield this power, perhaps to a better end."
Saering's Watch is located on the north side of the island. When the Dragonborn arrives, a dragon is attacking the various draugr who appear in the area. At higher levels, the dragon is usually a Serpentine Dragon while the draugr are primarily Scourges and Deathlords. After both are defeated, Miraak appears and absorbs the Dragon Soul before the Dragonborn can get there. The Bend Will shout can be learned from the Word Wall at the top of the lair. 
(If Saering's Watch was cleared and Bend Will learned before speaking with Storn Crag-Strider, the quest objective will skip to the Wind Stone. There is no difference in Storn's dialogue should this be the case. Miraak will absorb the soul of the next dragon that the Dragonborn kills; it does not need to be the one at Saering's Watch.)
After learning the word, the quest continues at the Wind Stone, not far from the Skaal village. Upon arrival, they will see the villagers working in a hypnotic state. The Bend Will shout can be used to break the structure built around the stone. When this happens, all the villagers wake up, wondering what they are doing there.
A hideous creature will emerge and attack both the villagers and the Dragonborn in retaliation for purging the Wind Stone of Miraak's corruption. After defeating the Lurker, the rest of the Skaal are freed from Miraak's influence, returning to their normal activities. The quest concludes when the Dragonborn returns to Storn to report the Skaal at the Wind Stone are free of Miraak's brainwashing:
Your people are free. "So it is. You have proven yourself to be an ally to the Skaal, and so the Skaal shall be allies to you."
:What do we do now? "If you have release the Wind Stone and broken the hold on my people, perhaps you can do the same for the rest of Solstheim. I doubt it will fully stop whatever Miraak is doing, but it may slow his progress."
::Tell me more about this book, then. "Miraak had this? This does not look like something of the Dragon cult. It is a dark thing, unnatural. I would have nothing to do with it. But the Dark Elf Wizard, Neloth... He came to us some time ago, asking about Black Books. I believe he knows a great deal about them. Perhaps too much. Seek him out to the south. Be cautious, Dragonborn. There is something else at work here."
:::That's not enough. I need to stop Miraak now. "I cannot help with that. None here can. You will need the knowledge Miraak himself learned. You will need to lean more about this Black Book."
This starts two more quests: "Cleansing the Stones" and "The Path of Knowledge."
==Journal==
The Fate of the Skaal – DLC2MQ03	The Fate of the Skaal – DLC2MQ03
ID 	Journal Entry
10 	After a strange experience with the Black Book in the Temple of Miraak, Frea says it is important to consult the Skaal Shaman. I should accompany her back to her village.
*Objective 10: Accompany Frea to Skaal Village
20 	
*Objective 20: Talk to Storn Crag-Strider
30 	Storn, the Skaal shaman, has suggested that my experiences on Solstheim mean I am connected to Miraak. To follow the path Miraak has taken and learn what he knows, I must travel to Saering's Watch and learn the Word of Power written there.
*Objective 30: Learn Word of Power
40 	
*Objective 40: Talk to Storn
50 	In order to free the people of the Skaal, and to thwart Miraak's plans, I have learned a new Word of Power. I must use this new knowledge to disrupt the activity at the Wind Stone, where the Skaal are working against their will.
*Objective 50: Use the "Bend Will" Shout on the Wind Stone
60 	The people of the Skaal have been freed from the control they have been under, but in doing so a hideous creature has been released. It must be defeated before the Skaal are truly safe.
*Objective 60: Defeat the Lurker
70 	The Skaal have been freed from Miraak's control, and his minion has been destroyed. Now that Storn no longer needs to focus on keeping his people safe, he may be able to tell me more about how to find and defeat Miraak.
*Objective 70: Talk to Storn
200 	
*Quest complete
==Gallery==
The Fate of the SkaalDragon Attack.png|Dragon attack at Saering's Watch.
The Fate of the Skaal Wind Stone.png|Lurker emerge at the Wind Stone.
==Bugs==
* It is possible that once the Skaal Village has been reached that the Dragonborn will not be able to talk to Storn to begin the next quest.
**This can be fixed by reloading an older save.
**The commands setstage DLC2MQ03 70 and setstage DLC2MQ03 200 can be used to fix this.
*Upon exiting the Temple Sanctum for the first time, Frea may simply stand still and will not head for the Skaal Village. When interacted with, she will repeat, "We must tell Storn about this."
**This can be fixed by re-entering the Sanctum and then exiting the Sanctum once more.
==Appearances==
*
de:Das Schicksal der Skaal
es:El destino de los skaal
ru:Судьба Скаалов
Category:Dragonborn: Main Quests